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was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. 23. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of (d) God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the (e) Lord. 24. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith and much people was added unto the (e) Lord. 25. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek (g) Saul: 26. and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. 27. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. 28. And there stood up one of them, named Agabus, and signified by the (h) Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the (i) world :

drove many of the disciples to very distant parts; some of them went as far as Phoenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch. At Antioch they preached unto the Grecians : and "the hand of the Lord was with "them and a great number believed, and "turned unto the Lord. Acts xi. 19, 20, "21." It was the intelligence of this success that is here mentioned. It is observable, that the very steps which were taken to suppress Christianity extended the limits of its propagation. The disciples were so fully convinced of its truth, that nothing could deter them from preaching it; and when they were driven from Jerusalem, and other places, they exerted themselves in the distant parts to which they were driven.

(d) v. 23. "The grace of God," i. e. "the success of their preaching. The "number of believers."

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our Saviour, "then remembered I the word "of the Lord, how he said, John indeed "baptized with water,' &c." and it is not probable the same word would again have been used, had any other than our Saviour been meant.

(g) v. 25. "Saul," i. e. "St. Paul." (h) v. 28. "The Spirit," i. e. "Inspir"ation."

(i) "World," i. e. "the land of Judea." (k)"Came to pass." It is noticed as occurring in Jewry (i. e. Judea). Josephus Antiq. lib. 20. c. 3. in Claudius's time, A.D. 44.

() Part of our Lord's discourse at the last supper, just before he was betrayed. St. John sat next to him: he records therefore what he himself heard. (m) v. 12. "That ye love, &c." This injunction seems to have made a strong impression upon St. John. He urges this duty with great earnestness in his epistles. See ante, 175, 176. 1 John iv. and ante, 178. 1 John iii.

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O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may by thy mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. 1 Peter v. 5. ALL of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility for God (n) resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6. Humble yourselves therefore under the (0) mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7. casting (p)

all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour: 9. whom resist, stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your (q) brethren that are in

(n) v. 5. "God resisteth, &c." A quotation from Prov. iii. 34. Exhortations to humility occur repeatedly in the Old and New Testament. See Matt. v. 3.-xviii. 4. (0) v. 6. "The mighty hand, &c." i. e. (probably) "the afflictions and persecu"tions which were to put their sincerity to "the test," what St. Peter calls (1 Pet. iv. 12.) "the fiery trial which was to try them." (p) v. 7. "Casting, &c." See Matt. vi. 25. post,

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(q) v. 9. "Brethren that are in the world," i. e. "Christian converts in "other places."

(r) v. 2. "Sinners, &c." Upon another

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The Gospel. Luke xv. 1. THEN drew near unto him all the him. publicans and sinners, for to hear him. 2. And the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, "This "man receiveth (r) sinners, and "eateth with them." 3. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4. "What man of you,

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having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not "leave the ninety and nine in the "wilderness, and go after that (s) "which is lost, until he find it? "5. And when he hath found it, "he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his “friends and neighbours, saying "unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep "which was lost." 7. I say unto you, that "likewise joy shall be "in heaven over one sinner that "repenteth, more than over ninety "and nine just persons which need

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occasion, when the disciples were questioned, why our Saviour ate with publicans and sinners, his answer was, "They "that be whole need not a physician, but "they that are sick: I am not come to "call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matt. ix. 12, 13.. Luke v. "31, 32." And the parable which follows shews that the redemption of sinners, the recovery of those who were in a lost state, was the great object of his coming. See post, note on Matt. ix. 12.

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(s) v. 4. "That which is lost." Making it the great topic of his anxiety, while lost; the great topic of his rejoicing, when found.

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through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake our Lord. Amen.

"no repentance. 8. Either what | ruler and guide, we may so pass "woman having ten pieces of "silver, if she lose one piece, "doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9. And "when she hath found it, she “calleth her friends and her neigh"bours together, saying, 'Rejoice "with me; for I have found "the_piece which I had lost.' "10. Likewise I say unto you, "There is (t) joy in the presence "of the angels of God over one "sinner that repenteth."

Fourth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy, that thou being our

(t) v. 10. "Joy, &c." A strong additional motive for sinners to repent, and for others to lead them to repentance! This joy is well intimated in the parable of the prodigal son. Luke xv. 3 to 32.

(u) v. 18. "The glory, &c." See ante, 73. note (t) on 1 John iii. 2. Many other passages hold out the prospect of some eminent glory as an encouragement to the converts to bear the persecutions and trials to which they were exposed.

The

(x) v. 19. "The creature, &c." meaning of this (not very clear) passage may be this: there is an earnest expectation of the period so often referred to, as "the coming, or day of the Lord," when God shall shew who are his, and who are not; whom he adopts as sons, and whom not. For mankind was not made subject to sin and death, the bondage of corruption, (from which Christ's coming is to set them free,) from any thing in which their own choice and will concurred, but it was God's appointment: and God also gave them the hope that they should be delivered, and again admitted into the glorious liberty of the children of God: and so strong is this expectation, that the world

The Epistle. Rom. viii. 18. I RECKON that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the (u) glory which shall be revealed in us. 19. For the earnest expectation of the (x) creature waiteth for the (y) manifestation of the sons of God. 20. For the (≈) creature was made subject to vanity, not (a) willingly, but by (b) reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; 21. because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22. For we know that the

may be compared to a woman in labour, in great uneasiness, but looking anxiously for deliverance; and this is the case even with us, who have the first gifts of the Spirit, the beginnings of these spiritual blessings. This sense of the passage falls in with the context, and is in unison with

those many other passages where the prospect of "the coming, or day of the "Lord," is pressed as an argument to encourage the converts to brave their sufferings.

