Matt.xi. 13.

14.

Luke vii.29.

30.

Matt. xi. 15.

For all the prophets, and the law, prophesied until On a tour. John:

And (if ye will receive it,) this is Elias which was for

to come.

And all the people that heard him, and the publicans
justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John:
But the Lawyers and Pharisees rejected the counsel of
God, against themselves, being not baptized of him.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

7

MATT. xi. part of ver. 7, 8. ver. 9. and part of ver. 11.

-And as they departed

8-are in king's houses

9 But what went ye out for to see? a prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

11-than John the Baptist

LUKE vii. part of ver. 24, 25. ver. 27. and part of ver. 28.
24-he began to speak unto the people concerning John,
What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken
with the wind?

25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft
raiment?-

27 This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28-I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater-but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Luke vii.31.

32.

SECTION XXIV.

Christ reproaches the Jews for their impenitence and insen-
sibility

MATT. xi. 16-27. LUKE Vii. 31-35.

And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?

They are like unto children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped

6. Christ's increase, and his own decrease.

7. He completed the chain of prophecies which predicted the coming of Christ, by pointing out Christ personally at his baptism.-Hales's Anal. of Chronology, vol. ii. part 2. p. 742.

(a) In Dan. fol. 63. 4. ap. Gill.

56 This section is placed here on the united authorities of Pilkington, Newcome, Lightfoot, Doddridge, &c. The Scripture authority is derived from the evident connection of v. 20. with v. 19. in Matt. xi. Michaelis places it after the mission of the twelve, preserving the order of St. Matthew. But Lightfoot has justly observed, that St. Matthew seems to have placed the events in the order he has adopted, on account of the simiJarity between the two events-the mission of the disciples of John, and that of the disciples of Christ.

Luke vii.33.

34.

35.

Matt.xi. 20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Matt.xi.25.

26.

unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned on a tour. and ye have not wept.

unto you,

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread, nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a devil.

The Son of man is come eating and drinking, and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.

But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not.

Wo unto thee, Chorazin; wo unto thee Bethsaida; for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.

And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day.

But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. MATT. xi. 16—19.

16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows.

17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, He hath a devil.

19 The Son of man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But Wisdom is justified of her children.

SECTION XXV.

Christ invites all to come to him ".

MATT. xi. 25. to the end.

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed

them unto babes.

Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no
man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth
any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever
the Son will reveal him.

57 Pilkington, Newcome, Doddridge, Lightfoot, Michaelis, and Whiston, insert this section in its present place. The scriptural authority is the order of St. Matthew, ch. xi.

Matt.xi. 28.

29.

30.

Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, On a tour. and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Lake vii. 36.

SECTION XXVI.

Christ forgives the sins of a Female Penitent, at the House

of a Pharisee

58

LUKE vii. 36. to the end.

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him and he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.

58 These two sections are inserted here on the joint authority of the five harmonizers. The reasons from Scripture are well given by Lightfoot, who observes, the invitation of the Pharisee seems to have had some reference to the words of Christ, "The Son of Man came eating and drinking;" and, the words, "Come unto me ye that are weary, and heavy laden," might have induced the woman sinner to kneel, and weep at his feet for mercy.

It is the opinion of Lightfoot, that the Mary, the female penitent who now addressed our Lord, was Mary Magdalene, and the sister of Lazarus. Pilkington has come to an opposite conclusion. He discusses the subject at some length. The questions he considers are,

I. Where it was that Jesus dined with the Pharisee?

II. Who it was that auointed Jesus's feet at that time?
The answer of many commentators is, that it was at Bethany,
at the house of Simon the leper, where Jesus now diued; and
that it was Mary Magdalene, the sister of Lazarus, who anointed
his feet. And Tatian connects this account with that given by
St. Matthew and St. Mark.

1. According to the present order of St. Luke's Gospel, this
dining with the Pharisee is laid down between Christ's leaving
Capernaum and his return thither again; and if it was so, it
cannot be the same as is mentioned by St. Matthew and St.
Mark, which was only two days before Jesus was put to death.
2. Toinard supposes that it was at Nain, that Jesus dined
with this Simon the Pharisee: and indeed we have no account
of his leaving that place, so that we may have reason to think
that it was somewhere in that neighbourhood, and not at
Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper.

-3. There is an account of a woman's anointing the feet of Je-
sus with ointment, and wiping them with her hair, given by St.
John. But that also appears to be a different account from
this; for that was in the house of Lazarus, as we may well collect
from Martha's serving, &c. and this was in the house of Simon
the Pharisee.

4. I can see no reason for supposing Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the sister of Lazarus, and the woman here mentioned, to

Luke vli.37.

And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, On a four. when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's

house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

་

38. And stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began
to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the
hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them
with the ointment.

39.

40.

42.

Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

And Jesus, answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say

on.

41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors:
the one owed five hundred
pence, and the other fifty.
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love
him most?

43.

44.

45.

Simon answered, and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right.

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou
gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed
my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her
head.

Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the
time I came in hath not ceased to kiss
my feet.

be one and the same person; or, indeed, for supposing that
any two of them are the same: For (1.) Lazarus's sister, who
lived at Bethany, could not, from any thing we can learn,
properly be called Magdalene, (the city whence that appellative
is derived, lying upon the sea of Galilee, and about ninety
miles from Bethany) (a).-(2.) It is no where said, that Mary
Magdalene anointed either the head, or the feet of Jesus, with
ointment.-(3.) Lazarus's sister neither appears to have been
a notorious sinner, as this woman was; nor to have been ever
possessed with devils, as is recorded of Mary Magdalene.—
(4.) This woman appears, from this recital, to have been unknown
to Christ, till she now came to him: if then this had been Mary
Magdalene, we might well expect to have had an account of
the casting out of the seven devils, before that of her sins being
forgiven: but here is only a report of this woman's being a
sinner, not of her being possessed.

Upon the whole, therefore, I think it the most reasonable to
conclude, that the matter here related was transacted at Nain,
or some place thereabouts; and that the name of the woman,
who now anointed Jesus's feet, is not recorded; this being
neither the sister of Lazarus nor Mary Magdalenc.

(a) Lightfoot, vol. ii. p. 70. § 190.

Luke vii. 46.

47.

Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this On a tour. woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many,

are forgiven, for she loved much: but to whom little is
forgiven, the same loveth little.

48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

49.

50.

And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Luke viii. 1.

2.

3.

SECTION XXVII.

Christ preaches again throughout Galilee.

LUKE viii. 1-3.

And it came to pass afterward, that he went through- Galilee. out every city and village preaching, and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,

And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, (out of whom went seven devils ;)

And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Mark iii. 19.

SECTION XXVIII.

Christ cures a Demoniac 59. Conduct of the Scribes and

Pharisees 60

MATT. xii. 22-45. MARK iii. 19—30. LUKE Xi. 14-26.
And they went into an house "1.

59 This miracle is placed by St. Mark upon the return of Jesus to the house. It is inserted in its present position in addition to this authority, upon the testimony of Lightfoot, Newcome, Pilkington, Doddridge, and Michaelis. Doddridge has observed, with great propriety, "it is one of the most important rules for settling the harmony of the Evangelists, that where any one of them has asserted expressly that he follows the order of time, we should in regard to him transpose others who do not assert equal exactness in that particular (a)."

As the minute circumstances with which the casting out of the demoniac is described by St. Luke, agree so entirely, throughout, with the relation of the same event in the other two Evangelists, I have transposed the account of St. Luke; and am supported in this arrangement by Doddridge, Newcome, and Michaelis. Compare Matt. xii, 22-50. Mark iii. 20–35. Luke

Capernaum.