and vindicates the Honour and Reputation of his Father's House Learn hence That there is a Reverence due to God's House for the Owner's sake and for the Service sake Nothing but Holiness can become that Place where God is worshipped in the Beauty of Holiness Observe Lastly The Reason which our Saviour gives for this Act of his for says he It is written my House shall be called an House of Prayer Whereby Prayer is to be understood the whole Worship and Service of Almighty God of which Prayer is an eminent and principal Part That which gives Denomination to an House is certainly the chief Work to be done in that House Now God's House being called an House of Prayer certainly implies that Prayer is the chief and principal Work to be performed in his House yet must we take heed that we set not the Ordinances of God at Variance one with another we must not idolize one Ordinance and villifie another but pay an awful Respect and Regard to all the Institutions of our Maker 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them 15 And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying in the temple and saying Hosanna to the Son of David they were sore displeased 16 And said unto him Hearest thou what these say And Jesus saith unto them Yea have ye never read Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise Observe here 1. That our Blessed Saviour works his Miracles not secretly in a Corner but openly in the Temple and submits them to the Examination of all Persons Senses A Miracle is a supernatural Action which is obvious to Sense Popish Miracles are talk'd of by many but seen by none Obs 2. That Christ's Enemies are never more incensed than when his Divine Power is most exerted and his Divine Nature owned and acknowledged When the chief Priests saw the Miracles which Jesus did and heard the Children crying Hosanna to the Son of David they were displeased Obs 3. That Christ can glorifie himself by the Mouth of Babes and Sucklings he can form and fit up what Instruments he pleases to shew forth his Excellencies and celebrate his Praises Out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected Praise 17 And he left them and went out of the city into Bethany and he lodged there 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city he hungered 19 And when he saw a fig-tree in the way he came to it and found nothing thereon but leaves only and said unto it Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever And presently the fig-tree withered away Our Blessed Saviour having driven the Buyers and Sellers out of the temple lodges not that Night in Jerusalem but withdraws to Bethany a Place of Retirement from the Noise and Tumult of the City Where Note Our Lord's Love of Solitude and Retiredness How delightful is it to a good Man to dwell sometimes within himself to take the Wings of a Dove and fly away and be at rest Yet the next Morning our Lord returns to the City he knew when to be solitary and when to be sociable when to be alone and when to converse in Company In his Passage to the City he espies a Fig-tree and being an hungry to shew the Truth of his Humanity he goes to the Fig-tree and finds it full of Leaves but without any Fruit. Displeased with this Disappointment he curses the Tree which had deceived his Expectation This Action of our Saviour in cursing the barren Fig-tree was Typical an Emblem of the Destruction of Jerusalem in general and of every Person in particular that satisfies himself with a withered Profession bearing Leaves only but no Fruit. As this Fig-tree was so are they nigh unto cursing Learn thence That such as content themselves with a Fruitless Profession of Religion are in great danger of having God's Blasting added to their Barrenness 20 And when the disciples saw it they marvelled saying how soon is the fig-tree withered away 21 Jesus answered and said unto them Verily I say unto you If ye have faith and doubt not ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig-tree but also if ye shall say unto this mountain Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea it shall be done 22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believving ye shall receive The Disciples being filled with Admiration at the sudden withering of the Fig-tree thereupon our Saviour exhorts them to have Faith in God That is firmly to rely upon the Power of God whereby he is able upon the Goodness of God whereby he is willing to fulfil his Promises to us Learn 1. That Faith is a necessary Ingredient in Prayer Praying without Faith is like shooting without Bullet it makes a noise but doth no Execution 2. That whatsoever good thing God has made the Matter of a Promise shall be given to good Men praying in Faith Whatsoever ye ask in Prayer believing ye shall receive 23 And when he was come into the temple the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching and said By what authority dost thou these things and who gave thee this authority 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them I also will ask you one thing which if ye tell me likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things 25 The baptism of John whence was it from heaven or of men and they reasoned with themselves saying If we shall say From heaven he will say unto us Why did ye not then believe him 26 But if we shall say Of men we fear the people for all hold John as a prophet 27 And they answered Jesus and said We cannot tell And he said unto them Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things The Pharisees having often question'd our Saviour's Doctrine before they call in question his Mission and Authority now Altho' they might easily have understood