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1994-03-02
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00354
#9-13 Christ shows that works of mercy are lawful and proper to
be done on the Lord's day. There are more ways of doing well
upon sabbath days, than by the duties of worship: attending the
sick, relieving the poor, helping those who need speedy relief,
teaching the young to care for their souls; these are doing
good: and these must be done from love and charity, with
humility and self-denial, and shall be accepted, #Ge 4:7|. This,
like other cures which Christ wrought, had a spiritual meaning.
By nature our hands are withered, and we are unable of ourselves
to do any thing that is good. Christ only, by the power of his
grace, cures us; he heals the withered hand by putting life into
the dead soul, works in us both to will and to do: for, with the
command, there is a promise of grace given by the word.
00359
#14-21 The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that
Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his
time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not
more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of
Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as
described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence
commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from
breaking, he will strengthen the bruised reed; far from
quenching the smoking flax, or wick nearly out, he will rather
blow it up into a flame. Let us lay aside contentious and angry
debates; let us receive one another as Christ receives us. And
while encouraged by the gracious kindness of our Lord, we should
pray that his Spirit may rest upon us, and make us able to copy
his example.
00367
#22-30 A soul under Satan's power, and led captive by him, is
blind in the things of God, and dumb at the throne of grace;
sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose. Satan blinds the
eyes by unbelief, and seals up the lips from prayer. The more
people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to
vilify him. It was evident that if Satan aided Jesus in casting
out devils, the kingdom of hell was divided against itself; how
then could it stand! And if they said that Jesus cast out devils
by the prince of the devils, they could not prove that their
children cast them out by any other power. There are two great
interests in the world; and when unclean spirits are cast out by
the Holy Spirit, in the conversion of sinners to a life of faith
and obedience, the kingdom of God is come unto us. All who do
not aid or rejoice in such a change are against Christ.
00376
#31,32 Here is a gracious assurance of the pardon of all sin
upon gospel terms. Christ herein has set an example to the sons
of men, to be ready to forgive words spoken against them. But
humble and conscientious believers, at times are tempted to
think they have committed the unpardonable sin, while those who
have come the nearest to it, seldom have any fear about it. We
may be sure that those who indeed repent and believe the gospel,
have not committed this sin, or any other of the same kind; for
repentance and faith are the special gifts of God, which he
would not bestow on any man, if he were determined never to
pardon him; and those who fear they have committed this sin,
give a good sign that they have not. The trembling, contrite
sinner, has the witness in himself that this is not his case.
00378
#33-37 Men's language discovers what country they are of,
likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the
fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a
corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams.
Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal
the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt
communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart,
and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions,
dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of
which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to
dishonour God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over
ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian
character.
00383
#38-45 Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy
desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not.
Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their
faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded
them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from
the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet
Jonah, was the great proof of Christ's being the Messiah. As
Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale, and then
came out again alive, thus Christ would be so long in the grave,
and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not
repenting; the queen of Sheba, for not believing in Christ. And
we have no such cares to hinder us, we come not to Christ upon
such uncertainties. This parable represents the case of the
Jewish church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who
hear the word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly
converted. The unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he
returns, he finds Christ is not there to shut him out; the heart
is swept by outward reformation, but garnished by preparation to
comply with evil suggestions, and the man becomes a more decided
enemy of the truth. Every heart is the residence of unclean
spirits, except those which are temples of the Holy Ghost, by
faith in Christ.
00391
#46-50 Christ's preaching was plain, easy, and familiar, and
suited to his hearers. His mother and brethren stood without,
desiring to speak with him, when they should have been standing
within, desiring to hear him. Frequently, those who are nearest
to the means of knowledge and grace are most negligent. We are
apt to neglect that which we think we may have any day,
forgetting that to-morrow is not ours. We often meet with
hindrances in our work from friends about us, and are taken off
by care for the things of this life, from the concerns of our
souls. Christ was so intent on his work, that no natural or
other duty took him from it. Not that, under pretence of
religion, we may be disrespectful to parents, or unkind to
relations; but the lesser duty must stand by, while the greater
is done. Let us cease from men, and cleave to Christ; let us
look upon every Christian, in whatever condition of life, as the
brother, sister, or mother of the Lord of glory; let us love,
respect, and be kind to them, for his sake, and after his
example.
00396
* The parable of the sower. (1-23) The parable of the tares.
(24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven.
(31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great
price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder. (44-52)
Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth. (53-58)
#1-23 Jesus entered into a boat that he might be the less
pressed, and be the better heard by the people. By this he
teaches us in the outward circumstances of worship not to covet
that which is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences
God in his providence allots to us. Christ taught in parables.
Thereby the things of God were made more plain and easy to those
willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and
obscure to those who were willingly ignorant. The parable of the
sower is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is
our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by his ministers.
Preaching to a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where
it will light. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much
pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good
soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts of men,
whose different characters are here described by four sorts of
ground. Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan;
who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great
thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word, if we
take not care to keep it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground,
often get the start of true Christians in the shows of
profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, who do not
profit by it. They are told of free salvation, of the believer's
privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change
of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity,
their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they
soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial
threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give
up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system.
Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in
with sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their
place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that has much
to do with them; they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and
their end is to be burned, #Heb 6:8|. Worldly cares are great
hindrances to our profiting by the word of God. The
deceitfulness of riches does the mischief; they cannot be said
to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, then they choke
the good seed. What distinguished the good ground was
fruitfulness. By this true Christians are distinguished from
hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no
stones in it, or no thorns; but none that could hinder its
fruitfulness. All are not alike; we should aim at the highest,
to bring forth most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better
employed than in hearing God's word; and let us look to
ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are.