100 They are exhorted to repentance. SECT. he did not flatter them at all in his address, but xvi. said unto them, as with some surprize, Oye abo Mat. 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for [LUKE III. 9 And think not minable broods of vipers, crafty, malignant, misIII. 7. chievous creatures, who hath taught you to put on this form of humility and repentance and admonished you to flee from the wrath which is surely and speedily to come? What is it that hath moved you to it, when you Pharisees think yourselves so secure from it on account of the pretended sanctity of your lives, and you Sadducees imagine it to be no other than a mere fable 8 and a dream? Let me exhort you therefore, if you design to be baptized by me, to make it your for worthy of [repentserious and resolute care to bring forth fruits ance: worthy of repentance, and to act like those that 8.] are penitents indeed, forsaking as well as confes9 sing your sins: And, if you neglect this, do not presumptuously think it will be to any purpose to say within yourfor you to say within yourselves, We have Abra- selves, We have Aham, for our father relying on your descent for I say unto you, from that holy patriarch, and your being that That God is able of seed of his with whom a peculiar covenant was these stones to raise up made; for I solemnly say, and declare it unto you, as a certain and important truth, That God is able, of these very stones that are before your eyes, which he can animate and sanctify whenever he sees fit, to raise up those who, though not descended from hnman parents, shall be in a much nobler sense than you children to Abraham, as being made the heirs of his faith and obedience; and he would sooner work such a miracle as this than he would suffer his promise to fail, or admit you to the blessings of his ap Oye broods of vipers.] Some think this is to be understood as if it had been said, Ye wicked children of wicked parents, but such a reflection on their parents is not necesssarily implied. The children of pious Eli are called sons of Belial, merely with reference to their own licentious characters as they knew not the Lord. See 1 Sam. ii. 12.-The word ravnala may be used in the plural number in reference to the different sentiments, and, if I may be allow ed the expression (familiar enough to the Jewish doctors,) the different families of these serts in question. d We have Abraham for our father.] Dr. Whitby well shews how great the presumption of the Jews on this relation to Abraham was. Munster, on this text, quotes a remarkable passage from the Talmud, in which it is said, "That Abra proaching braham to our father; children unto Abraham. [LUKE III. ham sits next the gates of hell, and doth e Of these very stones that are before your eyes.] The many learned commentators who refer this to God's calling the Gentiles, supposing some of them to be present here, seem to lose all the beauty of the expression; which I have paraphrased at large, because I think few, if any, have set it in so strong a light as it will well bear. It is but a precarious conjecture that the stones here referred to were those set up in Gilgal. Josh. iv. 3, 20. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every which bringeth hewn down and cast III.-9. John's awful warning and advice. 101 xvi. proaching kingdom, merely because you have SECT. the abused honour to descend from that peculiar favourite of heaven. Mat. These are truths of constant concern, and III. 10. now particularly seasonable; for the patience tree of God will not much longer endure so provoknot ing a people. You think of national deliverance, forth good fruit is but beware of national judgments; for I assure into the fire. [LUKE you that the hand of God is lifted up, and the are of Divine Justice is even now, as it were, applied to the very root of the trees; and therefore every tree that doth not produce good fruit, (even every one that, while he professeth himself to be one of God's people, contradicts that profession by a life of wickedness, or by the neglect of vital and practical religion) is very certainly and quickly to be cut down by death, and thrown into the fire of hell. LUKE III. 10. bim, saying, What shall we do then? Upon this, many of the Pharisees and Sad- Luke And the people asked ducees, who expected to have been treated III. 10. with greater respect, were so provoked that they turned their backs upon the prophet, and refused to be baptized. (Compare Luke vii. 29, 30. and Mat. xxi. 25.) But it was otherwise with the common people, who were alarmed by what he said, and the multitudes, who were more teachable, asked him, saying, What then shall we do, that we may be prepared for the kingdom of the Messiah, and may escape this dreadful condemnation and approaching wrath? 