his Divine Mission by his Divine Miracles Almighty God never impowered any to work Miracles that were not sent by him when the Adversaries of Christ can object nothing against his Doctrine they then quarrel with him about his Commission and Calling and demand by what Authority he doth teach and work Miracles Our Blessed Saviour well understanding their Drift and Design answers them one Question by asking them another The Baptism of John was it from Heaven or of Men Was it of Divine Institution or of Humane Invention Implying that the calling of such as call themselves the Ministers of God ought to be from God No Man ought to take this Honour upon himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5.4 The Pharisees reply they could not tell whence John had his Mission and Authority this was a manifest Untruth by refusing to tell the Truth they fall into a Lie
or of Humane Invention implying very plainly that the calling of such as call themselves the Ministers of God ought to be from God No Man ought to take that Honour upon hâ—m but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5.4 The Pharisees reply They could not tell whence John had his Mission and Authority this was a manifest untruth by refusing to tell the truth they fall into a Lye against the Truth one sin ensnares and draws men into the Commission of many more Such as will not speak exact truth according to their Knowledâ—e they fall into the Sin of Lying against their Knowledge and their Conscience Our Saviour answers them neither telâ— I you by what Authority I do these things he doth not say I cannot or I will not tell you but I do not I need not tell you because the Miracles which I work before you are a sufficient Demonstration of my Divine Commission that I am sent of God amongst you for God never set the Seal of his Omnipotence to a Lye nor impowered an Impostor to work real Miracles CHAP. XII 1 AND he began to speak unto them by parables A certain man planted a Vineyard and set an hedge about it and digged a place for the wine-fat and built a tower and let it out to Husbandmen and went into a far Country 2 And at the season he sent to the Husband men a Servant that he might receive from the Husband men of the fruit of the Vineyard 3 And they caught him and bear him and sent him away empty 4 And again he sent unto them another Servant and at him they cast stones and wounded him in the head and sent him away shamefully handled 5 And again he sent another and him they killed and many others beating some and killing some 6 Having yet therefore one Son his well beloved he sent him also last unto them saying They will reverence my Son 7 But those Husband men said amongst themselves this is the Heir come let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours 8 And they took him and killed him and cast him out of the Vineyard In this Paâ—able the Jewish Church is compared to a Vineyard Almighty God to an Hoâ—sholder his planting pruning and fencing his â—ineyâ—rd denotes his care to furnish his Church with all needful helps and means to make it spiritually fruitful His letting it out to Husband men signifies his committing the care of his Church to the Priests and Levites the publick Pastours and Governours of the Church his Servâ—nts are the Prophets and Apostles whom he sent from time to time to Admoâ—ish them to bring forth Fruit answerable to the cost which God had expended on them his Son is Jesus Câ—rist whom the Rulers of the Jewish Church Slâ—â— and Murthered The dâ—sign and scope of the Parable is to discover to the Jews particularly to thâ— Pharisees their obstâ—â—te impenitency under all the means of Grace their bloody crucify towards the Prophet of God their tremendous â—â—uilt in Crucifying the Son of God for all which God would unchurch them finally ruin their Nation and set up a Church among the Gentiles that should bring forth better fruit then the Jewish Church ever did From the whole Note 1 That the Church is Gods Vineyard A Vineyard is a place Enclosed a place well Planted well Fruited and exceeding Dear and Precious to the Planter and the Owner of it 2 As dear as God's Vineyard is unto him in case of Barrenness and unfruitfulness it is in great danger of being destroyed and laid waste by him 3 That the only way and course to engage God's care over his Vineyard and to prevent its being given to other Husband-men it is to give him the Fruits of it it is but a Vineyard that God lets out it is no inheritance No People ever had so many Promises of God's favour as the Jews had not ever enjoyed so many Priviledges whilst they continued in his favour as they did yet though they were the first and the â—â—tural Branches they are broken off and we Gentiles stâ—nd by Faith let us not be high minded but fear Rom 11. â—0 9 What shall therefore the Lord of the Vine-yard do he will come and destroy the Husbandmen and will give the Vineyard unto others 10 And have ye not read the Scriptures the stone which the Builders rejected is â—â—come the head of the Corner â—1 This was the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our Eâ—â—â—â— 12 And they sought to lay hold on him bâ—â—â—â—â—red the People for they knew thâ—t he hâ—d spoken the Parable against them and they lâ—ft him and went their way These words of our Saviour are taken out of the 118th Psalm which the Jews understood to be a Prophecy of the Messiah and accordingly Christ applys them to himself The Church is the Building intended Christ himself the Stone Rejected by the Rejectors or the Builders Rejecting are the Heads of the Jewish Church that is the chief Priests and Pharisees God the great Master Builder of his Church takes this