Annotations Upon the New Testament, Luke · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Verse 3. TAke nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread] He commands them not to be sollicitous for food,See Matth. 10.10. that they might give themselves wholly to preaching, and commit themselves to the divine providence. A scrip is a little sack, in which they did put and heape their meate; by bread all food is here signified,Novarinus. as it is usuall in Scripture.
Deny himself] Greek utterly deny himselfe. Abnegare seipsum est suo arbitrio, suae voluntati, & omnibus proprijs animi motibus placitisque renuntiare, proprios affectus negligere, suggestiones ac suasiones earum comprimere & repellere, atque posthac non sibi ipsi sed illi deditum esse, quem in Dominum ac magistrum delegit. Polyc. Lyser. 1. In persons, He must deny himselfe in his Father, Mother, Children, Friends, all. 2. In things, He must forsake, house, lands, goods. He must deny himselfe in his profit, credit, pleasure, ease, and offer up himselfe to God. 2. Take up his daily crosse, beare with patience the crosses that come upon him daily, or day by day. 3. Follow Christ through thick through thin.Vers. 23. If any man will come after me, let him deny himselfe, and take up his Crosse daily, and follow me] The meaning is this, every one that will become a scholar in the school of Christ, and learne obedience unto God, must deny himself, that is, he must in the first place exalt and magnifie the grace of God, and become nothing in himselfe, renouncing his own reason will and affections, and subjecting them to the wisdome and will of God in all things. Secondly, take up his Crosse, that is, he ought alwayes to make a forehand-reckoning, even of private Crosses and particular afflictions, and when they come to bear them with cheerefulnesse, for there is that emphasis in the word take up. This done, he must follow Christ by practising the vertues of meeknesse, patience, love and obedience, and by being conformable to his death in crucifying the body of sinne in himselfe. Mr. Perkins.
Ne deterreat 1. Vitae periculum. v. 24.2. Opum jactura. v. 25.3. Famae ignominia. v. 26.Vers. 24. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it] That is, that will not take up his Crosse to follow Christ, shall never be saved.
Apud Latinos exitus & excessus pro morte passim occurrunt. Grotius.Vers. 31. Decease] foreign. Some think he alludes to the Exodus, or going of the Israelites out of Egypt; for as their going out of Egypt was to them the beginning of their liberty, so also death to Christ was a way to glory, and after his example also to us: whence also the ancient Christians loved to call death foreign, 2 Pet. 1.15. As we may see in Irenaeus, Clement, and others.
Vers. 41. Oh faithlesse and perverse generation] 1. Faithlesse, which neither by doctrine nor miracles can be overcome or reformed, so as to beleeve.
2. Perverse, which by no Lawes will be brought into order. This is taken out of 32. Deut. 20. where Moses gives these Epithets to the Israelites,Polyc. Lyser. who for fourty whole yeares could not be brought, neither by the Law of God, nor by stupendious miracles, to order their lives according to the will of God.
Vers. 51. He setled himselfe] Or as it is in the originall, he hardened his face, to go to Ierusalem,foreign obfirmare animum est omnem metum & horrorem mortis deponere, & animo suo constituere hanc mortem esse ferendam, ut ut dura & horrenda omnium sese in ea praebeant LXX. interpretes hanc Graecam phrasin ponunt Ier. 21.10. Ezech. 6.2. Polyc. Lyser. in loc. Vide Bezam & Piscat in loc. as Ezek. 4.3. Christ by his whole outward habite and gesture declared that it was determined for him to go to Jerusalem. For he did not now go from one town to another, as he was wont, to preach the Gospell, neither staid he any where, but presently went in that way which leades directly to Jerusalem, till he was past Samaria.
Vers. 54. And when his Disciples Iames and Iohn saw this, they said, Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did] Here they shew themselves to be Boanerges, that is sonnes of thunder, quid mirum filios tonitrus fulgurare? Ambrose. Ragash is to make a great tumult, as a furious multitude gathered together, that maketh a noise as the noise of a troubled sea, Psal. 2.1. Therefore some not without reason say, the sons of Zebedeus are called Benai regesci, Sons of Thunder. Rutherfords Tryall and Triumph of faith.
Crotius.55. Yee know not what manner of spirit yee are of] Some interpret it, you know not what spirit becomes you, rather you know not what Spirit acts you. The name Spirit is of large extent, in its originall it signifies the wind; it is trasferred to other things, God, good and evill Angels, and the soule of man are so called. It is taken also for the affections of the mind, Rom. 11.8. Ezek. 13.3. The meaning is, you thinke you are acted by such a Spirit as Elias of old; but you erre, you have a zeale, but not according to knowledge, and which is therefore a humane affection, not a divine motion, as the following reason proves.
Vers. 62. No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdome of God] As though he had said,Mr. Perkins. Vide Cornel. à Lap. & Grotium. He that starteth from the plough is not fit for the field: no more is he that shifteth from his calling, fit for Gods service.