Page 1
And from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now, the Kingdom of the heavens suffereth vio∣lence, and the violent take it by force.
THis Text is not entire of it self, but linked in ne∣cessary connexion with that which went before, for clearing whereof we may borrow light at the next doore: If we please to go back a little and take the advantage of a run, the coherence will shew that our Saviour having in the former chap∣t••r chosen the 12. Apostles, and sent them out to Preach in the Cities of Jury, here in the beginning of this he goes himself about the same errand, to preach the Gospell in the Cities of Galilee, for so the current of Interpretors carrieth the sence of those words, vers. 1. He departed thence to Teach and to Preach in their Cities, re∣ferring it to the Apostles who were all or most of them of Galilee. The promulgation of the glad tydings of the Kingdom of heaven, now ready to be revealed, it was a matter of that grand importance and generall concernment unto all, that our Saviour thought fit to disperse himself and his Apostles severall wayes, that all the Cities and parts of the land might with more convenience be summo∣ned to take notice of it.
John the Baptist, he had indeed awakened the people as with the sound of a Trumpet, and stirred them up to a generall expectation of the Messias his comming, but yet many of them remained in suspence, and were not so well satisfied about the person of the Messias, whether John himself or Jesus was He, as appeares Luk.