precious foundation Stone out of the Rubbish and sets it in the head of the Corner nevertheless there are many that stumble at this Stone some through Ignorance others through Malice Some are offended at his Person others at his Doctrine These shall be broken in pieces but on whomsoever this Stone shall fall it will grind them to powder that is Christ himself will fall as a Burthensome Stone upon all them that knowingly and maliciously oppose him and particularly upon the Jews who not only rejected but persecuted and destroyed him Thus Christ tells the chief Priests and Pharisees their own particular doom and also declares what will be the fatal Issue of all that opposition which is made against Himself and his Church it will terminate in the inevitable destruction of all its opposers Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken and on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind them to Powder 13 And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees with the Herodians to catch him in his words 14 And when they were come they say unto him Master we know that thou art true and carest for no man for thou regardest not the person of men but teachest the way of God in truth Is it lawful to give tribute to Cesar or not 15 Shall we give or shall we not give But he knowing their hypocrisie said unto them why tempt ye me bring me a penny that I may see it 16 And they brought it and he saith unto them whose is this image and superscription and they said unto him Cesars 17 And Jesus answering said unto them render to Cesar the things that are Cesars and to God the things that are Gods And they marvelled at him Observe here a grand design to entangle our Blessed Saviour in his Discourse where Note 1. The persons imployed to put the ensnaring question to Christ Namely the Pharisees and
understand the presence of Christ amongst them the Preaching of the Gospel to them She did not know that is she did not consider she did not prize and improve her Priviledges as she ought but stopped her Ear against the words of Christ and closed her Eyes against the miraculous Works of Christ till at last they were hidden from her Eyes Learn hence 1. That the time of a Peoples enjoying the Light and Liberty of the Gospel it is a limited day it is a short day If thou hadst known in this thy day 2. That it is the sad and usual Lot of the Gospel not to be embraced and entertained by a People to whom it is in Mercy sent till it be too late and the time of their Visitation be past and over Oh that thou hadst known but now thou shalt never know now they are hid from thine Eyes 43 For the day shall come that thine enemies shall cast a Trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground and thy Children within thee and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another Because thou knewest not the time of thy Visitation Here we have a Prophetical Prediction of the total and final Destruction of the City of Jerusalem by the Roman Armies who begirt the City round burnt the Temple starved the People and brought such Ruine and Destruction upon the place as no History could ever parallel the reason is assigned because they knew not the time of their Visitation that is the time when God visited them with his Gospel first by the Ministry of John then by the Preaching of Christ himself and afterwards by his Disciples and Apostles Hence Learn 1. That when God gives his Gospel to a People he gives that People a merciful and a gracious Visitation 2. That for a People not to know but neglect the time of their gracious Visitation it is a God provoking and a Wrath-procuring Sin Because thou knewest not the time of thy Visitation therefore the time shall come that thine Enemy shall lay thee even with the Ground and not leave one stone upon another which History tells us was literally fulfilled when Turnus Rufus with his Plough ploughed up the very Foundation Stones upon which the Temple stood Lord how has sin laid the Foundation of Ruine in the most Flourishing Cities and Kingdoms 45 And he went into the Temple and began to cast out them that sold therein and them that bought 46 Saying unto them It is writ My house is the house of Prayer but ye have made it a Den of Thieves 47 And he taught daily in the Temple but the chief priests and the Scribes and the chief of the People sought to destroy him 48 And could not find what they might do for all the people were very attentive to hear him No sooner was our Blessed Saviour entered Jerusalem but his first walk was to the Temple and his first Work was to Purge and Reform it from abuses not to ruine and destroy it because it had been abused But what was the Prophanation of the Temple that so offended our Saviour Answer in the Court of the Gentiles the outward Court of the Temple there was a publick Mart or Market kept where were sold Oxen Sheep and Doves for Sacrifice which otherwise the People must have brought up along with them from their Houses as a pretended ease therefore to the People the Priests ordered these things to be Sold hard by the Altar but our Blessed Saviour being justly offended at this Prophanation of his Father's House cast the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple Teaching us That there is a special Reverence due to God's House both for the Owners sake and the Service sake nothing but Holiness can become the place where God is Worshipped in the Beauty of Holiness the Reason is added My house is the house of Prayer where by Prayer is to be understood the whole Worship and Service of God of which Prayer is an eminent and principal part That which gives Denomination to an House is most certainly the chief work