say, Do not disturb me at so late an hour, for the door is now shut and fastened, and my children are with me in bed: I cannot 8 rise to give thee. If he still go on to press the request, I tell you, though he would not rise to give him the loaves, because he was his friend, yet on account of his importunity, he will get up and give him as many as he wants. Much more will God, who is infinitely good, though he may not answer you immediately, at length give you what you need, if you continue importunate in your pray9 ers: And therefore I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock at the door of mercy and it shall 10 be opened to you. This has been confirmed by happy experience : for every one that asks, receives and he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.

LI

And consider what father is there among you, who, if a son shall ask for bread, will give him a stone? or if he ask for a 12 fish, instead of a fish will give him a serpent? or if he ask for 13 an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that earnestly ask him?

REFLECTIONS.

Well does this petition become every disciple of Christ, Lord, teach us to pray! Thou hast taught us by thine example, and by the precepts of thy word; teach us also by thine Holy Spirit! Excellent is this form of sound and divine words, which our great Master here recommends. God forbid, that any of his followers should censure their brethren, who think it still proper to use it, not only as a directory, but as a form too, though perhaps with some little variation from the original sense of some clauses of it*. Let us attentively study it, that, concise and expressive as it is, our thoughts may go along with its several petitions.

Let us learn to reverence and love God, and to consider ourselves as brethren in his family. Let the glory of his name, and the prosperity of his kingdom, be much dearer to us than any separate interest of our own. Let it be our cordial desire that his will may be universally obeyed, and with the most entire consent of soul acquiesced in, by all his creatures, both in heaven and on earth. Let our appetites and passions be so moderated, that having even the plainest food and raiment we may be therewith content: and, on the other hand, how plentiful soever our circumstances may be, let us remember, that day by day we depend on God for our daily bread. Nor do we need even the most necessary supplies of life more than we need daily pardon; to which therefore we should be putting in

* Dr. Guyse has excellently shewn that this prayer in its original sense was peculiarly suited to the dispensation then present, as introductory to the Messiah's kingdom. But there is not a clause in it which will not bear a more extensive sense, and express what ought to be the daily breathings of our heart before God. It is astonishing that any should condemn their brethren for using it.

our constant claim, heartily forgiving all our brethren, as we desire to be forgiven by God. Conscious of our own weakness, let us as far as we can, endeavour to avoid circumstances of temptation; and when necessarily led into them, let us be looking up to heaven for support; labouring above all things to preserve our integrity, and to maintain a conscience void of offence.

Depending on the certainty of these gracious promises, and encouraged by the experience of so many thousands, who have on asking received, and on seeking found, let us renew our importunate addresses to the throne of divine grace: and, remembering the compassion of our heavenly Father, let us be emboldened, in the full assurance of faith, to ask every necessary blessing, especially the communication of that enlightening and sanctifying Spirit, whithout which our corrupt hearts will find out a ready way to abuse the choicest of his providential favours to the dishonour of his holy name, and the deeper wounding of our own miserable souls.

SECTION CX.

Our Lord dining at the house of a Pharisee, admonishes him and his brethren of their guilt and danger. LUKE xi*. 37, &c.

S7

No

OW while he was speaking, a certain Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he went in and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw that he did not first wash before din39 ner, he wondered at it. But the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, while your in40 ward part is full of rapine and wickedness. O thoughtless creatures, Did not he that made the outside, make also that which is 41 within? But give alms in proportion to your substance, and be42 hold all things are pure to you. But wo unto you Pharisees! for you pay the tithe of mint, and rue, and every other herb, but pass by judgment and the love of God. These you ought to have 43 done, and not to neglect the other. Wo unto you Pharisees! for you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations 44 in the markets. Wo unto you, O Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like concealed graves, which men walk over, and are not aware of them.

45

And one of the doctors of the law answered and said unto him, 46 Master, in saying these things, thou reproachest us too. But he

said, Wo unto you also, ye interpreters of the law! for you load men with insupportable burdens, and you yourselves will not touch 47 the burdens with one of your fingers. Wo unto you all, for you build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers slew them. 48 Truly you bear witness to and approve the works of your fathers; for they indeed slew them, and you build their sepulcheres, one would imagine not so much in honour of them as of their persecutors. *The verses 14-36, here omitted, are inserted § 61-64 as parallel to Matt. xii. 22, &c.

49 Therefore also the wisdom of God* hath said, I will send them other prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill, and 50 persecute the rest; that the blood of all the prophets which has been shed from the foundation of the world, may seem to be requir51 ed of this generation; from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the temple. (2 Chron. xxiv. 20.) Yea I tell you again, It shall be required of 52 this generation. Wo unto you interpreters of the law! for you have taken away the key of knowledge: you have not entered in to the kingdom yourselves, and those that would have entered in you 53 have hindered. While he spake these things to them, the Scribes and Pharisees began fiercely to fasten upon him, and rudely to 54 urge him to speak of many things, that were exceptionable; laying snares for him, and attempting to start some unguarded word from his mouth, that they might accuse him to the magistrate.

