Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/mhcc00/v02650

Text File | 1994-03-02 | 6KB | 99 lines

02655
 #20-26 Those who are most crafty in their designs against Christ
 and his gospel, cannot hide them. He did not give a direct
 answer, but reproved them for offering to impose upon him; and
 they could not fasten upon any thing wherewith to stir up either
 the governor or the people against him. The wisdom which is from
 above, will direct all who teach the way of God truly, to avoid
 the snares laid for them by wicked men; and will teach our duty
 to God, to our rulers, and to all men, so clearly, that opposers
 will have no evil to say of us.

02662
 #27-38 It is common for those who design to undermine any truth
 of God, to load it with difficulties. But we wrong ourselves,
 and wrong the truth of Christ, when we form our notions of the
 world of spirits by this world of sense. There are more worlds
 than one; a present visible world, and a future unseen world;
 and let every one compare this world and that world, and give
 the preference in his thoughts and cares to that which deserves
 them. Believers shall obtain the resurrection from the dead,
 that is the blessed resurrection. What shall be the happy state
 of the inhabitants of that world, we cannot express or conceive,
 #1Co 2:9|. Those that are entered into the joy of their Lord,
 are entirely taken up therewith; when there is perfection of
 holiness there will be no occasion for preservatives from sin.
 And when God called himself the God of these patriarchs, he
 meant that he was a God all-sufficient to them, #Ge 17:1|, their
 exceeding great Reward, #Ge 15:1|. He never did that for them in
 this world, which answered the full extent of his undertaking;
 therefore there must be another life, in which he will do that
 for them, which will completely fulfil the promise.

02674
 #39-47 The scribes commended the reply Christ made to the
 Sadducees about the resurrection, but they were silenced by a
 question concerning the Messiah. Christ, as God, was David's
 Lord; but Christ, as man, was David's son. The scribes would
 receive the severest judgement for defrauding the poor widows,
 and for their abuse of religion, particularly of prayer, which
 they used as a pretence for carrying on worldly and wicked
 plans. Dissembled piety is double sin. Then let us beg of God to
 keep us from pride, ambition, covetousness, and every evil
 thing; and to teach us to seek that honour which comes from him
 alone.
02683
 * Christ commends a poor widow. (1-4) His prophecy. (5-28)
 Christ exhorts to watchfulness. (29-38)

 #1-4 From the offering of this poor widow, learn that what we
 rightly give for the relief of the poor, and the support of
 God's worship, is given unto God; and our Saviour sees with
 pleasure whatever we have in our hearts to give for the relief
 of his members, or for his service. Blessed Lord! the poorest of
 thy servants have two mites, they have a soul and a body;
 persuade and enable us to offer both unto thee; how happy shall
 we be in thine accepting of them!

02687
 #5-28 With much curiosity those about Christ ask as to the time
 when the great desolation should be. He answers with clearness
 and fulness, as far as was necessary to teach them their duty;
 for all knowledge is desirable as far as it is in order to
 practice. Though spiritual judgements are the most common in
 gospel times, yet God makes use of temporal judgments also.
 Christ tells them what hard things they should suffer for his
 name's sake, and encourages them to bear up under their trials,
 and to go on in their work, notwithstanding the opposition they
 would meet with. God will stand by you, and own you, and assist
 you. This was remarkably fulfilled after the pouring out of the
 Spirit, by whom Christ gave his disciples wisdom and utterance.
 Though we may be losers for Christ, we shall not, we cannot be
 losers by him, in the end. It is our duty and interest at all
 times, especially in perilous, trying times, to secure the
 safety of our own souls. It is by Christian patience we keep
 possession of our own souls, and keep out all those impressions
 which would put us out of temper. We may view the prophecy
 before us much as those Old Testament prophecies, which,
 together with their great object, embrace, or glance at some
 nearer object of importance to the church. Having given an idea
 of the times for about thirty-eight years next to come, Christ
 shows what all those things would end in, namely, the
 destruction of Jerusalem, and the utter dispersion of the Jewish
 nation; which would be a type and figure of Christ's second
 coming. The scattered Jews around us preach the truth of
 Christianity; and prove, that though heaven and earth shall pass
 away, the words of Jesus shall not pass away. They also remind
 us to pray for those times when neither the real, nor the
 spiritual Jerusalem, shall any longer be trodden down by the
 Gentiles, and when both Jews and Gentiles shall be turned to the
 Lord. When Christ came to destroy the Jews, he came to redeem
 the Christians that were persecuted and oppressed by them; and
 then had the churches rest. When he comes to judge the world, he
 will redeem all that are his from their troubles. So fully did
 the Divine judgements come upon the Jews, that their city is set
 as an example before us, to show that sins will not pass
 unpunished; and that the terrors of the Lord, and his
 threatenings against impenitent sinners, will all come to pass,
 even as his word was true, and his wrath great upon Jerusalem.