Lu. iv. 6. DELIVERED UNTO ME. Israel had been given the land, under the law :-Je. ii. 7-9. And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 8, The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. 9, Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.' but Elijah had to testify to the king of Israel:-1 Ki. xxi. 20, And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.' the same is said of the nation:-2 Ki. xvii. 17, And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.'-Isa. lii. 3, For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.' HE whose is the right of redemption is shadowed forth: -Je. xxxii. 7-44-see ch. xxxii. p. (67). the redemption is acknowledged:-Rev. v. 7-10. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8, And when he had taken. the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9, And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.' the Lord, the Redeemer, will vindicate his claim :-Ps. xxiv. 1, The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.' when those who have resisted the temptation to serve Satan will be given possession with their Redeemer :-Ps. xxiv. 3-6. Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4, He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5, He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6, This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.'-Is. xxxiii. 15-22-see ch. xxxiii. p. (56). Mt. iv. 9. FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME. covetousness is idolatry:-Col. iii. 5, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication; uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.' they that will be rich fall,' &c. :-1 Ti. vi. 9, 10. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10, For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." ye cannot serve God and mammon :-Mt. vi. 24, § 19. by this temptation, an impatience to possess the outward pomp of a kingdom, Israel was tempted, as in the days of Samuel, and were overcome:-1 Sa. viii. 19, 20. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20, that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.' Lu. iv. 8. GET THEE BEHIND ME. so our Lord addressed Peter, who, &c. :-Mt. xvi. 16, § 50. but was for refusing his paying the price of our redemption:-Mt. xvi. 21, .2.-Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men,' ver. 23. corresponding to this is the exhortation afterwards given by Peter:-1 Pe. v. 8, 9. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9, whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.' As also Ja. iv. 7-10. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee froin you. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9, Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.' THOU SHALT WORSHIP. it is written:-De. x. 20.-vi. 13, .4. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14, Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you.' the correspondent direction, &c. -See Scrip. Illus.' DANIEL VIII. In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the 2 first. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and 3 I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the 4 higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did accord5 ing to his will, and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him 7 in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him and there was none that could deliver the 8 ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones 9 toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and 10 toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon 11 them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and 14 tuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he the transgression of desolation, to give both the sancsaid unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to un17 derstand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: 18 for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and 19 set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. 20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the 21 kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between. 22 his eyes is the first king, Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand 23 up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand 24 up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the 25 mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes: but he shall be broken without 26 hand. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up 27 the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. N JEREMIAH XXXII. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Ne2 buchadrezzar. For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the 3 king of Judah's house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, 4 and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Bayblon, and shall speak with him mouth to 5 mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. 6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came 7 unto me, saying, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of 8 redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word 9 of the LORD. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even a seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I bsubscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the Il balances. So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and 12 custom, and that which was open: and I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. 13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue 15 many days. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. 16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto 17 the LORD, saying, Ah Lord GoD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard 18 for thee: thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his 19 name, great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men to give every one according to his ways, and 20 according to the fruit of his doings: which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and 21 hast made thee a name, as at this day; and hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with 22 great terror; and hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land 23 flowing with milk and honey; and they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast 24 caused all this evil to come upon them: behold the d mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. 25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GoD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. 