Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 36 · Chapter 16 – Chapter 18
CAP. XVI.
3 O ye hypocrites, ye can discerne the face of the skie, but can yee not discerne the signes of the times?O Ye hypocrites, can ye prognosticate faire or foule weather by the face of the skie, which is more difficult and uncertaine, and can ye not by those cleare predictions of the Prophets, and the miraculous demonstrations of my power, discerne the time of my comming into the world?
6 The leaven of the Pharises.The sowre and faulty doctrine: the vicious and distastfull glosses of the Pharisees.
See verse 11, 12.
17 And Iesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Iona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my father which is in heaven.Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Joanna, who hast thus believed with thy heart, & thus confessed with thy mouth; for it is not from any power of nature, that thou couldst have conceived thus of me, it is my Father which is in heaven who by his holy Spirit hath wrought this faith in thee.
18 And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it.And I say unto thee: that it was not for nothing, that I have heretofore given thee the name of Peter, which signifies a stone; for thou hast herein approved thy selfe a living stone in that foundation of my Prophets and Apostles, whereof I my selfe am both the chiefe corner stone: & also the firme rocke (by thee confessed) on which that foundation of my Church is so surely laid, as that the powers of hell shall never be able to prevaile against it.
And I will give unto thee, as my prime Apostle,19 And I will give unto thee the keyes of the kingdome of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth, shall bee bound in heaven; whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall bee loosed in heaven. and to the rest of thy fellowes (in whose name thou hast made this gracious confession) and to their lawfull successours, the keyes of the kingdome of heaven; so as by their censures, and Doctrine, they shall either open the gates thereof, to the faithfull and penitent: or shut them upon the impenitent, disobedient, unbeleevers; And what sentence they shall herein passe (in a right and well-grounded proceeding) shall bee accordingly ratifyed in heaven; whether it bee to binde over men to condemnation, or to acquit them of their sinnes, to their justification, and salvation.
Then Peter tooke him aside,22 Then Peter tooke him, and began to rebuke him saying; Bee it farre from thee Lord: this shall not be unto thee. and began to expostulate with him, saying; Lord, have not I confessed, (and thou hast approved it) that thou art the Sonne of the living God; how is it then that thou talkest of suffering, and dying? these things cannot agree; doe not boad so ill things to thy selfe; rather thou shalt live & reigne, and make all us great and happy.
But he turned to Peter, and said;23 But he returned and and said unto Peter, Get thee behinde mee Satan, thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that bee of God, but those that bee of men. When thou saidest well, I gave thee a title of love and honour; but now when thou speakest thus carnally, I cannot but give thee thine owne; It is Satan that suggests this lewd counsell to thee, and thou sufferest thy tongue to be misguided by that tempter; since therefore thou playest his part, I shall justly call thee by his name: Get thee behinde mee Satan, for these motions of thine, argue a minde that is fleshly, and sensuall, and not holy, and rightly informed in, and disposed to the things of God; who by my sufferings and death, hath graciously purposed the redemption of mankinde.
If any man will professe to bee my disciple,24 Then said Iesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him denie himselfe, and take up his crosse, and follow me. let him deny and renounce his owne will, and resigne himselfe wholly over to be guided, and disposed of by my Spirit; and let him resolve to undergoe all crosses and afflictions, that shall bee laid upon him for my Names sake; and so let him follow me.
Verily I say unto you,28 Verily I say unto you, there bee some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man comming in his kingdome. yee shall have no cause to thinke it long, ere I the Sonne of man shall come in the glory of my Father; for I will ere long give you very glorious representations, and tastes of this insuing Majesty. Some of you shall live to see, not onelyonly the image of my future glory in my transfiguration, but the entrance and progresse of my kingdome, both in my powerfull resurrection, and glorious ascention, and in the happy successe of my Gospell, thorow many parts of the world.
CAP. XVII.
4 Lord, it is good for us to bee here, if thou wilt let us make here three Tabernacles; one for thee, & one for Moses, and one for Elias.OH Lord, how glorious a light is this? how happy were it if wee might continue here, and injoy this blessed sight still. Below there is nothing but trouble and danger towards thee; let us keepe our selves well where wee are; and if it please thee, let us build three Tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses, one for Elias; as for us, wee could bee content to lye abroad, so wee might be sure of such a presence.
9 And as they came downe from the mountaine, Iesus charged them saying; Tell the vision to no man, untill the Sonne of man bee risen againe from the dead.Doe not make report of this my glorious transfiguration to any man whomsoever; till that my resurrection shall have convinced the world of my divine power; which in the meane time must lye shrouded under my manifold infirmities.
And his disciples hearing him to speake of his resurrection,10 And his disciples asked him, saying; Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come? and supposing that his glorious manifestation of his kingdome to the world should be effected, before any suffering that hee should undergoe; asked him saying, Master, if thy kingdome bee so neare, how is it that wee heare not of the comming of Elias? for we have beene taught by the Scribes, that Elias must come before that great day.
12 Elias is comne already.See Matth 11.14.
15 Lord, have merciemercy on my sonne, for hee is lunaticke, and sore vexed: for oft times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.Lord, have mercy on my son, for hee is at certaine set seasons of the Moone, sore vexed with a devill; who violently handleth him, and casteth him sometimes into the fire, and sometimes into the water.