to be done in that House now God's House being called An House of Prayer implies that Prayer is a chief and principal Work to be performed in this House yet take we heed that we set not the Ordinances of God at variance one with another we must not Idolize one Ordinance and vilify another but reverence them all and pay an awful respect to all Divine Institutions Our Blessed Saviour here in his House of Prayer Preach'd daily to the People as well as Prayed with them and all the People were as attentive to hear his Sermons as he was constant at their Prayers Prayer Sanctifies the Word and the Word fits us for Prayer if we would Glorify God and Edify our selves we must put Honour upon all the Ordinances of God and diligently attend them upon all occasions CHAP. XX. 1 AND it came to pass that on one of those days as he taught the people in the Temple and preached the Gospel the chief Priests and the Scribes came upon him with the Elders 2 And spake unto him saying Tell us by what Authority thou dost these things or who is he that giveth thee this Authority 3 And he answered and said unto them I will also ask you one thing and answer me 4 The Baptism of John Was it from Heaven or of men 5 And they reasoned with themselves saying If we shall say from Heaven he will say Why then believed ye him not 6 But and if we say of men all the people will stone us for they be perswaded that John was a Prophet 7 And they answered that they could not tell whence it was 8 And Jesus said unto them neither tell I you By what authority I do these things The Pharisees having often quarrelled at our Saviour's Doctrine before they call in question his Mission and Authority now Altho' they might easily have understood his Divine Mission by his Divine Miracles for Almighty God never impowered any to work Miracles that were not sent by him Our Blessed Saviour understanding their Design gives them no direct Answer but Replies to their Question by asking them another The Baptism of John was it from Heaven or of men that is was it of Divine Institution or of Humane Invention plainly implying that the calling of them who call themselves the Ministers of God ought to be from God No man ought to take that honour upon him but he that is called of God as was Aaron Heb. 5.8 The Pharisees Reply that they could not tell whence John had his Mission and Authority which was a manifest Untruth they knew it but durst not own it By refusing to tell the Truth they fall into a Lye against the Truth thus one Sin ensnares and draws men on to the Commission of more Such as will not speak exact Truth according to their Knowledge they fall
consider what they eat we may justly wonder that they left any thing If what they left that they eat any thing Observe lastly Christ would not have these Fragments lost but gathered up the Great House-keeper of the World will not allow the Loss of his Orts. Oh how dreadful will the Account of those be who have large and plentiful Estates to Answer for as Lost being spent upon their Lusts in Riot and Excess CHAP. XVI 1 THE Pharisees also with the Sadduces came and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven 2 He answered and said unto them When it is evening ye say It will be fair weather for the sky is red 3 And in the morning It will be foul weather to day for the sky is red and lowring O ye hypocrites ye can discern the face of the sky but can ye not discern the signs of the times 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and there shall no sign be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonas And he left them and departed Obs here 1. The Persons demanding of our Saviour a Sign the Pharisees and Sadduces Persons of contrary Opinions and Interests yet both agree in Tempting and Opposing Christ Learn thence That Wicked Men how opposite soever they are one to another yet can agree together in Opposing Christ and Undermining his Truth Obs 2. The Sign demanded Shew us a Sign from Heaven As if they had said Put us not off with such Earthly Signs as we have seen in multiplying Loaves but let us see a Miracle from Heaven such as Moses and Elias wrought This they desired not so much for their Satisfaction as out of Curiosity nay Wicked Treachery Learn thence That to demand a Sign not to confirm our Faith but to harden our selves in our Unbelief is a dangerous Tempting of Christ Obs 3. Our Saviour's Rejection of this Demand of the Pharisees to give them a Sign Oh ye Hypocrites says he ye can discern the Face of the Sky but ye cannot discern the Signs of the Times As if he had said Did not Malice and Obstinacy blind your Eyes ye might as easily see and discern that these are the Times of the Messias and that I am he by the Miracles wrought by me as you can make a Judgment of the Weather by looking upon the Sky Learn That to pretend more Ignorance or Uncertainty in discerning the Signs of Gospel-Times than the Signs of the Weather is great Hypocrisie Ye Hypocrites ye can discern the Face of the Sky but can ye not discern the Signs of the Times Observe lastly That our Saviour doth not condemn the Study of Nature or making Observation of the State of the Weather from the Face of the Sky All that our Saviour blames was that they were better skill'd in the Signs of the Weather than in the Signs of the Times As God by Natural Signs gives us Warning of a Change in Natural Things so by his Providential Dispensations he gives us Warning of a Change in Civil Things He that is Wise will Observe these Things and by their Observation Will come to Vnderstand the Pleasure of the Lord. 5 And when his disciples were come to the other side they had forgotten to take bread 6 Then said Jesus unto