brother Philip's wife; [MARK, for he had married her] and for all the evils which Herod had done. [MAT. XIV. 3. MARK VI. 17.] Herod apprehends and imprisons John. 157 xxviii. Luke proved by him, for way for the reception of Jesus: but much about SECT. Herodias' [sake] his this time it pleased God to permit the course of his ministry to be interrupted, and his life itself to be quickly after brought to its period. III.19. For Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, having out of curiosity sent for him to his court, this holy man thought it his duty to admonish him in regard to the public scandals of his life and reign. Now Herod being thus plainly and faithfully reproved by him, both on account of Herodias his brother Philip's wife, (for, to the infamy and scandal of his character, he had ungenerously taken her from her husband, and publicly married her in contempt of all laws human and divine, and also for all the other evils that Herod had done, which were many and great, that haughty prince was so exasperated, that, instead of falling under the admonition, he meditated revenge: And though for the pre- 20 sent he dismissed him it was not long before he prosecuted his design, and added yet this act of wickedness to all [the rest] of his enormous crimes, that he confined and shut up John in MARK VI. 17 For prison. For Herod himself sent officers after Mark Herod himself had sent him, and seized John, who had returned to proon John, and bound secute his ministry in a place which lay within him [and put him] in the territories of Galilee; and having thus got prison him into his power, he bound him with chains, 20. Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. forth and laid hold up a On account of Herodias.-for he had married her.] Josephus gives us an account of this incestous marriage, which proved the occasion of the Baptist's imprisomment and death, (Antiq. lib. xviii.cap. 5. (al. 7.) § 1, 4, Havercamp,) from whence it appears that this Herodias was daughter to Aristobulus, one of the sons of Herod the Great, and consequently was niece both to Philip her former husband, and to Herod Antipas the tetrarch, her latter. By Philip, whoin Josephus also calls Herod (as prinees had often several names) she had one daughter whose name was Salome, Finid. p. 885.) who probably was the young laty afterwards mentioned, sect. lxxvii. as instructed by her mother to ask the head of John the Baptist. And that his torian informs us that Herod the tetrarch, to make way for his marriage, with Herodias, divorced his former wife, the daughter of Aretas; which made this commerce a kind of double adultery, and was the occasion of a war between those two princes in which Herod's forces were defeated. In contempt of all laws human and Divine. The only case in which the law VOL. VI. and allowed of marrying one who had been a Though for the present he dismissed d Herod himself.] There seems to be a peculiar emphasis in this expression, which probably may be designed to intimate that his seizing John was not merely the effect of Herodias's solicitations, but of his own resentment. The place where he seized him might probably be Enon, where John had lately baptized, and where he again might return to his work and if so, Enon must have been in Herod's jurisdiction. Compare note a on John iii. 23. p. 151. e Bound him with chains.] It is plain from Matthew's manner of expressing this, S that VI. 17. 178 He shows that passage to be now fulfilled in him. Lord. SECT. by the sound of a trumpet, that welcome year acceptable year of the xxxii. of the Lord, which the year of jubilee, pleasLuke ing and grateful as it is, can but imperfectly reIV. 18. present, though debts are then forgiven and slaves released and inheritances restored to their original owners." 20. And he closed it again to the minister, and sat down; and the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fas 20 And having rolled up the book, which was a long scroll of parchment, he delivered it to the the book, and he gave servant of the synagogue whose proper office it was to take care of it; and then, according to the custom of the Jewish rabbis, sat down to preach (see Mat. v. 1. xxiii. 2, 3. xxvi. 55. and John viii. 2,) and the eyes of all in the synagogue were attentively fixed upon him, as they were very curious to know what he would say on a scripture which seemed so plainly to refer to the Messiah K. 21 And he began to speak at large from this excellent and suitable passage; and the main tendency and purport of his discourse was to say to them, To-day this scripture I have now been reading is remarkably fulfilled in your hearing; for I am the person foretold under this character, and sent with such ample powers to fulfil these purposes of the Divine mercy. 22 tened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words And And, strong as their prejudices were against him, they all (by their very countenances (see which proceeded out Job xxix. 11) bore their testimony to him as a of his mouth. most excellent preacher, and were astonished at they said, Is not this those graceful as well as comfortable words which Joseph's son ? tifully observed by the judicious Mr. Cra- i That welcome year of the Lord.] It is pro the Jubilee; compare Lev. xxv. 9, 10. and Psal. lxxxix. 15. k A scripture which seemed so plainly to refer to the Messiah.] Though many commentators of note apply Isa. Ixi. 1. to the good news of the dismission of the Jews from Babylon, I refer it to the impartial reader to judge, whether it be not much more probable that ver. 4, 5, 6. (where the prophet speaks of repairing the waste cities, planting vineyards, &c.) may be either meant in a spiritual sense, or literally predict the temporal prosperity of the church after the conversion of the Jews, than that Christ should mistake the true sense of the text, or build his argument on a mere allusion; see Dr. Sykes's Vindication of Christianity, p. 259, and Jeffery's True Grounds, p. 120. 