29 chadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: and the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to 30 provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD. For this city hath been to me as fa provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should 32 remove it from before my face, because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of 31 33 Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened 34 to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to 35 defile it. And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 36 And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; 37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto 38 this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and 39 they shall be my people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of 40 their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away 8 from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land hassuredly with my whole 42 heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good 43 that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of 44 the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD. LAMENTATIONS V. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to 3 aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers 4 are as widows. We have drunken our water for mo5 ney; our wood iis sold unto us. Our necks are under 6 persecution: we labour, and have no rest. We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, 7 to be satisfied with bread. Our fathers have sinned, and are not and we have borne their iniquities. 8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth 9 deliver us out of their hand. We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wil10 derness. Our skin was black like an oven because of 11 the terrible famine. They ravished the women in 12 Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were 13 not honoured. They took the young men to grind, 14 and the children fell under the wood. The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their 15 musick. The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is 16 turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our 17 head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim. 18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, 19 the foxes walk upon it. Thou, O LORD, remainest for 20 ever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us "so 21 long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we 22 shall be turned; renew our days as of old. But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us. a Or, 'seven shekels and ten pieces of silver.' Heb. ' wrote in the book.' "Or, hid from thee.' d Or. engines of shot.' Or, though.' Heb. 'for my anger.' Heb. from after them.' A Heb. in truth, or stability." i Heb. cometh for price.' k Heb. on our necks are we persecuted." Or, 'terrors, or storms.' Heb. 'the crown of our head is fallen.' n Heb. 'for length of days.' "Or, 'For will thou utterly reject us?' 26 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, 27 saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: 28 is there anything too hard for me? Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebu LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. JORDAN.-See Sect. viii. pp. 60-.2. WILDERNESS.-See ADDENDA, The scene of the temptations of Jesus,' infra. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. ADDEND A. ON THE WILDERNESS, THE SCENE OF THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS, p. 63. Whatever be supposed the locality of this wilderness-the appointed scene of each of these events, it must have been some wilderness, to arrive at which would carry him either to the east or to the south of Bethabara; and consequently away from Galilee, not towards it. The Talmudic writers acknowledge no more than two deserts as such, one of which would be the scene of the fasting and the temptation-the desert of Judah, which lay to the south, and the desert of Sihon and Og, which lay to the east, of Galilee. There was no desert to the north, except the great desert of Syria; to which it would be absurd to suppose our Saviour was carried.'-See Greswell, Vol. II. Diss. xxi. p. 203. The temptation must have been transacted in less than one day after the close of the fast, if not on the last day of the fast itself: and though the scene of the fast had been the great wilderness to the S. and S.E. of Judæa, as I should be disposed to believe it was, even this would not be more than one or two days' journey from Bethabara. Beersheba, on the verge of that desert, was only twenty Roman miles distant from Hebron. Tekoah, only six miles from Bethlehem, stood upon its borders. Maimonides confirms Jerome, by making the distance of the wilderness, into which it was usual to carry the scape-goat on the day of expiation, only ON THE ORDER OF THE The order of the temptations in St. Matthew appears, from the notes of sequence which he employs, to be the real; the arrangement in St. Luke, who nowhere affirms his order, does not militate against this conclusion. Not one of the temptations is to be contemplated by itself, as what it is in specie, but as what it is in genere, that is, each of them familiam ducit, or is the representative of a class. St. Luke himself has intimated this, when he observes at the end of the account, iv. 13, συντελέσας πάντα πειρασμὸν ὁ διάβολος, not, πάντα ΤΟΝ πειρασμόν: every kind of temptation, not, the whole temptation. The first temptation, according to the order of St. Matthew, is addressed to a natural appetite; and is a specimen of such as may be addressed to the purely sensual principle. The second is addressed to the ostentatious display of superior worth, goodness, or estimation in the sight of God; that is, to the principle of pride; and consequently it is a specimen of temptations directed against the purely intellectual principle. The third is addressed to the love of honour, wealth, or power; and, therefore, is a specimen of temptations addressed to a mixed principle; or a principle partly intellectual and partly moral. The order of the temptations is the order of their strength; that is, they begin with the weakest, and proceed to the strongest; for any other order would manifestly have been preposterous: and the end of the whole transaction is to represent our Lord tempted at all points, like unto ourselves, yet without sin; as attacked in each vulnerable part of his human nature, yet superior to every art, and to all the subtlety, of the devil. The proximate cause of the first temptation was our Lord's being an hungred at the time: the proximate cause of the second, we may reasonably conjecture, was the voice from heaven at his baptism: and the proximate cause of the third, it is equally rea. sonable to conclude, was the expectation of a temporal