them Take heed and be ware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces 7 And they reasoned among themselves saying It is because we have taken no bread 8 Which when Jesus perceived he said unto them O ye of little faith why reason ye among your selves because ye have brought no bread 9 Do ye not yet understand neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets ye took up 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets ye took up 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces Observe here 1. How dull the Disciples of Christ were under Christ's own Teaching and how apt to put a Carnal Sence upon his Words they apprehended he had spoken to them of the Leaven of Bread what he intended of the Leaven of the Pharisees Doctrine Obs 2. The smart and sharp Reproof which Christ gave his Disciples for not understanding the Sense and Signification of what he spake The Lord Jesus Christ is much displeased with his own People when he discerns Blindness and Ignorance in them after more than ordinary Means of Knowledge enjoyed by them How is it that ye do not yet understand Obs 3. The Metaphor which Christ sets forth the corrupt Doctrine of the Pharisees by he compares it to Leaven partly for its Sowrness and partly for its Diffusiveness Leaven is a piece of sower Dough that diffuses it self into the whole Mass or Lump of Bread with which it is mixed From whence our Saviour intimates that the Pharisees were a sower and proud sort of People and their Doctrines like themselves poisonable and pernicious in their Consequences the Contagion of which our Lord warns his Disciples to avoid and shun Whence Learn That Error is as damnable as Vice Persons Erroneous in their Judgments are to be avoided as well as those that are Lewd and Wicked in their Conversations He that has a due Care of his Soul's Salvation must as well beware of Erroneous Principles as of Debauched Practices Obs 4. Our Saviour does not command his Disciples to separate from Commmunion with the Pharisees and oblige them not hear their Doctrine but only to beware of the Errors that they mix with their Doctrine We may and ought to hold Communion with a Church tho' Erroneous in Doctrine if not Fundamentally Erroneous Separation from a Church is not justifiable upon any other Ground than that which makes a Separation betwixt God and that Church Which is either the Apostacy of that Church into gross Idolatry or in Point of Doctrine into damnable Heresie 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi he asked his disciples saying Whom do men say that I the Son of man am 14 And they said Some say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the prophets 15 He saith unto them But whom say ye that I am 16 And Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven Observe here Our Saviour's Question and the Disciples Answer Our Saviour's Question is twofold 1. Whom do Men say that I am Not that the Son of God was ignorant what Men said of him but he had an Intention more
One Sin ensnares and draws Men into the Commission of more Such as will not speak exact Truth according to their Knowledge they fall into the Sin of Lying against their Consciences Our Saviour answers them Neither tell I you by what Authority I do these things He doth not say I cannot or I will not tell you but I do not I need not tell you because the Miracles which I work before you are a sufficient Demonstration of my Divine Commission that I am sent of God amongst you for God never set the Seal of his Omnipotence to a Lie nor impower'd an Impostor to work real Miracles 28 But what think you A certain man had two sons and he came to the first and said Son go work to day in my vineyard 29 He answered and said I will not but afterward he repented and went 30 And he came to the second and said likewise And he answered and said I go sir and went not 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his Father They say unto him The first Jesus saith unto them Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not but the publicans and the harlots believed him And ye when ye had seen it repented not afterward that ye might believe him The Design and Scope of this Parable is to shew That Publicans and Harlots that is the vilest the prophanest and worst of Sinners who upon the hearing of Christ's Doctrine and Miracles did repent and believe were in a much better Condition than the proud Pharisees who tho' they pretended to great Measures of Knowledge and high Degrees of Holiness yet did obstinately oppose Christ disobey his Doctrine deny his Miracles and set at nought his Person Learn hence That the greatest the vilest and the worst of Sinners upon their Repentance and Faith in Christ shall much sooner find Acceptance with God than proud Pharisaical Justiciaries who confidently rely upon their own Righteousness Publicans and Harlots says Christ here to the Pharisees shall go into the Kingdom of God before you Publicans were the worst sort of Men and Harlots the worst kind of Women yet did these repent sooner and believed in Christ before the proud Pharisees 33 Hear another parable There was a certain housholder which planted a vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a wine-press in it and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a far country 34 And when the time of the fruit drew near he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits of it 35 And the husbandmen took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another 36 Again he sent other servants mo than the first and they did unto them likewise 37 But last of all he sent unto them his Son saying They will reverence my Son 38 But when the