thinks, the word is used like the Hebrew op, which signifies both a little one and a disciple.

CHAPTER XI. Verse 3. Art thou he that should come? &c.—That John sent these disciples to obtain such information from Christ, as might remove doubts which he himself through infirmity had begun to entertain, as to the character of our Lord, is the view of many expositors. And they have devised and indulged conjectures to account for this failure in the strength of John's previous faith; all of which, like the assumption that the prophet fell into any doubt on the subject, are perfectly gratuitous. The evidences which John had received as to Jesus being the Christ, were too strong to be easily shaken, and he had views too spiritual as to his kingdom to be "offended: at his lowly course of life. The expression of St. Matthew, "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ," also intimates this; for Christ is not here used as a proper name, but with the article, and would more properly have been rendered, the works of the CHRIST, or the Messiah. He knew that these were the works by which the CHRIST was to demonstrate himself; and he sends his disciples to hear, or to be witnesses of them, in order to their believing in him. This question is fully set at rest by the remark of our Lord respecting John, in a subsequent verse, where he declares, that "he was not a reed shaken with the wind," and therefore, a firm and immovable character; a eulogy which he would scarcely have merited had he, after such testimonies from heaven, doubted of the Messiahship of him whom he had baptized in Jordan, and on whom he had seen the Holy Spirit visibly descend. The disciples sent by him, therefore, were obviously sent to converse with our Lord for their own conviction. Some of John's followers had already joined Christ; and their number had been greatly on the de

cline before he was cast into prison. This he knew was according to the divine order; for his own words were, "I must decrease, but he must increase." He had now probably very few disciples remaining; but as he would still continue his work of calling men to repentance as Christ's forerunner, even in the prison, to which it does not appear that any were denied access to him, the men now sent were probably among his most recent converts. His office was to lead his disciples to believe in Jesus as the Christ whose way he was to "prepare ;" but he too would have to combat with their prejudices. They might, in several cases, be willing to admit John's claim to be a prophet; but would stumble at his doctrine that Jesus was the Messiah whose approaching manifestation he was commissioned to announce, because of his not assuming the external splendour they expected. In such cases they would be most effectually put in the way of receiving full conviction by a personal conversation with our Lord. There is also another view. The life of John was precarious, and dependent upon the caprice of Herod, and he would naturally be anxious to provide for the religious welfare of his remaining followers, by attaching them to Christ; and the two here mentioned were probably sent with the question proposed, that they might report the answer of our Lord to the rest, an answer to which John knew well how to give weight. It is clear from the question, “Art thou he that should come, or do we," must we, "look for another?" and from one part of our Lord's reply, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me," that a difficulty existed in their minds whether Jesus was the Messiah for whom John had taught them to "look," arising out of circumstances as to which they were in danger of "being offended;" and this can only be resolved into the lowly condition of our Lord, and his keeping himself chiefly in the remote province of Galilee. They came there.

me.

b Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6.

fore, sent by John, and to him they were to report the answer, not for the resolution of any doubt of his; but that he might communicate it to his disciples, as an answer to their difficulties from Jesus himself.

Verse 5. The blind receive their sight, &c. These were the proofs on which our Saviour rested his claim to be the Mesgiah for the conviction of John's disciples; but why did he refer to such works when the disciples of John could scarcely have been ignorant of his miracles, the "fame" of which, it is so often said, spread throughout "all that region?" The reason was, that the message being sent to John their master, manifestly as the proper person to point out its force to his disciples, he could not but perceive that the cogency of Christ's answer lay in the reference which it makes to the fulfilment of two illustrious passages in Isaiah, which speak so clearly of the Messiah, that the Jewish writers themselves have never hesitated in applying them to him. The first is Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." The other passage was indicated by the last clause of the reply, And the poor have the GOSPEL preached to them. It is Isaiah Ixi. 1, &c.: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the MEEK; he hath sent me to bind up

c Isaiah Ixi. 1.

the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives," &c. The Messiah of the prophet was to perform miracles of healing; and he was to be a preacher of GOOD TIDINGS, of the gospel, to poor, humble, afflicted persons, the captives of sin and misery; and this, as though our Lord had said, is the work in which I am engaged. He even adds to the miracles mentioned by Isaiah as to be performed by Messiah, and the dead are raised; the force of which would be felt, if the sentiment of the modern Rabbins was then held, that "in the land where the dead should arise, the kingdom of the Messiah should commence." That the Jews expected the Messiah to perform great miracles, is clear from John vii. 31: "When the Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

Verse 6. Offended in me.-Σkavdaλišw is from σkavdaλov, which in scripture signifies a trap, or snare, a sharp stake driven into the ground to impede the march of an enemy by wounding the feet; a stone or block laid in a path to cause a person to stumble or fall; and metaphors from each are in the New Testament couched under the common term. Generally it refers either to that which gives occasion to sin and unbelief, or is made so by perversion, or that which acts as an impediment in the Christian cause, by producing discouragement and impa

tience.

Verse 7. Concerning John.-The visit of

A man clothed in soft clothing are in kings'

d

A prophet? yea, I

John's disciples gave our Lord an opportunity to bear a most honourable testimony to his faithful, but now imprisoned, herald and forerunner, and to declare him to be the Elias of prophecy.

