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fs came near, laid hold on the bier, and bade the young man a fe. 14. And he came and touched the bier, and they that bare bm flood fill, and be faid, Young man, I fuy unto thee, Arife.No fooner had he uttered this command than the youth revived, having received life from Jefus. 15. And be that was dead fat up, and began to speak; and be delivered him to his mother: Inftead of fhewing him around to the multitude, Jefus, by a fingular exercise of modesty and humanity, prefented him to his mother, to intimate, that in compaffion of her affliction he had wrought the life-giving miracle. At the fame time, as it was performed hard by the city gate, which anciently in thofe countries was the place of public refort, the youth must have been raised from the dead in prefence of many witneffes, particularly the multitude' which came with Jefus, the people who accompanied the corpfe, and all who on bufinefs happened to be at that inftant in the gate. Wherefore, being fo publicly performed, this great miracle became alfo a noble confirmation of our Lord's miffion. And there came a fear on all: All the people prefent being fenfible, that Jefus fhewed in this inftance, not only the greatnefs of his power, but the truth of his miffion from God, were seized with a religious awe and reverence which had him for its object, -and they glorified God, faying, That a great prophet is rifen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. This is the expreffion which Zacharias, the father of the Baptift, ufed when he spake of the coming of Meffiah. Wherefore the meaning of the inhabitants of Nain was this: God hath vifited his people, by having raifed up among them the great prophet promifed to Mofes in the law. The evangelift juftly obferves, that by acknowledging Jefus as Meffiah, they honoured God.—17, And this rumour of him. that he was the prophet promifed to Mofes, or Meffiah, went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about: Wherever the miracle was reported, which was not only in Judea, but in all the neighbouring regions, it produced the fame opinion in those who heard of it, as it had done in the inhabitants of Nain who faw it; fo that Jefus was univerfally believed to be Meffiah.

XLII. John Baptift fends meffengers to Jefus. They find him at Capernaum Jefus vindicates the Baptift's character. Mat. xi. 2, 20. Luke vii. 18,-35.

2,-20.

ALL this while, John Baptift was in prifon, Herod having confined him for the freedom which he took in reproving his adulterous commerce with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. But his confinement was not of the closest kind, for his difciples had access to see him frequently. In one of thofe vifits, they gave him an account of the election of the twelve apoftles to preach the gofpel, and of Chrift's miracles; particularly that he had VOL. II. lately

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lately raised from the dead Jairus' daughter, and the widow of Nain's fon; as is plain from Luke, who brings in the history of John's meffage immediately after these miracles, in the following manner: Luke vii. 18. And the difciples of John fhewed bm of all these things. Matt. xi. 2. Now when John had heard in prifon the works of Chrift, be fent, &c. Luke vii. 19. And John calling unto him two of his difciples, fent them unto Jefus, faying, Art thou be that should come, the appellation given to Meffiah, Hab. ii. 3. or look we for another? Formerly John had pointed our Lord out as Meffiah to the people who attended his minift y, and had declared that the discovery was made to him by revelation. It may therefore feem ftrange, that he should at any time have entertained the leaft doubt of it, because that would imply a thing which can by no means be admitted, viz. that a prophet might be in an uncertainty with refpect to his own inspiration. To obviate this difficulty, fome have fuppofed that John fent his difciples only to learn whether the perfon who performed those miracles was he on whom the Spirit formerly had defcended. But the fuppofition is improbable, as at this time there was no other worker of miracles in Judea, who could give occafion to the doubt. Befides, when John's difciples fpake of Jefus, they must have mentioned him by his name, which the Baptist was well acquainted with, or they must have defcribed him fo as to distinguish him fufficiently from all other perfons whatever, as we find them doing, John iii. 26. "Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness," &c. Wherefore, the weakness of this folution is evident. Others think that John did not fend his difciples to Jefus for the confirmation of his own faith, but for the ftrengthening of theirs. However, the fcope of the paffage forbids this folution also, infinuating that he sent the meffage for his own fake principally. His difciples, it is faid, came and related to him Chrift's miracles; particularly the two refurrections which had been lately performed. But the more and greater miracles Jefus wrought, the higher must the opinion have been which the Baptift's difciples entertained of him. His miracles, instead of weakening, fhould have ftrengthened their faith in him, and in their master's teftimony concerning him. Befides, had the greatnefs of his miracles really ftaggered their faith, it is not eafy to understand how they fhould have been difposed to believe Chrift's teftimony concerning himself, rather than their mafter's concerning him. Not to mention that Jesus bade the disciples go and carry his anfwer to John, "Go, tell John what ye hear and fee," plainly implying, that John had fent the meffage for his own fake chiefly, and not for the fake of his difciples.