husbandmen saw the Son they said among themselves This is the heir come let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance 39 And they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him In this Parable God compares the Jewish Church to a Vineyard himself to an Housholder his Planting Pruning and Fencing his Vineyard denotes his Care to furnish his Church with all needful Helps and Means to make it spiritually fruitful his letting it out to Husbandmen signifies his committing the Care of his Church to the Priests and Levites the publick Pastors and Governours of the Church his Servants are the Prophets and Apostles whom he sent from time to time to admonish them to bring forth Fruit answerable to the Cost which God had expended on them His Son is Jesus Christ whom the Rulers of the Jewish Church slew and murthered The Scope of the Parable is to discover to the Jews particularly to the Pharisees their obstinate Impenitency under all Means their bloody Cruelty to the Prophets of God their Tremendous Guilt in crucifying the Son of God For all which God would unchurch them finally and ruin their Nation and set up a Church among the Gentiles that should bring forth better Fruit than the Jewish Church ever did From the whole Note 1. That the Church is God's Vineyard exceeding dear and precious to the Planter and the Owner of it 2. As dear as God's Vineyard is unto him in case of Barrenness and Unfruitfulness it is in great Danger of being destroyed and laid waste by him 3. That the only Way and Course to engage God's Care over his Vineyard and to prevent his giving it to other Husbandmen is to give him the Fruits of it It is but a Vineyard that God lets out it is no Inheritance no People ever had so many Promises of God's Favour as the Jews had nor ever enjoyed so many Priviledges whilst they stood in his Favour as the Jews did Yet tho' they were the first and the natural Branches they are broken off and we Gentiles stand by Faith let us not be highminded but fear Rom. 11. v. 20. 40 When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh what will he do unto those husbandmen 41 They say unto him He will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen which shall render him the fruits in their seasons Observe here At the first mentioning of the Parable the Pharisees express a bitter Indignation against such wicked Servants not considering what a dreadful Sentence they passed upon themselves and their own Nation Little did they think that hereby they condemned their Temple to be burnt their City to be destroyed their Country to be ruined but in these Words they vindicate God they condemn themselves and own the Justice of God in inflicting the severest Punishments on them 42 Therefore say I unto you The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof Which Words are the Application that our Saviour makes of the foregoing Parable concerning the Vineyard which the chief Priests and Pharisees did not apprehend themselves to be concerned in till he brought the Application of it home unto them Therefore say I unto you the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you c. Note 1. The greatest Mercy that God can bestow upon any People is his giving his Kingdom to them that is all Gospel-Ordinances and Church-Priviledges leading to the Kingdom of Heaven 2. Observe the Terms upon which God either gives or continues his Kingdom to a Church and Nation And that is upon bringing forth the Fruits thereof Learn 3. That the greatest Judgment which can befal a People is the taking away the Kingdom of God from them The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given c. 43 Jesus saith unto them Did ye never read in the scriptures The stone which the builders rejected the same is become
Person that Suffered three Days ago when his Death doth so well agree with the Predictions of the Prophets who fore-told that the Messias should be cut off but not for himself and be smitten for the iniquities of his People Here we may Observe The great Wisdom and Grace of God who makes sometimes the Diffidence of his People an occasion of farther clearing up the choicest Truths unto them Never did these Disciples hear so Excellent an Exposition of Moses and the Prophets concerning the Messiah as now when their sinful distrust had so far prevailed over them 2. Observe The Doctrines which Christ instructs his Disciples in namely in the Necessity of his Death and Passion and of his Glory and Exaltation Ought not Christ to Suffer and to enter into his Glory Learn 1. That with Respect to God's Decree and with Relation to Mans Guilt the Death of Christ was Necessary and Indispensable 2. That his Resurrection and Exaltation was as Necessary as his Passion 3. That there was a Meritorious Connexion between Christ's Sufferings and his Glory his Exaltation was Merited by his Passion He was to drink of the Brook in the way and then he should lift up his head Observe 4. Christ did not only put Light into these his Apostles Heads but Heat also into their Hearts which burned all the while he Communed with them Did not our Hearts burn within us while he opened to us the Scriptures Oh what an efficacious Power is there in the word of Christ when set home upon the Hearts of Men by the Spirit of Christ 33 And they rose up the same Hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the Eleven gathered together and them that were with them 34 Saying The Lord is Risen indeed and hath Appeared to Simon 35 And they told what things were done in the way and how he was known to them in Breaking of Bread 36 And as they thus spake Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them Peace be unto you 