Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost The Gospel Luc. 17 v. 11. Sunday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634


GOSPEL Luke 17:11-19
At that time, as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain town, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off. And lifted up their voice, saying: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." Whom when he saw, he said: "Go, shew yourselves to the priests." And it came to pass, as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. And he fell on his face before his feet, giving thanks. And this was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said: "Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine? There is no one found to return and give glory to God, but this stranger?"And he said to him: "Arise, go thy way; for thy faith hath made thee whole."

SUNDAY MEDITATION

Jesus passed through the middest of Samaria and Galilee. & c.

Even as this material Sun which we see in the firmament, never restest or standeth still, but runneth his daily and yearly course round about the whole compass of the world. 

Both Sea and Land, and with his aspect doth impart unto it the benefit of his light, & heat, without which the world could not subsist: So did the Sun of justice, Christ Jesus our Lord, when he began his course of preaching, & planting hi Gospel, never cease, but travelled and trudged up & down, from place to place, from City to City, from village to village to enlighten mens hearts with the brightness of his doctrine, and warm them with his manifold benefits of all sorts, curing the lame, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, health to the sick, and the lie; and here passing through the middest of Samaria and Galilee, amongst other his cures, cleansed these ten Lepers by the way, as he went, whose misery was to be the more lamented, because they were forlorn men, banished by the law out of Cities, towns and villages, and from all conversation and society of men, as those are that have the plague.

There be some that when they travel abroad, & are in journey, think they are not bound to exercise themselves, in any good exercise upon the way, but let their minds and senses wander up and down, as freely , as their bodies, upon every vain and idle object, that occurreth unto them, and their tongues upon prophane, vain, and idle discourses and confabulations, omitting to pray, or meditate, or any other goof exercise, saying to themselves: We will now attend wholly to our recreation, and pleasure; We will be merry and make goof cheer, to ease us of the tediousness and fatigation of our journey in what we can: when we return home, we will return again to our accustomed prayers and other good exercises, and not before. 

Behold, how far this is from the example of Christ our Master and teacher, as these lepers called him. 

He traveled up and down, to preach the Gospel, and as he traveled he omitted no opportunity, or occasion to do good, whether it were in City , town, village, highway, or wheresoever, as here he did unto these lepers upon the way, yea and went out of his way unto them, as far as he could hear them cry out unto Him, for so they did, not daring to walk in the highway where men used to travel.

Nor anything near, for fear of infecting them, they being forbidden it by the Law: neither did Christ think it out of his way to do good, though it were never so far off.

Behold I say, how far our manner of traveling is from the example of Christ. Nay, not only from the example of Christ, but from the example of a certain heathen man in the Scripture, an Eunuch, Treasurer to the Queen of Candace, who as he went on Coach, or Chariot to Jerusalem, and back again, carried with him the Bible of the old Testament.

And read therein: In regard whereof, God sent unto him St. Philip upon the way, as he was reading this place of the Prophet Esay, which he understood not, to wit, And he shall be as a sheep before the shearer, not once opening his Mouth, who explained it unto him, that it was spoken of Christ; and divers other passages of Scripture concerning Christ, whereby be received so great a benefit, as presently to be converted to the faith of Christ, and to be baptized upon the way. At the next river he came unto.

And no doubt but many other of his household, & others were converted by his means. Behold an example no less comfortable, then memorable, for such as spend their time well, as they travel upon the way.


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