The Harmony of the Gospels, Chapter 8
CAP. VIII.
The Hiſtory of the Converſation of Jeſus Chriſt all the time of his Youth. Luk. 2.50.51.
AND he went down with them, and came to Nazaret, and was ſubje…t unto them, and Jeſus increaſed in wisdome, and ſtature, and favour with God and man.
Theſe few words are an Epitome of an Hi…tory of eighteen …ears. …he above-named famous hiſtory of what Jeſus did when he was about twelve years old, was the ſhutting up of the period of his child-hood, and the beginning of his youth: all that is ſaid of this period of his youth, is expreſſed in theſe few words in this text, and we hear no more of him till he was about thirty years old, & then he began to enter upon his publick Miniſtry, beginning with Fa…ing and Prayer, & temptation, Luk. 3.23. with 41. &c. and from that time forward to his d…ath, all the Evangeliſts do give the hiſtory of his doings & ſufferings. The courſe of his holy life from twelve years old, to thirty, is wholly covered in ſilence, ſave what is ſaid in theſe two Verſes, wherein there be ſix things ſpoken of him,
1. He went down with them, he had come up with them unto the Temple to attend the publick worſhip of God, and now he returneth home again in his parents company. It is a ſpiritual comfort to godly parents, when they appear before God. to ſay as Iſai. 8.18. Behold here am I, and the children which the Lord hath given me. And when the worſhip is finiſhed, the Parents and the Children return home together. Good Children will refuſe vain company, vanities and play, to keep company with their godly parents. Godly youth will chiefly prize and rather chuſe the deſirable company of their good parents, as being according to the commandment of God, and the holy pattern that our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt hath ſet us. Once we ſee that he tarried behind them; but we alſo ſee what a good Apology he had for it; becauſe he was about his heavenly Fathers buſineſs. according to this inſtance was his, and his Parents practiſe all his dayes. From this time forward for eighteen years did they thus walk. Order is comely in Gods eyes, and becometh Gods Houſe and Worſhip: in ſuch order did they conſtantly walk with God. Hereby Jeſus Chriſt did fullfill perfectly all the laws of God, touching his orderly attendance unto the inſtituted worſhip of God. Such a divine beauty and luſtre was upon the reverent, orderly and religious attendance of Jeſus Chriſt upon the publick worſhip of God, that it was an high honour to the Temple, for him to appear in it, and to worſhip God there. Such an honour and glory, as made this ſecond Temple to excell the firſt Temple, though in many other reſpects it was inferiour to it. Hag. 2.7, 9. The Deſire of all Nations ſhall come, and I will fill this houſe with glory, ſaith the Lord of Hoſt: the glory of this latter houſe ſhall be greater then of the former ſaith the Lord of Hoſts. The holy obedience and worſhip of this glorious perſon, did beautifie and illuſtrate the Temple, and all the inſtituted worſhip of God, which was there performed. this Perſon brought more glory to the Temple then all the Ceremonyes, of which he was the ſubſtance, and they were but t…e ſhadows. In all this period of the middle age of his life, the Lord Jeſus did fullfill the law of God, with his pure perfect and meritorious obedience: never was the Law of God ſo obeyed and fullfilled, as it was by this glorious Perſon.
2. He came to Nazaret, the place of his education and Humiliation all his dayes, untill he entred upon his publick Miniſtry. He is after called the Branch, in the Old Teſtament, with reference to his habitation in this city, which hath its name from that word, and in the New-Teſtament, he is called Jeſus of Nazaret. we ſee how exa…ly careful the Lord was to fulfil the Scriptures for the con irmation of our Faith in him, yea, in minute and ſmall matters, as they ma… appear unto us, Math. 5.17. think not that I am come to deſtroy the Law or the Prophets, I am not come to deſtroy but to fulfil, Joh. 6.38. I come down from Heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that ſent me.
