Reflections on the necessity of a lively faith. 481 xci. say unto this moun- the greatest wonders, so as even to say to this SECT. tain, Remove hence mountain here in the neighbourhood, Remove unto yonder place; and it shall remove; from this place to that, and it should accordingly 21 Howbeit, [he and nothing shall be remove; and, in a word, nothing will be impos- XVII.20 impossible unto you. sible to you. But as to the case that was lately 21 said unto them, [this before us, he farther said unto them, This demon kind can come forth which possessed the child was one of a very by nothing] but by obstinate kind, which cannot be expelled so reaprayer and fasting, [MARK IX. 29.] dily as others; nor must you expect to have power over such spirits as these, to oblige them to go forth by any means, unless you do by frequent prayer and fasting intercede with God for his more abundant co-operation; and by such extraordinary devotions endeavour to prepare your souls for his farther influences IMPROVEMENT. THE invidious opposition, which these scribes and Pharisees Mark made to our Lord, and the ill-natured joy they expressed, in what IX. 14. they imagined would disgrace his disciples, appears exceeding odious; and it shews us the fatal effects of ambition, pride, and is very trifling to supppose that here is a reference to the poignancy of mustard-seed, as an emblem of a vigorous and lively faith. It is apparently a proverb to express any thing inconsiderably small, that being, as our Lord expresses it, one of the smallest among seeds. Thus the rabbies say the globe of the earth is but as a grain of mustard seed, when compared with the expanse of the beavens. See Drusius in Loc. h This kind cannot go forth by any means, unless by prayer and fasting.] An ingenious physician, mentioned by the learned Author of the Inquiry into Demoniacks, &c. p. 47. instead of a worn wind, would read ryu mua, by constant fasting ; and supposes it refers to the necessity of frequent and long continued abstinence, in order to the cure of such an epileptic distemper as the child in question had been subject to. But as the criticism is founded on mere conjecture, contrary to all the copies known in the world, so I cannot think it at all natural in itself, or pertinent to the occasion; for it seems not at all to our Lord's purpose to speak of the natural methods of cure, in answer to the apostle's demand, why they could not miraculously perform it?-Nor can any instance be produced to prove, that the expression is proverbial for any thing very difficult.-I could therefore see no reason to recede from the usual interpreta avarice, tion, which I have given in the paraphrase, 482 He passes privately through Galilee with his disciples. SECT. avarice, when they possess the hearts of those who should be (as xci. these by their office were) teachers of others. Such qualities render those in the number of the most dangerous enemies of manIX. 14. kind, who ought to be its most affectionate friends and most useful benefactors. May the light of the gospel break in on their souls, and form them to a better temper! Mark Mat. The solicitous concern of this parent when he saw his child XVII. under such sad symptoms of disorder, may surely remind persons 14, 15. in that relation, of the sentiments, with which they should view IX. ss. those of their children, who are, in a spiritual sense, under the Luke power of Satan; and of the importunity, with which they should entreat, that the hand of Christ may be stretched out for their rescue. A lively exercise of faith is greatly to be desired in this and all other applications of this nature. But alas, how often do we find the remainders of a contrary principle! In how many instances does that passionate exclamation of the father in this story suit us? Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief! How difficult is it, in the midst of so much guilt and weakness, of so much perplexity and unworthiness, to believe the promises of forgiveness and preservation, of grace and glory? Yet we may humbly hope that He, who by his grace has wrought the Divine principle in our souls, will maintain it there. Only let it be our concern to oppose those corruptions which would enervate and suppress it. Perhaps there are some of them, which will not be driven out, but Mat. by prayer and fasting, by deep humiliation, and more than ordinary solemnity and intenseness of devotion. But surely they have little regard to the peace and security of their souls, who can allot only a few hasty moments to them, when they have whole hours and days to bestow, not only on the labours, but even on the amusements of life. XVII.21 SFCT. Mark SECT. XCII. The disciples are offended at the warning Christ gives them of his approaching sufferings. He makes a miraculous provision for paying the tribute-money. Mat. XVII. 22, to the end. Mark IX. 30-33.-Luke IX.-43—45. MARK IX. 30. MARK IX. 30. won cred every AND ND while every one of the spectators was AND while they xcii. amazed at this stupendous miracle wrought one at all things which on the child who had been so terribly possessed, Jesus did,] they deand at all the other extraordinary things which parted thence, and passed through GaliJesus did, our Lord and his apostles left that lee; and he would not place, and, setting out on a further progress, they that any man should know it. [LUKE IX. departed from thence, and passed from the moun-43.-] IX. 30. They are troubled to hear of his approaching sufferings. 31 For [while Jesus] taught his dis. ciples, and said unto them, [MAT. XVII. 22.-LUXE IX.-43.] they abode in Galilee, LUKE IX. 44. Let for the Son of man and after that he is 483 xeii. tain on which he had been transfigured, through SECT. And he said unto them, with great solemnity Luke these sayings sink Apply your ears attentively to these sayings," how down into your cars: disagreeable soever they may be, and let them shall be delivered into sink into your hearts; for the Son of man, instead the hands of men, [and of reigning in that grandeur which you expect, they shall kill him shall very shortly be betrayed into the hands of killed, he shall rise sinful men, and shall seem for a while to be a the third day. [MARK helpless prey to their rage; for they shall put him IX.-31. MAT.XVII. to death in a most cruel and infamous manner; -22, 23.