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Chap. XRRX1. Ot.
M AT
Paſiover, went every Night to Bethany , about rwo Miles off, and returned in the Morning to the Temple, where Lube faith that he Taught daily. The firlt Day, it ſhould ſeem bv Mark,ſchat he only came into the Temple, lookr round about upon all rings, and with rhe Twelve went out to lodge at Bethany, By his -0ing into the Terrple, we muſt underſtand only the Outward Coure, tor the Prieft; and Levites only mighr enter into the Taner Court, and the Holy Place ; and the High Prieft only might enter into the #ieF of all, Tho' Mark mentions not Þ:5 driving our the Buyers and Sellers the firſt day , bur recitetn ?: as if it had been done the ſecond day of his coming , yet the beſt Trterpreters think that it was done the firft day, as Matthew and Luke ſeem to hint ; nor is any thing more uſual, than for the Eyangzeliſts ro fer down Things out of the Order o Time 1n which they were done. Some Learned Authors 10 the Hebrew Learning tell us, Thar in the Outwar? Court, Was 2 daily Mar- ker of ſuch things as the Jews uſed for Sacrinces , Wine, Salt, Oil, Oxcn, and Sheep Bur ir being three or four days betore che Paſſover, the Market ws much greater , becauſe of the great nulticude of Lambs thet: ro be ufed. By the Law, Exod, 30. 12, 15, every one alſo was to bring an half Shekel. For this purp2ſe there were Tubles of Money-Changers , Men that were furniſhed with half Shekels ro change with the People, thar every one might have hisha!f Shehel , and thoſe chat fo changed, allowed ſome lictle Profir to thoſe that changed their. Money, which Gain-was called Kiazvg4G + thence the Changers were cal- ted K:anvCrozi, Money-Changers. Thoſe rhat ſold Doves were there, to firniſh che Women that came up to cher Purification wich thcir Offerings according tO the Law, £277. 12. 6. This was the reaſon cf that great Marker, which our Lord found in the Outw.zd Court of the Temple ; and it is nor likely that our Lord ſhould ſec theſe Abuſes the firſt day, and take no notice of them, bur come the next day and corre them ; which makes Interpreters think, Mark in this Relaton poſt-poned this parr of the Hiſtory. Here ariſe rwo Queſtions, 1. Whether it was un- lawful for them to ſell theſe things in that part of the Temple ? 2. Admit it weie, By what Authority did our $viour do ths? To the firſt ic muſt be ſaid , Thar had ir not been unlawtul, our Saviour would nor have reproved them, for turning Ins Father's Houſe, and the Hſe of Prayer into a place of Merchandife, Nor would he have driven chem our in ſuch a Zea}, overcurning the Tables, gc. which he had done alſo once before, oh. 2.15, The Temple was built by God's dire&on ; n2r only de- dicated by Men, but God's Accepration of it was reſtified : Ir appeareth by 7oh. 2. 19. It Was 4 Tjpe of Chrif's Body, We know there were [peci.cl Promiſes made to thoſe that did Pray toward it, 1 King. 9. 3- God faith, he had haltowed it, that 1s, fepa- rated it from Common Uſe to his Service, among{t-ocuer things for an Huſe of Prayer , Ifa. 55. 7. Now tho' we read or no other things ſold rhere, bur what werc uſetul for Sacrinces; yer this was a Civil Uſe, and 2 Profanation of that Holy Place, be- cauſe there were Marker-places in Jeruſalem in which theſe things might have been done. It had been againſt Decency, it the Temple had not been Hallowed in this manner, if ſuch chings had been done in the Synagagres , being Places fer apart, and commonly uſed for God's Worſhip ; bur ro uſe the Temple 1n thus manner, fo ſpecially Hallowed , was doubtleſs a great Profa- nation of that Hy Place. As to the ſecond Queſtion: By what Authority our Lord, being no Publick Magiſtrate, did theſe things 2 I am notſo poſed to determine thar, he being the Eternal Son of God, and now in the Exerciſe of his Regal Power, as I am to give an Account how 1t came £0 paſs, that the Prieſts, and Scribes, and Phariſees never queſtioned him for what he did ; for if any will ſay, That wepreſently ſhall read of their raking Council againit him: Ireply, Bur we read of nothing relating ro this laid ro his Charge. Nor do we read of their Queſtioning him , when he did the ſame rhings betore , an Acconnr of which we have in 79h. 2. For tho' I know fome ſay, thar our Saviour did this Fure Zelotarum, That the Jews hada Law, That any mighr puniſh, even to Death, ſuch as profaned the Worſhip, or Holy things of God; which they juſtifie trom Deuteron. 13. 9. and the Examples of Phinehas killing Zimri and Kosbi, Numb,
25. 5, and Mattaniah's killing the Jew, Sacrificing to Idols ar | þ
Modin, and the Kinz's Commiſſioner, of which we read in 2 Mac- eah. 2. 24, 25. yer this doth no way give ine any SatisfaQtion ; for as on che one fide, I ſhould nor have known how to haye defended the AR of Phinehas, if God had nor by and by juſti- fied him, nor do I think thar the Law in Deuteron. 13. 9. 15to be expounded of private Perſons : So on the orher fide, 1t the Prieſts and Scribes, and Phariſees, had not known of ſome Law rhat juſtified our Saviour in this A&, I can hardly conceive they would have ſo quietly put it up; eſpecially conſidering that pro- bably their Profit was concerned, it they had for Gain Licenſed taoſe Traders, to a Place within the Compaſs of the Temple; as is very probable. Being therefore fully ſarisfied , That our Saviour who was Lord of the Temple, and tro whom the Spiric was given without meaſure, did no more, than he might lawtully do, 1 am willingly Ignorant how it came to paſs, raar he mer ith 15 Oppoſicion in it, becauſe God hath nor pleaſed in his 1,4 to inform us. Ir is certain that he did the thing, and char ic was a thing fit ro be done, and that he, as the Son of God, had Authority to do ir, what made them rake it fo quietly, I ca9nor tell, nor is ir neceſſary for us to know, nor of any great advantage.
15 And when the chief prieſts and the ſcribes ſw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and ſaying, Hoſanna to the ſon of David; they were fore diſpleaſed,
16 And ſaid unto him, Heareſt thou what theſe fiy 2 And jJelus ſaith unto him, Yea ; have ye never texd, Out of the months of babes and fucklings thou haſt purfected praile. 2
The other Evangeliſts fay nothing of this part of clus Biitory ;