Who theſe Phariſees, and who the Publicanes were we have tad frequent occaſions before to tell. The Temple ſtood upon an ti! , therefore they are ſaid to 4ſcend, or go up. They had in the 7: ple ſet hours for Prayer, as may be learned from 4s 3. 1, At which ſome of all ſorts went up to pay that homage unto Goc.. Our Saviour mentioneth but two, having in it no further deſign than by this Parable to inform his Diſciples, how much more acceytai;ic to God the Prayers of broken, humble, contrite hearts are, thouzh the perſons poſſeſſed of them be ſuch as have been, or at leaſt have been reputed great Sinners, than the prayers of thoſe who are typ - crites, and proud, and come unto God pleading their own Righte- ouſnels, in order to the obtaining of his favour.
I1 The Phariſee ſtood and prayed thus with him-
ſelf, * God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men * icz. x. 15.
are, extortioners, unjuſt, adulterers, or even as this and 58. 2.
publicane. Rev. 3- 17- From hence we may obſerve that Thank ſziving is « part of Prager.
It is ſaid he prayed, yet we read not of any one Fetition he put up.
His ſtanding while he prayed is not to be faulted, (that was an uſu-
al poſture uſed by perſons praying) unleſs the Pharijee made choice
of it for Oſtentatzon, that he might be the better taxen notice of ;
Which was too much their fault, Matth, 6 5. whether the Term
eos £av]dy, with himſelf, in this place ſignifieth, that he only pray-
ed 1n his heart, or with a voice that could rot be heard, or only
that he prayed by himſelf, 1 doubt, for though our Saviour, who
knew Mens thoughts, could eafily repeat his prayer, ſuppoting it or-
ly mental, or at leaſt with a voice not audible ; yet this ſeemeth not
fo ſuit the humour of a Phariſee, whoſe whole deſign was to be
taken notice of, ſeen and heard by others : He faith, [God Tthanh
thee, that T am not as other Men, Extortioners, Adulterers, &c.] But
was this olame-worthy 2 may we not blefs God for his reſtraining
Grace, not ſuffering us to run into the ſame exceſſes of Riot with
other Men ? Doubtlels it is both lawful, and our duty, provided, 1.
That we ſpeak truth when we ſay it. 2. That we do not come to
plead this as our righteouſneſs before God. But this Phariſee, 1.
(peaks this in the pride of his hetrt, in the juſtification of himſelf.
2, In the ſcorn and contempt of his Neighbour. 3. Though he
were guilty of as great fins as theſe, though of another kind, In the
mean time we obſerve, That he did not attribute this Negative good-
neſs, of which he had boaſted, or that poſitive goodneſs, which ke
will tell us of by and by,to the Power of his own Will : He gives thanks
to God for them.
12 I faſt twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poſlefs.
Twice 1n the Sabbath, ſaith the Greeh, but that is ordinary to de- nominate the days of the week, from the Sabbath ; the meaning is, twice betwixt Sabbath and Sabbath, The learned in the Jewiſh Rabbins tell us, that the Jews were wont to faſt twice in a week, (that is, the Phariſees, and devouter fort of them) once on the ſe- cond, another time on the fifth day Cwhich are thoſe days which we call Munday and Thurſday..) From whence ſome tell us that Wed- neſday and Friday, come to be with us Faſting Days, or Fijh-d.y-. The Chriſtians in former times, thinking it beneath them, to be ics in theſe Exerciſes than the Jews, would have alſo two Fafting-days each week, and thoſe not the ſame with the Jews, that they might
not be thought to Fudaize. If that Cuſtom had any rrue Antiquity, | I doubt not, but they faſted after another rate, than the Papi/ts or others row do, who pretend a Religion to thoſe days, But neither was the Phariſees pradtice, nor the prattice of Chriſtians in this thing to be much admired or applauded. For Faſting was always uſed in extraordinary caſes, and the b:1nging extraordinary Duties into ordivary pradtice, uſually ends in a meer Formality. It 15 a good Rule neither to make ordinary Duties extr.ordinary, C7 ATE ; \ Nor yet extraordinary Duties ordinary ; the doing of the firſt ordi- narily, ilſucth in the loſs of them, and quite leaving them cit 3 the latter, in a formal lifeleſs performance of them. [1 zrve Tithes of all I poeſs.] The Emphaſis lycth in the word AP. Others paid Tithe ot Apples, and ſome Fruits of the Earth (of which alone Tithe was luc) but the Phariſees would pay Tithes of thole things,: as to hich it was genefally held, that the Law did not ſtrialy re: quire them, ſuch as Potherbs, Eggs, Milk, Cheeſe, Our . Saviour - )ire them this Teſtimony, that they paid Tithe of Mint, Amns,, "1nd Cummin . -Matth. 23. 23. Re, and al manner of —_ | votre
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| Chap. XVilI, S. L
Luke 11. 42. This Pharilhs boaſted of his Exa&tnzls 1n two thirgs x neither of which were required particularly by ine Law of God. Nor did he amif> in theirs, it he hat not omitted the weightte Our $429Y Our chargerh £m to have done in both
14
things of the Laws: 'o have the Texts beforc-incutivned Eut how came tnele things to make bim a vlca for his juſtitic.tion before God ? wil hey toxuſmeſs becaute he did thiys winch God d19 not command kim, whillt in the mean time he omitted thoſe things which God had
g commanded ? Or, what did theſe trings 11g 1
done out ct a root of Love? The Law 1s, Tom fſhil* Ive tre Lord | the God with all thy heart, and how could they be performed out of ; was his immoderate love of the World, and the things tlc