by the power of Christ. Wonder not, says our Lord to the seventy, that the evil spirits were subject to you; for God has already begun to destroy the power of the devil, and I now behold the kingdom of Satan diminishing, and the doctrine of truth and righteousness spreading in its stead over the world with incredible swiftness, like "lightning from heaven '." But He bids them to rejoice, rather, for that it was a far greater cause of thankfulness and joy to be admitted into the family of God, and to be enrolled among the heirs of heaven, than merely because "these spirits were subject unto them." Yet, on this occasion, our Saviour could not resist from an exultation uttered in a beautiful thanksgiving, at the prospect of what these feeble instruments could accomplish, even though opposed by persons of wisdom and prudence'. It may here be remarked, that Christ was showing Himself now in the last half year of His ministry, much more openly, both by the number of persons whom He employed to preach and heal in His name, but also much more fearlessly by His own personal exhibition of Himself among the people than He had previously done; all which things, determining in His now approaching death, may be said to occasion "the fall of Satan from heaven," that is, out of his Mant and D'Oyly. 1 Dr. S. Clarke. 2 Dr. Robinson. throne and kingdom, and this may be another exposition of our blessed Lord's words 3. SECT. LXXVIII.-Christ answereth the Lawyer.- THE especial office of the Scribes consisted in explaining the traditions of the Elders, and in interpreting the Law in the synagogues; accordingly a Scribe, or expounder of the Law, is, on the occasion we are going to relate, described as "a certain lawyer." The object of these men appears always to have been to " tempt " or ensnare our Lord by some ingenious question, professing at the same time a desire of instruction. It seems to have been a maxim received among the Scribes and Pharisees, that as the Law contained such a multiplicity of precepts, they were too great for any one to observe them all; and that, therefore, all that could be required was, that each should select to himself some one or two great and important duties, on account of which, if unavoidably observed, his transgressions in other respects might be overlooked. It was a favourite question among the Jews, which commandment was the greatest, some contending for sacrifices, some for phylacteries. These phylacteries (so called from a Greek word signifying a preservation) were rolls of parchment, on which were written certain words of the law; these they wore on their foreheads, and on the wrist of the left arm. In answer to the question now put to Jesus, our Lord asks the lawyer, "How readest thou the law?" in other words, How dost thou repeat the sentence of the phylacteries? Whether or no the lawyer understood the words of our Saviour, as having here made allusion to a common usage of repeating these phylacteries, he replies by a sentence, giving the whole sum of the decalogue: and he was answered that this was the way "to inherit eternal life." "This do, and thou shalt live;" but the lawyer desired "to justify himself," that is, to represent himself as a righteous man'; he probably expected that Christ would describe his duty to his neighbour, as he himself understood it, and that he might therefore "justify himself" by replying, that he always so conducted himself; therefore, he inquires, Who is my neighbour? and is answered by Jesus in the parable of the good Samaritan '. This person well knew how the precept of loving our neighbours had been loaded with exceptions and limitations by the Jewish doctors, and that he himself had never esteemed any one to be his neighbour who was not of the same blood, and did not profess the same 7 Bishop Patrick. 9 Bishop Pearce. Dr. Lightfoot. religion, as himself. Our Lord, wishing to convince him of this error, chose, instead of giving a direct and severe reproof, to do this in a mild and inoffensive manner. He was fully sensible that this mistake of the Jew was a very common mistake among them; that it was a very pernicious mistake, most destructive of common charity, most opposite to human nature, to true religion, and to the mild spirit which He desired to introduce among men through His Gospel; yet, as the Jews could not bear a plain and open reproof, He conveys His precept by a parable, and so forces them to the condemnation of themselves 3. SECT. LXXIX.-The Parable of the Good Samaritan.— Luke x. 30-37. IT has been thought by some judicious commentators, that the parable of the good Samaritan was not mere fiction, but real history *. Certainly the details in which our Saviour describes it, appear replete with truth; for example, as to the locality of the transaction : Jericho was a very considerable place in the days of our Saviour; the road to it from Jerusalem was the high road over Jordan into Perea; a large number of priests resided in Jericho; so that at every revolving period of the changes of the courses of ministration in the temple, it came to be much frequented by 2 Bishop Sherlock. 3 Archbishop Herring. ✦ Dr. Jortin. 4 Priests and Levites; and thus a peculiar propriety is given to their being mentioned as travellers by that road. It lay, principally, through a wild and rocky country, much infected with robbers; and, from the frequency of murders committed there, was called The Bloody Way'. The beautiful picture of the Samaritan showing that compassion which the Jews, both Priests and Levites, were very likely to have refused, was a sketch of the most refined pencilling; an old religious grudge, the worst of all grudges, had wrought such a dislike between both people, that they held themselves mutually discharged, not only from all offices of friendship and kindness, but even from the most common acts of courtesy and compassion; so that with such a prepossession there could reasonably have been little or no consolation to be looked for from that quarter. This breach had first occurred when Rehoboam withdrew the allegiance of the ten tribes from the house of David, when he made Samaria his capital city, and set up idols in Bethel and Dan, lest the people's attendance at Jerusalem should revive their commerce with Judah. When this politic corruption of religious worship grew so general that the Almighty was provoked to permit the Assyrians to carry them away captive, a colony of idolaters was implanted upon the remnant 5 Dr. Lightfoot. 6 Sterne. |