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JOHN

tell you, Nay: but, unless ye repent, ye will all in like
manner perish. * Or those eighteen, upon whom the
tower in Siloam fell, and killed them-suppose ye
that these were sinners above all men that dwell in οφειλεται
Jerusalem? $ I tell you, Nay: but, unless ye repent,

ye will all likewise perish."

7. Parable of the Barren Fig tree.

6 Now he spake this parable ; "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 7 And he said unto the vinedresser, 'Behold, three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?' 8 But he answering saith unto him, 'Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 and if it bear fruit, well: but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down,"

SECT. XV.

The Infirm Woman healed in the Synagogue on the Sabbath.

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10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And, behold, there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bowed together, and was wholly unable to raise herself up. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called to her, and said unto her, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight; and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, being moved with indignation because Jesus healed

on the sabbath-day, answered and said unto the multitude, "There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath-day." 15 The Lord therefore answered him and said, "Thou hypocrite! doth not each of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead him away and water him? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, to be loosed from this bond on the sabbath-day?" 17 And as he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame: and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things done by him.

JOHN

In arranging the subdivisions of that remarkable and invaluable portion of St. Luke's Gospel from which the two foregoing Sections are derived, we are, almost exclusively, to be guided by their respective characteristics and circumstances; (see Diss. II. Sect. iv.) : yet it is desirable, for the sake of customary associations, to retain the parts in their present relative positions, as far as this is practicable.

Viewing the xiith and xiiith chapters of Luke as forming one record, and observing little to decide for a different position, I placed the whole of them, (in the first edition), where the latter part, from ch. xiii. 22, must be placed, viz. in our Lord's last journey to Jerusalem. That position, however, seems too much to interrupt the narrative of the preceding Evangelists, especially since one part, (in Sect. xv.), does not well suit the circumstances of that period; and the present appears, on the whole, the most convenient arrangement, connecting the commencement of the xiith chapter, in the succession of events, with the xith, (in Sect. x.), the position of which last is decided by the corresponding parts of St. Matthew's Gospel.

Several parts of Section xiv. so closely correspond with passages in discourses delivered at other periods, that it might be considered as mainly formed from those discourses, and be arranged accordingly: but St. Luke could not have regarded them as belonging to such as he has himself recorded; and, after all, there is nothing in the series which conclusively opposes the supposition that all the discourses and observations were delivered at the same period.

The first subsection of Sect. xiv. (p. 135) consists of passages closely corresponding with portions of the instructions to the Apostles, as recorded by Matthew: supposing that these were then delivered, we must subjoin to the last Section of Part IV. the second subsection, containing the parable of the Rich Man. -The chief part of the third subsection corresponds almost verbally with St. Matthew's record of the Sermon on the Mount; but there is some additional matter, also corresponding, however, in substance. -The fourth subsection-Preparation for the Coming of the Lord-so much corresponds with the record in Matthew of the discourses on the Mount of Olives, (Part VIII. Sect. vi.), that if we give up the continuity of the present series, we may well refer this portion to that period. In the fifth subsection, we have passages corresponding with some which St. Matthew places in the Sermon on the Mount, or in the Instructions to the Apostles: yet, from ver. 54 compared with ver. 1, it seems clear, that St. Luke considered these, together with the preceding portions of ch. xii., as forming one continuous series of Discourses; and it appears best to arrange them accordingly.

If the xiith chapter be one continuous series, there seems no reason why we should not regard the first nine verses of the xiiith chapter as a part of it; and Lachman has so arranged this portion, continuing the paragraph which he begins with ch. xi. 14, to ch. xiii. 9.

The portion which follows this subsection-respecting the Infirm Woman, I place with great satisfaction in this Part; and from its distinct and independent character, I deem it best to make it form a separate Section.

The portion of the xiiith chapter which begins with ver. 22, obviously respects the last journey; and it is accordingly left in Part VII. Sect. vi.

The three verses (18-21) which intervene between our Lord's observations after the cure of the Infirm Woman and the occurrences of his last journey, exactly correspond with a part of St. Matthew's record of the Day of Parables; and it is at least inost convenient to arrange them accordingly. This is done in pp. 131, 132.

On Part VI.

It appears from Mark vi. 30, that the intelligence of the death of John the Baptist caused those Apostles who had not yet rejoined our Lord, to return to him.

Herod's return to Galilee occasioned our Lord to spend the principal part of the interval before his final journey to Jerusalem, either in the dominions of Philip, east of the Jordan, or in Galilee Superior, at a distance from Herod's court at Tiberias, and where he could easily withdraw from his jurisdiction.

The following Part contains the records of this interval, in which nothing is left to conjecture and uncertainty. They are peculiarly full in the first two Gospels-the one written by an Apostle, the other by a companion of Apostles, and especially of Peter; and the succession of events in each is closely correspondent. This might be expected when we consider that at the time when the miracle of the Five Thousand was wrought, the Passover was approaching (John vi. 4); and that, as also appears from expressions in our Lord's subsequent Discourse in Capernaum, the time of his death was not far distant. The nature of his transactions, too, the comparative ease of retracing them, the danger in which he obviously was, and his continual change of place in order to avoid it-all must have contributed to fix the course of events in the minds of those who accompanied him at this period.

St. Luke's record of the following Part is contained in the ixth chapter of his Gospel. It is very brief; but the order of events is the same as that in the first two Gospels; and by his expressions in ver. 31 and 51, he fixes the near approach of our Lord's death. After the departure from Galilee, Luke introduces his Gnomology; and then returns to the last journey, in ch. xvii. 11.

Respecting the chronological position of the miracle of the Five Thousand, the reader is referred to Diss. I. Sect. v. 2. The whole system of this Arrangement of the Gospels depends upon it.

RECORDS OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY.

PART VI.

FROM THE GENERAL RETURN OF THE TWELVE, TO OUR LORD'S DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE.

SECT. I.

Herod hears of Jesus, after the Death of John the Baptist: The
remainder of the Apostles rejoin our Lord.

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MATT. XIV.

MARK VI.

LUKE IX.

JOHN

prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother.

4 For John kept saying unto him, "Its not lawful for thee to have her."

5

And when he desired to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they accounted him as a prophet.

him in prison for the
sake of Herodias, the wife
of Philip his brother: be-
cause he had married her.
18 For John kept saying*
unto Herod, "It is not
lawful for thee to have
thy
brother's wife."
19 Therefore Herodias
was enraged against him,
and would have put him
to death; but could not:
20 for Herod feared John,
knowing that he was a
righteous and holy man,
and preserved him; and
when he heard him, he
did many things, and
heard him gladly.

21 And a convenient day having come, when Herod on his birth-day made a supper for his nobles, and commanders, and the chief men of Ga6 But when Herod's lilee; 22 and the daughbirthday was kept, the ter of that Herodias daughter of Herodias haring come in, and danced in the midst of danced, and pleased Hehis court, and pleased rod and them that were Herod': 7 whereupon he at table with him, the promised with an oath king said unto the damsel, to give her whatsoever "Ask of me whatsoever she should ask. thou wilt, and I will give it thee." 23 And he sware unto her, "Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom." 24 And she went forth,

*

ελεγε. Here and in various other instances, the force of the Greek imperfect is important.

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