The Baptift entertaining an high opinion of his own gts, thought it was neceflary that he should preach the gospel, nd

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prepare men for the erection of Chrift's kingdom. From the very beginning of his imprisonment, therefore, both he and his difciples had certainly expected that the divine power, which Jefus was every day giving fresh proofs of, would have been exerted in bringing about his release. And though they had not hitherto perceived any appearance of fuch a miracle, they had still waited with patience, and entertained hopes of it. But when John gat notice, that twelve illiterate fishermen were chosen to preach the gospel, and furnished with miraculous powers for that purpose; and that two perfons of no confideration at all were raised from the dead, while he was fuffered to lie idle and useless in prison, he began at length to find that Jefus did not put that value upon his fervices which he thought they deserved, and of confequence, that no miracle would be wrought for his deliverance. His patience therefore being quite tired, he fent this meffage to Jefus, " Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" Not as if he entertained any doubt of his being Meffiah; but by asking the queftion, he complained that Jefus had not acted the part which he thought Meffiah fhould have acted. That this was the Baptift's frame of mind when he sent his difciples to Chrift, may be gathered also from the answer which he received. For our Lord, after having performed various miracles in presence of the meffengers, bade them go tell their maf ter what they had heard and feen. Luke vii. 20. When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptift bath fent us unto thee, faying, Art thou be that should come, or look we for another? 21. And in that fame hour be cured many of their infir mities and plagues, and of evil Spirits, and unto many that were blind be gave fight It happened that at the time the Baptist's difciples came to Jesus, a vast number of diseased, blind and poffeffed people were waiting on him in order to be cured. Wherefore, Jefus embraced the opportunity, and in presence of the Baptift's meffengers inftantly cured them all.-22. Then Jefus anfwering, faid unto them, Go your way, and tell John (Mat. again) what things ye have feen and beard, how that the blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, the deaf bear, the dead are raised, plainly claiming the powers afcribed by Isaiah to Meffiah. For that prophet, chap. xxxv. had exprefsly foretold, that at the coming of God to fave his people, ver. 5. " Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf fhall be unstopped. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb fing." Wherefore, by his miracles Jefus clearly proved himself to be Meffiah, only he left it to the Baptift and his difciples to draw the conclufion themselves :-to the poor the gospel is preached. (Matthew, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.) It was another of the characters of Meffiah, mentioned by Isaiah, that he was to preach the gospel to the poor. Sce

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on Luke iv. 18. § 24. This too was remarkably verified in Jefus. For he did not court the favour of the great and the rich, by fhewing them peculiar respect in the exercife of his ministry. No: he preached to the poor, and affisted them by his miracles as readily as the rich; and by fo doing distinguished himself from the Jewish doctors, who being for the moft part lovers of pleafures, affociated with the rich and neglected the poor. Farther, by preaching the gofpel to the poor, Meffiah was distinguished alfo from all the heathen philofophers and priests. For whereas they concealed the myfteries or depths of their doctrine from the vulgar, and those who were not initiated; he opened his to every one without diftinction, to the poor as well as to the rich, to the unlearned as well as to the learned. Others put a different fenfe upon the claufe πτωχοι ευαγγελίζονται, tranflating it actively, The poor preach the gospel; as if Jefus intended to infinuate that the Baptift had no reafon to be difpleafed with the election of twelve illiterate fishermen to preach the gofpel, while he, whofe gifts were far fuperior to theirs, was fuffered to lie useless in prifon; because this alfo was one of the characters of the Meffiah's reign mentioned by Isaiah. According to this interpretation, our Lord's meaning was, Go and tell your mafter, that the miracles you have feen me perform, are the very miracles which Ifaiah long ago predicted Meffiah fhould perform, and that the perfons I have chofen to affift me in preaching the gospel, are such as the fame prophet has pointed out for that work. He defired them alfo to tell their master from him, that he would do well not to be offended, either at the choice he had made of the apostles, or at no miracles being wrought for his release. 23. And bleed is he whofoever fhall not be offended in me. Our Lord's anfwer, therefore, was defigned to make the Baptift fenfible of the unreafonableness of his difcontentment, and to teach him fubmiffion in a cafe which was plainly above the reach of his judgment. For Chrift's kingdom was to be erected, not in the method which John thought the moft proper, but which he himself faw to be fo. That John fhould have grown impatient under his long confinement, is not more furprising than that the prophet Jonah fhould have been out of humour, firft at the prefervation of Nineveh, and then at the withering of his gourd.

