St: MATTHEW. Chap. XV,
h 15-20
Fence was wichour queſtion at his making fo
The Phariſees One | the a Marcer 45 Oct Walhings; not char chey underſtood our $;vigur 45 ſpeaking againſt che diſtinction of Mears which was Et4blithed by che Cere:nonial Law, nor as yet Avrogated. There's nothing doch More offend Hypocrites than pretſing Spiricual Wor- bip and Hmage tO God , and che flighring of all External Rices 3nd Actions, At acrended with a fſuicable inward Zomaze and
Devotion Of Healts ; 12 But he anſwered, and faid, Every plant which my heavenly * Father hath not planted, ſhall be
red up. _ wes a p them alone : * they be blind leaders of
, hs blind. And if the blind lead the blind 0 both
«437 hall tall into the ditch. | |
Every Plant,) may be underſtood of Dodrines, Praftices, or Periins, Thele Scribes and Phariſees are a wretched Generation, har are g0r into the Sheep-fold not at the Dor ; my Father never ſi-nc chem; they are crept in at the Windows, - chey are Plants got into my Garden, which my Father never planted there, and they muſt be roored up. | Let them alone, ) they are incorri;ble, and blinded by their own Intereſt againſt any Convi&ion , or Iaſtrttion 3 as 22. 4+ 17. Ephraim #s jin'd to Taols, let him alone, {, chz{e Men are joined ro their Superſtirious Traditions :; I will nac concern my ſelf wich chem : They are prerended Leaders of th Blind, Rom. 2. 19, but themielves are Bind, I pity the poor Pcoplez for whilſt che Blind lead cine Biind, raey both tall 1aro 1 Dirch. An ignorant and unfaithful Miniſtry 15 the greateſt Pla.ue God can ſend amongſt a People.
15 * Then anſwered Peter, and ſaid unto him, D:clare unto us this parable.
:4 ns Teſus ſaid, * Are ye alſo yet without un.i2rſtandting ?
3{--b fairs, Hs Diſciples asked him concerning the Parable; Peter probably began, rhe reſt followed ; Or, Petzr ſpeaks in the Name of c1e reſt; tor our Saviour in his Anſiver doth nor ſay, Art th:1; bur, Are ye, They did well, in that they deſired to be inſt:atted what the meaning was of the Parable; that 1s, the dari Saying which he uted;(tor the Hebrews called all dark Sayings, P:rables;,) poſſibly rhey might alſo ſtumble ar what our Saviour ſid, as tendins to rhe deſtruftion of the Ceremonial Law, about the difference of Meats. Bur thar they were no berter inſtrufted than not to underſtand a thing fo plain and obvious, this was tieir Faulr, and argued their ſmall Improvement of our Saviour's Company. God expedts a Proficiency in Knowledge from us pro- portionate unto the Means he giveth us.
17 Do not ye yet underſtand , that whatſoever entreth in at the mouth, goeth into the belly, and iscaſt out into the draught ? p34 18 But *thoſe things which proceed out of the © mouth, come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. as 19 *Forout of the heart proceed evil thoughts, -* murders, adulteries, tornications, thefts, falſe- 4 witneſs, blaſphemies.
20 Theſe are the things which defile a man : but toeat with unwaſhen hands, defileth not a man.
Mark hath this wich very ſmall difference in words, chap. 7. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, only he ſpecifierh ſome more Sins than Maithew enumerateth. The Sum of what cur Saviour faich, 15 this, That all Sin proceedeth from Luſt ; ſome Defires in rhe Hearr of Man after things forbidden in the Law of God. All the ticklings of our Hearrs with ſuch Thoughts; all the Willinzs and Defires of ſuch things, tho' they never iflue in Overt-Adts, yer defile and pollute a Man ; and from theſe inward lotions of the Hearr, proceed thoſe Overr=Affts (mentioned by Matthew or Mark ) of Murders, Adulteries, Frnication, Theft, Falſe-witneſs, Blalphemy, Deceit, Laſciviouſneſs , an Evil Eye, Pride, Foliſhneſs; now theſe things take them in their Neſt, which is the Heart, th-y defiz,and polluce char : Take them in their pailage chrough cur Lips 1275 the World, they pollute char : Take them in their Ov i-4.7, rey pollute che Man. Bur ro Ear with unwaſhen Hands, a thing n5 where Forbidden by God, only by che Phariſees, who had no ſuch Authoricy 2iven thein from God to command any Iuc1 tainzs, this doth not pollure a Man. Ir is poſſible that Met: ay fin in nor obeying che Commandments of Men , bur tut be then in _rthinzs, in which God hath Auchorized them © comn.aud, land to eerermine our Praftice 1n; tor the Pollu- _ lies in a Difobedience to the Commandment of God , not or Men,
21 Then Jeius went thence, and departed into the coaſts of Ty1e and Sidor.
Mark, ca. 7. 24. addeth, 4d entred into an Zhuſ:, and would Pave n: Man knw of it, but k2 c:uld not be hid : Some liere make a Queſtion, Whether our Savicur did go into Phericia ,. (ot Warch Tyre and S:don were the prizicipz] Oiries,) of ly tur. ce Coafts of Palejting next to ic? Thoſe har ehiak he did nv go no Phenicia, are guided by his Prohibvicion .£ hi. Diicipies, T5 6) nzo the way of the Gentiles, Marth. 10. 5. and the Confidera- 10n, that the time was n2c yer come for his Munifcſtarion co the Gentiles, T rather inciin2 © think, that he wenc tao 7r2 and 9149; and that tais was a kind ofa Preſudiiun to the C. ling of the Gentiles, and a Prediction of what ſhould be d ne more fully afterwards : Ir is manifeſt he did nor go with a Defign c9 uk himſelf publick there; for Mub faith , he wou!d hav? n3 2un kn of it « Bur tor privacy withdrew himſelf thirhcr, and (hew- - lome of his miraculous Operations there ; and, ver. 22. taich the Wy _ _ came to him was a Canaunite ; Mark faich, ſhe
ol. II,
Was a Greek, a Syrophenician by Nation. Nor is here any Concra- diction; for ever fince the Grecian JDnarchy prevailed over lo great 4 pare of the World, the Name or 6G; ezhs had ubraincd 10 as they called all Greebs who were nor fews, Rom. 1.14,15. and Io. 12. A Syrophenician, faith Mark, by N.ztizn « That 1s, one tl:a5 was a Narive of that part of Phenicia which joincd to Tire att Siam, Matthew calls her a Canaanite , or a Weman cf C.mun; by which, tho' ſome would underſtand one ot Can, yer as tc Orthography will nor agree; fo Mak calling her a Giceh, and a Syraphenician, inclines us rather to judge her ot the Stock of the Old Canaanites,
22 And * behold a woman of Canaan came our of the ſame coaſts, and cried unto him, ſaving, Have mercy on me. O Lord, thou fon of David : my daughter is grievoully vexed with a devil.
- 23 But he anſwered her nor a word. . And his diſciples came and beſoughr him, ſaying , Ecnd her away, tor {he cricth atter us.