(y) The manifestation, &c." i. e. (probably) "the time when it shall be manifest "whom God will treat as his children." (z) v. 20. "The creature," i. e. (probably) "mankind.”

(a)" Willingly," i. e. (perhaps) "from any act in which their will concurred." (b) "By reason of him, &c." This suggestion, that evils were not always inputable to misconduct in those who suffered them, but arose from God's appointment, (where the object might be to try man's merit, and put his virtues to a test) was admirably calculated to raise their spirits, and fortify their resolution.

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(c) v. 36. "As, &c." Let your mercy and benevolence be as extensive as his. It had just been stated, that God "is kind "to the unthankful, and to the evil."

(d) v. 37. "Judge not, &c." Christianity requires us to look to our own faults, that we may compare our own actions with God's rules, and correct our own failings; it does not allow us officiously to inquire into the faults of others, or to contrast our conduct with theirs. We may form a very wrong estimate of other men's actions, because we cannot tell accurately what has influenced their conduct, and we are referring to a wrong standard, when we draw the comparison between theirs and ours; ours may be relatively better than theirs, and yet they may not come up to the standard God has fixed. Bringing our actions to the test of God's commands shews us our own unworthiness, teaches us humility, makes us think worse of ourselves, and become better; contrasting them with those of others gives us a degree of pride to which we have no claim, makes us think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, encourages us to conclude we are as good as we need be, and has a tendency to prevent our endeavours to im

"withal, it shall be measured to

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you again." 39. And he spake a parable unto them: "Can the (e) "blind lead the blind? shall they "not both fall into the ditch? "40. The disciple is not above his "master: but every one that is

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perfect shall be as his master. "41. And (g) why beholdest thou "the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the "beam that is in thine own eye? "42. Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest "not the beam that is in thine "own eye? Thou hypocrite! cast "out first the beam out of thine "own eye, and then shalt thou "see clearly to pull out the mote "that is in thy brother's eye."

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prove. Our Saviour strongly condemns this conduct in his parable of the Pharisee and the publican. (Luke xviii. 10., &c. post,) The practice of judging others is condemned by St. Paul, (Rom xiv. 4.) "Who art thou that judgest another man's "servant? to his own master he standeth "or falleth." So St. James, (ch. iv. 12.) "Who art thou that judgest another?" and see 1 Cor. iv. 5. And before any one assumes to himself the right of deciding upon another's conduct, let him recollect our Saviour's answer to those who brought before him the woman taken in adultery, (John viji. 7.) "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at "her."

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(e) v. 39. "Can the blind, &c." If the conduct of other men, instead of God's command, is to be your guide, you have a blind guide, one who is continually taking a wrong course himself, and will therefore never lead you right.

(g) v. 41. "And why, &c." The same conduct is censured in Hor. lib. i. sat. 3. 1. 25.

"Cum tua prævideas oculis mala lippus inunctis "Cur in amicorum vitiis tam cernis acutum "Quam aut Aquila, aut serpens Epidaurius."

182 Luke xv.

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Fourth Sunday after Trinity.

no repentance. 8. Either what | ruler and guide "woman having ten pieces of "silver, if she lose one piece, "doth not light a candle, and

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sweep the house, and seek dili"gently till she find it? 9. And "when she hath found it, she "calleth her friends and her neigh"bours together, saying, 'Rejoice I "with me; for I have found "the piece which I had lost.' "10. Likewise I say unto you "There is (t) joy in the prese "of the angels of God ove "sinner that repenteth."

Fourth Sunday after

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in the our God." hall be exnountain and e low: and the e made straight, laces plain: 5. and he Lord shall be reall flesh shall see it for the mouth of the hath spoken it. 6. The said, "Cry.” And he said What shall I cry?" "All "flesh (m) is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the "flower of the field: 7. the grass "withereth, the flower fadeth : "because the Spirit of the Lord "bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8. The grass "withereth, the flower fadeth; "but the word of our God shall "stand for ever." 9. O(n) Zion,

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(1) v. 4. "Every valley, &c." Baruch v. 7. has the same idea. "For God hath "appointed that every high hill and banks "of long continuance should be cast down, "and vallies filled up, to make even the

send pioneers before them, to open the "ground, that Israel may go safely in the passes, level the ways, and remove all im

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"glory of God." According to Diodorus Siculus, Semiramis, in her journey through Asia, had the mountains and precipices levelled, and raised causeways in the val

proclamation was made in the wilderness uncommon personage was to be expected. lies wherever she went. 2 Lowth's Isaiab, for such a preparation, implies that some St. John the Baptist applies this part of 253, 254. the prophecy to himself; when he was asked who he was, his answer was, "I am "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias, John i. 23." ante, 38.

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