^ $*■ • .- ° • ^ o ♦ I iV i c > »> :< *» ' * « X < A <5> s II r 1 V t. i 5 (• 60. 'fo£. i y 2<7. /?Sf. )1 \k. >tt fed M ») 4 T H E COTTAGE POLYGLOTT TESTAMENT: ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORIZED VERSION WITH NOTES, ORIGINAL AND SELECTED; MKKW1SE INTRODUCTORY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS TO EACH BOOK, POLYGLOTT REFERENCES AND MARGINAL READINGS J CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE, GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX. AND MAPS ADAPTKD TO BIBLE CLASSES, SUNDAY SCHOOLS. AND CHRISTIANS GENERALLY BY WILLIAM PAT'] ON, D. D. - NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY J. S. GILMAN, 32 BEEKMAN-STREET. 1 2tf. /P1J. * * * s s Fold-out Placehc This fold-out is being digitize will be inserted at a future NAMES AND ORDER OF THE ■> BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. MATTHEW hath Chapters 28 MARK 16 LUKE 24 JOHN 21 THE ACTS 28 TO THE ROMANS 16 I. CORINTHIANS 16 II. CORINTHIANS 13 GALATIANS 6 EPllESIANS 6 PHILIPPlANS 4 COLOSSIANS 4 I. THESSALONIANS 5 II. THESSALONIANS 3 I. TIMOTHY S II. TIMOTHY 4 TITUS 3 PHILEMON 1 TO THE HEBREWS 13 EPISTLE OP JAMES 5 I. PETER 5 II. PETER 3 I. JOHN 5 IT. JOHN 1 III. JOHN I JUDE 1 REVELATION 22 CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WITH THE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE REFERENCES. A.D. 33 & 61 MATTHEW Mat. 52 I. THESSALONIANS 1 Th. 52 II. THESSALONIANS 2 Th. 52 or 53 GALATIANS Ga. 57 I. CORINTHIANS I Co. 53 ROMANS Ro. 58 II. CORINTHIANS 2 Co. 61 MARK Ma. 61 EPHESIANS Ep. 61 JAMES Ja. 62 COLOSSIANS Co]. 62 PHILEMON Phil. 62 or 63 PHILIPPIANS Phi. 63 HEBREWS He. A.D. 63 or64 LUKE Lu. 63 or 64 ACTS A.-,. 64 I. TIMOTHY 1 Ti. 64 TITUS Tit. 61 I. PETER i Pe. 64 or 65 JUDE hide. 65 II. TIMOTHY 2 Ti. 65 II. PETER 2 Pe. 63 I. JOHN I Jn. 69 II. JOHN 2 Jr.. 69 III. JOHN 3Jn 96 or97 REVELATION Re 97 or98 JOHN Jn I TABLES OF MONEY, TIME The day, reckoning from' sun-rise, and the night from sun-set, "were each divided into twelve equal parts, called the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, &c, hours. Watches. The 1st watch, from sun-set to the 3d hour of the night, 9 o'clock. The 2d, or middle watch, from the 3d to the 6th hour, 12 o'clock. The 3d watch, or cock-crowing, from the 6th to the 9th hour, 3 o'clock. The 4th, or morning watch, from the 9th hour to sun-rise, 6 o'clock. MONEY 8 cts. Mite, about equal to 1.5 I arthing (Quadrans) 3 Earthing (Assarium) 4 Penny (Denarius or Drachm) 14.4 TIME, AND LENGTH. Tribute Money (Di-drachm) 28.8 Piece of Silver (Stater) 58 Pound (Mina) 14 9 Talent of Silver 1,519 32 Talent of Gold 23,309 *»* Silver is here reckoned at $1.12, and Gold at $17.75, per ounce. L. ox. dwt. gr. Talent in weight is equal to 113 10 1 .0.3 MEASURES OP LENGTH. paces, ft. in. Common Cubit 1 6 Jewish Sacred Cubit 1 9$ Fathom 7 3| Pace. 5 9 Furlong, or Stadium 145 4 7 Sabbath Day's Journey, abcut ac English mile. Entered according to Act of Con United States lor the Southern District of New York. *M4 PREFACE j A short and cheap commentary upon the New Testament • nas been for a long time much needed. Owing to the size, and necessary expense, most of the teachers of Bible Classes and Sabbath Schools are prevented from consulting the valu- able commentaries of Henry, Scott, and others. Whilst pre- ing for the press the American edition of the Cottage Bible, oyjjKhought occurred, that, by retaining the notes of that work recorded ,° New Testament, with the addition of others, selected a£.four G06/, ? | a brief and valuable commentary might be pre- pared, ion, bo price within the reach of every Sabbath School teacher, *Vith what success the design has been accomplish- ed, others must decide. The author has not aimed at origi- nality, but at utility— to present such hints, selected or other- wise, as would facilitate an acquaintance with the meaning of the scriptures. Frequently, various opinions are stated upon difficult passages, and the reader left to make his own selec- tion. This course was adopted, with the hope that it would lead the reader to think for himself— to exercise his own powers of discrimination, and not to be dependant upon the mere opinions of other men. Considerable attention has been paid to the geography of the New Testament. Much information, illustrating the location, changes, &c, in places, will be found in the notes. Three maps accompany the work, which have been selected from the most approved authorities. Care has also been paid to the chronology. The year in which the events occurred will be found at the top of each page, and where considerable doubt remains, as to the precise time, no- tice is taken of the difficulty in the notes. A good chrono- logical table will be found at the close of the work. Many facts from natural history have been introduced, and free use has been made of the Oriental Customs, an interesting and valuable work, by Samuel Burder. From these sources, many striking illustrations of the scriptures have been secured. Considerable reference will be found, in the notes, to the dis- coveries of modern travellers. These have afforded much interesting matter. Many historical facts are introduced, to I PREFACE. 