for the workman, &c.-they were to work for God, and look to him for necessary sustenance, Mt. vi. 22-7, § 19, p. 134-comp. with Ps. cxxiii. 2-(see border.)

11. enquire-they were to make their choice as to who should entertain them, and be careful not to identify their Master's cause with those who were unworthy-see the advice of Paul, 'But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat,' 1 Co. v. 11 -Lydia claimed the privilege of entertaining the apostles, upon the supposition of her being judged faithful: And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have

13. let your peace come upon it- Seek the peace of the city,... and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace,' Je. xxix. 7. but if it be not worthy, &c.-see the unworthiness, on account of which the prophet was commanded not to pray for the peace even of the house which was called by the name of the Lord, Je. vii. 8-16, p. (101) --Abraham had to cease his intercession for Sodom, Ge. xviii. 32, .3.

In all these, Christ had regard to the customs of the people of the east, who, by way of precaution, took all these things among their packages, on long journeys.

The workman is worthy of his meat. A proverbial expression occurring also in Le. xix. 13, and De. xxiv. 14, .5, importing, 'You may cheerfully trust the providence of God to take care of you while engaged in such a cause; and you may reasonably expect to find sustenance among those for whose benefit you la

bour.'

They are forbidden to load themselves with any articles of raiment beside what they were wearing, or with money to purchase more, because they would be entitled to a supply from those on whom their labours were bestowed; and money would be but an incumbrance. 11. Enquire who in it is worthy. Anciently they had not houses of entertainment, as we have; but it was common for persons of benevolent dispositions, such

as our Lord here calls afia, worthy persons, to entertain strangers according to their ability.-See Ju. xix. 5-21. There abide. Be content with what they give you, and do not seek for other quarters.' 12. Salute it. Meaning the family, as in the next verse, and as the word is often used in Scripture; and includes all the customary tokens of courtesy, suitable to all, each according to their age and station. The common Jewish salutation was, Peace be to this house.'-See Lu. x. 5, § 60.

13. If the house be worthy. If the family be hospitable;' or, be willing to receive you as my disciples. Let your peace come upon it. This is one of the many passages in which (as the grammarians say) the imperative is put for the future; i. e., let it come, for it shall come; so 1 Co. xvi. 22. Let your peace return. Prayer not answered is said to return into the bosom.

11 ver. Although Christians are to labour for the good of the most debased and wretched, yet are they to seek generally to associate with those that are worthy. 12, 3 ver. Christians are to observe the ordinary courtesies of life, and to pray for the peace of those among whom they labour."

[Although men will not receive from us the blessing of peace, we are not to allow them to deprive us of that peace which belongs to us, as being humble followers of the Lamb; we may for an instant be disturbed and disheartened by the experience of human perversity and folly, but our peace is to return to us again.]

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14. shake off the dust, &c. The very dust,' Lu. ix. 5-same to the seventy, x. 10, .1, § 60-Paul and Barnabas, upon being expelled from the coasts of Antioch in Pisidia, by the Jews, shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium,' Ac. xiii. 50, .1 Abram would not take even a thread belonging to the king of Sodom, lest he should have the shadow of a claim upon him, saying, I have made Abram rich,' Ge. xiv. 22, .3-Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD,' Is. lii. 11, p. (45).

Mk. vi. 11. more tolerable for Sodom, &c.-see on Mt. xi. 24, § 29, p. 227-Lot courteously received the angels of the Lord at Sodom, Ge. xix. 1-3-and was delivered, ver. 12-6, whilst the men of the city who would have evil entreated the strangers, ver. 4-11, were left to perish, ver. 23-.5-The prophet lamented over Jerusafem, which stoned them that were sent unto it, saying, 'The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of

[Ver. 6, p. 303.]

my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment,' Lam. iv. 6. Mt. x. 16. behold, I send, &c.—so Lu. x. 3, § 60.

wise as serpents, &c.-this is explained by the apostle, I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil,' Ro. xvi. 19 See... that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,' Eph. v. 15 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, Col. iv. 5.

harmless, &c.-'In malice be ye children, but in unharmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,' &c., Ph. derstanding be men,' 1 Co. xiv. 20- Blameless and ii. 15- The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated,' &c., Ja. iii. 17.