3. He was ſubject unto his Parents, the Greek is Emphatical in three words, (he was) that is the habit, bent, way, and ſet of his heart was to be ſubject to his Parents according to the fifth Commandment, he perfectly fulfilled the fifth Command, it was never ſo kept and fulfilled as he kept it, his heart was unto his duty, which he performed without any failure or ſwerving either in thought, look, geſture, word or deed. The ſecond word is (ſubjecting) viz. alwayes and upon all occaſions, he acted ſubjection in all kinds, and in all things, he acted the perfect duty of a child, without the leaſt ſpot or ſtain. The third word (to them) to both his Parents Father and mother, according as order and the rule called for it. In Childhood the child is ofteneſt in the mothers boſome, in youth he is ofteneſt at Fathers hand, in all caſes he acted ſubjection and obedience perfectly, they never pro…oked him, for he had nothing in him was capable to be provoked, when the Devil came to t…mpt he found nothing in him capable to entertain a temptation, Joh. 14.30. much l…ſs did his Parents ever provoke him, nor did he ever provoke them, they had in-dwelling ſin in them, though he had not, and though they had, he never provoked them, nor drew out their corruption to act, O what a ſweet, holy, peaceable Family was that Family, an heavenly Family? no doubt he often ſtirred up and provoked his Parents to holineſs, virtue, and all good works that they were capable to perform, Math. 8.9. the Centurion doth rightly deſcribe Family ſubjection, I ſay to one, goe, and he goeth, and to anoth…r, come, and he cometh, to another, do this, and he doth it. So did Jeſus alwayes, if his mother called him he came, if ſhe ſaid goe, he goeth, when his Father ſaid go with me to work at my calling for our living, he went with him, he wrought with him, we read that his dotracters ſaid. Is not this the Carpenters Son? Math. 13.55. others called him the Carpenter, Mar. 6.3. this witneſſeth his ſubjection and obedience to his Parents. And alſo that he was not idle, but he laboured in his Fathers calling, and all this was pure and perfect obedience to the Law of God. Reverence to parents is a part of ſubjection to them, and therefore that alſo is comprehended in this word, he was ſubject to them.
4. He increaſed in wiſdome, the greek word doth ſignifie to profit and increaſe in knowlebge and learning, by the uſe of thoſe means, which God hath appointed for mankind to get wiſdome, knowledge and learning, by which are hearing, reading, conference, meditation, and ſtud…, and watering them all with prayer. That hearing is a ſanctified means inſtituted by God to get wiſdome, ſee Rom. 10.17. Faith cometh by hearing, that reading is an inſtituted ſanctified means, ſee Ioh. 5 39. ſearch the Scriptures, Jeſus Chriſt often ſaith, have you not read? and how read you? that conference is a ſanctified means, ſee Luk. 24.32. did not our hearts burn witbin us, while he talked by the way? that meditations and ſtudy are ſanctified means. 1 Tim, 4.15. meditate on theſe things, and that all theſe muſt be watered by prayer, Iam. 1.5. If any lack wiſdome let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it ſhall be given him, Paul ſaith, that he profited in the Iews Religion above others where the ſame word in the Original is uſed, Gal. 1.14. and he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, a very learned Doctor, Act. 22.3.
The matter of our learning is chiefly the Scriptures, that is the book above all books, to train up youth in the knowledge thereof, as Timothy was, 2 Tim. 3.15. The next book to that is the book of Gods creatures, the works of God, where all the liberal Arts are to be found and learned. And the next books are the books, labours, and works of learned men, and eſpecially of holy men, who lay open the Treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge, which are laid up in Jeſus Chriſt, laid out, diſplayed, and revealed in the Scriptures, and explained to our Capacityes in the Books and labours of holy and learned men. That Jeſus according to his humane nature increaſed in wiſdome, is here teſtifyed of him, as his body and Soul grew in capacity to receive more and more addition of wiſdome, ſo the Hol… Ghoſt filled him more and more with wiſdome, when he was a Child he was filled with wiſdome, Luk. 2.40. according to the meaſure of his capacity, and as he grew up, his virtue was more and more exerted, and he was ſtill more and more filled and increaſed in wiſdome. Jeſus was full of grace, and as the habits were drawn out by new Objects into act, ſo his wiſdome increaſed.
The means that Jeſus Chriſt uſ…d, were thoſe above named, Luk. 2.46. he was among the Doctors, both hearing them, and asking them queſtions. And no doubt, ſuch as taught in the Synagogues where he lived, had him to be their frequent, if not conſtant hearer. And that Jeſus did read the Scriptures, there is no doubt to be made of it, becauſe he hath commanded us to ſearch the Scriptures; wherein he was ſo expert, that Luk. 24.27. beginning at Moſes and all the Prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himſelf. That Jeſus meditated and prayed, which are two exerciſes of the Soul, ſo neer of kind, that they are ſeldome aſunder: eſpecially when we meditate on Religion & the Scriptures And how abundant our Lord Jeſus was in prayer, is greatly witneſſed in the Goſpels. Thus Jeſus Chriſt hath ſet a pattern to all ſcholars and Chriſtians, who all are the Scholars of Jeſus, how we may increaſe in wiſdome. Wiſdome entereth into the Soul by degrees, ſo it entered into the ſoul of Jeſus, becauſe he increaſed in wiſdome. We find two kinds of ſoul food, milk for Babes, & ſtrong meat for men, Heb. 5.14. and Jeſus Chriſt made uſe of both theſe kinds of Soul food, the Scriptures are the pureſt ſpiritual milk in the world, 1 Pet, 2.1, 2. the ſincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby, ſuch babes as are born of the Spirit by receiving into their Souls the ingrafted word, they reliſh no food but ſuch as is grounded upon, and deduced from the Scriptures, & ſuch was the food that Jeſus fed upon, whereby he was filled with wiſdome; we ſee that Jeſus Chriſt hath ſanctified Schools of learning, and all good means of education of youth in knowledge and wiſdome, and did perfectly fulfil the Law of God therein for us.
