Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 36 · Chapter 23
CAP. XXIII.
2 Saying, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat.THe Scribes and Pharisees, which are the teachers and expounders of the law of God, however they set false glosses upon many precepts thereof, and corrupt it with their owne traditions, yet they do out of Gods law shew you how ye ought to live, what sins ye ought to avoid, what good duties ye ought to performe.
3 And therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do, but doe not ye after their workes, for they say and doe not.Their counsels and doctrines carry in them much shew of holinesse, and austerity; but their practises are full of loosenesse, and iniquity; whatsoever therefore they injoine you out of the law of God, that observe, and do; but follow not the examples of their actions; for they say well, and do evill.
They do, in their many and strict traditions,4 For they binde heavie burthens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on mens shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. impose heavie charges of busie and troublesome observations upon the people; but they themselves will be sure to ease their owne shoulders, and take the freedome of a lawlesse kinde of licentiousnesse.
They make great ostentation of the outward signes of holinesse; enlarging those parchment-guards,5 But all their workes they doe for to be seene of men, they make broad their Phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. which they weare about them, as containing the parcels, and monuments of Gods law; that they may be noted for great professors of sanctitie.
But do not ye arrogate to your selves any such power,8 But be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. or title, as may derogate from the absolute authority of him who is the word of the Father: Doe not ye take upon you to deliver any doctrine, as of your own head, but onelyonly that which yee shall receive from your heavenly Master: Christ is your Father and Master to teach and command; yee are brethren to joyne together in observance and obedience.
So also verse 9. and 10.
Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites;13 But woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites: for ye shut up the kingdome of heaven against men: for ye neither goe in your selves, neither suffer ye them that are entring, to goe in. for whereas by your office and profession, ye should by the key of knowledge open the kingdome of heaven unto men; ye doe contrarily defraud the people of the true understanding of Gods law, and by that meanes, doe as it were shut the gates of heaven, against both them, and your selves; your false glosses & vicious practises exclude you; and by the impossibility of observing your many & vaine traditions, yee do in your judgement exclude others; and as for matter of faith, ye do neither beleeve in mee (the true Saviour) your selves, neither suffer others that would gladly embrace the truth of my Gospell, to cleave unto mee.
Ye leave no meanes un-attempted, ye spare no paines,15 For ye compasse sea and land to make one proselyte, & when he is made, yee make him twofold more the child of hell, then your selves. nor cost to winne a Gentile, to your Jewish religion; and when ye have drawne him to you, ye do so fully corrupt him, that he is a much worse Jewe then hee was a Gentile; and ye doe more damne him by a sacrilegious pretence of religion, then he did before damne himselfe by an heathenish civility.
Wo unto you, ye blind guides,16 Woe unto you yee blinde guides, which say, whosoever shall sweare by the Temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall sweare by the gold of the Temple, he is a debter. which lead Gods people into grosse and foule errours, by your false and absurd expositions, whiles ye teach, that the gold of the Temple is more holy then the Temple it selfe: and therefore that if a man sweare by the Temple, the oath bindes not; but if he sweare by the gold of the Temple, now hee is bound to performe it.
So vers. 18.
20 Whoso therefore shall sweare by the Altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.Whatsoever the formes of your swearing be, it is God onelyonly that is, and must be sworne by; and the creatures are only mentioned, as in relation to their maker; whoso therefore shall sweare by the Altar, sweares by that which is sacrificed upon it, and by that God to whom that Altar, and that Sacrifice is consecrated and offered.
So also 21, 22.
23 Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye pay tithe of Mint, & Anise, and Cummine, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, Iudgement, MercieMercy, and Faith: these ought yee to have done, and not to leave the other undone.Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye are curious and scrupulous in performing small and trifling matters: but are carelesse and unconscionable in the maine points of Gods law: if it be for the tithe of a few worthlesse herbes, or seedes, ye will rather over-run the precept of God; but the great duties of justice in your decisions of mercy to the helpelesse, of fidelity, and uprightnesse of carriage towards men, these are sleightly passed over by you. Those petty observations, (being that they are prescribed) doe challenge their due place, but so, that the greater and more important duties ought first and chiefly to be regarded.
25 For ye make cleane the outside of the cup, and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excesse.Yee are all for the outside; onelyonly caring to appeare faire and glorious, without all regard to inward sinceritie; as if a man should be curious in washing the outside of his cup, or platter; never caring whether it be cleane within: thus doe yee, being externally holy, but inwardly full of extortion, and excesse.
26 Thou blinde Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup, and platter, that the out-side of them may be cleane also.Thou blinde and hypocriticall Pharisee, doe thou by thy selfe, as any wise and cleanly man would do by his cup or platter, care first and chiefly that the inside bee cleane & bright, that so (if thou wilt) it may be scowred on both sides; thy owne safety calls thee to the respect of the inside: in the care of the outside, thou shalt onelyonly regard the eyes of others.
29 Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because yee build the tombes of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous.Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because yee professe much honour to the memory of the holy Prophets, and can be content to beautifie their tombes, as if yee were conscionable observers of that which they spake, and wrote in the name of the Lord.
In that yee are so busie in garnishing the tombes of the Prophets, slaine by your progenitors,31 Wherefore yee be witnesses unto your selves; that ye are the children of them which killed the Prophets. ye proclaime your selves to be the children of murderous parents; so as ye have no reason at all to boast of your pedigree.
But herein ye do too well approve your selves the sonnes of those wicked parents,32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. in that ye imitate them in their bloody practises; persecuting and killing the righteous and innocent, now, as they did in their times before you, so as what they wanted of cruelty, is fully made up by you.
That since yee succeed in the bloodie crueltie of your predecessours,35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias sonne of Barachias whom ye slew between the Temple and the Altar. ye may also inherit their judgements; and may make your selves liable to the punishment of all the innocent blood, that hath beene shed by them, even from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias the sonne of Jojada, or Barachias, whom your progenitors cruelly flew in the court of the Temple, betwixt the entring in thereof, and the Altar.
How oft and how earnestly have I offered unto thee,37 How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not? the meanes of thy salvation, and tendered unto thee my gratious protection, if thou would'st have approved thy selfe capable thereof? and thou hast wilfully cast off, and disregarded all my mercifull profers made unto thee.
Behold your Temple, your City,38 Behold your house is left unto you desolate. your country shall be (by reason of your sinnes) given over to utter spoile and desolation.
For I say unto you:39 For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord. Hitherto I have lovingly and familiarly conversed amongst you, as a gratious Redeemer, inviting you to your conversion; but now since ye have despised my mercy, I will depart from you, and ye shall no more see me, till you shall be forced to magnifie me in the terrour of my judgement, and in the glory of my majesticall appearance.