Messiah. The immediate purpose of each temptation is purely tentative: but the object of the first two is to discover whether Christ was the Son of God; the object of the last is to discover whether he was the twelve miles from Jerusalem. Perea, in which Bethabara was situated, approached still nearer to that wilderness. Strabo reckons it only three or four days' journey from Jericho to Petra, in Arabia Deserta. And this is confirmed by Diodorus Siculus, xix. 95, who mentions an instance of a march performed in three days and nights, from the parts about Gaza to Petra; a distance of 1,200 stades, or 150 Roman miles: at the rate of twenty-five such miles to the day. The same passage informs us that Petra was situated in the wilderness, two days' journey distant from the inhabited country: in which case, from the banks of the Jordan near Jericho, into the desert, could be merely one day's journey. Je rome (Oper. ii. 525, ..6) also makes it only a three days' journey from Gerara (which he places contiguous to Beersheba, and, consequently, on the verge of the same desert in general,) to Jerusalem. I am persuaded therefore that one day's journey must have sufficed to bring our Saviour to the borders of the scene of his fasting and temptation, if that was the wilderness of Arabia, and one day's journey to bring him back, from the locality of the last temptation again, to where John was baptizing, when he pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, Jno. i. 29, § 10, p. 69; and that a period of forty-one days might account for the transaction of everything between.-Ibid., p. 206. TEMPTATIONS, pp. 63-.6. This presumption, however, in favour of the last temptation, is ultimately reducible to the national prejudice in behalf of a temporal Messiah; and, consequently, must have been confined to the Jews. The Gentiles, who partook in no such prejudice, could not be prepared (on those grounds at least) to appreciate its force accordingly. To them it would appear in the light of a temptation, simply addressed to the desire of honour, wealth, or power; and therefore one of inferior strength to the second. For the history of their own philosophers could furnish instances of persons, whom their natural strength had enabled to surmount the last of these temptations; but few or none of such as, unassisted by the grace of God, had not fallen victims to the latter. Hence, if St. Luke wrote for Gentile Christians, as St. Matthew had written for Jewish, he would as naturally place the second temptation last, as St. Matthew, on the other supposition, had placed the third. The temptation, regarded in any point of view, actions in our Saviour's personal history; and withwas unquestionably one of the most mysterious transout pretending to unravel the mystery, or to be wise beyond what is written, I am content to profess my belief in the reality of the transaction itself, and in the reality of the parties concerned in it; of that being, who is called the tempter, the devil, or Satan, as much as of our Lord himself, whose personal existence no one will think of disputing.'-See Greswell, Vol. II. Diss. xx. pp. 192-..6. CLEANSE THOU ME FROM SECRET FAULTS.-Psalm xix. 12. [67 IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM.-1 John ii. 15. WE ARE MEMBERS OF HIS BODY, OF HIS FLESH, AND OF HIS BONES.-Eph. v. 30. SECTION X.-DEPUTIES ARE SENT BY THE COUNCIL OF THE JEWS TO QUESTION. JOHN THE BAPTIST; JOHN RENDERS HIS SECOND TESTIMONY TO THE MESSIAH, OR CHRIST. PARTICULARS OF TWO DAYS SPENT AT BETHABARA; DURING WHICH JOHN RENDERS A DOUBLE TESTIMONY TO JESUS, AND JESUS CONVERSES WITH CERTAIN OF THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN. THE NEXT DAY JESUS RETURNS INTO GALILEE. John i. 19--51.* (G. 8.) John renders his second testimony to Jesus. John i. 19-28. Bethabara or Bethany, opposite Scythopolis. [Ch. i. 18, see vii. p. 48.] 19 And this is the record apтupia of John, when the Jews sent areσTeiλav priests and 20 Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he-confessed, and denied not; 21 but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they-asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? 22 And he-saith, I-am not. Art thou that prophet? And he-answered, No. Then saidthey unto-him, Who art-thou? that we-may-give an-answer to them that-sent us. What 23 sayest-thou of-thyself? He-said, I am the-voice of-one-crying in the wilderness, Make24 straight the way of-the-Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which-were-sent 25 were of the Pharisees. And they-asked him, and said unto-him, Why baptizest-thou SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS. 19. record-usually rendered witness, as in ver. 7, and given Mt. iii. 11,.2; Lu. iii. 15-.8, § 7, (by John) -referred to by our Lord, Jno. v. 33, § 23-and by Paul, Ac. xiii. 25. priests and Levites-see ADDENDA, p. 74. 20. I am not the Christ-this witness referred to, Jno. iii. 28-36, § 13-believers are members of the body of Christ, 1 Co. vi. 15; Ep. v. 30. 21. art thou Elias?-he was not the very person Elijah, who was taken up into heaven, 2 Ki. ii. 11, .2 -nor was the completeness of that witness to come till 'before the great and dreadful day of the Lord,' predicted Mal. iv. 5-and which is to restore all, Mt. xvii. 11, § 51: but John came in the spirit and power of Elias, Lu. i. 17, § 1, p. 5, and was, in his measure, of the Elias which was for to come, Mt. xi. 14, § 29. 23. I... the voice of one crying-predicted, Is. xl. 3 -see Mt. iii. 3, § 7, p. 51. 24. Pharisees-see on Mt. iii. 7, § 7, p. 52-opposed to the spirit of John, who made nothing of himself, and everything of Jesus, and whom his modesty in speaking of himself was well fitted to reprove-see ib. NOTES. 19. The record of John. The testimony or witness of John. The Jews sent. The Jews of Jerusalem.' The sanhedrim, or council of seventy, who had the authority of making inquiry into the pretensions of prophets. [John's fame was great-see Mt. iii. 5, § 7, p. 52. It spread to Jerusalem, and the nation seemed to suppose, from the character of his preaching, that he was the Messiah, Lu. iii. 15, § 7, p. 51. The great council of the nation, or the sanhedrim, had, among other things, the charge of religion-see Eze. xliv. 15, 21. They felt it to be their duty, therefore, to inquire into the character and claims of John, and to learn whether he was the Messiah.] Priests.-See Sect. i. p. 2. One of the chief employments of the priests, next to attending upon the sacrifices and the service of the temple, was the instruction of the people, the distinguishing the several sorts of leprosy, the causes of divorce, the waters of Jealousy, vows, the uncleannesses that were contracted several ways, all these were brought before the priests.