תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

e

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

e Luke xix 10.

when he evidently designed, for some important purpose, to involve the truth for a time in parable, which cannot here be urged. His words are, For I say unto you, that in heaven their angels, the angels of the disciples, do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven; which convey certainly no intimation of the ministration of angels at all. 6. The term angels must therefore be taken not for that order of celestial beings usually designated by it; but for the DISEMBODIED SPIRITS of the disciples themselves; and that this was a mode of expression in common use among the Jews of that age, is strongly corroborated from Acts xii. 15. Here it is related, that Peter, being miraculously delivered out of prison, came knocking at the door of the house of Mary the mother of Mark; that the damsel Rhoda knew his voice, but opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in to announce that Peter was at the gate; and that she strongly affirming it, in opposition to the incredulity of the disciples who were assembled for prayer in the house, they at length replied, believing certainly that he was still in prison, "It is his ANGEL." Now that they could mean any thing by the term angel, except Peter's spirit, is incredible; for his voice, and his own affirmation to the damsel, (for what should he say to her but that he was Peter, and sought admittance?) assured the damsel that Peter was at the gate; and the discipies, at length yielding

f Luke xv. 4.

to her testimony, and doubting not but that his body was fast held in prison, being as yet ignorant of his miraculous deliverance, could only conclude that it was his spirit. As for the notion of some of the Rabbins that guardian angels sometimes assumed the appearance of the person they had in charge, it cannot be proved to have been received generally even among the Rabbins themselves, nor to be as ancient as the time of Peter; or even if so, as such dreams were all drawn from the oriental philosophy with which many of them were infected, they were confined to speculative men, and did not influence the popular belief. We have here then an easy interpretation of the text, and one which we shall see perfectly harmonizes with what follows. The argument against despising Christ's disciples is placed upon this ground, that they are so the objects of God's regard, that he will raise them into his immediate presence, and crown them with immortal life; and this argument our Lord expresses in this most striking manner : "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto you that in heaven," that is, in a future state, "their angels," their spirits, "do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven;" they are admitted even to the beatific vision of God.

Verses 11-14.-For the Son of man is come to save, &c.-In these verses this interesting argument is still pursued in

the same train, but with new illustrations. Our Lord had warned those who might be induced to reproach and persecute his true disciples, that they were not to be despised with impunity, because they were the special objects of the love of God, who would, in proof of it, raise them to a state of future felicity and honour in heaven. He now speaks of his own love to them, as the Son of man, the Messiah whom they were following as disciples, and thus professing their faith in him. I, the Son of Man, came to save that which was lost; and having saved those who now follow me, having rescued them from their lost condition, they are specially dear to me; just as the shepherd has peculiar joy over the sheep he has found and restored to the flock. This forms the point of the beautiful parable which follows: And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, that he rejoiceth more of that sheep, on its account, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so, for this is the general inference, so therefore it follows, from the Father's own love, and from my mission into the world rendered successful as to them in saving that which was lost, it is not his will that that one of these little ones should perish; which negative form expresses his firm and unchangeable will, that they all should be glorified with himself in eternal felicity. Infinitely stronger therefore is this argument against despising and obstructing, and persecuting the disciples and ministers of Christ, than any which could arise from the circumstance of angels ministering to them. It is grounded upon the love of the Father; the advent of Christ into the world to save them; his rejoicing over them as the fruit of all his humiliations and sufferings; the intention of God to preserve them from perishing, and to bring them, even immediately after death, to behold his face in heaven, and to remain in his beatifying presence for ever. And if these considerations make a despising of his true disciples, as such, a despising of Christ, as he himself declares, and ought to operate as a salutary admonition to all, lest they should treat them with contempt or hostility; so they are powerful motives to

urge mutual love upon Christians, since they are so loved by their common Father, so rejoiced over by their common Saviour, and since the time is hastening when they shall all together "in heaven behold the face of their Father which is in heaven."

On the parable itself, it may be observed, that those who have found certain mysteries in the numbers ninety-nine and one, have been unacquainted with the Jewish modes of speaking, in which, in parabolical illustrations, such numbers are frequently used. Thus the Rabbins:

If ninety-nine die by an evil eye, and but one by the hand of heaven," &c. 'Although ninety-nine say, Scatter them, and only one, Divide them," &c. In parables, as before observed, we are to regard chiefly the leading point to be illustrated, and not to suppose that the subordinate parts have an equal fulness of meaning. Frequently, indeed, they are merely introduced to fill up the picture, or to complete the narrative. Whether the ninety and nine sheep left be anything more than this, may be doubted; if, however, it is a significant part of the parable, it must be interpreted of the angelic inhabitants of heaven. They were those whom the Great Shepherd left safe in the fold when he came into our world to "seek and to save that which was lost."

