Luke 18

Let us then give God spirit-worship; this best suits with his nature: a sovereign elixir full of virtue may be given in a few drops — a little prayer, if it be with the heart and spirit, may have much virtue and efficacy in it. The publican made but a short prayer, God be mercif…

The more love a Christian receives from God, the more he sees himself a debtor to free grace, and the sense of his debt keeps his heart humble, but presumption is bred of pride. He who presumes, disdains; he thinks himself better than others (Luke 18:11): God I thank you, I am n…

We are kept by power of God. 3. The world's golden snares, riches and pleasure (Luke 18:24). How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.

4. If we trust in our civility, we make it a God: many trust to this, none can charge them with gross sin. Civility is but nature refined and cultivated; a man may be washed and not changed: his life may be civil, yet there may be some reigning sin in his heart: the Pharisee cou…

Answ. 1. When our faith in prayer is humble: A presumptuous person hopes to be heard in prayer for some inherent worthiness in himself; he is so qualified, and has done God good service, therefore he is confident God will hear his prayer. See an instance (Luke 18:11-12). The Pha…

O how thankful should you be to God? Do as that blind man in the Gospel, after he had received his sight, he followed Christ glorifying God (Luke 18:43). Make Heaven ring of God's praises.

8. If you would not fall short of the kingdom of heaven, take heed of worldly-mindedness; a covetous spirit is a dunghill spirit, it chokes good affections, as the earth puts out the fire. The world hindered the young man from following Christ, abiit tristis, he went away sorrow…

The world's golden sands are quicksands. How hard is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, (Luke 18:24). The consideration of this should make us submit to God in adversity, and say, Your will be done: God sees what is best for us; if we have less estate we are…

The husbandman waits till the seed spring up: wait for the harvest of glory. Some have their waiting weeks at court; this is your waiting time: Christ says, Pray and faint not (Luke 18:1). So wait and faint not.

A cunning flatterer who is continually suggesting things and taking all hints and occasions to do so may at last work hard to push out a near and dear friend and make one jealous of him. As the judge yielded to her importunity (Luke 18:5), so the mind is apt to yield to a sugges…

'Does his promise fail forever?' Remember what is said in another case in Luke 18:8 — that though he bears long, yet he comes speedily — that is, though long in our eyes, yet speedily in his own. He has all time before him and knows how much time remains to be spent in embraces…

Thus in their own defense, that which Christ says, they contradict, and justify themselves. Here mark the nature of all impenitent sinners, which is to soothe and flatter themselves in sin, and to maintain their own righteousness, like to the proud Pharisee in his prayer, who br…

1. A righteous man is a humble man; he who is proud of his righteousness, is unrighteous. Luke 18:1. God I thank you that I am not as other men are, I fast, I give tithes: Here was a triple crown of pride the Pharisee wore; righteousness though it raises the name, it depresses t…

Query 2. Though God's abhorring and final rejecting of prayer is an argument of his abhorring the person who prays, dare we conclude so from a mere suspension of the answer? God may bear long with his own elect who cry to him day and night — Luke 18:7. Query 3. Can you deny that…

Your prayers may be answered, though the thing prayed for be withheld, yes, or though it should be given for a little while and then taken from you again. There are four ways God answers prayers: by giving the thing prayed for immediately (Daniel 9:23); by suspending the answer…

Quest. But how is it possible there should be any good towards us? That the sins in which the Nation hath been so steeped, and parboil'd, should be forgiven? that our divisions and animosities should be healed, Gods Ordinances refined, and the Lord continue his gracious presence…

The 2nd symptom is deep security, and much self-confidence; where these are, Christ's Intercession is little, or not at all made use of; when a soul makes no question of, nor has any doubt about its own peace, or about its praying or getting a hearing, this is indeed self-confid…

When the Spirit of God helps us to fervency, to cry to God, and to be earnest with him in that regard, and not to give him over, and comes from a sensible want of the blessings we stand in need of, and that makes us go out of ourselves to God, for the mercy that is according to…

And this, according to Paul, is to be under the works of the law, that is to say, that hypocrites do the law, and yet in doing it, they do it not: for they understand this word doing according to the literal sense of the law, which in true Christian divinity is nothing worth. In…

These confess with their mouth that they are sinners, and they confess also that they commit sins daily, however not so great and many, but that they are able to put them away by their own works: indeed and besides all this, they will bring their righteousness and deserts to Chr…

Here he must needs fall into the hatred of God, and blasphemy against God. Before, when he was out of temptation, he was a very holy man, he worshipped and praised God, he bowed his knee before God and gave him thanks, as the Pharisee did (Luke 18). But now when sin and death is…

IV. They held, that the keeping of the morall lawe, stood in externall obedience, as appeares by the speeches of Christ, reforming their errours, Math. 5. 6. 7. chap. v. They maintained a naturall freedome of the will, in the obseruing of the law, Luk. 18. Lord I thanke you (say…

Thus much does the word, [〈…〉]stifie, import. Thus came the Publican before God, Luk. 18, when he said, Lord be mercifull to me a sinner; and departed justified. Thus in the sift petition, we are taught to come euery day into the presence of God, and to acknowledge our debts, an…

For the spirit makes us cry Abba, Father: that is, My father, and your father. God requires this importunity of us (Luke 18:1). It is practiced by David (Psalm 69:4), by the woman of Canaan (Matthew 15).

