Reflections on the Love we owe to GOD for pardoning our Sins. 387 thou haft fhewn, have in a convincing, tho' SECT. 60. How IMPROVEMENT. OW joyful an Affurance muft this be to a Soul, thus bowed Luke vii. 50. down and humbled in the very Dust, under a Sense of Sin! How light did the Reproaches of Men fit upon her, when he heard thefe reviving Words from the Mouth of the great Saviour, who alone had Authority to pronounce them! Our Hearts furely upbraid us with many, and aggravated Sins, but we hear the Tidings of Pardon: Let us gladly embrace it; and acknowledging, that not five hundred Pence, nor even ten thousand Ver. 41. Talents, are fufficient to exprefs the Greatness of our Debt, let us retain the Remembrance of it, even when we hope that GOD has Ver. 42, 43, forgiven it; and let us labour, that the Tenderness of our Love, the Warmth of our Zeal, and the Steadiness of our Obedience, may in fome Measure be proportionable to it: And, bleffed Jefus, how distinguished must they then be! Let us with humble Pleasure approach this compaffionate Friend of Sinners; who, tho' in one Senfe Separate from them, yet thus freely and gracioufly encouraged the Chief of them to apply to him, tho' he well knew, that Condefcenfion would expofe him to the Ver. 39. Cenfure of the felf-conceited Pharifees. May GoD preferve us from that arrogant Confidence in our own Righteousness, which, while it leads us to defpife fome, perhaps much dearer to him than ourfelves, would proportionably fink our Value for the Saviour, and Ver. 47. our Love to him! As (1) Go thy Way in Peace.] This was an ufual Form of difmiffing Inferiors, and was an Expreffion of the Friendship and good Wifhes of the Perfon speaking: (Gen. xliv. 17. Exod. iv. 18. 1 Sam. i. 17. 2 Sam. xv. 27. Mark v. 34. Luke viii, 48. and Jam. ii. 16.) Compare Luke ii. 29. pag. 67. There is an apparent Propriety in the Phrafe here, confidering what had happened to difcompose the tender Spirit. of this humble. Penitent. Ccc 2 388 SECT.60. Ver. 36. Ver. 39. JESUS travels thro' every City, preaching the Gofpel; As for what remains, let the Candour with which Christ accepted this Invitation, and the Gentleness and Prudence with which he behaved at this infnating Entertainment, teach us to mingle the Wisdom of the Serpent, with the Innocence and Sweetness of the Dove ; and neither abfolutely to refuse all Favours, nor feverely to refent all Neglects, from thofe, whofe Friendship might at best be very dubious, and their Intimacy by no means fafe. To conclude; let us avoid that very ill Temper, which this Pharifee fhewed, in upbraiding this poor humble Penitent, with the Scandals of her former Life. Where we have Reason to believe, that Sin has been lamented and forfaken, and confequently that GOD has forgiven it, let us chearfully receive thofe, whom our holy Mafter has not rejected; and if the Remembrance of former Irregularities cannot be entirely loft, let it only engage us to magnify the Riches of Divine Grace towards fuch Perfons, and to rejoice with them in the Display of it. Luke VIII.1. SECT. LXI. Our LORD attended by fome pious Women, takes another LUKE VIII. 1. SECT. 61. NOW in Pursuance of the great Defign, Chila And is attended in his Progrefs by fome pious Women. the Kingdom of GOD: and the Twelve were with him: 2 And certain Women which had been healed of Evil Spirits and Infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went feven Devils, 3 And Joanna, the Wife of Chuza Herod's Steward, and Susanna, and many others; which miniftred unto him of their Substance. 