It may be further remarked, that, although in the foregoing discourse of our Lord, occasioned by his setting a little child in the midst, he makes use of the child as an emblem of the humility of his real disciples, and then breaks off to speak of the disciples themselves frequently as little ones, not of children; yet is it most reasonable to conclude, that, as the humility of a little child is included in the parallel with which he commences, so there is some respect to children of tender age throughout the whole discourse, and that its bearing is much in favour of infant salvation. We may, then, with respect to them, be instructed, that their " angels," the disembodied spirits of children dying before the age in which they are capable of actual sin, do behold the face of God in heaven, and have a place among the blessed; that the Great

15 ¶ Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

h

16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in " the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

g Lev. xix. 17; Luke xvii. 3.

h Deut. xix. 15; John viii. 17; 2 Cor. xiii. 1; Heb. x. 28.

Shepherd came to save them; and that it " is not the will of the Father that one of these little ones should perish." That infants will be saved, rests upon stronger grounds than this discourse, may be allowed, even upon that declaration of our Lord, For of such is the kingdom of heaven; but as this is unquestionably the doctrine of the whole New Testament, which condemns none but those who wilfully reject salvation, of which infants are not capable, so it is pleasing to mark how many of the kind declarations of our Lord in this discourse glance, as it were, from the disciples themselves, of whose interest in his own and his Father's love he is speaking, upon the little child yet standing in the midst, whom he had made their emblem, and who stood there as the representative of little children in general.

Verse 15. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass, &c.-Here an entirely new subject commences; and probably it was entered upon after some interval. Those who trace a connexion between it and the foregoing discourse, say that our Lord here turns from the offended to the offending party, pointing out the means of reclaiming him. But they do not observe the difference of terms. The person here spoken of is not an enemy who puts stumbling-blocks before the disciples of Christ, and despises them, but a brother who trespasses, quapravo, sins, against a brother; a sufficient proof that this is not a continuation of the last subject introduced. The manner here prescribed of treating the injuries we may suffer from each other in word or deed, is the opposite of that which men generally resort to, and yet would prove most effectual to remedy such evils in the first in

stance, and wholly prevent them from producing strife, uncharitableness, and malice. The whole compass of pagan ethics furnishes no rule at once so manly, so benevolent, so wise, so practical. Tell him his fault between thee and him alone; publish it not first to others; lay the case open to him before he is exasperated by being made the subject of public reproach; do it alone, without any witnesses, that he may be under no temptation from his pride to become obstinate; do it with reference to gaining thy brother, recovering him to the path of duty, and preventing the loss of his soul. This necessarily supposes calmness and kindness in the manner of convincing the offender of his error, and expostulating with him: and in how many cases would this rational, honest, and truly fraternal method of proceeding succeed! and how greatly is it to be preferred to a clamorous proclaiming of our injuries before we have even attempted to obtain redress! The advantages are two; and both of the highest value one is always in our power, the other we may probably secure. By this means we preserve our own souls from being injured by anger and malice, and our charity may triumph in gaining our brother. Let us not, however, forget that this counsel of our Lord is more than prudential advice; it is his direction; and has therefore the force of a COMMAND.

Verse 16. Of two or three witnesses.-It was the judicial rule to require the testimony of not less than two or three witnesses, to establish a charge. Deut. xix. 15. And it was probably the practice with the Jews to adopt it in settling private disputes. Here, indeed, the persons to be brought by the injured party are not witnesses of

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an 'heathen man and a publican.

1 Cor. v. 9; 2 Thess. iii. 14.

the fact of the injury, but of the charitable attempt made by him who had received it to bring the offender to a better mind, and to give him an opportunity of making an acknowledgment of his fault, and of repairing it. They were to aid in endeavouring to settle the matter of complaint; and, if unsuccessful, to give testimony of the whole proceeding to the church; to which the first appeal was to be made. The wisdom of this advice has not failed to arrest the attention of subsequent Jewish writers. Buxtorf has produced a passage from one of them in which the words of Christ are manifestly copied: "The wise man says, If thy friend does thee an injury, reprove him between him and thee alone; if he hears thee, thou hast already gained him; if he does not hear thee, speak to him before one or two, who may consider the matter; and, if he will not hear, reckon him a worthless friend." This author would not mention Christ by name, but says, generally, "the wise man," or "one of the wise men," the name by which their doctors were distinguished. Maimonides, too, has a passage borrowed from the same source, which may be regarded as a paraphrase upon our Lord's words, and furnishes an excellent comment also upon a part of them. "He that reproveth his friend, whether for things between him and himself, or whether for things between him and God, ought to reprove him alone; and should speak to him mildly, and in tender language, and let him know that he speaks to him for his good, and to bring him to everlasting life.