But he would have us, especially to consider ourselves, that by the consideration of our own weakness, we might learn more mildness towards others in our reproofs: for seeing we stand in need of mercy, we ought to deal mercifully: and seeing God forgives us innumerable sins, we…

16. And when he had taken them in his arms, he laid hands on them, and blessed them. Luke 18:15-17 15. And they presented to him also infants, that he might touch them; which, when the disciples saw, they rebuked them.

22. But he, affected with uneasiness on account of the saying, went away sorrowful; for he had many possessions. Luke 18:18-23 18. And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do, that I may obtain eternal life?

27. And Jesus beholding them says, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God. Luke 18:24-27 24. And Jesus, perceiving that he was sorrowful, said, With what difficulty shall they who have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

“Et les derniers seront premiers;” — “and the last shall be first.” Luke 18:28-30, 22:28-31 28. And Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

And having again taken aside the twelve, he began to tell them what things would happen to him: 33. Lo, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes; and they will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles: 34. And…

And immediately he received sight, and followed Jesus in the way. Luke 18:35-43 35. And it happened that, while he was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting near the road begging:

Those hypocrites which trust to their works, and live an honest and virtuous life, as it appears outwardly, do truly think, and are fully persuaded, that God must receive them into heaven, because of their works. This makes them proud, presumptuous and glorious in their own conc…

The Prodigal Son said, I will arise and go to my Father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy it be called thy Son; make me as one of thy hired Servants, Luke 15:18, etc. See also Luke 18:9. etc. And he spoke this…

This is what I would argue from hence, that the expression of our own righteousness, when used in Scripture, with relation to the favor of God, and when we are warned against looking upon it as that by which that favor is obtained, does not signify only a ceremonial righteousnes…

Suspicion will arise, if censure pass not, from better men than Barbarians, if they see a viper on the hand of a Paul (Acts 28). It is more than probable from our Savior's question, that those eighteen upon whom the Tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, were commonly supposed gre…

This is a point of great importance, and therefore for the better obseruing of it, I will here show two points: I. what this pride is: II. why it must be so carefully auoided in our alms deedes. By pride, I meane not outward pride in apparell, but that which is inward in the sou…

For the partie: by Hypocrite wee must understand him, that in heart and speech is prone to conceiue, and give rash judgment of other mens sayings and actions: and good cause there is why he is so called, for this man has the sinne of hypocrisie raigning in him, he desires to see…

The world's silver trumpet sounds a retreat, and calls men off from their pursuit after Heaven. The world hindered the young man from following Christ: he went away sorrowful: whereupon, says our Savior, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God (Luke…

Not only so, but it seems to be foretold in scripture, that it shall be a time of but little religion, when Christ shall come to set up his kingdom in the world. Thus when Christ spake of his coming to encourage his elect, who cry to him day and night, in Luke 18:8 he adds this,…

All the medicine in the world could not have done her so much good. Always therefore, without ceasing is this duty to be performed (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Whenever man and wife make any prayer, in it they must be mindful of one another: indeed, and often must they of…

3. Therefore does Christ use this comparison, that we might not miscarry by a low example. How apt are we to follow the track, and to take up with an easy and low rate of obedience, (Luke 18:11), that put great confidence in that, God, I thank you, I am not as other men. Now bec…

What Monuments of Gods Vengeance were Nero, Dioclesian, Gardner, and the rest of that persecuting tribe? Luke 18:7. Shall not God avenge his own elect?

I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place. The Judge in the Gospel is called an unjust Iudge, Luke 18:6. And no wonder, for verse 2. he feared not God.

We must glory in the Lord. 2. Not pleading of merit, as if he had deserved anything of God; so the Pharisee speaks of his good works (Luke 18:11). It is not to such a purpose as if we could challenge a reward as a due debt upon any good that we have done.

Many men, all their religion runs upon nots. (Luke 18:11) I am not as this publican. That ground is naught, though it brings not forth briars and thorns, if it yields not good increase.

He is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe, the whole earth is full of his goodness, Lord show it to me also, he hears the cry of ravens. 2. To direct us how to sue for it in a broken-hearted manner, there are two extremes, self-confidence and desperation, sel…

First, the necessity of it, the best of God's children have no other claim. For a publican to come and say God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13) is no such wonder, but for a David to use the same plea, that should be noted. From first to last the children of God have no ot…

4. Take heed of moral pride, which consists in a lofty conceit of ourselves, joined with a contempt of others: this was the Pharisees' sin. (Luke 18:9) He spoke this parable to certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. And it is notably p…

Secondly, to awaken our importunity. (Luke 18:1) And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint: compared with (Luke 11:8) with the parable ensuing. So again an instance in the Woman of Canaan — she turns discouragements into argument…

We that are short-sighted, and short spirited creatures, see not God's reasons: indeed, God may delay so long, till their hearts faint, and their eyes fail, as in these two verses: till their faith and patience be quite spent, and they have left looking for it. (Luke 18:8) "Shal…