A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Matthew · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
1. THen ſpake Jeſus to the multitude, and to his diſſciples, 2. Saying, The Scribes and Phariſees ſit in Moſes ſeat. 3. And therefore whatever they bid you obſerve, that obſerve and do; but do not after their works: for they ſay and do not.
1, 2, 3. The Scribes and Phariſees when they read and expound Moſes Law, do a work appointed of God; therefore (though you muſt beware of the leaven of their corrupt expoſition, yet) hear the Law which they read, and do all which they command you out of the Law: But imitate not their ſinful practice; for they live not according to Moſes Law which they deliver.
4. For they bind heavy burthens, and grievous to be born, and lay them on mens ſhoulders; but they themſelves will not move them with one of their fingers.
4. It is eaſie to preach ſtrictly, but not to live ſo: They preach the rigour of the Law, but keep it not.
5. But all their works they do to be ſeen of men; they make broad their Phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6. And love the uppermoſt rooms at feaſts, and the chief ſeats in the Synagogues. 7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
5, 6, 7. They place their Religion in outward ceremonies and actions of the body, which man can ſee: They write out the Law in Rolls, and wear them like a chain; and make broad the borders of their garments, as Numb. 15.38. Deut. 22.12. And affect preheminence, great names and applauſe.
8. But be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Maſter, even Chriſt, and all ye are brethren.
8. Do not you affect theſe titles of Reverence, ſuch as Doctor, or any that giveth too much to man.
9. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father which is in heaven.
9. And call none in exceſs of Reverence, the Father of your Religion: for God only is ſuch a Father.
10. Neither be ye called Maſters, for one is your Maſter, even Chriſt.
10. And affect not the title of Maſters in Religion; for you are all Scholars to our Maſter Chriſt.
11, 12. But he that is greateſt among you ſhall be your ſervant: and whoever ſhall exalt himſelf ſhall be abaſed, and he that ſhall humble himſelf ſhall be exalted.
11, 12. Church greatneſs and dignity conſiſteth in being moſt greatly ſerviceable: But if you affect domination and preferment, you ſhall be abaſed: and he that humbleth himſelf ſhall be accounted the chief by God, and uſed accordingly.
13. But wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites, for ye ſhut up the kingdom of heaven againſt men: for ye neither go in your ſelves, not ſuffer them that are entring to go in.
13. You keep men from believing that they might be ſaved; pretending to be Maſters and teachers of the Law, you pervert it, and harden your ſelves in unbelief, and are againſt others preaching the Goſpel and believing it.
14. Wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows houſes, and for a pretence make long prayers, therefore ye ſhall receive the greater damnation.
14. You are unmerciful, covetous, and oppreſſours, and think your Long Prayers will ſalve all with God, and men and conſcience.
Qu. Were they extemporary Prayers, or long Liturgies and forms? Anſw. If the former, the Phariſees had more of the gift of utterance than Chriſts Diſciples then. But no doubt but they were long Liturgies or Forms; for elſe they were not ſuitable to the times or the character of the Phariſees, who were Church-rulers, and all for tradition, and ceremony and outſide: And yet Chriſt blameth not the Forms, or the length, but their hypocriſie, and oppreſſing cruelty. Only good is fit to cover evil.
15. Wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites; for ye compaſs ſea and land to make one proſelyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than your ſelves.
15. Ye are very diligent to convert men to your Religion, and make them more guilty and more fierce againſt Chriſtians than your ſelves.
16. Wo to you ye blind guides, who ſay, Whoſoever ſhall ſwear by the temple, it is nothing: but whoſoever ſhall ſwear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
16. By a fooliſh diſtinction you feign a man not bound to keep his oath, nor guilty if he bre…k it, who ſweareth by the Temple, and yet ſay he is b…und that ſweareth by the gold of the Temple, as more holy.
17. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold or the temple that ſanctifieth the gold.
17. Is not the Temple conſecrated to God before its Gold, which is but an accident to the Temple.
18. And whoever ſhall ſwear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever ſhall ſwear by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that ſanctifieth the gift?
18, 19. Is not the Altar conſecrated before the Gift, on which the gift muſt be offered if conſecrated.
Qu. Doth not Chriſt here croſs his own Law, by calling them Fools and Blind? Anſw. No: It is railing and reproach by venting hurtful paſſion which he forbids. But for a Friend or a Preacher to convince men of the folly of ſinning, and reprove it, is a duty.
20, 21, 22. Whoſo therefore ſweareth by the altar, ſweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoſo ſhall ſwear by the temple, ſweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And whoſo ſhall ſwear by heaven, ſweareth by the throne of God, and by him that ſitteth thereon.
20, &c. The Altar is to be taken as relating to the Offering, and the Temple and Heaven as relating to God, in the ſence of the Oath.
23. Wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites, for ye pay tythes of mint, and aniſe, and cummin, and have omitted the weighty matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and ſaith: theſe ought ye to have done, and not to leave the others undone.
23. What hypocr…ie is it to be preciſe in Tything and tri…ing ſmall things, and to neglect the great duties of the Law, juſt i…ging, mercy, and faithful dealing with all: theſe … which you ſhould have firſt done, with grea…eſt z…l …nd care, and the ſmall things to come in their proper place.
