The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. (20) And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: (21) The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. (22) Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
The Reader, if his views are at all in correspondence with mine, will not be offended that I so often call him, to remark the awful character of those Pharisees. It is not surely without design, that God the Holy Ghost hath interspersed so much of their history, worthless as it is, with that of Christ, which is so infinitely endearing; but with an eye to the Church's improvement. The Lord knew, that such characters from generation to generation would arise, like weeds, in the garden of the Church; and scatter their baleful seed in every direction. The Lord therefore hath marked their prominent appearances, that they may be everlastingly distinguished from plants of the Lord's right hand planting, and separated from what is pure. Ye shall know them by their fruits. They profess great sanctity of character, great zeal for promoting their own tenets, they long to proselyte the world; they abound, or would have the world suppose they abound, in good deeds, alms-giving, and unbounded charity. But in the same moment, they burn with the bitterest rancour of heart against that faith in Christ, as their forefathers, the Pharisees in Christ's days, did before them; which hangs the whole of salvation upon the Person, Blood, and Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ only. They desire it may be considered, that they profess Christ, and hope to be saved by Christ: but they consider their good works, as partly recommendations. To rob them of these, would be like Micah's gods taken from him, having nothing left. Judges 18:24. They have never known, neither felt, the plague of their own hearts; and therefore are more in enmity against the faith once delivered to the saints, than the openly profane. May the Lord the Spirit, who hath so graciously watched over his Church, in holding forth so frequently the awful history of such men, keep his people from being tainted with their doctrine. Luke 12:1.