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         Title: Commentary on Matthew, Mark, Luke - Volume 1
    Creator(s): Calvin, John (1509-1564)
                (Alternative)
                (Translator)
        Rights: Public Domain
    LC Call no: BS491
   LC Subjects:

                The Bible

                Works about the Bible
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   COMMENTARY

   ON A

   HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS,

   MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE,


   BY JOHN CALVIN



   TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN, AND COLLATED WITH
   THE AUTHOR'S FRENCH VERSION,

   BY THE REV. WILLIAM PRINGLE



   VOLUME FIRST



   CHRISTIAN CLASSICS ETHEREAL LIBRARY
   GRAND RAPIDS, MI

   [1]http://www.ccel.org
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   THE

   TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

   All the writings of John Calvin are marked by extraordinary vigor,
   learning, and judgment. Few of them are so well known as the institutes
   of the christian religion -- a systematic treatise, which, though
   written at the early age of twenty-four, was universally acknowledged
   to be a production of the highest ability. Concise and luminous,
   powerful in argument, scriptural, devout and practical, it has not been
   superseded by any later work. But the fame which he acquired by the
   institutes was fully sustained by his expository writings, which
   possess at least equal claims on the attention of divines. They
   contributed powerfully to diffuse the pure Gospel of Christ, commanded
   the applause of all the Reformed Churches, and received even from
   enemies no mean commendation. More than a century after his valuable
   life had closed, they occupied a place in every theological library.
   The learned Matthew Poole, in the preface to his Synopsis, apologizes
   for the small number of his quotations from them, on the express ground
   that the Commentaries themselves, he had every reason to believe, were
   in the hands of all his readers.

   This reputation, after having suffered a partial eclipse, will soon, in
   all probability, regain its former brightness. The first tendency to
   this improvement was discovered in a neighboring country, where the
   distinguishing doctrines of Christianity had long been supplanted by a
   creed little removed from infidelity. In Germany, Biblical criticism is
   almost a national pursuit. That unconquerable industry which had
   already crowned her scholars with laurels in Greek and Roman
   literature, has given them as unquestionable a pre-eminence in the
   field of sacred philology. Had such rare attainments been always
   consecrated to the honor of the Redeemer, every good man would have
   rejoiced. Unhappily, they were but too frequently employed in
   maintaining the most dangerous errors, in opposing every inspired
   statement which the mind of man is unable fully to comprehend, in
   divesting religion of its spiritual and heavenly character, and in
   undermining the whole fabric of revealed truth. But a gracious
   Providence has raised up other men, whom, though we may not feel
   ourselves at liberty to subscribe to all their views, we cannot but
   hail as the friends of evangelical truth, and admire for their holy
   fortitude in coming

   to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty,
   (Judges 5:23.)

   At the head of this illustrious band it is almost superfluous to name
   Professor Tholuck of Halle, admitted by the most competent judges, both
   in Britain and on the Continent, to be one of the first biblical
   scholars of the age. Having been led by his own researches, and by
   public events, to examine the writings of the Reformer, he hastened to
   draw the attention of his countrymen to the neglected treasures. His
   own Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans afforded an opportunity
   which was eagerly embraced. Not satisfied with this brief notice, he
   wrote an elaborate and masterly dissertation on "The merits of Calvin
   as an Interpreter of the Holy Scriptures," a translation of which
   appeared shortly afterwards in the (American) "Biblical Repository." He
   superintended a handsome octavo edition of Calvin's Commentaries on the
   New Testament, printed at Berlin, and sold at a moderate price. To
   another eminent interpreter he candidly awards the honor of having led
   the way in this undertaking. [1] But he was one of the earliest to
   follow in the path which had been marked out, and has labored, beyond
   all his contemporaries, to make the Commentaries of Calvin more
   extensively known, and more highly esteemed.

   Our Author has exerted a powerful influence on all succeeding
   expositors. They have found their interest in listening to his
   instructions, and have been more deeply indebted to him than is
   generally known. Many valuable interpretations of passages of Scripture
   appeared for the first time in his writings, and have ever since been
   warmly approved. In other cases, the views which had been previously
   held are placed by him in so strong a light as to remove every doubt,
   and satisfy the most cautious inquiry. And yet the stores, from which
   so much has been drawn, are far from being exhausted, nor is their
   value greatly lowered by improvements which have been subsequently
   made. The department of History presents an analogous case. Documents
   which had been overlooked are carefully examined. Conflicting evidence
   is more accurately weighed. Important transactions assume a new aspect,
   or, at least, are altered in their subordinate details. Still, there
   are historians, in whose narrative the great lines of truth are so
   powerfully drawn, that the feebler, though more exact, delineations of
   other men cannot supply their place.

   In the chief moral requisite for such a work Calvin is excelled by
   none. He is an honest interpreter. No consideration would have induced
   him to wrest the words of Scripture from their plain meaning. Those who
   may question his conclusions cannot trace them to an unworthy motive.
   Timid theologians will be occasionally startled by his expositions.
   Though they may not absolutely impeach the soundness of his doctrine,
   they will tremble for the fate of some favorite theory or ingenious
   argument. With such minds he has no sympathy. He examines the
   Scriptures with the humility of one who inquires at the oracle of God,
   (2 Samuel 16:23,) and proclaims the reply with the faith of one who
   knows that the word of the Lord is tried, (Psalm 18:30.)

   Intimately connected with this integrity of purpose is the Catholic
   spirit which he constantly breathes. His labors are dedicated to no
   sect, but to the cause of divine truth. If his opinions do not find
   equal favor with all true Christians, they are made to feel that he
   addresses them as brethren in Christ Jesus. In his eye the Church of
   Christ is one. He never forgets the ties which unite all believers to
   each other and to their exalted Head. Are there any whose sentiments
   are hardly distinguishable from those things which are most surely
   believed among us, (Luke 1:1,) and yet who associate with the name of
   Calvinism all that is stern and repulsive? Let them follow the
   expositions of this master in Israel. They will find the most
   remarkable peculiarities of his creed boldly avowed, but accompanied by
   other revealed truths to which they had supposed him to be indifferent,
   and by no ordinary earnestness of practical exhortation. Amidst his
   severest denunciations of doctrinal error, they will not fail to
   discover the same enlarged views and Christian forbearance which
   animated the great apostle of the Gentiles. Rarely will they behold
   that sentiment more beautifully exemplified,

   Grace be to all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,
   (Ephesians 6:24.)

   Learning ought not to be a prominent feature in a work essentially
   popular. But the learning of Calvin manifests itself in the most
   desirable manner, and adds great weight to his interpretations. Of his
   acquaintance with Hebrew it is unnecessary now to speak. His
   familiarity with the Greek language appears less in observations on
   phrases, or allusions to the various renderings of some passages, than
   in a close adherence to those shades of meaning which no translation of
   the Scriptures can convey. Even when he appears to have overlooked or
   mistaken the words, a reference to the original, which had been
   studiously kept out of view, will justify the unexpected remark. [2]

   Origen, Chrysostom, and other Greek Fathers, were among his familiar
   authors. Classical writers are introduced on every proper occasion, for
   illustrating a term, or a custom, or the general principles of
   reasoning. Quotations are made from these writers, and from some of
   their philosophical treatises, which are seldom even consulted except
   by those who can read the language with considerable freedom. To say
   nothing of the Stagyrite, every scholar knows, for example, that no
   Greek prose offers more serious difficulties than the idiomatic, though
   fascinating, style of Plato. [3]

   In that minute analysis which is peculiar to modern criticism, Calvin
   may have been deficient. That he wanted the skill necessary for such
   investigations is not so manifest. The absence of those processes by
   which he arrived at his conclusions makes it difficult to determine how
   far the subtle elements of language had undergone his scrutiny. If we
   shall suppose him to have neglected these matters, our astonishment
   must be the greater that the deductions of recent inquirers should have
   been so largely anticipated. Conjectures thrown out by Sir Isaac Newton
   were long afterwards verified by experiments of extreme labor and
   delicacy. But Calvin speaks habitually with a tone of confidence. We
   must therefore conclude that, like the shrewd remarks to which the
   philosopher was pleased to give the name of conjectures, his
   discoveries were reached by a shorter route, which other minds could
   with difficulty follow. [4]

   This extraordinary sagacity was accompanied by another quality not less
   needed in an interpreter, a sound judgment, which leaned neither to
   ancient usage nor to ingenious novelties, which refused to bow to the
   authority of great names, and sternly rebuked the most plausible
   sophistry when opposed to the plain and obvious meaning of Scripture.
   He took a dispassionate and wide survey, not only of the passage
   immediately under consideration, but of kindred expressions or
   sentiments that were found in any of the inspired writers. It was left
   to the industry of later times to collect parallels, and arrange them
   on the margin of our Bibles, as an invaluable aid to interpretation.
   But his own perusal of the sacred volume supplied him largely with such
   materials, and enabled him to draw them out with instinctive readiness
   as occasion required.

   As we pass along, we meet with direct quotations, largely but
   appositely introduced, and tending to confirm the views which he had
   adopted. Still more frequently we observe a copious use of that
   phraseology which is peculiar to the sacred writers, and which falls on
   the pious ear with refreshing melody. In him it rises higher than that
   felicitous application of Scripture which our more elegant writers have
   cultivated for the purpose of imparting a literary charm to their
   compositions; for those beauties came to him unsought while he was
   aiming at something higher than the mere ornaments of diction, and the
   language of Scripture had been so thoroughly interwoven with his
   ordinary style, that he must have been frequently unconscious of its
   presence. To aid the reader in discovering those allusions, the
   passages from which they have been taken are generally marked. The
   references made by our Author himself may be supposed to be abundant,
   and must have struck many persons as a prominent feature of his
   writings; but in far more numerous cases, no clue was given to his
   authorities, and some pains have been taken to supply the omissions.

   The Latin original has been scrupulously followed. His own vernacular
   version gives us some idea of the freedom, spirit, and elegance, with
   which he would have accommodated himself to the taste of the English
   reader, if it had been executed in our language. But a translator is
   not permitted to use the same liberties as the author, and faithfulness
   demands that he shall adhere strictly to the copy which is set before
   him. The meaning has been given without addition or omission, and even
   the structure of the sentences has been followed, so far as that could
   be done without violating the purity of English idiom. To exhibit the
   peculiar excellencies of such a writer, or, where that could not be
   done, to find in a modern tongue a suitable equivalent, was no easy
   task. His admirably concise diction, and rapid but masterly
   transitions, and above all, that rare felicity of expression for which
   his severest judges have given him credit, render it difficult to
   represent the style and manner of so great a master of composition.

   All the assistance that could be derived from our Author's French
   version has been thankfully accepted. It would have been unwise as well
   as ungrateful to leave out of view so authoritative an exposition of
   his meaning, or to disregard the production of one whose command of his
   native tongue is acknowledged by the ablest critics to have anticipated
   the elegancies of a later age. "He wrote in Latin," says D'Alembert,
   "as well as is possible in a dead language, and in French with a purity
   which was extraordinary for his time. This purity, which is to the
   present day admired by our skillful critics, renders his writings
   greatly superior to almost all of the same age; as the works of
   Messieurs de Port Royal are still distinguished on the same account
   from the barbarous rhapsodies of their opponents and contemporaries."
   Amidst the driest details of verbal criticism, there are frequent
   glimpses of that eloquence which De Thou and other great men regarded
   with admiration, and which, when aided by the living voice, must have
   told powerfully on his hearers.

   It must be observed, however, that the Latin and French texts have been
   treated apart, as if they had not proceeded from the same pen, and have
   been separated by a broad line which meets the eye of the reader. The
   old translators sometimes proceeded as if they had not been aware of
   the vernacular copy, and at other times blended it with the original in
   so strange a manner, that they appear to follow a path of their own,
   while they are faithfully tracking the Author's footsteps. In the new
   translations prepared for the Calvin Society, care has been taken to
   adhere scrupulously to the Latin text, and at the same time to give the
   English reader the full benefit of those illustrations which the Author
   thought fit to employ in submitting the work to the perusal of his
   countrymen. The French translation has been all along collated with the
   original; and whenever it contained additional matter, or removed
   obscurity by greater copiousness of language, or even when a striking
   phrase occurred, the passages have been exhibited and translated at the
   bottom of the page.

   Notes, partly selected, but chiefly original, have been added. Some are
   intended to illustrate a remote allusion, to prevent a casual
   expression from being misunderstood, or to bring out more clearly the
   Author's meaning. Others are devoted to history, or to biblical
   criticism. Those which have been written by myself, and for which I
   must be held responsible, are marked. Ed. All questions of a doctrinal
   nature have been excluded from these Notes. The publications of the
   Calvin Translation Society are addressed to the whole Church of Christ,
   and ought not to wear the badge of any of the sections into which that
   Church is unhappily divided. In every thing that relates to doctrine
   the Author has been left in full possession of the field.

   It will scarcely be supposed that every interpretation contained in
   this work has my entire concurrence. The great principles inculcated in
   the writings of Calvin have my cordial approbation; and, indeed, I
   could scarcely name a writer with whose views of Divine truth I more
   fully coincide. As a Commentator, ever since I became acquainted with
   him, I have been accustomed to assign to him the highest rank, and to
   receive his expositions with the deepest respect. My labors on this and
   on a former occasion [5] led me to examine his opinions more closely
   than before, and have raised him still more highly in my estimation.
   There are some points on which I feel assured that he mistook the
   meaning of Scripture; but almost all of them had been little
   investigated in his day, and do not appear to have been subjected to
   his usual severity of judgment. Many will wonder that he should contend
   so earnestly for the identity of John's baptism with Christ's baptism,
   instead of representing them to be two distinct ordinances, instituted
   for separate purposes, and placed under totally different regulations:
   but on this question the followers of Christ may agree to differ. It
   will excite more general surprise to find the great Reformer
   maintaining the right of the civil magistrate to punish heretics, and
   even to inflict on them the last sentence of the law. Men far inferior
   to him in learning and ability have avoided mistakes from which his
   powerful and enlightened mind was not exempted. They ought to regard
   with admiration and gratitude the conduct of a gracious Providence,
   which preserved his creed so remarkably free from Romish errors, and
   enabled him to approach so closely to the mind of the Holy Spirit.

   A may be expected to resemble other works which bear the same title.
   Our Author's delight in brevity, and his extreme aversion to repeat
   what he had said before, would aid the influence of other reasons for
   adopting this plan, which are stated by himself towards the conclusion
   of The Argument. To meet one obvious disadvantage of this arrangement,
   a Table of the passages expounded, which may enable the reader easily
   to discover where the exposition is to be found, becomes necessary.
   Such a Table, together with a list of the passages taken from other
   books of Scripture which are quoted or illustrated in this work, and a
   copious Index to the subjects of which it treats, will be given in the
   Third volume.

   The old translator of the Harmony, Eusebius Paget, deserves to be
   honored by the admirers of Calvin. It was indeed to be expected that,
   after the lapse of nearly three centuries, his version would be found
   unsuitable to modern taste. But it is highly creditable to his
   scholarship, and to his scrupulous fidelity to the original, for which
   his well known integrity, and his warm attachment to the writings of
   the Reformer, were a sufficient guarantee. His name has come down to us
   in connection with sermons and other works, which appear to have been
   much esteemed, but are now little known. "The History of the Bible,
   briefly collected, by way of Question and Answer," was one of his
   productions, and was printed at the end of several of the old editions
   of the Bible.

   This volume is adorned by a well-authenticated likeness of the
   Reformer. [6] Many will be surprised to trace the lines of extreme old
   age in the countenance of one who died at the age of fifty-five. But
   all his biographers agree in stating that, ere he had concluded his
   fortieth year, the white locks, shrivelled features, and bent
   shoulders, bespoke Calvin to be already an old man; [7] and that long
   before other fifteen years had run their course, he seemed as if
   threescore years and ten, or rather fourscore years, had passed over
   him, and brought their usual attendants of labor and sorrow, (Psalm
   90:10.) His friends observed with grief the forerunners of an event
   which, when it arrived, they could not but mourn as the premature close
   of a life so highly valued.

   The quaint title-pages of two editions of the French version, together
   with the "Epistle Dedicatory" of Eusebius Paget, and a fac-simile of
   his title-page, immediately follow this Preface.

   It may be proper to state, in conclusion, that, throughout this work,
   Calvin's own version of the three evangelists is adopted, as nearly as
   the difference of the languages would allow, in preference to our
   Authorized Version, which would not have rendered equal assistance to
   the reader in understanding the expositions. Yet the singular
   coincidence between the two Versions, interrupted chiefly by verbal
   differences which do not affect the sense, lends countenance to the
   suggestion of an esteemed friend and fellow-laborer, that King James's
   Translators have been more deeply indebted to the labors of Calvin than
   is generally believed.

   W. P.
   Auchterarder,
   4th January, 1845.
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   [1] "To Lucke belongs the honor of having first referred, in the
   department of exigesis, to Luther, Beza, Calvin, Camerarius, and many
   other excellent interpreters of the period of the Reformation. He was
   followed by the writer of these pages in his Commentary on the Epistle
   to the Romans." -- Literarischer Anzeiger fur 1831. Biblical
   Repository, July 1832.

   [2] The observation might be extended to some other expositors, who,
   with little parade of any kind, are qualified to instruct every class
   of readers. Those only who have subjected them to a close comparison
   with the Hebrew and Greek originals can judge of their attainments in
   criticism. Matthew Henry, though deservedly the most popular of this
   class, receives less credit than he deserves for the extent and variety
   of his learning.

   [3] This statement may require both explanation and defense. Many of
   those who have devoted their attention to Greek literature would be
   more likely to name Thucydides as an author who had cost them long and
   severe application. But the difficulties of that historian, though more
   obvious, are in reality less formidable, and will be found not to arise
   so directly from any peculiarities of style as from a singular
   condensation of thought which demands the close and sustained attention
   of his readers, and sometimes from an affectation of conciseness on the
   part of the author which leads him into obscurity. The difficulties of
   Plato are chiefly idiomatic, and do not lie on the surface. Like those
   noble performances which are said to indicate the hand of a master in
   the higher walks of art, in which the uninitiated hardly discover any
   meaning, but which reveal to the cultivated eye or ear the highest
   beauty or magnificence of conception, the masterly strokes of Plato are
   not perceived by ordinary readers, and can only be appreciated by the
   accomplished scholar. He who reads with case the original Greek of
   Plato, following out all the windings of his subtle argument, (and
   Calvin appears to have accomplished this task,) must have previously
   unraveled the most perplexing intricacies of that language.

   [4] It may be proper to mention, that a considerable part of this
   Preface has already appeared in The Biblical Cabinet, Vol. XXX.,
   prefixed to a translation of Calvin's Commentaries on the Epistles to
   the Galatians and Ephesians. With the kind permission of my friend, the
   publisher of that series, I have transferred it to a place where it is
   not less appropriate than in its former situation. Some remarks on
   Calvin's excellencies as a Commentator, and on the estimation in which
   he is now held, might be expected to precede the first volume of a
   modem version of his Commentaries, that has been brought out by the
   Calvin Translation Society. No change having taken place in the
   carefully matured views which were formerly expressed, it has been
   judged advisable to present them in their original form, rather than to
   leave them out, or to undergo the labor of fresh writing.

   [5] Biblical Cabinet, vol. xxx.

   [6] It is taken from a rare etching by Pierre Woieiriot, goldsmith, and
   engraver on copper and wood. This artist was born at Bar-le-duc in
   1510. He was established at Lyons about the middle of the sixteenth
   century. His engravings are all distinguished by the monogram which may
   be observed on the etching itself, surmounted by the small cross of
   Lorraine. This engraving was issued previous to the death of Calvin,
   and probably during his last illness, as the likeness bears evident
   marks of premature decrepitude and debility.

   [7] A letter of Calvin to his dear friends, Farel and Viret, dated 30th
   May, 1540, when he had not comp1eted his thirty-first year, contains
   the following remarkable passage: "Car si nous voulons bien pourvoir
   aux profits de l'Eglise, il nous faut appeller a l'office de Pasteurs
   tels gens, qu'ils puissent quelque iour soustenir la charge apres nous.
   Combien que ie soye ieune, toutesfois quand ie voy ma debilite et
   indisposition de mon corps, i'ay soin de ceux qui seront apres nous,
   comme si i'estoye desia vieil." -- "For if we are desirous to provide
   for the advantage of the Church, we must call to the office of Pastors
   such persons as may one day hold the office after us. Though I am
   young, yet when I perceive my debility and my bodily indisposition, I
   have anxiety about those who shall come after us, as if I were already
   old."
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1558 French Translation by John
   Calvin
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1563 French Edition
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   Facsimile of the title page to the 1610 English Translation
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   THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY

   TO THE OLD TRANSLATION

   To the right honorable

   FRANCIS, EARL OF BEDFORD,

   Of the noble order of the garter, knight,
   One of the lords of her majesty's most hon. Privy council;
   Grace and peace from god, with the increase of that true
   Honor which is from god, and lasteth for ever.

   [Prefixed to the Original English Translation, London, 1584 and 1610.]

   The choice (Right Honourable) which Luke the Evangelist made in
   dedicating this History of the Gospel, which he wrote, to that noble
   man Theophilus, and which that man of worthy memory, M. John Calvin,
   took in dedicating these his labors to the Lords of Frankfort, driveth
   me to dedicate this my small labor of translating this book into the
   English tongue. And though it is but little that I have done, in
   comparison of the labors of the other two, and not worth the offering
   to men of great estate; yet, lest that I should seem singular in
   dissenting from these two singular instruments in the Church of God,
   and that in one and the selfsame book I have presumed to make bold of
   your Lordship's name, hoping that your Honor will not mislike to have
   it written in the forehead of this book with noble Theophilus and the
   Lords of Frankfort; specially, sith that I do it in testimony of my
   dutiful love to you, for the manifold grace of God in you, and benefits
   which I have received from you. Men do commonly, in their Epistles,
   write either in the commendation of the work, or in the praise of their
   patron, or in discharging of themselves of the discredit which their
   enemies would lay upon them. But I crave pardon of your Honor, if, in
   studying to be short, I omit these things.

   For, first, the very name of The Gospel of Jesus Christ and then the
   names of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Evangelists, and of M. Calvin,
   the gatherer of The Harmony and the writer of The Commentary, do yield
   more credit and commendation to the matter than all that I can say of
   it, all the days of my life. Only this I say of M. Calvin's labors
   here, that in my simple judgment it is one of the profitablest works
   for the Church that ever he did write.

   Next, for your praises, as you like not to hear them, so I will not
   offend you in setting them down, nor give others occasion to condemn me
   of flattery. They which have best known you say, that you began a good
   course in your youth; that you witnessed a good confession in the late
   time of persecution; that your constancy hath been testified by your
   troubles at home and travels in foreign countries: You have continued
   your profession in the midst of your dignity, lordships, and living,
   left by your parents, and in the seat of government wherein our
   sovereign and most gracious Queen hath placed you; not falling asleep,
   in security, in this so peaceable a time.

   My Lord, continue to the end, so shall you be safe. I speak not this as
   if it were your own strength that hath holden you up all this while;
   but meditate sometimes, I pray you, upon the seventy-first Psalm; and
   pray that Lord, as David did, who kept you in your youth, that He will
   keep you in your old age, now that your hair is hoar and hairs grey.
   And I beseech the mighty Lord to thrust them forward which are drawn
   back by their youthly affections, and to raise up them that fell away
   for fear of troubles, and to waken those which in this quiet and calm
   time do sleep in security, or wax wanton with the wealth of the world;
   that we may meet the Lord with true humility and earnest repentance, to
   see if He will be intreated to continue His mercies towards us; lest he
   turn his correcting rod, which he hath so oft shaken over us, into a
   devouting sword to consume us.

   Of myself I will say nothing. The mouths of the wicked cannot be
   stopped. Their false tongues, I hope, shall teach me to walk warily;
   and I have learned, I thank my God, to pass through good report and
   through evil, and to commit myself and my cause to Him that judgeth
   right.

   The Lord of lords preserve your Honour in safety, and multiply all
   spiritual blessings upon you and yours. From Kiltehampton, in Cornwall,
   this 28th of, January, 1584.

   The Lord's most unworthy Minister, lame

   Eusebius Paget
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   THE

   AUTHOR'S EPISTLE DEDICATORY

   TO

   The Very Noble And Illustrious Lords,

   THE BURGOMASTERS AND COUNCIL

   OF THE NOBLE CITY OF FRANKFORT,

   JOHN CALVIN

   If virtuous examples were ever necessary to be held out for imitation,
   in order to stimulate lazy, sluggish, or inactive persons, the sloth,
   and--what is more--the indifference of this very corrupt age makes it
   necessary that the greater part of men, who do not of their own accord
   advance, but rather fall back, should at least be compelled by shame to
   discharge their duty. All, indeed, are seen to be influenced, both in
   public and in private, by a disgraceful emulation. There is not a king
   who does not labor to show that he is equal to his neighbors in the
   address, or perseverance, or energy, or courage, necessary for
   extending, by every possible method, the bounds of his dominion. There
   is not a state or commonwealth that yields the preference to others for
   cunning and all the arts of deception, nor a single individual among
   the ranks of the ambitious who will acknowledge his inferiority to
   others in wicked contrivances. In short, we would almost say that they
   had entered into a silent but mutual conspiracy to challenge each other
   to a contest of vices, and every man who carries wickedness to an
   extreme easily ruins a vast multitude by his example; so that, amidst
   the general prevalence of crimes, very few persons are to be found who
   exhibit a pattern of uprightness.

   For these reasons I reckon it to be the more advantageous that those
   uncommon excellencies, by which eminent persons are distinguished,
   should receive the commendations which they deserve, and should be
   raised to an elevated situation so as to be seen at a great distance,
   that the desire of imitating them may be awakened in many breasts. And
   this I acknowledge, most honorable Lords, to be the principal reason
   why I am desirous that this work of mine should be given to the world
   under the sanction of your name. For though my undertaking will be
   regarded by me as having obtained a distinguished reward, if your
   readiness to do good shall derive from it any increase, yet I have had
   more particularly in my eye the other object which has been mentioned,
   namely, that others may equal your progress, or at least may follow the
   same course.

   I have no intention, however, to frame a catalogue of all the
   excellencies by which you are distinguished, but shall satisfy myself
   for the present with mentioning, in terms of commendation, one
   excellence which has bound to you myself and a great number of the
   servants of Christ by what may be called a more sacred tie. It was a
   great matter that, more than five years ago, when all were seized with
   dreadful alarm, when a fearful devastation of the churches of Germany,
   and almost the destruction of the Gospel, was threatened by the
   calamity which had occurred, you, on whom the first shower of darts
   fell, stood firm in an open profession of the faith which was at that
   time extremely odious, and steadily maintained the pure doctrine of
   godliness which you had embraced, so as to make it evident that, amidst
   the greatest anxieties and dangers, there is nothing which you value
   more highly than to fight under the banner of Christ. But it is still
   more remarkable, and more worthy of being put on record, that you not
   only maintain the pure worship of God among yourselves, and faithfully
   endeavor to keep your fellow-citizens within the fold of Christ, but
   that you collect as torn members those fragments of a dispersed church
   which had been thrown out in other countries.

   In the present melancholy state of affairs, it has given me no small
   consolation to learn that devout worshippers of God, who had come to
   you as exiles from England and from other places, were received by you
   with warm hospitality; and that you not only opened your gates to them
   in their wretched exile, but rendered deserved honor to the Son of God,
   by making his Gospel to be distinctly heard in your city in foreign
   languages. A similar instance of distinguished kindness was recently
   showed to the unhappy natives of Locarno by the Council of Zurich, who
   not only threw open their city to them, (when they were not permitted
   to worship Christ at home according to their consciences) but even
   assigned to them a church for holding their religious assemblies, and
   were not prevented by a diversity of language from desiring to hear
   Christ talk Italian in their own city.

   To return to yourselves: as soon as I heard that you had had the
   kindness to allow persons who speak our language to found a church
   amongst you, I considered that you had laid me under private
   obligations, and resolved to take this opportunity of testifying my
   gratitude. For while there is good reason for deploring the state of
   our nation to be such, that the sacrilegious tyranny of Popery has made
   a residence in our own country to be little else than a banishment from
   the kingdom of God, so, on the other hand, it is a distinguished favor
   to have a habitation granted to us on a foreign soil, where the lawful
   worship of God may be observed. This truly sacred hospitality--which
   was rendered not to men, but rather to Christ himself--will, I trust,
   add to your already prosperous condition fresh acts of the divine
   kindness, and secure them to you in uninterrupted succession.

   For my own part at least, as I have just now declared, such were my
   inducements to dedicate to you this work of mine. It is a Harmony
   arranged out of Three Evangelists, and has been prepared by me with the
   greatest fidelity and diligence. What toil I have bestowed on it would
   serve no purpose to detail; and how far I have succeeded must be left
   to others to decide. The readers to whom I refer are those honest,
   learned, and well-disposed persons, whose desire of making progress is
   not retarded by a barbarous shame at receiving instruction, and who
   feel an interest in the public advantage. I do not trouble myself with
   mean and wicked scoundrels; and such I call not only the hooded monks,
   who, in defending the tyranny of the Pope, carry on open war with us,
   but those useless drones [8] who, mixing with us, seize on every
   pretense for concealing their ignorance, and would wish to have the
   light of doctrine wholly extinguished. Let them impudently bark at me
   as much as they please: my reply will be always ready. Neither divine
   nor human obligation subjects me to the judgment of those who deserve
   the lash for their most disgraceful ignorance, as much as they deserve
   the whip for their obstinate and hardened malice and insolence.

   I may be allowed at least to say, without the imputation of boasting,
   that I have faithfully endeavored to be of service to the Church of
   God. Two years ago, John was published along with my Commentary, which,
   I trust, was not without advantage. And thus like one of the heralds,
   [9] I have endeavored, to the utmost extent that my ability allowed, to
   do honor to Christ riding magnificently in his royal chariot drawn by
   four horses; and feel assured that candid readers, who have derived
   advantage from my labors, will not be ashamed to acknowledge that the
   success has, in some measure, corresponded to my wish. The evangelical
   history, related by four witnesses divinely appointed, is justly
   compared by me to a chariot drawn by four horses: for by this
   appropriate and just harmony God appears to have expressly prepared for
   his Son a triumphal chariot, from which he may make a magnificent
   display to the whole body of believers, and in which, with rapid
   progress, he may review the world. Augustine, too, makes an apt
   comparison of the Four Evangelists to trumpets, the sound of which
   fills every region of the world, so that the Church, gathered from the
   East, and West, and South, and North, flows into a holy unity of faith.
   So much the more intolerable is the curiosity of those who, not
   satisfied with the heavenly heralds, obtrude upon us, under the name of
   a Gospel, disgusting tales, which serve no other purpose than to
   pollute the purity of faith, and to expose the name of Christ to the
   sneers and ridicule of the ungodly.

   With regard to yourselves, most noble Lords, as you detest every kind
   of leaven, by which the native purity of the Gospel is corrupted, and
   show that you have nothing more at heart than to defend and maintain
   the pure doctrine, as it was delivered by Christ, I feel assured that
   this production, which opens up the treasure of the Gospel, will
   receive your warmest approbation, and trust that my dedication of it to
   you will be accepted as a mark of my regard. Farewell, most illustrious
   Lords. May Christ always direct you by his Spirit, support you by his
   power, defend you by his protection, and enrich your city and
   commonwealth with all abundance of blessings.

   Geneva, 1st August, M.D.LV.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [8] "Mais aussi de ces vermines, lesquels meslez entre nous comme
   bourdons entre abeilles;" -- "but likewise those wretches who mixing
   with us like drones among bees."

   [9] "Comme estant un de la compagnie de ceux qui vont devant pour faire
   place a leur Roy;" -- "as being one of the company of those who go
   before to make way for their King."
     __________________________________________________________________

   THE ARGUMENT

   ON THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

   ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, MARK, AND LUKE

   In order to read with profit the Evangelical history, it is of great
   importance to understand the meaning of the word Gospel. [10] We shall
   thus be enabled to ascertain what design those heavenly witnesses had
   in writing, and to what object the events related by them must be
   referred. That their histories did not receive this name from others,
   but were so denominated by the Authors, is evident from Mark, who
   expressly says (1:1) that he relates the beginning of the Gospel of
   Jesus Christ. There is one passage in the writings of Paul, from which
   above all others a clear and certain definition of the word Gospel may
   be obtained, where he tells us that it ...

   was promised by God in the Scriptures, through the prophets, concerning
   his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David
   according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power,
   according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection from the
   dead,
   (Romans 1:2-4.)

   First, this passage shows that the Gospel is a testimony of the
   revealed salvation, which had been formerly promised to the Fathers in
   an uninterrupted succession of ages. It points out, at the same time, a
   distinction between the promises which kept the hope of the people in
   suspense, and this joyful message, by which God declares that he has
   accomplished those things which he had formerly required them to
   expect. [11] In the same manner he states a little afterwards, that in
   the Gospel

   the righteousness of God is openly manifested, which was testified by
   the Law and the Prophets, (Romans 3:21.)

   The same apostle calls it, in another passage, an Embassy by which the
   reconciliation of the world to God, once accomplished by the death of
   Christ, is daily offered to men, (2 Corinthians 5:20.)

   Secondly, Paul means not only that Christ is the pledge of all the
   blessings that God has ever promised, but that we have in him a full
   and complete exhibition of them; as he elsewhere declares that all the
   promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, (2 Corinthians 1:20.)
   And, indeed, the freely bestowed adoption, by which we are made sons of
   God, as it proceeds from the good pleasure which the Father had from
   eternity, has been revealed to us in this respect, that Christ (who
   alone is the Son of God by nature) has clothed himself with our flesh,
   and made us his brethren. That satisfaction by which sins are blotted
   out, so that we are no longer under the curse and the sentence of,
   death, is to be found nowhere else than in the sacrifice of his death.
   Righteousness, and salvation, and perfect happiness, are founded on his
   resurrection.

   The Gospel, therefore, is a public exhibition of the Son of God
   manifested in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16,) to deliver a ruined world,
   and to restore men from death to life. It is justly called a good and
   joyful message, for it contains perfect happiness. Its object is to
   commence the reign of God, and by means of our deliverance from the
   corruption of the flesh, and of our renewal by the Spirit, to conduct
   us to the heavenly glory. For this reason it is often called the
   kingdom of heaven, and the restoration to a blessed life, which is
   brought to us by Christ, is sometimes called the kingdom of God: as
   when Mark says that Joseph waited for the kingdom of God, (Mark 15:43,)
   he undoubtedly refers to the coming of the Messiah.

   Hence it is evident that the word Gospel applies properly to the New
   Testament, and that those writers are chargeable with a want of
   precision, [12] who say that it was common to all ages, and who suppose
   that the Prophets, equally with the Apostles, were ministers of the
   Gospel. Widely different is the account which Christ gives us, when he
   says, that

   the law and the prophets were till John, and that since that time the
   kingdom of God began to be preached, (Luke 16:16.)

   Mark, too, as we mentioned a little ago, declares that the preaching of
   John was the beginning of the Gospel, (John 1:1.) Again, the four
   histories, which relate how Christ discharged the office of Mediator,
   have with great propriety received this designation. As the birth,
   death, and resurrection of Christ contain the whole of our salvation,
   and are therefore the peculiar subject of the Gospel, the name of
   Evangelists is justly and suitably applied to those who place before
   our eyes Christ who has been sent by the Father, that our faith may
   acknowledge him to be the Author of a blessed life.

   The power and results of his coming are still more fully expressed in
   other books of the New Testament. And even in this respect John differs
   widely from the other three Evangelists: for he is almost wholly
   occupied in explaining the power of Christ, and the advantages which we
   derive from him; while they insist more fully on one point, that our
   Christ is that Son of God who had been promised to be the Redeemer of
   the world. They interweave, no doubt, the doctrine which relates to the
   office of Christ, and inform us what is the nature of his grace, and
   for what purpose he has been given to us; but they are principally
   employed, as I have said, in showing that in the person of Jesus Christ
   has been fulfilled what God had promised from the beginning. [13] They
   had no intention or design to abolish by their writings the law and the
   prophets; as some fanatics dream that the Old Testament is superfluous,
   now that the truth of heavenly wisdom has been revealed to us by Christ
   and his Apostles. On the contrary, they point with the finger to
   Christ, and admonish us to seek from him whatever is ascribed to him by
   the law and the prophets. The full profit and advantage, therefore, to
   be derived from the reading of the Gospel will only be obtained when we
   learn to connect it with the ancient promises.

   With regard to the three writers of the Evangelical history, whom I
   undertake to expound, Matthew is sufficiently known. Mark is generally
   supposed to have been the private friend and disciple of Peter. It is
   even believed that he wrote the Gospel, as it was dictated to him by
   Peter, and thus merely performed the office of an amanuensis or clerk.
   [14] But on this subject we need not give ourselves much trouble, for
   it is of little importance to us, provided only we believe that he is a
   properly qualified and divinely appointed witness, who committed
   nothing to writing, but as the Holy Spirit directed him and guided his
   pen. There is no ground whatever for the statement of Jerome, that his
   Gospel is an abridgment of the Gospel by Matthew. He does not
   everywhere adhere to the order which Matthew observed, and from the
   very commencement handles the subjects in a different manner. Some
   things, too, are related by him which the other had omitted, and his
   narrative of the same event is sometimes more detailed. It is more
   probable, in my opinion -- and the nature of the case warrants the
   conjecture -- that he had not seen Matthew's book when he wrote his
   own; so far is he from having expressly intended to make an abridgment.

   I have the same observation to make respecting Luke: for we will not
   say that the diversity which we perceive in the three Evangelists was
   the object of express arrangement, but as they intended to give an
   honest narrative of what they knew to be certain and undoubted, each
   followed that method which he reckoned best. Now as this did not happen
   by chance, but by the direction of Divine Providence, so under this
   diversity in the manner of writing the Holy Spirit suggested to them an
   astonishing harmony, which would almost be sufficient of itself to
   secure credit to them, if there were not other and stronger evidences
   to support their authority.

   Luke asserts plainly enough that he is the person who attended Paul.
   But it is a childish statement which Eusebius makes, that Paul is the
   Author of the Gospel which bears the name of Luke, because in one
   passage he mentions his Gospel, [15] (2 Timothy 2:8.) As if what
   follows did not make it clear that Paul is speaking of his whole
   preaching, and not of a single book: for he adds, for which I suffer
   trouble, even to bonds, (2 Timothy 2:9.) Now, it is certain that he was
   not held guilty [16] of having written a book, but of having
   administered and preached with the living voice the doctrine of Christ.
   Eusebius, whose industry was great, discovers here a singular want of
   judgment in collecting without discrimination such gross absurdities.
   On this head I have thought it necessary to warn my readers, that they
   may not be shocked at fooleries of the same description which occur in
   every part of his history.

   Of that method of interpretation which I have chosen to adopt, and
   which it may be many persons, at first sight, will not approve, it will
   be proper to give some account for the satisfaction of pious and candid
   readers. First, it is beyond all dispute, that it is impossible to
   expound, in a proper and successful manner, any one of the Evangelists,
   without comparing him with the other two; and, accordingly, faithful
   and learned commentators spend a very great portion of their labor on
   reconciling the narratives of the three Evangelists. But as it
   frequently happens that persons of ordinary abilities find the
   comparison to be no easy matter, when it is necessary to pass at every
   turn from the one to the other, I thought that it might prove to be a
   seasonable and useful abridgment of their labor, if I were to arrange
   the three histories in one unbroken chain, or in a single picture, in
   which the reader may perceive at a glance the resemblance or diversity
   that exists. In this way I shall leave out nothing that has been
   written by any of the three Evangelists; and whatever may be found in
   more than one of them will be collected into one place.

   Whether or not I have succeeded to my expectation, the reader must
   decide by his own experience. So far from claiming the praise of having
   brought out something new, I readily acknowledge, as becomes an honest
   man, that I have adopted this method in imitation of others. Bucer, a
   man of revered memory, and an eminent teacher of the Church of God, who
   above all others appears to me to have labored successfully in this
   field, has been especially my model. As he availed himself of the
   labors of the ancients who had traveled this road before him, so my
   toils have been not a little alleviated by his industry and
   application. Where I use the liberty of differing from him, (which I
   have freely done, whenever it was necessary,) Bucer himself, if he were
   still an inhabitant of the earth, would not be displeased.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [10] Evangelium in Latin, Evangile in French, and Evangell in old
   English, are derived, with little alteration, from the Greek word
   euangelion, which is compounded of eu, well, and angelia, a message,
   and signifies glad news. The English word Gospel is of Saxon
   derivation, and is determined by its etymology to signify God's word;
   but must have acquired, at a very early period, the meaning of the
   Greek word for which it has been adopted as a translation. In the
   margin of the celebrated Geneva Testament, printed A.D. 1557, Gospel is
   thus defined: -- "This worde signifieth good tidinges, and is taken
   here for the storie which conteineth the joyful message of the comming
   of the Sonne of God." -- Ed

   [11] "Ce qu'il avoit auparavant commande a tous fideles d'attendre et
   esperer;" -- "which he had formerly commanded all believers to expect
   and hope."

   [12] "Que c'est aucunement confondre les termes;" -- "that it is in a
   manner a confounding of words."

   [13] "Des le commencement du monde;" -- "from the beginning of the
   world."

   [14] "En sorte qu il ait seulement este escrivain sous luy;" -- "so
   that he was only a writer under him."

   [15] "Se fondant sur une passage ou il fait mention de son Evangile;"
   -- "founding on a passage in which he makes mention of his Gospel,"
   (according to my gospel.)

   [16] "Il n'avoit este accuse, et emprisonne;" -- "he was not accused
   and imprisoned."
     __________________________________________________________________

   COMMENTARY

   ON A

   HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS

   LUKE 1:1-4
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 1:1-4

   1. Forasmuch as many have undertaken to compose a narrative of those
   things which are most surely believed among us, 2. Even as they
   delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eye-witnesses and
   ministers of the Word; 3. It seemed good to me also, having carefully
   examined all things from the beginning, to write to thee in detail,
   most excellent Theophilus, 4. That thou mayest acknowledge the
   certainty of those things whereof thou hast been instructed.


   Luke is the only Evangelist who makes a preface to his Gospel, for the
   purpose of explaining briefly the motive which induced him to write. By
   addressing a single individual he may appear to have acted foolishly,
   instead of sounding the trumpet aloud, as was his duty, and inviting
   all men to believe. It appears, therefore, to be unsuitable that the
   doctrine which does not peculiarly belong to one person or to another,
   but is common to all, should be privately sent to his friend
   Theophilus. Hence some have been led to think that Theophilus is an
   appellative noun, and is applied to all godly persons on account of
   their love of God; but the epithet which is joined to it is
   inconsistent with that opinion. Nor is there any reason for dreading
   the absurdity which drove them to adopt such an expedient. For it is
   not less true that Paul's doctrine belongs to all, though some of his
   Epistles were addressed to certain cities, and others to certain men.
   Nay, we must acknowledge, if we take into account the state of those
   times, that Luke adopted a conscientious and prudent course. There were
   tyrants on every hand who, by terror and alarm, were prepared to
   obstruct the progress of sound doctrine. This gave occasion to Satan
   and his ministers for spreading abroad the clouds of error, by which
   the pure light would be obscured. Now, as the great body of men cared
   little about maintaining the purity of the Gospel, and few considered
   attentively the inventions of Satan or the amount of danger that lurked
   under such disguises, every one who excelled others by uncommon faith,
   or by extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, was the more strongly bound to
   do his utmost, by care and industry, for preserving the doctrine of
   godliness pure and uncontaminated from every corruption. Such persons
   were chosen by God to be the sacred keepers of the law, by whom the
   heavenly doctrine committed to them should be honestly handed down to
   posterity. With this view therefore, Luke dedicates his Gospel to
   Theophilus, that he might undertake the faithful preservation of it;
   and the same duty Paul enjoins and recommends to Timothy, (2 Timothy
   1:14; 3:14.)

   1. Forasmuch as many. He assigns a reason for writing which, one would
   think, ought rather to have dissuaded him from writing. To compose a
   history, which had already employed many authors, was unnecessary
   labor, at least if they had faithfully discharged their duty. But no
   accusation of imposture, or carelessness, or any other fault, is in the
   slightest degree insinuated. It looks, therefore, as if he were
   expressing a resolution to do what had been already done. I reply,
   though he deals gently with those who had written before him, he does
   not altogether approve of their labors. He does not expressly say that
   they had written on matters with which they were imperfectly
   acquainted, but by laying claim to certainty as to the facts, he
   modestly denies their title to full and unshaken confidence. It may be
   objected that, if they made false statements, they ought rather to have
   been severely censured. I reply again, they may not have been deeply in
   fault; they may have erred more from want of consideration than from
   malice; and, consequently, there would be no necessity for greater
   fierceness of attack. And certainly there is reason to believe that
   these were little more than historical sketches which, though
   comparatively harmless at the time, would afterwards, if they had not
   been promptly counteracted, have done serious injury to the faith. But
   it is worthy of remark that, in applying this remedy through Luke to
   unnecessary writings, God had a wonderful design in view of obtaining,
   by universal consent, the rejection of others, and thus securing
   undivided credit to those which reflect brightly his adorable majesty.
   There is the less excuse for those silly people, by whom disgusting
   stories, under the name of Nicodemus, or some other person, are, at the
   present day, palmed upon the world.

   Are most surely believed among us The participle peplerophoremena,
   which Luke employs, denotes things fully ascertained, and which do not
   admit of doubt. The old translator has repeatedly fallen into mistakes
   about this word, and through that ignorance has given us a corrupted
   sense of some very beautiful passages. One of these occurs in the
   writings of Paul, where he enjoins every man to be fully persuaded in
   his own mind, (Romans 14:5,) that conscience may not hesitate and
   waver, tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:14) by doubtful opinions. Hence,
   too, is derived the word plerophoria, which he erroneously renders
   fullness, while it denotes that strong conviction springing from faith,
   in which godly minds safely rest. There is still, as I have said, an
   implied contrast; for, by claiming for himself the authority of a
   faithful witness, he destroys the credit of others who give contrary
   statements.

   Among us [17] has the same meaning as with us. [18] He appears to make
   faith rest on a weak foundation, its relation to men, while it ought to
   rest on the Word of God only; and certainly the full assurance
   (plerophoria) of faith is ascribed to the sealing of the Spirit, (1
   Thessalonians 1:5; Hebrews 10:22.) I reply, if the Word of God does not
   hold the first rank, faith will not be satisfied with any human
   testimonies, but, where the inward confirmation of the Spirit has
   already taken place, it allows them some weight in the historical
   knowledge of facts. By historical knowledge I mean that knowledge which
   we obtain respecting events, either by our own observation or by the
   statement of others. For, with respect to the visible works of God, it
   is equally proper to listen to eye-witnesses as to rely on experience.
   Besides, those whom Luke follows were not private authors, but were
   also ministers of the Word By this commendation he exalts them above
   the rank of human authority; for he intimates that the persons from
   whom he received his information had been divinely authorized to preach
   the Gospel. Hence, too, that security which he shortly afterwards
   mentions, and which, if it does not rest upon God, may soon be
   disturbed. There is great weight in his denominating those from whom he
   received his Gospel ministers of the Word; for on that ground believers
   conclude that the witnesses are beyond all exception, as the Lawyers
   express it, and cannot lawfully be set aside.

   Erasmus, who has borrowed from Virgil [19] a phrase used in his
   version, did not sufficiently consider the estimation and weight due to
   a Divine calling. Luke does not talk in a profane style, but enjoins us
   in the person of his friend Theophilus to keep in view the command of
   Christ, and to hear with reverence the Son of God speaking through his
   Apostles. It is a great matter that he affirms them to have been
   eye-witneses, but, by calling them ministers, he takes them out of the
   common order of men, that our faith may have its support in heaven and
   not in earth. In short, Luke's meaning is this: "that, since thou now
   hast those things committed faithfully to writing which thou hadst
   formerly learned by oral statements, thou mayest place a stronger
   reliance on the received doctrine." It is thus evident that God has
   employed every method to prevent our faith from being suspended on the
   doubtful and shifting opinions of men. There is the less room for
   excusing the ingratitude of the world, which, as if it openly preferred
   the uncertainty arising out of vague and unfounded reports, turns from
   so great a Divine favor with loathing. But let us attend to the
   remarkable distinction which our Lord has laid down, that foolish
   credulity may not insinuate itself under the name of faith. Meanwhile,
   let us allow the world to be allured, as it deserves, by the deceitful
   baits of foolish curiosity, and even to surrender itself willingly to
   the delusions of Satan.

   3. Having carefully examined all things The old translator has it,
   having followed out all things; [20] and the Greek verb parakolouthein
   is taken metaphorically from those who tread in the footsteps of
   others, that nothing may escape them. So that Luke intended to express
   his close and laborious investigation, just as Demosthenes employs the
   same word, when, in examining an embassy against which he brings an
   accusation, he boasts of his diligence to have been such, that he
   perceived every thing that had been done as well as if he had been a
   spectator.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [17] Inter nos.

   [18] Apud nos.

   [19] Quorum pars magna fui. -- Virg. AEn.

   [20] Omnia assequuto.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:5-13

   Luke 1:5-13

   5. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest
   named Zacharias, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the
   daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6. And they were both
   righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of
   the Lord blameless. 7. And they had no child, because Elisabeth was
   barren, and they were now both at an advanced age. 8. And it happened,
   while he was discharging the priest's office in the order of his course
   before God, 9. According to the custom of the priest's office, it fell
   to him by lot to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
   10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the
   time of incense. 11. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing
   at the right hand of the altar on which the incense was burning.
   12. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
   13. But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is
   heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt
   call his name John.


   Luke very properly begins his Gospel with John the Baptist, just as a
   person who was going to speak about the daylight would commence with
   the dawn. For, like the dawn, he went before the Sun of Righteousness,
   which was shortly to arise. Others also mention him, but they bring him
   forward as already discharging his office. Luke secures our respect for
   him, while he is yet unborn, by announcing the miracles of divine power
   which took place at the earliest period of his existence, and by
   showing that he had a commission from heaven to be a prophet, ere it
   was possible for men to know what would be his character. His object
   was that John might afterwards be heard with more profound veneration,
   when he should come forth invested with a public office to exhibit the
   glory of Christ.

   5. In the days of Herod This was the son of Antipater, whom his father
   elevated to the throne, and labored with such assiduity and toil to
   advance, that he was afterwards surnamed Herod the Great Some think
   that he is here mentioned by Luke, because he was their first foreign
   king; and that this was a suitable time for their deliverance, because
   the scepter had passed into a different nation. But they who speak in
   this manner do not correctly understand Jacob's prophecy, (Genesis
   49:10,) in which the advent of the Messiah is promised not merely after
   the royal authority had been taken from the Jews, but after it had been
   removed from the tribe of Judah. The holy patriarch did not even
   intimate that the tribe of Judah would be stripped of its supremacy,
   but that the government of the people would steadily remain in it until
   Christ, in whose person its permanency would at length be secured. When
   the Maccabees flourished, the tribe of Judah was reduced nearly to a
   private rank; and shortly afterwards, John, the latest leader of that
   race, was slain. But even at that time, its power was not completely
   annihilated; for there still remained the Sanhedrim, or Council
   selected out of the family and descendants of David, which possessed
   great authority, and lasted till the time of Herod, who, by a shocking
   slaughter of the judges, revenged the punishment formerly inflicted on
   himself, when he was condemned for murder, and forced to undergo
   voluntary exile, in order to escape capital punishment.

   It was not, therefore, because he was of foreign extraction, that the
   reign of Herod broke the scepter of the tribe of Judah, (Genesis
   49:10;) but because whatever relics of superior rank still lingered in
   that tribe were entirely carried off by his robbery. That its royal
   dignity had crumbled down long before, and that by slow degrees its
   supremacy had nearly given way, does not imply such a discontinuance as
   to be at variance with Jacob's prophecy. For God had promised two
   things seemingly opposite; that the throne of David would be eternal,
   (Psalm 89:29, 36,) and that, after it had been destroyed, he would
   raise up its ruins, (Amos 9:11;) that the sway of his kingly power
   would be eternal, and yet that there should come forth a rod out of the
   stem of Jesse, (Isaiah 11:1.) Both must be fulfilled. That supremacy,
   therefore, which God had bestowed on the tribe of Judah, was suffered
   by him to be broken down for a time, that the attention of the people
   might be more strongly directed to the expectation of Christ's reign.
   But when the destruction of the Sanhedrim appeared to have cut off the
   hope of believers, suddenly the Lord shone forth. Now, it belongs to
   the arrangement of history to mark the date of the transaction; but for
   no light reason did the word king mark, at the same time, the
   wretchedness of that period, in order to remind the Jews, that their
   eyes ought now to be turned to the Messiah, if they would sincerely
   keep the covenant of God.

   Zacharias, of the course of Abia We learn from sacred history, (1
   Chronicles 24:3, 31,) that the families of the priests were arranged by
   David in certain classes. In this matter David attempted nothing
   contrary to what the law enjoined. God had bestowed the priesthood on
   Aaron and his sons, (Exodus 28:1.) The other Levites were set apart to
   inferior offices, (Numbers 3:9.) David made no change in this respect;
   but his object was, partly to secure that nothing should be done in
   tumult and disorder, partly to oppose ambition, and at the same time to
   provide that it should not be in the power of a few persons, by taking
   the whole service into their own hands, to leave the greater number
   unemployed at home. Now in that arrangement, Abijah, son of Eleazar,
   held the eighth rank, (1 Chronicles 24:10.) Zacharias, therefore,
   belonged to the priestly family, and to the posterity of Eleazar who
   had succeeded his father in the high priest's office, (Numbers 20:28.)
   In what manner Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron, could be
   Mary's cousin, ([2]v. 36,) I will explain in the proper place. It is
   certainly by way of respect that Luke mentions the genealogy of
   Elisabeth; for Zacharias was permitted by the law to take to wife a
   daughter of any private Levite. From the equal marriage, therefore, it
   is evident that he was a man respected among his own rank.

   6. And they were both righteous before God He awards to them a noble
   testimony, not only that among men they spent holy and upright lives,
   but also that they were righteous before God This righteousness Luke
   defines briefly by saying that they walked in all the commandments of
   God Both ought to be carefully observed; for, although praise is
   bestowed on Zacharias and Elisabeth for the purpose of showing us that
   the lamp, whose light went before the Son of God, was taken not from an
   obscure house, but from an illustrious sanctuary, yet their example
   exhibits to us, at the same time, the rule of a devout and righteous
   life. In ordering our life, (Psalm 37:23,) therefore, our first study
   ought to be to approve ourselves to God; and we know that what he
   chiefly requires is a sincere heart and a pure conscience. Whoever
   neglects uprightness of heart, and regulates his outward life only by
   obedience to the law, neglects this order. For it ought to be
   remembered that the heart, and not the outward mask of works, is
   chiefly regarded by God, to whom we are commanded to look. Obedience
   occupies the second rank; that is, no man must frame for himself, at
   his own pleasure, a new form of righteousness unsupported by the Word
   of God, but we must allow ourselves to be governed by divine authority.
   Nor ought we to neglect this definition, that they are righteous who
   regulate their life by the commandments of the law; which intimates
   that, to the eye of God, all acts of worship are counterfeit, and the
   course of human life false and unsettled, so far as they depart from
   his law.

   Commandments and ordinances differ thus. The latter term relates
   strictly to exercises of piety and of divine worship; the latter is
   more general, and extends both to the worship of God and to the duties
   of charity. For the Hebrew word hqym, which signifies statutes or
   decrees, is rendered by the Greek translator dikaiomata, ordinances;
   and in Scripture hqym usually denotes those services which the people
   were accustomed to perform in the worship of God and in the profession
   of their faith. Now, though hypocrites, in that respect, are very
   careful and exact, they do not at all resemble Zacharias and Elisabeth.
   For the sincere worshippers of God, such as these two were, do not lay
   hold on naked and empty ceremonies, but, eagerly bent on the truth,
   they observe them in a spiritual manner. Unholy and hypocritical
   persons, though they bestow assiduous toil on outward ceremonies, are
   yet far from observing them as they are enjoined by the Lord, and,
   consequently, do but lose their labor. In short, under these two words
   Luke embraces the whole law.

   But if, in keeping the law, Zacharias and Elisabeth were blameless,
   they had no need of the grace of Christ; for a full observance of the
   law brings life, and, where there is no transgression of it, there is
   no remaining guilt. I reply, those magnificent commendations, which are
   bestowed on the servants of God, must be taken with some exception. For
   we ought to consider in what manner God deals with them. It is
   according to the covenant which he has made with them, the first clause
   of which is a free reconciliation and daily pardon, by which he
   forgives their sins. They are accounted righteous and blameless,
   because their whole life testifies that they are devoted to
   righteousness, that the fear of God dwells in them, so long as they
   give a holy example. But as their pious endeavors fall very far short
   of perfection, they cannot please God without obtaining pardon. The
   righteousness which is commended in them depends on the gracious
   forbearance of God, who does not reckon to them their remaining
   unrighteousness. In this manner we must explain whatever expressions
   are applied in Scripture to the righteousness of men, so as not to
   overturn the forgiveness of sins, on which it rests as a house does on
   its foundation. Those who explain it to mean that Zacharias and
   Elisabeth were righteous by faith, simply because they freely obtained
   the favor of God through the Mediator, torture and misapply the words
   of Luke. With respect to the subject itself, they state a part of the
   truth, but not the whole. I do own that the righteousness which is
   ascribed to them ought to be regarded as obtained, not by the merit of
   works, but by the grace of Christ; and yet, because the Lord has not
   imputed to them their sins, he has been pleased to bestow on their
   holy, though imperfect life, the appellation of righteousness The folly
   of the Papists is easily refuted. With the righteousness of faith they
   contrast this righteousness, which is ascribed to Zacharias, which
   certainly springs from the former, and, therefore, must be subject,
   inferior, and, to use a common expression, subordinate to it, so that
   there is no collision between them. The false coloring, too which they
   give to a single word is pitiful. Ordinances, they tell us, are called
   commandments of the law, and, therefore, they justify us. As if we
   asserted that true righteousness is not laid down in the law, or
   complained that its instruction is in fault for not justifying us, and
   not rather that it is weak through our flesh, (Romans 8:3.) In the
   commandments of God, as we have a hundred times acknowledged, life is
   contained, (Leviticus 18:5; Matthew 19:17;) but this will be of no
   avail to men, who by nature were altogether opposed to the law, and,
   now that they are regenerated by the Spirit of God, are still very far
   from observing it in a perfect manner.

   7. And they had no child By an extraordinary purpose of God it was
   appointed that John should be born out of the common and ordinary
   course of nature. The same thing happened with Isaac, (Genesis 17:17;
   Genesis 21:1-3,) in whom God had determined to give an uncommon and
   remarkable demonstration of his favor. Elisabeth had been barren in the
   prime of life, and now she is in old age, which of itself shuts up the
   womb. By two hinderances, therefore, the Lord gives a twofold,
   surprising exhibition of his power, in order to testify, by stretching
   out his hand, as it were, from heaven, that the Prophet was sent by
   himself, (Malachi 3:1; John 1:6.) He is indeed a mortal man, born of
   earthly parents; but a supernatural method, so to speak, recommends him
   strongly as if he had fallen from heaven

   9. According to the custom of the priest's office The law enjoined that
   incense should be offered twice every day, that is, every morning and
   at even, (Exodus 30:7, 8.) The order of courses among the priests had
   been appointed by David, as we have already explained; and,
   consequently, what is here stated as to incense was expressly enjoined
   by the law of God. The other matters had been arranged by David, (1
   Chronicles 24:3,) that each family might have its own turn, though
   David ordained nothing which was not prescribed by the law: he only
   pointed out a plan by which they might individually perform the service
   which God had commanded.

   The word temple (naos) is here put for the holy place; which deserves
   attention, for it sometimes includes the outer court. Now, Zacharias is
   spoken of as going into the temple, which none but priests were
   permitted to enter. And so Luke says that the people stood without,
   there being a great distance between them and the altar of incense; for
   the altar on which the sacrifices were offered intervened. It ought to
   be observed also that Luke says before God: for whenever the priest
   entered into the holy place, he went, as it were, into the presence of
   God, that he might be a mediator between him and the people. For it was
   the will of the Lord to have this impressed upon his people, that no
   mortal is allowed to have access to heaven, without a priest going
   before; nay that, so long as men live on the earth, they do not
   approach the heavenly throne, so as to find favor there, but in the
   person of the Mediator. Now, as there were many priests, there were not
   two of them permitted to discharge, at the same time, the solemn office
   of intercession for the people; but they were so arranged in classes,
   that only one entered the Holy Place, and thus there was but one priest
   at a time. The design of the incense was to remind believers that the
   sweet savor of their prayers does not ascend to heaven except through
   the sacrifice of the Mediator; and in what manner those figures apply
   to us must be learned from the Epistle to the Hebrews.

   12. Zacharias was troubled Though God does not appear to his servants
   for the purpose of terrifying them, yet it is advantageous and even
   necessary for them to be struck with awe, (Psalm 33:8,) that, amidst
   their agitation, they may learn to give to God the glory due unto his
   name, (Psalm 29:2.) Nor does Luke relate only that Zacharias was
   terrified, but adds that fear fell upon him; intimating that he was so
   alarmed as to give way to terror. The presence of God fills men with
   alarm, which not only leads them to reverence, but humbles the pride of
   the flesh, naturally so insolent that they never submit themselves to
   God until they have been overcome by violence. Hence, too, we infer
   that it is only when God is absent, -- or, in other words, when they
   withdraw from his presence, -- that they indulge in pride and
   self-flattery; for if they had God as a Judge before their eyes, they
   would at once and unavoidably fall prostrate. And if at the sight of an
   angel, who is but a spark of the Divine light, this happened to
   Zacharias, on whom the commendation of righteousness is bestowed, what
   shall become of us miserable creatures, if the majesty of God shall
   overwhelm us with its brightness? We are taught by the example of the
   holy fathers that those only are impressed with a lively sense of the
   Divine presence who shake and tremble at beholding him, and that those
   are stupid and insensible who hear his voice without alarm.

   13. Fear not, Zacharias The glory of God, it ought to be observed, is
   not so appalling to the saints as to swallow them up entirely with
   dread, but only to cast them down from a foolish confidence, that they
   may behold him with humility. As soon, therefore, as God has abased the
   pride of the flesh in those who believe in him, he stretches out his
   hand to raise them up. He acts differently towards the reprobate; for
   at whatever time they are dragged before the tribunal of God, they are
   overwhelmed by absolute despair: and thus does God justly reward their
   vain delights, in which they give themselves up to the intoxicating
   wantonness of sin. We ought, therefore, to accept this consolation,
   with which the angel soothes Zacharias, that we have no reason to fear,
   when God is gracious to us. For they are greatly mistaken who, in order
   to enjoy peace, hide themselves from the face of God, whereas we ought
   to acquaint ourselves with him and be at peace, (Job 22:21.)

   Thy prayer is heard Zacharias may seem to have acted an improper part,
   and inconsistent with the nature of his office, if, on entering the
   Holy Place in the name of all the people, he prayed as a private man
   that he might obtain offspring; for, when the priest sustained a public
   character, he ought, in forgetfulness as it were of himself, to offer
   prayers for the general welfare of the Church. If we say that there was
   no absurdity in Zacharias, after performing the chief part of the
   prayer, devoting the second part of it to private meditations about
   himself, the reply will not be without weight. But it is hardly
   probable that Zacharias did, at that time, pray to obtain a son, of
   which he had despaired on account of his wife's advanced age; nor
   indeed can any precise moment be drawn from the words of the angel. I
   interpret it, therefore, simply that his prayer was at length heard,
   which he had poured out before God for a long period. That the desire
   of having children, if it be not excessive, is consistent with piety
   and holiness, may be gathered from Scripture, which assigns to it not
   the lowest place among the blessings of God.

   Thou shalt call his name John The name was given, I think, to the
   Baptist in order to heighten the authority of his office. yhvhnn, (1
   Chronicles 3:15,) for which the Greeks employ 'Ioannes, signifies in
   Hebrew the grace of the Lord Many suppose that the son of Zacharias was
   so called, because he was beloved of God. I rather think that it was
   intended to recommend not the grace which God bestowed upon him as a
   private individual, but that grace which his mission would bring to
   all. The force and weight of the name are increased by its date; for it
   was before he was born that God inscribed on him this token of his
   favor.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 1:14-17

   Luke 1:14-17

   14. And he shall be to thee joy and exultation, and many shall rejoice
   on account of his birth. 15. For he shall be great before the Lord, and
   shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with
   the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16. And many of the
   children of Israel shall he bring back to the Lord their God. 17. And
   he shall go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah, that he may
   bring back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
   disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that he may make ready a people
   prepared for the Lord.


   14. He shall be to thee joy The angel describes a greater joy than what
   Zacharias could derive from the recent birth of a child; for he informs
   him that he would have such a son as he had not even ventured to wish.
   He even proceeds farther to state that the joy would not be domestic,
   enjoyed by the parents alone, or confined within private walls, but
   shared alike by strangers, to whom the advantage of his birth should be
   made known. It is as if the angel had said that a son would be born not
   to Zacharias alone, but would be the Teacher and Prophet of the whole
   people. The Papists have abused this passage for the purpose of
   introducing a profane custom in celebrating the birth-day of John. I
   pass over the disorderly scene of a procession accompanied by dancing
   and leaping, and licentiousness of every description, strangely enough
   employed in observing a day which they pretend to hold sacred, and even
   the amusements authorized on that day taken from magical arts and
   diabolical tricks, closely resembling the mysteries of the goddess
   Ceres. It is enough for me, at present, to show briefly that they
   absurdly torture the words of the angel to mean the annual joy of a
   birth-day, while the angel restricts his commendation to that joy which
   all godly persons would derive from the advantage of his instruction.
   They rejoiced that a prophet was born to them, by whose ministry they
   were led to the hope of salvation,

   15. For he shall be great He confirms what he said about joy, for John
   had been selected for a great and extraordinary purpose. These words
   are not so much intended to extol his eminent virtues as to proclaim
   his great and glorious office; as Christ, when he declares that among
   them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John
   the Baptist, (Matthew 11:11,) refers less to the holiness of his life
   than to his ministry. What follows immediately afterwards, he shall
   drink neither wine nor strong drink, must not be understood to mean
   that John's abstemiousness was a singular virtue, but that God was
   pleased to distinguish his servant by this visible token, by which the
   world would acknowledge him to be a continual Nazarite. The priests too
   abstained from wine and strong drink, while they were performing their
   duties in the temple, (Leviticus 10:9.) The same abstinence was
   enjoined on the Nazarites, (Numbers 6:3,) until their vow should be
   fulfilled. By a striking mark God showed that John was dedicated to him
   to be a Nazarite for his whole life, as we learn was also the case with
   Samson, (Judges 13:3, 4.) But we must not on this ground imagine that
   the worship of God consists in abstinence from wine, as apish copyists
   select some part of the actions of the fathers for an object of
   imitation. Only let all practice temperance, let those who conceive it
   to be injurious to drink wine abstain of their own accord, and let
   those who have it not endure the want with contentment. As to the word
   sikera, I fully agree with those who think that, like the Hebrew word
   skr, it denotes any sort of manufactured wine.

   He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost These words, I think, convey
   nothing more than that John would manifest such a disposition as would
   hold out the hope of future greatness. By disposition I mean not such
   as is found even in ungodly men, but what corresponds to the excellence
   of his office. The meaning is, the power and grace of the Spirit will
   appear in him not only when he shall enter upon his public employment,
   but even from the womb he shall excel in the gifts of the Spirit, which
   will be a token and pledge of his future character. From the womb,
   means from his earliest infancy. The power of the Spirit, I
   acknowledge, did operate in John, while he was yet in his mother's
   womb; but here, in my opinion, the angel meant something else, that
   John, even when a child, would be brought forward to the public gaze,
   accompanied by extraordinary commendation of the grace of God. As to
   fullness, there is no occasion for entering into the subtle
   disputations, or rather the trifling, of the sophists; for Scripture
   conveys nothing more by this word than the pre-eminent and very
   uncommon abundance of the gifts of the Spirit. We know, that to Christ
   alone the Spirit was given without measure, (John 3:34,) that we may
   draw out of his fullness, (John 1:16;) while to others it is
   distributed according to a fixed measure, (1 Corinthians 12:11;
   Ephesians 4:7.) But those who are more plentifully endued with grace
   beyond the ordinary capacity, are said to be full of the Holy Ghost.
   Now, as the more plentiful influence of the Spirit was in John an
   extraordinary gift of God, it ought to be observed that the Spirit is
   not bestowed on all from their very infancy, but only when it pleases
   God. John bore from the womb a token of future rank. Saul, while
   tending the herd, remained long without any mark of royalty, and, when
   at length chosen to be king, was suddenly turned into another man, (1
   Samuel 10:6.) Let us learn by this example that, from the earliest
   infancy to the latest old age, the operation of the Spirit in men is
   free.

   16. And many of the children of Israel shall he bring back These words
   show the shamefully dissolute conduct which then prevailed in the
   Church, for those in whom conversion to God could take place must have
   been apostates. And certainly corrupt doctrine, depraved morals, and
   disorderly government, were such as to render it next to a miracle that
   a very few continued in godliness. But if the ancient Church was so
   awfully dissolute, it is a frivolous pretext by which the Papists
   defend their own superstitions, that it is impossible for the Church to
   err, particularly since they include under this designation not the
   genuine and elect children of God, but the crowd of the ungodly.

   But John appears to have more ascribed to him here than belongs to man.
   For conversion to God renews men to a spiritual life, and therefore is
   not only God's own work, but surpasses even the creation of men. In
   this way ministers might seem to be made equal, and even superior, to
   God viewed as Creator; since to be born again to a heavenly life is a
   greater work than to be born as mortals on the earth. The answer is
   easy; for when the Lord bestows so great praise on the outward
   doctrine, he does not separate it from the secret influence of his
   Spirit. As God chooses men to be his ministers whose services he
   employs for the edification of his Church, he at the same time operates
   by them, through the secret influence of his Spirit, that their labors
   may be efficacious and fruitful. Wherever Scripture applauds this
   efficacy in the ministry of men, let us learn to attribute it to the
   grace of the Spirit, without which the voice of man would have spent
   itself uselessly in the air. Thus, when Paul boasts that he is a
   minister of the Spirit, (2 Corinthians 3:6,) he claims nothing
   separately for himself, as if by his voice he penetrated into the
   hearts of men, but asserts the power and grace of the Spirit in his
   ministry. These expressions are worthy of remark; because Satan labors,
   with amazing contrivance, to lower the effect of doctrine, in order
   that the grace of the Spirit connected with it may be weakened. The
   outward preaching, I acknowledge, can do nothing separately or by
   itself; but as it is an instrument of divine power for our salvation,
   and through the grace of the spirit an efficacious instrument, what God
   hath joined together let us not put asunder, (Matthew 19:6.)

   That the glory of conversion and faith, on the other hand, may remain
   undivided with God alone, Scripture frequently reminds us that
   ministers are nothing in themselves; but in such cases he compares them
   with God, that no one may wickedly steal the honor from God and convey
   it to them. In short, those whom God, by the aid of the minister,
   converts to himself, are said to be converted by the minister, because
   he is nothing more than the hand of God; and both are expressly
   asserted in this passage. Of the efficacy of the doctrine we have now
   said enough. That it lies not in the will and power of the minister to
   bring men back to God, we conclude from this that John did not
   indiscriminately bring all back, (which he would unquestionably have
   done, if every thing had yielded to his wish,) but only brought those
   back whom it pleased the Lord effectually to call. In a word, what is
   here taught by the angel is laid down by Paul in his Epistle to the
   Romans, that faith cometh by hearing, (Romans 10:17,) but that those
   only to whom the Lord inwardly reveals his arm (Isaiah 53:1; John
   12:38) are so enlightened as to believe.

   17. And he shall go before him By these words he points out what would
   be John's office, and distinguishes him by this mark from the other
   prophets, who received a certain and peculiar commission, while John
   was sent for the sole object of going before Christ, as a herald before
   a king. Thus also the Lord speaks by Malachi,

   "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
   me,"
   (Malachi 3:1.)

   In short, the calling of John had no other design than to secure for
   Christ a willing ear, and to prepare for him disciples. As to the angel
   making no express mention of Christ in this passage, but declaring John
   to be the usher or standard-bearer of the eternal God, we learn from it
   the eternal divinity of Christ. With the spirit and power of Elijah By
   the words spirit and power, I understand the power or excellency of the
   Spirit, with which Elijah was endued; for we must not here indulge in a
   dream like that of Pythagoras, that the soul of the prophet passed into
   the body of John, but the same Spirit of God, who had acted
   efficaciously in Elijah, afterwards exerted a similar power and
   efficacy in the Baptist. The latter term, power, is added, by way of
   exposition, to denote the kind of grace which was the loftiest
   distinction of Elijah, that, furnished with heavenly power, he restored
   in a wonderful manner the decayed worship of God; for such a
   restoration was beyond human ability. What John undertook was not less
   astonishing; and, therefore, we ought not to wonder if it was necessary
   for him to enjoy the same gift.

   That he may bring back the hearts of the fathers Here the angel points
   out the chief resemblance between John and Elijah. He declares that he
   was sent to collect the scattered people into the unity of faith: for
   to bring back the hearts of the fathers is to restore them from discord
   to reconciliation; from which it follows, that there had been some
   division which rent and tore asunder the people. We know how dreadful
   was the revolt of the people in the time of Elijah, how basely they had
   degenerated from the fathers, so as hardly to deserve to be reckoned
   the children of Abraham. Those who were thus disunited Elijah brought
   into holy harmony. Such was the reunion of parents with children, which
   was begun by John, and at length finished by Christ. Accordingly, when
   Malachi speaks of "turning the hearts of the fathers to the children,"
   (Malachi 4:5,) he intimates that the Church would be in a state of
   confusion when another Elijah should appear; and what was that state is
   plain enough from history, and will more fully appear in the proper
   place. The doctrine of Scripture had degenerated through countless
   inventions, the worship of God was corrupted by very gross
   superstition, religion was divided into various sects, priests were
   openly wicked and Epicureans, the people indulged in every kind of
   wickedness; in short, nothing remained sound. The expression, bring
   back the hearts of the fathers to the children, is not literally true;
   for it was rather the children who had broken the covenant and departed
   from the right faith of their fathers, that needed to be brought back
   But though the Evangelist does not so literally express that order of
   bringing back, the meaning is abundantly obvious, that, by the
   instrumentality of John, God would again unite in holy harmony those
   who had previously been disunited. Both clauses occur in the prophet
   Malachi, who meant nothing more than to express a mutual agreement.

   But as men frequently enter into mutual conspiracies which drive them
   farther from God, the angel explains, at the same time, the nature of
   that bringing back which he predicts, the disobedient to the wisdom of
   the just. This deserves attention, that we may not foolishly allow
   ourselves to be classed with ungodly men under a false pretense of
   harmony. Peace is a sounding and imposing term, and, whenever the
   Papists meet with it in scripture, they eagerly seize upon it for the
   purpose of raising dislike against us, as if we, who are endeavoring to
   withdraw the world from its base revolt, and bring it back to Christ,
   were the authors of divisions. But this passage affords a fine exposure
   of their folly, when the angel explains the manner of a genuine and
   proper conversion; and declares its support and link to be the wisdom
   of the just Accursed then be the peace and unity by which men agree
   among themselves apart from God.

   By the wisdom of the just is unquestionably meant Faith, as, on the
   contrary, by the disobedient are meant Unbelievers. And certainly this
   is a remarkable encomium on faith, by which we are instructed, that
   then only are we truly wise unto righteousness when we obey the word of
   the Lord. The world too has its wisdom, but a perverse and therefore
   destructive wisdom, which is ever pronounced to be vanity; though the
   angel indirectly asserts that the shadowy wisdom, in which the children
   of the world delight, is depraved and accursed before God. This is
   therefore a settled point, that, with the view of becoming reconciled
   to each other, men ought first to return to peace with God.

   What immediately follows about making ready a people prepared for the
   Lord, agrees with that clause, that John, as the herald of Christ,
   would go before his face, (Malachi 3:1;) for the design of his
   preaching was to make the people attentive to hear the instruction of
   Christ. The Greek participle kateskeuasmenon, it is true, does not so
   properly mean perfection as the form and adaptation by which things are
   fitted for their use. This meaning will not agree ill with the present
   passage. John was commissioned to fit or mould to Christ a people
   which, formerly ignorant and uneducated, had never shown a desire to
   learn.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:18-20

   Luke 1:18-20

   18. And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this? for I am an
   old man, and my wife is at an advanced age. 19. And the angel answering
   said to him, I am Gabriel, who stand before God, and have been sent to
   speak to thee, and to convey to thee these glad tidings. 20. And,
   behold, thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be able to speak, until the
   day when these things shall happen; because thou hast not believed my
   words, which shall be fulfilled in their time,

   And Zacharias said to the angel Next follows the doubt of Zacharias,
   and the punishment which the Lord inflicted on his unbelief. He had
   prayed that he might obtain offspring, and now that it is promised, he
   distrusts, as if he had forgotten his own prayers and faith. It might,
   at first sight, appear harsh that God is so much offended by his reply.
   He brings forward his old age as an objection. Abraham did the same;
   and yet his faith is so highly applauded that Paul declares, he

   "considered not his own body now dead, neither yet the deadness of
   Sarah's womb," (Romans 4:19,)

   but unhesitatingly relied on the truth and power of God. Zacharias
   inquires how, or by what proof, he might arrive at certainty. But
   Gideon was not blamed for twice asking a sign, (Judges 6:17, 37, 39.)
   Nay more, we are shortly after this informed of Mary's objection, How
   shall this be, since I know not a man? ([3]ver. 34,) which the angel
   passes over as if it contained nothing wrong. How comes it then that
   God punishes Zacharias so severely, as if he had been guilty of a very
   heinous sin? I do acknowledge that, if the words only are considered,
   either all were equally to blame, or Zacharias did nothing wrong. But
   as the actions and words of men must be judged from the state of the
   heart, we ought rather to abide by the judgment of God, to whom the
   hidden secrets of the heart are naked and opened, (Hebrews 4:13.)

   Unquestionably, the Lord beheld in Zacharias something worse than his
   words may bear, and therefore his anger was kindled against him for
   throwing back with distrust the promised favor. We have no right,
   indeed, to lay down a law to God which would not leave him free to
   punish in one the fault which he pardons in others. But it is very
   evident that the case of Zacharias was widely different from that of
   Abraham, or Gideon, or Mary. This does not appear in the words; and
   therefore the knowledge of it must be left to God, whose eyes pierce
   the depths of the heart. Thus God distinguishes between Sarah's laugh
   (Genesis 18:12) and Abraham's, (Genesis 17:17,) though the one
   apparently does not differ from the other. The reason why Zacharias
   doubted was, that, stopping at the ordinary course of nature, he
   ascribed less than he ought to have done to the power of God. They take
   a narrow and disparaging view of the works of God, who believe that he
   will do no more than nature holds out to be probable, as if his hand
   were limited to our senses or confined to earthly means. But it belongs
   to faith to believe that more can be done than carnal reason admits.
   Zacharias had no hesitation with regard to its being the voice of God,
   but as he looked too exclusively at the world, an indirect doubt arose
   in his mind if what he had heard would really happen. In that respect
   he did no slight injury to God, for he went so far as to reason with
   himself, whether God, who had undoubtedly spoken to him, should be
   regarded as worthy of credit.

   At the same time, we ought to know that Zacharias was not so
   unbelieving as to turn aside wholly from the faith; for there is a
   general faith which embraces the promise of eternal salvation and the
   testimony of a free adoption. On the other hand, when God has once
   received us into favor, he gives us many special promises, -- that he
   will feed us, will deliver us from dangers, will vindicate our
   reputation, will protect our life; -- and so there is a special faith
   which answers particularly to each of these promises. Thus, it will
   sometimes happen, that one who trusts in God for the pardon of his
   sins, and for salvation, will waver on some point, -- will be too much
   alarmed by the dread of death, too solicitous about daily food, or too
   anxious about his plans. Such was the unbelief of Zacharias; for while
   he held the root and foundation of faith, he hesitated only on one
   point, whether God would give to him a son. Let us know, therefore,
   that those who are perplexed or disturbed by weakness on some
   particular occasion do not entirely depart or fall off from the faith,
   and that, though the branches of faith are agitated by various
   tempests, it does not give way at the root. Besides, nothing was
   farther from the intention of Zacharias than to call in question the
   truth of a divine promise; but while he was convinced generally that
   God is faithful, he was cunningly drawn by the craft and wiles of Satan
   to draw a wicked distinction. It is all the more necessary for us to
   keep diligent watch: for which of us shall be secure against the snares
   of the devil, when we learn that a man so eminently holy, who had all
   his life maintained strict watchfulness over himself, was overtaken by
   them?

   19. I am Gabriel By these words the angel intimates that it was not his
   veracity, but that of God who sent him, and whose message he brought,
   that had been questioned; and so he charges Zacharias with having
   offered an insult to God. To stand before God signifies to be ready to
   yield obedience. It implies that he is not a mortal man, but a heavenly
   spirits -- that he did not fly hither at random, but, as became a
   servant of God, had faithfully performed his duty: and hence it follows
   that God, the author of the promise, had been treated with indignity
   and contempt in the person of his ambassador. Of similar import is the
   declaration of Christ, "he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that
   despiseth me despiseth him that sent me," (Luke 10:16.) Although the
   preaching of the gospel is not brought to us from heaven by angels,
   yet, since God attested by so many miracles that he was its author, and
   since Christ, the Prince and Lord of angels, once published it with his
   own mouth, (Hebrews 1:2,) that he might give it a perpetual sanction,
   its majesty ought to make as deep an impression upon us, as if all the
   angels were heard loudly proclaiming its attestation from heaven. Nay,
   the apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, not satisfied with
   elevating the word of the gospel, which speaks by the mouth of men, to
   an equality with the law brought by angels, draws an argument from the
   less to the greater.

   "If the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and
   disobedience received a just recompence of rewards"
   (Hebrews 2:2,)

   "of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
   who hath trodden under foot the Son of God,"
   (Hebrews 10:29,)

   whose "voice shakes not the earth only, but also heaven?" (Hebrews
   12:26.) Let us learn to render to God the obedience of faith, which he
   values more highly than all sacrifices. Gabriel means the strength, or
   power, or pre-eminence of God, and this name is given to the angel on
   our account, to instruct us that we must not ascribe to angels any
   thing of their own, for whatever excellence they possess is from God.
   The Greek participle, parestekos, (standing,) is in the past tense, but
   everybody knows that the past tense of such verbs is often taken for
   the present, and particularly when a continued act is expressed. The
   word euangelisasthai (to convey glad tidings) aggravates the crime of
   Zacharias; for he was ungrateful to God, who kindly promised a joyful
   and desirable event.

   20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb It was suitable that this kind of
   punishment should be inflicted on Zacharias, that, being dumb, he might
   await the fulfillment of the promise, which, instead of interrupting it
   by noisy murmurs, he ought to have heard in silence. Faith has its
   silence to lend an ear to the Word of God. It has afterwards its turn
   to speak and to answer Amen, according to that passage,

   "I will say to them, Thou art my people, and they shall say,
   Thou art my God," (Hosea 2:23.)

   But as Zacharias had rashly interrupted the Word of God, he is not
   allowed this favor of breaking out immediately in thanksgiving, but is
   denied for a time the use of his tongue, which had been too forward.
   Yet God is pleased graciously to mitigate the punishment, first, by
   limiting its duration to ten months, and next by not withholding from
   Zacharias the favor which he was unworthy to enjoy. With the same
   gentleness does he treat us every day: for when our faith is weak, and
   we throw out many obstacles, the truth of God, in continuing to flow
   toward us, must of necessity break through them with a kind of
   violence. That is the angel's meaning, when he reproaches Zacharias
   with unbelief, and yet declares that those things which Zacharias did
   not believe would be accomplished in due time And so Zacharias is not a
   little relieved by learning that his fault has not made void the
   promise of God, which will afterwards be displayed in a more remarkable
   manner. It does sometimes happen that, notwithstanding the opposition
   made by unbelievers, the Lord bestows and fulfils what he had promised
   to them. We have a remarkable instance of this in King Ahaz, who
   rejected the promised safety, and yet was delivered from his enemies,
   (Isaiah 7:12.) But that resulted, without any advantage to him, in the
   salvation of the chosen people. It was otherwise with Zacharias, in
   whom the Lord chastises, and at the same time pardons, the weakness of
   faith.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:21-25

   Luke 1:21-25

   21. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and wondered that he
   tarried in the temple. 22. And when he came out, he could not speak to
   them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. And
   he made them to understand by signs, [21] and remained speechless.
   23. And it happened, when the days of his office were fulfilled, he
   departed to his own house. 24. Now after these days Elisabeth his wife
   conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25. Thus hath the Lord
   done to me in the days when he looked, that he might take away my
   reproach among men.


   21. And the people were waiting Luke now relates that the people were
   witnesses of this vision. Zacharias had tarried in the temple longer
   than usual. This leads to the supposition that something uncommon has
   happened to him. When he comes out, he makes known, by looks and
   gestures, that he has been struck dumb. There is reason to believe,
   also, that there were traces of alarm in his countenance. Hence they
   conclude that God has appeared to him. True, there were few or no
   visions in that age, but the people remembered that formerly, in the
   time of their fathers, they were of frequent occurrence. It is not
   without reason, therefore, that they draw this conclusion from obvious
   symptoms: for it was not an ordinary occurrence, [it was not a common
   accident, but rather an astonishing work of God, [22] ] that he became
   suddenly dumb without disease, and after a more than ordinary delay
   came out of the temple in a state of amazement. The word temple, as we
   have already mentioned, is put for the sanctuary, where the altar of
   incense stood, (Exodus 30:1.) From this place the priests, after
   performing their sacred functions, were wont to go out into their own
   court, for the purpose of blessing the people.

   23. When the days were fulfilled Leitourgia is employed by Luke to
   denote a charge or office, which passed, as we have said, to each of
   them in regular order, (1 Chronicles 24:3.) We are told that, when the
   time of his office had expired, Zacharias returned home. Hence we
   conclude that, so long as the priests were attending in their turns,
   they did not enter their own houses, that they might be entirely
   devoted and attached to the worship of God. For this purpose galleries
   were constructed around the walls of the temple, in which they had
   "chambers," (1 Kings 6:5.) The law did not, indeed, forbid a priest to
   enter his house, but, as it did not permit those who ate the show-bread
   to come near their wives, (1 Samuel 21:4,) and as many persons were
   disposed to treat sacred things in an irreverent manner, this was
   probably discovered to be a remedy, that, being removed from all
   temptations, they might preserve themselves pure and clear from every
   defilement. And they were not only discharged from intercourse with
   their wives, but from the use of wine and every kind of intoxicating
   drink, (Leviticus 10:9.) While they were commanded to change their mode
   of living, it was advantageous for them not to depart from the temple,
   that the very sight of the place might remind them to cultivate such
   purity as the Lord had enjoined. It was proper also to withdraw every
   means of gratification, that they might devote themselves more
   unreservedly to their office.

   The Papists of the present day employ this as a pretense for defending
   the tyrannical law of celibacy. They argue thus. The priests were
   formerly enjoined to withdraw from their wives, while they were engaged
   in religious services. Most properly is perpetual continence now
   demanded from the priests, who not in their turn, but every day, offer
   sacrifices; more especially since the importance of religious services
   is far higher than it was under the law. But I should like to know why
   they do not also abstain from wine and strong drink. For we are not at
   liberty to separate commandments which God has joined, so as to keep
   the one half and disregard the other. Intercourse with wives is not so
   expressly forbidden as the drinking of wine, (Ezekiel 44:21.) If, under
   the pretense of the law, the Pope enjoins celibacy on his priests, why
   does he allow them wine? Nay, on this principle, all priests ought to
   be thrown into some retired apartments of the churches, to pass their
   whole life immured in prisons, and excluded from the society of women
   and of the people.

   It is now abundantly clear that they wickedly shelter themselves under
   the law of God, to which they do not adhere. But the full solution of
   the difficulty depends on the distinction between the law and the
   gospel. A priest stood in the presence of God, to expiate the sins of
   the people, to be, as it were, a mediator between God and men. He who
   sustained that character ought to have had something peculiar about
   him, that he might be distinguished from the common rank of men, and
   recognised as a figure of the true Mediator. Such, too, was the design
   of the holy garments and the anointing. In our day the public ministers
   and pastors of the church have nothing of this description. I speak of
   the ministers whom Christ has appointed to feed his flock, not of those
   whom the Pope commissions, as executioners rather than priests, to
   murder Christ. Let us therefore rest in the decision of the Spirit,
   which pronounces that "marriage is honorable in all," (Hebrews 13:4.)

   24. And hid herself This appears very strange, as if she had been
   ashamed of the blessing of God. Some think that she did not, venture to
   appear in public, so long as the matter was uncertain, for fear of
   exposing herself to ridicule, if her expectation were disappointed. In
   my opinion, she was so fully convinced of the promise made to her, that
   she had no doubt of its accomplishment. When she saw a severe
   punishment inflicted on her husband for "speaking unadvisedly with his
   lips," (Psalm 106:33,) did she, for five successive months, cherish in
   her mind a similar doubt? But her words show clearly that her
   expectation was not doubtful or uncertain. By saying, thus hath the
   Lord done to me, she expressly and boldly affirms that his favor was
   ascertained. There might be two reasons for the delay. Until this
   extraordinary work of God was manifest, she might hesitate to expose it
   to the diversified opinions of men, for the world frequently indulges
   in light, rash, and irreverent talking about the works of God. Another
   reason might be that, when she was all at once discovered to be
   pregnant, men might be more powerfully excited to praise God. [For,
   when the works of God show themselves gradually, in process of time we
   make less account of them than if the thing had been accomplished all
   at once, without our having ever heard of it--Fr.] It was not,
   therefore, on her own account, but rather with a view to others, that
   Elisabeth hid herself

   25. Thus hath the Lord done to me She extols in private the goodness of
   God, until the time is fully come for making it generally known. There
   is reason to believe that her husband had informed her by writing of
   the promised offspring, in consequence of which she affirms with
   greater certainty and freedom that God was the author of this favor.
   This is confirmed by the following words, when he looked, that he might
   take away my reproach; for she assigns it as the cause of her
   barrenness that the favor of God had been at that time withdrawn from
   her. Among earthly blessings, Scripture speaks in the highest terms of
   the gift of offspring. And justly: for, if the productiveness of the
   inferior animals is his blessing, the increase and fruitfulness of the
   human race ought to be reckoned a much higher favor. It is no small or
   mean honor, that God, who alone is entitled to be regarded as a Father,
   admits the children of the dust to share with him this title. Let us,
   therefore, hold this doctrine, that

   "children are an heritage of the Lord,
   and the fruit of the womb is his reward,"
   (Psalm 127:3.)

   But Elisabeth looked farther; for, though barren and old, she had
   conceived by a remarkable miracle, and contrary to the ordinary course
   of nature.

   That he might take away my reproach Not without reason has barrenness
   been always accounted a reproach: for the blessing of the womb is
   enumerated among the signal instances of the divine kindness. Some
   think that this was peculiar to the ancient people: because Christ was
   to come from the seed of Abraham. But this had no reference, except to
   the tribe of Judah. Others think more correctly that the multiplication
   of the holy people was happy and blessed, as was said to Abraham, "I
   will make thy seed as the dust of the earth," (Genesis 13:16;) and
   again,

   "Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be,"
   (Genesis 15:5.)

   But we ought to connect the universal blessing, which extends to the
   whole human race, with the promise made to Abraham, which is peculiar
   to the church of God, (Genesis 13:15.) Let parents learn to be thankful
   to God for the children which he has given them, and let those who have
   no offspring acknowledge that God has humbled them in this matter.
   Elisabeth speaks of it exclusively as a reproach among men: for it is a
   temporal chastisement, from which we will suffer no loss in the kingdom
   of heaven.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [21] Il leur donnoit a entendre par signes -- Fr

   [22] Ce n'estoit point un accident commun, mais plustost une ceuvre
   ad-mirable de Dieu -- Fr.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:26-33

   Luke 1:26-33

   26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city
   of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin betrothed to a man whose
   name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
   28. And the angel, coming in to her, said, Hail, thou who hast found
   favor, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29. But
   when she had seen him, she was agitated by his address, and was
   considering what that salutation would be. 30. And the angel saith to
   her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31. Behold,
   thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou
   shalt call his name JESUS. 32. He shall be great, and shall be called
   the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
   David his father: 33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
   ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.


   26. Now in the sixth month It was a wonderful dispensation of the
   divine purpose, and far removed from the ordinary judgment of men, that
   God determined to make the beginning of the generation of the herald
   more illustrious than that of his own Son. The prophecy respecting John
   was published in the temple and universally known: Christ is promised
   to a virgin in an obscure town of Judea, and this prophecy remains
   buried in the breast of a young woman. But it was proper that, even
   from the birth of Christ, that saying should be fulfilled,

   "it pleased God by foolishness to save them that believe,"
   (1 Corinthians 1:21.)

   The treasure of this mystery was committed by him to a virgin in such a
   manner, that at length, when the proper time came, it might be
   communicated to all the godly. It was, I own, a mean kind of
   guardianship; but whether for trying the humility of faith, or
   restraining the pride of the ungodly, it was the best adapted. Let us
   learn, even when the reason does not immediately appear, to submit
   modestly to God, and let us not be ashamed to receive instruction from
   her who carried in her womb Christ the eternal "wisdom of God," (1
   Corinthians 1:24.) There is nothing which we should more carefully
   avoid than the proud contempt that would deprive us of the knowledge of
   the inestimable secret, which God has purposely "hid from the wise and
   prudent, and revealed" to the humble and "to babes," (Luke 10:21.)

   It was, I think, for the same reason that he chose a virgin betrothed
   to a man There is no foundation for Origen's opinion, that he did this
   for the purpose of concealing from Satan the salvation which he was
   preparing to bestow on men. The marriage was a veil held out before the
   eyes of the world, that he who was commonly "supposed to be the son of
   Joseph" (Luke 3:23) might at length be believed and acknowledged by the
   godly to be the Son of God. Yet the entrance of Christ into the world
   was not destitute of glory; for the splendor of his Godhead was
   manifested from the commencement by his heavenly Father. Angels
   announced that "a Savior was born," (Luke 2:11;) but their voice was
   only heard by the shepherds, and traveled no farther. One miracle, --
   everywhere published by "the wise men who came from the east," (Matthew
   2:1) that they had seen a star which proclaimed the birth of the
   Highest King,--may have been highly celebrated. Yet we see how God kept
   his Son, as it were, in concealment, until the time of his full
   manifestation arrived, and then erected for him a platform, that he
   might be beheld by all.

   The participle memnesteumenen, which is employed by the Evangelist,
   signifies that the virgin had then been engaged to her bridegroom, but
   was not yet given as a wife to her husband. For it was customary among
   Jewish parents to keep their daughters some time at home, after they
   had been betrothed to men; otherwise, the law relating to the seduction
   of a "betrothed damsel" (Deuteronomy 22:23) would have been
   unnecessary. Luke says that Joseph was of the house of David; for
   families are usually reckoned by the names of the men; but on this
   point we shall speak more fully in another place.

   28. Hail, thou who hast obtained favor The angel's commission being of
   an astonishing and almost incredible description, he opens it with a
   commendation of the grace of God. And certainly, since our limited
   capacities admit too slender a portion of knowledge for comprehending
   the vast greatness of the works of God, our best remedy is, to elevate
   them to meditation on his boundless grace. A conviction of the Divine
   goodness is the entrance of faith, and the angel properly observes this
   order, that, after preparing the heart of the virgin by meditation on
   the grace of God, he may enlarge it to receive an incomprehensible
   mystery. For the participle kecharitomene, which Luke employs, denotes
   the undeserved favor of God. This appears more clearly from the Epistle
   to the Ephesians, (1:6,) where, speaking of our reconciliation to God,
   Paul says, God "hath made us accepted (echaritosen) in the Beloved:"
   that is, he has received into his favor, and embraced with kindness, us
   who were formerly his enemies.

   The angel adds, the Lord is with thee To those on whom he has once
   bestowed his love God shows himself gracious and kind, follows and
   "crowns them with loving-kindness," (Psalm 103:4.) Next comes the third
   clause, that she is blessed among women. Blessing is here put down as
   the result and proof of the Divine kindness. The word Blessed does not,
   in my opinion, mean, Worthy of praise; but rather means, Happy. Thus,
   Paul often supplicates for believers, first "grace" and then "peace,"
   (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:2,) that is, every kind of blessings; implying
   that we shall then be truly happy and rich, when we are beloved by God,
   from whom all blessings proceed. But if Mary's happiness,
   righteousness, and life, flow from the undeserved love of God, if her
   virtues and all her excellence are nothing more than the Divine
   kindness, it is the height of absurdity to tell us that we should seek
   from her what she derives from another quarter in the same manner as
   ourselves. With extraordinary ignorance have the Papists, by an
   enchanter's trick, changed this salutation into a prayer, and have
   carried their folly so far, that their preachers are not permitted, in
   the pulpit, to implore the grace of the Spirit, except through their
   Hail, Mary [23] But not only are these words a simple congratulation.
   They unwarrantably assume an office which does not belong to them, and
   which God committed to none but an angel. Their silly ambition leads
   them into a second blunder, for they salute a person who is absent.

   29. When she had seen him, she was agitated Luke does not say that she
   was agitated by the presence of the angel, but by his address. Why then
   does he also mention his presence? [24] The reason, I think, is this.
   Perceiving in the angel something of heavenly glory, she was seized
   with sudden dread arising out of reverence for God. She was agitated,
   because she felt that she had received a salutation, not from a mortal
   man, but from an angel of God. But Luke does not say that she was so
   agitated as to have lost recollection. On the contrary, he mentions an
   indication of an attentive and composed mind; for he afterwards adds,
   and was considering what that salutation would be: that is, what was
   its object, and what was its meaning. It instantly occurred to her that
   the angel had not been sent for a trifling purpose. This example
   reminds us, first, that we ought not to be careless observers of the
   works of God; and, secondly, that our consideration of them ought to be
   regulated by fear and reverence.

   30. Fear not, Mary He bids her lay aside fear. Let us always
   remember--what arises from the weakness of the flesh--that, whenever
   the feeblest ray of the Divine glory bursts upon us, we cannot avoid
   being alarmed. When we become aware, in good earnest, of the presence
   of God, we cannot think of it apart from its effects. [25] Accordingly,
   as we are all amenable to his tribunal, fear gives rise to trembling,
   until God manifests himself as a Father. The holy virgin saw in her own
   nation such a mass of crimes, that she had good reason for dreading
   heavier punishments. To remove this fear, the angel declares that he
   has come to certify and announce an inestimable blessing. The Hebrew
   idiom, Thou hast found favor, is used by Luke instead of, "God has been
   merciful to thee:" for a person is said to find favor, not when he has
   sought it, but when it has been freely offered to him. Instances of
   this are so well known, that it would be of no use to quote them.

   31. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb The angel adapts his words,
   first to Isaiah's prophecy, (Isaiah 7:14,) and next to other passages
   of the Prophets, with the view of affecting more powerfully the mind of
   the virgin: for such prophecies were well known and highly esteemed
   among the godly. At the same time, it ought to be observed that the
   angel did not merely speak in private to the ear of the virgin, but
   brought glad tidings, (euangelion,) which were shortly afterwards to be
   published throughout the whole world. It was not without the purpose of
   God, that the agreement, between ancient prophecies and the present
   message respecting the manifestation of Christ, was so clearly pointed
   out. The word conceive is enough to set aside the dream of Marcion and
   Manichaeus: for it is easy to gather from it that Mary brought forth
   not an ethereal body or phantom, but the fruit which she had previously
   conceived in her womb.

   Thou shalt call his name Jesus The reason of the name is given by
   Matthew: for he shall save his people from their sins, (Matthew 1:21.)
   And so the name contains a promise of salvation, and points out the
   object for which Christ was sent by the Father into the world, as he
   tells us that he "came not to judge the world, but to save the world,"
   (John 12:47.) Let us remember that not by the will of men, but by the
   command of God, was this name given to him by the angel, that our faith
   may have its foundation, not in earth, but in heaven. It is derived
   from the Hebrew word ys, salvation, from which comes hvsy, which
   signifies to save. It is a waste of ingenuity to contend that it
   differs from the Hebrew name yhvsv, (Jehoshua or Joshua.) The Rabbins
   everywhere write the word Jesu; and they do this with evident malice,
   that they may not bestow on Christ an honorable name, but, on the
   contrary, may insinuate that he is some pretended Jew. Their manner of
   writing it, accordingly, is of no more importance than the barking of a
   dog. The objection that it is far beneath the dignity of the Son of God
   to have a name in common with others, might equally apply to the name
   Christ, or Anointed But the solution of both is easy. What was
   exhibited in shadow under the law is fully and actually manifested in
   the Son of God; or, what was then a figure is in him a substance. There
   is another objection of as little weight. They assert that the name of
   Jesus is not worthy of veneration and awe, that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bow, (Philippians 2:9, 10,) if it does not belong
   exclusively to the Son of God. For Paul does not attribute to him a
   magical name, as if in its very syllables majesty resided, but his
   language simply means that Christ has received from the Father the
   highest authority, to which the whole world ought to submit. Let us
   then bid adieu to such imaginations, and know, that the name Jesus was
   given to Christ, in order that believers may be instructed to seek in
   him what had formerly been shadowed out under the Law.

   32. He shall be great The angel had said the same thing about John the
   Baptist, and yet did not intend to make him equal to Christ. But the
   Baptist is great in his own class, while the greatness of Christ is
   immediately explained to be such as raises him above all creatures. For
   to him alone this belongs as his own peculiar prerogative to be called
   the Son of God. So the apostle argues.

   Unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day
   have I begotten thee? (Hebrews 1:5.)

   Angels and kings, I admit, are sometimes dignified with this title in
   Scripture; but they are denominated in common the sons of God, on
   account of their high rank. But it is perfectly clear and certain, that
   God distinguishes his own Son from all the others, when he thus
   addresses him particularly, Thou art my Son, (Psalm 2:7.) Christ is not
   confounded either with angels or with men, so as to be one of the
   multitude of the sons of God; but what is given to him no other has a
   right to claim. The sons of God are kings, not certainly by natural
   right, but because God has bestowed on them so great an honor. Even
   angels have no right to this distinction, except on account of their
   high rank among creatures, in subordination to the Great Head,
   (Ephesians 1:21.) We too are sons, but by adoption, which we obtain by
   faith; for we have it not from nature: Christ is the only Son, the
   only-begotten of the Father, (John 1:14.)

   The future tense of the verb, he shall be called the Son of the
   Highest, is tortured by that filthy dog [26] Servetus to prove that
   Christ is not the eternal Son of God, but began to be so considered,
   when he took upon him our flesh. This is an intolerable slander. He
   argues that Christ was not the Son of God before he appeared in the
   world clothed with flesh; because the angel says, He shall be called On
   the contrary, I maintain, the words of the angel mean nothing more than
   that he, who had been the Son of God from eternity, would be manifested
   as such in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16;) for to be called denotes clear
   knowledge. There is a wide difference between the two statements, --
   that Christ began to be the Son of God, which he was not before, -- and
   that he was manifested among men, in order that they might know him to
   be the person who had been formerly promised. Certainly, in every age
   God has been addressed by his people as a Father, and hence it follows,
   that he had a Son in heaven, from whom and by whom men obtained the
   sonship. For men take too much upon them, if they venture to boast of
   being the sons of God, in any other respect than as members of the
   only-begotten Son, (John 1:18.) Certain it is, that confidence in the
   Son alone, as Mediator, inspired the holy fathers with confidence to
   employ so honorable an address. That more complete knowledge, of which
   we are now speaking, is elsewhere explained by Paul to mean, that we
   are now at liberty not only to call God our Father, but boldly to cry,
   Abba, Father, (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6.)

   The Lord God will give unto him the throne of his father David We have
   said that the angel borrows from the prophets the titles which he
   bestows on Christ, in order that the holy virgin might more readily
   acknowledge him to be the Redeemer formerly promised to the fathers.
   Whenever the prophets speak of the restoration of the church, they
   direct all the hope of believers to the kingdom of David, so that it
   became a common maxim among the Jews, that the safety of the church
   would depend on the prosperous condition of that kingdom, and that
   nothing was more fitting and suitable to the office of the Messiah than
   to raise up anew the kingdom of David. Accordingly, the name of David
   is sometimes applied to the Messiah. "They shall serve the Lord their
   God, and David their king," (Jeremiah 30:9.) Again, "my servant David
   shall be a prince among them," (Ezekiel 34:24; 37:24.) "They shall seek
   the Lord their God, and David their king," (Hosea 3:5.) The passages in
   which he is called "the son of David" are sufficiently well known. In a
   word, the angel declares that in the person of Christ would be
   fulfilled the prediction of Amos, "In that day will I raise up the
   tabernacle of David that is fallen," (Amos 9:11.)

   33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob As salvation was
   promised, in a peculiar manner, to the Jews, (the covenant having been
   made with their father Abraham, Genesis 17:7,) and Christ, as Paul
   informs us, "was a minister of the circumcision," (Romans 15:8,) the
   angel properly fixed his reign in that nation, as its peculiar seat and
   residence. But this is in perfect accordance with other predictions,
   which spread and extend the kingdom of Christ to the utmost limits of
   the earth. By a new and wonderful adoption, God has admitted into the
   family of Jacob the Gentiles, who formerly were strangers; though in
   such a manner that the Jews, as the first-born, held a preferable rank;
   as it is said, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
   Zion," (Psalm 110:3.) Christ's throne was, therefore, erected among the
   people of Israel, that he might thence subdue the whole world. All whom
   he has joined by faith to the children of Abraham are accounted the
   true Israel. Though the Jews, by their revolt, have separated
   themselves from the church of God, yet the Lord will always preserve
   till the end some "remnants" (Romans 11:5;) for his "calling is without
   repentances" (Romans 11:29.) The body of the people is apparently cut
   off; but we ought to remember the mystery of which Paul speaks, (Romans
   11:25,) that God will at length gather some of the Jews out of the
   dispersion. Meanwhile, the church, which is scattered through the whole
   world, is the spiritual house of Jacob; for it drew its origin from
   Zion.

   For ever The angel points out the sense in which it was so frequently
   predicted by the prophets that the kingdom of David would be without
   end. It was only during his own reign and that of Solomon, that it
   remained wealthy and powerful Rehoboam, the third successor, hardly
   retained a tribe and a half. The angel now declares that, when it has
   been established in the person of Christ, it will not be liable to
   destruction, and, to prove this, employs the words of Daniel, (7:14,)
   of his kingdom there shall be no end [27] Though the meaning of the
   words is, that God will for ever protect and defend the kingdom of
   Christ and the church, so that it shall not perish on the earth "as
   long as the sun and moon endure," (Psalm 72:5, 17,) yet its true
   perpetuity relates to the glory to come. So then, believers follow each
   other in this life, by an uninterrupted succession, till at length they
   are gathered together in heaven, where they shall reign without end.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [23] "Ave, Maria."

   [24] "Cur ergo aspectus etiam meminit?" Calvin's allusion is brought
   out more clearly in his own vernacular. "Pourquoy donc dit-il, Quand
   elle l'eut veu?" -- "Why then does he say, When she had seen him?"

   [25] "Neque otiosam imaginari licet." -- "Car nous ne pouvons point
   apprehender à bon escient la presence de Dieu, sinon avec ses effects."

   [26] The use of such epithets may not be easily reconciled to the
   refinements of modern taste; but, three centuries ago, few readers
   would be startled by them, and they are much more sparingly employed by
   Calvin than by many of his contemporaries. Not to mention that Paul
   says, Beware of dogs, (Philippians 3:2,) and that the statement,
   Without are dogs, (Revelation 22:15,) bears the impress of the Alpha
   and Omega, (Revelation 22:13,) Servetus, to whom the epithet "filthy"
   is applied, had denied the fundamental doctrine of our Lord's supreme
   Divinity, and had luxuriated in the most revolting and blasphemous
   expressions. -- Ed.

   [27] Daniel's prediction referred to runs thus: "His dominion is an
   everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
   which shall not be destroyed." The angel does not employ these words;
   but his departure from them is not strongly marked, and it can scarcely
   be doubted that he had this passage in his eye. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:34-38

   Luke 1:34-38

   34. And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a
   man? 35. And the angel answering said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come
   upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
   wherefore also the holy thing which shall be born shall be called the
   Son of God. 36. And, behold, Elisabeth thy cousin, even she hath
   conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month to her who
   was called barren: 37. For no word shall be impossible with God.
   38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me
   according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.


   34. How shall this be? The holy virgin appears to confine the power of
   God within as narrow limits as Zacharias had formerly done; for what is
   beyond the common order of nature, she concludes to be impossible. She
   reasons in this manner. I know not a man: how then can I believe that
   what you tell me will happen? We ought not to give ourselves very much
   trouble, [28] to acquit her of all blame. She ought immediately to have
   risen by faith to the boundless power of God, which is not at all
   lettered to natural means, but sways the whole world. Instead of this,
   she stops at the ordinary way of generation. Still, it must be admitted
   that she does not hesitate or inquire in such a manner as to lower the
   power of God to the level of her senses; but is only carried away by a
   sudden impulse of astonishment to put this question. That she readily
   embraced the promise may be concluded from this, that, though many
   things presented themselves on the opposite side, she has no doubt but
   on one point.

   She might instantly have objected, where was that throne of David? for
   all the rank of kingly power had been long ago set aside, and all the
   luster of royal descent had been extinguished. Unquestionably, if she
   had formed her opinion of the matter according to the judgment of the
   flesh, she would have treated as a fable what the angel had told her.
   There can be no doubt that she was fully convinced of the restoration
   of the church, and easily gave way to what the flesh would have
   pronounced to be incredible. And then it is probable that the attention
   of the public was everywhere directed at that time to the prediction of
   Isaiah, in which God promises that he would raise up a rod out of the
   despised stem of Jesse, (Isaiah 11:1.) That persuasion of the kindness
   of God, which had been formed in the mind of the virgin, led her to
   admit, in the fullest manner, that she had received a message as to
   raising up anew the throne of David. If it be objected that there was
   also another prediction, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   (Isaiah 7:14,) I reply, that this mystery was then very imperfectly
   understood. True, the Fathers expected the birth of a King, under whose
   reign the people of God would be happy and prosperous; but the manner
   of its accomplishment lay concealed, as if it had been hidden by a
   veil. There is no wonder, therefore, if the holy virgin puts a question
   on a subject hitherto unknown to her.

   The conjecture which some have drawn from these words, that she had
   formed a vow of perpetual virginity, is unfounded and altogether
   absurd. She would, in that case, have committed treachery by allowing
   herself to be united to a husband, and would have poured contempt on
   the holy covenant of marriage; which could not have been done without
   mockery of God. Although the Papists have exercised barbarous tyranny
   on this subject, yet they have never proceeded so far as to allow the
   wife to form a vow of continence at her own pleasure. Besides, it is an
   idle and unfounded supposition that a monastic life existed among the
   Jews.

   We must reply, however, to another objection, that the virgin refers to
   the future, and so declares that she will have no intercourse with a
   man. The probable and simple explanation is, that the greatness or
   rather majesty of the subject made so powerful an impression on the
   virgin, that all her senses were bound and locked up in astonishment.
   When she is informed that the Son of God will be born, she imagines
   something unusual, and for that reason leaves conjugal intercourse out
   of view. Hence she breaks out in amazement, How shall this be? And so
   God graciously forgives her, and replies kindly and gently by the
   angel, because, in a devout and serious manner, and with admiration of
   a divine work, she had inquired how that would be, which, she was
   convinced, went beyond the common and ordinary course of nature. In a
   word, this question was not so contrary to faith, because it arose
   rather from admiration than from distrust.

   35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee The angel does not explain the
   manner, so as to satisfy curiosity, which there was no necessity for
   doing. He only leads the virgin to contemplate the power of the Holy
   Spirit, and to surrender herself silently and calmly to his guidance.
   The word epeleusetai, shall come upon, denotes that this would be an
   extraordinary work, in which natural means have no place. The next
   clause is added by way of exposition, and the power of the Highest
   shall overshadow thee: for the Spirit may be regarded as the essential
   power of God, whose energy is manifested and exerted in the entire
   government of the world, as well as in miraculous events. There is an
   elegant metaphor in the word episkiasei, overshadow. The power of God,
   by which he guards and protects his own people, is frequently compared
   in Scripture to a shadow, (Psalm 17:8; 57:1; 91:1.) But it appears to
   have another and peculiar meaning in this passage. The operation of the
   Spirit would be secret, as if an intervening cloud did not permit it to
   be beheld by the eyes of men. Now, as God, in performing miracles,
   withholds from us the manner of his proceedings, so what he chooses to
   conceal from us ought to be viewed, on our part, with seriousness and
   adoration.

   Therefore also the holy thing which shall be born This is a
   confirmation of the preceding clause: for the angel shows that Christ
   must not be born by ordinary generation, [29] that he may be holy, and
   that he may be the Son of God; that is, that in holiness and glory he
   may be high above all creatures, and may not hold an ordinary rank
   among men. Heretics, who imagine that he became the Son of God after
   his human generation, seize on the particle therefore as meaning that
   he would be called the Son of God, because he was conceived in a
   remarkable manner by the power of the Holy Spirit. But this is a false
   conclusion: for, though he was manifested to be the Son of God in the
   flesh, it does not follow that he was not the Word begotten of the
   Father before the ages. On the contrary, he who had been the Son of God
   in his eternal Godhead, appeared also as the Son of God in human flesh.
   This passage not only expresses a unity of person in Christ, but at the
   same time points out that, in clothing himself with human flesh, Christ
   is the Son of God. As the name, Son of God, belonged to the divine
   essence of Christ from the beginning, so now it is applied unitedly to
   both natures, because the secret and heavenly manner of generation has
   separated him from the ordinary rank of men. In other passages, indeed,
   with the view of asserting that he is truly man, he calls himself the
   Son of man, (John 5:27;) but the truth of his human nature is not
   inconsistent with his deriving peculiar honor above all others from his
   divine generation, having been conceived out of the ordinary way of
   nature by the Holy Spirit. This gives us good reason for growing
   confidence, that we may venture more freely to call God our Father,
   because his only Son, in order that we might have a Father in common
   with him, chose to be our brother.

   It ought to be observed also that Christ, because he was conceived by a
   spiritual power, is called the holy seed For, as it was necessary that
   he should be a real man, in order that he might expiate our sins, and
   vanquish death and Satan in our flesh; so was it necessary, in order to
   his cleansing others, that he should be free from every spot and
   blemish, (1 Peter 1:19.) Though Christ was formed of the seed of
   Abraham, yet he contracted no defilement from a sinful nature; for the
   Spirit of God kept him pure from the very commencement: and this was
   done not merely that he might abound in personal holiness, but chiefly
   that he might sanctify his own people. The manner of conception,
   therefore, assures us that we have a Mediator separate from sinners,
   (Hebrews 7:26.)

   36. And, behold, Elisabeth thy cousin By an instance taken from her own
   relatives, the angel encourages the faith of Mary to expect a miracle.
   If neither the barrenness nor the old age of Elisabeth could prevent
   God from making her a mother, there was no better reason why Mary
   should confine her view within the ordinary limits of nature, when she
   beheld such a demonstration of divine power in her cousin He mentions
   expressly the sixth month; because in the fifth month a woman usually
   feels the child quicken in the womb, so that the sixth month removes
   all doubt. True, Mary ought to have placed such a reliance on the bare
   word of God as to require no support to her faith from any other
   quarter; but, to prevent farther hesitation, the Lord condescends to
   strengthen his promise by this new aid. With equal indulgence does he
   cheer and support us every day; nay, with greater indulgence, because
   our faith is weaker. That we may not doubt his truth, testimonies to
   confirm it are brought by him from every direction.

   A question arises, how Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron,
   (ver. 5,) and Mary, who was descended from the stock of David, could be
   cousins This appears to be at variance with the law, which prohibited
   women from marrying into a different tribe from their own, (Numbers
   36:6.) With respect to the law, if we look at its object, it forbade
   those intermarriages only which might "remove inheritances from tribe
   to tribe," (Numbers 36:7.) No such danger existed, if any woman of the
   tribe of Judah married a priest, to whom an inheritance could not be
   conveyed. The same argument would hold if a woman of the tribe of Levi
   passed into another tribe. It is possible that the mother of the holy
   virgin might be descended from the family of Aaron, and so her daughter
   might be cousin to Elisabeth.

   37. For no word shall be impossible with God If we choose to take
   rhema, word, in its strict and native sense, the meaning is, that God
   will do what he hath promised, for no hinderance can resist his power.
   The argument will be, God hath promised, and therefore he will
   accomplish it; for we ought not to allege any impossibility in
   opposition to his word But as a word often means a thing in the idiom
   of the Hebrew language, (which the Evangelists followed, though they
   wrote in Greek,) [30] we explain it more simply, that nothing is
   impossible with God We ought always, in- deed, to hold it as a maxim,
   that they wander widely from the truth who, at their pleasure, imagine
   the power of God to be something beyond his word; for we ought always
   to contemplate his boundless power, that it may strengthen our hope and
   confidence. But it is idle, and unprofitable, and even dangerous, to
   argue what God can do unless we also take into account what he resolves
   to do. The angel does here what God frequently does in Scripture,
   employs a general doctrine to confirm one kind of promise. This is the
   true and proper use of a general doctrine, to apply its scattered
   promises to the present subject, whenever we are uneasy or distressed;
   for so long as they retain their general form, they make little
   impression upon us. We need not wonder if Mary is reminded by the angel
   of the power of God; for our distrust of it diminishes very greatly our
   confidence in the promises. All acknowledge in words that God is
   Almighty; but, if he promises any thing beyond what we are able to
   comprehend, we remain in doubt. [31] Whence comes this but from our
   ascribing to his power nothing more than what our senses receive? Thus
   Paul, commending the faith of Abraham, says, that he

   "gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that what he had promised he
   was able also to perform," (Romans 4:20, 21.)

   In another passage, speaking of the hope of eternal life, he sets
   before him the promise of God. "I know," says he,

   "whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that
   which I have committed unto him," (2 Timothy 1:12.)

   This may seem to be a small portion of faith; for no man, however
   wicked, openly denies God's claim to be Almighty. But he who has the
   power of God firmly and thoroughly fixed in his heart will easily
   surmount the other obstacles which present themselves to faith. It
   ought to be observed, however, that the power of God is viewed by true
   faith, if I may use the expression, as efficacious [32] For God is and
   wishes to be acknowledged as powerful, that by the accomplishment
   itself he may prove his faithfulness.

   38. Behold the handmaid of the Lord The holy virgin does not allow
   herself to dispute any farther: and yet many things might
   unquestionably have obtruded themselves, to repress that faith, and
   even to draw off her attention from what was said to her by the angel.
   But she stops the entrance of opposing arguments, and compels herself
   to obey. This is the real proof of faith, when we restrain our minds,
   and, as it were, hold them captive, so that they dare not reply this or
   that to God: for boldness in disputing, on the other hand, is the
   mother of unbelief. These are weighty expressions, Behold the handmaid
   of the Lord: for she gives and devotes herself unreservedly to God,
   that he may freely dispose of her according to his pleasure.
   Unbelievers withdraw from his hand, and, as far as lies in their power,
   obstruct his work: but faith presents us before God, that we may be
   ready to yield obedience. But if the holy virgin was the handmaid of
   the Lord, because she yielded herself submissively to his authority,
   there cannot be worse obstinacy than to fly from him, and to refuse
   that obedience which he deserves and requires. In a word, as faith
   alone makes us obedient servants to God, and gives us up to his power,
   so unbelief makes us rebels and deserters. Be it unto me This clause
   may be interpreted in two ways. Either the holy virgin, leaving her
   former subject, [33] betakes herself suddenly to prayers and
   supplications; or, she proceeds in the same strain [34] to yield and
   surrender herself to God. I interpret it simply that she is convinced
   of the power of God, follows cheerfully where he calls, trusts also to
   his promise, and not only expects, but eagerly desires, its
   accomplishment. [We must also observe that she is convinced on the word
   of the angel, because she knows that it proceeded from God: valuing its
   credit, not with reference to him who was its messenger, but with
   reference to him who was its author. [35] ]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [28] "Nec vero magnopere laborandum est." This is bold language, and
   must have sounded harsh and irreverent to a Popish ear: but in his
   French version Calvin uses still less ceremony. "We must not tease
   ourselves much to find out a way of vindicating her entirely" -- "Or il
   ne nous faut pas beaucoup tormenter a trouver facon de la justifier
   entierement." -- Ed.

   [29] "Christum opportere absque viri et mulieris coitu nasci."

   [30] "Laquelle ont suivie les Evangelistes, combien qu'ils escrivissent
   en Grec." -- Fr.

   [31] "Haesitamus." -- "We are in a state of uncertainty, without being
   able to convince ourselves of it." -- "Nous sommes en branle sans
   pouvoir nous y asseurer." -- Fr.

   [32] "Effectualem." -- "We must observe that true faith apprehends the
   power of God, not in the air, but with its results." -- "Il faut noter
   que la vraye foy apprehende la puissance de Dieu, non point en l'alr,
   mais avec ses effects."

   [33] "Laissant son premier propos."

   [34] "Uno contextu." -- "En continuant le fil de son propos."

   [35] "Il faut aussi noter qu'elle s'asseure sur la parole de l'Ange,
   par ce qu'elle sait qu'elle est procedee de Dieu: pesant la dignite
   d'icelle non a cause de celuy qui en estoit le messager, mais a cause
   de celui qui en estoit l'autheur."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:39-45

   Luke 1:39-45

   39. And Mary arising in those days went into the mountainous parts [36]
   with haste, into a city of Judah, 40. And entered into the house of
   Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41. And it happened, when Elisabeth
   heard the salutation of Mary, the babe started [37] in her womb, and
   Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, 42. And exclaimed with a loud
   voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit
   of thy womb. 43. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord
   should come to me? 44. For lo, when the voice of thy salutation was
   made [38] in my ears, the babe started for joy in my womb. 45. And
   blessed is she who believed: for there shall be a fulfillment [39] to
   those things which have been told her by the Lord. [40]


   39. And Mary arising This departure mentioned by Luke proves that
   Mary's faith was not of a transitory nature: for the promise of God
   does not fade away with the presence of the angel, but is impressed
   upon her mind. The haste indicates a sincere and strong affection. We
   may infer from it that the Virgin disregarded every thing else and
   formed a just estimate of this grace of God. But it may be inquired,
   what was her object in undertaking this journey? It certainly was not
   made for the mere purpose of inquiry: for she cherished in her heart by
   faith the Son of God as already conceived in her womb. Nor do I agree
   with those who think that she came for the purpose of congratulating
   Elisabeth. [41] I think it more probable that her object was, partly to
   increase and strengthen her faith, and partly to celebrate the grace of
   God which both had received. [42]

   There is no absurdity in supposing, that she sought to confirm her
   faith by a view of the miracle, which had been adduced to her with no
   small effect by the angel. For, though believers are satisfied with the
   bare word of God, yet they do not disregard any of his works which they
   find to be conducive to strengthen their faith. Mary was particularly
   bound to receive the assistance which had been offered, unless she
   chose to reject what the Lord had freely given to her. Besides, the
   mutual interview might arouse both Elisabeth and herself to higher
   gratitude, as is evident from what follows. The power of God became
   more remarkable and striking by taking in at one view both favors, the
   very comparison of which gave no small additional luster. Luke does not
   name the city in which Zacharias dwelt, but only mentions that it
   belonged to the tribe of Judah, and that it was situated in a hilly
   district. Hence we infer that it was farther distant than Jerusalem was
   from the town of Nazareth.

   41. When Elisabeth heard It is natural that sudden joy, on the part of
   a pregnant woman, should cause a motion of the child in her womb; but
   Luke intended to express an extraordinary occurrence. No good purpose
   would be served by involving ourselves in intricate questions, if the
   child was aware of the presence of Christ, or felt an emotion of piety:
   it is enough for us that the babe started by a secret movement of the
   Spirit. Luke does not say that the feeling belonged to the child, but
   rather intimates that this part of the Divine operation took place in
   the mother herself, that the babe started in her womb The expression,
   she was filled with the Holy Ghost, means that she was suddenly endued
   with the gift of prophecy to an unusual extent: for the gifts of the
   Spirit had not formerly been wanting in her, but their power then
   appeared more abundant and extraordinary.

   42. Blessed art thou She seems to put Mary and Christ on an equal
   footing, which would have been highly improper. But I cheerfully agree
   with those who think that the second clause assigns the reason; for and
   often signifies because. Accordingly, Elisabeth affirms, that her
   cousin was blessed on account of the blessedness of her child. To carry
   Christ in her womb was not Mary's first blessedness, but was greatly
   inferior to the distinction of being born again by the Spirit of God to
   a new life. Yet she is justly called blessed, on whom God bestowed the
   remarkable honor of bringing into the world his own Son, through whom
   she had been spiritually renewed. And at this day, the blessedness
   brought to us by Christ cannot be the subject of our praise, without
   reminding us, at the same time, of the distinguished honor which God
   was pleased to bestow on Mary, in making her the mother of his Only
   Begotten Son.

   43. And whence is this to me? The happy medium observed by Elisabeth is
   worthy of notice. She thinks very highly of the favors bestowed by God
   on Mary, and gives them just commendation, but yet does not praise them
   more highly than was proper, which would have been a dishonor to God.
   For such is the native depravity of the world, that there are few
   persons who are not chargeable with one of these two faults. Some,
   delighted beyond measure with themselves, and desirous to shine alone,
   enviously despise the gifts of God in their brethren; while others
   praise them in so superstitious a manner as to convert them into idols.
   The consequence has been, that the first rank is assigned to Mary, and
   Christ is lowered as it were to the footstool. [43] Elisabeth, again,
   while she praises her, is so far from hiding the Divine glory, that she
   ascribes everything to God. And yet, though she acknowledges the
   superiority of Mary to herself and to others, she does not envy her the
   higher distinction, but modestly declares that she had obtained more
   than she deserved.

   She calls Mary the mother of her Lord This denotes a unity of person in
   the two natures of Christ; as if she had said, that he who was begotten
   a mortal man in the womb of Mary is, at the same time, the eternal God.
   For we must bear in mind, that she does not speak like an ordinary
   woman at her own suggestion, but merely utters what was dictated by the
   Holy Spirit. This name Lord strictly belongs to the Son of God
   "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy 3:16,) who has received from the
   Father all power, and has been appointed the highest ruler of heaven
   and earth, that by his agency God may govern all things. Still, he is
   in a peculiar manner the Lord of believers, who yield willingly and
   cheerfully to his authority; for it is only of "his body" that he is
   "the head," (Ephesians 1:22, 23.) And so Paul says, "though there be
   lords many, yet to us," that is, to the servants of faith, "there is
   one Lord," (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6.) By mentioning the sudden movement of
   the babe which she carried in her womb, (ver. 44,) as heightening that
   divine favor of which she is speaking, she unquestionably intended to
   affirm that she felt something supernatural and divine.

   45. And blessed is she that believed It was by a hidden movement of the
   Spirit, as is evident from a former statement of Luke, that Elisabeth
   spoke. The same Spirit declares that Mary is blessed because she
   believed, and by commending Mary's faith, informs us generally in what
   the true happiness of men consists. Mary was blessed, because,
   embracing in her heart the promise of God, she conceived and brought
   forth a Savior to herself and to the whole which the Judges occupied;
   as when Cicero proposes to appeal from the Senate to the popular
   assembly, "a subselliis in rem deferre." Calvin may have had in his eye
   such a phrase as "imi subsellii vir," and his meaning is fully brought
   out by his own version, "sur le marchepied." -- Ed world. This was
   peculiar to her: but as we have not a drop of righteousness, life, or
   any other benefit, except so far as the Lord presents them to us in his
   Word, it is faith alone that rescues us from the lowest poverty and
   misery, and makes us partakers of true happiness.