37 But they were Terrified and Affrighted and supposed that they had seen a Vision 38 And he said unto them Why are ye troubled and why do Thoughts arise in your Hearts 39 Behold my Hands and my Feet that it is I my self handle me and see For a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones as ye see me have 40 And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his Hands and his Feet 41 And while they yet believed not for joy and wondered he said unto them Have ye here any Meat 42 And they gave him a piece of a Broyled Fish and of an Honey-comb 43 And he took it and did eat before them 44 And he said unto them These are the words which I speak unto you whilst I was yet with you That all things must be Fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and of the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning me Observe 1. That these Two Disciples at Emmaus being fully satisfied in the Truth of Christ's Resurrection by his Appearing to them in Breaking of Bread they arose presently and went from Emmaus to Jerusâ—lem It must needs be late at Night being after Supper and Seven Miles Distance Yet considering the Sorrow that the Disciples were under these Two leave all their Private Affairs and hasten to Comfort them with the glad Tidings of our Lord's Resurrection Teaching us That all Secular Affairs all private and particular Business must give place to the Glory of God and the Comfort and Salvation of Souls Observe 2. The great Endeavours which our Saviour used to confirm his Disciples Faith in the Doctrine of the Resurrection He comes and stands in the midst of them and says Peace be unto you Next he shews them h s pierced Hands Side and Feet with the Scars and Marks which he yet retained that they might see it was their Crucified Master After all this He eats before them a piece of broiled Fish and Honey-comb Not that he needed it his Body being now become Immortal but to assure them that it was his own Person and that he had still the same Body Yet so slack and backward were they to Believe that Christ was Risen that all the Predictions of the Scripture all the Assurances they had from our Saviour's Mouth and the several Appearings of Christ unto them were little enough to establish and confirm their Faith in the Resurrection of our Saviour Observe 3. The highest and fullest Evidence which our Saviour offers to Evince and Prove the Certainty of his Resurrection Namely by Appealing to their Senses Handle me and see Christ admits the Testimony of our Senses to assure it be his Real Body And if the Church of Rome will not allow us to believe our Senses we shall loose the best External Evidence we can have to prove the Truth of the Christian Religion Namely the Miracles of Christ For how can I know that those Miracles were True but by the Judgment of my Senses Now as our Senses tell us that Christ's Miracles were True so they assure us that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation is False 45 Then opened he their Understandings that they might understand the Scriptures 46 And he said unto them Thus it is Written and thus it behoveth Christ to Suffer and to Rise from the Dead the Third Day 47 And that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached in his Name among all Natitions beginning at Jerusalem 48 And ye are Witnesses of these things Note here That the opening of the Mind and Heart effectually to Receive the Truths of God is the peculiar Prerogative and Office of Jesus Christ Then opened he their Vnderstandings Namely by the Illuminations of his Holy Spirit One of the greatest Miseries under which Lapsed Nature Labours is Spiritual Blindness Christ has the only Eye-salve which can Heal and Cure it Revel 3.18 And there is no worse Cloud to Obscure the Light of the Spirit than a proud Conceit of our own Knowledge Observe 2. The Special Charge given by our Saviour to his Apostles to Preach Repentance and Remission of Sin to Preach it in Christ's Name to Preach it to all Nations beginning first at Jerusalem Where Note The Astonishing Mercy of Jesus Christ Although Jerusalem was the Place where he lost his Life the City that Barbarously Butcher'd and Inhumanely Murthered him yet there he will have the Doctrine of Repentance Preach'd nay first Preached there the Gospel-Combination must first begin That Repentanâ—e and Remission of Sin be Preached beginning at Jerusalem Lord How unwilling art thou that any should Perish when thou not only prayedst for thy Murtherers and offeredst up thy Blood to God in the Behalf of them that shed it but Requiredst thy Ambassadors to make Jerusalem the first Tender of Remission upon Condition of Repentance That Repentance and Remission of Sin should be Preached among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem 49 And behold I send the Promise of my Father upon you but tarry ye