1 Astonished at those graceful words.] The phrase in the original λoyos rus xagur, literally signifies words of grace; which, it is probable, may refer to the agreeable manner of Christ's discourse, as well as to Reflections on Herod's putting John in prison. MATI XIV. 5. And put him to death, he 159 But as John was still pressing him to dismiss SECT. when he would have Herodias, and telling him the insufficiency of xxviii. feared the multitude, any other reformation while he continued his' Mat. because they counted infamous commerce with her; and she in the XIV. 5. him as a prophet. mean time wearied Herod with her importunity; IMPROVEMENT. III. 19, WHAT dangerous things are grandeur and power, if Divine Luke grace does not secure the hearts of those who possess them! How 20. unhappy are they whose fatal prerogative it is to be able to oppress with impunity, and to render it hazardous even to reprove them! John well deserved the veneration and esteem of Herod when he thus took the freedom to perform this dangerous office of friendship, and to manifest a fidelity so seldom to be found in courts, and indeed so often wanting elsewhere. A wise prince would have courted his friendship, and sought his advice; but he is at length rewarded with imprisonment and death. Mark VI. 18. This good man was taken from his work, and laid aside in the Mark midst of his days and his usefulness; but he calmly acquiesced in VI. 17. the disposals of Providence, and no doubt carried along with him to his prison incomparably more happiness than his persecutors could find on the throne. In this confinement the prophet was not forgotten; but as if Herod had studied to increase his own torment, he must be sent for again and again to discourse before him. That he reverenced 20 a man of such approved integrity, none can wonder: but while he would not be entirely reformed by his remonstrances, that he should hear him with pleasure, and do many things, is very surprising. Delusive pleasure! unprofitable reformation! while, whatsoever instances he gave of his regarding him, Herodias was yet retained. May divine grace preserve us from such fatal parti it rendered, that he had heard him formerly with pleasure, and had done many things; supposing this refers to what had passed before his imprisonment: but such a change doth not appear necessary, as the paraphrase plainly shews. 1 Looked upon him as a prophet.] Accord- 160 The Pharisees are alarmed at Christ's success. SECT. partiality! since, did we keep the whole law, and offend allowedly but in one point, we should become guilty of all; Jam. ii. 10. xxviii. Mat. XIV. 5. SECT. John IV. 1. We cannot wonder if a reformation thus insincere and partial was but short lived, and was followed at length by a grosser apostacy. More bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands bands; (Eccles. vii. 26.) To what may not the artifices of such an abandoned creature work up the wretch that is entangled with her charms! Such was the influence of Herodias over him, that at her instigation, Herod is prevailed upon to seck the death of that righteous and holy man, whose virtues he revered, and whose preaching he had attended with pleasure. But the fear of the people restrained him, though he was destitute of the fear of God, and had not any generous regard to men. Thus does God govern the world, and thus does he protect his church, by often making it the interest even of the worst of men to forbear those injuries and cruelties which the malignity of their natures might otherwise dictate. Let us courageously commit the keeping of our souls to him in well-doing, as firmly believing, that, whatever hazards we may be exposed to, the wrath of man shall on the whole be found to praise him, and the remainder of that wrath shall he restrain! Psal. lxxvi. 10. SECT. XXIX. Christ going from Judea to Galilee meets with a woman of Samaria, and enters into a conference with her, in which he discovers himself to her as the Messiah. John IV. 1-26. JOHN IV. 1. JOHN IV. 1. Lord knew how than John, HE testimony which the Baptist had given WHEN therefore the to Christ, together with the miracles he the Pharisees had heard himself had wrought at Jerusalem during the that Jesus made and passover (see John ii. 23. and iii. 2.) impressed baptized more disciples the minds of the people to such a degree, that, during his long abode in those parts, vast numbers were continually flocking around him; which gave great umbrage to the Jewish rulers. When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees, whose interest in the sanhedrim was so considerable, had heard with great concern what began to be so much talked of abroad, that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John the Baptist him2 self had done; (Though indeed Jesus himself, a More disciples than John the Baptist himself had done.] I am not certain whc for 2 (Though Jesus him ther this happened before John's imprisonment or after; but if I had been sure it hap Reflections on his treatment at Nazareth. 181 away to the neighbouring city of Capernaum, SECT. where he abode for some time. xxxii. WE see that it was the custom of our blessed Saviour to frequent the synagogues every sabbath-day: how well therefore does it become his servants to be constant in their attendance on public ordinances, especially since those of the gospel are in many respects so much nobler than any which the Mosaic institution would admit! In the synagogues the scriptures were constantly read; and it is 17 matter of pleasing reflection that, in all ages of the Christian church, the reading them hath usually been made a part of the service in most of its solemn assemblies. Let it still be so with us for this reason, among others, that so glorious a testimony to the genuineness of scripture may not be impaired in our hands, but transmitted to those that shall arise after us. And surely the Old Testament, as well as the New, deserves our attentive perusal; in which, if we are not strangely negligent, or strangely prejudiced, we must often meet with remarkable prophecies of Christ shining with a pleasing lustre, like lights in a Ver. dark place, (2 Pet. i. 19.) How amiable a view of him is given 18, 19 in that which he now opened! Let us seriously attend to it. It is a moving representation that is here made of the deplorable state in which the gospel finds us! The helpless prisoners of Divine justice, the wretched captives of Satan, stripped and wounded, the eyes of our understanding blinded, and the powers of our souls enfeebled; and, as it were, bruised with those chains which prejudice and vice have fastened upon them! But in these miserable circumstances Jesus appears to open the doors of our prison, tọ strike off our fellers, and even to restore our sight. He comes to enrich our impoverished souls, and to preach a far better jubilee than Moses could proclaim; the free forgiveness of all our sins and the recovery of an inheritance of eternal glory. Surely it should be to us a most acceptable time. Blessed are the people that know this joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance! (Psal. lxxxix. 15.) In some sense this instructive and comfortable scripture is this 21, 22 day fulfilled in our ears likewise. Let us also bear our testimony to the gracious words of this welcome messenger whom God hath 20 anointed for such happy purposes ! One would have imagined that while the eyes of his auditors were fixed upon him, their souls should have drank in his doctrine as the thirsty earth sucks up the rain, and that every heart should have |