389 Children of Men: And the Twelve Apo- SECT. 61. stles, whom he had lately chofen, were with him; as he thought it proper they should be Luke VIII.I. for fome Time, that they might be farther inftructed for their Work, and that their having been thus publickly feen in his Train might promote their Reception, when they afterwards came to any of thefe Places by them felves. And there were also some Wo- 2 men with him, who had been cured of grievous Disorders, brought upon them by Evil Spirits, and of other Illneses; [particularly,] Mary, who was called Magdalene, from Magdala, the Place of her Refidence (a); a remarkable Perfon, out of whom had been caß no less than seven Dæmons (b), who, probably for the Sins of her former Life, were fuffered by Go D to agitate and torment her in fuch a Manner, as to render her a Spectacle of great Horror. And there attended 3 him befides, Joanna, the Wife of Chuza, a Steward in the Court of King Herod; who yet did not think fuch an Attendance beneath the Dignity of her Family; and one Sufannah, and many other [Women ;] who, being Perfons of fome confiderable Rank and Circumstances in Life, affifted him with their Poffeffions, which they chearfully employed to supply him, and his Disciples, with Neceffaries, as Occafion required. While (a) Called Magdalene, from Magdala, the Place of her Refidence.] As Inous Nalaenvos is Jefus of Nazareth, or Jefus the Nazarene, fo Magia Maydannun, which we are ufed to render Mary Magdalene, might as well be rendered Mary the Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, which was a Town in Galilee, beyond Jordan, See Mat. xv. 39. (b) Out of whom had been caft feven Dæmons.] This is fuppofed by Gregory, to have been only a Proverbial Expreffion, to fignify, that fhe was a Perfon of a very bad Character, whom Jefus reclaimed; and Mr. L'Enfant advances the fame Interpretation, as agreeable to the Jewish Style: But as fo much is fpoken of Difpoffeffions in the proper Sense of the Word by Luke, it is most natural to fuppofe this to be referred to here. -Some have thought, fhe was the Sinner mentioned Luke vii. 37. but there is no certain Proof of it. And the Conjecture of those, who fuppofe her to be the Sister of Lazarus, whofe Hufband might have lived at Magdala, is rather more improbable; fince when Luke and John mention Mary of Bethany, they never intimate, that it was Mary Magdalene. See Calmet's Dictionary fod Ther 390 SECT.61. He difpoffeffes one that was both Blind and Dumb. While he was While he was making then this Tour about Galilee and the neighbouring Parts, Mat.XII.22 there was brought to him one possessed by a ·Damon (c), who had been rendered by this Means both Blind and Dumb; and he immediately expelled the Evil Spirit, and cured him that had been fo miferably afflicted by it; fo that it came to pass, that when the Damon was gone out at the Command of Jefus, the Person that but just before was Blind and Dumb, both spake and saw (d). 23 24 And all the Multitude of People round him, perceiving he had healed the poor diftreffed Creature in an inftant, were astonished at the Sight, and faid, Is not this the Meffiah, the long expected Son of David? But the Pharifees who were with him, and particularly the Scribes, who came down from Ferusalem, and ftill attended his Progrefs to make their Remarks on what paffed, hearing [this] natural Reflection of the People, and fearing left their own Credit fhould fink among them, as that of Jefus advanced, gave the most malicious and unreasonable Turn to the Matter which can be imagined; for they faid, This is so bad a [Man,] and fo notoriously tranfgreffes the Traditions of the Elders, and the Law of GoD (e), that he is MAT. XII. 22. Then was brought unto him one poffeffed with a Devil, Blind and Dumb: and he healed him; infomuch that [it came to pafs, when the Devil was Dumb both spake and faw. out,] the Blind and [LUKE XI. 14.—] 23 And all the People were amazed, and faid, Is not this the Son of David? [LUKE XI. —14.] 24 But when the Phari fees, [and the Scribes which came down from Jerufalem,] heard it, they faid, This Fel نوع low (c) Then there was brought to him one poffeffed by a Damon.] This Miracle appears to have been performed on the Morning of that Day, on which Chrift delivered the Parables of the Sower, &c. (compare Mat. xiii. 1, & feq. Sect. 65.) and on the Evening of which, he crossed the Sea, stilled the Tempest, and went into the Country of the Gadarenes, where he difpoffeffed the Legion. (See Mark iv. 35, & feq. Sect. 69.) This is the Reason of introducing it here, as moft Criticks do; and no other Story, not yet inferted, can claim a Place before it; therefore Matthew, and Luke, in their different Order, are