   There is great weight in this clause, for there shall be a fulfillment
   to those things which have been told her The meaning is, faith gives
   way to the divine promises, that they may obtain their accomplishment
   in us. The truth of God certainly does not depend on the will of men,
   but God remains always true, (Romans 3:4,) though the whole
   world--unbelievers and liars--should attempt to ruin his veracity. Yet,
   as unbelievers are unworthy to obtain the fruit of the promises, so
   Scripture teaches us, that by faith alone they are powerful for our
   salvation. God offers his benefits indiscriminately to all, and faith
   opens its bosom [44] to receive them; while unbelief allows them to
   pass away, so as not to reach us. If there had been any unbelief in
   Mary, that could not prevent God from accomplishing his work in any
   other way which he might choose. But she is called blessed, because she
   received by faith the blessing offered to her, and opened up the way to
   God for its accomplishment; while faith, on the other hand, shuts the
   gate, and restrains his hand from working, that they who refuse the
   praise due to its power may not feel its saving effect. We must observe
   also the relation between the word and faith, from which we learn that,
   in the act of believing, we give our assent to God who speaks to us,
   and hold for certain what he has promised to us that he will do. The
   phrase, by the Lord, is of the same import with an expression in common
   use, on the part of God; for the promise had been brought by the angel,
   but proceeded from God alone. Hence we infer that, whether God employs
   the ministrations of angels or of men, he wishes equal honor to be paid
   to his Word as if he were visibly descending from heaven.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [36] "In montana;" -- "et s'en alla hastivement aux montagnes;" -- "and
   went away hastily to the mountains."

   [37] "L'enfant tressaillit."

   [38] "Facta est;" -- "est parvenue a mes aureilles;" -- "reached my
   ears."

   [39] "Complementum erit."

   [40] "Car les choses qui luy ont este dites par le Seigneur luy seront
   accomplies." -- "For the things which were told her by the Lord shall
   be accomplished to her."

   [41] "Gratulandi causa;" -- "pour faire caresse a sa cousine."

   [42] "Illustrandae ultro citroque gratiae Dei;" -- "de celebrer et
   magnifier la grace de Dieu faite a l'une et a l'autre."

   [43] "Christo velut in subsellium redacto." Subsellium is evidently not
   employed here to convey a shade of the honor belonging to the seats.

   [44] "Sinum expandit;" -- "mais la foy, par maniere dire, tend son
   giron pour les recevoir;" -- "but faith, so to speak, holds its lap to
   receive them."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:46-50

   Luke 1:46-50

   46. And Mary saith, My soul magnifieth the Lord, 47. And my spirit hath
   rejoiced [45] in God my Savior. 48. Because he hath looked upon the low
   condition of his handmaid: for from this time all generations shall
   call me blessed, 49. Because he who is mighty hath done to me wonderful
   [46] things: and holy is his name. 50. And his mercy is from generation
   to generation to them that fear him.


   Now follows a remarkable and interesting song of the holy virgin, which
   plainly shows how eminent were her attainments in the grace of the
   Spirit. There are three clauses in this song. First, Mary offers solemn
   thanksgiving for that mercy of God which she had experienced in her own
   person. Next, she celebrates in general terms God's power and
   judgments. Lastly, she applies these to the matter in hand, treating of
   the redemption formerly promised, and now granted to the church.

   46. My soul magnifieth Here Mary testifies her gratitude, as we have
   already said. But as hypocrites, for the most part, sing the praises of
   God with open mouth, unaccompanied by any affection of the heart, Mary
   says that she praises God from an inward feeling of the mind. And
   certainly they who pronounce his glory, not from the mind, but with the
   tongue alone, do nothing more than profane his holy name. The words
   soul and spirit are used in Scripture in various senses, but, when
   employed together, they denote chiefly two faculties of the soul;
   spirit being taken for the understanding, and soul for the seat of the
   affections. To comprehend the meaning of the holy virgin, it must be
   observed that what is here placed second is first in order; for the
   excitement of the will of man to praise God must be preceded by a
   rejoicing of the spirit, [47] as James says, "Is any merry? let him
   sing psalms," (James 5:13.) Sadness and anxiety lock up the soul, and
   restrain the tongue from celebrating the goodness of God. When the soul
   of Mary exults with joy, the heart breaks out in praising God. It is
   with great propriety, in speaking of the joy of her heart, that she
   gives to God the appellation of Savior Till God has been recognised as
   a Savior, the minds of men are not free to indulge in true and full
   joy, but will remain in doubt and anxiety. It is God's fatherly
   kindness alone, and the salvation flowing from it, that fill the soul
   with joy. In a word, the first thing necessary for believers is, to be
   able to rejoice that they have their salvation in God. The next ought
   to follow, that, having experienced God to be a kind Father, they may
   "offer to him thanksgiving," (Psalm 50:14.) The Greek word soter,
   Savior, has a more extensive signification than the Latin word
   Servator; for it means not only that he once delivers, but that he is
   "the Author of eternal salvations" (Hebrews 5:9.)

   48. Because he hath looked She explains the reason why the joy of her
   heart was founded in God to be, that out of free grace he had looked
   upon her. By calling herself low she disclaims all merit, and ascribes
   to the undeserved goodness of God every occasion of boasting. For
   tapeinosis, lowness, does not here denote -- as ignorant and uneducated
   men have foolishly imagined -- "submission, or modesty, or a quality of
   the mind," but signifies "a mean and despicable condition." [48] The
   meaning is, "I was unknown and despised, but that did not prevent God
   from deigning to cast his eyes upon me." But if Mary's lowness is
   contrasted with excellence -- as the matter itself and the Greek word
   make abundantly plain -- we see how Mary makes herself nothing, and
   praises God alone. And this was not the loud cry of a pretended
   humility, but the plain and honest statement of that conviction which
   was engraven on her mind; for she was of no account in the eyes of the
   world, and her estimation of herself was nothing more.

   From this time She announces that this kindness of God will be kept in
   remembrance throughout all generations But if it is so remarkable, that
   it ought to be proclaimed every where by the lips of all men, silence
   regarding it would have been highly improper in Mary, on whom it was
   bestowed. Now observe, that Mary makes her happiness to consist in
   nothing else, but in what she acknowledges to have been bestowed upon
   her by God, and mentions as the gift of his grace. "I shall be reckoned
   blessed," she says, "through all ages." Was it because she sought this
   praise by her own power or exertion? On the contrary, she makes mention
   of nothing but of the work of God. Hence we see how widely the Papists
   differ from her, who idly adorn her with their empty devices, and
   reckon almost as nothing the benefits which she received from God. [49]
   They heap up an abundance of magnificent and very presumptuous titles,
   such as, "Queen of Heaven, Star of Salvation, Gate of Life, Sweetness,
   Hope, and Salvation." Nay more, to such a pitch of insolence and fury
   have they been hurried by Satan, that they give her authority over
   Christ; [50] for this is their pretty song, "Beseech the Father, Order
   the Son." [51] None of these modes of expression, it is evident,
   proceeded from the Lord. All are disclaimed by the holy virgin in a
   single word, when she makes her whole glory to consist in acts of the
   divine kindness. If it was her duty to praise the name of God alone,
   who had done to her wonderful things, no room is left for the pretended
   titles, which come from another quarter. Besides, nothing could be more
   disrespectful to her, than to rob the Son of God of what is his own, to
   clothe her with the sacrilegious plunder.

   Let Papists now go, and hold us out as doing injury to the mother of
   Christ, because we reject the falsehoods of men, and extol in her
   nothing more than the kindness of God. Nay, what is most of all
   honorable to her we grant, and those absurd worshippers refuse. [52] We
   cheerfully acknowledge her as our teacher, and obey her instruction and
   commands. There certainly is no obscurity in what she says here; but
   the Papists throw it aside, trample it as it were under foot, and do
   all they can to destroy the credit of her statements? [53] Let us
   remember that, in praising both men and angels, there is a general rule
   laid down, to extol in them the grace of God; as nothing is at all
   worthy of praise which did not proceed from Him.

   He who is mighty hath done to me wonderful things She informs us, that
   the reason why God did not in this case employ the assistance of others
   was, to make his own power more illustrious. And here we must recall
   what she formerly said, that God had looked upon her, though she was
   mean and despicable. Hence it follows, that those praises of Mary are
   absurd and spurious which do not altogether exalt the power and free
   grace of God.

   49. And holy is his name This is the second part of the song, in which
   the holy virgin celebrates in general terms the power, judgments, and
   mercy of God. This clause must not be viewed as a part of the preceding
   one, but must be read separately. Mary had extolled the grace of God,
   which she had experienced in her own person. Hence she takes occasion
   to exclaim, that holy is his name, and his mercy endures throughout all
   generations The name of God is called holy, because it is entitled to
   the highest reverence; and whenever the name of God is mentioned, it
   ought immediately to remind us of his adorable majesty.

   The next clause, which celebrates the perpetuity of the Divine mercy,
   is taken from that solemn form of covenant,

   "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after
   thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant,"
   (Genesis 17:7)

   and again,

   "who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his
   commandments to a thousand generations," (Deuteronomy 7:9.)

   By these words, he not only declares, that he will always be like
   himself, but expresses the favor which he continues to manifest towards
   his own people after their death, loving their children, and their
   children's children, and all their posterity. Thus he followed the
   posterity of Abraham with uninterrupted kindness; for, having once
   received their father Abraham into favor, he had made with him "an
   everlasting covenant."

   But as not all who are descended from Abraham according to the flesh
   are the true children of Abraham, Mary confines the accomplishment of
   the promise to the true worshippers of God, to them that fear him: as
   David also does:

   "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them
   that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; to such
   as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do
   them,"
   (Psalm 103:17,18.)

   While God promises that he will be merciful to the children of the
   saints through all generations, this gives no support to the vain
   confidence of hypocrites: for falsely and groundlessly do they boast of
   God as their Father, who are the spurious children of the saints, and
   have departed from their faith and godliness. [54] This exception sets
   aside the falsehood and arrogance of those who, while they are
   destitute of faith, are puffed up with false pretenses to the favor of
   God. A universal covenant of salvation had been made by God with the
   posterity of Abraham; but, as stones moistened by the rain do not
   become soft, so the promised righteousness and salvation are prevented
   from reaching unbelievers through their own hardness of heart.
   Meanwhile, to maintain the truth and firmness of his, promise, God has
   preserved "a seed," (Romans 9:29.)

   Under the fear of the Lord is included the whole of godliness and
   religion, and this cannot exist without faith. But here an objection
   may be urged. What avails it that God is called merciful, if no man
   finds him to be so unless he deserves his favor? For, if the mercy of
   God is upon them that fear him, godliness and a good conscience procure
   his grace to men, and in this way men go before his grace by their own
   merits. I reply, this is a part of his mercy, that he bestows on the
   children of the godly fear and reverence for his majesty. This does not
   point out the commencement of his grace, as if God were idly looking
   down from heaven, to see who are worthy of it. All that is intended is,
   to shake off the perverse confidence of hypocrites, that they may not
   imagine God to be bound to them, because they are the children of
   saints according to the flesh: the divine covenant having another and
   very different object, that God may have always a people in the world,
   by whom he is sincerely worshipped.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [45] "Exultavit;" -- "mon esprit s'est esiouy."

   [46] "Magnifica."

   [47] "Car avant que la volonte de l' homme soit mise en train de louer
   Dieu, il faut qu'il y ait devant une alaigrete et resiouissance
   d'esprit." -- "For before the will of man is set agoing to praise God,
   there must be previously a cheerfulness and rejoicing of spirit."

   [48] "Les Latins, traduisans ce passage du Grec, ont us, du mot d'Humi-
   lite, lequel les barbares et sots parleurs de Latin, prennent ici comme
   en Francois, pour une facon de faire contraire a l'arrogance, assavoir
   quand une personne s'estime rien: mais il se prend autrement, assavoir
   pour Petitesse; c'est a dire, condition basse et meprisee." -- "The
   Latins, translating this passage from the Greek, have used the word
   Humility, which barbarians and fools talking Latin take here, as in
   French, for a manner of acting opposed to pride: but it is taken
   differently, namely, for Meanness, that is, a low and despicable
   condition."

   [49] "En cela nous voyons coment les Papistes accordent mal avec elle,
   lesquels sans jugement la parent de nouvelles louanges forgees en leurs
   cerveaux; et cependant ne tiennent quasi conte do tous les biens
   que'lle a eus de Dieu." -- "In this we see how ill the Papists agree
   with her, who without judgment adorn her with new praises forged in
   their own brains; and yet make no account, as it were, of all the
   benefits which she had from God."

   [50] "Qui plus est, Satan les a transportez en une telle rage et
   forcenerie, qui'ls n'ont point eu de honte du luy attributer
   l'authorite de commander a Christ." -- "What is more, Satan has carried
   them away to such a rage and fury, that they are not ashamed to
   attribute to her authority to command Christ."

   [51] "Roga Patrem, jube Natum."

   [52] "En ce faisant, nous luy accordons ce qui luy est le plus
   honorable, en lieu que ces habiles gens, qui la servent a contrepoil,
   l'en despouillent." -- "In doing this we grant to her what is the most
   honorable, while those clever people, who serve her the wrong way, take
   it from her."

   [53] "Fidem ejus dictis abrogant;" -- "dementent la vierge en tant
   qu'en eux est;" -- "as far as lies in them, they make the virgin a
   liar."

   [54] "Car c'est a tort et fausses enseignes qu'ils se glorifient
   d'avoir Dieu pour leur Pere, puis qu'ils sont enfans bastards des
   saincts, et ont desvoye de leur foy et sainctete." -- "For it is
   improperly and under false colors that they boast of having God for
   their Father, since they are bastard children of the saints, and have
   departed from their faith and holiness."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:51-55

   Luke 1:51-55

   51. He hath done might [55] with his arm: he hath scattered the proud
   in the thought of their heart. 52. He hath cast down the nobles from
   their thrones, and hath exalted mean persons. 53. He hath filled the
   hungry with good things, and hath sent the rich away empty. 54. He hath
   lifed up his servant Israel, so as to be mindful of his mercy, 55. As
   he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.


   51. He hath done might This means, "he hath wrought powerfully." The
   arm of God is contrasted with every other aid: as in Isaiah, "I looked,
   and there was none to help," (Isaiah 63:5;) "therefore," says he
   elsewhere,

   "his arm brought salvation unto him;
   and his righteousness, it sustained him," (Isaiah 59:16.)

   Mary therefore means: God rested satisfied with his own power, employed
   no companions in the work, called none to afford him aid. What
   immediately follows about the proud may be supposed to be added for one
   of two reasons: either because the proud gain nothing by endeavoring,
   like the giants of old, to oppose God; or, because God does not display
   the power of his arm for salvation, except in the case of the humble,
   while the proud, who arrogate much to themselves, are thrown down To
   this relates the exhortation of Peter,

   "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,"
   (1 Peter 5:6.)

   He hath scattered [56] the proud in the thought of their heart [57]
   This expression is worthy of notice: for as their pride and ambition
   are outrageous, as their covetousness is insatiable, they pile up their
   deliberations to form an immense heap, and, to say all in a single
   word, they build the tower of Babel, (Genesis 11:9.) Not satisfied with
   having made one or another foolish attempt beyond their strength, or
   with their former schemes of mad presumption, they still add to their
   amount. When God has for a time looked down from heaven, in silent
   mockery, on their splendid preparations, he unexpectedly scatters the
   whole mass: just as when a building is overturned, and its parts, which
   had formerly been bound together by a strong and firm union, are widely
   scattered in every direction.

   52. He hath cast down the nobles This translation has been adopted, for
   the sake of avoiding ambiguity: for though the Greek word dunastai is
   derived from dunamis, power, it denotes governors and eminent rulers.
   [58] Many persons think that dunastas is a participle. They are said by
   Mary to be cast down from their thrones, that obscure and unknown
   persons may be elevated in their room; and so she ascribes to the
   providence and judgments of God what ungodly men can the game of
   Fortune. [59] Let us understand, that she does not ascribe to God a
   despotic power,--as if men were tossed and thrown up and down like
   balls by a tyrannical authority,--but a just government, founded on the
   best reasons, though they frequently escape our notice. God does not
   delight in changes, or elevate in mockery to a lofty station, those
   whom he has determined immediately to throw down. [60] It is rather the
   depravity of men that overturns the state of things, because nobody
   acknowledges that the disposal of every one is placed in His will and
   power.

   Those who occupy a higher station than others are not only chargeable
   with disdainfully and cruelly insulting their neighbors, but act in a
   daring manner towards Him to whom they owe their elevation. To instruct
   us by facts, that whatever is lofty and elevated in the world is
   subject to God, and that the whole world is governed by his dominion,
   some are exalted to high honor, while others either come down in a
   gradual manner, or else fall headlong from their thrones. Such is the
   cause and object of the changes which is assigned by David, "He poureth
   contempt upon princes," (Psalm 107:39;) and by Daniel,

   "He changeth the times and the seasons:
   he removeth kings, and setteth up kings," (Daniel 2:21.)

   We see, indeed, how the princes of the world grow extravagantly
   insolent, indulge in luxury, swell with pride, and are intoxicated with
   the sweets of prosperity. If the Lord cannot tolerate such ingratitude,
   we need not be surprised.

   The usual consequence is, that those whom God has raised to a high
   estate do not occupy it long. Again, the dazzling luster of kings and
   princes so overpowers the multitude, that there are few who consider
   that there is a God above. But if princes brought a scepter with them
   from the womb, and if the stability of their thrones were perpetual,
   all acknowledgment of God and of his providence would immediately
   disappear. When the Lord raises mean persons to exalted rank, he
   triumphs over the pride of the world, and at the same time encourages
   simplicity and modesty in his own people.

   Thus, when Mary says, that it is God who casteth down nobles from their
   thrones, and exalteth mean persons, she teaches us, that the world does
   not move and revolve by a blind impulse of Fortune, but that all the
   revolutions observed in it are brought about by the Providence of God,
   and that those judgments, which appear to us to disturb and overthrow
   the entire framework of soclety, are regulated by God with unerring
   justice. This is confirmed by the following verse, He hath filled the
   hungry with good things, and hath sent the rich away empty: for hence
   we infer that it is not in themselves, but for a good reason, that God
   takes pleasure in these changes. It is because the great, and rich, and
   powerful, lifted up by their abundance, ascribe all the praise to
   themselves, and leave nothing to God. We ought therefore to be
   scrupulously on our guard against being carried away by prosperity, and
   against a vain satisfaction of the flesh, lest God suddenly deprive us
   of what we enjoy. To such godly persons as feel poverty and almost
   famine, and lift up their cry to God, no small consolation is afforded
   by this doctrine, that he filleth the hungry with good things

   54. He hath lifted up his servant Israel In this last clause the
   general statements are applied by Mary to the present occasion. The
   meaning is, God has now granted the salvation which he had formerly
   promised to the holy fathers. And first, the verb antilamzanesthai, to
   lift up, contains an elegant metaphor: [61] for the state of the nation
   was so fallen, that its entire restoration could not be expected on
   ordinary principles. And then God is said to have lifted up Israel,
   because he stretched out his hand, and lifted him up when lying
   prostrate. Religion had been polluted in innumerable ways. The public
   instruction retained almost nothing pure. The government of the Church
   was in the greatest confusion, and breathed nothing but shocking
   barbarity. The order of civil society no longer subsisted. The great
   body of the people were torn like wild beasts by the Romans and Herod.
   So much the more glorious was the restoration, which a state of affairs
   so desperate did not allow them to expect. Paidos may here be taken
   either for child or for servant: but the latter signification is more
   appropriate. Israel is called, in this as in many other places, the
   servant of God, because he had been received into the family of God.

   So as to be mindful Mary assigns the reason why the nation, when
   verging to ruin, was received by God; or rather, why God lifted it up
   when already fallen. It was to give an illustration of his mercy in its
   preservation. She expressly mentions that God had remembered his mercy,
   which he might appear in some sort to have forgotten, when he permitted
   his people to be so fearfully distressed and afflicted. It is customary
   to ascribe affections to God, as men conclude from the event itself,
   that he is offended with them, or that he is reconciled. Now, as the
   human mind forms no conception of the divine mercy, except so far as it
   is presented and declared in his own word, Mary directs her own
   attention and that of others to the promises, [62] and shows that, in
   the accomplishment of them, God has been true and faithful. In this
   sense, Scripture makes frequent mention of God's mercy and truth,
   (Micah 7:20;) because we shall never be convinced of his fatherly
   kindness toward us, unless his word, by which he hath bound himself to
   us, be present to our recollection, and unless it occupy, as it were,
   an interterm is here, as at Acts 20:35, and often in the classical
   writers, used metaphorically in the sense of to protect, support." --
   Bloomfield. mediate position between us, to link the goodness of God
   with our own individual salvation. By these words Mary shows, that the
   covenant which God had made with the fathers was of free grace; for she
   traces the salvation promised in it to the fountain of unmixed mercy
   Hence too we infer, that she was well acquainted with the doctrine of
   Scripture. The expectation of the Messiah was at that time, indeed,
   very general, but few had their faith established on so pure a
   knowledge of Scripture.

   55. To Abraham and to his seed If you read these words in close
   connection with the close of the former verse, there appears to be an
   improper change of the case. Instead of to 'Abraam kai to spermati, it
   ought to have been (pros)ton 'Abraam kai to sperma,, as he spake TO our
   fathers, TO Abraham and TO his seed [63] But, in my opinion, there is
   no such close connection. Mary does not merely explain who the Fathers
   were to whom God spake, but extends the power and result of the
   promises to all his posterity, provided they are the true seed of
   Abraham. Hence it follows, that the matter now in hand is, the solemn
   covenant which had been made, in a peculiar manner, with Abraham and
   his descendants. For other promises, which had been given to Adam, and
   Noah, and others, referred indiscriminately to all nations. As many of
   the children of Abraham, according to the flesh, have been cut off by
   their unbelief, and have been thrown out as degenerate from the family
   of Abraham, so we, who were strangers, are admitted to it by faith, and
   regarded as the true seed of Abraham. Let us therefore hold that, in
   consequence of God having formerly spoken to the fathers, the grace
   offered to them belongs equally to their posterity; and also, that the
   adoption has been extended to all nations, so that those, who were not
   by nature children of Abraham, may be his spiritual seed
     __________________________________________________________________

   [55] "Il a besongne puissament par son bras." -- "He hath wrought
   powerfully by his arm."

   [56] dieschorpisen,, he utterly discomfits, a metaphor derived from
   putting to flight a defeated enemy. The word not unfrequently occurs in
   the Septuagint, but very rarely in the classical writers; though one
   example is adduced by Kuinoel from Aelian, Var. Hist. 13:46: tous men
   dieschozpisen, ohus, (read tous) de apechteiene." -- Bloomfield's Greek
   Testament.

   [57] "La ou nous avons rendu, Il a dissipe, le mot Grec signifie
   proprement, Il a escarte ou espars."

   [58] "Le mot Grec (dunastai) vient de Puissance, comme si on disoit,
   Les puissans: mais il signifie les gouverneurs et gras seigneurs." --
   "The Greek word comes from power, as if she had said, The Mighty:' but
   it means governors and great lords."

   [59] "Ludam Fortunae;" -- "le jeu ou la roue de la Fortune;" -- "the
   game or wheel of Fortune."

   [60] "Il ne faut pas penser que pour se jouer des hommes il les esleve
   amsi haut, et puis les abaisse." -- "We must not imagine that, to amuse
   himself with men, he raises them so high, and then sinks them low."

   [61] " 'Antilambanesthai, denotes properly to lay hold of any thing, or
   person, by the hand, in order to support it when it is likely to fall;
   but the

   [62] "Marie se propose les promesses, et nous ramene tous a la
   consideration d'icelles." -- "Mary presents to herself the promises,
   and leads us all to the consideration of them."

   [63] Without attempting to make clear to the English reader the nature
   of this difficulty, which a Greek scholar will readily enough
   comprehend, it may suffice to say that the words, as he spake to our
   fathers, should be read as a parenthesis, and the words now under
   consideration will then be connected in the following manner: So as to
   be mindful (or, in remembrance) of his mercy to Abraham, and to his
   seed, for ever. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:56-66

   Luke 1:56-66

   56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own
   house. 57. And Elisabeth's time of bringing forth was fulfilled, and
   she brought forth a son. 58. And her neighbors and relatives heard,
   that the Lord had wonderfully exercised his mercy toward her, and they
   congratulated her. 59. And it happened on the eighth day, when they
   came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias, by the
   name of his father. 60. And his mother answering said, [64] By no
   means, but he shall be called John. 61. And they said to her, There is
   none among thy kindred who is called by that name. 62. And they made
   signs to his father how he wished him to be called. 63. And having
   asked for writing tables, he wrote, saying, John is his name: and all
   wondered. 64. And his mouth was instantly opened, and he spake,
   blessing God. 65. And fear fell upon all their neighbors, and in all
   the mountainous district of Judea all these words were made known.
   66. And all who had heard put them in their heart, saying, What (or
   Who) shall this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him.


   The amount of this narrative is, that the birth of John was
   distinguished by various miracles, which gave reason to expect, that
   something great and remarkable would appear in the child himself at a
   future period. For the Lord determined to confer upon him from the womb
   remarkable tokens, that he might not afterwards come forward, as an
   obscure and unknown person, from the crowd, to discharge the office of
   a Prophet. First Luke relates, that Mary remained about three months
   with her cousin, -- or, in other words, till the birth of the child:
   for it is probable that she had no other reason for staying so long,
   but to enjoy the exhibition of divine grace, which had been suggested
   to her by the angel for the confirmation of her faith.

   58. And her neighbors and relatives heard It may admit of doubt,
   whether the wonderful kindness of God was estimated by those persons
   from the simple fact of her being blessed with a child, or whether they
   had previously heard that an angel appeared to Zacharias, and promised
   to him a son. This was certainly no ordinary divine favor, that, out of
   the course of nature, a barren woman at a very advanced age had brought
   forth a child. It is possible that, on this ground alone, they
   magnified the divine goodness. On the eighth day, from a sense of duty
   or from courtesy, as is customary on such occasions, some people
   assemble; but God takes occasion from it to make them witnesses and
   spectators of his power and glory. There can be no doubt but the
   extraordinary birth brought a greater crowd. They had reckoned it a
   prodigy to see an old and barren woman suddenly become pregnant; and
   now that the child is born, their astonishment is renewed and
   increased. We infer from the words of Luke that, though they
   circumcised their children at home, they were not wont to do so without
   collecting a numerous assembly: and with good reason, for it was a
   common sacrament of the church, and it was not proper to administer it
   in a secret or private manner.

   59. And they called him Zacharias, by the name of his father We know
   that names were originally given to men, either from some occurrence,
   or even by prophetic inspiration, to point out some secret work of God.
   After a long period, when there was such a profusion of names, that it
   became inconvenient to form new ones every day, people satisfied
   themselves with the old and received names, and called their children
   by the names of their ancestors. Thus before the father of John, there
   were many called Zacharias, and perhaps they were the descendants of
   the "son of Barachias," (Matthew 23:35.) Use and wont, we are aware, is
   generally taken for law, and so these persons contended that the
   prevailing custom should be observed as to the name of the child.
   Though we must not imagine that there is any sacredness in names, yet
   no judicious person will deny that, in this matter, believers ought to
   make a godly and profitable selection. They ought to give their
   children such names as may serve to instruct and admonish them, and
   consequently to take the names of holy fathers -- for the purpose of
   exciting their children to imitate them -- rather than adopt those of
   ungodly persons.

   60. And his mother answering said It is uncertain if Elisabeth spoke
   this by inspiration. But when Zacharias saw the punishment inflicted on
   him for being too slow in believing, he probably informed his wife by
   writing what the angel had enjoined respecting the name, (ver. 13,)
   otherwise he would not have obeyed the command of God. Why this name
   was given to the Baptist by divine authority, I have already explained.
   The relatives, though unacquainted with the reason, are affected by the
   strangeness of the occurrence, particularly as they conjecture it did
   not take place without design.

   64. And his mouth was instantly opened God puts honor on the birth of
   his prophet by restoring speech to his father: for there can be no
   doubt that this benefit was delayed till that day with the express
   object and design of fixing the eyes of men upon John. Zacharias spake,
   blessing God He did so, not only for the purpose of testifying his
   gratitude, but to inform his relatives and neighbors, that this
   punishment had been inflicted on him, because he had been too slow to
   believe: for he was not ashamed to unite with his own dishonor the
   praises of the divine glory. Thus it became universally known, that the
   birth of the child was not an accidental or ordinary event, but had
   been promised by an announcement from heaven. [65]

   65. And fear fell upon all This fear mentioned by Luke proceeded from a
   feeling of the divine power: for the works of God ought to be
   contemplated by us with such reverence as to affect our minds with
   seriousness. [66] God does not amuse us with his miracles, but arouses
   the senses of men, which he perceives to be in a dormant state. [67]
   Luke says also that the report of those things was circulated in all
   the mountainous district of Judea And yet many derived no advantage
   from the temporary impression of the power of God: for, when John began
   to exercise his office as an instructor, there were few that remembered
   what wonders had attended his birth. It was not merely, however, for
   the sake of those who heard them, that God determined to spread abroad
   the report of those events, but to establish, in all ages, the
   certainty of the miracle, which was then universally known. Meanwhile,
   a general mirror of human ingratitude is here placed before our eyes:
   for, while trifling and frivolous occurrences remain firmly in our
   minds, those which ought to produce a constant recollection of divine
   favors immediately fade and disappear.

   Luke does not speak of stupid men, or actual despisers of God: for he
   says that they put them in their heart: that is, they applied eagerly
   to the consideration of them. Some probably continued to remember, but
   the greater part rapidly shook off the fear which they had experienced.
   It deserves our notice that they were far from mistaking the design,
   when they interpreted the miracles which they saw as relating to the
   future excellence of the child: for such, we have said, was the design
   of God, that John should afterwards come forth with the highest
   reputation. And the hand of the Lord was with him The meaning is, that
   the grace of God was strikingly visible in many respects, and showed
   manifestly that he was not an ordinary person. It is a figurative mode
   of expression, and denotes that the power of God was as fully
   manifested as if his hand had been visibly seen, so that all readily
   acknowledged the presence of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [64] "Mais sa mere print la parole;" -- "but his mother took speech."

   [65] "Mais selon la promesse expresse de Dieu, qui avoit este apportee
   et revelee par l'ange." -- "But according to the express promise of
   God, which had been brought and revealed by the angel."

   [66] "Que nous en soyons touchez et esmeus a bon escient." -- "That we
   may be touched and moved by them in good earnest."

   [67] "Dieu en faisant miracles ne se joue point pour nous servir de
   passe- temps, mais reveille nos sens, lesquels il voit estre abrutis et
   en dormis." -- "God, in working miracles, does not amuse himself to
   supply us with pastime, but arouses our senses, which he sees to be
   stupified and asleep."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:67-75

   Luke 1:67-75

   67. And Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Ghost, and
   prophesied, saying: 68. Blessed be the Lord God of israel, because he
   hath visited, and hath brought redemption to his people: 69. And he
   hath raised up the horn [68] of salvation to us in the house of his
   servant David, (70. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, who
   have been from every age,) [69] 71. Salvation from our enemies, and
   from the hand of all who hated us: 72. To perform the mercy to our
   fathers, and to have remembrance of his holy covenant, 73. According to
   the oath, [70] which he sware to Abraham our father, to give to us,
   74. That, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, we may serve
   him without fear, 75. In holiness and righteousness before him all the
   days of our life.


   67. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost We have lately explained
   this phrase to mean, that the servants of God received more abundantly
   the grace of the Spirit, of which, at other times, they were not
   destitute. Thus we read, that the Spirit was given to the prophets: not
   that on other occasions they wanted it, but that the power of the
   Spirit was more fully exerted in them, when the hand of God, as it
   were, brought them into public view, for the discharge of their office.
   We must observe, therefore, the manner in which Luke connects the two
   clauses: he was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied This implies
   that divine inspiration, at that time, rested upon him in an
   extraordinary measure, in consequence of which he did not speak like a
   man or private person, but all that he uttered was heavenly
   instruction. Thus also Paul connects prophecy with the Spirit.

   "Quench not the Spirit: despise not prophesyings,"
   (1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20.)

   which teaches us that to despise instruction is to "quench" the light
   of "the Spirit." This was a remarkable instance of the goodness of God,
   that not only did Zacharias recover the power of speech, which he had
   not enjoyed for nine months, but his tongue became the organ of the
   Holy Spirit.

   68. Blessed be the Lord God Zacharias commences with thanksgiving, and
   in the raptures of the prophetic spirit describes the fulfillment of
   the redemption formerly promised in Christ, on which the safety and
   prosperity of the church depended. The reason why the Lord, to whose
   government the whole world is subject, is here called the God of
   Israel, will more fully appear from what follows, that to the seed of
   Abraham, in a peculiar manner, the Redeemer had been promised. Since,
   therefore, God had deposited with one nation only his covenant, of
   which Zacharias was about to speak, he properly mentions the name of
   that nation, for which the grace of salvation was especially, or at all
   events in the first instance, designed.

   The word epeskepsato, he hath visited, contains an implied contrast:
   for the face of God had been turned away for a time from the unhappy
   children of Abraham. To such a depth of calamity had they sunk, and
   with such a mass of distresses were they overwhelmed, that no one
   entertained the thought that the eye of God was upon them. This
   visitation of God, which Zacharias mentions, is declared to be the
   cause and origin of redemption. The statement may be resolved in this
   manner. God looked upon (epeskepsato) his people, that he might redeem
   them Now, as those whom God redeems must be prisoners, and as this
   redemption is spiritual in its nature, we conclude from this passage,
   that even the holy fathers were made free from the yoke of sin and the
   tyranny of death, only through the grace of Christ; for it is said that
   Christ was sent as a Redeemer to the holy and elect people of God. But
   it will be objected, if redemption was brought by Christ at that time
   when he appeared clothed in flesh, it follows, that those believers who
   died before he came into the world were "all their lifetime" slaves of
   sin and death: which would be highly absurd. I reply, the power and
   efficacy of that redemption, which was once exhibited in Christ, have
   been the same in all ages.

   69. He hath raised up the horn of salvation That is, saving power: [71]
   for, when the throne of David was cast down, and the people scattered,
   the hope of salvation had to all appearance perished. Zacharias alludes
   to the predictions of the prophets, which hold out that a sudden
   revival would take place, when the state of affairs should have become
   melancholy and desperate. This mode of expression is borrowed from the
   passage,

   "There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for
   mine anointed," (Psalm 132:17.)

   But if it is only in Christ that God has put forth his power to save
   us, we are not at liberty to depart from that method, if we desire to
   obtain salvation from God. Let it be also observed, that this horn
   brings salvation to believers, but terror to the ungodly, whom it
   scatters, or bruises and lays prostrate.

   Of his servant David He is so denominated, not only because, like any
   one of the godly, he worshipped God, but for this other reason, that he
   was his chosen servant to rule and save his people, and thus to
   represent, along with his successors, the person and office of Christ.
   Though there remained among the Jews, at that time, no trace of a
   kingdom, Zacharias, resting on the promises of God, does not hesitate
   to call David the servant of God, in whom God gave an example of the
   salvation which was to come. [72] Now that the throne of Christ is
   erected amongst us, that thence he may govern us, it follows that he is
   actually appointed to us the author of salvation.

   70. As he spake That the salvation which is said to have been brought
   by Christ may not be thought doubtful on the score of novelty, he
   adduces as witnesses all the Prophets, who, though they were raised up
   at different times, yet with one consent teach, that salvation is to be
   expected from Christ alone. Nor was it the sole design of Zacharias to
   celebrate the truth and faithfulness of God, in performing and
   fulfilling what he formerly promised. His object rather was to draw the
   attention of believers to the ancient predictions, that they might
   embrace, with greater certainty and cheerfulness, the salvation offered
   to them, of which the Prophets from the beginning had testified. When
   Christ comes forth adorned, [73] with the testimonies of all the
   Prophets, our faith in him rests on a truly solid foundation.

   He calls them holy prophets, to secure for their words greater
   authority and reverence. They were not inconsiderable or ordinary
   witnesses, but were of the first rank, [74] and furnished with a public
   commission, having been separated from the common people, for that
   purpose, by divine authority. To inquire minutely how each of the
   prophets gave testimony to Christ, would lead us into a long
   dissertation. Let it suffice for the present to say, that they all
   uniformly make the hope of the people, that God would be gracious to
   them, to rest entirely on that covenant between God and them which was
   founded on Christ, and thus speak plainly enough of the future
   redemption, which was manifested in Christ. To this purpose are many
   striking passages, which contain no dark prophecies respecting Christ,
   but point him out, as it were, with the finger. But our chief attention
   is due to the signature of the divine covenant; for he that neglects
   this will never understand any thing in the prophets: as the Jews
   wander wretchedly [75] in reading the Scripture, in consequence of
   giving their whole study to words, and wandering from the main design.

   71. Salvation from our enemies Zacharias explains more clearly the
   power and office of Christ. And certainly it would be of little or no
   advantage to learn that Christ was given to us, unless we also knew
   what he bestows. For this reason he states more fully the purpose for
   which the horn of salvation was raised up: that believers may obtain
   salvation from their enemies Unquestionably, Zacharias was well aware,
   that the principal war of the church of God is not with flesh and
   blood, but with Satan and all his armament, by which he labors to
   accomplish our everlasting ruin. Though the Church is also attacked by
   outward foes, and is delivered from them by Christ, yet, as the kingdom
   of Christ is spiritual, it is chiefly to Satan, the prince of this
   world, and all his legions, that the present discourse relates. Our
   attention is also directed to the miserable condition of men out of
   Christ, lying prostrate under the tyranny of the devil: otherwise, out
   of his hand, out of his power, Christ would not deliver his own people.
   This passage reminds us that, so long as the Church continues her
   pilgrimage in the world, she lives amongst her foes, and would be
   exposed to their violence, if Christ were not always at hand to grant
   assistance. But such is the inestimable grace of Christ, that, though
   we are surrounded on every side by enemies, we enjoy a sure and
   undoubted salvation. The mode of expression may seem harsh, salvation
   from our enemies; but the meaning is obvious. No machinations or power,
   no wiles, no attacks will prevent our being delivered from them and
   saved "in the Lord with an everlasting salvatlon," (Isaiah 45:17.)

   72. To perform the mercy Zacharias again points out the fountain from
   which redemption flowed, the mercy and gracious covenant of God. He
   assigns the reason why God was pleased to save his people. It was
   because, being mindful of his promise, he displayed his mercy. He is
   said to have remembrance of his covenant, because there might be some
   appearance of forgetfulness during that long delay, in which he allowed
   his people to languish under the weight of very heavy calamities. We
   must carefully attend to this order. First, God was moved by pure mercy
   to make a covenant with the fathers. Secondly, He has linked the
   salvation of men with his own word. [76] Thirdly, He has exhibited in
   Christ every blessing, so as to ratify all his promises: as, indeed,
   their truth is only confirmed to us when we see their fulfillment in
   Christ. Forgiveness of sins is promised in the covenant, but it is in
   the blood of Christ. Righteousness is promised, but it is offered
   through the atonement of Christ. Life is promised, but it must be
   sought only in the death and resurrection of Christ. This too is the
   reason why God commanded of old, that the book of the law should be
   sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice, (Exodus 24:8; Hebrews 9:19,
   20.) It is also worthy of notice, that Zacharias speaks of the mercy
   performed in his own age, as extending to the fathers who were dead,
   and who equally shared in its results. Hence it follows, that the grace
   and power of Christ are not confined by the narrow limits of this
   fading life, but are everlasting; that they are not terminated by the
   death of the flesh, for the soul survives the death of the body, and
   the destruction of the flesh is followed by the resurrection. As
   neither Abraham, nor any of the saints, could procure salvation to
   himself by his own power or merits, so to all believers, whether living
   or dead, the same salvation has been exhibited in Christ.

   73. According to the oath There is no word in the Greek original for
   the preposition according to: but it is a common and well understood
   principle of language, that when the accusative case is put absolutely,
   there is a preposition to be understood, by which it is governed. The
   oath is mentioned, for the purpose of expressing more fully the
   firmness and sacredness of his truth: for such is his gracious
   condescension, that he deigns to employ his name for the support of our
   weakness. If his bare promises do not satisfy us, let us at least
   remember this confirmation of them; and if it does not remove all
   doubt, we are chargeable with heinous ingratitude to God, and insult to
   his holy name.

   To give to us Zacharias does not enumerate the several points of God's
   covenant, but shows that God's purpose, in dealing so kindly and
   mercifully with his people, was to redeem them.

   74. That being delivered out of the hand of our enemies His purpose
   was, that, being redeemed, they might dedicate and consecrate
   themselves entirely to the Author of their salvation. As the efficient
   cause of human salvation was the undeserved goodness of God, so its
   final cause is, that, by a godly and holy life, men may glorify his
   name. This deserves careful attention, that we may remember our
   calling, and so learn to apply the grace of God to its proper use. We
   must meditate on such declarations as these:

   "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness,"
   (1 Thessalonians 4:7.)

   We are "redeemed with a great price," (1 Corinthians 6:20,) "the
   precious blood of Christ," (1 Peter 1:18,19,) not that we may serve
   "the lusts of the flesh," (2 Peter 2:18,) or indulge in unbridled
   licentiousness, but that Christ may reign in us. We are admitted by
   adoption into the family of God, that we, on our part, may yield
   obedience as children to a father. For "the kindness and love
   (philanthropia) of God our Savior toward man," (Titus 3:4,) "hath
   appeared unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
   worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly," (Titus
   2:11,12.) And so Paul, when he wishes powerfully to exhort believers to
   consecrate themselves to God, "in newness of life," (Romans 6:4,) and,
   "putting off, concerning the former conversation, the old man,"
   (Ephesians 4:22,) to render to him a "reasonable service," "beseeches
   them by the mercies of God," (Romans 12:1.) Scripture is full of
   declarations of this nature, which show that we "frustrate the grace"
   (Galatians 2:21) of Christ, if we do not follow out this design.

   That we may serve him without fear This deserves our attention: for it
   implies that we cannot worship God in a proper manner without composure
   of mind. Those who are ill at ease, who have an inward struggle,
   whether God is favorable or hostile to them, whether he accepts or
   rejects their services,--in a word, who fluctuate in uncertainty
   between hope and fear, will sometimes labor anxiously in the worship of
   God, but never will sincerely or honestly obey him. Alarm and dread
   make them turn from him with horror; and so, if it were possible, they
   would desire that there were, "no God," (Psalm 14:1.) But we know, that
   no sacrifice is acceptable to God, which is not offered willingly, and
   with a cheerful heart. Before men can truly worship God, they must
   obtain peace of conscience, as David speaks, "There is forgiveness with
   thee, that thou mayest be feared," (Psalm 130:4:) for those to whom God
   has given peace are graciously invited and led to approach him
   willingly and with a cheerful desire to worship him. Hence too Paul
   deduces that maxim, that "whatsoever is undertaken without faith is
   sin," (Romans 14:23.) But since God reconciles men to himself in
   Christ, since by his protection he keeps them safe from all fear, since
   he has committed their salvation to his own hand and guardianship, we
   are justly declared by Zacharias to be delivered by his grace from
   fear. And so the prophets describe it as peculiar to his reign, that,

   "they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, and
   none shall make them afraid," (Micah 4:4.)

   75. In holiness and righteousness As the rule of a good life has been
   reduced by God to two tables, (Exodus 31:18; 34:1,) so Zacharias here
   declares, that we serve God in a proper manner, when our life has been
   framed to holiness and righteousness. Holiness, beyond all question,
   denotes--as even Plato knew the duties of godliness, [77] which relate
   to the first table of the law. Righteousness, again, extends to all the
   duties of charity: for God requires nothing more from us in the second
   table of the law, than to render to every one what belongs to him. It
   is added, before him, to instruct believers, that it is not enough if
   their lives are decently regulated before the eyes of men, and their
   hands, and feet, and whole body, restrained from every kind of open
   wickedness: but they must live according to the will of God, who is not
   satisfied with professions of holiness, but looks chiefly on the heart.

   Lastly, That no man may consider his duties to be at an end, when he
   has worshipped God for a certain period, Zacharias declares that men
   have been redeemed on the condition [78] that they shall continue to
   devote themselves to the worship of God all the days of their life And
   certainly, as redemption is eternal, the remembrance of it ought never
   to pass away; as God adopts men into his family for ever, their
   gratitude ought not to be transitory or of short continuance; and, in a
   word, as "Christ both died and rose, and revived" for them, it is
   proper that he should be "Lord both of the dead and living," (Romans
   14:9.) So Paul, in a passage which I lately quoted, enjoins us to

   "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking
   for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
   our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
   us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
   zealous of good works,"
   (Titus 2:12-14.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [68] "La corne de salut."

   [69] "De tout temps." -- "From all time."

   [70] "Secundum jusjurandum" -- "(Qui est) le jurement," -- "which is
   the oath."

   [71] "C'est a dire, une vertu et puissance pleine de salut." -- "That
   is, a power and might full of salvation

   [72] "Specimen futurae salutis;" -- "pource que Dieu l'avoit dresse
   pour figure et tesmoignage du salut a venir;" -- "because God had set
   him up for a figure and proof of the salvation to come."

   [73] "Ornatus;" -- "revestu et garni d'excellens tesmoignages de tous
   les Prophetes;" -- "clothed and adorned with excellent testimonies of
   all the Prophets."

   [74] "Classicos testes." This is a fine allusion to the Roman division
   into classes, (mentioned by Livy, 1:43,) from the first of which
   classes, as carrying greater weight and respectability, "testes,"
   witnesses were selected for signing Testaments, -- a department of
   Conveyancing, which all civilized nations have guarded by the most
   careful provisions, and in which authenticity is peculiarly and
   indispensably necessary. Calvin's vernacular brings out, though with
   less elegance, the meaning in which classicos testes is here used, --
   "bons, suffisans, et sans reproche;" -- "good, sufficient, and without
   reproach." -- Ed.

   [75] "Misere vagantur." -- "Les Juifs ne font que tracasser et se
   tormenter sans profit toute leur vie;" -- "the Jews do but vex and
   tease themselves without advantage all their life."

   [76] "Il a lie le salut des hommes avec sa parole, comme dependant
   d'icelle." -- "He has bound the salvation of men with his word, as
   depending on it."

   [77] "Le mot de Sainctete comprend tout ce dont nous sommes redevables
   a Dieu pour adorer et honorer sa majeste." -- "The word Holiness
   includes all that we owe to God for adoring and honoring his majesty."

   [78] "Hac lege redemptas esse homines." -- "Zacharie dit que les hommes
   ont este rachetez a la charge de s'appliquer a servir Dieu tout le
   temps de leur vie." -- "Zacharias says that men have been redeemed upon
   condition of applying themselves to serve God all the time of their
   life."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 1:76-80

   Luke 1:76-80

   76. And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest. for
   thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, 77. To
   give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their
   sins: 78. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, by which the
   Eastern sky [79] hath visited us, 79. That he might give light to those
   who were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet
   into the way of peace. 80. And the child grew, and became strong in
   spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.


   76. And thou, child Zacharias again returns to commend the grace of
   Christ, but does this, as it were, in the person of his son, by
   describing briefly the office to which he had been appointed as an
   instructor. Though in a little infant eight days old he does not yet
   observe prophetical endowments, yet turning his eyes to the purpose of
   God, he speaks of it as a thing already known. To be called means here
   to be considered and openly acknowledged as the prophet of God. A
   secret calling of God had already taken place. It only remained that
   the nature of that calling should be manifested to men. But as the name
   Prophet is general, Zacharias, following the revelation brought to him
   by the angel, affirms that he would be the usher [80] or herald of
   Christ. He says, thou shalt go before the face of the Lord: that is,
   thou shalt discharge the office of turning men by thy preaching to hear
   the Lord. The reason why John, when he had nearly finished his course,
   affirmed that he was not a prophet of God, is explained by me at the
   proper place, (John 1:21,) and in what manner he was to prepare his
   ways we shall afterwards see.

   77. To give knowledge of salvation Zacharias now touches the principal
   subject of the gospel, when he says that the knowledge of salvation
   consists in the forgiveness of sins. As we are all "by nature the
   children of wraths" (Ephesians 2:3,) it follows, that we are by nature
   condemned and ruined: and the ground of our condemnation is, that we
   are chargeable with unrighteousness. There is, therefore, no other
   provision for escaping eternal death [81] but by God

   "reconciling us unto himself, not imputing our trespasses unto us,"
   (2 Corinthians 5:19.)

   That this is the only righteousness which remains to us before God, may
   be easily gathered from the words of Zacharias. For whence comes
   salvation, but from righteousness? But if the children of God have no
   other way of obtaining the knowledge of salvation except through the
   forgiveness of sins, it follows, that righteousness must not be sought
   in any other quarter. Proud men attempt to forge and manufacture a
   righteousness out of the merits of good works. True righteousness is
   nothing else than the imputation of righteousness, when God, out of
   free grace, acquits us from guilt. Besides, it ought to be observed
   that Zacharias is not speaking of "strangers from the covenants of
   promise," (Ephesians 2:12) but of the people of God. Hence it follows,
   that not only does the commencement of righteousness depend on the
   forgiveness of sins, but it is by imputation [82] that believers are
   righteous before God to the very end: for they cannot appear before his
   tribunal in any other way than by betaking themselves daily to a free
   reconciliation.

   78. Through the bowels [83] of mercy In so great a benefit Zacharias
   justly extols the mercy of God, and not satisfied with merely calling
   it the salvation which was brought by Christ, he employs more emphatic
   language, and says that it proceeded from the very bowels of the mercy
   of God. He then tells us metaphorically, that the great mercy of God
   has made the day to give light to those who were sitting in darkness
   Oriens, in the Latin version of this passage, is not a participle: for
   the Greek word is anatole, that is, the Eastern region, as contrasted
   with the West. Zacharias extols the mercy of God, as manifested in
   dispelling the darkness of death, and restoring to the people of God
   the light of life. In this way, whenever our salvation is the subject,
   we ought to raise our minds to the contemplation of the divine mercy.
   There appears to be an allusion to a prediction of Malachi, in which
   Christ is called "the Sun of Righteousness," and is said to "arise with
   healing in his wing," (Malachi 4:2,) that is, to bring health in his
   rays.

   79. That he might give light to those who were sitting in darkness As
   to light and darkness, there are similar modes of expression in Isaiah:
   such as,

   "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that
   dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light
   shined,"
   (Isaiah 9:1;)

   and in many other passages. These words show, that out of Christ there
   is no life-giving light in the world, but every thing is covered by the
   appalling darkness of death. Thus, in another passage, Isaiah testifies
   that this privilege belongs peculiarly to the church alone.

   "Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the
   people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen
   upon thee,"
   (Isaiah 60:2.)

   But how could it be said that the Israelites, on whose hearts the Lord
   always shone by faith, were sitting in the shadow of death? I reply,
   the godly, who lived under the law were surrounded on every side by the
   darkness of death, and beheld at a distance, in the coming of Christ,
   the light that cheered and preserved them from being overwhelmed by
   present death. Zacharias may have had in view the wretched condition of
   his own age. But it is a general truth, that on all the godly, who had
   ever lived, or who were afterwards to live, there arose in the coming
   of Christ a light to impart life: for it even diffused life over the
   dead. To sit is of the same import as to lie: [84] and so Isaiah
   enjoins the Church, "Arise, for thy light is come," (Isaiah 60:1.)

   To guide our feet By this expression Zacharias points out, that the
   highest perfection of all excellence and happiness is to be found in
   Christ alone. The word Peace might indeed be taken in its literal
   sense, which would not be unsuitable: for the illumination brought by
   Christ tends to pacify the minds of men. But as the Hebrew word slvm,
   peace, denotes every kind of prosperity, Zacharias intended, I doubt
   not, to represent Christ as the author of perfect blessedness, that we
   may not seek the smallest portion of happiness elsewhere, but may rest
   on Christ alone, from a full conviction that in him we are entirely and
   completely happy. To this purpose are those words of Isaiah,

   "The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness
   shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an
   everlasting light, and thy God thy glory," (Isaiah 60:19.)

   But if the mere sight of his Son, while still a child, led Zacharias to
   discourse in so lofty a strain respecting the grace and power of
   Christ, before he was born, are not they so much the more ungrateful,
   who, now that Christ has died, and risen, and ascended to heaven, and
   sat down at his Father's right hand, speak disrespectfully of him and
   of his power, to which the Holy Spirit bore testimony, while he was
   still in his mother's womb? We must bear in mind what I have already
   mentioned, that Zacharias spake not from himself, but that the Spirit
   of God directed his tongue.

   And the child grew This is added by Luke for continuing the thread of
   the history. First, he mentions that John became strong in spirit:
   which implies that the great and uncommon excellence of the child gave
   proof that there dwelt in him a Heavenly Spirit. Next, he tells us,
   that John remained unknown in the deserts till the day of his showing,
   that is, till the day on which the Lord had pur-posed to bring him into
   public view. Hence we conclude, that John, though he was fully aware of
   his calling, made no advances before the appointed time, but awaited
   the call of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [79] "Oriens ex alto."

   [80] "Apparitorem." -- "Heraut."

   [81] "Mortis;" -- "La mort mortelle."

   [82] "Imputative, ut italoquar." -- "Par imputation, c'est a dire,
   d'autant que la justice de Christ laur est imputee." -- "By imputation,
   that is to say, in so far as the righteousnes of Christ is imputed to
   them"

   [83] "Par les entrailles de la misericorde, ou, par l'affection
   misericordieuse." -- "By the bowels of mercy, or, by the merciful
   affection."

   [84] "Estre assis emporte autant comme estre couch, ou veautre."-- "To
   sit is of the same import as to be lying or wallowing."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 1:1-17; LUKE 3:23-38

   Matthew 1:1-17

   Luke 3:23-38

   1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
   son of Abraham. 2. And Abraham began Isaac. And Issac begat Jacob. And
   Jacob begat Judah and his brethren. 3. And Judah begat Pharez and Zarah
   by Tamar. And Pharez begat Hezron. and Hezron begat Ram. 4. And Ram
   begat Amminadab. And Amminadab begat Nahshon. And Nahshon begat Salma.
   5. And Salma begat Boaz by Rahab. And Boaz begat Obed by Ruth. And Obed
   begat Jesse. 6. And Jesse begat David the king. And David the king
   begat Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7. And Solomon
   begat Rehoboam. And Rehoboam begat Abijah. And Abijah begat Asa. 8. And
   Asa begat Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat begat Jorem. And Joram begat
   Uzziah. 9. And Uzziah begat Jotham. And Jotham begat Ahaz. And Ahaz
   begat Hezekiah. 10. And Hezekiah begat Manasseh. And Manasseh begat
   Amon. And Amon begat Josiah. 11. And Josiah begat Jeconiah and his
   brethren, about the Babylonish exile. 12. And after the Babylonish
   exile, Jeconiah begat Salathiel. And Salathiel begat Zerubbabel.
   13. And Zerubbabel begat Abiud. And Abiud begat Eliakim. And Eliakim
   begat Azor. 14. And Azor begat Zadok. And Zadok begat Achim. And Achim
   begat Eliud. 15. And Eliud begat Eleazar. And Eleazar begat Matthan.
   And Matthan begat Jacob. 16. And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of
   Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17. Therefore all
   the generations from Abraham till David are fourteen generations; and
   from David till the Babylonish migration are fourteen generations; and
   from the Babylonish migration till Christ are fourteen generations.

   23. Jesus was supposed to be the son of Joseph, who was the son of
   Heli, 24. Who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was
   the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,
   25. Who was the son of Matthias, who was the son of Amos, who was the
   son of Nahum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Nagge,
   26. Who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattahtias, who was
   the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Judah,
   27. Who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the
   son of Zerubbabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of
   Neri, 28. Who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was
   the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son, of Er,
   29. Who was the son of of Joses, who was the son of Eliezer, who was
   the son of Joriam, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,
   30. Who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Judah, who was the
   son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,
   31. Who was the son of Meleah, who was the son of Mainan, who was the
   son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,
   32. Who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son
   of Boaz, who was the son of Salmah, who was the son of Nahshon, 33. Who
   was the son of Amminadab, who was the son of Ram, who was the son of
   Hezron, who was the son of Pharez, who was the son of Judah, 34. Who
   was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of
   Abraham, who was the son of Terah, who was the son of Nahor, 35. Who
   was the son of Serug, who was the son of Reu, who was the son of Peleg,
   who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Salah, 36. Who was the son
   of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Shem, who
   was the son of Noah, who was the son of Lamech, 37. Who was the son of
   Methuselah, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was
   the son of Mahalaleel, who was the son of Cainan, 38. Who was the son
   of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the
   son of God.


   As all are not agreed about these two genealogies, which are given by
   Matthew and Luke, we must first see whether both trace the genealogy of
   Christ from Joseph, or whether Matthew only traces it from Joseph, and
   Luke from Mary. Those who are of this latter opinion have a plausible
   ground for their distinction in the diversity of the names: and
   certainly, at first sight, nothing seems more improbable than that
   Matthew and Luke, who differ so widely from each other, give one and
   the same genealogy. For from David to Salathiel, and again from
   Zerubbabel till Joseph, the names are totally different.

   Again, it is alleged, that it would have been idle to bestow so great
   pains on a thing of no use, in relating a second time the genealogy of
   Joseph, who after all was not the father of Christ. "Why this
   repetition," say they, "which proves nothing that contributes much to
   the edification of faith? If nothing more be known than this, that
   Joseph was one of the descendants and family of David, the genealogy of
   Christ will still remain doubtful." In their opinion, therefore, it
   would have been superfluous that two Evangelists should apply
   themselves to this subject. They excuse Matthew for laying down the
   ancestry of Joseph, on the ground, that he did it for the sake of many
   persons, who were still of opinion that he was the father of Christ.
   But it would have been foolish to hold out such an encouragement to a
   dangerous error: and what follows is at total variance with the
   supposition. For as soon as he comes to the close of the genealogy,
   Matthew points out that Christ was conceived in the womb of the virgin,
   not from the seed of Joseph, but by the secret power of the Spirit. If
   their argument were good, Matthew might be charged with folly or
   inadvertence, in laboring to no purpose to establish the genealogy of
   Joseph.

   But we have not yet replied to their objection, that the ancestry of
   Joseph has nothing to do with Christ. The common and well-known reply
   is, that in the person of Joseph the genealogy of Mary also is
   included, because the law enjoined every man to marry from his own
   tribe. It is objected, on the other hand, that at almost no period had
   that law been observed: but the arguments on which that assertion rests
   are frivolous. They quote the instance of the eleven tribes binding
   themselves by an oath, that they would not give a wife to the
   Benjamites, (Judges 21:1.) If this matter, say they, had been settled
   by law, there would have been no need for a new enactment. I reply,
   this extraordinary occurrence is erroneously and ignorantly converted
   by them into a general rule: for if one tribe had been cut off, the
   body of the people must have been incomplete if some remedy had not
   been applied to a case of extreme necessity. We must not, therefore,
   look to this passage for ascertaining the common law.

   Again, it is objected, that Mary, the mother of Christ, was Elisabeth's
   cousin, though Luke has formerly stated that she was of the daughters
   of Aaron, (Luke 1:5.) The reply is easy. The daughters of the tribe of
   Judah, or of any other tribe, were at liberty to marry into the tribe
   of the priesthood: for they were not prevented by that reason, which is
   expressed in the law, that no woman should "remove her inheritance" to
   those who were of a different tribe from her own, (Numbers 36:6-9.)
   Thus, the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest, is declared by the sacred
   historian to have belonged to the royal family, --

   "Jehoshabeath, the daughter of Jehoram,
   the wife of Jehoiada the priest,"
   (2 Chronicles 22:11.)

   It was, therefore, nothing wonderful or uncommon, if the mother of
   Elisabeth were married to a priest. Should any one allege, that this
   does not enable us to decide, with perfect certainty, that Mary was of
   the same tribe with Joseph, because she was his wife, I grant that the
   bare narrative, as it stands, would not prove it without the aid of
   other circumstances.

   But, in the first place, we must observe, that the Evangelists do not
   speak of events known in their own age. When the ancestry of Joseph had
   been carried up as far as David, every one could easily make out the
   ancestry of Mary. The Evangelists, trusting to what was generally
   understood in their own day, were, no doubt, less solicitous on that
   point: for, if any one entertained doubts, the research was neither
   difficult nor tedious. [85] Besides, they took for granted, that
   Joseph, as a man of good character and behavior, had obeyed the
   injunction of the law in marrying a wife from his own tribe. That
   general rule would not, indeed, be sufficient to prove Mary's royal
   descent; for she might have belonged to the tribe of Judah, and yet not
   have been a descendant of the family of David.

   My opinion is this. The Evangelists had in their eye godly persons, who
   entered into no obstinate dispute, but in the person of Joseph
   acknowledged the descent of Mary; particularly since, as we have said,
   no doubt was entertained about it in that age. One matter, however,
   might appear incredible, that this very poor and despised couple
   belonged to the posterity of David, and to that royal seed, from which
   the Redeemer was to spring. If any one inquire whether or not the
   genealogy traced by Matthew and Luke proves clearly and beyond
   controversy that Mary was descended from the family of David, I own
   that it cannot be inferred with certainty; but as the relationship
   between Mary and Joseph was at that time well known, the Evangelists
   were more at ease on that subject. Meanwhile, it was the design of both
   Evangelists to remove the stumbling-block arising from the fact, that
   both Joseph and Mary were unknown, and despised, and poor, and gave not
   the slightest indication of royalty.

   Again, the supposition that Luke passes by the descent of Joseph, and
   relates that of Mary, is easily refuted; for he expressly says, that
   Jesus was supposed to be the son of Joseph, etc. Certainly, neither the
   father nor the grandfather of Christ is mentioned, but the ancestry of
   Joseph himself is carefully explained. I am well aware of the manner in
   which they attempt to solve this difficulty. The word son, they allege,
   is put for son-in-law, and the interpretation they give to Joseph being
   called the son of Heli is, that he had married Heli's daughter. But
   this does not agree with the order of nature, and is nowhere
   countenanced by any example in Scripture.

   If Solomon is struck out of Mary's genealogy, Christ will no longer be
   Christ; for all inquiry as to his descent is founded on that solemn
   promise,

   "I will set up thy seed after thee; I will establish the throne of his
   kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son,"
   (2 Samuel 7:12-14.)

   "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of
   the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne,"
   (Psalm 132:11.)

   Solomon was, beyond controversy, the type of this eternal King who was
   promised to David; nor can the promise be applied to Christ, except in
   so far as its truth was shadowed out in Solomon, (1 Chronicles 28:5.)
   Now if the descent is not traced to him, how, or by what argument,
   shall he be proved to be "the son of David"? Whoever expunges Solomon
   from Christ's genealogy does at the same time, obliterate and destroy
   those promises by which he must be acknowledged to be the son of David.
   In what way Luke, tracing the line of descent from Nathan, does not
   exclude Solomon, will afterwards be seen at the proper place.

   Not to be too tedious, those two genealogies agree substantially with
   each other, but we must attend to four points of difference. The first
   is; Luke ascends by a retrograde order, from the last to the first,
   while Matthew begins with the source of the genealogy. The second is;
   Matthew does not carry his narrative beyond the holy and elect race of
   Abraham, [86] while Luke proceeds as far as Adam. The third is; Matthew
   treats of his legal descent, and allows himself to make some omissions
   in the line of ancestors, choosing to assist the reader's memory by
   arranging them under three fourteens; while Luke follows the natural
   descent with greater exactness. The fourth and last is; when they are
   speaking of the same persons, they sometimes give them different names.

   It would be superfluous to say more about the first point of
   difference, for it presents no difficulty. The second is not without a
   very good reason: for, as God had chosen for himself the family of
   Abraham, from which the Redeemer of the world would be born, and as the
   promise of salvation had been, in some sort, shut up in that family
   till the coming of Christ, Matthew does not pass beyond the limits
   which God had prescribed. We must attend to what Paul says,

   "that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of
   God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers,"
   (Romans 15:8)

   with which agrees that saying of Christ, "Salvation is of the Jews,"
   (John 4:22.) Matthew, therefore, presents him to our contemplation as
   belonging to that holy race, to which he had been expressly appointed.
   In Matthew's catalogue we must look at the covenant of God, by which he
   adopted the seed of Abraham as his people, separating them, by a
   "middle wall of partition," (Ephesians 2:14,) from the rest of the
   nations. Luke directed his view to a higher point; for though, from the
   time that God had made his covenant with Abraham, a Redeemer was
   promised, in a peculiar manner, to his seed, yet we know that, since
   the transgression of the first man, all needed a Redeemer, and he was
   accordingly appointed for the whole world. It was by a wonderful
   purpose of God, that Luke exhibited Christ to us as the son of Adam,
   while Matthew confined him within the single family of Abraham. For it
   would be of no advantage to us, that Christ was given by the Father as
   "the author of eternal salvations" (Hebrews 5:9,) unless he had been
   given indiscriminately to all. Besides, that saying of the Apostle
   would not be true, that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and
   to-day, and for ever," (Hebrews 13:8,) if his power and grace had not
   reached to all ages from the very creation of the world. Let us know;
   therefore, that to the whole human race there has been manifested and
   exhibited salvation through Christ; for not without reason is he called
   the son of Noah, and the son of Adam. But as we must seek him in the
   word of God, the Spirit wisely directs us, through another Evangelist,
   to the holy race of Abraham, to whose hands the treasure of eternal
   life, along with Christ, was committed for a time, (Romans 3:1.)

   We come now to the third point of difference. Matthew and Luke
   unquestionably do not observe the same order; for immediately after
   David the one puts Solomon, and the other, Nathan; which makes it
   perfectly clear that they follow different lines. This sort of
   contradiction is reconciled by good and learned interpreters in the
   following manner. Matthew, departing from the natural lineage, which is
   followed by Luke, reckons up the legal genealogy. I call it the legal
   genealogy, because the right to the throne passed into the hands of
   Salathiel. Eusebius, in the first book of his Ecclesiastical History,
   adopting the opinion of Africanus, prefers applying the epithet legal
   to the genealogy which is traced by Luke. But it amounts to the same
   thing: for he means nothing more than this, that the kingdom, which had
   been established in the person of Solomon, passed in a lawful manner to
   Salathiel. But it is more correct and appropriate to say, that Matthew
   has exhibited the legal order: because, by naming Solomon immediately
   after David, he attends, not to the persons from whom in a regular
   line, according to the flesh, Christ derived his birth, but to the
   manner in which he was descended from Solomon and other kings, so as to
   be their lawful successor, in whose hand God would "stablish the throne
   of his kingdom for ever," (2 Samuel 7:13.)

   There is probability in the opinion that, at the death of Ahaziah, the
   lineal descent from Solomon was closed. As to the command given by
   David -- for which some persons quote the authority of Jewish
   Commentators -- that should the line from Solomon fail, the royal power
   would pass to the descendants of Nathan, I leave it undetermined;
   holding this only for certain, that the succession to the kingdom was
   not confused, but regulated by fixed degrees of kindred. Now, as the
   sacred history relates that, after the murder of Ahaziah, the throne
   was occupied, and all the seed-royal destroyed "by his mother Athaliah,
   (2 Kings 11:1,) it is more than probable that this woman, from an eager
   desire of power, had perpetrated those wicked and horrible murders that
   she might not be reduced to a private rank, and see the throne
   transferred to another. If there had been a son of Ahaziah still alive,
   the grandmother would willingly have been allowed to reign in peace,
   without envy or danger, under the mask of being his tutor. When she
   proceeds to such enormous crimes as to draw upon herself infamy and
   hatred, it is a proof of desperation arising from her being unable any
   longer to keep the royal authority in her house.

   As to Joash being called "the son of Ahaziah," (2 Chronicles 22:11,)
   the reason is, that he was the nearest relative, and was justly
   considered to be the true and direct heir of the crown. Not to mention
   that Athaliah (if we shall suppose her to be his grandmother) would
   gladly have availed herself of her relation to the child, will any
   person of ordinary understanding think it probable, that an actual son
   of the king could be so concealed by "Jehoiada the priest," as not to
   excite the grandmother to more diligent search? If all is carefully
   weighed, there will be no hesitation in concluding, that the next heir
   of the crown belonged to a different line. And this is the meaning of
   Jehoiada's words,

   "Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the Lord hath said of the sons
   of David,"
   (2 Chronicles 23:3.)

   He considered it to be shameful and intolerable, that a woman, who was
   a stranger by blood, should violently seize the scepter, which God had
   commanded to remain in the family of David.

   There is no absurdity in supposing, that Luke traces the descent of
   Christ from Nathan: for it is possible that the line of Solomon, so far
   as relates to the succession of the throne, may have been broken off.
   It may be objected, that Jesus cannot be acknowledged as the promised
   Messiah, if he be not a descendant of Solomon, who was an undoubted
   type of Christ But the answer is easy. Though he was not naturally
   descended from Solomon, yet he was reckoned his son by legal
   succession, because he was descended from kings.

   The fourth point of difference is the great diversity of the names.
   Many look upon this as a great difficulty: for from David till Joseph,
   with the exception of Salathiel and Zerubbabel, none of the names are
   alike in the two Evangelists. The excuse commonly offered, that the
   diversity arose from its being very customary among the Jews to have
   two names, appears to many persons not quite satisfactory. But as we
   are now unacquainted with the method, which was followed by Matthew in
   drawing up and arranging the genealogy, there is no reason to wonder,
   if we are unable to determine how far both of them agree or differ as
   to individual names. It cannot be doubted that, after the Babylonish
   captivity, the same persons are mentioned under different names. In the
   case of Salathiel and Zerubbabel, the same names, I think, were
   purposely retained, on account of the change which had taken place in
   the nation: because the royal authority was then extinguished. Even
   while a feeble shadow of power remained, a striking change was visible,
   which warned believers, that they ought to expect another and more
   excellent kingdom than that of Solomon, which had flourished but for a
   short time.

   It is also worthy of remark, that the additional number in Luke's
   catalogue to that of Matthew is nothing strange; for the number of
   persons in the natural line of descent is usually greater than in the
   legal line. Besides, Matthew chose to divide the genealogy of Christ
   into three departments, and to make each department to contain fourteen
   persons. In this way, he felt himself at liberty to pass by some names,
   which Luke could not with propriety omit, not having restricted himself
   by that rule.

   Thus have I discussed the genealogy of Christ, as far as it appeared to
   be generally useful. If any one is tickled [87] by a keener curiosity,
   I remember Paul's admonition, and prefer sobriety and modesty to
   trifling and useless disputes. It is a noted passage, in which he
   enjoins us to avoid excessive keenness in disputing about "genealogies,
   as unprofitable and vain," (Titus 3:9.)

   It now remains to inquire, lastly, why Matthew included the whole
   genealogy of Christ in three classes, and assigned to each class
   fourteen persons. Those who think that he did so, in order to aid the
   memory of his readers, state a part of the reason, but not the whole.
   It is true, indeed, that a catalogue, divided into three equal numbers,
   is more easily remembered. But it is also evident that this division is
   intended to point out a threefold condition of the nation, from the
   time when Christ was promised to Abraham, to "the fullness of the time"
   (Galatians 4:4) when he was "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy
   3:16.) Previous to the time of David, the tribe of Judah, though it
   occupied a higher rank than the other tribes, held no power. In David
   the royal authority burst upon the eyes of all with unexpected
   splendor, and remained till the time of Jeconiah. After that period,
   there still lingered in the tribe of Judah a portion of rank and
   government, which sustained the expectations of the godly till the
   coming of the Messiah.

   1. The book of the generation Some commentators give themselves
   unnecessary trouble, in order to excuse Matthew for giving to his whole
   history this title, which applies only to the half of a single chapter.
   For this epigraphe, or title, does not extend to the whole book of
   Matthew: but the word biblos, book, is put for catalogue: as if he had
   said, "Here follows the catalogue of the generation of Christ." It is
   with reference to the promise, that Christ is called the son of David,
   the son of Abraham: for God had promised to Abraham that he would give
   him a seed, "in whom all the families of the earth should be blessed,"
   (Genesis 12:3.) David received a still clearer promise, that God would
   "stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever," (2 Samuel 7:13;) that
   one of his posterity would be king "as long as the sun and moon
   endure," (Psalm 72:5;) and that "his throne should be as the days of
   heaven," (Psalm 89:29.) And so it became a customary way of speaking
   among the Jews to call Christ the son of David

   2. Jacob begat Judah and his brethren While Matthew passes by in
   silence Ishmael, Abraham's first-born, and Esau, who was Jacob's elder
   brother, he properly assigns a place in the genealogy to the Twelve
   Patriarchs, on all of whom God had bestowed a similar favor of
   adoption. He therefore intimates, that the blessing promised in Christ
   does not refer to the tribe of Judah alone, but belongs equally to all
   the children of Jacob, whom God gathered into his Church, while Ishmael
   and Esau were treated as strangers. [88]

   3. Judah begat Pharez and Zarah by Tamar This was a prelude to that
   emptying of himself, [89] of which Paul speaks, (Philippians 2:7). The
   Son of God might have kept his descent unspotted and pure from every
   reproach or mark of infamy. But he came into the world to

   "empty himself, and take upon him the form of a servant,"
   (Philippians 2:7)

   to be

   "a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people,"
   (Psalm 22:6)

   and at length to undergo the accursed death of the cross. He therefore
   did not refuse to admit a stain into his genealogy, arising from
   incestuous intercourse which took place among his ancestors. Though
   Tamar was not impelled by lust to seek connection with her
   father-in-law, yet it was in an unlawful manner that she attempted to
   revenge the injury which she had received. Judah again intended to
   commit fornication, and unknowingly to himself, met with his
   daughter-in-law. [90] But the astonishing goodness of God strove with
   the sin of both; so that, nevertheless, this adulterous seed came to
   possess the scepter. [91]

   6. Begat David the King In this genealogy, the designation of King is
   bestowed on David alone, because in his person God exhibited a type of
   the future leader of his people, the Messiah. The kingly office had
   been formerly held by Saul; but, as he reached it through tumult and
   the ungodly wishes of the people, the lawful possession of the office
   is supposed to have commenced with David, more especially in reference
   to the covenant of God, who promised that "his throne should be
   established for ever," (2 Samuel 7:16.) When the people shook off the
   yoke of God, and unhappily and wickedly asked a king, saying, "Give us
   a king to judge us," (1 Samuel 8:5,) Saul was granted for short time.
   But his kingdom was shortly afterwards established by God, as a pledge
   of true prosperity, in the hand of David. Let this expression, David
   the King, be understood by us as pointing out the prosperous condition
   of the people, which the Lord had appointed.

   Meanwhile, the Evangelist adds a human disgrace, which might almost
   bring a stain on the glory of this divine blessing. David the King
   begat Solomon by her that had been the wife of Uriah; by Bathsheba,
   whom he wickedly tore from her husband, and for the sake of enjoying
   whom, he basely surrendered an innocent man to be murdered by the
   swords of the enemy, (2 Samuel 11:15.) This taint, at the commencement
   of the kingdom, ought to have taught the Jews not to glory in the
   flesh. It was the design of God to show that, in establishing this
   kingdom, nothing depended on human merits.

   Comparing the inspired history with the succession described by
   Matthew, it is evident that he has omitted three kings. [92] Those who
   say that he did so through forgetfulness, cannot be listened to for a
   moment. Nor is it probable that they were thrown out, because they were
   unworthy to occupy a place in the genealogy of Christ; for the same
   reason would equally apply to many others, who are indiscriminately
   brought forward by Matthew, along with pious and holy persons. A more
   correct account is, that he resolved to confine the list of each class
   to fourteen kings, and gave himself little concern in making the
   selection, because he had an adequate succession of the genealogy to
   place before the eyes of his readers, down to the close of the kingdom.
   As to there being only thirteen in the list, it probably arose from the
   blunders and carelessness of transcribers. Epiphanius, in his First
   Book against Heresies, assigns this reason, that the name of Jeconiah
   had been twice put down, and unlearned [93] persons ventured to strike
   out the repetition of it as superfluous; which, he tells us, ought not
   to have been done, because Jehoiakim, the father of king Jehoiakim, had
   the name Jeconiah, in common with his son, (1 Chronicles 3:17; 2 Kings
   24:15; Jeremiah 27:20; 28:4.) Robert Stephens quotes a Greek
   manuscript, in which the name of Jehoiakim is introduced. [94]

   12. After the Babylonish exile That is, after the Jews were carried
   into captivity: for the Evangelist means, that the descendants of
   David, from being kings, then became exiles and slaves. As that
   captivity was a sort of destruction, it came to be wonderfully arranged
   by Divine providence, not only that the Jews again united in one body,
   but even that some vestiges of dominion remained in the family of
   David. For those who returned home submitted, of their own accord, to
   the authority of Zerubbabel. In this manner, the fragments of the royal
   scepter [95] lasted till the coming of Christ was at hand, agreeably to
   the prediction of Jacob, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor
   a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," (Genesis 49:10.)
   And even during that wretched and melancholy dispersion, the nation
   never ceased to be illuminated by some rays of the grace of God. The
   Greek word metoikesia, which the old translator renders transmigration,
   and Erasmus renders exile, literally signifies a change of habitation.
   The meaning is, that the Jews were compelled to leave their country,
   and to dwell as "strangers in a land that was not theirs," (Genesis
   15:13.)

   16. Jesus, who is called Christ By the surname Christ, Anointed,
   Matthew points out his office, to inform the readers that this was not
   a private person, but one divinely anointed to perform the office of
   Redeemer. What that anointing was, and to what it referred, I shall not
   now illustrate at great length. As to the word itself, it is only
   necessary to say that, after the royal authority was abolished, it
   began to be applied exclusively to Him, from whom they were taught to
   expect a full recovery of the lost salvation. So long as any splendor
   of royalty continued in the family of David, the kings were wont to be
   called christoi, anointed. [96] But that the fearful desolation which
   followed might not throw the minds of the godly into despair, it
   pleased God to appropriate the name of Messiah, Anointed, to the
   Redeemer alone: as is evident from Daniel, (9:25, 26.) The evangelical
   history everywhere shows that this was an ordinary way of speaking, at
   the time when the Son of God was "manifested in the flesh," (1 Timothy
   3:16.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [85] "Il, leur estoit aise de le monstrer comme au doigt, et sans long
   ropos." -- "It was easy for them to point it out, as with the finger,
   and without a long story."

   [86] "Matthieu, en sa description, ne passe point plus haut qu'Abraham,
   qui a este le pere du peuple sainct et esleu." -- "Matthew, in his
   description, does not pass higher than Abraham, who was the father of
   the holy and elect people."

   [87] "Si quem titillat major curiositas." -- "S'il y a quelqu'un
   chatouille de curiosite qui en demande d'avantage." -- "If any one is
   tickled by a curiosity, which asks for more of it."

   [88] "Quum essent extranei." -- "En lieu qu'Ismael et Esau en avoyent
   este rejettez et bannis comme estrangers." -- "Whereas Ishmael and Esau
   were thrown out and banished from it as strangers."

   [89] 'All ' heauton echenose, -- but he emptied himself. Such is the
   literal import of the words which are rendered in the English version,
   But made himself of no reputation. -- Ed.

   [90] "In nurum suam incidit." -- "Judas a commis sa meschancete avec sa
   bru, pensant que ce fust une autre." -- "Judah committed his wickedness
   with his daughter-in-law, supposing her to be a different person"

   [91] "Afin que neantmoins ceste semence bastarde vint a avoir un jour
   en main le scepter Royal." -- "So that nevertheless this bastard seed
   came to have one day in its hand the Royal scepter."

   [92] "Assavoir Ochozias fils de Joram, Joas, et Amazias." -- "Namely,
   Ahaziah son of Jehoram, Joash, and Amaziah," (2 Chronicles 22, 23, 24,
   25.)

   [93] "Indocti;" -- "quelques gens n'entendans pas le propos," -- "some
   peope not understanding the design."

   [94] "Robert Etienne a ce propos allegue un exemplaire Grec ancien, ou
   il y a ainsi, Josias engendra Joacim, et Joacim engendra Jechonias."--
   "Robert Stephens, with this view, quotes an ancient Greek manuscript,
   which runs thus: Josiah begat Jehoiakim, and Jehoiakim begat Jeconiah."

   [95] "Qui avoit este mis bas, et comme rompu;" -- "which had been
   thrown down, and, as it were, broken."

   [96] Every reader of the Bible is familiar with the phrase, the Lord's
   anointed, as applied to David and his successors, (2 Samuel 19:21;
   Lamentations 4:20.) -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 1:18-25

   Matthew 1:18-25

   18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner. For when his
   mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was
   found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19. And Joseph her husband,
   as he was a just man, and was unwilling to injure her reputation,
   intended to send her away secretly. 20. And while he was considering
   these things, lo, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
   saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
   for that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21. And she
   shall bear a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save
   his people from their sins. 22. Now all this was done that it might be
   fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
   23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and
   they shall call his name Immanuel: which, if one interprets it, means,
   God is with us. 24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the
   angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife:
   25. And knew her not, till she brought forth her first-born son: and
   called his name JESUS.


   18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ Matthew does not as yet relate the
   place or manner of Christ's birth, but the way in which his heavenly
   generation was made known to Joseph. First, he says that Mary was found
   to be with child by the Holy Spirit Not that this secret work of God
   was generally known: but the historian mixes up, with the knowledge of
   men, [97] the power of the Spirit, which was still unknown. He points
   out the time: When she was espoused to Joseph, and before they came
   together So far as respects conjugal fidelity, from the time that a
   young woman was betrothed to a man, she was regarded by the Jews as his
   lawful wife. When a "damsel betrothed to an husband" was convicted of
   being unchaste, the law condemned both of the guilty parties as
   adulterers:

   "the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city;
   and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife,"
   (Deuteronomy 22:23, 24.)

   The phrase employed by the Evangelist, before they came together, is
   either a modest appellation for conjugal intercourse, or simply means,
   "before they came to dwell together as husband and wife, and to make
   one home and family." The meaning will thus be, that the virgin had not
   yet been delivered by her parents into the hands of her husband, but
   still remained under their roof.

   19. As he was a just man Some commentators explain this to mean, that
   Joseph, because he was a just man, determined to spare his wife: [98]
   taking justice to be only another name for humanity, or, a gentle and
   merciful disposition. But others more correctly read the two clauses as
   contrasted with each other: that Joseph was a just man, but yet that he
   was anxious about the reputation of his wife. That justice, on which a
   commendation is here bestowed, consisted in hatred and abhorrence of
   crime. Suspecting his wife of adultery, and even convinced that she was
   an adulterer, he was unwilling to hold out the encouragement of lenity
   to such a crime. [99] And certainly he is but a pander [100] to his
   wife, who connives at her unchastity. Not only is such wickedness
   regarded with abhorrence by good and honorable minds, but that winking
   at crime which I have mentioned is marked by the laws with infamy.

   Joseph, therefore, moved by an ardent love of justice, condemned the
   crime of which he supposed his wife to have been guilty; while the
   gentleness of his disposition prevented him from going to the utmost
   rigor of law. It was a moderate and calmer method to depart privately,
   and remove to a distant place. [101] Hence we infer, that he was not of
   so soft and effeminate a disposition, as to screen and promote
   uncleanness under the pretense of merciful dealing: he only made some
   abatement from stern justice, so as not to expose his wife to evil
   report. Nor ought we to have any hesitation in believing, that his mind
   was restrained by a secret inspiration of the Spirit. We know how weak
   jealousy is, and to what violence it hurries its possessor. Though
   Joseph did not proceed to rash and headlong conduct, yet he was
   wonderfully preserved from many imminent dangers, which would have
   sprung out of his resolution to depart.

   The same remark is applicable to Mary's silence. Granting that modest
   reserve prevented her from venturing to tell her husband, that she was
   with child by the Holy Spirit, it was not so much by her own choice, as
   by the providence of God that she was restrained. Let us suppose her to
   have spoken. The nature of the case made it little short of incredible.
   Joseph would have thought himself ridiculed, and everybody would have
   treated the matter as a laughing-stock: after which the Divine
   announcement, if it had followed, would have been of less importance.
   The Lord permitted his servant Joseph to be betrayed by ignorance into
   an erroneous conclusion, that, by his own voice, he might bring him
   back to the right path.

   Yet it is proper for us to know, that this was done more on our account
   than for his personal advantage: for every necessary method was adopted
   by God, to prevent unfavorable suspicion from falling on the heavenly
   message. When the angel approaches Joseph, who is still unacquainted
   with the whole matter, wicked men have no reason to charge him with
   being influenced by prejudice to listen to the voice of God. He was not
   overcome by the insinuating address of his wife. His previously formed
   opinion was not shaken by entreaties. He was not induced by human
   arguments to take the opposite side. But, while the groundless
   accusation of his wife was still rankling in his mind, God interposed
   between them, that we might regard Joseph as a more competent witness,
   and possessing greater authority, as a messenger sent to us from
   heaven. We see how God chose to employ an angel in informing his
   servant Joseph, that to others he might be a heavenly herald, and that
   the intelligence which he conveyed might not be borrowed from his wife,
   or from any mortal.

   The reason why this mystery was not immediately made known to a greater
   number of persons appears to be this. It was proper that this
   inestimable treasure should remain concealed, and that the knowledge of
   it should be imparted to none but the children of God. Nor is it absurd
   to say, that the Lord intended, as he frequently does, to put the faith
   and obedience of his own people to the trial. Most certainly, if any
   man shall maliciously refuse to believe and obey God in this matter, he
   will have abundant reason to be satisfied with the proofs by which this
   article of our faith is supported. For the same reason, the Lord
   permitted Mary to enter into the married state, that under the veil of
   marriage, till the full time for revealing it, the heavenly conception
   of the virgin might be concealed. Meanwhile, the knowledge of it was
   withheld from unbelievers, as their ingratitude and malice deserved.

   20. And while he was considering these things We see here how
   seasonably, and, as we would say, at the very point, the Lord usually
   aids his people. Hence too we infer that, when he appears not to
   observe our cares and distresses, we are still under his eye. He may,
   indeed, hide himself, and remain silent; but, when our patience has
   been subjected to the trial, he will aid us at the time which his own
   wisdom has selected. How slow or late soever his assistance may be
   thought to be, it is for our advantage that it is thus delayed.

   The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream This is one of two
   ordinary kinds of revelations mentioned in the book of Numbers, where
   the Lord thus speaks:

   "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known
   unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant
   Moses is not so. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently,
   and not in dark speechess,"
   (Numbers 12:6-8.)

   But we must understand that dreams of this sort differ widely from
   natural dreams; for they have a character of certainty engraven on
   them, and are impressed with a divine seal, so that there is not the
   slightest doubt of their truth. The dreams which men commonly have,
   arise either from the thoughts of the day, or from their natural
   temperament, or from bodily indisposition, or from similar causes:
   while the dreams which come from God are accompanied by the testimony
   of the Spirit, which puts beyond a doubt that it is God who speaks.

   Son of David, fear not This exhortation shows, that Joseph was
   perplexed with the fear of sharing in the criminality of his wife, by
   enduring her adultery. The angel removes his suspicion of guilt, with
   the view of enabling him to dwell with his wife with a safe conscience.
   The appellation, Son of David, was employed on the present occasion, in
   order to elevate his mind to that lofty mystery; for he belonged to
   that family, and was one of the surviving few, [102] from whom the
   salvation promised to the world could proceed. When he heard the name
   of David, from whom he was descended, Joseph ought to have remembered
   that remarkable promise of God which related to the establishment of
   the kingdom, so as to acknowledge that there was nothing new in what
   was now told him. The predictions of the prophets were, in effect,
   brought forward by the angel, to prepare the mind of Joseph for
   receiving the present favor.

   21. And thou shalt call his name JESUS. I have already explained
   briefly, but as far as was necessary, the meaning of that word. At
   present I shall only add, that the words of the angel set aside the
   dream of those who derive it from the essential name of God, Jehovah;
   for the angel expresses the reason why the Son of God is so called,
   Because he shall SAVE his people; which suggests quite a different
   etymology from what they have contrived. It is justly and appropriately
   added, they tell us, that Christ will be the author of salvation,
   because he is the Eternal God. But in vain do they attempt to escape by
   this subterfuge; for the nature of the blessing which God bestows upon
   us is not all that is here stated. This office was conferred upon his
   Son from the fact, from the command which had been given to him by the
   Father, from the office with which he was invested when he came down to
   us from heaven. Besides, the two words 'Iesous and yhvh, Jesus and
   Jehovah, agree but in two letters, and differ in all the rest; which
   makes it exceedingly absurd to allege any affinity whatever between
   them, as if they were but one name. Such mixtures I leave to the
   alchymists, or to those who closely resemble them, the Cabalists who
   contrive for us those trifling and affected refinements.

   When the Son of God came to us clothed in flesh, he received from the
   Father a name which plainly told for what purpose he came, what was his
   power, and what we had a right to expect from him. for the name Jesus
   is derived from the Hebrew verb, in the Hiphil conjugation, hvsy, which
   signifies to save In Hebrew it is pronounced differently, Jehoshua; but
   the Evangelists, who wrote in Greek, followed the customary mode of
   pronunciation; for in the writings of Moses, and in the other books of
   the Old Testament, the Hebrew word yhvsv, Jehoshua, or Joshua, is
   rendered by the Greek translators 'Iesous, Jesus But I must mention
   another instance of the ignorance of those who derive -- or, I would
   rather say, who forcibly tear -- the name Jesus from Jehovah They hold
   it to be in the highest degree improper that any mortal man should
   share this name in common with the Son of God, and make a strange
   outcry that Christ would never allow his name to be so profaned. As if
   the reply were not at hand, that the name Jesus was quite as commonly
   used in those days as the name Joshua Now, as it is sufficiently clear
   that the name Jesus presents to us the Son of God as the Author of
   salvation, let us examine more closely the words of the angel.

   He shall save his people from their sins The first truth taught us by
   these words is, that those whom Christ is sent to save are in
   themselves lost. But he is expressly called the Savior of the Church.
   If those whom God admits to fellowship with himself were sunk in death
   and ruin till they were restored to life by Christ, what shall we say
   of "strangers" (Ephesians 2:12) who have never been illuminated by the
   hope of life? When salvation is declared to be shut up in Christ, it
   clearly implies that the whole human race is devoted to destruction.
   The cause of this destruction ought also to be observed; for it is not
   unjustly, or without good reason, that the Heavenly Judge pronounces us
   to be accursed. The angel declares that we have perished, and are
   overwhelmed by an awful condemnation, because we stand excluded from
   life by our sins. Thus we obtain a view of our corruption and
   depravity; for if any man lived a perfectly holy life, he might do
   without Christ as a Redeemer. But all to a man need his grace; and,
   therefore, it follows that they are the slaves of sin, and are
   destitute of true righteousness.

   Hence, too, we learn in what way or manner Christ saves; he delivers us
   from sins This deliverance consists of two parts. Having made a
   complete atonement, he brings us a free pardon, which delivers us from
   condemnation to death, and reconciles us to God. Again, by the
   sanctifying influences of his Spirit, he frees us from the tyranny of
   Satan, that we may live "unto righteousness," (1 Peter 2:24.) Christ is
   not truly acknowledged as a Savior, till, on the one hand, we learn to
   receive a free pardon of our sins, and know that we are accounted
   righteous before God, because we are free from guilt; and till, on the
   other hand, we ask from him the Spirit of righteousness and holiness,
   having no confidence whatever in our own works or power. By Christ's
   people the angel unquestionably means the Jews, to whom he was
   appointed as Head and King; but as the Gentiles were shortly afterwards
   to be ingrafted into the stock of Abraham, (Romans 11:17,) this promise
   of salvation is extended indiscriminately to all who are incorporated
   by faith in the "one body" (1 Corinthians 12:20) of the Church.

   22. Now all this was done It is ignorant and childish trifling to
   argue, that the name Jesus is given to the Son of God, because he is
   called Immanuel For Matthew does not confine this assertion to the
   single fact of the name, but includes whatever is heavenly and divine
   in the conception of Christ; and that is the reason why he employs the
   general term all We must now see how appropriately the prediction of
   Isaiah is applied. It is a well-known and remarkable passage, (Isaiah
   7:14,) but perverted by the Jews with their accustomed malice; though
   the hatred of Christ and of truth, which they thus discover, is as
   blind and foolish as it is wicked. To such a pitch of impudence have
   many of their Rabbins proceeded, as to explain it in reference to King
   Hezekiah, who was then about fifteen years of age. And what, I ask,
   must be their rage for lying, when, in order to prevent the admission
   of clear light, they invert the order of nature, and shut up a youth in
   his mother's womb, that he may be born sixteen years old? But the
   enemies of Christ deserve that God should strike them with a spirit of
   giddiness and insensibility, should

   "pour out upon them a spirit of deep sleep and close their eyes,"
   (Isaiah 29:10.)

   Others apply it to a creature of their own fancy, some unknown son of
   Ahaz, whose birth Isaiah predicted. But with what propriety was he
   called Immanuel, or the land subjected to his sway, who closed his life
   in a private station and without honor? for shortly afterwards the
   prophet tells us that this child, whoever he was, would be ruler of the
   land. Equally absurd is the notion that this passage relates to the
   prophet's son. On this subject we may remark, that Christian writers
   have very strangely misapprehended the prediction contained in the next
   chapter, by applying it to Christ. The prophet there says, that,
   instructed by a vision, he "went unto the prophetess; and she
   conceived, and bare a son," and that the child whom she bore was named
   by Divine command, "Maher-shalal-hash-baz," "Making speed to the spoil,
   hasten the prey," (Isaiah 8:3.) All that is there described is
   approaching war, accompanied by fearful desolation; which makes it very
   manifest that the subjects are totally different.

   Let us now, therefore, investigate the true meaning of this passage.
   The city of Jerusalem is besieged. Ahaz trembles, and is almost dead
   with terror. The prophet is sent to assure him that God will protect
   the city. But a simple promise is not sufficient to compose his
   agitated mind. The prophet is sent to him, saying,

   "Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God;
   ask it either in the depth, or in the height above,"
   (Isaiah 7:11.)

   That wicked hypocrite, concealing his unbelief, disdains to ask a sign.
   The prophet rebukes him sharply, and at length adds,

   "The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall
   conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,"
   (Isaiah 7:14.)

   We expound this as relating to Christ in the following manner: "You,
   the whole posterity of David, as far as lies in your power, endeavor to
   nullify the grace which is promised to you;" (for the prophet expressly
   calls them, by way of disgrace, the house of David, Isaiah 7:13;) "but
   your base infidelity will never prevent the truth of God from proving
   to be victorious. God promises that the city will be preserved safe and
   unhurt from its enemies. If his word is not enough, he is ready to give
   you the confirmation of such a sign as you may demand. You reject both
   favors, and spurn them from you; but God will remain steady to his
   engagement. For the promised Redeemer will come, in whom God will show
   himself to be fully present to his people."

   The Jews reply, that Isaiah would have been at variance with everything
   like reason or probability, if he had given to the men of that age a
   sign, which was not to be exhibited till after the lapse of nearly
   eight hundred years. And then they assume the airs of haughty triumph,
   [103] as if this objection of the Christians had originated in
   ignorance or thoughtlessness, and were now forgotten and buried. But
   the solution, I think, is easy; provided we keep in view that a
   covenant of adoption was given to the Jews, on which the other acts of
   the divine kindness depended. There was then a general promise, by
   which God adopted the children of Abraham as a nation, and on which
   were founded all the special promises. Again, the foundation of this
   covenant was the Messiah. Now we hold, that the reason for delivering
   the city was, that it was the sanctuary of God, and out of it the
   Redeemer would come. But for this, Jerusalem would a hundred times have
   perished.

   Let pious readers now consider, when the royal family had openly
   rejected the sign which God had offered to them, if it was not suitable
   that the prophet should pass all at once to the Messiah, and address
   them in this manner: "Though this age is unworthy of the deliverance of
   which God has given me a promise, yet God is mindful of his covenant,
   and will rescue this city from its enemies. While he grants no
   particular sign to testify his grace, this one sign ought to be deemed
   more than sufficient to meet your wishes. from the stock of David the
   Messiah will arise." Yet it must be observed that, when the prophet
   reminds unbelievers of the general covenant, it is a sort of reproof,
   because they did not accept of a particular sign. I have now, I think,
   proved that, when the door was shut against every kind of miracle, the
   prophet made an appropriate transition to Christ, for the purpose of
   leading unbelievers to reflect, that the only cause of the deliverance
   was the covenant that had been made with their fathers. And by this
   remarkable example has God been pleased to testify to all ages, that he
   followed with uninterrupted kindness the children of Abraham, only
   because in Christ, and not through their own merits, he had made with
   them a gracious covenant.

   There is another piece of sophistry by which the Jews endeavor to parry
   our argument. Immediately after the words in question, the prophet
   adds:

   "Before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good,
   the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings,"
   (Isaiah 7:16.)

   Hence they infer, that the promised birth of the child would be delayed
   for a very short time; otherwise, it would not agree with the rapidly
   approaching change of the kingdoms, which, the prophet announeed, would
   take place before that child should have passed half the period of
   infancy. I reply, when Isaiah has given a sign of the future Savior,
   and declared that a child will be born, who is the true Immanuel, or --
   to use Paul's language -- God manifest in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16,)
   he proceeds to speak, in general terms, of all the children of his own
   time. A strong proof of this readily presents itself; for, after having
   spoken of the general promise of God, he returns to the special
   promise, which he had been commissioned to declare. The former passage,
   which relates to a final and complete redemption, describes one
   particular child, to whom alone belongs the name of God; while the
   latter passage, which relates to a special benefit then close at hand,
   determines the time by the childhood of those who were recently born,
   or would be born shortly afterwards.

   Hitherto, if I mistake not, I have refuted, by strong and conclusive
   arguments, the calumnies of the Jews, by which they endeavor to prevent
   the glory of Christ from appearing, with resplendent luster, in this
   prediction. It now remains for us to refute their sophistical reasoning
   about the Hebrew word lmh, virgin [104] They wantonly persecute Matthew
   for proving that Christ was born of a virgin, [105] while the Hebrew
   noun merely signifies a young woman; and ridicule us for being led
   astray by the wrong translation [106] of a word, to believe that he was
   born by the Holy Spirit, of whom the prophet asserts no more than that
   he would be the son of a young woman. And, first, they display an
   excessive eagerness for disputation, by laboring [107] to prove that a
   word, which is uniformly applied in Scripture to virgins, denotes here
   a young woman who had known a man. The etymology too agrees with
   Matthew's translation of the word: for it means hiding, [108] which
   expresses the modesty that becomes a virgin. [109] They produce a
   passage from the book of Proverbs, "the way of a man with a maids,"
   vlmh, (Proverbs 30:19.) But it does not at all support their views.
   Solomon speaks there of a young woman who has obtained the affections
   of a young man: but it does not follow as a matter of course, that the
   young man has seduced the object of his regard; or rather, the
   probability leans much more strongly to the other side. [110]

   But granting all that they ask as to the meaning of the word, the
   subject demonstrates, and compels the acknowledgment, that the prophet
   is speaking of a miraculous and extraordinary birth. He exclaims that
   he is bringing a sign from the Lord, and not an ordinary sign, but one
   superior to every other.

   The Lord himself shall give you a sign.
   Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
   (Isaiah 7:14.)

   If he were only to say, that a woman would bear a child, how ridiculous
   would that magnificent preface have been? Thus we see, that the
   insolence of the Jews exposes not only themselves, but the sacred
   mysteries of God, to scorn.

   Besides, a powerful argument may be drawn from the whole strain of the
   passage. Behold, a virgin shall conceive Why is no mention made of a
   man? It is because the prophet draws our attention to something very
   uncommon. Again, the virgin is commanded to name the child. Thou shalt
   call his name Immanuel In this respect, also, the prophet expresses
   something extraordinary: for, though it is frequently related in
   Scripture, that the names were given to children by their mothers, yet
   it was done by the authority of the fathers. When the prophet addresses
   his discourse to the virgin, he takes away from men, in respect to this
   child, that authority which is conferred upon them by the order of
   nature. Let this, therefore, be regarded as an established truth, that
   the prophet here refers to a remarkable miracle of God, and recommends
   it to the attentive and devout consideration of all the godly, -- a
   miracle which is basely profaned by the Jews, who apply to the ordinary
   method of conception what is said in reference to the secret power of
   the Spirit.

   23. His name Immanuel The phrase, God is with us, is no doubt
   frequently employed in Scripture to denote, that he is present with us
   by his assistance and grace, and displays the power of his hand in our
   defense. But here we are instructed as to the manner in which God
   communicates with men. For out of Christ we are alienated from him; but
   through Christ we are not only received into his favor, but are made
   one with him. When Paul says, that the Jews under the law were nigh to
   God, (Ephesians 2:17,) and that a deadly enmity (Ephesians 2:15)
   subsisted between him and the Gentiles, he means only that, by shadows
   and figures, God then gave to the people whom he had adopted the tokens
   of his presence. That promise was still in force, "The Lord thy God is
   among you," (Deuteronomy 7:21,) and, "This is my rest for ever," (Psalm
   132:14.) But while the familiar intercourse between God and the people
   depended on a Mediator, what had not yet fully taken place was shadowed
   out by symbols. His seat and residence is placed "between the
   Cherubim," (Psalm 80:1,) because the ark was the figure and visible
   pledge of his glory.

   But in Christ the actual presence of God with his people, and not, as
   before, his shadowy presence, has been exhibited. [111] This is the
   reason, why Paul says, that "in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
   Godhead bodily," (Colossians 2:9.) And certainly he would not be a
   properly qualified Mediator, if he did not unite both natures in his
   person, and thus bring men into an alliance with God. Nor is there any
   force in the objection, about which the Jews make a good deal of noise,
   that the name of God is frequently applied to those memorials, by which
   he testified that he was present with believers.

   For it cannot be denied, that this name, Immanuel, contains an implied
   contrast between the presence of God, as exhibited in Christ, with
   every other kind of presence, which was manifested to the ancient
   people before his coming. If the reason of this name began to be
   actually true, when Christ appeared in the flesh, it follows that it
   was not completely, but only in part, that God was formerly united with
   the Fathers.

   Hence arises another proof, that Christ is God manifested in the flesh,
   (1 Timothy 3:16.) He discharged, indeed, the office of Mediator from
   the beginning of the world; but as this depended wholly on the latest
   revelation, he is justly called Immanuel at that time, when clothed, as
   it were, with a new character, he appears in public as a Priest, to
   atone for the sins of men by the sacrifice of his body, to reconcile
   them to the Father by the price of his blood, and, in a word, to
   fulfill every part of the salvation of men. [112] The first thing which
   we ought to consider in this name is the divine majesty of Christ, so
   as to yield to him the reverence which is due to the only and eternal
   God. But we must not, at the same time, forget the fruit which God
   intended that we should collect and receive from this name. For
   whenever we contemplate the one person of Christ as God-man, we ought
   to hold it for certain that, if we are united to Christ by faith, we
   possess God.

   In the words, they shall call, there is a change of the number. But
   this is not at all at variance with what I have already said. True, the
   prophet addresses the virgin alone, and therefore uses the second
   person, Thou shalt call But from the time that this name was published,
   all the godly have an equal right to make this confession, that God has
   given himself to us to be enjoyed in Christ. [113]

   24. Joseph, being raised from sleep The ready performance, which is
   here described, serves not less to attest the certainty of Joseph's
   faith, than to commend his obedience. For, if every scruple had not
   been removed, and his conscience fully pacified, he would never have
   proceeded so cheerfully, on a sudden change of opinion, to take unto
   him his wife, whose society, he lately thought, would pollute him.
   [114] The dream must have carried some mark of Divinity, which did not
   allow his mind to hesitate. Next followed the effect of faith. Having
   learned the will of God, he instantly prepared himself to obey.

   25. And knew her not This passage afforded the pretext for great
   disturbances, which were introduced into the Church, at a former
   period, by Helvidius. The inference he drew from it was, that Mary
   remained a virgin no longer than till her first birth, and that
   afterwards she had other children by her husband. Jerome, on the other
   hand, earnestly and copiously defended Mary's perpetual virginity. Let
   us rest satisfied with this, that no just and well-grounded inference
   can be drawn from these words of the Evangelist, as to what took place
   after the birth of Christ. He is called first-born; but it is for the
   sole purpose of informing us that he was born of a virgin. [115] It is
   said that Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born
   son: but this is limited to that very time. What took place afterwards,
   the historian does not inform us. Such is well known to have been the
   practice of the inspired writers. Certainly, no man will ever raise a
   question on this subject, except from curiosity; and no man will
   obstinately keep up the argument, except from an extreme fondness for
   disputation.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [97] ("Qui voyoyent bien par signes externes que Marie estoit
   enceinte.") --("Who saw well by outward marks that Mary was pregnant.")

   [98] "Que Joseph a voulu pardonner a sa femme, et couvrir la faute,
   d'autant qu'il estoit juste." -- "That Joseph intended to forgive his
   wife, and conceal her offense, because he was just."

   [99] "Il ne vouloit point nourrir le mal en dissimulant et faisant
   semblant de n'y voir rien." -- "He did not wish to encourage
   wickedness, by dissembling and pretending that he did not see it."

   [100] "Leno;" -- "macquereau."

   [101] "Le moyen le plus doux et le moins scandaleux estoit, que
   secretement il departist du lieu, et la laissast sans faire aueun
   bruit." -- "The mildest and least scandalous method was, that he should
   depart secretly from the place, and leave her without making any
   noise."

   [102] "Quia esset ex ea familia, et quidem superstes cum paucis;" --
   "d'autant qu'il estoit de cette famille, et mesmes que d'icelle il
   estoit quasi seul vivant, avec quelques autres en bien petit nombre;"
   -- "because he was of that family, and even of that he was almost sole
   survivor, with some others in very small number."

   [103] "Faisant grand cas de leur argument;" -- "setting great store by
   their argument."

   [104] "Le mot Hebrieu Alma, pour lequel l'Evangeliste a use du mot de
   Vierge;" -- "the Hebrew word Alma, for which the Evangelist has used
   the word Virgin."

   [105] "Le blamant de ce qu'il pretend prouver Jesus Christ estre nay
   d'une Vierge;" -- "blaming him for offering to prove Jesus Christ to be
   born of a Virgin."

   [106] "Abusez par un mot mal tourne;" -- "deceived by a word ill
   translated."

   [107] "Urgent;" -- "ils veulent a toute force;" -- "they attempt with
   their whole strength."

   [108] lmh is derived from lm, to hide,--a verb not found in Kal, but so
   frequently in Niphal, (nlm,) Hiphil, (hlym,) Hithpahel, (htlm,) that
   its meaning is fully ascertained. -- Ed.

   [109] "Car il emporte Retraitte ou Cachette, qui est pour denoter ceste
   honte honeste qui doit estre es vierges;" -- "for it signifies Retreat
   or Concealment, which serves to denote that becoming shame which ought
   to be in virgins."

   [110] "C'est bien autrement: car il y a plus d'apparence au
   contraire;"-- "it is quite otherwise: for there is more probability on
   the opposite side.

   [111] "Mais quand Christ est apparu en sa personne, le peuple a eu une
   presence de Dieu veritable, et non pas ombratile comme paravant."--
   "But when Christ appeared in his person, the people had a real presence
   of God, and not shadowy, as before."

   [112] "Somme, pour faire et accomplir toutes choses requises au salut
   du genre humain;" -- "in a word, to do and accomplish all things
   requisite for the salvation of the human race."

   [113] "Il appartient a tous fideles d'advouer et confesser que Dieu
   s'est communique et baille a nous en Christ;" -- "it belongs to all
   believers to own and confess that God has communicated and made over
   himself to us in Christ."

   [114] "Laquelle un peu auparavant il ne vouloit recevoir, et lui
   sembloit qu'il se fust pollue en conversant avec elle;" -- "whom a
   little before he refused to receive, and seemed to him that he would be
   polluted by conversing with her."

   [115] "Il est nomme Premier nay, mais non pour autre raison, sinon afin
   que nous sachions qu'il est nay d'une mere vierge, et qui jamais
   n'avoit eu enfant;" -- "he is called First-born, but for no other
   reason than that we may know that he was born of a pure virgin, and who
   never had had a child."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:1-7

   Luke 2:1-7

   1. Now it happened in those days, an edict came out from Augustus
   Caesar, that the whole world should be registered. [116] 2. This first
   registration [117] was made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. 3. And
   all went to make the return, [118] each in his own city. 4. And Joseph
   also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea,
   into the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of
   the house and lineage of David,) 5. To make the return with Mary [119]
   his betrothed wife, who was pregnant. 6. And it happened while they
   were there, the days of bringing forth were fulfilled. [120] 7. And she
   brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in bandages, [121]
   and laid him in a manger; [122] because there was no room for them in
   the inn.


   Luke relates how it happened, that Christ was born in the city of
   Bethlehem, as his mother was living at a distance from her home, when
   she was approaching to her confinement. And first he sets aside the
   idea of human contrivance, [123] by saying, that Joseph and Mary had
   left home, and came to that place to make the return according to their
   family and tribe. If intentionally and on purpose [124] they had
   changed their residence that Mary might bring forth her child in
   Bethlehem, we would have looked only at the human beings concerned. But
   as they have no other design than to obey the edict of Augustus, we
   readily acknowledge, that they were led like blind persons, by the hand
   of God, to the place where Christ must be born. This may appear to be
   accidental, as everything else, which does not proceed from a direct
   human intention, is ascribed by irreligious men to Fortune. But we must
   not attend merely to the events themselves. We must remember also the
   prediction which was uttered by the prophet many centuries before. A
   comparison will clearly show it to have been accomplished by the
   wonderful Providence of God, that a registration was then enacted by
   Augustus Caesar, and that Joseph and Mary set out from home, so as to
   arrive in Bethlehem at the very point of time.

   Thus we see that the holy servants of God, even though they wander from
   their design, unconscious where they are going, still keep the right
   path, because God directs their steps. Nor is the Providence of God
   less wonderful in employing the mandate of a tyrant to draw Mary from
   home, that the prophecy may be fulfilled. God had marked out by his
   prophet -- as we shall afterwards see -- the place where he determined
   that his Son should be born. If Mary had not been constrained to do
   otherwise, she would have chosen to bring forth her child at home.
   Augustus orders a registration to take place in Judea, and each person
   to give his name, that they may afterwards pay an annual tax, which
   they were formerly accustomed to pay to God. Thus an ungodly man takes
   forcible possession of that which God was accustomed to demand from his
   people. It was, in effect, reducing the Jews to entire subjection, and
   forbidding them to be thenceforth reckoned as the people of God.

   Matters have been brought, in this way, to the last extremity, and the
   Jews appear to be cut off and alienated for ever from the covenant of
   God. At that very time does God suddenly, and contrary to universal
   expectation, afford a remedy. What is more, he employs that wicked
   tyranny for the redemption of his people. For the governor, (or whoever
   was employed by Caesar for the purpose,) while he executes the
   commission entrusted to him, is, unknown to himself, God's herald, to
   call Mary to the place which God had appointed. And certainly Luke's
   whole narrative may well lead believers to acknowledge, that Christ was
   led by the hand of God "from his mother's belly," (Psalm 22:10.) Nor is
   it of small consequence [125] to the certainty of faith to know, that
   Mary was drawn suddenly, and contrary to her own intention, to
   Bethlehem, that "out of it might come forth" (Micah 5:2) the Redeemer,
   as he had been formerly promised.

   1. The whole world This figure of speech [126] (by which the whole is
   taken for a part, or a part for the whole) was in constant use among
   the Roman authors, and ought not to be reckoned harsh. That this
   registration might be more tolerable and less odious, it was extended
   equally, I have no doubt, to all the provinces; though the rate of
   taxation may have been different. I consider this first registration to
   mean, that the Jews, being completely subdued, were then loaded with a
   new and unwonted yoke. Others read it, that this registration was first
   made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria; [127] but there is no
   probability in that view. The tax was, indeed, annual; but the
   registration did not take place every year. The meaning is, that the
   Jews were far more heavily oppressed than they had formerly been.

   There is a diversity as to the name of the Proconsul. Some call him
   Cyrenius, (Kurenios,) and others, Quirinus or Quirinius But there is
   nothing strange in this;for we know that the Greeks, when they
   translate Latin names, almost always make some change in the
   pronunciation. But a far greater difficulty springs up in another
   direction. Josephus says that, while Archelaus was a prisoner at
   Vienna, (Ant. 17:13. 2,) Quirinus came as Proconsul, with instructions
   to annex Judea to the province of Syria, (xviii. 1.1.) Now, historians
   are agreed, that Archelaus reigned nine years after the death of his
   father Herod. It would therefore appear, that there was an interval of
   about thirteen years between the birth of Christ and this registration;
   for almost all assent to the account given by Epiphanius, that Christ
   was born in the thirty-third year of Herod: that is, four years before
   his death.

   Another circumstance not a little perplexing is, that the same Josephus
   speaks of this registration as having happened in the thirty-seventh
   year after the victory at Actium, [128] (Ant. 18:2. 1.) If this be
   true, Augustus lived, at the utmost, not more than seven years after
   this event; which makes a deduction of eight or nine years from his
   age: for it is plain from the third chapter of Luke's Gospel, that he
   was at that time only in his fifteenth year. But, as the age of Christ
   is too well known to be called in question, it is highly probable that,
   in this and many other passages of Josephus's History, his recollection
   had failed him. Historians are agreed that Quirinus was Consul nineteen
   years, or thereby, before the victory over Antony, which gave Augustus
   the entire command of the empire: and so he must have been sent into
   the province at a very advanced age. Besides, the same Josephus
   enumerates four governors of Judea within eight years; while he
   acknowledges that the fifth was governor for fifteen years. That was
   Valerius Gratus, who was succeeded by Pontius Pilate.

   Another solution may be offered. It might be found impracticable to
   effect the registration immediately after the edict had been issued:
   for Josephus relates, that Coponius was sent with an army to reduce the
   Jews to subjection, (Ant. 18:2.2) from which it may easily be inferred,
   that the registration was prevented, for a time, by popular tumult. The
   words of Luke bear this sense, that, about the time of our Lord's
   birth, an edict came out to have the people registered, but that the
   registration could not take place till after a change of the kingdom,
   when Judea had been annexed to another province. This clause is
   accordingly added by way of correction. This first registration was
   made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria That is, it was then first
   carried into effect. [129]

   But the whole question is not yet answered: for, while Herod was king
   of Judea, what purpose did it serve to register a people who paid no
   tribute to the Roman Empire? I reply: there is no absurdity in
   supposing that Augustus, by way of accustoming the Jews to the yoke,
   (for their obstinacy was abundantly well-known,) chose to have them
   registered, even under the reign of Herod. [130] Nor did Herod's
   peculiar authority as king make it inconsistent that the Jews should
   pay to the Roman Empire a stipulated sum for each man under the name of
   a tax: for we know that Herod, though he was called a king, held
   nothing more than a borrowed power, and was little better than a slave.
   On what authority Eusebius states that this registration took place by
   an order of the Roman Senate, I know not.

   7. Because there was no room for them in the inn We see here not only
   the great poverty of Joseph, but the cruel tyranny which admitted of no
   excuse, but compelled Joseph to bring his wife along with him, at an
   inconvenient season, when she was near the time of her delivery.
   Indeed, it is probable that those who were the descendants of the royal
   family were treated more harshly and disdainfully than the rest. Joseph
   was not so devoid of feeling as to have no concern about his wife's
   delivery. He would gladly have avoided this necessity: but, as that is
   impossible, he is forced to yield, [131] and commends himself to God.
   We see, at the same time, what sort of beginning the life of the Son of
   God had, and in what cradle [132] he was placed. Such was his condition
   at his birth, because he had taken upon him our flesh for this purpose,
   that he might, "empty himself" (Philippians 2:7) on our account. When
   he was thrown into a stable, and placed in a manger, and a lodging
   refused him among men, it was that heaven might be opened to us, not as
   a temporary lodging, [133] but as our eternal country and inheritance,
   and that angels might receive us into their abode.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [116] "Mis par escrit;" -- "put in writing."

   [117] "Ceste premiere description."

   [118] "Ut profiteretur."

   [119] "Pour estre enroule avec Marie;" -- "to be enrolled with Mary."

   [120] "Et comme ils estoyent la, advint que les jours d'icelle furent
   accom-. plis pour enfanter." -- "And as they were there, it happened
   that her days were accomplished for bringing forth."

   [121] "Fasciis;" -- "Bandelettes."

   [122] "Une creiche."

   [123] "Il monstre que cela ne s'est point fait par advis ou conseil
   humain." --"He shows that this was not by human advice or plan."

   [124] "Data opera et consulto;" -- "de propos delibere;" -- "of
   deliberate purpose."

   [125] "Neque parum facit;" -- "ce n'est pas un poinct de petite
   importance."

   [126] "Synecdoche."

   [127] The reader will observe that this is the rendering of the
   authorized English version. -- Ed.

   [128] "Victoriae Actiacae." -- "C'est une victoire qu'ent Auguste a la
   bataille sur mer contre Antoine et Cleopatra, aupres de la ville nommee
   Actium." -- "That is, a victory which Augustus had in the naval battle
   which he fought against Antony and Cleopatra, near the town called
   Actium."

   [129] "Elle fut lors executee, et trouva-on facon d'en venir a bout."
   -- "It was then executed, and a way was found of succeeding in it."

   [130] "Sub Herode;" -- "combien qu'ils fussent sujets d'Herode;" --
   "though they were subjects of Herod."

   [131] "Il baisse la teste;" -- "he bows the head."

   [132] "Comment il a este heberge."

   [133] "Non modo hospitii jure;" -- "non point comme un logis pour y
   estre hebergez en passant."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:8-14

   Luke 2:8-14

   8. And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the fields,
   [134] and watching by night over their flock. [135] 9. And, lo, the
   angel of the Lord came upon them: and the glory [136] of the Lord shone
   round about them, and they feared with a great fear. 10. And the angel
   said to them, Fear not: for, lo, I announce to you great joy, which
   shall be to all the people: 11. For this day is born to you a Savior,
   who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 12. And this shall be a
   sign to you: [137] you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-bands
   [138] laid in a manger: 13. And suddenly there was present with the
   angel a multitude of the heavenly host, [139] praising God, and saying,
   14. Glory in the highest [140] to God, and on earth peace, among men
   good-will. [141]


   8. And there were shepherds It would have been to no purpose that
   Christ was born in Bethlehem, if it had not been made known to the
   world. But the method of doing so, which is described by Luke, appears
   to the view of men very unsuitable. First, Christ is revealed but to a
   few witnesses, and that too amidst the darkness of night. Again, though
   God had, at his command, many honorable and distinguished witnesses, he
   passed by them, and chose shepherds, persons of humble rank, and of no
   account among men. Here the reason and wisdom of the flesh must prove
   to be foolishness; and we must acknowledge, that "the foolishness of
   God" (1 Corinthians 1:25) excels all the wisdom that exists, or appears
   to exist, in the world. But this too was a part of the "emptying of
   himself," (Philippians 2:6:) not that any part of Christ's glory should
   be taken away by it, but that it should lie in concealment for a time.
   Again, as Paul reminds us, that the gospel is mean according to the
   flesh, "that our faith should stand" in the power of the Spirit, not in
   the "lofty [142] words of human wisdom," or in any worldly splendor,
   [143] (1 Corinthians 2:4,5;) so this inestimable "treasure" has been
   deposited by God, from the beginning, "in earthen vessels," (2
   Corinthians 4:7,) that he might more fully try the obedience of our
   faith. If then we desire to come to Christ, let us not be ashamed to
   follow those whom the Lord, in order to cast down the pride of the
   world, has taken, from among the dung [144] of cattle, to be our
   instructors.

   9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them He says, that the
   glory of the Lord [145] shone around the shepherds, by which they
   perceived him to be an angel. [146] For it would have been of little
   avail to be told by an angel what is related by Luke, if God had not
   testified, by some outward sign, that what they heard proceeded from
   Him. The angel appeared, not in an ordinary form, or without majesty,
   but surrounded with the brightness of heavenly glory, to affect
   powerfully the minds of the shepherds, that they might receive the
   discourse which was addressed to them, as coming from the mouth of God
   himself. Hence the fear, of which Luke shortly afterwards speaks, by
   which God usually humbles the hearts of men, (as I have formerly
   explained,) and disposes them to receive his word with reverence.

   10. Fear not The design of this exhortation is to alleviate their fear.
   For, though it is profitable for the minds of men to be struck with
   awe, that they may learn to "give unto the Lord the glory due unto his
   name," (Psalm 29:2;) yet they have need, at the same time, of
   consolation, that they may not be altogether overwhelmed. For the
   majesty of God could not but swallow up the whole world, if there were
   not some mildness to mitigate the terror which it brings. And so the
   reprobate fall down lifeless at the sight of God, because he appears to
   them in no other character than that of a judge. But to revive the
   minds of the shepherds, the angel declares that he was sent to them for
   a different purpose, to announce to them the mercy of God. When men
   hear this single word, that God is reconciled to them, it not only
   raises up those who are fallen down, but restores those who were
   ruined, and recalls them from death to life.

   The angel opens his discourse by saying, that he announces great joy;
   and next assigns the ground or matter of joy, that a Savior is born
   These words show us, first, that, until men have peace with God, and
   are reconciled to him through the grace of Christ, all the joy that
   they experience is deceitful, and of short duration. [147] Ungodly men
   frequently indulge in frantic and intoxicating mirth; but if there be
   none to make peace between them and God, the hidden stings of
   conscience must produce fearful torment. Besides, to whatever extent
   they may flatter themselves in luxurious indulgence, their own lusts
   are so many tormentors. The commencement of solid joy is, to perceive
   the fatherly love of God toward us, which alone gives tranquillity to
   our minds. And this "joy," in which, Paul tells us, "the kingdom of
   God" consists, is "in the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17.) By calling it
   great joy, he shows us, not only that we ought, above all things, to
   rejoice in the salvation brought us by Christ, but that this blessing
   is so great and boundless, as fully to compensate for all the pains,
   distresses, and anxieties of the present life. Let us learn to be so
   delighted with Christ alone, that the perception of his grace may
   overcome, and at length remove from us, all the distresses of the
   flesh. [148]

   Which shall be to all the people Though the angel addresses the
   shepherds alone, yet he plainly states, that the message of salvation
   which he brings is of wider extent, so that not only they, in their
   private capacity, may hear it, but that others may also hear. Now let
   it be understood, that this joy was common to all people, because, it
   was indiscriminately offered to all. For God had promised Christ, not
   to one person or to another, but to the whole seed of Abraham. If the
   Jews were deprived, for the most part, of the joy that was offered to
   them, it arose from their unbelief; just as, at the present day, God
   invites all indiscriminately to salvation through the Gospel, but the
   ingratitude of the world is the reason why this grace, which is equally
   offered to all, is enjoyed by few. Although this joy is confined to a
   few persons, yet, with respect to God, it is said to be common. When
   the angel says that this joy shall be to all the people, he speaks of
   the chosen people only; but now that, the middle wall of partition"
   (Ephesians 2:14) has been thrown down, the same message has reference
   to the whole human race. [149] For Christ proclaims peace, not only, to
   them that are nigh, "but to them that are, far off," (Ephesians 2:17,)
   to "strangers" (Ephesians 2:12) equally with citizens. But as the
   peculiar covenant with the Jews lasted till the resurrection of Christ,
   so the angel separates them from the rest of the nations.

   11. This day is born to you Here, as we lately hinted, the angel
   expresses the cause of the joy. This day is born the Redeemer long ago
   promised, who was to restore the Church of God to its proper condition.
   The angel does not speak of it as a thing altogether unknown. He opens
   his embassy by referring to the Law and the Prophets; for had he been
   addressing heathens or irreligious persons, it would have been of no
   use to employ this mode of speaking: this day is born to you a Savior,
   who is Christ the Lord For the same reason, he mentions that he was
   born in the city of David, which could serve no purpose, but to recall
   the remembrance of those promises which were universally known among
   the Jews. Lastly, the angel adapted his discourse to hearers who were
   not altogether unacquainted with the promised redemption. With the
   doctrine of the Law and the Prophets he joined the Gospel, as emanating
   from the same source. Now, since the Greek word Greek, as Cicero
   assures us, has a more extensive meaning than the Latin word Servator,
   and as there is no Latin noun that corresponds to it, I thought it
   better to employ a barbarous term, than to take anything away from the
   power of Christ. And I have no doubt, that the author of the Vulgate,
   and the ancient doctors of the Church, had the same intention. [150]
   Christ is called Savior, [151] because he bestows a complete salvation.
   The pronoun to you [152] is very emphatic; for it would have given no
   great delight to hear that the Author of salvation was born, unless
   each person believed that for himself he was born. In the same manner
   Isaiah says, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given," (Isaiah
   9:6;) and Zechariah, "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee lowly,"
   (Zechariah 9:9.)

   12. And this shall be a sign to you [153] The angel meets the prejudice
   which might naturally hinder the faith of the shepherds; for what a
   mockery is it, that he, whom God has sent to be the King, and the only
   Savior, is seen lying in a manger! That the mean and despicable
   condition in which Christ was might not deter the shepherds from
   believing in Christ, the angel tells them beforehand what they would
   see. This method of proceeding, which might appear, to the view of men,
   absurd and almost ridiculous, the Lord pursues toward us every day.
   Sending down to us from heaven the word of the Gospel, he enjoins us to
   embrace Christ crucified, and holds out to us signs in earthly and
   fading elements, which raise us to the glory of a blessed immortality.
   Having promised to us spiritual righteousness, he places before our
   eyes a little water: by a small portion of bread and wine, he seals,
   [154] the eternal life of the soul. [155] But if the stable gave no
   offense whatever to the shepherds, so as to prevent them from going to
   Christ to obtain salvation, or from yielding to his authority, while he
   was yet a child; no sign, however mean in itself, ought to hide his
   glory from our view, or prevent us from offering to him lowly
   adoration, now that he has ascended to heaven, and sits at the right
   hand of the Father.

   13. And suddenly there was present with the angel a multitude An
   exhibition of divine splendor had been already made in the person of a
   single angel. But God determined to adorn his own Son in a still more
   illustrious manner, This was done to confirm our faith as truly as that
   of the shepherds. Among men, the testimony of "two or three witnesses"
   (Matthew 18:16) is sufficient to remove all doubt. But here is a
   heavenly host, with one consent and one voice bearing testimony to the
   Son of God. What then would be our obstinacy, if we refused to join
   with the choir of angels, in singing the praises of our salvation,
   which is in Christ? Hence we infer, how abominable in the sight of God
   must unbelief be, which disturbs this delightful harmony between heaven
   and earth. Again, we are convicted of more than brutal stupidity, if
   our faith and our zeal to praise God are not inflamed by the song which
   the angels, with the view of supplying us with the matter of our
   praise, sang in full harmony. Still farther, by this example of
   heavenly melody, the Lord intended to recommend to us the unity of
   faith, and to exhort us to join with one consent in singing his praises
   on earth.

   14. Glory to God in the highest The angels begin with thanksgiving, or
   with the praises of God; for Scripture, too, everywhere reminds us,
   that we were redeemed from death for this purpose, that we might
   testify with the tongue, as well as by the actions of the life, our
   gratitude to God. Let us remember, then, the final cause, why God
   reconciled us to himself through his Only Begotten Son. It was that he
   might glorify his name, by revealing the riches of his grace, and of
   his boundless mercy. And even now to whatever extent any one is excited
   by his knowledge of grace to celebrate the glory of God, such is the
   extent of proficiency in the faith of Christ. Whenever our salvation is
   mentioned, we should understand that a signal has been given, [156] to
   excite us to thanksgiving and to the praises of God.

   On earth peace The most general reading is, that the words, among men
   good-will, should stand as a third clause. So far as relates to the
   leading idea of the passage, it is of little moment which way you read
   it; but the other appears to be preferable. The two clauses, Glory to
   God in the highest, and peace on earth, do unquestionably agree with
   each other; but if you do not place men and God in marked opposition,
   the contrast will not fully appear. [157] Perhaps commentators have
   mistaken the meaning of the preposition en, for it was an obscure
   meaning of the words to say, that there is peace in men; but as that
   word is redundant in many passages of Scripture, it need not detain us
   here. However, if any one prefer to throw it to the last clause, the
   meaning will be the same, as I shall presently show.

   We must now see what the angels mean by the word peace. They certainly
   do not speak of an outward peace cultivated by men with each other; but
   they say, that the earth is at peace, when men have been reconciled to
   God, and enjoy an inward tranquillity in their own minds. [158] We know
   that we are born "children of wrath," (Ephesians 2:3,) and are by
   nature enemies to God; and must be distressed by fearful apprehensions,
   so long as we feel that God is angry with us. A short and clear
   definition of peace may be obtained from two opposite things, -- the
   wrath of God and the dread of death. It has thus a twofold reference;
   one to God, and another to men. We obtain peace with God, when he
   begins to be gracious to us, by taking away our guilt, and "not
   imputing to us our trespasses," (2 Corinthians 5:19;) and when we,
   relying on his fatherly love, address him with full confidence, and
   boldly praise him for the salvation which he has promised to us. Now
   though, in another passage, the life of man on earth is declared to be
   a continual warfare, [159] (Job 7:1,) and the state of the fact shows
   that nothing is more full of trouble than our condition, so long as we
   remain in the world, yet the angels expressly say that there is peace
   on earth This is intended to inform us that, so long as we trust to the
   grace of Christ, no troubles that can arise will prevent us from
   enjoying composure and serenity of mind. Let us then remember, that
   faith is seated amidst the storms of temptations, amidst various
   dangers, amidst violent attacks, amidst contests and fears, that our
   faith may not fail or be shaken by any kind of opposition.