-]. but they shall not finally triumph over him; for after he is thus slain, he shall rise from the dead on the third day, according to the intimations I have often given you. (See p. 138, 331, 457.) But they were so strongly prepossessed with the 45 45 But they understood not this saying, expectation of a temporal kingdom, that they and it was hid from understood not this saying, plain as it was, and them, that they per- the sense of it was hid from them, so that they ceived it not and they feared to ask him of perceived it not; foolishly imagining it inconthat saying, [and sistent with what the sacred oracles had declared were exceeding sorry.] of the glorious success of the Son of man, and [MAT. XVII. 23. MARK IX. 32.] the universal empire he was to establish. (Dan. vii. 14.) And yet they were afraid to ask him what was the meaning of that saying, lest he should upbraid them as unteachable; considering how lately he had given them the like warning before a For Jesus taught his disciples,] Mark assigns this as the reason, why he desired his journey should be private, viz. that he might have an opportunity to talk over this subject at large: which shows that the continuance or abode in Galilee, mentioned by Matthew, refers to the short stay they made in the places where they lodged; and indeed he could not so conveniently speak to all the twelve, while they were actually travelling. b Apply your ears to these sayings.] This seems to me a just translation of Job υμείς εις τα ώτα υμων τες λόγες τέλες, which is literally, Put these sayings to your and ears; a phrase, which our language wi'l c Shall shortly be betrayed, &c.] Mark d The 484 Luke He pays the tribute by a miracle at Capernaum. SECT. and how severely he had rebuked Peter for enxcii. deavouring to dissuade him from it (sect. lxxxix} nevertheless, they perceived that their Master IX. 45. foretold his own death; and were exceeding sorry, that a Person of so excellent and amiable a character, from whom they had entertained such glorious expectations, should meet with so unworthy a return. Mat. MAT. XVII. 24.And he came to Ca, pernaum: and] when they were come to 25 He saith, Yes, come into the house, And soon after this, he came with his disciples XVII.24 to Capernaum: and when they were come to Capernaum, the receivers and collectors of the sacred tribute, which was gathered every year through Capernaum, they that received tribute-money all their cities, came to Peter, and said, Does not came to Peter, and your Master, who has the character of so religious said, Doth not your a Teacher, pay the usual tribute of the didrach- Master pay tribute? ma, or half-shekel, to the service of the temple? [MARK IX, 33.—] 25 And he says, Yes, I know that he uses to pay it, and make no doubt but he will do it now. And And when he was when he came into the house, Jesus, who was there Jesus prevented him, before, prevented him, before he could speak of saying, What thinkest the affair in question, and said to him, What dost thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the thou think, Simon, and what seems fit to thee on this occasion? Of whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or tribute? of their own sons, 26 or of strangers? Peter says to him, Lord it is evident, they receive it only of strangers. Jesus said to him, Then the sons, by virtue of their fa- sus saith unto him, thers' dispensation, are free from the obligation: and, on the like principle, I, as the Son of God, might plead an exemption here, especially as I have not now the sum, which is required towards 27 the maintenance of the temple worship. Nevertheless, lest we should offend them, by giving them, go thou to the an occasion to imagine, that I put any slight on the temple, or lest others from my example should in far different circumstances omit this contribution, I will not debate the matter, but d The collectors of the sacred tribute.] its rise from the demand of that sum from rather carth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of stran gers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Je Then are the children free. 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend sea, I think, notwithstanding what Salmasius says to the contrary (against Milton,p. 259), our Lord's argument, ver. 25, 26. can otherwise have no force.-The reader will find an excellent note in Grotius here, which renders it unnecessary to enlarge any farther. e Does not your Master pay the usual tribute, &c.] It seems then to have been a voluntary thing, which custom rather than law had established. In Nehemiah's days it was accounted so, and the sum was then something lower, See Neh. x. 32, Reflections on the gentleness and poverty of Christ. that first cometh up: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. 485 xcii. sea, and cast an hook, rather work a miracle than fail in the payment. SECT. and take up the fish Go therefore to the sea, and when thou comest to the neighbouring shore, throw in a hook, and Mat. take the first fish that comes up; and when thou XVII.27 hast opened its mouth, thou shalt there find a piece of silver-coin, called a stater, which it has just swallowed; take that, and give it to them that collect the tribute, both for me and thee; for thou knowest it will answer their demands for both. Accordingly Peter went, and having caught a fish, he found the money in its mouth, and presently returned and paid it according to his Lord's command. IMPROVEMENT. How slow and untractable were the minds of the apostles, who Mark understood not these plain things when thus inculcated again and IX. 32 again! But, on the other hand, how much integrity does it shew in the historian, to record what seemed so little to the honour of himself and his brethren! In this respect, and many others, surely credit rises to the gospel, even by occasion of the infirmities of those to whom it was committed, and out of weakness they are made strong. The lenity of our blessed Lord was truly admirable, that he should bear with such stupidity in his disciples with so much gentleness and patience, and should, with so much earnestness, go Luke on to renew his instructions to them. Let us, however, learn to be upon our guard against the prejudices of worldly interest, since, as we see, they may take such strong hold of minds, in the main, upright and pious. And therefore let us earnestly pray, that God would give us a greater relish for spiritual and eternal blessings. IX. 44 XVII.27 It cannot surely become us to seek the grandeur and riches of Mat. this world, when our blessed Master was so poor, that he could not ↑ A stater, which it had just swallowed.] The stater was (as appears in part from this text) a piece of coin, in value about two half shekels, or, according to Dr. Prideaux, near three shillings of our money, though most critics reckon the shekel but about half-a-crown. (See Drusius on this verse and the 24th.)-I see no reason, with Schmidius, to suppose this piece of money was created on this occasion: but supposing, as in the paraphrase, that the fish had accidentally swallowed it (perhaps as it was falling into the water, near some other prey), I cannot forbear remarking how illustrious a degree of knowledge and power VOL. VI. pay our Lord discovered in the case before us; a When |