The Jews
To them

express

dis

the others did 2. We cannot be at a loss for the proper application of the parable. The Lord God, by His Word, calls man to His service; He has sent out His messages of mercy to different nations at different periods of the world: all who did not obey the call, were idlers to the great business of life. were first engaged and set to work. God was pleased to make the first coveries of His will by a written Law: their nation alone, in the ages before the Gospel, was blessed with a revealed religion; and, at the first publication of the Gospel, our Lord confined His own presence and ministry to this people and country. So did His Apostles and disciples, by His direction, during His abode on earth, and for some time after His Ascension. The several stages of this proceeding answer to the repeated invitations of "the morning," "the third, the sixth, and the ninth hours," in the parable. At the last, which answers to "the eleventh hour," this benefit was extended to the Gentiles. In like manner, concluded our Saviour, many of the Jews, to whom the blessings of the kingdom are first to be offered, shall be the last to partake of them; and many of the Gentiles, to whom they are to be offered, after the Jews, shall first enjoy them*; for, although many of the Jews be called by the preaching of the Gospel,

2 Dr. Waterland.

3 Dr. Robinson.

Dr. Whitby.

but few of them will be chosen, or prevailed upon by believing, to become the elect of God'.

SECT. CX.-Christ returneth to Judæa.-John xi. 1-16.

WHILST Christ is still beyond Jordan, He receives a message from the sisters of Lazarus, desiring His help to their sick brother, and urging Him to return to Judæa again. He continued, however, for a short time, to remain in the place where the messengers found Him, saying, in the first instance, That this sickness of Lazarus is not unto death. "After two days He saith unto His disciples, Let us go into Judæa again." The disciples had so little expectation that the revival of Lazarus would be the effect, or that it was indeed the purpose of His journey, that they would have dissuaded Him from leaving the place of His retirement; conceiving, as it should seem, that the only end of His proposed visit to Bethany would be to gratify the feelings of an useless sympathy, at the hazard of His own safety. Christ, however, intimates, that we must not be deterred by difficulties from performing in its proper season the duty that God has laid upon us'. Finding, therefore, that no representation of theirs could deter Jesus from returning to Judæa, Thomas is recorded to have made the remark, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him." He probably said this with reference to

the danger which they incurred of being stoned by the Jews, and thus dying like Lazarus3. SECT. CXI.-Christ foretelleth His Death and Resurrection. -Matt. xx. 17-19; Mark x. 32-34; Luke xviii. 31-34. AND Jesus, "when they were in the way, going up to Jerusalem," "took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him." He did not think proper to disclose to them His approaching death till their faith had attained some degree of constancy and firmness; but, as soon as it appeared that they believed in Him as the Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of Israel, it then became seasonable to prepare and fortify their minds against that "contradiction of sinners," which they with their Master were in this world to endure 9. He had "already showed unto His disciples how He must go to Jerusalem, and be killed," immediately after Peter's confession of Christ : and again, “while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him ;" and now, on this occasion, He gives the third express declaration of His approaching death; but now, for the first time, tells them of the mode of His death;

that He should be delivered to the Gentiles, to be mocked, scourged, and crucified. It is to be observed how much more full and distinct His discovery

8

* Mant and D'Oyly.

9

Bishop Horsley.

of these events became, in proportion as the period at which they were to happen drew nigh'. This prediction of the mode of His death must have furnished the Apostles with a strong proof of the spirit of prophecy displayed by our Lord. It was very much more probable that He should be privately slain, or stoned to death in a tumult, than that He should suffer the punishment of crucifixion, which was customary among the Romans, but was wholly unusual among the Jews 2.

SECT. CXII.-Christ answereth the Mother of Zebedee's Children.-Matt.xx.20-28; Mark x. 35-45; Luke xxii. 24-30. In the words here last spoken by Christ, He had foretold His death; but Salome, the mother of James, and John, or, as St. Mark relates, the two Apostles themselves, under some carnal apprehension of their own, that, as they had been named by Jesus, Boanerges, or sons of thunder, they were pre-eminent in favour; conceiving also that Christ, presently after His resurrection, would obtain the sceptre of an earthly kingdom, and, ambitious of priority, above the rest, request of our Lord that they might have the privilege of sitting "the one on the right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom"." These two disciples were not so disciplined by their continual conversation 1 Dean Stanhope. 2 Dr. Doddridge. Dr. Lightfoot, and Dean Stanhope.

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with Christ,-hearing His heavenly doctrine, seeing His Divine behaviour,-but that their minds were still roving after temporal honours. Who can wonder to see some sparks of weak and worldly desires in the most holy of men, when the blessed Apostles were not free from some ambitious thoughts while they sat at the feet, nay, almost in the bosom, of our Saviour *? Those who are nearest in power and greatness to an earthly sovereign, sit on his right hand, and on his left; and we cannot, therefore, wonder, that minds not yet raised to things above, or to the proper appreciation of a spiritual kingdom, should have desired such a distinction: But Jesus answered, and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Can Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of?" In ancient times the master of a family used to distribute to his children, and servants, or to his guests, a certain separate allowance of meat and drink for each by himself, differing in quantity and quality according to their desert. In allusion to this custom, the word cup is used in Scripture for the dispensations of Providence; Almighty God, as our common Master and Father, appointing to every one his respective share of good and evil. Our Lord does not chide the two Apostles, either for their ambition in suing, or for their presumptuous wish; but, leaving the