Verse 17. Tell it to the church.-The assembly. The Jews would understand by this word the congregation collected in the synagogue; for it was their practice to proclaim obstinate offenders there. So Maimonides, "If any refuse to feed his children, they reprove him, they shame

him, they urge him: if he still refuse, they make proclamation against him in the synagogue." But our Lord looks to the establishment of his own church, and the exercise of discipline in those assemblies of Christians, which, though like the Jewish synagogues, they have the power of discipline within themselves, yet collectively form his universal church, as the synagogues collectively formed the general Jewish church. The apostles who then followed him may be considered as the elements of his church at that time; but it could scarcely be considered as constituted until after the day of pentecost, when regular assemblies under apostolic direction were formed, the worship of God arranged, the supper of the Lord administered, and the terms of communion mutually acknowledged. Christ must therefore be considered as speaking prospectively.

But if he neglect to hear the church, &c. -The great rules of church discipline are here most distinctly laid down. The church is to hear the case; to advise and admonish in order to correct and save the offending person; but if the admonitions and counsels of the church are obstinately disregarded, then the offender is to be put out of communion, and to be to the injured person and to the church itself as a heathen man and a publican; that is, all religious connexion is to be broken off with him; he is, as St. Paul expresses it, to be "put away." But this is all: no civil disabilities are to be inflicted upon him, much less pains and penalties; and as our Lord treated "heathens and publicans" with compassion and kindness, and sought their salvation, so the advice he here gives is to be interpreted by his conduct; and the separated and disowned brother is still to be the object of charity and sympathy, and every means is to be taken to effect his restoration.

18 Verily I say unto you,' Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

j John xx. 23; 1 Cor. v. 4.

Verse 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, &c.-Great obscurity has been thrown around this passage by mistaking its relation to the preceding verses, and by referring the binding and loosing to persons, in the sense of forgiving and retaining their sins, instead of to things, as the words themselves declare Whatsoever matters or things ye shall bind, &c., οσα εαν δησητε κ. τ. λ. For the import of the phrases to bind and to loose, see the note chap. xvi. 19, where the same promise is made through Peter to the apostles. To understand this passage clearly it is necessary to consider that, as the various matters of dispute which would arise among brethren, or Christians, involved moral questions, and these were to be referred, in the last resort, to the church, they must be determined by some fixed and settled RULES. Now Christianity is a more perfect dispensation of moral duties, as well as of grace. This is proved from our Lord's sermon on the mount, and many other of his discourses, where he not only refutes modern errors, but places ancient truths in clearer light, and shows their limitation or extension more accurately, and adds many others. This is further confirmed by the moral part of the writings of the apostles, in which all the holy principles laid down in the Old Testament, and in the discourses of Christ, are drawn out into particular injunctions, and applied to the various personal, civil, ecclesiastical, and social duties incumbent upon Christians. It was therefore necessary after our Lord, with reference to the discipline to be exercised in his future church, had prescribed the mode of dealing with offenders, should speak of the rules or laws by which all such cases were to be determined, and the source from which they should emanate. These rules or laws were to be brought in by the apostles, to whom the Holy Spirit was to be given in

Now

the plenitude of his inspiration, to bring the doctrines which Christ himself had taught to their "remembrance," and "to lead them into all truth," necessary to complete the Christian system. these were to be the sole and only laws by which things were to be bound or loosed; that is, as shown in the note just referred to, declared lawful or unlawful, binding upon men's consciences or otherwise; and consequently, by these rules, Christians were to form their private judgment respecting what is right or wrong in their various kinds and degrees, and by the same rules the censures or otherwise of "the church" were to be solely directed. These words therefore were spoken to the apostles, as indeed was the whole preceding discourse; for the eleven, after they had disputed about superiority, by the way, joined Peter and Christ in the house; and the twelve being thus collected, and they only, our Lord delivers to them that series of addresses which this chapter contains. When, therefore, our Lord says, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven," &c., he repeats the promise he had before made to them, that they should be made the infallible teachers of the whole truth of his religion, and applies it to the practical use which should be made of the doctrines they were to leave on record, as rules to determine all moral questions in the church; with the same assurance as before, that their inspired decisions should be confirmed in heaven, as being in fact the rules and principles on which the moral government of God would, through all future time, be conducted. No man therefore, or body of men, can have power to bind or loose in the church, but he who is inspired to know what the laws of the divine government are; for nothing which is declared on earth can hold good in heaven, as determining what is pleas

[ocr errors]
« הקודםהמשך »