*nvencion upon it, That while 3f2/es was in the Mounc of God forty Days, and torcy Nizhrs, God in che Day-time revealed to him ce Lav written in the Five Books of J/es,and in the Night he revealed ro him fevera! other thin?s; as to which , his Will was, they thould got be written, tor fear the Heathens ſhould Tranſcribe fem ; bur he delivered only by Word ot Mouth, £2 "> 5medrim, and be to them as much a Rule of Judgment, as any part Of the Laiv, which was written. By which means chey cred themielves a liberty of making the Law of God what they pleaied, for their Traditions were ot tevera! forts, lome were D-rerminaci-ns of what in the Law ſeemed doubttal : Ochers were Determinations of whar che Law lete ar Liberty 3 Ocners they called Sepimenr. Legs , Rules rhcy gave under Pretence Of a Guard co rhe Divine Law, for the more Caurion , ehar they mi-hc nor rranfereſs it, Theſe things at firſt were not impoſed as Laws, bur commended by way of Advice and Counſel ; atrer- ward they. came to be lookr upon 25 Laws, and grew almoſt in- fin'ts. Thev tell us thar £71. was he who gathered thoſe Tra- ditions rozether, and made the Cabal in Seventy-rwo Books, which was kept by Gaznlie! , and otters till che Deſtruttion of Feruſtlem. An hundred and ewenty Years after they tell us, Rabbi Zudas, the Son of Simmm, compoſed a Book of tnem called Mijn, Three hundred Years atter this , they tell us R. 79.m.n found more, and he and others his Collexgues, colletted them 1NtO A larger Book, called the Fernſulzm T.umud, And an hundred Years after this , another R455i made a Collettion ot rhe Tradictons amonzſt the Fews, that remained in B hy/91, which he called the Bibylih Talmud, by which ewo the Jews are governed in Ec- S-{zſtical Marcers all the World over at this day. Their whole Tilmud is divided incofix Pares, The f:xth 1s about P#riNc.ftions ; ir containeth tivelye Books , and every Book hath twenty Or thirty Chaprerz.all treating about the Purifying of Houſes, Cloaths, Veſſels. Humane Bodies, and their ſeveral parts. The Zews, atcer the Deſtruftion of 7eruſulem were in ſuch an Affited Stare, that tho” cheir T.z/7:d was not perfetted of Five hundred Years and more after Chriſt, yer ir is probable they added not much to what chev had in ule in Chriſt's times. The Phariſees were very ſevere 4s t2 theſe Traditions, The Sadduces kept more to the written Law. Bur the Phariſees were in far greater Credit with the 7ews ; therefore Paul called them the ſtriete$t Segt of the Fewiſh Religim, AG.25.5., The Fews have ſeveral ordinary lay- ins, that ſhew in what Eſteem they had chefe Traditions z, as, If t%> Scribes (ry our Right-hand is our Left , and our Lefr-hand our Rizht , we are to believe them. And, There js more in the Word's of the Scribes, than the Words of the Law, &c. Theſe Scribes and Phriſee; accuſe our Saviour's Diſciples for the Violation of one of theſe Tratitions, Alzrh faith, That the Phariſees and all the Fews, (thar is, the majar part of theſe char followed the Phariſees FaQtion,) except they waſh their Hands oft, eat not. They thought ir ſinful to Ear, unleſs they often waſhed their Hands. The Foun- dation of this Tradition was doubtleſs in the Levitical Law. God by char Law h2d declared him Unclean thar ſhould toucn the Car- caſs of ary unclean thing , Lev. 5. 2,3. Upon this (as ſome think) they had ſuperſtruted a Tradition of Waſhing their Hands, Pots, Cups, Y:ſſets, when they had been ar the Market; or almoſt any- where, for fear, they, or their Pors, Cups, gc. ſhould have rouched any unclean Perſon or Thing. In this they were guilry of ſeveral Errors: 1. Extending the Law to the Touching of Things and Perſons, of whom the Law had faid nothing, 2, In Caſes where ſuch Touches happened Accidentally, and were nor made on purpoſe. 3. In thinking har the ſtain of Sin could be wathed away by a Ricual Action, which God never Commanded. We muſt not think that they charge the Diſciples here with a Nez!e& of a Civil! Waſhing for Clzanlineſs, but of a Religious, Superſtiriovs Waſhing. 1.4% ſaith, zowals yeeor, that is, with com- mm Hinds; we tran(lare ic Polluted ;, fo Acts 10.14. and 11, 8. Hands nor firſt ſeparated ro God by the Religious Rite of Waſhings.
3 But he anſivered. and faid unto them, Why do you alſo tranſgreſs the commandment of God by your traditions?
Mark hath the ſame, ch.zp. 7. g. tho' a little our of the Order in which Matthew hath it. Full well you reject the Commandment of God, that you may beep your own Traditions, Our Saviour could have anſivered them, had he pleaſed, more ſtrifly co their Que- 8t,)ns; but he muſt then eicher have incurred Danger, or Oium; he tlierefore chuſeth tro anſwer them by another Que- ſtion, which ſtruck ac che Root of the Matter. Admir,faich he, my Diſciples culpable in not obſerving Traditioms, which indeed you call the Traditions of the Elders, but are your own, deviſed by you, or ſome like you, mcerly to uphold your Power and Autho- ricy, and co keep People in a needleſs SubjeRion to you : I am ſure you are tar more guilty in making Tradirians contrary to the Law of God, cr rejeing God's Law to keep your Traditions : And indecd this is the common Guilt of thoſe , who are great Fealvts tor Traditions and Rites not commanded 1n the Word of God. The 7ewih Rabbi Poſe faith, He ſumeth as much, who eateth with unwafhen ms, as he that lieth with an Harlot, The Papiſts make 1t a greater Sin tor a Priest ro Marry, than to keep a Concu- bins, and commit Fynic.itions They make 1c a leffer Tranſpreffion, than to Eat Ment on a Friday.
4. For God commanded, ſaying, Honour thy fa- ther and mother: and he thar curſeth father or mother. let him die the death.
5 But ye ſay, Whoſcever ſhall ſay to þzs father, or Þ/s mother, It zs a gitt by whatſoever thou mighteſt be profited by me,
6 And honour not his tather or mother, he /ha// be free. Thus have ye male the commandment of God ot none eftect by your tradition.
Mark hath much che ſame, chap. 7. v. 10, 11,12, 13, Mark faich 34/es (aid, which is the ſame W:01, G:d commanded, God
St. M ATTH E V-.