   Among men good-will [160] The Vulgate has good-will in the genitive
   case: to men of good-will. [161] How that reading crept in, I know not:
   but it ought certainly to be rejected, both because it is not genuine,
   [162] and because it entirely corruptsthe meaning. Others read
   good-will in the nominative case, and still mistake its meaning. They
   refer good-will to men, as if it were an exhortation to embrace the
   grace of God. I acknowledge that the peace which the Lord offers to us
   takes effect only when we receive it. But as eudokia is constantly used
   in Scripture in the sense of the Hebrew word rtsvn, the old translator
   rendered it beneplacitum, or, good-will. This passage is not correctly
   understood as referring to the acceptance of grace. The angels rather
   speak of it as the source of peace, and thus inform us that peace is a
   free gift, and flows from the pure mercy of God. If it is thought
   better to read good-will to men, or towards men, [163] it will not be
   inadmissible, so far as regards the meaning: for in this way it will
   show the cause of peace to be, that God has been pleased to bestow his
   undeserved favor on men, with whom he formerly was at deadly variance.
   If you read, the peace of good-will as meaning voluntary peace, neither
   will I object to that interpretation. But the simpler way is to look
   upon euphokia as added, in order to inform us of the source from which
   our peace is derived. [164]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [134] "Couchant es champs."

   [135] "Gardant les veilles de la nuict."

   [136] "La clarte;" -- "the brightness."

   [137] "Et vous aurez ces enseignes;" -- "and you shall have these
   signs."

   [138] "Pannis;" -- "bandelettes."

   [139] "Militiae;" -- "des armees celestes;" -- "of the heavenly
   armies."

   [140] "es cieux treshauts;" -- "in the highest heavens."

   [141] "Envers les hommes son bon plaisir, ou, bonne volonte;" --
   "towards men his good pleasure, or, good-will."

   [142] "En paroles magnifiques;" -- "in magnificent words."

   [143] "En quelque lustre et apparence du monde;" -- "in any luster and
   display of the world."

   [144] "Ex pecudum stercore;" -- "sur la fiente des bestes."

   [145] "La clarte du Seigneur;" -- "the brightness of the Lord."

   [146] "c'a este afin qu'ils cogneussent que c'estoit l'ange de Dieu qui
   parloit;" -- "it was in order that they might know that it was the
   angel of the Lord that spoke."

   [147] "Ce n'est que fumee;" -- "it is only smoke."

   [148] "Parquoy apprenons de prendre tellement notre contentement en
   Christ seul, que le sentiment de sa grace nous face surmonter toutes
   choses qui sont dures a la chair, et finalement en oste toute
   l'amertume."-- "Wherefore, let us learn to take our satisfaction, in
   such a manner, in Christ alone, that the feeling of his grace may make
   us rise above all things that are unpleasant to the flesh, and finally
   may take away all their bitterness."

   [149] "Au reste, il est bien vray que l'ange parle seulement du peuple
   esleu, assavoir des Juifs; mais pourceque maintenant la paroy qui
   faisoit separation est rompue, la mesme ambassade s'addresse aujourdhui
   a tout le genre humain." -- "Besides, it is very true that the angel
   speaks only of the elect people, namely, the Jews; but because now the
   wall of partition which made a separation is broken down, the same
   message is addressed, at the present day, to all the human race."

   [150] He refers to his use of the Latin word Salvator, for which there
   is no classical authority. The apology may be deemed unnecessary; but
   Calvin was entitled to be more sensitive on this point than many modern
   scholars. The purity of his style discovers so perfect an acquaintance
   with the writers of the Augustan age, that it must have given him
   uneasiness to depart from their authorized terms. He pleads high
   authority for the liberty he had taken. Cicero, whose command of the
   resources of his native tongue will not be questioned, acknowledges
   that there is no Latin word which conveys the full import of the Greek
   word sot'er, and in this, as well as many other instances, calls in the
   aid of a richer and more expressive language than his own. -- Ed.

   [151] "Salvator."

   [152] "Au reste, ce n'est pas sans cause que ce mot Vous est adjouste:
   et il est bien a poiser. Car il ne serviroit gueres de savoir que le
   Sauveur est nay, sinon qu'un chacun appliquast cela a sa personne,
   s'asseurant que c'est pour lui qu'est nay le Fils de Dieu." --
   "Besides, it is not without reason that this word You is added; and it
   is well to weigh it. For it would hardly be of service to know that the
   Savior is born, unless each applied that to his own person, being
   persuaded that it is for him that the Savior is born."

   [153] "Et vous aurez ces enseignes;" -- "and you shall have these
   signs."

   [154] "Eternam animi vitam obsignat."--Our rendering is close. But what
   is sealed? Is it meant, that the mere act of partaking the Lord's
   Supper places beyond a doubt the salvation of the worshipper, or even
   gives to it any additional certainty? In some loose sense of this sort,
   the phrase is often enough used even by Protestant divines. It is
   satisfactory to have Calvin's own authority for the meaning of this
   passage. "Il seelle la promesse." -- "He seals the promise." The
   meaning is, that God ratifies his word. By condescending to employ
   outward symbols, together with his holy word, for expressing the
   blessings of salvation he holds out to his people an additional
   testimony, and in this manner grants a strong confirmation to their
   faith. -- Ed.

   [155] It may be proper to exhibit the entire sentence referred to in
   the former note. "Comme nous ayant promis la justice spirituelle, il
   nous met devant les yeux un peu d'eau: par un petit morceau de pain et
   une goutte de vin, il seelle la promesse qu'il a faite de la vie
   eternelle de nos ames." -- "As, having promised to us spiritual
   righteousness, he places before our eyes a little water: by a small
   morsel of bread and a drop of wine, he seals the promise which he has
   made of the eternal life of our souls."

   [156] "Comme si la trompette sonnoit, pour nous resveiller;" -- "as if
   the trumpet were sounding to awake us."

   [157] "Or si on ne mettoit les hommes au second membre, l'antithese ne
   seroit pas parfaite." -- "But if men were not put in the second clause,
   the contrast would not be perfect."

   [158] "Quand les hommes estans reconciliez a Dieu, ont repos en leurs
   esprits, et en leurs consciences." -- "When men being reconciled to
   God, have rest in their minds and in their consciences."

   [159] hl' tsv' l'kvs l 'rph,--"is there not a warfare to man upon
   earth?"

   [160] "Envers les hommes son bon plaisir, ou, bonne volonte;" --
   "towards men his good pleasure, or, good-will."

   [161] "Hominibus bonae voluntatis."

   [162] "Adulterina." -- "Pource que ce n'est pas la vraye et naturelle."
   --"Because it is not the true and natural reading."

   [163] "In hominibus;" -- "Aux hommes, ou, Envers les hommes."

   [164] In the Opuscula Theologica of the elder Tittmann, the critical
   scholar will find this beautiful passage discussed with that happy
   union of learning, discrimination, and piety, which distinguishes all
   his writings. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:15-21

   Luke 2:15-21

   15. And it happened, after that the angels departed from them into
   heaven, that the shepherds then talked among themselves, Let us pass
   even to Bethlehem, and let us see what has happened, which the Lord
   hath revealed to us. 16. And they came hastening, and found Mary and
   Joseph, and the babe laid in the manger. 17. And when they had seen it,
   they published concerning the word which had been told them about this
   child. 18. And all who heard wondered about those things which had been
   told them by the shepherds. 19. Now Mary kept all these words, laying
   them up in her heart. [165] 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
   and praising God for all the things which they had heard and seen, as
   it had been told to them. 21. And after that eight days were fulfilled,
   that the child might be circumcised, his name was called JESUS: which
   had been called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


   15. After that the angels departed Here is described to us the
   obedience of the shepherds. The Lord had made them the witnesses of his
   Son to the whole world. What he had spoken to them by his angels was
   efficacious, and was not suffered to pass away. They were not plainly
   and expressly commanded to come to Bethlehem; but, being sufficiently
   aware that such was the design of God, they hasten to see Christ. In
   the same manner, we know that Christ is held out to us, in order that
   our hearts may approach him by faith; and our delay in coming admits of
   no excuse. [166] But again, Luke informs us, that the shepherds
   resolved to set out, immediately after the angels had departed. This
   conveys an important lesson. Instead of allowing the word of God, as
   many do, to pass away with the sound, we must take care that it strike
   its roots deep in us, and manifest its power, as soon as the sound has
   died away upon our ears. It deserves our attention, also, that the
   shepherds exhort one another: for it is not enough that each of us is
   attentive to his own duty, if we do not give mutual exhortations. Their
   obedience is still farther commended by the statement of Luke, that
   they hastened, (ver. 16;) for we are required to show the readiness of
   faith.

   Which the Lord hath revealed to us They had only heard it from the
   angel; but they intentionally and correctly say, that the Lord had
   revealed it to them; for they consider the messenger of God to possess
   the same authority as if the Lord himself had addressed them. For this
   reason, the Lord directs our attention to himself; that we may not fix
   our view on men, and undervalue the authority of his Word. We see also
   that they reckon themselves under obligation, not to neglect the
   treasure which the Lord had pointed out to them; for they conclude
   that, immediately after receiving this intelligence, they must go to
   Bethlehem to see it. In the same manner, every one of us, according to
   the measure of his faith and understanding, ought to be prepared to
   follow wheresoever God calls.

   16. And found Mary This was a revolting sight, and was sufficient of
   itself to produce an aversion to Christ. For what could be more
   improbable than to believe that he was the King of the whole people,
   who was deemed unworthy to be ranked with the lowest of the multitude?
   or to expect the restoration of the kingdom and salvation from him,
   whose poverty and want were such, that he was thrown into a stable? Yet
   Luke writes, that none of these things prevented the shepherds from
   admiring and praising God. The glory of God was so fully before their
   eyes, and reverence for his Word was so deeply impressed upon their
   minds, that the elevation of their faith easily rose above all that
   appeared mean or despicable in Christ. [167] And the only reason why
   our faith is either retarded or driven from the proper course, by some
   very trifling obstacles, is, that we do not look steadfastly enough on
   God, and are easily "tossed to and fro," (Ephesians 4:14.) If this one
   thought were entirely to occupy our minds, that we have a certain and
   faithful testimony from heaven, it would be a sufficiently strong and
   firm support against every kind of temptations, and will sufficiently
   protect us against every little offense that might have been taken.

   17. They published concerning the word It is mentioned by Luke, in
   commendation of the faith of the shepherds, that they honestly
   delivered to others what they had received from the Lord; and it was
   advantageous to all of us that they should attest this, and should be a
   sort of secondary angels in confirming our faith. Luke shows also that,
   in publishing what they had heard, they were not without success. [168]
   Nor can it be doubted, that the Lord gave efficacy to what they said,
   that it might not be ridiculed or despised; for the low rank of the men
   diminished their credit, and the occurrence itself might be regarded as
   fabulous. But the Lord, who gave them this employment, does not allow
   it to be fruitless.

   That the Lord should adopt such a method of proceeding as this, --
   should employ inconsiderable men in publishing his Word, may not be
   quite so agreeable to the human mind. But it tends to humble the pride
   of the flesh, and to try the obedience of faith; and therefore God
   approves of it. Still, though all are astonished, no one moves a step
   to come to Christ: from which we may infer, that the impression made
   upon them by hearing of the power of God, was unaccompanied by any
   devout affection of the heart. The design of publishing this report was
   not so much for their salvation, as to render the ignorance of the
   whole people inexcusable.

   19. Now Mary kept Mary's diligence in contemplating the works of God is
   laid before us for two reasons; first, to inform us, that this treasure
   was laid up in her heart, for the purpose of being published to others
   at the proper time; and, secondly, to afford to all the godly an
   example for imitation. For, if we are wise, it will be the chief
   employment, and the great object of our life, to consider with
   attention those works of God which build up our faith. Mary kept all
   these things This relates to her memory. Sumballein signifies to throw
   together, -- to collect the several events which agreed in proving the
   glory of Christ, so that they might form one body. For Mary could not
   wisely estimate the collective value of all those occurrences, except
   by comparing them with each other.

   20. Glorifying and praising God This is another circumstance which is
   fitted to be generally useful in confirming our faith. The shepherds
   knew with certainty that this was a work of God. Their zeal in
   glorifying and praising God is an implied reproof of our indolence, or
   rather of our ingratitude. If the cradle of Christ [169] had such an
   effect upon them, as to make them rise from the stable and the manger
   to heaven, how much more powerful ought the death and resurrection of
   Christ to be in raising us to God? For Christ did not only ascend from
   the earth, that he might draw all things after him; but he sits at the
   right hand of the Father, that, during our pilgrimage in the world, we
   may meditate with our whole heart on the heavenly life. When Luke says,
   that the testimony of the angel served as a rule to the shepherds in
   all that they did, [170] he points out the nature of true godliness.
   For our faith is properly aided by the works of God, when it directs
   everything to this end, that the truth of God, which was revealed in
   his word, may be brought out with greater clearness.

   21. That the child might be circumcised As to circumcision in general,
   the reader may consult the Book of Genesis, (17:10.) At present, it
   will be sufficient to state briefly what applies to the person of
   Christ. God appointed that his Son should be circumcised, in order to
   subject him to the law; for circumcision was a solemn rite, by which
   the Jews

   were initiated into the observance of the law. [171] Paul explains the
   design, [172] when he says, that Christ was

   "made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,"
   (Galatians 4:4,5.)

   By undergoing circumcision, Christ acknowledged himself to be the slave
   [173] of the law, that he might procure our freedom. And in this way
   not only was the bondage [174] of the law abolished by him, but the
   shadow of the ceremony was applied to his own body, that it might
   shortly afterwards come to an end. For though the abrogation of it
   depends on the death and resurrection of Christ, yet it was a sort of
   prelude to it, that the Son of God submitted to be circumcised.

   His name was called JESUS. This passage shows, that it was a general
   custom among the Jews to give names to their children on the day that
   they were circumcised, just as we now do at baptism. Two things are
   here mentioned by the Evangelist. First, the name Jesus was not given
   to the Son of God accidentally, or by the will of men, but was the name
   which the angel had brought from heaven. Secondly, Joseph and Mary
   obeyed the command of God. The agreement between our faith and the word
   of God lies in this, that he speaks first, and we follow, so that our
   faith answers to his promises. Above all, the order of preaching the
   word is held up by Luke for our commendation. Salvation through the
   grace of Christ, he tells us, had been promised by God through the
   angel, and was proclaimed by the voice of men.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [165] "Les ruminant en son coeur;" -- "ruminating on them in her
   heart."

   [166] "Si nous sommes paresseux de le faire, toutes les excuses du
   monde ne nous serviront de rien." -- "If we are indolent in doing so,
   all the apologies in the world will be of no service to us."

   [167] In the French copy he adds: "En sorte que cela ne les empesche
   point de recognoistre la hautesse de sa maiste divine." -- "So that it
   does not hinder them from acknowledging the height of his divine
   majesty."

   [168] "Ils n'ont pas perdu leurs peines;" -- "they did not lose their
   pains."

   [169] "Si les petits drapeaux esquels estoit enveloppe l'infant
   Jesus;"-- "if the little rags in which the child Jesus was wrapped."

   [170] "Ad quam omnia exigerent." -- "Une reigle, a laquelle ils ont
   rapporte tout ce qu'ils voyoyent;" -- "a rule by which they related all
   that they saw."

   [171] "Par lequel les Juifs protestoyent de se soumettre a
   l'observation de la Loy;" -- "by which the Jews solemnly declared that
   they would submit to the observance of the Law."

   [172] "Finem." -- "La fin ou le but de ceste soumission de Jesus
   Christ;" --"the end or design of this submission of Jesus Christ."

   [173] "Servum."--This might have been supposed to be equivalent to
   ministrum, servant, had not the latter clause of the sentence expressly
   contrasted freedom with the condition of a slave. But Calvin settles
   the point by rendering it serf, slave; by which he evidently means
   "complete and degrading subjection." Paul frequently speaks of the
   state of the Church under the law as bondage, (Galatians 4:3,9,) and a
   yoke of bondage, (Galatians 5:1.) -- Ed.

   [174] See passages referred to in the [4]preceding note, in which the
   term bondage is applied by an inspired writer to the ceremonial law --
   Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:1-6

   Matthew 2:1-6

   1. Now when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea, [175] in the
   times of Herod the King, lo, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem,
   2. Saying, Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
   his star in the East, and have come that we may worship him. 3. And
   having heard these things, Herod the King was troubled, and all
   Jerusalem with him. 4. And having assembled all the chief priests and
   scribes of the people, he inquired at them where Christ should be born.
   5. But they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it has been
   written by the prophet: 6. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   art by no means the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee
   shall come the leader, [176] who shall feed my people Israel.


   1. Now when Jesus had been born How it came about that Jesus was born
   in Bethlehem, Matthew does not say. The Spirit of God, who had
   appointed the Evangelists to be his clerks, [177] appears purposely to
   have regulated their style in such a manner, that they all wrote one
   and the same history, with the most perfect agreement, but in different
   ways. It was intended, that the truth of God should more clearly and
   strikingly appear, when it was manifest that his witnesses did not
   speak by a preconcerted plan, but that each of them separately, without
   paying any attention to another, wrote freely and honestly what the
   Holy Spirit dictated.

   This is a very remarkable narrative. God brought Magi from Chaldea, to
   come to the land of Judea, for the purpose of adoring Christ, in the
   stable where he lay, amidst the tokens, not of honor, but of contempt.
   It was a truly wonderful purpose of God, that he caused the entrance of
   his Son into the world to be attended by deep meanness, and yet
   bestowed upon him illustrious ornaments, both of commendation and of
   other outward signs, that our faith might be supplied with everything
   necessary to prove his Divine Majesty.

   A beautiful instance of real harmony, amidst apparent contradiction, is
   here exhibited. A star from heaven announces that he is a king, to whom
   a manger, intended for cattle, serves for a throne, because he is
   refused admittance among the lowest of the people. His majesty shines
   in the East, while in Judea it is so far from being acknowledged, that
   it is visited by many marks of dishonor. Why is this? The heavenly
   Father chose to appoint the star and the Magi as our guides, to lead
   directly to his Son: while he stripped him of all earthly splendor, for
   the purpose of informing us that his kingdom is spiritual. This history
   conveys profitable instruction, not only because God brought the Magi
   to his Son, as the first-fruits of the Gentiles, but also because he
   appointed the kingdom of his Son to receive their commendation, and
   that of the star, for the confirmation of our faith; that the wicked
   and malignant contempt of his nation might not render him less
   estimable in our eyes.

   Magi is well known to be the name given by the Persians and Chaldees to
   astrologers and philosophers: and hence it may readily be conjectured
   that those men came from Persia. [178] As the Evangelist does not state
   what was their number, it is better to be ignorant of it, than to
   affirm as certain what is doubtful. Papists have been led into a
   childish error, of supposing that they were three in number: because
   Matthew says, that they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, (verse
   11.) But the historian does not say, that each of them separately
   presented his own gift. He rather says, that those three gifts were
   presented by them in common. That ancient author, whoever he may be,
   whose imperfect Commentary on Matthew bears the name of Chrysostom, and
   is reckoned among Chrysostom's works, says that they were fourteen.
   This carries as little probability as the other. It may have come from
   a tradition of the Fathers, but has no solid foundation. But the most
   ridiculous contrivance of the Papists on this subject is, that those
   men were kings, because they found in another passage a prediction,
   that

   the kings of Tarshish, and of the Isles, and of Sheba,
   would offer gifts to the Lord, (Psalm 72:10.)

   Ingenious workmen, truly, who, in order to present those men in a new
   shape, have begun with turning the world from one side to another: for
   they have changed the south and west into the east! Beyond all doubt,
   they have been stupified by a righteous judgment of God, that all might
   laugh at the gross ignorance of those who have not scrupled to
   adulterate "and, change the truth of God into a lie," (Romans 1:25.)

   The first inquiry here is: Was this star one of those which the Lord
   created in the beginning (Genesis 1:1,16) to "garnish the heavens?"
   (Job 26:13.) Secondly, Were the magi led by their acquaintance with
   astrology to conclude that it pointed out the birth of Christ? On these
   points, there is no necessity for angry disputation: but it may be
   inferred from the words of Matthew, that it was not a natural, but an
   extraordinary star. It was not agreeable to the order of nature, that
   it should disappear for a certain period, and afterwards should
   suddenly become bright; nor that it should pursue a straight course
   towards Bethlehem, and at length remain stationary above the house
   where Christ was. Not one of these things belongs to natural stars. It
   is more probable that it resembled [179] a comet, and was seen, not in
   the heaven, but in the air. Yet there is no impropriety in Matthew, who
   uses popular language, calling it incorrectly a star.

   This almost decides likewise the second question: for since astrology
   is undoubtedly confined within the limits of nature, its guidance alone
   could not have conducted the Magi to Christ; so that they must have
   been aided by a secret revelation of the Spirit. I do not go so far as
   to say, that they derived no assistance whatever from the art: but I
   affirm, that this would have been of no practical advantage, if they
   had not been aided by a new and extraordinary revelation.

   2. Where is he who has been born King? The notion of some commentators,
   that he is said to have been born King, by indirect contrast with one
   who has been made or created a king, appears to me too trifling. I
   rather suppose the Magi to have simply meant, that this king had been
   recently born, and was still a child, by way of distinguishing him from
   a king who is of age, and who holds the reins of government: for they
   immediately add, that they had been drawn, not by the fame of his
   exploits, or by any present exhibitions of his greatness, but by a
   heavenly presage of his future reign. But if the sight of a star had so
   powerful an effect on the Magi, woe to our insensibility, who, now that
   Christ the King has been revealed to us, are so cold in our inquiries
   after him!

   And have come that we may worship him The reason why the star had been
   exhibited was, to draw the Magi into Judea, that they might be
   witnesses and heralds of the new King. [180] So far as respects
   themselves, they had not come to render to Christ such pious worship,
   as is due to the Son of God, but intended to salute him, according to
   the Persian custom, [181] as a very eminent King. For their views, with
   regard to him, probably went no farther, than that his power and
   exalted rank would be so extraordinary as to impress all nations with
   just admiration and reverence. It is even possible, that they wished to
   gain his favor beforehand, that he might treat them favorably and
   kindly, if he should afterwards happen to possess dominion in the east.

   3. Herod the king was troubled Herod was not unacquainted with the
   predictions, which promised to the Jews a King, who would restore their
   distressful and ruinous affairs to a prosperous condition. He had lived
   from a child among that nation, and was thoroughly acquainted with
   their affairs. Besides, the report was spread everywhere, and could not
   be unknown to the neighboring nations. Yet he is troubled, as if the
   matter had been new and unheard of; because he put no trust in God, and
   thought it idle to rely on the promises of a Redeemer; and particularly
   because, with the foolish confidence incident to proud men, he imagined
   that the kingdom was secure to himself and his descendants. But though,
   in the intoxication of prosperity, he was formerly accustomed to view
   the prophecies with scorn, the recollection of them now aroused him to
   sudden alarm. For he would not have been so strongly moved by the
   simple tale of the Magi, if he had not remembered the predictions,
   which he had formerly looked upon as harmless, [182] and of no
   importance. Thus, when the Lord has permitted unbelievers to sleep, he
   suddenly breaks their rest. [183]

   And all Jerusalem with him This may be explained in two ways. Either
   the people were roused, in a tumultuous manner, by the novelty of the
   occurrence, though the glad tidings of a king who had been born to them
   were cordially welcomed. Or the people, accustomed to distresses, and
   rendered callous by long endurance, dreaded a change which might
   introduce still greater calamities. For they were so completely worn
   down, and almost wasted, by continued wars, that their wretched and
   cruel bondage appeared to them not only tolerable, but desirable,
   provided it were accompanied by peace. This shows how little they had
   profited under God's chastisements: for they were so benumbed and
   stupified, that the promised redemption and salvation almost stank
   [184] in their nostrils. Matthew intended, I have no doubt, to express
   their ingratitude, in being so entirely broken by the long continuance
   of their afflictions, as to throw away the hope and desire of the grace
   which had been promised to them.

   4. Having assembled the priests Though deep silence prevailed
   respecting Christ in the Hall of Herod, yet, as soon as the Magi have
   thrown out the mention of a King, predictions are remembered, which
   formerly lay in oblivion. Herod instantly conjectures, that the King,
   about whom the Magi inquire, is the Messiah whom God had formerly
   promised, (Daniel 9:25.) Here again it appears, that Herod is seriously
   alarmed, when he puts such earnest inquiries; and no wonder. All
   tyrants are cowards, and their cruelty produces stronger alarm in their
   own breasts than in the breasts of others. Herod must have trembled
   more than others, because he perceived that he was reigning in
   opposition to God.

   This new investigation shows, that the contempt of Christ, before the
   arrival of the Magi, must have been very deep. At a later period, the
   scribes and high priests labored with fury to corrupt the whole of the
   Scripture, that they might not give any countenance to Christ. But on
   the present occasion they reply honestly out of the Scripture, and for
   this reason, that Christ and his Gospel have not yet given them
   uneasiness. And so all ungodly persons find no difficulty in giving
   their assent to God on general principles; but when the truth of God
   begins to press them more closely, they throw out the venom of their
   rebellion.

   We have a striking instance of this, in our own day, among the Papists.
   They freely own, that he is the only-begotten Son of God, clothed with
   our flesh, and acknowledge the one person of God-man, as subsisting in
   the two natures. But when we come to the power and office of Christ, a
   contest immediately breaks out; because they will not consent to take a
   lower rank, and much less to be reduced to nothing. In a word, so long
   as wicked men think that it is taking nothing from themselves, they
   will yield to God and to Scripture some degree of reverence. But when
   Christ comes into close conflict with ambition, covetousness, pride,
   misplaced confidence, hypocrisy, and deceit, they immediately forget
   all modesty, and break out into rage. Let us therefore learn, that the
   chief cause of blindness in the enemies of truth is to be found in
   their wicked affections, which change light into darkness.

   6. And thou, Bethlehem The scribes quoted faithfully, no doubt, the
   words of the passage in their own language, as it is found in the
   prophet. But Matthew reckoned it enough to point out the passage; and,
   as he wrote in Greek, he followed the ordinary reading. This passage,
   and others of the same kind, readily suggest the inference, that
   Matthew did not compose his Gospel in the Hebrew language. It ought
   always to be observed that, whenever any proof from Scripture is quoted
   by the apostles, though they do not translate word for word, and
   sometimes depart widely from the language, yet it is applied correctly
   and appropriately to their subject. Let the reader always consider the
   purpose for which passages of Scripture are brought forward by the
   Evangelists, so as not to stick too closely to the particular words,
   but to be satisfied with this, that the Evangelists never torture
   Scripture into a different meaning, but apply it correctly in its
   native meaning. But while it was their intention to supply with milk
   children and "novices" (1 Timothy 3:6) in faith, who were not yet able
   to endure "strong meat," (Hebrews 5:12,) there is nothing to prevent
   the children of God from making careful and diligent inquiry into the
   meaning of Scripture, and thus being led to the fountain by the taste
   which the apostles afford.

   Let us now return to the prediction. Thus it stands literally in the
   Prophet:

   "And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little
   among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall
   he come forth to me, who is Ruler in Israel," (Micah 5:2.)

   For Ephratah Matthew has put Judah, but the meaning is the same; for
   Micah only intended, by this mark, to distinguish the Bethlehem of
   which he speaks, from another Bethlehem, which was in the tribe of
   Zebulun. There is greater difficulty in what follows: for the Prophet
   says, that Bethlehem is little, when reckoned among the governments of
   Judah, while Matthew, on the contrary: speaks highly of its rank as one
   of the most distinguished: thou art by no means the least among the
   princes of Judah This reason has induced some commentators to read the
   passage in the prophet as a question, Art thou little among the
   thousands of Judah? But I rather agree with those who think that
   Matthew intended, by this change of the language, to magnify the grace
   of God in making an inconsiderable and unknown town the birth-place of
   the highest King. Although Bethlehem received this distinguished honor,
   it was of no advantage to its inhabitants, but brought upon them a
   heavier destruction: for there an unworthy reception was given to the
   Redeemer. For he is to be Ruler, Matthew has put he shall feed,
   (poimanei) But he has expressed both, when he says, that Christ is the
   leader, (hegoumenos,) and that to him is committed the office of
   feeding his people.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [175] "(Cite) de Judee;" -- "(city) of Judea."

   [176] "Dux;" -- "Conducteur."

   [177] "Scribas;" -- "greffiers."--Clerks, not Authors in the ordinary
   meaning of that term, but persons who wrote to the dictation of
   another. This conveys the idea of what is frequently called plenary
   inspiration. If such a term as Clerk, or Penman, may be supposed to
   lower the sacred writers, it is not by a comparison of them with
   uninspired historians, the ablest of whom cannot, without arrogance,
   aspire to an equal level with those who wrote by inspiration. But when
   man is brought into a comparison with God, no language can express too
   strongly the infinite distance between the parties. The Evangelists do
   not ask the praise of invention, or judgment, or of anything else which
   would imply that the work was their own production. But they lay claim
   to a loftier and peculiar distinction, that they faithfully committed
   to writing that history which they were honored to receive from its
   Divine Author. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
   Ghost, (2 Peter 1:21.) -- Ed.

   [178] "Le mot Grec, (magai,) du quel use l'Evangeliste est celuy d'ou
   vient le mot de Magiciens: mais les Perses et Chaldeens nomment ainsi
   leurs Astrologues et Philosophes: et pourtant nous l'avons traduit par
   ce mot de Sages. Parquoy il y a grande apparence de dire qu'ils etoyent
   venus du pays des Perses." -- "The Greek word, (magoi,) which the
   Evangelist employs, is that from which the word Magicians is derived:
   but the Persians and Chaldees give this name also to their Astrologers
   and Philosophers: and therefore we have translated it by the word
   Sages, or Wise men. Wherefore there is great probability in saying that
   they had come from the country of the Persians."

   [179] Calvin says, not that it was a comet, but that it resembled a
   comet; and it is probable enough that the meteor assumed that aspect.
   He refutes, in a masterly and conclusive manner, the supposition that
   it was "natural star," but, with modesty and good sense, avoids
   shocking the prejudices of his age. Of astrology he speaks more
   doubtfully. If he had lent the countenance of his name to that
   pretended science, we ought not to have blamed him severely. Long after
   he had left the world, men of powerful minds, and of extensive
   attainments in science, found it no easy matter to disentangle
   themselves from its meshes, and to proclaim their freedom. But Calvin
   needs no vindication. He has left us a treatise, Adversus Astrologiam
   Judiciarium, "Against Judicial Astrology;" which Servetus, as much his
   inferior in philosophical views in sterling worth, brings forward as
   one of his charges. Damnatam a me fuisse Astrologiam conqueritur, says
   Calvin; "It is made a ground of complaint against me that I have
   condemned astrology." -- Ed.

   [180] "Que la ils fussent comme herauts pour porter les nouvelles du
   nouveau Roy." -- "That there they might be as heralds, to carry the
   tidings of the new King."

   [181] "Persico more;" -- "selon la coustume de leur pays;" --
   "according to the custom of their country."

   [182] "Lusoria;" alluding to the phrase used by Seneca and others,
   lusoria fulmina, "harmless thunderbolts."

   [183] "Il les resveille tout soudain, et leur fait bien sentir leur
   folie." -- "He awakes them all on a sudden, and makes them deeply feel
   their folly."

   [184] "Quodammodo foeteret,"
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:7-12

   Matthew 2:7-12

   7. Then Herod, having secretly called the Magii inquired at them
   carefully at what time the star had appeared 8. And having ordered them
   to go to Bethlehem, he said, Go, inquire concerning the young child;
   and, when ye have found him, bring me back information, that I also may
   come and worship him. 9. But they, having heard the King, departed;
   and, lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them,
   till, having advanced, it stood above the place in which the child was.
   10. And, when they had seen the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with
   great joy. 11. And, entering the house, they found the young child with
   Mary his mother, and, falling down, they worshipped him: and, having
   opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts, gold,
   frankincense, and myrrh. 12. And, warned by a heavenly intimation
   through a dream, that they should not return to Herod, they departed,
   by another way, into their own country.


   7. Then Herod, having secretly called the Magi The tyrant did not dare
   to avow his fear and uneasiness, lest he might give fresh courage to a
   people, by whom he knew that he was hated. In public, therefore, he
   pretends that this matter does not concern him, but inquires secretly,
   in order to meet immediate danger. Though a bad conscience made him
   timid, there can be no doubt that God struck his mind with an unusual
   fear, which for a time made him incapable of reflection, and almost
   deprived him of the use of reason. For nothing was more easy than to
   send one of his courtiers as an escort, under the pretense of courtesy,
   who would investigate the whole matter, and immediately return. Herod
   certainly was a man of no ordinary address, and of great courage. It is
   the more surprising that, in a case of extremity, and when the remedy
   is at hand, he remains in a state of amazement, and almost dead. Let us
   learn, that a miracle was effected, in rescuing the Son of God from the
   jaws of the lion. Not less at the present day does God infatuate his
   enemies, so that a thousand schemes of injuring and ruining his Church
   do not occur to their minds, and even the opportunities which are at
   hand are not embraced. The trick which Herod practiced on the Magi, by
   pretending that he also would come for the purpose of worshipping
   Christ, was avoided by the Lord, as we shall see, in another way. But
   as Herod's dread of arousing the people against him deprived him of the
   use of his reason, so again he is driven by such madness, that he does
   not hesitate or shudder at the thought of provoking God. For he knew
   that, if a King were born, it was ordained by God, that he should raise
   up the throne "of David, which was fallen," (Amos 9:11.) He does not
   therefore attack men, but furiously dares to fight with God. Two things
   claim our attention. He was seized with a spirit of giddiness, to
   attack God; and, on the other hand, his manner of acting was childish:
   for his design was frustrated, so that he was like a "blind man groping
   in darkness." [185]

   9. But they, having heard the King, departed It is truly an instance of
   base sluggishness, that not one of the Jews offers himself as an escort
   to those foreigners, to go and see the King who had been promised to
   their own nation. The scribes show them the way, and point out the
   place where he was born; but they allow them to depart alone: not one
   moves a step. They were afraid, perhaps, of Herod's cruelty: but it
   displayed wicked ingratitude that, for the sake of the salvation which
   had been offered to them, they were unwilling to undergo any risk, and
   cared less about the grace of God than about the frown of a tyrant. The
   whole nation, I have lately showed, was so degenerate, that they chose
   rather to be oppressed with the yoke of tyranny, than to submit to any
   inconvenience arising from a change. If God had not fortified the minds
   of the Magi by his Spirit, they might have been discouraged by this
   state of things. But the ardor of their zeal is unabated; they set out
   without a guide. And yet the means of confirming their faith are not
   wanting; for they hear that the King, who had been pointed out to them
   by a star, was long ago described, in glowing language, by divine
   predictions. It would seem that the star, which hitherto guided them in
   the way, had lately disappeared. The reason may easily be conjectured.
   It was, that they might make inquiry in Jerusalem about the new King,
   and might thus take away all excuse from the Jews, who, after having
   been instructed about the Redeemer who was sent to them, knowingly and
   willingly despise him.

   11. They found the young child So revolting a sight might naturally
   have created an additional prejudice; for Christ was so far from having
   aught of royalty surrounding him, that he was in a meaner and more
   despised condition than any peasant child. But they are convinced that
   he is divinely appointed to be a King. This thought alone, deeply
   rooted in their minds, procures their reverence. They contemplate in
   the purpose of God his exalted rank, which is still concealed from
   outward view. [186] Holding it for certain, that he will one day be
   different from what he now appears, they are not at all ashamed to
   render to him the honors of royalty.

   Their presents show whence they came: for there can be no doubt that
   they brought them as the choicest productions of their country. We are
   not to understand, that each of them presented his own offering, but
   that the three offerings, which are mentioned by Matthew, were
   presented by all of them in common. Almost all the commentators indulge
   in speculations about those gifts, as denoting the kingdom, priesthood,
   and burial of Christ. They make gold the symbol of his kingdom, --
   frankincense, of his priesthoods, -- and myrrh, of his burial. I see no
   solid ground for such an opinion. It was customary, we know, among the
   Persians, when they offered homage to their kings, to bring a present
   in their hands. The Magi select those three for the produce of which
   Eastern countries are celebrated; just as Jacob sent into Egypt the
   choicest and most esteemed productions of the soil.

   "Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down
   the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh,
   nuts and almonds,"
   (Genesis 43:11.)

   Again, in rendering homage, according to the custom of Persia, to him
   whom they still regarded as an earthly King, they offered the
   productions of the soil. Our duty is, to adore him in a spiritual
   manner: for the lawful and reasonable worship which he demands is, that
   we consecrate first ourselves, and then all that we have, to his
   service.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [185] Like many others of his scriptural allusions, this is not marked
   by our Author. It approaches very nearly to the language of one of the
   curses pronounced by Moses on the people of Israel, "If they should not
   hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God;" -- "thou shalt grope at
   noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness," (Deuteronomy 28:15,29.) But
   it is more likely that he had in his eye a passage from the book of
   Job. In the opening description of "the devices of the crafty," Herod,
   who is pronounced by Calvin to have been "a man of no ordinary address,
   and another Herod, whom our Lord designates that fox, (Luke 13:32,) are
   so exactly delineated, that it might almost be imagined they had sat
   for the picture. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that
   their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in
   their own craftiness; and the counsel of the froward is carried
   headlong. They meet with darkness in the day-time, and grope in the
   noon-day as in the night," (Job 5:12-14.) -- Ed.

   [186] "Car ils considerent et contemplent au conseil de Dieu sa dignite
   et magnificence royale, laquelle n'apparoissoit point encores;" -- "for
   they consider and contemplate in the purpose of God his royal dignity
   and splendor, which did not yet appear,"
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:22-32

   Luke 2:22-32

   22. And after that the days of their [187] purification were fulfilled
   according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, that they
   might present him to the Lord, 23. As it is written in the Law of the
   Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord:
   24. And that they might offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in
   the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons.
   25. And, lo, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and
   that man was just and devout, [188] waiting for the consolation of
   Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26. And he had received a
   revelation [189] from the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death
   before he saw the Lord's Christ. 27. And he came by the Spirit into the
   temple. [190] And when the parents brought the young child Jesus, that
   they might do according to the custom of the Law for him, 28. He also
   took him into his arms: and blessed God, and said, 29. Thou now sendest
   thy servant away, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace, 30. For my
   eyes have seen thy salvation, 31. Which thou hast prepared before the
   face of all nations: 32. A light for the enlightening of the Gentiles,
   and the glory of thy people Israel.


   22. And after that the days were fulfilled On the fortieth day after
   the birth, (Leviticus 12:2,4,) the rite of purification was necessary
   to be performed. But Mary and Joseph come to Jerusalem for another
   reason, to present Christ to the Lord, because he was the first-born.
   Let us now speak first of the purification. Luke makes it apply both to
   Mary and to Christ: for the pronoun auton, of them, can have no
   reference whatever to Joseph. But it ought not to appear strange, that
   Christ, who was to be, made a curse for us on the cross," (Galatians
   3:13,) should, for our benefit, take upon him our uncleanness with
   respect to legal guilt, though he was "without blemish and without
   spot," (1 Peter 1:19.) It ought not, I say, to appear strange, if the
   fountain of purity, in order to wash away our stains, chose to be
   reckoned unclean. [191] It is a mistake to imagine that this law of
   purification was merely political, and that the woman was unclean in
   presence of her husband, not in presence of God. On the contrary, it
   placed before the eyes of the Jews both the corruption of their nature,
   and the remedy of divine grace.

   This law is of itself abundantly sufficient to prove original sin,
   while it contains a striking proof of the grace of God; for there could
   not be a clearer demonstration of the curse pronounced on mankind than
   when the Lord declared, that the child comes from its mother unclean
   and polluted, and that the mother herself is consequently defiled by
   childbearing. Certainly, if man were not born a sinner, if he were not
   by nature a child of wrath, (Ephesians 2:3,) if some taint of sin did
   not dwell in him, he would have no need of purification. Hence it
   follows, that all are corrupted in Adam; for the mouth of the Lord
   charges all with pollution.

   It is in perfect consistency with this, that the Jews are spoken of, in
   other passages, as "holy branches of a holy root," (Romans 11:16:) for
   this benefit did not properly belong to their own persons. They had
   been set apart, by the privilege of adoption, as an elect people; but
   the corruption, which they had by inheritance from Adam, was first in
   the order of time [192] We must, therefore, distinguish between the
   first nature, and that special kindness through a covenant, by which
   God delivers his own people from the curse which had been pronounced on
   all. And the design of legal purification was to inform the Jews, that
   the pollutions, which they brought with them into the world at their
   birth, are washed away by the grace of God.

   Hence too we ought to learn, how dreadful is the contagion of sin,
   which defiles, in some measure, the lawful order of nature. I do own
   that child-bearing is not unclean, and that what would otherwise be
   lust changes its character, through the sacredness of the marriage
   relation. But still the fountain of sin is so deep and abundant, that
   its constant overflowings stain what would otherwise be pure.

   23. As it is written in the Law This was another exercise of piety
   which was discharged by Joseph and Mary. The Lord commanded, that all
   the males should be dedicated to him, in remembrance of their
   deliverance; because when the angel slew all the first-born of Egypt,
   (Exodus 12:29,) he had spared the first-born of Israel.

   "On the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, I
   hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast: mine
   shall they be:
   I am the Lord" (Numbers 3:13.)

   They were afterwards permitted to redeem their first-born at a certain
   price. Such was the ancient ceremony: and, as the Lord is the common
   Redeemer of all, [193] he has a right to claim us as his own, from the
   least to the greatest. Nor is it without a good reason, that Luke so
   frequently repeats the statement, that Joseph and Mary did what was
   written in the law of the Lord For these words teach us, that we must
   not, at our own suggestion, attempt any thing in the worship of God,
   but must obediently follow what he requires in his Word.

   24. And that they might offer a sacrifice This sacrifice belonged to
   the ceremony of purification; lest any one should suppose that it was
   offered for the sake of redeeming the first-born. When the Evangelist
   mentions a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, he takes for
   granted that his readers will understand, that Joseph and Mary were in
   such deep poverty, as not to have it in their power to offer a lamb.
   For this exception is expressly mentioned:

   "If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall
   bring two turtles, or two young pigeons," (Leviticus 12:8.)

   Is it objected, that the Magi had very recently supplied them with a
   sufficiency of gold to make the purchase? I reply: We must not imagine
   that they had such abundance of gold as to raise them suddenly from
   poverty to wealth. We do not read, that their camels were laden with
   gold. It is more probable that it was some small present, which they
   had brought solely as a mark of respect. The law did not rigorously
   enjoin, that the poor should spend their substance on a sacrifice, but
   drew a line of distinction between them and the rich, as to the kind of
   sacrifices, and thus relieved them from burdensome expense. There would
   be no impropriety in saying, that Joseph and Mary gave as much as their
   circumstances allowed, though they reserved a little money to defray
   the expenses of their journey and of their household.

   25. And, lo, there was a man in Jerusalem The design of this narrative
   is to inform us that, though nearly the whole nation was profane and
   irreligious, and despised God, yet that a few worshippers of God
   remained, and that Christ was known to such persons from his earliest
   infancy. These were "the remnant" of whom Paul says, that they were
   preserved "according to the election of grace," (Romans 11:5.) Within
   this small band lay the Church of God; though the priests and scribes,
   with as much pride as falsehood, claimed for themselves the title of
   the Church. The Evangelist mentions no more than two, who recognised
   Christ at Jerusalem, when he was brought into the temple. These were
   Simeon and Anna. We must speak first of Simeon.

   As to his condition in life we are not informed: he may have been a
   person of humble rank and of no reputation. Luke bestows on him the
   commendation of being just and devout; and adds, that he had the gift
   of prophecy: for the Holy Spirit was upon him. Devotion and
   Righteousness related to the two tables of the law, and are the two
   parts of which an upright life consists. It was a proof of his being a
   devout man, that he waited for the consolation of Israel: for no true
   worship of God can exist without the hope of salvation, which depends
   on the faith of his promises, and particularly on the restoration
   promised through Christ. Now, since an expectation of this sort is
   commended in Simeon as an uncommon attainment, we may conclude, that
   there were few in that age, who actually cherished in their hearts the
   hope of redemption. All had on their lips the name of the Messiah, and
   of prosperity under the reign of David: but hardly any one was to be
   found, who patiently endured present afflictions, relying on the
   consolatory assurance, that the redemption of the Church was at hand.
   As the eminence of Simeon's piety was manifested by its supporting his
   mind in the hope of the promised salvation, so those who wish to prove
   themselves the children of God, will breathe out unceasing prayers for
   the promised redemption. For we, "have need of patience" (Hebrews
   10:36) till the last coming of Christ.

   And the Holy Spirit was upon him The Evangelist does not speak of "the
   Spirit of adoptions" (Romans 8:15,) which is common to all the children
   of God, though not in an equal degree, but of the peculiar gift of
   prophecy. This appears more clearly from the next verse and the
   following one, in which it is said, that he received a revelation [194]
   from the Holy Spirit, and that, by the guidance of the same Spirit, he
   came into the temple Though Simeon had no distinction of public office,
   he was adorned with eminent gifts, -- with piety, with a blameless
   life, with faith and prophecy. Nor can it be doubted, that this divine
   intimation, which he received in his individual and private capacity,
   was intended generally for the confirmation of all the godly. Jesus is
   called the Lord's Christ, because he was anointed [195] by the Father,
   and, at the same time that he received the Spirit, received also the
   title, of King and Priest. Simeon is said to have come into the temple
   by the Spirit; that is, by a secret movement and undoubted revelation,
   that he might meet Christ. [196]

   29. Thou now sendest thy servant away From this song it is sufficiently
   evident, that Simeon looked at the Son of God with different eyes from
   the eyes of flesh. For the outward beholding of Christ could have
   produced no feeling but contempt, or, at least, would never have
   imparted such satisfaction to the mind of the holy man, as to make him
   joyful and desirous to die, from having reached the summit of his
   wishes. The Spirit of God enlightened his eyes by faith, to perceive,
   under a mean and poor dress, the glory of the Son of God. He says, that
   he would be sent away in peace; which means, that he would die with
   composure of mind, having obtained all that he desired.

   But here a question arises. If he chose rather to depart from life, was
   it amidst distress of mind and murmuring, as is usually the case with
   those who die unwillingly, that Simeon was hurried away? I answer: we
   must attend to the circumstance which is added, according to thy word
   God had promised that Simeon would behold his Son. He had good reason
   for continuing in a state of suspense, and must have lived in some
   anxiety, till he obtained his expectation. This ought to be carefully
   observed; for there are many who falsely and improperly plead the
   example of Simeon, and boast that they would willingly die, if this or
   the other thing were previously granted to them; while they allow
   themselves to entertain rash wishes at their own pleasure, or to form
   vain expectations without the authority of the Word of God. If Simeon
   had said exactly, "Now I shall die with a composed and easy mind,
   because I have seen the Son of God," this expression would have
   indicated the weakness of his faith; but, as he had the word, he might
   have refused to die until the coming of Christ.

   30. For my eyes have seen This mode of expression is very common in
   Scripture; but Simeon appears to denote expressly the bodily appearance
   of Christ, as if he had said, that he now has the Son of God present in
   the flesh, on whom the eyes of his mind had been previously fixed. By
   saving [197] I understand the matter of salvation: for in Christ are
   hid all the parts of salvation and of a happy life. Now if the sight of
   Christ, while he was yet a child, had so powerful an effect on Simeon,
   that he approached death with cheerfulness and composure; how much more
   abundant materials of lasting peace are now furnished to us, who have
   the opportunity of beholding our salvation altogether completed in
   Christ? True, Christ no longer dwells on earth, nor do we carry him in
   our arms: but his divine majesty shines openly and brightly in the
   gospel, and there do "we all," as Paul says, "behold as in a glass the
   glory of the Lord," -- not as formerly amidst the weakness of flesh,
   but in the glorious power of the Spirit, which he displayed in his
   miracles, in the sacrifice of his death, and in his resurrection. In a
   word, his absence from us in body is of such a nature, that we are
   permitted to behold him sitting at the right hand of the Father. If
   such a sight does not bring peace to our minds, and make us go
   cheerfully to death, we are highly ungrateful to God, and hold the
   honor, which he has bestowed upon us, in little estimation.

   31. Which thou hast prepared By these words Simeon intimates, that
   Christ had been divinely appointed, that all nations might enjoy his
   grace; and that he would shortly afterwards be placed in an elevated
   situation, and would draw upon him the eyes of all. Under this term he
   includes all the predictions which relate: to the spread of Christ's
   kingdom. But if Simeon, when holding a little child in his arms, could
   stretch his mind to the utmost boundaries of the world, and acknowledge
   the power of Christ to be everywhere present, how much more magnificent
   ought our conceptions regarding him to be now that he has been set up
   as a, "standard to the people," (Isaiah 49:22,) and has revealed
   himself to the whole world.

   32. A light for the revelation of the Gentiles Simeon now points out
   the purpose for which Christ was to be exhibited by the Father before
   all nations. It was that he might enlighten the Gentiles, who had been
   formerly in darkness, and might be the glory of his people Israel There
   is propriety in the distinction here made between the people Israel and
   the Gentiles: for by the right of adoption the children of Abraham
   "were nigh" (Ephesians 2:17) to God, while the Gentiles, with whom God
   had made no "covenants of promise," were "strangers" to the Church,
   (Ephesians 2:12.) For this reason, Israel is called, in other passages,
   not only the son of God, but his first-born, (Jeremiah 31:9;) and Paul
   informs us, that "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for
   the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers"
   (Romans 15:8.) The preference given to Israel above the Gentiles is,
   that all without distinction may obtain salvation in Christ.

   A light for revelation [198] means for enlightening the Gentiles Hence
   we infer, that men are by nature destitute of light, till Christ, "the
   Sun of Righteousness," (Malachi 4:2,) shine upon them. With regard to
   Israel, though God had bestowed upon him distinguished honor, yet all
   his glory rests on this single article, that a Redeemer had been
   promised to him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [187] "Les jours de la purification d'iceux, ou, d'icelle, assavoir de
   Marie,"(Leviticus 12:6.)--"The days of the purification of them, or, of
   her, namely of Mary," (Leviticus 12:6.)

   [188] "Craignant Dieu;" -- "fearing God."

   [189] "Lequel avoit este adverti divinement par le Sainct Esprit;" --
   "who had been divinely warned by the Holy Spirit"

   [190] "Icelui estant meu par le Sainct Esprit, vint au Temple." -- "He,
   being moved by the Holy Ghost, came to the Temple."

   [191] "Si celuy qui est la fontaine de toute purete, a voulu estre tenu
   pour immonde et souille, afin de laver toutes nos ordures." -- "If he,
   who is the fountain of all purity, determined to be reckoned unclean
   and defiled in order to wash away our pollutions."

   [192] "La corruption hereditaire procedante d'Adam precedoit un tel
   bien, et estoit plus ancienne." -- "The hereditary corruption
   proceeding from Adam preceded such a benefit, and was more ancient."

   [193] "Veu que le Seigneur est Redempteur de tout le monde en general;"
   -- "since the Lord is Redeemer of all the world at large."

   [194] "Responsum;" -- "revelation."

   [195] It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader, that the simple
   meaning of the Hebrew word Messiah, and of the Greek word Christ, is
   Anointed; and that the Lord's Christ means the Lord's Anointed,--a
   designation which, as has been already remarked, ([5]p. 92, note 2,)
   was familiarly applied to David and his successors on the throne for
   many generations, (2 Samuel 19:21; Lamentations 4:20,) but was
   afterwards restricted to "David's son," and "David's Lord," (Matthew
   22:45,) whom Daniel emphatically calls the Messiah, the Anointed,
   (Daniel 9:25, 26.) -- Ed.

   [196] "C'est a dire, par un mouvement secret et certaine revelation du
   Sainct Esprit, afin de s'y rencontrer a l'heure que Christ y estoit."
   -- "That is to say, by a secret movement and certain revelation of the
   Spirit, in order that he might arrive at the hour when Christ was
   there."

   [197] "La ou nous avons rendu Ton salut, qui voudroit suivre le mot
   Grec de pres, il faudroit dire, Ton Salutaire." -- "Where we have
   translated Thy Salvation, were we to follow closely the Greek word, we
   must say, Thy Saving."--It is evident that Calvin viewed soterion, not
   with most of our lexicographers, as a noun of the same import with
   soteria, salvation, but as the neuter of the adjective soterios, which
   occurs in a memorable phrase, he charis tou Theou he soterios, (Titus
   2:11,) rendered in the English version, the grace of God that bringeth
   salvation. -- Ed.

   [198] "Lumen ad revelationem." -- "La ou nous avons traduit, Pour
   l'esclaircissement, le mot Grec signifie quelque fois Revelation: mais
   Simeon vent dire ici, Pour esclairer ou illuminer les Gentils." --
   "Where we have translated, For the enlightening, the Greek word
   (apochalupsis) sometimes signifies Revelation: but Simeon means here,
   To enlighten or illuminate the Gentiles."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:33-39

   Luke 2:33-39

   33. And his father and mother were wondering about those things which
   were spoken of him. 34. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his
   mother, Lo, this (child) has been set for the ruin, and for the
   resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign, which is spoken
   against. 35. But also a sword shall pierce thy own soul: that the
   thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36. And there was Anna, a
   prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she had
   advanced to a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years
   from her virginity. 37. And she was a widow of about eighty-four years,
   who departed not from the temple worshipping (God) with fastings and
   prayer day and night. 38. And she, coming in at that hour, made
   acknowledgments also to God, [199] and spake of him to all who looked
   for redemption in Jerusalem. 39. And when they had completed all things
   according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their
   own city Nazareth.


   33. And his father and mother were wondering Luke does not say, that
   they were astonished at it as a new thing, but that they contemplated
   with reverence, and embraced with becoming admiration, this prediction
   of the Spirit uttered by the lips of Simeon, so that they continued to
   make progress in the knowledge of Christ. We learn from this example
   that, when we have once come to possess a right faith, we ought to
   collect, on every hand, whatever may aid in giving to it additional
   strength. That man has made great proficiency in the word of God, who
   does not fail to admire whatever he reads or hears every day, that
   contributes to his unceasing progress in faith.

   34. And Simeon blessed them If you confine this to Joseph and Mary,
   there will be no difficulty. But, as Luke appears to include Christ at
   the same time, it might be asked, What right had Simeon to take upon
   him the office of blessing Christ? "Without all contradiction," says
   Paul, "the less is blessed of the greater," (Hebrews 7:7.) Besides, it
   has the appearance of absurdity, that any mortal man should offer
   prayers in behalf of the Son of God. I answer: The Apostle does not
   speak there of every kind of blessing, but only of the priestly
   blessing: for, in other respects, it is highly proper in men to pray
   for each other. Now, it is more probable that Simeon blessed them, as a
   private man and as one of the people, than that he did so in a public
   character: for, as we have already said, we nowhere read that he was a
   priest. But there would be no absurdity in saying, that he prayed for
   the prosperity and advancement of Christ's kingdom: for in the book of
   Psalms the Spirit prescribes such a eulogia,--a blessing of this nature
   to all the godly.

   "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;
   we have blessed you in the name of the Lords"
   (Psalm 118:26.)

   Lo, this has been set This discourse was, no doubt, directly addressed
   by Simeon to Mary; but it has a general reference to all the godly. The
   holy virgin needed this admonition, that she might not (as usually
   happens) be lifted up by prosperous beginnings, so as to be less
   prepared for enduring afflictive events. But she needed it on another
   account, that she might not expect Christ to be received by the people
   with universal applause, but that her mind, on the contrary, might be
   fortified by unshaken courage against all hostile attacks. It was the
   design, at the same time, of the Spirit of God, to lay down a general
   instruction for all the godly. When they see the world opposing Christ
   with wicked obstinacy, they must be prepared to meet that opposition,
   and to contend against it undismayed. The unbelief of the world is--we
   know it--a great and serious hinderance; but it must be conquered, if
   we wish to believe in Christ. There never was a state of human society
   so happily constituted, that the greater part followed Christ. Those
   who will enlist in the cause of Christ must learn this as one of their
   earliest lessons, and must "put on" this "armor," (Ephesians 6:11,)
   that they may be steadfast in believing on him.

   It was by far the heaviest temptation, that Christ was not acknowledged
   by his own countrymen, and was even ignominiously rejected by that
   nation, which boasted that it was the Church of God; and, particularly,
   that the priests and scribes, who held in their hands the government of
   the Church, were his most determined enemies. For who would have
   thought, that he was the King of those, who not only rejected him, but
   treated him with such contempt and outrage?

   We see, then, that a good purpose was served by Simeon's prediction,
   that Christ was set for the ruin of many in Israel The meaning is, that
   he was divinely appointed to cast down and destroy many. But it must be
   observed, that the ruin of unbelievers results from their striking
   against him. This is immediately afterwards expressed, when Simeon says
   that Christ is a sign, which is spoken against Because unbelievers are
   rebels against Christ, they clash themselves against him, and hence
   comes their ruin This metaphor is taken from a mark shot at by archers,
   [200] as if Simeon had said, Hence we perceive the malice of men, and
   even the depravity of the whole human race, that all, as if they had
   made a conspiracy, rise in murmurs and rebellion against the Son of
   God. The world would not display such harmony in opposing the Gospel,
   if there were not a natural enmity between the Son of God and those
   men. The ambition or fury of the enemies of the Gospel carries them in
   various directions, faction splits them into various sects, and a wide
   variety of superstitions distinguishes idolaters from each other. But
   while they thus differ among themselves, they all agree in this, to
   oppose the Son of God. It has been justly observed, that the opposition
   everywhere made to Christ is too plain an evidence of human depravity.
   That the world should thus rise against its Creator is a monstrous
   sight. But Scripture predicted that this would happen, and the reason
   is very apparent, that men who have once been alienated from God by
   sin, always fly from him. Instances of this kind, therefore, ought not
   to take us by surprise; but, on the contrary, our faith, provided with
   this armor, ought to be prepared to fight with the contradiction of the
   world.

   As God has now gathered an Israel to himself from the whole world, and
   there is no longer a distinction between the Jew and the Greek, the
   same thing must now happen as, we learn, happened before. Isaiah had
   said of his own age,

   "The Lord will be for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense,
   to both the houses of Israel," (Isaiah 8:14.)

   From that time, the Jews hardly ever ceased to dash themselves against
   God, but the rudest shock was against Christ. The same madness is now
   imitated by those who call themselves Christians; and even those, who
   lay haughty claims to the first rank in the Church, frequently employ
   all the power which they possess in oppressing Christ. But let us
   remember, all that they gain is, to be at length crushed and "broken in
   pieces," (Isaiah 8:9.)

   Under the word ruin the Spirit denounces the punishment of unbelievers,
   and thus warns us to keep at the greatest possible distance from them;
   lest, by associating with them, we become involved in the same
   destruction. And Christ is not the less worthy of esteem, because, when
   he appears, many are ruined: for the "savor" of the Gospel is not less
   "sweet" and delightful to God, (2 Corinthians 2:15,16,) though it is
   destructive to the ungodly world. Does any one inquire, how Christ
   occasions the ruin of unbelievers, who without him were already lost?
   The reply is easy. Those who voluntarily deprive themselves of the
   salvation which God has offered to them, perish twice. Ruin implies the
   double punishment which awaits all unbelievers, after that they have
   knowingly and wilfully opposed the Son of God.

   And for the resurrection This consolation is presented as a contrast
   with the former clause, to make it less painful to our feelings: for,
   if nothing else were added, it would be melancholy to hear, that Christ
   is "a stone of stumbling," which will break and crush, by its hardness,
   a great part of men. Scripture therefore reminds us of his office,
   which is entirely different: for the salvation of men, which is founded
   on it, is secure; as Isaiah also says, "Sanctify the Lord of hosts
   himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he
   shall be for a sanctuary," or fortress of defense, (Isaiah 8:13,14.)
   And Peter speaks more clearly:

   "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but
   chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a
   spiritual house. Wherefore also it is contained in Scripture, Behold, I
   lay in Zion the head-stone of the corner, elect, precious, and he that
   believeth in him shall not be confounded. Unto you, therefore, which
   believe, he is precious: but unto them who are disobedient, the stone
   which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the
   corner," (1 Peter 2:4-7; Isaiah 28:16.)

   That we may not be terrified by the designation bestowed on Christ, "a
   stone of stumbling," let it be instantly recollected, on the other
   hand, that he is likewise called the "corner-stone," on which rests the
   salvation of all the godly. [201]

   Let it be also taken into account, that the former is accidental, while
   the latter is properly and strictly his office. Besides, it deserves
   our notice, that Christ is not only called the support, but the
   resurrection of the godly: for the condition of men is not one in which
   it is safe for them to remain. They must rise from death, before they
   begin to live.

   35. But also a sword shall pierce thy own soul This warning must have
   contributed greatly to fortify the mind of the holy virgin, and to
   prevent her from being overwhelmed with grief, when she came to those
   distressing struggles, which she had to undergo. Though her faith was
   agitated and tormented by various temptations, yet her sorest battle
   was with the cross: for Christ might appear to be utterly destroyed.
   She was not overwhelmed with grief; but it would have required a heart
   of stone not to be deeply wounded: for the patience of the saints
   differs widely from stupidity.

   That the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed There are some who
   connect this clause with a part of the former verse, that Christ is set
   for the ruin and for the resurrection of many in Israel; and who
   include in a parenthesis what we have just now explained about the
   sword: but it is better, I think, to refer it to the whole passage. The
   particle that, hopos an, in this passage, does not strictly denote a
   cause, but merely a consequence. When the light of the Gospel arises,
   and persecutions immediately spring up, there is, at the same time, a
   disclosure of affections of the heart, which had been hitherto
   concealed: for the lurking-places of human dissimulation are so deep,
   that they easily remain hidden till Christ comes. [202] But Christ, by
   his light, discloses every artifice, and unmasks hypocrisy; and to him
   is properly ascribed the office of laying open the secrets of the
   heart. But when the cross is added to doctrine it tries the hearts more
   to the quick. For those who have embraced Christ by outward profession,
   often shrink from bearing the cross, and, when they see the Church
   exposed to numerous calamities, easily desert their post.

   36. And there was Anna, a prophetess Luke mentions not more than two
   persons who received Christ; and this is intended to teach us, that
   whatever belongs to God, however small it may be, ought to be preferred
   by us to the whole world. The scribes and priests, no doubt, were then
   surrounded by great splendor; but, as the Spirit of God, whose presence
   was not at all enjoyed by those rulers, [203] dwelt in Simeon and Anna,
   those two persons are entitled to greater reverence than an immense
   multitude of those whose pride is swelled by nothing but empty titles.
   For this reason, the historian mentions Anna's age, gives her the
   designation of prophetess, and, thirdly, bears a remarkable testimony
   to her piety, and to the holiness and chastity of her life. These are
   the qualities that justly give to men weight and estimation. And
   certainly none are led astray by the dazzling and empty magnificence of
   outward show, but those who are drawn, by the vanity of their own
   minds, to take pleasure in being deceived.

   She had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity This is
   intended to inform us, that she was a widow in the very prime of life.
   She had married young, and shortly afterwards lost her husband; and the
   circumstance of her not entering into a second marriage while she was
   in the rigor of her bodily frame, [204] is mentioned with the view of
   heightening the commendation of her chastity. What follows, that she
   was a widow of about eighty-four years, may be explained in two ways.
   Either that time had passed in her unmarried state, [205] or it was the
   whole period of her life. If you reckon the eighty-four years as the
   time of her widowhood, it will follow that she was more than a hundred
   years old: but I leave that matter doubtful. The Spirit of prophecy
   still shone in a very few, who served as tokens to attest the doctrine
   of the Law and the Jewish religion, till the coming of Christ. In a
   state of society so dissolute, the elect of God needed such aids to
   prevent them from being carried away.

   37. She departed not from the temple This is a hyperbolical expression;
   but the meaning is plain, that Anna was almost constantly in the
   temple. Luke adds, that she worshipped God with fastings and prayers
   day and night Hence we infer, that she did not visit the temple for the
   mere purpose of performing the outward service, but that she added to
   it the other exercises of piety. It deserves our attention, that the
   same rule is not enjoined on all, and that all ought not to be led
   indiscriminately to copy those performances, which are here commended
   in a widow. Each person ought to make a judicious inquiry, what belongs
   to his own calling. Silly ambition has filled the world with apes, from
   superstitious persons seizing, with more "zeal" than "knowledges"
   (Romans 10:2,) every thing that they hear praised in the saints: as if
   the distinction of rank did not render a selection of employments
   necessary, that each person may answer to his own calling. What is here
   related of Anna, Paul applies in a particular manner to widows, (1
   Timothy 5:5;) so that married people act a foolish part, if they
   regulate their life by an unsuitable model.

   But there still remains another doubt. Luke appears to make fastings a
   part of divine worship But we must observe, that of the acts which
   relate to worship, some are simply required, and, as we are accustomed
   to say, are in themselves necessary; while others are accessory, and
   have no other design than to aid the former class. Prayers belong
   strictly to the worship of God. Fasting is a subordinate aid, which is
   pleasing to God no farther than as it aids the earnestness and fervency
   of prayer. We must hold by this rule, that the duties of men are to be
   judged according as they are directed to a proper and lawful end. We
   must hold, also, by this distinction, that prayers are a direct worship
   of God; while fastings are a part of worship only on account of their
   consequences. Nor is there any reason to doubt, that the holy woman
   employed fastings as an excitement to bewail those calamities of the
   Church which then existed.

   38. Made acknowledgment also to God [206] The holy melody, which
   proceeded from the lips of Simeon and Anna, is praised by Luke, in
   order that believers may exhort each other to sing with one mouth the
   praises of God, and may give mutual replies. When he says, that Anna
   spake of him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem, he again
   points out the small number of the godly. For the substance of faith
   lay in this expectation; and it is evident, that there were few who
   actually cherished it in their minds.

   39. They returned to Galilee The departure to Egypt, I readily
   acknowledge, came between those events; and the fact mentioned by Luke,
   that they dwelt in their own city Nazareth, is later, in point of time,
   than the flight into Egypt, which Matthew relates, (Matthew 2:14.) But
   if there was no impropriety in one Evangelist leaving out what is
   related by another, there was nothing to prevent Luke from overleaping
   the period which he did not intend to mention, and passing at once to
   the following history. I am very far from agreeing with those who
   imagine that Joseph and Mary, after having finished the sacrifice of
   purification, returned to Bethlehem, to live there. Those persons are
   foolish enough to believe, that Joseph had a settled abode in a place
   where he was so little known, that he was unable to find a temporary
   lodging. Nor is it without a good reason that Luke says, with respect
   both to Joseph and Mary, that Nazareth was their own city We infer from
   it, that he never was an inhabitant of Bethlehem, though it was the
   place of his extraction. [207] As to the order of time, I shall
   presently give a more full explanation.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [199] "Louoit aussi le Seigneur;" -- "praised also the Lord."

   [200] "Ceste facon de parler contient une metaphore prise des
   arbalestiers, ou autres qui visent au blanc." -- "This way of speaking
   contains a metaphor, taken from archers, or others who aim at a mark."

   [201] "La maitresse Pierre du coin, sur laquelle est fonde le salut de
   tous les enfans de Dieu." -- "The head-stone of the corner, on which is
   founded the salvation of all the children of God."

   [202] "Extra Christum;" -- "jusqu'a ce que Jesus Christ viene."

   [203] The word rulers (principes) appears to be here used
   sarcastically; for his own translation is," duquel estoyent du tout
   destituez les autres, combien que ce fussent les gouverneurs;" -- "of
   which the others were entirely destitute, though they were rulers."

   [204] "Quum adhuc vegeto esset corpore."

   [205] "Il y avoit tant de temps que son mari estoit mort;" -- "it was
   so long since her husband died."

   [206] "Louoit aussi le Seigneur;" -- "praised also the Lord."

   [207] "Combien que ce fust le pays de ses ancestres;" -- "though it was
   the country of his ancestors."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:13-18

   Matthew 2:13-18

   13. And when they had departed, lo, the angel of the Lord appeared in
   dreams to Joseph, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his
   mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I have told thee:
   for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14. And he, when
   awake, took the young child and his mother by night, and withdrew into
   Egypt: 15. And was there until the death of Herod; that it might be
   fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out
   of Egypt have I called my Son. 16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was
   mocked by the Magi, was exceedingly enraged, and sent to slay [208] all
   the children that were in Bethlehem, and all its boundaries, [209] from
   two years old and under, according to the time which he had inquired at
   the Magi. 17. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by Jeremiah the
   Prophet, when he says, 18. A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation,
   wailing, and much weeping: Rachel bewailing her children, and refused
   to receive consolation, because they are not.


   13. And when they had departed How many days elapsed from the departure
   of the Magi, till Joseph was ordered to flee into Egypt, is not known,
   nor is it of much importance to inquire: only it is probable that the
   Lord spared Mary, till she was so far recovered from childbirth as to
   be able to perform the journey. It was a wonderful purpose of God, that
   he chose to preserve his Son by flight. The mind of Joseph must have
   been harassed by dangerous temptations, when he came to see that there
   was no hope but in flight: for in flight there was no appearance of
   divine protection. Besides, it was very difficult to reconcile the
   statement, that he who was to be the Savior of all, could not be
   preserved without the exertion of a mortal man. But, in preserving the
   life of his Son, God maintained such reserve, as to give some
   indications of his heavenly power, and yet not to make it so manifest
   as to prevent it from being concealed under the appearance of weakness:
   for the full time of glorifying Christ openly was not yet come. The
   angel predicts an event which was hidden, and unknown to men. That is
   an evident proof of divine guidance. But the angel orders him to defend
   the life of the child by flight and exile. This belongs to the weakness
   of flesh, to which Christ was subjected.

   We are here taught, that God has more than one way of preserving his
   own people. Sometimes he makes astonishing displays of his power; while
   at other times he employs dark coverings or shadows, from which feeble
   rays of it escape. This wonderful method of preserving the Son of God
   under the cross teaches us, that they act improperly who prescribe to
   God a fixed plan of action. Let us permit him to advance our salvation
   by a diversity of methods; and let us not refuse to be humbled, that he
   may more abundantly display his glory. Above all, let us never avoid
   the cross, by which the Son of God himself was trained from his
   earliest infancy. This flight is a part of the foolishness of the
   cross, but it surpasses all the wisdom of the world. That he may appear
   at his own time as the Savior of Judea, he is compelled to flee from
   it, and is nourished by Egypt, from which nothing but what was
   destructive to the Church of God had ever proceeded. Who would not have
   regarded with amazement such an unexpected work of God?

   Joseph immediately complies with the injunction of the Angel. This is
   another proof of the certainty of the dream: for such promptitude of
   obedience plainly shows, that he had no doubt whatever, that it was God
   who had enjoined him to take flight. This eager haste may wear somewhat
   of the aspect of distrust: for the flight by night had some appearance
   of alarm. But it is not difficult to frame an excuse. He saw that God
   had appointed a method of safety which was low and mean: and he
   concludes that he is at liberty to take flight in such a state of alarm
   as is commonly produced by extreme danger. Our fear ought always to be
   regulated by the divine intimations. If it agrees with them, it will
   not be opposed to faith.

   Be thou there until I have told thee By these words the Angel declares,
   that the life of the child will, even in future, be the object of the
   divine care. Joseph needed to be thus strengthened, so as to conclude
   with certainty, that God would not only conduct him in the journey, but
   that, during his banishment, God would be his constant protector. And
   in this way God was pleased to allay many anxieties, with which the
   heart of the good man must have been perplexed, so that he enjoyed
   serenity of mind during his sojourn in Egypt. But for this, not a
   moment would have passed without numerous temptations, when he saw
   himself excluded not only from the inheritance promised by God to all
   his saints, -- but from the temple, from sacrifices, from a public
   profession of his faiths, -- and was living among the worst enemies of
   God, and in a deep gulf of superstitions. He carried with him, indeed,
   in the person of the child, all the blessings which the Fathers had
   hoped to enjoy, or which the Lord had promised to them: but as he had
   not yet made such proficiency in faith, and in the knowledge of Christ,
   he needed to be restrained by this injunction, Be thou there until I
   have told thee, that he might not be displeased at languishing in
   banishment from his country among the Egyptians.

   15. Out of Egypt have I called my Son Matthew says that a prediction
   was fulfilled. Some have thought, that the intention of the prophet was
   different from what is here stated, and have supposed the meaning to
   be, that the Jews act foolishly in opposing and endeavoring to oppress
   the Son of God, because the Father hath called him out of Egypt In this
   way, they grievously pervert the words of the prophet, (Hosea 11:1,)
   the design of which is, to establish a charge of ingratitude against
   the Jews, who, from their earliest infancy, and from the commencement
   of their history, had found God to be a kind and generous Father, and
   yet were provoking him by fresh offenses. Beyond all question, the
   passage ought not to be restricted to the person of Christ: and yet it
   is not tortured by Matthew, but skilfully applied to the matter in
   hand.

   The words of the prophet ought to be thus interpreted: "When Israel was
   yet a child, I brought him out of that wretched bondage in which he had
   been plunged. He was formerly like a dead man, and Egypt served him for
   a grave; but I drew him out of it as from the womb, and brought him
   into the light of life." And justly does the Lord speak in this manner;
   for that deliverance was a sort of birth of the nation. Then were
   openly produced letters of adoption, when, by the promulgation of the
   law, they became "the Lord's portion," (Deuteronomy 32:9,) "a royal
   priesthood, and a holy nation," (1 Peter 2:9;) when they were separated
   from the other nations, and when, in short, God "set up his tabernacle"
   (Leviticus 26:11) to dwell in the midst of them. The words of the
   prophet import, that the nation was rescued from Egypt as from a deep
   whirlpool of death. Now, what was the redemption brought by Christ, but
   a resurrection from the dead, and the commencement of a new life? The
   light of salvation had been almost extinguished, when God begat the
   Church anew in the person of Christ. Then did the Church come out of
   Egypt in its head, as the whole body had been formerly brought out.

   This analogy prevents us from thinking it strange, that any part of
   Christ's childhood was passed in Egypt. The grace and power of God
   became more illustrious, and his wonderful purpose was more distinctly
   seen, when light came out of darkness, and life out of hell. Otherwise,
   the sense of the flesh might have broken out here in contemptuous
   language, "Truly a Redeemer is to come out of Egypt!" [210] Matthew
   therefore reminds us, that it is no strange or unwonted occurrence for
   God to call his Son out of that country; and that it serves rather to
   confirm our faith, that, as on a former occasion, so now again, the
   Church of God comes out of Egypt. There is this difference, however,
   between the two cases. The whole nation was formerly shut up in the
   prison of Egypt; while, in the second redemption, it was Christ, the
   head of the Church alone, who was concealed there, but who carried the
   salvation and life of all shut up in his own person.

   16. Then Herod when he saw Matthew speaks according to what Herod felt
   and thought about the matter. He believed that the Magi had deceived
   him, because they did not choose to take part in his wicked cruelty. He
   was rather taken in his own trickery, -- in his base pretense, that he
   too intended to pay homage to the new King.

   Josephus makes no mention of this history. The only writer who mentions
   it is Macrobius, in the Second Book of his Saturnalia, where, relating
   the jokes and taunts of Augustus, he says: When he heard that, by
   Herod's command, the children in Syria under two years of age had been
   slain, and that his own son had been slain among the crowd, "I would
   rather," said he, "have been Herod's hog than his son." But the
   authority of Matthew alone is abundantly sufficient for us. Josephus
   certainly ought not to have passed over a crime so worthy of being put
   on record. But there is the less reason to wonder that he says nothing
   about the infants; for he passes lightly over, and expresses in obscure
   language, an instance of Herod's cruelty not less shocking, which took
   place about the same time, when he put to death all the Judges, who
   were called the Sanhedrim, that hardly a remnant might remain of the
   stock of David. It was the same dread, I have no doubt, that impelled
   him to both of these murders.

   There is some uncertainty about the date. [211] Matthew says, that they
   were slain from two years old and under, according to the time which he
   had inquired at the Magi: from which we may infer that Christ had then
   reached that age, or at least was not far from being two years old.
   Some go farther, and conclude that Christ was about that age at the
   time when the Magi came. But I contend that the one does not follow
   from the other. With what terror Herod was seized when the report was
   widely spread about a new king who had been borne, [212] we have lately
   seen. Fear prevented him at that time from employing a traitor, in a
   secret manner, to make an investigation. [213] There is no reason to
   wonder that he was restrained, for some time, from the commission of a
   butchery so hateful and shocking, particularly while the report about
   the arrival of the Magi was still recent. It is certainly probable,
   that he revolved the crime in his mind, but delayed it till a
   convenient opportunity should occur. It is even possible, that he first
   murdered the Judges, in order to deprive the people of their leaders,
   and thus to compel them to look upon the crime as one for which there
   was no remedy. [214]

   We may now conclude it to be a frivolous argument, on which those
   persons rest, who argue, that Christ was two years old when he was
   worshipped by the Magi, because, according to the time when the star
   appeared, Herod slew the children who were a little below two years
   old. Such persons take for granted, without any proper ground, that the
   star did not appear till after that the Virgin had brought forth her
   child. It is far more probable, that they had been warned early, and
   that they undertook the journey close upon the time of the birth of
   Christ, that they might see the child when lately born, in the cradle,
   or in his mother's lap. It is a very childish imagination that, because
   they came from an unknown country, and almost from another world, they
   had spent about two years on the road. The conjectures stated by
   Osiander [215] are too absurd to need refutation.

   But there is no inconsistency in the thread of the story which I
   propose, -- that the Magi came when the period of child-bearing was not
   yet over, and inquired after a king who had been born, not after one
   who was already two years old; that, after they had returned to their
   own country, Joseph fled by night, but still in passing discharged a
   pious duty at Jerusalem, (for in so populous a city, where there was a
   constant influx of strangers from every quarter, he might be secure
   from danger;) that, after he had departed to Egypt, Herod began to
   think seriously about his own danger, and the ulcer of revenge, which
   he had nourished in his heart for more than a year and half, at length
   broke out. The adverb then (tote) does not always denote in Scripture
   uninterrupted time, [216] but frequently occurs, when there is a great
   distance between the events.

   18. A voice was heard in Ramah It is certain that the prophet describes
   (Jeremiah 31:15) the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin, which took
   place in his time: for he had foretold that the tribe of Judah would be
   cut off, to which was added the half of the tribe of Benjamin. He puts
   the mourning into the mouth of Rachel, who had been long dead. This is
   a personification, (prosopopoiia,) which has a powerful influence in
   moving the affections. It was not for the mere purpose of ornamenting
   his style, that Jeremiah employed rhetorical embellishments. There was
   no other way of correcting the hardness and stupidity of the living,
   than by arousing the dead, as it were, from their graves, to bewail
   those divine chastisements, which were commonly treated with derision.
   The prediction of Jeremiah having been accomplished at that time,
   Matthew does not mean that it foretold what Herod would do, but that
   the coming of Christ occasioned a renewal of that mourning, which had
   been experienced, many centuries before, by the tribe of Benjamin.

   He intended thus to meet a prejudice which might disturb and shake
   pious minds. It might be supposed, that no salvation could be expected
   from him, on whose account, as soon as he was born, infants were
   murdered; nay more, that it was an unfavorable and disastrous omen,
   that the birth of Christ kindled a stronger flame of cruelty than
   usually burns amidst the most inveterate wars. But as Jeremiah promises
   a restoration, where a nation has been cut off, down to their little
   children, so Matthew reminds his readers, that this massacre would not
   prevent Christ from appearing shortly afterwards as the Redeemer of the
   whole nation: for we know that the whole chapter in Jeremiah, in which
   those words occur, is filled with the most delightful consolations.
   Immediately after the mournful complaint, he adds,

   "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy
   work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord, and they shall come again from
   the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord,
   that thy children shall come again to thine own border," (Jeremiah
   31:16, 17.)

   Such was the resemblance between the former calamity which the tribe of
   Benjamin had sustained, and the second calamity, which is here
   recorded. Both were a prelude of the salvation which was shortly to
   arrive. [217]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [208] "Mittens interfecit;" -- "sending slew."

   [209] "Et en toutes les marches d'icelle;" -- "and in all the marches
   thereof."

   [210] "Qui croira que le Redempteur viene d'Egypte?" -- "Who will
   believe that a Redeemer will come out of Egypt?"

   [211] "Toutefois on ne sait pas certainement si ce fut en mesme temps."
   -- "However, it is not known certainly if it was at the same time."

   [212] "Quand les premieres nouvelles vindrent de la naissance du
   nouveau Roy, et que le bruit en commenca a courir;" -- "when the first
   news arrived of the birth of the new King, and when the noise about it
   began to spread."

   [213] "La crainte l'empescha lors d'envoyer secretement quelque
   traistre pour espier comme tout alloit;" -- "fear prevented him at that
   time from employing some traitor to spy how all went."

   [214] "Et pent estre qu'il a premierement mis a mort les Juges, afin
   qu'apres avoir oste au poure peuple ses conducteurs, il peust sans
   contredit luy tenir le pie sui la gorge, et en faire a son plaisir." --
   "And perhaps he first put the Judges to death, that, after having
   deprived the wretched people of their leaders, he might without
   opposition, set his foot on their throat, and do with them at his
   pleasure."

   [215] Andrew Osiander, (grandfather of Dr Andrew Osiander, a Lutheran
   divine,) author of several works which gained him not a little
   celebrity, among which is Harmonia Evangelica -- Ed.

   [216] "Sans qu'il y ait rien entre-deux;" -- "without there being
   anything between the two,"

   [217] "C'est que l'une et l'autre a est, comme le message apportant les
   nouvelles du salut qui approchoit." -- "It is, that both were, as it
   were, the message bringing the tidings of the salvation which was
   approaching."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 2:19-23

   Matthew 2:19-23

   19. But when Herod was dead, lo, the angel of the Lord appeareth, by a
   dream, to Joseph in Egypt, 20. Saying, Arise, and take the child and
   his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead who
   sought the life [218] , of the child. 21. And he rose and took [219]
   the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22. But
   when he had heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in the room of
   his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: but, warned by a
   heavenly communication through a dream, he withdrew into the parts of
   Galilee. 23. Having come there, he dwelt in the city [220] which is
   called Nazareth, that what had been spoken by the prophets might be
   fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene.


   19. But when Herod was dead These words show the perseverance of
   Joseph's faith. He kept his feet firm in Egypt, till he was recalled to
   his native country by a command of God. We see, at the same time, that
   the Lord never disappoints his own people, but renders them seasonable
   aid. It is probable that Joseph returned from Egypt immediately after
   the death of Herod, before Augustus Caesar had issued his decree,
   appointing Archelaus to be governor of Judea. Having been declared by
   his father's will to be successor to the throne, he undertook the whole
   charge of the government, but abstained from taking the title of king,
   saying that this depended on the will and pleasure of Caesar. He
   afterwards went to Rome, and obtained confirmation; only the name of
   king was refused, until he had merited it by his actions. The governor
   of Galilee was Philip, a man of gentle disposition, and almost like a
   private individual. Joseph complied with the suggestion of the angel,
   because, under a prince who had no delight in shedding blood, and who
   treated his subjects with mildness, there was less danger.

   We must always bear in mind the purpose of God, in training his Son,
   from the commencement, under the discipline of the cross, because this
   was the way in which he was to redeem his Church. He bore our
   infirmities, and was exposed to dangers and to fears, that he might
   deliver his Church from them by his divine power, and might bestow upon
   it everlasting peace. His danger was our safety: his fear was our
   confidence. Not that he ever in his life felt alarm; but as he was
   surrounded, on every hand, by the fear of Joseph and Mary, he may be
   justly said to have taken upon him our fears, that he might procure for
   us assured confidence.

   23. He shall be called a Nazarene Matthew does not derive Nazarene from
   Nazareth, as if this were its strict and proper etymology, but only
   makes an allusion. The word nzyr, or Nazarite, signifies holy and
   devoted to God, and is derived from nzr, to separate. The noun nzr,
   indeed, signifies a flower: [221] but Matthew refers, beyond all doubt,
   to the former meaning. For we nowhere read that Nazarites meant
   blooming or flourishing, but persons who were consecrated to God,
   according to the directions given by the Law, (Numbers 6.) The meaning
   is: though it was by fear that Joseph was driven into a corner of
   Galilee, yet God had a higher design, and appointed the city of
   Nazareth as the place of Christ's residence, that he might justly be
   called a Nazarite But it is asked, who are the prophets that gave this
   name to Christ? for there is no passage to be found that answers to the
   quotation. Some think it a sufficient answer, that Scripture frequently
   calls him Holy: but that is a very poor explanation. For Matthew, as we
   perceive, makes an express reference to the very word, and to the
   ancient Nazarites, whose holiness was of a peculiar character. He tells
   us, that what was then shadowed out in the Nazarites, who were, in some
   sense, selected as the first-fruits to God, must have been fulfilled in
   the person of Christ.

   But it remains to be seen, in what part of Scripture the prophets have
   stated that this name would be given to Christ. Chrysostom, finding
   himself unable to loose the knot, cuts it by saying, that many books of
   the prophets have perished. But this answer has no probability: for,
   though the Lord, in order to punish the indifference of his ancient
   people, deprived them of some part of Scripture, or left out what was
   less necessary, yet, since the coming of Christ, no part of it has been
   lost. In support of that view, a strange blunder has been made, by
   quoting a passage of Josephus, in which he states that Ezekiel left two
   books: for Ezekiel's prophecy of a new temple and kingdom is manifestly
   distinct from his other predictions, and may be said to form a new
   work. But if all the books of Scripture which were extant in the time
   of Matthew, remain entire to the present day, we must find somewhere
   the passage quoted from the prophets.

   Bucer [222] has explained it, I think, more correctly than any other
   writer. He thinks that the reference is to a passage in the Book of
   Judges: The child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, (Judges
   13:5.) These words, no doubt, were spoken with regard to Samson. But
   Samson is called the "Redeemer" or "Deliverer" [223] of the people,
   only because he was a figure of Christ, and because the salvation,
   which was accomplished by his instrumentality, was a sort of prelude of
   the full salvation, which was at length exhibited to the world by the
   Son of God. [224] All that Scripture predicts, in a favorable manner,
   about Samson, may justly be applied to Christ. To express it more
   clearly, Christ is the original model: Samson is the inferior antitype.
   [225] When he assumed the character of a Redeemer, [226] we ought to
   understand, that none of the titles bestowed on that illustrious and
   truly divine office apply so strictly to himself as to Christ: for the
   fathers did but taste the grace of redemption, which we have been
   permitted to receive fully in Christ.

   Matthew uses the word prophets in the plural number. This may easily be
   excused: for the Book of Judges was composed by many prophets. But I
   think that what is here said about the prophets has a still wider
   reference. For Joseph, who was a temporal Savior of the Church, and
   was, in many respects, a figure, or rather a lively image of Christ, is
   called a Nazarite of his brethren, [227] (Genesis 49:26; Deuteronomy
   33:16.) God determined that the distinguished honor, of which he had
   given a specimen in Joseph, should shine again in Samson, and gave him
   the name of Nazarite, that believers, having received those early
   instructions, might look more earnestly at the Redeemer who was to
   come, who was to be separated from all,

   "That he might be the first-born among many brethren,"
   (Romans 8:29.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [218] "Qui demandoyent l'ame, ou la vie, du petit enfant;" -- "who
   demanded the soul, or the life, of the little child."

   [219] "Surgens assumpsit;" -- "rising took." -- "Joseph donc esveille
   print;" -- "Joseph then awakened took."

   [220] "La cite."

   [221] It would have been more correct to say that the noun nzr
   signifies a crown than a flower. "Thou shalt put the holy crown," 't
   nzr hqds, (Exodus 29:6.) "Thou hast profaned his crown," nzrv, (Psalm
   89:39.) It is satisfactory to have the support of so eminent a critic
   as Dr Tholuck, who, in his very correct edition of Calvin's Commentary
   on the New Testament, after the word florem, flower, places in brackets
   an emendation similar to what we have suggested: "vel potius,
   diadematis insigne," --"or rather, the emblem of a crown." -- Ed.

   [222] A contemporary of our author, who was greatly admired, not only
   for the extent of his learning in a very learned age, but for the
   soundness of his judgment. He is hardly ever mentioned but with deep
   respect. -- Ed.

   [223] The remaining words of the passage (Judges 13:5) are: and he
   shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines;
   which our author interprets as having a prophetic reference to Christ.
   -- Ed.

   [224] "Le salut qu'a receu le peuple par son moyen, a este comme une
   representation ayant quelques traces du vray et parfait salut, lequel
   finalement le Fils de Dieu a apporte et presente au monde." -- "The
   salvation which the people received by his agency was, as it were, a
   representation, having some traces of the true and perfect salvation,
   which the Son of God finally brought and presented to the world."

   [225] "Pour le dire plus clairement en deux mots, Christ est le vray
   patron accompli en perfection, mais Samson est un pourtrait legerement
   tire et trac, dessus." -- "To state it more clearly in two words,
   Christ is the true Defender fulfilled in perfection: but Samson is a
   portrait lightly traced and drawn below."

   [226] Deliverer.

   [227] In both of the passages quoted above, the words nzyr 'chyv are
   rendered, in the English version, separated from his brethren. This
   brings out pretty faithfully the meaning of nzyr, separated, but does
   not suggest the allusion, which Calvin supposes to be made to the
   peculiar acceptation given by the ceremonial law to nzyr, from which
   our word Nazarite is derived. Hebrew scholars must judge for themselves
   as to the probability of the allusion. Without entering into that
   inquiry, which would occupy more space than we could easily spare, we
   have thought it due to our Author to hint, that the two passages which
   he quotes, and which at first sight appear to have no bearing on his
   argument, contain the very word in questlon. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   Luke 2:40-47

   Luke 2:40-47

   40. And the child grew, and was invigorated in spirit, and was full of
   wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 41. And his parents went
   every year to Jerusalem, to the feast of the Passover. 42. And when he
   arrived [228] at twelve years, as they went up to Jerusalem, according
   to the custom of the feast, 43. And when the days were finished, while
   they were returning, the child Jesus remained at Jerusalem, and his
   parents did not know it. [229] 44. And thinking that he was in the
   company, they came a day's journey, and sought him among their
   relatives and acquaintances. 45. And when they did not find him, they
   returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46. And it happened, after three
   days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
   doctors, hearing and putting questions to them: 47. And all who heard
   him were astonished at his understanding and answers.


   40. And the child grew From the infancy of Christ Matthew passes
   immediately to his manifestation. [230] Luke relates here a single
   fact, which well deserved to be recorded. In the midst of his boyhood,
   Christ gave a specimen of his future office, or at least indicated, by
   a single attempt, what he would afterwards be. The child grew, and was
   invigorated in spirit These words show, that the endowments of his mind
   grew with his age. [231] Hence we infer, that this progress, or
   advancement, relates to his human nature: for the Divine nature could
   receive no increase.

   But a question arises. From the time that he was conceived in his
   mother's womb, did he not abound in all fullness of spiritual gifts?
   for it appears absurd to say, that the Son of God wanted any thing that
   was necessary to perfection. The reply is easy. If it takes nothing
   from his glory, that he was altogether, "emptied," (heauton ekenose,
   Philippians 2:6,) neither does it degrade him, that he chose not only
   to grow in body, but to make progress in mind. And certainly when the
   Apostle declares, that, "in all things he was made like unto his
   brethren,"(Hebrews 2:17,) and "was in all points tempted like as we
   are, sin excepted," (Hebrews 4:15,) he no doubt includes, that his soul
   was subject to ignorance. There is only this difference between us and
   him, that the weaknesses which press upon us, by a necessity which we
   cannot avoid, were undertaken by him voluntarily, and of his own
   accord. Christ received, in his human nature, according to his age and
   capacity, an increase of the free gifts of the Spirit, [232] that "out
   of his fullness" (John 1:16) he may pour them out upon us; for we draw
   grace out of his grace.

   Some excessively timid persons restrict what is here said to outward
   appearance, and make the meaning to be, that Christ appeared to make
   progress, though, in point of fact, no addition was made to his
   knowledge. But the words have a quite different meaning, and this
   mistaken opinion is still more fully refuted by what Luke shortly
   afterwards adds, that he grew in age and wisdom with God and man, (ver.
   52.) We are not at liberty to suppose, that knowledge lay concealed in
   Christ, and made its appearance in him in progress of time. There is no
   doubt whatever, that it was the design of God to express in plain
   terms, how truly and completely Christ, in taking upon him our flesh,
   did all that was necessary to effect his brotherly union with men.
   [233]

   And yet we do not in this way suppose a double Christ: [234] for,
   though God and man are united in one person, it does not follow, that
   the human nature received what was peculiar to the Divine nature: but,
   so far as was necessary for our salvation, the Son of God kept his
   divine power concealed. What Irenaeus says, that his Divine nature was
   quiescent when he suffered, [235] I understand to refer, not only to
   bodily death, but to that amazing distress and agony of soul, which
   drew from him the complaint, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
   me?" (Matthew 27:46.) In a word, if we do not choose to deny, that
   Christ was made a real man, we ought not to be ashamed to acknowledge,
   that he voluntarily took upon him everything that is inseparable from
   human nature.

   It is a foolish objection, that ignorance does not apply to Christ,
   because it is the punishment of sin: for the same thing might be said
   of death. Scripture declares, on the contrary, that he performed the
   office of Mediator: for all the punishment which we deserved was
   transferred from us to him. [236] Besides, it is a foolish mistake to
   say, that ignorance is the punishment of sin. For we must not suppose
   that Adam, while he remained in innocence, knew all things. Angels also
   are, to some extent, ignorant, and yet they do not endure the
   punishment of sin.

   A more refined argument is employed by some, that there was no
   ignorance in Christ, because ignorance is sin. But those persons assume
   a principle which is altogether false and groundless: otherwise, the
   angels must either be equal to God, or they must be sinful. [237] There
   is no doubt a sinful blindness of the human mind, which is justly
   reckoned a part of original sin: but here we ascribe to Christ no other
   ignorance than what may fall upon a man who is pure from every taint of
   sin.

   He was invigorated in spirit, and was full of wisdom Luke thus
   declares, that whatever wisdom exists among men, and receives daily
   accessions, flows from that single fountain, from the Spirit of God.
   The following phrase is more general, and the grace of God was upon
   him: for it includes all the excellence of every description that shone
   brightly in Christ.

   41. And his parents went every year to Jerusalem It is mentioned in
   commendation of the piety of Mary and Joseph, that they gave diligent
   attendance to the outward worship of God. It was not of their own
   accord, but by a divine command, that they undertook this annual
   journey. The law enjoins the, males "only to, appear before the Lord,"
   (Exodus 23:17.) This arrangement does not entirely exclude females, but
   spares them by an exercise of kindness. This mark distinguishes the
   true religion from vain and wicked superstitions. The former confines
   itself within the limits of obedience to God, and of compliance with
   the enactments of his law. The latter wander, at their own pleasure,
   beyond the limits of God's word, without any fixed rule. The worship of
   the temple was, no doubt, infected with many corruptions, the
   priesthood was sold for money, and doctrine was involved in many
   errors. Yet, as legal ceremonies were still in force, and the outward
   rite of sacrifice was observed as it is laid down in the law, believers
   were bound to perform such exercises in testimony of their faith. The
   name father is here given to Joseph, not with strict accuracy, but
   according to the opinion generally entertained respecting him.

   44. And thinking that he was in the company Many passages of Scripture
   show plainly, that those who came from a distance, at the festivals, to
   worship in the temple, were accustomed to travel in companies. There is
   no reason, therefore, to wonder that, on the first day, Joseph and Mary
   were less anxious about the child; and their subsequent conduct shows
   that this was not owing to indolence or carelessness.

   46. Sitting in the midst of the doctors Rays of divine brightness must
   have evidently shone in this child: otherwise those haughty men would
   not have permitted him to sit along with them. Though it is probable
   that he occupied a lower seat, and not the rank of the doctors, yet
   such disdainful men would not have condescended to give him an audience
   in a public assembly, if some divine power had not constrained them.
   This was a sort of prelude to his public calling, the full time of
   which had not yet arrived. In this way, however, he intended to give
   nothing more than a taste, which would immediately have faded from the
   recollection of men, had not Mary kept it for us laid up in her heart,
   (ver. 19, 51,) to bring it out afterwards, along with other treasures,
   for the use of all the godly.

   47. And all who heard him Two things here claim our attention. All who
   heard him were astonished: for they reckoned it a miracle, that a child
   should frame his questions with such correctness and propriety. Again,
   they heard Christ, and thus acted the part rather of scholars than of
   teachers. He had not yet been called by the Father, to avow himself a
   public teacher of the Church, and therefore satisfied himself with
   putting modest questions to the doctors. Yet there is no room to doubt
   that, in this first attempt, he already began to tax their perverse way
   of teaching: for what Luke afterwards says about answers, I consider as
   denoting, agreeably to the Hebrew idiom, any kind of discourse.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [228] "Quum factus esset." -- "Luy donc estant venu en l'aage de douze
   ans;" -- "he then being come to the age of twelve years."

   [229] "Laquelle chose son pere et sa mere ne s'apperceurent point;" --
   "which thing his father and his mother did not perceive."

   [230] "Au temps de sa manifestation;" -- "to the time of his
   manifestation."

   [231] "Avec l'aage les dons et graces d'Esprit croissoyent aussi et
   aug-mentoyent en luy." -- "With age, the gifts and graces of the Spirit
   grew also and increased in him.".

   [232] "En dons et graces de l'Esprit;" -- "in gifts and graces of the
   Spirit."

   [233] "Avoit vrayement et entierement prins tout ce qui estoit possible
   et propre pour accomplir de tous points la conjonction fraternelle de
   luy avec les hommes." -- "Had truly and entirely taken all that was
   possible and fitted to complete, at all points, the brotherly union
   between him and men."

   [234] "Deux Christs, ou un double Christ;" -- "two Christs, or a double
   Christ."

   [235] "Qu'il a souffert, sa Divinite ne demonstrant point sa vertu." --
   "That he suffered, his Divinity not demonstrating power."

   [236] "Pource qu'il a prins sur soy toutes les peines que nous avions
   meritees, afind nous en discharger." -- "Because he took upon himself
   all the punishment which we had deserved, in order to discharge us from
   it."

   [237] "Autrement il faudra que les Anges soyent pareils a Dieu, et
   qu'ils sachent tout: ou selon le dire de ces gensci, ils seront
   vicieux." -- "Otherwise, the Angels must be equal to God, and know
   everything: or, according to the statement of these people, they must
   be sinful."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 2:48-52

   Luke 2:48-52

   48. And when they saw him, they wondered; and his mother said to him,
   Son, why hast thou done thus to us? Lo, thy father and I grieving were
   seeking for thee. 49. And he saith to them, Why is it that ye were
   seeking me? Did ye not know that I must be in those things which belong
   to my Father? 50. And they did not understand the discourse which he
   spoke to them. 51. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth.
   And he was subject to them: but his mother kept all these words in her
   heart. 52. And Jesus made progress in wisdom and age, and in favor with
   God and men.


   48. And his mother said to him Those who think that the holy virgin
   spake in this manner, for the purpose of showing her authority, are, in
   my opinion, mistaken. It is even possible, that it was not till they
   were apart, and the witnesses had withdrawn, that she began to
   expostulate with her son, after they had left the assembly. However
   that may be, this complaint was not the result of ambition, but was the
   expression of grief, which had lasted three days. [238] Yet the manner
   of her complaint, as if she had received an injury, shows how ready we
   are by nature to defend our own rights, even without paying regard to
   God. The holy virgin would a thousand times [239] rather have died,
   than deliberately preferred herself to God: but, in the indulgence of a
   mother's grief, she falls into it through inadvertency. And undoubtedly
   this example warns us, how jealous we ought to be of all the affections
   of the flesh, and what care we ought to exercise, lest, by being too
   tenacious of our rights, and following our own desires, we defraud God
   of his honor.

   49. Did ye not know? Our Lord justly blames his mother, though he does
   it in a gentle and indirect manner. The amount of what he says is, that
   the duty which he owes to God his Father, ought to be immeasurably
   preferred to all human duties; and that, consequently, earthly parents
   do wrong in taking it amiss, that they have been neglected in
   comparison of God. And hence we may infer the general doctrine, that
   whatever we owe to men must yield to the first table of the law, that
   God's authority over us may remain untouched. [240] Thus we ought to
   obey kings, and parents, and masters, [241] but only in subjection to
   God: that is, we must not, for the sake of men, lessen or take away any
   thing from God. And, indeed, a regard to the superior claims of God
   does not imply a violation of the duties which we owe to men.

   In those things which belong to my Father This expression intimates,
   that there is something about him greater than man. It points out also
   the chief design of his being sent into the world, which was, that he
   might discharge the office enjoined upon him by his heavenly Father.
   But is it not astonishing, that Joseph and Mary did not understand this
   answer, who had been instructed by many proofs, that Jesus is the Son
   of God? I reply: Though they were not wholly unacquainted with Christ's
   heavenly origin, yet they did not comprehend, in every respect, how he
   was intent on executing his heavenly Father's commands: for his calling
   had not yet been expressly revealed to them. Mary kept in her heart
   those things which she did not fully understand. Let us learn from
   this, to receive with reverence, and to lay up in our minds, (like the
   seed, which is allowed to remain for some time under grounds) those
   mysteries of God which exceed our capacity.

   51. And he was subject to them It was for our salvation that Christ
   took upon him this low estate, -- that the Lord and head of angels
   voluntarily became subject to mortal creatures. Such was the purpose of
   God, that Christ should remain, for some time, under a shadow, bearing
   the name of Joseph. Though this subjection, on the part of Christ,
   arose from no necessity which he could not have avoided, yet, as he had
   taken upon him human nature on the condition of being subject to
   parents, and had assumed the character both of a man and of a servant,
   -- with respect to the office of Redeemer, this was his lawful
   condition. The more cheerfully, on this account, ought every one to
   bear the yoke which the Lord has been pleased to lay upon him. [242]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [238] "Mais l'ennuy et la fascherie qu'elle avoit eue trois jours
   durant l'a fait ainsi parler." -- "But the uneasiness and distress,
   which she had had for three days, made her speak in this manner."

   [239] "Centies;" -- "mille fois."

   [240] "Que tout ce qui est deu aux hommes, est au dessous de la
   premiere Table de la Loy, et doit tenir le second lieu, afin que
   toujours Dieu ait sa puissance et son authorite entiere." -- "That all
   that is due to men is below the first Table of the Law, and ought to
   hold the second plane, in order that God may always have his power and
   his authority entire."

   [241] "Dominis;" -- "maistres et seigneurs;" -- "masters and lords."

   [242] "D'autant plus faut-il que chacun de nous s'assujettisse de bon
   coeur, st ploye le col sous le joug auquel il plaira a Dieu de nous
   soumettre." -- "So much the more must every one of us submit heartily,
   and bend the neck under the yoke, to which it shall please God to
   subject us."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:1-6; MARK 1:1-6; LUKE 3:1-6

   Matthew 3:1-6

   Mark 1:1-6

   Luke 3:1-6

   1. Now in those days John the Baptist comes, preaching in the
   wilderness of Judea, 2. And saying, Repent: [243] for the kingdom of
   heaven is at hand, 3. For this is he, of whom it has been spoken by
   Isaiah the prophet, who says, The voice of one crying in the
   wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
   4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern
   girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
   5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region
   round about Jordan. 6. And were baptized in Jordan by him, confessing
   their sins.

   1. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2. As
   it is written in the prophets, Lo, I send my messenger before thy face,
   who shall prepare thy way before thee. 3. The voice of one crying in
   the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
   4. John was baptizing in the wilderness, preaching the baptism of
   repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. 5. And all the country of
   Judea, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, went out to him, and were all
   baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6. And John
   was clothed with camel's hair, and with a leathern girdle about his
   loins, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

   1. And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, when
   Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of
   Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the country of Iturea
   and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2. While Annas
   and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of the Lord came to John, the
   son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3. And he came into all the
   country surrounding Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the
   forgiveness of sins. 4. As it is written in the book of the words of
   the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
   Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5. Every valley
   shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low, and
   those things which are crooked shall become straight, and those which
   are rough shall become plain ways. 6. And all flesh shall see the
   salvation of God.


   Mark 1:1. The beginning of the Gospel. Though what we have hitherto
   taken out of Matthew and Luke is a part of the Gospel, yet it is not
   without reason that Mark makes the beginning of the Gospel to be the
   preaching of John the Baptist. For the Law and the Prophets then came
   to an end, (John 1:17.) "The Law and the Prophets were until John:
   since that time the kingdom of God is preached," (Luke 16:16.) And with
   this agrees most fully the quotation which he makes from the Prophet
   Malachi, (3:1.) In order to inflame the minds of his people with a
   stronger desire of the promised salvation, the Lord had determined to
   leave them, for a time, without new prophecies. We know that the last
   of the true and lawful prophets was Malachi.

   That the Jews, in the meantime, may not faint with hunger, he exhorts
   them to continue under the Law of Moses, until the promised redemption
   appear. He mentions the law only, (John 1:17,) because the doctrine of
   the Prophets was not separate from the law, but was merely an appendage
   and fuller exposition of it, that the form of government in the Church
   might depend entirely on the Law. It is no new or uncommon thing in
   Scripture, to include the Prophets under the name of the Law: for they
   were all related to it as their fountain or design. The Gospel was not
   an inferior appendage to the Law, but a new form of instruction, by
   which the former was set aside.

   Malachi, distinguishing the two conditions of the Church, places the
   one under the Law, and commences the other with the preaching of John.
   He unquestionably describes the Baptist, when he says, "Behold, I send
   my messenger," (Malachi 3:1:) for, as we have already said, that
   passage lays down an express distinction between the Law and the new
   order and condition of the Church. With the same view he had said a
   little before, (which is quoted by Mark, [9:13;] for the passages are
   quite similar,) "Behold, I send you Elijah the Prophet, before the
   coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," (Malachi 4:5.)
   Again,

   "Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:
   and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,"
   (Malachi 3:1.)

   In both passages, the Lord promises a better condition of his Church
   than had existed under the Law, and this unquestionably points out the
   beginning of the Gospel But before the Lord came to restore the Church,
   a forerunner or herald was to come, and announce that he was at hand.
   Hence we infer, that the abrogation of the Law, and the beginning of
   the Gospel, strictly speaking, took place when John began to preach.

   The Evangelist John presents to us Christ clothed in flesh, "the Word
   made flesh," (John 1:14;) so that his birth and the whole history of
   his appearance are included in the Gospel. But here Mark inquires, when
   the Gospel began to be published, and, therefore, properly begins with
   John, who was its first minister. And with this view the Heavenly
   Father chose that the life of his Son should be buried, as it were, in
   silence, until the time of the full revelation arrived. For it did not
   happen without the undoubted Providence of God, that the Evangelists
   leave out the whole period which Christ spent in private, and pass at
   once from his earliest infancy to his thirtieth year, when he was
   openly exhibited to the world, invested with his public character as a
   Redeemer; Luke excepted, who slightly touches one indication of his
   future calling, which occurred about his twelfth year, (Luke 2:42.)

   It had a very close connection with this object, that we should be
   informed, first, that Christ is a true man, (John 1:14,) and next, that
   he is "the Son of Abraham and of David," (Matthew 1:1;) as to both of
   which, the Lord has been pleased to give us an attestation. The other
   matters which we have examined, relating to "the shepherds," (Luke
   2:8,) the "Magi," (Matthew 2:1,) and "Simeon," (Luke 2:25,) were
   intended to prove his Divinity. What Luke relates about John and his
   father Zacharias, (Luke 1:5,) was a sort of preparation for the Gospel.

   There is no impropriety in the change of the person which is here made,
   in quoting the words of Malachi. According to the prophet, God says, I
   send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way Before Me. Mark
   introduces God as addressing the Son, Behold, I send my messenger
   before thy face, who shall prepare thy way Before Thee. But we see that
   Mark had no other intention, than to express more clearly the prophet's
   meaning. Mark designates Christ the Son of God The other Evangelists
   testify that he was born of the seed of Abraham and David, and
   therefore was the Son of man, (Matthew 8:20.) But Mark shows us, that
   no redemption is to be expected but from the Son of God

   Matthew 3:1 Now in those days Luke 3:1. And in the fifteenth year It
   could not be gathered from Matthew and Mark in what year of his age
   John began to preach: but Luke shows sufficiently, that he was about
   thirty years of age. The ancient writers of the Church are almost
   unanimously agreed, that he was born fifteen years before the death of
   Augustus. His successor Tiberius had held the government of the Roman
   Empire for fifteen years, when the same John began to preach. In this
   way are made up the thirty years which I have mentioned. Hence it
   follows, that he did not long discharge the office of teacher, but, in
   a short time, gave way to Christ; for we shall soon find, that Christ
   also was baptized in the thirtieth year of his age, when he was
   immediately installed into the discharge of his public office. Now as
   John, the morning-star, or dawn, was immediately followed by Christ,
   "the Sun of Righteousness," (Malachi 4:2,) there is no reason to
   wonder, that John disappeared, in order that Christ might shine alone
   in greater brightness.

   Luke 3:1. When Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea It is probable that
   this was the second year of Pilate's government: for since Tiberius had
   held the reins of government, he had, as Josephus informs us, (xviii.
   2:2,) appointed Valerius Gratus to be governor of Judea, in room of
   Annius Rufus. This change might take place in his second year. The same
   Josephus writes, that Valerius was governor of Judea for "eleven years,
   when Pontius Pilate came as his successor," (Ant. 18:2:2.) Pilate,
   therefore, had governed the province for two years, when John began to
   preach the Gospel. This Herod, whom Luke makes tetrarch of Judea, was
   the second heir of Herod the Great, and succeeded to his father by
   will. Archelaus had received the ethnarchy of Judea, but, when he was
   banished to Vienna (Jos. Wars, 2, vii. 3) by Augustus, that portion
   fell into the hands of the Romans. Luke mentions here two sons of
   Herod, -- Herod Antipas, who had been made tetrarch of Galilee, and
   governed Samaria and Peraea, -- and Philip, who was tetrarch of
   Trachonitis and Iturea, and reigned from the sea of Tiberias, or
   Gennesareth, to the foot of Lebanon, which is the source of the river
   Jordan.

   Lysanias has been falsely supposed to be the son of Ptolemy Mennaeus,
   King of Chalcis, who had been long before put to death by Cleopatra,
   about thirty years before the birth of Christ, as Josephus relates,
   (Ant. 15:4:1.) He could hardly even be the grandson of Ptolemy, who, as
   the same Josephus records, kindled the Parthian war, (Wars, 1, xiii.
   1;) for then he must have been more than sixty years of age at the time
   of which Luke speaks. Besides, as it was under Antigonus that the
   Parthian war commenced, he must even then have been a full-grown man.
   Now Ptolemy Mennaeus died not long after the murder of Julius Caesar,
   during the triumvirate of Lepidus, Antony, and Octavius, (Jos. Wars, 1,
   xiii. 1.) But as this grandson of Ptolemy bore the name of Lysanias as
   well as his father, he might have left a son who had the same surname.
   Meanwhile, there can be no hesitation in rejecting the error of those
   who make Lysanias to live sixty years after he had been slain by
   Cleopatra.

   The word Tetrarch is here used in a sense not quite accurate, as if the
   whole country had been divided into four parts. But as at first there
   was a fourfold division into districts, so afterwards, when other
   changes took place, the names Tetrarch and Tetrarchies were retained by
   way of honor. In this sense Pliny enumerates seventeen tetrarchies of
   one country.

   Luke 3:2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests It is certain, that
   there never were two persons who held the office of high priest at the
   same time. Josephus states, that Valerius Gratus made Caiaphas high
   priest, a short time before he left the government. During the time
   that Pilate was governor of Judea, Josephus does not speak of him as
   having made any change in this respect; [244] but, on the contrary,
   states that, when Pilate had been recalled from the government, and
   sent to plead his cause at Rome, Vitellius, who was at that time
   governor of Syria, reduced Caiaphas to a private rank, and transferred
   the high priesthood to Jonathan, the son of Ananus, (Ant. 18:4:3.) When
   Luke says that there were two high priests, we must not understand him
   to mean, that both held the same title, but that the honor of the
   priesthood was partly shared with him by Annas his father-in-law.
   Luke's narrative indicates such a state of trouble and confusion, that,
   though there was not more than one person who was actually high priest,
   the sacred office was torn in pieces by ambition and tyranny.

   The word of the Lord came upon John Before relating, as the other
   Evangelists do, that John began to exercise his office of teaching,
   Luke asserts that he was divinely called to that office: and he does
   so, in order to assure us, that the ministry of John carried undoubted
   authority. Why the interpreters have chosen to translate the word, epi
   'Ioannen, UPON John, instead of TO John, I do not see: but because
   there is no ambiguity as to the meaning, that this commission was
   entrusted to him, and that he received a command to preach, I have
   followed the received version. Hence infer, that there are no regular
   teachers, but those on whom God has conferred the office; and that it
   is not enough to have the word of God, if there be not likewise a
   special calling.

   Matthew and Mark do not speak of the preaching of John as extending
   beyond the wilderness, while Luke says, that he came into all the
   country around Jordan These statements may be reconciled by observing,
   that John discharged the office of teaching among the neighbors, with
   whom he dwelt; but that his Gospel spread more widely, and became known
   in many places, so that the report of it, in a short time, reached
   Jerusalem. Indeed, the whole of that tract of the Jordan might be
   called a wilderness: for the word does not mean "a solitude," but "a
   rough, and mountainous, and thinly inhabited district."

   Matthew 3:2. Repent ye Matthew differs from the other two Evangelists
   in this respect, that he relates the substance of John's doctrine, as
   uttered by John himself, while they relate it in their own words;
   though Mark has one word more than Luke: for he says, he came
   Baptizing, and preaching the baptism of repentance But in substance
   there is the most perfect agreement: for they all connect repentance
   with the forgiveness of sins. The kingdom of God among men is nothing
   else than a restoration to a happy life; or, in other words, it is true
   and everlasting happiness. When John says, that the kingdom of God is
   at hand, his meaning is, that men, who were alienated from the
   righteousness of God, and banished from the kingdom of heaven, must be
   again gathered to God, and live under his guidance. This is
   accomplished by a free adoption and the forgiveness of sins, by which
   he reconciles to himself those who were unworthy. In a word, the
   kingdom of heaven is nothing else than "newness of life," (Romans 6:4,)
   by which God restores us to the hope of a blessed immortality. Having
   rescued us from the bondage of sin and death, he claims us as his own;
   that, even while our pilgrimage on earth continues, we may enjoy the
   heavenly life by faith: for he

   "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
   Christ,"
   (Ephesians 1:3.)

   Though we are like dead men, yet we know that our life is secure; for
   it "is hid with Christ in God," (Colossians 3:3.)

   From this doctrine, as its source, is drawn the exhortation to
   repentance. For John does not say, "Repent ye, and in this way the
   kingdom of heaven will afterwards be at hand;" but first brings forward
   the grace of God, and then exhorts men to repent Hence it is evident,
   that the foundation of repentance is the mercy of God, by which he
   restores the lost. In no other sense is it stated by Mark and Luke,
   that he preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins Repentance is
   not placed first, as some ignorantly suppose, as if it were the ground
   of the forgiveness of sins, or as if it induced God to begin to be
   gracious to us; but men are commanded to repent, that they may receive
   the reconciliation which is offered to them. Now, as the undeserved
   love of God -- by which he receives into his favor wretched men, "not
   imputing their trespasses unto them," (2 Corinthians 5:19) -- is first
   in order; so it must be observed, that pardon of sins is bestowed upon
   us in Christ, not that God may treat them with indulgence, but that he
   may heal us from our sins. And, indeed, without hatred of sin and
   remorse for transgressions, no man will taste the grace of God. But a
   definition of repentance and faith may explain more fully the manner in
   which both are connected; which leads me to handle this doctrine more
   sparingly.

   With regard to the meaning of the present passage, it is proper to
   observe, that the whole Gospel consists of two parts, -- forgiveness of
   sins, and repentance Now, as Matthew denominates the first of these the
   kingdom of heaven, we may conclude, that men are in a state of deadly
   enmity with God, and altogether shut out from the heavenly kingdom,
   till God receives them into favor. Though John, when he introduces the
   mention of the grace of God, exhorts men to repentance, yet it must not
   be forgotten that repentance, not less than the inheritance of the
   heavenly kingdom, is the gift of God. As he freely pardons our sins,
   and delivers us, by his mercy, from the condemnation of eternal death,
   so also does he form us anew to his image, that we may live unto
   righteousness. As he freely adopts us for his sons, so he regenerates
   us by his Spirit, that our life may testify, that we do not falsely,
   [245] address him as our Father. In like manner, Christ washes away our
   sins by his blood, and reconciles our Heavenly Father to us by the
   sacrifice of his death; but, at the same time, in consequence of

   "our old man being crucified with him, and the body of sin destroyed,"
   (Romans 6:6)

   he makes us "alive" unto righteousness. The sum of the Gospel is, that
   God, through his Son, takes away our sins, and admits us to fellowship
   with him, that we, "denying ourselves" and our own nature, may "live
   soberly, righteously, and godly," and thus may exercise ourselves on
   earth in meditating on the heavenly life.

   Luke 3:3. Preaching the baptism of repentance This form of expression
   shows first, generally, what is the right use of the Sacraments; and
   next, why baptism was instituted, and in what it consists. A sacrament,
   then, is not a dumb ceremony, exhibiting some unmeaning pomp without
   doctrine; but the Word of God is joined to it, and gives life to the
   outward ceremony. By the Word I mean, not mutterings of a magical
   character, made by some exorcist between his teeth, but what is
   pronounced with a clear and distinct voice, and leads to the
   edification of faith. For we are not simply told, that John baptized
   unto repentance, as if the grace of God were contained in a visible
   sign; but that he explained, in his preaching, the advantage of
   baptism, that the sign, through the word preached, might produce its
   effect. This is the peculiarity of baptism, that it is said to be an
   outward representation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Now,
   as the meaning, power, and nature of that baptism are the same as ours,
   if we judge of the figure from its true import, it is incorrect to say,
   that the baptism of John is different from the baptism of Christ. [246]

   Matthew 3:3. The yoke of one crying in the wilderness Though this
   passage of the prophet Isaiah (40:3) ought not to be limited
   exclusively to John, yet he is one of the number of those to whom it
   certainly refers. After having spoken of the destruction of the city,
   and of the awful calamities that would befall the people, he promises a
   restoration that would follow. His words are,

   "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God,"
   (Isaiah 40:1.)

   When the temple had been thrown down, and sacrifices abolished, and the
   people led away into captivity, their affairs seemed to be desperate.
   And as their ears had been deaf to the uninterrupted voice of the
   prophets, the Lord kept silence for a time. [247] That pious minds may
   not be cast down during this melancholy silence, the prophet announces,
   that other preachers of grace will yet arise, to awaken in the people a
   hope of salvation. Such were Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi, and the like.
   [248] But as the restoration promised is perpetual, and not for a time
   only, and as Isaiah refers chiefly to the redemption, which was to be
   expressed at the coming of Christ, John the Baptist is justly
   considered the chief minister of consolation.

   Next follows in the words of the prophet, The voice of one crying That
   voice is contrasted with the temporary silence, [249] which I have just
   mentioned: for the Jews were to be deprived, for a time, of the
   instruction, which they had wickedly despised. The word wilderness is
   here used metaphorically for desolation, or the frightful ruin of the
   nation, such as existed in the time of the captivity. It was so
   dismally shattered, that it might well be compared to a wilderness The
   prophet magnifies the grace of God. "Though the people," says he, "have
   been driven far from their country, and even excluded from the society
   of men, yet the voice of God will yet be heard in the wilderness, to
   revive the dead with joyful consolation." When John began to preach,
   Jerusalem was in this sense a wilderness: for all had been reduced to
   wild and frightful confusion. But the very sight of a visible
   wilderness must have had a powerful effect on stupid and hardened men,
   leading them to perceive that they were in a state of death, and to
   accept the promise of salvation, which had been held out to them. We
   now see, that this prediction actually relates to John, and is most
   properly applied to him.

   Prepare the way of the Lord The prophet undoubtedly addresses Cyrus and
   the Persians, whose agency the Lord employed in this matter. The
   meaning is: by his wonderful power, God will open a way to his people
   through impassable forests, through broken rocks, through a sandy
   desert; for he will have at hand the ministers of his grace, to remove
   all hindrances out of the way. But that was a shadowy anticipation of
   redemption. When the spiritual truth is about to appear, John is sent
   to remove obstacles. And even now the same voice sounds in our ears,
   that we may prepare the way of the Lord: that is, that we may take out
   of the way those sins which obstruct the kingdom of Christ, and thus
   may give access to his grace. To the same purpose are the following
   words of the prophet: the crooked shall be made straight, (Isaiah
   40:4.) All that they mean is: there are intricate and crooked windings
   in the world, but through such appalling difficulties the Lord makes a
   way for himself, and breaks through, by incredible means, to accomplish
   our salvation.

   Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God That salvation
   will not be at all obscure, or experienced by a small number of
   persons, but will strike every eye, and will be common to all. Hence it
   follows that this prediction was far from being accomplished, when the
   people returned from Babylon: [250] for though the Lord gave, at that
   time, a memorable display of his grace, yet he did not reveal his
   salvation to the whole world. On the contrary, the prophet's design
   was, to present the uncommon excellence of the salvation which was to
   be manifested, in contrast with God's former benefits, and thus to
   inform believers, that the dispensations of God towards his Church had
   never been so remarkable, nor his power so illustriously displayed in
   their deliverance. Flesh is here put for men, without being intended to
   denote their depravity. [251]

   Matthew 3:4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair The
   Evangelist does not desire us to reckon it as one of John's chief
   excellencies, that he followed a rough and austere way of living, or
   even that he avoided a moderate and ordinary degree of elegance: but,
   having already stated that he was an inhabitant of the mountains, he
   now adds, that his food and clothing were adapted to his residence. And
   he mentions this, not only to inform us, that John was satisfied with
   the food and dress of the peasants, and partook of no delicacies; but
   that, under a mean and contemptible garb, he was held in high
   estimation by men of rank and splendor. Superstitious persons look upon
   righteousness as consisting almost entirely of outward appearances, and
   have commonly thought, that abstinence of this kind was the perfection
   of holiness. Nearly akin to this is the error, of supposing him to be a
   man who lived in solitude, and who disdained the ordinary way of
   living; as the only superiority of hermits and monks is, that they
   differ from other people. Nay, gross ignorance has gone so far that,
   out of camel's hair they have made an entire skin.

   Now, there can be no doubt, that the Evangelist here describes a man of
   the mountains, [252] widely distant from all the refinement and
   delicacies of towns,--not only satisfied with such food as could be
   procured, but eating only what was fit to be used in its natural state,
   such as wild honey, which is supplied by that region in great
   abundance, and locusts, with which it also abounds. Or he may have
   intended to point out that, when a man of mean aspect, and without any
   polite accomplishments, appeared in public life, it was attended by
   this advantage, that the majesty of God shone alone in him, and yet
   struck all with admiration. For we must observe what is added, that
   there was a great concourse of people from all directions; from which
   we infer, that his fame was very widely spread. [253] Or the Evangelist
   may have signified the design of God, to present, in the person of
   John, a singular instance of frugality, and, in this manner, to fill
   the Jews with reverence for his doctrine, or at least to convince them
   of ingratitude, according to that saying of our Lord, John the Baptist
   came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, (Luke 7:33.)

   Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:5. And were baptized, confessing their sins This
   confession was a testimony of repentance: for, as the Lord, in the
   sacraments, brings himself under obligation to us, as if he had given
   his own hand-writing, so it is our duty, on the other hand, to reply to
   him. In Baptism, he declares that our sins are forgiven, and calls us
   to repentance. That men may come forward, in a right manner, to be
   baptized, confession of sins is demanded from them: otherwise the whole
   performance would be nothing but an idle mockery [254] Let it be
   observed, that we are here speaking of adults, who ought not, we. are
   aware, to be admitted indiscriminately into the Church, or introduced
   by Baptism into the body of Christ, [255] till an examination has been
   previously made. [256]

   Hence it is obvious, how absurdly this passage has been tortured by the
   Papists, to support auricular confession. There were no priests at
   hand, in whose ears each individual might privately mutter [257] his
   sins; nor is it said that they enumerated all their sins; nor are we
   told that John left in charge to his disciples an ordinary rule for
   confession. Even granting to Papists all that they ask, confession will
   belong to Catechumens alone, [258] and will have no place after
   Baptism. At all events, the law which they lay down for confession
   after Baptism, derives no countenance from John's example. [259]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [243] "Ammendez-vous, ou, convertissez, ou, repentez."-- "Reform
   yourselves, or be converted, or, repent."

   [244] The whole passage is remarkable, and proves that the appointment
   to the sacred office of high priest was entirely at the disposal of the
   Roman Governor. "This man (Valerius Gratus) deprived Ananus of the high
   priesthood, and appointed Ishmael, the son of Phabi, to be high priest.
   He also deprived him in a little time, and ordained Eleazar, the son of
   Ananus, who had been high priest before, to be high priest: which
   office, when he had held for a year, Gratus deprived him of it, and
   gave the high priesthood to Simon, the son of Camithus; and, when he
   had possessed that dignity no longer than a year, Joseph Caiaphas was
   made his successor. When Gratus had done those things, he went back to
   Rome, after he had tarried in Judea eleven years, when Pontius Pilate
   came as his successor." -- (Ant. 18:2:2.)

   [245] "Ce n'est pas a fausses enseignes ni par feintise." -- "It is not
   with false colors, nor by hypocrisy."

   [246] "Maintenant puis que le Baptesme de Jean a eu mesme
   signification, vertu et propriete que le nostre, si nous voulons juger
   de la figure et du signe selon la chose signifee, c'est 'a dire la
   verite, nous trouverons que le Baptesme administre par Christ, n'a
   point este autre que celuy que Jean a administre."--"Now, since the
   baptism of John had the same meaning, power, and nature as ours, if we
   wish to judge of the figure and of the sign according to the thing
   signified, that is to say the reality, we shall find that the Baptism
   administered by Christ was no other than that which John administered."

   [247] "Et pource qu'ils avoyent auparavant ferme leurs aureilles a la
   voix des prophetes, qui journellement et sans cesse, parloyent a eux,
   le Seigneur se teut, et laissa de parler a eux pour un temps." -- "And
   because they had formerly shut their ears to the voice of the prophets,
   who daily and unceasingly spoke to them, the Lord was silent, and
   ceased to speak to them for a time."

   [248] "Malachie, Esdras, et autres semblables personnages." --
   "Malachi, Ezra, and other similar characters."

   [249] "Anquel il n'y avoit personne qui parlast au nom de Dieu;" -- "in
   which there was nobody who spoke in the name of God."

   [250] "In populi reditu;" -- "quand le peuple est retourne de
   Babylone."

   [251] "Le mot de Chair n'est pas ice mis pour denoter la corruption de
   nature, mais il signifie simplement les hommes." -- "The word Flesh is
   not put here to denote the corruption of nature, but means simply men."

   [252] "Montanum hominem;" -- "un homme suivant les montagnes."

   [253] "Qu il a ete merveilleusement grand bruit de luy par tout le
   pays." -- "That there was an astonishingly great noise about him
   through all the country."

   [254] "Autrement, tout ce sainct mystere seroit tournee en mines et
   bas-tellerie." -- "Otherwise, all this holy mystery would be turned
   into grimaces and buffoonery."

   [255] "En la communion de Christ;" -- "into communion or fellowship
   with Christ."

   [256] "Devant qu'ils n'ayent este examinez et interroguez de leur foy;"
   --"before they have been examined and interrogated as to their faith."

   [257] "Il n'y avoit point 1a de prestres, devant lequel un chacun eust
   peu s'a genouiller l'un apres l'autre, pourbarboter ses pechez en leurs
   aureilles." -- "There were no priests there, before whom each
   individual might kneel down, one after another, to mutter his sins in
   their ears."

   [258] "Ceste confession n'appartient droit qu'a ceux qui de nouveau se
   convertissent a la foy." -- "That confession would only belong to those
   who are recently converted to the faith."

   [259] "Pour le moins, quand ils commandent par leur loy de se confesser
   depuis le Baptesme, ils ne peuvent pas dire qu'ils ensuivent Jean, ny
   l'alleguer pour autheur." -- "At least, when they enjoin, by their law,
   to make confession after Baptism, they cannot say that they follow
   John, nor produce him as their author."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:7-10; LUKE 3:7-14

   Matthew 3:7-10

   Luke 3:7-14

   7. And when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
   baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers, who warned you that ye
   might flee from the wrath to come? 8. Yield then fruits worthy of
   repentance. 9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham
   for our fathers: for I say to you, that God is able to raise, from
   these stones, children to Abraham. 10. And now also the axe is laid at
   the root of the trees: every tree, therefore, which yieldeth not good
   fruit, is cut down, and is thrown into the fire.

