Works, Book 1 · Discourse 11
DISCOURSE XI.
S. MARK 11. 17.
Is it not written, My House shall be called a House of Prayer foreign to all [the] Nations?
THEY are the words of our Blessed Saviour, when he cast the Buyers and Sellers and Money-changers out of the Temple, and forbad to carry any vessels through it. Concerning which story it is worth observ… on, that our Saviour whilst he was upon earth never exercised any Kingly or coactive Iurisdiction, but in vindicating his Father's House from prophanation. And this he did two several times: Once at the first Passeover, after he began his Prophesie, whereof you may read Iohn 2. 14, &c. and now again at his last Passeover, when he came to give his soul a sacrifice for sin. This is that which S. Mark relates in this place, as do also two other of the Evangelists, S. Matthew and S. Luke. Matth. 21. ….The vindication of God's House from Prophanation (how little account soever we are wont to make thereof) was with out Blessed Saviour Alpha and Omega, Luke 19. 46.the first and last of his care; ubi incipit, ibi desinit. The consideration of which, how momentous it is, I leave to your selves to judge. Thus much by way of Preface.
NOW for understanding the words I have chosen, I will divide my Discourse into a Question and an Observation. The Question is, In what part of the Temple this Market was kept. A thing not commonly by Expositors enquired after, much less defined. The Observation is, That this fact of our Saviour more particularly concerns us of the Gentiles than we take notice of.
For the first, [In what part of the Temple this Market was kept;] The Iews Religion and scrupulosity to keep their Temple from prophanation was such as might seem to make this story incredible. Those who were so chary that no uncircumcised or unclean person should come therein, who trod the pavement thereof with so much religious observance and curiosity,… 2…. …. 7. who would not suffer (as Iosephus relates) any other building, no not the Palace of Agrippa their King, to have any prospect into it, lest it should be polluted by a prophane look; how unlikely is it they would endure it to be made a place of buying, selling, and bartering, yea a Market for sheep and oxen, as Iohn 2. 14. it is expresly said to have been? Neither will it serve the turn to excuse it by saying, it was to furnish such as came thither with offerings: For the sheep and oxen, whilst they were yet to be bought to that purpose, were not sacred, but prophane; and so not to come within the sacred limits. You see the difficulty.
But I answer, that this Market was kept in the Third or Gentiles Court, which was the outmost of the Temple. For the Temple in our Saviour's time had Three Courts, each surrounding one another. First, the inmost or Priests Court, wherein stood the Temple and the Altar of burnt-offering: Into this none but the Priests and Levites came. Secondly, the middle or great Court, which surrounded that of the Priests: whereinto the Iews of all sorts and circumcised Proselytes came to worship. Without this was a third Court for the Gentiles, which surrounded the Israelites Court, as that did the Court of the Priests. The two first Courts they accounted sacred, calling them foreign into which therefore none might enter but such as were circumcised and clean according to the Law. The third was without the sacred limits, and so accounted prophane and common: Lib. 6. de …llo Iud. cap. 5. Gr. ….which may be learned out of Iosephus, who tells us of certain little pillars or columns, placed by the Lorica or Septum, which severed this Court from the rest, whereon was inscribed in Greek and Latin, foreign , In Atrium sanctum transire alienigenam non debere, That no stranger pass within the sacred limits; foreign, saith he, foreign, for the second part of the Temple was called Holy; implying that the Outmost was not so.
Into this Court therefore, which had no legal sanctity and was without the … limits, the Gentiles were admitted, and had their station, together with such … Iews as were in their uncleanness; further they might not go. By Gentiles … mean such, which though uncircumcised, yet worshipped the God of Israel, and were called foreign.Mark 11. 17. For (as I have told you*See Discourse 3. heretofore) the Iews had two sorts of Proselytes which worshipped their God and frequented his Temple. One of such as were circumcised, and took upon them the observation of the whole Law of Moses: These were accounted as Iews, bound to the same observances, and partakers of the same priviledges with them; they worshipped together in the same Court, and differed nothing from Iews, but that they were not so born. But besides these, there was a second sort of Gentiles which embraced the worship of the God of Israel and the hope of the life to come, which were not circumcised, nor conformed to the Ordinances of the Mosaical Law; but were tied only to the observation of those commandments which the Iewish Doctors call*See the Seve… Prec…pts of the So… of Noah, in Discourse 3. The Precepts of the Sons of Noah. Of this Order was Cornelius and divers other mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, where they are known by the name of foreign or Worshippers: and though they were true worshippers, yet were they still but Gentiles, and such as no Iew might converse with; as we see in the example of Cornelius. These were those that came no further than the Outmost Court, not accounted within the limits of the foreign or Sacred Septs; as themselves were accounted Vnclean, because Uncircumcised, and so no members of the Commonwealth of Israel.