O ye faithlesse and perverse Scribes and Pharises; ye have beene insulting upon my disciples,17 O faithlesse and perverse generation, how long shall I bee with you? for that they could not eject this devill, and now thinke to finde the same advantage against me; how long shall I be payned by being amongst you? &c.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting.Howbeit, this kinde of Devills requires more than the ordinary meanes of ejection, to dispossesse them: for whereas yee have cast out others by your sole command, there must bee more done to these more stiffe, and tenacious Spirits; besides command, here must be earnest prayer unto the God of Spirts; and because devotion is apt to grow dull and faint, here must bee an exercise of fasting & abstinence to set an edge upon it, and to stirre it up.
What thinkest thou Simon;25, 26. What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom doe the Kings of the earth take custome or tribute? of their owne children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, of strangers. Iesus saith unto him; Then are the children free. Caesars officers call for that tribute from us, which was instituted and a pointed to be paid for sacred uses; wee are privileged persons; is it due to bee paid by us? Doe earthly Princes require these payments of their children and familiars? how much lesse fit is it then that hee who is the King and Possessor of all the world, the Lord of heaven and earth should pay tribute to any earthly Soveraigne for himselfe, or his?
Yet, however I might iustly challenge this freedome,27 Notwithstanding, lest wee should offend them, goe thou to the sea, and cast an hooke, and take up the fish that first commeth up: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt finde a peece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. lest they, who know not the just ground of my immunity, should be scandalized at my forbearance, as if I did not yeeld due homage and respect to secular powers, goe thou to the sea, and cast in an hooke, and take up the first fish that is caught, and in his mouth thou shalt finde a peece of silver, of the valew of two shillings sixe pence; that take, and give it to them for mee, and for thy selfe; in whose house I abide.
CAP. XVIII.
MAster,1 Who is the greatest in the kingdome of heaven? which of us shall be the greatest in that glorious kingdome, which thou art about to restore unto Israel?3 Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, yee shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven.
Verily, I say unto you; Except yee put off all ambitious thoughts, and become meeke and humble as little children; yee shall not be meet to take up any stations, in this my spirituall kingdome heere, and much lesse in the glorious kingdome of heaven above.4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himselfe as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdome of heaven.
It is my rule to measure greatnesse by humility, whosoever shall so humble himselfe, as this little child, abasing himselfe in his conceits, below all others, that man is, and shall be, the greatest in my kingdome.5 And who so shall receive one such little child, in my Name, receiveth me.
And whosoever shall shew kindenesse to one of these my lowly, and meeke-spirited servants, for my sake, I shall esteeme it as done to my selfe.
And whosoever shall offer any wrong or indignity to any one of these humble clients of mine,6 But who so shall offend one of these little ones, which beleeve in me, it were better for him, that a milstone were hanged about his necke, & that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. that beleeve in me; it were better for him, that hee were drowned in the depth of the sea, or under-went any other temporall death; for this unjust measure of his shall be punished with eternall.
7 Wo unto the world, because of offences; for it must needs bee that offences come, but wo to that man by whom the offence commethWo bee to the world, because of those many stumbling blockes, which men lay in each others way to salvation: such there will be every where, but wo to those, by whom they are layd.
9 And if thine eye offend thee, &c.See Matth. 5.29.
10 For I say unto you, that in heaven their Angels doe alwayes behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.For they are in so high, and deare respect with God, that hee that appointed his Angells in heaven to take charge of them here on earth, and they are ever ready, pitching their tents about them; and doe ever attend either to their safegard,13 And if so bee that he finde it, verily I say unto you, he rejoyceth more of that sheepe, than of the ninety & nine, which went not astray. or revenge.
Hee is more affected with the recovering of that one sheepe which was lost, than with the safety of the rest of the flocke; because the danger wherein that one sheepe was, and the care, and feare that he was in, for it, caused his joy to be thereupon increased.
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespasse against thee, goe and tell him his fault, betweene thee and him alone: if hee will heare thee, thou hast gained thy brother.When thy brother hath done an offence, whereto thou onelyonly art privy, doe not at the first bring him to publike censure, but first deale privately with him, for his repentance, and reformation; and if hee shall receive the good counsell and admonition thou gavest him, thou hast gained thy brother.
17 And if he shall neglect to heare them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to heare the Church, let him bee unto thee as an heathen man, & a publicane.And if hee shall neglect the advice and reproofe of them, make thy complaint to them who have the managing of the publike censures of the Church, that they may proceed against him accordingly. But if hee neglect or disregard those publike courses of his reformation, let him bee avoyded of thee as a man unworthy of thy conversation, or respect; no lesse, than as if hee were a meere heathen or publican; the one whereof religion makes odious, the other his trade of life.
18 Whatsoever yee shall binde on earth, shall be bound in heaven, &c.See Iohn 20.23.
19 Againe, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.The single prayers of faithfull suppliants shall not want audience and respect from God; but when they are doubled, by the conjunction of the hearts of more suitors, and the united forces of many fervent desires, they cannot but be more effectuall; and shall receive a gracious acceptation from my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.For, so highly doe I respect the assemblies of my faithfull servants, that where any number of them shall be met together in a sincere desire to doe me service, I will be there present with them by my Spirit, for the exciting, and directing, and accepting of their holy indeavours.
I say unto thee,22 I say not unto thee, untill seven times: but untill seventie times seven. thou mayest not be too severely niggardly of thy remissions, to bound them within a set and small number; but must bee open-handed to a free forgivenesse, though it be never so oft, where thou shalt see likely arguments of repentance; and hopes of amendment.