   7. He said therefore to the multitudes, which went out, that they might
   be baptized by him, Offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from
   the wrath to come? 8. Yield therefore fruits worthy of repentance. And
   begin to to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I
   say to you, that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children
   to Abraham. 9. And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees:
   every tree, therefore, which yieldeth not good fruit, is cut down, and
   is thrown into the fire. 10. And the multitudes asked him, saying, What
   then shall we do? 11. And he answering saith to them, He who hath two
   coats, let him impart to him who hath none; and he who hath food, let
   him do in like manner. [260] 12. And the publicans also came, that they
   might be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do? 13. And
   he said to them, Exact no more than what has been enjoined you. 14. And
   the soldiers also asked him, saying, And what shall we do? He saith to
   them, Do violence to no man, accuse no man falsely, and be content with
   your wages.


   Matthew 3:7. And when he saw many of the Pharisees. It is here related
   by Matthew and Luke, that John did not merely preach repentance in a
   general manner, but that he also applied his discourse to individuals.
   And the manner of teaching will, in point of fact, be very
   unprofitable, if instructors do not judiciously inquire what the season
   demands, and what belongs to individuals. Nothing can be more unequal,
   in this respect, than a constant equality. [261] For this reason John,
   we are told, addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees with greater
   severity: because he saw that their hypocrisy, and swelling pride,
   rendered them liable to be more severely censured than the common
   people. To comprehend more fully his design, we must understand, that
   none are more stupid than hypocrites, who deceive themselves and others
   by the outward mask of holiness. While God thunders, on all sides,
   against the whole world, they construct a refuge for themselves in
   their own deceitful fancy; for they are convinced that they have
   nothing to do with the judgment of God. Does any one suppose, that John
   acted improperly, in treating them with so much harshness at the first
   interview? I reply: They were not unknown to him, [262] and the
   knowledge he had of them was derived, not from acquaintance or
   experience, but, on the contrary, from a secret revelation of the
   Spirit. It was therefore necessary that he should not spare them, lest
   they might return home more inflated with pride. Is it again objected,
   that they ought not to have been terrified by such severity of reproof,
   because they made a profession, in baptism, that they would afterwards
   be different persons from what they had formerly been? The reply is
   still easy. Those whose habits of uttering falsehood to God, and of
   deceiving themselves, lead them to hold out hypocrisy and pretension,
   instead of the reality, ought to be urged, with greater sharpness than
   other men, to true repentance. There is an astonishing pertinacity, as
   I have said, in hypocrites; and, until they have been flayed by
   violence, they obstinately keep their skin.

   As to the loud and open rebuke, which was administered to them in
   presence of all, it was for the sake of others; and that is the reason
   why Luke mentions, that it was addressed to multitudes, (Luke 3:7.)
   Though the persons whom John reproved were few in number, his design
   was to strike terror on all; as Paul enjoins us to regard it as the
   advantage of public rebukes, "that others also may fear," (1 Timothy
   5:20.) He addresses directly the Pharisees and Sadducees, and at the
   same time, addresses, through them, a warning to all, not to hold out a
   hypocritical appearance of repentance, instead of a true affection of
   the heart. Besides, it was of great importance to the whole nation to
   know [263] what sort of people the Pharisees and Sadducees were, who
   had miserably corrupted the worship of God, wasted the church, and
   overturned the whole of religion; -- in a word, who had extinguished
   the light of God by their corruptions, and infected every thing by
   their crimes.

   It is probable, therefore, that John publicly attacked the Pharisees,
   for the benefit of the whole church of God, that they might no longer
   dazzle the eyes of simple men by empty show, or hold the body of the
   people under oppression by wicked tyranny. In this respect, it was a
   remarkable display of his firmness, that those, who were highly
   esteemed by others, were not spared on account of their reputation, but
   sternly reduced, as they deserved, to their proper rank. And thus ought
   all godly instructors to be zealous, not to dread any power of man, but
   boldly strive to "cast down every high thing that exalteth itself"
   against Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5.)

   If John, the organ of the Holy Spirit, employed such severity of
   language in his opening address to those who voluntarily came to be
   baptized, and to make a public profession of the gospel; how ought we
   now to act towards the avowed enemies of Christ, who not only reject
   obstinately all that belongs to sound doctrine, but whose efforts to
   extinguish the name of Christ are violently maintained by fire and
   sword? Most certainly, if you compare the Pope, and his abominable
   clergy, with the Pharisees and Sadducees, the mildest possible way of
   dealing with them will be, to throw them all into one bundle. Those,
   whose ears are so delicate, that they cannot endure to have any bitter
   thing said against the Pope, must argue, not with us, but with the
   Spirit of God. Yet let godly teachers beware, lest, while they are
   influenced by holy zeal against the tyrants of the Church, they mingle
   with it the affections of the flesh. And as no vehemence, which is not
   regulated by the wisdom of the Spirit, can obtain the divine
   approbation, let them not only restrain their feelings, but surrender
   themselves to the Holy Spirit, and implore his guidance, that nothing
   may escape them through inadvertency. [264]

   Offspring of vipers. He gives them this name, instead of simply calling
   them vipers, in order to expose the envenomed malice of the whole
   class: for he intended to condemn, not merely those few persons who
   were present, but the whole body, and to charge both sects with
   producing nothing but serpents. They had vehement disputes, no doubt,
   with each other: but all were agreed in despising God, in a wicked
   desire to rule, in hatred of sound doctrine, and in a disgusting mass
   of numerous crimes.

   Who warned you? As he had suspicions of their repentance, he puts the
   question with doubt and wonder, if it be possible that they repent
   sincerely. In this way, he summons them to the inward tribunal of
   conscience, that they may thoroughly examine themselves, and, laying
   aside all flattery, may institute a severe investigation into their
   crimes. Wrath is put here, as in many other places, for the judgment of
   God: as when Paul says, "The law worketh wrath," (Romans 4:15,) and
   "Give place to wraths [265] ", (Romans 12:19.) He calls it the wrath to
   come, which hangs over their heads, that they may not indulge in their
   wonted carelessness. For, though the wrath of God overflows, and his
   chastisements strike, the whole world, hypocrites always entertain the
   hope that they will escape. To flee from the wrath of God, is here
   taken in a good sense, that is, to seek the means of appeasing God,
   that he may no longer be angry with us. For a good part of men, in
   order to escape the wrath of God, withdraw themselves from his guidance
   and authority. But all that the sinner gains by fleeing from God, is to
   provoke more and more the wrath of God against him.

   Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8. Yield therefore fruits worthy of repentance. He
   confirms what I have already said, that the repentance, which is
   attested by words, is of no value, unless it be proved by the conduct:
   for it is too important a matter to be estimated lightly, or at random.
   And so John affirms, that the solemn declaration, which they made, is
   not enough, but that, in process of time, their works will make it
   evident, whether or not they have seriously repented. [266] It ought to
   be observed, that good works (Titus 3:8) are here called fruits of
   repentance: for repentance is an inward matter, which has its seat in
   the heart and soul, but afterwards yields its fruits in a change of
   life. [267] But as the whole of this part of doctrine has been
   grievously corrupted by Popery, we must attend to this distinction,
   that repentance is an inward renewal of the man, which manifests itself
   in the outward life, as a tree produces its fruit.

   Matthew 3:9. And think not to say within yourselves. Luke 3:8. And
   begin not to say within yourselves. As the import of both phrases is
   undoubtedly the same, it is easy to ascertain what John meant. Till
   hypocrites are hard pressed, they either sleep in their sins, or
   indulge in licentious mirth. [268] But when they are summoned to the
   tribunal of God, they eagerly seek for some subterfuge or concealment,
   or some covering to interpose between God and them. John's address to
   the Pharisees and Sadducees amounts to this: "Now that I have sharply
   upbraided you, do not, as persons of your stamp are wont to do endeavor
   to find a remedy in an empty and deceitful title."

   He thus tears from them the wicked confidence, by which they had been
   bewitched. The covenant, which God had made with Abraham, was employed
   by them as a shield to defend a bad conscience: not that they rested
   their salvation on the person of one man, but that God had adopted all
   the posterity of Abraham. Meanwhile, they did not consider, that none
   are entitled to be regarded as belonging to "the seed of Abraham,"
   (John 8:33,) but those who follow his faith, and that without faith the
   covenant of God has no influence whatever in procuring salvation. And
   even the little word, in yourselves, is not without meaning: for though
   they did not boast in words, that they were Abraham's children, yet
   they were inwardly delighted with this title, as hypocrites are not
   ashamed to practice grosser impositions on God than on men.

   God is able. The Jews flattered themselves with nearly the same
   pretenses, as are now brought forward insolently by the Papists. "There
   must be some Church in the world; because it is the will of God that he
   be acknowledged, and his name invoked, in the world. But the Church can
   be nowhere else than among us, to whom God has entrusted his covenant."
   [269] This arrogance was chiefly displayed by the high priests, and by
   others who had any share of government or authority. The common people
   were treated by them as profane and "accursed," (John 7:49,) and they
   looked upon themselves as the holy first-fruits; just as, in our own
   day, mitred Bishops, Abbots, Canons, Monks, Sorbonnists, and every
   description of Priests, glorying in the proud title of Clergy, regard
   the Laity with contempt. This error, of relying too much on the promise
   of God, John exposes and refutes, by saying that, though God passes by
   them, he will not want a Church.

   The meaning of the words, therefore, is: "God has made an everlasting
   covenant with Abraham and his seed. In one point you are mistaken.
   While you are worse than bastards, [270] you imagine that you are the
   only children of Abraham. But God will raise up elsewhere a new seed of
   Abraham, which does not now appear." He says in the dative case,
   children To ABRAHAM, (to 'Abraam,) to inform us, that the promise of
   God will not fail, and that Abraham, who relied on it, was not
   deceived, though his seed be not found in you. Thus from the beginning
   of the world the Lord has been faithful to his servants, and has never
   failed to fulfill the promise which he made to them, that he would
   extend mercy to their children, though he rejected hypocrites. Some
   imagine, that John spoke of the calling of the Gentiles. This appears
   to me to be without foundation: but as proud men did not believe it to
   be possible that the Church should be removed to another place, he
   reminds them, that God has in his power ways of preserving his Church,
   which they did not think of, any more than they believed that he could
   create children out of stones.

   Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9. And now also the axe. After having stripped
   hypocrites of the covering of a vain confidence, John announces the
   approaching judgment of God. He had formerly said that, though they
   were rejected, God would not want a people: and he now adds, that God
   is just about to drive out unworthy persons from the Church, as barren
   trees are wont to be cut down. His statement amounts to this, that God
   has already displayed his power for purifying the Church. The grace of
   God is never manifested for the salvation of the godly, till his
   judgment first appears for the destruction of the world: and for two
   reasons; because God then separates his own people from the reprobate,
   and because his wrath is kindled anew by the ingratitude of the world.
   So that we have no reason to wonder, if the preaching of the gospel and
   the coming of Christ laid the axe for cutting down barren trees, or if
   the same causes [271] daily advance the wrath of God against the
   wicked.

   Luke 3:10 And the multitudes asked him. A true feeling of repentance
   produces in the mind of the poor sinner an eager desire to know what is
   the will or command of God. John's reply explains, in a few words, the
   fruits worthy of repentance: for the world is always desirous to acquit
   itself of its duty to God by performing ceremonies; and there is
   nothing to which we are more prone, than to offer to God pretended
   worship, whenever he calls us to repentance. But what fruits does the
   Baptist here recommend? The duties of charity, and of the second Table
   of the Law: [272] not that God disregards the outward profession of
   godliness, and of his worship; but that this is a surer mark of
   distinction, and less frequently leads to mistakes. [273] For
   hypocrites labor strenuously to prove themselves worshippers of God by
   the performance of ceremonies, -- paying no regard, however, to true
   righteousness: for they are either cruel to their neighbors, or
   addicted to falsehood and dishonesty.

   It was therefore necessary to subject them to a more homely
   examination, [274] if they are just in their dealings with men, if they
   relieve the poor, if they are generous to the wretched, if they give
   liberally what the Lord has bestowed upon them. This is the reason why
   our Lord pronounces "judgment, mercy, and faith," to be "the weightier
   matters of the law," (Matthew 23:23,) and Scripture everywhere
   recommends "justice and judgment." We must particularly observe, that
   the duties of charity are here mentioned, not because they are of
   higher value than the worship of God, but because they testify the
   piety of men, [275] so as to detect the hypocrisy of those who boast
   with the mouth what is far distant from the heart.

   But it is asked, did John lay this injunction, in a literal sense, on
   all whom he was preparing to be Christ's disciples, that they should
   not have two coats? We must observe, first, that this is the figure of
   speech which is called a Synecdoche, for under one example it
   comprehends a general rule. Hence it follows, that we must draw from it
   a meaning, which corresponds to the law of charity, as it is laid down
   by God: and that law is, that each person should give out of his
   abundance to supply the wants of the poor. God does not extort a tax,
   to be paid "grudgingly or of necessity" by those who, but for that
   necessity, would have chosen not to pay it: "for the Lord loveth a"
   willing and "cheerful giver," (2 Corinthians 9:7.) I make this
   observation, because it is of great consequence for men to be
   convinced, that the portion of their wealth which they bestow in this
   manner is a sacrifice pleasing and of good savor to God, -- that "with
   such sacrifices God is well pleased," (Hebrews 13:16.)

   Those who lay it down as a law, that no man must have any property of
   his own, not only make consciences to tremble, but overwhelm them with
   despair. With fanatics of this sort, who obstinately adhere to the
   literal meaning, it is not necessary that we should spend much time in
   refutation. If we are not allowed to have two coats, the same rule will
   apply to dishes, to salt-cellars, to shirts, and, in short, to all the
   furniture of a house. But the context makes it evident, that nothing
   was farther from John's intention than to overthrow the order of a
   state. Hence we infer, that all that he enjoined on the rich was, that
   they should bestow on the poor, according to their own ability, what
   their necessity required.

   "Consider to what extent the necessaries of life, which you enjoy
   abundantly, are wanted by your neighbors, that your abundance may be a
   supply for their want," (2 Corinthians 8:14.)

   But the more liberty that God allows us, we ought to be the more
   careful not to allow ourselves undue liberty. [276] Let the necessity
   of our brethren affect us powerfully, and let the bounty of God, which
   is in our hands, stimulate us to acts of kindness and generosity.

   Luke 3:12. And the publicans [277] also came. The publicans are not
   only exhorted, in general terms, to repent, but the duties peculiar to
   their calling are demanded: for we know that, besides the general rule
   of the law, each person ought to consider what is required by the
   nature of the employment to which he has been called. All Christians,
   without distinction, "are taught of God to love one another," (1
   Thessalonians 4:9:) but then there follow particular duties, which a
   teacher, for example, is bound to perform towards the Church, -- a
   magistrate or prince towards the people, and the people, on the other
   hand, towards the magistrate, -- a husband towards his wife, and a wife
   towards her husband, -- and finally, children and parents toward each
   other. The Publicans, viewed as a class, were covetous, rapacious, and
   cruel, and often oppressed the people by unjust exactions. In
   consequence of this, the Baptist reproves them for those offenses, with
   which that class was, for the most part, chargeable, when he commands
   them not to go beyond moderation in exacting tribute. At the same time,
   we draw this inference, that it is quite as lawful for a Christian man
   to receive or levy taxes, as for a magistrate to impose them.

   In the same way we must judge about war. John does not order the
   soldiers to throw away their arms, and to relinquish their oath; but he
   forbids them to pillage the wretched people under the pretense of their
   duty as soldiers, to bring false accusations against the innocent, and
   to be guilty of extortions, -- all of which crimes the greater part of
   them were accustomed to practice. These words obviously contain an
   approbation of civil government. It is a piece of idle sophistry to
   say, that John's hearers were ignorant people, and that he gave them
   nothing more than elementary instructions, which fell very far short of
   Christian perfection. John's office was, to make ready a people
   prepared for the Lord, (Luke 1:17) and there is no doubt that it was
   entirely and faithfully performed. Those men are guilty of calumny and
   sacrilege, who slander the Gospel, by declaring it to be opposed to
   human governments; [278] as if Christ destroyed what his heavenly
   Father sanctioned. But, without the sword, laws are dead, and legal
   judgments have no force or authority. Magistrates require not only an
   executioner, [279] but other attendants, among whom are the military,
   [280] without whose assistance and agency it is impossible to maintain
   peace. Still, the object must be considered. Princes must not allow
   themselves to sport with human blood, nor must soldiers give themselves
   up to cruelty, from a desire of gain, as if slaughter were their chief
   business: but both must be drawn to it by necessity, and by a regard to
   public advantage.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [260] "Qui a a manger, face la semblable." -- "He who hath to eat, let
   him do the like."

   [261] "Et n' y a rien plus inegal en cest endroit, que de vouloir
   garder tousjours une mesme egalite." -- "And nothing is more unequal,
   in this respect, than to wish to maintain always one uniform equality.

   [262] "Je res ond uil co oissoit bien quelles gens c'estoyent." -- "I
   reply, that he knew well what sort of people they were."

   [263] "Davantage, tout le peuple avoit grand interest d'estre advertis
   quelles gens estoyent les Sadduciens et Pharisiens." -- "Besides, all
   the people had a deep interest in being warned what sort of people the
   Sadducees and Pharisees were."

   [264] "Afin qu'il ne leur eschappe aucun mot inconsiderement, et a la
   volee;" -- "that no word may escape them inconsiderately, and at
   random."

   [265] "Il fait mention du temps avenir, parce que les hypocrites,
   tandis que Dieu les espargne, desprisent hardiment toutes ses menaces,
   et ne se resveillent jamais, sinon qu'il frappe dessus a grands coups."
   -- "He mentions the future, because hypocrites, so long as God spares
   them, despise boldly all his threatenings, and never awake, till he
   strikes them with heavy strokes."

   [266] "Si leur repentance est vraye, et si c'est it bon escient qu'ils
   vienent k luy." -- "If their repentance is true, and if it is in good
   earnest that they come to him."

   [267] "Par le changement et amendement de vie;" -- "by the change and
   amendment of life."

   [268] "Ils s'endorment toujours en leurs vices, ou s'egayent comme
   chevaux eschappez." -- "They sleep always in their sins, or indulge in
   merriment, like horses let loose."

   [269] "D'autant que le Seigneur nous a ordonnez gardiens de son
   alliance." -- "Because the Lord has appointed us guardians of his
   covenant."

   [270] "Quum sitis plus quam degeneres." -- "Combien qu' a la verite
   vous soyez pires que bastards."

   [271] "Ces deux choses mesme;" -- "these very two things."

   [272] "Des ceuvres de charite comprises en la seconde Table de la Loy;"
   -- "works of charity included in the second Table of the Law."

   [273] "Non pas que Dieu ne requiere aussi une profession externe de son
   service et de la crainte de son nom, mais pource que l'autre partie est
   la marque la plus certaine pour cognoians, et, laquelle vrals on est le
   moins abuse." -- "Not that God does not require also an external
   profession of his service and of the fear of his name, but because the
   other part is the surest mark to know true penitents, and one in which
   there is less risk of deception."

   [274] "C'est a dire, ou ils ne peuvent pas si aisement tromper." --
   "That is to say, in which they cannot so easily deceive."

   [275] "De la crainte de Dieu qui est en l'homme;" -- "of the fear of
   God which is in man."

   [276] "Cependant, tant plus Dieu nous traite doucement, et nous donne
   de liberte, tant plus faut-il que nous prenions garde a ne nous flatter
   ou lascher par trop la bride." -- "Yet the more gently God treats us,
   and the more liberty he gives us, so much the more ought we to take
   care not to flatter ourselves, or loose the bridle too much."

   [277] "Peagets;" -- "tax-gatherers."

   [278] "Qui veulent faire accroire qu'elle n'a rouve point les
   principautes, empires et gouvernements qui sont entre les hornroes; --
   "who wish to make it believed that it does not approve of the
   principalities, empires, and governments, which exist among men."

   [279] "Un bourreau;" -- "a hangman."

   [280] "Les gendarmes."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:11-12; MARK 1:7-8; LUKE 3:15-18

   Matthew 3:11-12

   Mark 1:7-8

   Luke 3:15-18

   11. I indeed baptize you with water to repentance: but he who cometh
   after me is stronger than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry: he
   shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 12. Whose
   winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his
   thrashing-floor, and will collect the wheat into his barn: but he will
   burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

   7. And he preached, saying, One cometh after me, that latchet of whose
   shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8. I indeed have
   baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

   15. And while the people were waiting, and while all were thinking in
   their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ: 16. John answered
   to all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, but there cometh one
   stronger than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose:
   he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 17. Whose
   winnowing-fan is in his hand, and he will cleanse his thrashing-floor,
   and will collect the wheat into his barn: but he will burn up the chaff
   with unquenchable fire. 18. And exhorting also as to many other things,
   he preached the Gospel [281] to the people.


   The three Evangelists relate the Baptist's discourse in the same words.
   In one respect, Luke's account is more full: for he opens it by
   explaining the occasion on which this discourse was delivered. It arose
   from the people being in danger of being led, by a false opinion, to
   convey to him the honor which was due to Christ. To remove, as soon as
   possible, every occasion of such a mistake, he expressly declares, that
   he is not the Christ, and draws such a distinction between Christ and
   himself as to maintain Christ's prerogative. He would have done this of
   his own accord, by handing them over, to use a common expression, as
   disciples to Christ: but he takes up the matter at an earlier stage,
   lest, by remaining silent any longer, he should confirm the people in
   an error.

   He who cometh after me is stronger than I Christ is thus declared to be
   so far superior in power and rank, that, with respect to him, John must
   occupy a private station. [282] He uses ordinary forms of speech to
   magnify the glory of Christ, in comparison of whom he declares that he
   himself is nothing. The chief part of his statement is, that he
   represents Christ as the author of spiritual baptism, and himself as
   only the minister of outward baptism. He appears to anticipate an
   objection, which might be brought forward. What was the design of the
   Baptism which he had taken upon himself? For it was no light matter to
   introduce any innovation whatever into the Church of God, and
   particularly to bring forward a new way of introducing persons into the
   Church, which was more perfect than the law of God. He replies, that he
   did not proceed to do this without authority; but that his office, as
   minister of an outward symbol, takes nothing away from the power and
   glory of Christ.

   Hence we infer, that his intention was not at all to distinguish
   between his own baptism, and that which Christ taught his disciples,
   and which he intended should remain in perpetual obligation in his
   Church. He does not contrast one visible sign with another visible
   sign, but compares the characters of master and servant with each
   other, and shows what is due to the master, and what is due to the
   servant. It ought not to have any weight with us, that an opinion has
   long and extensively prevailed, that John's baptism differs from ours.
   We must learn to form our judgment from the matter as it stands, and
   not from the mistaken opinions of men. And certainly the comparison,
   which they imagine to have been made, would involve great absurdities.
   It would follow from it, that the Holy Spirit is given, in the present
   day, by ministers. Again, it would follow that John's baptism was a
   dead sign, and had no efficacy whatever. Thirdly, it would follow, that
   we have not the same baptism with Christ: for it is sufficiently
   evident, that the fellowship, which he condescends to maintain with us,
   was ratified by this pledge, [283] when he consecrated baptism in his
   own body.

   We must therefore hold by what I have already said, that John merely
   distinguishes, in this passage, between himself and the other ministers
   of baptism, on the one hand, and the power of Christ, on the other, and
   maintains the superiority of the master over the servants. And hence we
   deduce the general doctrine, as to what is done in baptism by men, and
   what is accomplished in it by the Son of God. To men has been committed
   nothing more than the administration of an outward and visible sign:
   the reality dwells with Christ alone. [284]

   Scripture does sometimes, though not in a literal sense, [285] ascribe
   to men what John here declares not to belong to men, but claims
   exclusively for Christ. In such cases, however, the design is not to
   inquire, what man has separately and by himself, but merely to show,
   what is the effect and advantage of signs, and in what manner God makes
   use of them, as instruments, by his Spirit. Here also is laid down a
   distinction between Christ and his ministers, that the world may not
   fall into the mistake, of giving to them what is justly due to him
   alone: for there is nothing to which they are more prone, than to adorn
   creatures with what has been taken from God by robbery. A careful
   attention to this observation will rid us of many difficulties. We know
   what disputes have arisen, in our own age, about the advantage and
   efficacy of signs, all of which may be disposed of in a single word.
   The ordinance of our Lord, viewed as a whole, includes himself as its
   Author, and the power of the Spirit, together with the figure and the
   minister: but where a comparison is made between our Lord and the
   minister, the former must have all the honor, and the latter must be
   reduced to nothing.

   Matthew 3:11. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
   It is asked, why did not John equally say, that it is Christ alone who
   washes souls with his blood? The reason is, that this very washing is
   performed by the power of the Spirit, and John reckoned it enough to
   express the whole effect of baptism by the single word Spirit The
   meaning is clear, that Christ alone bestows all the grace which is
   figuratively represented by outward baptism, because it is he who
   "sprinkles the conscience" with his blood. It is he also who mortifies
   the old man, and bestows the Spirit of regeneration. The word fire is
   added as an epithet, and is applied to the Spirit, because he takes
   away our pollutions, as fire purifies gold. In the same manner, he is
   metaphorically called water in another passage, (John 3:5.)

   12. Whose winnowing-fan is in his hand In the former verse, John
   preached concerning the grace of Christ, that the Jews might yield
   themselves to him to be renewed: now he discourses of judgment, that he
   may strike despisers with terror. As there are always many hypocrites
   who proudly reject the grace of Christ offered to them, it is also
   necessary to denounce the judgment that awaits them. For this reason
   John here describes Christ as a severe judge against unbelievers. And
   this is an order which must be observed by us in teaching, that
   hypocrites may know, that their rejection of Christ will not go
   unpunished. They will thus be roused from their lethargy, and begin to
   dread him as an avenger, whom they despised as the author of salvation.

   I have no doubt, that John intended also to show, what Christ
   accomplishes by means of his Gospel. The preaching of the Gospel, then,
   is the winnowing-fan Before the Lord sifts us, the whole world is
   involved in confusion, every one flatters himself, and the good are
   mixed with the bad in short, it is only necessary that the chaff be
   blown. But when Christ comes forward with his Gospels, -- when he
   reproves the consciences and summons them to the tribunal of God, the
   chaff is sifted out, [286] which formerly occupied a great part of the
   thrashing-floor It is true that, in the case of individuals, the Gospel
   effects a separation from the chaff: but in this passage, John compares
   the reprobate to chaff, and believers to wheat The thrashing floor
   accordingly denotes -- not the world, (as some people imagine,) but the
   Church: for we must attend to the class of persons whom John addresses.
   The mere title filled the Jews with pride, [287] but John tells them
   that it is foolish in them to be proud of it, because they hold but a
   temporary place in the Church of God, from which they are soon to be
   thrown out, like chaff from the thrashing-floor. In this way, he gives
   a rapid glance at the corrupt state in which the Church then was: for
   it was covered with husks, and straws, and other rubbish, but would
   soon be cleansed by the strong breeze of the Gospel. But how is Christ
   said to separate the chaff from the wheat, when he can find nothing in
   men but mere chaff? The answer is easy. The elect are formed into
   wheat, [288] and are then separated from the chaff, and collected into
   the granary

   He will thoroughly cleanse his thrashing-floor This work was begun by
   Christ, and is daily going forward: but the full accomplishment of it
   will not be seen till the last day. This is the reason why John draws
   our attention to the subject. But let us remember, that believers even
   now enter, by hope, into the granary of God, in which they will
   actually have their everlasting abode; while the reprobate experience,
   in their convictions of guilt, the heat of that fire, the actual
   burning of which they will feel at the last day.

   Many persons, I am aware, have entered into ingenious debates about the
   eternal fire, by which the wicked will be tormented after the judgment.
   But we may conclude from many passages of Scripture, that it is a
   metaphorical expression. For, if we must believe that it is real, or
   what they call material fire, we must also believe that the brimstone
   and the fan are material, both of them being mentioned by Isaiah.

   "For Tophet is ordained of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood;
   the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it,"
   (Isaiah 30:33.)

   We must explain the fire in the same manner as the worm, (Mark 9:44,
   46, 48.) and if it is universally agreed that the worm is a
   metaphorical term, we must form the same opinion as to the fire. Let us
   lay aside the speculations, by which foolish men weary themselves to no
   purpose, and satisfy ourselves with believing, that these forms of
   speech denote, in a manner suited to our feeble capacity, a dreadful
   torment, which no man can now comprehend, and no language can express.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [281] "Evangelizabat."

   [282] "In ordinem cogendus sit." -- "Il faut qu'il baissc la teste." --
   "He must bow the head."

   [283] "A este confirme et ratifie par ce signe;" -- "was confirmed and
   ratified by this sign."

   [284] "La verite du Baptesme vient et procede du Christ seul." -- "The
   truth of Baptism comes and proceeds from Christ alone."

   [285] "Improprie."

   [286] "Les pailles s'en vont avec le vent;" -- "the chaff goes away
   with the wind."

   [287] "Les Juifs s'arrestoyent a ce beau titre de Peuple de Dieu, et
   d'En-fans d'Abraham, et s'en enfioyent." -- "The Jews dwelt upon this
   fine title of People of God, and Children of Abraham, and were proud of
   it."

   [288] "Les esleus, qui de leur nature ne sont que paille, deviennent
   froment par la grace de Dieu." -- "The elect, who by their nature are
   only chaff; become wheat by the grace of God."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 3:13-17; MARK 1:9-11; LUKE 3:21-23

   Matthew 3:13-17

   Mark 1:9-11

   Luke 3:21-23

   13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan to John, that he might be
   baptized by him. 14. But John forbade [289] him, saying, I have need to
   be baptized by thee, and dost thou come to me? 15. And Jesus answering
   said to him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all
   righteousness. Then he suffers him. 16. And Jesus, having been
   baptized, went up immediately from the water: and, lo, the heavens were
   opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and
   coming upon him. 17. And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my
   be loved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

   9. And it happened in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
   and was baptized by John in Jordan. 10. And immediately, when he was
   going up out of the water, he saw the heavens cleft assunder, and the
   Spirit descending as a dove, upon him. 11. And a voice came from
   heaven, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

   21. And it happened, that, while all the people were being baptized,
   [290] when Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was
   opened, 22. And that the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily appearance,
   [291] as a dove, upon him, and a voice came from heaven, saying, Thou
   art my beloved Son: in thee I am well pleased. 23. And Jesus himself
   began to be about thirty years of age.


   Matthew 3:13. That he might be baptized by him. For what purpose did
   the Son of God wish to be baptized? This may be learned, in some
   measure, from his answer. We have already assigned a special reason. He
   received the same baptism with us, in order to assure believers, that
   they are ingrafted into his body, and that they are "buried with him in
   baptism," that they may rise to "newness of life," (Romans 6:4.) But
   the end, which he here proposes, is more extensive: for thus it became
   him to fulfill all righteousness, (verse 15.) The word righteousness
   frequently signifies, in Scripture, the observation of the law: and in
   that sense we may explain this passage to mean that, since Christ had
   voluntarily subjected himself to the law, it was necessary that he
   should keep it in every part. But I prefer a more simple
   interpretation. "Say nothing for the present," said our Lord, "about my
   rank: [292] for the question before us is not, which of us deserves to
   be placed above the other. [293] Let us rather consider what our
   calling demands, and what has been enjoined on us by God the Father."
   The general reason why Christ received baptism was, that he might
   render full obedience to the Father; and the special reason was, that
   he might consecrate baptism in his own body, that we might have it in
   common with him.

   14. I have need to be baptized by thee. It is certain, that John
   acknowledged Christ to be not only a distinguished prophet, as many
   foolishly dream, but the Son of God, as he really was: for otherwise he
   would have dishonored God by lowering his holy calling to a mortal man.
   How he came to know this, the reader will learn by consulting John's
   Gospel, (1:15,33.) There was, no doubt, plausibility in this ground of
   refusal, that Christ had no need of his baptism: but John was mistaken
   in not considering, that it was for the sake of others that baptism was
   asked. [294] And so Christ bids him consider, what was suitable to the
   character of a servant, (Philippians 2:7,) which he had undertaken; for
   a voluntary subjection takes nothing from his glory. Though the good
   man [295] remained ignorant, for a time, of some part of his public
   duty, this particular error did not prevent him from discharging, in a
   proper and lawful manner, his office of Baptist. This example shows,
   that we do not act rashly, in undertaking the commission which the Lord
   has given us, according to the light we enjoy, though we do not
   immediately comprehend all that belongs to our calling, or that depends
   upon it. We must also observe his modesty, in giving up his opinion,
   and immediately obeying Christ.

   16. And, lo, the heavens were opened to him. The opening of the heavens
   sometimes means a manifestation of heavenly glory; but here it means
   also a cleft, or opening, of the visible heaven, so that John could see
   something beyond the planets and stars. The words of Mark can have no
   other meaning, he saw the heavens cleft asunder [296] An exact inquiry
   into the way in which this opening was made, would be of no importance,
   nor is it necessary. It is sufficient for us to believe, that it was a
   symbol of the Divine presence. As the Evangelists say that John saw the
   Holy Spirit, it is probable that the opening of the heavens was chiefly
   on his account. Yet I do not hesitate to admit that Christ also, so far
   as he was man, received from it additional certainty as to his heavenly
   calling. This appears to be the tendency of the words of Luke: while
   Jesus was praying, the heaven was opened, (Luke 3:21:) for, though his
   prayers were always directed towards the benefit of others, yet as man,
   when he commenced a warfare of so arduous a description, he needed to
   be armed with a remarkable power of the Spirit.

   But here two questions arise. The first is, why did the Spirit, who had
   formerly dwelt in Christ, descend upon him at that time? This question
   is answered by a passage of the prophet Isaiah, which will be handled
   in another place.

   "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord God hath
   anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to
   bind up the broken-hearted," (Isaiah 61:1.)

   Though the grace of the Spirit was bestowed on Christ in a remarkable
   and extraordinary manner, (John 3:34,) yet he remained at home as a
   private person, till he should be called to public life by the Father.
   Now that the full time is come, for preparing to discharge the office
   of Redeemer, he is clothed with a new power of the Spirit, and that not
   so much for his own sake, as for the sake of others. It was done on
   purpose, that believers might learn to receive, and to contemplate with
   reverence, his divine power, and that the weakness of the flesh might
   not make him despised.

   This was also the reason why he delayed his baptism till the thirtieth
   year of his age, (Luke 3:23.) Baptism was an appendage to the Gospel:
   and therefore it began at the same time with the preaching of the
   Gospel. When Christ was preparing to preach the Gospel, he was
   introduced by Baptism into his office; and at the same time was endued
   with the Holy Spirit. When John beholds the Holy Spirit descending upon
   Christ, it is to remind him, that nothing carnal or earthly must be
   expected in Christ, but that he comes as a godlike man, [297] descended
   from heaven, in whom the power of the Holy Spirit reigns. We know,
   indeed, that he is God manifested in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16:) but
   even in his character as a servant, and in his human nature, there is a
   heavenly power to be considered.

   The second question is, why did the Holy Spirit appear in the shape of
   a dove, rather than in that of fire? The answer depends on the analogy,
   or resemblance between the figure and the thing represented. We know
   what the prophet Isaiah ascribes to Christ.

   "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the
   street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall
   he not quench," (Isaiah 42:2, 3.)

   On account of this mildness of Christ, by which he kindly and gently
   called, and every day invites, sinners to the hope of salvation, the
   Holy Spirit descended upon him in the appearance of a dove And in this
   symbol has been held out to us an eminent token of the sweetest
   consolation, that we may not fear to approach to Christ, who meets us,
   not in the formidable power of the Spirit, but clothed with gentle and
   lovely grace.

   He saw the Spirit of God That is, John saw: for it immediately follows,
   that the Spirit descended on Christ There now arises a third question,
   how could John see the Holy Spirit? I reply: As the Spirit of God is
   everywhere present, and fills heaven and earth, he is not said, in a
   literal sense, to descend, and the same observation may be made as to
   his appearance. Though he is in himself invisible, yet he is spoken of
   as beheld, when he exhibits any visible sign of his presence. John did
   not see the essence of the Spirit, which cannot be discerned by the
   senses of men; [298] nor did he see his power, which is not beheld by
   human senses, but only by the understanding of faith: but he saw the
   appearance of a dove, under which God showed the presence of his
   Spirit. It is a figure of speech, [299] by which the sign is put for
   the thing signified, the name of a spiritual object being applied to
   the visible sign.

   While it is foolish and improper to press, as some do, the literal
   meaning, so as to include both the sign and the thing signified, we
   must observe, that the connection subsisting between the sign and the
   thing signified is denoted by these modes of expression. In this sense,
   the bread of the Lord's Supper is called the body of Christ, (1
   Corinthians 10:16:) not because it is so, but because it assures us,
   that the body of Christ is truly given to us for food. Meanwhile, let
   us bear in mind what I have just mentioned, that we must not imagine a
   descent of the thing signified, so as to seek it in the sign, as if it
   had a bodily place there, but ought to be abundantly satisfied with the
   assurance, that God grants, by his secret power, all that he holds out
   to us by figures.

   Another question more curious than useful has been put. Was this dove a
   solid body, or the appearance of one? Though the words of Luke seem to
   intimate that it was not the substance of a body, but only a bodily
   appearance; yet, lest I should afford to any man an occasion of
   wrangling, I leave the matter unsettled.

   17. And, lo, a voice from heaven From that opening of the heavens,
   which has been already mentioned, a loud voice was heard, that its
   majesty might be more impressive. The public appearance of Christ, to
   undertake the office of Mediator, was accompanied by this announcement,
   [300] in which he was offered to us by the Father, that we may rely on
   this pledge of our adoption, and boldly call God himself our Father.
   The designation of Son belongs truly and naturally to Christ alone: but
   yet he was declared to be the Son of God in our flesh, that the favor
   of Him, whom he alone has a right to call Father, may be also obtained
   for us. And thus when God presents Christ to us as Mediator,
   accompanied by the title of Son, he declares that he is the Father of
   us all, (Ephesians 4:6.)

   Such, too, is the import of the epithet beloved: for in ourselves we
   are hateful to God, and his fatherly love must flow to us by Christ.
   The best expounder of this passage is the Apostle Paul, when he says

   "who hath predestinated us into adoption by Jesus Christ in himself,
   according to the good pleasure of his will; to the praise of the glory
   of his grace, in which he hath accepted us in the Beloved,"
   (Ephesians 1:5,6)

   that is, in his beloved Son. It is still more fully expressed by these
   words, in whom I am well pleased They imply, that the love of God rests
   on Christ in such a manner, as to diffuse itself from him to us all;
   and not to us only, but even to the angels themselves. Not that they
   need reconciliation, for they never were at enmity with God: but even
   they become perfectly united to God, only by means of their Head,
   (Ephesians 1:22.) For the same reason, he is also called "the
   first-born of every creature," (Colossians 1:5;) and Paul likewise
   states that Christ came

   "to reconcile all things to himself, both those which are on earth, and
   those which are in heavens," (Colossians 1:20.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [289] "Empeschoit fort;" -- "strongly opposed him."

   [290] "Quum baptizaretur omnis populus;" -- "en baptizant tout le
   peuple;" -- "in baptizing all the people."

   [291] "En apparence corporelle, ou, forme;" -- "in bodily appearance,
   or, shape."

   [292] "Je laisse maintenant ma dignite a part." -- "I now lay my rank
   aside."

   [293] "Lequel de nous deux est plus grand ou excellent;" -- "which of
   usboth is greater or more excellent."

   [294] "Que c'est pour le profit des autres, et non pas pour le sien,
   que Christ demande d'estre baptize." -- "That it is for the benefit of
   others, and not for his own, that Christ asks to be baptized."

   [295] "Quelque excellent personnage qu'il fust." -- "However excellent
   a person he was."

   [296] "Il vid les cieux mi-partir, ou se fendre." -- "He saw the
   heavens divided in the middle, or deft."

   [297] "Un homme rempli de Dieu;" -- "a man filled with God."

   [298] "A parler proprement, il ne descend point, et semblablement ne
   peut estre veu." -- "Strictly speaking, he does not descend, and in
   like manner he cannot be seen."

   [299] "C'est une maniere de parler par Metonymie, (ainsi que parlent
   les gens de lettres.")--"It is a way of speaking by Metonymy, (as
   learned people talk.")

   [300] "Avec ce tesmoignage et recommandation;" -- "with this testimony
   and recommendation."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 4:1-4; MARK 1:12-13; LUKE 4:1-4

   Matthew 4:1-4

   Mark 1:12-13

   Luke 4:1-4

   1. Then Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, that he might
   be tempted by the devil; 2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty
   nights, he at length was hungry. 3. And when he who tempteth had
   approached to him, he said, If thou art the Son of God, command that
   these stones may become loaves. [301] 4. But he answering said, It is
   written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which
   proceedeth from the mouth of God.

   12. And immediately the Spirit drove him into the wilderness, 13. And
   he was in the wilderness forty days and forty nights; and was tempted
   by Satan, and was with the wild beasts. [302]

   1. And Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, returnined from Jordan, and was
   driven by the Spirit into the wilderness. 2. Forty days he was tempted
   by the devil; and he ate nothing in those days, afterwards he was
   hungry. [303] 3. And the devil said to him, If thou art the Son of God,
   command this stone that it may become bread. 4. And Jesus replied to
   him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
   every word of God.


   Matthew 4:1. Then Jesus was led. There were two reasons why Christ
   withdrew into the wilderness. The first was, that, after a fast of
   forty days, he might come forth as a new man, or rather a heavenly man,
   to the discharge of his office. The next was, that he might be tried by
   temptation and undergo an apprenticeship, before he undertook an office
   so arduous, and so elevated. Let us therefore learn that, by the
   guidance of the Spirit, Christ withdrew from the crowd of men, in order
   that he might come forth as the highest teacher of the church, as the
   ambassador of God, -- rather as sent from heaven, than as taken from
   some town, and from among the common people.

   In the same way Moses, when God was about to employ him as his agent in
   publishing his law, was carried into Mount Sinai, withdrawn from the
   view of the people, and admitted, as it were, into a heavenly
   sanctuary, (Exodus 24:12.) It was proper that Christ should be
   surrounded by marks of divine grace and power -- at least equally
   illustrious with those which were bestowed on Moses, that the majesty
   of the Gospel might not be inferior to that of the Law. If God bestowed
   singular honor on a doctrine which was "the ministration of death," (2
   Corinthians 3:7,) how much more honor is due to the doctrine of life?
   And if a shadowy portrait of God had so much brightness, ought not his
   face, which appears in the Gospel, to shine with full splendor?

   Such also was the design of the fasting: for Christ abstained from
   eating and drinking, not to give an example of temperance, but to
   acquire greater authority, by being separated from the ordinary
   condition of men, and coming forth, as an angel from heaven, not as a
   man from the earth. For what, pray, would have been that virtue of
   abstinence, in not tasting food, for which he had no more appetite than
   if he had not been clothed with flesh? [304] It is mere folly,
   therefore, to appoint a forty days' fast, (as it is called,) in
   imitation of Christ. There is no more reason why we should follow the
   example of Christ in this matter, than there formerly was for the holy
   Prophets, and other Fathers under the law, to imitate the fast of
   Moses. But we are aware, that none of them thought of doing so; with
   the single exception of Elijah, who was employed by God in restoring
   the law, and who, for nearly the same reason with Moses, was kept in
   the mount fasting.

   Those who fast daily, during all the forty days, pretend that they are
   imitators of Christ. But how? They stuff their belly so completely at
   dinner, that, when the hour of supper arrives, they have no difficulty
   in abstaining from food. What resemblance do they bear to the Son of
   God? The ancients practiced greater moderation: but even they had
   nothing that approached to Christ's fasting, any more, in fact, than
   the abstinence of men approaches to the condition of angels, who do not
   eat at all. Besides, neither Christ nor Moses observed a solemn fast
   every year; but both of them observed it only once during their whole
   life. I wish we could say that they had only amused themselves, like
   apes, by such fooleries. It was a wicked and abominable mockery of
   Christ, to attempt, by this contrivance of fasting, to conform
   themselves to him as their model. [305] To believe that such fasting is
   a meritorious work, and that it is a part of godliness and of the
   worship of God, is a very base superstition.

   But above all, it is an intolerable outrage on God, whose extraordinary
   miracle they throw into the shade; secondly, on Christ, whose
   distinctive badge they steal from him, that they may clothe themselves
   with his spoils; thirdly, on the Gospel, which loses not a little of
   its authority, if this fasting of Christ is not acknowledged to be his
   seal. God exhibited a singular miracle, when he relieved his Son from
   the necessity of eating and when they attempt the same thing by their
   own power, what is it but a mad and daring ambition to be equal with
   God? Christ's fasting was a distinctive badge of the divine glory: and
   is it not to defraud him of his glory, and to reduce him to the
   ordinary rank of men, when mortals freely mix themselves with him as
   his companions? God appointed Christ's fasting to seal the Gospel: and
   do those who apply it to a different purpose abate nothing from the
   dignity of the Gospel? Away, then, with that ridiculous imitation,
   [306] which overturns the purpose of God, and the whole order of his
   works. Let it be observed, that I do not speak of fastings in general,
   the practice of which I could wish were more general among us, provided
   it were pure.

   But I must explain what was the object of Christ's fasting. Satan
   availed himself of our Lord's hunger as an occasion for tempting him,
   as will shortly be more fully stated. For the present, we must inquire
   generally, why was it the will of God that his Son should be tempted?
   That he was brought into this contest by a fixed purpose of God, is
   evident from the words of Matthew and Mark, who say, that for this
   reason he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. God intended, I
   have no doubt, to exhibit in the person of his Son, as in a very bright
   mirror, how obstinately and perseveringly Satan opposes the salvation
   of men. For how comes it, that he attacks Christ more furiously, and
   directs all his power and forces against him, at the particular time
   mentioned by the Evangelists, but because he sees him preparing, at the
   command of the Father, to undertake the redemption of men? Our
   salvation, therefore, was attacked in the person of Christ, just as the
   ministers, whom Christ has authorized to proclaim his redemption, are
   the objects of Satan's daily warfare.

   It ought to be observed, at the same time, that the Son of God
   voluntarily endured the temptations, which we are now considering, and
   fought, as it were, in single combat with the devil, that, by his
   victory, he might obtain a triumph for us. Whenever we are called to
   encounter Satan, let us remember, that his attacks can, in no other
   way, be sustained and repelled, than by holding out this shield: for
   the Son of God undoubtedly allowed himself to be tempted, that he may
   be constantly before our minds, when Satan excites within us any
   contest of temptations. When he was leading a private life at home, we
   do not read that he was tempted; but when he was about to discharge the
   office of Redeemer, he then entered the field in the name of his whole
   church. But if Christ was tempted as the public representative of all
   believers, let us learn, that the temptations which befall us are not
   accidental, or regulated by the will of Satan, without God's
   permission; but that the Spirit of God presides over our contests as an
   exercise of our faith. This will aid us in cherishing the assured hope,
   that God, who is the supreme judge and disposer of the combat, [307]
   will not be unmindful of us, but will fortify us against those
   distresses, which he sees that we are unable to meet.

   There is a slight apparent difference in the words of Luke, that Jesus,
   full of the Holy Ghost, withdrew from Jordan They imply, that he was
   then more abundantly endued with the grace and power of the Spirit, in
   order that he might be more fortified for the battles which he had to
   fight: for it was not without a good reason that the Holy Spirit
   descended upon him in a visible shape. It has been already stated, that
   the grace of God shone in him the more brightly, as the necessity
   arising out of our salvation became greater. [308] But, at first sight,
   it appears strange, that Christ was liable to the temptations of the
   devil: for, when temptation falls on men, it must always be owing to
   sin and weakness. I reply: First, Christ took upon him our infirmity,
   but without sin, (Hebrews 4:15.) Secondly, it detracts no more from his
   glory, that he was exposed to temptations, than that he was clothed
   with our flesh: for he was made man on the condition that, along with
   our flesh, he should take upon him our feelings. But the whole
   difficulty lies in the first point. How was Christ surrounded by our
   weakness, so as to be capable of being tempted by Satan, and yet to be
   pure and free from all sin? The solution will not be difficult, if we
   recollect, that the nature of Adam, while it was still innocent, and
   reflected the brightness of the divine image, -- was liable to
   temptations. All the bodily affections, that exist in man, are so many
   opportunities which Satan seizes to tempt him.

   It is justly reckoned a weakness of human nature, that our senses are
   affected by external objects. But this weakness would not be sinful,
   were it not for the presence of corruption; in consequence of which
   Satan never attacks us, without doing some injury, or, at least,
   without inflicting a slight wound. Christ was separated from us, in
   this respect, by the perfection of his nature; though we must not
   imagine him to have existed in that intermediate condition, which
   belonged to Adam, to whom it was only granted, that it was possible for
   him not to sin. We know, that Christ was fortified by the Spirit with
   such power, that the darts of Satan could not pierce him. [309]

   Matthew 4:3. And when he, who tempteth, had approached to him. This
   name, ho peirazon, the tempter, is given to Satan by the Spirit for the
   express purpose, that believers may be more carefully on their guard
   against him. Hence, too, we conclude, that temptations, which solicit
   us to what is evil, come from him alone: for, when God is sometimes
   said to tempt or prove, (Genesis 22:1; Deuteronomy 13:3,) it is for a
   different purpose, namely, to try their faith, or to inflict punishment
   on unbelievers, or to discover the hypocrisy of those who do not
   sincerely obey the truth.

   That these stones may become loaves. Here the ancients amused
   themselves with ingenious trifles. The first temptation, they said, was
   to gluttony; the second, to ambition; and the third, to covetousness.
   But it is absurd to suppose that it arises from the intemperance of
   gluttony, [310] when a hungry person desires food to satisfy nature.
   What luxury will they fancy themselves to have discovered in the use of
   bread, that one who satisfies himself, as we say, with dry bread, must
   be reckoned an epicure? But not to waste more words on that point,
   Christ's answer alone is sufficient to show, that the design of Satan
   was altogether different. The Son of God was not such an unskillful or
   inexperienced antagonist, as not to know how he might ward off the
   strokes of his adversary, or idly to present his shield on the left
   hand when he was attacked on the right. If Satan had endeavored to
   allure him by the enticements of gluttony, [311] he had at hand
   passages of Scripture fitted to repel him. But he proposes nothing of
   this sort.

   4. Man shall not live by bread alone. He quotes the statement, that men
   do not live by bread alone, but by the secret blessing of God. Hence we
   conclude, that Satan made a direct attack on the faith of Christ, in
   the hope that, after destroying his faith, he would drive Christ to
   unlawful and wicked methods of procuring food. And certainly he presses
   us very hard, when he attempts to make us distrust God, and consult our
   own advantage in a way not authorized by his word. The meaning of the
   words, therefore, is: "When you see that you are forsaken by God, you
   are driven by necessity to attend to yourself. Provide then for
   yourself the food, with which God does not supply you." Now, though
   [312] he holds out the divine power of Christ to turn the stones into
   loaves, yet the single object which he has in view, is to persuade
   Christ to depart from the word of God, and to follow the dictates of
   infidelity.

   Christ's reply, therefore, is appropriate: "Man shall not live by bread
   alone. You advise me to contrive some remedy, for obtaining relief in a
   different manner from what God permits. This would be to distrust God;
   and I have no reason to expect that he will support me in a different
   manner from what he has promised in his word. You, Satan, represent his
   favor as confined to bread: but Himself declares, that, though every
   kind of food were wanting, his blessing alone is sufficient for our
   nourishment." Such was the kind of temptation which Satan employed, the
   same kind with which he assails us daily. The Son of God did not choose
   to undertake any contest of an unusual description, but to sustain
   assaults in common with us, that we might be furnished with the same
   armor, and might entertain no doubt as to achieving the victory.

   It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. The first thing to be
   observed here is, that Christ uses Scripture as his shield: for this is
   the true way of fighting, if we wish to make ourselves sure of the
   victory. With good reason does Paul say, that, the sword of the Spirit
   is the word of God," and enjoin us to "take the shield of faiths"
   (Ephesians 6:16,17.) Hence also we conclude, that Papists, as if they
   had made a bargain with Satan, cruelly give up souls to be destroyed by
   him at his pleasure, when they wickedly withhold the Scripture from the
   people of God, and thus deprive them of their arms, by which alone
   their safety could be preserved. Those who voluntarily throw away that
   armor, and do not laboriously exercise themselves in the school of God,
   deserve to be strangled, at every instant, by Satan, into whose hands
   they give themselves up unarmed. No other reason can be assigned, why
   the fury of Satan meets with so little resistance, and why so many are
   everywhere carried away by him, but that God punishes their
   carelessness, and their contempt of his word.

   We must now examine more closely the passage, which is quoted by Christ
   from Moses: that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
   bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the
   Lord doth man live, (Deuteronomy 8:3.) There are some who torture it to
   a false meaning, as referring to spiritual life; as if our Lord had
   said, that souls are not nourished by visible bread, but by the word of
   God. The statement itself is, no doubt, true: but Moses had quite a
   different meaning. He reminds them that, when no bread could be
   obtained, God provided them with an extraordinary kind of nourishment
   in "manna, which they knew not, neither did their fathers know,"
   (Deuteronomy 8:3;) and that this was intended as an evident proof, in
   all time coming, that the life of man is not confined to bread, but
   depends on the will and good-pleasure of God. The word does not mean
   doctrine, but the purpose which God has made known, with regard to
   preserving the order of nature and the lives of his creatures. Having
   created men, he does not cease to care for them: but, as "he breathed
   into their nostrils the breath of life," (Genesis 2:7,) so he
   constantly preserves the life which he has bestowed. In like manner,
   the Apostle says, that he "upholdeth all things by his powerful word,"
   (Hebrews 1:3;) that is, the whole world is preserved, and every part of
   it keeps its place, by the will and decree of Him, whose power, above
   and below, is everywhere diffused. Though we live on bread, we must not
   ascribe the support of life to the power of bread, but to the secret
   kindness, by which God imparts to bread the quality of nourishing our
   bodies.

   Hence, also, follows another statement: by every word that proceedeth
   out of the mouth of God shall men live. God, who now employs bread for
   our support, will enable us, whenever he pleases, to live by other
   means. This declaration of Moses condemns the stupidity of those, who
   reckon life to consist in luxury and abundance; while it reproves the
   distrust and inordinate anxiety which drives us to seek unlawful means.
   The precise object of Christ's reply is this: We ought to trust in God
   for food, and for the other necessaries of the present life, in such a
   manner, that none of us may overleap the boundaries which he has
   prescribed. But if Christ did not consider himself to be at liberty to
   change stones into bread, without the command of God, much less is it
   lawful for us to procure food by fraud, or robbery, or violence, or
   murder.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [301] "Ut lapides hi panes fiant;" -- "Que ces pierres devienent
   pains."

   [302] "Et estoit avec les bestes sauvages."

   [303] "Mais apres qu'ils furent passez, il ent faim;" -- "but after
   that they were past, he was hungry."

   [304] "Car, je vous prie, quelle virtu d' abstinence y-eust-il eue a,
   ne taster point de viande, veu qu'il n'avoit nulle faim qui le
   pressast? Car il est certain, et les Evangelistes le donnent a entendre
   assez clairement, qu'il s'est passe de manger tout ainsi que s'il
   n'eust point este revestu de notre chair." -- "For what virtue of
   abstinence, pray, was there in not tasting food, since he had no hunger
   that pressed him? For it is certain, and the Evangelists give us
   plainly enough to understand, that he had left off eating as completely
   as if he had not been clothed with our flesh."

   [305] "En ce qu'ils se sont essayez par leur jeusne, forge a leur
   fantasie, de se mettre du rang de Christ, et se mesurer a luy." -- "In
   having attempted, by their fast, forged according to their fancy, to
   place themselves in the same rank with Christ, and to vie with him."

   [306] "chachozelia." -- "Ceste singerie et imitation contrefaite;" --
   "that apishness and counterfeit imitation."

   [307] "Agonotheta." This word, slightly altered from the Greek word
   agonothetes, signifiesthe judge who presided at the public games." The
   Epistles of Paul contain many allusions to the Olympic games, --
   sometimes so rapid and indirect, that they are apt to be lost in a
   translation, and at other times swelling into an extended picture,
   which arrests and captivates every reader. Those who are familiar with
   his writings, and who have occasion to treat of the same class of
   subjects, will naturally employ the same kind of illustrations, in
   conveying to the minds of others those conceptions, for which they have
   been indebted to this great master. While they describe the contests of
   the people of God with outward foes, or their more violent struggles
   with the old man within, they will frequently, and sometimes
   unconsciously, fall into similar allusions. -- Ed.

   [308] Here the French copy gives an additional illustration, of which
   no trace is found in the Latin original. "Le mesme S. Luc avec S. Marc
   enseigne que le commencement des tentations estoit de plus loin. Car
   Satan avoit assailli Christ quarante jours au paravant qu'il eust faim:
   mais les principaux et plus excellens combats sont icy recitez, afin
   que nous sachions que Satan veincu en plusieurs assaux, s'est
   finalement rue furieusement, et de toute sa force, pour voir s'il
   pourroit d'aventure veincre finalement celuy duquel il n'avoit peu
   venir a bout. Car d'autant plus qu'on est exere aux combats spirituels,
   Dieu permet aussi qu'on soit plus rudement assailli. Parquoy apprenons
   a ne nous lasser jamais, jusqu'a ce qu' ayans paracheve tout le cours
   de notre guerre, nous soyons parvenus au but." -- "The same St Luke, as
   well as St Mark, informs us, that the commencement of the temptations
   was more distant. For Satan had attacked Christ forty days before he
   was hungry: but the most important and valuable combats are here
   related, in order that we may know that Satan, vanquished in many
   assaults, had fallen upon him furiously, and with all his might, to see
   if perhaps he might finally vanquish him, with whom he had not been
   able to succeed. For the more that we are exercised in spiritual
   combats, God allows us to be the more violently attacked. Wherefore let
   us learn, never to become weary, till, having finished the whole course
   of our war, we have reached the end."

   [309] "Car nous savons que Christ a este muni d'une telle vertu de
   l'Esprit, que les dards de Satan ne le pouvoyent navrer ne blesser:
   c'est a dire, qcu'il estoit impossible que peche tombast en luy." --
   "For we know that Christ was fortified by such a power of the Spirit,
   that the darts of Satan could not pierce or wound him: that is, that it
   was impossible for sin to fall upon him."

   [310] "Friandise ou gourmandise;" -- "epicurism or gormandizing."

   [311] "A friandise, ou a quelque excez de la bouche." -- "To epicurism,
   or any excess of the palate."

   [312] "Combien que pour couvrir sa malice;" -- "though, to cover his
   malice."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 4:5-11; MARK 1:13; LUKE 4:5-13

   Matthew 4:5-11

   Mark 1:13

   Luke 4:5-13

   5. Then the devil taketh [313] him into the holy city, and placeth him
   on the pinnacle [314] of the temple, 6. And saith to him, If thou art
   the Son of God, throw thyself down: for it is written, He will command
   his angels concerning thee, and they will carry thee in their hands,
   lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7. Jesus said to
   him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
   8. Again, the devil taketh him to a very high mountain, and pointeth
   out to him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9. And
   saith to him, All these things I will give thee, if, falling down, thou
   shalt adore me. 10. Then Jesus saith to him, Depart, Satan, for it is
   written, Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him alone thou shalt
   worship. 11. Then the devil leaveth him, and lo, angels approached, and
   waited on him.

   13. And angels waited on him.

   5. And the devil conducted him to a high mountain, and showed him all
   the kingdoms of the world in a moment. 6. And the devil saith to him, I
   will give thee this universal power, and the glory of them: for they
   have been delivered to me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it. 7. If,
   therefore, bowing down before me, thou shalt worship, all things shall
   be thine. 8. And Jesus answering said to him, Go behind me, Satan: for
   it is written, Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and him alone thou
   shalt worship. 9. And he led him to Jerusalem, and placed him on a
   parapet of the temple, and said to him, If thou art the Son of God,
   throw thyself down hence: 10. For it is written, that he will command
   his angels concerning thee, that they may preserve thee: 11. And that
   they will support thee with their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
   against a stone. 12. And he answering said to him, It is said, Thou
   shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13. And all the temptation having
   been finished, the devil departed from him for a time.


   Matthew 4:5. Then the devil taketh him. It is not of great importance,
   that Luke's narrative makes that temptation to be the second, which
   Matthew places as the third: for it was not the intention of the
   Evangelists to arrange the history in such a manner, as to preserve on
   all occasions, the exact order of time, but to draw up an abridged
   narrative of the events, so as to present, as in a mirror or picture,
   those things which are most necessary to be known concerning Christ.
   Let it suffice for us to know that Christ was tempted in three ways.
   The question, which of these contests was the second, and which was the
   third, need not give us much trouble or uneasiness. In the exposition,
   I shall follow the text of Matthew.

   Christ is said to have been placed on the pinnacle of the temple. It is
   asked, was he actually carried to this elevated spot, or was it done in
   vision? There are many, who obstinately assert, that the body was
   really and actually conveyed: for they consider it to be unworthy of
   Christ, that he should be supposed to be liable to the delusions of
   Satan. But it is easy to dispose of that objection. There is no
   absurdity in supposing, that this took place by the permission of God
   and the voluntary subjection of Christ; provided we hold that within,
   -- that is, in his mind and souls, -- he suffered no delusion. What is
   next added, that all the kingdoms of the world were placed in the view
   of Christ, -- as well as what Luke relates, that he was carried to a
   great distance in one moment, -- agrees better with the idea of a
   vision, than with any other supposition. In a matter that is doubtful,
   and where ignorance brings no risk, I choose rather to suspend my
   judgment, than to furnish contentious people with an occasion of
   debate. It is also possible, that the second temptation did not follow
   the first, nor the third the second, in immediate succession, but that
   some interval of time elapsed. This is even more probable, though the
   words of Luke might lead to the conclusion, that there was no long
   interval: for he says, that Christ obtained repose for a time.

   But the main question for our consideration is, what was Satan's object
   in this kind of temptation? That will be best determined, as I have
   lately hinted, by our Lord's reply to Satan. To meet the stratagem of
   the enemy, and to repel his attack, Christ interposes, as a shield,
   these words: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Hence it is
   evident, that the stratagems of the enemy were intended to induce
   Christ to exalt himself unduly, and to rise, in a daring manner,
   against God. Satan had formerly attempted to drive Christ to despair,
   because he was destitute of food, and of the ordinary means of life.
   Now, he exhorts him to indulge a foolish and vain confidences, -- to
   neglect the means which are in his powers, -- to throw himself, without
   necessity, into manifest danger, -- and, as we might say, to overleap
   all bounds. As it is not proper for us to be discouraged, when we are
   pressed by "the want of all things," (Deuteronomy 28:57,) but to rely
   with confidence on God, neither are we at liberty to raise our crests,
   or ascend higher than God permits us. The design of Satan, we have now
   ascertained, was to induce Christ to make trial of his divinity, and to
   rise up, in foolish and wicked rashness, against God.

   6. He will charge his angels concerning thee. We must observe this
   malice of Satan, in misapplying a quotation of Scripture, for the
   purpose of rendering life deadly to Christ, and of converting bread
   into poison. The same kind of stratagem he continues daily to employ;
   and the Son of God, who is the universal model of all the godly, chose
   to undergo this contest in his own person, that all may be
   industriously on their guard against being led, by a false application
   of Scripture, into the snares of Satan. And undoubtedly the Lord grants
   such a permission to our adversary, that we may not remain in indolent
   ease, but may be more careful to keep watch. Nor ought we to imitate
   the madness of those who throw away Scripture, as if it admitted of
   every kind of interpretation, because the devil misapplies it. For the
   same reason, we ought to abstain from food, to avoid the risk of being
   poisoned. Satan profanes the Word of God, and endeavors to torture it
   for our destruction. But it has been ordained by God for our salvation;
   and shall the purpose of God be frustrated, unless our indolence
   deprive his word of its saving effect?

   We need not dispute long on these matters. Let us only inquire, what
   Christ enjoins on us by his example, which we ought to follow as a
   rule. When Satan wickedly tortures Scripture, does Christ give way to
   him? Does he allow him to seize and carry off the Scripture, with which
   he formerly armed himself? On the contrary, he quotes Scripture in his
   turn, and boldly refutes Satan's wicked slander. Whenever Satan shall
   cover his deception by Scripture, and ungodly men shall labor to
   subvert our faith by the same means, let us borrow our armor
   exclusively from Scripture for the protection of our faith.

   Though the promise, he will charge his angels concerning thee, (Psalm
   91:11,) relates to all believers, yet it belongs peculiarly to Christ,
   who is the Head of the whole Church, possesses authority over angels,
   and commits to them the charge of us. Satan is not wrong in proving
   from this passage, that angels have been given to Christ, to wait on
   him, to guard him, and to bear him on their hands. But the fallacy lies
   in this, that he assigns a wandering and uncertain course to that
   guardianship of angels, which is only promised to the children of God,
   when they keep themselves within their bounds, and walk in their ways.
   If there is any force in that expression, in all thy ways, (Psalm
   91:11,) the prophet's meaning is wickedly corrupted and mutilated by
   Satan, when he applies it, in a violent and wild and confused manner,
   to extravagant and mistaken courses. God commands us to walk in our
   ways, and then declares that angels will be our guardians: Satan brings
   forward the guardianship of angels, for the purpose of advising Christ
   to put himself unnecessarily in danger, as if he would say: "If you
   expose yourself to death, contrary to the will of God, angels will
   protect your life."

   7. It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. The reply of
   Christ is most appropriate. There is no other way, in which we have a
   right to expect the assistance promised in that passage, than when
   believers humbly submit themselves to his guidance: for we cannot rely
   on his promises, without obeying his commandments. God is tempted in
   many ways: but in this passage, the word tempt denotes the neglect of
   those means which he puts into our hands. Those who leave the means
   which God recommends, and resolve to make trial of his power and might,
   act as absurdly as if one were to cut off a man's arms and hands, and
   then order him to work. In short, whoever desires to make an experiment
   of the divine power, when there is no necessity for it, tempts God by
   subjecting his promises to an unfair trial.

   8. The devil taketh him to a very high mountain. We must keep in mind,
   what I have already stated, that it was not owing to any weakness of
   Christ's nature, but to a voluntary dispensation and permission, that
   Satan produced this effect upon his eyes. Again, while his senses were
   moved and powerfully affected by the glory of the kingdoms which was
   presented to them, no inward desire arose in his mind; whereas the
   lusts of the flesh, like wild beasts, are drawn, and hurry us along, to
   the objects which please us: for Christ had the same feelings with
   ourselves, but he had no irregular appetites. The kind of temptation
   here described was, that Christ should seek, in another manner than
   from God, the inheritance which he has promised to his children. And
   here the daring insolence of the devil is manifested, in robbing God of
   the government of the world, and claiming it for himself. All these
   things, says he, are mine, and it is only through me that they are
   obtained.

   We have to contend every day with the same imposture: for every
   believer feels it in himself and it is still more clearly seen in the
   whole life of the ungodly. Though we are convinced, that all our
   support, and aid, and comfort, depend on the blessing of God, yet our
   senses allure and draw us away, to seek assistance from Satan, as if
   God alone were not enough. A considerable portion of mankind disbelieve
   the power and authority of God over the world, and imagine that every
   thing good is bestowed by Satan. For how comes it, that almost all
   resort to wicked contrivances, to robbery and to fraud, but because
   they ascribe to Satan what belongs to God, the power of enriching whom
   he pleases by his blessing? True, indeed, with the mouth they ask that
   God will give them daily bread, (Matthew 6:11) but it is only with the
   mouth; for they make Satan the distributor of all the riches in the
   world.

   10. Depart, Satan. Instead of this, Luke has, Depart behind me, Satan.
   There is no use for speculating about the phrase, behind me, which
   Christ addressed to Peter, Go behind me, (Matthew 16:23,) as if the
   same words had not been addressed to Satan. Christ simply bids him go
   away; [315] and now proceeds with the same kind of defense as before,
   employing Scripture as a shield, not of reeds, but of brass. He quotes
   a passage from the law, that God alone is to be adored and worshipped,
   (Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20.) From the application of that passage, and
   from the circumstances in which it is introduced, it is easy to
   conclude what is the design of adoration of God, and in what it
   consists.

   Papists deny that God only ought to be adored; and evade this and
   similar passages by sophistical arguments. Latria, (latreia,) they
   admit, is adoration, which ought to be given to God alone: but Dulia,
   (douleia,) is an inferior kind of adoration, which they bestow on dead
   men, and on their bones and statues. But Christ rejects this frivolous
   distinction, and claims for God alone proskunesis, worship; by which he
   warns us to attend more to the matter than to expressions, when we have
   to do with the worship of God.

   Scripture enjoins us to worship God alone: we must inquire, for what
   end? If a man takes any thing from his glory, and ascribes it to
   creatures, this is a heinous profanation of divine worship. But it is
   very evident that this is done, when we go to creatures, to receive
   from them those good things, of which God desired to be acknowledged as
   the only Author. Now, as religion is strictly spiritual, and the
   outward acknowledgment of it relates to the body, so not only the
   inward worship, but also the outward manifestation of it, is due to God
   alone. [316]

   11. Then the devil leaveth him. Luke expresses more: when all the
   temptation had been finished. This means, that no truce or relaxation
   was granted to Christ, till he had been fully tried by every species of
   contest. He adds, that Christ was left for a season only. This is
   intended to inform us, that the rest of his life was not entirely free
   from temptations, but that God restrained the power of Satan, so that
   Christ was not unseasonably disturbed by him. In like manner, God
   usually acts towards all his people: for, after permitting them to be
   sharply tried, he abates, in some measure, the violence of the strife,
   that they may take breath for a little, and gather courage. What
   immediately follows, the angels waited on him, I understand as
   referring to comfort, that Christ might feel, that God the Father took
   care of him, and fortified him, by his powerful assistance, against
   Satan. For the very solitude might aggravate the dreariness of his
   condition, when he was deprived of the kind offices of men, and was
   with the wild beasts, -- a circumstance which is expressly mentioned by
   Mark. And yet we must not suppose, that Christ was ever forsaken by the
   angels: but, in order to allow an opportunity for temptation, the grace
   of God, though it was present, was sometimes hidden from him, so far as
   respects the feeling of the flesh.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [313] "Le transporte;" -- "conveys him."

   [314] "Le pinnacle."

   [315] "Il vent seulement le rejetter avec son conseil;" -- "he wishes
   only to reject him with his advice."

   [316] "Christ attribue aussi a Dieu seul l'adoration externe, que les
   Grecs appellent proschunesis: car il use de ce terme qui signifient
   proprement s'agenouiller ET prosterner par forme de service divin." --
   "Christ ascribes also to God alone the external adoration, which the
   Greeks call proschunesis: for he employs this term, which signifies
   literally to kneel and bow down, in a form of divine service."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 4:12, 17; MARK 1:14-15;

   LUKE 3:19-20; 4:14

   Matthew 4:12, 17

   Mark 1:14-15

   Luke 3:19-20

   12. And when Jesus heard that John had been delivered up, [317] he
   withdrew into Galilee. 17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
   say, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

   14. Now after that John had been imprisoned, Jesus came into Galilee,
   preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God: 15. And saying, The time is
   fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe
   the Gospel.

   19. Now Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by him for Herodias,
   his brother's wife, and for all the wicked actions which Herod did,
   20. Added also this above all, and shut up John in prison.


   Luke 4:14-15

   14. And Jesus returned by the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a
   report went out through the whole country concerning him. 15. And he
   taught in their synagogues, and was glorified by all.


   Luke 3:19. Now Herod the tetrarch. Luke alone explains the reason why
   Herod threw John into prison: though we shall afterwards find it
   mentioned by Matthew 14:3, and Mark 6:17. Josephus says, (Ant. 18, v.
   2,) that Herod, dreading a popular insurrection and a change of the
   government, shut up John in the castle of Macherus, (because he dreaded
   the man's influence;) [318] and that Herodias was married, not to
   Philip, who was Salome's husband, but to another Herod. But as his
   recollection appears to have failed him in this matter, and as he
   mentions also Philip's death out of its proper place, the truth of the
   history will be obtained, with greater certainty, from the Evangelists,
   and we must abide by their testimony. [319] It is well known, that
   Herod, though he had been married to a daughter of Aretas, King of
   Arabia, fell in love with Herodias, his niece, and carried her off by
   fraud. This injury might possibly enough remain unrevenged by his
   brother Philip, to whom the same Josephus bears testimony, that he was
   a person of a mild and gentle disposition, (18:4:6.)

   This history shows clearly, what sort of reward awaits the faithful and
   honest ministers of the truth, particularly when they reprove vices:
   for scarcely one in a hundred bears reproof, and if it is at all
   severe, they break out into fury. If pride of this sort displays itself
   in some of the common people, we have no reason to wonder, that cruelty
   to reprovers assumes a more hideous form in tyrants, [320] who brook
   nothing worse than to be classed with other men. We behold in John an
   illustrious example of that moral courage, which all pious teachers
   ought to possess, not to hesitate to incur the wrath of the great and
   powerful, as often as it may be found necessary: for he, with whom
   there is acceptance of persons, does not honestly serve God. When Luke
   says, he added this to all the evil actions which he did, he means,
   that Herod's malice is become desperate, and has reached its utmost
   height, when the sinner is enraged by remedies, and not only refuses
   correction, but takes vengeance on his adviser, as if he had been his
   enemy.

   Matthew 4:12. When Jesus had heard. These words appear to be at
   variance with the narrative of the Evangelist John, who declares, that
   John and Christ discharged the office of public teachers at the same
   time. But we have to observe, that our three Evangelists pass over in
   silence that short space of time, because John's course was not yet
   completed, and because that course was intended to be a preparation for
   receiving the Gospel of Christ. And, in point of fact, though Christ
   discharged the office of teacher within that period, he did not,
   strictly speaking, begin to preach the Gospel, till he succeeded to
   John. Most properly, therefore, do the three Evangelists admit and
   declare, that the period, during which John prepared disciples for
   Christ, belonged to his ministry: for it amounts to this, that, when
   the dawn was passed, the sun arose. It is proper to observe the mode of
   expression employed by Luke, that Jesus came in the power, or, by the
   power, of the Spirit into Galilee: for it is of great consequence, that
   we do not imagine Christ to have any thing about him that is earthly or
   human, but that our minds be always occupied, and our feelings affected
   by his heavenly and divine power.

   Mark 1:14. Preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God. Matthew appears
   to differ a little from the other two: for, after mentioning that Jesus
   left his own city Nazareth, and departed to Capernaum, he says: from
   that time Jesus began to preach. Luke and Mark, again, relate, that he
   taught publicly in his own country. But the solution is easy; for the
   words which Matthew employs, apo tote, from that time, ought to be
   viewed as referring, not to what immediately precedes, but to the whole
   course of the narrative. Christ, therefore, entered into the exercise
   of his office, when he arrived at Galilee. The summary of doctrine
   which is given by Matthew is not at all different from what, we have
   lately seen, was taught by John: for it consists of two parts, --
   repentance, and the announcement of grace and salvation. He exhorts the
   Jews to conversion, because the kingdom of God is at hand: that is,
   because God undertakes to govern his people, which is true and perfect
   happiness. The language of Mark is a little different, The kingdom of
   God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel But the meaning is
   the same: for, having first spoken of the restoration of the kingdom of
   God among the Jews, he exhorts them to repentance and faith.

   But it may be asked, since repentance depends on the Gospel, why does
   Mark separate it from the doctrine of the Gospel? Two reasons may be
   assigned. God sometimes invites us to repentance, when nothing more is
   meant, than that we ought to change our life for the better. He
   afterwards shows, that conversion and "newness of life" (Romans 6:4)
   are the gift of God. This is intended to inform us, that not only is
   our duty enjoined on us, but the grace and power of obedience are, at
   the same time, offered. If we understand in this way the preaching of
   John about repentance, the meaning will be:" The Lord commands you to
   turn to himself; but as you cannot accomplish this by your own
   endeavors, he promises the Spirit of regeneration, and therefore you
   must receive this grace by faith." At the same time, the faith, which
   he enjoins men to give to the Gospel, ought not, by any means, to be
   confined to the gift of renewal, but relates chiefly to the forgiveness
   of sins. For John connects repentance with faith, because God
   reconciles us to himself in such a manner, that we serve him as a
   Father in holiness and righteousness.

   Besides, there is no absurdity in saying, that to believe the Gospel is
   the same thing as to embrace a free righteousness: for that special
   relation, between faith and the forgiveness of sins, is often mentioned
   in Scripture; as, for example, when it teaches, that we are justified
   by faith, (Romans 5:1.) In which soever of these two ways you choose to
   explain this passage, it still remains a settled principle, that God
   offers to us a free salvation, in order that we may turn to him, and
   live to righteousness. Accordingly, when he promises to us mercy, he
   calls us to deny the flesh. We must observe the designation which Paul
   gives to the Gospel, the kingdom of God: for hence we learn, that by
   the preaching of the Gospel the kingdom of God is set up and
   established among men, and that in no other way does God reign among
   men. Hence it is also evident, how wretched the condition of men is
   without the Gospel.

   Luke 4:15. He was glorified by all. This is stated by Luke for the
   express purpose of informing us, that, from the very commencement, a
   divine power shone in Christ, and compelled even those, who cherished a
   malignant spirit of contradiction, to join in admiring him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [317] "Que Jean estoit prisonnier;" -- "that John was prisoner."

   [318] "Pource qu'il savoit que c'estoit un homme de grande authorite
   envers le peuple, et pourtant se dutoit de luy." -- "Because he knew
   that he was a man of great authority among the people, and therefore
   had doubts about him."

   [319] The solution usually given, we believe, for this apparent
   discrepancy, is, that the name of the person in question was
   Herod-Philip. -- Ed.

   [320] "Les rois, princes, et grans tyrans." -- "Kings, princes, and
   great tyrants."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 4:16-22

   Luke 4:16-22

   16. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and entered,
   according to his custom, on the Sabbath-day, into the synagogue, and
   rose up to read. 17. And the book of Isaiah the Prophet was delivered
   to him, and, having opened the book, he found the passage where it was
   written, 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
   anointed me: he hath sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal
   the broken in heart, [321] to preach forgiveness to the captives and
   sight to the blind, to loose by forgiveness those who are bruised,
   19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20. Then, when he had
   closed the book, he returned it to the minister, and sat down: and the
   eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21. And he
   began to say to them, To-day this Scripture hath been fulfilled in your
   ears. 22. And all gave him testimony, and wondered at the discourses of
   grace which proceeded out of his mouth, and said, Is not this the son
   of Joseph?


   16. And he came to Nazareth The Evangelists are very careful to show by
   what sort of proofs Christ became known, a striking instance of which
   is here related by Luke. By explaining a passage in Isaiah, and
   applying it to the instruction which was immediately required, he
   turned upon him the eyes of all. He entered, according to his custom,
   into the synagogue Hence we conclude, that not only did he address the
   people in the open streets and highways, but, as far as he had
   opportunity, observed the usual order of the church. We see also that,
   though the Jews were become very degenerate, though every thing was in
   a state of confusion, and the condition of the church was miserably
   corrupted, one good thing still remained: they read the Scriptures
   publicly, and took occasion from them to teach and admonish the people.

   Hence also it is evident, what was the true and lawful method of
   keeping the Sabbath. When God commanded his people to abstain from
   working on that day, it was not that they might give themselves up to
   indolent repose, but, on the contrary, that they might exercise
   themselves in meditating on his works. Now, the minds of men are
   naturally blind to the consideration of his works, and must therefore
   be guided by the rule of Scripture. Though Paul includes the Sabbath in
   an enumeration of the shadows of the law, (Colossians 2:16,) yet, in
   this respect, our manner of observing it is the same with that of the
   Jews: the people must assemble to hear the word, to public prayers, and
   to the other exercises of religion. It was for this purpose that the
   Jewish Sabbath was succeeded by the Lord's Day.

   Now, if we make a comparison of dates, this passage will be sufficient
   to prove clearly, that the corruptions of the Papal Hierarchy, in our
   own time, are more shocking and detestable than those which existed
   among the Jews under the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. For the
   reading of Scripture, which was then in use, has not only grown
   obsolete under the Pope, but is driven from the churches by fire and
   sword; with this exception, that such portions of it, as they think
   proper, are chanted by them in an unknown tongue. Christ rose up to
   read, not only that his voice might be better heard, but in token of
   reverence: for the majesty of Scripture deserves that its expounders
   should make it apparent, that they proceed to handle it with modesty
   and reverence.

   17. He found the passage There is no doubt that Christ deliberately
   selected this passage. Some think that it was presented to him by God;
   [322] but, as a liberty of choice was allowed him, I choose to say
   that, by his own judgment, he took this passage in preference to
   others. Isaiah there predicts that, after the Babylonish captivity,
   there will still be witnesses of the grace of God, who shall gather the
   people from destruction, and from the darkness of death, and restore,
   by a spiritual power, the Church, which has been overwhelmed by so many
   calamities. But as that redemption was to be proclaimed in the name and
   authority of Christ alone, he uses the singular number, and speaks in
   the name of Christ, that he may more powerfully awaken the minds of the
   godly to strong confidence. It is certain, that what is here related
   belongs properly to Christ alone, for two reasons: first, because he
   alone was endued with the fullness of the Spirit, (John 3:34,) to be
   the witness and ambassador of our reconciliation to God; (and, for this
   reason, Paul (Ephesians 2:17) assigns peculiarly to him, what belongs
   to all the ministers of the Gospel, namely, that he, "came and preached
   peace to them which were afar off, and to them that were nigh:")
   secondly, because he alone, by the power of his Spirit, performs and
   grants all the benefits that are here promised.

   18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me These words inform us that, both
   in his own person and in his ministers, Christ does not act by human
   authority, or in a private capacity, but has been sent by God to
   restore salvation to his Church. He does nothing by the suggestion or
   advice of men, but everything by the guidance of the Spirit of God; and
   this he declares, in order that the faith of the godly may be founded
   on the authority and power of God. The next clause, because he hath
   anointed me, is added by way of explanation. Many make a false boast,
   that they have the Spirit of God, while they are destitute of his
   gifts: but Christ proves by the anointing, as the effect, that he is
   endued with the Spirit of God. He then states the purpose for which the
   graces of the Spirit were bestowed upon him. It was, that he might
   preach the Gospel to the poor Hence we conclude, that those, who are
   sent by God to preach the Gospel, are previously furnished with
   necessary gifts, to qualify them for so important an office. It is,
   therefore, very ridiculous that, under the pretense of a divine
   calling, men totally unfit for discharging the office should take upon
   themselves the name of pastors. We have an instance of this in the
   Papacy, where mitred bishops, who are more ignorant than as many asses,
   proudly and openly vaunt, that they are Christ's Vicars, and the only
   lawful prelates of the Church. We are expressly informed, that the Lord
   anoints his servants, because the true and efficacious preaching of the
   Gospel, as Paul says, does not lie "in the enticing words of man's
   wisdom," but in the heavenly power of the Spirit.

   To the poor The prophet shows what would be the state of the Church
   before the manifestation of the Gospel, and what is the condition of
   all of us without Christ. Those persons to whom God promises
   restoration are called poor, and broken, and captives, and blind, and
   bruised The body of the people was oppressed by so many miseries, that
   these descriptions applied to every one of its members. Yet there were
   many who, amidst their poverty, blindness, slavery, and death,
   flattered themselves, or were insensible to their condition. The
   consequence was, that few were prepared to accept this grace.

   And, first, we are here taught what is the design of the preaching of
   the Gospel, and what advantage it brings to us. We were altogether
   overwhelmed by every kind of evils: but there God cheers us by his
   life-giving light, to rescue us from the deep abyss of death, and to
   restore us to complete happiness. It tends, in no ordinary degree, to
   recommend the Gospel, that we obtain from it inestimable advantage.
   Secondly, we see who are invited by Christ, and made partakers of
   promised grace. They are persons, who are every way miserable, and
   destitute of all hope of salvation. But we are reminded, on the other
   hand, that we cannot enjoy those benefits which Christ bestows, in any
   other manner, than by being humbled under a deep conviction of our
   distresses, and by coming, as hungry souls, to seek him as our
   deliverer: for all who swell with pride, and do not groan under their
   captivity, nor are displeased with their blindness, lend a deaf ear to
   this prediction, and treat it with contempt.

   19. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord Many think that here the
   prophet makes an allusion to the Jubilee, and I have no objection to
   that view. But it is proper to observe, that he purposely anticipates a
   doubt, which might disturb and shake weak minds, while the Lord held
   them in suspense, by delaying so long the promised salvation. He
   therefore makes the time of redemption to depend on the purpose, or
   good pleasure, of God. "In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in
   a day of salvation have I helped thee." Paul calls it the fullness of
   the time, (Galatians 4:4,) that believers may learn not to indulge in
   excessive curiosity, but to acquiesce in the will of God, -- and that
   we may rest satisfied with the conviction, that salvation was
   manifested in Christ, at the time which seemed good in the sight of
   God.

   20. The eyes of all who were in the synagogue God touched their hearts,
   I doubt not, with astonishment, which made them more attentive, and
   induced them to listen to Christ, while he was speaking. For they must
   have been withheld from opposing this discourse at the commencement, or
   breaking it off in the midst, when they were sufficiently disposed, as
   we shall see, to treat Christ with contempt.

   21. Today is fulfilled Christ did not merely affirm in a few words, but
   proved by a reference to facts, that the time was now come, when it was
   the will of God to restore his ruined church. The object of his
   discourse was, to expound the prediction clearly to his hearers: just
   as expositors handle Scripture in a proper and orderly manner, when
   they apply it to the circumstances of those whom they address. He says
   that it was fulfilled in their ears, rather than in their eyes, because
   the bare sight of the fact was of little value, if doctrine had not
   held the chief place.

   22. And all gave testimony to him Here Luke draws our attention, first,
   to the truly divine grace, which breathed in the lips of Christ; and
   then presents a lively picture of the ingratitude of men. Using a
   Hebrew idiom, he calls them discourses of grace, -- that is, discourses
   which manifested the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. The
   inhabitants of Nazareth are thus compelled to acknowledge and admire
   God speaking in Christ; and yet they voluntarily refuse to render to
   the heavenly doctrine of Christ the honor which it deserves. Is not
   this the son of Joseph? Instead of regarding this circumstance as an
   additional reason for glorifying God, they bring it forward as an
   objection, and wickedly make it a ground of offense, that they may have
   some plausible excuse for rejecting what is said by the son of Joseph.
   Thus we daily see many who, while they are convinced that what they
   hear is the word of God, seize on frivolous apologies for refusing to
   obey it. And certainly the only reason why we are not affected, as we
   ought to be, by the power of the Gospel, is, that we throw hinderances
   in our own way, and that our malice quenches that light, the power of
   which we are unwilling to acknowledge.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [321] "Pour guarir ceux qui ont le coeur froisse;" -- "to heal those
   who have the heart bruised."

   [322] "Aucuns pensent que par la volonte de Dieu il l'ait recontre sans
   le chercher." -- "Some think that, by the will of God, he found it
   without seeking for it."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 4:23-30

   Luke 4:23-30

   23. And he saith to them, Ye will altogether [323] say to me this
   comparison, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever things we have heard
   done in Capernaum, do thou also here in thy country. 24. And he saith,
   Verily, I say to you, No prophet is acceptable in his own country.
   25. But in truth I say to you, There were many widows, in the days of
   Elijah, in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months,
   so that there was great famine through all the land; 26. And to none of
   them was Elijah sent, but to a woman, a widow, in Zarephath of Zidon.
   27. And there were many lepers in Israel, in the time of Elisha the
   prophet, and not one of them was cleansed, but Naaman, a Syrian.
   28. And all were filled with wrath in the synagogue, hearing these
   things, 29. And rose up, and drove him out of the city, and led him to
   the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might
   throw him down. [324] 30. And he, passing through the midst of them,
   went away. [325]


   23. Physician, heal thyself From the words of Christ it may be easily
   inferred, that he was treated with contempt by the inhabitants of
   Nazareth: for he states publicly those thoughts, which he knew to exist
   in their minds. He afterwards imputes to them the blame of his
   declining to work miracles among them, and charges them with malice, in
   bestowing no honor on a prophet of God. The objection, which he
   anticipates, is this: "There is no reason to wonder, if his countrymen
   hold him in little estimation, since he does not dignify his own
   country, as he does other places, by working miracles; and,
   consequently, it is but a just revenge, if his own countrymen, whom he
   treats with less respect than all others, are found to reject him."
   Such is the meaning of the common proverb, that a physician ought to
   begin with himself, and those immediately connected with him, before he
   exhibits his skill in healing others. The amount of the objection is,
   that Christ acts improperly, in paying no respect to his own country,
   while he renders other cities of Galilee illustrious by his miracles.
   And this was regarded by the inhabitants of Nazareth as a fair excuse
   for rejecting him in their turn.

   24. Verily, I say to you He reproaches them with the blame of
   preventing him from exerting his power among them as he did in other
   places, by working miracles: for the unbelief of men presents an
   obstruction to God, and hinders him from working, as might be desired,
   for their salvation, (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5.) Christ could not
   perform any miracle among them, because "they did not believe on him,"
   (John 12:37.) Not that it is in the power of men to bind the hands of
   God, but that he withholds the advantage of his works from those who
   are rendered unworthy of them by their infidelity. The answer given by
   Christ amounts to this: "If you wish to have a share in miracles, why
   do you not give place to God? or rather, why do you proudly reject the
   minister of his power? You receive, therefore, a just reward for your
   contempt, when I pass by you, and give a preference to other places,
   for proving by miracles, that I am the Messiah of God, who have been
   appointed to restore the church."

   And, certainly, it was intolerable ingratitude that, when God was
   pleased to have his Son brought up in their city, such a person, who
   had been among them from his infancy, was despised. Justly, therefore,
   did he withdraw his hand, that it might not be exposed to the derision
   of those wicked despisers. [326] Hence we learn what value the Lord
   puts on his word, when, in order to punish for the contempt of it, he
   takes from the midst of us those favors, which are the testimonies of
   his presence. With respect to that saying, no prophet is acceptable in
   his own country, the reader may consult what I have said on a saying of
   the same import, recorded by the Evangelist John: "A prophet hath no
   honor in his own country," (John 4:44.)

   25. There were many widows After throwing back upon themselves the
   blame of their being deprived of miracles, he produces two examples to
   prove, that they ought not to think it strange, if God prefers
   strangers to the inhabitants of the country, and that they ought not to
   find fault with him for obeying the call of God, as was formerly done
   by Elijah and Elisha. He throws out an indirect hint as to their vanity
   and presumption, in entertaining a dislike of him, because he had been
   brought up among them. When there was a great famine for three years
   and a half, there were many widows in Israel, whose want of food Elijah
   was not commanded to relieve, but he was sent to a woman, who belonged
   to a foreign nation, Zidon, (1 Kings 17:9.) In like manner, Elisha
   healed no lepers among his countrymen, but he healed Naaman, a Syrian,
   (2 Kings 5:10.)

   Though his reproofs strike the inhabitants of Nazareth with peculiar
   severity, yet he charges the whole nation with ingratitude, because,
   for a long period, almost all of them had proceeded to more shameful
   contempt of the Lord, in proportion as he had approached nearer to
   them. For how did it come about, that a woman, who was a foreigner, was
   preferred by God to all the Israelites, but because the prophet had
   been rejected by them, and compelled to seek refuge in a heathen land?
   And why did God choose that Naaman, a Syrian, should be healed by
   Elisha, but to put a disgrace on the nation of Israel? The meaning,
   therefore, is, that the same thing happens now as in former times, when
   God sends his power to a great distance among foreigners, because he is
   rejected by the inhabitants of the country.

   Meanwhile, Christ intimates that, though he is despised by his
   countrymen, his glory is in no degree diminished: because God will
   still be able, to their shame and confusion, to dignify and exalt his
   Son, as he formerly gave honor to his prophets in the midst of the
   Gentiles. In this way the foolish glorying in the flesh is repressed,
   when we see the Lord rain, not only where and when he pleases, but in
   distant corners, to the neglect of that country which he had chosen for
   his residence. Hence, also, may be collected the general doctrine that
   we have no right to prescribe any rule to God in disposing his
   benefits, so as to prevent him from rejecting those who hold the
   highest rank, and conferring honor on the lowest and most contemptible;
   and that we are not at liberty to oppose him, when he entirely subverts
   that order, which would have approved itself to our judgment. Our
   attention is, no doubt, drawn to a contrast between Israel and the
   heathen nations: but still we ought to hold, that none are chosen, in
   preference to others, for their own excellence, but that it proceeds
   rather from the wonderful purpose of God, the height and depth of
   which, though the reason may be hidden from us, we are bound to
   acknowledge and adore.

   28. Were filled with wrath They perceived that the object of those two
   examples, which Christ had produced, was to show, that the grace of God
   would be removed from them to others: [327] and therefore they
   considered that he had spoken to their dishonor. But, instead of having
   their consciences stung to the quick, and seeking a remedy for their
   vices by correcting them, they are only driven to madness. Thus ungodly
   men not only resist, with obstinacy, the judgments of God, but rise
   into cruelty against his servants. Hence it is evident, how forcible
   are the reproofs which proceed from the Spirit of God: for the minds of
   those who would willingly evade them, [328] are inflamed with rage.
   Again, when we see that the minds of men are so envenomed, that they
   become mad against God, whenever they are treated with some degree of
   roughness, we ought to implore the Spirit of meekness, (Galatians
   5:23,) that we may not be driven, by the same fury, into such a
   destructive war. [329]

   30. But he, passing through the midst of them When Luke says, that
   Jesus passed through the middle of the crowd, and so escaped out of
   their hands, he means that God rescued him, by an extraordinary
   miracle, from immediate death. This example teaches us that, though our
   adversaries may prevail so far, that our life may seem to be placed at
   their disposal, yet that the power of God will always be victorious to
   preserve us, so long as he shall be pleased to keep us in the world,
   either by tying their hands, or by blinding their eyes, or by
   stupifying their minds and hearts.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [323] "Omnino." -- "Tout a plein."

   [324] "Pour le jetter du haut en bas;" -- "to throw him from top to
   bottom."

   [325] "Mais il passa par le milieu d'eux, et s'en alla." -- "But he
   passed through the midst of them, and went away."

   [326] "Afin de n.e servir de passe temps a de si meschans contempteurs
   des graces de Dieu." -- "That it might not serve for amusement to such
   wicked despisers of God's favors."

   [327] "Que la grace de Dieu leur seroit ostee, et envoyee a autres;" --
   "that the grace of God would be taken from them, and sent to others."

   [328] "Qui les laisseroyent volontiers escouler sans y penser;" -- "who
   would willingly allow them to steal away, without thinking of them."

   [329] "Afin que ne soyons transportez a entreprendre une guerre si
   folle, a nostre grande confusion;" -- "in order that we may not be
   hurried away, to undertake a war so foolish, to our great confusion."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 4:13-16

   Matthew 4:13-16

   13. And having left Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is
   a town on the sea-coast in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali,
   14. That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
   saying, 15. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, near the way
   of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16. The people who
   sat [330] in darkness have seen a great light: and to those who sat in
   the region and shadow of death light hath arisen.


   13. And having left Nazareth I have thought it proper to introduce this
   passage of Matthew, immediately after Luke's narrative, which we have
   just examined; because we may gather from the context that, as Christ
   had hitherto been wont to frequent the town of Nazareth, so, in order
   to avoid danger, he now bade a final adieu to it, and dwelt in
   Capernaum and the neighboring towns. There would be no difficulty in
   this history, were it not that there is some appearance, as if Matthew
   had put a wrong meaning on the quotation from the prophet. But if we
   attend to the true meaning of the prophet, it will appear to be
   properly and naturally accommodated to the present occasion. Isaiah,
   after having described a very heavy calamity of the nation, soothes
   their grief by a promise that, when the nation shall be reduced to
   extremity, a deliverance will immediately follow, which shall dispel
   the darkness, and restore the light of life.

   The words are:

   "Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation,
   when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the
   land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the
   way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people
   that walked in darkness shall see a great light" (Isaiah 9:1,2.)

   The Israelites had been twice visited by a heavy calamity: first, when
   four tribes, or thereby, were carried away into banishment, by
   Tiglath-Pileser, (2 Kings 15:29;) and, secondly, when Shalmaneser
   completed the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, (2 Kings 18:9.)
   There remained a third desolation, which -- the prophet had foretold
   towards the close of the eighth chapter -- would be the most dreadful
   of all. And now follows, in the words which we have quoted, what is
   calculated to soothe their grief. God will stretch out his hand to his
   people, and, therefore, death will be more tolerable than the previous
   diseases were. "Though the whole nation," says he, "shall be destroyed,
   yet so brilliant shall be the light of grace, that there will be less
   dimness in this last destruction than in the two former instances, when
   the ten tribes were ruined."

   The promise ought to be extended, I have no doubt, to the whole body of
   the people, which might seem to be, to all appearance, lost and
   destroyed. It is very absurd in the Jews to confine it to the
   deliverance of the city of Jerusalem. as if the light of life had been
   restored to it, when the siege was raised by the flight of King
   Sennacherib, [331] (2 Kings 19: 36.) Certainly, it is evident from the
   context, that the prophet looks much farther; and, as he promises a
   universal restoration of the whole church, it follows that the land of
   Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and Galilee of the Gentiles, are
   included in the number of those, to whom the darkness of death would be
   changed into the light of life. The commencement of this light, and, as
   we might say, the dawn, was the return of the people from Babylon. At
   length, Christ, "the Sun of Righteousness," (Malachi 4:2,) arose in
   full splendor, and, by his coming, utterly "abolished" (2 Timothy 1:10)
   the darkness of death.

   In the same manner, Paul reminds us, that it was a fulfillment of what
   occurs in many passages of the prophets, "Awake, thou that sleepest,
   and arise from the dead," (Ephesians 5:14.) Now, we know that the
   kingdom of Christ is spiritual, and, therefore, the light of salvation
   which it brings, and all the assistance which we derive from it, must
   correspond to its nature. Hence it follows, that our souls are plunged
   in the darkness of everlasting death, till he enlightens them by his
   grace. The prophet's discourse relates, no doubt, to the destruction of
   the nation, but presents to us, as in a mirror, what is the condition
   of mankind, until they are delivered by the grace of Christ. When
   those, who lay in darkness, are said to have seen a great light, a
   change so sudden and remarkable is intended to enlarge our views of the
   greatness of the divine salvation. Lower Galilee is called Galilee of
   the Gentiles, not only on account of its vicinity to Tyre and Sidon,
   but because its inhabitants were a mixture of Jews and Gentiles,
   particularly after that David had granted some cities to King Hiram.
   [332]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [330] "Le peuple, qui gisoit en tenebres;" -- "The people that lay in
   darkness."

   [331] "Lors que le Roy Sennacherib fut contreint de lever le siege de
   de-rant, et s'enfuir honteusement." -- "When King Sennacherib was
   compelled to raise the siege, and to fly disgracefully."

   [332] This appears to refer to a gift, not of David, but of Solomon:
   for we are told, (1 Kings 9:11,) that" King Solomon gave Hiram twenty
   cities in the land of Galilee." -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 4:18-25; MARK 1:16-20; LUKE 5:1-11

   Matthew 4:18-25

   Mark 1:16-20

   Luke 5:1-11

   18. And Jesus, walking near the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon
   surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for
   they were fishers. 19. And he saith to them, Follow me, and I will make
   you fishers of men. 20. And they, having left their nets, immediately
   followed him. 21. And advancing thence, he saw other two brothers,
   James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the ship with
   Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them. 22. And
   they immediately, having left the ship and their father, followed him.
   23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
   preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease, and
   every illness among the people. 24. And the report of him spread into
   the whole of Syria: and they brought to him all who were ill and
   afflicted with various diseases and torments, and demoniancs, and
   lunatics, and those that had palsy, and he healed them. 25. And great
   multitudes followed him from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from
   Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from the country beyond Jordan.

   16. Now, as he was walking near the sea of Galilee, he seeth Simon and
   Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
   17. And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you to become
   fishers of men. 18. And immediately having left their nets, they
   followed him. 19. And advancing thence a little, he saw James the son
   of Zebedee, and John his brother, who themselves also were mending
   their nets in the ship. 20. And immediately he called them: and they,
   having left their father Zebedee in the ship with the workmen, [333]
   followed him.

   1. And it happened, while the crowd was pressing upon him, that they
   might hear the word of God, and he stood near the lake of Gennesaret,
   2. And he saw two ships standing [334] at the lake: and the fishers had
   gone down out of them, and were washing their nets. 3. And entering
   into one of the ships, which was Simon's, he asked him to draw it a
   little from the land: and sitting down, he taught the multitudes out of
   the ship. 4. And when he ceased to speak, he said to Simon, Pull out to
   the deep, and loose your nets for catching. 5. And Simon answering said
   to him, Master, laboring through the whole night, we have taken
   nothing: yet at thy word I will loose the net. 6. And when they had
   done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net was
   broken. 7. And they made signs to their companions, who were in the
   other ship, that they might come and help them. And they came, and
   filled both the ships, so that they were sinking. 8. Which when Simon
   Peter had seen, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, O
   Lord, for I am a sinful man. [335] 9. For astonishment had overpowered
   him, and all were with him, on account of the draught of fishes which
   they had taken: 10. And in like manner James and John, sons of Zebedee,
   who were companions of Simon. And Jesus saith to Simon, Fear not: for
   henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11. And having brought the ships to
   land, and having left all, they followed him.


   Matthew 4:18. And Jesus walking. As this history is placed by Luke
   after the two miracles, which we shall afterwards see, an opinion has
   commonly prevailed, that the miracle, which is here related by him, was
   performed some time after that they had been called by Christ. [336]
   But the reason, which they allege, carries little weight: for no fixed
   and distinct order of dates was observed by the Evangelists in
   composing their narratives. The consequence is, that they disregard the
   order of time, and satisfy themselves with presenting, in a summary
   manner, the leading transactions in the life of Christ. They attended,
   no doubt, to the years, so as to make it plain to their readers, in
   what manner Christ was employed, during the course of three years, from
   the commencement of his preaching till his death. But miracles, which
   took place nearly about the same time, are freely intermixed: which
   will afterwards appear more clearly from many examples. [337]

   That it is the same history, which is given by the three Evangelists,
   is proved by many arguments: but we may mention one, which will be
   sufficient to satisfy any reader, who is not contentious. All the three
   agree in stating, that Peter and Andrew, James and John, were made
   apostles. If they had been previously called, it would follow that they
   were apostates, who had forsaken their Master, despised their calling,
   and returned to their former occupation. There is only this difference
   between Luke and the other two, that he alone relates the miracle,
   which the others omit. But it is not uncommon with the Evangelists, to
   touch slightly one part of a transaction, and to leave out many of the
   circumstances. There is, therefore, no absurdity in saying, that a
   miracle, which is related by one, has been passed over by the other
   two. And we must bear in mind what John says, that, out of the
   innumerable miracles "which Jesus did," (John 21:25,) a part only has
   been selected, which was sufficient to prove his divine power, and to
   confirm our faith in him. There is therefore no reason to wonder, if
   the calling of the four apostles is slightly touched by Matthew and
   Mark, while the occasion of it is more fully explained by Luke.

   Luke 5:1. He stood near the lake. Matthew and Mark, according to the
   usual custom of their language, call it the sea of Galilee. The proper
   name of this lake among the ancient Hebrews was knrt, (Chinnereth;)
   [338] but, when the language became corrupted, the word was changed to
   Gennesaret. Profane authors call it Gennesar; and that part, which lay
   towards Galilee, was called by them the sea of Galilee. The bank, which
   adjoined to Tiberias, received its name from that city. Its breadth and
   situation will be more appropriately discussed in another place. Let us
   now come to the fact here related.

   Luke says, that Christ entered into a ship which belonged to Peter, and
   withdrew to a moderate distance from the land, that he might more
   conveniently address from it the multitudes, who flocked from various
   places to hear him; and that, after discharging the office of teaching,
   he exhibited a proof of his divine power by a miracle. It was no
   unusual thing, indeed, that fishers cast their nets, on many occasions,
   with little advantage: and that all their fruitless toil was afterwards
   recompensed by one successful throw. But it was proved to be a miracle
   by this circumstance, that they had taken nothing during the whole
   night, (which, however, is more suitable for catching fish,) and that
   suddenly a great multitude of fishes was collected into their nets,
   sufficient to fill the ships. Peter and his companions, therefore,
   readily conclude that a take, so far beyond the ordinary quantity, was
   not accidental, but was bestowed on them by a divine interposition.

   Luke 5:5. Master, toiling all the night, we have taken nothing. The
   reason why Peter calls him Master unquestionably is, that he knows
   Christ to be accustomed to discharge the office of a Teacher, and is
   moved with reverence toward him. But he has not yet made such progress
   as to deserve to be ranked among his disciples: for our sentiments
   concerning Christ do not render him sufficient honor, unless we embrace
   his doctrine by the obedience of faith, and know what he requires from
   us. He has but a slender perception -- if he has any at all -- of the
   value of the Gospel; but the deference which he pays to Christ is
   manifested by this, that, when worn out by fruitless toil, he commences
   anew what he had already attempted in vain. Yet it cannot be denied,
   that he highly esteemed Christ, and had the highest respect for his
   authority. But a particular instance of faith, rendered to a single
   command of Christ, would not have made Peter a Christian, or given him
   a place among the sons of God, if he had not been led on, from this
   first act of submission, to a full obedience. But, as Peter yielded so
   readily to the command of Christ, whom he did not yet know to be a
   Prophet or the Son of God, no apology can be offered for our
   disgraceful conduct, if, while we call him our Lord, and King, and
   Judge, (Isaiah 33:22,) we do not move a finger to perform our duty, to
   which we have ten times received his commands.

   Luke 5:6. They inclosed a great multitude of fishes. The design of the
   miracle undoubtedly was, to make known Christ's divinity, and thus to
   induce Peter and others to become his disciples. But we may draw from
   this instance a general instruction, that we have no reason to be
   afraid lest our labor should not be attended by the blessing of God and
   desirable success, when it is undertaken by the authority and guidance
   of Christ. Such was the multitude of fishes, that the ships were
   sinking, and the minds of the spectators were thus excited to
   admiration: for it must have been in consequence of the divine glory of
   Christ manifested by this miracle, that his authority was fully
   acknowledged.

   Luke 5:8. Depart from me, O Lord. Although men are earnest in seeking
   the presence of God, yet, as soon as God appears, they must be struck
   with terror, and almost rendered lifeless by dread and alarm, until he
   administers consolation. They have the best reason for calling
   earnestly on God, because they cannot avoid feeling that they are
   miserable, while he is absent from them: and, on the other hand, his
   presence is appalling, because they begin to feel that they are
   nothing, and that they are overpowered by an immense mass of evils. In
   this manner, Peter views Christ with reverence in the miracle, and yet
   is so overawed by his majesty, that he does all he can to avoid his
   presence. Nor was this the case with Peter alone: for we learn, from
   the context, that astonishment had overpowered all who were with him.
   Hence we see, that it is natural to all men to tremble at the presence
   of God. And this is of advantage to us, in order to humble any foolish
   confidence or pride that may be in us, provided it is immediately
   followed by soothing consolation. And so Christ relieves the mind of
   Peter by a mild and friendly reply, saying to him, Fear not. Thus
   Christ sinks his own people in the grave, that he may afterwards raise
   them to life. [339]

   Luke 5:10. For afterwards thou shalt catch men. The words of Matthew
   are, I will make you fishers of men; and those of Mark are, I will
   cause that you may become fishers of men. They teach us, that Peter,
   and the other three, were not only gathered by Christ to be his
   disciples, but were made apostles, or, at least, chosen with a view to
   the apostleship. It is, therefore, not merely a general call to faith,
   but a special call to a particular office, that is here described. The
   duties of instruction, I do admit, are not yet enjoined upon them; but
   still it is to prepare them for being instructors, [340] that Christ
   receives and admits them into his family. This ought to be carefully
   weighed; for all are not commanded to leave their parents and their
   former occupation, and literally [341] to follow Christ. There are some
   whom the Lord is satisfied with having in his flock and his Church,
   while he assigns to others their own station. Those who have received
   from him a public office ought to know, that something more is required
   from them than from private individuals. In the case of others, our
   Lord makes no change as to the ordinary way of life; but he withdraws
   those four disciples from the employment from which they had hitherto
   derived their subsistence, that he may employ their labors in a nobler
   office.

   Christ selected rough mechanics, -- persons not only destitute of
   learning, but inferior in capacity, that he might train, or rather
   renew them by the power of his Spirit, so as to excel all the wise men
   of the world. He intended to humble, in this manner, the pride of the
   flesh, and to present, in their persons, a remarkable instance of
   spiritual grace, that we may learn to implore from heaven the light of
   faith, when we know that it cannot be acquired by our own exertions.
   Again, though he chose unlearned and ignorant persons, he did not leave
   them in that condition; and, therefore, what he did ought not to be
   held by us to be an example, as if we were now to ordain pastors, who
   were afterwards to be trained to the discharge of their office. We know
   the rule which he prescribes for us, by the mouth of Paul that none
   ought to be called to it, unless they are "apt to teach," (1 Timothy
   3:2.) When our Lord chose persons of this description it was not
   because he preferred ignorance to learning as some fanatics do, who are
   delighted with their own ignorance, and fancy that, in proportion as
   they hate literature, they approach the nearer to the apostles. He
   resolved at first, no doubt, to choose contemptible persons, in order
   to humble the pride of those who think that heaven is not open to the
   unlearned; but he afterwards gave to those fishers, as an associate in
   their office, Paul, who had been carefully educated from his childhood.

   As to the meaning of the metaphor, fishers of men, there is no
   necessity for a minute investigation. Yet, as it was drawn from the
   present occurrence, the allusion which Christ made to fishing, when he
   spoke of the preaching of the Gospel, was appropriate: for men stray
   and wander in the world, as in a great and troubled sea, till they are
   gathered by the Gospel. The history related by the Evangelist John
   (1:37-42.) differs from this: for Andrew, who had been one of John's
   disciples, was handed over by him to Christ, and afterwards brought his
   brother along with him. At that time, they embraced him as their
   master, but were afterwards elevated to a higher rank.

   Matthew 4:22. And they immediately left the ship. The first thing that
   strikes us here is the power of Christ's voice. Not that his voice
   alone makes so powerful an impression on the hearts of men: but those
   whom the Lord is pleased to lead and draw to himself, are inwardly
   addressed by his Spirit, that they may obey his voice. The second is,
   the commendation bestowed on the docility and ready obedience of his
   disciples, who prefer the call of Christ to all worldly affairs. The
   ministers of the Word ought, in a particular manner, to be directed by
   this example, to lay aside all other occupations, and to devote
   themselves unreservedly to the Church, to which they are appointed.

   Matthew 4:23. And Jesus went about all Galilee. The same statement is
   again made by Matthew in another place, (9:35.) But though Christ was
   constantly employed in performing almost innumerable miracles, we ought
   not to think it strange, that they are again mentioned, twice or
   thrice, in a general manner. In the words of Matthew we ought, first,
   to observe, that Christ never remained in one place, but scattered
   every where the seed of the Gospel. Again, Matthew calls it the Gospel
   of the kingdom, by which the kingdom of God is established among men
   for their salvation. True and eternal happiness is thus distinguished
   from the prosperity and joys of the present life.

   When Matthew says, that Christ healed every disease, the meaning is,
   that he healed every kind of disease. We know, that all who were
   diseased were not cured; but there was no class of diseases, that was
   ever presented to him, which he did not heal. An enumeration is given
   of particular kinds of diseases, in which Christ displayed his power.
   Demoniacs (diamonizomenoi) is a name given in Scripture, not to all
   indiscriminately who are tormented by the devil, but to those who, by a
   secret vengeance of God, are given up to Satan, so that he holds
   possession of their minds and of their bodily senses. Lunatics
   (seleniazomenoi) [342] is the name given to those, in whom the strength
   of the disease increases or diminishes, according to the waxing or
   waning of the moon, such as those who are afflicted with epilepsy,
   [343] or similar diseases. As we know, that diseases of this sort
   cannot be healed by natural means, it follows that, when Christ
   miraculously healed them, he proved his divinity.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [333] "Avec les ouvriers."

   [334] "Stantes;" -- "et voyant deux nasselles qui estoyent pres du
   lac;" -- "and seeing two ships which were near the lake."

   [335] "Homo peccator;" -- "homme pecheur;" -- "a man a sinner."

   [336] "Quelque temps apresque Jesus Christ ent appelle a soy Pierre,
   Andre, Jean, et Jaques." -- "Some time after that Jesus Christ had
   called to himself Peter, Andrew, John, and James."

   [337] "Ils ne s'amusent pas, esplucher de pres lequel est le premier,
   ou le second." -- "They do not give themselves the trouble of
   investigating closely which is first or second."

   [338] Chinnereth occurs in Joshua, (19:35,) as the name of an adjoining
   city, from which the lake probably derived its name. In the French
   copy, our author gives it Cinerot, or, as we have it, (Joshua 11:2,)
   Chinneroth. But that word contains a Vau, which is here wanting: though
   it must be owned that, when it is connected with a Cholem point, that
   letter is often inserted, or left out, according to the pleasure of the
   writer. -- Ed.

   [339] "Et c'est la coustume du Seigneur d'abbattre les siens, et comme
   les plonger dedans le sepulcher, afin de les vivifier puis apres." --
   "And it is customary with the Lord to strike down his own people, and,
   as it were, to sink them in the grave, that he may raise them to life
   afterwards."

   [340] "Il les prend en sa compagnie et conversation domestique, afin de
   les faconner a enseigner puis apres les autres." -- "He takes them into
   his society and private conversation, in order to prepare them
   afterwards to instruct others."

   [341] "Pour suivre Christ des pieds, c'est a dire exterieurement;" --
   "to follow Christ with the feet, that is to say, externally."

   [342] Seleniazomai, like the adjective seleniachos, is derived from
   selene, the moon. Among, the Greeks and Romans, as well as among the
   Jews, certain violent diseases, the variations of which could not be
   easily explained, were supposed to be affected by the phases of the
   moon. Till lately, mental derangement was universally believed among
   ourselves to be influenced by similar causes; if indeed there be not
   some who still defend that opinion by plausible arguments. Scripture
   was not. intended to determine questions of physical science, in which
   inductive reasoning is a sufficient guide, but to declare those truths,
   which could never have been known without an express revelation. The
   term seleniazomenoi, in this and similar passages, does not imply, that
   the sacred writers supported the common opinion, any more than the
   English word lunatic, used with equal freedom by philosophers and by
   the unlearned, countenances an exploded theory, -- any more, in short,
   than the popular use of the phrases, the rising and setting of the sun,
   expresses a belief that it is the motion of the sun, and not of the
   earth, that produces the succession of day and night. -- Ed.

   [343] "Comitiali morbo." The Romans gave the name of comitialis morbus
   to this disease, in consequence of the singular fact, that their
   comitia, or public assemblies, were instantly broken up, when any one
   present was seized with a fit of epilepsy. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MARK 1:21-28; LUKE 4:31-36

   Mark 1:21-28

   Luke 4:31-36

   21. And they entered into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbaths,
   entering into the synagogue, he taught. 22. And they were astonished at
   his doctrine; for he was teaching them, as one invested with authority,
   and not as the Scribes. 23. And there was in their synagogue a man
   liable to an unclean spirit, who cried out, 24. Saying, Ah! what have I
   to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know
   thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25. And Jesus rebuked him,
   saying, Hold they peace, and go out of him. 26. And when the unclean
   spirit had torn him, and had cried with a loud voice, he went out from
   him. 27. And all were astonished, so that they inquired among
   themselves, saying, What is this? What new doctrine is this? for with
   authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.
   28. And immediately his fame went out into every part of Galilee.

   31. And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and there he
   taught them on the Sabbath-day: 32. And they were astonished at his
   doctrine: for his word was accompanied with power. 33. And there was in
   the synagogue a man having a spirit of an unclean devil: and he cried
   out with a loud voice, 34. Saying, Ah! what have we to do with thee,
   Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou
   art, the Holy One of God. 35. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Holy thy
   peace, and go out of him. And when the devil had thrown him down in the
   midst, he went out of him, and hurt him nothing. 36. And trembling came
   upon all, and they talked among themselves, saying, What speech is
   this? for with authority and power he commandeth the uclean spirits,
   and they go out.


   This demoniac was probably one of that multitude, which was mentioned,
   a little before, by Matthew 4:24. Yet the narrative of Mark and Luke is
   not superfluous: for they relate some circumstances, which not only
   present the miracle in a more striking light, but also contain useful
   instruction. The devil dexterously acknowledges, that Christ is the
   Holy One of God, in order to insinuate into the minds of men a
   suspicion, that there was some secret understanding between him and
   Christ. By such a trick he has since endeavored to make the Gospel
   suspected, and, in the present day, he is continually making similar
   attempts. That is the reason why Christ rebukes him. It is, no doubt,
   possible, that this confession was violently extorted from him: but
   there is no inconsistency between the two suppositions, that he is
   forced to yield to the power of Christ, and therefore cries out that he
   is the Holy One of God, -- and yet that he cunningly attempts to shroud
   in his own darkness the glory of Christ. At the same time, we must
   observe that, while he flatters Christ in this manner, he indirectly
   withdraws himself from his power, and in this way contradicts himself.
   For why was Christ sanctified by the Father, but that he might deliver
   men from the tyranny of the devil, and overturn his kingdom? But as
   Satan cannot endure that power, which he feels to be destructive to
   himself, he would desire that Christ should satisfy himself with an
   empty title, without exercising it on the present occasion. [344]

   Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32. And they were astonished at his doctrine The
   meaning of the Evangelists is, that the power of the Spirit shone in
   the preaching [345] of Christ with such brightness, as to extort
   admiration even from irreligious and cold hearers. Luke says, that his
   discourse was accompanied with power, that is, full of majesty. Mark
   expresses it more fully, by adding a contrast, that it was unlike the
   manner of teaching of the Scribes As they were false expounders of
   Scripture, their doctrine was literal and dead, breathed nothing of the
   power of the Spirit, and was utterly destitute of majesty. The same
   kind of coldness may be now observed in the speculative theology of
   Popery. Those masters do indeed thunder out whatever they think proper
   in a sufficiently magisterial style; but as their manner of discoursing
   about divine things is so profane, that their controversies exhibit no
   traces of religion, what they bring forward is all affectation and mere
   drivelling: for the declaration of the Apostle Paul holds true, that
   the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power, (1 Corinthians 4:20.)
   In short, the Evangelists mean that, while the manner of teaching,
   which then prevailed, was so greatly degenerated and so extremely
   corrupted, that it did not impress the minds of men with any reverence
   for God, the preaching of Christ was eminently distinguished by the
   divine power of the Spirit, which procured for him the respect of his
   hearers. This is the power, or rather the majesty and authority, at
   which the people were astonished.

   Luke 4:33. A man having a spirit of an unclean devil. This mode of
   expression, which Luke employs, conveys the idea, that the man was
   driven by the impulse of the devil. By the permission of God, Satan had
   seized the faculties of his soul in such a manner, as to drive him not
   only to speak, but to perform other movements, at his pleasure. And
   thus, when the demoniacs speak, the devils, who have received
   permission to tyrannise, speak in them and by them. The title, Holy One
   of God, was probably taken from a manner of speaking, which was, at
   that time, in ordinary and general use. The Messiah was so called,
   because he was to be distinguished and separated from all others, as
   endued with eminent grace, and as the Head of the whole Church.

   Mark 1:26 When the unclean spirit had torn him Luke uses a milder
   phrase, when the devil had thrown him down: but they agree perfectly as
   to the meaning; for the design of both was to show, that the devil went
   out of the man in a violent manner. He threw down the unhappy man, as
   if he had intended to tear him: but Luke says that the attempt was
   unsuccessful; for he hurt him nothing Not that the attack was, in no
   degree whatever, attended by injury, or at least by some feeling of
   pain; but that the man was afterwards delivered from the devil, and
   restored to perfect health.

   Luke 4:36. And trembling came upon all This is the result of the
   miracle. They are compelled to acknowledge that there is in Christ
   something more than man, and justly trace the glory and power of the
   miracle to his doctrine. What speech is this, they say, which even the
   devils themselves are forced to obey?

   Mark 1:27 What new doctrine is this? They call it new doctrine, not by
   way of reproach, but as an acknowledgment, that there was something in
   it unusual and extraordinary. It is not for the sake of blame, or to
   lessen its credit, that they speak of it as new. This is rather a part
   of their admiration, that they pronounce it to be not common or
   ordinary. Their only fault lies in this, that they remain in their
   state of hesitation, [346] whereas the children of God ought to make
   increasing progress.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [344] "Mais pource que Satan ne pent endurer ceste vertue et puissance,
   aquelle il sait estre le destruire et ruiner, il voudroit bien que
   Christ se contenant d'un beau titre en l'air, se reposast, et se
   deportast de luy rien faire." -- "But because Satan cannot endure that
   power and might, which he knows to be to destroy and ruin him, he would
   rather wish that Christ, satisfying himself with a fine title in the
   air, should take repose, and refrain from doing any thing to him.

   [345] "En la facon d'enseigner de Jesus Christ;" -- "in Jesus Christ's
   manner of teaching."

   [346] "En leur doute et estonnement." -- "In their doubt and
   astonishment."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:14-18; MARK 1:29-39; LUKE 4:38-44

   Matthew 8:14-18

   Mark 1:29-39

   Luke 4:38-44

   14. And when Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw his
   mother-in-law lying in bed, and afflicted with fever. 15. And he
   touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose and waited on
   them. 16. And when the evening had approached, they brought to him many
   demoniacs, and he cast out the spirits by his word, and healed all that
   were diseased: 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
   Isaiah the prophet, when he saith, He hath taken our diseases. 18. And
   when Jesus had seen great multitudes around him, he commanded that they
   should depart to the other side.

   29. And immediately going out of the synagogue, they came, with James
   and John, into the house of Simon and Andrew. 30. And Simon's
   mother-in-law lay afflicted with fever and immediately they speak to
   him about her. 31. And approaching, he raised her, by taking her hand,
   and the fever immediately left her, and she waited on them. 32. And in
   the evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were
   diseased, and who were possessed by devils. 33. And the whole city was
   assembled at the door. 34. And hehealed many that were ill of various
   diseases, and cast out many devils: and he did not permit the devils to
   say that they knew him. 35. And in the morning, while it was still very
   dark, Jesus, when he had risen, went out, and departed into a desert
   place, and there prayed. 36. And Simon followed him, as also those who
   were with him. 37. And when they had found him, they said to him, All
   seek thee. 38. And he saith to them, Let us go into the adjoining
   villages, that I preach there also: for on this account I came out.
   39. And he preached in their synagogues in all Galilee, and cast out
   devils.

   38. And when Jesus had risen out of the synagogue, he entered into
   Simon's house. And Simon's mother-in-law was held by a great fever, and
   they besought him for her. 39. And standing over her, he rebuked the
   fever, and the fever left her: and immediately rising, she waited on
   them. 40. And when the sun was setting, all, who had persons laboring
   under various diseases, brought them to him: and he, laying hands upon
   each, healed them. 41. And the devils went out of many, crying and
   saying, Thou art Christ, the Son of God. And, rebuking, he did not
   permit them to speak those things, that they knew that he was Christ.
   42. And when it was day, going out, he went into a desert place, and
   multitudes sought him: and came even to him, and held him, that he
   might not depart from them. 43. To whom he saith, I must also preach
   the kingdom of God in other cities: for on this account am I sent.
   44. And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.


   Mark 1:29. They came, with James and John, into the house of Simon and
   Andrew. There is reason to conjecture, that Matthew does not relate
   this history in its proper order: for Mark expressly states, that there
   were only four disciples who attended Christ. Besides, when he left the
   synagogue, he went straight to Peter's house; which also shows clearly,
   that Matthew did not observe, with exactness, the order of time. The
   Evangelists appear to have taken particular notice of this miracle; not
   that, in itself, it was more remarkable, or more worthy of being
   recorded, than other miracles, -- but because, by means of it, Christ
   gave to his disciples a private and familiar illustration of his grace.
   Another reason was, that the healing of one woman gave occasion to many
   miracles, so that they came to him in great numbers, from every
   direction, to implore his assistance. A single word, in Luke's
   narrative, presents to us more strikingly the power which Christ
   displayed; for he says, that Simon's mother-in-law was held by a GREAT
   fever. It was a clearer and more affecting proof of divine power, that,
   in a moment, and by a single touch, he removed a strong and violent
   disease. He might have done it by the slightest expression of his will;
   but he touched her hand, (Matthew 8:15,) either to mark his affection,
   or because he was aware that this sign was, at that time, advantageous:
   for we know, that he freely used outward signs, when the time required
   them.

   Luke 4:39. He rebuked the fever. To a person not well acquainted with
   Scripture this mode of expression may appear harsh; but there were good
   reasons for employing it. Fevers and other diseases, famine,
   pestilence, and calamities of every description, are God's heralds,
   [347] by whom he executes his judgments. Now, as he is said to send
   such messengers by his command and pleasure, so he also restrains and
   recalls them whenever he pleases. The manner in which he healed them is
   not mentioned by Matthew and Mark: but Luke says, that it was by laying
   hands on each of them. Under the Law, this was a sign of
   reconciliation; and, therefore, it was not improperly, or unseasonably,
   that Christ laid hands on those whom he freed from the curse of God. It
   was also a solemn rite of consecration, as will afterwards be more
   fully explained. But I interpret Christ's laying hands on the sick, as
   meaning simply, that he recommended them to the Father, and thus
   obtained for them grace and deliverance from their diseases.

   Matthew 8:17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
   prophet. This prediction has the appearance of being inappropriate, and
   even of being tortured into a meaning which it does not bear: for
   Isaiah does not there speak of miracles, but of the death of Christ, --
   and not of temporal benefits, but of spiritual and eternal grace. Now,
   what is undoubtedly spoken about the impurities of the soul, Matthew
   applies to bodily diseases. The solution is not difficult, if the
   reader will only observe, that the Evangelist states not merely the
   benefit conferred by Christ on those sick persons, but the purpose for
   which he healed their diseases. They experienced in their bodies the
   grace of Christ, but we must look at the design: for it would be idle
   to confine our view to a transitory advantage, as if the Son of God
   were a physician of bodies. What then? He gave sight to the blind, in
   order to show that he is "the light of the world," (John 8:12.) He
   restored life to the dead, to prove that he is "the resurrection and
   the life," (John 11:25.) Similar observations might be made as to those
   who were lame, or had palsy. Following out this analogy, let us connect
   those benefits, which Christ bestowed on men in the flesh, with the
   design which is stated to us by Matthew, that he was sent by the
   Father, to relieve us from all evils and miseries.

   Mark 1:34. He did not permit the devils to speak. There might be two
   reasons why he did not permit them: a general reason, because the time
   of the full revelation was not yet come; and a special reason, which we
   hinted at a little ago, that he refused to have, as heralds and
   witnesses of his divinity, those whose praise could have no other
   effect than to soil and injure his character. This latter reason is
   undoubtedly true: for he must have known, that the prince of death, and
   his agents, are in a state of irreconcileable enmity with the Author of
   eternal salvation and life.

   Matthew 8:18 And when Jesus had seen great multitudes about him.
   Matthew, I have no doubt, touches briefly what the others explain in a
   more ample and copious narrative. The other two state a circumstance,
   which is not noticed by Matthew that Christ withdrew privately, for the
   sake of retirement, into a desert place, before it was daylight. Mark
   afterwards says, that Peter informed him, all seek, thee; and Luke
   says, that multitudes came to that place. Again, Matthew says, that he
   passed over to the other side, while the other two say, that he passed
   through all Galilee, to preach in every place. But the other side, or,
   the farther bank, (to peran,) does not, I think, denote what was
   strictly the opposite side, but refers to that curvature of the lake,
   which was below Capernaum. In this way, he crossed over to another part
   of the lake, and yet did not go out of Galilee.