1 i - 1 show the fulfilment of prophecy. Particular attention has been given to many of the passages which teach the Divinity of Christ. A large portion of the exegetical part of Pro- fessor Stuart's letters to Rev. Wm. E. Channing have been incorporated in the notes. Another class of scripture has corne under particular notice, viz., those upon which reliance is placed, by the advocates of the doctrine of Universal Salvation. Some thought has been bestowed upon those portions of the New Testament which speak of the "Man of Sin," of "Antichrist," with the evidence that these texts refer to the Papists, or the Roman Church. It is not pretended, in a work so limited as this, that all the passages are treated at length, and that all the objections are stated and answered. By consulting the parallel passages, as intimated in the mar- ginal references, the reader will find illustrative notes, which for the sake of economy, have not been repeated. Whilst this commentary contains much that is found n" notes upon the New Testament of the Cottage Bib 1 that, in the exposition, contains much valuable anc^s. ^uve matter, not to be found in this work. It is also ^, that a considerable amount of notes not found in the Cottage Bible wilJ be found in this. This commentary was undertaken with the desire of doing good. The constant aim has been to concentrate, in a small compass, a valuable help to the knowledge of the scHptures. That it may be brought within the reach of all, especially of Sabbath School teachers, the publishers have stereotyped it, and, as the price is very reasonable, they depend, for remune- ration, upon an extended circulation. With feelings of gratitude, that, so wide a circulation has cf late been given to larger and truly valuable commentaries, this little work is now presented, " To Zion's friends, and mine." The author is conscious that it has defects, and that every thing of value cannot be found in this limited compass : still he hopes that much information may be derived from its pe- rusal. He commits it to the kind feelings of all the friends of Zion, with the prayer that Jesus Christ, the Only Head of the Church, would, by the influences of the Holy Spirit, use this instrumentality for the salvation and sanctification of souls, and the glory of the Holy Trinity. W. P r?t INTRODUCTION TO THE COTTAGE TESTAMENT. " ^/hoever would attain to a true knowledge of the Christian Religion, in the full and just extent ci' it," says Locke, " let him study the Holy Scriptures. especially the New Testament, wherein are contained ' the words of eternal lite.' It has God for its author, salvation for its Qm\, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter." In calling the latter part of our Scriptures the Xeiv Testament, reference was undoubtedly had toHeb. ix. 16, 17, wherein the death ofChrist is represented as sealing to believers all the blessings of the Gospel : and yet the original term (Diatheke) issomuchoftener rendered Covenant than it is Testament, that we cannot but agree with Doddridge, Campbell, and most modern commentators, that our Scriptures would oe more accurately denned, " The Old and Sew Covenants;" as containing the history and doctrine of the Two Covenants, tl and evangelical : the former ratified by the Mosaieal sacrifices ; the latter, uy tne atonement of Jesus Christ. The first part of the New Testament contains the history of Jesus Christ, as recorded by the four Evangelists, whose memoirs are therefore usually called tne four Gospels,* as containing the good tidings of our salvation. These we consider as distinct and independent narratives, compiled partly perhaps from recollection, but reduced to their present form under the influence of the same Spirit by which the authors preached the gospel, and wrought miracles in its defence. It is questioned whether either of these Evangelists had seen the writings of the other. It is natural to suppose, that four persons, writing; contemporary narratives, might relate different incidents relative to the same facts ; one being more im- pressed by one circumstance, and another by a different one. It must also be recollected, that the apostles were not always together, being sent forth on dif- ferent missions ; (Mark vi. 7. ;) consequently they did not all witness the same miracles, nor all hear the same discourses. Our Lord might work many similar miracles, and deliver the same parables, with some variety of imagery or ex- pression, on different occasions. Matthew or Mark might record the one, and Luke or John the other ; and this would account for discrepancies which have, without reason, been magnified into contradictions. There is also a great lati- tude and variety in the Greek, as well as English particles of time and place; these, differently rendered, may occasion seeming inconsistencies, where real ones have not