Hypocrites. 1. To be more cxatt in, and Zealous for,the obſerva- tion of Rituals and the Traditions of men, than in and for the ob- ſervation of the Moral Law of God, 2, In matters of Morality to be more exa&t,and (tric in,ana for little things, than for things more grave and weighty. There 15 no Command :tnent of God lo little 25 we may neglect,or deſpiſe, or difobcy it ; but yet there is a diffe- rence in Duties, and we ought to have a firſt regard to the great- er, then to the lefler. ;
43 Wo unto you Phariſees, for ye love the upper-
moſt ſeats in the ſynagogues, and greetings in the markets»
See the Notes on Mat. 23. 6, 7. Their fault was not in their ta- king them, but in their affeting them, and in being Ambitious of them, God is the God of order, and we are bound to give honour, +9 whom Honour belongs, but Pride and Ambition are deteſtable fins, eſpecially in ſuch as thould be Teachers of Humility, and the Vani- ty of all things below. :
44 Wounto you ſcribes and phariſees, hypocrites, for ye are as graves Which appear not, and the men
that walk over them, are not aware of thern, |
See the Notes on Matth. 23. 27. where our Saviour compareth the Phariſees to whited Sepulch;es,here 5e compareth them toSepul- chres,but not as there,to denote their Hypocrifie,appearing white, but having nothing within but Rottenneſs 3 but upon the account © the Contagion of them,and their Po//uti9n of others that were no 2ware of them. To underſtand our Saviour, we muſt confider the Levitical Law, Numb. 15. 15. where we ſha!l find that not only he that touched a dead Body,but he that touched a Grave was Legally unclean for ſeven days. Chriſt here aliudeth+to that, tho he be ſpeaking not of Lega!, but Moral uncleanneſs. By reaſon of the Law afore-mentioned,the Jews took care to white their Graves,that People might ſee them, and avoid that danger. To ſuch whited Sepulchres,Chriſt compares the Phariſees, Matth, 23.27.But ſome Graves might not be whitcd, or the Co'our waſhed off, ſo as the did not appear,and Men «<culd not be aware of them, but ran into a Poiluticn by them. To ſuch Graves he in this place compares them, They were Men that Extcrnally appeared not to be what they were, The Jews took the Phariſces for great Saints (the firiteſt Se& of their Religion) fo ſiritt they were in their duties to their Traditions, Gy. which external Severity and formal be- haviour,covered their Extortion,and Covetouſneſs,and Malice,and Erroneous opinions, ſa as People did not ſuſpett them of any ſuch Guilt,
45 Then anſwered one of the lawyers, and ſaid
unto him, Maſter, thus ſaying, thou reproacheſt us alſo,
This Lawyer was 2 Scribe of the Law, v. 44. The Work of theſe Men was to interpret the Law,the Phartjees ſtriftly obſerved their Decrees, and Interpretations. The. Lawyer therefore ſpake rightly in thinking our Saviours Words had ſome retlettion upon Men of his order,but he wofully erred both in thinking his own order was unblamablc, and alſo in clling our Lords juſt reproofa reproach- ing them.But by this he gives an occaſion to him, who uſed rightly to divide the Word of God, and to give every one their portion out of it, to let them know wherein they were faulty, as well as the Phariſ-es. |
46 And he ſaid, Wo unto you alſo ye lawyers, for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be born,and ye your ſelves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
Sec the Notes on Matth. 23. 4
q7 Wo unto yous for ye bnild the ſepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witneſs that ye allow the deeds of your fathers : for they inceed killed them and ye build their ſepulchres.
49 Theretore alſo faid the Wiſdom of God, I will fend them prophets and apoſtles, and /ome of them they iha!! lay and perſecute -
50 Thar the bio9d of all the prophets, which was hed from the feundation of the world, may be requi- red of chjs generation ;
*. 51 * From theblood of Abel unto the * blood of
n Ks jj. ®* 07, Zcharias, which periſhed between the altar and the
" | 1! . « - temple: verily I fay unto youy it ſhall be required of this generation: |
and ayainſt Chriſt,and thoſe who came to revealGods will to them 4s ever were their Fathers againſt the Prophets;and ſaith our Savi- our, 1, who am the Wiſdom of God tel] you,that I ſhall ſend ws Apoſtles and Prophets, and ſome of them you ſhall Kill a . {hall perſecute ; that all the Righteous Blood that hath Soon ſhed Mn = Earth, from the Blood of Abel,to the Blood of Zacharias my " Fo omg which mind being in you the ſame as in your perſccuting Pods: cctſours, your Buiiding and Adorning the Old Prophets Tombs ; not (as you would have it thought) any Teſtimony of your his "ar to the Prophets ; But rather to your Fathers that killed chews, a Kind of Trophey for the Viftory your Fathers got over the nro- p'1cts of the Lord ; ſoas by that AR you give a Teftimmy that + ou own them as your Fathers who killed the Prophets, and ern, In wit they did,tor if you truly honoured their Memory you would not r<tain the ſaine malicious bloody Mind. It is grots Hypocritic for Men to magnifie the Servants of God in former Aves, and in the mean time to Malign and Perfecute the Servants of tlic tame God, ina preſcnt Age, owning but the ſame Truths,and living u , to the ſame Rule. Sce furthcr Notes on what js jn theſe Verſes os the Notes on Matth. 23. 29. where the ſame things are 12id with larger Circumſtances They truly honour Martyrs, that live the ſame lives they did, and adhere to the fame Truth: of God, in a Teſtimony to which they Dyed. ay
52 Wountoyou lawyers, for ye have taken away the Key of knowledge: ye entred not in your ſelves, and them that wereentring in, ye hindred }.
Matthew ſaith,c. 23.13. For you ſhut up the Kingdom of Heaven a. gainit men,&c.l take the ſenſe of theſe words to be, You have taken dway knowledge, which is the Key by which men enter into the Kingdom of God, Tho knowledge it ſelf be but a common Gift. and Men may have great meaſures of it, and yet perith for ever, I Cor. 13.2, yet it is the foundation of all ſaving Grace,Rom.10.14, Hhw ſhall they believe on him, of whom they have not heard 2? So how thall they obey a rule they do not know,or Repent of thoſe Sins which they do not know to be ſo ? So as thoſe that are the hinder- ers of Peoples coming to the knowledge of the Will of God.are the
vilcſt Inſtruments upon Earth in hindering Men and Womens Sal-