   Mark1:38. For on this account I came out. Luke 4:43. For on this
   account am I sent. These words deserve our attention: for they contain
   a declaration of his earnest desire to fulfill his office. But it will
   perhaps be asked, is it better that the ministers of the Gospel should
   run here and there, to give only a slight and partial taste of it in
   each place, or that they should remain, and instruct perfectly the
   hearers whom they have once obtained? I reply. The design of Christ,
   which is here mentioned, was agreeable to the injunction and call of
   the Father, and was founded on the best reasons. For it was necessary
   that Christ should travel, within a short period, throughout Judea, to
   awaken the minds of men, on all sides, as if by the sound of a trumpet,
   to hear the Gospel. But on this subject we must treat more fully under
   another passage.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [347] "Les sergens de Dieu;" -- "God's bailiffs."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MARK 3:13-19; LUKE 6:12-19

   Mark 3:13-19

   Luke 6:12-19

   13. And he went up into a mountain, and called to him whom he would:
   and they came to him. 14. And he appointed twelve to be with him, and
   send them forth to preach, 15. And to have powers of healing diseases,
   and of casting out devils. 16. And to Simon he gave the name Peter.
   17. And James th son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James: and he
   gave them the names of Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.
   18. And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas,
   and James (son) of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
   19. And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

   12. And it happened in those days, he went out into a mountain to pray,
   and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. 13. And when it was day,
   he called his disciples, and chose twelve from among them, whom he also
   called Apostles: 14. Simon, whom he also called Peter, and Andrew his
   brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15. Matthew and
   Thomas, James (son) of Alpheus, and Simon, who is called Zelotes,
   16. And Judas (brother) of James, and Judas Iscariot, who also was the
   traitor. 17. And going down with them, he stood in a plain, and a
   multitude of his disciples, and a very great multitude of people out of
   all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.
   18. Who had come to hear him, and to be healed from their diseases, and
   those who were tormented by unclean spirits were healed. 19. And the
   whole multitude sought to touch him, for virtue went out of him, and
   healed all.


   Mark 3:13. And he went up into a mountain. By this election he does not
   yet ordain them to be Apostles, to enter immediately into the discharge
   of their office, but merely admits them to enjoy his private
   instructions [348] with a view to the apostleship. Commentators have
   fallen into a mistake here, by confounding those passages with the
   tenth chapter of the Gospel by Matthew. For the plain meaning of the
   words is, that they are only destined to a future commission, the
   bestowal of which is recorded by Matthew; and Mark and Luke will be
   found afterwards relating, in its proper place, the mission which
   Matthew there describes. And we need not wonder, if their heavenly
   Master chose to train and accustom them gradually to so arduous an
   employment: for, even by a long course of instruction, their ignorance
   could not be corrected.

   Both the Evangelists say, that Christ went up into a mountain. Luke
   explains the cause to have been, that he might pray with greater
   freedom in his retirement, which he was accustomed to do frequently, as
   is evident from other passages. Now, this example ought to be regarded
   by us as a perpetual rule, to begin with prayer, when we are about to
   choose pastors to churches: otherwise, what we attempt will not succeed
   well. And certainly our Lord prayed, not so much on his own account, as
   to lay down a rule for us. We are deficient in prudence and skill; and
   though our sagacity were of the highest order, nothing is more easy
   than to be deceived in this matter. Granting that we were in no danger
   of mistake, if the Lord does not regulate our affections, with what
   force, or rather violence, shall we be carried away [349] by favor and
   prepossession, or hatred or ambition? Besides, though the election were
   conducted in the very best manner, all will be unsuccessful, unless the
   Lord take under his guidance those who are elected, and furnish them
   with the necessary gifts. "What then?" it will be said, "did not Christ
   earnestly implore the Father to preside in the election?" This I
   readily acknowledge, and I have also to state, that this was a
   declaration and acknowledgment of his care for his Church. Accordingly,
   he did not pray to the Father in the ordinary manner, but spent the
   whole night in prayer. But if he, who was full of the Holy Spirit,
   (John 3:34,) implored the Father, with such ardor and earnestness, to
   preside in the election, how much greater need have we to do so?

   He called to him whom he would. By this expression, I have no doubt,
   Mark conveys to us the instruction, that it was to the unmixed grace of
   Christ, and not to any excellence of their own, that they were indebted
   for receiving so honorable an office: for, if you understand him to
   say, that those were chosen, who were more excellent than others, this
   will not apply to Judas. The meaning, therefore, is the apostle-ship
   was not bestowed on account of any human merits; but, by the free mercy
   of God, persons, who were altogether unworthy of it, were raised to
   that high rank; and thus was fulfilled what Christ says on another
   occasion, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," (John 15:16.)
   To the same effect Paul frequently speaks, extolling the purpose of God
   in bestowing on him the apostleship, (Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:25.)

   But here many questions arise. First, why did our Lord deliberately
   choose Judas, who, he perfectly knew, was unworthy of the honor, and
   would be his betrayer? Secondly, why did God, after being so earnestly
   supplicated by his Son, and as if he had given a refusal to Christ,
   permit a base and wicked man to find his way to the highest rank in his
   Church? [350] Thirdly, why did he resolve that the first-fruits [351]
   of his Church should be stained by so foul a disgrace? Fourthly, how
   came it, that Jesus Christ, knowingly and willingly, preferred Judas to
   honest and faithful ministers?

   The first objection is met by the following reply. Our Lord expressly
   intended to prevent future offenses, that we may not feel excessive
   uneasiness, when unprincipled men occupy the situation of teachers in
   the Church, or when professors of the Gospel become apostates. He gave,
   at the same time, in the person of one man, an instance of fearful
   defection, [352] that those who occupy a higher rank may not indulge in
   self-complacency. At the same time, with regard to the second question,
   we do not admit that our Lord suffered a refusal. [353] This answer
   will serve also for the third question. At the very beginning, it was
   judged proper to give an early demonstration of the future state of the
   Church, that weak persons might not stumble on account of the fall of a
   reprobate; for it is not proper, that the stability of the Church
   should depend on men. With regard to the last objection, Christ did not
   prefer Judas to devout and holy disciples, but raised him to an
   eminence from which he was afterwards to fall, and thus intended to
   make him an example and instruction to men of every condition and of
   every age, that no one may abuse the honor which God has conferred upon
   him, and likewise that, when even the pillars fall, those who appear to
   be the weakest of believers may remain steady.

   Luke 6:13. Whom also he named Apostles. This may be explained in two
   ways: either that, at a subsequent period, when he introduced them into
   their office, he gave them this name, -- or that, with a view to their
   future rank, he bestowed on them this title, in order to inform them
   why they were separated from the ordinary class, and for what purpose
   they were destined. The latter view agrees well with the words of Mark:
   for he says, that Christ appointed twelve to be with him, and to send
   them forth to preach. He intended to make them his companions, that
   they might afterwards receive a higher rank: for, as I have already
   explained, when he says, to be with him, and to send them forth to
   preach, he does not mean that both were to take place at the same time.

   Mark 3:16. And to Simon he gave the name Peter. Though all Christians
   must be living stones [354] , of the spiritual temple, yet Christ gave
   this name peculiarly to Simon, according to the measure of grace which
   he intended to bestow upon him. This is not inconsistent with the
   shameful weakness which he manifested in denying his Lord: for this
   title showed his invincible power and steadiness, which continued till
   his death. Yet it is absurd in the Papists to infer from this, that the
   Church is founded on him, as will afterwards be more fully explained,
   (Matthew 16:18.) Christ called the sons of Zebedee sons of thunder,
   because he was to give them a powerful voice, that they might thunder
   throughout the whole world. [355] And that thunder is heard, in the
   present day, from the mouth of John. As to his brother, there can be no
   doubt that, so long as he lived, he shook the earth. The word has been
   corrupted: for the full pronunciation would be vny rgs, (Benae-regesh;)
   [356] but the changes which words undergo in passing into other
   languages are well known.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [348] "Pour ses disciples et escoliers domestiques;" -- "for his
   disciples and private scholars."

   [349] "Destournez et transportez hors du droit chemin;" -- "turned and
   carried away out of the right road."

   [350] "Pourquoy Dieu estant prie et requis si ardemment par son Fils,
   asouffert qu'un mechant et mal-heureux traitre fust eleve au rang le
   plus honorable de son Eglise, comme si Jesus Christ n'eust point este
   exauce?" -- "Why did God, when entreated and requested so earnestly by
   his Son, permit a wicked and unhappy traitor to be elevated to the most
   honorable rank in his Church, as if Jesus Christ had not been listened
   to?"

   [351] "Les premices et premier commencement de son Eglise;" -- "the
   first-fruits and first beginning of his Church."

   [352] "Un revoltement et cheute horrible;" -- "a dreadful rebellion and
   fall."

   [353] "Cependant nous ne dirons pas que Christ a este esconduit, veu
   que le pere par un conseil admirable, mettant un diable en la compagnie
   d'onze Anges, a toutesfois tellement modere l'issue, que la cheute de
   cestuy-la a plustost conferme que non pas esbranle la foyde son
   Eglise." -- "Yet we will not say that Christ was refused, since the
   Father, by a wonderful purpose, putting a devil into the company of
   eleven angels, has, at the same time, so guided the result, that the
   fall of this man, instead of shaking, has rather confirmed, the faith
   of his Church."

   [354] This alludes to the Greek word Petros, (Peter,) which literally
   signifies a stone. We shall afterwards find (Matthew 16:18) that our
   Lord makes express reference to the meaning of the name. -- Ed.

   [355] "Afin qu'ils tonnassent par tout le monde en preschant;" -- "in
   order that they might thunder throughout the whole world in preaching."

   [356] Philologists have been a good deal perplexed by this word. There
   is even some difficulty in settling the Greek orthography: for
   conflicting manuscripts present us with the various forms of Boanerges,
   Boanerges, and Boanergeis. The name is unquestionably of Hebrew origin.
   Some of the derivations, which have been given, are so far-fetched as
   not to deserve refutation. There is plausibility in Jerome's
   hypothesis, that it comes from rm, (Ragam,) thunder. But the
   substitution of final, s for m has never been satisfactorily explained.
   Admitting that es or es, is a Greek termination, the absence of the
   final and radical Mem (m) is too violent a supposition. After many
   trials, scholars are pretty nearly agreed, that they must return to the
   derivation which is suggested by our author, and which some writers
   have illustrated and defended by a considerable array of learning. --
   Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:1-12; LUKE 6:20-26

   Matthew 5:1-12

   Luke 6:20-26

   1. And when Jesus had seen the multitudes, [357] he went up into a
   mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples approached to him.
   2. And opening his mouth, [358] he taught them, saying, 3. Happy are
   the poor in spirit: for their is the kingdom of heaven. 4. Happy are
   they who mourn: for they shall receive consolation. 5. Happy are the
   meek: for they shall receive the earth by inheritance. [359] 6. Happy
   are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
   satisfied. 7. Happy are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
   [360] 8. Happy are those who are of a pure heart: for they shall see
   God. 9. Happy are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the
   children of God. 10. Happy are those who suffer persecution on account
   of righteousness: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11. Happy are
   you, when they shall throw reproaches on you, and shall persecute you,
   and lying, shall speak every evil word against you on my account.
   12. Rejoice ye, and leap for joy: for your reward is great in heaven:
   for so did they persecute the prophets who were before you.

   20. And he, lifting up his eyes on the disciples, said, Happy (are ye)
   poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21. Happy are ye who hunger now:
   for ye shall be satisfied. Happy are ye who weep now: for ye shall
   laugh. 22. Happy shall ye be when men shall hate you, and shall
   separate you, and shall load you with reproaches, and shall cast out
   your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. 23. Rejoice ye in that
   day, and leap for joy: for, lo, your reward is great in heaven: for
   according to these things their fathers did to the prophets. 24. But
   woe to you (who are) rich: for you have your consolation. 25. Woe to
   you who are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now: for
   ye shall mourn and weep. 26. Woe to you, when all men shall applaud
   you: for according to these things their fathers did to the false
   prophets.


   Matthew 5:1. He went up into a mountain. Those who think that Christ's
   sermon, which is here related, is different from the sermon contained
   in the sixth chapter of Luke's Gospel, rest their opinion on a very
   light and frivolous argument. Matthew states, that Christ spoke to his
   disciples on a mountain, while Luke seems to say, that the discourse
   was delivered on a plain. But it is a mistake to read the words of
   Luke, he went down with them, and stood in the plain, (Luke 6:17,) as
   immediately connected with the statement that, lifting up his eyes on
   the disciples, he spoke thus. For the design of both Evangelists was,
   to collect into one place the leading points of the doctrine of Christ,
   which related to a devout and holy life. Although Luke had previously
   mentioned a plain, he does not observe the immediate succession of
   events in the history, but passes from miracles to doctrine, without
   pointing out either time or place: just as Matthew takes no notice of
   the time, but only mentions the place. It is probable, that this
   discourse was not delivered until Christ had chosen the twelve: but in
   attending to the order of time, which I saw that the Spirit of God had
   disregarded, I did not wish to be too precise. Pious and modest readers
   ought to be satisfied with having a brief summary of the doctrine of
   Christ placed before their eyes, collected out of his many and various
   discourses, the first of which was that in which he spoke to his
   disciples about true happiness.

   2. Opening his mouth. This redundancy of expression (pleonasmos)
   partakes of the Hebrew idiom: for what would be faulty in other
   languages is frequent among the Hebrews, to say, He opened his mouth,
   instead of, He began to speak. Many look upon it as an emphatic mode of
   expression, employed to draw attention to any thing important and
   remarkable, either in a good or bad sense, which has been uttered: but
   as some passages of Scripture countenance an opposite view, I prefer
   the former exposition. I shall also dismiss the ingenious speculation
   of those, who give an allegorical turn to the fact of our Lord teaching
   his disciples on a mountain, as if it had been intended to teach them
   to elevate their minds far above worldly cares and employments. In
   ascending the mountain, his design rather was to seek a retreat, where
   he might obtain relaxation for himself and his disciples at a distance
   from the multitude.

   Now let us see, in the first place, why Christ spoke to his disciples
   about true happiness. We know that not only the great body of the
   people, but even the learned themselves, hold this error, that he is
   the happy man who is free from annoyance, attains all his wishes, and
   leads a joyful and easy life. At least it is the general opinion, that
   happiness ought to be estimated from the present state. [361] Christ,
   therefore, in order to accustom his own people to bear the cross,
   exposes this mistaken opinion, that those are happy who lead an easy
   and prosperous life according to the flesh. For it is impossible that
   men should mildly bend the neck to bear calamities and reproaches, so
   long as they think that patience is at variance with a happy life. The
   only consolation which mitigates and even sweetens the bitterness of
   the cross and of all afflictions, is the conviction, that we are happy
   in the midst of miseries: for our patience is blessed by the Lord, and
   will soon be followed by a happy result.

   This doctrine, I do acknowledge, is widely removed from the common
   opinion: but the disciples of Christ must learn the philosophy of
   placing their happiness beyond the world, and above the affections of
   the flesh. Though carnal reason will never admit what is here taught by
   Christ, yet he does not bring forward any thing imaginary, -- as the
   Stoics [362] were wont, in ancient times, to amuse themselves with
   their paradoxes, -- but demonstrates from the fact, that those persons
   are truly happy, whose condition is supposed to be miserable. Let us,
   therefore remember, that the leading object of the discourse is to
   show, that those are not unhappy who are oppressed by the reproaches of
   the wicked, and subject to various calamities. And not only does Christ
   prove that they are in the wrong, who measure the happiness of man by
   the present state, because the distresses of the godly will soon be
   changed for the better; but he also exhorts his own people to patience,
   by holding out the hope of a reward.

   3. Happy are the poor in spirit. Luke 6:20. Happy (are ye) poor. Luke
   gives nothing more than a simple metaphor: but as the poverty of many
   is accursed and unhappy, Matthew expresses more clearly the intention
   of Christ. Many are pressed down by distresses, and yet continue to
   swell inwardly with pride and cruelty. But Christ pronounces those to
   be happy who, chastened and subdued by afflictions, submit themselves
   wholly to God, and, with inward humility, betake themselves to him for
   protection. Others explain the poor in spirit to be those who claim
   nothing for themselves, and are even so completely emptied of
   confidence in the flesh, that they acknowledge their poverty. But as
   the words of Luke and those of Matthew must have the same meaning,
   there can be no doubt that the appellation poor is here given to those
   who are pressed and afflicted by adversity. The only difference is,
   that Matthew, by adding an epithet, confines the happiness to those
   only who, under the discipline of the cross, have learned to be humble.

   For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We see that Christ does not swell
   the minds of his own people by any unfounded belief, or harden them by
   unfeeling obstinacy, as the Stoics do, but leads them to entertain the
   hope of eternal life, and animates them to patience by assuring them,
   that in this way they will pass into the heavenly kingdom of God. It
   deserves our attention, that he only who is reduced to nothing in
   himself, and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit: for they
   who are broken or overwhelmed by despair murmur against God, and this
   proves them to be of a proud and haughty spirit.

   4. Happy are they that mourn. This statement is closely connected with
   the preceding one, and is a sort of appendage or confirmation of it.
   The ordinary belief is, that calamities render a man unhappy. This
   arises from the consideration, that they constantly bring along with
   them mourning and grief. Now, nothing is supposed to be more
   inconsistent with happiness than mourning. But Christ does not merely
   affirm that mourners are not unhappy. He shows, that their very
   mourning contributes to a happy life, by preparing them to receive
   eternal joy, and by furnishing them with excitements to seek true
   comfort in God alone. Accordingly, Paul says,

   "We glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation produces
   patience, and patience experience, and experience hope: and hope maketh
   not ashamed," (Romans 5:3-5.)

   5. Happy are the meek By the meek he means persons of mild and gentle
   dispositions, who are not easily provoked by injuries, who are not
   ready to take offense, but are prepared to endure anything rather than
   do the like actions to wicked men. When Christ promises to such persons
   the inheritance of the earth, we might think it exceedingly foolish.
   Those who warmly repel any attacks, and whose hand is ever ready to
   revenge injuries, are rather the persons who claim for themselves the
   dominion of the earth. And experience certainly shows that, the more
   mildly their wickedness is endured, the more bold and insolent does it
   become. Hence arises the diabolical proverb, that "We must howl with
   the wolves, because the wolves will immediately devour every one who
   makes himself a sheep." But Christ places his own protection, and that
   of the Father, in contrast with the fury and violence of wicked men,
   and declares, on good grounds, that the meek will be the lords and
   heirs of the earth The children of this world never think themselves
   safe, but when they fiercely revenge the injuries that are done them,
   and defend their life by the "weapons of war," (Ezekiel 32:27.) But as
   we must believe, that Christ alone is the guardian of our life, all
   that remains for us is to "hide ourselves under the shadow of his
   wings," (Psalm 17:8.) We must be sheep, if we wish to be reckoned a
   part of his flock.

   It will perhaps be objected, that what has been now said is
   contradicted by experience. I would first suggest that it be
   considered, how greatly ferocious [363] people are disturbed by their
   own restlessness. While they lead so stormy a life, though they were a
   hundred times lords of the earth, while they possess all, they
   certainly possess nothing. For the children of God, on the other hand,
   I answer, that though they may not plant their foot on what is their
   own, they enjoy a quiet residence on the earth. And this is no
   imaginary possession; [364] for they know, that the earth, which they
   inhabit, has been granted to them by God. Besides, the hand of God is
   interposed to protect them against the violence and fury of wicked men.
   Though exposed to every species of attack, subject to the malice of
   wicked men, surrounded by all kinds of danger, they are safe under the
   divine protection. They have already a foretaste, at least, of this
   grace of God; and that is enough for them, till they enter, at the last
   day, into the possession of the inheritance [365] of the world.

   6. Happy are they who hunger To hunger and thirst is here, I think,
   used as a figurative expression, [366] and means to suffer poverty, to
   want the necessaries of life, and even to be defrauded of one's right.
   Matthew says, who thirst after righteousness, and thus makes one class
   stand for all the rest. He represents more strongly the unworthy
   treatment which they have received, when he says that, though they are
   anxious, though they groan, they desire nothing but what is proper.
   "Happy are they who, though their wishes are so moderate, that they
   desire nothing to be granted to them but what is reasonable, are yet in
   a languishing condition, like persons who are famishing with hunger."
   Though their distressing anxiety exposes them to the ridicule of
   others, yet it is a certain preparation for happiness: for at length
   they shall be satisfied God will one day listen to their groans, and
   satisfy their just desires for to Him, as we learn from the song of the
   Virgin, it belongs to fill the hungry with good things, (Luke 1:53.)

   7. Happy are the merciful This paradox, too, contradicts the judgment
   of men. [367] The world reckons those men to be happy, who give
   themselves no concern about the distresses of others, but consult their
   own ease. Christ says that those are happy, who are not only prepared
   to endure their own afflictions, but to take a share in the afflictions
   of others, -- who assist the wretched, -- who willingly take part with
   those who are in distress, -- who clothe themselves, as it were, with
   the same affections, that they may be more readily disposed to render
   them assistance. He adds, for they shall obtain mercy, -- not only with
   God, but also among men, whose minds God will dispose to the exercise
   of humanity. [368] Though the whole world may sometimes be ungrateful,
   and may return the very worst reward to those who have done acts of
   kindness to them, it ought to be reckoned enough, that grace is laid up
   with God for the merciful and humane, so that they, in their turn, will
   find him to be gracious and merciful, (Psalm 103:8; 145:8.)

   8. Happy are they who are of a pure heart We might be apt to think,
   that what is here stated by Christ is in accordance with the judgment
   of all. Purity of heart is universally acknowledged to be the mother of
   all virtues. And yet there is hardly one person in a hundred, who does
   not put craftiness in the place of the greatest virtue. Hence those
   persons are commonly accounted happy, whose ingenuity is exercised in
   the successful practice of deceit, who gain dexterous advantages, by
   indirect means, over those with whom they have intercourse. Christ does
   not at all agree with carnal reason, when he pronounces those to be
   happy, who take no delight in cunning, but converse sincerely with men,
   and express nothing, by word or look, which they do not feel in their
   heart. Simple people are ridiculed for want of caution, and for not
   looking sharply enough to themselves. But Christ directs them to higher
   views, and bids them consider that, if they have not sagacity to
   deceive in this world, they will enjoy the sight of God in heaven.

   9. Happy are the peacemakers By peacemakers he means those who not only
   seek peace and avoid quarrels, as far as lies in their power, but who
   also labor to settle differences among others, who advise all men to
   live at peace, and take away every occasion of hatred and strife. There
   are good grounds for this statement. As it is a laborious and irksome
   employment to reconcile those who are at variance, persons of a mild
   disposition, who study to promote peace, are compelled to endure the
   indignity of hearing reproaches, complaints, and remonstrances on all
   sides. The reason is, that every one would desire to have advocates,
   who would defend his cause. That we may not depend on the favor of men,
   Christ bids us look up to the judgment of his Father, who is the God of
   peace, (Romans 15:33,) and who accounts us his children, while we
   cultivate peace, though our endeavors may not be acceptable to men: for
   to be called means To Be Accounted the children of God

   10. Happy are they who suffer persecution The disciples of Christ have
   very great need of this instruction; and the more hard and disagreeable
   it is for the flesh to admit it, the more earnestly ought we to make it
   the subject of our meditation. We cannot be Christ's soldiers [369] on
   any other condition, than to have the greater part of the world rising
   in hostility against us, and pursuing us even to death. The state of
   the matter is this. Satan, the prince of the world, will never cease to
   fill his followers with rage, to carry on hostilities against the
   members of Christ. It is, no doubt, monstrous and unnatural, that men,
   who study to live a righteous life, should be attacked and tormented in
   a way which they do not deserve. And so Peter says,

   "Who is he that will harm you,
   if ye be followers of that which is good?"
   (1 Peter 3:13.)

   Yet, in consequence of the unbridled wickedness of the world, it too
   frequently happens, that good men, through a zeal of righteousness,
   arouse against them the resentments of the ungodly. Above all, it is,
   as we may say, the ordinary lot of Christians to be hated by the
   majority of men: for the flesh cannot endure the doctrine of the
   Gospel; none can endure to have their vices reproved.

   Who suffer on account of righteousness This is descriptive of those who
   inflame the hatred, and provoke the rage, of wicked men against them,
   because, through an earnest desire to do what is good and right, they
   oppose bad causes and defend good ones, as far as lies in their power.
   Now, in this respect, the truth of God justly holds the first rank.
   Accordingly, by this mark Christ distinguishes his own martyrs from
   criminals and malefactors.

   I now return to what I said a little before, that as, all that will
   live godly in Christ Jesus "(Paul informs us), shall suffer
   persecution," (2 Timothy 3:12,) this admonition has a general reference
   to all the godly. But if, at any time, the Lord spares our weakness,
   and does not permit the ungodly to torment us as they would desire,
   yet, during the season of repose and leisure, it is proper for us to
   meditate on this doctrine, that we may be ready, whenever it shall be
   necessary, to enter the field, and may not engage in the contest till
   we have been well prepared. As the condition of the godly, during the
   whole course of this life, is very miserable, Christ properly calls
   them to the hope of the heavenly life. And here lies the main
   difference between Christ's paradox and the ravings of the Stoics, who
   ordered that every man should be satisfied in his own mind, and should
   be the author of his own happiness: while Christ does not suspend our
   happiness on a vain imagination, but rests it on the hope of a future
   reward.

   11. When they shall cast reproaches on you Luke 6:22 When men shall
   hate you, and separate you, and load you with reproaches, and cast out
   your name as evil By these words Christ intended to comfort those who
   believe in him; that they may not lose courage, even though they see
   themselves to be detestable in the eyes of the world. For this was no
   light temptation, to be thrown out of the Church as ungodly and
   profane. Christ knew that there is no class of men more envenomed than
   hypocrites, and foresaw with what furious madness the enemies of the
   Gospel would attack his small and despised flock. It was therefore his
   will to furnish them with a sure defense, that they might not give way,
   though an immense mass of reproaches were ready to overwhelm them. And
   hence it appears, how little reason there is to dread the
   excommunication of the Pope, when those tyrants banish us from their
   synagogues, because we are unwilling to renounce Christ.

   12. Rejoice ye, and leap for joy The meaning is, a remedy is at hand,
   that we may not be overwhelmed by unjust reproaches: for, as soon as we
   raise our minds to heaven, we there behold vast grounds of joy, which
   dispel sadness. The idle reasonings of the Papists, about the word
   reward, which is here used, are easily refuted: for there is not (as
   they dream) a mutual relation between the reward and merit, but the
   promise of the reward is free. Besides, if we consider the
   imperfections and faults of any good works that are done by the very
   best of men, there will be no work which God can judge to be worthy of
   reward.

   We must advert once more to the phrases, on my account, or, on account
   of the Son of Man, (Luke 6:22;) and lying, shall speak every evil word
   against you; that he who suffers persecution for his own fault (1 Peter
   2:20) may not forthwith boast that he is a martyr of Christ, as the
   Donatists, in ancient times, were delighted with themselves on this
   single ground, that the magistrates were against them. And in our own
   day the Anabaptists, [370] while they disturb the Church by their
   ravings, and slander the Gospel, boast that they are carrying the
   banners of Christ, when they are justly condemned. But Christ
   pronounces those only to be happy who are employed in defending a
   righteous cause.

   For so did they persecute This was expressly added, that the apostles
   might not expect to triumph without exertion and without a contest, and
   might not fail, when they encountered persecutions. The restoration of
   all things, under the reign of Christ, being everywhere promised in
   Scripture, there was danger, lest they might not think of warfare, but
   indulge in vain and proud confidence. It is evident from other
   passages, that they foolishly imagined the kingdom of Christ to be
   filled with wealth and luxuries. [371] Christ had good reason for
   warning them, that, as soon as they succeeded to the place of the
   prophets, they must sustain the same contests in which the prophets
   were formerly engaged. The prophets who were before you This means not
   only, that the prophets were before them with respect to the order of
   time, but that they were of the same class with themselves, and ought
   therefore to be followed as their example. The notion commonly
   entertained, of making out nine distinct beatitudes, is too frivolous
   to need a long refutation.

   Luke 6:24. Woe to you that are rich. As Luke has related not more than
   four kinds of blessings, so he now contrasts with them four curses, so
   that the clauses mutually correspond. This contrast not only tends to
   strike terror into the ungodly, but to arouse believers, that they may
   not be lulled to sleep by the vain and deceitful allurements of the
   world. We know how prone men are to be intoxicated by prosperity, or
   ensnared by flattery; and on this account the children of God often
   envy the reprobate, when they see everything go on prosperously and
   smoothly with them.

   He pronounces a curse on the rich, -- not on all the rich, but on those
   who receive their consolation in the world; that is, who are so
   completely occupied with their worldly possessions, that they forget
   the life to come. The meaning is: riches are so far from making a man
   happy, that they often become the means of his destruction. In any
   other point of view, the rich are not excluded from the kingdom of
   heaven, provided they do not become snares for themselves, or fix their
   hope on the earth, so as to shut against them the kingdom of heaven.
   This is finely illustrated by Augustine, who, in order to show that
   riches are not in themselves a hindrance to the children of God,
   reminds his readers that poor Lazarus was received into the bosom of
   rich Abraham.

   25. Woe to you who are filled. Woe to you who laugh now In the same
   sense, he pronounces a curse on those who are satiated and full:
   because they are lifted up by confidence in the blessings of the
   present life, and reject those blessings which are of a heavenly
   nature. A similar view must be taken of what he says about laughter:
   for by those who laugh he means those who have given themselves up to
   Epicurean mirth, who are plunged in carnal pleasures, and spurn every
   kind of trouble which would be found necessary for maintaining the
   glory of God.

   26. Woe to you when all men shall applaud you The last woe is intended
   to correct ambition: for nothing is more common than to seek the
   applauses of men, or, at least, to be carried away by them; and, in
   order to guard his disciples against such a course, he points out to
   them that the favor of men would prove to be their ruin. This warning
   refers peculiarly to teachers, who have no plague more to be dreaded
   than ambition: because it is impossible for them not to corrupt the
   pure doctrine of God, when they, "seek to please men," (Galatians
   1:10.) By the phrase, all men, Christ must be understood to refer to
   the children of the world, whose applauses are wholly bestowed on
   deceivers and false prophets: for faithful and conscientious ministers
   of sound doctrine enjoy the applause and favor of good men. It is only
   the wicked favor of the flesh that is here condemned: for, as Paul
   informs us, (Galatians 1:10,) no man who "seeks to please men" can be
   "the servant of Christ."
     __________________________________________________________________

   [357] "Jesus donques royant la foulle;" -- "Jesus then seeing the
   crowd."

   [358] "Et luy apres avoir ourerr sa bouche, les enseignoit." -- "And
   he, after having opened his mouth, taught them."

   [359] "Car ils possederont la terre." -- "For they shall possess the
   earth."

   [360] "Car misericorde leur sera faite." -- "For mercy shall be shown
   to them."

   [361] "Par l'estat de la vie presente;" -- "by the state of the present
   life."

   [362] Stoics were an ancient sect of philosophers, and received their
   name from the Stoa, (stoa,) or portico, in which Zeno, their master,
   delivered his instructions. The paradoxes referred to by Calvin are
   such as the following: that the distinction between pleasure and pain
   is imaginary; that happiness does not at all depend on outward
   circumstances; and that whoever chooses to acquire an absolute command
   over his passions may make himself perfectly happy in the present life.
   -- Ed.

   [363] "Les gens fiers et farouches;" -- "proud and ferocious people.

   [364] "Ce nest as une possession lma name et en l'air." -- "It is not
   an imaginary possession, and in the air."

   [365] "De la seigneurie de tout le monde;" -- "of the lordships of all
   the world."

   [366] "Par une figure qu'on appelle Synecdoche;" -- "by a figure which
   is called Synecdoche," in which a part is put for the whole.

   [367] "Ceci aussi est un paradoxe, c'est a dire, une sentence contraire
   au jugement commun des hommes." -- "This also is a paradox, that is to
   say, a sentiment contrary to the general opinion of men."

   [368] "A douceur et compassion;" -- "to mildness and compass

   [369] "Nous ne pouvons pas batailler sons l'enseigne de Jesus Christ a
   autre condition." -- "We cannot fight under the banner of Jesus Christ
   on any other condition."

   [370] The Anabaptists here named must not be confounded with the
   Baptists or Anti-poedo-baptists of the present day, who are, indeed, at
   issue with Calvin as to the subjects and mode of baptism, but who
   utterly disown the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century. Our notes are
   restricted by the plan of this work to the elucidation of our author,
   and to matters of criticism and history. It would, therefore, be out of
   place to enter here into the merits of a doctrinal controversy, or to
   vindicate brethren from the heavy charge which is here implied. But we
   are at liberty to say, that against them Calvin brings no such charge.
   Nowhere does he represent a departure from his views on the ordinance
   of Baptism as a fundamental error, or as necessarily connected with
   danger to society. He alludes to sentiments, which were openly avowed
   by the Anabaptists, and which he viewed as striking at the root of
   civil government. To any one at all conversant with their history, the
   name instantly awakens the recollections of Munster, and of the
   enormities which were perpetrated there, to the disgrace of the
   Christian name, -- enormities which none are more ready to condemn than
   the esteemed brethren to whom we have referred. If we seem to discover
   excessive solicitude to remove the appearance of calumny, our apology
   must be found in our deep veneration for the author, and in our
   conviction that he was not less distinguished by a Catholic spirit than
   by the other great excellencies of his character. Never was there a
   human breast, in which there dwelt a stronger affection for all them
   that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. -- Ed.

   [371] "Plein de richesses, magnificences, et delices terriennes;" --
   "full of riches, magnificence, and earthly luxuries."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:13-16; MARK 9:49-50; 4:21;
   LUKE 14:34-35; 8:16; 11:33

   Matthew 5:13-16

   Mark 9:49-50

   Luke 14:34-35

   13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if salt shall become tasteless,
   [372] with what shall it be salted? [373] It is good for nothing
   farther, than to be thrown out and trodden down by men. 14. Ye are the
   light of the world: a city placed upon a mountain cannot be hid.
   15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it upon a bushel but upon a
   candlestick, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16. Let
   your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and
   may glorify your Father who is in heaven.

   49. For every (man) shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice
   shall be salted with salt. 50. Salt is a good thing: but if salt shall
   become tasteless, with what shall it be seasoned? Have salt in
   yourselves, and cultivate peace with one another.


   Mark 4:21

   21. And he said to them, Is a candle lighted, that it may be put under
   a bushel, or under a bed? Is it not that it may be put on a
   candlestick?

   34. Salt is good: but if salt shall have become tasteless, with what
   shall it be seasoned? 35. It is not useful either for the land [374] or
   for the dunghill: they throw it out. He who hath ears to hear, let him
   hear.


   Luke 8:16

   16. And no man, when he hath lighted a candle, covered it with a
   vessel, or putteth it under a bed, but putteth it on a candlestick,
   that those who enter may see the light.


   Luke 11:33

   33. No man lighteth a candle, and putteth it in a hidden place, nor
   under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that those who enter may see the
   light.


   Matthew 5:13. Ye are the salt of the earth. What belongs to doctrine is
   applied to the persons to whom the administration of it has been
   committed. When Christ calls the apostles the salt of the earth, he
   means, that it is their office to salt the earth: because men have
   nothing in them but what is tasteless, till they have been seasoned
   with the salt of heavenly doctrine. After having reminded them to what
   they are called, he pronounces against them a heavy and dreadful
   judgment, if they do not fulfill their duty. The doctrine, which has
   been entrusted to them, is shown to be so closely connected with a good
   conscience and a devout and upright life, that the corruption, which
   might be tolerated in others, would in them be detestable and
   monstrous. "If other men are tasteless in the sight of God, to you
   shall be given the salt which imparts a relish to them: but if you have
   lost your taste, where shall you obtain the remedy which you ought to
   supply to others?"

   Our Lord skillfully pursues his metaphor, by saying, that other things
   when they lose their original qualities, are still useful after they
   have become corrupted: but that salt becomes even hurtful, and
   communicates barrenness even to dunghills. [375] The amount of his
   statement is, that it is an incurable disease, when the ministers and
   teachers of the word corrupt and render themselves tasteless: for they
   ought to season the rest of the world with their salt. This warning is
   useful, not only to ministers, but to the whole flock of Christ. Since
   it is the will of God that the earth shall be salted by his own word,
   it follows, that whatever is destitute of this salt is, in his
   estimation, tasteless, how much soever it may be relished by men. There
   is nothing better, therefore, than to receive the seasoning, by which
   alone our tastelessness is corrected. But, at the same time, let those
   whose business is to salt it beware lest they encourage the world in
   their own folly, [376] and still more, that they do not infect it with
   a depraved and vicious taste.

   The wickedness of the Papists is therefore intolerable: [377] as if it
   had been the design of Christ, to allow the apostles unbounded liberty,
   and to make them tyrants of souls, instead of reminding them of their
   duty, that they might not swerve from the right path. Christ declares
   what sort of men he wishes the teachers of his Church to be. Those who,
   without any proper grounds, give themselves out to be apostles, [378]
   hide by this covering all the abominations which they are pleased to
   introduce; because Christ pronounced Peter, and his companions, to be
   the salt of the earth. They do not, at the same time, consider the
   sharp and severe reproof which is added, that, if they become
   tasteless, they are the worst of all. This sentence is mentioned by
   Luke in an abrupt manner: but is introduced there for the same purpose
   as in this passage, so that it does not require a separate exposition.

   Mark 9:49. Every man shall be salted with fire. I have connected these
   words of Mark with the passage in Matthew which we have just
   considered: not that I look upon them to have altogether the same
   meaning, or to have been spoken at the same place and time, but rather
   to enable the reader to understand better, by means of comparison, the
   different applications of the same sentence. According to Mark's
   narrative, our Lord, having spoken of eternal fire, (Mark 9:48,)
   exhorts his own people, on the contrary, to offer themselves now to God
   to be seasoned with fire and salt, that they may be devoted sacrifices,
   [379] and that they may not draw upon themselves, by their sins, that
   fire which is never extinguished. To be salted with fire is an
   incorrect phrase; but as salt and fire possess the same quality of
   purifying and refining, Christ applied the same term to both. Such was
   the occasion on which this sentiment was uttered. It was, that
   believers may not refuse to be purified by fire and salt; since,
   without this seasoning, they cannot be holy to God. He alludes to an
   enactment of the Law:

   "Every oblation of thy meat-offering shalt thou season with salt,
   neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be
   lacking from thy meat-offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt
   offer salt,"
   (Leviticus 2:13.)

   But now he shows, that believers are salted by the word of the Gospel,
   that they may be sanctified.

   He next adds, salt is good This extends generally to all, whom God has
   once been pleased to season with his own word. He exhorts them to
   retain always their savor. To give the name of salt to what is salted
   is rather a harsh metaphor, but it creates no doubt as to the meaning.
   When men have lost, by their carelessness, that savor which they
   obtained by the grace of God, there is no farther remedy. Those who
   lose their faith, by which they were consecrated to God, and become
   without savor, are in a desperate condition: for the good savor cannot
   be acquired by any other seasoning. Besides, those who have become
   corrupted, by making void the grace of God, are worse than unbelievers,
   as salt spoils the land and the dunghill

   Mark 9:50. Have salt in yourselves This word may be taken in a
   different sense from what it had in the former verse, as meaning that
   seasoning of good odor, which is obtained by faith, or rather the
   wisdom of the Spirit. When Paul enjoins, "Let your speech be always
   with grace, seasoned with salt," (Colossians 4:6,) he means, that we
   ought to be holy, and purified from all profane follies and
   corruptions, and filled with spiritual grace, which edifies all who
   hear it, and diffuses over them its sweet odor. If this exposition is
   adopted, it may be necessary to understand the latter clause as
   referring to the mutual peace, which is promoted by that salt. Yet, as
   it is more probable, that this last sentence depends on the former
   discourse, I think that Christ is exhorting his own people to maintain
   the rigor of faith, which may serve also to purify others. "You must do
   your endeavor, not only to be salted within, but likewise to salt
   others." But as salt bites by its sharpness, he immediately admonishes
   them to regulate the seasoning in such a manner, that peace may be
   preserved entire with one another

   Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world We are all the children of
   light, after having been enlightened by faith, and are commanded to
   carry in our hands "burning lamps," (that we may not wander in
   darkness,) and even to point out to others the way of life, (Luke
   12:35.) But, as the preaching of the Gospel was committed to the
   apostles above others, and is now committed to the pastors of the
   Church, this designation is given to them, in a peculiar manner, by
   Christ. "They are placed in this rank on the condition, that they shall
   shine, as from an elevated situation, on all others."

   He subjoins two comparisons. A city placed on a mountain cannot be
   concealed; and a candle, when it has been lighted, is not usually
   concealed, (verse 15.) This means, that they ought to live in such a
   manner, as if the eyes of all were upon them. [380] And certainly, the
   more eminent a person is, the more injury he does by a bad example, if
   he acts improperly. Christ, therefore, informs the apostles, that they
   must be more careful to live a devout and holy life, than unknown
   persons of the common rank, because the eyes of all are directed to
   them, as to lighted candles; and that they must not be endured, if
   their devotion, and uprightness of conduct, do not correspond to the
   doctrine of which they are ministers. Mark and Luke appear to apply the
   comparison in a different manner: for there Christ gives a general
   admonition, that they ought to take particular care, lest any one,
   trusting to the darkness, indulge freely in sin, because what is hidden
   for a time will afterwards be revealed. But perhaps the discourses
   related by both of them are detached from the immediate context.

   16. Let your light shine before men After having taught the apostles
   that, in consequence of the rank in which they are placed, both their
   vices and their virtues are better known for a good or bad example, he
   now enjoins them so to regulate their life, as to excite all to glorify
   God. That they may see your good works: for, as Paul tells us,
   believers must,

   "provide for honest things, not only in the sight of God,
   but also in the sight of men," (2 Corinthians 8:21.)

   The command, which he gives shortly afterwards, to seek concealment and
   a retired situation for their good works, (Matthew 6:4,) is intended
   only to forbid ostentation. In the present instance, he has quite a
   different object in view, to recommend to them the glory of God alone.
   Now, if the glory of good works cannot be properly ascribed to God,
   unless they are traced to him, and unless he is acknowledged to be
   their only Author, it is evident, that we cannot, without offering an
   open and gross insult to God, extol free will, as if good works
   proceeded wholly, or in part, from its power. Again, we must observe,
   how graciously God deals with us, when he calls the good works ours,
   the entire praise of which would justly be ascribed to himself.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [372] "Ou, s'evente;" -- "or, is spoiled."

   [373] "Ou, luy rendra-on sa saveur?" -- "or, shall its taste be
   restored to it?" (Leviticus 2:13.)

   [374] "Il n'est propre ne (pour mettre) en la terre, ni au fumier." --
   "It is not fit either (to put) on the land, nor on the dunghill."

   [375] "Que le sel estant empire, ne fait mesmes que gaster tout, a quoi
   qu'on le mette, tellement qu'il corrompt mesmes les fumiers, et consume
   toute la grasse d'iceux." -- "That salt, when it is decayed, does only
   spoil everything that it touches: so that it corrupts even dunghills,
   and consumes all their fatness."

   [376] "De ne nourrir le monde en sa folie et fadesse;" -- "not to
   nourish the world in their folly and tastelessness."

   [377] "Et pourtant la malice des Papistes n'est aucunement a supporter,
   quand ils n'ont point de honte de couvrir de ces titres leurs Prelats
   mas-quez, afin que nul ne presume de rien reprendre en leurs
   personnes."-- "And then the malice of the Papists is not at all to be
   endured, since they are not ashamed to cover with these titles their
   masked Prelates, that no one may presume to reprove any thing in their
   persons."

   [378] "Des gens qui se vantent a fausses enseignes de tenir le place
   des apostres." -- "People who boast, under false colors, of holding the
   place of apostles."

   [379] "Sacrifices ou offrandes sacrees;" -- "sacrifices or sacred
   offerings."

   [380] "Comme si tout le monde les regardoit;" -- "as if every body were
   looking at them."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:17-19; LUKE 16:17

   Matthew 5:17-19

   Luke 16:17

   17. Think not that I am come to destroy [381] the Law or the Prophets:
   I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18. Verily, I say to you, Till
   heaven and earth pass, one iota or one point [382] shall not pass from
   the Law, till all are fulfilled. 19. Whoever then shall break on of
   these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the
   least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall have done and taught
   them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

   17. Now it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than for one point
   of the law to fail.


   Matthew 5:17. Think not. With regard to the perfection of his life,
   Christ might justly have maintained that he came to fulfill the law:
   but here he treats of doctrine, not of life. As he afterwards
   exclaimed, that "the kingdom of God is come," (Matthew 12:28,) and
   raised the minds of men with unusual expectation, and even admitted
   disciples by baptism, it is probable, that the minds of many were in a
   state of suspense and doubt, and were eagerly inquiring, what was the
   design of that novelty. Christ, therefore, now declares, that his
   doctrine is so far from being at variance with the law, that it agrees
   perfectly with the law and the prophets, and not only so, but brings
   the complete fulfillment of them.

   There appear to have been chiefly two reasons, which induced him to
   declare this agreement between the law and the Gospel. As soon as any
   new method of teaching makes its appearance, the body of the people
   immediately look upon it, as if everything were to be overturned. Now
   the preaching of the Gospel, as I mentioned a little ago, tended to
   raise the expectation, that the Church would assume a totally different
   form from what had previously belonged to it. They thought that the
   ancient and accustomed government was to be abolished. This opinion, in
   many respects, was very dangerous. Devout worshippers of God would
   never have embraced the Gospel, if it had been a revolt from the law;
   while light and turbulent spirits would eagerly have seized on an
   occasion offered to them for entirely overthrowing the state of
   religion: for we know in what insolent freaks rash people are ready to
   indulge when there is any thing new.

   Besides, Christ saw that the greater part of the Jews, though they
   professed to believe the Law, were profane and degenerate. The
   condition of the people was so decayed, every thing was filled with so
   many corruptions, and the negligence or malice of the priests had so
   completely extinguished the pure light of doctrine, that there no
   longer remained any reverence for the Law. But if a new kind of
   doctrine had been introduced, which would destroy the authority of the
   Law and the Prophets, religion would have sustained a dreadful injury.
   This appears to be the first reason, why Christ declared that he had
   not come to destroy the Law. Indeed, the context makes this abundantly
   clear: for he immediately adds, by way of confirmation, that it is
   impossible for even one point of the Law to fail, -- and pronounces a
   curse on those teachers who do not faithfully labor to maintain its
   authority.

   The second reason was, to refute the wicked slander which, he knew was
   brought against him by the ignorant and unlearned. This charge, it is
   evident, had been fastened on his doctrine by the scribes: for he
   proceeds immediately to direct his discourse against them. We must keep
   in mind the object which Christ had in view. While he invites and
   exhorts the Jews to receive the Gospel, he still retains them in
   obedience to the Law; and, on the other hand, he boldly refutes the
   base reproaches and slanders, by which his enemies labored to make his
   preaching infamous or suspected.

   If we intend to reform affairs which are in a state of disorder, we
   must always exercise such prudence and moderation, as will convince the
   people, that we do not oppose the eternal Word of God, or introduce any
   novelty that is contrary to Scripture. We must take care, that no
   suspicion of such contrariety shall injure the faith of the godly, and
   that rash men shall not be emboldened by a pretense of novelty. In
   short, we must endeavor to oppose a profane contempt of the Word of
   God, and to prevent religion from being despised by the ignorant. The
   defense which Christ makes, to free his doctrine from slanders, ought
   to encourage us, if we are now exposed to the same calumnies. That
   crime was charged against Paul, that he was an apostate from the law of
   God, (Acts 21:21) and we need not, therefore, wonder, if the Papists
   endeavor, in the same manner, to render us odious. Following the
   example of Christ, we ought to clear ourselves from false accusations,
   and, at the same time, to profess the truth freely, though it may
   expose us to unjust reproaches.

   I am not come to destroy. God had, indeed, promised a new covenant at
   the coming of Christ; but had, at the same time, showed, that it would
   not be different from the first, but that, on the contrary, its design
   was, to give a perpetual sanction to the covenant, which he had made
   from the beginning, with his own people.

   "I will write my law, (says he,) in their hearts,
   and I will remember their iniquities no more,"
   (Jeremiah 31:33, 34.) [383]

   By these words he is so far from departing from the former covenant,
   that, on the contrary, he declares, that it will be confirmed and
   ratified, when it shall be succeeded by the new. This is also the
   meaning of Christ's words, when he says, that he came to fulfill the
   law: for he actually fulfilled it, by quickening, with his Spirit, the
   dead letter, and then exhibiting, in reality, what had hitherto
   appeared only in figures.

   With respect to doctrine, we must not imagine that the coming of Christ
   has freed us from the authority of the law: for it is the eternal rule
   of a devout and holy life, and must, therefore, be as unchangeable, as
   the justice of God, which it embraced, is constant and uniform. With
   respect to ceremonies, there is some appearance of a change having
   taken place; but it was only the use of them that was abolished, for
   their meaning was more fully confirmed. The coming of Christ has taken
   nothing away even from ceremonies, but, on the contrary, confirms them
   by exhibiting the truth of shadows: for, when we see their full effect,
   we acknowledge that they are not vain or useless. Let us therefore
   learn to maintain inviolable this sacred tie between the law and the
   Gospel, which many improperly attempt to break. For it contributes not
   a little to confirm the authority of the Gospel, when we learn, that it
   is nothing else than a fulfillment of the law; so that both, with one
   consent, declare God to be their Author.

   18. Till heaven and earth pass Luke expresses it a little differently,
   but to the same import, that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass,
   than for one point of the law to fail The design of Christ, in both
   passages, was to teach, that the truth of the law and of every part of
   it, is secure, and that nothing so durable is to be found in the whole
   frame of the world. Some persons indulge in ingenious refinements on
   the word till, (heos a n,) as if the passing away of the heaven and
   earth, which will take place on the last day, the day of judgment, were
   to put an end to the law and the prophets And certainly, as

   "tongues shall then cease, and prophecies shall be abolished,"
   (1 Corinthians 13:8,)

   I think that the written law, as well as the exposition of it, will
   come to an end; but, as I am of opinion that Christ spoke more simply,
   I do not choose to feed the ears of readers with such amusements. Let
   it suffice for us to hold, that sooner shall heaven fall to pieces, and
   the whole frame of the world become a mass of confusion, than the
   stability of the law shall give way. But what does it mean, that every
   part of the law shall be fulfilled down to the smallest point? for we
   see, that even those, who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God,
   are very far from keeping the law of God in a perfect manner. I answer,
   the expression, shall not pass away, must be viewed as referring, not
   to the life of men, but to the perfect truth of the doctrine. "There is
   nothing in the law that is unimportant, nothing that was put there at,
   random; and so it is impossible that a single letter shall perish."

   19. Whoever then shall break Christ here speaks expressly of the
   commandments of life, or the ten words, which all the children of God
   ought to take as the rule of their life. He therefore declares, that
   they are false and deceitful teachers, who do not restrain their
   disciples within obedience to the law, and that they are unworthy to
   occupy a place in the Church, who weaken, in the slightest degree, the
   authority of the law; and, on the other hand, that they are honest and
   faithful ministers of God, who recommend, both by word and by example,
   the keeping of the law. The least commandments is an expression used in
   accommodation to the judgment of men: for though they have not all the
   same weight, (but, when they are compared together, some are less than
   others,) yet we are not at liberty to think any thing small, on which
   the heavenly Legislator has been pleased to issue a command. For what
   sacrilege is it to treat contemptuously any thing which has proceeded
   from his sacred mouth? This is to sink his majesty to the rank of
   creatures. Accordingly, when our Lord calls them little commandments,
   it is a sort of concession. He shall be called the least This is an
   allusion to what he had just said about the commandments: but the
   meaning is obvious. Those who shall pour contempt on the doctrine of
   the law, or on a single syllable of it, will be rejected as the lowest
   of men. [384]

   The kingdom of heaven means the renovation of the Church, or the
   prosperous condition of the Church, such as was then beginning to
   appear by the preaching of the Gospel. In this sense, Christ tells us,
   that "he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John,"
   (Luke 7:28.) The meaning of that phrase is, that God, restoring the
   world by the hand of his Son, has completely established his kingdom.
   Christ declares that, when his Church shall have been renewed, no
   teachers must be admitted to it, but those who are faithful expounders
   of the law, and who labor to maintain its doctrine entire. But it is
   asked, were not ceremonies among the commandments of God, the least of
   which we are now required to observe? I answer, We must look to the
   design and object of the Legislator. God enjoined ceremonies, that
   their outward use might be temporal, and their meaning eternal. That
   man does not break ceremonies, who omits what is shadowy, but retains
   their effect. But if Christ banishes from his kingdom all who accustom
   men to any contempt of the law how monstrous must be their stupidity,
   who are not ashamed to remit, by a sacrilegious indulgence, what God
   strictly demands, and, under the pretense of venial sin, to overthrow
   the righteousness of the law. [385] Again, we must observe the
   description he gives of good and holy teachers: that not only by words,
   but chiefly by the example of life, they exhort [386] men to keep the
   law.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [381] "Pour abolir;" -- "to abolish."

   [382] "Un iota ou un seul poinct;" -- "one iota or a single point."

   [383] The reader will find a copious illustration of this remarkable
   passage in [6]Jeremiah, and of its bearing on the Christian system, in
   the author's [7]commentary on the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the
   Hebrews. -- Ed.

   [384] "Comme 1es plus inutiles du monde;" -- "as the most useless in
   the world."

   [385] "De mettre la justice de la Loy sous les pieds;" -- "to trample
   the justice of the law under their feet."

   [386] "Ils exhortent et incitent les hommes;" -- "they exhort and
   incite men."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:20-22

   Matthew 5:20-22

   20. For I say to you, That, unless your righteousness shall be more
   abundant [387] than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you shall
   not enter [388] into the kingdom of heaven. 21. You have heard that it
   was said to the ancients, [389] Thou shalt not kill: and he who shall
   kill shall be liable to judgment. [390] 22. But I say to you, That
   every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment:
   and he who shall say to his brother, Racha, shall be liable to the
   council: and he who shall say, Fool, shall be liable to the hell of
   fire. [391]


   Matthew 5:20. Unless your righteousness shall be more abundant. He
   takes a passing notice of the Scribes, who were laboring to throw a
   stain on the doctrine of the Gospel, as if it were the ruin of the Law.
   True, he does not reason on this subject, but only points out briefly,
   that nothing has less influence over their minds than zeal for the law.
   "They pretend, that their hostility to me arises from their strong
   desire, that the law should not be violated. But their life makes it
   evident, how coldly they observe the law, -- nay more, how unconcerned
   they are about mocking God, [392] while they boast before men of an
   assumed and hypocritical righteousness." This is the view which the
   most of commentators give of the passage.

   But it deserves inquiry, whether he does not rather blame the corrupted
   manner of teaching, which the Pharisees and Scribes followed in
   instructing the people. By confining the law of God to outward duties
   only, they trained their disciples, like apes, to hypocrisy. [393] They
   lived, I readily admit, as ill as they taught, and even worse: and
   therefore, along with their corrupted doctrine, I willingly include
   their hypocritical parade of false righteousness. The principal charge
   brought by Christ against their doctrine may be easily learned from
   what follows in the discourse, where he removes from the law their
   false and wicked interpretations, and restores it to its purity. In
   short, the objection which, as we have already said, was unjustly
   brought against him by the Scribes, is powerfully thrown back on
   themselves.

   We must bear in mind, what we have mentioned elsewhere, that the
   Pharisees are added to the Scribes by way of enlarging on what he had
   said: for that sect had, above all others, obtained a reputation for
   sanctity. It is a mistake, however, to suppose, that they were called
   Pharisees on account of division, [394] because they separated
   themselves from the ordinary class, and claimed a rank peculiar to
   themselves. They were called phrvsym, that is, Expounders, [395]
   because they were not satisfied with the bare letter, but boasted of
   being in possession of a key to open up hidden meanings. Hence arose an
   immense mass of errors, when they assumed magisterial authority, and
   ventured, according to their wicked fancy and their equally wicked
   pride, to thrust forward their own inventions in place of Scripture.

   21. You have heard that it was said. This sentence, and those which
   immediately follow, are connected with what we have just considered:
   for our Lord explains more fully, by minute instances, by what tortuous
   methods [396] the Pharisees debase the law, so that their righteousness
   is mere filth. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that this is an
   epanorthosis, or correction [397] of the Law, and that Christ raises
   his disciples to a higher degree of perfection, than Christ could raise
   a gross and carnal nation, which was scarcely able to learn first
   principles. It has been a prevailing opinion, that the beginning of
   righteousness was laid down in the ancient law, but that the perfection
   of it is pointed out in the Gospel. But nothing was farther from the
   design of Christ, than to alter or innovate any thing in the
   commandments of the law. There God has once fixed the rule of life
   which he will never retract. But as the law had been corrupted by false
   expositions, and turned to a profane meaning, Christ vindicates it
   against such corruptions, and points out its true meaning, from which
   the Jews had departed.

   That the doctrine of the law not only commences, but brings to
   perfection, a holy life, may be inferred from a single fact, that it
   requires a perfect love of God and of our neighbor, (Deuteronomy 6:5;
   Leviticus 19:18.) He who possesses such a love wants nothing of the
   highest perfection. So far as respects the rules of a holy life, the
   law conducts men to the goal, or farthest point, of righteousness.
   Accordingly, Paul declares the law to be weak, not in itself, but in
   our flesh, (Romans 8:3.) But if Moses had given nothing more than the
   first lessons of true righteousness, how ridiculous would have been
   that appeal!

   "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have
   set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose
   life, that ye may live," (Deuteronomy 30:19.)

   Again,

   "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to
   fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all his ways, and to love him,
   and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
   soul?" (Deuteronomy 10:12.)

   Vain and deceitful, also, would have been that promise, "The man that
   doeth them shall live in them," (Leviticus 18:5; Romans 10:5; Galatians
   3:12.)

   That Christ, on the other hand, intended to make no correction in the
   precepts of the law, is very clear from other passages: for to those
   who desire to enter into life by their good works, he gives no other
   injunction, than to, keep the commandments of the law, (Matthew 19:17.)
   From no other source do the Apostles, as well as Christ himself, draw
   the rules for a devout and holy life. It is doing a grievous injury to
   God, the author of the Law, to imagine that the eyes, and hands, and
   feet alone, are trained by it to a hypocritical appearance of good
   works, and that it is only in the Gospel that we are taught to love God
   with the heart. Away, then, with that error, "The deficiencies of the
   law are here supplied by Christ." We must not imagine Christ to be a
   new legislator, who adds any thing to the eternal righteousness of his
   Father. We must listen to him as a faithful expounder, that we may know
   what is the nature of the law, what is its object, and what is its
   extent.

   It now remains for us to see, what Christ condemns in the Pharisees,
   and in what respect his interpretation of it differs from their
   glosses. The amount of it is, that they had changed the doctrine of the
   law into a political order, and had made obedience to it to consist
   entirely in the performance of outward duties. Hence it came, that he
   who had not slain a man with his hand was pronounced to be free from
   the guilt of murder, and he who had not polluted his body by adultery
   was supposed to be pure and chaste before God. This was an intolerable
   profanation of the law: for it is certain, that Moses everywhere
   demands the spiritual worship of God. From the very nature of the law
   we must conclude, that God, who gave it by the hand of Moses, spoke to
   the hearts, as well as to the hands and to the eyes. True, our Lord
   quotes the very words of the law; but he does so in accommodation to
   the view which was generally taken of them by the people. "Till now,
   the scribes have given you a literal interpretation of the law, that it
   is enough, if a man keep his hands from murder and from acts of
   violence. But I warn you, that you must ascend much higher. Love is the
   fulfilling of the law, (Romans 13:10;)and I say that your neighbor is
   injured, when you act towards him otherwise than as a friend." The
   latter clause which he quotes, he who kills shall be liable to the
   judgment, confirms what I said a little before, that Christ charges
   them with turning into a political scheme the law of God, which had
   been given for the government of the heart.

   22. But I say to you His reply is not opposed to the command of Moses,
   (Exodus 20:13; Leviticus 24:21; Numbers 35:16;) but to the
   interpretation usually put upon it by the scribes. Now, as the
   Pharisees boasted of antiquity, (for it is always the custom to plead
   the prescription of a long period in defense of errors,) [398] Christ
   reminds the people of his authority, to which all antiquity ought
   justly to give way. Hence we conclude, that truth is of greater weight
   than custom or the number of years.

   He who shall say to his brother Christ assigns three degrees of
   condemnation besides the violence of the hands; which implies, that
   this precept of the law restrains not only the hands, but all
   affections that are opposed to brotherly love. "Those who shall only be
   angry with their brethren, or treat them with haughty disdain, or
   injure them by any reproach, are murderers." Now, as it is certain that
   the word Racha occupies an intermediate place between anger and openly
   reproachful language, I have no doubt that it is an interjection of
   contempt or disdain. Though Christ adjudges to the hell of fire none
   but those who break out into open reproach, we must not suppose, that
   he declares anger to be free from a similar punishment; but, alluding
   to earthly judgments, he assures them that God will judge and punish
   even concealed anger. [399] But, as he who manifests his indignation by
   bitter language goes farther than this, Christ says, that that man will
   be held guilty by the whole heavenly council, that he may receive
   severer punishment.

   Those, again, who break out into reproaches are adjudged to the hell of
   fire: which implies, that hatred, and every thing that is contrary to
   love, is enough to expose them to eternal death, though they may have
   committed no acts of violence. Geenna (hell) is, beyond all question, a
   foreign word. gy' (Ge) is the Hebrew word for a valley. Now, "the
   valley of Hin-nom" was infamous for the detestable superstition which
   was committed in it, because there they sacrificed their children to
   idols, (2 Chronicles 33:6.) The consequence was, that holy men, in
   order to excite stronger hatred of that wicked ungodliness, used it as
   the name for hell, that the very name might be dreaded by the people as
   shocking and alarming. It would appear that, in the time of Christ,
   this was a received way of speaking, and that hell was then called by
   no other name than gehenna, (geenna,) the word being slightly altered
   from the true pronunciation.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [387] "Si votre justice n'outrepasse;" -- "if your righteousness does
   not go beyond."

   [388] "Vous n'entrerez nullement, ou, jamais;" -- "you shall not at all
   enter, or, you shall never enter."

   [389] "Aux anciens."

   [390] "Sera digne d'estre puni par jugement;" -- "shall be worthy of
   being punished by judgment."

   [391] "Sera digne d'estre puni par la gehenne du feu;" -- "shall be
   worthy of being punished by the gehenna of fire."

   [392] "Comme ils se moquent de Dieu sans en faire conscience." -- "How
   they mock God, without making conscience of it."

   [393] "Ils accoustumoyent leurs disc p es k ne hypocrisle, et en
   faisoyent des singes." -- "They accustomed their disciples to a
   hypocrisy, and made apes of them."

   [394] "De division, ou separation;" -- "of division, or separation."

   [395] Among a host of opinions as to the origin of the name Pharisees,
   there is room to doubt if Calvin has hit upon the true etymology. There
   are two roots: phrs (paras,) to spread out, with Sin for the final
   letter, -- and phrs (parash,). to explain, to separate, with Schin.
   Both have been pressed into the service. The former is chiefly quoted
   in support of an allusion to our Lord's description of them, that they
   make broad their phylacteries, (Matthew 23:5.) But the latter root has
   been more fertile in suggestions. John Alberti, no mean authority, in
   his Glossarium Grcecurn, (under Luke 11:38,) defines Pharisaios, to be
   diakechorismenos, separated, and quotes the Septuagint as employing
   that participle (Ezekiel 34:12) for, nphrsvt the principhal participle
   of phrs, (parash.) From Hesychius he gives synonyms of like import, --
   Pharisaios, aphorismenos, memerismenos, katharos As to the last of
   those terms, katharos, the learned Vitringa, to whom Alberti also
   refers, has copiously illustrated its meaning in a passage, which has
   been often quoted as embodying the proud challenge of the Pharisee,
   Stand by: for I am holier than thou, (Isaiah 65:5 ) -- Suidas
   unhesitatingly defends the same idea of separation. His definition is
   as follows: Pharisaioi hoi hermeneuomenoi aphorismenoi, para to
   merizein kai aphorizein heautous ton allon hapanton, eis te to
   katharotaton tou biou, kai akribestaton, kai eis ta tou nomou
   entalmata. "Pharisees, -- which means separated, on account of their
   dividing and separating themselves from all others, to the greatest
   purity and strictness of life, and to the prescriptions of the law." --
   Calvin's derivation is from the same root, and is certainly ingenious.
   That sect, we know, boasted of a rigid adherence to the law, though it
   may be questioned whether profound skill in exposition was claimed by
   all its members. Many of them might think that this belonged to the
   Scribes as a professional matter. -- Ed.

   [396] "Comment les Phariseens avoyent deprave la Loy par leurs
   expositions tortues;" -- "how the Pharisees had debased the law by
   their crooked expositions."

   [397] "Une correction ou amplification de la Loy;" -- "a correction or
   enlargement of the Law."

   [398] "Pour maintenir et defendre les erreurs ou abus en la matiere de
   la religion;" -- "to maintain and defend errors or abuses in matters of
   religion."

   [399] "L'indignation secrette qu'on aura eue en son coeur contre le
   frere;" --"the secret indignation which they shall have had in their
   heart against their brother."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:23-26; LUKE 12:58-59

   Matthew 5:23-26

   Luke 12:58-59

   23. Therefore, if thou shalt bring thy gift to the altar, and there
   shalt remember that thy brother hath anything against thee, 24. Leave
   there thy gift before the altar, and go away: first be reconciled to
   thy brother, and then come and offer [400] thy gift. 25. Be agreed with
   thy adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him: lest at any
   time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver
   thee to the officer, and thou be thrown into prison. 26. Verily I say
   to thee, Thou shalt not depart thence, till thou shalt have paid the
   last farthing.

   58. Now, when thou goest with thy adversary to the magistrate, do thy
   endeavor, while thou art in the way, to be delivered from him: lest
   perhaps he drag thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
   officer, and the officer throw thee into prison. 59. I say to thee,
   Thou shalt no depart thence, until thou pay even the last mite.


   Matthew 5:23. Therefore, if thou shalt bring thy gift This clause
   confirms, and at the same time explains, the preceding doctrine. It
   amounts to this, that the precept of the law, which forbids murder,
   (Exodus 20:13,) is obeyed, when we maintain agreement and brotherly
   kindness, with our neighbor. To impress this more strongly upon us,
   Christ declares, that even the duties of religion are displeasing to
   God, and are rejected by him, if we are at variance with each other.
   When he commands those who have injured any of their brethren, to be
   reconciled to him, before they offer their gift, his meaning is, that,
   so long as a difference with our neighbor is kept up by our fault, we
   have no access to God. But if the worship, which men render to God, is
   polluted and corrupted by their resentments, this enables us to
   conclude, in what estimation he holds mutual agreement among ourselves.

   Here a question may be put. Is it not absurd, that the duties of
   charity should be esteemed more highly than the worship of God? We
   shall then be forced to say, that the order of the law is improper, or
   that the first table of the law must be preferred to the second. The
   answer is easy: for the words of Christ mean nothing more than this,
   that it is a false and empty profession of worshipping God, which is
   made by those who, after acting unjustly towards their brethren, treat
   them with haughty disdain. By a synecdoche he takes a single class to
   express the outward exercises of divine worship, which in many men are
   rather the pretenses, than the true expressions, of godliness. It ought
   to be observed that Christ, adapting his discourse to that age, speaks
   of sacrifices. Our condition is now different: but the doctrine remains
   the same, that whatever we offer to God is polluted, unless, at least
   as much as lieth in us, (Romans 12:18,) we are at peace with our
   brethren. Alms are called in Scripture sacrifices of a sweet smell,
   (Philippians 4:18;) and we learn from the mouth of Paul, that he who

   "spends all his substance on the poor,
   if he have not charity, is nothing," (1 Corinthians 13:3.)

   Lastly, God does not receive and acknowledge, as his sons, any who do
   not, in their turn, show themselves to be brethren to each other.
   Although it is only to those who have injured their brethren that these
   words are addressed, enjoining them to do their endeavor to be
   reconciled to them, yet under one class he points out, how highly the
   harmony of brethren is esteemed by God. When he commands them to leave
   the gift before the altar, he expresses much more than if he had said,
   that it is to no purpose for men to go to the temple, or offer
   sacrifices to God, so long as they live in discord with their
   neighbors.

   25. Be agreed with thy adversary Christ appears to go farther, and to
   exhort to reconciliation not only those who have injured their
   brethren, but those also who are unjustly treated. [401] But I
   interpret the words as having been spoken with another view, to take
   away occasion for hatred and resentment, and to point out the method of
   cherishing good-will. For whence come all injuries, but from this, that
   each person is too tenacious of his own rights, that is, each is too
   much disposed to consult his own convenience to the disadvantage of
   others? Almost all are so blinded by a wicked love of themselves, that,
   even in the worst causes, they flatter themselves that they are in the
   right. To meet all hatred, enmity, debates, and acts of injustice,
   Christ reproves that obstinacy, which is the source of these evils, and
   enjoins his own people to cultivate moderation and justice, and to make
   some abatement from the highest rigor, that, by such an act of justice,
   they may purchase for themselves peace and friendship. [402] It were to
   be wished, indeed, that no controversy of any kind should ever arise
   among us; and undoubtedly men would never break out into abuse or
   quarrelling, if they possessed a due share of meekness. But, as it is
   scarcely possible but that differences will sometimes happen, Christ
   points out the remedy, by which they may be immediately settled; and
   that is, to put a restraint on our desires, and rather to act to our
   own disadvantage, than follow up our rights with unflinching rigor.
   That Christ frequently gave this exhortation is evident from the
   twelfth chapter of Luke's Gospel, where he does not relate the sermon
   on the mount, but gives an abridgment of various passages in our Lord's
   discourses.

   Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge This part is explained by
   some in a metaphorical sense, that the Heavenly Judge will act toward
   us with the utmost rigor, so as to forgive us nothing, if we do not
   labor to settle those differences which we have with our neighbors. But
   I view it more simply, as an admonition that, even among men, it is
   usually advantageous for us to come to an early agreement with
   adversaries, because, with quarrelsome persons, their obstinacy often
   costs them dear. At the same time, I admit, that the comparison is
   justly applied to God; for he will exercise judgment without mercy
   (James 2:13) to him who is implacable to his brethren, or pursues his
   contentiousness to the utmost. But it is highly ridiculous in the
   Papists, to construct their purgatory out of a continued allegory on
   this passage. Nothing is more evident than that the subject of Christ's
   discourse is the cultivation of friendship among men. They have no
   shame, or conscientious scruple, to pervert his words, and to torture
   them into a widely different meaning, provided they can impose on the
   unlearned. But as they do not deserve a lengthened refutation, I shall
   only point out, in a single word, their shameful ignorance. The
   adversary is supposed by them to be the devil. But Christ enjoins those
   who believe on him to be agreed with the adversary Therefore, in order
   that the Papists may find their purgatory here, they must first become
   the friends and brethren of devils. A farthing is well known to be the
   fourth part of a penny: but here, as is evident from Luke, it denotes a
   mite, or any small piece of money. Now, if we were disposed to
   cavilling, [403] we might here obtain another exposure of the absurdity
   of the Papists. For, if he who has once entered Purgatory will never
   leave it, till he has paid the last farthing, it follows, that the
   suffrages (as they call them) of the living for the dead are of no
   avail. For Christ makes no allowance, that others may free a debtor by
   satisfying for him, but expressly demands from each person the payment
   of what he owes. [404] Now, if Moses and other satisfactions are
   useless, however warm the fire of Purgatory may be, yet the kitchens of
   priests and monks, for the sake of which they are so anxious to
   maintain it, will be cool enough.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [400] "Veniens offer;" -- "coming offer." -- "Lors vien et presente ton
   oblation;" -- "then come and present thy oblation."

   [401] "Mais aussi ceux qui sont assaillis et provoquez les premiers;"
   -- "but also those who are first attacked and provoked."

   [402] "Afin que ne prenans pas les choses a la rigueur, ils rachetent
   paix et amite en se monstrans ainsi traitables." -- "That, not taking
   things to the rigor, they may purchase peace and friendship, by showing
   themselves so tractable."

   [403] "Qui voudroit user de cavillation et chippoter sur chacun mot."
   -- "One who would cavil and higgle about every word."

   [404] "Mais il requiert nommement qu'un chacun satisface pour soy, et
   paye ce qu'il doit." -- "But he requires expressly that each satisfy
   for himself and pay what he owes."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:27-30

   Matthew 5:27-30

   27. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not
   commit adultery. 28. But I say to you, That whoever shall look upon a
   woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in
   his heart. 29. And if thy right eye shall be a stumbling block [405] to
   thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is better for thee
   that one of thy members perish, and that thy whole body be not thrown
   into hell. 30. And if thy right hand shall be a hindrance to thee, cut
   it off, and cast it from thee: for it is better that one of thy members
   perish, and that thy whole body be not thrown into hell.


   Matthew 5:27. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Christ proceeds with his
   subject, and shows, that the law of God not only has authority over the
   life, in a political view, to form the outward manners, but that it
   requires pure and holy affections of the heart. We must remember what I
   have already stated, that though Christ quotes the very words of the
   law, it is the gross and false meaning, which had been put upon it by
   dishonest interpreters, that he blames. He has already told us, that he
   did not come as a new Legislator, but as the faithful expounder of a
   law which had been already given. It might be objected that, through
   long practice, that interpretation had grown old. Christ expressly
   admits this, but meets it by saying, that the antiquity of an error
   ought not to be allowed to plead in its favor.

   28. Whoever shall look upon a woman. The design of Christ was to
   condemn generally the lust of the flesh. He says, that not only those
   who have seduced their neighbors' wives, but those who have polluted
   their eyes by an immodest look, are adulterers before God. This is a
   synec-doche: [406] for not only the eyes, but even the concealed flames
   of the heart, render men guilty of adultery. Accordingly, Paul makes
   chastity (1 Corinthians 7:34) to consist both in body and in mind. But
   Christ reckoned it enough to refute the gross mistake which was
   prevalent: for they thought that it was only necessary to guard against
   outward adultery. As it is generally by the wantonness of the eyes that
   temptations are presented to the mind, and as lust enters, as it were,
   by that door, Christ used this mode of speaking, when he wished to
   condemn lust: which is evident from the expression, to lust after her.
   This teaches us also, that not only those who form a deliberate purpose
   of fornication, but those who admit any polluted thoughts, are reckoned
   adulterers before God. The hypocrisy of the Papists, therefore, is too
   gross and stupid, when they affirm that lust is not a sin, until it
   gain the full consent of the heart. But we need not wonder, that they
   make sin to be so small a matter: for those who ascribe righteousness
   to the merit of works must be very dull and stupid in judging of their
   sins.

   29. If thy right eye shall be a stumbling-block to thee. It might be
   thought that, considering the weakness of the flesh and of nature,
   Christ pressed too severely on men, and therefore he anticipates all
   such complaints. The general meaning is, that however difficult, or
   severe, or troublesome, or harsh, any commandment of God may be, yet no
   excuse ought to be pleaded on those grounds, because the justice of God
   ought to stand higher in our estimation, than all that we reckon most
   precious and valuable. "You have no right to object to me, that you can
   scarcely turn your eyes in any direction, without being suddenly drawn
   away by some temptation: for you ought rather to part with your eyes,
   than to depart from the commandments of God." And yet Christ does not
   mean, that we must mutilate our body, in order to obey God: but as all
   would readily wish, that they should not be restrained from the free
   use of their senses, Christ employs an exaggerated [407] form of speech
   to show, that whatever hinders us from yielding that obedience to God
   which he requires in his law, ought to be cut off. And he does so
   expressly, because men allow themselves too much liberty in that
   respect. If the mind were pure, the eyes and hands would be obedient to
   it; for it is certain, that they have no movement of their own. But
   here we are deeply to blame. We are so far from being as careful as we
   ought to be, to avoid allurements, that we rather provoke our senses to
   wickedness by allowing them unbounded liberty.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [405] "Si ton ceil dextre to fait chopper." -- "If thy right eye makes
   thee stumble."

   [406] "C'est une facon de parler qu'on appelle Synecdoche, quand on
   prend une artie our le tout." -- "It is a way of speaking which is
   called Synecdoche, when a part is taken for the whole."

   [407] "Par une facon de parler hyperbolique, (c'est a dire,
   excessive:") -- "by a hyperbolical, that is, an excessive mode of
   speaking."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:31-32; LUKE 16:18

   Matthew 5:31-32

   Luke 16:18

   31. Again, it hath been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him
   give her a writing of divorcement. [408] 32. But I say to you, That
   whosoever shall put away his wife, except on account of unchastity,
   causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry a woman that
   is put away committeth adultery.

   18. Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth
   adultery: and whosoever marrieth a woman put away from her husband
   committeth adultery.


   Matthew 5:31. Whosoever shall put away his wife. As a more suitable
   occasion for discussing and explaining this doctrine at greater length
   will afterwards occur, (Matthew 19:9,) I shall now state briefly what
   Christ says in this passage. As the Jews falsely imagined that they
   discharged their whole duty toward God, when they kept the law in a
   national manner, so whatever the national law did not forbid, they
   foolishly supposed to be lawful. Divorces, which husbands were wont to
   give to their wives, had not been prohibited by Moses as to external
   order, but only, for the sake of restraining lewdness, he had ordered
   that "a bill of divorcement" should be given to the wives who were put
   away, (Deuteronomy 24:1.) It was a sort of testimonial of freedom, so
   that the woman was afterwards free from the yoke and power of the
   husband; while the husband at the same time acknowledged, that he did
   not send her away on account of any crime, but because she did not
   please him. Hence proceeded the error, that there was nothing wrong in
   such putting away, provided that the forms of law were observed. [409]

   But they did wrong in viewing as a matter of civil law, the rule which
   had been given them for a devout and holy life. For national laws are
   sometimes accommodated to the manners of men but God, in prescribing a
   spiritual law, looked not at what men can do, but at what they ought to
   do. It contains a perfect and entire righteousness, though we want
   ability to fulfill it. Christ, therefore, admonishes us not to
   conclude, that what is allowed by the national law of Moses is, on that
   account, lawful in the sight of God. That man, (says he,) who puts away
   his wife, and gives her a bill of divorcement, shelters himself under
   the pretense of the law: but the bond of marriage is too sacred to be
   dissolved at the will, or rather at the licentious pleasure, of men.
   Though the husband and the wife are united by mutual consent, yet God
   binds them by an indissoluble tie, so that they are not afterwards at
   liberty to separate. An exception is added, except on account of
   fornication: for the woman, who has basely violated the marriage-vow,
   is justly cast off; because it was by her fault that the tie was
   broken, and the husband set at liberty.

   32. Causeth her to commit adultery. As the bill of divorcement bore,
   that the woman had been loosed from her former husband, and might enter
   into a new marriage, the man who, unjustly and unlawfully, abandons the
   wife whom God had given him, is justly condemned for having prostituted
   his wife to others.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [408] "Ou, separation;" -- "or, separation."

   [409] "Pourveu qu'on observast ce que la Loy commandoit en tel cas;"--
   "provided that what the Law commanded in such a case were observed."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:33-37

   Matthew 5:33-37

   33. Again, ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt
   not perjure thyself: but thou shalt perform to the Lord what thou hast
   sworn. 34. But I charge you, swear not at all: neither by heaven, for
   it is the throne of God: 35. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool:
   nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King: 36. Nor shalt
   thou swear by thy head: for thou canst not make one hair white or
   black. 37. But your speech shall be, Yes, yes; No, no for what is
   beyond these comes from evil. [410]


   33. Thou shalt not perjure thyself This also is not a correction of the
   law, but a true interpretation of it. For God condemned in the law not
   only acts of perjury, but lightness in swearing, which lessens the
   reverence for his name. The man who perjures himself is not the only
   person who takes the name of God in vain, (Exodus 20:7.) He does so,
   who idly and contemptuously pronounces the name of God on trivial
   occasions, or in ordinary conversation. While the law condemns every
   kind of profanation of the name of God the Jews imagined, that the
   guilt of it lay entirely in acts of perjury. Christ reproves this gross
   error of supposing that they might, without danger, abuse the name of
   God, provided they did not swear falsely. We are, no doubt, strictly
   enjoined to perform to the Lord what we have sworn: for he who, after
   employing the name of God, cheats and deceives his neighbors, does an
   injury to God as well as to man. But it is improper to confine to a
   single part that which has a wider reference. Some consider the word
   perform as applying to vows, when any thing has been promised to God on
   account of religion. But this mode of expression applies very well to
   all promises and engagements, which have been sanctioned by the use of
   the name of God: for in such cases God is appealed to as guarantee
   between the parties, to secure their fidelity.

   34. Swear not at all Many have been led by the phrase, not at all, to
   adopt the false notion, that every kind of swearing is condemned by
   Christ. Some good men have been driven to this extreme rigor by
   observing the unbridled licentiousness of swearing, which prevailed in
   the world. The Anabaptists, too, have blustered a great deal, on the
   ground, that Christ appears to give no liberty to swear on any
   occasion, because he commands, Swear not at all But we need not go
   beyond the immediate context to obtain the exposition: for he
   immediately adds, neither by heaven, nor by the earth Who does not see
   that those kinds of swearing were added by way of exposition, to
   explain the former clause more fully by specifying a number of cases?
   The Jews had circuitous or indirect ways of swearing: and when they
   swore by heaven, or by earth, or by the altar, (Matthew 23:18,) they
   reckoned it to be next to nothing; and, as one vice springs from
   another, they defended, under this pretense, any profanation of the
   name of God that was not openly avowed.

   To meet this crime, our Lord declares that they must not swear at all,
   either in this or that way, either by heaven, or by the earth Hence we
   conclude, that the particle, at all, relates not to the substance, but
   to the form, and means, "neither directly nor indirectly." It would
   otherwise have been superfluous to enumerate those kinds: and therefore
   the Anabaptists betray not only a rage for controversy, but gross
   ignorance, when they obstinately press upon us a single word, and pass
   over, with closed eyes, the whole scope of the passage. Is it objected,
   that Christ permits no swearing? I reply: What the expounder of the law
   says, must be viewed in connection with its design. His statement
   amounts to this, that there are other ways of "taking the name of God
   in vain," besides perjury; and, therefore, that we ought to refrain
   from allowing ourselves the liberty of unnecessary swearing: for, when
   there are just reasons to demand it, the law not only permits, but
   expressly commands us to swear. Christ, therefore, meant nothing more
   than this, that all oaths are unlawful, which in any way abuse and
   profane the sacred name of God, for which they ought to have had the
   effect of producing a deeper reverence.

   Neither by heaven It is a mistake to explain these words as meaning,
   that such forms of swearing are condemned by Christ as faulty, on the
   ground that we ought to swear by God only. The reasons which he brings
   forward tend rather to the opposite view, that we swear by the name of
   God even when we name the heaven, and the earth: because there is no
   part of the world on which God has not engraved the marks of his glory.
   But this statement appears not to agree with the precept of the law, in
   which God expressly commands us to "swear by his name," (Deuteronomy
   6:13;) and likewise with so many passages of Scripture, in which he
   complains, that injury is done to him, if we swear by creatures. I
   reply: It is a corruption allied to idolatry, when we appeal to them
   either as having a right to judge, or authority to prove testimony: for
   we must look at the object of swearing. It is an appeal which men make
   to God to revenge falsehood, and to uphold truth. This honor cannot be
   transferred to another, without committing an outrage on the divine
   majesty.

   For the same reason the Apostle says, that we do not swear in a right
   manner, unless we swear by the greater, and that it belongs to God
   alone to swear by himself, (Hebrews 6:13.) Thus any one who, in ancient
   times, swore by "Moloch," (Leviticus 18:21,) or by any other idol,
   withdrew something of what belonged to God; because they put that idol
   in the place of God, as possessing an acquaintance with the hearts, and
   as the judge of the souls of men. And in our own times, those who swear
   by angels, or by departed saints, take from God what belongs to him,
   and ascribe to them a divine majesty. The case is different, when men
   swear by heaven and earth, with a view to the Creator himself: for, in
   that case, the sanctity of the oath is not founded on creatures, but
   God alone is appealed to as a witness, by bringing forward the symbols
   of his glory.

   Heaven is called in Scripture (Isaiah 66:1) the throne of God: not that
   he dwells in heaven alone, but to teach men to raise their minds
   upwards, whenever they think of him, and not to form any low or earthly
   conceptions of him. Again, the earth is called his footstool, (v. 35,)
   to inform us, that he fills all things, and that no extent of space can
   contain him. The holiness of Jerusalem (v. 35) depended on his promise.
   It was the holy city, (Isaiah 52:1:) because God had selected it to be
   the seat and residence of his empire. When men swear by their head, (v.
   36,) they bring forward their life, which is a remarkable gift of God,
   as a pledge of their sincerity.

   37. But your speech shall be, Yes, yes; No, no Christ now prescribes,
   in the second place, a remedy; which is, that men act towards each
   other sincerely and honestly: for then simplicity of speech will have
   quite as much weight as an oath has among those who are not sincere.
   Now, this is certainly the best way of correcting faults, to point out
   the sources from which they spring. Whence comes the great propensity
   to swearing, but from the great falsehood, the numerous impositions,
   the unsteady and light conduct, so that hardly any thing is believed?
   [411] Fairness and honesty in our words are, therefore, demanded by
   Christ, that there may be no longer any occasion for an oath.

   "Yes, yes; No, no." This repetition means, that we ought to abide by
   our words, so that all may be convinced of our honesty. Now, as this is
   the true and lawful method of proceeding, when men have nothing on
   their tongue but what is in their heart, Christ declares, that what is
   beyond these comes from evil I do not approve of the exposition of
   these words which some have given, that the criminality of swearing
   ought to be charged on the man who does not give credit to what another
   says. Christ teaches us, in my opinion, that it originates in the
   wickedness of men, that they are compelled to swear: for, if honesty
   prevailed among men, if they were not inconsistent and hypocritical,
   they would maintain that simplicity which nature dictates. And yet it
   does not follow, that it is unlawful to swear, when necessity demands
   it: for many things are proper in themselves, though they have had a
   wicked origin.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [410] "Du mal, ou, malin, ou meschant," (James 5:12;)--"from evil, or,
   malignant, or wicked."

   [411] "D'ou vient une si grande legerete en sermens, sinon qu'entre
   tout de mensonges, tromperies, inconstance et babil, on ne sait qui
   croire, ni a qui se fier?" -- "Whence comes so great a lightness about
   oaths, but that among so many lies and impositions, and so much
   unsteadiness and trifling, one does not know whom to believe or whom to
   trust?"
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:38-41; LUKE 6:29-30

   Matthew 5:38-41

   Luke 6:29-30

   38. You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for
   a tooth. 39. But I say to you, Do not resist evil: but whoever, shall
   inflict a blow on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also: 40. And
   to him who wishes to enter into a law-suit with thee, and to take away
   thy coat, allow him thy cloak also: 41. And whoever shall constrain
   thee to one mile, go with him two.

   29. To him who striketh thee on one cheek offer also the other, and
   from him who taketh away thy cloak, do not forbid thy coat also.
   30. And to every one that asketh from thee give; and from him who takes
   what are thine, do not ask them again.


   Matthew 5:38. An eye for an eye. Here another error is corrected. God
   had enjoined, by his law, (Leviticus 24:20,) that judges and
   magistrates should punish those who had done injuries, by making them
   endure as much as they had inflicted. The consequence was, that every
   one seized on this as a pretext for taking private revenge. They
   thought that they did no wrong, provided they were not the first to
   make the attack, but only, when injured, returned like for like. Christ
   informs them, on the contrary, that, though judges were entrusted with
   the defense of the community, and were invested with authority to
   restrain the wicked and repress their violence, yet it is the duty of
   every man to bear patiently the injuries which he receives.

   39. Do not resist evil. There are two ways of resisting: the one, by
   warding off injuries through inoffensive conduct; the other, by
   retaliation. [412] Though Christ does not permit his people to repel
   violence by violence, yet he does not forbid them to endeavor to avoid
   an unjust attack. The best interpreter of this passage that we can have
   is Paul, who enjoins us rather to "overcome evil by good" (Romans
   12:21) than contend with evil-doers. [413] We must attend to the
   contrast between the vice and the correction of it. The present subject
   is retaliation. [414] To restrain his disciples from that kind of
   indulgence, he forbids them to render evil for evil. He afterwards
   extends the law of patience so far, that we are not only to bear
   patiently the injuries we have received, but to prepare for bearing
   fresh injuries. The amount of the whole admonition is, that believers
   should learn to forget the wrongs that have been done them, -- that
   they should not, when injured, break out into hatred or ill-will, or
   wish to commit an injury on their part, -- but that, the more the
   obstinacy and rage of wicked men was excited and inflamed, they should
   be the more fully disposed to exercise patience.

   Whoever shall inflict a blow. Julian, [415] and others of the same
   description, have foolishly slandered this doctrine of Christ, as if it
   entirely overturned the laws of a country, and its civil courts.
   Augustine, in his fifth epistle, employs much skill and judgment in
   showing, that the design of Christ was merely to train the minds of
   believers to moderation and justice, that they might not, on receiving
   one or two offenses, fail or lose courage. The observation of
   Augustine, "that this does not lay down a rule for outward actions," is
   true, if it be properly understood. I admit that Christ restrains our
   hands, as well as our minds, from revenge: but when any one has it in
   his power to protect himself and his property from injury, without
   exercising revenge, the words of Christ do not prevent him from turning
   aside gently and inoffensively to avoid the threatened attack.

   Unquestionably, Christ did not intend to exhort his people to whet the
   malice of those, whose propensity to injure others is sufficiently
   strong: and if they were to turn to them the other cheek, what would it
   be but holding out such an encouragement? It is not the business of a
   good and judicious commentator to seize eagerly on syllables, but to
   attend to the design of the speaker: and nothing is more unbecoming the
   disciples of Christ, than to spend time in cavilling about words, where
   it is easy to see what the Master means. But in the present instance,
   the object which Christ has in view is perfectly obvious. He tells us,
   that the end of one contest will be the beginning of another, and that,
   through the whole course of their life, believers must lay their
   account with sustaining many injuries in uninterrupted succession. When
   wrong has been done them in a single instance, he wishes them to be
   trained by this example to meek submission, that by suffering they may
   learn to be patient.

   40. And to him who wishes to enter into a law-suit with thee. Christ
   now glances at another kind of annoyance, and that is, when wicked men
   torment us with law-suits. He commands us, even on such an occasion, to
   be so patient and submissive that, when our coat has been taken away,
   we shall be prepared to give up our cloak also. None but a fool will
   stand upon the words, so as to maintain, that we must yield to our
   opponents what they demand, before coming into a court of law: for such
   compliance would more strongly inflame the minds of wicked men to
   robbery and extortion; and we know, that nothing was farther from the
   design of Christ. What then is meant by giving the cloak to him who
   endeavors, on the ground of a legal claim, [416] to take away our coat?
   If a man, oppressed by an unjust decision, loses what is his own, and
   yet is prepared, when it shall be found necessary, to part with the
   remainder, he deserves not less to be commended for patience than the
   man who allows himself to be twice robbed before coming into court. In
   short, when Christians meet with one who endeavors to wrench from them
   a part of their property, they ought to be prepared to lose the whole.

   Hence we conclude, that Christians are not entirely prohibited from
   engaging in law-suits, provided they have a just defense to offer.
   Though they do not surrender their goods as a prey, yet they do not
   depart from this doctrine of Christ, which exhorts us to bear patiently
   "the spoiling of our goods," (Hebrews 10:34.) It is, no doubt, rare to
   find a man who proceeds, with mild and proper feelings, to plead in a
   court: but, as it is possible for a man to defend a just cause with a
   view to the public advantage, we have no right to condemn the thing in
   itself, because it appears to be directed by improper feelings.

   The different modes of expression which are employed by Matthew and
   Luke, make no alteration in the meaning. A cloak is usually of more
   value than a coat: and accordingly, when Matthew says, that we ought to
   give a cloak to him who takes away a coat, he means that, after having
   sustained a smaller loss, we ought to be prepared to endure a greater.
   What is stated by Luke agrees with the ancient proverb, "The coat is
   nearer than the cloak." [417]

   Luke 6:30. To every one that asketh of thee. The same words, as we
   shall presently see, are found in Matthew: for it may readily be
   inferred from the context, that Luke does not here speak of a request
   to obtain assistance, but of actions at law, which bad men raise for
   the purpose of carrying off the property of others. From him who takes
   away what are thine, ask them not again. If it is thought better to
   read the two clauses separately, I have no objection: and then it will
   be an exhortation to liberality in giving. As to the second clause, in
   which Christ forbids us to ask again those things which have been
   unjustly taken away, it is undoubtedly an exposition of the former
   doctrine, that we ought to bear patiently "the spoiling of our goods."
   But we must remember what I have already hinted, that we ought not to
   quibble about words, as if a good man were not permitted to recover
   what is his own, when God gives him the lawful means. We are only
   enjoined to exercise patience, that we may not be unduly distressed by
   the loss of our property, but calmly wait, till the Lord himself shall
   call the robbers to account.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [412] "L'une par laquelle nous empeschons qu'on ne nous outrage, sans
   mal-faire a personne de nostre coste: l'autre, par laquelle nous
   rendons mal pour mal." -- "The one, by which we prevent attacks from
   being made on us, without doing ill to any person on our part: the
   other, by which we render evil for evil."

   [413] "Plustost que de rendre la pareille a celuy qui nous a mal-fait."
   -- "Rather than return the like to him who has done us wrong."

   [414] "Il est ici parle de la facon de faire de ceux lesquels rendent
   la pareille a ceux qui les ont offensez." -- "The subject here spoken
   of is the manner of acting of those who render the like to those who
   have offended them."

   [415] Julian, the Roman Emperor, generally known by the name of Julian
   the Apostate. The inveterate hatred of this man to the very name of our
   blessed Savior has gained him a painfully conspicuous place in
   ecclesias-tical history. -- Ed.

   [416] "Sous couleur de proceder par voye de justice;" -- "under
   pretense of proceeding by way of justice."

   [417] "Que le saye est plus pres de la chair que le manteau." -- "That
   the coat is nearer the flesh than the cloak."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:42; LUKE 6:34-35

   Matthew 5:42

   Luke 6:34-35

   42. Give to him that asketh of thee: and from him who desires to borrow
   from thee, turn not thou away.

   34. If you shall lend to those from whom you hope that you will
   receive, what kindness will it be in you? for sinners also lend to
   sinners, that they may receive the like. 35. Lend ye, expecting nothing
   again, and your reward shall be great.


   Matthew 5:42. Give to him that asketh of thee. Though the words of
   Christ, which are related by Matthew, appear to command us to give to
   all without discrimination, yet we gather a different meaning from
   Luke, who explains the whole matter more fully. First, it is certain,
   that it was the design of Christ to make his disciples generous, but
   not prodigals and it would be a foolish prodigality to scatter at
   random what the Lord has given us. Again, we see the rule which the
   Spirit lays down in another passage for liberality. Let us therefore
   hold, first, that Christ exhorts his disciples to be liberal and
   generous; and next, that the way of doing it is, not to think that they
   have discharged their duty when they have aided a few persons, but to
   study to be kind to all, and not to be weary of giving, so long as they
   have the means.

   Besides, that no man may cavil at the words of Matthew, let us compare
   what is said by Luke. Christ affirms that when, in lending or doing
   other kind offices, we look to the mutual reward, we perform no part of
   our duty to God. He thus draws a distinction between charity and carnal
   friendship. Ungodly men have no disinterested affection for each other,
   but only a mercenary regard: and thus, as Plato judiciously observes,
   every man draws on himself that affection which he entertains for
   others. But Christ demands from his own people disinterested
   beneficence, and bids them study to aid the poor, from whom nothing can
   be expected in return. We now see what it is, to have an open hand to
   petitioners. It is to be generously disposed to all who need qur
   assistance, and who cannot return the favor.

   Luke 6:35. Lend, expecting nothing again. It is a mistake to confine
   this statement to usury, as if Christ only forbade his people to be
   usurers. The preceding part of the discourse shows clearly, that it has
   a wider reference. After having explained what wicked men are wont to
   do, -- to love their friends, -- to assist those from whom they expect
   some compensations, -- to lend to persons like themselves, that they
   may afterwards receive the like from them, -- Christ proceeds to show
   how much more he demands from his people, -- to love their enemies, to
   show disinterested kindness, to lend without expecting a return. We now
   see, that the word nothing is improperly explained as referring to
   usury, or to any interest that is added to the principal: [418] whereas
   Christ only exhorts us to perform our duties freely, and tells us that
   mercenary acts are of no account in the sight of God. [419] Not that he
   absolutely condemns all acts of kindness which are done in the hope of
   a reward; but he shows that they are of no weight as a testimony of
   charity; because he alone is truly beneficent to his neighbors, who is
   led to assist them without any regard to his own advantage, but looks
   only to the necessities of each. Whether it is ever lawful for
   Christians to derive profit from lending money, I shall not argue at
   greater length under this passage, lest I should seem to raise the
   question unseasonably out of a false meaning which I have now refuted.
   Christ's meaning, as I have already explained, is simply this: When
   believers lend, they ought to go beyond heathens; or, in other words,
   they ought to exercise pure liberality.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [418] "De l'usure et accroissement qui vient outre le principal;" --
   "of usury and increase which comes beyond the principal." On the
   lawfulnesss of lending money at interest, the most enlightened men, at
   the time when our author wrote, were strangley divded in sentiment. His
   own views were unfolded in a small work, which has been admired by
   competent judges for the purity of French style, and for enlarged views
   of Political Economy. After suffering not a little obloquy for his
   manner of applying the law of God to commercial questions, he has been
   vindicated by the unanimous opinion of posterity; and his performance,
   having served its purpose, has been quietly laid on the shelf. We
   allude to it only to account for the rapid and cursory manner in which
   he disposes here of a question, on which all who wish to know his
   opinions may satisfy themselves by perusing his own complete and
   elaborate statement of the argument. -- Ed.

   [419] "Que les plaisirs lesquels les hommes se font les uns aux autres,
   sous esperance de recompense, ne viennent point en conte devant Dieu."
   -- "That the gratifications which men give to each other, in
   expectation of reward, come not into reckoning before God."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 5:43-48; LUKE 6:27-36

   Matthew 5:43-48

   Luke 6:27-36

   43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love they
   neighbor, and thou shalt hate thy enemy. 44. But I say to you, Love
   your enemies: bless those who curse you: do good to those that hate
   you: and pray for those who injure and persecute you: 45. That you may
   be the children of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun
   to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and
   unjust. 46. For if you shall love those who love you, what reward shall
   you have? 47. And if you shall embrace your brethren only, what do you
   more? Do not the publicans thus? 48. You shall, therefore, be perfect,
   as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

   27. But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies: do good to those who
   hate you. 28. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who injure
   you. (A little after.) 32. And if you love those who love you, what
   good-will shall it be in you? for sinners also love those by whom they
   are loved. 33. And if you shall do good to those who do good to you,
   what good-will shall it be in you? for sinners also do this. (Again a
   little after.) 35. But love your enemies. (Again.) And ye shall be the
   children of the Highest: for he is kind to the unthankful and evil.
   36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.


   Matthew 5:43. Thou shalt love thy neighbor. It is astonishing, that the
   Scribes fell into so great an absurdity, as to limit the word neighbor
   to benevolent persons: for nothing is more obvious or certain than that
   God, in speaking of our neighbors, includes the whole human race. Every
   man is devoted to himself; and whenever a regard to personal
   convenience occasions an interruption of acts of kindness, there is a
   departure from that mutual intercourse, which nature itself dictates.
   To keep up the exercise of brotherly love, God assures us, that all men
   are our brethren, because they are related to us by a common nature.
   Whenever I see a man, I must, of necessity, behold myself as in a
   mirror: for he is my bone and my flesh, (Genesis 29:14.) Now, though
   the greater part of men break off, in most instances, from this holy
   society, yet their depravity does not violate the order of nature; for
   we ought to regard God as the author of the union.

   Hence we conclude, that the precept of the law, by which we are
   commanded to love our neighbor, is general. But the Scribes, judging of
   neighborhood from the disposition of the individual, affirmed that no
   man ought to be reckoned a neighbor, unless he were worthy of esteem on
   account of his own excellencies, or, at least, unless he acted the part
   of a friend. This is, no doubt, supported by the common opinion; and
   therefore the children of the world are not ashamed to acknowledge
   their resentments, when they have any reason to assign for them. But
   the charity, which God requires in his law, looks not at what a man has
   deserved, but extends itself to the unworthy, the wicked, and the
   ungrateful. Now, this is the true meaning which Christ restores, and
   vindicates from calumny; and hence it is obvious, as I have already
   said, that Christ does not introduce new laws, but corrects the wicked
   glosses of the Scribes, by whom the purity of the divine law had been
   corrupted.

   44. Love your enemies. This single point includes the whole of the
   former doctrine: for he who shall bring his mind to love those who hate
   him, will naturally refrain from all revenge, will patiently endure
   evils, will be much more prone to assist the wretched. Christ presents
   to us, in a summary view, the way and manner of fulfilling this
   precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, (Matthew 22:39.) For
   no man will ever come to obey this precept, till he shall have given up
   self-love, or rather denied himself, and till men, all of whom God has
   declared to be connected with him, shall be held by him in such
   estimation, that he shall even proceed to love those by whom he is
   regarded with hatred.

   We learn from these words, how far believers ought to be removed from
   every kind of revenge: for they are not only forbidden to ask it from
   God, but are commanded to banish and efface it from their minds so
   completely, as to bless their enemies. In the meantime, they do not
   fail to commit their cause to God, till he take vengeance on the
   reprobate: for they desire, as far as lies in them, that the wicked
   should return to a sound mind, that they may not perish; and thus they
   endeavor to promote their salvation. And there is still this
   consolation, by which all their distresses are soothed. They entertain
   no doubt, that God will be the avenger of obstinate wickedness, so as
   to make it manifest, that those who are unjustly attacked are the
   objects of his care. It is very difficult, indeed, and altogether
   contrary to the disposition of the flesh, to render good for evil. But
   our vices and weakness ought not to be pleaded as an apology. We ought
   simply to inquire, what is demanded by the law of charity: for, if we
   rely on the heavenly power of the Spirit, we shall encounter
   successfully all that is opposed to it in our feelings.

   This is undoubtedly the reason why monks, and other bawlers of the same
   class, imagined that these were advices, and not precepts, given by
   Christ: for they took the strength of men as the standard, for
   ascertaining what they owe to God and to his law. And yet the monks
   were not ashamed to claim perfection for themselves, having voluntarily
   bound themselves to attend to his advices. How faithfully they support
   the title to which they lay claim I do not now say: [420] but the folly
   and absurdity of alleging, that they are only advices, will appear from
   many considerations. First, to say that he advised his disciples, but
   did not authoritatively command them, to do what was right, is to
   dishonor Christ. Secondly, to represent the duties of charity, which
   depend on the law, as matters on which they are left at liberty, is
   highly foolish. [421] Thirdly, the words ego de lego humin, but I say
   to you, mean in this passage, "I denounce," or "I command," and cannot,
   with propriety, be rendered, "I advise." Lastly, that it is an express
   command of what must necessarily be obeyed, is proved, without any
   difficulty, from the words of Christ: for he immediately adds,

   45. That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven. When
   he expressly declares, that no man will be a child of God, unless he
   loves those who hate him, who shall dare to say, that we are not bound
   to observe this doctrine? The statement amounts to this, "Whoever shall
   wish to be accounted a Christian, let him love his enemies." It is
   truly horrible and monstrous, that the world should have been covered
   with such thick darkness, for three or four centuries, as not to see
   that it is an express command, and that every one who neglects it is
   struck out of the number of the children of God.

   It ought to be observed that, when the example of God is held out for
   our imitation, this does not imply, that it would be becoming in us to
   do whatever God does. He frequently punishes the wicked, and drives the
   wicked out of the world. In this respect, he does not desire us to
   imitate him: for the judgment of the world, which is his prerogative,
   does not belong to us. But it is his will, that we should imitate his
   fatherly goodness and liberality. This was perceived, not only by
   heathen philosophers, but by some wicked despisers of godliness, who
   have made this open confession, that in nothing do men resemble God
   more than in doing good. In short, Christ assures us, that this will be
   a mark of our adoption, if we are kind to the unthankful and evil. And
   yet you are not to understand, that our liberality makes us the
   children of God: but the same Spirit, who is the witness, (Romans
   8:16,) earnest, (Ephesians 1:14,) and seal, (Ephesians 4:30,) of our
   free adoption, corrects the wicked affections of the flesh, which are
   opposed to charity. Christ therefore proves from the effect, that none
   are the children of God, but those who resemble him in gentleness and
   kindness.

   Luke says, and you shall be the children of the Highest. Not that any
   man acquires this honor for himself, or begins to be a child of God,
   when he loves his enemies; but because, when it is intended to excite
   us to do what is right, Scripture frequently employs this manner of
   speaking, and represents as a reward the free gifts of God. The reason
   is, he looks at the design of our calling, which is, that, in
   consequence of the likeness of God having been formed anew in us, we
   may live a devout and holy life. He maketh his sun to rise on the evil
   and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. He quotes
   two instances of the divine kindness toward us, which are not only well
   known to us, but common to all: and this very participation excites us
   the more powerfully to act in a similar manner towards each other,
   though, by a synecdoche, [422] he includes a vast number of other
   favors.

   46. Do not even the publicans the same? In the same sense, Luke calls
   them sinners, that is, wicked and unprincipled men. Not that the office
   is condemned in itself; for the publicans were collectors of taxes, and
   as princes have a right to impose taxes, so it is lawful to levy them
   from the people. But they are so called, because men of this class are
   usually covetous and rapacious, nay, deceitful and cruel; and because
   among the Jews they were the agents of a wicked tyranny. If any one
   shall conclude from the words of Christ, that publicans are the basest
   of all men, he will argue ill, for our Lord employs the ordinary
   phraseology. His meaning is: those who are nearly devoid of humanity
   have some appearance of discharging mutual duties, when they see it to
   be for their own advantage.

   48. You shall therefore be perfect. This perfection does not mean
   equality, but relates solely to resemblance. [423] However distant we
   are from the perfection of God, we are said to be perfect, as he is
   perfect, when we aim at the same object, which he presents to us in
   Himself. Should it be thought preferable, we may state it thus. There
   is no comparison here made between God and us: but the perfection of
   God means, first, that free and pure kindness, which is not induced by
   the expectation of gain; -- and, secondly, that remarkable goodness,
   which contends with the malice and ingratitude of men. This appears
   more clearly from the words of Luke, Be ye therefore merciful, as your
   Father also is merciful: for mercy is contrasted with a mercenary
   regard, which is founded on private advantage.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [420] "Je ne touche point pour le present combien ils s'acquittent
   vaillament et fidelement de ce dont ils se vantent de paroles." -- "I
   say nothing, for the present, as to the valiant and faithful manner in
   which they accomplish what they boast of in words."

   [421] "C'est une chose tant et plus absurde, que les devoirs de
   charite, qui dependent de la Loy, soyent mis en la liberte des hommes,
   de les faire, ou de les laisser." -- "It is an exceedingly absurd
   thing, that the duties of charity, which depend on the Law, should be
   put in the power of men to do them, or to let them alone."

   [422] "Combien qu'il comprend sous ces deux d'autres infinis
   tesmoignages, par une figure dont nous avons souvent parle, nommee
   Synecdoche." -- "Though, under these two, he includes innumerable other
   testimonies, by a figure, of which we have frequently spoken, called
   Synecdoche."

   [423] "Ceste perfection ne signifie pas qu'il y ait une.equalite et
   mesme mesure, mais elle se rapporte seulement a quelque ressemblance ou
   ap-proche." -- "That perfection does not mean that there is an equality
   or thee same measure, but it relates solely to some resemblance or
   approach."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6: 1-4

   Matthew 6:1-4

   1. Beware lest ye do your alms before men, that you may be seen by
   them: otherwise you have not a reward with your Father who is in
   heaven. 2. Therefore, when thou doest alms, let there not be a sound of
   trumpets before thee, as hypocrites do in synagogues and in streets,
   that they may be glorified by men. Verily I say to you, They have their
   reward. 3. But when thou shalt do alms, let not thy left hand know what
   thy right hand doeth: 4. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy
   Father, who seeth in secret, will reward thee openly.


   1. Beware In this passage, Christ exhorts his people to devote
   themselves sincerely to good works; that is, to endeavor, with
   simplicity, to do what is right before God, and not to make a parade
   before men. [424] A very necessary admonition; for in all virtues the
   entrance of ambition is to be dreaded, and there is no work so
   laudable, as not to be in many instances corrupted and polluted by it.
   Under one class he lays down, by a synecdoche, a general doctrine: for
   he speaks of alms only, as he speaks shortly afterwards about prayers:
   though some copies, instead of eleemosunen, alms, read dikaiosunen,
   righteousness, which is also the rendering of the old translator. But
   the difference is of little moment: for in either way there is no room
   to doubt, that the design is, to correct the disease of ambition, when,
   in doing what is right, we seek glory from men.

   2. When thou doest alms He expressly reproves a long established
   custom, in which the desire of fame might not only be perceived by the
   eye, but felt by the hands. In places where streets or roads met, and
   in public situations, where large assemblies were wont to be held, they
   distributed alms to the poor. There was evident ostentation in that
   practice: for they sought crowded places, that they might be seen by
   multitudes, and, not satisfied with this, added even the sound of
   trumpets. [425] They pretended, no doubt, that it was to call the poor,
   as apologies are never wanting: but it was perfectly obvious, that they
   were hunting for applause and commendation. Now, when our service is
   rendered to the eyes of men, we do not submit our life to the judgment
   and approbation of God. Justly, therefore, does Christ say, that those
   persons, who exhibit themselves in this manner, have their reward: for
   they whose eyes are held by such vanity cannot look upon God.

   For the same reason, all who are desirous of vain-glory are called
   hypocrites. Profane authors gave the name of hupokritai, hypocrites, to
   those who personated assumed characters in plays and on the stage; and
   Scripture has applied this term to men who are double in heart and
   insincere. [426] There are various kinds of hypocrites. Some, though
   conscious of being very wicked, impudently give themselves out for good
   men before the world, and endeavor to conceal their vices, of which
   they have an inward conviction. Others allow themselves to proceed to
   such a pitch of audacity, that they venture to claim even perfect
   righteousness before God. Others do good, not from a desire to do what
   is right, nor on account of the glory of God, but only to obtain for
   themselves fame and a reputation for holiness. This last mentioned
   class Christ now describes, and he properly calls them hypocrites: for,
   having no proper object in view in the performance of good works, they
   assume a different character, that they may appear to be holy and
   sincere worshippers of God.

   3. Let not thy left hand know By this expression he means, that we
   ought to be satisfied with having God for our only witness, and to be
   so earnestly desirous to obey him, that we shall not be carried away by
   any vanity. It frequently happens, that men sacrifice to themselves
   rather than to God. Christ therefore wishes, that we should not be
   distracted by indirect thoughts, but go straight to this object, that
   we may serve God with a pure conscience.

   4. That thy alms may be in secret This statement appears to be opposed
   to many passages of Scripture, in which we are commanded to edify the
   brethren by good examples. But if we attend to the design of Christ, we
   must not give a more extensive meaning to the words. [427] He commands
   his disciples to devote themselves to good works purely, and without
   any ambition. In order to do this, he bids them turn away their eyes
   from the sight of men, and to reckon it enough that their duties are
   approved by God alone. Such simplicity of views does not at all
   interfere with anxiety and zeal to promote edification: and, indeed, a
   little before, he did not expressly forbid them to do good before men,
   but condemned ostentation.

   Thy Father, who seeth in secret He silently glances at a kind of folly,
   which prevails everywhere among men, that they think they have lost
   their pains, if there have not been many spectators of their virtues.
   He tells them, that God does not need a strong light to perceive good
   actions: for those things, which appear to be buried in darkness, are
   open to his view. We have no reason, therefore, to suppose that what
   escapes the notice, and receives not the testimony of men, is lost: for
   "the Lord dwells in the thick darkness," (2 Chronicles 6:1.) A most
   appropriate remedy is thus applied for curing the disease of ambition,
   when he reminds us to fix our eye on God: for this banishes from our
   minds, and will utterly destroy, all vain-glory. -- In the second
   clause, which immediately follows, Christ reminds us that, in looking
   for the reward of good works, we must wait patiently till the last day,
   the day of resurrection. Thy Father, says he, shall reward thee openly
   But when? It will be, when the dawn of the last day shall arise, by
   which all that is now hidden in darkness shall be revealed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [424] "Sans chercher la louange des hommes;" --"without seeking the
   praise of men?"

   [425] There is no necessity for giving a literal acceptation to the
   sounding of trumpets, particularly as no trace of such a practice, so
   far as we are aware, is to be found in history. Similar phrases are
   used, in many languages, to denote, that ostentation has been carried
   far beyond the bounds of ordinary propriety. -- Ed.

   [426] This is the true etymology of the word, and rests, not on
   conjecture, but on historical facts. Pspokrinesthai was used in the
   same sense as the more modern term apokrinesthai,, to reply. An actor
   was called ho hupokrinomenos to choro, one who replies to the chorus,
   alluding to the form of the ancient dramas. The circuitous phrase was
   altered to Pspokrites, which was, for some time, used occasionally in a
   good sense, to denote "one who assumed, for a temporary purpose, a
   character different from his own;" but came afterwards to be uniformly
   used in a bad sense, as denoting "one who assumed a character which did
   not belong to him." It is a curious instance of the facility with which
   a word passes, by a few changes, into a meaning altogether different
   from what it originally bore; and may serve to show, how rashly some
   philologists have maintained, that in all the successive meanings of a
   word the generic idea may be traced. The second will resemble the
   first, and the third either the first or the second, and every new
   meaning will have an analogy to a former one, from which it has been
   derived: but it may happen that, ere long, all traces of the original
   meaning have disappeared. To reply and to be insincere are ideas which
   have no resemblance. -- Ed.

   [427] "Verba longius trahere non oportet." In some of the best Latin
   editions we find, "verba longius trahere nos oportet," which entirely
   alters the meaning. But the discrepancy of the reading is set aside by
   the French version: "il ne faut point estendre les paroles plus avant;"
   -- "we must not extend the words farther." -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:5-8

   Matthew 6:5-8

   5. And when thou shalt pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites: for
   they are wont to pray standing in the synagogues, and in corners of the
   streets, that they may be seen by men. Verily I say to you, that they
   have their reward. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
   closet, and, having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret:
   and thyFather, who seeth secret, shall reward thee openly. 7. But
   praying, use not vain repetitions, as the Heathen do: for they think
   that they shall be heard on account of their speaking much. 8. Be not
   you, therefore, like them: for your Father knoweth what things ye need,
   before ye ask him.


   5. When thou shalt pray He now gives the same instruction as to prayer,
   which he had formerly given as to alms. It is a gross and shameful
   profanation of the name of God, when hypocrites, in order to obtain
   glory from men, pray in public, or at least make a pretense of praying.
   But, as hypocrisy is always ambitious, we need not wonder that it is
   also blind. Christ, therefore, commands his disciples, if they wish to
   pray in a right manner, to enter into their closet. Some expositors,
   thinking that this has the appearance of absurdity, give it an
   allegorical turn, as referring to the inward recesses of the heart: but
   there is no necessity for such trifling. We are commanded, in many
   passages, to pray to God or to praise him, in the public assembly,
   amidst a crowd of men, and before all the people: and that for the
   purpose, not only of testifying our faith or gratitude, but also of
   exciting others, by our example, to do the like. Christ does not
   withdraw us from such an exercise, but only admonishes us to have God
   always before our eyes when we engage in prayer.

   We must not literally interpret the words, enter into thy closet: as if
   he ordered us to avoid the presence of men, or declared that we do not
   pray aright, except when there are no witnesses. He speaks
   comparatively, and means, that we ought rather to seek retirement than
   desire a crowd of men to see us praying. [428] It is advantageous,
   indeed, to believers, and contributes to their pouring out, with
   greater freedom, their prayers and groans before God, to withdraw from
   the gaze of men. Retirement is also useful for another reason, that our
   minds may be more free and disengaged from all distracting thoughts:
   and accordingly Christ himself frequently chose the concealment of some
   retired spot for the sake of prayer. But this is not the present
   subject, which is only to correct the desire of vain-glory. To express
   it in a few words, whether a man prays alone, or in the presence of
   others, he ought to have the same feelings, as if he were shut up in
   his closet, and had no other witness but God. When Christ says, thy
   Father shall reward thee, he declares plainly that all the reward,
   which is promised to us in any part of Scripture, is not paid as a
   debt, but is a free gift.

   7. Use not vain repetitions He reproves another fault in prayer, a
   multiplicity of words. There are two words used, but in the same sense:
   for battologia is "a superfluous and affected repetition," and
   polulogia is "unmeaning talk." Christ reproves the folly of those who,
   with the view of persuading and entreating God, pour out a superfluity
   of words. This doctrine is not inconsistent with the praises everywhere
   bestowed in Scripture on earnestness in prayer: for, when prayer is
   offered with earnest feeling, the tongue does not go before the heart.
   Besides, the grace of God is not obtained by an unmeaning flow of
   words; but, on the contrary, a devout heart throws out its affections,
   like arrows, to pierce heaven. At the same time, this condemns the
   superstition of those who entertain the belief, that they will secure
   the favor of God by long murmurings. We find Popery to be so deeply
   imbued with this error, that it believes the efficacy of prayer to lie
   chiefly in talkativeness. The greater number of words that a man
   mutters, the more diligently he is supposed to have prayed. Long and
   tedious chanting also, as if it were to soothe the ears of God,
   continually resounds in their cathedrals.

   8. For your Father knoweth This single remedy is sufficient for
   removing and destroying the superstition which is here condemned. For
   whence comes this folly of thinking that great advantage is gained,
   when men weary God by a multiplicity of words, but because they imagine
   that he is like a mortal man, who needs to be informed and solicited?
   Whoever is convinced, that God not only cares for us, but knows all our
   wants, and anticipates our wishes and anxieties before we have stated
   them, will leave out vain repetitions, and will reckon it enough to
   prolong his prayers, as far as shall be necessary for exercising his
   faith; but will reckon it absurd and ridiculous to approach God with
   rhetorical embellishments, in the expectation that he will be moved by
   an abundance of words.

   But if God knows what things we have need of, before we ask him, where
   lies the advantage of prayer? If he is ready, of his own free will, to
   assist us, what purpose does it serve to employ our prayers, which
   interrupt the spontaneous course of his providence? The very design of
   prayer furnishes an easy answer. Believers do not pray, with the view
   of informing God about things unknown to him, or of exciting him to do
   his duty, or of urging him as though he were reluctant. On the
   contrary, they pray, in order that they may arouse themselves to seek
   him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on his promises,
   that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them
   into his bosom; in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone
   they hope and expect, both for themselves and for others, all good
   things. God himself, on the other hand, has purposed freely, and
   without being asked, to bestow blessings upon us; but he promises that
   he will grant them to our prayers. We must, therefore, maintain both of
   these truths, that He freely anticipates our wishes, and yet that we
   obtain by prayer what we ask. As to the reason why he sometimes delays
   long to answer us, and sometimes even does not grant our wishes, an
   opportunity of considering it will afterwards occur.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [428] "Il parle ici par une forme de comparaison des deux extremitez
   opposites, signifiant que plustost il faut chercher d'estre seuls, que
   de desirer grande compagnie qui nous voye prier." -- "He speaks here by
   way of comparison of the two opposite extremes, meaning that we must
   rather seek to be alone, than desire a large company to see us pray,"
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:9-13; LUKE 11:1-4

   Matthew 6:9-13

   Luke 11:1-4

   9. Pray ye therefore thus: Our Father who art in heaven, may thy name
   be sanctified. 10. May thy kingdom come. May thy will be done, as in
   heaven, so also in the earth. 11. Give us to-day our daily bread.
   12. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13. And
   lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the
   kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.

   1. And it happened, while he was praying in a certain place, when he
   ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as
   John also taught his disciples. 2. And he saith to them, When you pray,
   say, Our Father who art in heaven, may thy name be sanctified. May thy
   kingdom come. May thy will be done, as in heaven, so also in the earth.
   3. Give us to.day our daily bread. 4. And forgive us our sins, as we
   also forgive every one who owes us. And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.


   It is uncertain whether this form was once only or twice delivered by
   Christ to his disciples. [429] Some think that the latter is more
   probable; because Luke says that he was requested to do it, while
   Matthew represents him as teaching it of his own accord. But as we have
   said, that Matthew collects all the leading points of doctrine, in
   order that the whole amount of them may be more clearly perceived by
   the readers when they are placed in close succession, it is possible
   that Matthew may have omitted to mention the occasion which is related
   by Luke. On this subject, however, I am unwilling to debate with any
   person.

   Luke 11:1 As John also taught his diciples. John delivered to his
   disciples a particular form of prayer; and he did so, in my opinion,
   because the time required it. The state of affairs among the Jews was,
   at that time, exceedingly corrupted. Every thing connected with
   religion had so miserably fallen, that we need not be surprised to find
   few among them, by whom prayer was offered in a proper manner. [430]
   Besides, it was proper, that the minds of believers should be excited,
   by prayer, to hope and desire the promised redemption, which was at
   hand. John might, therefore, have collected, out of various passages of
   Scripture, a certain prayer adapted to the time, and approaching more
   nearly to the spiritual kingdom of Christ, which had already begun to
   be revealed.

   Matthew 6:9 Do ye therefore pray thus Instead of this Luke says, when
   ye pray, say: though Christ does not enjoin his people to pray in a
   prepared form of words, [431] but only points out what ought to be the
   object of all our wishes and prayers. He embraces, therefore, in six
   petitions what we are at liberty to ask from God. Nothing is more
   advantageous to us than such instruction. Though this is the most
   important exercise of piety, yet in forming our prayers, and regulating
   our wishes, all our senses fail us. No man will pray aright, unless his
   lips and heart shall be directed by the Heavenly Master. For that
   purpose he has laid down this rule, by which we must frame our prayers,
   if we desire to have them accounted lawful and approved by God. It was
   not the intention of the Son of God, (as we have already said), to
   prescribe the words which we must use, so as not to leave us at liberty
   to depart from the form which he has dictated. His intention rather
   was, to guide and restrain our wishes, that they might not go beyond
   those limits and hence we infer, that the rule which he has given us
   for praying aright relates not to the words, but to the things
   themselves.

   This form of prayer consists, as I have said, of six petitions. The
   first three, it ought to be known, relate to the glory of God, without
   any regard to ourselves; and the remaining three relate to those things
   which are necessary for our salvation. As the law of God is divided
   into two tables, of which the former contains the duties of piety, and
   the latter the duties of charity, [432] so in prayer Christ enjoins us
   to consider and seek the glory of God, and, at the same time, permits
   us to consult our own interests. Let us therefore know, that we shall
   be in a state of mind for praying in a right manner, if we not only are
   in earnest about ourselves and our own advantage, but assign the first
   place to the glory of God: for it would be altogether preposterous to
   mind only what belongs to ourselves, and to disregard the kingdom of
   God, which is of far greater importance.

   Our Father who art in heaven Whenever we engage in prayer, there are
   two things to be considered, both that we may have access to God, and
   that we may rely on Him with full and unshaken confidence: his fatherly
   love toward us, and his boundless power. Let us therefore entertain no
   doubt, that God is willing to receive us graciously, that he is ready
   to listen to our prayers, -- in a word, that of Himself he is disposed
   to aid us. Father is the appellation given to him; and under this title
   Christ supplies us with sufficiently copious materials for confidence.
   But as it is only the half of our reliance that is founded on the
   goodness of God, in the next clause, who art in heaven, he gives us a
   lofty idea of the power of God. When the Scripture says, that God is in
   heaven, the meaning is, that all things are subject to his dominions,
   -- that the world, and everything in it, is held by his hand, -- that
   his power is everywhere diffused, -- that all things are arranged by
   his providence. David says, "He that dwelleth in the heavens shall
   laugh at them," (Psalm 2:4); and again, "Our God is in heaven: he hath
   done whatever he hath pleased," (Psalm 115:3).

   When God is said to be in heaven, we must not suppose that he dwells
   only there; but, on the contrary, must hold what is said in another
   passage, that "the heavens of heavens do not contain him," (2
   Chronicles 2:6). This mode of expression separates him from the rank of
   creatures, and reminds us that, when we think of him, we ought not to
   form any low or earthly conceptions: for he is higher than the whole
   world. We have now ascertained the design of Christ. In the
   commencement of the prayer, he desired his own people to rest their
   confidence on the goodness and power of God; because, unless our
   prayers are founded on faith, they will be of no advantage. Now, as it
   would be the folly and madness of presumption, to call God our Father,
   except on the ground that, through our union to the body of Christ, we
   are acknowledged as his children, we conclude, that there is no other
   way of praying aright, but by approaching God with reliance on the
   Mediator.

   May thy name be sanctified This makes still more manifest what I have
   said, that in the first three petitions we ought to lose sight of
   ourselves, and seek the glory of God: not that it is separated from our
   salvation, but that the majesty of God ought to be greatly preferred by
   us to every other object of solicitude. It is of unspeakable advantage
   to us that God reigns, and that he receives the honor which is due to
   him: but no man has a sufficiently earnest desire to promote the glory
   of God, unless (so to speak) he forgets himself, and raises his mind to
   seek God's exalted greatness. There is a close connection and
   resemblance between those three petitions. The sanctification of the
   name of God is always connected with his kingdom; and the most
   important part of his kingdom lies in his will being done. Whoever
   considers how cold and negligent we are in desiring the greatest of
   those blessings for which we are here commanded to pray, will
   acknowledge that nothing here is superfluous, but that it is proper
   that the three petitions should be thus distinguished.

   To sanctify the name of God means nothing else, than to give unto the
   Lord the glory due unto his name, so that men may never think or speak
   of him but with the deepest veneration. The opposite of this is the
   profanation of the name of God, which takes place, when men either
   speak disrespectfully of the divine majesty, or at least without that
   reverence which they ought to feel. Now, the glory, by which it is
   sanctified, flows and results from the acknowledgments made by men as
   to the wisdom, goodness, righteousness, power, and all the other
   attributes of God. For holiness always dwells, and permanently remains,
   in God: but men obscure it by their malice and depravity, or dishonor
   and pollute it by sacrilegious contempt. The substance of this petition
   is, that the glory of God may shine in the world, and may be duly
   acknowledged by men. But religion is in its highest purity and rigour,
   when men believe, that whatever proceeds from God is right and proper,
   full of righteousness and wisdom: for the consequence is, that they
   embrace his word with the obedience of faith, and approve of all his
   ordinances and works. That faith which we yield to the word of God is,
   so to speak, our subscription, [433] by which we "set to our seal that
   God is faithful," (John 3:33;) as the highest dishonor that can be done
   to him is unbelief and contempt of his word.

   We now see, what wickedness is displayed by most men in judging of the
   works of God, and how freely they allow themselves to indulge in
   censure. If any of us are chastised, they grumble, and murmur, and
   complain, and some break out into open blasphemies: if he does not
   grant our wishes, we think that he is not sufficiently kind to us.
   [434] Many turn into matter of idle talk and jesting his
   incomprehensible providence and secret judgments. Even his holy and
   sacred name is often treated with the grossest mockery. In short, a
   part of the world profane his holiness to the utmost of their power. We
   need not then wonder, if we are commanded to ask, in the first place,
   that the reverence which is due to it may be given by the world.
   Besides, this is no small honor done to us, when God recommends to us
   the advancement of his glory.

   10. May thy kingdom come Though the Greek verb (eltheto) is simple, yet
   if, instead of May thy kingdom come, we read, as it was rendered in the
   old translation, May thy kingdom arrive, [435] the meaning will remain
   unchanged. We must first attend to the definition of the kingdom of
   God. He is said to reign among men, when they voluntarily devote and
   submit themselves to be governed by him, placing their flesh under the
   yoke, and renouncing their desires. Such is the corruption of the
   nature, that all our affections are so many soldiers of Satan, who
   oppose the justice of God, and consequently obstruct or disturb his
   reign. By this prayer we ask, that he may remove all hindrances, and
   may bring all men under his dominion, and may lead them to meditate on
   the heavenly life.

   This is done partly by the preaching of the word, and partly by the
   secret power of the Spirit. It is his will to govern men by his word:
   but as the bare voice, if the inward power of the Spirit be not added,
   does not pierce the hearts of men, both must be joined together, in
   order that the kingdom of God may be established. We therefore pray
   that God would exert his power, both by the Word and by the Spirit,
   that the whole world may willingly submit to him. The kingdom of God is
   opposed to all disorder (ataxia) and confusion for good order is
   nowhere found in the world, except when he regulates by his hand the
   schemes and dispositions of men. Hence we conclude, that the
   commencement of the reign of God in us is the destruction of the old
   man, and the denial of ourselves, that we may be renewed to another
   life.