11 He answereth And he answereth and saith unto them, Be careful 11 and saith unto them, not only to observe the ceremonies of religion, Coats, let him impart but to attend to the great duties of justice and to him that hath none; of charity too, which are incumbent upon you and he that hath meat, as well as on the great and rich; and he, for instance, that hath two coats, let him impart one of them to him that hath none; and he that hath plenty of food, let him do the like. He that hath two let him do likewise. tized, and said unto 12 Then came also Then there came also some of the Publicans to 12 Publicans to be bap- be baptized: now these Publicans were a set of him, Master, what men whose office it was to collect the taxes which the Romans had imposed on the Jews, and to pay them to others who were called the shall we do? f Is very certainly and quickly to be cut down.] It is expressed, in the original, in the present tense; and it may be of some importance to observe here that, in scripture language that which is very sure and very near is spoken of as if it was already done. Thus Christ speaks of himself as if he VOL. VI. chief 102 xvi. 13 And he said John proclaims the approach of the Messiah, SECT. chief of the Publicans; and these people, being generally persons of an infamous character, for Luke their injustice and oppression, applied themselves III. 12. to John under a strong conviction of their guilt, 13 and said unto him, Master what shall we do to testify the sincerity of our repentance ? And he unto them, Exact no said unto them, Though you are not absolutely is appointed you. required to quit your employment, take care that you exact nothing more than is enjoined you by your principals, whose servants you are in collecting the public money. 14 more than that which 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do viother accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages. lence to no man, nei 15 And as the people were in expecta tion, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or not; And the soldiers also applied themselves to him on the same occasion, and in like manner asked him saying, And as for us, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Terrify no man by a violent overbearing conduct, nor wrong [any] by false accusation, in order to get a liberty of living upon him at free quarters; and be contented with your legal wages, or pay, not raising mutinies and seditions to get it increased. 15 And, as the people were in great suspence, and all were reasoning in their hearts with much solicitude concerning John, debating the matter with themselves, whether he were the Messiah or 16 not, John answered all that put the question to him, in the most direct and positive manner, saying unto them all, saying, I indeed baptize you with water, to en- I indeed baptize you Sage you to the exercise of repentance, which, with water [unto repentance]; but one by submitting to that rite, you solemnly profess; mightier than I cometh but there is one coming after me, even the Mes- [after me, whose shoes siah himself, who is much more powerful and am not worthy to considerable than I can pretend to be (see John whose shoes I am not bear], the latchet of x. 41.) whose very shoes I am not worthy so much worthy to [MAR, stoop as to carry after him, [or] to stoop down and down and] unloose: untie the latchet of [them], but should esteem it as an honour to perform the humblest office of The soldiers applied themselves to him.] There is no reason to believe that these weve Gentile soldiers. Grotius has excellently proved that the Jews in general did not scruple a military life; and a multitude of passages from Josephus might be added to the same purpose: and though most of the soldiers in Judea, which was now a province, might be Romans, yet those belonging to Galilee might probably be Jews. Had these ben Gentiles, John would surely have begun his instructions to them with urging the worship of the true God. b Terrify no man.] The word aoul properly signifies "to take a man by the collar and shake him;" and seems to menial 16 John auswered, he have been used proverbially for that violent manner in which persons of this station of life are often ready to bully those about them whom they imagine their inferiors in strength and spirit; though nothing is an argument of a meaner spirit, or more unworthy that true courage which constitutes so essential a part of a good military character. With your legal wages or pay] The word ofasias is well known to signify provision or food; but, when applied to soldiers, it is generally used to signify the pay that was allotted for their subsistence. (Compare Rom. vi 23. where it is rendered wages; and 1 Cor. ix. 7. where we translate it charges.) And warns them of the consequences of it. and with fire: [MAT. 103 xvi. Luke He shall baptize you menial service for him. And, if you are indeed SECT. with the Holy Ghost his people, he shall baptize you with a most III. 11. MARK 1.7, 8.] plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit and with fire; causing his Spirit to descend upon his III. 16. followers in the appearance of a flame of fire, to represent its operating on the heart like fire, to kindle pious and devout affections and to purify and enliven the souls of believers. (Compare Acts i. 5. and ii. 3.) 