Our Lord faw this matter, not as John did, but in its true light. He knew that if a miracle had been wrought for his fore-runner's deliverance, it might have leffened the weight of his teftimony, because fome would have alleged, that the two were combined together to advance each other's reputation. The Baptift, indeed, on a former occafion had been at pains to prevent all fufpicion of this kind; for when he teftified that Jefus was Meffiah, he at the fame time declared, that he did not fo much as know his pretenfions to the character, till he faw the Spirit defcend upon him in

a visible manner at his baptifm, John i. 38. Befides, that which gave John Baptift fuch offence, was by the direction of the divine Providence made the strongest support of the gospel. The weaknefs of the inftruments employed in preaching it, clearly demonftrated the excellency of the power by which they acted; for which reafon Jefus made it twice the matter of particular thankfgiving. See Matt. xi. 25. § 42. Luke x. 11. § 81.

But left the people who heard John's meffage, should have entertained harsh thoughts of him on account of it, our Lord thought fit to fet his character in its true light, Matt. xi. 7. And as they departed, (Luke, When the messengers of John were departed) Jefus began to fay unto the multitudes (Luke, the people) concern ing John, What went ye out into the wilderness to fee? a reed fbaken with the wind? that is, a man of an unstable difpofition, and of a cowardly behaviour. In this question, which implies a ftrong negation, the invincible courage and conftancy of the Baptift is applauded. His imprisonment for reproving king Herod, thewed that he was not afraid of men; and as for his conftancy, though it seemed a little hurt by the meffage which he fent, it was not impaired by it in the leaft. For his faith in Chrift could not but remain inviolable, as it had been founded on a particular revelation, and on the visible defcent of the Spirit, accompanied with a voice from heaven, declaring him to be the Son of God. John's meffage, therefore, did not proceed from weakness of faith, but was the effect of discontentment, a fault which the best of men at times may fall into. 8. But what went ye out for to fee? A man clothed in foft raiment? Behold, they that wear foft clothing, (Luke, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in king's courts) are in king's houses. In this question, the auftere mortified life of the Baptift is praised, and the spiritual nature of Meffiah's kingdom infinuated. His forerunner did not refemble any of the officers who attend the courts of earthly princes, and confequently he himself was in no refpect to be like an earthly prince. 9. But what went ye out for to fee? A prophet? Yea, I fay unto you, and more (Luke, much more) than a prophet. John Baptist justly merited to be called a prophet, becaufe he excelled in every thing peculiar to a prophet. He was com miffioned by God, and had immediate communication with him, John i. 33. He foretold that the kingdom of heaven fpoken of by Daniel was at hand. He pointed out the Meffiah by revelation. He declared the terrible judgments that were to befal the people on account of their impenitence, their disbelief, and their rejecting the Meffiah, Luke iii. 17. To conclude, he was more than a prophet, in as much as he was Meffiah's harbinger fent to prepare the way before him, an office which clothed him with a dignity fuperior to that of a fimple prophet; not to mention that he had the honour of baptifing Meffiah himself. 10. For this is

be