   There is still another way in which God reigns; and that is, when he
   overthrows his enemies, and compels them, with Satan their head, to
   yield a reluctant subjection to his authority, "till they all be made
   his footstools" (Hebrews 10:13.) The substance of this prayer is, that
   God would enlighten the world by the light of his Word, -- would form
   the hearts of men, by the influences of his Spirit, to obey his
   justice, and would restore to order, by the gracious exercise of his
   power, all the disorder that exists in the world. Now, he commences his
   reign by subduing the desires of our flesh. Again, as the kingdom of
   God is continually growing and advancing to the end of the world, we
   must pray every day that it may come: for to whatever extent iniquity
   abounds in the world, to such an extent the kingdom of God, which
   brings along with it perfect righteousness, is not yet come.

   May thy will be done Although the will of God, viewed in itself, is one
   and simple, it is presented to us in Scripture under a twofold aspect.
   [436] It is said, that the will of God is done, when he executes the
   secret counsels of his providence, however obstinately men may strive
   to oppose him. But here we are commanded to pray that, in another
   sense, his will may be done, -- that all creatures may obey him,
   without opposition, and without reluctance. This appears more clearly
   from the comparison, as in heaven For, as He has the angels constantly
   ready to execute his commands, (and hence they are said to do his
   commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word, Psalm 103:20,) so we
   desire that all men may have their will formed to such harmony with the
   righteousness of God, that they may freely bend in whatever direction
   he shall appoint. It is, no doubt, a holy desire, when we bow to the
   will of God, and acquiesce in his appointments. But this prayer implies
   something more. It is a prayer, that God may remove all the obstinacy
   of men, which rises in unceasing rebellion against him, and may render
   them gentle and submissive, that they may not wish or desire any thing
   but what pleases him, and meets his approbation.

   But it may be objected: Ought we to ask from God what, he declares,
   will never exist to the end of the world? I reply: When we pray that
   the earth may become obedient to the will of God, it is not necessary
   that we should look particularly at every individual. It is enough for
   us to declare, by such a prayer as this, that we hate and regret
   whatever we perceive to be contrary to the will of God, and long for
   its utter destruction, not only that it may be the rule of all our
   affections, but that we may yield ourselves without reserve, and with
   all cheerfulness, to its fulfillment.

   11. Give us today our daily bread Of the form of prayer which Christ
   has prescribed to us this may be called, as I have said, the Second
   Table. I have adopted this mode of dividing it for the sake of
   instruction. [437] The precepts which relate to the proper manner of
   worshipping God are contained in the First Table of the law, and those
   which relate to the duties of charity in the Second. Again, in this
   prayer, -- "I have formerly divided it thus, in order to instruct more
   familiarly." our Lord first instructs us to seek the glory of God, and
   then points out, in the second part, what we ought to ask for
   ourselves. But it must be observed, that the prayers which we offer for
   our salvation, or for our own advantage, ought to have this for their
   ultimate object: for we must not be so exclusively occupied with what
   is advantageous to ourselves, as to omit, in any instance, to give the
   first place to the glory of God. When we pray, therefore, we must never
   turn away our eyes from that object.

   There is this difference, however, between the two kinds of petitions
   which we have mentioned. When we pray for the kingdom of God and the
   sanctification of his name, our eyes ought to be directed upwards, so
   as to lose sight of ourselves, and to be fixed on God alone. We then
   come down to ourselves, and connect with those former petitions, which
   look to God alone, solicitude about our own salvation. Though the
   forgiveness of sins is to be preferred to food, [438] as far as the
   soul is more valuable than the body, yet our Lord commenced with bread
   and the supports of an earthly life, that from such a beginning he
   might carry us higher. We do not ask that our daily bread may be given
   to us before we ask that we may be reconciled to God, as if the
   perishing food of the belly were to be considered more valuable than
   the eternal salvation of the soul: but we do so that we may ascend, as
   it were by steps, from earth to heaven. Since God condescends to
   nourish our bodies, there can be no doubt whatever, that he is far more
   careful of our spiritual life. This kind and gentle manner of treating
   us raises our confidence higher.

   Some are of opinion, that ton azton hemon epiousion means our
   supersubstantial bread This is exceedingly absurd. The reason assigned
   by Erasmus is not only frivolous, but inconsistent with piety. He
   reckons it improbable that, when we come into the presence of God,
   Christ should enjoin us to make mention of food. As if this manner of
   instruction were not to be found in every part of Scripture, to lead us
   to the expectation of heavenly blessings, by giving us a taste of
   temporal blessings. It is indeed the true proof of our faith, when we
   ask nothing but from God, and not only acknowledge him to be the only
   fountain of all blessings, but feel that his fatherly kindness extends
   to the smallest matters, so that he does not disdain to take care even
   of our flesh.

   That Christ speaks here of bodily food may easily be inferred: first,
   because otherwise the prayer would be defective and incomplete. We are
   enjoined, in many passages, to throw all our cares into the bosom of
   God, and he graciously promises, that "he will withhold from us no good
   thing," (Psalm 84:11.) In a perfect rule of prayer, therefore, some
   direction must be laid down as to the innumerable wants of the present
   life. Besides, the word semeron, today, means that we are to ask from
   God no more than is necessary for the day: [439] for there is no doubt,
   that he intended to restrain and guide our desire of earthly food, to
   which we are all immoderately addicted. Again, a very frequent
   Synecdoche occurs in the word bread, under which the Hebrews include
   every description of food. But here it has a still more extensive
   meaning: for we ask not only that the hand of God may supply us with
   food, but that we may receive all that is necessary for the present
   life.

   The meaning is now obvious. We are first commanded to pray, that God
   would protect and cherish the life which he has given to us in the
   world, and, as we need many supports, that he would supply us with
   every thing that he knows to be needful. Now, as the kindness of God
   flows in uninterrupted succession to feed us, the bread which he
   bestows is called epiousios, that is, continual: [440] for so it may be
   rendered. This word suggests to us such a petition as the following: "O
   Lord, since our life needs every day new supplies, may it please thee
   to grant them to us without interruption." The adverb today, as I said
   a little ago, is added to restrain our excessive desire, and to teach
   us, that we depend every moment on the kindness of God, and ought to be
   content with that portion which he gives us, to use a common
   expression, "from day to day."

   But here an objection may be urged. It is certain, that Christ has
   given a rule for prayer, which belongs equally to all the godly. Now,
   some of their number are rich men, who have their yearly produce laid
   up in store. Why does he command them to ask what they have at home,
   and to ask every day those things of which they have an abundant supply
   for a year? The reply is easy. These words remind us that, unless God
   feed us daily, the largest accumulation of the necessaries of life will
   be of no avail. Though we may have abundance of corn, and wine, and
   every thing else, unless they are watered by the secret blessing of
   God, they will suddenly vanish, or we will be deprived of the use of
   them, or they will lose their natural power to support us, so that we
   shall famish in the midst of plenty. There is therefore no reason to
   wonder, if Christ invites the rich and poor indiscriminately to apply
   to their Heavenly Father for the supply of their wants. No man will
   sincerely offer such a prayer as this, unless he has learned, by the
   example of the Apostle Paul, "to be full and to be hungry, to abound
   and to suffer need," (Philippians 4:12,) to endure patiently his
   poverty or his humble condition, and not to be intoxicated by a false
   confidence in his abundance.

   Does any one inquire, why we ask that bread to be given to us, which we
   call OUR bread? I answer: It is so called, not because it belongs to us
   by right, but because the fatherly kindness of God has set it apart for
   our use. It becomes ours, because our Heavenly Father freely bestows it
   on us for the supply of our necessities. The fields must, no doubt, be
   cultivated, labor must be bestowed on gathering the fruits of the
   earth, and every man must submit to the toil of his calling, in order
   to procure food. But all this does not hinder us from being fed by the
   undeserved kindness of God, without which men might waste their
   strength to no purpose. We are thus taught, that what we seem to have
   acquired by our own industry is his gift. We may likewise infer from
   this word, that, if we wish God to feed us, we must not take what
   belongs to others: for all who have been taught of God, (John 6:45,)
   whenever they employ this form of prayer, make a declaration that they
   desire nothing but what is their own.

   12. And forgive us our debts Here it may be proper that we should be
   reminded of what I said a little before, that Christ, in arranging the
   prayers of his people, did not consider which was first or second in
   order. It is written, that our prayers are as it were a wall which
   hinders our approach to God, (Isaiah 59:2,) or a cloud which prevents
   him from beholding us, (Isaiah 44:22,) and that

   "he hath covered himself with a cloud, that our
   prayer should not pass through," (Lamentations 3:44.)

   We ought always, therefore, to begin with the forgiveness of sins: for
   the first hope of being heard by God beams upon us, when we obtain his
   favor; and there is no way in which he is "pacified toward us,"
   (Ezekiel 16:63,) but by freely pardoning our sins. Christ has included
   in two petitions all that related to the eternal salvation of the soul,
   and to the spiritual life: for these are the two leading points of the
   divine covenant, in which all our salvation consists. He offers to us a
   free reconciliation by "not imputing our sins," (2 Corinthians 5:19,)
   and promises the Spirit, to engrave the righteousness of the law on our
   hearts. We are commanded to ask both, and the prayer for obtaining the
   forgiveness of sins is placed first.

   In Matthew, sins are called debts, because they expose us to
   condemnation at the tribunal of God, and make us debtors; nay more,
   they alienate us entirely from God, so that there is no hope of
   obtaining peace and favor except by pardon. And so is fulfilled what
   Paul tells us, that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
   God," (Romans 3:23,)

   "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
   world may become guilty before God," (Romans 3:19.)

   For, though the righteousness of God shines, to some extent, in the
   saints, yet, so long as they are surrounded by the flesh, they lie
   under the burden of sins. None will be found so pure as not to need the
   mercy of God, and if we wish to partake of it, we must feel our
   wretchedness. Those who dream of attaining such perfection in this
   world, as to be free from every spot and blemish, not only renounce
   their sins, but renounce Christ himself, from whose Church they banish
   themselves. For, when he commands all his disciples to betake
   themselves to him daily for the forgiveness of sins, every one, who
   thinks that he has no need of such a remedy, is struck out of the
   number of the disciples.

   Now, the forgiveness, which we here ask to be bestowed on us, is
   inconsistent with satisfaction, by which the world endeavors to
   purchase its own deliverance. For that creditor is not said to forgive,
   who has received payment and asks nothing more,--but he who willingly
   and generously departs from his just claim, and frees the debtor The
   ordinary distinction between crime and punishment has no place here:
   for debts unquestionably mean liability to punishment. If they are
   freely forgiven us, all compensations must disappear. And there is no
   other meaning than this in the passage of Luke, though he calls them
   sins: for in no other way does God grant the pardon of them, than by
   removing the condemnation which they deserve.

   As we forgive our debtors This condition is added, that no one may
   presume to approach God and ask forgiveness, who is not pure and free
   from all resentment. And yet the forgiveness, which we ask that God
   would give us, does not depend on the forgiveness which we grant to
   others: but the design of Christ was, to exhort us, in this manner, to
   forgive the offenses which have been committed against us, and at the
   same time, to give, as it were, the impression of his seal, to ratify
   the confidence in our own forgiveness. Nor is any thing inconsistent
   with this in the phrase used by Luke, kai gar, for we also Christ did
   not intend to point out the cause, but only to remind us of the
   feelings which we ought to cherish towards brethren, when we desire to
   be reconciled to God. And certainly, if the Spirit of God reigns in our
   hearts, every description of ill-will and revenge ought to be banished.
   The Spirit is the witness of our adoption, (Romans 8:16,) and therefore
   this is put down simply as a mark, to distinguish the children of God
   from strangers. The name debtors is here given, not to those who owe us
   money, or any other service, but to those who are indebted to us on
   account of offenses which they have committed.

   13. And lead us not into temptation Some people have split this
   petition into two. This is wrong: for the nature of the subject makes
   it manifest, that it is one and the same petition. The connection of
   the words also shows it: for the word but, which is placed between,
   connects the two clauses together, as Augustine judiciously explains.
   The sentence ought to be resolved thus, That we may not be led into
   temptation, deliver us from evil The meaning is: "We are conscious Of
   our own weakness, and desire to enjoy the protection of God, that we
   may remain impregnable against all the assaults of Satan." We showed
   from the former petition, that no man can be reckoned a Christian, who
   does not acknowledge himself to be a sinner; and in the same manner, we
   conclude from this petition, that we have no strength for living a holy
   life, except so far as we obtain it from God. Whoever implores the
   assistance of God to overcome temptations, acknowledges that, unless
   God deliver him, he will be constantly falling. [441]

   The word temptation is often used generally for any kind of trial. In
   this sense God is said to have tempted Abraham, (Genesis 22:1,) when he
   tried his faith. We are tempted both by adversity and by prosperity:
   because each of them is an occasion of bringing to light feelings which
   were formerly concealed. But here it denotes inward temptation, which
   may be fitly called the scourge of the devil, for exciting our lust. It
   would be foolish to ask, that God would keep us free from every thing
   which makes trial of our faith. All wicked emotions, which excite us to
   sin, are included under the name of temptation Though it is not
   impossible that we may feel such pricks in our minds, (for, during the
   whole course of our life, we have a constant warfare with the flesh,)
   yet we ask that the Lord would not cause us to be thrown down, or
   suffer us to be overwhelmed, by temptations

   In order to express this truth more clearly, that we are liable to
   constant stumbling and ruinous falls, if God does not uphold us with
   his hand, Christ used this form of expression, (me eisenenkHus,) Lead
   us not into temptation: or, as some render it, Bring us not into
   temptation It is certainly true, that "every man is tempted," as the
   Apostle James says, (1:14) "by his own lust:" yet, as God not only
   gives us up to the will of Satan, to kindle the flame of lust, but
   employs him as the agent of his wrath, when he chooses to drive men
   headlong to destruction, he may be also said, in a way peculiar to
   himself, to lead them into temptation In the same sense, "an evil
   spirit from the Lord" is said to have "seized or troubled Saul," (1
   Samuel 16:14:) and there are many passages of Scripture to the same
   purpose. And yet we will not therefore say, that God is the author of
   evil: because, by giving men over to a reprobate mind," (Romans 1:28,)
   he does not exercise a confused tyranny, but executes his just, though
   secret [442] judgments.

   Deliver us from evil The word evil (ponerou) may either be taken in the
   neuter gender, as signifying the evil thing, or in the masculine
   gender, as signifying the evil one Chrysostom refers it to the Devil,
   who is the contriver of every thing evil, and, as the deadly enemy of
   our salvation, is continually fighting against us. [443] But it may,
   with equal propriety, be explained as referring to sin There is no
   necessity for raising a debate on this point: for the meaning remains
   nearly the same, that we are in danger from the devil and from sin, if
   the Lord does not protect and deliver us.

   For thine is the kingdom It is surprising that this clause, which
   agrees so well with the rest of the prayer, has been left out by the
   Latins: [444] for it was not added merely for the purpose of kindling
   our hearts to seek the glory of God, and of reminding us what ought to
   be the object of our prayers; but likewise to teach us, that our
   prayers, which are here dictated to us, are founded on God alone, that
   we may not rely on our own merits.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [429] "Il est incertain si Christ a enseigne ceste formule de prier a
   ses disciples une fois seulement, ou bien par deux diverses fois." --
   "It is uncertain if Christ taught this form of prayer to his disciples
   once only, or rather at two separate times."

   [430] "Il ne se faut pas fort esbahir si la vraye et pure maniere de
   prier estoit pratiquee par bien peu de gens." -- "We ought not to be
   greatly surprised, if the true and pure manner of praying was practiced
   by very few people."

   [431] "Combien Christ ne commande pas aux siens en priant de s'attacher
   scrupuleusement a certains mots;" -- "though Christ does not command
   his people to adhere scrupulously to certain words.

   [432] "Comme la Loy de Dieu est divisee en deux Tables, desquelles la
   premiere contient les choses dont nous sommes redevables a Dieu pour
   honorer sa majeste: la seconde ce que nous devons a nostre prochain
   selon charite." -- "As the Law of God is divided into two Tables, of
   which the first contains the things which we owe to God to honor his
   majesty: the second, what we owe to our neighbor according to charity."

   [433] "Comme si nous signions de nostre propre main, declarans que Dieu
   est veritable;" -- "as if we signed with our own hand, declaring that
   God is true."

   [434] "Il nous semble qu'il nous fait tort;" -- "we think that he
   wrongs us."

   [435] "Adveniat regnum tuum;" the only difference being, that the
   compound verb adveniat, may arrive, has been exchanged for the simple
   verb veniat, may come, a change which has been adopted, so far as I
   have observed, in the modern European versions. -- Ed.

   [436] "Elle nous est proposee en deux sortes es Escritures." -- "It is
   presented to us in two ways in the Scriptures."

   [437] "Je l'ay ainsi divisee par ci devant pour enseigner plus
   familierement."

   [438] "Combien que la remission des pechez est bien a preferer a la
   nourriteurde cette vie." -- "though the forgiveness of sins is greatly
   to be preferred to the nourishment of this life."

   [439] "Sinon au pris que le jour vient l'un apres l'autre;" -- "only as
   far as one day comes after another."

   [440] "Superveniens;" -- "survenant, ou venant par chacun jour;"--
   "succeeding, or coming by each day." We subjoin an extract from the
   Dissertations of Witsius on the Lords Prayer. After mentioning several
   views of Commentators on this petition, he says: This great variety of
   expositions has been principally occasioned by the Greek word
   epiousios. That word occurs nowhere else in Scripture, and the most
   learned men have been unable to discover it in any profane writings. As
   it is not known to what Hebrew word employed by our Lord it
   corresponds, it is not surprising that different persons should have
   assigned to it different acceptations. -- I shall not now enter into a
   critical examination of the very numerous expositions of that word
   which have been given by learned men. An exposition more copious and
   learned than any that had previously appeared, has been given by a very
   celebrated and learned man, JOHN MARCK, formerly my much esteemed
   colleague in the University of Friesland. It forms a part of his
   Juvenile Dissertations, as he is pleased to style them, but which
   contain much profound wisdom. The simplest and most probable of the
   various etymologies, I have always thought, is that which supposes
   epiosios to be compounded of epi and ousia, as periousios is compounded
   of peri and ousia The analogy of composition of such words presents no
   difficulty: for it does not require that the i in the word epi shall be
   dropped before a vowel. This is proved by the words epieikes,
   epiogdoos, epiorkos, epioptomai, epiouros, and many of the same form.
   This derivation being granted, which has nothing unusual or anomalous,
   considerable progress has been made in the investigation of the
   subject. For as to periousion signifies what is more than enough, and
   beyond what the preservation of existence requires, so to epiousion
   signifies what is enough. Such is the meaning assigned to it by the
   ancient Greek writers, who were deeply skilled in their own language. "
   'Artou epiousion, (says Chrysostom, Hom. 30, Ton. 5.) toutestin epi ten
   ousian tou somatos diazainonta, kai sunkratosai tauten dunamenon, --
   "that is, what passes to the substance of the body, and is able to
   support it." Zetein prosetachthemen , (says Gregory Nyssen,) to pron
   ten sunteresin exarkoun ton somatikon ousian "We have been commanded to
   seek what is sufficient for the support of the bodily existence." Basil
   explains it to be ton pros ten ephemeron zoen to ousia hemon
   chresimeuonta, "what is useful to our existence for daily life." (After
   referring to Suiceri Thesaurus, and quoting from Cyril of Alexandria
   and from Theodoret, he concludes arton epiousion to be equivalent to
   the phrase used by the Apostle James, (2: 15,) ten ephemeron trophen,
   (daily food )--Biblica1 Cabinet, vol. 24, pp. 266, 272-274. -- Ed.

   [441] "Afin qu'i! ne trebusche pas a chacun coup;" -- "that he may not
   reel at every blow."

   [442] "Combien que la raison nous en soit incognue;" -- "though the
   reason of them may be unknown to us."

   [443] Chrysostom's words are: -- Poneron entautha ton diazolon kalei
   Kat ' exochen de hoitos ekeinos kaleitai dia ten huperzolen tos kakias,
   kai epeidan meden par ' hemon adiketheis aspondon pros hemas echei tou
   polemon. "He calls the Devil, in this place, THE EVIL ONE. He is, by
   way of eminence, so called, on account of his superlative wickedness,
   and because, though he has received no injury from us, he carries on
   against us an implacable war." -- Ed.

   [444] That part of the Lord's Prayer, which we commonly call the
   conclusion, is not found in the Gospel by Luke, and its genuineness has
   been questioned. None of the Latin copies (as Calvin mentions) have it:
   but even those who have most zealously maintained that it is spurious,
   admit that it exists in the greater number of the Greek manuscripts.
   Erasmus, Grotius, Witsius, Griesbach, Matthaei, and Scholz, may be
   consulted by those who wish to examine the question for themselves, and
   to hear all that has been said on both sides. Any thing like the
   summing up of the argument here would exceed the limits of a note. --
   Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:14-15; Mark 11:25-26

   Matthew 6:14-15

   Mark 11:25-26

   14. For if you shall forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
   will also forgive you. 15. But if you shall not forgive men their
   trespasses, neither will you Father forgive your trespasses.

   25. And when ye shall stand praying, forgive, if you have any thing
   against any one, that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive
   you your trespasses. 26. But if you shall not forgive, neither will
   your Father, who is in heaven, forgive you your trespasses.


   Here Christ only explains the reason why that condition was added,
   Forgive us, as we forgive The reason is, that God will not be ready to
   hear us, unless we also show ourselves ready to grant forgiveness to
   those who have offended us. If we are not harder than iron, this
   exhortation ought to soften us, and render us disposed to forgive
   offenses. [445] Unless God pardon us every day many sins, we know that
   we are ruined in innumerable ways: and on no other condition does he
   admit us to pardon, but that we pardon our brethren whatever offenses
   they have committed against us. Those who refuse to forget the injuries
   which have been done to them, devote themselves willingly and
   deliberately to destruction, and knowingly prevent God from forgiving
   them. [446]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [445] "Pour nous rendre faciles a oublier les injures qu'on nous a
   faites." -- "To make us ready to forget the injuries which have been
   done to us."

   [446] "Et de propos delibere veulent que Dieu procede contre eux en
   toute rigueur;" -- "and deliberately resolve that God may proceed
   against them to the utmost rigor."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:16-19

   Matthew 6:16-18

   16. Moreover, when you shall fast, be not, like the hypocrites,
   dejected: [447] for they disfigure their faces, that it may be evident
   to men that they fast. Verily I say to you, they have their reward.
   17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face,
   18. That it may not appear to men that thou fastest, but to thy Father,
   who is in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will reward thee
   openly.


   He again returns to the former doctrine: for, having begun to rebuke
   vain ostentation in alms and prayer, he laid down, before proceeding
   farther, the rule for praying in a right manner. The same injunction is
   now given to his disciples about fasting, which he had formerly given
   about prayers and alms, not to be too solicitous to obtain the applause
   of spectators, but to have God as the witness of their actions. When he
   bids them anoint their head, and wash their face, his language is
   hyperbolical: [448] for Christ does not withdraw us from one kind of
   hypocrisy, to lead us into another. [449] He does not enjoin us to
   counterfeit splendor, or exhort us to temperance in food in such a
   manner, as to encourage the luxuries of ointments and of dress: but
   merely exhorts us to preserve moderation, without any thing new or
   affected;--in short, that the fastings, in which we engage, should make
   no change in our accustomed way of living.

   Thy Father will reward thee When he promises a reward from God to
   fastings, this mode of expression, as we said a little before with
   respect to prayer, is not strictly accurate. There is a wide
   difference, indeed, between prayer and fastings Prayer holds the first
   rank among the antics of piety: but fasting is a doubtful operation,
   and does not, like alms, belong to the class of those actions which God
   requires and approves. It is pleasing to God, only so far as it is
   directed to another object: and that is, to train us to abstinence, to
   subdue the lust of the flesh, to excite us to earnestness in prayer,
   and to testify our repentance, when we are affected by the view of the
   tribunal of God. The meaning of Christ's words is: "God will one day
   show that he was pleased with those good works, which appeared to be
   lost, because they were concealed from the eyes of men."
     __________________________________________________________________

   [447] "D'un regard triste, ou, visage chagrin;" -- "of a sad look, or,
   distressed countenance "

   [448] "C'est une facon de parler hyperbolique, c'est a dire,
   excessive." -- "It is a hyperbolical, that is, an exaggerated way of
   speaking."

   [449] "Pour nous faire retomber en 1'autre;" -- "to make us fall into
   the other."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:19-21; LUKE 12:33-34

   Matthew 6:19-21

   Luke 12:33-34

   19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where rust and
   the moth consume, where theives break through and steal. 20. But lay up
   for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth
   consumes, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. 21. For
   where your treasure shall be, there will also your heart be.

   33. Sell what ye possess, and give alms. Prepare for yourselves bags,
   which do not grow old, a treasure in heaven which does not fail, where
   the theif approaches not, nor moth corrupteth. 34. For where your
   treasure shall be, there will also your heart be.


   Matthew 6:19. Lay not up. This deadly plague reigns everywhere
   throughout the world. Men are grown mad with an insatiable desire of
   gain. Christ charges them with folly, in collecting wealth with great
   care, and then giving up their happiness to moths and to rust, or
   exposing it as a prey to thieves. What is more unreasonable than to
   place their property, where it may perish of itself, or be carried off
   by men? [450] Covetous men, indeed, take no thought of this. They lock
   up their riches in well-secured chests, but cannot prevent them from
   being exposed to thieves or to moths They are blind and destitute of
   sound judgment, who give themselves so much toil and uneasiness in
   amassing wealth, which is liable to putrefaction, or robbery, or a
   thousand other accidents: particularly, when God allows us a place in
   heaven for laying up a treasure, and kindly invites us to enjoy riches
   which never perish.

   20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven They are said to do
   so, who, instead of entangling themselves in the snares of this world,
   make it their care and their business to meditate on the heavenly life.
   In Luke's narrative, no mention is made of the contrast between laying
   up treasures on the earth and laying up treasures in heaven; and he
   refers to a different occasion for the command of Christ to prepare
   bags, which do not grow old: for he had previously said, Sell what you
   possess, and give alms It is a harsh and unpleasant thing for men to
   strip themselves of their own wealth; and with the view of alleviating
   their uneasiness, he holds out a large and magnificent hope of
   remuneration. Those who assist their poor brethren on the earth lay up
   for themselves treasures in heaven, according to the saying of Solomon,

   "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth to the Lord, and that which he
   hath given will he pay him again,"
   (Proverbs 19:17.)

   The command to sell possessions must not be literally interpreted, as
   if a Christian were not at liberty to retain any thing for himself. He
   only intended to show, that we must not be satisfied with bestowing on
   the poor what we can easily spare, but that we must not refuse to part
   with our estates, if their revenue does not supply the wants of the
   poor. His meaning is, "Let your liberality go so far as to lessen your
   patrimony, and dispose of your lands."

   21. Where your treasure shall be By this statement Christ proves that
   they are unhappy men who have their treasures laid up on the earth:
   because their happiness is uncertain and of short duration. Covetous
   men cannot be prevented from breathing in their hearts a wish for
   heaven: but Christ lays down an opposite principle, that, wherever men
   imagine the greatest happiness to be, there they are surrounded and
   confined. Hence it follows, that they who desire to be happy in the
   world [451] renounce heaven. We know how carefully the philosophers
   conducted their inquiries respecting the supreme good. [452] It was the
   chief point on which they bestowed their labor, and justly: for it is
   the principle on which the regulation of our life entirely depends, and
   the object to which all our senses are directed. If honor is reckoned
   the supreme good, the minds of men must be wholly occupied with
   ambition: if money, covetousness will immediately predominate: if
   pleasure, it will be impossible to prevent men from sinking into brutal
   indulgence. We have all a natural desire to pursue happiness; [453] and
   the consequence is, that false imaginations carry us away in every
   direction. But if we were honestly and firmly convinced that our
   happiness is in heaven, it would be easy for us to trample upon the
   world, to despise earthly blessings, (by the deceitful attractions of
   which the greater part of men are fascinated,) and to rise towards
   heaven. For this reason Paul, with the view of exciting believers to
   look upwards, and of exhorting them to meditate on the heavenly life,
   (Colossians 3:1,) presents to them Christ, in whom alone they ought to
   seek perfect happiness; thus declaring, that to allow their souls to
   grovel on the earth would be inconsistent and unworthy of those whose
   treasure is in heaven
     __________________________________________________________________

   [450] "Ou bien perir d'eux-mesmes, encores que personne n'y touche;" --
   "or even perish of themselves, though nobody touch them."

   [451] "Ceux qui demandent d'estre riches et a leur aise en ce monde;"--
   those who are eager to be rich and at their ease in this world."

   [452] "Nous savons comment les Philosophes se sont amusez a traiter
   subtilemerit du souverain bien des hommes." -- "We know to what trouble
   the Philosophers submitted in ingenious discussions about the supreme
   good of men." -- "The allusion is chiefly to the Greeks: for the
   philosophy of the Romans was at second hand, though nothing can be more
   ingenious or beautiful than the reasonings of Cicero in his
   Dissertations "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum." He inquires into the
   telos, or end, of good and evil actions. In examining the principles of
   Epicurus, he professes to feel very much at ease, but approaches the
   Stoics with greater respect, and acknowledges the ability with which
   they had conducted their argument. The perusal of the whole treatise
   will gratify a reader prepared to accompany powerful minds in their
   most intricate researches, or to hail abstruse disquisition clothed in
   the choicest language by one who, as Robert Hall said of Pascal, "can
   invest the severest logic with the charms of the most beautiful
   composition, and render the most profound argumentation as entertaining
   as a romance." But those studies have a far higher value. When we see
   the greatest minds tasked to their utmost strength, and yet utterly
   failing to discover, by unassisted reason, the path which leads to
   happiness, we appreciate more highly Leland's argument "On the
   advantage and necessity of Divine Revelation," and bless the name of
   the Great Prophet, who hath brought life and immortality to light by
   the Gospel, (2 Timothy 1:10.) -- Ed.

   [453] "Car naturellement nous tendons tous a desirer ce qui nous semble
   estre le souverain bien." -- "For we have all a natural tendency to
   desire what appears to us to be the supreme good."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:22-24; LUKE 11:34-36; 16:13

   Matthew 6:22-24

   Luke 11:34-36

   22. The light [454] of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye
   shall be simple, thy whole body shall be luminous. 23. But if thine eye
   shall be evil, thy whole body shall be dark. Therefore, if the light
   which is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24. No man
   can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
   other, or he will hold to one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve
   God and mammon.

   34. The light [455] of the body is the eye: if thine eye therefore
   shall be simple, thy whole body shall be luminous: but if it shall be
   evil, thy whole body also shall be dark. 36. If therefore thy whole
   body shall be luminous, not having any part dark, the whole shall be
   luminous, as when a candle enlightens thee by its brightness.


   Luke 16:13

   13. No servant can serve two master: for either he will hate the one,
   and love the other, or will hold to the one, and despise the other. You
   cannot serve God and mammon.


   Matthew 6:22. The light of the body is the eye We must bear in mind, as
   I have already hinted, that what we find here are detached sentences,
   and not a continued discourse. The substance of the present statement
   is, that men go wrong through carelessness, because they do not keep
   their eye fixed, as they ought to do, on the proper object. For whence
   comes it, that they so shamefully wander, or dash themselves, or
   stumble, but because, having corrupted their judgment by choosing
   rather to follow their own lusts than the righteousness of God, they
   not only extinguish the light of reason, which ought to have regulated
   their life, but change it altogether into darkness.

   When Christ calls the eye the light of the body, [456] he employs a
   comparison which means, that neither the hands, nor the feet, nor the
   belly, serves to direct men in walking, but that the eye alone is a
   sufficient guide to the rest of the members. If the hands and feet are
   foolishly and improperly directed, the blame of the mistake ought to be
   charged on the eyes, which do not perform their duty. We must now apply
   this comparison to the mind. The affections may be regarded
   individually as its members: but as they are blind in themselves, they
   need direction. Now, God has given reason to guide them, and to act the
   part of a lantern in showing them the way. But what is the usual
   result? All the soundness of judgment which had been given to men is
   corrupted and perverted by themselves, so that not even one spark of
   light continues to dwell in them.

   A simple eye means an eye that has no speck, or diseased humor, or any
   other defect. An evil eye (poneron) [457] means a diseased eye. A
   luminous body means one that is enlightened, so as to have all its
   actions properly regulated. A dark body is one which is led into
   numerous mistakes by a confused movement. We see, then, as I have
   already said, that these words reprove the indolence of men, who
   neglect to open their eyes for the guidance of their affections.

   The inference which the Papists draw from this passage, that men
   possess as much reason and wisdom, as to be free to choose either good
   or evil, is mere trifling. For Christ does not here inform us what
   ability we possess, but how we ought to walk, by having our eye fixed
   on a certain object; and at the same time shows, that the whole course
   of human life is dark, because no man proposes for himself a proper
   object, but all permit themselves to pursue eagerly what is evil. I
   confess, indeed, that men naturally possess reason, to distinguish
   between vices and virtues; but I say that it is so corrupted by sin,
   that it fails at every step. Meanwhile, it does not follow, that men do
   not voluntarily bring darkness on themselves, as if they shut their
   eyes to avoid the light which was offered to them, because they are
   knowingly and willingly carried after their own lusts.

   23. If the light which is in thee be darkness Light signifies that
   small portion of reason, which continues to exist in men since the fall
   of Adam: and darkness signifies gross and brutal affections. The
   meaning is, we ought not to wonder, if men wallow so disgracefully,
   like beasts, in the filth of vices, for they have no reason which might
   restrain the blind and dark lusts of the flesh. The light is said to be
   turned into darkness, not only when men permit the wicked lusts of the
   flesh to overwhelm the judgment of their reason, but also when they
   give up their minds to wicked thoughts, and thus degenerate into
   beasts. For we see how wickedly men change into craft any measure of
   wisdom which had been given them, how they "dig deep (as the prophet
   says) to hide their counsel from the Lords" (Isaiah 29:15,) how they
   trust to their own resources, and openly dishonor God; in a word, how
   desirous they are to show their ingenuity, in innumerable ways, for
   their own destruction. Christ has good grounds for declaring, that
   thick and appalling darkness must of necessity reign in the life of
   men, when they choose to be blind.

   This is also the meaning of the words which are found in the Gospel of
   Luke, with this difference, that Christ there connects the present
   statement with one which was formerly explained, that men do not light
   a candle, and put it under a bushel, (Matthew 5:15) and again, instead
   of this clause, if the light which is in thee be darkness, gives the
   exhortation, see that the light which is in thee be not darkness The
   meaning is, "See that thy mind, which ought to have shone, like a
   candle, to guide all thy actions, do not darken and mislead thy whole
   life." He afterwards adds, that, when the body is enlightened by the
   eye, the greatest regularity is found in all its members, as the light
   of a candle spreads and penetrates into every part of the room.

   24. No man can serve two masters Christ returns to the former doctrine,
   the object of which was to withdraw his disciples from covetousness. He
   had formerly said, that the heart of man is bound and fixed upon its
   treasure; and he now gives warning, that the hearts of those who are
   devoted to riches are alienated from the Lord. For the greater part of
   men are wont to flatter themselves with a deceitful pretense, when they
   imagine, that it is possible for them to be divided between God and
   their own lusts. Christ affirms that it is impossible for any man to
   obey God, and, at the same time, to obey his own flesh. This was, no
   doubt, a proverb in common use: No man can serve two masters He takes
   for granted a truth which had been universally admitted, and applies it
   to his present subject: where riches hold the dominion of the heart,
   God has lost his authority. True, it is not impossible that those who
   are rich shall serve God; but whoever gives himself up as a slave to
   riches must abandon the service of God: for covetousness makes us the
   slaves of the devil.

   I have inserted here what is related on a different occasion by Luke:
   for, as the Evangelists frequently introduce, as opportunity offers,
   passages of our Lord's discourses out of their proper order, we ought
   to entertain no scruple as to the arrangement of them. What is here
   said with a special reference to riches, may be properly extended to
   every other description of vice. As God pronounces everywhere such
   commendations of sincerity, and hates a double heart, (1 Chronicles
   12:33; Psalm 12:2,) all are deceived, who imagine that he will be
   satisfied with the half of their heart. All, indeed, confess in words,
   that, where the affection is not entire, there is no true worship of
   God: but they deny it in fact, when they attempt to reconcile
   contradictions. "I shall not cease," says an ambitious man, "to serve
   God, though I devote a great part of my mind to hunting after honors."
   The covetous, the voluptuaries, the gluttons, the unchaste, the cruel,
   all in their turn offer the same apology for themselves: as if it were
   possible for those to be partly employed in serving God, who are openly
   carrying on war against him. It is, no doubt, true, that believers
   themselves are never so perfectly devoted to obedience to God, as not
   to be withdrawn from it by the sinful desires of the flesh. But as they
   groan under this wretched bondage, and are dissatisfied with
   themselves, and give nothing more than an unwilling and reluctant
   service to the flesh, they are not said to serve two masters: for their
   desires and exertions are approved by the Lord, as if they rendered to
   him a perfect obedience. But this passage reproves the hypocrisy of
   those who flatter themselves in their vices, as if they could reconcile
   light and darkness.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [454] "La lumiere, ou, lanterne;" -- "the light, or, lantern "

   [455] "La chandelle;" -- "the candle."

   [456] "Appelant l'ceil le flambeau ou la lampe de tout le corps;" --
   "calling the eye the torch or the lamp of the whole body."

   [457] This Greek word has two meanings, which depend on accentuation.
   The proparoxytone poneros means laborious, troublesome: but the oxytone
   poneros means wicked Here, when applied to the eye, it cannot denote
   moral blame, but easily takes the transferred sense of faulty,
   defective. -- Ed
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:25-30; LUKE 12:22-28

   Matthew 6:25-30

   Luke 12:22-28

   25. Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious about your life, what you
   shall eat and drink, or for you body, what clothes you shall wear: is
   not the life of more value than food, and the body of more value than
   clothing? 26. Look at the fowls of heaven, for they neither sow nor
   reap, nor collect into granaries, and your heavenly Father feedeth
   them: are you not more excellent than they are? 27. And which of you,
   by anxious care, can add to his stature one cubit? 28. And why are you
   anxious about clothing? Con sider the lilies of the field, how they
   grow: they neither toil nor spin. 29. But I say to you, That even
   Solomon in all hs glory [458] was not clothed like one of these.
   30. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is today, and
   tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O
   you of little faith?

   22. And he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, be not
   anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor for the body, with
   what you shall be clothed. 23. The life is of more value than food, and
   the body is of more value than clothing. 24. Consider the ravens, for
   they neither sow nor reap, which neither have granary nor barn, and God
   feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25. And which
   of you, by anxious care, can add to your stature on cubit? 26. If
   therefore you cannot do even that which is least, why are ye anxious
   about the rest? 27. Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither
   toil or spin. And I say to you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not
   clothed like one of these. 28. And if God thus clothes the grass, which
   is today in the field, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much
   more shall he clothe you, O you of little faith?


   Throughout the whole of this discourse, Christ reproves that excessive
   anxiety, with which men torment themselves, about food and clothing,
   and, at the same time, applies a remedy for curing this disease. When
   he forbids them to be anxious, this is not to be taken literally, as if
   he intended to take away from his people all care. We know that men are
   born on the condition of having some care; and, indeed, this is not the
   least portion of the miseries, which the Lord has laid upon us as a
   punishment, in order to humble us. But immoderate care is condemned for
   two reasons: either because in so doing men tease and vex themselves to
   no purpose, by carrying their anxiety farther than is proper or than
   their calling demands; or because they claim more for themselves than
   they have a right to do, and place such a reliance on their own
   industry, that they neglect to call upon God. We ought to remember this
   promise: though unbelievers shall "rise up early, and sit up late, and
   eat the bread of sorrows," yet believers will obtain, through the
   kindness of God, rest and sleep, (Psalm 127:2.) Though the children of
   God are not free from toil and anxiety, yet, properly speaking, we do
   not say that they are anxious about life: because, through their
   reliance on the providence of God, they enjoy calm repose.

   Hence it is easy to learn, how far we ought to be anxious about food
   Each of us ought to labor, as far as his calling requires and the Lord
   commands; and each of us ought to be led by his own wants to call upon
   God. Such anxiety holds an intermediate place between indolent
   carelessness and the unnecessary torments by which unbelievers kill
   themselves. But if we give proper attention to the words of Christ, we
   shall find, that he does not forbid every kind of care, but only what
   arises from distrust. Be not anxious, says he, what you shall eat, or
   what you shall drink That belongs to those who tremble for fear of
   poverty or hunger, as if they were to be in want of food every moment.

   Matthew 6:25. Is not the life of more value than food? He argues from
   the greater to the less. He had forbidden them to be excessively
   anxious about the way in which life might be supported; and he now
   assigns the reason. The Lord, who has given life itself, will not
   suffer us to want what is necessary for its support. And certainly we
   do no small dishonor to God, when we fail to trust that he will give us
   necessary food or clothing; as if he had thrown us on the earth at
   random. He who is fully convinced, that the Author of our life has an
   intimate knowledge of our condition, will entertain no doubt that he
   will make abundant provision for our wants. Whenever we are seized by
   any fear or anxiety about food, let us remember, that God will take
   care of the life which he gave us.

   26. Look at the fowls of the air This is the remedy I spoke of, for
   teaching us to rely on the providence of God: for of all cares, which
   go beyond bounds, unbelief is the mother. The only cure for
   covetousness is to embrace the promises of God, by which he assures us
   that he will take care of us. In the same manner, the Apostle, wishing
   to withdraw believers from covetousness, confirms that doctrine: for he
   hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, (Hebrews 13:5.)
   The substance of the exhortation is, that we ought to trust in God, by
   whom none of his own people, however mean their condition may be, are
   disregarded.

   Your heavenly Father feedeth them This deserves careful attention: for,
   though we are unable to explain the manner in which their life is
   supported, which of us is in the habit of considering that their life
   depends on the providence of God, which he is pleased to extend even to
   them? But if it is thoroughly fixed in our minds, that the fowls are
   supplied with food by the hand of God, there will be no difficulty in
   expecting it for ourselves, who are formed after his image, and
   reckoned among his children. They neither sow nor reap By these words
   it is far from being our Lord's intention to encourage us to indolence
   and sluggishness. All that he means is, that, though other means fail,
   the providence of God is alone sufficient for us, for it supplies the
   animals abundantly with every thing that they need.

   Instead of fowls, (ta peteina,) Luke uses the word ravens, (tous
   korakas,) alluding perhaps to that passage in the Psalms, who giveth
   food to the young ravens that call upon him, (Psalm 67: 9.) Some think
   that David expressly mentioned the ravens, because they are immediately
   deserted by their parents, [459] and therefore must have their food
   brought to them by God. Hence it is evident, that Christ intended
   nothing more than to teach his people to throw all their cares on God.

   27. Which of you by anxious care, etc ? Here our Lord condemns another
   fault, which is almost always connected with immoderate anxiety about
   food: and that is, when a mortal man, claiming more than he has a right
   to do, does not hesitate, in sacrilegious hardihood, to go beyond his
   limits.

   "O Lord, I know (says Jeremiah) that the way of man is not in himself
   it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps,"
   (Jeremiah 10:23.)

   You scarcely meet with one person in a hundred, who does not venture to
   make any promises that he thinks fit on his own industry and power. The
   consequence is, that those who take credit to themselves for their
   prosperity, do not hesitate to lose sight of God, when they enter into
   any undertaking. To restrain this mad rashness, Christ tells us, that
   whatever contributes to the support of our life depends wholly on the
   blessing of God. The meaning is: "It is foolish in men to weary
   themselves, because all our labors are unnecessary and fruitless, and
   all our anxieties are to no purpose, unless so far as God blesses
   them." This is more clearly expressed by Luke, If you cannot do even
   that which is least, why are you anxious about the rest? These words
   show plainly, that Christ reproves not only distrust, but pride,
   because men ascribe much more than they ought to their own skill.

   29. Not even Solomon in all his glory This means, that the kindness of
   God, which is gloriously displayed in herbs and flowers, exceeds all
   that men can accomplish by their wealth or power, or in any other way.
   Believers ought to be convinced that, though all means fail, they will
   want nothing that is necessary for their full satisfaction, provided
   they continue to enjoy the blessing of God alone. O you of little faith
   In this respect Christ justly accuses us of deficiency or weakness of
   faith: for the more powerfully we are affected, according to our own
   grovelling views, by anxiety about the present life, the more do we
   show our unbelief, if every thing does not happen to our wish. Many
   persons, accordingly, who in great prosperity appear to possess faith
   or at least to have a tolerable share of it, tremble when any danger of
   poverty presents itself.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [458] "En toute sa gloire, ou, avec toute sa gloire;" -- "in all his
   glory, or, with all his glory "

   [459] "Pource que le pere et 1a mere les abandonnent incontinent qu'ils
   sont nais;" -- "because their parents forsake them as soon as they are
   born."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 6:31-34; LUKE 12:29-32

   Matthew 6:31-34

   Luke 12:29-32

   31. Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or what shall
   we drink? or with what shall we be clothed? 32. For all those things
   the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need
   of these things. 33. But rather seek first the kingdom of God, and his
   righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 34. Be not
   therefore anxious about tomorrow: for tomorrow will take care of
   itself. Its own affliction is sufficient for the day.

   29. And seek not what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, and be
   not lifted on high. 30. For all these things the nations of the world
   seek: and your Father knoweth that you have need of these things.
   31. But rather seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be
   added to you. 32. Fear not, little flock: for it is your Father's good
   pleasure to give you the kingdom.


   This has the same object with the former doctrine. Believers ought to
   rely on God's fatherly care, to expect that he will bestow upon them
   whatever they feel to be necessary, and not to torment themselves by
   unnecessary anxiety.

   He forbids them to be anxious, or, as Luke has it, to seek, that is, to
   seek in the manner of those who look around them in every direction,
   without looking at God, on whom alone their eye ought to be fixed; who
   are never at ease, but when they have before their eyes an abundance of
   provisions; and who, not admitting that the protection of the world
   belongs to God, fret and tease themselves with perpetual uneasiness.

   Matthew 6:32. For all those things the Gentiles seek This is a reproof
   of the gross ignorance, in which all such anxieties originate. For how
   comes it, that unbelievers never remain in a state of tranquillity, but
   because they imagine that God is unemployed, or asleep, in heaven, or,
   at least, that he does not take charge of the affairs of men, or feed,
   as members of his family, those whom he has admitted to his friendship.
   By this comparison he intimates, that they have made little
   proficiency, and have not yet learned the first lessons of godliness,
   who do not behold, with the eyes of faith, the hand of God filled with
   a hidden abundance of all good things, so as to expect their food with
   quietness and composure. Your heavenly Father knoweth that you have
   need of those things: that is, "All those persons who are so anxious
   about food, give no more honor, than unbelievers do, to the fatherly
   goodness and secret providence of God."

   Luke 12:29. And be not lifted on high [460] This clause corresponds to
   the last sentence in the passage taken from Matthew, Be not anxious
   about tomorrow Our Lord now charges them with another fault. When men
   wish to make arrangements in their own favor, they would willingly
   embrace five centuries. [461] The verb meteorizesthai, which Luke
   employs, properly signifies to survey from a lofty situation, or, as we
   commonly say, to make long discourses: [462] for the intemperate
   desires of the flesh are never satisfied without making a hundred
   revolutions of heaven and earth. The consequence is, that they leave no
   room for the providence of God. This is a reproof of excessive
   curiosity; for it leads us to bring upon ourselves uneasiness to no
   purpose, and voluntarily to make ourselves miserable before the time,
   (Matthew 8:29.) The expression used by Matthew, its own affliction is
   sufficient for the day, directs believers to moderate their cares, and
   not to attempt to carry their foresight beyond the limits of their
   calling: For, as we have said, it does not condemn every kind of care,
   but only that which wanders, by indirect and endless circuits, beyond
   limits.

   Matthew 6:33. But rather seek first the kingdom of God This is another
   argument for restraining excessive anxiety about food. It argues a
   gross and indolent neglect of the soul, and of the heavenly life.
   Christ reminds us that there is the greatest inconsistency in men, who
   are born to a better life, being wholly employed about earthly objects.
   He who assigns the first rank to the kingdom of God, will not carry
   beyond moderation his anxiety about food. Nothing is better adapted to
   restrain the wantonness of the flesh from breaking out in the course of
   the present life, than meditation on the life of the heavens. The word
   righteousness may be either understood as applying to God, or to the
   kingdom: [463] for we know that the kingdom of God consists in
   righteousness, (Romans 14:17,) that is, in the newness of spiritual
   life. All other things shall be added This means, that those things
   which relate to the present life are but favorable appendages, and
   ought to be reckoned greatly inferior to the kingdom of God

   Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock By this declaration our Lord
   strengthens the confidence to which he had exhorted his people: for how
   would God refuse worthless and perishing food to those whom he has
   adopted as heirs of his kingdom? And he expressly calls his own people
   a little flock, to hinder them from thinking that they are of less
   value in the sight of God, because, on account of their small numbers,
   they are held in little estimation before the world. The verb eudokein
   conveys the idea, that eternal life flows to us from the fountain of
   undeserved mercy. For the same purpose the word give is added. When
   Christ plainly declares, that God hath given us the kingdom, and for no
   other reason, but because it so pleased him, it is perfectly manifest,
   that it is not obtained by any merits of works. At whatever time the
   Lord raises our minds to the expectation of eternal life, let us
   remember, that we have no cause for fear as to daily food.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [460] "Ne soyez en suspens;" -- "be not in suspense."

   [461] "Embrasseroyent volontiers beaucoup de cent annees;" -- "would
   willingly embrace many hundreds of years."

   [462] "Regarder en haut, et estendre sa veue bien loin: ce qu'on dit
   communement, Faire de longs discours, ou estre en suspens, comme aussi
   nous l'avons traduit." -- "To look from on high, and to extend one's
   view very far: as we commonly say, To make long discourses, or to be in
   suspense, as we have also translated it."

   [463] On the latter supposition, we would naturally have expected that,
   instead of ten dikaiosunen autou, we would have had ten dikaiosunen
   autos, when autos would have stood for tos basileias. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:1-5; MARK 4:24; LUKE 6:37-42

   Matthew 7:1-5

   Mark 4:24

   Luke 6:37-42

   1. Judge not, that you may not be judged. 2. For with what judgment you
   judge you shall be judged, and with what measure you measure, it shall
   be measured to you again. 3. And why seest thou the straw, which is in
   thy brother's eye, and perceivest not the beam which is in thine eye?
   4. Or how shall thou say to thy brother, Allow me to pull the straw out
   of thine eye, and, behold, a beam is in thine eye? 5. Hypocrites, cast
   out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou shall see clearly,
   that thou mayest pull out the straw from they brother's eye.

   24 With what measure you measure, the same shall be measured to you.

   37. Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall
   not be condemned: forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you. 38. Give,
   and it shall be given to you. Good measure, and pressed down, and
   shaken together, and running over, shall they give into your bosom: for
   the same measure, with which you measure, shall be measured again to
   you. (Again.) 41. And why seest thou a straw in thy brother's eye, and
   perceivest not a beam which is in thine own eye? 42. Or how will thou
   be able to say to thy brother, Brother, allow me to pull out the straw
   which is in thine eye, while thou seest not the beam which is in thine
   eye? Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou
   shalt see clearly, that thou mayest cast out the straw which is in thy
   brother's eye.


   Matthew 7:1. Judge not These words of Christ do not contain an absolute
   prohibition from judging, but are intended to cure a disease, which
   appears to be natural to us all. We see how all flatter themselves, and
   every man passes a severe censure on others. This vice is attended by
   some strange enjoyment: for there is hardly any person who is not
   tickled with the desire of inquiring into other people's faults. All
   acknowledge, indeed, that it is an intolerable evil, that those who
   overlook their own vices are so inveterate against their brethren. The
   Heathens, too, in ancient times, condemned it in many proverbs. Yet it
   has existed in all ages, and exists, too, in the present day. Nay, it
   is accompanied by another and a worse plague: for the greater part of
   men think that, when they condemn others, they acquire a greater
   liberty of sinning.

   This depraved eagerness for biting, censuring, and slandering, is
   restrained by Christ, when he says, Judge not. It is not necessary that
   believers should become blind, and perceive nothing, but only that they
   should refrain from an undue eagerness to judge: for otherwise the
   proper bounds of rigor will be exceeded by every man who desires to
   pass sentence on his brethren. There is a similar expression in the
   Apostle James, Be not many masters, (James 3:1.) for he does not
   discourage or withdraw believers from discharging the office of
   teachers, but forbids them to desire the honor from motives of
   ambition. To judge, therefore, means here, to be influenced by
   curiosity in inquiring into the actions of others. This disease, in the
   first place, draws continually along with it the injustice of
   condemning any trivial fault, as if it had been a very heinous crime;
   and next breaks out into the insolent presumption of looking
   disdainfully at every action, and passing an unfavourable judgment on
   it, even when it might be viewed in a good light.

   We now see, that the design of Christ was to guard us against indulging
   excessive eagerness, or peevishness, or malignity, or even curiosity,
   in judging our neighbors. He who judges according to the word and law
   of the Lord, and forms his judgment by the rule of charity, always
   begins with subjecting himself to examination, and preserves a proper
   medium and order in his judgments. Hence it is evident, that this
   passage is altogether misapplied by those persons who would desire to
   make that moderation, which Christ recommends, a pretence for setting
   aside all distinction between good and evil. We are not only permitted,
   but are even bound, to condemn all sins; unless we choose to rebel
   against God himself, -- nay, to repeal his laws, to reverse his
   decisions, and to overturn his judgment-seat. It is his will that we
   should proclaim the sentence which he pronounces on the actions of men:
   only we must preserve such modesty towards each other, as to make it
   manifest that he is the only Lawgiver and Judge, (Isaiah 33:22.)

   That you may not be judged He denounces a punishment against those
   severe judges, who take so much delight in sifting the faults of
   others. They will not be treated by others with greater kindness, but
   will experience, in their turn, the same severity which they had
   exercised towards others. As nothing is dearer or more valuable to us
   than our reputation, so nothing is more bitter than to be condemned, or
   to be exposed to the reproaches and infamy of men. And yet it is by our
   own fault that we draw upon ourselves that very thing which our nature
   so strongly detests, for which of us is there, who does not examine too
   severely the actions of others; who does not manifest undue rage
   against slight offenses; or who does not peevishly censure what was in
   itself indifferent? And what is this but deliberately to provoke God,
   as our avenger, to treat us in the same manner. Now, though it is a
   just judgment of God, that those who have judged others should be
   punished in their turn, yet the Lord executes this punishment by the
   instrumentality of men. Chrysostom and others limit this statement to
   the present life: but that is a forced interpretation. Isaiah threatens
   (33:1) that those who have spoiled others shall be spoiled. In like
   manner, our Lord means, that there will be no want of executioners to
   punish the injustice and slander of men with equal bitterness or
   severity. And if men shall fail to receive punishment in this world,
   those who have shown undue eagerness in condemning their brethren will
   not escape the judgment of God.

   Luke 6:37, 38. Forgive, and it shall be forgiven to you. Give, and it
   shall be given to you. This promise, which is added by Luke, means,
   that the Lord will cause him, who is indulgent, kind, and just to his
   brethren, to experience the same gentleness from others, and to be
   treated by them in a generous and friendly manner. Yet it frequently
   happens, that the children of God receive the very worst reward, and
   are oppressed by many unjust slanders; and that, to when they have
   injured no man's reputation, and even spared the faults of brethren.
   But this is not inconsistent with what Christ says: for we know, that
   the promises which relate to the present life do not always hold, and
   are not without exceptions. Besides, though the Lord permits his
   people, when innocent, to be unjustly oppressed and almost overwhelmed,
   he fulfils what he says in another place, that "their uprightness shall
   break forth as the morning," [464] (Isaiah 58:8.) In this way, his
   blessing always rises above all unjust slanders. He subjects believers
   to unjust reproaches, that he may humble them, and that he may at
   length maintain the goodness of their cause. It ought also to be taken
   into the account, that believers themselves, though they endeavor to
   act justly towards their brethren, are sometimes carried away by
   excessive severity against brethren, who were either innocent, or not
   so greatly to be blamed, and thus, by their own fault, provoke against
   themselves a similar judgment. If they do not receive good measure,
   pressed down, shaken together, and running over, though this is
   chargeable on the ingratitude of the world, yet they ought to
   acknowledge that it was partly deserved: for there is no man who is so
   kind and indulgent as he ought to be towards his brethren.

   Matthew 7:3. And why seest thou the straw? He expressly touches upon a
   fault, which is usually found in hypocrites. While they are too
   quick-sighted in discerning the faults of others, and employ not only
   severe, but intentionally exaggerated, language in describing them,
   they throw their own sins behind their back, or are so ingenious in
   finding apologies for them, that they wish to be held excusable even in
   very gross offenses. Christ therefore reproves both evils: the
   excessive sagacity, which arises from a defect of charity, when we sift
   too closely the faults of brethren, and the indulgence by which we
   defend and cherish our own sins.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [464] In the French version our Author quotes a similar passage from
   the book of Psalms, (37:6;) "and he shall bring forth thy righteousness
   as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day " -- Ed
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:6

   Matthew 7:6

   6. Give not that which is holy to the dogs, and do not throw down your
   pearls before swine, lest these trample them under their feet, and
   those turn and tear you.


   6. Give not that which is holy It is unnecessary to repeat oftener,
   that Matthew gives us here detached sentences, which ought not to be
   viewed as a continued discourse. The present instruction is not at all
   connected with what came immediately before, but is entirely separate
   from it. Christ reminds the Apostles, and, through them, all the
   teachers of the Gospel, to reserve the treasure of heavenly wisdom for
   the children of God alone, and not to expose it to unworthy and profane
   despisers of his word.

   But here a question arises: for he afterwards commanded to preach the
   Gospel to every creature, (Mark 16:15;) and Paul says, that the
   preaching of it is a deadly savor to wicked men, (2 Corinthians 2:16;)
   and nothing is more certain than that it is every day held out to
   unbelievers, by the command of God, for a testimony, that they may be
   rendered the more inexcusable. I reply: As the ministers of the Gospel,
   and those who are called to the office of teaching, cannot distinguish
   between the children of God and swine, it is their duty to present the
   doctrine of salvation indiscriminately to all. Though many may appear
   to them, at first, to be hardened and unyielding, yet charity forbids
   that such persons should be immediately pronounced to be desperate. It
   ought to be understood, that dogs and swine are names given not to
   every kind of debauched men, or to those who are destitute of the fear
   of God and of true godliness, but to those who, by clear evidences,
   have manifested a hardened contempt of God, so that their disease
   appears to be incurable. In another passage, Christ places the dogs in
   contrast with the elect people of God and the household of faith, It is
   not proper to take the children's bread, and give it to dogs, (Matthew
   15:27.) But by dogs and swine he means here those who are so thoroughly
   imbued with a wicked contempt of God, that they refuse to accept any
   remedy.

   Hence it is evident, how grievously the words of Christ are tortured by
   those who think that he limits the doctrine of the Gospel to those only
   who are teachable and well-prepared. For what will be the consequence,
   if nobody is invited by pious teachers, until by his obedience he has
   anticipated the grace of God? On the contrary, we are all by nature
   unholy, and prone to rebellion. The remedy of salvation must be refused
   to none, till they have rejected it so basely when offered to them, as
   to make it evident that they are reprobate and self-condemned,
   (autokatakritoi,) as Paul says of heretics, (Titus 3:11.)

   There are two reasons, why Christ forbade that the Gospel should be
   offered to lost despisers. It is an open profanation of the mysteries
   of God to expose them to the taunts of wicked men. Another reason is,
   that Christ intended to comfort his disciples, that they might not
   cease to bestow their labors on the elect of God in teaching the
   Gospel, though they saw it wantonly rejected by wicked and ungodly men.
   His meaning is lest this inestimable treasure should be held in little
   estimation, swine and dogs must not be permitted to approach it. There
   are two designations which Christ bestows on the doctrine of salvation:
   he calls it holy, and compares it to pearls. Hence we learn how highly
   we ought to esteem this doctrine.

   Lest these trample them under their feet Christ appears to distinguish
   between the swine and the dogs: attributing brutal stupidity to the
   swine, and rage to the dogs And certainly, experience shows, that there
   are two such classes of despisers of God. Whatever is taught in
   Scripture, for instance, about the corrupt nature of man, free
   justification, and eternal election, is turned by many into an
   encouragement to sloth and to carnal indulgence. Such persons are fitly
   and justly pronounced to be swine Others, again, tear the pure
   doctrine, and its ministers, with sacrilegious reproaches, as if they
   threw away all desire to do well, all fear of God, and all care for
   their salvation. Although he employs both names to describe the
   incurable opponents of the Word of God, yet, by a twofold comparison,
   he points out briefly in what respect the one differs from the other.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:7-11; LUKE 11:5-13

   Matthew 7:7-11

   Luke 11:5-13

   7. Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find: knock, and
   it shall be opened to you. 8. For every one that asketh receiveth, and
   he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
   9. Is there any man among you, who, if his son shall ask bread, will
   give him a ston? 10. Or if he shall ask a fish, does he offer him a
   serpent? 11. If you, then, though you are evil, know to give good gifts
   to your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven,
   give good things, if you ask them from him?

   5. And he saith to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go
   to him at midnight, and shall say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves:
   6. For a friend of mine hath come, on a journey, to me, and I have
   nothing to set before him. [465] 7. And he from within answering say,
   Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in
   bed: I cannot rise and give thee. 8. I say to you, Though he will not
   rise and give him because he is his friend, yet, on account of his
   importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9. And I
   say to you, Aks, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find:
   knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10. For every one that asketh
   receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it
   shall be opened. 11. And what father among you, from whom if his son
   shall ask bread, will give him a stone? Or, if a fish, will he for a
   fish give him a serpent? 12. Or, if he shall ask an egg, will he offer
   him a scorpion? 13. If you, then, though you are evil, know to give
   good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father
   give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?


   Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you It is an exhortation to
   prayer: and as in this exercise of religion, which ought to be our
   first concern, we are so careless and sluggish, Christ presses the same
   thing upon us under three forms of expression. There is no superfluity
   of language, when he says, Ask, seek, knock: but lest the simple
   doctrine should be unimpressive, he perseveres in order to rouse us
   from our inactivity. Such is also the design of the promises that are
   added, Ye shall find, it shall be given to you, and it shall be opened
   Nothing is better adapted to excite us to prayer than a full conviction
   that we shall be heard. Those who doubt can only pray in an indifferent
   manner; and prayer, unaccompanied by faith, is an idle and unmeaning
   ceremony. Accordingly, Christ, in order to excite us powerfully to this
   part of our duty, not only enjoins what we ought to do, but promises
   that our prayers shall not be fruitless.

   This ought to be carefully observed. First, we learn from it, that this
   rule of prayer is laid down and prescribed to us, that we may be fully
   convinced, that God will be gracious to us, and will listen to our
   requests. Again, whenever we engage in prayer, or whenever we feel that
   our ardor in prayer is not sufficiently strong, we ought to remember
   the gentle invitation, by which Christ assures us of God's fatherly
   kindness. Each of us, trusting to the grace of Christ, will thus attain
   confidence in prayer, and will venture freely to call upon God

   "through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom (as Paul says)
   we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him,"
   (Ephesians 3:11,12.)

   But, as we are too prone to distrust, Christ, in order to correct this
   fault also, repeats the promise in a variety of words. He uses the
   metaphor seek, because we think, that those things which our wants and
   necessities require are far distant from us -- and knock, because our
   carnal senses imagine, that those things which are not immediately at
   hand are shut up.

   8. For every one that asketh receiveth Some think that this is a
   proverbial saying taken from common life: but I am more inclined to a
   different view. Christ presents the grace of his Father to those who
   pray. He tells us, that God is of himself prepared to listen to us,
   provided we pray to him, and that his riches are at our command,
   provided we ask them. These words imply, that those who are destitute
   of what is necessary, and yet do not resort to this remedy for their
   poverty, are justly punished for their slothfulness. It is certain,
   indeed, that often, when believers are asleep, God keeps watch over
   their salvation, and anticipates their wishes. Nothing could be more
   miserable for us than that, amidst our great indifference, or--I would
   rather say--amidst our great stupidity, God were to wait for our
   prayers, or that, amidst our great thoughtlessness, he were to take no
   notice of us. Nay more, it is only from himself that he is induced to
   bestow upon us faith, which goes before all prayers in order and in
   time. But as Christ here addresses disciples, he merely reminds us in
   what manner our heavenly Father is pleased to bestow upon us his gifts.
   Though he gives all things freely to us, yet, in order to exercise our
   faith, he commands us to pray, that he may grant to our requests those
   blessings which flow from his undeserved goodness.

   9. Is there any man among you? It is a comparison from the less to the
   greater. First, our Lord contrasts the malice of men with the boundless
   goodness of God. Self-love (philautia) renders us malicious: for every
   man is too much devoted to himself, and neglects and disregards others.
   But this vice yields to the stronger feelings of a father's love, so
   that men forget themselves, and give to their children with overflowing
   liberality. Whence comes this, but because God, of whom the whole
   family in heaven and earth is named, (Ephesians 3:15,) drops into their
   hearts a portion of his goodness? But if the little drops produce such
   an amount of beneficence, what ought we to expect from the
   inexhaustible ocean? Would God, who thus opens the hearts of men, shut
   his own? Let us also remember that passage of Isaiah, "Though a mother
   forget her children," (Isaiah 49:15,) yet the Lord will be like
   himself, [466] and will always show himself to be a Father.

   11. Your Father will give good things This is expressly mentioned by
   Christ, that believers may not give way to foolish and improper desires
   in prayer. We know how great influence, in this respect, is exerted by
   the excesses and presumption of our flesh. There is nothing which we do
   not allow ourselves to ask from God; and if he does not humor our
   folly, we exclaim against him. Christ therefore enjoins us to submit
   our desires to the will of God, that he may give us nothing more than
   he knows to be advantageous. We must not think that he takes no notice
   of us, when he does not answer our wishes: for he has a right to
   distinguish what we actually need. All our affections being blind, the
   rule of prayer must be sought from the word of God: for we are not
   competent judges of so weighty a matter. He who desires to approach God
   with the conviction that he will be heard, must learn to restrain his
   heart from asking any thing that is not agreeable to his will.

   "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it
   upon your lusts."
   (James 4:3)

   Instead of good things (agatha) in the last clause, Luke says the Holy
   Spirit This does not exclude other benefits, but points out what we
   ought chiefly to ask: for we ought never to forget the exhortation,
   Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all other
   things shall be added to you, (Matthew 6:33.) It is the duty of the
   children of God, when they engage in prayer, to strip themselves of
   earthly affections, and to rise to meditation on the spiritual life. In
   this way, they will set little value on food and clothing, as compared
   to the earnest and pledge of their adoption, (Romans 8:15; Ephesians
   1:14:) and when God has given so valuable a treasure, he will not
   refuse smaller favors.

   Luke 11:5. Which of you shall have a friend, Luke adds this comparison,
   which is not mentioned by Matthew. The general instruction conveyed by
   it is this: Believers ought not to be discouraged, if they do not
   immediately obtain their desires, or if they find them difficult to be
   obtained: for if, among men, importunity of asking extorts what a
   person would not willingly do, we have no reason to doubt that God will
   listen to us, if we persevere constantly in prayer, and if our minds do
   not slacken through difficulty or delay.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [465] "Car un mien ami m'est venu voir en passant;" -- "for a friend of
   mine has come to see."

   [466] "Le Seigneur ne changera point;" -- "the Lord will not change."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:12-14; LUKE 6:31

   Matthew 7:12-14

   Luke 6:31

   12. All things, therefore, whatsoever you would wish that man should do
   to you, do so also to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets.
   13. Enter in by the strait gate: because broad is the gate, and wide is
   the road, which leadeth to destruction, and there are many who enter by
   it. 14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the road, which
   leadeth to life, and there are few who find it.

   31. And as you wish that men should do to you, do you also to them
   likewise.


   Matthew 7:12. All things whatsoever you would wish The word therefore
   (oun) is superfluous, as we often find such particles occurring, and
   without any addition to the sense, in detached sentences. [467] I have
   already said, that Matthew does not give here a single discourse, but a
   summary of doctrine collected out of many sermons. We must, therefore,
   read this sentence by itself. It is an exhortation to his disciples to
   be just, and contains a short and simple definition of what justice
   means. We are here informed, that the only reason why so many quarrels
   exist in the world, and why men inflict so many mutual injuries on each
   other, is, that they knowingly and willingly trample justice under
   their feet, while every man rigidly demands that it shall be maintained
   towards himself.

   Where our own advantage is concerned, there is not one of us, who
   cannot explain minutely and ingeniously what ought to be done. And
   since every man shows himself to be a skillful teacher of justice for
   his own advantage, how comes it, that the same knowledge does not
   readily occur to him, when the profit or loss of another is at stake,
   but because we wish to be wise for ourselves only, and no man cares
   about his neighbors? What is more, we maliciously and purposely shut
   our eyes upon the rule of justice, which shines in our hearts. Christ
   therefore shows, that every man may be a rule of acting properly and
   justly towards his neighbors, if he do to others what he requires to be
   done to him. He thus refutes all the vain pretenses, which men contrive
   for hiding or disguising their injustice. Perfect justice would
   undoubtedly prevail among us, if we were as faithful in learning active
   charity, (if we may use the expression,) as we are skillful in teaching
   passive charity. [468]

   For this is the law and the prophets Our Lord does not intend to say,
   that this is the only point of doctrine laid down in the law and the
   prophets, but that all the precepts which they contain about charity,
   and all the laws and exhortations found in them about maintaining
   justice, have a reference to this object. The meaning is, that the
   second table of the law is fulfilled, when every man conducts himself
   in the same manner towards others, as he wishes them to conduct
   themselves towards him. There is no need, he tells us, of long and
   involved debates, if this simplicity is preserved, and if men do not,
   by inordinate self-love, efface the rectitude which is engraven on
   their hearts.

   13. Enter in by the strait gate As nothing is more opposed to the flesh
   than the doctrine of Christ, no man will ever make great proficiency in
   it who has not learned to confine his senses and feelings, so as to
   keep them within those boundaries, which our heavenly Teacher
   prescribes for curbing our wantonness. As men willingly flatter
   themselves, and live in gaiety and dissipation, Christ here reminds his
   disciples, that they must prepare to walk, as it were, along a narrow
   and thorny road But as it is difficult to restrain our desires from
   wicked licentiousness and disorder, he soothes this bitterness by a
   joyful remuneration, when he tells us, that the narrow gate, and the
   narrow road, lead to life Lest we should be captivated, on the other
   hand, by the allurements of a licentious and dissolute life, and wander
   as the lust of the flesh draws us, [469] he declares that they rush
   headlong to death, who choose to walk along the broad road, and through
   the wide gate, instead of keeping by the strait gate, and narrow way,
   which lead to life

   He expressly says, that many run along the broad road: because men ruin
   each other by wicked examples. [470] For whence does it arise, that
   each of them knowingly and wilfully rushes headlong, but because, while
   they are ruined in the midst of a vast crowd, they do not believe that
   they are ruined? The small number of believers, on the other hand,
   renders many persons careless. It is with difficulty that we are
   brought to renounce the world, and to regulate ourselves and our life
   by the manners of a few. We think it strange that we should be forcibly
   separated from the vast majority, as if we were not a part of the human
   race. But though the doctrine of Christ confines and hems us in,
   reduces our life to a narrow road, separates us from the crowd, and
   unites us to a few companions, yet this harshness ought not to prevent
   us from striving to obtain life.

   It is sufficiently evident from Luke's Gospel, that the instruction,
   which we are now considering, was uttered by Christ at a different time
   from that on which he delivered the paradoxes, [471] which we have
   formerly examined, about a happy life, (Matthew 5:3-12,) and laid down
   to them the rule of prayer. And this is what I have repeatedly hinted,
   that the instructions which are related by the other Evangelists, at
   different times, according to the order of the history, were here
   collected by Matthew into one summary, that he might bring more fully
   under our view the manner in which Christ taught his disciples. I have
   therefore thought it best to introduce here the whole passage from
   Luke, which corresponds to this sentence. While I have been careful to
   inform my readers, as to the order of time which is observed by Luke,
   they will forgive me, I hope, for not being more exact [472] than
   Matthew in the arrangement of the doctrine.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [467] Greek proverbs, even when exhibited in a detached form, are
   frequently introduced by alla and gar, and similar particles, instances
   of which must be familiar to the classical reader. All ' ou to mega eu
   esti, to de eu mega. "But not what is great is excellent, but what is
   excellent is great." 'Ina gar deos, entha kai aidos" For where fear is,
   there also is shame." Ponos gar hos legousin, eukleies, pater. "For
   labor, as they say, is the father of glory. The fact chiefly to be
   noticed here is, that such particles came to be regarded as a part of
   the proverb, and were hardly ever separated from it: though their use
   must originally have been elliptical, like that of gar, which opens
   many a reply in Greek dialogues. -- Ed.

   [468] "Si nous estions aussi bons disciples a prattiquer la charite
   active (si ainsi faut dire) comme nous sommes subtils docteurs a
   prescher la charite passive." -- "If we were as good scholars in
   practising active charity, (if I may so express it,) as we are
   dexterous instructors in preaching passive charity."

   [469] ("Comme facilement les appetits de la chair nous tirent en leurs
   filets;") --("as the appetites of the flesh easily draw us into their
   nets.")

   [470] "Pource que les hommes se poussent les uns les autres au chemin
   de damnation par mauvais exemple;" -- "because men urge each other on
   in the road to damnation by bad example."

   [471] "Quand il a prononce ces sentences que nous avons veues par ci
   de-vant, monstrant tout au contraire de l'opinion commune;" -- "when he
   pronounced those sentences which we have formerly seen, showing it to
   be altogether contrary to the common opinion."

   [472] "Si je n'ay pas este plus scrupuleux ou curieux en conferant les
   passages tendans a un mesme poinct de doctrine;" -- "if I have not been
   more careful or exact in comparing the passages relating to the same
   point of doctrine."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 13:23-24

   Luke 13:23-24

   23. And one saith to him, Lord, are there few who obtain salvation? And
   he said to them, 24. Strive to enter by the narrow gate: for many, I
   say to you, will seek to enter, and shall not be able.


   Luke 13:23. And one saith to him Although Matthew relates this answer,
   as if it were immediately connected with other sentences taken out of
   our Lord's sermons, yet I rather think that the occasion of its being
   spoken arose out of the present question. The reason why the question
   was put appears to have been, that Christ, who declared himself to be
   the author of life, could with difficulty collect a small number of
   disciples. It might appear, that a small band of men was to be saved,
   and that the whole church was going to ruin: for the whole of that
   nation, among whom the doctrine of Christ made no great progress, and
   by whom it was universally rejected, had been adopted by God as the
   heir of life. A similar doubt steals upon us, when we look at the
   melancholy condition of the world. "The greater part of men pursue a
   life which is utterly at variance with the Gospel. What is the meaning
   of this?" For this reason Christ, directing his discourse to all,
   exhorted them to strive to enter by the narrow gate These words were
   intended to withdraw his people from a foolish curiosity, by which many
   are retarded and involved, when they look around to see if any
   companions are joining them, as if they were unwilling to be saved but
   in a crowd. When he bids them strive, or labor, he conveys the
   information, that it is impossible to obtain eternal life without great
   and appalling difficulties. Let believers, therefore, give their
   earnest attention to this object, instead of indulging in excessive
   curiosity about the vast number of those who are going astray.

   24. For many will seek to enter This was added, that we might not be
   deceived by a vain hope, as if the multitude of our companions would be
   of any avail to us. The flesh is willing to flatter itself, and many
   who now give themselves every indulgence, promise to themselves an easy
   entrance into life. Thus men practice mutual deception on each other,
   and fall asleep in wicked indifference. To shake off from his own
   people those flattering hopes, Christ declares that those who calculate
   that their possession of life is already certain, will be shut out.
   [473]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [473] Our author appears to have become apprehensive that this language
   was ambiguous, and, lest it might be interpreted differently from what
   he intended, he has taken care to insert in the French Version an
   explanatory clause: "que ceux qui se font accroire qu'ils sont desia
   tout asseurez de la vie eternelle, et cheminent a leur plaisir sans
   souci, en seront rejettez;" --"that those who make themselves believe
   that they are already perfectly assured of eternal life, and walk on at
   their pleasure without concern, will be excluded from it." -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 13:25-30

   Luke 13:25-30

   25. And when the master of the house shall have arisen, and shall have
   shut the door, and you shall begin to stand without and to knock at the
   door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us: and he answering shall say to
   you, I know not whence you are: 26. Then you shall begin to say, We
   have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our
   streets. 27. And he shall say, I say to you, I know not whence you are:
   depart from me, all who work iniquity. 28. Weeping and gnashing of
   teeth shall be there, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
   and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves shut out.
   29. And they shall come from the east and west, and north and south,
   and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30. And, lo, they are last
   who shall be first, and they are first who shall be last.


   Luke 13:25. And when the master of the house shall have arisen Though
   these words, as I hinted a little before, were spoken on a different
   and later occasion, I have chosen to pay more regard to the doctrine
   than to the time: for it is no slight assistance to the understanding
   to read, in immediate connection, those passages which are closely
   related in meaning. As Christ had declared that to many, who shall
   desire to enter into heaven, the door will not be open, he now asserts,
   that they gain nothing by occupying a place in the church because God
   will at length arise in judgment, and shut out from his kingdom those
   who now lay claim to a place in his family. He employs the comparison
   of the master of a house, who, having learned that some wicked and
   dissolute persons among his own domestics steal out unperceived during
   the night, and expose the house to thieves, rises and shuts the door,
   and does not allow those night-prowlers to enter, who have been
   wandering through the public streets at unseasonable hours. By these
   words he warns us, that we must avail ourselves of the opportunity,
   while it is offered: for so long as the Lord invites us to himself, the
   door is, as it were, open, that we may enter into the kingdom of
   heaven: but the greater part do not deign to move a step. Christ
   therefore threatens, that the door will at length be shut, and that
   those who are looking for companions are in danger of being refused
   admission.

   26. Thou hast taught in our streets Christ expressly states, that it
   will be of no advantage to the Jews, that he approached near to them,
   and permitted them to enjoy familiar intercourse with him, if, when
   called, they do not answer at the appointed day. But he does not follow
   out his comparison: for, after having spoken about the master of a
   house, he now states, without a figure, that he is himself the judge;
   and indeed the words, thou hast taught in our streets, can apply to no
   one but himself. We now perceive his design, which was, to warn the
   Jews not to allow themselves to lose, by their own neglect, the
   salvation which it is in their power to obtain.

   28. When you shall see Abraham The Jews bore no resemblance to the holy
   fathers, and had no right to boast of being descended from them: yet
   nothing was more customary than to abuse the title of the Church. [474]
   Christ here assures them, that a bastard race, which has departed from
   the faith and piety of the fathers, has "no inheritance in the kingdom
   of God," (Ephesians 5:5.) There is a silent but implied reproof, that
   those who were desirous to have companions in seeking salvation, did
   not endeavor to associate themselves with Abraham, and the prophets,
   and the holy fathers, instead of looking around among their
   contemporaries, who had degenerated greatly from their example into
   innumerable corruptions. "If you neglect (says he) to enter by the
   strait gate, because you are kept back by the great number of those who
   are going astray, do you not see that you are separated from the number
   of believers, and become involved with unbelievers?" If the aspect of
   the world now dazzles your eyes, the last day will cure you of this
   folly, but it will be too late: for you shall then know that you, and
   others like you, are excluded from the kingdom of God, and have no part
   with Abraham

   29. And they shall come from the east He now draws a larger
   illustration from the fact, that the Jews, who reckoned themselves the
   only lawful heirs of God, were to be rejected, and that the Gentiles
   were to be substituted in their room, and obtain the life which was
   promised to Abraham and his posterity. He contrasts the Gentiles with
   them, in order to excite them to faith by a holy jealousy: as Paul
   writes, that

   "it will be a distinguished honor of his ministry, if he excite any of
   his nation and blood to such an emulations,"
   (Romans 11:13,14.)

   The Jews must have been stung by it: for they had an inordinate love of
   themselves, and proudly despised God and his gifts. But as we shall,
   ere long, meet with this sentence again in [8]the Gospel by Matthew I
   now glance at it more slightly.

   30. And, lo, they are last who shall be first The same words, as we
   shall elsewhere see, were frequently employed by Christ, but in a
   different sense, (Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31.) All that he
   intended here was, to throw down the vain confidence of the Jews, who,
   having been chosen by God in preference to all the rest of the world,
   trusted to this distinction, and imagined that God was in a manner
   bound to them. For this reason, Christ threatens that their condition
   will soon be changed; that the Gentiles, who were at that time cast
   off, would obtain the first rank; and that the Jews, deprived of their
   honor, would not even occupy the farthest corner in the Church. [475]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [474] "Et avoyent tousjours en la bouche le titre d'Eglise, duquel ils
   abu- soyent;" -- "and had always in their mouth the title of Church,
   which they abused."

   [475] "Ne tiendront pas mesme le dernier reng, ou quelque petit coin en
   l'Eglise;" -- "will not hold even the lowest rank, or some small corner
   in the Church."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:15-20; LUKE 6:43-45

   Matthew 7:15-20

   Luke 6:43-45

   15. But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
   but inwardly are ravening wolves. 16. From their fruits you shall know
   them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17. So
   every good tree yields good fruits, and a rotten tree yields bad
   fruits. 18. A good tree cannot yield evil fruits, nor can a rotten tree
   yield good fruits. 19. Every tree, which does not yield good fruit, is
   cut down, and is thrown into the fire. 20. Therefore from their fruits
   you shall know them.

   43. For the tree is not good which yields rotten fruit; and the tree is
   not rotten which yields good fruit. 44. For every tree is known from
   its fruit: for men do not gather figs from thorns, nor from thorns do
   they gather grapes. 45. A good man, out of the good treasure of his
   heart, bringeth forth what is good, and a bad man, out of the bad
   treasure of his heart, bringeth forth what is bad. For out of the
   abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.


   Matthew 7:15. But beware of false prophets These words were intended to
   teach, that the Church would be exposed to various impositions, and
   that consequently many would be in danger of falling from the faith, if
   they were not carefully on their guard. We know what a strong
   propensity men have to falsehood, so that they not only have a natural
   desire to be deceived, but each individual appears to be ingenious in
   deceiving himself. Satan, who is a wonderful contriver of delusions, is
   constantly laying snares to entrap ignorant and heedless persons. It
   was a general expectation among the Jews that, under the reign of
   Christ, their condition would be delightful, and free from all contest
   or uneasiness. He therefore warns his disciples that, if they desire to
   persevere, they must prepare themselves to avoid the snares of Satan.
   It is the will of the Lord, (as has been already said,) that his Church
   shall be engaged in uninterrupted war in this world. That we may
   continue to be his disciples to the end, it is not enough that we are
   merely submissive, and allow ourselves to be governed by his Word. Our
   faith, which is constantly attacked by Satan, must be prepared to
   resist.

   It is of the greatest consequence, undoubtedly, that we should suffer
   ourselves to be directed by good and faithful ministers of Christ: but
   as false teachers, on the other hand, make their appearance, if we do
   not carefully watch, and if we are not fortified by perseverance, we
   shall be easily carried off from the flock. To this purpose also is
   that saying of Christ:

   "The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd; and a stranger
   they do not follow, but flee from him," (John 10:3, 5)

   Hence too we infer, that there is no reason why believers should be
   discouraged or alarmed, when wolves creep into the fold of Christ, when
   false prophets endeavor to corrupt the purity of the faith by false
   doctrines. They ought rather to be aroused to keep watch: for it is not
   without reason that Christ enjoins them to be on their guard. Provided
   that we are not led astray through our own sluggishness, we shall be
   able to avoid every kind of snares; and, indeed, without this
   confidence, we would not have the courage necessary for being on our
   guard. Now that we know that the Lord will not fail to perform his
   promises, whatever may be the attacks of Satan, let us go boldly to the
   Lord, asking from him the Spirit of wisdom, by whose influences he not
   only seals on our hearts the belief of his truth, but exposes the
   tricks and impositions of Satan, that we may not be deceived by them.
   When Christ says, that they come to us in sheep's clothing, but
   inwardly are ravening wolves, his meaning is, that they do not want a
   very plausible pretense, if prudence be not exercised in subjecting
   them to a thorough examination.

   16. From their fruits you shall know them Had not this mark of
   distinction been added, we might have called in question the authority
   of all teachers without exception. If there is a mortal danger to be
   dreaded in teachers, and if we see no way of avoiding it, we shall be
   under the necessity of holding them all suspected: and there will be no
   better or shorter method than to keep our ears shut against them all.
   We see that ungodly men, to screen themselves when rejecting every kind
   of doctrine, hold out this danger, and that weak and ill-informed
   persons remain in a state of perplexity. That our reverence for the
   Gospel, and for its faithful ministers and teachers, may not be
   diminished, Christ enjoins us to form our opinion of the false prophets
   from their fruits It is with a very bad grace that the Papists, in
   order to excite hatred against us, quote directly this exhortation of
   Christ, Beware of false prophets, and by their clamors induce ignorant
   people to avoid us, without knowing why. But whoever desires to follow
   our Lord's advice must judge wisely and with just discretion. For
   ourselves, we not only acknowledge freely that men ought to beware of
   false prophets, but we carefully and earnestly exhort simple people to
   beware of them. Only we warn them that, agreeably to the rule which
   Christ has laid down, they should first make a strict examination, that
   simple people may not reject the pure Word of God, and suffer the
   punishment of their own rashness. There is a wide difference between
   wise caution and perverse squeamishness. [476] It is a heinous
   wickedness in the Papists to repeal the command of Christ, by infusing
   into unhappy persons an unfounded dread, [477] which deters them from
   making inquiry. Let this be regarded by us as a first principl that
   those who tremblingly reject or avoid a doctrine unknown to them, act
   improperly, and are very far from obeying the command of Christ.

   It now remains to be seen, what are the fruits which Christ points out.
   Those who confine them to the life are, in my opinion, mistaken. As
   pretended sanctity, and I know not what masks belonging to greater
   austerity of life, are frequently held out by some of the worst
   impostors, this would be a very uncertain test. Their hypocrisy, I do
   own, is at length discovered; for nothing is more difficult than to
   counterfeit virtue. But Christ did not intend to submit his doctrine to
   a decision so unjust in itself, and so liable to be misunderstood, as
   to have it estimated by the life of men. Under the fruits the manner of
   teaching is itself included, and indeed holds the chief place: for
   Christ proves that he was sent by God from this consideration, that

   "he seeketh not his own glory,
   but the glory of the Father who sent him," (John 7:18.)

   Is it objected, that few persons are endued with such acuteness, as to
   distinguish good fruits from bad? I answer, as I have already said:
   Believers are never deprived of the Spirit of wisdom, where his
   assistance is needful, provided they distrust themselves, renounce
   their own judgment, and give themselves up wholly to his direction. Let
   us remember, however, that all doctrines must be brought to the Word of
   God as the standard, and that, in judging of false prophets, the rule
   of faith holds the chief place. We must also consider what God enjoins
   on his prophets and the ministers of his word: for in this way their
   faithfulness may be easily ascertained. If, for example, we place
   before our minds what Paul requires in bishops, (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus
   1:6-9,) that description will be sufficient of itself to condemn the
   whole mass of Popery: for the Popish priests seem as if they purposely
   intended to present an opposite picture. There is no reason to wonder,
   therefore, if they forbid men to form a judgment of false prophets. But
   this passage clearly shows, that their titles ought to go for nothing,
   and that not much regard ought to be had even to their calling, if
   those who receive the name of pastors, and are called to the office of
   teachers, do not faithfully answer to their charge.

   Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? By these
   proverbs, which were then in common use and universally received,
   Christ confirms his statement, that no man can be deceived by false
   prophets, unless he is wilfully blind: for the fruits as plainly
   discover upright servants of God, and unfaithful workmen, as the fruits
   point out the nature of the tree.

   Luke 6:43. For the tree is not good This statement, as related by Luke,
   appears to be a general instruction given by Christ, that by the fruits
   our opinion of every man ought to be formed, in the same manner as a
   tree is known by its fruit After having inserted the reproof to
   hypocrites, who "perceive a straw in the eye of another, but do not see
   a beam in their own," (verses 41,42,) he immediately adds, For the tree
   is not good which beareth rotten fruit, nor is the tree rotten which
   beareth good fruit The illative particle gar, for, appears to connect
   these two sentences. But as it is certain that Luke, in that sixth
   chapter, records various discourses of Christ, it is also possible that
   he may have briefly glanced at what is more fully explained by Matthew.
   I attach no great importance to the word for, which in other passages
   is often superfiuous, and appears obviously to be so from the
   concluding statement.

   Luke 6:45. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth
   forth good Such is the statement with which Luke concludes the
   discourse; and I have no doubt that he intended to describe, without a
   figure, the kind of judgment which Christ orders us to make from the
   fruits Believers ought to examine carefully what kind of doctrine is
   taught by those who profess to be the servants of God. "Titles (he
   says) are of little value, till the speaker give actual evidence that
   he is sent by God." Yet I am far from saying, that this passage may not
   be applied to a general doctrine, And certainly the last clause, out of
   the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh, has a more extensive
   reference than to false prophets: for it is a common proverb. Is it
   objected, that the tongues of men lie, and that men of the worst hearts
   are often the best speakers? I reply: Christ merely points out here
   what is a very ordinary occurrence. For, though hypocrites express in
   words what is different from the feelings of their hearts, that is no
   reason why we may not justly and appropriately call the tongue the
   portrait of the mind.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [476] "Il y a grande difference entre une bonne facon de se donner
   garde d'estre trompe, et un deboutement temeraire sans savoir
   pourquoy." -- "There is a great difference between a proper method of
   guarding against being deceived, and a hasty rejection without knowing,
   why."

   [477] "Par une vaine crainte, qu'ils leur proposent;" -- "by a vain
   dread which they hold out to them."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:21-23; LUKE 6:46

   Matthew 7:21-23

   Luke 6:46

   21. Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
   kingdom of heaven, bu the who shall do the will of my Father who is in
   heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
   prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in
   thy name have done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I confess to
   them, I never knew you depart from me, you who work iniquity.

   46. And why call you me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?


   Matthew 7:21. Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord. Christ
   extends his discourse farther: for he speaks not only of false
   prophets, who rush upon the flock to tear and devour, but of hirelings,
   who insinuate themselves, under fair appearances, as pastors, though
   they have no feeling of piety. [478] This doctrine embraces all
   hypocrites, whatever may be their rank or station, but at present he
   refers particularly to pretended teachers, [479] who seem to excel
   others. He not only directs his discourse to them, to rouse them from
   the indifference, in which they lie asleep like drunk people, but also
   warns believers, not to estimate such masks beyond their proper value.
   In a word, he declares that, so soon as the doctrine of the Gospel
   shall have begun to bear fruit by obtaining many disciples, there will
   not only be very many of the common people who falsely and
   hypocritically submit to it, but even in the rank of pastors there will
   be the same treachery, so that they will deny by their actions and life
   what they profess with the mouth. [480] Whoever then desires to be
   reckoned among the disciples, must labor to devote himself, sincerely
   and honestly, to the exercises of a new life.

   In the Gospel of Luke, it is a general reproof: Why call you me Lord,
   Lord, and do not the things which I say? But as this corruption
   proceeds, for the most part, from pretended teachers, and easily finds
   its way from them into the whole body, so, according to Matthew, our
   Lord expressly attacks them. To do the will of the Father not only
   means, to regulate their life and manners, (as philosophers talked
   [481] ) by the rule of virtues, but also to believe in Christ,
   according to that saying,

   "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the
   Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life,"
   (John 6:40.)

   These words, therefore, do not exclude faith, but presuppose it as the
   principle from which other good works flow.

   22. Many will say to me Christ again summons hypocrites to his
   judgment-seat, as we showed a little ago from Luke. So long as they
   hold a place in his Church, they both flatter themselves and deceive
   others. He therefore declares, that a day is coming, when he will
   cleanse his barn, and separate the chaff and straw from the pure wheat.
   To prophesy in the name of Christ is, to discharge the office of
   teacher by his authority, and, as it were, under his direction.
   Prophecy is here, I think, taken in a large sense, as in the fourteenth
   chapter of the Epistle to the Corinthians. He might have simply used
   the word preach, but purposely employed the more honorable appellation,
   in order to show more clearly, that an outward profession is nothing,
   whatever may be its brilliancy in the eyes of men. To do wonderful
   works in the name of Christ is nothing else than to perform miracles by
   his power, authority, command, and direction: for, though the word
   homologeso, powers, is sometimes confined to one class of miracles, yet
   in this and many other passages it denotes every kind of miracles.

   23. And then will I confess to them [482] By using the word homologeso,
   I will confess, [483] Christ appears to allude to the vain boasting, by
   which hypocrites now vaunt themselves. "They indeed have confessed me
   with the tongue, and imagine that they have fully discharged their
   duty. The confession of my name is now heard aloud from their tongue.
   But I too will confess on the opposite side, that their profession is
   deceitful and false." And what is contained in Christ's confession?
   That he never reckoned them among his own people, even at the time when
   they boasted that they were the pillars of the church.

   Depart from me. He orders those persons to go out from his presence,
   who had stolen, under a false title, an unjust and temporary possession
   of his house. From this passage in our Lord's discourse Paul seems to
   have taken what he says to Timothy,

   The Lord knoweth who are his: and, let every one who calleth on the
   name of Christ depart from iniquity, (2 Timothy 2:19.)

   The former clause is intended to prevent weak minds from being alarmed
   or discouraged by the desertion of those who had a great and
   distinguished reputation: [484] for he declares that they were disowned
   by the Lord, though by a vain show they captivated the eyes of men. He
   then exhorts all those who wish to be reckoned among the disciples of
   Christ, to withdraw early from iniquity, that Christ may not drive them
   from his presence, when he shall "separate the sheep from the goats,"
   (Matthew 25:33.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [478] "Combien qu'au dedans ils n'ayent point d'affection de crainte de
   Dieu;" -- "though at bottom they have no feeling of the fear of God."

   [479] "Les docteurs feints et doubles;" -- "reigned and deceitful
   teachers."

   [480] "Ce qu'ils enseignent et confessent de bouche;" -- "what they
   teach and confess with the mouth."

   [481] "Comme les philosophes ont voulu enselgner le monde;" -- "as the
   philosophers wished to teach the world."

   [482] "Et lors je leur diray ouvertement;" -- "and then will I openly
   say to them."

   [483] "Le mot Grec dont use l'Evangeliste signifie proprement, Je leur
   confesseray;" -- "the Greek word, which the Evangelist uses, literally
   signifies I will confess to them.'"

   [484] "D'aucuns qui auront en grand bruit, et auront este fort
   estimez;"-- "of any who shall have made great noise, and shall have
   been greatly esteemed."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 7:24-29; LUKE 6:47-49

   Matthew 7:24-29

   Luke 6:47:49

   24. Every one, therefore, who heareth those saying of mine, and doeth
   them, I will compare him to a wise man, who built his house upon a
   rock. 25. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
   and struck against that house, and it did not fall: for it had been
   founded on a rock. 26. And every one who heareth those saying of mine,
   and doeth them not, shall be compared to a foolish man, who built his
   house upon the sand. 27. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and
   the winds blew, and struck against that house: and it fell, and the
   downfall of it was great. 28. And it happened, when Jesus had finished
   these sayings, that the multitudes were astonished at his doctrine.
   29. For he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.

   47. Whoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I
   will show you to whom he is like. 48. He is like a wise man who biult a
   house, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the
   deluge came, the stream dashed against that house, and could not shake
   it: for it was founded on a rock. 49. And he who hears, and did not, is
   like a man who built his house on the earth without a foundation, on
   which the stream dashed, and immediately it fell, and great was the
   downfall of that house.


   Matthew 7:24. Every one, therefore, who heareth As it is often
   difficult to distinguish the true professors of the Gospel from the
   false, Christ shows, by a beautiful comparison, where the main
   difference lies. He represents two houses, one of which was built
   without a foundation, while the other was well-founded. Both have the
   same external appearance: but, when the wind and storms blow, and the
   floods dash against them, the former will immediately fall, while the
   latter will be sustained by its strength against every assault. Christ
   therefore compares a vain and empty profession of the Gospel to a
   beautiful, but not solid, building, which, however elevated, is exposed
   every moment to downfall, because it wants a foundation. Accordingly,
   Paul enjoins us to be well and thoroughly founded on Christ, and to
   have deep roots, (Colossians 2:7,)

   "that we may not be tossed and driven about by every wind of doctrine,"
   (Ephesians 4:14)

   that we may not give way at every attack. The general meaning of the
   passage is, that true piety is not fully distinguished from its
   counterfeit, [485] till it comes to the trial. For the temptations, by
   which we are tried, are like billows and storms, which easily overwhelm
   unsteady minds, whose lightness is not perceived during the season of
   prosperity.

   Who heareth these sayings The relative these denotes not one class of
   sayings, but the whole amount of doctrine. He means, that the Gospel,
   if it be not deeply rooted in the mind, is like a wall, which has been
   raised to a great height, but does not rest on any foundation. "That
   faith (he says) is true, which has its roots deep in the heart, and
   rests on an earnest and steady affection as its foundation, that it may
   not give way to temptations." For such is the vanity of the human mind,
   that all build upon the sand, who do not dig so deep as to deny
   themselves.

   28. When Jesus had finished these sayings By these sayings I understand
   not only the discourse which he delivered when he came down from the
   mountain, but the rest of the doctrine, which had already been made
   known to the people. The meaning therefore is, that, where he had given
   the people, on all sides, a taste of his doctrine, all were seized with
   astonishment, because a strange, indescribable, and unwonted majesty
   drew to him the minds of men. What is meant by his teaching them as
   having authority, and not as the scribes, I have already explained.
   [486]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [485] "Qu'on ne peut pas bien discerner la vraye crainte de Dieu,
   d'avecques une feintise et vaine apparence d' icelle;" -- "that the
   true fear of God cannot be well distinguished from a dissembling and
   vain appearance of it."

   [486] A parallel passage in the Gospel of Mark (1:22) having already
   occurred, the reader will find Calvin's exposition of these remarkable
   words at [9]page 247 of this volume. -- Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:1-4; MARK 1:40-45; LUKE 5:12-16

   Matthew 8:1-4

   Mark 1:40-45

   Luke 5:12-16

   1. And when he had come down from the mountain, great multitudes
   followed him. 2. And, lo, a leper, approaching, worshipped him, saying,
   Lord, if thou art willing, thou art able to cleanse me. 3. And Jesus,
   having stretched out his hand, touched him, saying, I am willing; be
   thou clean: and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4. And Jesus
   saith to him, See that thou do not tell it to any man: but go, show
   thyself to the priest, and present the offering which Moses commanded,
   for a testimony to them.

   40. And a leper came to him, beseeaching him, and kneeling down to him,
   and saying to him, If thou art willing, thou art able to cleanse me.
   41. And Jesus, having compassion, stretched out his hand, and touched
   him, and said to him, I am willing; be thou clean. 42. And when he had
   spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
   43. And threatening him, [487] he immediately sent him away; 44. And he
   said to him, See that thou say nothing to any man: but go, show thyself
   to the priest, and present for thy cleansing those things which Moses
   commanded, for a testimony to them. 45. But he, having gone out, began
   to publish many things, and to blaze abroad the matter, so that Jesus
   could no longer enter openly into cities, but was without in desert
   places: and they came to him from every quarter.

   12. And it happened, while he was in a certain city, lo, a man full of
   leprosy: and when he had seen Jesus, he fell down on his face, and
   besought Jesus, saying, Lord, if thou art willing, thou art able to
   cleanse me. 13. And having stretched out his hand, he touched him,
   saying, I am willing; be thou clean: and immediately the leprosy
   departed from him. 14. And he commanded him that he should not tell it
   to any man, but saith, Go, show thyself to the priest, and present for
   thy cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 15. But
   still more did the report spread about him, and great multitudes
   assembled, to hear him, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
   16. And he sought retirement in the deserts, and prayed.


   Matthew 8:1. And when he had come down from the mountain Matthew now
   returns to the course of the history. He had formerly said, that Christ
   went up into a mountain, (verse 1) then he threw, as it were, into one
   heap, many leading points of the doctrine of Christ; and now he adds
   that, about the time when he preached on the mountain, he healed a
   certain leper The same event is related by Mark and Luke, though they
   do not mention the time. It was a striking display of the divine power
   of Christ, that, by his word alone and a touch of his hand, he suddenly
   cleansed the man's leprosy. Now, though leprosy was a different kind of
   disease from elephantiasis, [488] (elephantiasis,) it is plain enough
   that it was difficult to cure. When it had continued long and become
   deeply seated, it rarely happened that any person recovered. Granting
   that physicians might, by their professional skill, have given some
   relief, it is manifest that there was nothing human about this miracle.

   2. Approaching, worshipped What is the meaning of the verb proskunein,
   which is rendered in the Latin version, adorare, to adore or worship,
   may be easily learned from this passage. For the exposition of it we
   may rely on the other two Evangelists, of whom Mark says, that he fell
   on his knees, and Luke, that he fell down on his face The outward
   gesture of kneeling was exhibited by the leper as a token of reverence.
   Now we know, that such marks of respect were in general use among the
   Jews, as the people of the East are more addicted to that kind of
   ceremonies. Many people accordingly think, that the leper did not
   intend to render to Christ divine worship, [489] but gave him a
   respectful salutation as a distinguished prophet of God.

   I enter into no dispute as to the feelings which moved the leper to pay
   reverence to Christ. But I look at what he attributed to him, that he
   was able to cleanse him, if he were willing By these words he declared,
   that he acknowledged a divine power in Christ: and when Christ replies,
   I am willing, he shows that he claimed more for himself than belongs to
   man. He who, by the mere expression of his will, restores health to
   men, must possess supreme authority. Whether the leper believed that
   Christ was the Son of God, or that he had received this power in the
   same manner as Moses and the other prophets, he entertains no doubt
   that he held in his hand, and in his power, the gift of healing. True,
   he speaks conditionally, if thou art willing, thou art able But this is
   not inconsistent with that certainty of faith, which God demands in our
   prayers: for men ought not to expect more than God promises. The leper
   had not learned by any inspired communication, or any promise of God,
   what Christ would do. It would have been improper in him, therefore, to
   go beyond these limits for though we sometimes read that certain
   persons prayed without any condition, we ought to believe that they
   were guided by special movements of the Spirit, [490] which must not be
   taken for a general rule. I am not even certain if we are at liberty to
   say, strictly speaking, that the leper offered a prayer. He only
   declares, that he is so fully convinced of the power of Christ, as to
   entertain no doubt that it is in his power to cure leprosy; and then
   presents himself to be healed, but uncertain as to the result, because
   he did not yet know the will of Christ. [491]

   3. Having stretched out his hand, he touched Under the Law, the touch
   of a leper was infectious; but as Christ possesses such purity as to
   repel all filth and defilement, he does not, by touching, either
   pollute himself with leprosy, or become a transgressor of the law. When
   he took upon him our flesh, he did not only deign to touch as with his
   hand, but was united to one and the same body with ourselves, that we
   might be flesh of his flesh, (Genesis 2:23.) Nor did he only stretch
   out his arm to us, but descended from heaven even to hell, and yet
   contracted no stain from it, but, retaining his innocence, took away
   all our impurities, and sprinkled us with his holiness. By his word
   alone he might have healed the leper; but he applied, at the same time,
   the touch of his hand, to express the feeling of compassion. Nor ought
   this to excite our wonder, since he chose to take upon him our flesh,
   that he might cleanse us from our sins. The stretching out of his hand
   was therefore an expression and token of infinite grace and goodness.
   What we indolently read, and coldly pass by, cannot be duly weighed
   without great astonishment. The Son of God was so far from disdaining
   to talk to a leper, that he even stretched out his hand to touch that
   uncleanness.

   4. And Jesus saith to him, See that thou tell it not to any one Some
   persons, by way of excusing the leper, think that Christ did not
   seriously forbid him to publish the miracle, but rather gave him an
   additional excitement to do so. Others more justly consider the reason
   of the prohibition to have been, that the full "time was not yet come,"
   (John 7:6.) I do acknowledge, that to have suppressed this miracle
   would have been improper: but our Lord had a particular reason for
   wishing that the report of it should not be immediately spread, or, at
   least, not by the leper The leper was so far from deserving praise for
   the disorderly exhibition of his regard, that he ought, in my opinion,
   to be condemned for not obeying Christ's injunction. If he wished to
   express his gratitude to him to whom he was indebted for his cure, no
   better method could have been found than obedience, which God prefers
   to all sacrifices, (1 Samuel 15:22,) and which is the origin and
   foundation of lawful worship. This example shows us, that those who
   allow themselves to be guided by inconsiderate zeal act improperly,
   because the more eager they are to please God, the greater progress do
   they make in rebellion to his commands.

   Show thyself to the priest As the ceremonies of the law had not yet
   been repealed, Christ did not wish that they should be despised or
   neglected. Now, God had commanded in the law that, if any man had been
   cleansed from leprosy, he should present himself to the priest with a
   sacrifice of thanksgiving, (Leviticus 14:2.) The design [492] was, that
   the priest, by his decision, might attest the benefit received from
   God; and that the person who had been healed might give an expression
   of his gratitude. Christ, therefore, by sending the leper to the
   priest, proves that he had no other object in view than to display the
   glory of God. The showing to the priest was for the purpose of
   examination, and the offering was the expression of thanksgiving. He
   wishes that the priests should examine the man, to make the divine
   favor manifest and undoubted; and that the leper, on the other hand,
   should acknowledge that God had healed him. Meanwhile, as I have just
   mentioned, he commands them to observe the ceremonies prescribed by the
   law, till the time when it should be repealed.

   The attempt of the Papists to produce this passage, as an authority for
   their own confession, [493] is highly foolish. Leprosy, they allege, is
   put allegorically for sin; and the priests, who are consecrated by the
   Pope, are the judges of spiritual leprosy. [494] Even granting that
   this authority was conferred on the priests under the law, for the
   purpose of informing the people, that all their cleanness, and the
   decision respecting it, depended on the priesthood, still this is
   impiously claimed for themselves by the Popish priests. All the honor
   that belonged to the ancient priests is now claimed by Christ alone as
   his own. He alone is appointed to be the judge of spiritual leprosy,
   and entitled to receive, from those who have been cured, the offering
   for their cleansing. Under the law, a sacrifice was employed as the
   seal of cleanness, because satisfaction made by the shedding of blood
   is the only way in which men are cleansed. To transfer to another that
   right, which God has declared to be the prerogative of his own Son, is
   a detestable sacrilege. When the ministers of the Gospel, by the
   command of Christ, declare to sinners that they are cleansed from their
   sins, this must not be tortured into the pretended jurisdiction, which
   the priests imagine, of pronouncing a decision about leprosy. [495]

   Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44. For a testimony to them Some consider testimony
   to mean here a law or statute, as it is said in the Book of Psalms, God
   laid down this "for a testimony to Israel," (Psalm 122:4.) But this
   appears to me to be a poor exposition: for I have no doubt that the
   pronoun to them refers to the priests. [496] Christ said this, in my
   opinion, with a view to the present occurrence: for this miracle was
   afterwards to be a sufficiently clear proof for convicting them of
   ingratitude. There is nothing inconsistent with this in the command
   which Christ gave to the leper to maintain silence: for he did not
   intend that the remembrance of the miracle which he had wrought should
   remain always buried. When the leper, at the command of Christ, came
   into the presence of the priest, this was a testimony to them, which
   would render them inexcusable, if they refused to receive Christ as the
   minister of God; and would, at the same time, take away occasion for
   slander, since Christ did not neglect a single point of the law. In a
   word, if they were not past cure, they might be led to Christ; while,
   on the other hand, so solemn a testimony of God was sufficiently
   powerful to condemn them, if they were unbelievers.

   Mark 1:45. So that Jesus could no longer enter openly into cities Hence
   we learn the reason why Christ did not wish the miracle to be so soon
   made known. It was that he might have more abundant opportunity and
   freedom for teaching. Not that his enemies rose against him, and
   attempted to shut his mouth, but because the common people were so
   eager to demand miracles, that no room was left for doctrine. He wished
   that they would all be more attentive to the word than to signs. Luke
   accordingly says, that he sought retirement in the deserts He avoided a
   crowd of men, because he saw, that he would not satisfy the wishes of
   the people, without overwhelming his doctrine by a superfluity of
   miracles. [497]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [487] "Et l'ayant menace;" -- "and having threatened him."

   [488] "The burning ulceration, with which the great adversary of man
   afflicted the venerable patriarch Job, (2:7,) is generally understood
   to be the elephantiasis, or leprosy of the Arabians; and derives its
   name from its rendering the skin of the patient, like that of an
   elephant, scabrous and dark-colored, and furrowed all over with
   tubercles, loathsome alike to the individual and to
   spectators."--(Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. p. 328.) This quotation
   is made, because it seemed proper that a word of comparatively rare
   occurrence, which Calvin uses, should be defined, and its origin
   explained; and because that useful work, from which we have quoted, was
   at hand. Many of the most important topics embraced by the
   "Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy
   Scriptures" have since been handled by writers of greater learning and
   research. Yet it would be ungrateful not to acknowledge that, at the
   time of its appearance, it supplied an important desideratum, that it
   probably led the way to other treatises, and that, as a popular and
   miscellaneous book of reference on Biblical literature, it is not yet
   superseded. -- Ed.

   [489] "De faire a Christ un honneur appartenant a Ia majeste divine;"
   -- "to do to Christ an honor belonging to the divine majesty."

   [490] "Qu'il y a eu en tels personnages des mouvemens singuliers, et
   inspirations particulieres du S. Esprit;" -- "that there were in such
   persons singular movements, and peculiar inspirations of the Holy
   Spirit."

   [491] "Le vouloir de Christ sur sa requeste;" -- "the will of Christ as
   to his request."

   [492] "Le but de ce commandement;" -- "the end of that commandment."

   [493] Those who wish to make themselves acquainted with Calvin's views
   on the whole subject of what the Papists call auricular confession,
   will find them stated in the Institutions of the Christian Religion (B.
   III. c. iv. sec. 19.) -- Ed

   [494] "Doivent avoir le jugement et la cognoissance de la ladrerie
   spirituelle;" -- "ought to have the judgment and discernment of
   spiritual leprosy."

   [495] "De discerner entre ladrerie et ladrerie;" -- "of distinguishing
   between leprosy and leprosy."

   [496] According to the view which Calvin rejects, the words, which
   Moses commanded for a testimony to them, mean, "which Moses delivered
   to them, that is, to the people of Israel, as a divine ordinance." The
   view which he adopts may be more clearly brought out by a different
   arrangement of the words. Present, for a testimony to them, that is,
   "to the priests," the offering which Moses commanded. -- Ed

   [497] "Que quant et quant il ne fist tant de miracles, que cela les
   empescheroit de bien penser a la doctrine;" -- "without doing so many
   miracles as to prevent them from thinking properly about his doctrine."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:5-13; LUKE 7:1-10

   Matthew 8:5-13

   Luke 7:1-10

   5. And when Jesus had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him,
   beseeching him, 6. And saying, Lord, my servant is lying at home
   afflicted with palsy, and is grievously tormented. 7. And Jesus saith
   to him, When I shall come, I will heal him. 8. And the centurion
   answering him said, Lord, I do not deserve that thou shouldst come
   under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
   9. For I am a man subject to the power of another, and I have soldiers
   under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth: and to another,
   Come, and he cometh: and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
   10. And when Jesus had heard these things, he wondered, and said to
   those who followed, Verily I say to you, not even in Israel have I
   found so great faith. 11. And I say to you, That many will come from
   the east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in
   the kingdom of heaven: 12. But the children of the kingdom shall be
   cast into the darkness that is without: weeping and gnashing of teeth
   will be there. 13. And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as thou
   believest, so may it be done to thee: and his servant was healed in
   that hour. [498]

   1. Now, when he had finished all his words in the hearing of the
   people, he entered into Capernaum. 2. And a servant of a certain
   centurion, who was very dear to him, was ill and near death. 3. And
   when he had heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, to
   entreat him, that he would come and heal his servant. 4. And when they
   had come to him, they entreated him earnestly, saying, He deserves that
   though shouldest do this for him: 5. For he loveth our nation, and
   himself hath built a synagogue. 6. And Jesus went with them. And when
   he was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to
   him, and they said to him, Lord, do not trouble thyself: for I do not
   deserve that thou shouldest enter under my roof. 7. And for this reason
   I did not reckon myself worthy to come to thee: but say in a word, and
   my servant will be healed. 8. For I am a man placed under authority,
   having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and
   to another, Come, and he cometh: and to my servant, Do this, and he
   doeth it. 9. And having heard these things, Jesus wondered at him, and
   he turned and said to the crowd that followed him, I say to you, not
   even in Israel have I found so great faith. 10. And when those who had
   been sent returned to the house, they found the servant, who had been
   sick, in good health.


   Matthew 8:5. And when Jesus had entered Those who think that Matthew
   and Luke give different narratives, are led into a mistake by a mere
   trifle. The only difference in the words is, that Matthew says that the
   centurion came to him, while Luke says that he sent some of the Jews to
   plead in his name. But there is no impropriety in Matthew saying, that
   the centurion did what was done in his name and at his request. There
   is such a perfect agreement between the two Evangelists in all the
   circumstances, that it is absurd to make two miracles instead of one.

   The band of soldiers, which the centurion had under his command, was
   stationed, I have no doubt, in the town of Capernaum, in the same
   manner as garrisons were usually appointed for the protection of the
   towns. Though he perceived the morals of the people to be very vicious
   and depraved, (for we know that Capernaum, being on the seacoast, must
   have been more dissolute [499] than other towns,) yet this did not
   prevent him from condemning the superstitions of his country, and
   acquiring a taste for true and sincere piety. He had not built a
   synagogue for the Jews without exposing himself to some hatred and to
   some risk: and the only reason why he loved that nation was, that he
   had embraced the worship of one God. Before Christ healed his servant,
   he had been healed by the Lord.

   This was itself a miracle. One who belonged to the military profession,
   and who had crossed the sea with a band of soldiers, for the purpose of
   accustoming the Jews to endure the yoke of Roman tyranny, submits
   willingly, and yields obedience to the God of Israel. Luke says that
   this servant was very dear to him; and thus anticipates a doubt which
   might have arisen in the mind of the reader: for we know that slaves
   [500] were not held in such estimation, as to make their masters so
   solicitous about their life, unless by extraordinary industry, or
   fidelity, or some other virtue, they had secured their favor. By this
   statement Luke means, that this was not a low or ordinary slave, but a
   faithful servant, distinguished by many excellencies, and very highly
   esteemed by his master; and that this was the reason why he was so
   anxious about his life, and recommended him so earnestly. From both
   Evangelists it is evident that it was a sudden palsy, which, from the
   first attack, took away all hope of life: for slow palsies are not
   attended by severe pain. Matthew says, that he was grievously
   tormented, and Luke, that he was near death Both descriptions -- pain
   or agony, and extreme danger -- serve to enhance the glory of the
   miracle: and for this reason I am the more unwilling to hazard any
   absolute assertion as to the nature of the disease.

   Luke 7:5. For he loveth our nation This was, no doubt, a commendation
   given him by the Jews on account of his piety: [501] for his love of a
   nation universally hated could proceed only from zeal for the Law, and
   from reverence for God. By building a synagogue, he showed plainly that
   he favored the doctrine of the Law. The Jews had therefore good grounds
   for saying that, as a devout worshipper of God, he had claims on Christ
   for receiving such a favor. They discover, at the same time, a
   marvellous stupidity in admitting, by their own acknowledgment, that a
   Gentile possesses that grace of God which they despise and reject. If
   they consider Christ to be the minister and dispenser of the gifts of
   God, why do they not receive the grace offered to them before bringing
   foreigners to enjoy it? But hypocrites never fail to manifest such
   carelessness and presumption, as not to hesitate to look upon God as
   under some sort of obligations to them, and to dispose of his grace at
   their pleasure, as if it were in their own power; and then, when they
   are satisfied with it, or rather because they do not deign to taste it,
   they treat it as useless, and leave it to others.

   Matthew 8:8. Lord, I do not deserve that thou shouldest come under my
   roof Matthew's narrative is more concise, and represents the man as
   saying this; while Luke explains more fully, that this was a message
   sent by his friends: but the meaning of both is the same. There are two
   leading points in this discourse. The centurion, sparing Christ by way
   of honoring him, requests that Christ will not trouble himself, because
   he reckons himself unworthy to receive a visit from him. The next point
   is, that he ascribes to Christ such power as to believe, that by the
   mere expression of his will, and by a word, his servant may recover and
   live. There was astonishing humility in exalting so highly above
   himself a man who belonged to a conquered and enslaved nation. It is
   possible, too, that he had become accustomed to the haughty pretensions
   of the Jews, and, being a modest man, did not take it ill to be
   reckoned a heathen, and therefore feared that he would dishonor a
   Prophet of God, if he pressed him to enter the house of a polluted
   Gentile. However that may be, it is certain that he speaks sincerely,
   and entertains such reverence for Christ, that he does not venture to
   invite him to his house, nay, as is afterwards stated by Luke, he
   reckoned himself unworthy to converse with him. [502]

   But it may be asked, what moved him to speak of Christ in such lofty
   terms? The difficulty is even increased by what immediately follows,
   only say the word, and my servant will be healed, or, as Luke has it,
   say in a word: for if he had not acknowledged Christ to be the Son of
   God, to transfer the glory of God to a man would have been
   superstition. It is difficult to believe, on the other hand, that he
   was properly informed about Christ's divinity, of which almost all were
   at that time ignorant. Yet Christ finds no fault with his words, [503]
   but declares that they proceeded from faith: and this reason has forced
   many expositors to conclude, that the centurion bestows on Christ the
   title of the true and only God. I rather think that the good man,
   having been informed about the uncommon and truly divine works of
   Christ, simply acknowledged in him the power of God. Something, too, he
   had undoubtedly heard about the promised Redeemer. Though he does not
   distinctly understand that Christ is God manifested in the flesh, (1
   Timothy 3:16,) yet he is convinced that the power of God is manifested
   in him, and that he has received a commission to display the presence
   of God by miracles. He is not therefore chargeable with superstition,
   as if he had ascribed to a man what is the prerogative of God: but,
   looking at the commission which God had given to Christ, he believes
   that by a word alone he can heal his servant.

   Is it objected, that nothing belongs more peculiarly to God than to
   accomplish by a word whatever he pleases, and that this supreme
   authority cannot without sacrilege be yielded to a mortal man? The
   reply is again easy. Though the centurion did not enter into those nice
   distinctions, he ascribed this power to the word, not of a mortal man,
   but of God, whose minister he fully believed Christ to be: on that
   point he entertained no doubt. The grace of healing having been
   committed to Christ, [504] he acknowledges that this is a heavenly
   power, and does not look upon it as inseparable from the bodily
   presence, but is satisfied with the word, from which he believes such a
   power to proceed.

   Matthew 8:9. For I am a man subject to the power of another This
   comparison does not imply equality between the two cases, but is taken
   from the less to the greater. He forms a higher conception of the
   divine power, which is manifested in Christ, than of the authority
   which was possessed by himself over servants and soldiers.

   10. Jesus wondered. Wonder cannot apply to God, for it arises out of
   what is new and unexpected: but it might exist in Christ, for he had
   clothed himself with our flesh, and with human affections. Not even in
   Israel have I found so great faith This is not spoken absolutely, but
   in a particular point of view. For, if we consider all the properties
   of faith, we must conclude that the faith of Mary was greater, in
   believing that she would be with child by the Holy Ghost, and would
   bring forth the only-begotten Son of God, and in acknowledging the son
   whom she had borne to be her God, and the Creator of the whole world,
   and her only Redeemer.

   But there were chiefly two reasons why Christ preferred the faith of a
   Gentile to the faith of all the Jews. One was, that a slight and
   inconsiderable acquaintance with doctrine yielded so sudden and
   abundant fruit. It was no small matter to declare, in such lofty terms,
   the power of God, of which a few rays only were yet visible in Christ.
   Another reason was, that while the Jews were excessively eager to
   obtain outward signs, this Gentile asks no visible sign, but openly
   declares that he wants nothing more than the bare word. Christ was
   going to him: not that it was necessary, but to try his faith; and he
   applauds his faith chiefly on the ground of his resting satisfied with
   the bare word. What would another have done, and he too one of the
   Apostles? Come, Lord, see and touch. This man asks no bodily approach
   or touch, but believes the word to possess such efficacy as fully to
   expect from it that his servant will be cured.

   Now, he ascribes this honor to the word, not of a man, but of God: for
   he is convinced that Christ is not an ordinary man, but a prophet sent
   by God. And hence may be drawn a general rule. Though it was the will
   of God that our salvation should be accomplished in the flesh of
   Christ, and though he seals it daily by the sacraments, yet the
   certainty of it must be obtained from the word. Unless we yield such
   authority to the word, as to believe that, as soon as God has spoken by
   his ministers, our sins are undoubtedly forgiven, and we are restored
   to life, all confidence of salvation is overthrown.

   11. Many will come from the east and west In the person of the servant,
   Christ gave to the Gentiles a taste and a kind of first-fruits of his
   grace. He now shows, that the master is an example of the future
   calling of the Gentiles, and of the spread of faith throughout the
   whole world: for he says that they will come, not only from the
   neighboring countries, but from the farthest bounds of the world.
   Though this had been clearly foretold by many passages of the prophets,
   it appeared at first strange and incredible to the Jews, who imagined
   that God was confined to the family of Abraham. It was not without
   astonishment that they heard, that those who were at that time
   strangers, would be citizens and heirs of the kingdom of God: and not
   only so, but that the covenant of salvation would be immediately
   proclaimed, that the whole world might be united in one body of the
   Church. He declares, that the Gentiles, who shall come to the faith,
   will be partakers of the same salvation with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
   Hence we draw the certain conclusion, that the same promise, which has
   been held out to us in Christ, was formerly given to the fathers; for
   we would not have had an inheritance in common with them, if the faith,
   by which it is obtained, had not been the same. The word
   anaklithesontai, shall recline, contains an allusion to a banquet: but
   as we know, that the heavenly life does not require meat and drink,
   this phrase has the same meaning as if he had said, they shall enjoy
   the same life

   12. But the children of the kingdom Why does he call those persons
   children of the kingdom, who were nothing less than children of
   Abraham? for those who are aliens from the faith have no right to be
   considered a part of God's flock. I answer: Though they did not
   actually belong to the Church of God, yet, as they occupied a place in
   the Church, he allows them this designation. Besides, it ought to be
   observed that, so long as the covenant of God remained in the family of
   Abraham, there was such force in it, that the inheritance of the
   heavenly kingdom belonged peculiarly to them. With respect to God
   himself, at least, they were holy branches from a holy root, (Romans
   11:16) and the rejection of them, which afterwards followed, shows
   plainly enough, that they belonged, at that time, to the family of God.
   Secondly, it ought to be observed, that Christ does not now speak of
   individuals, but of the whole nation. This was still harder to endure
   than the calling of the Gentiles. That the Gentiles should be admitted,
   by a free adoption, into the same body with the posterity of Abraham,
   could scarcely be endured: but that the Jews themselves should be
   driven out, to make way for their being succeeded by the Gentiles,
   appeared to them altogether monstrous. Yet Christ declares that both
   will happen: that God will admit strangers into the bosom of Abraham,
   and that he will exclude the children There is an implied contrast in
   the phrase, the darkness that is without It means that out of the
   kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of light, nothing but darkness
   reigns. By darkness Scripture points out that dreadful anguish, which
   can neither be expressed nor conceived in this life. [505]

   13. Go away, and as thou believest, so may it be to thee Hence it is
   evident how graciously Christ pours out his grace, when he finds the
   vessel of faith open. Though he addresses these words to the centurion,
   there can be no doubt that, in his person, he invites us all to strong
   hope. Hence we are also taught the reason why God is, for the most
   part, so limited in his communications to us: it is because our
   unbelief does not permit him to be liberal. If we open up the entrance
   to him by faith, he will listen to our wishes and prayers.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [498] "Et en ce mesme instant son garcon fut gairi;" -- "and at that
   very instant his servant was healed."

   [499] "Plus pleines de dissolutions et de desbauches;" -- "more full of
   dissoluteness and debauchery."

   [500] "Qu'on ne tenoit pas si grande conte de serfs;" -- "that they did
   not set so great value on slaves."

   [501] "Il n' y a point de doute que les Juifs recommandent cest homme
   pour l'affection et le bon zele qu'il avoit a la crainte de Dieu." --
   "There is no doubt that the Jews recommend this man for the affection
   and the good zeal which he had for the fear of God."

   [502] "Il ne s'est pas estime digne d'aller parler a Christ;" -- "he
   did not think himself worthy to go and talk to Christ."

   [503] "Toutefois Christ ne prend pas ces paroles comme dites de
   l'aventure et sans intelligence." -- "Yet Christ does not take these
   words as spoken at random and without understanding."

   [504] "Pource que Christ avoit receu la vertu de donner gairison;"--
   "because Christ had received the power of giving healing."

   [505] "Laquelle la bouche de l'homme ne sauroit exprimer, ni ses sens
   comprendre en ce monde;" -- "which the mouth of man cannot express, nor
   his senses comprehend, in this world."
     __________________________________________________________________

   LUKE 7:11-17

   Luke 7:11-17

   11. And it happened, when he departed, that he went into a city, which
   was called Nain, and many of his disciples, and a great multitude, went
   along with him. 12. And as he was approaching to the gate of the city,
   there was carried out a dead man, the only son of his mother, and she
   was a widow: and a great multitude from the city was with her. 13. And
   when the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion towards her, and
   said to her, Weep not. 14. And approaching he touched the coffin, (and
   they who were carrying it stood still,) and said, Young man, I say to
   thee, Arise. 15. And he who was dead sat up, and began to speak, and he
   gave him to his mother. 16. And fear seized all, and they glorified
   God, saying, A great Prophet hath risen up among us, and God hath
   visited his people. 17. And this report concerning him was spread
   throughout all Judea, and all the neighboring country.


   Luke 7:11. And it happened, that he went into a city. In all the
   miracles of Christ, we must attend to the rule which Matthew lays down.
   We ought to know, therefore, that this young man, whom Christ raised
   from the dead, is an emblem of the spiritual life which he restores to
   us. The name of the city contributes to the certainty of the history.
   The same purpose is served by what Luke says, that a great multitude
   from every direction followed him: for Christ had many attendants along
   with him, and many persons accompanied the woman, as a mark of respect,
   to the interment of her son. The resurrection of the young man was
   beheld by so many witnesses, that no doubt could be entertained as to
   its truth. There was the additional circumstance of its being a crowded
   place: for we know that public assemblies were held at the gates. That
   the dead man was carried out of the city was in accordance with a very
   ancient custom among all nations. Jerome says that, in his time, the
   city of Nain was still in existence, two miles below Mount Tabor, in a
   southerly direction.

   12. The only son of his mother. The reason which induced Christ to
   restore the young man to life was, that he saw the widow bereft of her
   only son, and had compassion on her: for he did not withhold his favor
   till some one requested it, as he did on other occasions; but
   anticipated the prayers of all, and restored the son to his mother, by
   whom nothing of this sort was expected. We have here a striking emblem
   of his freely bestowed compassion in raising us from death to life. By
   touching the coffin he intended perhaps to show, that he would by no
   means shrink from death and the grave, in order to obtain life for us.
   He not only deigns to touch us with his hand, in order to quicken us
   when we are dead, but, in order that he might raise us to heaven,
   himself descends into the grave.

   14. Young man, I say to thee. By this word Christ proved the truth of
   the saying of Paul, that God calleth those things which are not, as
   they were, (Romans 4:17.) He addresses the dead man, and makes himself
   be heard, so that death is suddenly changed into life. We have here, in
   the first place, a striking emblem of the future resurrection, as
   Ezekiel is commanded to say, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord,
   [37:4.] Secondly, we are taught in what manner Christ quickens us
   spiritually by faith. It is when he infuses into his word a secret
   power, so that it enters into dead souls, as he himself declares,

   The hour cometh, when the dead shall hear the voice of
   the Son of God, and they who hear shall live, (John 5:25.)

   16. And fear seized all A sense of the divine presence must have
   brought fear along with it: but there is a difference between the kinds
   of fear Unbelievers either tremble and are dismayed; or, struck with
   alarm, murmur against God: while devout and godly persons, moved by
   reverence, willingly humble themselves. Fear, therefore, is here taken
   in a good sense, because they gave the honor which was due to the power
   of God which they had beheld, and rendered to God not only homage, but
   thanksgiving.