tranfpofed, to agree with Mark, on that grand Foundation laid down in Note (k), on Mark i. 18. pag. 213. (d) The Blind and Dumb both fpake and faw.] We have before observed, that xogos often fignifies, both Deaf and Dumb; (fee Note (k) on Luke i. 22. pag. 19.) but as it is not faid, that Chrift gave this Man his Hearing, it is plain he was not Deaf. And indeed, it appears worthy of Remark, that we hardly ever meet with entire Blindnefs and Deafness in the fame Perfon. (e) So notoriously tranfgreffes the Traditions of the Elders, and the Law of GOD.] There is fufficient Reason to conclude, that the Pharifees must go on this Principle, in this The Pharifees fay he did it by the Help of Beelzebub. by Beelzebub, the Prince 24. 391 low [hath Beelzebub, and] is certainly himself poffeffed by Beelzebub, and SECT.61. doth not caft out Devils, but does not caft out Damons, but only by a fecret [LUKE or the Chief] of the Combination with Beelzebub; who being the Mat. XII. Devils. [MARK III. 22. Prince [or] Chief of the Damons (f), with LUKE XI. 15.] a View to confirm his own Intereft, expells other inferior Spirits under his. Command, at the Word of this Jefus, who therefore deserves to be put to Death as a Magician, (Exod. xxii. 18.) rather than to be thus extolled as the Meffiah. 25 And Jefus knew their And Jefus knowing their Thoughts, tho" 25, Thoughts, [and he called he was not within Hearing of these Rethem unto him,] and faid unto them, [in Parables, How flections, called them to come near him, and can Satan cast out Satan?] faid to them in the following Parabolical ExEvery preffions, before all the People, How can you poffibly imagine, that in fuch Circumftances as thefe, Satan fhould caft out Satan (g)? It this Random Charge, which had not the leaft Shadow of a Proof; and it was ufual with them to esteem a Contempt of their Traditions, as equally criminal with the moft: express Contempt of the Law. It is also well known, that they charged Chrift, both with Sabbath-breaking, and Blafphemy. (f) Beelzebub, the Prince, or Chief of the Dæmons.] There is no Doubt, but this was spoken by the Jews, not merely in a general Way of A Prince of the Damons,. or of one of their Chiefs, but in particular of him whom they confidered as The Prince of the Powers of Darkness: For in Mark it is to açxoli, tho' Matthew and: Luke express it without the Article; and the following Words fhew, he was fuppofed to be the fame with Satan, the grand Adverfary. One of the Titles given him was Beelzebub, or Baal-zebub; and a Philiftine Idol, who had his Temple at Ekron, (and is supposed by some to answer to the Grecian Pluto; Furieu, Hift. des Dogmes, pag. 631.) was plainly called by this Name, (fee 2 Kings i. 2, 3.) which is well known to fignify the Lord of Flies; this Idol being worshipped, as fome tell us, under the Figure of a Fly or Beetle, as defending People from these Infects; tho' others think it may allude to the vaft Multitude of Flies, with which the Slaughter of their Sacrifices. was infefted in the Heathen Temples, while (as the Jews report,) no Fly was ever seen to come upon the Flesh of any Sacrifice in the Temple at Jerufalem. (See Selden. de Diis Syris, Syntag. ii. cap. 6.) But why the Jews fhould fpeak of him under this Title as the Chief of the Devils, it is difficult to fay; unlefs (as Heinfius conjectures, rather than proves,) the Hebrew Word at, Zebub, fignified a deadly Kind of Infect, whose Sting was mortal, and which was therefore looked upon as a fit Emblem of the mifchievous Hofts, commanded by this Prince of the Power of the Air.-The Title in the Greek is BESACEBλ, Beelzebul, which fignifies the Lord of a Dunghill, and feems to bea contemptuous Change of the former Name, by which it was intimated, that the: nobleft of the Heathen Deities were fitter to dwell on a Dunghill, than to be wore.. fhipped in a magnificent Temple. (g) Satan fhould caft out Satan.] This Anfwer of our Lord demonftratively proves,. that Beelzebub, and Satan, are Names for the fame Perfon; and confequently, that Satan was confidered as the Prince of thofe Damons, who were caft out by Christ, and who |