17. but beware of men: for, &c.-the like forewarning is given, Mk. xiii. 9-13, § 86-the apostles had

Mt. x. 14. Shake off the dust. Our Saviour would have his disciples not take even the dust from the streets of those that refused the gospel, as a sign that they would take nothing from those who refused their message. He would have his cause without the reproach of covetousness.

Mk. vi. 11. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom, &c. The people of those cities never sinned against such extraordinary light, and such singular favours, as they who reject the gospel now, as preached with plainness and power by you, and attested by such miracles.

Mt. x. 16. As sheep in the midst of wolves. i. e., I send you, innocent and harmless, into a cold, unfriendly, and cruel world. A sheep is a most cleanly, patient, harmless, useful, and exposed kind of animal.

Wolves are crafty, greedy, ravenous, fierce, and of a quick smell; they abide in forests, and are great enemies to cattle: they howl instead of barking: they can bear hunger long, but are then exceedingly fierce, and will fall on either man or beast that comes in their way, or even upon one another. Hence in the evening, when they come hungry out of their holes, they are most fierce and dangerous, Je. v. 6; Hab. i. 8. I send you forth, as meek, harmless, and unable to defend yourselves among furious and implacable men. Behave, therefore, with the utmost prudence, never giving any causeless provocation, nor needlessly exposing yourselves to danger; and

be inoffensive, sincere, and meek, that ye may win upon some, and turn away the wrath of others. Be... wise as serpents. Serpents have been always an emblem of wisdom and cunning, Ge. iii. 1. The Egyptians used the serpent in their hieroglyphics as a symbol of wisdom. Probably the thing in which Christ here directed his followers to imitate the serpent, was its caution in avoiding danger. No animal equals it in the rapidity and skill which it evinces in escaping danger. To be sharp-sighted as a serpent was a proverb both among Greeks and Romans.

And harmless as doves. There is a beauty in this saying which is seldom observed: doves are, and always have been, a striking emblem of innocence. Most men would be disposed to destroy a serpent, be it ever so harmless; yet few are so hard-hearted as to kill a dove. The serpent is represented as prudent to excess, being full of cunning, Ge. iii. 1; 2 Co. xi. 3: and the dove is simple, even to stupidity, Ho. vii. 11: but Jesus Christ corrects here the cunning of the serpent, by the simplicity of the dove; and the too great simplicity of the dove, by the cunning of the serpent. See on Lu. iii. 22, § 8, p. 59. 17. Beware of men, &c. The Jews, as distinguished from the Roman wolves. By councils are here to be understood the provincial tribunals which existed in most towns, and even villages. And that synagogues must be taken in like manner, is plain from the parallel passages in Mark and Luke.

Lu. ix. 5. The Christian is not to force himself upon those who, upon trial, will not receive him; and he is not to take even the dust off the streets from those who refuse to receive his words.

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Mt. x. 16. Although we are not needlessly to provoke opposition, we are not to be surprised when it comes upon us in our peaceably striving to do good

to men.

MATT. X. 18-22.

soon the words fulfilled in their case: ' And to him they agreed and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go,' Ac. v. 40 and Paul, in pointing to the marks of his apostleship, could say, 'Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one,' 2 Co. xi. 24-Paul, before his conversion, had himself been active in beating in every synagogue them that believed,' Ac. xxii. 19; xxvi. 11. 18. for a testimony-Peter and John thus nobly improved their opportunity when brought before the Jewish rulers, &c., Ac. iv. 5-22; and again, v. 29-32 -and Paul, before the highest court at Athens, xvii. 19-31-at Jerusalem, xxii. 1-21; xxiii. 1-11and at Cæsarea, before Felix, xxiv. 10-25-before Agrippa, xxvi. 1-23, 29, &c.-and when carried to Rome, he had to say, 'The things which happened

unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places,' &c., Ph. i. 12−.4.