5. He increaſed in ſtature. As his Age and Years came on, ſo his humane nature grew, he grew up a comel… young man, well featured and proportioned in all his limbs, unto that meaſure of ſtature that was appointed to him of God, his body viſibly grew, as his Soul grew inviſibly, unto that glorious meaſure which the Lord had appointed for it to attain unto. Though the carnal perſecuting world, vexed and incenſed by his holineſs and faithful miniſtry, were blinded with the black ſmoak of envy, and his perſon obſcured by poverty and a low condition, and therefore ſaw no beauty, nor any thing deſireable in him; yet in Gods eye he was his pleaſant Child, and in the Churches eye he was a glorious perſon, we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and Truth, Joh. 1.14.
6. He increaſed in favour both wi h God and man, he was a very gracious, holy youth, a young man eminent in Religion, eminent in Sabbath worſhip, in Synagogue worſhip, in Family worſhip, in Temple worſhip, all his converſe and diſcourſe was holy, heavenly, and religious; he behaved himſelf in all things as a darling Child of God. And in his converſe with men, he was of a civil, kind, courteous, and affable converſation, ſo that all Gods people did love him, honour him, and reverence him in their hearts, though the wicked and prophane contemned him, yet in their conſciences they could not but have a reverent eſteem of him. So he grew in favour with God and man.
Thus he lived, and carryed himſelf until he was about thirty years of Age. In this courſe of his Earthly pilgrimage, he had opportunity to obey God in all the Commandments of the Law. The whole Syſtem of the obedience of man, in walking towards God in holineſs according to the firſt Table of the Law, and in righteouſneſs towards man according to the ſecond Table of the Law, was performed by him, and he never failed in one jot or Tittle of the Law, but did perfectly fulfil it. Such particular commands as his Sex or calling, &c. gave him not opportunity actually to perform, thoſe h… did virtually and habitually perform, and that was acceptable to God; for Adam if he had ſtood in Innocency ſhould not perſonally have performed the Commandments peculiar to Children, yet ſhould acceptably have fulfilled the whole Law. And the times that Jeſus lived in were ſuch trying times, as did put him often upon moſt eminent acts of obedience, … he came to the Church of the Jews, when they were at the worſt that …ver they were, and under the deepeſt degree of Apoſtacy, which filled all men with tryals and temptations, and rendred it a difficult work, to keep true and upright in his obedience to God. Yet Ieſus kept his integrity without the leaſt ſpot, blemiſh, or ſtain, 1 Pet. 2.22, 23. he came alſo at a time when the Jews were ſubdued by, and ſubjected unto the Roman power, which condition did render the times very difficult to keep a good Conſcience, and to walk with God in truth and ſincerity. Yet notwithſtanding theſe and ſuch like difficulties, Jeſus Chriſt held faſt his integrity, and walked in all obedience to God, and towards all men with perfect Innocency: In this courſe of his humane life he perfectly fulfilled the Law of God. And all this he did as our Saviour, and Mediator, and Surety. The firſt Adam ought to have fulfilled the Law, but he did not, he fell into ſin before he had kept the Law, therefore Jeſus Chriſt the ſecond Adam, he undertaketh to perform that which he left unperformed; he hath perfectly fulfilled the Law by his active obedience, & this perfect obedience of Jeſus is imputed unto believers, and God doth account it unto us, as if we had performed it, 2 Cor. 5.21. that we may be made the Righteouſneſs of God in him, and Rom. 10.4. Jeſus Chriſt is the perfecting end of the Law for Righteouſneſs to every one that believeth, Phil. 3.9. and be found in him not having my own Righteouſneſs, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Chriſt the Righteouſneſs which is of God by Faith.