In this Court therefore the Iews made no scruple of doing prophane and secular acts, being in their opinion no better than a common place. Nay, it is very probable, that to shew their despiciency of the poor Gentiles, (according to that in the Apocalyps, foreign, without are Dogs) and to pride themselves in their prerogative and discretion from them, they affected to have such acts there done.Rev. 22. 15. And hence it came to pass that they permitted a Market of Oxen and Sheep, Doves and other bartery, to be kept there, for the use of the Temple and those who came thither to worship. And thus the poor Gentiles or foreign were stabled amongst Oxen, Sheep, and stalls of Money-changers, and in that tumultuous place fain to offer up their devotions and prayers unto the most High God whom they had chosen.
But our Blessed Saviour, who came to redeem not the Iews only, but the Gentiles also, and to make them a principal part of his sold, would not suffer them to be thus neglected; but in this act of his gave them a praeludium of his further favour intended toward them: and he that was to vindicate their Souls from death, and take away the*Ephes. 2. 14. partition-wall between them and the Iews, first vindicates their Oratory from prophanation; alledging for his warrant this place of the Prophet Esay concerning the same Oratory, My House shall be called a House of Prayer foreign. He did not say, My Father's House is holy; for the Iews would soon have replied, that the Gentiles Court was without the sacred limits: But, It is written, saith he, My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all the Nations; Ergo, The place of Prayer for all Nations is a part of my Father's House. If my Father's House, then holy, and not to be thus prophaned. For whatsoever is his, is holy; Relative Holiness being nothing else but the peculiarity a thing hath to God-ward. Of this if any man doubt, that Quotation by S. Luke concerning that which first openeth the womb, will put him out of doubt. For whenas the Law saith, Every male that openeth the womb is mine, (that is, the Lord's;) S. Luke utters it, chap. 2. v. 23. Every male that openeth the womb shall be called Holy unto the Lord: Ergo, To be the Lord's and to be Holy, are Synonyma's.
Though therefore the Gentiles Court had no sanctity of legal distinction, yet had it the sanctity of peculiarity to God-ward, and therefore not to be used as a common place. The Illation proceeds by way of Conversion; My House shall be called the House of Prayer to *1 Kings 8. 41, 42, 43.all Nations or People; Ergo, The House of Prayer for all Nations is my Father's House. And the Emphasis lies in the words [foreign] which our Translators were not so well advised of, when, following Beza too close, they render the words thus, My House shall be called of all Nations the House of Prayer; as if the Dative Case here [foreign] were not Acquisitive, but (as it is sometimes with passive verbs) in stead of the Ablative of the Agent, for foreign. Which sense is clean from the scope and purpose of the place whence it is taken; as he that compares them will easily see, and I shall make fully to appear in the next part of my Discourse, which I tendred by the name of an Observation.
To wit, That this fact of our Saviour more particularly concerns us of the Gentiles than we take notice of. Namely, we are taught thereby what reverent esteem we ought to have of our Gentile Oratories and Churches; howsoever not endued with such legal sanctity, in every respect, as was the Temple of the Iews; yet Houses of Prayer as well as theirs. This Observation will be made good by a threefold Consideration: First, of the Story, as I have related it; secondly, from the Text here alledged for warrant thereof; and thirdly, from the circumstance of Time.
For the Story, I have shewed it was acted in the Gentiles Court, and not in that of the Iews; because it is not credible that was thus prophaned. It cannot therefore be alledged, that this was a place of legal sanctity; for according to legal sanctity it was held by the Iews as common: only it was the place for the Gentiles to worship the God of Israel in; and seems to have been proper to the second Temple, the Gentiles in the first worshipping without at the Temple-door in the holy Mountain only.
Secondly, The place alledged to avow the Fact speaks expresly of Gentile-worshippers; not in the words foreign only, but in the whole body of the context. Hear the Prophet speak, Esay chap. 56. ver. 6, 7. and then judge: The sons of the stranger, that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him, and to love the Name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my Covenant, (namely, that I alone shall be his God;) Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain, and make them joyful in my House of Prayer; their burnt-offerings and sacrifices accepted upon mine Altar. Then follow the words of my Text, For my House shall be called (that is, shall be; it is an Hebraism) a House of Prayer for all People.
What is this but a Description of the foreign or Gentile-worshippers? And this place alone makes good all that I have said before, viz. That this vindication was of the Gentiles Court: Otherwise the allegation of this Scripture had been impertinent; for the Gentiles (of whom the Prophet speaks) worshipped in no place but this. Hence also appears to what purpose our Evangelist expressed the words [foreign,] namely, as that which shewed wherein the force of the accommodation to this occasion lay; which the rest of the Evangelists omitted, as referring to the place of the Prophet whence it was taken; those who heard it being not ignorant of whom the Prophet spake.
Thirdly, the circumstance of Time argues the same thing; if we consider that this was done but a few days before our Saviour suffered, to wit, when he came to his last Passeover. How unseasonable had it been to vindicate the violation of Legal and typical sanctity, which within so few days after he was utterly to abolish by his Cross; unless he had meant thereby to leave his Church a lasting lesson, what reverence and respect he would have accounted due to such places as this was which he vindicated?