17 Whose fan is in will burn with fire unquenchable. [MAT. III. 12.] But you are to remember this is an awful, as 17 his hand, and he will well as an amiable Person, whose fan is in his thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather hand, and he will thoroughly winnow and cleanse the wheat into his gar- his church, which is (as it were) his threshing ner; but the chaff he floor, and at present is covered with a mixture of wheat and chaff: for such will be the nature of the doctrine he shall teach as will effectually discover what is the real disposition of the hearts of men and perfectly distinguish between the hypocritical and the sincere. And happy will it be for those that stand the trial; for he will carefully gather them, as the wheat into his granary, and lay them up in heaven as his peculiar treasure: but as for the chaff which is found among them, as for those empty vain professors that are now mingled with his people, he will then treat them as men do the sweepings and the refuse of the floor, and burn them up as worthless and unprofitable trash; and I faithfully warn you that it will be with unquenchable fire: let this excite you therefore to escape so terrible a doom. (Compare Isa. xli. 16. Jer. xv. 7. and Ezek. xxii. 15.) The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.] There is in what the Baptist here declares, an evident allusion to the custom of burning the chaff after winnowing, that it might not be blown back again, and so be mingled with the wheat: and, though it may in part refer to the calamities to come upon the Jewish nation for rejecting Christ (as Bishop Chandler has observed in his Defence of Christianity, p. 85), yet it seems chiefly to intend the final destruction of all sinners in hell, which alone is properly opposed to the gathering the wheat into the garner, (compare Mat. xiii. 40, 41, 42): and howsoever it be certain that the word ayop in Greek authors does generally signify all that is left of the corn when the grain is separated, including the straw (see Raphel. Annot. ex Xen. in loc. and Gen. xxiv. 25-32, Septuag.) yet I apprehend that in this place it inust be equivalent to Such xvous, and signify chaf as distinguished 1 Published 104 SECT. xvi. Luke Reflections on the ministry of John the Baptist. Such was in general the tendency and pur- 18 And many other port of John's preaching: And, offering many tion preached he unte things in his exhortaother exhortations to them to the same effect, he the people. 1 III. 18. published to the people these glad tidings of the Messiah's approach and endeavoured to prepare them to receive him in a proper manner; as will be more particularly shewn hereafter. (See John i. 15, & seq. and iii. 28, & seq.) Mat. IMPROVEMENT. WHAT an excellent pattern of ministerial service does John iii. 7. exhibit in the passage before us! Blessed is that gospel preacher who, like him, seeks not his own ease and pleasure and indulges not too luxurious and sensual inclinations, but chearfully accom_ modates himself to the state and circumstances which Providence hath assigned him, as infinitely more intent on the success of his ministry than on any little interest of his own that can interfere with it!-Happy the man who, imitating the impartiality of this Luke faithful servant of God, giveth to every one his portion of meat in iii. due season and abhors the thoughts of flattering men in their vices, or buoying them up with delusive hopes in their birth and profession, while they are destitute of real and vital religion! 10-14. Mat. iii. 9. May this plain and awakening address be felt by every soul that hears it! And, in particular, let the children of religious parents, let those that enjoy the most eminent privileges and that make even the strictest profession, weigh themselves in this balance of the sanctuary, lest they be found wanting in the awful decisive day. And if the warnings of the gospel have alarmed our hearts, and Ver. 8. put us upon fleeing from the wrath to come, oh, let the terrors of the Lord engage us not only to confess but to forsake our sins, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance! Let all, to whom the gospel message comes, most attentively and seriously consider in what alarming circumstances of danger and 10 extremity impenitent sinners are here represented. The gospel is the last dispensation we must ever expect; the axe is at the root of the unfruitful tree, and it must ere long be cut down and burnt, be its branches ever so diffusive and its leaves ever so green. Luke Christ hath a fan in his hand to winnow us as well as the Jews, iii. 17. that we may stand the trial! And O that, as his wheat, we may be laid up in the store-house of heaven when that day cometh which shall burn as an oven, and when all that do wickedly shall be consumed as stubble and be burnt up as chaff! (Mal. iv. 1.) 1 Published these glad tidings.] Eunyyiği has plainly this import; and as it was a very imperfect intimation, rather than a full discovery of the gospel that was given by the Baptist, it does not seem And so proper here to render it by preaching the gospel, though the word has often that signification; sec Mat. xi. 5. Luke iv. 18. and Acts viii. 4, &c. a This |