-See ADDENDA, 'Priests,' p. 74. Levites. They were chosen for the service of the tabernacle, Nu, I., viii.; they were subordinate to the priests, and sung and played on instruments in the daily services, &c., I Ch. xxiii, 5, 30.-See ADDENDA, Zeries, p. 75. 20. He confessed, and denica not. A mode of expression not uncommon, and the strongest ossevera. o possible, since the two methods, assertion by affirniation and by negation of the contrary, together with a repetition of the airmation, are here united. -See Is. xxxvi. 1, 13] I am not the Christ. The nation was expecting that the Messiah was about to come, and multitudes were ready to believe that John was the long-expected Messiah, Lu. 12, #7, p. 34. 21. Art thou Elias? The people expected that Eli- he was infinitely superior to all the rest in dignity of 22. Who art thou? i.e. What sort of a person art thou' whether a prophet or not? 23. I am the voice. It is an humble mode of speaking of himself: Far from being the Messiah, or Elias, or one of the old prophets, I am nothing but a voice, a sound, that, as soon as it has expressed the thought, of which it is the sign, dies into air, and is known no more.'-Fenelon. 24. Were of the Pharisees. For account of this sect-see ADDENDA, §7. p. 56. This makes the answer appear the more pointed. The Pharisees, by their ostentatious observances, wished to make themselves great in the eyes of the people. John made nothing of himself. He only wanted to draw attention to the voice;' to the words of the Holy Spirit, through him, calling for a preparation for the kingdom of heaven. PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 84 ver. Let us, with John, confess our own unworthincas, and be content to spend, and be spent, in sending forth the word of God, that men may thereby be prepared to the coming of our Lord, Let us endeavour to avoid the spirit i and conduct of the Pharisees, who, unlike John, sought to magnify themselves before the people, in place of magnifying the words of God's grace, and pointing men's attention to Jesus as the Christ. *On the hiatus by the first three Gospels, between the time of the baptism of our Saviour, and the commen, entent of his ministry in Galilee, and on its supplement by the Gospel of St. John,-see Greswell, Vol. BE STRONG IN THE LORD.-Eph, vi. 10. TRUE NOBILITY OF MIND, IS TO BE OF AN HUMBLE MIND. 19. RECORD. usually rendered witness, as in ver. 7, § 7, p. 47.-For remainder, see page opposite. referred to by Paul-Ac. xiii. 25, ‘And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.' 20. I AM NOT THE CHRIST. this witness referred to:-Jno. iii. 28-36, § 13, p. 89. believers are members of the body of Christ:-1 Co. vi. 15, 'Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.'-Ep. v. 30, For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.' 21. ART THOU ELIAS? he was not the very person Elijah taken up into heaven: -2 Ki. ii. 11, .2. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12, And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.' nor was the completeness of that witness to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord,' predicted :-Mal. iv. 5, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.' -For remainder, see 'Scripture Illustrations,' page opp. 23. I AM THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING. predicted:-Is. xl. 3, The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'-See Mt. iii. 3, § 7, p. (51). 24. PHARISEES.-See on Mt. iii. 7, § 7, p. 52. opposed to the spirit of John, who made nothing of himself, and everything of Jesus, and whom his modesty, &c. 2 CHRONICLES 1X. And when the queen of Sneba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of 2 all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon 3 which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that 4 he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 5 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: 6 how beit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou 7 exceedest the fame that I heard. Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants, which stand cou8 tinually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on his throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do 9 judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices great abundance, and precious stones: neither was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king 10 Solomon. And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, 11 brought algum trees and precious stones. And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen 12 before in the land of Judah. And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own laud, she and her servants. 13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and three score and six 14 talents of gold; beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went 16 to one target. And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of 17 the forest of Lebanon. Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions stand19 ing by the stays: and twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom. 20 And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, 22 and peacocks. And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his 24 heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 25 26 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses. and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the 27 border of Egypt. And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. 28 And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands. EZEKIEL II. And he said unto me, Son of man, 2 stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto 3 me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have 4 transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. 6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at 7 their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And shou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are 8 most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. 9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto 10 me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. EZEKIEL XV. And the word of the LORD came 2 unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among 3 the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any 4 vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of 5 it is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less. shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned? 6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GoD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my 8 face against them. And I will make the land deso late, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD. |