   God hath visited his people I understand this to refer not to every
   kind of visitation, but to that which would restore them to their
   original condition. Not only were the affairs of Judea in a depressed
   state, but they had sunk under a wretched and frightful slavery, as if
   God were not looking at them. The only remaining hope was, that God had
   promised to be their Redeemer, after they had endured very heavy
   calamities. I have no doubt, therefore, that they were excited by the
   miracle to expect an approaching restoration to prosperity: only they
   fall into a mistake as to the nature of the visitation Though they
   acknowledge and celebrate the unwonted grace of God in this respect,
   that a great Prophet hath risen up among us, yet this eulogium comes
   very far short of the dignity and glory of the promised Messiah. Hence
   it appears that the faith of that people was, at this time, exceedingly
   confused, and involved in many unfounded imaginations.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:19-22; LUKE 9:57-62

   Matthew 8:19-22

   Luke 9:57-62

   19. And a scribe approaching said to him, Master, I will follow thee
   whithersoever thou shalt go. 20. And Jesus saith to him, Foxes have
   holes, and birds of the air have nests: but the Son of man hath not
   where to lay his head. 21. And another of his disciples said to him,
   Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father. 22. And Jesus said to
   him, Follow me, and allow the dead to bury their dead.

   57. And it happened, while they were walking in the way, one said to
   him, I will follow thee withersoever thou shalt go. 58. Jesus said to
   him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests: but the Son of
   man hath not where to lay his head. 59. And he said to another, Follow
   me. And he said, Lord, permit me to go first and bury my father.
   60. And Jesus said to him, Allow the dead to bury their dead: but go
   thou and proclaim the kingdom of God. 61. And another said to him, I
   will follow thee, Lord, but permit me first to bid farewell to those
   who are in my house. 62. Jesus said to him, No man who, having put his
   hand to the plough, shall look back, is fit for the kingdom of God.


   Matthew 8:19. And a scribe approaching. Two men are here presented to
   us by Matthew, and three by Luke, all of whom were prepared to become
   disciples of Christ, but who, having been prevented by a diversity of
   vices from following the right course, receive a corresponding variety
   of replies. It might at first sight appear strange, that Christ sends
   back, and does not admit into his family, one who offers to follow him
   immediately and without delay: while he detains another along with him
   who, by asking leave for a time, showed himself to be slower and less
   willing. But there are the best reasons for both. Whence arose the
   great readiness of the scribe to prepare himself immediately to
   accompany Christ, but from his not having at all considered the hard
   and wretched condition of his followers? We must bear in mind that he
   was a scribe, who had been accustomed to a quiet and easy life, had
   enjoyed honor, and was ill-fitted to endure reproaches, poverty,
   persecutions, and the cross. He wishes indeed to follow Christ, but
   dreams of an easy and agreeable life, and of dwellings filled with
   every convenience; whereas the disciples of Christ must walk among
   thorns, and march to the cross amidst uninterrupted afflictions. The
   more eager he is, the less he is prepared. He seems as if he wished to
   fight in the shade and at ease, neither annoyed by sweat nor by dust,
   and beyond the reach of the weapons of war. There is no reason to
   wonder that Christ rejects such persons: for, as they rush on without
   consideration, they are distressed by the first uneasiness of any kind
   that occurs, lose courage at the first attack, give way, and basely
   desert their post. Besides, this scribe might have sought a place in
   the family of Christ, in order to live at his table without expense,
   and to feed luxuriously without toil. Let us therefore look upon
   ourselves as warned, in his person, not to boast lightly and at ease,
   that we will be the disciples of Christ, while we are taking no thought
   of the cross, or of afflictions; but, on the contrary, to consider
   early what sort of condition awaits us. The first lesson which he gives
   us, on entering his school, is to deny ourselves, and take up his
   cross, (Matthew 16:24.)

   20. Foxes have holes. The Son of God describes by these words what was
   his condition while he lived on the earth, but, at the same time,
   informs his disciples what sort of life they must be prepared to
   expect. And yet it is strange that Christ should say, that he had not a
   foot of earth on which he could lay his head, while there were many
   godly and benevolent persons, who would willingly receive him into
   their houses. But this was spoken, it ought to be observed, as a
   warning to the scribe, not to expect an abundant and rich hire, as if
   he had a wealthy master, while the master himself receives a precarious
   subsistence in borrowed houses.

   21. Lord, permit me to go first and bury my father. We have said, that
   the scribe was rejected by Christ as a follower, because he made his
   offer without consideration, and imagined that he would enjoy an easy
   life. The person whom Christ retains had an opposite fault. He was
   prevented from immediately obeying the call of Christ by the weakness
   of thinking it a hardship to leave his father. It is probable that his
   father was in extreme old age: for the mode of expression, Permit me to
   bury, implies that he had but a short time to live. Luke says that
   Christ ordered him to follow; while Matthew says that he was one of his
   disciples But he does not refuse the calling: he only asks leave for a
   time to discharge a duty which he owes to his father. [506] The excuse
   bears that he looked upon himself as at liberty till his father's
   death. From Christ's reply we learn, that children should discharge
   their duty to their parents in such a manner that, whenever God calls
   them to another employment, they should lay this aside, and assign the
   first place to the command of God. Whatever duties we owe to men must
   give way, when God enjoins upon us what is immediately due to himself.
   All ought to consider what God requires from them as individuals, and
   what is demanded by their particular calling, that earthly parents may
   not prevent the claims of the highest and only Father of all from
   remaining entire.

   22. Allow the dead to bury their dead. By these words Christ does not
   condemn burial: for it would have been shameful and cruel to throw away
   the bodies of the dead unburied, and we know that the custom of burying
   originated in a divine command, and was practiced by the saints, in
   order to strengthen the hope of the last resurrection. He intended only
   to show, that what ever withdraws us from the right course, or retards
   us in it, deserves no other name than death Those only live, he tells
   us, who devote all their thoughts, and every part of their life, to
   obedience to God; while those who do not rise above the world, -- who
   devote themselves to pleasing men, and forget God, -- are like dead
   men, who are idly and uselessly employed in taking care of the dead.

   Luke 9:60. But go thou and proclaim the kingdom of God. Matthew has
   only the words, Follow me: but Luke states more fully the reason why he
   was called, which was, that he might be a minister and preacher of the
   Gospel. Had he remained in a private station, there would have been no
   absolute necessity for leaving his father, provided he did not forsake
   the Gospel on his father's account. [507] But the preaching of the
   Gospel does not allow him to remain at home, and therefore Christ
   properly takes him away from his father. While the amazing goodness of
   Christ appears in bestowing so honorable an office on a man who was
   still so weak, it deserves our notice, that the fault which still
   cleaved to him is corrected, and is not overlooked and encouraged.

   Luke 9:61. And another said. Matthew does not mention this third
   person. It appears that he was too strongly attached to the world, to
   be ready and prepared to follow Christ. True, he offers to join the
   family of Christ, but with this reservation, after he has bid farewell
   to those who are in his house; that is, after he has arranged his
   business at home, as men are wont to do when preparing for a journey.
   This is the true reason why Christ reproves him so severely: for, while
   he was professing in words that he would be a follower of Christ, he
   turned his back upon him, till he had despatched his worldly business.

   62. He who, after having put his hand to the plough, shall look back,
   is unfit for the kingdom of God. We must carefully inquire what this
   declaration of Christ means. They are said to look back, who become
   involved in the cares of the world, so as to allow themselves to be
   withdrawn from the right path; particularly, when they plunge
   themselves into those employments which disqualify them to follow
   Christ.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [506] "Jusque a ce qu'il se soit acquitte envers son pere du devoir que
   nature commande;" -- "until he has discharged that duty to his father
   which nature requires."

   [507] "Pour faire son devoir envers son pere;" -- "to do his duty to
   his father."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:1-8; MARK 2:1-12; LUKE 5:17-26

   Matthew 9:1-8

   Mark 2:1-12

   Luke 5:17-26

   1. And entering into a ship, he passed over, and came into his own
   city. 2. And, lo, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And
   when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Take courage, my
   son, thy sins are forgiven thee. 3. And, lo, some of the scribes said
   among themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4. And when Jesus saw their
   thoughts, he said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5. For whether
   is it easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and
   walk? 6. But that you may know that the Son of man hath authority on
   earth to forgive sins, (then he saith to the paralytic,) Arise, take up
   thy bed, and go away to thy house. 7. And he arose, and went away to
   his house. 8. And the multitudes who saw it wondered, and glorified
   God, who had given such authority to men.

   1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was
   reported that he was in the house. 2. And immediately many were
   assembled, so that the places which were around the door did not now
   contain them, and he preached the word to them. 3. And they come to
   him, bringing a paralytic, who was carried by four persons. 4. And when
   they could not approach him on account of the crowd, they uncovered the
   roof of the house in which he was, and having made an opening in the
   roof, they lower the couch on which the paralytic lay. 5. And when
   Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, thy sins are
   forgiven thee. 6. And some of the scribes were sitting there, and
   thinking [508] in their hearts, 7. Why does this man thus speak
   blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? 8. And immediately
   when Jesus knew by his Spirit that they thought thus within themselves,
   he said to them, Why do you think those things in your hearts?
   9. Whether it is easier to say to the paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven
   thee; or to say, Rise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10. But that you
   may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins,
   (he saith to the paralytic,) 11. I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed,
   and go away to thy house. 12. And immediately he arose, and having
   taken up the bed, went out in the presence of all, so that all were
   astonished, and glorified God, saying, We never saw such a thing.

   17. And it happened on a certain day, and he was teaching: and
   Pharisees and doctors of the law were sitting, who had come out of
   every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power
   of the Lord was present to heal them. 18. And, lo, men carrying on a
   bed, a man who was a paralytic, and they sought to bring him in, and to
   place him before him. 19. And not finding a way by which they could
   bring him in on account of the crowd, they went up to the roof, and
   lowered him by cords with the bed into the midst before Jesus. 20. And
   when he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, thy sins are forgiven
   thee. 21. And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying, Who is
   this that speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
   22. And when Jesus knew their thoughts, he answering said to them, What
   do you think in your hearts? 23. Whether it is easier to say, Thy sins
   are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and walk? 24. But that you may
   know that the Son of man hath authority on earth, (he saith to the
   paralytic,) I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go to thy house.
   25. And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which
   he had been lying, and went away to his own house, glorifying God.
   26. And amazement seized all, and they glorified God, and were filled
   with fear, saying, We have seen incredible things today.


   Matthew 9:1. And came into his own city. This passage shows, that
   Capernaum was generally believed to be the birth-place of Christ,
   because his visits to it were frequent: for there is no room to doubt,
   that it is the same history which is related by the three Evangelists,
   though some circumstances may be more exactly related by one of them
   than by another. Luke says that scribes had come from various parts of
   Judea, who were spectators when Christ healed the paralytic; and at the
   same time states indirectly, that there were others who also received
   healing through the grace of Christ. For, before he comes to the
   paralytic, he speaks in the plural number, and says, that the power of
   God was displayed for healing their diseases; the power of the Lord was
   present to heal them The glory of this miracle was very remarkable. A
   man destitute of the use of all his limbs, lying on a bed, and lowered
   by cords, suddenly rises up in health, vigor, and agility. Another
   special reason why the Evangelists dwell more on this miracle than on
   others is, that the scribes were offended at Christ for claiming power
   and authority to forgive sins; while Christ intended to confirm and
   seal that authority by a visible sign.

   2. And when Jesus saw their faith. It is God alone, indeed, who knows
   faith: but they had given evidence of faith by the laboriousness of
   that attempt: for they would never have submitted to so much trouble,
   nor contended with such formidable hindrances, if they had not derived
   courage from entire confidence of success. The fruit of their faith
   appeared in their not being wearied out, when they found the entrance
   closed up on all sides. The view which some take of these words, that
   Christ, as a divine person, knew their faith, which lay concealed
   within them, appears to me a forced interpretation.

   Now, as Christ granted to their faith the favor which he bestowed on
   the paralytic, a question is usually raised on this passage how far do
   men derive advantage from the faith of others? And, first, it is
   certain, that the faith of Abraham was of advantage to his posterity,
   when he embraced the free covenant offered to him and to his seed. We
   must hold a similar belief with regard to all believers, that, by their
   faith, the grace of God is extended to their children and their
   children's children even before they are born. The same thing takes
   place in infants, who are not yet of such an age as to be capable of
   faith. With regard to adults, on the other hand, who have no faith of
   their own, (whether they be strangers, or allied by blood,) the faith
   of others can have nothing more than an indirect influence in promoting
   the eternal salvation of their souls. As the prayers, by which we ask
   that God will turn unbelievers to repentance, are not without
   advantage, our faith is evidently of such advantage to them, that they
   do not arrive at salvation, till they have been made partakers of the
   same faith with us in answer to our prayers. But where there is a
   mutual agreement in faith, it is well known that they promote the
   salvation of each other. It is also beyond all question, that earthly
   blessings are often, for the sake of the godly, bestowed on
   unbelievers.

   With regard to the present passage, though Christ is said to have been
   moved by the faith of others, yet the paralytic could not have obtained
   the forgiveness of his sins, if he had had no faith of his own.
   Unworthy persons were often restored by Christ to health of body, as
   God daily maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, (Matthew
   5:45) but there is no other way in which he is reconciled to us than by
   faith. There is a synecdoche, therefore, in the word their, when it is
   said that Jesus saw their faith: for Christ not only looked at those
   who brought the paralytic, but looked also at his faith.

   Thy sins are forgiven thee. Christ appears here to promise to the
   paralytic something different from what he had requested: but, as he
   intends to bestow health of body, he begins with removing the cause of
   the disease, and at the same time reminds the paralytic of the origin
   of his disease, and of the manner in which he ought to arrange his
   prayers. As men usually do not consider that the afflictions which they
   endure are God's chastisements, they desire nothing more than some
   alleviation in the flesh, and, in the meantime, feel no concern about
   their sins: just as if a sick man were to disregard his disease, and to
   seek only relief from present pain. [509] But the only way of obtaining
   deliverance from all evils is to have God reconciled to us. It does
   sometimes happen, that wicked men are freed from their distresses,
   while God is still their enemy: but when they think that they have
   completely escaped, the same evils immediately return, or more numerous
   and heavier calamities overwhelm them, which make it manifest that they
   will not be mitigated or terminated. until the wrath of God shall be
   appeased, as God declares by the Prophet Amos

   If thou escape a lion, a bear shall meet thee;
   if thou shut thyself up at home, a serpent shall bite thee,
   (Amos 5:19.)

   Thus it appears that this is a frequent and ordinary way of speaking in
   the Scriptures, to promise the pardon of sins, when the mitigation of
   punishments is sought. It is proper to attend to this order in our
   prayers. When the feeling of afflictions reminds us of our sins, let us
   first of all be careful to obtain pardon, that, when God is reconciled
   to us, he may withdraw his hand from punishing.

   3. And, lo, some of the scribes They accuse Christ of blasphemy and
   sacrilege, because he claims for himself what is God's prerogative. The
   other two Evangelists tell us also that they said, Who can forgive sins
   but God alone? It is beyond all question, that their eagerness to
   slander drove them to this wicked conclusion. If they think that there
   is any thing which deserves blame, why do they not inquire into it?
   [510] Besides, as the expression admits of more than one meaning, and
   as Christ said nothing more than what the Prophets frequently say when
   they announce the grace of God, why do they take in a bad sense what
   admits of a favorable interpretation? They must have been already
   poisoned by malice and envy, otherwise they would not so eagerly have
   seized an occasion of blaming Christ. They remain silent, but think in
   their hearts, that they may slander him when absent among people of
   their own class. It is no doubt true, that God alone has power and
   authority to forgive sins: but they are wrong in concluding that it
   does not belong to Christ, for he is God manifested in the flesh, (1
   Timothy 3:16.) They had a right to inquire on what grounds Christ laid
   claim to such authority: but, without any inquiry, they suppose him to
   be one of the common rank of men, and proceed rashly to condemn him.

   4. And when Jesus saw their thoughts He now gives a proof of his
   Divinity in bringing to light their secret thoughts: for who knoweth
   the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in him? (1
   Corinthians 2:11.) And so Mark adds, that Jesus knew by his Spirit:
   which means, that what was concealed in their hearts could not be
   perceived by man, but that Christ by his Divine Spirit knew it
   thoroughly. Why do you think evil? This does not imply that it gave
   them pain to see a mortal man assuming what God claims as his own
   prerogative, but that they proudly and wickedly rejected God, who was
   openly manifested to them.

   5. Whether is it easier to say? The meaning is, that, as it is not
   easier to quicken by a word a body which is nearly dead than to forgive
   sins, there is no reason to wonder that he forgives sins, when he has
   accomplished the other. The argument which our Lord uses may appear to
   be not well-founded: for, in proportion as the soul is more excellent
   than the body, the forgiveness of sins is a greater work than the
   healing of the body. But the reply is easy. Christ adapts his discourse
   to their capacity: for, being carnal, they were more powerfully
   affected by outward signs, than by all the spiritual power of Christ,
   which related to eternal salvation. Thus he proves the efficacy of the
   Gospel for quickening men from the fact, that at the last day he will
   raise the dead by his voice out of their graves.

   Wonder not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the
   graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth,
   (John 5:28,29.)

   This was a sufficiently powerful argument to refute those who reckoned
   a visible miracle of more importance than all things else. They could
   not say that he had no right to forgive the sins of the paralytic, when
   he restored to him health and rigour: for this was a result which
   followed from the forgiveness of sins.

   6. That the Son of man hath authority on earth. This authority is very
   different from what was given to the apostles, and from what is now
   exercised by the pastors of the Church: for they cannot so properly be
   said to pardon sins, as to declare that they are pardoned, when they
   deliver the commission which is entrusted to them. By these words
   Christ declares that he is not only the minister and witness, but
   likewise the author, of this grace. But what means this restriction, on
   earth? Of what avail will it be to us to have obtained pardon here, if
   it be not ratified in heaven? Christ's meaning was, that forgiveness of
   sins ought not to be sought from a distance: for he exhibits it to men
   in his own person, and as it were in his hands. So strong is our
   inclination to distrust, that we never venture to believe that God is
   merciful to us, till he draws near, and speaks familiarly to us. Now,
   as Christ descended to earth for the purpose of exhibiting to men the
   grace of God as present, he is said to forgive sins visibly, because in
   him and by him the will of God was revealed which, according to the
   perception of the flesh, had been formerly hidden above the clouds.

   8. And the multitudes who saw Instead of astonishment which Matthew
   mentions, [511] the other two Evangelists employ the word ekstasis, or
   amazement: and Luke adds fear But the design of all the Evangelists is
   to show, that the power of God was not merely acknowledged, but that
   all were struck with astonishment, and compelled to give glory to God.
   The fear, which followed the astonishment, had the effect of preventing
   them from opposing Christ, and of making them submit to him with
   reverence as a Prophet of God. Matthew expressly says, that they
   glorified God, who had given such authority to men Here they appear to
   be partly mistaken: for, though they see a man with their eyes, they
   ought to have perceived in him, by the mind, something higher than man.
   They are no doubt right in saying, that the nature of man received
   great honor in Christ for the general advantage of the human race: but
   as they do not perceive him to be God manifested in the flesh, (1
   Timothy 3:6,) their confession is involved in some error. [512] In a
   word, it was true, that God gave such authority to men: but the form
   and manner of giving was not yet understood by those who were not aware
   that the majesty of God was united to flesh.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [508] "Et disputoyent en leurs coeurs;" -- "and were disputing in their
   hearts."

   [509] "Cherchoik seulement remede a la douleur presente, qui n'est
   qu'un accident particulier de son mal;" -- "sought only a remedy for
   the present pain, which is but a particular accident of his disease."

   [510] "s'ils pensent qu'il y ait quelque chose digne de reprendre aux
   paroles de Christ, que ne parlent-ils a luy pour en avoir resolution?"
   -- "If they think that there is any thing worthy of blame in the words
   of Christ, why do they not speak to him to have it explained?"

   [511] It is remarkable that all the Latin editions which I have
   examined, -- the highly and justly celebrated Amsterdam edition, two
   Geneva editions, and Tholuck's, -- give the reading, "cujus meminit
   Lucas," which Luke mentions, instead of "cujus meminit Matthoeus,"
   which Matthew mentions, as the sense would have required. Matthew says,
   ethaumasan, they wondered, or were astonished Mark uses a part of the
   verb existamai hoste existasthai pantas,, so that all were amazed; and
   Luke uses the cognate noun, kai ekstasis elabn hapanatas and amazement
   seized all Still, the blunder must have been a slip of Calvin's pen,
   and would have been permitted to remain in the text, if there had not
   been express authority for the alteration in his own French version. --
   Ed.

   [512] "De quelque erreur et ignorance;" -- "in some error and
   ignorance."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:9-13; MARK 2:13-17; LUKE 5:27-32

   Matthew 9:9-13

   Mark 2:13-17

   Luke 5:27-32

   9. And Jesus, passing on, saw a man sitting at the custom-house, named
   Matthew, and saith to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed [513]
   him. 10. And it happened that he was reclining in that man's house,
   and, lo, many publicans and sinners who had come, reclined together
   with Jesus and his disciples. 11. And the Pharisees, when they saw it,
   said to his disciples, Why does your Master eat with publicans and
   sinners? 12. But Jesus, when he had heard it, said to them, Not they
   who are in health have need of a physician, but they who are diseased.
   13. But rather go, and learn what that means, I wish mercyh, and not
   sacrifice: for I came not to call righteous persons, but sinners, to
   repentance.

   13. And he departed again towards the sea, and the whole multitude came
   to him, and he taught them. 14. And while Jesus was passing along, he
   saw Levi, the son of Alpheus, sitting at the custom-house, and said to
   him, Follow me: and he arose and followed him. 15. And it happened,
   while he was reclining in that man's house, many publicans and sinners
   [514] also reclined along with Jesus and his disciples: for there were
   many who followed him. 16. And the scribes and Pharisees, when they saw
   him taking food with publicans and sinners, said to his disciples, Why
   is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
   17. Jesus, having heard this, saith to them, Not they who are in health
   have need of a physician, but they who are diseased. I came not to call
   righteous persons, but sinners to repentance.

   27. And after these things he went out, and saw a publican, named Levi,
   sitting at the custom-house, and said to him, Follow me. 28. And he
   left all, and followed him. [515] 29. And Levi made him a great banquet
   in his house; and there was a great multitude of publicans and others,
   who reclined with them. 30. And the scribes and Pharisees [516]
   murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do you eat and drink with
   publicans and sinners? 31. And Jesus answering said to them, Not they
   who are in health need a physician, but they who are diseased. 32. I
   came not to call righteous persons, but sinners, to repentance.


   Matthew 9:9. Jesus saw a man sitting at the customhouse. The
   custom-house has usually been a place noted for plundering and for
   unjust exactions, and was at that time particularly infamous. In the
   choice of Matthew out of that place, not only to be admitted into the
   family of Christ, but even to be called to the office of Apostle, we
   have a striking instance of the grace of God. It was the intention of
   Christ to choose simple and ignorant persons to that rank, in order to
   cast down the wisdom of the world, (1 Corinthians 2:6.) But this
   publican, who followed an occupation little esteemed and involved in
   many abuses, was selected for additional reasons, that he might be an
   example of Christ's undeserved goodness, and might show in his person
   that the calling of all of us depends, not on the merits of our own
   righteousness, but on his pure kindness. Matthew, therefore, was not
   only a witness and preacher, but was also a proof and illustration of
   the grace exhibited in Christ. he gives evidence of his gratitude in
   not being ashamed to hand down for perpetual remembrance the record of
   what he formerly was, and whence he was taken, that he might more fully
   illustrate in his person the grace of Christ. In the same manner Paul
   says:

   This is a faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
   save sinners, of whom I am chief, (1 Timothy 1:15.)

   As to Mark and Luke calling him Levi, it appears that this was his
   ordinary name: [517] but that his being a publican was the reason why
   he took a foreign name.

   Follow me There is no reason to doubt that Christ explained in many
   words why he was called, and on what conditions. This is more fully
   ascertained from Luke, who says, that he left all, rose up, and
   followed Christ: for it would not have been necessary for him to leave
   all, if he had not been a private disciple of Christ, and called in
   expectation of the Apostleship. In the great readiness and eagerness of
   Matthew to obey, we see the Divine power of the word of Christ. Not
   that all in whose ears he utters his voice are equally affected in
   their hearts: but in this man Christ intended to give a remarkable
   example, that we might know that his calling was not from man. [518]

   Luke 5:29. And Levi made him a great banquet This appears to be at
   variance with what Luke relates, that he left all: but the solution is
   easy. Matthew disregarded every hinderance, and gave up himself
   entirely to Christ, but yet did not abandon the charge of his own
   domestic affairs. When Paul, referring to the example of soldiers,
   exhorts the ministers of the word to be free and disentangled from
   every hinderance, and to devote their labors to the church, he says:

   No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of life,
   that he may please the commander, (2 Timothy 2:4.)

   He certainly does not mean, that those who enroll themselves in the
   military profession divorce their wives, forsake their children, and
   entirely desert their homes; but that they quit their homes for a time,
   and leave behind them every care, that they may be wholly employed in
   war. In the same manner, nothing kept Matthew from following where
   Christ called; and yet he freely used both his house and his property,
   as far as the nature of his calling allowed. It was necessary, indeed,
   that he should leave the custom-house: for, had he been detained there,
   he would not have been a follower of Christ. [519]

   It is called a great banquet, with reference not to the multitude of
   the guests, but to the abundance and magnificence of the provisions:
   for we know that Christ did not practise such austerity, as not to
   allow himself to be sometimes entertained more splendidly by the rich,
   provided that there were no superfluity. Yet we cannot doubt that, as
   he was a remarkable example of temperance, so he exhorted those who
   entertained him to frugality and moderation in diet, and would never
   have endured wasteful and extravagant luxuries. Matthew says that
   sinners--that is, men of wicked lives and of infamous character--came
   to the banquet. The reason was, that the publicans, being themselves
   generally hated and despised, did not disdain to associate with persons
   of that description; for, as moderate correction produces shame and
   humiliation in transgressors, so excessive severity drives some persons
   to despair, makes them leave off all shame, and abandon themselves to
   wickedness. In levying custom or taxes there was nothing wrong: but
   when the publicans saw themselves cast off as ungodly and detestable
   persons, they sought consolation in the society of those who did not
   despise them on account of the bad and disgraceful reputation which
   they shared along with them. Meanwhile, they mixed with adulterers,
   drunkards, and such characters; whose crimes they would have detested,
   and whom they would not have resembled, had not the public hatred and
   detestation driven them to that necessity.

   Matthew 9:11. Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners? The
   scribes attack the disciples of Christ, and, with the view of
   soliciting them to revolt, reproach him with what was at first sight
   base and shameful." Of what use was it that he should be their Master,
   if it were not to withdraw them from the majority of men to lead a
   holier life? On the contrary, he withdrew them from a respectable and
   passable condition in life to ungodly licentiousness, and to pollute
   themselves by wicked companions." Ignorant and wavering disciples might
   have been induced by such reproaches to desert their Master. But they
   act properly when, not finding themselves sufficiently fortified
   against such a calumny, they carry their complaint to their Master: for
   Christ, by opposing the scribes, confirms his disciples for the future.

   12. Not they who are in health need a physician It is evident from
   Christ's reply that the scribes erred in two ways: they did not take
   into account the office of Christ; and, while they spared their own
   vices, they proudly despised all others. This deserves our particular
   attention, for it is a disease which has been always very general.
   Hypocrites, being satisfied and intoxicated with a foolish confidence
   in their own righteousness, do not consider the purpose for which
   Christ was sent into the world, and do not acknowledge the depth of
   evils in which the human race is plunged, or the dreadful wrath and
   curse of God which lies on all, or the accumulated load of vices which
   weighs them down.

   The consequence is, that they are too stupid to feel the miseries of
   men, or to think of a remedy. While they flatter themselves, they
   cannot endure to be placed in their own rank, and think that injustice
   is done them, when they are classed with transgressors. Our Lord
   glances at this second error by replying, that they who are in health
   have no need of a physician It is an ironical admission, [520] and is
   intended to show that they are offended when they see sinners, because
   they claim righteousness for themselves. Because you are in health, (he
   says,) you despise the sick, are offended at them, and cannot endure
   the sight of them: but a physician ought to be affected in a very
   different manner. He afterwards points out that he must discharge the
   duties of a physician, because he has been sent by the Father to call
   sinners

   Though Christ begins with reproof, yet if we desire to make progress in
   his doctrine, what he has put in the second place must receive our
   first consideration. He came to quicken the dead, to justify the guilty
   and condemned, to wash those who were polluted and full of uncleanness,
   to rescue the lost from hell, to clothe with his glory those who were
   covered with shame, to renew to a blessed immortality those who were
   debased by disgusting vices. If we consider that this was his office
   and the end of his coming, -- if we remember that this was the reason
   why he took upon him our flesh, why he shed his blood, why he offered
   the sacrifice of his death, why he descended even to hell, we will
   never think it strange that he should gather to salvation those who
   have been the worst of men, and who have been covered with a mass of
   crimes.

   He whom you detest appears to you to be unworthy of the grace of
   Christ. Why then was Christ himself made a sacrifice and a curse, but
   that he might stretch out his hand to accursed sinners? Now, if we feel
   disgust at being associated by Baptism and the Lord's Supper with vile
   men, and regard our connection with them as a sort of stain upon us, we
   ought immediately to descend into ourselves, and to search without
   flattery our own evils. Such an examination will make us willingly
   allow ourselves to be washed in the same fountain with the most impure,
   and will hinder us from rejecting the righteousness which he offers
   indiscriminately to all the ungodly, the life which he offers to the
   dead, and the salvation which he offers to the lost.

   13. But rather go and learn He dismisses and orders them to depart,
   because he saw that they were obstinate and unwilling to learn. Or
   rather he explains to them, that they are contending with God and the
   Prophet, when, in pride and cruelty, they are offended at relief which
   is given to the wretched, and at medicine which is administered to the
   sick. This quotation is made from Hosea 6:6:

   For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice;
   and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.

   The subject of the prophet's discourse had been the vengeance of God
   against the Jews. That they might not excuse themselves by saying that
   they were performing the outward worship of God, (as they were wont to
   boast in a careless manner about their ceremonies,) he declares that
   God has no delight in sacrifices, when their minds are destitute of
   piety, and when their conduct is at variance with uprightness and
   righteousness. That the statement, I desired not sacrifice, must be
   understood comparatively, is evident from the second clause, that the
   knowledge of God is better than burnt-offerings By these words he does
   not absolutely reject burnt-offerings, but places them in a rank
   inferior to piety and faith. We ought to hold, that faith and spiritual
   worship are in themselves pleasing to God, and that charity and the
   duties of humanity towards our neighbors are in themselves required;
   but that sacrifices are but appendages, so to speak, which are of no
   value or estimation, where substantial truth is not found. On this
   subject I have treated more fully at the tenth chapter of the Epistle
   to the Hebrews. It ought to be observed that there is a synecdoche in
   the word mercy: for under one head the prophet embraces all the
   kindness which we owe to our brethren.

   For I came not Though this was spoken for the purpose of reproving the
   pride and hypocrisy of the scribes, yet it contains, in a general form,
   a very profitable doctrine. We are reminded that the grace of Christ is
   of no advantage to us, unless when, conscious of our sins, and groaning
   under their load, we approach to him with humility. There is also
   something here which is fitted to elevate weak consciences to a firm
   assurance: for we have no reason to fear that Christ will reject
   sinners, to call whom he descended from his heavenly glory. But we must
   also attend to the expression, to repentance: which is intended to
   inform us that pardon is granted to us, not to cherish our sins, but to
   recall us to the earnestness of a devout and holy life. He reconciles
   us to the Father on this condition, that, being redeemed by his blood,
   we may present ourselves true sacrifices, as Paul tells us:

   The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men,
   teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
   soberly, and righteously, and devoutly in this world, (Titus 2:11,12.)
     __________________________________________________________________

   [513] "Surgens assequutus est;" -- "rising followed."

   [514] "Gens de mauvaise vie;" -- "people of bad life."

   [515] There is nothing here answering to anastas, rising up But the
   omission must have been accidental: for the French version runs thus:
   "lequel se levant, abandonna tout, et suivit;" -- "who, rising up,
   forsook all, and followed." -- Ed.

   [516] "Et ceux d'entre eux qui estoyent scribes et Pharisiens;" --"and
   those among them who were scribes and Pharisees."

   [517] "Il est aise a voir que c'estoit son droit nom par lequel les
   gens du pays l'appeloyent;" -- "it is easy to see that it was his right
   name, by which the people of the country called him."

   [518] "Qu'il n'a pas este appele par un moyen procedant de l'homme;" --
   "that he was not called by a method proceeding from man."

   [519] "Pource qu'ayant cest empeschement, il n'eust pas peu suivre la
   compagnie de Christ;" -- "because, having that hinderance, he could not
   have followed the company of Christ."

   [520] "C'est une concession par ironie, (c'est a dire, moquerie;")--"it
   is an admission made in irony, (that is, in ridicule.")
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:14-17; MARK 2:18-22; LUKE 5:33-39

   Matthew 9:14-17

   Mark 2:18-22

   Luke 5:33-39

   14. Then come to him the disciples of John, saying, For what reason do
   we and the Pharisees fast often, while thy disciples do not fast?
   15. And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridegroom [521]
   mourn, so long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come,
   when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
   16. And no man putteth a piece of fresh cloth on an old garment: for
   that which fills up takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
   17. Nor do they put new wine into old bottles; otherwise the bottles
   burst, and the wine is spilt, and the bottles are lost: but they put
   new wine into new bottles, and both are at the same time preserved.

   18. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were in the habit of
   fasting; and they come and say to him, Why do the disciples of John and
   of the Pharisees fast, and thy disciples do not fast? 19. And Jesus
   saith to them, Can the children of the nuptial bed [522] fast, while
   the bridegroom is with them? So long as they have the bridegroom with
   them, they cannot fast. 20. But the days will come, when the bridegroom
   shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
   21. And no person seweth a piece of fresh cloth on an old garment:
   otherwise the new addition taketh from the old, and the rent is made
   worse. 22. And no person putteth new wine into old bottles; otherwise
   the new wine bursts the bottles, and the wine is spilt, and the bottles
   are lost: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

   33. And they said to him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and
   make prayers, and in the same manner the disciples of the Pharisees,
   while thine eat and drink? 34. To whom he saith, Can you make the
   children of the marriage bed to fast while the bridegroom is with them?
   35. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from
   them: then shall they fast in those days. 36. And he spoke a parable to
   them: No person putteth a piece of a new garment on an old garment;
   otherwise what is new is torn, and what is added of the new agreeth not
   with the old. 37. And no person putteth new wine into old bottles:
   otherwise the new wine will burst the bottles, and will be spilt, and
   the bottles will be lost. 38. But new wine must be put into new
   bottles, and both are preserved. 39. And no person who has drunk old
   wine immediately desires the new: for he saith, The old is better.


   Matthew 9:14. Then come to him the disciples of John. Luke represents
   the Pharisees as speaking: Mark appears to connect both. And, indeed,
   there is no room to doubt that the Pharisees maliciously endeavored, by
   this stratagem, to draw the disciples of John to their party, and to
   produce a quarrel between them and the disciples of Christ. A
   resemblance in prayers and fastings was a plausible pretext for
   associating at this time: while the different manner in which Christ
   acted was an occasion of enmity and dislike to men whose temper was
   unamiable, and who were excessively devoted to themselves.

   This example reminds us, that prudence and caution are necessary to
   prevent wicked and cunning men from sowing divisions among us on any
   slight grounds. Satan has a wonderful dexterity, no doubt, in laying
   those snares; and it is an easy matter to distress us about a trifle.
   [523] But we ought especially to beware lest the unity of faith be
   destroyed, or the bond of charity broken, on account of outward
   ceremonies. Almost all labor under the disease of attaching undue
   importance to the ceremonies and elements of the world, as Paul calls
   them, (Galatians 4:3; Colossians 2:8;) and accordingly they do not
   hesitate, for the most part, to prefer the merest rudiments to the
   highest perfection. This is followed by another evil arising out of
   fastidiousness and pride, when every man would willingly compel the
   whole world to copy his example. If any thing pleases us, we forthwith
   desire to make it a law, that others may live according to our
   pleasure.

   When we read that the disciples of John were caught by these snares of
   Satan, let us first learn not to place holiness in outward and
   indifferent matters, and at the same time to restrain ourselves by
   moderation and equity, that we may not desire to restrict others to
   what we approve, but may allow every one to retain his freedom. As to
   fasting and prayers, it ought to be understood, that John gave his
   disciples a particular training, and that for this purpose they had
   stated days for fastings, a settled form, and fixed hours of prayer.
   Now, I reckon those prayers among outward observances. For, though
   calling on God holds the first rank in spiritual worship, yet that
   method of doing it was adapted to the unskilfulness of men, and is
   justly reckoned among ceremonies and indifferent matters, the
   observance of which ought not to be too strictly enjoined. Of the
   reason why John's discipline was more severe than that of Christ we
   have already spoken, and a more convenient opportunity for treating of
   it will again occur.

   15. Can the children of the bridegroom mourn? Christ apologizes for his
   disciples on the score of the season, alleging that God was still
   pleased to indulge them in joyous feelings, as if they were present at
   a marriage: for he compares himself to the bridegroom, who enlivens his
   friends by his presence. Chrysostom thinks that this comparison was
   taken from the testimony of John the Baptist, He that hath the bride is
   the bridegroom, (John 3:29.) I have no objection to that view, though I
   do not think that it rests on solid grounds. Let us be satisfied with
   Christ's declaration, that he spares his disciples, and treats them
   with gentleness, so long as he is with them. That none may envy them
   advantages which are of short duration, he gives warning that they will
   very soon be treated with greater harshness and severity.

   The apology rests on this consideration, that fasting and prayers are
   adapted to sorrow and adversity: extraordinary prayers I mean, such as
   are here mentioned. Christ certainly intended to accustom them, by
   degrees, to greater patience, and not to lay on them a heavy burden,
   till they gained more strength. Hence we ought to learn a twofold
   instruction. When the Lord sometimes endures the weakness of our
   brethren, and acts towards them with gentleness, while he treats us
   with greater severity, we have no right to murmur. Again, when we
   sometimes obtain relief from sorrow and from vexations, let us beware
   of giving ourselves up to enjoyments; but let us, on the contrary,
   remember that the nuptials will not always last. The children of the
   bridegroom, or of the nuptial bed, is a Hebrew phrase, which denotes
   the guests at a marriage. [524]

   16. And no man putteth a piece of fresh cloth. He supports the
   preceding statement by two comparisons, one of which is taken from
   garments, and the other from vessels of wine Those who think that he
   compares worn-out garments and decayed bottles to the Pharisees, and
   new wine and fresh cloth to the doctrine of the gospel, have no
   probability on their side. The comparison is beautifully adapted to the
   matter in hand, if we explain it as referring to the weak and tender
   disciples of Christ, and to a discipline more strict than they were
   able to bear. Nor is it of any consequence that the idea of being old
   does not agree with scholars who were only commencing: for, when Christ
   compares his disciples to old bottles and torn garments, he does not
   mean that they were wasted by long use, but that they were weak and
   wanted strength. The amount of the statement is, that all must not be
   compelled indiscriminately to live in the same manner, for there is a
   diversity of natural character, and all things are not suitable to all;
   and particularly, we ought to spare the weak, that they may not be
   broken by violence, or crushed by the weight of the burden. Our Lord
   speaks according to the custom of the country, when he uses the word
   bottles instead of tuns or casks [525]

   Luke 5:39. And no person who has drunk old wine. This statement is
   given by Luke alone, and is undoubtedly connected with the preceding
   discourse. Though commentators have tortured it in a variety of ways, I
   take it simply as a warning to the Pharisees not to attach undue
   importance to a received custom. For how comes it that wine, the taste
   of which remains unaltered, is not equally agreeable to every palate,
   but because custom and habit form the taste? Hence it follows, that
   Christ's manner of acting towards his disciples is not less worthy of
   approbation, because it has less show and splendor: as old wine, though
   it does not foam with the sharpness of new wine, is not less agreeable
   on that account, or less fitted for the nourishment of the body.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [521] "Filii sponsi." -- "Les gens de la chambre du marie peuvent ils
   mener dueil, pendant que le marie est avec eux?" -- "Can the children
   of the married man's chamber be in mourning, while the married man is
   with them?"

   [522] "Les gens de nopces;" -- "the marriage party."

   [523] "Pour des choses qui ne valent pas le parler;" -- "for things
   that are not worth talking about."

   [524] "Les fils de l'espoux, (comme il y a en tournant de mot a mot,)
   par une facon de parler des Hebrieux signifient ceux qui sont appelez
   au banquet des nopces." -- "The children of the bridegroom, (as the
   words may be literally rendered,) by a mode of speaking among the
   Hebrews, denote those who were invited to the marriage banquet."

   [525] "Au reste, le mot Grec dont use l'Evangeliste signifie proprement
   des vaisseaux faits de cuir, desquels on usoit pour mettre le vin:
   comme au- jourdhui nous avons des muids ou des pipes." -- "Besides, the
   Greek word, which the Evangelist employs, literally signifies vessels
   made of leather, which were used for containing wine: as in the present
   day we have hogsheads or butts "
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:18-22; MARK 5:22-34; LUKE 8:40-48

   Matthew 9:18-22

   Mark 5:22-34

   Luke 8:40-48

   18. While he was speaking these things to them, a certain ruler came,
   and worshipped him, [526] saying, My daughter is now dead; but come and
   lay thy hand upon her, and she will live. 19. And Jesus arose, and
   followed him, and likewise his disciples, 20. And, lo, a woman, who had
   been afflicted with a bloody flux for twelve years came behind him, and
   touched the tuft of his cloak: 21. For she said within herself, If I
   shall only touch his cloak, I shall be cured. 22. But Jesus turned
   round, and, when he saw her, he said, Take courage, my daughter; thy
   faith hath cured thee. And the woman was cured from that time.

   22. And, lo, one of the rulers of the synagogue, by name Jarius, came:
   and when he had seen him, he fell at his feet. 23. And he besought him
   earnestly, saying, My daughter is at the point of death: I entreat that
   thou wilt come, and lay thy hands upon her, that she may be cured, and
   she shall live. 24. And Jesus went away with him: and a great multitude
   followed him, and they pressed upon him. 25. And a certain woman, who
   had been subject to a bloody flux for twelve years, 26. And had
   suffered much from many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and
   had not at all recovered, but had rather grown worse, 27. When she had
   heard of Jesus, came in the crowd behind him, and touched his cloak.
   28. For she said, If I shall touch but his cloak, I shall be cured.
   29. And immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she
   felt in her body that she had been delivered from the scourge. 30. And
   Jesus suddenly knowing in himself that power had gone out from him,
   turned round in the crowd, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31. And
   his disciples said to him, Thou seest the crowd on all sides pressing
   upon thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32. And he looked around to
   see her who who had done this. 33. But the woman, fearing and
   trembling, knowing what had been done in her, came and fell down before
   him, and told him all the truth. 34. And he said to her, Daughter, thy
   faith hath cured thee: go in peace, and be delivered from thy scourge.

   40. And it happened, while Jesus was returning, the multitude received
   him: for they were all waiting for him. 41. And, lo, a man came, whose
   name was Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue, and fell at the
   feet of Jesus, beseeching him to enter into his house. 42. For he had
   an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But
   while he was going, the multitudes pressed upon him. 43 And a woman,
   who had been subject to a bloody flux for twelve years, who had spent
   all her substance on physicians, and could not be cured by an one,
   44. Approached behind, and touched the tuft of his cloak, and
   immediately her issue of blood was stopped. 45. And Jesus said, Who is
   it that touched me? And while all were denying, Peter, and those who
   were with him, said, Master, the multitudes press upon and distress
   thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46. And Jesus said, Some person
   hath touched me: for I know that power hath gone out form me. 47. And
   the woman seeing that she was not concealed, came trembling, and fell
   down before his feet, and told him before all the people for what
   reason she had touched him, and in what manner she had been immediately
   cured. 48. And he said to her, Take courage, my daughter: thy faith
   hath cured; go in peace.


   Matthew 9:18. While he was speaking these things to them. Those who
   imagine that the narrative, which is here given by Mark and Luke, is
   different from that of Matthew, are so clearly refuted by the passage
   itself, that there is no necessity for a lengthened debate. All the
   three agree in saying that Christ was requested by a ruler of the
   synagogue to enter his house for the purpose of curing his daughter The
   only difference is, that the name of Jairus, which is withheld by
   Matthew, is mentioned by Mark and Luke; and that he represents the
   father as saying, My daughter is dead, while the other two say that she
   was in her last moments, and that, while he was bringing Christ, her
   death was announced to him on the road. But there is no absurdity in
   saying that Matthew, studying brevity, merely glances at those
   particulars which the other two give in minute detail. But since all
   the other points agree with such exactness, since so many circumstances
   conspire as to give it the appearance of three fingers stretched out at
   the same time to point out a single object, there is no argument that
   would justify us in dividing this history into various dates. The
   Evangelists agree in relating, that while Christ, at the request of a
   ruler of the synagogue, was coming to his house, a woman on the road
   was secretly cured of a bloody flux by touching his cloak; and that
   afterwards Christ came into the ruler's house, and raised a dead young
   woman to life. There is no necessity, I think, for circuitous language
   to prove that all the three relate the same event. Let us now come to
   details.

   Lo, a certain ruler. Though it is evident from the other two, that his
   confidence had not advanced so far as to hope that his daughter's life
   could be restored, there is no room to doubt that, after having been
   reproved by Christ, he entertained a stronger hope than when he left
   his house. But Matthew, as we have said, studies brevity, and puts down
   at the very beginning of his narrative what took place at various
   times. The manner in which the history must be arranged is this: Jairus
   first requested that his daughter might be cured of her disease, and
   afterwards that she might be restored from death to life; that is,
   after that Christ had given him courage to do so. Worship, or
   adoration, is here put for kneeling, as is evident from the words of
   Mark and Luke: for Jairus did not render divine honor to Christ, [527]
   but treated him with respect as a prophet of God; and we all know how
   common a practice kneeling was among eastern nations.

   Come and lay thy hand. We have here a bright mirror in which the divine
   condescension towards us is beheld. If you compare the ruler of the
   synagogue with the centurion, who was a heathen, (Matthew 8:5-10,) you
   will say that the full brightness of faith shone in the centurion,
   while scarcely the smallest portion of it was visible in the ruler He
   ascribes to Christ no power except through his touching the person;
   and, when he has received information of her death, he trembles as if
   there were no farther remedy. We see, then, that his faith was feeble
   and nearly exhausted. Yet Christ yields to his prayers, and encourages
   him to expect a favorable result, and thus proves to us that his faith,
   however small it might be, was not wholly rejected. Though we have not
   such abundance of faith as might be desired, there is no reason why our
   weakness should drive away or discourage us from prayer.

   20. And, lo, a woman who had been afflicted with a bloody flux. For
   twelve successive years the bloody flux had lasted, and the woman was
   so far from being negligent in seeking remedies, that she had spent all
   her substance on physicians All this is expressly stated by the
   Evangelists, that the miracle may shine with brighter glory. When an
   incurable disease was removed so suddenly, and by the mere touch of a
   garment, it is perfectly obvious that it was not accomplished by human
   power. The thought of the woman that, if she only touched Christ's
   garment, she would immediately be cured, arose from an extraordinary
   impulse of the Holy Spirit, and ought not to be regarded as a general
   rule. We know how eagerly superstition is wont to sport in foolish and
   thoughtless attempts to copy the saints; but they are apes, and not
   imitators, who take up some remarkable example without the command of
   God, and are led rather by their own senses than by the direction of
   the Spirit.

   It is even possible that there was a mixture of sin and error in the
   woman's faith, which Christ graciously bears and forgives. Certainly,
   when she afterwards thinks that she has done wrong, and fears and
   trembles, there is no apology for that kind of doubt: for it is opposed
   to faith. Why did she not rather go straight to Christ? If her
   reverence for him prevented, from what other source than from his mercy
   did she expect aid? How comes it, then, that she is afraid of offending
   him, if she was convinced of his favorable regard?

   Yet Christ bestows high commendation on her faith. This agrees with
   what I have lately noticed, that God deals kindly and gently with his
   people, -- accepts their faith, though imperfect and weak, -- and does
   not lay to their charge the faults and imperfections with which it is
   connected. It was by the guidance of faith, therefore, that the woman
   approached to Christ. When she stopped at the garment, instead of
   presenting herself in prayers that she might be cured, inconsiderate
   zeal may have drawn her a little aside from the right path;
   particularly as she soon afterwards shows that she had made the attempt
   with some degree of doubt and uncertainty. Were we even to grant that
   this was suggested to her by the Spirit, it still remains a fixed rule,
   that our faith must not be driven hither and thither by particular
   examples, but ought to rest wholly on the word of God, according to the
   saying of Paul, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
   God, (Romans 10:17.) This is a highly necessary warning, that we may
   not dignify with the name of faith any opinion which has been rashly
   embraced.

   Luke 8:45. Who is it that touched me, Mark expresses it still more
   clearly, when he says that Christ looked around to see who she was. It
   does appear to be absurd that Christ should pour out his grace without
   knowing on whom he was bestowing a favor. There is not less difficulty
   in what he shortly afterwards says, that he perceived that power had
   gone out from him: as if, while it flowed from him, it was not a free
   gift bestowed at those times, and on those persons, whom he was pleased
   to select. Beyond all question, he knowingly and willingly cured the
   woman; and there is as little doubt that he drew her to himself by his
   Spirit, that she might obtain a cure: but he puts the question to her,
   that she may freely and publicly make it known. If Christ had been the
   only witness of his miracle, his statements might not perhaps have been
   believed: but now, when the woman, struck with dread, relates what
   happened to her, greater weight is due to her confession.

   Matthew 9:22. Take courage, my daughter. This expression shows the
   weakness of her faith for, had there been no impropriety in her
   trembling, Christ would not have corrected it by exhorting her to take
   courage Yet, at the same time, he commends her faith; and this supports
   the view which I have already stated, that, while she sought Christ by
   the guidance of the Spirit, and from a sincere and pious desire, she
   hesitated in such a manner as to need to be strengthened. Thus we see
   that faith, in order to please God, needs forgiveness, and is at the
   same time sustained by new aid, that it may acquire additional
   strength. We may here draw a comparison from the health of the body to
   that of the soul: for, as Christ says that the woman's deliverance from
   her disease was the consequence of her faith, so it is certain, that we
   obtain by faith the forgiveness of sins, which reconciles us to God.

   Mark 5:34. Go in peace, and be delivered from thy scourge. From this
   exhortation we infer that the benefit which she had obtained was fully
   ratified, when she heard from the lips of Christ what she had already
   learned from experience: for we do not truly, or with a safe
   conscience, enjoy God's benefits in any other way than by possessing
   them as contained in the treasury of his promises.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [526] "Lequel s'enclina devant lui;" -- "who bowed down before him."

   [527] "Car Jairus ne pretendoit pas d'attribuer a Christ un honneur
   appar-tenant a la majeste Divine;" -- "for Jairus did not profess to
   ascribe to Christ an honor belonging to the Divine majesty."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:23-26; MARK 5:35-43; LUKE 8:49-56

   Matthew 9:23-26

   Mark 5:35-43

   Luke 8:49-56

   23. And when Jesus came into the house of the ruler, and saw the
   musicians and the multitude making a noise, 24. He saith to them,
   Withdraw: for the young woman is not dead, but sleepeth: and they
   ridiculed him. 25. And when the multitude was put out, he entered and
   took hold of her hand, and the girl arose. 26. And this report spread
   into all that country.

   35. While he is still speaking, there come from the ruler of the
   synagogue persons who say, Thy daughter is dead: why dost thou trouble
   the Master any farther? 36. And immediately on hearing the word which
   was said, he saith to the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only
   believe. 37. And he did not permit any one to follow him, except Peter,
   and James, and John the brother of James. 38. And he came into the
   house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw the tumult, and persons
   who wept and lamented much. 39. And he entered, and said to them, Why
   do you vex yourselves and lament? the girl is not dead, but sleepeth.
   40. And they ridiculed him. But, having put them all out, he taketh the
   father and mother of the girl, and those who were with him, and
   entereth where the girl is lying. 41. And he took hold of the hand of
   the girl, and said to her, Talitha-cumi: which is, if one interpret it,
   Girl, I say to thee, Arise. 42. And immediately the girl arose, and
   walked: for she was twelve years of age. And they were astonished with
   a great astonishment. 43. And he charged them earnestly, that no man
   should know it: and commanded them to give her something to eat.

   49. While he was still speaking, one came from the house of the ruler
   of the synagogue, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead, do not trouble
   the Master. 50. But Jesus, having heard this, replied to the ruler,
   saying, Fear not, only believe, and she shall be cured. 51. And when he
   came into the house, he did not permit any one to enter, except Peter,
   and James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. 52. And all
   were weeping and bewailing her. But he said, Weep not: she is not dead,
   but sleepeth. 53. And they ridiculed him, knowing that she was dead.
   54. And he having put them all out, took hold of her hand, and cried
   out, saying, Girl, arise. 55. And her spirit returned, and she
   immediately arose: and he commanded to give her something to eat.
   56. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them to tell no man
   what had been done.


   Mark 5:36. Fear not, only believe. The message about her death had
   induced despair: for he had asked nothing from Christ but relief to the
   diseased young woman. Christ therefore bids him take care lest, by fear
   or distrust, he shut out that grace, to which death will be no
   hindrance. By this expression, only believe, he means that he will not
   want power, provided Jairus will allow him; and, at the same time,
   exhorts him to enlarge his heart with confidence, because there is no
   room to fear that his faith will be more extensive than the boundless
   power of God. And truly this is the case with us all: for God would be
   much more liberal in his communications to us, if we were not so close;
   but our own scanty desires hinder him from pouring out his gifts upon
   us in greater abundance. [528] In general, we are taught by this
   passage, that we cannot go beyond bounds in believing: because our
   faith, however large, will never embrace the hundredth part of the
   divine goodness.

   37. And did not permit any one to follow him. He forbade that they
   should be allowed to enter, either because they were unworthy to be his
   witnesses of the miracle, or because he did not choose that the miracle
   should be overpowered by a noisy crowd around him. It was better that
   the young woman, whose dead body they had beheld, should suddenly go
   out before the eyes of men, alive and full of rigor. Mark and Luke tell
   us that not more than three of the disciples were admitted, and both
   mention also the parents. Mark alone states that those who had
   accompanied Jairus when he came to supplicate Christ were admitted.
   Matthew, who is more concise, takes no notice of this circumstance.

   Luke 8:52. And all were weeping. The Evangelists mention the
   lamentation, that the resurrection may be more fully believed. Matthew
   expressly states that musicians were present, which was not usually the
   case till the death had been ascertained, and while the preparations
   for the funeral were going forward. The flute, he tells us, was heard
   in plaintive airs. Now, though their intention was to bestow this sort
   of honor on their dead, and as it were to adorn their grave, we see how
   strongly inclined the world is not only to indulge but to promote its
   faults. It was their duty to employ every method for allaying grief;
   but as if they had not sinned enough in disorderly lamentation, they
   are eager to heighten it by fresh excitements. The Gentiles even
   thought that this was a way of soothing departed spirits; and hence we
   see how many corruptions were at that time spread throughout Judea.
   [529]

   Mark 5:39 The girl sleepeth. Sleep is everywhere in Scripture employed
   to denote death; and there is no doubt but this comparison, taken from
   temporal rest, points out a future resurrection. But here Christ
   expressly makes a distinction between sleep and death, so as to excite
   an expectation of life. His meaning is, "You will presently see her
   raised up whom you suppose to be dead." That he was ridiculed by
   thoughtless and ignorant people, who were wholly engrossed with profane
   lamentation, and who did not comprehend his design, ought not to awaken
   surprise. And yet this very circumstance was an additional confirmation
   of the miracle, that those persons entertained no doubt whatever as to
   her death.

   41. And he took hold of her hand, and said to her Luke 8:54. And he
   took hold of her hand, and cried Though naturally this cry was of no
   avail for recalling the senses of the deceased young woman, yet Christ
   intended to give a magnificent display of the power of his voice, that
   he might more fully accustom men to listen to his doctrine. It is easy
   to learn from this the great efficacy of the voice of Christ, which
   reaches even to the dead, and exerts a quickening influence on death
   itself. Accordingly, Luke says that her spirit returned, or, in other
   words, that immediately on being called, it obeyed the command of
   Christ.

   43. And he charged them Though Christ did not admit all
   indiscriminately to behold this resurrection, yet the miracle might not
   have remained long concealed. And it would indeed have been improper to
   suppress that power of God, by which the whole world ought to be
   prepared for life. Why then does he enjoin silence on the young woman's
   parents? Perhaps it was not so much about the fact itself, as about the
   manner of it, that he wished them to be silent, and that only for a
   time; for we see that there were other instances in which he sought out
   a proper occasion. Those who think that they were forbidden to speak
   for the purpose of whetting their desire, resort to a solution which is
   unnatural. I do acknowledge that Christ did not perform this miracle
   without the intention of making it known, but perhaps at a more fitting
   time, or after the dismission of a crowd among whom there was no
   prudence or moderation. He therefore intended to allow some delay, that
   they might in quietness and composure revolve the work of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [528] "Mais la petitesse, et (par maniere de dire) la chicete de nostre
   foy, l'empesche de faire decouler plus abondamment ses biens sur nous;"
   -- "But the smallness and (so to speak) the niggardliness of our faith,
   hinders him from making his benefits flow more abundantly on us."

   [529] "Dont nous pouvons recueillir comment le pays de Judee estoit
   lots reinply de beaucoup de corruptions, et diverses sortes d'abus;" --
   "whence we may infer how much the country of Judea was then filled with
   many corruptions, and various sorts of abuses."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:27-34

   Matthew 9:27-34

   27. And while Jesus was departing thence, two blind men followed him,
   crying and saying, Have pity on us, son of David. 28. And when he had
   come into the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus saith to
   them, Do you believe that I can do this? They say to him, Yes, Lord.
   29. Then he touched their eyes, saying, Let it be to you according to
   your faith. 30. And their eyes were opened, and Jesus threatened them,
   [530] saying, See that no man know it. 31. But when they had departed,
   they spread the report of it in all that country. 32. And while they
   were going out, lo, they brought to him a dumb man, a demoniac. 33. And
   when the devil had been cast out, the dumb man spake, and the
   multitudes wondered, saying, Nothing like this was ever seen in Israel.
   34. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils by the prince of the
   devils.


   Matthew 9:27. And while Jesus was departing. The other Evangelists say
   nothing about these two miracles; for, as we have already said, and as
   John expressly affirms, (21:25,) they did not intend to record every
   action of Christ, but only to prove, by a brief summary, that he is the
   Messiah. Now Matthew relates that sight was restored to two blind men,
   but not so speedily as Christ was wont, on many other occasions, to
   grant relief to the wretched. While they cry to him on the road, he
   makes no reply, but, as if he appeared not to notice them, allows them
   to follow him to his lodging. There he at length asks them what they
   believe as to his power. Both by action and by words he intended to
   make trial of their faith; for he holds them in suspense, -- nay,
   passes by as if he did not hear them, -- tries their patience, and what
   root faith had in their heads. When he afterwards inquires if they
   believe, he pursues the same investigation. But it may be asked, if a
   man is convinced of the power of God and of Christ, is that enough to
   make him a believer? for such appears to be the meaning of the words,

   28. Do you believe that I can do this? But from other passages of
   Scripture, it is evident that our knowledge of his power will be cold
   and unprofitable, if we are not convinced of his willingness. And yet
   Christ is satisfied with their reply, and applauds their faith, as if
   it had been all that could be wished. I answer, they had some
   perception of his grace; for they had already acknowledged him to be
   the Son of David; bestowing upon him this title as Redeemer of their
   nation and author of all blessings. He interrogates them, therefore, as
   to his power, and proceeds farther to inquire if they believe in good
   earnest. Faith embraces the mercy and fatherly love of God along with
   his power, and the generous design of Christ along with his ability to
   save. But as men commonly ascribe less than they ought to do to the
   power of God and the ability of Christ, there was good reason for
   proposing this question to the blind men, if they believe that Christ
   can do what they have professed with their mouth. Indeed, Christ wished
   simply to know if they were candid in yielding to him the honor of
   Messiah; and therefore he applauds their faith, because under that low
   and despicable appearance they acknowledged him to be the Son of David

   29. According to your faith. Though the subject of the narrative is a
   remarkable benefit conferred on two blind men, yet from this
   declaration of Christ we may draw the general doctrine, that if we pray
   in faith, we will never sustain a refusal in our prayers. But if those
   two men, whose faith was small and imperfectly formed, obtained what
   they wished, much more efficacious will now be the faith of those who,
   endued with the Spirit of adoption, and relying on the sacrifice of
   Christ, shah approach to God.

   30. And Jesus threatened them Either he wished to have other persons as
   witnesses of the miracle, or to delay the publication of it till
   another time. Their conduct in immediately proclaiming it every where
   is worthy of blame: for the notion entertained by some, that Christ
   forbade them for the purpose of exciting them the more, has been
   already refuted. There was, no doubt, some reason for forbidding it,
   which is unknown to us; and those men, through inconsiderate zeal,
   spread the rumor before the proper time.

   32. They brought to him a dumb man It is probable that this man was not
   naturally dumb, but that, after he had been given up to the devil,
   [531] he was deprived of the use of speech: for all dumb persons are
   not demoniacs He was afflicted in such a manner as to make it evident,
   by visible signs, that his tongue was held bound by a wicked spirit.
   The exclamation of the multitudes, on his being cured, that nothing
   like it had ever been seen in Israel, appears to be hyperbolica1: [532]
   for God had formerly revealed his glory among that people by greater
   miracles. But perhaps they look to the design of the miracle, as the
   minds of all were at that time prepared to expect the coming of the
   Messiah. They intended, no doubt, to exalt this instance of the grace
   of God, without detracting any thing from what had formerly happened.
   Besides, it ought to be observed, that this was not a premeditated
   statement, but a sudden burst of admiration.

   34. But the Pharisees said Hence it is evident with what rage and fury
   they were filled, who did not scruple to assail with wicked slander so
   illustrious a work of God. We ought to observe the contrast between the
   applause of the people and the blasphemy of those men. The saying of
   the people, that nothing like it ever happened in Israel, is a
   confession arising from a sense of the divine glory: which makes it the
   more evident, that those persons were utterly mad who ventured, as it
   were, to curse God to his face. We learn from it also, that, when
   wickedness has reached the height of blindness, there is no work of
   God, however evident, which it will not pervert. It is, no doubt,
   monstrous and incredible that mortal men should cry against their
   Creator: but there is so much the greater reason for dreading that
   blindness, which arises from the Lord's vengeance on the wicked after
   long-suffering.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [530] "Jesus leur defendit avee menaces;" -- "Jesus forbade them with
   threatenings."

   [531] "Que le diable qui le possedoit luy avoit ost, l'usage de
   parler;" -- "that the devil, who possessed him, had taken from him the
   use of speech."

   [532] "Il semble que c'est une facon de parler hyperbolique et
   excessive;" -- "it appears to be a hyperbolical and exaggerated way of
   speaking."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 9:35-38

   Matthew 9:35-38

   35. And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
   synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every
   disease and every sickness among the people. 36. And when he saw the
   multitudes, he was moved with compassion towards them, because they
   were destitute and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. 37. Then
   he saith to his disciples, The harvest is indeed abundant, but the
   laborers are few. 38. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, to
   send forth laborers into his harvest.


   Matthew 9:35. And Jesus went about This statement is made by way of
   anticipating an objection, and is intended to inform us that the whole
   ministry of Christ is not minutely described: for he was constantly
   employed in the discharge of his office; that is, in proclaiming the
   doctrine of salvation, and in confirming it by the addition of
   miracles. The gospel of the kingdom, we have already said, is a
   designation given to it from its effect, [533] for in this way God
   gathered to himself a people sadly scattered, that he might reign in
   the midst of them; and, indeed, he erected his throne for the express
   purpose of bestowing on all his people perfect happiness. Yet let us
   remember that we must be subject to God, in order that we may be
   exalted by him to the heavenly glory.

   36. He was moved with compassion towards them Hence we infer, first,
   how great was the indolence of the priests, who, though they were
   scattered over the whole country, in order to enlighten the people with
   heavenly doctrine, were slow-bellies, (Titus 1:12.) True, they boasted
   that they were superintendents of the people; and the number of those
   who gloried in that title was not small. Yet not one of them does
   Christ own to be a pastor. A similar confusion may now be observed in
   Popery, though it is full of persons who are called pastors: for there
   is a prodigious crowd of those who under the name of clergy, eat up the
   flock. They are dumb dogs, (Isaiah 56:10,) and yet are not ashamed to
   make a vehement sound about their hierarchy. But we must listen to the
   voice of Christ, who declares, that where there are no laborers there
   are no shepherds, and that those sheep are wandering and scattered
   which are not collected into the fold of God by the doctrine of the
   gospel. His being moved with compassion proves him to be the faithful
   servant of the Father in promoting the salvation of his people, for
   whose sake he had clothed himself with our flesh. Now that he has been
   received into heaven, he does not retain the same feelings to which he
   chose to be liable in this mortal life: yet he has not left off the
   care of his church, but looks after his wandering sheep, or rather, he
   gathers his flock which had been cruelly chased and torn by the wolves.

   37. The harvest is indeed abundant By this metaphor he intimates, that
   many of the people are ripe for receiving the gospel. Though the
   greater number afterwards rejected basely and with vile ingratitude the
   salvation offered to them, yet the limited number of the elect, who
   were mixed with unbelievers, is compared to an abundant harvest,
   because God values a small band of his own people more highly than the
   rest of the world. Though there were at that time many who assumed this
   character, yet as few of them discharged it faithfully, he does not
   rank them among laborers: for he employs the word laborers in a good
   sense. When Paul complains (2 Corinthians 2:13) of bad laborers, he
   refers to their boasting: for he would not have bestowed the
   designation of laborers [534] on those who devoted all their exertions
   to ruin and waste the flock, had it not been that they gloried in the
   false pretense.

   38. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest As no man will of himself
   become a sincere and faithful minister of the gospel, and as none
   discharge in a proper manner the office of teacher but those whom the
   Lord raises up and endows with the gifts of his Spirit, whenever we
   observe a scarcity of pastors, we must raise our eyes to him to afford
   the remedy. There never was greater necessity for offering this prayer
   than during the fearful desolation of the church which we now see every
   where around us.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [533] "a cause de l'effect et du fruict qui s'en ensuit;" -- "on
   account of the effect and of the fruit which follows from it.

   [534] ergatai dolioi, deceitful workmen.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:23-27; MARK 4:35-41; LUKE 8:22-25

   Matthew 8:23-27

   Mark 4:35-41

   Luke 8:22-25

   23. And when he had entered into the ship, [535] his disciples followed
   him. 24. And, lo, there was a great swell in the sea, so that the ship
   was covered with the billows: and he was asleep. 25. And his disiples
   approached and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we perish. 26. And he
   saith to them, Why are you timid, O men of little faith? Then he arose,
   and rebuked the winds and the sea: and there was a great calm. 27. But
   the men wondered, saying, What sort of man is this: for the winds and
   the sea obey him?

   35. And the same day, when it was evening, he said to them, Let us
   cross to the opposite side. 36. And having sent away the multitude,
   they take him even as he was, in the ship. But there were also other
   ships along with him. 37. Then ariseth a great storm of wind: and the
   billows dashed into the ship, so that it was now filled. 38. And he was
   at the stern, sleeping upon a pillow: and they awake him, and say to
   him, Master, hast thou no care that we perish? 39. And he arose, and
   rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Silence, be still. And the wind
   was hushed, and there was a great calm. 40. And he said to them, Why
   are you so timid? How have you not confidence? 41. And they feared with
   a great fear, and said among themselves, Who is this: for even the wind
   and the sea obey him?

   22. And it happened on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his
   disciples. And he saith to them, Let us cross to the opposite side of
   the lake: and they set sail. 23. And while they were sailing, he fell
   asleep, and a tempest of wind arose in the lake, and they were filled
   with water, and were in danger. 24. And they approached and awoke him,
   saying, Master, Master, we perish. But he arose, and rebuked the wind
   and the tempest of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm.
   25. And he said to them, Where is your faith? And they were afraid, and
   wondered, saying among themselves, Who is this? for he commands even
   the winds and the water, and they obey him.


   As we shall soon meet again with the mention of a lake, where it is
   said (Matthew 8:33) that the swine were carried into it with violence,
   it is not universally agreed whether one and the same lake is mentioned
   in both places. The waters of Gennesareth, all admit, [536] were
   pleasant and healthful to drink: but the Gadarene lake, Strabo tells
   us, was so unwholesome and pestilential, that the cattle which drank of
   it often lost their hair and their hoofs. There is therefore no doubt
   that there were two separate lakes, and that they were at a
   considerable distance from each other. There is as little doubt that
   the lake mentioned here was the lake of Gennesareth; and that Christ,
   having crossed it, came to the Gadarenes, whom Matthew calls Geresenes,
   (8:28.)

   Those who infer, from the diversity of the names, that the narratives
   are different, through a desire to be thought very acute, fall under
   the charge of gross ignorance: for the country of the Gergesenes was
   also called Gadarene, from a celebrated city, Gadara. In the age of
   Jerome, the name was changed; and, therefore, in accordance with the
   prevailing custom, he calls them Geraseaes That it was the Gadarene
   lake into which the swine were thrown down by the devils, I have no
   hesitation in admitting: but when Christ says, let us cross to the
   other side, I cannot explain the reference as made to any other lake
   than that of Gennesareth.

   It remains that we now inquire as to the time, which cannot be learned
   either from Matthew or from Luke. Mark alone mentions that it was the
   evening of that day on which Christ discoursed about the preaching of
   the gospel under the parable of the sower. Hence it is evident, that
   they did not attend to the order of time; and, indeed, this is
   expressly stated by Luke, when he says that it happened on a certain
   day: for these words show that he gives himself little concern as to
   the question which of the events was earlier or later.

   Matthew 8:23. And when he had entered into a ship Mark says that other
   little ships crossed along with him: but that Christ entered into his
   own ship with his disciples Luke too quotes his words: Matthew is more
   concise. They agree, however, as to the leading fact, that Christ laid
   himself down to rest, and that, while he was asleep, a tempest suddenly
   arose. First, it is certain that the storm which agitated the lake was
   not accidental: for how would God have permitted his Son to be driven
   about at random by the violence of the waves? But on this occasion he
   intended to make known to the apostles how weak and inconsiderable
   their faith still was. Though Christ's sleep was natural, yet it served
   the additional purpose of making the disciples better acquainted with
   their weakness. I will not say, as many do, that Christ pretended
   sleep, in order to try them. On the contrary, I think that he was
   asleep in such a manner as the condition and necessity of human nature
   required.

   And yet his divinity watched over him, so that the apostles had no
   reason to fear that consolation would not be immediately provided, or
   that assistance would not be obtained from heaven. Let us therefore
   conclude, that all this was arranged by the secret providence of God,
   -- that Christ was asleep, that a violent tempest arose, and that the
   waves covered the ship, which was in imminent danger of perishing. And
   let us learn hence that, whenever any adverse occurrence takes place,
   the Lord tries our faith. If the distresses grow to such a height as
   almost to overwhelm us, let us believe that God does it with the same
   design of exercising our patience, or of bringing to light in this way
   our hidden weakness; as we see that, when the apostles were covered by
   the billows, [537] their weakness, which formerly lay concealed, was
   discovered.

   25. Lord, save us A pious prayer [538] , one would think: for what else
   had they to do when they were lost than to implore safety from Christ?
   But as Christ charges them with unbelief, we must inquire in what
   respect they sinned. Certainly, I have no doubt that they attached too
   much importance to the bodily presence of their Master: for, according
   to Mark, they do not merely pray, but expostulate with him, Master,
   hast thou no care that we perish? Luke describes also confusion and
   trembling: Master, Master, we perish They ought to have believed that
   the Divinity of Christ was not oppressed by carnal sleep, and to his
   Divinity they ought to have had recourse. But they do nothing till they
   are urged by extreme danger; and then they are overwhelmed with such
   unreasonable fear that they do not think they will be safe [539] till
   Christ is awakened. This is the reason why he accuses them of unbelief
   for their entreaty that he would assist them was rather a proof of
   their faith, if, in confident reliance on his divine power, they had
   calmly, and without so much alarm, expected the assistance which they
   asked.

   And here we obtain an answer to a question which might be put, and
   which arises out of his reproof. Is every kind of fear sinful and
   contrary to faith? First, he does not blame them simply because they
   fear, but because they are timid Mark adds the word houto -- Why are
   you so timid? and by this term indicates that their alarm goes beyond
   proper bounds. Besides, he contrasts faith with their fear, and thus
   shows that he is speaking about immoderate dread, the tendency of which
   is not to exercise their faith, but to banish it from their minds. It
   is not every kind of fear that is opposed to faith. This is evident
   from the consideration that, if we fear nothing, an indolent and carnal
   security steals upon us; and thus faith languishes, the desire to pray
   becomes sluggish, and the remembrance of God is at length extinguished
   [540] Besides, those who are not affected by a sense of calamities, so
   as to fear, are rather insensible than firm.

   Thus we see that fear, which awakens faith, is not in itself faulty
   till it go beyond bounds. [541] Its excess lies in disturbing or
   weakening the composure of faith, which ought to rest on the word of
   God. But as it never happens that believers exercise such restraint on
   themselves as to keep their faith from being injured, their fear is
   almost always attended by sin. Yet we ought to be aware that it is not
   every kind of fear which indicates a want of faith, but only that dread
   which disturbs the peace of the conscience in such a manner that it
   does not rest on the promise of God.

   26. He rebuked the winds Mark relates also the words of Christ, by
   which, addressing the sea, he enjoins silence, (siopa,) that is,
   stillness not that the lake had any perception, but to show that the
   power of his voice reached the elements, which were devoid of feeling.
   And not only the sea and the winds, which are without feeling, but
   wicked men also, with all their obstinacy, obey the commands of God.
   For when God is pleased to allay the tumults of war, he does not always
   soften the fierce minds of men, and mould them to obedience, but even
   while their rage continues, makes the arms to drop from their hands:
   And thus is fulfilled that declaration,

   He maketh wars to cease to the ends of the earth; he breaketh the bow,
   and cutteth the spear in pieces, and burneth the chariots in the fire,
   (Psalm 46:10.)

   27. But the men wondered Mark and Luke appear to say this in reference
   to the apostles; for, after having stated that Christ reproved them,
   they add that they cried out with fear, Who is this? It applies,
   however, more properly to others, who had not yet known Christ. Whether
   we take the one or the other of these views, the result of the miracle
   appears in the display of the glory of Christ. If any one shall suppose
   that it is the apostles who speak, the meaning of the words will be,
   that his divine power was sufficiently proved by the fact that the wind
   and the sea obey him But as it is more probable that these words were
   spoken by others, the Evangelists show that the miracle made such an
   impression on their minds, as to produce a certain reverence for Christ
   which prepared them for believing on him.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [535] "La naselle," -- "to ploion."

   [536] "C'est un poinct bien resolu entre tous ceux qui ont escrit;" --
   "it is a point well agreed among all who have written."

   [537] "Quand les Apostres se sont trouvez assaillis et quasi couvers
   des riots du lac;" -- "when the Apostles found themselves assaulted,
   and, as it were, covered by the waves of the lake."

   [538] "Une priere bonne et sainte;" -- "a good and holy prayer.

   [539] "En sorte qu'il ne leur semble oint qu'il y ait moyen de les
   sauver, sinon que Christ s'eveeile; -- so that they think there will be
   no way of saving them till Christ is awakened."

   [540] "Et finalemeat la souvenance que chacun doit avoir de Dieu vient
   a s'esteindre;" -- and, finally, that remembrance of God which every
   one ought to have, comes to be extinguished."

   [541] "Jusque ace qu'ellc passe mesurc, ct soit excessive;" -- "till it
   go beyond bounds, and become excessive."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 8:28-34; MARK 5:1-20; LUKE 8:26-39

   Matthew 8:28-34

   Mark 5:1-20

   Luke 8:26-39

   28. And when he had come to the opposite bank, [542] into the country
   of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs, who had come from among the tombs,
   met him: and they were fierce beyond measure, so that no man could pass
   along that road. 29. And, lo, they cried out, saying, What have we to
   do with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Hast thou come hither before the time
   to torment us? 30. And at a distance from them there was a herd of many
   swine feeding. 31. And the devils entreated him, saying, If thou cast
   us out, permit us to remove into the herd of swine. 32. And he said to
   them, Go. And when they had gone out, they went away into the heard of
   swine. And, lo, the whole herd was carried headlong into the sea, and
   perished in the waters. 33. And those who had the charge of them fled;
   and going away into the city, they related all things, and what had
   happened to the demoniacs, 34. And, lo, the whole city went out to meet
   Jesus; and when they saw him, they entreated him, that he would depart
   from their territories.

   1. And having crossed the sea, they came into the country of Gaderanes.
   2. And when he left the ship, immediately there met him out of the
   tombs a man possessed by an unclean spirit, 3. Who had a dwelling among
   the tombs, [543] and no man could bind him, not even with chains:
   4. Because frequently, when he had been bound with fetters and chains,
   the chains were torn asunder by him, and the fetters were broken in
   pieces, so that no man could tame him. 5. And always, day and night, he
   was in the mountains, and among the tombs, crying, and cutting himself
   with stones. 6. And when he saw Jesus at a distance, he ran and
   worshipped him: 7. And, crying with a loud voice, he said, What have I
   to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God,
   that thou do not torment me. 8. For he said to him, Go out of the man,
   unclean spirit. 9. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered,
   saying to him, My name is Legion: for there are many. 10. And he
   entreated him earnestly, that he would not send him out of the country.
   11. And there was there, near the mountains, a great herd of swine
   feeding. 12. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the
   swine, that we may enter into them. 13. And immediately Jesus permitted
   them. And the unclean spirit having gone out, entered into the swine,
   and the herd was carried headlong into the sea: and they were about two
   thousand, and were choked in the sea. 14. Then those who tended the
   swine fled, and told it in the city and in the fields. And they went
   out to see what it was that had happened. 15. And they come to Jesus,
   and see the demoniac who had had the Legion, sitting and clothed, and
   in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16. And those who had seen,
   related how it had happened to the demoniac, and concerning the swine.
   17. And they began to request him to depart from their territories.
   18. And when he entered into a ship, he who had been possessed by a
   devil besought him that he might be with him. 19. But Jesus did not
   permit him: but said to him, Go to thy home, to thy friends, and relate
   to them how great things God hath done to thee, and hath pitied thee.
   20. And he went away, and began to publish in Decapolis how great
   things Jesus had done for him: and all wondered.

   26. And they sailed to the country of the Gaderenes, which is opposite
   to Galilee. 27. And when he had gone out of the ship into the land,
   there met him a certain man out of the city, who had devils for along
   time, and wore no clothes, and did not dwell in a house, but among the
   tombs. 28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him,
   [544] and said with a loud voice, What have I to do with thee, Jesus,
   Son of the Most High God? I beseech thee, do not torment me. 29. For he
   was commanding the unclean spirit to go out of the man: for many times
   it had seized him, and he was bound by chains, and kept in fetters, and
   he broke the chains, and was driven by the devil into the deserts.
   30. And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion:
   for many devils had entered into him. 31. And they entreated him that
   he would not command them to go into the deep. 32. And there was there
   a herd of many swine feeding on the mountains, and they requested him
   to permit them to enter into them: and he permitted them. 33. And the
   devils going out of the man entered into the swine, and the herd ran
   violently down headlong into the lake, and were choked. 34. And when
   those who tended them saw what was done, they fled, and told it in the
   city and in the villages. 35. And they went out [545] to see what was
   done, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the devils and had
   gone out, clothed, and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus; and
   they were afraid. 36. And those who had seen, related to them how the
   demoniac had been cured. 37. And the whole multitude of the country of
   the Gadarenes besought him to depart from them: for they were seized
   with a great fear; and he went up into the ship, and returned back
   again. 38. And the man out of whom the devils had departed requested to
   be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39. Return to thy house,
   and relate what things God hath done to thee. [546] And he went away
   through the whole city proclaiming what thing Jesus had done to him.


   The error of those who think that Mark and Luke relate a different
   miracle from this, has been already refuted. It is the same country
   which was opposite, as Luke expressly states, to Galilee, that is
   described by the three Evangelists, and all the circumstances agree.
   Who then will believe that the same things, so fully coincident at all
   points, happened at different times?

   Matthew 8:28 Two demoniacs met him Commentators have been led into the
   error of separating Matthew's narrative from that of the others by this
   single difference, that he mentions two, while the others mention but
   one. There is probability in the conjecture of Augustine, who thinks
   that there were two, but accounts for not more than one being mentioned
   here by saying, that this one was more generally known, and that the
   aggravation of his disease made the miracle performed on him the more
   remarkable. And, indeed, we see that Luke and Mark employ many words in
   describing the extraordinary rage of the devil, so as to make it
   evident that the wretched man, of whom they speak, was grievously
   fomented. The circumstance of their holding up to commendation one
   singular instance of Christ's divine power is not inconsistent with the
   narrative of Matthew, in which another, though less known man, [547] is
   also mentioned.

   Luke 8:26. There met him a certain man out of the city It is uncertain
   whether Luke means that he was a citizen of Gadara, or that he came out
   of it to meet Christ. For, when he was ordered to go home and proclaim
   among his friends the grace of God, Mark says, that he did this in
   Decapolis, which was a neighboring country stretching towards Galilee;
   and hence it is conjectured that he was not a native of Gadara. Again,
   Matthew and Mark expressly state that he did not go out of the city,
   but from the tombs, and Luke himself, throughout the whole passage,
   gives us to understand that the man lived in solitary places. These
   words, therefore, there met him a certain man out of the city, I
   understand to mean, that, before Christ came near the city, the
   demoniac met him in that direction.

   As to the opinion that the man dwelt among the graves, either because
   devils are delighted with the stench of dead bodies, or gratified by
   the smell of oblations, or because they watch over souls which are
   desirous to approach their bodies; it is an idle, and, indeed, a
   foolish conjecture. On the contrary, this wretched man was kept among
   the graves by an unclean spirit, that he might have an opportunity of
   terrifying him continually with the mournful spectacle of death, as if
   he were cut off from the society of men, and already dwelt among the
   dead. We learn from this also that the devil does not only torment men
   in the present life, but pursues them even to death, and that in death
   his dominion over them is chiefly exercised.

   Mark 5:3. And no man could bind him, not even with chains Naturally, he
   was not able to break the chains; and hence we infer that Satan is
   sometimes permitted to make extraordinary movements, the effect of
   which goes beyond our comprehension and beyond ordinary means. We often
   perceive in madmen much greater strength than belongs to their natural
   capacity; and we are not at liberty to deny that, in such cases, the
   devil does his part when God permits him: but the force, which is
   described by the Evangelists, was far greater. [548] It was indeed a
   sad and shocking exhibition, but may serve to remind us how wretched
   and alarming it is to be placed under the tyranny of Satan, and also
   that bodily agony, however violent or cruel, is not more to be dreaded
   than distress of mind.

   Mark 5:6 Worshipped him [549] The arrangement of the narrative may be
   thus stated. When the demoniacs came to meet him, Christ ordered the
   unclean spirits to go out of them, and then they prayed and entreated
   that he would not torment them before the time The worship, therefore,
   did not precede Christ's words: nor did they complain that Christ gave
   them uneasiness, [550] till he urged them to go out. We ought to be
   aware that they did not come of their own accord into the presence of
   Christ, but were drawn by a secret exercise of his authority. As they
   had formerly been accustomed to carry men off, in furious violence, to
   the tombs, so now a superior power compels them to appear reluctantly
   at the tribunal of their judge.

   Hence we infer, that the whole of Satan's kingdom is subject to the
   authority of Christ. [551] For the devils, when Christ summons them to
   appear before him, are not more at their own disposal than were the
   wretched men whom their tyranny was wont to drive about in every
   direction. At length, by the secret power of Christ, they are dragged
   before him, that, by casting them out, he may prove himself to be the
   deliverer of men. Reluctantly too they worship him, and their
   rebellious complaints testify that their confession was not made from
   choice, but was drawn from them by force.

   Matthew 8:29. What have we to do with thee? Willingly would they, by
   this word, drive him far from them. But when they see that they are
   held under restraint, and that it is in vain for them to decline his
   authority, they complain that they are tormented before the time, and
   likewise mingle entreaty. Thus we see that the devils breathe nothing
   but rebellion against God; and yet, with all their swelling pride, they
   are crushed and fall in a moment: for their malice and obstinacy, which
   is never subdued, ceases not to struggle against the government of God,
   and yet it is compelled to yield.

   Christ does not openly reject, as he did on other occasions, the
   confession of the devil; and the reason appears to be, that their
   enmity towards him was so manifest, as to remove every opportunity of
   unfavorable or calumnious imputation. Besides, Christ paid regard to
   the spectators. Accordingly, when malicious and wicked men were
   present, he was more eager to repress calumnies, and more inclined to
   put a severe restraint on devils. On the present occasion, it was quite
   enough that the devils, while they were offering a prayer and entreaty,
   raged and stormed against him.

   Hast thou come hither before the time to torment us? Some explain this
   kind of torment as consisting in their being compelled to set at
   absolute liberty the man whom they possessed. Others understand it as
   referring to the last day of judgment. My view of it is, that they
   trembled in the presence of their Judge, while they thought of their
   punishment: for, though Christ said nothing, [552] a bad conscience
   told them what they deserved. As criminals, when they come to the
   judgment-seat, expect their punishment, so devils and all wicked men
   must tremble at the sight of God, as truly as if they already
   experienced hell, the unquenchable fire, and the torments that await
   them. Now, the devils knew that Christ was the Judge of the world; and
   therefore we need not wonder that the sight of him impressed them with
   dread of immediate torment.

   Were they acquainted with the day of the last judgment? This question,
   which some have proposed, is uncalled for. What, then, is the meaning
   of the phrase, before the time? It means that the reprobate never
   reckon that the time for punishing them is fully come: for they would
   willingly delay it from day to day. [553] Any measure of delay, which
   the Lord is pleased to allow them, is counted gain; and thus by
   subterfuges they endeavor to avoid his sentence, though the attempt is
   to no purpose.

   Mark 5:9 My name is Legion. The devil was compelled by Christ to
   pronounce this word, that he might more fully display the greatness and
   excellence of his grace. There must have been good reasons why this man
   should have endured so severe a punishment as to have an army of
   devils, so to speak, dwelling within him. What compassion then was it,
   to rescue from so many deaths a man who was more than a thousand times
   ruined! It was a magnificent display of the power of Christ., that by
   his voice not one devil, but a great multitude of devils, were suddenly
   driven out. Legion denotes here not a definite number of men, but
   merely a great multitude.

   Hence it is evident what a wretched creature man is, when he is
   deprived of the divine protection. Every man is not only exposed to a
   single devil, but becomes the retreat of vast numbers. This passage
   refutes also the common error, which has been borrowed by Jews and
   Christians from the heathens, that every man is attacked by his own
   particular devil? On the contrary, Scripture plainly declares, that,
   just as it pleases God, one devil [554] is sometimes sent to punish a
   whole nation, and at other times many devils are permitted to punish
   one man: as, on the other hand, one angel sometimes protects a whole
   nation, and every man has many angels to act as his guardians. There is
   the greater necessity for keeping diligent watch, lest so great a
   multitude of enemies should take us by surprise.

   Mark 5:10. And entreated him earnestly Luke says, they requested that
   they might not be sent into the deep Some explain these words to mean
   that they wished to avoid uninhabited places. [555] I rather view it as
   referring to their rage for doing mischief. As the devils have no other
   object than to prowl among men, like lions in search of prey, they are
   grieved at being plunged into the deep, where they will have no
   opportunity of injuring and ruining men. That this is the true meaning
   may be inferred from the words of Mark, who says that they requested
   that they might not be compelled to go out of the country In a word,
   they manifest their disposition to be such, that there is nothing which
   they more eagerly desire than the destruction of mankind.

   Matthew 8:31. Permit us to depart into the herd of swine Some
   conjecture that they wished to attack the swine, because they are
   filled with enmity to all God's creatures. I do admit it to be true,
   that they are entirely bent on confounding and overthrowing the whole
   order of nature which God has appointed. But it is certain that they
   had a more remote object in view, to excite the inhabitants of that
   country to curse God on account of the loss of the swine. When the
   devil thunders against Job's house, he does so not from any hatred he
   bears to timber or stones, but in order that the good man, through
   impatience at suffering loss, may break out against God. Again, when
   Christ consents, he does not listen to their prayers, but chooses to
   try in this manner what sort of people the Gadarenes are. Perhaps, too,
   it is to punish their crimes that he grants to the devils so much power
   over their swine. While the reason of it is not known by us with
   certainty, it is proper for us to behold with reverence and to adore
   with devout humility, the hidden judgment of God. This passage shows
   also the foolish trifling of some irreligious men, who imagine that the
   devils are not actually existing spirits, but merely the depraved
   affections of men: for how could covetousness, ambition, cruelty, and
   deceit, enter into the swine? Let us learn also, that unclean spirits
   (as they are devoted to destruction) are the enemies of mankind; so
   that they plunge all whom they can into the same destruction with
   themselves.

   Mark 5:15. And they come to Jesus We have here a striking proof that
   not all who perceive the hand of God profit as they ought to do by
   yielding themselves to him in sincere godliness. Having seen the
   miracle, the Gadarenes were afraid, because the majesty of God shone
   brightly in Christ. So far they did right but now that they send him
   out of their territories, what could have been done worse than this?
   They too were scattered, and here is a shepherd to collect them or
   rather, it is God who stretches out his arms, through his Son, to
   embrace and carry to heaven those who were overwhelmed by the darkness
   of death. They choose rather to be deprived of the salvation which is
   offered to them, than to endure any longer the presence of Christ.

   The apparent ground of their offense is the loss of the swine, but Luke
   assigns a loftier cause, that they were seized with a great fear; [556]
   and certainly, if they had been exasperated by the loss which they
   sustained, they would not have requested him, but would rudely have
   driven him out. They honor him as God's minister, and yet are so struck
   with dread as to desire that he will go to a distance from them. Thus
   we see that they were not at all moved by a sense of the divine grace.
   And indeed, though all wicked men adore God, and bestow great pains on
   appeasing him, yet if they had their choice, they would withdraw to the
   greatest possible distance from him: for his face is terrible, so long
   as they contemplate him as a Judge, and not as a Father. The
   consequence is, that the gospel, which is more delightful than any
   thing that can be conceived, is everywhere considered to be so dismal
   and severe, that a good part of the world would wish that it were
   buried.

   And yet it is true that their fear was partly occasioned by their loss.
   Thus at the present day, so long as men believe that the kingdom of God
   is opposed to their interest, either of a public or private nature,
   they are prepossessed by a depraved and carnal fear, and have no relish
   for his grace. Accordingly, when he comes, they think that God does not
   regard them with favor, but rather with anger, and, so far as lies in
   their power, they send him to another place. It is a mark of shameful
   insensibility in those men, that the loss of their swine gives them
   more alarm than the salvation of their soul would give them joy.

   Luke 8:38. And the men requested The Gadarenes cannot endure to have
   Christ among them but he who has been delivered from the devil is
   desirous to leave his own country and follow him. Hence we learn how
   wide is the difference between the knowledge of the goodness, and the
   knowledge of the power, of God. Power strikes men with terror, makes
   them fly from the presence of God, and drives them to a distance from
   him: but goodness draws them gently, and makes them feel that nothing
   is more desirable than to be united to God. Why Christ refuses to have
   this man as one of his followers we cannot determine with certainty, if
   it was not that he expected the man to make himself more extensively
   useful by communicating to his Gentile countrymen the remarkable and
   extraordinary act of kindness which he had received; and this he
   actually did, as we are assured by Mark and Luke.

   39. Relate those things which God hath done for thee. He bids him
   relate not his own work, but the work of God His design in doing so is,
   that he may be acknowledged to be the true minister and prophet of God,
   and may thus acquire authority in teaching. In this gradual manner it
   was proper to instruct an ignorant people who were not yet acquainted
   with his divinity. Though Christ is the ladder by which we ascend to
   God the Father, yet, as he was not yet fully manifested, he begins with
   the Father, till a fitter opportunity occurred.

   We must now add the symbolical meaning. [557] In the person of one man
   Christ has exhibited to us "proof of his grace" which is extended to
   all mankind. Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us
   as his slaves, [558] till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny.
   [559] Naked, torn, and disfigured, we wander about, [560] till he
   restores us to soundness of mind. It remains that, in magnifying his
   grace, we testify our gratitude.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [542] "Et quarid il fur passd outre, ou a l'autre rive, cornme au
   verset 18;" -- "and when he had passed beyond, or to the other bank, as
   at v.18."

   [543] "Lequel faisoit sa demeurance;" -- "who made his dwelling."

   [544] "Il se jetta devant luy;" -- "he threw himself down before him."

   [545] "Ainsi les gens sortirent pour voir;" -- "so the peoplo went out
   to see."

   [546] "Raconte combien grandes choses Dieu t'a faitcs;" -- "relate how
   great things God hath done to thee."

   [547] "Combien qu'il ne lust pas rant eognu que le premier;" -- "though
   he was not so well known as the former."

   [548] "Mais l'effort et la violence que les Evangelistes deserlvent
   estoit bien autre et plus grande;" -- "but the effort and the violence,
   which the Evangelists describe, was quite different and much greater."

   [549] "S'enclina devant luy;" -- "kneeled down before him."

   [550] "Et ils ne se sont point plainds que Christ les tormentast, sinon
   quand il les pressoit de sortir;" -- "and they did not complain that
   Christ tormented them, till he urged them to go out."

   [551] "Que tout le regne de Satan est tenu en bride sous la domination
   de Christ;" -- "that all the kingdom of Satan is kept in check under
   the government of Christ."

   [552] "Sans que Christ ouvrist sa bouche;" -- "without Christ opening
   his mouth."

   [553] "Ils voudroyent bien tousjours prolonger leur terme;" -- "they
   would always choose to prolong their time.

   [554] "A scavoir que chacun hornroe ha son diable et son mauvals ange
   qui lui fait la guerre;" -- "namely, that each man has his devil and
   his evil angel who makes war with him."

   [555] "Ce qu'aucuns exposent comme si les diables n'eussent point voulu
   aller en lieu desert;" -- "which some explain as if the devils did not
   wish to go into a desert place."

   [556] " 'Ephobethesan, they were afraid, (Mark 5:15,) is by most
   Commentators understood of fear lest they might suffer a yet greater
   calamity; but it rather denotes awe at the stupendous miracle." --
   Bloomfield

   [557] Nunc addenda est anagoge. -- "Maintenant il rested adjouster la
   deduction ou derivation;" -- "it now remains to add the inference or
   remoter instruction." -- The word anagoge, or rather anagoge was
   technically employed by divines of the allegorizing school to denote
   the mystical meaning, which was the last and most recondite, as the
   literal was the first and most obvious, of the various meanings which
   they supposed to be contained in every verse of the Bible. Never did
   those men encounter a more zealous or more formidable opponent than
   Calvin. But, while he manfully sets his face against all that is
   mystical, when it can plead no higher authority than the ravings of a
   wild imagination, he is equally careful that those instructions which
   are indicated, though not directly conveyed, by the sacred writers,
   shall receive due consideration. He lays down as a general principle,
   which he endeavors to support by the word of God, that the cures of
   bodily diseases, performed by our Lord and his apostles, were intended
   to be symbolical of the removal of spiritual diseases by the power and
   grace of the Great Physician. Seldom does he close his illustration of
   one of those miracles without adverting to the loftier and more
   important occasions on which the arm of the Deliverer will put forth
   its strength. It is to this symbolical meaning that Calvin, under the
   word anagoge, borrowing the language, but disavowing the principles, of
   an ancient school, now proceeds to draw the attention of his reader.
   The grounds of his opinion it were foreign to our purpose to examine,
   but we have judged it necessary to append this note, in order to bring
   out clearly what the Author means. -- Ed.

   [558] "Toutesfois nous luy sommes serfs et esclaves;" -- "yet we are
   his serfs and slaves."

   [559] "De la tyrannic malheureuse d'iceluy;" -- "from his unhappy
   tyranny."

   [560] "Nous ne raisons que trainer ca et la estans nuds, deschirez, et
   dis- figurez;" -- "we do but drag along here and there, being naked,
   torn, and disfigured."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:1-8; MARK 6:7; LUKE 9:1-2

   Matthew 10:1-8

   Mark 6:7

   Luke 9:1-2

   1. And having called the twelve disciples, [561] he gave them power
   against the unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure any disease
   and any sickness. 2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:
   The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James
   the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3. Philip and Bartholomew;
   Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and
   Lebbeus, surnamed Thaddeus; 4. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot,
   who also betrayed him. 5. These, twelve in number, Jesus sent out, and
   commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, [562] and
   enter not into a city of the Samaritans: 6. But go rather to the lost
   sheep of the house of Israel. [563] 7. And when you have departed,
   preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8. Cure the diseased,
   cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have
   received, freely give. [564]

   7. And he calleth the twelve, and began to send them out two and two,
   and gave them power against [565] the unclean spirits.

   1. And having called the twelve, [566] Jesus gave them power and
   authority over all devils and to cure diseases. 2. And sent them to
   preach the kingdom of God, and to cure the diseased.


   The calling of the Apostles is here described to us, not as on a former
   occasion, when the Lord Jesus Christ, intending to prepare them for
   their office, selected them for admission into his private circle. They
   are now called to immediate performance, are ordered to prepare
   themselves for the work, receive injunctions, and, that there may be no
   want of authority, are endued with the power of the Holy Spirit.
   Formerly, they were held in expectation of future labor: now, Christ
   announces that the hour is come when they must put their hands to the
   work. It is proper to observe, however, that he does not as yet speak
   of perpetual apostleship, but only of temporary preaching, which was
   fitted to awaken and excite the minds of men, that they might be more
   attentive to hear Christ. So then they are now sent to proclaim
   throughout Judea that the time of the promised restoration and
   salvation is at hand at a future period, Christ will appoint them to
   spread the Gospel through the whole world. Here, he employs them as
   assistants only, to secure attention to him where his voice could not
   reach afterwards, he will commit into their hands the office of
   teaching which he had discharged. It is of great importance to observe
   this, that we may not suppose it to be a certain and fixed rule laid
   down for all ministers of the word, when our Lord gives instructions to
   the preachers of his doctrine as to what he wishes them to do for a
   short time. From inattention to this point many have been led astray,
   so as to demand from all ministers of the word, without distinction,
   conformity to this rule. [567]

   Matthew 10:1. And having called the twelve disciples The number,
   twelve, was intended to point out the future restoration of the Church.
   As the nation was descended from twelve patriarchs, so its scattered
   remains are now reminded by Christ of their origin, that they may
   entertain a fixed hope of being restored. Although the kingdom of God
   was not in so flourishing a state in Judea, as to preserve the nation
   entire, but, on the contrary, that people, which already had miserably
   fallen, deserved doubly to die on account of ingratitude in despising
   the grace which had been offered to them, yet this did not prevent a
   new nation from afterwards springing up. At a future period, God
   extended far beyond Zion the scepter of the power of his Son, and
   caused rivers to flow from that fountain, to water abundantly the four
   quarters of the world. Then God assembled his Israel from every
   direction, and united into one body not only the scattered and torn
   members, but men who had formerly been entirely alienated from the
   people of God.

   It was not without reason, therefore, that the Lord, by appointing, as
   it were, twelve patriarchs, declared the restoration of the Church.
   Besides, this number reminded the Jews of the design of his coming;
   but, as they did not yield to the grace of God, he begat for himself a
   new Israel. If you look at the beginnings, it might appear ridiculous
   that Christ should bestow such honorable titles on persons who were
   mean and of no estimation: but their astonishing success, and the wide
   extension of the Church, make it evident that, in honorable rank and in
   numerous offspring, the apostles not only are not inferior to the
   patriarchs, but greatly excel them.

   Gave them power The apostles had almost no rank among men, while the
   commission which Christ gave them was divine. Besides, they had neither
   ability nor eloquence, while the excellence and novelty of their office
   required more than human endowments, [568] It was therefore necessary
   that they should derive authority from another source. By enabling them
   to perform miracles, Christ invests them with the badges of heavenly
   power, in order to secure the confidence and veneration of the people.
   And hence we may infer what is the proper use of miracles. As Christ
   gives to them at the same time, and in immediate connection, the
   appointment to be preachers of the gospel and ministers of miracles, it
   is plain that miracles are nothing else than seals of his doctrine, and
   therefore we are not at liberty to dissolve this close connection. The
   Papists, therefore, are guilty of forgery, and of wickedly corrupting
   the works of God, by separating his word from miracles.

   2. The first, Simon, who is called Peter The Church of Rome displays
   extreme folly in drawing from this passage their doctrine of the
   primacy. That Simon Peter was the first among the apostles we readily
   allow, but what was true in reference to a few persons, cannot, on any
   proper grounds, be extended to the whole world. Besides, the
   circumstance of his being mentioned first, does not imply that he
   possessed authority over his companions. Granting all that they ask
   regarding Peter, his rank will be of no avail to the Roman See, till
   they prove that wicked and sacrilegious apostles are Peter's
   successors.

   5. Into the tray of the Gentiles This makes still more evident what I
   have lately hinted, that the office, which was then bestowed on the
   apostles, had no other object than to awaken in the Jews the hope of an
   approaching salvation, and thus to render them more attentive to hear
   Christ. On this account, he now confines within the limits of Judea
   their voice, which he afterwards commands to sound everywhere to the
   farthest limits of the world. The reason is, that he had been sent by
   the Father to be

   the minister of circumcision, to fulfill the promises, which had
   anciently been given to the fathers, (Romans 15:8.)

   Now God had entered into a special covenant with the family of Abraham,
   and therefore Christ acted properly in confining the grace of God, at
   the outset, to the chosen people, till the time for publishing it were
   fully come. But after his resurrection, he spread over all nations the
   blessing which had been promised in the second place, because then the
   veil of the temple had been rent, (Matthew 27:51,) and the middle wall
   of partition had been thrown down, (Ephesians 2:14.) If any one imagine
   that this prohibition is unkind, because Christ does not admit the
   Gentiles to the enjoyment of the gospel, let him contend with God, who,
   to the exclusion of the rest of the world, established with the seed of
   Abraham alone his covenant, on which the command of Christ is founded.

   6. But go rather to the lost sheep The first rank, as we have said, is
   assigned to the Jews, because they were the firstborn; or rather,
   because at that time they alone were acknowledged by God to belong to
   his family, while others were excluded. [569] He calls them lost sheep,
   partly that the apostles, moved by compassion, may more readily and
   with warmer affection run to their assistance, and partly to inform
   them that there is at present abundant occasion for their labors. At
   the same time, under the figure of this nation, Christ taught what is
   the condition of the whole human race. The Jews, who were near to God,
   and in covenant with him, and therefore were the lawful heirs of
   eternal life, are nevertheless pronounced to be lost, till they regain
   salvation through Christ. What then remains for us who are inferior to
   them in honor? [570] Again, the word sheep is applied even to the
   reprobate, who, properly speaking, did not belong to the flock of God,
   because the adoption extended to the whole nation; as those who
   deserved to be rejected, on account of their treachery, are elsewhere
   called the children of the kingdom, (Matthew 8:12.) In a word, by the
   term sheep, Christ recommends the Jews to the apostles, that they may
   dedicate their labors to them, because they could recognize as the
   flock of God none but those who had been gathered into the fold.

   7. Preach, saying This is the preaching, [571] I spoke of, by which
   Christ intended to arouse the minds of the nation to expect an
   approaching redemption. The kingdom of heaven is at hand For the
   kingdom of heaven Luke substitutes the kingdom of God; but the meaning
   is the same. It was to inform the Jews, first, that they owed their
   restoration to divine agency, and not to the kindness of men; secondly,
   that under the reign of God their condition would be prosperous; and,
   thirdly, that the happiness which had been promised to them was not
   earthly and fading, but heavenly and eternal.

   8. Cure the diseased As he has bestowed on them power, so he enjoins
   them to be faithful and liberal in dispensing it, and charges them not
   to suppress that power, which had been lodged with them for the common
   benefit of all. By those miracles he shows why he was sent by the
   Father, and what was the design of his Gospel. It is not without design
   that he enjoins them to raise the dead and heal the sick, instead of
   bringing diseases on the healthy and inflicting death on the living.
   There is an analogy and resemblance, therefore, which those miracles
   bear to the office of Christ; and this is intended to inform us, that
   he came to bestow upon us every blessing, to rescue us from the tyranny
   of Satan and of death, to heal our diseases and sins, and to relieve us
   from all our miseries.

   Freely you have received [572] That they may be more willing to
   communicate the gifts which he had bestowed on them, he declares that
   they were not entrusted to them for their own individual renown, but in
   order that they might be, as it were, a sort of channels for
   transmitting the free bounty of God. "Consider whence you derived this
   power. As it flowed without any merit of yours from the pure grace of
   God, it is proper that, through your agency, it should flow freely to
   others."

   We know how unwilling every man is to communicate to others what he
   considers to belong to himself, and how any one who excels the rest of
   the brethren is apt to despise them all. No higher commendation could
   have been given to a liberal communication of spiritual gifts, than by
   the warning which Christ gives them, that no man surpasses another
   through his own industry, but through the undeserved kindness of God.
   Now Christ has presented to us in his ministers a proof of that grace
   which had been predicted by Isaiah, (55:1)

   Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
   no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
   money and without price.

   At the same time he shows, that no man will be a sincere minister of
   his word or dispenser of his grace, till he is prepared to bestow his
   labor gratuitously, [573] and that all hirelings basely corrupt and
   profane the sacred office of teaching. Yet it is not inconsistent with
   this gratuitous dispensation, that the teachers of the church receive
   public salaries, provided that they willingly and generously serve
   Christ and his church, and that their support is, in some sort, an
   accessory of their labor.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [561] "Lors ayant appel, a soy ses douze disciples;" -- "then having
   called to himself his twelve disciples."

   [562] "N'allez point vers les Gentils;" -- "go not towards the
   Gentiles."

   [563] "Mats plustost allez aux ouailles de la matson d'Israel, qui
   sontperies;" -- "but rather go to the flocks of the house of Israel,
   which are lost."

   [564] "Vous l'avez receu pour neant, donnez-le pour neant;" -- "you
   have received it for nothing, give it for nothing."

   [565] "Sur les esprits immondes;" -- "over the unclean spirits."

   [566] "Puis apres avoir appel, ses douze disciples ensemble;" -- "then
   after having called his twelve disciples together."

   [567] "Voulant reigler indifferemment tous ministres de la parole selon
   ee qui est ici dk;" -- "wishing to regulate indiscriminately all
   ministers of the word according to what is here said."

   [568] "Et cependant une charge si excellente et nouvelle requeroit des
   graces plus grandes qu'on n'en pent trouver en l'homme;" -- "and yet an
   office so excellent and new demanded higher graces than can be found in
   man."

   [569] "Les autres en estans eslogncz et bannis;" -- "the others being
   removed and banished from it."

   [570] "Qui n'avons point une telle prerogative;" -- "who have not such
   a prerogative."

   [571] "La predication, ou publication;" -- "the preaching, or
   publication."

   [572] "Vous l'avez receu pour neant;" -- "you have received it for
   nothing."

   [573] "S'il n'est prest de s'y employer, et d'y mettre son labor
   gratuitement, et sans consideration de son profit;" -- "if he is not
   ready to be employed in it, and to bestow his labor on it gratuitously,
   and without regard to his own gain."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:9-15; MARK 6:8-11; LUKE 9:3-5

   Matthew 10:9-15

   Mark 6:8-11

   Luke 9:3-5

   9. Do not provide gold, nor silver, [574] nor brass in your purses,
   10. Nor scrip for the journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for
   the laborer is worthy of his food. 11. But into whatsoever city or
   village you shall enter, inquire what person in it is worthy, and
   remain there till you depart. 12. And when you shall enter a house,
   salute it. 13. And if the house shall be worthy, may your peace come
   upon it: but if it shall not be worthy, may your peace return to you.
   14. And whosoever shall not receive you, or hear your words, when you
   go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
   15. Verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of
   Sodom and of Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

   8. And commanded them to take nothing for the journey, but a staff
   only; not a scrip, nor bread, nor money in their girdle: 9. But to be
   shod with sandals, and not to wear two coats. 10. And he said to them,
   Whenever you shall enter a house, remain there till you depart thence.
   11. And whoever shall not receive you or hear you, when you go out of
   that place, shake off the dust which is under your feet for a testimony
   to them. Verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and
   Gomorroah in the day of judgment than for that city.

   3. And he said to them, Carry nothing for the journey, neither a staff,
   nor a scrip, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two coats each.
   4. And into whatsoever house you shall enter, remain there, and depart
   thence. 5. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that
   city, shake off even the dust from your feet for a testimony against
   them.


   Matthew 10:9. Do not provide. As the embassy [575] was of such a
   nature, that Christ wished the disciples to traverse the whole of Judea
   within a few days, and immediately to return to him, he forbids to
   carry luggage with them, by which this speed may be retarded. Some have
   ignorantly supposed that the rule here laid down for the ministers of
   the word, or for the apostles, is perpetual. We shall presently meet
   with a few sentences which have a more extensive reference: but the
   present injunctions not to carry baggage must undoubtedly be restricted
   to that temporary commission of which I have already spoken. The whole
   of the prohibition of gold, silver, a scrip, and two coats, which is
   given by Matthew, must be read in immediate connection, as is evident
   from the other two Evangelists.

   I have therefore chosen to translate ue ktesesthe, do not provide: for
   our Lord simply intended to forbid them to take any thing for the
   journey They might have scrips, and shoes, and a change of coats, at
   home; but that they may be better prepared for the journey, he orders
   them to leave every thing that would be burdensome. Such too is the
   import of what Mark says, to be shod with sandals There is an
   appearance of contradiction as to the staff, or stick for, according to
   Mark, the staff is allowed, while according to Matthew and Luke it is
   refused. But there is an ambiguity in the use of the Hebrew word svt,
   (shebet;) and the Evangelists, though they wrote in Greek, used the
   word rha'bdos in various senses. Matthew and Luke mean by it a rod
   which would be burdensome to the person who carries it: while Mark
   means by it a walking-stick to support and relieve a traveler. It is
   evident, that in making a journey it was customary to carry a staff;
   and hence those words of Jacob, With my staff, I passed over this
   Jordan, (Genesis 32:10,) by which he acknowledges that he came empty
   and without money into Syria.

   10. For the laborer is worthy of his food. Christ anticipates an
   objection that might be made: for it might appear to be a harsh
   condition to travel through the whole of Judea without any provisions.
   [576] Accordingly, Christ tells them, that they have no reason to dread
   that they will suffer hunger; because, wherever they come, they will at
   least be worthy of their food [577] He calls them laborers, not that
   they resembled ordinary ministers, who labor in the Lord's vineyard,
   and who, by planting and watering, bring it into a state of
   cultivation; but merely because they were the heralds of a richer and
   more complete doctrine. They did not at that time receive the office of
   preaching any farther than to render the Jews attentive to the
   preaching of the Gospel.

   11. Inquire what person in it is worthy. Again, they might object that
   they would be deprived of the food to which they were entitled, because
   nobody would acknowledge them as laborers But Christ meets this
   difficulty also by ordering them to make inquiry what person in each
   city is worthy of the message of salvation. By these words, he bids
   them ask, if there are any godly and upright men, who have some fear
   and reverence for God, and of whose readiness to receive instruction
   good hopes may be entertained, that they may direct their labors
   chiefly to them. For, as they were not at liberty to remain long in any
   one place, it was proper to begin with those who, in some respect were
   better prepared.

   Remain there till you depart. This too has a reference to dispatch: for
   if they had made a longer stay in any place, it would have been
   necessary to change their lodging, that they might not be too
   burdensome to any individual. When, therefore, Christ enjoins them to
   remain in the house of the person who shall first receive them, till
   they depart to another city, he intimates that they must make haste, so
   that, after having published the Gospel in one city, they may
   immediately run to another.

   12. Salute it. As they could not distinguish the devout worshippers of
   God from despisers, he enjoins them to address in a friendly manner any
   family which they may have occasion to meet. The act of saluting is a
   kind of opening to a conversation. They had already been warned to look
   out for persons to entertain them, whose religious zeal was generally
   known and believed. But as it sometimes happens that persons of lofty
   reputation, when they are brought to a serious trial, discover their
   impiety, it was proper that this rule should be expressly laid down.
   The meaning therefore is: "Make trial, when you first enter, whether
   your entertainers will cheerfully submit to hear you. Whoever shall
   willingly embrace your doctrine, remain in their house, that your
   salutation may be confirmed. If any shall reject, depart from them
   immediately, and, so far as lies in your power, withdraw your
   salutation."

   13. If it be not worthy. The import of this mode of expression may be
   thus stated, -- "As their ingratitude makes them unworthy to enjoy the
   blessing of God which you have supplicated for them, break off every
   bond of communication." The word peace refers to the mode of salutation
   which generally used among the Jews. As the Hebrew word slvm, (shalom,)
   peace, denotes prosperity, when they desire that any one may be well
   and happy, and that his affairs may succeed to his wish, they pray that
   he may have peace I do acknowledge that the apostles brought to men a
   different kind of peace, but it is too great a refinement of
   speculation to make this passage refer to the free reconciliation which
   takes place between God and men.

   14. And whoever will not receive you. This awful threatening of
   punishment against the despisers of the gospel was intended to animate
   his disciples, that they might not be retarded by the ingratitude of
   the world. He directs the apostles, indeed, what he wishes them to do
   if they meet with despisers. But his principal design was that,
   wherever their doctrine was rejected, their well-founded grief and
   distress might be relieved by consolation, that they might not fail in
   the middle of their course. And we see how Paul, relying on this
   consolation, boldly sets at naught all the obstinacy of men, moves on
   steadily in the midst of hindrances, and boasts that he is

   a sweet savor to God, though he is the savor of death
   to them that perish, (2 Corinthians 2:15,16.)

   Now, this passage shows in what estimation the Lord holds his gospel,
   and, indeed, as it is an inestimable treasure, they are chargeable with
   base ingratitude who refuse it when offered to them. Besides, it is the
   scepter of his kingdom, and therefore cannot be rejected without
   treating him with open contempt.

   Shake off the dust As the Lord here recommends the doctrine of the
   gospel, that all may receive it with reverence, and terrifies rebels by
   threatening severe punishment, so he enjoins the apostles to proclaim
   the vengeance which he threatens. But this they cannot do, unless they
   burn with very ardent zeal to make known the doctrines which they
   preach. We must therefore hold that no man is qualified to become a
   teacher of heavenly doctrine, unless his feelings respecting it be
   such, that he is distressed and agonized when it is treated with
   contempt.

   To shake off the dust from the feet was probably a custom then
   prevalent in Judea, as a sign of execration; and was intended to
   declare that the inhabitants of the place were so polluted, that the
   very ground on which they trod was infected. That it was an ordinary
   custom I conjecture from our Lord's manner of speaking of it as a thing
   well known. This form of execration confirms still more what I lately
   mentioned, that no crime is more offensive to God than contempt of his
   word: for he does not enjoin them to make use of so solemn a mode in
   expressing their detestation of adulterers, or murderers, or any
   description of malefactors.

   Verily, I say to you That they may not imagine this to be an idle
   bugbear, [578] Christ declares that those who reject the gospel, will
   receive more severe punishment than the inhabitants of Sodom. Some view
   the word judgment as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem. But
   this is foreign to our Lord's intention: for it must be understood as
   referring to the general judgment, in which both must give their
   account, that there may be a comparison of the punishments. Christ
   mentioned Sodom rather than other cities, not only because it went
   beyond them all in flagitious crimes, but because God destroyed it in
   an extraordinary manner, that it might serve as an example to all ages,
   and that its very name might be held in abomination. And we need not
   wonder if Christ declares that they will be treated less severely than
   those who refuse to hear the gospel. When men deny the authority of Him
   who made and formed them, when they refuse to listen to his voice, nay,
   reject disdainfully his gentle invitations, and withhold the confidence
   which is due to his gracious promises, such impiety is the utmost
   accumulation, as it were, of all crimes. But if the rejection of that
   obscure preaching was followed by such dreadful vengeance, how awful
   must be the punishment that awaits those who reject Christ when he
   speaks openly! Again, if God punishes so severely the despisers of the
   word, what shall become of furious enemies who, by blasphemies and a
   venomous tongue, oppose the gospel, or cruelly persecute it by fire and
   sword?
     __________________________________________________________________

   [574] "Ne faites provision d'or ni d'argent;" -- "make no provision of
   gold or of silver."

   [575] "La commission et ambassade;" -- "the commission and einbassy."

   [576] "N'ayans rien de quoy faire leurs despens;" -- "having no means
   of paying their expenses."

   [577] "Ils gaigneront bien pour le moins leur nourriture;" -- "they
   will get their food at least."

   [578] "Afin qu'il ne semble que ce soit une menace vaine, et (cornroe
   on dit) seulement pour faire peur aux petits enfans;" -- "that it may
   not seem as if it were an idle threatening, and (as we say) only to
   frighten young children."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:16-20; LUKE 12:11-12

   Matthew 10:16-20

   Luke 12:11-12

   16. Behold, I send you out, as sheep in the midst of wolves: be
   therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of
   men: for they will deliver you to the councils, and will scourge you in
   their synagagues: 18. And you will be brought before rulers and kings
   on my account, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19. But
   when they shall deliver you up, be not anxious [579] as to how or what
   you shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour [580] what you
   shall speak. 20. For it is not you that speak, but it is the Spirit of
   your Father that speaketh in you.

   11. And when they shall bring you into synagogues, and before
   magistrates and powers, do not be anxious how or what you shall answer,
   or what you shall say. 12. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in the
   same hour [581] what you ought to say.


   The injunctions which Matthew has hitherto related had no farther
   reference than to that former expedition or commission, which was to be
   terminated in a few days. But now Christ proceeds farther, and prepares
   them for a future period, by informing them, that they were not merely
   chosen for that brief exercise of preaching, but that an office of
   greater difficulty and of far higher importance awaited them. Though
   they were not immediately brought into those contests of which Christ
   speaks, yet it was advantageous for them to have previous warning, that
   any uneasiness which they might then suffer might be known to be a sort
   of preparative for a fiercer warfare to which they had been destined.
   It was no doubt true in reference to the first mission, that the
   apostles were like sheep in the midst of wolves: but as the Lord spared
   their weakness, and restrained the cruelty of the wolves from doing
   them any injury, these words properly relate to a subsequent period,
   when the Lord treated them more harshly. Before his resurrection, while
   the bridegroom was present, they were treated, so to speak, like guests
   at a marriage: but after the departure of the bridegroom, that softness
   and gentleness ceased, and they were reduced to such hardships as made
   them aware, that there were good reasons why they had been early
   furnished with those arms.

   Perhaps, too, Matthew may have collected into one passage discourses
   which were delivered at different times: for Luke, as we shall
   afterwards see, (10:17) relates that the same things were said to the
   seventy disciples, who were placed in the room of the apostles. One
   thing is beyond dispute: These words did not merely foretell the
   consequences of that journey which they were now commencing, but gave
   them warning as to the whole course of their apostleship.

   Matthew 10:16. Behold, I send you out The exhortation which immediately
   follows plainly shows the design of this admonition; and therefore the
   order of the passage must be explained in this manner: "You have need
   of wisdom and of harmlessness, because you will be like sheep in the
   midst of wolves " The reason is drawn from the necessity of the case:
   for if they did not wisely exercise caution, they might be immediately
   devoured by the wolves; and, on the other hand, if they trembled at the
   rage of the wolves, or were incautious, they would presently waver, and
   would at length fail to perform their duty.

   We shall first inquire what is meant by their being sent out as sheep
   in the midst of wolves Though men are cruel and bloody, the Lord might
   soften their ferocious temper; for he tames and subdues, whenever he
   pleases, the beasts of prey. When God does not subdue a considerable
   portion of mankind to the obedience of the gospels but leaves them in
   their own savage nature, he does it on purpose to try his ministers.
   Though all whom God does not regenerate with the spirit of gentleness
   are by nature wolves yet this designation is applied by Christ chiefly
   to the enraged enemies of the gospel, who are so far from being
   softened by hearing the voice of the pastor that they are inflamed to
   greater cruelty. The Lord sends the ministers of his word on the
   condition of dwelling in the midst of wolves; that is, of having many
   determined enemies and of being beset on every hand by many dangers,
   which render it no easy matter to discharge their duty in the midst of
   hindrances. To make the trial more severe, he does not supply them with
   defensive armor, but exposes them naked and defenseless to the teeth of
   the wolves

   By calling them sheeps he does not refer to the sweetness and mildness
   of their manners, or to the gentleness of their mind, but only means
   that they will have no greater strength or fitness for repelling the
   violence of enemies than sheep have against the rage of wolves Christ
   requires no doubt, from his disciples that they shall resemble sheep in
   their dispositions, by their patience in contending against the malice
   of wicked men, and by the meekness with which they endure injuries, but
   the simple meaning of this passage is, that many powerful and cruel
   enemies are arrayed against the apostles, while they, on their part,
   are furnished with no means of defense, [582] If it be objected, that
   in this way there is no contrast between sheep and wolves, the reply is
   easy. Though the Lords by calling the enemies of the gospel wolves,
   expressed their power rather than their desire to do injury, yet as no
   man is known to be a wolf but by his rage against the gospel, Christ
   has joined these two things together, the fierce cruelty which impels
   them to shed blood, and the power with which they are armed.

   Be therefore wise The general meaning is, that their wisdom in
   exercising caution must be so regulated, as to prevent them from being
   more timid than is necessary, or from becoming more sluggish in duty.
   We see that those who wish to pass for cautious and circumspect persons
   are, for the most part, timorous and lazy. It is no doubt proper for
   the disciples of Christ, surrounded as they are by dangers on every
   hand, to maintain the strictest caution; but as they are in extreme
   danger of being kept back by slothfulness, he bids them move forward
   honestly wherever their calling leads them.

   This is pointed out by a twofold comparison, wise as serpents, and
   harmless as doves. Serpents, being aware that they are hated, carefully
   avoid and shrink from every thing that is hostile to them. In this
   manner he enjoins believers to take care of their life, so as not to
   rush heedlessly into danger, or lay themselves open to any kind of
   injury. Doves, on the other hand, though naturally timid, and liable to
   innumerable attacks, fly in their simplicity, imagine themselves safe
   till they are struck, and in most cases place themselves within the
   reach of the fowler's snares. To such simplicity Christ exhorts his
   disciples, that no excess of terror may hinder them from pursuing their
   course. There are some who carry their ingenious reasonings still
   farther as to the nature of the serpent and of the dove, but this is
   the utmost extent of the resemblance. We see that Christ condemns that
   carnal wisdom, or rather that trickery, in which the greater part of
   men are too fond of indulging, while they look around them on every
   hand to discover how far it will be safe for them to proceed; and thus,
   from an unwillingness to encounter danger, they renounce the call of
   Christ. [583]

   17. But beware of men Erasmus has inserted the word these, (beware of
   these men,) supposing that the article has the force of a demonstrative
   pronoun. [584] But in my opinion it is better to view it as indefinite,
   and as conveying a declaration of Christ, that caution ought to be
   exercised in dealing with men, among whom every thing is full of snares
   and injuries. But he appears to contradict himself: for the best way of
   exercising caution would have been to remain at home, and not to
   venture to appear in public. I reply, he points out here a different
   sort of caution, -- not that terror and alarm which would keep them
   from discharging their duty, but a dread of being excessively annoyed
   by sudden calamities. We know that those who are surprised by
   unexpected afflictions are apt to fall down lifeless. Christ,
   therefore, desired that his disciples should foresee at a distance what
   would happen, that their minds might be early prepared for maintaining
   a conflict. In short, he sounds the trumpet to them, that they may
   quickly make ready for the battle: for as foresight, when it is
   excessive or attended by unnecessary anxiety, reduces many to a state
   of weakness, so many are intoxicated by an indolent security, and,
   rushing on heedlessly, give way at the critical moment.

   For they will deliver you up to councils It may readily be inferred
   from these words, that the contests of which Christ forewarns the
   apostles must not be limited to the first journey, in which they met
   with nothing of this description. The object of this prediction is to
   prevent them from being ever cast down: for it was no ordinary
   attainment for poor and despised men, when they came into the presence
   of princes, to preserve composure, and to remain unmoved by any worldly
   splendor. He warns them, too, that not in Judea only, but in more
   distant places, they will be called to fight; and he does so, not
   merely for the purpose of preparing them by long meditation for that
   warfare, but that, as instructed and experienced masters, they might
   not scruple to yield themselves to heavenly guidance.

   For a testimony to them and to the Gentiles This means that the will of
   God must be proclaimed even to foreign princes, and to distant nations,
   that they may be without excuse. Hence it follows, that the labor of
   the apostles will not be lost, for it will vindicate the judgment of
   God, when men shall be convicted of their obstinacy.

   19. Be not anxious [585] A consolation is added: for in vain would
   Christ have given a hundred exhortations to the disciples, if he had
   not, at the same time, promised that God would be with them, and that
   through his power they would assuredly be victorious. Hence we infer,
   that Christ is very far from intending, by announcing those dangers, to
   abate the fervor of that zeal with which it would be necessary for the
   disciples to burn if they wished to discharge their duty in a proper
   manner. It is, no doubt, a great matter to endure the presence of
   princes; for not only fear, but even shame, sometimes overpowers
   well-regulated minds. What, then, may be expected, if princes break out
   into furious anger, and almost thunder? [586] Yet Christ charges his
   disciples not to be anxious.

   For in that hour shall be given to you what you shall speak The Spirit
   will suggest words to them. The more a man distrusts himself through
   consciousness of his own weakness, the more is he alarmed, unless he
   expect assistance from another quarter. Accordingly, we see that the
   reason why most men give way is, that they measure by their own
   strength, which is very small or almost nothing, the success of their
   undertakings. Christ forbids the disciples to look at their own
   strength, and enjoins them to rely, with undivided confidence, on
   heavenly grace. "It is not," he says, "your ability that is in
   question, but the power of the Holy Spirit, who forms and guides the
   tongues of believers to a sincere confession of their faith."

   That they may not be alarmed by their present deficiency, he assures
   them that assistance will come at the very instant when it is needed.
   Frequently does it happen that the Lord leaves believers destitute of
   the gift of eloquence, so long as he does not require that they give
   him a testimony, but, when the necessity for it arrives, those who
   formerly appeared to be dumb are endued by him with more than ordinary
   eloquence. Thus, in our own time, we have seen some martyrs, who seemed
   to be almost devoid of talent, and yet were no sooner called to make a
   public profession of their faith, than they exhibited a command of
   appropriate and graceful language altogether miraculous. [587]

   Yet it was not the will of Christ that the apostles should be free from
   all care: for it was advantageous to them to have such a measure of
   anxiety, as to supplicate and entreat that the Spirit might be given to
   them; but he desired to remove that deep and uneasy thought which
   almost always tends to perplex and embarrass. So long as men indulge in
   conjecture what is to take place, or whether this or the other thing
   will happen, and do not rely on the providence of God, they are kept in
   a wretched state of trouble and uneasiness. And, indeed, those who do
   not render such honor to the providence of God, as to believe that it
   will seasonably relieve their wants, deserve to be tormented in this
   manner.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [579] "N'ayez point de souci;" -- "have no anxiety."

   [580] "Car a ce mesme instant vous sera donn, ce que vous direz;" --
   "for at that very instant will be given to you what you shall speak."

   [581] "Ace mesme instant;" -- "at that very instant."

   [582] "Combien que de leur cost, ils n'ayent aucune force ou munition
   externe;" -- "while they, on their side, have no strength or outward
   protection."

   [583] "Ils renoncent Christ et sa vocation;" -- "they renounce Christ
   and his calling."

   [584] "Erasme a traduit, De ces hornroes: pource qu'il luy a sembl, que
   l'article Grec qul est mis avec le nora denotoit quelques certains
   hommes." -- "Erasmus translated it, Of these men: because he thought
   that theGreek article, which is joined to the noun, denoted some
   particular men." --Prosechete de apo ton anthropon literally means but
   beware of THE men In Calvin's native tongue, les hommes denotes men in
   general, and in expressing the idea of the men, it became necessary to
   substitute ces for les, in order to avoid the circumlocution of les
   hommes, dont il s'agit But it would be proper to show cause why hoi
   anthropoi should be here viewed as equivalent to pantes anthropoi.
   Erasmus, writing in Latin, has supplied a defect of that language by
   almost the only means which he had in his power, the use of a
   demonstrative pronoun as a substitute for the definite article. "Cavete
   ab illis hominibus," naturally interpreting ton anthropon, as referring
   to the men who had just been described to the disciples as wolves, and
   in their intercourse with whom the utmost caution would be
   indispensable. -- Ed.

