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Jefus, though he taught, as hath been fhewn, with a noble impartial Freedom and a Divine Fortitude, and never declined to declare neceffary Truth for Fear of Men, or on Account of any worldly Confiderations, yet was not acted by a hot indifcreet Zeal, and therefore was as far from the Character of an Enthusiast, as from that of an Impoftor. A calm Prudence, a confummate Wisdom and Difcretion, fhone in his excellent Difcourfes, as well as in his whole Deportment; all was wife, well weighed, and in the fittest Seafon ; all excellently fuited to answer the great Ends of his Miniftry, to promote the Edification of the People, and to lead them in the propereft Way to the right Knowledge of the Truth, and to the Practice of their Duty.

On

On the Parables of our Saviour.

DISCOURSE XI.

MATTHEW xiii. 3.

And he spake many Things unto them in Parables.

A

NY one, that impartially confiders the Accounts given by the Evangelifts, will find Reafon to admire the Excellency of our Saviour's Teaching, both with Regard to the Matter and Manner of of it. I have already made feveral Obfervations upon this Subject. But there is one Thing that has not yet been particularly infifted upon; and which every one must have obferved, that is acquainted with the Writings of the Evangelists, viz.

that

that in his Difcourfes to the People he made frequent Ufe of Parables. This Part of his Teaching is fo remarkable, and the Inftructions he gives this Way are fo peculiarly excellent, that they well deferve a diftinct Confideration.

Xe

I fhall not fpend Time in making a particular Inquiry into the various Significations of the Word Parable. It is known to be derived from a Word that fignifies. to compare Things together. It is fometimes ufed for a wife Sentence or Inftruction delivered in a concife proverbial Way and in which a Comparifon is generally included. Thus we are told, Luke vi. 39, That he spake a Parable unto them, Can the Blind lead the Blind? Shall they not both fall into the Ditch? And, Luke iv. 23, Te will furely fay unto me this Proverb, in the Original it is this Perable, Phyfician, heal thyfelf. When he advanced that Maxim, Not that which goeth into the Mouth defileth a Man, but that which cometh out of the Mouth, this defileth a Man: Peter faid unto him, Declare unto us this Parable. Matt. xv. 11, 15. In like Manner we read, Mark iii. 23, &c. That our Lord called the People unto him, and faid unto them in Parables, How can Satan caft out Satan? And, if a Kingdom be divided against itself, that Kingdom cannot stand. And, if

an

an Houfe be divided against itself, that Houfe cannot ftand. And, if Satan rife up against bimfelf and be divided, he cannot ftand, but bath an End. No Man can enter into a frong Man's House and Spoil his Goods, except he will firft bind the strong Man, and then he will spoil his Houfe. Here there is one fhort Comparison heaped upon another, all tending to the fame Purpose, viz. the more clearly to fhew the great Abfurdity of fuppofing, as the Pharifees did, that he caft out Devils by the Affistance of Beelzebub, the Prince of the Devils.

According to this Senfe of the Word Parable, many of our Saviour's wife and comprehenfive Sentences, which I had Occafion to take Notice of before, may be called Parables: And we may obferve every-where, in his Difcourfes, Comparisons which are short and lively, and which tend mightily to illuftrate the Argument he is upon, and to fet it in an eafy and familiar Light.

But Parables, in the Senfe in which we are now to confider them, and as that Word is commonly taken in the Evangelifts, are not to be understood merely of fhort Sayings or Aphorifms, though including a Comparison, and delivered in a figurative Way; but they fignify continued. Comparisons or extended Similitudes, in

which

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