19. when they deliver you up, &c.-the like direction given, Lu. xii. 11, .2, § 63; Mk. xiii. 11, § 86. in that same hour, &c.-the Old Testament prophets were generally taught beforehand what they should say-so Moses and Aaron, Ex. iv. 29, 30, p. (79); vii. 1, 2, 14-.8, p. (38)-and Jeremiah: Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak,' Je. i. 7-the apostles were given in the same hour what they should speak, Ac. iv. 8, &c.

21. the brother, &c.- Take ye heed every one of his neighbour,' &c., Je. ix. 4- The son dishonoureth forewarned, Mk. xiii. 12, § 86. the father,' &c., Mi. vii. 6-so the disciples were again

22. hated, &c.-see Lu. xxi. 17, § 86-this state of things recognised, ver. 22-36-had been predicted, Mi. vii. 2-7, p. (36).

endureth to the end-ch. xxiv. 13, § 86.

Scourge you in their synagogues. According to some learned men, there was in every synagogue a council of three judges, who had the power of ordering the punishment of scourging. In our Saviour's time the penalty of scourging was inflicted in the synagogues, and not confined to the judicial tribunals-comp. Mt. xxiii. 34, § 85; and Ac. xxii. 19. Scourging, or whipping, is often mentioned in the New Testament as a part of punishment. The person who was sentenced to scourging was formerly laid upon the ground, and the blows inflicted on his back in the presence of the judge. Afterwards, the criminal was tied to a low post. Scourging is still practised in the east; but the blows are commonly inflicted on the soles of the feet. It is called the bastinado.-The instrument formerly used was a rod. Afterwards they employed thongs or lashes attached to the rod. To make the blow severe and more painful, they sometimes fastened sharp points of iron, or pieces of lead, in the thongs. These were called scorpions, 1 Ki. xii. 11. The law of Moses directed that the number of stripes should not exceed forty, but might be any number less, at the discretion of the judge, De. xxv. 2, 3. The Jews, to secure the greater accuracy in counting, used a Scourge with three lashes, which inflicted three stripes at once. With this the criminal was struck thirteen times, making the number of blows thirty-nine. Paul was five times scourged in this way-see 2 Co. xi. 24. The Romans did not feel themselves bound by the law of the Jews in regard to the number of stripes, but inflicted them at pleasure.-For 'Synagogue,' see § 15, ADDENDA, p. 106.

[18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings. By governors and kings, we may understand

the Roman pro-consuls, governors of provinces, and the kings who were tributary to the Roman government; and the emperors themselves, before whom many of the primitive Christians were brought.This prediction was completely and abundantly fulfilled, Ac. v. 26, .7; xii. 1-4; xxiii. 33; xxvi. 1, 28, 30. Peter is said to have been brought before Nero, John before Domitian, Roman emperors; and others, before Parthian, Scythian, and Indian kings. They were to stand there to bear a testimony against them; or, as it might be rendered, to them, i. e., they were to be witnesses to them of the great facts and doctrines of the Christian religion; and if they rejected Christianity, they would be witnesses against them in the day of judgment.]

19. Take no thought how or what ye shall speak. Mǹ μеphone, 'be not anxiously solicitous.' Persons of so low an education as the apostles generally were, might have been much terrified at the thought of appearing before such great personages; and might have feared, lest, in the hurry of their spirits, they should have been betrayed into any impropriety of language or behaviour, by which the cause of the gospel might have suffered; so that nothing could have been more suitable than the promise which our Lord here makes them, which was sufficient to prevent a thousand anxious apprehensions.

[It shall be given you in that same hour, &c. This clause is wanting in two MSS., some Versions, and several of the Fathers; but it is found in Mk. xiii. 11, § 86, without any various reading; and in substance in Lu. xii. 11, .2, § 63.]

[20. It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit, &c. The sense is, 'For ye are not to be the speakers, but the

21, .2 ver. Let the Christian be fully prepared for the most deadly enmity from the nearest and dearest relations, as well as from strangers; but let him see that it is indeed for the name's sake of Christ he is hated, and verily he shall not lose his reward.

22 ver. Let us never stop short with what we have already done or suffered for the truth's sake. It is he that endureth to the end that shall be saved.

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