   [585] "N'ayez point de souci;" -- "have no anxiety."

   [586] "En sorte qu'il semblera quasi qu'ils foudroyent;" -- "so that
   they will almost appear to thunder."

   [587] "Et de faict, nous avons veu de nostre temps aucuns martyrs,
   lesquels ayans este le reste de leur vie quasi muets, et n'ayans point
   de grace a parler, toutesfois quand Dieu les a appelez a rendre
   confession de leur foy devant les ennenmis, c'a este un miracle du don
   excellent qu'ils out eu de parlet et respondre pertinemment et avec
   grace." -- "And, in fact, we have seen, in our own time, some martyrs
   who having been the rest of their life, as it were, dumb, and having no
   gracefulness of speech, yet when God called them to make confession of
   their faith before enemies, the excellent gift which they possessed, of
   speaking and replying appropriately and gracefully, was quite
   miraculous."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:21-25; LUKE 6:40

   Matthew 10:21-25

   Luke 6:40

   21. And the brother will deliver up the brother to death, and the
   father the son, and the children will rise up against the parents, and
   will put them to death. 22. And you will be hated by all on account of
   my name: but he who shall endure to the end [588] will be saved.
   23. And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another:
   for verily I say unto you, You will not have gone over [589] all the
   cities of Israel, till the Son of man bec ome. 24. The disciple is not
   above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25. It is enough for
   the disciple that he be as his master, and that the servant be as his
   lord: if they have called the master of the house himself Beelzebub,
   how much more his household servants?

   40. The disciple is not above his master, but every one shall be to his
   master.


   Matthew 10:21. And the brother will deliver up the brother to death. He
   first gives warning what heavy calamities await them, and then adds a
   remarkable consideration, which sweetens all their bitterness. First,
   he announces that those circumstances which other men find to be the
   means of protection, or from which they obtain some relief, will prove
   to the disciples a fresh addition to their misery. Brothers, who ought
   to assist them when oppressed, to stretch out their hand to them amidst
   their distresses, and to watch over their safety, will be their mortal
   enemies.

   It is a mistake however, to suppose that it happens to none but
   believers to be delivered up to death by their brethren: for it is
   possible that a father may pursue his son with holy zeal, [590] if he
   perceives him to have apostatized from the true worship of God; nay,
   the Lord enjoins us in such a case (Deuteronomy 13:9) to forget flesh
   and blood, and to bestow all our care on vindicating the glory of his
   name. [591] Whoever has fear and reverence for God will not spare his
   own relatives, but will rather choose that all of them should perish,
   if it be found necessary, than that the kingdom of Christ should be
   scattered, the doctrine of salvation extinguished, and the worship of
   God abolished. If our affections were properly regulated, there would
   be no other cause of just hatred among us.

   On the other hand, as Christ not only restores the kingdom of God, and
   raises godliness to its full vigor, but even brings men back from ruin
   to salvation, nothing can be more unreasonable than that the ministers
   of so lovely a doctrine should be hated on his account. A thing so
   monstrous, and so contrary to nature, might greatly distress the minds
   of simple men: [592] but Christ foretells that it will actually take
   place.

   22. But he who endured to the end shall be saved This single promise
   ought sufficiently to support the minds of the godly, though the whole
   world should rise against them: for they are assured that the result
   will be prosperous and happy. If those who fight under earthly
   commanders, and are uncertain as to the issue of the battle, are
   carried forward even to death by steadiness of purpose, shall those who
   are certain of victory hesitate to abide by the cause of Christ to the
   very last?

   23. And when they shall persecute you. He anticipates an objection that
   might arise. If we must encounter the resentments of the whole world,
   what shall be the end of all this? [593] Though it may not be safe for
   them to remain in any place, yet Christ warns them not to despair, but,
   on the contrary, when they have been driven from one place, to try
   whether their labors in some other place may be of any avail. It is a
   mistake, however, to suppose that this is a bare permission: for it is
   rather a command given to the disciples, what it is the will of Christ
   that they should do. He who has sustained one persecution would
   willingly withdraw as a soldier who has served his time. But no such
   exemption is granted to the followers of Christ, who commands them to
   fulfill their whole course with unabated zeal. In short, the apostles
   are enjoined to enter into fresh contests, and not to imagine that,
   when they have succeeded in one or two cases, they have fully
   discharged their duty. No permission is granted to them to flee to a
   retired spot, where they may remain unemployed, but though their labor
   may have been unsuccessful in one place, the Lord exhorts them to
   persevere.

   And yet the command implies also a permission. As to avoiding
   persecution, it ought to be understood in this manner: we must not
   condemn without distinction all who flee, and yet it is not every kind
   of flight that is lawful. Some of the ancients carried their zeal in
   this matter to an extreme and condemned flight as a species of
   disavowal. Were this true, some part of the disgrace would fall on
   Christ and his apostles. Again, if all without distinction are at
   liberty to flee, a good pastor could not be distinguished from a
   hireling during a season of persecution. We must abide by the
   moderation which Augustine recommends, when writing to Honoratus: No
   man must quit his station through timidity, either by betraying the
   flock through cowardice, or by giving an example of slothfulness; and
   yet no man must expose himself precipitately, or at random. If a whole
   church is attacked, or if a part of them is pursued to death, the
   pastor, whose duty it is to expose his life in place of any individual
   among them, would do wrong in withdrawing. But sometimes it may happen,
   that by his absence he will quell the rage of enemies, and thus promote
   the advantage of the church. In such cases, the harmlessness of the
   dove must be his guide, that effeminate persons may not seize on his
   conduct as an excuse for their timidity: for the flesh is always too
   ingenious in avoiding what is troublesome.

   For verily I say to you. These words cannot be understood in the sense
   which some have given to them as relating to the first mission, [594]
   but embrace the whole course of their apostleship. But the difficulty
   lies in ascertaining what is meant by the coming of the Son of man Some
   explain it as denoting such a progress of the gospel, as may enable all
   to acknowledge that Christ is truly reigning, and that he may be
   expected to restore the kingdom of David. Others refer it to the
   destruction of Jerusalem, in which Christ appeared taking vengeance on
   the ingratitude of the nation. The former exposition is admissible: the
   latter is too far-fetched. I look upon the consolation here given as
   addressed peculiarly to the apostles. Christ is said to come, when
   matters are desperate, and he grants relief. The commission which they
   received was almost boundless: it was to spread the doctrine of the
   Gospel through the whole world. Christ promises that he will come
   before they have traveled through the whole of Judea: that is, by the
   power of his Spirit, he will shed around his reign such luster, that
   the apostles will be enabled to discern that glory and majesty which
   they had hitherto been unable to discover.

   24. The disciple is not above his master By his own example he now
   exhorts them to perseverance; and, indeed, this consolation is enough
   to banish all sadness, if we consider that our lot is shared with the
   Son of God. To make us feel deeper shame, he borrows a twofold
   comparison from what is customary among men. The disciple reckons it
   honorable to be placed on a level with his master, and does not venture
   to wish a higher honor, and again, servants do not refuse to share that
   condition to which their masters willingly submit. In both respects,
   the Son of God is far above us: for the Father has given to him the
   highest authority, and has bestowed on him the office of a teacher. We
   ought, therefore, to be ashamed of declining what he did not scruple to
   undergo on our account. But there is more need to meditate on these
   words than to explain them: for, in themselves, they are sufficiently
   clear.

   Luke 6:40. The disciple is not above his master, but every one shall be
   conformed to his master Luke gives this sentence without any
   connection, as if it had been spoken abruptly in the midst of other
   discourses; but as Matthew explains very clearly, in this passage, to
   what it relates, I have chosen not to insert it in any other place.
   With respect to the translation, I have chosen neither to follow
   Erasmus nor the old translator, and for the following reason: -- The
   participle katertismenos, signifies perfect, but signifies also fit and
   suitable Now, as Christ is speaking, not about perfection, but about
   resemblance, and must therefore mean, that nothing is more suitable for
   a disciple than to be formed after the example of his master, the
   latter meaning appeared to me to be more appropriate.

   25. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub This is
   equivalent to calling himself Lord of the Church, as the apostle, when
   comparing him to Moses and the prophets, (Hebrews 3:1,) says, that they
   were servants, but that he is the Son and heir. Though he bestows on
   them the honor of calling them brethren, (Hebrews 2:11,) yet he is the
   first-born (Romans 8:29) and head of the whole church; and, in short,
   he possesses supreme government and power. Nothing, therefore, can be
   more unreasonable than to wish to be accounted believers, and yet to
   murmur against God when he conforms us to the image of his Son, whom he
   has placed over all his family. To what sort of delicacy do we pretend,
   if we wish to hold a place in his house, and to be above the Lord
   himself? The general meaning is, that we carry our delicacy and
   tenderness to excess, if we account it a hardship to endure reproaches
   to which our Prince willingly submitted.

   Beelzebub is a corrupted term, and would have been more correctly
   written Baalzebub. This was the name given to the chief of the false
   gods of the Philistines, who was worshipped by the inhabitants of
   Ekron, (2 Kings 1:2.) Baalim was the name of the inferior deities, whom
   the Papists of our day call patrons. Now, as Baalzebub means the patron
   of the fly, or of the flies, some have thought that he was so called on
   account of the great multitude of flies in the temple, occasioned by
   the number of sacrifices; but I rather conjecture that the assistance
   of the idol was implored against the flies which infested that place.
   When Ahazlah, under the influence of superstition, applied to him to be
   informed about his recovery, he gave him this name, which would appear
   from that circumstance not to be a term of reproach. But as the name
   gehenna was applied by holy men to hell, in order to stamp that place
   with infamy, so, in order to express their hatred and detestation of
   the idol, they gave the name Beelzebub to the devil. Hence we infer
   that wicked men, for the purpose of rendering Christ detestable to the
   multitude, employed the most reproachful term which they could invent,
   by calling him the devil, or, in other words, the greatest enemy of
   religion. If we happen to be assailed by the same kind of reproach, we
   ought not to think it strange, that what began in the head should be
   completed in the members.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [588] "Qui soustiendra, ou, tiendra bon, jusques k la fin;" -- "he who
   shall endure, or hold out, even to the end."

   [589] "Vous n'aurez point parachev, d'aller;" -- "you will not have
   finished going."

   [590] "Par un zele sainct et plaisant a Dieu;" -- "by a zeal that is
   holy and pleasing to God."

   [591] "De maintenir la gloire de son nom, a fin que punition soit faite
   de l'outrage commis contre sa majeste;" -- "to maintam the glory of his
   name, that punishment may be inflicted on the outrage comnntted against
   his majesty."

   [592] "Les gens simples, et d'esprit paisible;" -- "simple people, and
   of peaceable dispositions."

   [593] "Que sera ce a la fin, et que deviendrons-nous?" -- "What shall
   be in the end, and what will become of us?"

   [594] "Touchant le premier voyage, ou la premiere commission qu ont eue
   les apostres;" -- "respecting the first journey, or the first
   commission which the apostles had."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:26-31; MARK 4:22-23;
   LUKE 8:17; 12:2-7

   Matthew 10:26-31

   Mark 4:22-23

   Luke 8:17

   26. Fear them not therefore: for nothing is covered that shall not be
   revealed, and nothing is hid that shall not be known. 27. What I say to
   you in darkness speak you in light: and what you hear in the ear
   proclaim on the housetops. 28. And fear not those who kill the body,
   but cannot kill the soul: but rather fear him who can destroy both soul
   and body in gehenna. 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and
   not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father? 30. But
   even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. Fear not therefore:
   you are of more value than many sparrows.

   22. For nothing is hid which shall not be revealed; and nothing is
   secret that shall not come to light. 23. If any man have ears to hears,
   let him hear.

   17. For there is nothing hid that shall not be revealed, and nothing
   concealed that shall not be known and come to light.


   Luke 12:2-7

   2. For nothing is covered which shall not be laid open, and nothing is
   hid wich shall not be known. 3. Therefore, those things which you have
   spoken in darkness shall be heard in light: and what you have spoken in
   the ear in closets shall be proclaimed on the housetops. 4. And I say
   to you my friends, Be not afraid of those who kill the body, and after
   that have nothing more that they can do. 5. And I will show you whom
   you should fear: fear him who, after that he hath killed, hath power to
   throw into gehenna: yea, I say to you, Fear him. 6. Are not five
   sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten
   before God? 7. But even the hairs on your head are all numbered: fear
   not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.


   Matthew 10:26. Fear them not therefore When the apostles saw the gospel
   so greatly despised, and recollected the small number of believers,
   they might be apt to throw away hope even for the future. Christ now
   meets this doubt, by declaring that the gospel would be widely spread,
   would at length rise superior to all the hindrances which might arise
   from men, and would become generally known. The saying, nothing is
   covered that shall not be revealed, has some appearance of being a
   proverb: but we restrict it in a special manner to the doctrine of
   salvation, which Christ promises will be victorious, whatsoever may be
   the contrivances of men to oppose it. Though he sometimes preached
   openly in the temple, yet, as his doctrine was rejected, it was still
   concealed in dark comers: but he declares that the time for proclaiming
   it will come; which, we know, happened shortly afterwards. In no part
   of the earth was there ever such thunder heard as the voice of the
   gospel, which resounded through the whole world. As this promise ought
   to fill them with courage, Christ exhorts them to devote themselves to
   it with boldness and perseverance, and not to be alarmed, though they
   see the gospel hitherto despised, but, on the contrary, to become its
   zealous preachers.

   The passage which I have taken from Mark was, perhaps, spoken at a
   different time, and in a different sense: but as the sentences in that
   place are concise, I have followed the meaning which appeared to me the
   most probable. After having commanded the apostles to assemble burning
   lamps by sending out a bright light to a great distance, he immediately
   afterwards adds, nothing is hidden which shall not be revealed. Now the
   lamp of the gospel was kindled by the apostles, as it were in the midst
   of darkness, that by their agency it might be raised on high, and shine
   throughout the whole world. The passage in the eighth chapter of Luke's
   Gospel is precisely alike. As to the passage in the twelfth chapter,
   there is no room to doubt that it has the same meaning, though there is
   a difference in the words: for Christ there commands the apostles to
   bring to light what they had spoken in darkness. This means, that
   hitherto they had only spoken in whispers about the gospel, but that
   their future preaching would be so public, that it would spread to the
   most distant parts of the world.

   28. And fear not those who kill the body To excite his disciples to
   despise death, Christ employs the very powerful argument, that this
   frail and perishing lift ought to be little regarded by men who have
   been created for a heavenly immortality. The statement amounts to this,
   that if believers will consider for what purpose they were born, and
   what is their condition, they will have no reason to be so earnest in
   desiring an earthly life. But the words have still a richer and fuller
   meaning: for we are here taught by Christ that the fear of God is dead
   in those men who, through dread of tyrants, fall from a confession of
   their faith, and that a brutish stupidity reigns in the hearts of those
   who, through dread of death, do not hesitate to abandon that
   confession.

   We must attend to the distinction between the two opposite kinds of
   fear. If the fear of God is extinguished by the dread of men, is it not
   evident that we pay greater deference to them than to God himself?
   Hence it follows, that when we have abandoned the heavenly and eternal
   life, we reserve nothing more for ourselves than to be like the beasts
   that perish, (Psalm 49:12.) God alone has the power of bestowing
   eternal life, or of inflicting eternal death. We forget God, because we
   are hurried away by the dread of men. Is it not very evident that we
   set a higher value on the shadowy life of the body [595] than on the
   eternal condition of the soul; or rather, that the heavenly kingdom of
   God is of no estimation with us, in comparison of the fleeting and
   vanishing shadow of the present life?

   These words of Christ ought therefore to be explained in this manner:
   "Acknowledge that you have received immortal souls, which are subject
   to the disposal of God alone, and do not come into the power of men.
   The consequence will be, that no terrors or alarms which men may employ
   will shake your faith. "For how comes it that the dread of men prevails
   in the struggle, but because the body is preferred to the soul, and
   immortality is less valued than a perishing life?"

   Luke 12:5. Yea, I say to you, Fear Him This is an emphatic, [596]
   repetition of the statement. Christ must be viewed as saying, that when
   we give way to the dread of men, we pay no respect to God; and that if
   on the contrary we fear God, we have an easy victory in our hands, so
   that no efforts of men will draw us aside from our duty. The experience
   of every age shows the great necessity of this exhortation to the
   ministers of Christ, and likewise to all believers in general: for
   there never was a period when men did not rise furiously against God,
   and endeavor to overwhelm the Gospel. [597] All are not armed indeed
   with equal power to hold out to believers the dread of death, but the
   greater number are animated by that savage ferocity, which discovers
   itself as soon as an opportunity occurs. Frequently, too, Satan brings
   forward giants, in whose presence the servants of Christ would fall
   down lifeless, were it not that this doctrine fortifies them to
   maintain unshaken perseverance.

   The two clauses being very closely related to each other, it is an
   incorrect view which some unskilful persons take, by reading separately
   this clause, Fear them not For Christ, (as we have already said,) in
   order to cure that wicked fear of men, which draws us aside from the
   right path contrasts with it a devout and holy fear of God: otherwise
   the consequence would not follow that, if we fear God, who is the Lord
   of body and soul, we have no reason to fear men, whose power goes no
   farther than the body. With regard to the statement that men have power
   to kill the body, Christ made it by way of concession. God allows
   wicked men to enjoy such a degree of liberty, that they are swelled
   with confidence in their own power, imagine that they may attempt any
   thing, and even succeed in terrifying weak minds, as if they could do
   whatever they pleased. Now the proud imaginations of wicked men, as if
   the life of the godly were placed at their disposal, is utterly
   unfounded: for God keeps them within limits, and restrains, whenever it
   pleases him, the cruelty and violence of their attacks. And yet they
   are said to have power to kill by his permission, for he often permits
   them to indulge their cruel rage. Besides, our Lord's discourse
   consists of two parts. First, in order to instruct us to bear with
   composure the loss of the bodily life, he bids us contemplate both
   eternal life and eternal death, and then arrives gradually at this
   point, that the protection of our life is in the hand of God.

   Matthew 10:29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? Christ
   proceeds farther, as I have already hinted, and declares that tyrants,
   whatever may be their madness, have no power whatever even over the
   body: and that therefore it is improper in any persons to dread the
   cruelty of men, as if they were not under the protection of God. In the
   midst of dangers, therefore, let us remember this second consolation.
   As God is the guardian of our life, we may safely rely on his
   providence; nay, we do him injustice, if we do not entrust to him our
   life, which he is pleased to take under his charge. Christ takes a
   general view of the providence of God as extending to all creatures,
   and thus argues from the greater to the less, that we are upheld by his
   special protection. There is hardly any thing of less value than
   sparrows, (for two were then sold for a farthing, or, as Luke states
   it, five for two farthings,) and yet God has his eye upon them to
   protect them, so that nothing happens to them by chance. Would He who
   is careful about the sparrows disregard the life of men?

   There are here two things to be observed. First, Christ gives a very
   different account of the providence of God from what is given by many
   who talk like the philosophers, and tell us that God governs the world,
   but yet imagine providence to be a confused sort of arrangement, as if
   God did not keep his eye on each of the creatures. Now, Christ declares
   that each of the creatures in particular is under his hand and
   protection, so that nothing is left to chance. Unquestionably, the will
   of God is contrasted with contingence or uncertainty [598] , And yet we
   must not be understood to uphold the fate of the Stoics, [599] for it
   is one thing to imagine a necessity which is involved in a complicated
   chain of causes, and quite another thing to believe that the world, and
   every part of it, is directed by the will of God. In the nature of
   things, I do acknowledge there is uncertainty: [600] but I maintain
   that nothing happens through a blind revolution of chance, for all is
   regulated by the will of God.

   The second thing to be observed is, that we ought to contemplate
   Providence, not as curious and fickle persons are wont to do, but as a
   ground of confidence and excitement to prayer. When he informs us that
   the hairs of our head are all numbered, it is not to encourage trivial
   speculations, but to instruct us to depend on the fatherly care of God
   which is exercised over these frail bodies.

   31. You are of more value This is true in general of all men, for the
   sparrows were created for their advantage. But this discourse relates
   peculiarly to the sons of God, who possess a far higher right than what
   they derive from creation. Now the rank which belongs to men arises
   solely from the undeserved kindness of God.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [595] "La vie de ce corps, laquelle n'est qu'une fumee;" -- "the life
   of this body, which is but a vapor," (James 4:14.)

   [596] "Emporte poids;" -- "carries weight.

   [597] "S'esforcans d'abattre et exterminer l'Evangile;" -- "laboring to
   destroy and exterminate the Gospel."

   [598] "La volonte de Dieu est mise a l'opposite de ce que tels
   Philosophes appellent Contingence: par lequel mot ils signifient un
   accident qui vient de soy és choses, sans qu'il y ait une certaine
   conduite d'enhaut." -- "The will of God is contrasted with what such
   Philosophers call Contingence: a term by which they denote an accident
   which comes of its own accord in events, without any fixed direction of
   it from above."

   [599] We have formerly adverted to a leading tenet of the Stoics, that
   the distinction between pleasure and pain is imaginary, and that
   consequently the highest wisdom consists in being utterly unmoved by
   the events of life. The present allusion is to their notion of Fate, a
   mysterious and irresistible necessity, over which those beings whom
   they blindly worshipped were supposed to have as little control as the
   inhabitants of the earth. Calvin demonstrates that the serenity of a
   Christian differs not more widely from Stoical apathy, than the
   doctrine of a special Providence which is here taught by our Savior
   differs from Stoical Fate; that the believer in Providence adores the
   high and lofty One that inhabiteth, eternity, (Isaiah 57:15,) who hath,
   prepared His throne in the heavens, and whose kingdom ruleth over all,
   (Psalm 103:19;) and, far from viewing the will of God as swayed by a
   higher power, traces every event to the purpose of Him who worketh all
   things after the counsel of his own will, (Ephesians 1:11.) -- Ed

   [600] "Je confesse bien que si on regarde la nature des choses en soy,
   on trouvera qu'il y a quelque Contingence;" -- "I readily acknowledge
   that, if the nature of things in itself be considered, it will be found
   that there is some uncertainty."
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:32-35; MARK 8:38;
   LUKE 9:26; 12:8-9, 51-53

   Matthew 10:32-35

   Mark 8:38

   Luke 9:26

   32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also
   confess before my Father, who is in heaven. 33. And whosoever shall
   deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, who is in
   heaven. 34. Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came
   not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I have come to set a man at
   variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
   daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And the persons of a man's
   household shall be his enemies.

   38. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this
   adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man be
   ashamed, when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy
   angels.

   26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him will
   the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, [601]
   and [in the glory] of the Father, and of the holy angels.


   Luke 12:8-9, 51-53

   8. And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will
   the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. 9. And he who
   shall deny me before men, will be denied before the angels of
   God.--(Same chapter.) 51. Do you suppose that I came to send peace on
   earth? I tell you no; but division. 52. For henceforth there will be
   five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
   53. The father will be divided against the son, and the son against the
   father: the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the
   mother: the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the
   daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.


   Matthew 10:32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me He now applies to
   his present subject what he formerly said in a general manner about
   contempt of death: for we must struggle against the dread of death,
   that it may not keep us back from an open confession of faith, which
   God strictly demands, and which the world cannot endure. For this
   purpose the disciples of Christ must be bold and courageous, that they
   may be always ready for martyrdom. Now confession of Christ, though it
   is regarded by the greater part of men as a trifling matter, is here
   represented to be a main part of divine worship, and a distinguished
   exercise of godliness. And justly is it so represented: for if earthly
   princes, in order to enlarge and protect their glory, and to increase
   their wealth, call their subjects to arms, why should not believers
   maintain, at least in language, the glory of their heavenly King?

   It is therefore certain that those persons extinguish faith, (as far as
   lies in their powers) who inwardly suppress it, as if the outward
   profession of it were unnecessary. With good reason does Christ here
   call us his witnesses, by whose mouth his name shall be celebrated in
   the world. In other words, he intends that the profession of his name
   shall be set in opposition to false religions: and as it is a revolting
   matter, he enjoins the testimony which we must bear, that the faith of
   each person may not remain concealed in the heart, but may be openly
   professed before men. And does not he who refuses or is silent deny the
   Son of God, and thus banish himself from the heavenly family?

   A more public confession of faith, no doubt, is demanded from teachers
   than from persons in a private station. Besides, all are not endued
   with an equal measure of faith, and in proportion as any one excels in
   the gifts of the Spirit, he ought to go before others by his example.
   But there is no believer whom the Son of God does not require to be his
   witness. In what place, at what time, with what degree of frequency, in
   what manner, and to what extent, we ought to profess our faith, cannot
   easily be determined by a fixed rule: but we must consider the
   occasion, that not one of us may fail to discharge his duty at the
   proper time. We must also ask from the Lord the spirit of wisdom and
   courage, that under his direction we may know what is proper, and may
   boldly follow whatever we shall have ascertained that he commands us.

   Him will I also confess. A promise is added to inflame our zeal in this
   matter. But we must attend to the points of contrast. If we draw a
   comparison between ourselves and the Son of God, how base is it to
   refuse our testimony to him, when on his part he offers his testimony
   to us by way of reward? If mortals, and men who are of no worth, are
   brought into comparison with God and the angels and all the heavenly
   glory, how much more valuable is that which Christ promises than that
   which he requires? Although men are unbelieving and rebellious, yet the
   testimony which we deliver to them is estimated by Christ as if it had
   been made in the presence of God and of the angels.

   Thus also by way of amplification, Mark and Luke [602] add, in this
   adulterous and sinful generation; the meaning of which is, that we must
   not imagine our labor to be lost, because there is a want of proper
   disposition in our hearers. Now if any one is not sufficiently moved by
   the promise, it is followed by an awful threatening. When Christ shall
   make his appearance to judge the world, he will deny all who have
   basely denied him before men Let the enemies of the cross now go away,
   and flatter themselves in their hypocrisy, when Christ blots their
   names out of the book of life: for whom will God acknowledge as his
   children at the last day, but those who are presented to him by Christ?
   But he declares that he will bear witness against them, that they may
   not insinuate themselves on false grounds. When it is said that Christ
   will come in the glory of the Father and of the angels, the meaning is,
   that his divine glory will then be fully manifested; and that the
   angels, as they now surround the throne of God, will render their
   services to him by honoring his majesty. The passage from the twelfth
   chapter of Luke's Gospel corresponds to the text of Matthew. What we
   have inserted out of the ninth chapter, and out of Mark, appears to
   have been spoken at another time: but as the doctrine is quite the
   same, I have chosen to introduce them together.

   Luke 12:51. Do you suppose that I came to send peace on the earth? What
   Christ has now demanded from his disciples any one of them would reckon
   it an easy matter to give, if the whole world, with one consent,
   embraced the doctrine of the Gospel. But as a considerable part of the
   world not only opposes but fights keenly against it, we cannot confess
   Christ without encountering the resistance and hatred of many. Christ
   therefore warns his followers to prepare for battle, for they must
   necessarily fight for the testimony of truth. And here he meets two
   stumbling-blocks, which otherwise would greatly have distressed weak
   minds. The prophets everywhere promise that there will be peace and
   tranquillity under the reign of Christ. What then were his disciples
   entitled to expect but that, wherever they went, all would instantly be
   at peace? Now as Christ is called our peace, (Ephesians 2:14,) and as
   the Gospel reconciles us to God, it follows, that he also establishes a
   brotherly harmony amongst us. The kindling of wars and contentions in
   the world where the Gospel is preached, does not seem to agree with the
   predictions of the prophets, and still less with the office of Christ,
   and with the nature of the Gospel.

   But that peace which the prophets describe in lofty terms, is
   associated with faith, and has no existence but among the sincere
   worshippers of God, and in the consciences of the godly. To unbelievers
   it does not come, though it is offered to them; nay, they cannot endure
   to be reconciled to God: and the consequence is, that the message of
   peace excites in them a greater tumult than before. As Satan, who holds
   a kingly power over the reprobate, is furious against the name of
   Christ, as soon as the doctrine of the Gospel is proclaimed to them,
   their impiety, which formerly lay asleep, acquires fresh vigor. Thus
   Christ, who properly speaking, is the author of peace, becomes the
   occasion of disturbances in consequence of the wickedness of men.

   Let us hence learn how great is the depravity of corrupt nature, which
   not only soils a gift so inestimable, but changes it into a most
   destructive evil. Meanwhile, if tumults arise at the commencement of
   the reign of Christ, let us not be alarmed at it, as if it were strange
   or unusual: for he compares his Gospel to a sword, and says that it is
   diamerismos, separation Some think that this is intended to describe
   the punishment which was inflicted on the despisers of the Gospel, by
   their rising in hostility against each other. But the context shows,
   that Christ is here exhorting his disciples to perseverance, though a
   good part of the world should be at variance with them, and though
   their voice should be like a war-trumpet to call innumerable enemies to
   arms.

   Matthew 10:35 To set a man at variance Hence we see more clearly what
   was stated a little before, that wars and tumults arise, contrary to
   the nature of the Gospel, through the fault of wicked men. What Malachi
   says about John the Baptist, [4:5,6] applies to all the ministers of
   Christ. They are sent for this purpose to turn the hearts of the
   fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers.
   But in consequence of the malice of wicked men, those who were formerly
   combined no sooner hear the voice of Christ than they separate into
   opposite parties, and proceed so far as to break up the ties of
   relationship. In a word, Christ foretells that the world will come to
   such a state of confusion, that all the bonds of kindred will be
   treated with indifference, and humanity will be no longer regarded.
   When Micah complains [7:6] that a man's enemies are the men of his own
   house, he deplores it as a state of extreme and ruinous corruption.
   Christ declares that the same thing will happen when his doctrine shall
   be published, which otherwise could not have been believed. At the same
   time, he does not mean that this will uniformly take place, as certain
   fretful persons foolishly imagine that it will be impossible for them
   to be good disciples without forsaking parents, children, and wives. On
   the contrary, every lawful bond of union is confirmed by unity of
   faith: only Christ warns his followers, that when it does happen, they
   must not be alarmed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [601] "En sa majesté;" -- -"in his majesty."

   [602] This is a blunder: for the clause in question is not found in
   Luke, but in Mark only. The french version sets the matter right. --
   Ed.
     __________________________________________________________________

   MATTHEW 10:37-42; MARK 9:41; LUKE 14:25-33

   Matthew 10:37-42

   Mark 9:41

   Luke 14:25-32

   37. He who loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;
   and he who loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
   38. And he who doth not take his cross and follow me, [603] is not
   worthy of me. 39. He who findeth his life [604] shall lose it; and he
   who loseth his life for my sake shall find it. [605] 40. He who
   receiveth you receiveth me: and he who receiveth me receiveth him who
   sent me. 41. He who receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall
   receive a prophet's reward: he who receiveth a righteous man in the
   name of a righteous man, shall a righteous man's reward. 42. And
   whosoever shall give to one of these little ones to drink a cup of cold
   water only, in the name of a disciple, verily, I say to you, he shall
   not lose his reward.

   41. For whosoever shall give to you to drink a cup of water in my name,
   because you belong to Christ, verily I say to you, he shall not lose
   his reward.

   25. And great multitudes went with him, and he turned, and said to
   them, 26. If any man cometh to me, [606] and hateth not his father and
   mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his
   own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27. And whosoever doth not
   carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28. For who is
   there among you that wishes to build a tower, and does not first sit
   down and count the cost, whether he have what is necessary to finish
   it? 29. Lest after he hath laid the foundation, all who see him begin
   to mock him, 30. Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to
   complete it. 31. Or what king, who is setting out to make war against
   another king, does not first sit down and consider whether or not he
   will be able, with ten thousand, to meet him who cometh against him
   with twenty thousand? 32. Otherwise, while the other is still at a
   distance, he sends an embassy, and requests conditions of peace. 33. So
   then every one of you who forsaketh not all that he possesses, cannot
   be my disciple.


   Matthew 10:37. He who loveth father or mother As it is exceedingly
   harsh, and is contrary to natural feelings, to make enemies of those
   who ought to have been in closest alliance with us, so Christ now says
   that we cannot be his disciples on any other condition. He does not
   indeed enjoin us to lay aside human affections, or forbid us to
   discharge the duties of relationship, but only desires that all the
   mutual love which exists among men should be so regulated as to assign
   the highest rank to piety. Let the husband then love his wife, the
   father his son, and, on the other hand, let the son love his father,
   provided that the reverence which is due to Christ be not overpowered
   by human affection. For if even among men, in proportion to the
   closeness of the tie that mutually binds us, some have stronger claims
   than others, it is shameful that all should not be deemed inferior to
   Christ alone. And certainly we do not consider sufficiently, or with
   due gratitude, what it is to be a disciple of Christ, if the excellence
   of this rank be not sufficient to subdue all the affections of the
   flesh. The phrase employed by Luke is more harsh, if any man doth not
   hate his father and mother, but the meaning is the same, "If the love
   of ourselves hinder us from following Christ, we must resist it,
   courageously:" as Paul says,

   what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, for whom
   I suffered the loss of all things, (Philippians 3:7,8.)

   38. He who doth not take up his cross From particular cases he proceeds
   to general views, and informs us that we cannot be reckoned his
   disciples unless we are prepared to endure many afflictions. If we are
   vexed and tormented by the thought, that the gospel should set us at
   variance with our father, or our wife, or our children, let us remember
   this condition, that Christ subjects all his disciples to the cross Yet
   let us also bear in mind this consolation, that, in bearing the cross,
   we are the companions of Christ, -- which will speedily have the effect
   of allaying all its bitterness. The reprobates are not less firmly
   bound to their cross, and cannot with their most violent struggles
   shake it off; but as to those who are out of Christ the cross is
   accursed, a mournful end awaits them. Let us therefore learn to connect
   these two things, that believers must bear the cross in order to follow
   their Master; that is, in order to conform to his example, and to abide
   by his footsteps like faithful companions.

   39. He who findeth his life Lest the former doctrine, which is very
   difficult and troublesome to the flesh, should have little weight with
   us, Christ confirms it in two ways by this statement. He affirms that
   persons of excessive caution and foresight, when they look upon
   themselves as having very well defended their life, will be
   disappointed and will lose it; and, on the other hand, that those who
   disregard their life will sustain no loss, for they will recover it. We
   know that there is nothing which men will not do or leave undone for
   the sake of life, (so powerful is that attachment to it which is
   natural to us all;) and, therefore, it was necessary that Christ should
   employ such promises and threatenings in exciting his followers to
   despise death.

   To find the life means here to possess it, or to have it in safe
   keeping. Those who are excessively desirous of an earthly life, take
   pains to guard themselves against every kind of danger, and flatter
   themselves with unfounded confidence, as if they were looking well to
   themselves, (Psalm 49:18:) but their life, though defended by such
   powerful safeguards, will pass away; for they will at last die, and
   death will bring to them everlasting ruin. On the other hand, when
   believers surrender themselves to die, their soul, which appears to
   vanish in a moment, passes into a better life. Yet as persons are
   sometimes found, who heedlessly lay down their life, either for the
   sake of ambition or of madness, Christ expressly states the reason why
   we ought to expose ourselves to death.

   It is uncertain if the discourse, which is related by Luke, was
   delivered on another occasion. There, too, our Lord exhorts his
   followers to bear the cross, but does not dwell upon it at equal
   length. To support this sentiment he immediately adds two comparisons,
   of which Matthew takes no notice: but as the subject treated is
   substantially the same, I have not scrupled to introduce in this place
   what we find in Luke.

   Luke 14:28. For which of you, etc , That no one may think it hard to
   follow Christ on the condition of renouncing all his desires, a useful
   warning is here given. We must consider beforehand what the profession
   of the gospel demands. The reason why many persons yield to very slight
   temptations is, that they have pictured to themselves unmixed
   enjoyment, as if they were to be always in the shade and at their ease.
   No man will ever become fit to serve Christ till he has undergone a
   long preparation for warfare.

   Now the comparisons are exceedingly adapted to this object. Building is
   a tedious and vexatious matter, and one that gives little satisfaction
   on account of the expense. War, too, brings along with it many
   inconveniences, and almost threatens destruction to the human race, so
   that it is never undertaken but with reluctance. And yet the advantages
   of building are found to be sufficient to induce men to spend their
   substance on it without hesitation; while necessity drives them to
   shrink from no expenses in carrying on wars. But a far more valuable
   reward awaits those who are the builders of the temple of God, and who
   fight under the banner of Christ: for Christians do not labor for a
   temporary building, or fight for a passing triumph.

   If a king find himself unable to endure the burden of a war, [607] he
   prevents an ignominious defeat by seeking peace with his adversary. The
   statements which our Lord makes to this effect must not be applied to
   the present subject, in such a manner as if we were to enter into any
   compromise with our spiritual foe, when our strength and resources
   fail. It would be idle to treat parables as applying in every minute
   point [608] to the matter in hand. But our Lord simply means that we
   ought to be so well prepared, as not to be taken by surprise for want
   of a proper defense, or basely to turn our backs: for it is not every
   one of us who is a king, to carry on war under his direction.

   This doctrine reproves the rashness of those who foolishly proceed
   beyond their capacity, or flatter themselves without thinking of
   bearing the cross Yet we must take care lest this meditation, to which
   Christ exhorts us, should fill us with alarm or retard our progress.
   Many persons, not having from the outset laid their account with
   suffering, relax their zeal through cowardice: for they cannot endure
   to be Christians on any other condition than that of being exempted
   from the cross Others again, when a condition that is harsh and
   unpleasant to the flesh is proposed to them, do not venture to approach
   to Christ. But there is no good reason for being discouraged by a
   knowledge of our poverty, for the Lord grants to us seasonable aid. I
   readily acknowledge that, if we calculate the expense, we are all
   destitute of power to lay a single stone, or to wield a sword against
   the enemy. But as the materials, expense, arms, and forces, are
   supplied by the Lord out of heaven, no pretext on the score of
   difficulty can be offered by our indifference or sloth. The design of
   Christ, therefore, is to warn his followers to bear the cross, that
   they may prepare themselves with courage.

   Luke 14:33. So then every one of you This clause shows what is meant by
   the calculation of expenses, with which Christ enjoins his followers to
   begin: it is to lead them to consider that they must forsake all In
   vain do persons who are delighted with an easy, indolent life, and with
   exemption from the cross, undertake a profession of Christianity. Those
   persons are said to forsake all who prefer Christ so greatly, both to
   their own life, and to all the wishes of the flesh, that nothing deters
   them from the right course.

   It would be absurd to insist on a literal interpretation of the phrase,
   as if no man were a disciple of Christ, till he threw into the sea all
   that he possessed, divorced his wife, and bade farewell to his
   children. Such idle dreams led foolish people to adopt a monastic life,
   as if those who intend to come to Christ must leave off humanity. Yet
   no man truly forsakes all that he possesses till he is prepared at
   every instant to leave all, gives himself free and unconstrained to the
   Lord, and, rising above every hindrance, pursues his calling. Thus the
   true self-denial which the Lord demands from his followers does not
   consist so much in outward conduct as in the affections; so that every
   one must employ the time which is passing over him without allowing the
   objects which he directs by his hand to hold a place in his heart.

   Matthew 10:40. He who receiveth you, receiveth me. A considerable
   portion of the world may be opposed to the disciples of Christ, and the
   confession of their faith may draw upon them universal hatred. Yet here
   is another consolation tending to excite a very great number of persons
   to treat them with kindness. Whatever is done to them, Christ does not
   hesitate to reckon as done to himself. This shows how dearly he loves
   them, when he places to his own account the kind offices which they
   have received. He is not speaking here about receiving the doctrine,
   but about receiving the men. The latter meaning, I admit, arises out of
   the former, but we must attend to the design of Christ. Perceiving that
   this was exceedingly adapted to support their weakness, he intended to
   assure them that, if any one would receive them in a friendly manner,
   and do them kind offices, he would be as highly pleased as if their
   benevolence had been exercised towards his own person; and not only so,
   but that in such a sacrifice God the Father would smell a sweet savor,
   (Genesis 8:21.)

   41. He who receiveth a prophet He begins with the prophets, but at
   length comes down to the lowest rank, and embraces all his disciples.
   In this manner he commends all, without exception, who truly worship
   God and love the gospel. To receive a person in the name of a prophet,
   or in the name of a righteous man, means to do them good for the sake
   of honoring their doctrine, or of paying respect to piety. Though God
   enjoins us to perform offices of kindness to all mankind, yet he justly
   elevates his people to a higher rank, that they may be the objects of
   peculiar regard and esteem.

   Shall receive a prophet's reward This clause is variously interpreted
   by commentators. Some think that it denotes a mutual compensation, or,
   in other words, that spiritual benefits are bestowed on the prophets of
   God instead of temporal benefits. But if this exposition is admitted,
   what shall we say is meant by the righteous man's reward? Others
   understand it to mean, that those who shall be kind to them will
   partake of the same reward which is laid up for prophets and righteous
   men. Some refer it to the intercourse of saints, and suppose it to
   mean, that as by our kind actions we give evidence that we are one body
   with the servants of Christ, so in this way we become partakers of all
   the blessings which Christ imparts to the members of his body.

   I consider it simply as denoting the reward which corresponds to the
   rank of the person to whom kindness has been exercised; for Christ
   means that this will be a remarkable proof of the high estimation in
   which he holds his prophets, and indeed all his disciples. The
   greatness of the reward will make it evident, that not one kind office
   which was ever rendered to them has been forgotten.

   By way of amplification, he promises a reward to the very meanest
   offices of kindness, such as giving them a cup of cold water, He gives
   the name of little ones not only to those who occupy the lowest place,
   or are held in least estimation in the Church, but to all his
   disciples, whom the pride of the world tramples under foot.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [603] "Et vient apres moy;" -- -"and cometh after me."

   [604] "Qui aura trouve, ou, garde sa vie;" -- "he who shall have found,
   or, protected, his life."

   [605] "La trouvera, ou, gardera;" -- "will find it, or, will protect it
   "

   [606] "Si aucun vient avec moy;" -- "if any man cometh with me."

   [607] "Pour soustenir une guerre, et fournir l'argent qu'il faut" --
   "to support a war, and to supply the money that is required."

   [608] "De vouloir esplucher tout par le menu, et rapporter tout
   jusqu'aux petits mots;" -- "to wish to explain every thing minutely,
   and to make every thing apply down to the smallest words."
     __________________________________________________________________
     __________________________________________________________________

                                    Indexes
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Scripture References

   Genesis

   [10]1:1   [11]1:16   [12]2:7   [13]2:23   [14]8:21   [15]11:9
   [16]12:3   [17]13:15   [18]13:16   [19]15:5   [20]15:13   [21]17:7
   [22]17:7   [23]17:10   [24]17:17   [25]17:17   [26]18:12   [27]21:1-3
   [28]22:1   [29]22:1   [30]29:14   [31]32:10   [32]43:11   [33]49:10
   [34]49:10   [35]49:10   [36]49:26

   Exodus

   [37]12:29   [38]20:7   [39]20:13   [40]20:13   [41]23:17   [42]24:8
   [43]24:12   [44]28:1   [45]29:6   [46]30:1   [47]30:7-8   [48]31:18
   [49]34:1

   Leviticus

   [50]2:13   [51]2:13   [52]10:9   [53]10:9   [54]12:2   [55]12:4
   [56]12:6   [57]12:6   [58]12:8   [59]14:2   [60]18:5   [61]18:5
   [62]18:21   [63]19:18   [64]24:20   [65]24:21   [66]26:11

   Numbers

   [67]3:9   [68]3:13   [69]6:1-21   [70]6:3   [71]12:6-8   [72]20:28
   [73]35:16   [74]36:6   [75]36:6-9   [76]36:7

   Deuteronomy

   [77]6:5   [78]6:13   [79]6:13   [80]7:9   [81]7:21   [82]8:3
   [83]8:3   [84]10:12   [85]10:20   [86]13:3   [87]13:9   [88]22:23
   [89]22:23-24   [90]24:1   [91]28:15   [92]28:29   [93]28:57
   [94]30:19   [95]32:9   [96]33:16

   Joshua

   [97]11:2   [98]19:35

   Judges

   [99]5:23   [100]6:17   [101]6:37   [102]6:39   [103]13:3-4
   [104]13:5   [105]13:5   [106]21:1

   1 Samuel

   [107]8:5   [108]10:6   [109]15:22   [110]16:14   [111]21:4

   2 Samuel

   [112]7:12-14   [113]7:13   [114]7:13   [115]7:16   [116]11:15
   [117]16:23   [118]19:21   [119]19:21

   1 Kings

   [120]6:5   [121]9:11   [122]17:9

   2 Kings

   [123]1:2   [124]5:10   [125]11:1   [126]15:29   [127]18:9
   [128]19:36   [129]24:15

   1 Chronicles

   [130]3:15   [131]3:17   [132]12:23   [133]24:3   [134]24:3
   [135]24:3   [136]24:10   [137]24:31   [138]28:5

   2 Chronicles

   [139]2:6   [140]6:1   [141]22:1-25:23   [142]22:11   [143]22:11
   [144]23:3   [145]33:6

   Job

   [146]2:7   [147]5:12-14   [148]7:1   [149]22:21   [150]26:13

   Psalms

   [151]2:4   [152]2:7   [153]12:2   [154]14:1   [155]17:8   [156]17:8
   [157]18:30   [158]22:6   [159]22:10   [160]29:2   [161]29:2
   [162]33:8   [163]37:6   [164]37:23   [165]46:10   [166]49:12
   [167]49:18   [168]50:14   [169]57:1   [170]67   [171]72:5   [172]72:5
   [173]72:10   [174]72:17   [175]80:1   [176]84:11   [177]89:29
   [178]89:29   [179]89:36   [180]89:39   [181]90:10   [182]91:1
   [183]91:11   [184]91:11   [185]103:4   [186]103:8   [187]103:17-18
   [188]103:19   [189]103:20   [190]106:33   [191]107:39   [192]110:3
   [193]115:3   [194]118:26   [195]122:4   [196]127:2   [197]127:3
   [198]130:4   [199]132:11   [200]132:14   [201]132:17   [202]145:8

   Proverbs

   [203]19:17   [204]30:19

   Isaiah

   [205]7:11   [206]7:12   [207]7:13   [208]7:14   [209]7:14   [210]7:14
   [211]7:14   [212]7:14   [213]7:16   [214]8:3   [215]8:9
   [216]8:13-14   [217]8:14   [218]9:1   [219]9:1-2   [220]9:6
   [221]11:1   [222]11:1   [223]28:16   [224]29:10   [225]29:15
   [226]30:33   [227]33:1   [228]33:22   [229]33:22   [230]40:1
   [231]40:4   [232]42:2-3   [233]44:22   [234]45:17   [235]49:15
   [236]49:22   [237]52:1   [238]53:1   [239]55:1   [240]56:10
   [241]57:15   [242]58:8   [243]59:2   [244]59:16   [245]60:1
   [246]60:2   [247]60:19   [248]61:1   [249]63:5   [250]65:5   [251]66:1

   Jeremiah

   [252]10:23   [253]27:20   [254]28:4   [255]30:9   [256]31:9
   [257]31:15   [258]31:16-17   [259]31:33-34

   Lamentations

   [260]3:44   [261]4:20   [262]4:20

   Ezekiel

   [263]16:63   [264]32:27   [265]34:12   [266]34:24   [267]37:4
   [268]37:24   [269]44:21

   Daniel

   [270]2:21   [271]7:14   [272]9:25   [273]9:25-26   [274]9:25-26

   Hosea

   [275]2:23   [276]3:5   [277]6:6   [278]11:1

   Amos

   [279]5:19   [280]9:11   [281]9:11   [282]9:11

   Micah

   [283]4:4   [284]5:2   [285]5:2   [286]7:6   [287]7:20

   Zechariah

   [288]9:9

   Malachi

   [289]3:1   [290]3:1   [291]3:1   [292]3:1   [293]3:1   [294]3:1
   [295]4:2   [296]4:2   [297]4:2   [298]4:2   [299]4:5   [300]4:5
   [301]4:5-6

   Matthew

   [302]1:1   [303]1:1-17   [304]1:18-25   [305]1:21   [306]2:1
   [307]2:1   [308]2:1-6   [309]2:7-12   [310]2:11   [311]2:13-18
   [312]2:14   [313]2:19-23   [314]3:1   [315]3:1-6   [316]3:2
   [317]3:3   [318]3:4   [319]3:6   [320]3:7   [321]3:7-10   [322]3:8
   [323]3:9   [324]3:10   [325]3:11   [326]3:11-12   [327]3:13
   [328]3:13-17   [329]3:15   [330]4:1   [331]4:1-4   [332]4:3
   [333]4:5   [334]4:5-11   [335]4:12   [336]4:12   [337]4:13-16
   [338]4:17   [339]4:18   [340]4:18-25   [341]4:22   [342]4:23
   [343]4:24   [344]5:1   [345]5:1-12   [346]5:3-12   [347]5:13
   [348]5:13-16   [349]5:14   [350]5:15   [351]5:17   [352]5:17-19
   [353]5:20   [354]5:20-22   [355]5:23   [356]5:23-26   [357]5:27
   [358]5:27-30   [359]5:31   [360]5:31-32   [361]5:33-37   [362]5:38
   [363]5:38-41   [364]5:42   [365]5:42   [366]5:43   [367]5:43-48
   [368]5:45   [369]6:1-4   [370]6:4   [371]6:5-8   [372]6:9
   [373]6:9-13   [374]6:11   [375]6:14-15   [376]6:16-18   [377]6:19
   [378]6:19-21   [379]6:22   [380]6:22-24   [381]6:25   [382]6:25-30
   [383]6:31-34   [384]6:32   [385]6:33   [386]6:33   [387]7:1
   [388]7:1-5   [389]7:3   [390]7:6   [391]7:7   [392]7:7-11   [393]7:12
   [394]7:12-14   [395]7:15   [396]7:15-20   [397]7:21   [398]7:21-23
   [399]7:24   [400]7:24-29   [401]8:1   [402]8:1-4   [403]8:4
   [404]8:5   [405]8:5-10   [406]8:5-13   [407]8:8   [408]8:9
   [409]8:12   [410]8:14-18   [411]8:15   [412]8:17   [413]8:18
   [414]8:18   [415]8:19   [416]8:19-22   [417]8:20   [418]8:23
   [419]8:23-27   [420]8:28   [421]8:28   [422]8:28-34   [423]8:29
   [424]8:29   [425]8:31   [426]8:33   [427]9:1   [428]9:1-8   [429]9:9
   [430]9:9-13   [431]9:11   [432]9:14   [433]9:14-17   [434]9:18
   [435]9:18-22   [436]9:22   [437]9:23-26   [438]9:27   [439]9:27-34
   [440]9:35   [441]9:35   [442]9:35-38   [443]10:1   [444]10:1-8
   [445]10:9   [446]10:9-15   [447]10:16   [448]10:16-20   [449]10:21
   [450]10:21-25   [451]10:26   [452]10:26-31   [453]10:29   [454]10:32
   [455]10:32-35   [456]10:35   [457]10:37   [458]10:37-42   [459]10:40
   [460]11:11   [461]12:28   [462]13:58   [463]14:3   [464]15:27
   [465]16:18   [466]16:18   [467]16:23   [468]16:24   [469]18:16
   [470]19:6   [471]19:9   [472]19:17   [473]19:17   [474]19:30
   [475]20:16   [476]22:39   [477]22:45   [478]23:5   [479]23:18
   [480]23:23   [481]23:35   [482]25:33   [483]27:46   [484]27:51

   Mark

   [485]1:1   [486]1:1   [487]1:1-6   [488]1:5   [489]1:7-8
   [490]1:9-11   [491]1:12-13   [492]1:13   [493]1:14   [494]1:14-15
   [495]1:16-20   [496]1:21-28   [497]1:22   [498]1:22   [499]1:26
   [500]1:27   [501]1:29   [502]1:29-39   [503]1:34   [504]1:40-45
   [505]1:44   [506]1:45   [507]2:1-12   [508]2:13-17   [509]2:18-22
   [510]3:13   [511]3:13-19   [512]3:16   [513]4:21   [514]4:22-23
   [515]4:24   [516]4:35-41   [517]5:1-20   [518]5:3   [519]5:6
   [520]5:9   [521]5:10   [522]5:15   [523]5:15   [524]5:22-34
   [525]5:34   [526]5:35-43   [527]5:36   [528]5:39   [529]6:5
   [530]6:7   [531]6:8-11   [532]6:17   [533]8:38   [534]9:13
   [535]9:41   [536]9:44   [537]9:46   [538]9:48   [539]9:48   [540]9:49
   [541]9:49-50   [542]9:50   [543]10:31   [544]11:25-26   [545]11:25-26
   [546]15:43   [547]16:15

   Luke

   [548]1:1   [549]1:1-4   [550]1:5   [551]1:5   [552]1:5   [553]1:5-13
   [554]1:13   [555]1:14-17   [556]1:14-17   [557]1:17   [558]1:18-20
   [559]1:21-25   [560]1:26-33   [561]1:34-38   [562]1:39-45
   [563]1:46-50   [564]1:51-55   [565]1:53   [566]1:56-66   [567]1:67-75
   [568]1:76-80   [569]2:1-7   [570]2:8   [571]2:8-14   [572]2:11
   [573]2:15-21   [574]2:19   [575]2:22-32   [576]2:25   [577]2:33-39
   [578]2:40-47   [579]2:40-47   [580]2:42   [581]2:48-52   [582]2:51
   [583]2:52   [584]3:1   [585]3:1   [586]3:1-6   [587]3:2   [588]3:3
   [589]3:6   [590]3:7   [591]3:7-14   [592]3:8   [593]3:8   [594]3:9
   [595]3:10   [596]3:12   [597]3:15-18   [598]3:19   [599]3:19-20
   [600]3:21   [601]3:21-23   [602]3:23   [603]3:23   [604]3:23-38
   [605]4:1-4   [606]4:5-13   [607]4:14-15   [608]4:15   [609]4:16-22
   [610]4:23-30   [611]4:31-36   [612]4:32   [613]4:33   [614]4:36
   [615]4:38-44   [616]4:39   [617]4:43   [618]5:1   [619]5:1-11
   [620]5:5   [621]5:6   [622]5:8   [623]5:10   [624]5:12-16
   [625]5:17-26   [626]5:27-32   [627]5:29   [628]5:33-39   [629]5:39
   [630]6:12-19   [631]6:13   [632]6:17   [633]6:20   [634]6:20-26
   [635]6:22   [636]6:22   [637]6:24   [638]6:27-36   [639]6:29-30
   [640]6:30   [641]6:31   [642]6:34-35   [643]6:35   [644]6:37-38
   [645]6:37-42   [646]6:40   [647]6:40   [648]6:43   [649]6:43-45
   [650]6:45   [651]6:46   [652]6:47   [653]7:1-10   [654]7:5
   [655]7:11   [656]7:11-17   [657]7:28   [658]7:33   [659]8:16
   [660]8:17   [661]8:22-25   [662]8:26   [663]8:26-39   [664]8:38
   [665]8:40-48   [666]8:45   [667]8:49-56   [668]8:52   [669]8:54
   [670]9:1-2   [671]9:3-5   [672]9:26   [673]9:57-62   [674]9:60
   [675]9:61   [676]10:16   [677]10:17   [678]10:21   [679]11:1
   [680]11:1-4   [681]11:5   [682]11:5-13   [683]11:33   [684]11:34-36
   [685]11:38   [686]12:2-7   [687]12:5   [688]12:8-9   [689]12:11-12
   [690]12:22-28   [691]12:29   [692]12:29-32   [693]12:32
   [694]12:33-34   [695]12:35   [696]12:51   [697]12:58-59   [698]13:23
   [699]13:23-24   [700]13:25   [701]13:25-30   [702]13:32
   [703]14:25-32   [704]14:28   [705]14:33   [706]14:34-35   [707]16:13
   [708]16:16   [709]16:16   [710]16:17   [711]16:18

   John

   [712]1:1   [713]1:6   [714]1:14   [715]1:14   [716]1:14   [717]1:15
   [718]1:16   [719]1:16   [720]1:17   [721]1:17   [722]1:18   [723]1:21
   [724]1:33   [725]1:37-42   [726]3:5   [727]3:29   [728]3:33
   [729]3:34   [730]3:34   [731]3:34   [732]3:34   [733]4:22   [734]4:44
   [735]5:25   [736]5:27   [737]5:28-29   [738]6:40   [739]6:45
   [740]7:6   [741]7:18   [742]7:49   [743]8:12   [744]8:33   [745]10:3
   [746]10:5   [747]11:25   [748]12:37   [749]12:38   [750]12:47
   [751]15:16   [752]21:25   [753]21:25

   Acts

   [754]20:35   [755]21:21

   Romans

   [756]1:2-4   [757]1:7   [758]1:25   [759]1:28   [760]3:1   [761]3:4
   [762]3:19   [763]3:21   [764]3:23   [765]4:15   [766]4:17   [767]4:19
   [768]4:20-21   [769]5:1   [770]5:3-5   [771]6:4   [772]6:4   [773]6:4
   [774]6:4   [775]6:6   [776]8:3   [777]8:3   [778]8:15   [779]8:15
   [780]8:15   [781]8:16   [782]8:16   [783]8:29   [784]8:29   [785]9:29
   [786]10:2   [787]10:5   [788]10:17   [789]10:17   [790]11:5
   [791]11:5   [792]11:13-14   [793]11:16   [794]11:16   [795]11:17
   [796]11:25   [797]11:29   [798]12:1   [799]12:18   [800]12:19
   [801]12:21   [802]13:10   [803]14:5   [804]14:9   [805]14:17
   [806]14:17   [807]14:23   [808]15:8   [809]15:8   [810]15:8
   [811]15:8   [812]15:33

   1 Corinthians

   [813]1:21   [814]1:24   [815]1:25   [816]2:4-5   [817]2:6   [818]2:11
   [819]4:20   [820]6:20   [821]7:34   [822]8:5-6   [823]10:16
   [824]12:11   [825]12:20   [826]13:3   [827]13:8

   2 Corinthians

   [828]1:20   [829]2:13   [830]2:15-16   [831]2:15-16   [832]2:16
   [833]3:6   [834]3:7   [835]4:7   [836]5:19   [837]5:19   [838]5:19
   [839]5:19   [840]5:20   [841]8:14   [842]8:21   [843]9:7   [844]10:5

   Galatians

   [845]1:10   [846]1:10   [847]2:21   [848]3:12   [849]3:13   [850]4:3
   [851]4:3   [852]4:4   [853]4:4   [854]4:4-5   [855]4:6   [856]4:9
   [857]5:1   [858]5:23

   Ephesians

   [859]1:2   [860]1:3   [861]1:5-6   [862]1:6   [863]1:11   [864]1:14
   [865]1:14   [866]1:21   [867]1:22   [868]1:22-23   [869]2:3
   [870]2:3   [871]2:3   [872]2:12   [873]2:12   [874]2:12   [875]2:12
   [876]2:14   [877]2:14   [878]2:14   [879]2:14   [880]2:15   [881]2:17
   [882]2:17   [883]2:17   [884]2:17   [885]3:7   [886]3:11-12
   [887]3:15   [888]4:6   [889]4:7   [890]4:14   [891]4:14   [892]4:14
   [893]4:22   [894]4:30   [895]5:5   [896]5:14   [897]6:11
   [898]6:16-17   [899]6:24

   Philippians

   [900]2:6   [901]2:6   [902]2:7   [903]2:7   [904]2:7   [905]2:7
   [906]2:9-10   [907]3:2   [908]3:7-8   [909]4:12   [910]4:18

   Colossians

   [911]1:5   [912]1:20   [913]1:25   [914]2:7   [915]2:8   [916]2:9
   [917]2:16   [918]3:1   [919]3:3   [920]4:6

   1 Thessalonians

   [921]1:5   [922]4:7   [923]4:9   [924]5:19-20

   1 Timothy

   [925]1:15   [926]3:1-7   [927]3:2   [928]3:6   [929]3:6   [930]3:16
   [931]3:16   [932]3:16   [933]3:16   [934]3:16   [935]3:16   [936]3:16
   [937]3:16   [938]3:16   [939]3:16   [940]5:5   [941]5:20

   2 Timothy

   [942]1:10   [943]1:10   [944]1:12   [945]1:14   [946]2:4   [947]2:8
   [948]2:9   [949]2:19   [950]3:12   [951]3:14

   Hebrews

   [952]1:2   [953]1:3   [954]1:5   [955]2:2   [956]2:11   [957]2:17
   [958]3:1   [959]4:13   [960]4:15   [961]4:15   [962]5:9   [963]5:9
   [964]5:12   [965]6:13   [966]7:7   [967]7:26   [968]9:19-20
   [969]10:13   [970]10:22   [971]10:29   [972]10:34   [973]10:36
   [974]12:26   [975]13:4   [976]13:5   [977]13:8   [978]13:16

   James

   [979]1:14   [980]2:13   [981]2:15   [982]3:1   [983]4:3   [984]4:14
   [985]5:12   [986]5:13

   1 Peter

   [987]1:18-19   [988]1:19   [989]1:19   [990]2:4-7   [991]2:9
   [992]2:20   [993]2:24   [994]3:13   [995]5:6

   2 Peter

   [996]1:21   [997]2:18

   Revelation

   [998]22:13   [999]22:15
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Scripture Commentary

   Matthew

   [1000]1:1   [1001]1:2   [1002]1:3   [1003]1:6   [1004]1:12
   [1005]1:16   [1006]1:18   [1007]1:19   [1008]1:20   [1009]1:21
   [1010]1:22   [1011]1:23   [1012]1:24   [1013]1:25   [1014]2:1
   [1015]2:2   [1016]2:3   [1017]2:4   [1018]2:6   [1019]2:7   [1020]2:9
   [1021]2:11   [1022]2:13   [1023]2:15   [1024]2:16   [1025]2:18
   [1026]2:19   [1027]2:23   [1028]3:1   [1029]3:2   [1030]3:3
   [1031]3:4   [1032]3:6   [1033]3:7   [1034]3:8   [1035]3:9
   [1036]3:10   [1037]3:11   [1038]3:12   [1039]3:13   [1040]3:14
   [1041]3:16   [1042]3:17   [1043]4:1   [1044]4:3   [1045]4:4
   [1046]4:5   [1047]4:6   [1048]4:7   [1049]4:8   [1050]4:10
   [1051]4:11   [1052]4:12   [1053]4:13   [1054]4:18   [1055]4:22
   [1056]4:23   [1057]5:1   [1058]5:2   [1059]5:3   [1060]5:4
   [1061]5:5   [1062]5:6   [1063]5:7   [1064]5:8   [1065]5:9
   [1066]5:10   [1067]5:11   [1068]5:12   [1069]5:13   [1070]5:14
   [1071]5:16   [1072]5:17   [1073]5:18   [1074]5:19   [1075]5:20
   [1076]5:21   [1077]5:22   [1078]5:23   [1079]5:25   [1080]5:27
   [1081]5:28   [1082]5:29   [1083]5:31   [1084]5:32   [1085]5:33
   [1086]5:34   [1087]5:37   [1088]5:38   [1089]5:39   [1090]5:40
   [1091]5:42   [1092]5:43   [1093]5:44   [1094]5:45   [1095]5:46
   [1096]5:48   [1097]6:1   [1098]6:2   [1099]6:3   [1100]6:4
   [1101]6:5   [1102]6:7   [1103]6:8   [1104]6:9   [1105]6:10
   [1106]6:11   [1107]6:12   [1108]6:13   [1109]6:14   [1110]6:16
   [1111]6:19   [1112]6:20   [1113]6:21   [1114]6:22   [1115]6:23
   [1116]6:24   [1117]6:25   [1118]6:26   [1119]6:27   [1120]6:29
   [1121]6:31   [1122]6:32   [1123]6:33   [1124]7:1   [1125]7:3
   [1126]7:6   [1127]7:7   [1128]7:8   [1129]7:9   [1130]7:11
   [1131]7:12   [1132]7:13   [1133]7:15   [1134]7:16   [1135]7:21
   [1136]7:22   [1137]7:23   [1138]7:24   [1139]7:28   [1140]8:1
   [1141]8:2   [1142]8:3   [1143]8:4   [1144]8:5   [1145]8:8   [1146]8:9
   [1147]8:10   [1148]8:11   [1149]8:12   [1150]8:13   [1151]8:17
   [1152]8:18   [1153]8:19   [1154]8:20   [1155]8:21   [1156]8:22
   [1157]8:23   [1158]8:25   [1159]8:26   [1160]8:27   [1161]8:28
   [1162]8:29   [1163]8:31   [1164]9:1   [1165]9:2   [1166]9:3
   [1167]9:4   [1168]9:5   [1169]9:6   [1170]9:8   [1171]9:9
   [1172]9:11   [1173]9:12   [1174]9:13   [1175]9:14   [1176]9:15
   [1177]9:16   [1178]9:18   [1179]9:20   [1180]9:22   [1181]9:27
   [1182]9:28   [1183]9:29   [1184]9:30   [1185]9:32   [1186]9:34
   [1187]9:35   [1188]9:36   [1189]9:37   [1190]9:38   [1191]10:1
   [1192]10:2   [1193]10:5   [1194]10:6   [1195]10:7   [1196]10:8
   [1197]10:9   [1198]10:10   [1199]10:11   [1200]10:12   [1201]10:13
   [1202]10:14   [1203]10:15   [1204]10:16   [1205]10:17   [1206]10:19
   [1207]10:21   [1208]10:22   [1209]10:23   [1210]10:24   [1211]10:25
   [1212]10:26   [1213]10:28   [1214]10:29   [1215]10:31   [1216]10:32
   [1217]10:35   [1218]10:37   [1219]10:38   [1220]10:39   [1221]10:40
   [1222]10:41

   Mark

   [1223]1:1   [1224]1:14   [1225]1:22   [1226]1:26   [1227]1:27
   [1228]1:29   [1229]1:34   [1230]1:38   [1231]1:44   [1232]1:45
   [1233]3:13   [1234]3:16   [1235]5:3   [1236]5:6   [1237]5:9
   [1238]5:10   [1239]5:15   [1240]5:34   [1241]5:36   [1242]5:37
   [1243]5:39   [1244]5:41   [1245]5:43   [1246]9:49   [1247]9:50

   Luke

   [1248]1:1   [1249]1:3   [1250]1:5   [1251]1:6   [1252]1:7   [1253]1:9
   [1254]1:12   [1255]1:13   [1256]1:14   [1257]1:15   [1258]1:16
   [1259]1:17   [1260]1:18   [1261]1:19   [1262]1:20   [1263]1:21
   [1264]1:23   [1265]1:24   [1266]1:25   [1267]1:26   [1268]1:28
   [1269]1:29   [1270]1:30   [1271]1:31   [1272]1:32   [1273]1:33
   [1274]1:34   [1275]1:35   [1276]1:36   [1277]1:37   [1278]1:38
   [1279]1:39   [1280]1:41   [1281]1:42   [1282]1:43   [1283]1:45
   [1284]1:46   [1285]1:48   [1286]1:49   [1287]1:51   [1288]1:52
   [1289]1:54   [1290]1:55   [1291]1:56   [1292]1:58   [1293]1:59
   [1294]1:60   [1295]1:64   [1296]1:65   [1297]1:67   [1298]1:68
   [1299]1:69   [1300]1:70   [1301]1:71   [1302]1:72   [1303]1:73
   [1304]1:74   [1305]1:75   [1306]1:76   [1307]1:77   [1308]1:78
   [1309]1:79   [1310]2:1   [1311]2:7   [1312]2:8   [1313]2:9
   [1314]2:10   [1315]2:11   [1316]2:12   [1317]2:13   [1318]2:14
   [1319]2:15   [1320]2:16   [1321]2:17   [1322]2:19   [1323]2:20
   [1324]2:21   [1325]2:22   [1326]2:23   [1327]2:24   [1328]2:25
   [1329]2:29   [1330]2:30   [1331]2:31   [1332]2:32   [1333]2:33
   [1334]2:34   [1335]2:35   [1336]2:36   [1337]2:37   [1338]2:38
   [1339]2:39   [1340]2:40   [1341]2:41   [1342]2:44   [1343]2:46
   [1344]2:47   [1345]2:48   [1346]2:49   [1347]2:51   [1348]3:1
   [1349]3:2   [1350]3:3   [1351]3:6   [1352]3:7   [1353]3:10
   [1354]3:12   [1355]3:19   [1356]3:23   [1357]4:15   [1358]4:16
   [1359]4:17   [1360]4:18   [1361]4:19   [1362]4:20   [1363]4:21
   [1364]4:22   [1365]4:23   [1366]4:24   [1367]4:25   [1368]4:28
   [1369]4:30   [1370]4:33   [1371]4:36   [1372]4:39   [1373]5:1
   [1374]5:5   [1375]5:6   [1376]5:8   [1377]5:10   [1378]5:29
   [1379]5:39   [1380]6:13   [1381]6:24   [1382]6:25   [1383]6:26
   [1384]6:30   [1385]6:35   [1386]6:37   [1387]6:40   [1388]6:43
   [1389]6:45   [1390]7:5   [1391]7:11   [1392]7:12   [1393]7:14
   [1394]7:16   [1395]8:26   [1396]8:38   [1397]8:39   [1398]8:45
   [1399]8:52   [1400]9:60   [1401]9:61   [1402]9:62   [1403]11:1
   [1404]11:5   [1405]12:5   [1406]12:29   [1407]12:32   [1408]12:51
   [1409]13:23   [1410]13:24   [1411]13:25   [1412]13:26   [1413]13:28
   [1414]13:29   [1415]13:30   [1416]14:28   [1417]14:33
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Greek Words and Phrases

     * agatha: [1418]1
     * anaklithesontai: [1419]1
     * anatole: [1420]1
     * antilamzanesthai: [1421]1
     * apo tote: [1422]1
     * ataxia: [1423]1
     * ego de lego humin: [1424]1
     * eleemosunen: [1425]1
     * elephantiasis: [1426]1
     * eltheto: [1427]1
     * en: [1428]1
     * epi 'Ioannen: [1429]1
     * epanorthosis: [1430]1
     * epeleusetai: [1431]1
     * epeskepsato: [1432]1 [1433]2
     * epigraphe: [1434]1
     * epiousios: [1435]1
     * episkiasei: [1436]1
     * echaritosen: [1437]1
     * heauton ekenose: [1438]1
     * heos a n: [1439]1
     * ekstasis: [1440]1
     * hegoumenos: [1441]1
     * ho peirazon: [1442]1
     * homologeso: [1443]1 [1444]2
     * hopos an: [1445]1
     * hupokritai: [1446]1
     * 'Iesous: [1447]1 [1448]2
     * 'Ioannes: [1449]1
     * rha'bdos: [1450]1
     * rhema: [1451]1
     * Geenna : [1452]1
     * Kurenios: [1453]1
     * Leitourgia: [1454]1
     * Paidos: [1455]1
     * Sumballein: [1456]1
     * auton: [1457]1
     * autokatakritoi: [1458]1
     * battologia: [1459]1
     * gar: [1460]1
     * geenna: [1461]1
     * dunamis: [1462]1
     * diamerismos: [1463]1
     * diamonizomenoi: [1464]1
     * dikaiomata: [1465]1
     * dikaiosunen: [1466]1
     * douleia: [1467]1
     * dunastai: [1468]1
     * dunastas: [1469]1
     * euangelion: [1470]1
     * euangelisasthai: [1471]1
     * eudokia: [1472]1
     * eudokein: [1473]1
     * eulogia: [1474]1
     * euphokia: [1475]1
     * kai gar: [1476]1
     * kateskeuasmenon: [1477]1
     * katertismenos: [1478]1
     * kecharitomene: [1479]1
     * latreia: [1480]1
     * me eisenenkHus: [1481]1
     * memnesteumenen: [1482]1
     * meteorizesthai: [1483]1
     * metoikesia: [1484]1
     * naos: [1485]1
     * houto: [1486]1
     * oun: [1487]1
     * parakolouthein: [1488]1
     * parestekos: [1489]1
     * peplerophoremena: [1490]1
     * pleonasmos: [1491]1
     * plerophoria: [1492]1
     * poimanei: [1493]1
     * polulogia: [1494]1
     * poneron: [1495]1
     * ponerou: [1496]1
     * pros: [1497]1
     * proskunesis: [1498]1
     * proskunein: [1499]1
     * prosopopoiia: [1500]1
     * semeron: [1501]1
     * sikera: [1502]1
     * seleniazomenoi: [1503]1
     * siopa: [1504]1
     * soter: [1505]1
     * ta peteina: [1506]1
     * to peran: [1507]1
     * ton azton hemon epiousion: [1508]1
     * ton 'Abraam kai to sperma,: [1509]1
     * tote: [1510]1
     * to 'Abraam: [1511]1
     * to 'Abraam kai to spermati: [1512]1
     * tapeinosis: [1513]1
     * tous korakas: [1514]1
     * ue ktesesthe: [1515]1
     * philanthropia: [1516]1
     * philautia: [1517]1
     * christoi,: [1518]1
     * (plerophoria: [1519]1
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Hebrew Words and Phrases

     * 't nzr hqds: [1520]1
     * vny rgs: [1521]1
     * vlmh: [1522]1
     * gy': [1523]1
     * hvsy: [1524]1 [1525]2
     * hl' tsv' l'kvs l 'rph: [1526]1
     * hlym: [1527]1
     * hqym: [1528]1 [1529]2
     * htlm: [1530]1
     * yhvh: [1531]1
     * yhvhnn: [1532]1
     * yhvsv: [1533]1 [1534]2
     * ys: [1535]1
     * knrt: [1536]1
     * m: [1537]1
     * nzyr: [1538]1 [1539]2 [1540]3
     * nzyr 'chyv: [1541]1
     * nzr: [1542]1 [1543]2 [1544]3
     * nzrv: [1545]1
     * nlm: [1546]1
     * nphrsvt: [1547]1
     * lm: [1548]1
     * lmh: [1549]1 [1550]2
     * phrs: [1551]1 [1552]2
     * phrs: [1553]1
     * phrvsym: [1554]1
     * rm: [1555]1
     * rtsvn: [1556]1
     * svt: [1557]1
     * skr: [1558]1
     * slvm: [1559]1 [1560]2
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Latin Words and Phrases

     * Ad quam omnia exigerent: [1561]1
     * Adulterina: [1562]1
     * Adveniat regnum tuum: [1563]1
     * Adversus Astrologiam Judiciarium: [1564]1
     * Apparitorem: [1565]1
     * Apud nos: [1566]1
     * Ave, Maria: [1567]1
     * Cavete ab illis : [1568]1
     * Christo velut in subsellium redacto: [1569]1
     * Christum opportere absque viri et mulieris coitu nasci: [1570]1
     * Classicos testes: [1571]1
     * Comitiali morbo: [1572]1
     * Complementum erit: [1573]1
     * Cur ergo aspectus etiam meminit: [1574]1
     * Damnatam a me fuisse Astrologiam conqueritur: [1575]1
     * Data opera et consulto: [1576]1
     * De : [1577]1
     * Dominis: [1578]1
     * Dulia: [1579]1
     * Dux: [1580]1
     * Effectualem: [1581]1
     * Eternam animi vitam obsignat: [1582]1
     * Evangelium: [1583]1
     * Ex pecudum stercore: [1584]1
     * Extra Christum: [1585]1
     * Exultavit: [1586]1
     * Facta est: [1587]1
     * Fasciis: [1588]1
     * Fidem ejus dictis abrogant: [1589]1
     * Filii sponsi: [1590]1
     * Finem: [1591]1
     * Glossarium Grcecurn: [1592]1
     * Gratulandi causa: [1593]1
     * Hac lege redemptas esse homines: [1594]1
     * Haesitamus: [1595]1
     * Harmonia Evangelica: [1596]1
     * Hominibus bonae voluntatis: [1597]1
     * Homo peccator: [1598]1
     * Illustrandae ultro citroque gratiae Dei: [1599]1
     * Imputative, ut italoquar: [1600]1
     * In hominibus: [1601]1
     * In montana: [1602]1
     * In nurum suam incidit: [1603]1
     * In ordinem cogendus sit: [1604]1
     * In populi reditu: [1605]1
     * Indocti: [1606]1
     * Inter nos: [1607]1
     * Latria: [1608]1
     * Leno: [1609]1
     * Ludam Fortunae: [1610]1
     * Lumen ad revelationem: [1611]1
     * Lusoria: [1612]1
     * Magnifica: [1613]1
     * Militiae: [1614]1
     * Misere vagantur: [1615]1
     * Montanum hominem: [1616]1
     * Mortis: [1617]1
     * Nec vero magnopere laborandum est: [1618]1
     * Neque otiosam imaginari licet: [1619]1
     * Neque parum facit: [1620]1
     * Non modo hospitii jure: [1621]1
     * Nunc addenda est anagoge: [1622]1
     * Omnia assequuto: [1623]1
     * Omnino: [1624]1
     * Opuscula Theologica: [1625]1
     * Oriens ex alto: [1626]1
     * Ornatus: [1627]1
     * Pannis: [1628]1
     * Persico more: [1629]1
     * Quia esset ex ea familia, et quidem superstes cum paucis: [1630]1
     * Quodammodo foeteret: [1631]1
     * Quorum pars magna fui: [1632]1
     * Quum adhuc vegeto esset corpore: [1633]1
     * Quum baptizaretur omnis populus: [1634]1
     * Quum essent extranei: [1635]1
     * Quum factus esset: [1636]1
     * Quum sitis plus quam degeneres: [1637]1
     * Responsum: [1638]1
     * Roga Patrem, jube Natum: [1639]1
     * Salvator: [1640]1 [1641]2
     * Scribas: [1642]1
     * Secundum jusjurandum: [1643]1
     * Servum: [1644]1
     * Si quem titillat major curiositas: [1645]1
     * Sinum expandit: [1646]1
     * Specimen futurae salutis: [1647]1
     * Stantes: [1648]1
     * Sub Herode: [1649]1
     * Subsellium: [1650]1
     * Superveniens: [1651]1
     * Surgens assumpsit: [1652]1
     * Uno contextu: [1653]1
     * Urgent: [1654]1
     * Ut lapides hi panes fiant: [1655]1
     * Verba longius trahere non oportet: [1656]1
     * Victoriae Actiacae: [1657]1
     * adveniat: [1658]1
     * beneplacitum: [1659]1
     * classicos testes: [1660]1
     * comitia: [1661]1
     * comitialis morbus: [1662]1
     * cujus meminit Lucas: [1663]1
     * cujus meminit Matthoeus: [1664]1
     * lusoria fulmina: [1665]1
     * ministrum: [1666]1
     * principes: [1667]1
     * testes: [1668]1
     * vel potius, diadematis insigne: [1669]1
     * veniat: [1670]1
     * verba longius trahere nos oportet: [1671]1
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of French Words and Phrases

     * Il leur donnoit a entendre par signes: [1672]1
     * (Cite) de Judee: [1673]1
     * (Qui est) le jurement: [1674]1
     * A douceur et compassion: [1675]1
     * A este confirme et ratifie par ce signe: [1676]1
     * A friandise, ou a quelque excez de la bouche: [1677]1
     * A parler proprement, il ne descend point, et semblablement ne peut
       estre veu: [1678]1
     * A scavoir que chacun hornroe ha son diable et son mauvals ange qui
       lui fait la guerre: [1679]1
     * Abusez par un mot mal tourne: [1680]1
     * Ace mesme instant: [1681]1
     * Afin de n.e servir de passe temps a de si meschans contempteurs des
       graces de Dieu: [1682]1
     * Afin qu'ils tonnassent par tout le monde en preschant: [1683]1
     * Afin qu'i! ne trebusche pas a chacun coup: [1684]1
     * Afin qu'il ne leur eschappe aucun mot inconsiderement, et a la
       volee: [1685]1
     * Afin qu'il ne semble que ce soit une menace vaine, et (cornroe on
       dit) seulement pour faire peur aux petits enfans: [1686]1
     * Afin que ne prenans pas les choses a la rigueur, ils rachetent paix
       et amite en se monstrans ainsi traitables: [1687]1
     * Afin que ne soyons transportez a entreprendre une guerre si folle,
       a nostre grande confusion: [1688]1
     * Afin que neantmoins ceste semence bastarde vint a avoir un jour en
       main le scepter Royal: [1689]1
     * Ainsi les gens sortirent pour voir: [1690]1
     * Ammendez-vous, ou, convertissez, ou, repentez: [1691]1
     * Anquel il n'y avoit personne qui parlast au nom de Dieu: [1692]1
     * Appelant l'ceil le flambeau ou la lampe de tout le corps: [1693]1
     * Assavoir Ochozias fils de Joram, Joas, et Amazias: [1694]1
     * Au reste, ce n'est pas sans cause que ce mot Vous : [1695]1
     * Au reste, il est bien vray que l'ange parle seulement du peuple
       esleu, assavoir des Juifs; mais pourceque maintenant la paroy qui
       faisoit separation est rompue, la mesme ambassade s'addresse
       aujourdhui a tout le genre humain: [1696]1
     * Au reste, le mot Grec dont use l'Evangeliste signifie proprement
       des vaisseaux faits de cuir, desquels on usoit pour mettre le vin:
       comme au- jourdhui nous avons des muids ou des pipes: [1697]1
     * Au temps de sa manifestation: [1698]1
     * Aucuns pensent que par la volonte de Dieu il l'ait recontre sans le
       chercher: [1699]1
     * Autrement il faudra que les Anges soyent pareils a Dieu, et qu'ils
       sachent tout: ou selon le dire de ces gensci, ils seront vicieux:
       [1700]1
     * Autrement, tout ce sainct mystere seroit tournee en mines et
       bas-tellerie: [1701]1
     * Aux anciens: [1702]1
     * Aux hommes, ou, Envers les hommes: [1703]1
     * Avec ce tesmoignage et recommandation: [1704]1
     * Avec l'aage les dons et graces d'Esprit croissoyent aussi et
       aug-mentoyent en luy: [1705]1
     * Avec les ouvriers: [1706]1
     * Avoit vrayement et entierement prins tout ce qui estoit possible et
       propre pour accomplir de tous points la conjonction fraternelle de
       luy avec les hommes: [1707]1
     * Bandelettes: [1708]1
     * C'est une concession par ironie, (c'est a dire, moquerie: [1709]1
     * C'est a dire, ou ils ne peuvent pas si aisement tromper: [1710]1
     * C'est a dire, par un mouvement secret et certaine revelation du
       Sainct Esprit, afin de s'y rencontrer a l'heure que Christ y
       estoit: [1711]1
     * C'est a dire, une vertu et puissance pleine de salut: [1712]1
     * C'est bien autrement: car il y a plus d'apparence au contraire:
       [1713]1
     * C'est que l'une et l'autre a est, comme le message apportant les
       nouvelles du salut qui approchoit: [1714]1
     * C'est un poinct bien resolu entre tous ceux qui ont escrit: [1715]1
     * C'est une chose tant et plus absurde, que les devoirs de charite,
       qui dependent de la Loy, soyent mis en la liberte des hommes, de
       les faire, ou de les laisser: [1716]1
     * C'est une facon de parler hyperbolique, c'est a dire, excessive:
       [1717]1
     * C'est une facon de parler qu'on appelle Synecdoche, quand on prend
       une artie our le tout: [1718]1
     * C'est une maniere de parler par Metonymie, (ainsi que parlent les
       gens de lettres: [1719]1
     * C'est une victoire qu'ent Auguste a la bataille sur mer contre
       Antoine et Cleopatra, aupres de la ville nommee Actium: [1720]1
     * Car Jairus ne pretendoit pas d'attribuer a Christ un honneur
       appar-tenant a la majeste Divine: [1721]1
     * Car a ce mesme instant vous sera donn, ce que vous direz: [1722]1
     * Car avant que la volonte de l' homme soit mise en train de louer
       Dieu, il faut qu'il y ait devant une alaigrete et resiouissance
       d'esprit: [1723]1
     * Car c'est a tort et fausses enseignes qu'ils se glorifient d'avoir
       Dieu pour leur Pere, puis qu'ils sont enfans bastards des saincts,
       et ont desvoye de leur foy et sainctete: [1724]1
     * Car il emporte Retraitte ou Cachette, qui est pour denoter ceste
       honte honeste qui doit estre es vierges: [1725]1
     * Car ils considerent et contemplent au conseil de Dieu sa dignite et
       magnificence royale, laquelle n'apparoissoit point encores: [1726]1
     * Car ils possederont la terre: [1727]1
     * Car les choses qui luy ont este dites par le Seigneur luy seront
       accomplies: [1728]1
     * Car misericorde leur sera faite: [1729]1
     * Car naturellement nous tendons tous a desirer ce qui nous semble
       estre le souverain bien: [1730]1
     * Car nous ne pouvons point apprehender à bon escient la presence de
       Dieu, sinon avec ses effects: [1731]1
     * Car nous savons que Christ a este muni d'une telle vertu de
       l'Esprit, que les dards de Satan ne le pouvoyent navrer ne blesser:
       c'est a dire, qcu'il estoit impossible que peche tombast en luy:
       [1732]1
     * Car si nous voulons bien pourvoir aux profits de l'Eglise, il nous
       faut appeller a l'office de Pasteurs tels gens, qu'ils puissent
       quelque iour soustenir la charge apres nous. Combien que ie soye
       ieune, toutesfois quand ie voy ma debilite et indisposition de mon
       corps, i'ay soin de ceux qui seront apres nous, comme si i'estoye
       desia vieil: [1733]1
     * Car un mien ami m'est venu voir en passant: [1734]1
     * Car, je vous prie, quelle virtu d' abstinence y-eust-il eue a, ne
       taster point de viande, veu qu'il n'avoit nulle faim qui le
       pressast? Car il est certain, et les Evangelistes le donnent a
       entendre assez clairement, qu'il s'est passe de manger tout ainsi
       que s'il n'eust point este revestu de notre chair: [1735]1
     * Ce n'est pas a fausses enseignes ni par feintise: [1736]1
     * Ce n'est que fumee: [1737]1
     * Ce n'estoit point un accident commun, mais plustost une ceuvre
       ad-mirable de Dieu: [1738]1
     * Ce nest as une possession lma name et en l'air: [1739]1
     * Ce qu'il avoit auparavant commande a tous fideles d'attendre et
       esperer: [1740]1
     * Ce qu'aucuns exposent comme si les diables n'eussent point voulu
       aller en lieu desert: [1741]1
     * Ce qu'ils enseignent et confessent de bouche: [1742]1
     * Ceci aussi est un paradoxe, c'est a dire, une sentence contraire au
       jugement commun des hommes: [1743]1
     * Cependant nous ne dirons pas que Christ a este esconduit, veu que
       le pere par un conseil admirable, mettant un diable en la compagnie
       d'onze Anges, a toutesfois tellement modere l'issue, que la cheute
       de cestuy-la a plustost conferme que non pas esbranle la foyde son
       Eglise: [1744]1
     * Cependant, tant plus Dieu nous traite doucement, et nous donne de
       liberte, tant plus faut-il que nous prenions garde a ne nous
       flatter ou lascher par trop la bride: [1745]1
     * Ces deux choses mesme: [1746]1
     * Ceste confession n'appartient droit qu'a ceux qui de nouveau se
       convertissent a la foy: [1747]1
     * Ceste facon de parler contient une metaphore prise des
       arbalestiers, ou autres qui visent au blanc: [1748]1
     * Ceste perfection ne signifie pas qu'il y ait une.equalite et mesme
       mesure, mais elle se rapporte seulement a quelque ressemblance ou
       ap-proche: [1749]1
     * Ceste premiere description: [1750]1
     * Ceste singerie et imitation contrefaite: [1751]1
     * Ceux qui demandent d'estre riches et a leur aise en ce monde:
       [1752]1
     * Cherchoik seulement remede a la douleur presente, qui n'est qu'un
       accident particulier de son mal: [1753]1
     * Christ attribue aussi a Dieu seul l'adoration externe, que les
       Grecs appellent: [1754]1
     * Combien Christ ne commande pas aux siens en priant de s'attacher
       scrupuleusement a certains mots: [1755]1
     * Combien qu' a la verite vous soyez pires que bastards: [1756]1
     * Combien qu'au dedans ils n'ayent point d'affection de crainte de
       Dieu: [1757]1
     * Combien qu'il comprend sous ces deux d'autres infinis tesmoignages,
       par une figure dont nous avons souvent parle, nommee Synecdoche:
       [1758]1
     * Combien qu'il ne lust pas rant eognu que le premier: [1759]1
     * Combien que ce fust le pays de ses ancestres: [1760]1
     * Combien que de leur cost, ils n'ayent aucune force ou munition
       externe: [1761]1
     * Combien que la raison nous en soit incognue: [1762]1
     * Combien que la remission des pechez est bien a preferer a la
       nourriteurde cette vie: [1763]1
     * Combien que pour couvrir sa malice: [1764]1
     * Comme 1es plus inutiles du monde: [1765]1
     * Comme estant un de la compagnie de ceux qui vont devant pour faire
       place a leur Roy: [1766]1
     * Comme facilement les appetits de la chair nous tirent en leurs
       filets: [1767]1
     * Comme ils se moquent de Dieu sans en faire conscience: [1768]1
     * Comme la Loy de Dieu est divisee en deux Tables, desquelles la
       premiere contient les choses dont nous sommes redevables a Dieu
       pour honorer sa majeste: la seconde ce que nous devons a nostre
       prochain selon charite: [1769]1
     * Comme les philosophes ont voulu enselgner le monde: [1770]1
     * Comme nous ayant promis la justice spirituelle, il nous met devant
       les yeux un peu d'eau: par un petit morceau de pain et une goutte
       de vin, il seelle la promesse qu'il a faite de la vie eternelle de
       nos ames: [1771]1
     * Comme si la trompette sonnoit, pour nous resveiller: [1772]1
     * Comme si nous signions de nostre propre main, declarans que Dieu
       est veritable: [1773]1
     * Comme si tout le monde les regardoit: [1774]1
     * Comment il a este heberge: [1775]1
     * Comment les Phariseens avoyent deprave la Loy par leurs expositions
       tortues: [1776]1
     * Conducteur: [1777]1
     * Couchant es champs: [1778]1
     * Craignant Dieu: [1779]1
     * D'aucuns qui auront en grand bruit, et auront este fort estimez:
       [1780]1
     * D'autant plus faut-il que chacun de nous s'assujettisse de bon
       coeur, st ploye le col sous le joug auquel il plaira a Dieu de nous
       soumettre: [1781]1
     * D'ou vient une si grande legerete en sermens, sinon qu'entre tout
       de mensonges, tromperies, inconstance et babil, on ne sait qui
       croire, ni a qui se fier: [1782]1
     * D'autant que le Seigneur nous a ordonnez gardiens de son alliance:
       [1783]1
     * D'un regard triste, ou, visage chagrin: [1784]1
     * Davantage, tout le peuple avoit grand interest d'estre advertis
       quelles gens estoyent les Sadduciens et Pharisiens: [1785]1
     * De discerner entre ladrerie et ladrerie: [1786]1
     * De division, ou separation: [1787]1
     * De faire a Christ un honneur appartenant a Ia majeste divine:
       [1788]1
     * De l'usure et accroissement qui vient outre le principal: [1789]1
     * De la crainte de Dieu qui est en l'homme: [1790]1
     * De la seigneurie de tout le monde: [1791]1
     * De la tyrannic malheureuse d'iceluy: [1792]1
     * De maintenir la gloire de son nom, a fin que punition soit faite de
       l'outrage commis contre sa majeste: [1793]1
     * De mettre la justice de la Loy sous les pieds: [1794]1
     * De ne nourrir le monde en sa folie et fadesse: [1795]1
     * De quelque erreur et ignorance: [1796]1
     * De tout temps: [1797]1
     * De vouloir esplucher tout par le menu, et rapporter tout jusqu'aux
       petits mots: [1798]1
     * Des ceuvres de charite comprises en la seconde Table de la Loy:
       [1799]1
     * Des gens qui se vantent a fausses enseignes de tenir le place des
       apostres: [1800]1
     * Des le commencement du monde: [1801]1
     * Destournez et transportez hors du droit chemin: [1802]1
     * Deux Christs, ou un double Christ: [1803]1
     * Devant qu'ils n'ayent este examinez et interroguez de leur foy:
       [1804]1
     * Dieu en faisant miracles ne se joue point pour nous servir de
       passe- temps, mais reveille nos sens, lesquels il voit estre
       abrutis et en dormis: [1805]1
     * Doivent avoir le jugement et la cognoissance de la ladrerie
       spirituelle: [1806]1
     * Dont nous pouvons recueillir comment le pays de Judee estoit lots
       reinply de beaucoup de corruptions, et diverses sortes d'abus:
       [1807]1
     * Du mal, ou, malin, ou meschant: [1808]1
     * Elle fut lors executee, et trouva-on facon d'en venir a bout:
       [1809]1
     * Elle nous est proposee en deux sortes es Escritures: [1810]1
     * Embrasseroyent volontiers beaucoup de cent annees: [1811]1
     * Empeschoit fort: [1812]1
     * Emporte poids: [1813]1
     * En apparence corporelle, ou, forme: [1814]1
     * En ce faisant, nous luy accordons ce qui luy est le plus honorable,
       en lieu que ces habiles gens, qui la servent a contrepoil, l'en
       despouillent: [1815]1
     * En ce qu'ils se sont essayez par leur jeusne, forge a leur
       fantasie, de se mettre du rang de Christ, et se mesurer a luy:
       [1816]1
     * En cela nous voyons coment les Papistes accordent mal avec elle,
       lesquels sans jugement la parent de nouvelles louanges forgees en
       leurs cerveaux; et cependant ne tiennent quasi conte do tous les
       biens que'lle a eus de Dieu: [1817]1
     * En continuant le fil de son propos: [1818]1
     * En dons et graces de l'Esprit: [1819]1
     * En la communion de Christ: [1820]1
     * En la facon d'enseigner de Jesus Christ: [1821]1
     * En leur doute et estonnement: [1822]1
     * En lieu qu'Ismael et Esau en avoyent este rejettez et bannis comme
       estrangers: [1823]1
     * En paroles magnifiques: [1824]1
     * En quelque lustre et apparence du monde: [1825]1
     * En sa majesté: [1826]1
     * En sorte qu il ait seulement este escrivain sous luy: [1827]1
     * En sorte qu'il ne leur semble oint qu'il y ait moyen de les sauver,
       sinon que Christ s'eveeile: [1828]1
     * En sorte qu'il semblera quasi qu'ils foudroyent: [1829]1
     * En sorte que cela ne les empesche point de recognoistre la hautesse
       de sa maiste divine: [1830]1
     * En toute sa gloire, ou, avec toute sa gloire: [1831]1
     * Envers les hommes son bon plaisir, ou, bonne volonte: [1832]1
       [1833]2
     * Erasme a traduit, De ces hornroes: : [1834]1
     * Estre assis : [1835]1
     * Et avoyent tousjours en la bouche le titre d'Eglise, duquel ils
       abu- soyent: [1836]1
     * Et c'est la coustume du Seigneur d'abbattre les siens, et comme les
       plonger dedans le sepulcher, afin de les vivifier puis apres:
       [1837]1
     * Et cependant une charge si excellente et nouvelle requeroit des
       graces plus grandes qu'on n'en pent trouver en l'homme: [1838]1
     * Et ceux d'entre eux qui estoyent scribes et Pharisiens: [1839]1
     * Et comme ils estoyent la, advint que les jours d'icelle furent
       accom-. plis pour enfanter: [1840]1
     * Et de faict, nous avons veu de nostre temps aucuns martyrs,
       lesquels ayans este le reste de leur vie quasi muets, et n'ayans
       point de grace a parler, toutesfois quand Dieu les a appelez a
       rendre confession de leur foy devant les ennenmis, c'a este un
       miracle du don excellent qu'ils out eu de parlet et respondre
       pertinemment et avec grace: [1841]1
     * Et de propos delibere veulent que Dieu procede contre eux en toute
       rigueur: [1842]1
     * Et disputoyent en leurs coeurs: [1843]1
     * Et en ce mesme instant son garcon fut gairi: [1844]1
     * Et en toutes les marches d'icelle: [1845]1
     * Et estoit avec les bestes sauvages: [1846]1
     * Et finalemeat la souvenance que chacun doit avoir de Dieu vient a
       s'esteindre: [1847]1
     * Et ils ne se sont point plainds que Christ les tormentast, sinon
       quand il les pressoit de sortir: [1848]1
     * Et l'ayant menace: [1849]1
     * Et lors je leur diray ouvertement: [1850]1
     * Et luy apres avoir ourerr sa bouche, les enseignoit: [1851]1
     * Et n' y a rien plus inegal en cest endroit, que de vouloir garder
       tousjours une mesme egalite: [1852]1
     * Et pent estre qu'il a premierement mis a mort les Juges, afin
       qu'apres avoir oste au poure peuple ses conducteurs, il peust sans
       contredit luy tenir le pie sui la gorge, et en faire a son plaisir:
       [1853]1
     * Et pource qu'ils avoyent auparavant ferme leurs aureilles a la voix
       des prophetes, qui journellement et sans cesse, parloyent a eux, le
       Seigneur se teut, et laissa de parler a eux pour un temps: [1854]1
     * Et pourtant la malice des Papistes n'est aucunement a supporter,
       quand ils n'ont point de honte de couvrir de ces titres leurs
       Prelats mas-quez, afin que nul ne presume de rien reprendre en
       leurs personnes: [1855]1
     * Et quarid il fur passd outre, ou a l'autre rive, cornme au verset :
       [1856]1
     * Et vient apres moy: [1857]1
     * Et vous aurez ces enseignes: [1858]1 [1859]2
     * Evangelizabat: [1860]1
     * Evangile: [1861]1
     * Faisant grand cas de leur argument: [1862]1
     * Friandise ou gourmandise: [1863]1
     * Gardant les veilles de la nuict: [1864]1
     * Gens de mauvaise vie: [1865]1
     * Heraut: [1866]1
     * Icelui estant meu par le Sainct Esprit, vint au Temple: [1867]1
     * Il a besongne puissament par son bras: [1868]1
     * Il a lie le salut des hommes avec sa parole, comme dependant
       d'icelle: [1869]1
     * Il appartient a tous fideles d'advouer et confesser que Dieu s'est
       communique et baille a nous en Christ: [1870]1
     * Il baisse la teste: [1871]1
     * Il est aise a voir que c'estoit son droit nom par lequel les gens
       du pays l'appeloyent: [1872]1
     * Il est ici parle de la facon de faire de ceux lesquels rendent la
       pareille a ceux qui les ont offensez: [1873]1
     * Il est incertain si Christ a enseigne ceste formule de prier a ses
       disciples une fois seulement, ou bien par deux diverses fois:
       [1874]1
     * Il est nomme Premier nay, : [1875]1
     * Il fait mention du temps avenir, parce que les hypocrites, tandis
       que Dieu les espargne, desprisent hardiment toutes ses menaces, et
       ne se resveillent jamais, sinon qu'il frappe dessus a grands coups:
       [1876]1
     * Il faut aussi noter qu'elle s'asseure sur la parole de l'Ange, par
       ce qu'elle sait qu'elle est procedee de Dieu: pesant la dignite
       d'icelle non a cause de celuy qui en estoit le messager, mais a
       cause de celui qui en estoit l'autheur: [1877]1
     * Il faut noter que la vraye foy apprehende la puissance de Dieu, non
       point en l'alr, mais avec ses effects: [1878]1
     * Il faut qu'il baissc la teste: [1879]1
     * Il les prend en sa compagnie et conversation domestique, afin de
       les faconner a enseigner puis apres les autres: [1880]1
     * Il les resveille tout soudain, et leur fait bien sentir leur folie:
       [1881]1
     * Il monstre que cela ne s'est point fait par advis ou conseil
       humain: [1882]1
     * Il n' y a point de doute que les Juifs recommandent cest homme pour
       l'affection et le bon zele qu'il avoit a la crainte de Dieu:
       [1883]1
     * Il n'avoit este accuse, et emprisonne: [1884]1
     * Il n'est propre ne (pour mettre) en la terre, ni au fumier: [1885]1
     * Il n'y avoit point 1a de prestres, devant lequel un chacun eust peu
       s'a genouiller l'un apres l'autre, pourbarboter ses pechez en leurs
       aureilles: [1886]1
     * Il ne faut pas penser que pour se jouer des hommes il les esleve
       amsi haut, et puis les abaisse: [1887]1
     * Il ne s'est pas estime digne d'aller parler a Christ: [1888]1
     * Il ne se faut pas fort esbahir si la vraye et pure maniere de prier
       estoit pratiquee par bien peu de gens: [1889]1
     * Il ne vouloit point nourrir le mal en dissimulant et faisant
       semblant de n'y voir rien: [1890]1
     * Il nous semble qu'il nous fait tort: [1891]1
     * Il parle ici par une forme de comparaison des deux extremitez
       opposites, signifiant que plustost il faut chercher d'estre seuls,
       que de desirer grande compagnie qui nous voye prier: [1892]1
     * Il se jetta devant luy: [1893]1
     * Il seelle la promesse: [1894]1
     * Il semble que c'est une facon de parler hyperbolique et excessive:
       [1895]1
     * Il vent seulement le rejetter avec son conseil: [1896]1
     * Il vid les cieux mi-partir, : [1897]1
     * Il y a grande difference entre une bonne facon de se donner garde
       d'estre trompe, et un deboutement temeraire sans savoir pourquoy:
       [1898]1
     * Il y avoit tant de temps que son mari estoit mort: [1899]1
     * Il, leur estoit aise de le monstrer comme au doigt, et sans long
       ropos: [1900]1
     * Ils accoustumoyent leurs disc p es k ne hypocrisle, et en faisoyent
       des singes: [1901]1
     * Ils exhortent et incitent les hommes: [1902]1
     * Ils gaigneront bien pour le moins leur nourriture: [1903]1
     * Ils n'ont pas perdu leurs peines: [1904]1
     * Ils ne s'amusent pas, esplucher de pres lequel est le premier, ou
       le second: [1905]1
     * Ils renoncent Christ et sa vocation: [1906]1
     * Ils s'endorment toujours en leurs vices, ou s'egayent comme chevaux
       eschappez: [1907]1
     * Ils voudroyent bien tousjours prolonger leur terme: [1908]1
     * Improprie: [1909]1
     * Je confesse bien que si on regarde la nature des choses en soy, on
       trouvera qu'il y a quelque Contingence: [1910]1
     * Je l'ay ainsi divisee par ci devant pour enseigner plus
       familierement: [1911]1
     * Je laisse maintenant ma dignite a part: [1912]1
     * Je ne touche point pour le present combien ils s'acquittent
       vaillament et fidelement de ce dont ils se vantent de paroles:
       [1913]1
     * Je res ond uil co oissoit bien quelles gens c'estoyent: [1914]1
     * Jesus donques royant la foulle: [1915]1
     * Jesus leur defendit avee menaces: [1916]1
     * Joseph donc esveille print: [1917]1
     * Judas a commis sa meschancete avec sa bru, pensant que ce fust une
       autre: [1918]1
     * Jusque a ce qu'il se soit acquitte envers son pere du devoir que
       nature commande: [1919]1
     * Jusque ace qu'ellc passe mesurc, ct soit excessive: [1920]1
     * L'enfant tressaillit: [1921]1
     * L'indignation secrette qu'on aura eue en son coeur contre le frere:
       [1922]1
     * L'une par laquelle nous empeschons qu'on ne nous outrage, sans
       mal-faire a personne de nostre coste: l'autre, par laquelle nous
       rendons mal pour mal: [1923]1
     * La chandelle: [1924]1
     * La cite: [1925]1
     * La clarte: [1926]1
     * La clarte du Seigneur: [1927]1
     * La commission et ambassade: [1928]1
     * La corne de salut: [1929]1
     * La corruption hereditaire procedante d'Adam precedoit un tel bien,
       et estoit plus ancienne: [1930]1
     * La crainte l'empescha lors d'envoyer secretement quelque traistre
       pour espier comme tout alloit: [1931]1
     * La fin ou le but de ceste soumission de Jesus Christ: [1932]1
     * La lumiere, ou, lanterne: [1933]1
     * La maitresse Pierre du coin, sur laquelle est fonde le salut de
       tous les enfans de Dieu: [1934]1
     * La mort mortelle: [1935]1
     * La naselle: [1936]1
     * La ou nous avons rendu Ton salut, : [1937]1
     * La ou nous avons rendu, Il a dissipe, : [1938]1
     * La ou nous avons traduit, Pour l'esclaircissement, : [1939]1
     * La predication, ou publication: [1940]1
     * La trouvera, ou, gardera: [1941]1
     * La verite du Baptesme vient et procede du Christ seul: [1942]1
     * La vie de ce corps, laquelle n'est qu'une fumee: [1943]1
     * La volonte de Dieu est mise a l'opposite de ce que tels Philosophes
       appellent Contingence: par lequel mot ils signifient un accident
       qui vient de soy és choses, sans qu'il y ait une certaine conduite
       d'enhaut: [1944]1
     * Laissant son premier propos: [1945]1
     * Laquelle chose son pere et sa mere ne s'apperceurent point: [1946]1
     * Laquelle la bouche de l'homme ne sauroit exprimer, ni ses sens
       comprendre en ce monde: [1947]1
     * Laquelle ont suivie les Evangelistes, combien qu'ils escrivissent
       en Grec: [1948]1
     * Laquelle un peu auparavant il ne vouloit recevoir, et lui sembloit
       qu'il se fust pollue en conversant avec elle: [1949]1
     * Le Seigneur ne changera point: [1950]1
     * Le blamant de ce qu'il pretend prouver Jesus Christ estre nay d'une
       Vierge: [1951]1
     * Le but de ce commandement: [1952]1
     * Le mesme S. Luc avec S. Marc enseigne que le commencement des
       tentations estoit de plus loin. Car Satan avoit assailli Christ
       quarante jours au paravant qu'il eust faim: mais les principaux et
       plus excellens combats sont icy recitez, afin que nous sachions que
       Satan veincu en plusieurs assaux, s'est finalement rue
       furieusement, et de toute sa force, pour voir s'il pourroit
       d'aventure veincre finalement celuy duquel il n'avoit peu venir a
       bout. Car d'autant plus qu'on est exere aux combats spirituels,
       Dieu permet aussi qu'on soit plus rudement assailli. Parquoy
       apprenons a ne nous lasser jamais, jusqu'a ce qu' ayans paracheve
       tout le cours de notre guerre, nous soyons parvenus au but: [1953]1
     * Le mot Grec: [1954]1 [1955]2
     * Le mot Grec dont use l'Evangeliste signifie proprement, Je leur
       confesseray: [1956]1
     * Le mot Hebrieu Alma, : [1957]1
     * Le mot de Chair : [1958]1
     * Le mot de Sainctete : [1959]1
     * Le moyen le plus doux et le moins scandaleux estoit, que
       secretement il departist du lieu, et la laissast sans faire aueun
       bruit: [1960]1
     * Le peuple, qui gisoit en tenebres: [1961]1
     * Le pinnacle: [1962]1
     * Le salut qu'a receu le peuple par son moyen, a este comme une
       representation ayant quelques traces du vray et parfait salut,
       lequel finalement le Fils de Dieu a apporte et presente au monde:
       [1963]1
     * Le transporte: [1964]1
     * Le vouloir de Christ sur sa requeste: [1965]1
     * Lequel avoit este adverti divinement par le Sainct Esprit: [1966]1
     * Lequel de nous deux est plus grand ou excellent: [1967]1
     * Lequel faisoit sa demeurance: [1968]1
     * Lequel s'enclina devant lui: [1969]1
     * Les Juifs ne font que tracasser et se tormenter sans profit toute
       leur vie: [1970]1
     * Les Juifs s'arrestoyent a ce beau titre de Peuple de Dieu, et
       d'En-fans d'Abraham, et s'en enfioyent: [1971]1
     * Les Latins, traduisans ce passage du Grec, ont us, du mot d'Humi-
       lite, lequel les barbares et sots parleurs de Latin, prennent ici
       comme en Francois, pour une facon de faire contraire a l'arrogance,
       assavoir quand une personne s'estime rien: mais il se prend
       autrement, assavoir pour Petitesse; c'est a dire, condition basse
       et meprisee: [1972]1
     * Les autres en estans eslogncz et bannis: [1973]1
     * Les docteurs feints et doubles: [1974]1
     * Les esleus, qui de leur nature ne sont que paille, : [1975]1
     * Les fils de l'espoux, : [1976]1
     * Les gendarmes: [1977]1
     * Les gens de la chambre du marie peuvent ils mener dueil, pendant
       que le marie est avec eux: [1978]1
     * Les gens de nopces: [1979]1
     * Les gens fiers et farouches: [1980]1
     * Les gens simples, et d'esprit paisible: [1981]1
     * Les jours de la purification d'iceux, ou, d'icelle, assavoir de
       Marie: [1982]1
     * Les pailles s'en vont avec le vent: [1983]1
     * Les premices et premier commencement de son Eglise: [1984]1
     * Les rois, princes, et grans tyrans: [1985]1
     * Les ruminant en son coeur: [1986]1
     * Les sergens de Dieu: [1987]1
     * Lors ayant appel, a soy ses douze disciples: [1988]1
     * Lors que le Roy Sennacherib fut contreint de lever le siege de
       de-rant, et s'enfuir honteusement: [1989]1
     * Lors vien et presente ton oblation: [1990]1
     * Louoit aussi le Seigneur: [1991]1 [1992]2
     * Luy donc estant venu en l'aage de douze ans: [1993]1
     * Maintenant il rested adjouster la deduction ou derivation: [1994]1
     * Maintenant puis que le Baptesme de Jean a eu mesme signification,
       vertu et propriete que le nostre, si nous voulons juger de la
       figure et du signe selon la chose signifee, c'est 'a dire la
       verite, nous trouverons que le Baptesme administre par Christ, n'a
       point este autre que celuy que Jean a administre: [1995]1
     * Mais apres qu'ils furent passez, il ent faim: [1996]1
     * Mais aussi ceux qui sont assaillis et provoquez les premiers:
       [1997]1
     * Mais aussi de ces vermines, lesquels meslez entre nous comme
       bourdons entre abeilles: [1998]1
     * Mais il passa par le milieu d'eux, et s'en alla: [1999]1
     * Mais il requiert nommement qu'un chacun satisface pour soy, et paye
       ce qu'il doit: [2000]1
     * Mais l'effort et la violence que les Evangelistes deserlvent estoit
       bien autre et plus grande: [2001]1
     * Mais l'ennuy et la fascherie qu'elle avoit eue trois jours durant
       l'a fait ainsi parler: [2002]1
     * Mais la petitesse, et (par maniere de dire) la chicete de nostre
       foy, l'empesche de faire decouler plus abondamment ses biens sur
       nous: [2003]1
     * Mais pource que Satan ne pent endurer ceste vertue et puissance,
       aquelle il sait estre le destruire et ruiner, il voudroit bien que
       Christ se contenant d'un beau titre en l'air, se reposast, et se
       deportast de luy rien faire: [2004]1
     * Mais quand Christ est apparu en sa personne, le peuple a eu une
       presence de Dieu veritable, et non pas ombratile comme paravant:
       [2005]1
     * Mais sa mere print la parole: [2006]1
     * Mais selon la promesse expresse de Dieu, qui avoit este apportee et
       revelee par l'ange: [2007]1
     * Malachie, Esdras, et autres semblables personnages: [2008]1
     * Marie se propose les promesses, et nous ramene tous a la
       consideration d'icelles: [2009]1
     * Mats plustost allez aux ouailles de la matson d'Israel, qui
       sontperies: [2010]1
     * Matthieu, en sa description, ne passe point plus haut qu'Abraham,
       qui a este le pere du peuple sainct et esleu: [2011]1
     * Mis par escrit: [2012]1
     * Mittens interfecit: [2013]1
     * N'allez point vers les Gentils: [2014]1
     * N'ayans rien de quoy faire leurs despens: [2015]1
     * N'ayez point de souci: [2016]1 [2017]2
     * Ne faites provision d'or ni d'argent: [2018]1
     * Ne soyez en suspens: [2019]1
     * Ne tiendront pas mesme le dernier reng, ou quelque petit coin en
       l'Eglise: [2020]1
     * Non pas que Dieu ne requiere aussi une profession externe de son
       service et de la crainte de son nom, mais pource que l'autre partie
       est la marque la plus certaine pour cognoians, et, laquelle vrals
       on est le moins abuse: [2021]1
     * Nous ne pouvons pas batailler sons l'enseigne de Jesus Christ a
       autre condition: [2022]1
     * Nous ne raisons que trainer ca et la estans nuds, deschirez, et
       dis- figurez: [2023]1
     * Nous savons comment les Philosophes se sont amusez a traiter
       subtilemerit du souverain bien des hommes: [2024]1
     * Nous sommes en branle sans pouvoir nous y asseurer: [2025]1
     * Or il ne nous faut pas beaucoup tormenter : [2026]1
     * Or si on ne mettoit les hommes au second membre, l'antithese ne
       seroit pas parfaite: [2027]1
     * Ou bien perir d'eux-mesmes, encores que personne n'y touche:
       [2028]1
     * Ou, luy rendra-on sa saveur: [2029]1
     * Ou, s'evente: [2030]1
     * Ou, separation: [2031]1
     * Par imputation, c'est a dire, d'autant que la justice de Christ
       laur est imputee: [2032]1
     * Par l'estat de la vie presente: [2033]1
     * Par le changement et amendement de vie: [2034]1
     * Par lequel les Juifs protestoyent de se soumettre a l'observation
       de la Loy: [2035]1
     * Par les entrailles de la misericorde, ou, par l'affection
       misericordieuse: [2036]1
     * Par un zele sainct et plaisant a Dieu: [2037]1
     * Par une facon de parler hyperbolique, : [2038]1
     * Par une figure qu'on appelle Synecdoche: [2039]1
     * Par une vaine crainte, qu'ils leur proposent: [2040]1
     * Parquoy apprenons de prendre tellement notre contentement en Christ
       seul, que le sentiment de sa grace nous face surmonter toutes
       choses qui sont dures a la chair, et finalement en oste toute
       l'amertume: [2041]1
     * Peagets: [2042]1
     * Plein de richesses, magnificences, et delices terriennes: [2043]1
     * Plus pleines de dissolutions et de desbauches: [2044]1
     * Plustost que de rendre la pareille a celuy qui nous a mal-fait:
       [2045]1
     * Pour abolir: [2046]1
     * Pour des choses qui ne valent pas le parler: [2047]1
     * Pour estre enroule avec Marie: [2048]1
     * Pour faire son devoir envers son pere: [2049]1
     * Pour guarir ceux qui ont le coeur froisse: [2050]1
     * Pour le dire plus clairement en deux mots, Christ est le vray
       patron accompli en perfection, mais Samson est un pourtrait
       legerement tire et trac, dessus: [2051]1
     * Pour le jetter du haut en bas: [2052]1
     * Pour le moins, quand ils commandent par leur loy de se confesser
       depuis le Baptesme, ils ne peuvent pas dire qu'ils ensuivent Jean,
       ny l'alleguer pour autheur: [2053]1
     * Pour maintenir et defendre les erreurs ou abus en la matiere de la
       religion: [2054]1
     * Pour nous faire retomber en 1'autre: [2055]1
     * Pour nous rendre faciles a oublier les injures qu'on nous a faites:
       [2056]1
     * Pour ses disciples et escoliers domestiques: [2057]1
     * Pour soustenir une guerre, et fournir l'argent qu'il faut: [2058]1
     * Pour suivre Christ des pieds, c'est a dire exterieurement: [2059]1
     * Pource qu'ayant cest empeschement, il n'eust pas peu suivre la
       compagnie de Christ: [2060]1
     * Pource qu'il a prins sur soy toutes les peines que nous avions
       meritees, afind nous en discharger: [2061]1
     * Pource qu'il savoit que c'estoit un homme de grande authorite
       envers le peuple, et pourtant se dutoit de luy: [2062]1
     * Pource que Christ avoit receu la vertu de donner gairison: [2063]1
     * Pource que ce n'est pas la vraye et naturelle: [2064]1
     * Pource que le pere et 1a mere les abandonnent incontinent qu'ils
       sont nais: [2065]1
     * Pource que les hommes se poussent les uns les autres au chemin de
       damnation par mauvais exemple: [2066]1
     * Pourquoy Dieu estant prie et requis si ardemment par son Fils,
       asouffert qu'un mechant et mal-heureux traitre fust eleve au rang
       le plus honorable de son Eglise, comme si Jesus Christ n'eust point
       este exauce: [2067]1
     * Pourquoy donc dit-il, Quand elle l'eut veu: [2068]1
     * Pourveu qu'on observast ce que la Loy commandoit en tel cas:
       [2069]1
     * Puis apres avoir appel, ses douze disciples ensemble: [2070]1
     * Qu il a ete merveilleusement grand bruit de luy par tout le pays:
       [2071]1
     * Qu'il n'a pas este appele par un moyen procedant de l'homme:
       [2072]1
     * Qu'il a souffert, sa Divinite ne demonstrant point sa vertu:
       [2073]1
     * Qu'il y a eu en tels personnages des mouvemens singuliers, et
       inspirations particulieres du S. Esprit: [2074]1
     * Qu'on ne peut pas bien discerner la vraye crainte de Dieu,
       d'avecques une feintise et vaine apparence d' icelle: [2075]1
     * Qu'on ne tenoit pas si grande conte de serfs: [2076]1
     * Quand il a prononce ces sentences que nous avons veues par ci
       de-vant, monstrant tout au contraire de l'opinion commune: [2077]1
     * Quand les Apostres se sont trouvez assaillis et quasi couvers des
       riots du lac: [2078]1
     * Quand les hommes estans reconciliez a Dieu, ont repos en leurs
       esprits, et en leurs consciences: [2079]1
     * Quand les premieres nouvelles vindrent de la naissance du nouveau
       Roy, et que le bruit en commenca a courir: [2080]1
     * Que Jean estoit prisonnier: [2081]1
     * Que Joseph a voulu pardonner a sa femme, et couvrir la faute,
       d'autant qu'il estoit juste: [2082]1
     * Que c'est aucunement confondre les termes: [2083]1
     * Que c'est pour le profit des autres, et non pas pour le sien, que
       Christ demande d'estre baptize: [2084]1
     * Que ces pierres devienent pains: [2085]1
     * Que la grace de Dieu leur seroit ostee, et envoyee a autres:
       [2086]1
     * Que la ils fussent comme herauts pour porter les nouvelles du
       nouveau Roy: [2087]1
     * Que le diable qui le possedoit luy avoit ost, l'usage de parler:
       [2088]1
     * Que le saye est plus pres de la chair que le manteau: [2089]1
     * Que le sel estant empire, ne fait mesmes que gaster tout, a quoi
       qu'on le mette, tellement qu'il corrompt mesmes les fumiers, et
       consume toute la grasse d'iceux: [2090]1
     * Que les plaisirs lesquels les hommes se font les uns aux autres,
       sous esperance de recompense, ne viennent point en conte devant
       Dieu: [2091]1
     * Que nous en soyons touchez et esmeus a bon escient: [2092]1
     * Que quant et quant il ne fist tant de miracles, que cela les
       empescheroit de bien penser a la doctrine: [2093]1
     * Que sera ce a la fin, et que deviendrons-nous: [2094]1
     * Que tout ce qui est deu aux hommes, est au dessous de la premiere
       Table de la Loy, et doit tenir le second lieu, afin que toujours
       Dieu ait sa puissance et son authorite entiere: [2095]1
     * Que tout le regne de Satan est tenu en bride sous la domination de
       Christ: [2096]1
     * Quelque excellent personnage qu'il fust: [2097]1
     * Quelque temps apresque Jesus Christ ent appelle a soy Pierre,
       Andre, Jean, et Jaques: [2098]1
     * Qui a a manger, face la semblable: [2099]1
     * Qui aura trouve, ou, garde : [2100]1
     * Qui avoit este mis bas, et comme rompu: [2101]1
     * Qui croira que le Redempteur viene d'Egypte: [2102]1
     * Qui demandoyent l'ame, ou la vie, : [2103]1
     * Qui les laisseroyent volontiers escouler sans y penser: [2104]1
     * Qui n'avons point une telle prerogative: [2105]1
     * Qui plus est, Satan les a transportez en une telle rage et
       forcenerie, qui'ls n'ont point eu de honte du luy attributer
       l'authorite de commander a Christ: [2106]1
     * Qui soustiendra, ou, tiendra bon, : [2107]1
     * Qui veulent faire accroire qu'elle n'a rouve point les
       principautes, empires et gouvernements qui sont entre les hornroes:
       [2108]1
     * Qui voudroit user de cavillation et chippoter sur chacun mot:
       [2109]1
     * Qui voyoyent bien par signes externes que Marie estoit enceinte:
       [2110]1
     * Raconte combien grandes choses Dieu t'a faitcs: [2111]1
     * Regarder en haut, et estendre sa veue bien loin: ce qu'on dit
       communement, Faire de longs discours, ou estre en suspens, :
       [2112]1
     * Robert Etienne a ce propos allegue un exemplaire Grec ancien, ou il
       y a ainsi, Josias engendra Joacim, et Joacim engendra Jechonias:
       [2113]1
     * S'enclina devant luy: [2114]1
     * S'esforcans d'abattre et exterminer l'Evangile: [2115]1
     * S'il n'est prest de s'y employer, et d'y mettre son labor
       gratuitement, et sans consideration de son profit: [2116]1
     * S'il y a quelqu'un chatouille de curiosite qui en demande
       d'avantage: [2117]1
     * Sacrifices ou offrandes sacrees: [2118]1
     * Sans chercher la louange des hommes: [2119]1
     * Sans qu'il y ait rien entre-deux: [2120]1
     * Sans que Christ ouvrist sa bouche: [2121]1
     * Se fondant sur une passage ou il fait mention de son Evangile:
       [2122]1
     * Sera digne d'estre puni par jugement: [2123]1
     * Sera digne d'estre puni par la gehenne du feu: [2124]1
     * Si aucun vient avec moy: [2125]1
     * Si celuy qui est la fontaine de toute purete, a voulu estre tenu
       pour immonde et souille, afin de laver toutes nos ordures: [2126]1
     * Si je n'ay pas este plus scrupuleux ou curieux en conferant les
       passages tendans a un mesme poinct de doctrine: [2127]1
     * Si les petits drapeaux esquels estoit enveloppe l'infant Jesus:
       [2128]1
     * Si leur repentance est vraye, et si c'est it bon escient qu'ils
       vienent k luy: [2129]1
     * Si nous estions aussi bons disciples a prattiquer la charite active
       (si ainsi faut dire) comme nous sommes subtils docteurs a prescher
       la charite passive: [2130]1
     * Si nous sommes paresseux de le faire, toutes les excuses du monde
       ne nous serviront de rien: [2131]1
     * Si ton ceil dextre to fait chopper: [2132]1
     * Si votre justice n'outrepasse: [2133]1
     * Sinon au pris que le jour vient l'un apres l'autre: [2134]1
     * Somme, pour faire et accomplir toutes choses requises au salut du
       genre humain: [2135]1
     * Sous couleur de proceder par voye de justice: [2136]1
     * Sur les esprits immondes: [2137]1
     * Surgens assequutus est: [2138]1
     * Touchant le premier voyage, ou la premiere commission qu ont eue
       les apostres: [2139]1
     * Tout a plein: [2140]1
     * Toutefois Christ ne prend pas ces paroles comme dites de l'aventure
       et sans intelligence: [2141]1
     * Toutefois on ne sait pas certainement si ce fut en mesme temps:
       [2142]1
     * Toutesfois nous luy sommes serfs et esclaves: [2143]1
     * Un bourreau: [2144]1
     * Un homme rempli de Dieu: [2145]1
     * Un iota ou un seul poinct: [2146]1
     * Un revoltement et cheute horrible: [2147]1
     * Une correction ou amplification de la Loy: [2148]1
     * Une creiche: [2149]1
     * Une priere bonne et sainte: [2150]1
     * Une reigle, a laquelle ils ont rapporte tout ce qu'ils voyoyent:
       [2151]1
     * Ut profiteretur: [2152]1
     * Veniens offer: [2153]1
     * Veu que le Seigneur est Redempteur de tout le monde en general:
       [2154]1
     * Voulant reigler indifferemment tous ministres de la parole selon ee
       qui est ici dk: [2155]1
     * Vous l'avez receu pour neant: [2156]1
     * Vous l'avez receu pour neant, donnez-le pour neant: [2157]1
     * Vous n'aurez point parachev, d'aller: [2158]1
     * Vous n'entrerez nullement, ou: [2159]1
     * Zacharie dit que les hommes ont este rachetez a la charge : [2160]1
     * a cause de l'effect et du fruict qui s'en ensuit: [2161]1
     * bandelettes: [2162]1
     * bons, suffisans, et sans reproche: [2163]1
     * c'a este afin qu'ils cogneussent que c'estoit l'ange de Dieu qui
       parloit: [2164]1
     * car il use de ce terme qui signifient proprement s'agenouiller ET
       prosterner : [2165]1
     * ce n'est pas un poinct de petite importance: [2166]1
     * ces: [2167]1
     * combien qu'ils fussent sujets d'Herode: [2168]1
     * d'autant qu'il estoit de cette famille, et mesmes que d'icelle il
       estoit quasi seul vivant, avec quelques autres en bien petit
       nombre: [2169]1
     * de celebrer et magnifier la grace de Dieu faite a l'une et a
       l'autre: [2170]1
     * de propos delibere: [2171]1
     * dementent la vierge en tant qu'en eux est: [2172]1
     * des armees celestes: [2173]1
     * du quel use l'Evangeliste est celuy d'ou vient le mot de Magiciens:
       mais les Perses et Chaldeens nomment ainsi leurs Astrologues et
       Philosophes: et pourtant nous l'avons traduit par ce mot de Sages.
       Parquoy il y a grande apparence de dire qu'ils etoyent venus du
       pays des Perses: [2174]1
     * duquel estoyent du tout destituez les autres, combien que ce
       fussent les gouverneurs: [2175]1
     * en baptizant tout le peuple: [2176]1
     * es cieux treshauts: [2177]1
     * est parvenue a mes aureilles: [2178]1
     * et s'en alla hastivement aux montagnes: [2179]1
     * et voyant deux nasselles qui estoyent pres du lac: [2180]1
     * greffiers: [2181]1
     * homme pecheur: [2182]1
     * il ne faut point estendre les paroles plus avant: [2183]1
     * ils veulent a toute force: [2184]1
     * jusqu'a ce que Jesus Christ viene: [2185]1
     * le jeu ou la roue de la Fortune: [2186]1
     * lequel se levant, abandonna tout, et suivit: [2187]1
     * les: [2188]1
     * les hommes: [2189]1
     * les hommes, dont il s'agit: [2190]1
     * macquereau: [2191]1
     * mais la foy, par maniere dire, tend son giron pour les recevoir:
       [2192]1
     * maistres et seigneurs: [2193]1
     * mon esprit s'est esiouy: [2194]1
     * non point comme un logis pour y estre hebergez en passant: [2195]1
     * pour faire caresse a sa cousine: [2196]1
     * pource que Dieu l'avoit dresse pour figure et tesmoignage du salut
       a venir: [2197]1
     * quand le peuple est retourne de Babylone: [2198]1
     * que ceux qui se font accroire qu'ils sont desia tout asseurez de la
       vie eternelle, et cheminent a leur plaisir sans souci, : [2199]1
     * quelques gens n'entendans pas le propos: [2200]1
     * revestu et garni d'excellens tesmoignages de tous les Prophetes:
       [2201]1
     * s'ils pensent qu'il y ait quelque chose digne de reprendre aux
       paroles de Christ, que ne parlent-ils a luy pour en avoir
       resolution: [2202]1
     * selon la coustume de leur pays: [2203]1
     * sur la fiente des bestes: [2204]1
     * survenant, ou venant par chacun jour: [2205]1
     * un homme suivant les montagnes: [2206]1
     * vient de Puissance, comme si on disoit, Les puissans: mais il
       signifie les gouverneurs et gras seigneurs: [2207]1
     __________________________________________________________________

            This document is from the Christian Classics Ethereal
               Library at Calvin College, http://www.ccel.org,
                   generated on demand from ThML source.

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  33. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Gen&scrCh=49&scrV=10#ix.ii-p7.1
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  35. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Gen&scrCh=49&scrV=10#ix.xiv-p60.2
  36. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Gen&scrCh=49&scrV=26#ix.xxiv-p22.4
  37. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=12&scrV=29#ix.xxi-p17.1
  38. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=20&scrV=7#ix.xlviii-p7.1
  39. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=20&scrV=13#ix.xliv-p30.1
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  43. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=24&scrV=12#ix.xxxi-p14.1
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  45. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=29&scrV=6#ix.xxiv-p13.3
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  49. file:///ccel/c/calvin/calcom31/cache/calcom31.html3?scrBook=Exod&scrCh=34&scrV=1#ix.xii-p43.1
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