What went ye out into the wilderness to see?-That is, what kind of man did you find in the wilderness of Jordan, when you went out in multitudes to see and to hear John? Was he a reed shaken by the wind? Yielding to every gust like the reeds on the banks of Jordan where he baptized? The question implies a strong negative, which Whitby has well expressed, "You did not go to see a man wavering in his testimony, but firm and constant." A man clothed in soft raiment? Dressed in luxurious garb, as they who are in kings' houses. Here our Lord refers to his plain fidelity rather than to dress merely, to his truthspeaking and earnest appeals to them, so far removed from the phrase and flattery, and double-tongued hypocrisy, and delicate avoidance of offence, found among courtiers in the palaces of kings, who were distinguished for the softness of their raiment. A prophet? He was truly a prophet, as being a commissioned servant of God, favoured with direct revelations, acting under the impulse of inspiration; and appointed, like the ancient prophets, both to warn a guilty people, and to describe the character and glories of Messiah. In all these respects John was truly a prophet; but our Lord adds with emphasis, yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet, more than the greatest of the ancient prophets, not one of them being excepted; and he was so in this distinguished particular, that he was the

Verse 10. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, &c.—That John was the person intended by Malachi iii. 1, so that here is no pretence for an accommodated sense, we learn from the passage being here applied by Christ himself to his forerunner, in its direct and primary sense. As is usual with the Jews, a part of this prophecy only is quoted, as introductory to the whole; but from the entire passage we learn that John was God's ayyeλos or messenger; that his office was to prepare the way of Messiah before his face immediately, the Master following the servant without any delay; that THE LORD, the Divine Messiah, whom, says the prophet, ye seek, whom all the Jewish people were looking for, should suddenly come to his temple, and that he should appear as the messenger of the covenant, bringing with him God's covenant of grace and peace with man, to open its great provisions and promises, and to ratify it with his own blood, and then to publish it by his apostles to all nations. Thus emphatically does this illustrious prophecy mark the characters both of John and of our Lord. In both it was illustriously fulfilled; but no other two persons since the date when it was uttered can be adduced to whose characters and actions it in the least degree corresponds. In the prophecy of

come.

their superior knowledge to persons of a certain class; and they neglected and even despised the body of the populace. "The people know not the law, and are accursed," was, their contemptuous language; and hence they were left as sheep having no shepherd." John's preaching was popular, as all true preaching must be; it was adapted to instruct and save the mass of society; and the impression of it was so great, that multitudes from every part of Palestine came to his baptism, and gladly heard from him that "the kingdom of heaven was at hand." Of this popular and condescending character, also, was the preaching of Christ. He held forth the same hope, that the same kingdom was "at hand;" and the multitudes hung upon his lips, and followed him on his journeys. The excitement, indeed, appears to have been as ardent as it was general; and thus did these neglected people "press into the kingdom of God," as far as it was then revealed; and, like a tumultuous rush of soldiers scaling the walls of a city, they appeared determined to seize the glorious and heart-touching truths which had so long been withheld from them. There came, indeed, a time of trial afterwards; many of these eager spirits were "offended" in Christ, turned back, and "walked no more with him;" and the subtle activity of the envious and exasperated scribes and Pharisees blasted much of this hopeful show, in fields "white unto harvest:" but still great numbers, no doubt, were saved, and the people were prepared for the labourers sent forth among them after the resurrection; for we read in several places of the Acts, that in different parts "multitudes believed." The body of the nation, however, remained impenitent; and Jerusalem especially maintained its ancient character for the obduracy with which its inhabitants rejected the testimony of God;

and most of the higher orders everywhere, the persons who formed what was properly THE JEWISH STATE, put away from them the proferred grace, and succeeded at length in inspiring others with the same hatred of Christ and his servants, "until wrath came upon them to the uttermost."

Verse 13. Prophesied until John.-The causal particle, yap, shows that a reason is here given for the pressing of the people into the kingdom of God, just mentioned. The word prophesied, in order to make this reason apparent, must be taken in its proper sense of predicted, otherwise the connexion is not discernible. Until John the law and the prophets PREDICTED the kingdom of heaven, the spiritual reign and institutions of Messiah, as being still afar off in the distant future; but John did not so properly PREDICT that kingdom as ANNOUNCE it to be "at hand," as even now introducing, and already incipiently present. This news was eagerly seized by the multitudes whom his preaching had brought to repentance, and they flocked in crowds to Christ its author, from whom they had been taught by John to expect the remission of their sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Verse 14. This is Elias, which was for to come.-Elias is the same as Elijah, under which name the prophet Malachi, iv. 5, predicted the coming of John the Baptist. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;" that is, before the destruction of the Jewish state by the terrible judgments of God. That Elijah himself was not intended, as some of the Jews dreamed, and indeed still expect, but one called prophetically and figuratively by his name, on account of a similarity of character, we have confirmed to us by the same authority which dictated the original prophecy; for the angel sent from God to announce John's birth, declares," He shall go before in