into the sin of Lying against their Knowledge and their Conscience our Saviour answers them Neither tell I you by what Authority I do these things he doth not say I cannot or I will not tell you but I do not I need not tell you because the Miracles which I work before you are a sufficient Demonstration of my Divine Commission that I am sent of God amongst you because God never set the Seal of his Omnipotency to a Lye nor impowered any Impostor to work real Miracles 9 Then began he to speak to the People this parable A certain man planted a Vineyard and let it forth to Husbandmen and went into a far Country for a long time 10 And at the season he sent a Servant to the Husbandmen that they should give him of the fruit of the Vineyard but the Husbandmen beat him and sent him away empty 11 And again he sent another Servant and they beat him also and entreated him shamefully and sent him away empty 12 And Again he sent the the third and they wounded him also and cast him out 13 Then said the Lord of the Vineyard What shall I do I will send my beloved Son it may be they will Reverence him when they see him 14 But when the Husbandmen saw him they reasoned among themselves saying This is the Heir come let us kill him that the Inheritance may be ours 15 So they cast him out of the Vineyard and killed him What therefore shall the Lord of the Vineyard do unto them 16 He shall come and destroy these Husbandmen and shall give the Vineyard unto others and when they heard it they said God forbid 17 And he beheld them and said What is this then that is written The stone which the Builders rejected the same is become the head of the Corner 18 Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder 19 And the chief Priests and the Scribes the same hour sought to lay hands upon him but they feared the People for they perceived that he had spoken this Parable against them In the Parable before us the Jewish Church is compared to a Vineyard God the Father to an Householder his planting pruning and fencing his Vineyard denotes his Care to furnish his Church with all needful Helps and Means to make it Fruitful his Letting it out to Husbandmen signifies the committing the Care of his Church to the Priests and Levites the publick Pastors and Governors of the Church his Servants are the Prophets and Apostles whom he sent from time to time to admonish them to bring forth answerable Fruits to the Cost which God had expended on them his Son is Jesus Christ whom the Rulers of the Jewish Church slew and Murthered So that the Design and Scope of the Parable is to discover to the Jews particularly to the Pharisees their obstinate impenitency under all the means of Grace their bloody Cruelty towards the Prophets of God their tremendous Guilt in Crucifying the Son of God for all which God would unchurch them fiinally Ruine their Nation and set up a Church among the Gentiles that should bring forth better Fruits then the Jewish Church ever did From the whole Note 1. That the Church is God's Vineyard a Vineyard is a place enclosed a place well planter well fruited and exceeding dear and precious to the Planter and the Owner of it 2. That as dear as God's Vineyard is unto him in case of Barrenness and unfruitfulness it is in great danger of being destroyed and laid waste by him 3. That the only way and course to engage God's Care over his Vineyard and to prevent its being given to other Husbandmen it is to give him the Fruits of it it is but a Vineyard that God lets out it is no Inheritance no People ever had so many Promises of God's Favour as the Jews nor ever enjoyed so many Priviledges whilst they continued in his Favour as they did but for rejecting Christ and his Holy Doctrine they are a despised scattered People throughout the World See the Notes on Mat. 21.39 44. 20 And they watched him and sent forth spies which should feign themselves just men that they might take hold of his words that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the Governour 21 And they asked him saying Master We know that thou sayest and teachest rightly neither acceptest thou the person of any but teachest the way of God truly 22 Is it lawful for us to give Tribute unto Cesar or not 23 But he perceived their craftiness and said unto them Why tempt ye me 24 Shew me a Penny whose Image and Superscription hath it they answered and said Cesar's 25 And he said unto them Render therefore to Cesar the things which are Cesars and to God the things that are God's 26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people and they marvelled at his Answer and held their peace Both St. Matthew and St. Mark tell us that these Spies sent forth to ensnare our Saviour about paying Tribute to Cesar were the Pharisees and Herodians the former were against paying Tribute looking upon the Roman Emperour as an Usurper the latter were for it These two opposite Parties concluded that let our Saviour answer how he would they should entrap him if to please the Pharisees he denied paying Tribute then he is accused of Sedition if to gratify the Herodians he voted for paying Tribute then he is pronounced an Enemy to the Liberty of his Country and exposed to a popular Odium But Observe with what wisdom and caution our Lord Answers them he calls for the Roman Penny and asks them whose Superscription it bare they answer Cesar's then says he Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's as if he had said Your admitting the Roman Coyn amongst you is an Evidence that you are under Subjection to the Roman Emperour because the Coyning and imposing of Money is an Act of Sovereign Authority therefore you having owned Cesar's Authority over you by accepting of his Coyn amongst you give unto him his just dues and Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's Learn hence 1. That our Saviour was no Enemy to Magistracy and Civil Government there was no truer Pay-master of the King 's Dues then he that was King of Kings he preach'd it and and he practised it Matth. 17.27 2. Where a Kingdom is in Subjection to a Temporal Prince whether by Descent Election or by Conquest he derives his Title the Subjects ought from a principle of Conscience to pay Tribute to him 3. That as Christ is no Enemy to the Civil Rights of Princes and his Religion exempts none from paying their Civil Dues so Princes should be as careful not to rob him of his Divine Honour as he is not to wrong them of their Civil Rights As Christ requires all his Followers to render to Cesar the things that are