REFLECTIONS.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; and such were the reproofs of Christ on this occasion. How well had all the entertainments of the Pharisee's table been repaid, had he and his brethren heard them with candour, humility, and obedience! These men despised them to their ruin; let us often review them for our instruction, that none of these dreadful woes may come upon us. This discourse of our Lord is a most just and severe rebuke to every hypocritical professor, who is scrupulous and exact in matters of ceremony, while he neglects morality; and is studious to shine in the sight of men, while he forgets the all penetrating eye of God. It exposes the ostentation of those who pride themselves in empty titles of honour, and eagerly affect precedence and superiority. And it evidently chastises those who press on others the duties they neglect themselves, and so are most righteously judged out of their own mouth.

How melancholy is it to observe, in instances like these, the hypocrisy and deceitfulness of the human heart, and its desperate and unfathomable wickedness! and to see how men impose upon themselves with empty appearences, like these Pharisees; who built the sepulchres of the former prophets, while they were persecuting those of their own day; and, in contempt of all that was said by the messengers of God were filling up the measure of their iniquities, till the cloud which had been so long gathering burst on their heads, and poured forth a storm of aggravated wrath and ruin! May that God, who has an immediate access to the hearts of men, deliver all christian countries, and especially all protestant churches, from such teachers as are here described; who take away and secrete the key of knowledge instead of using it, and obstruct, rather than promote, men's entrance into the kingdom of heaven! How loud will the blood of the souls they have

*That is, God in his wisdom.

+ The word Ongeval has a most beautiful propriety, signifying the eagerness with which sportsmen beat about for game to start it from its

betrayed cry against them in the awful day of accounts! and how little will the wages of unrighteousness, and the rewards of worldly policy, be able to warn them against destruction, or to support them under it!

SECTION CXI.

Christ cautions his disciples against hypocrisy, and animates them against the fear of men by the promise of extraordinary assistance. LUKE Xii. 1-12.

'IN

N the mean time, while Christ was at the Pharisee's house, many thousands of people were gathered together, so that they trampled on each other; and o he began to say to his disciples, Above all things take heed to yourselves of the leaven of the Par2 isees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing concealed which 3 shall not be unveiled, nor hid which shall not be made known. So that whatever you have spoken in darkness shall be published in the light; and what you have whispered in closets shall be proclaimed as from the house-tops.

4

And I say unto you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the bo5 dy, and after that have nothing more which they can do. But I will point out to you whom you shall fear; fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell. I say unto you, Fear 6 him. His providence extends to the meanest of his creatures. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthingst? Yet not one of them is 7 forgotten before God. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are more valuable than 8 many sparrows. But whatever you may suffer in my cause you will not be losers in the end, for I say unto you, If any one shall acknowledge me before men, the Son of man shall also acknowledge 9 him before the angels of God. But as for him that renounces me before men, him will I also renounce before the angels of God. 10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it may be forgiven him on repentance; but as for him that blasphemeth the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him.

11

But when they shall bring you before the synagogues and magistrates, and the supreme powers, be not anxious how to behave, 12 or what apology you shall make, or what you shall say; for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say to vindicate the honour of my gospel, and to confound your enemies.

REFLECTIONS.

Let us, from this discourse which we have been reading, learn the folly of hypocrisy, as well as the wickedness of it. A lying tongue is but for a moment; and the great approaching judgment-day will shew

*Greek, Myriads. A myriad is ten thousand.

A Roman Coin called as, the tenth part of the penny, equal to about three of our farthings

all in their true colours. May we live as those who are then to be made manifest! May the leaven of deceit, by divine grace, be entirely purged out of our hearts, and all our conduct be so fair and equal, that it may appear more honourable and lovely, in proportion to the accuracy with which it is examined; as the whitest garments are recommended by being seen in the strongest light!-If we would preserve such an integrity of soul, let us endeavour to get above the servile fear of man; of man, that shall die, and of the son of man, that shall be made as grass; as if the oppressor had us in his power, and were ready to desiroy: and where is the fury of the oppressor? With what infinite ease can God restrain it; and when it is let loose in all its violence, how little can it do to hurt his faithful servants! Let this mean passion be over-awed by the fear of that God who has our eternal all in his hands; whose vengeance, or favour, will reach far beyond the grave, and determine our final misery or felicity, as we are the objects of the one or the other.

While we are in the world let us labour after a firm faith in the uni. versality of divine Providence; from which the least of his creatures are not exempted, nor are they forgotten by it. Let us endeavour to enjoy the pleasure and comfort of such a thought; assuring ourselves that he who regards the life of birds and of insects will not neglect the care and preservation of his children. In a steady persuasion of this, let us determine courageously to confess and maintain his gospel in the extremest danger; knowing that thus only we shall secure the honour of being owned by Christ amidst all the glories of his final appearance. And, in a word, to animate us to this holy courage, and to assist us in every other duty, let us earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit ; by whose influence the apostles were instructed and supported in the discharge of their difficult and various offices; whose grace therefore must be abundantly sufficient for us, to cause us to abound in every good word and work.

SECTION CXII.

Christ declines interposing in a dispute between two brethren : advances a caution against covetousness, and enforces it by the parable of the rich fool. LUKE xii. 13—21.

13

AND one of the crowd that was about Jesus, said to him, Master, speak to my brother that he would divide the inher14 itance with me. But he replied, Man, who constituted me a 15 judge or a divider over you? And he said to them that were pre

sent, See to it that you be upon your guard against covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his posses16 sions. And to enforce this remark, he spake a parable to them and said,

*

There was a certain rich man, whose ground bore so plenti17 fully, that he had not room for the produce. And he reasoned with

"Fruit" is here unnecessarily supplied.