24. Ye blind guides, who ſtrain at a gnat and ſwallow a camel▪
24. N. They may be …rply reproved as blind guides, who place their Religion in Ceremonies and ſmall things, while they omit Juſtice, Mercy, Fidelity, and ſuch great duties.
25. Wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites; for ye make clean the outſide of the cup, and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and exceſs.
25. You waſh the outſide of your Cups and Platers; but what contain they within but the Drink and the Meat which you have got by extortion, and uſe to intemperance and exceſs.
26. Thou blind Phariſee, cleanſe firſt that which is within the cup or platter, that the outſide of them may be clean alſo.
26. See that thy Diſh and Cup contain not the fruit of extortion, nor the food of fleſhly luſt: and do thus by thy heart alſo as well as by thy cup and diſh.
27. Wo to you Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites; for ye are like to whited ſepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all uncleanneſs. 28. Even ſo ye alſo outwardly appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocriſie and iniquity.
27.28. So ye are adorned with your outward Ceremonies, and Legal and Traditional obſervances, but within are Hypocrites and wicked.
29. Wo to you ſcribes and phariſees, hypocrites; becauſe ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garniſh the ſepulchres of the righteous. 30. And ſay, if we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31. Wherefore ye be witneſſes unto your ſelves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32. Fill ye up then the meaſure of your Fathers.
29.&c. As Hypocrites ye honour by your Ceremonies & Words the memory of the Prophets and Righteous men, whom your Fathers Murdered, and you ſay, you would not have done it; and yet you do the ſame, and worſe. You confeſs, that you are the off-ſpring of thoſe Murderers, and therefore lyable to be plagued for your Fore-fathers ſins, if you Repent not: No wonder if you imitate them, and fill up the meaſure till you be ripe for Vengeance.
33. Ye ſerpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye eſcape the damnation of hell?
33. How can ye eſcape Damnation, who are the Seed of ſuch Serpents and Vipers, of the ſame nature, and go on in the ſame way of ſin.
34. Wherefore behold I ſend unto you Prophets and wiſe men, and Scribes, and ſome of them ye ſhall Kill and Crucifie, and ſome of them ſhall ye ſcourge in your Synagogues, and Perſecute them from city to city: 35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood ſhed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias ſon of Barachias, whom ye ſlew between the Temple and the Altar. 36. Verily I ſay to you, All theſe things ſhall come on this Generation.
34.&c. I foretel you now what will befall you: I will ſend unto you yet greater Prophets, &c. And thus you will uſe them. And ſo when you have filled up the meaſure of your National Sin, the Deſtruction deſerved by your Anceſtors, but ſuſpended by the patien…e and long-ſuffering of God, ſhall be ſuſpended no longer, but ſhall fall on this forſaken Generation, and God will remember all at once, in the day that he dreadfully deſtroyeth you.
N. 1. Whether this Zacharias was the Son of Jehojada, in Joaſh days: and the Name of Barachias ſlipt into the Text by ſome Scribes conjecture out of the Deſcription of the Prophet Zachary: or whether it were any other is of no great Moment.
2. The Sins of their Anceſtors are ſaid to be puniſhed on that Generation. 1. Becauſe it being a National Puniſhment, was procured by National Sins which is made up of many Ages. 2. Becauſe Children derive Nature and Guilt in part from Parents Sin, and not from Adam onelyonly, as the whole Hiſtory of Scripture ſheweth. 3. Becauſe they ſinned as their Anceſtors did.
The Sin here deſcribed, is much like theirs now, who Canonize the Saints whom their Anceſtors Perſecuted and Murdered, and keep Holidays for them, and viſit their Shrines, and carry their Relicks, and account their Names the Honour of their Church; and at the ſame time, Hate, Perſecute, Silence, and Murder thoſe that imitate them.
37. O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, thou that killeſt the Prophets, and ſtoneſt them which are ſent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?
37. How oft have I offered by my Meſſengers, and attempted to gather thee into a State of greateſt ſavour and ſafety, with tendereſt Love; but you would not Conſent.
N. 1. Chriſt would have taken the whole City and Nation into his Church, had they not refuſed: And therefore Infants as they were before. 2. If the Jews had all believed in Chriſt, he would not have continued the Law of Moſes, and that Policie, which did but lead to him, nor have forſaken the reſt of the World, to make them onelyonly his Church; but would have made them a part of the Catholike Church.
38.39. Behold your houſe is left unto you deſolate. For I ſay to you, Ye ſhall not ſee me henceforth, till ye ſhall ſay, Bleſſed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
38.39. Your Temple and City are near to certain Deſolation; when you have executed you fury on me, I will leave you to the fury of Deſtroyers, and you ſhall ſee me no more, till Conviction conſtrein you to deſire me, as your Saviour.
Note, That the Country of Judaea where the remnant of the Jews, after the Deſtruction of Jeruſalem, abode, were Converted to Chriſt, as other Countries were, in the days of Conſtantine, and after; and a Patriarck ſetled at Jeruſalem: an A. Biſhop at Caeſarea, and many Biſhops and Churches among them, though ſome remained obſtinate.