Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 36 · Chapter 21
CAP. XXI.
See Zachar. 9. verse 9.5, 7. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold thy king commeth unto thee, meeke and sitting upon an asse, and the colt, the foale of an asse, and brought the asse, and the colt, and put on them their cloathes, and they set him thereon.
ANd they brought both the asse, and her colt, and put their cloathes upon them, and they set him upon the asses colt thus clad, which had never beene used to the yoke, or carriage; and he rode thereon in great humility and homely state from Bethphage to Jerusalem.
O Lord do thou save and maintaine,9 Hosanna to the sonne of David: Blessed is hee that commeth in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. and prosper the kingdome of this true sonne of David; Blessed is this true and onelyonly Messiah, which commeth unto us, in the power and authority of the God of heaven. O God, do thou in the highest heaven blesse and save him, and give happy successe to his rule over us.
10 And when hee was come into Hierusalem all the citie was moved, saying, who is this?And when hee was come into Jerusalem with this joyfull acclamation of the people; all the city was full of noise, and stirring: and as he passed the street with this attendance, the multitude seeing the traine, asked, who is this that is followed with such confluence of people, and such loud gratulations?
12 And Iesus went into the Temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the Temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves.And Jesus went up (in this equipage) to the Temple of God; and did now (the second time) cast out all them that bought and sold cattell and doves, and other things usefull for their sacrifices from the courts of the holy Temple; and overthrew the tables of those mony-changers, which were imployed in these bargains, and the seats of them that sold turtles, and pidgeons for their oblations.
13 And said unto them, It is writen, my house shal bee called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a denne of theeves.And said unto them: It is written by the Prophet Esay: My house is consecrated to holy devotion, to the use of prayer, and all other the sacred services of God; but now, well may the complaint of Jeremie be taken up: ye have made it a den of theeves, in mis-imploying it to your fraudulent bargaines, and griping transactions.
19 And when he saw a figge tree in the way hee came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves onelyonly, and said unto it, let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever; and presently the fig tree withered away.And when hee saw a figge tree in the way, hee came purposely to seeke that fruit which hee knew hee should not finde ripe and seasonable, that hee might hence take occasion to worke that exemplary miracle upon it, which ensued; for when he found onelyonly store of leaves upon it, and no fruit, that hee might in this tree shew how much hee hates, and will punish a formall profession (such as the Jewes made) of religion, without an answerable fruitfulnesse, he cursed the fig tree, and said; let that which is thy fault, be thy punishment; thou bearest no fruit at all; whereas the nature of thy kinde is ever to have one fruit under another, alwayes some, though not ever in a full maturity; since therefore thou bearest no fruit at all, never maist thou more beare any fruit: and presently the fig tree, as blasted with that word of judgement, withered.
21 Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the figge tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountaine, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be doneVerily I say unto you; that which ye have seene me to do, by my divine power, the same shall ye doe by the power of your miraculous faith; if ye can stedfastly beleeve, without wavering and doubts, ye shall not onelyonly be able, by your command to remove the sappe from a tree, but ye shall be able to remove the greatest mountaine, by your word, out of the place wherein it is, and to cast it into the sea.
The question you aske me,24, 25. And Iesus answered & said unto them, I will also aske you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I doe these things. The baptisme of Iohn, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? and they reasoned with themselves, saying, if wee shall say from heaven, hee will say unto us, why did ye not then beleeve him? can proceed out of nothing but a wilfull cavillation; ye will see such divine power shining forth in my miracles, as may well convince you of the certainty of my mission, and authority from God himselfe. But since ye will needes move this doubt, I shall give you a full resolution, out of your owne answer; if ye shall but tell me whence John, my fore-runner, had his warrant, and authority, both for his preaching, and baptisme; herein may ye give your selves full satisfaction: for if he were an holy Prophet (as ye all account of him) and served onelyonly to make way for me, as his Lord and Saviour, and pointed to me, as that Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world; how can ye make any scruple of receiving mee, as sent from God, for the worke of mans redemption?
Yee Priests, and Elders of the people,31 Whether of them twaine did the will of his father; They say unto him, the first; Iesus saith unto them; Verily I say unto you, that the Publicans and the harlots goe into the kingdome of God, before you. and ye Scribes and Pharisees are as the undertaking sonne, that promised well, but did nothing: Publicans and sinners are as the refusing sonne, which denyed to worke, and yet performed it in their conversion: therefore even Publicans and sinners shall enter into the kingdome of heaven, how ever now by you despised, when ye shall be excluded.
See Esa 5.1.33 There was a certain housholder that planted a vineyard, and hedged it &c.
And after that he had seene all the indignities that they had offered unto his servants the Prophets,37 But last of all he sent unto them his sonne, saying, they will reverence my sonne. he resolved to send his onelyonly sonne Jesus unto them, whose divine miracles hee well knew might justly convince them of their dutie to him.
But when these wicked Jewes saw that the sonne of God was come personally amongst them, they said;38 But when the husbandmen saw the sonne, they said among themselves, this is the heire, come let ut kill him and let us sease on his inheritance. come let ut kill him, and then there shall be none to challenge the inheritance and command of us: we may then live lawlessely without any controll.
Ye thinke now that ye are utterly free from the danger of this accusation; and presume of your owne judgement;42 Iesus saith unto them, Did yee never read in the Scriptures: whereas he whom ye reject shall be approved that true Messias on whom the Church of God is built, according to that of the Psalmist.43 The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.
See Psal. 118.22.
44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall bee broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grinde him to powder.Christ is as a rocke every way as in regard of the use of that spirituall building, so in respect of the danger of opposing him: whosoever will be dashing upon him, shall but split and breake himselfe in peeces; and if hee fall (in just revenge,) upon any that makes head against him, hee shall crush and grinde him to powder.