existed. Examples in illustration of all these remarks, we defer to their proper places in the several narratives In illustrating the several Gospels, different methods have been pursued ; some have considered each singly and detached ; others have interwoven them into one narrative, or placed the different accounts in opposite columns, in the form of a harmony, or diatesseron, in order the better to compare them, and recon- cile their apparent differences. Our plan will partly combine these methods. We shall go through Matthew first, examining all the facts he has recorded, and compare them with the other Evangelists, who appear to record the same, or others very similar On Mark, we shall pass lightly over what corresponds with Matthew, and so with Luke and John, which will prevent much repetition. We i see little like chronological arrangement in either of the Evangelists. Events were recorded as they recurred, or were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit who directed them, their great object not being to form a well digested history, but to collect such facts and discourses as were adapted to direct their faith to tie true Messiah. Thus St. John says, " These tilings are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, ye might have life through his name." John xx. 31. The Old and Neio Dispensations (or Testaments) compared. I. But there is another point of view in which the harmony of the New Testa- ment may be considered, namely, as it corresponds with the Old Testament in several interesting points of view, two or three of which we shall just mention. * The Greek term euangelion (gospel) signifies " good news" in general ; in the New Testament, it is confined to the "good news of salvation by Jesus Christ." The word gospel f is derived from the Anglo-Saxon god, good, and spell, message, or news. 1* INTRODUCTION. 1. Considered historically, we may observe, that the Mosaic revelation is not only admitted but confirmed by that of Christ. The former may lead a dispas- sionate inquirer to embrace the latter ; but the latter so necessarily supposes the former, that we find it difficult to conceive of any man as a believer in Christ, who rejects Moses and the Prophets. Indeed our Saviour himself places this in the strongest point of view, when he says, " If men hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead." (Luke xvi. 31.) 2. The New Testament corresponds with the Old. as it contains the fulfilment of many of its prophecies ; those particularly which relate to the Messiah. To him " gave all the Prophets witness." From the first promise, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, we have a long series of predictions, pointing to the character and works, the life and death, resurrection and future triumphs of the Messiah, the fulfilment of which is distinctly pointed out in various parts of the New Testament, and particularly in the Gospels. Some passages of the Old Testament may be cited only by way of accommodation, or illustration ; but others, quoted by way of argument, have stood the test of the most rigorous examination. Typical institutions are a species of prophecy, by means of emblems and figu- rative action, which, though not so well understood in our western world, were in the East equally intelligible and satisfactory with the clearest verbal prophe- cies. Travellers into these countries are surprised to find the frequency of figu- rative action, and the ease with which it is understood. Among the Old Testa- ment types, the sacrifices are the most interesting and important. The scape- goat, the paschal lamb, and the whole burnt- offering, all, though in different points of view, direct us to the one offering of Messiah. But the New Testa- ment, while it clears away the obscurity of former prophecies, presents us with a new series, extending no less distance into futurity than those of Abraham and Jacob, and terminating only with the church and with the world. Our Lord himself foretold the past calamities and present dispersion of the Jews. St. Paul has drawn the character of the Man of Sin, and marked his progress and final overthrow ; but St. John, in his Revelations, presents us with the most ex- tensive prophecies ever exhibited. They are indeed enveloped in the same ob- scurity as those of former ages ; but Time has already partially withdrawn the veil, and, as he passes on, will still voll back the remaining clouds. 3. Another point of view in which these dispensations may be compared, re- gards their peculiar temper and spirit. That of the Old Testament was partial and severe. It was confined to the children of circumcision ; yea, with some exceptions, to a single nation, and that one of the smallest, and which, as their own Scriptures assure us, had as little to boast in respect of merit as of num- bers. (Deut. vii. 7, 8. Dan. ix. 8, 16.) But the gospel has in it nothing peculiar to any nation, or country. We have the clearest proofs in matter of fact, that it suits equally with tho climates of England, of India, and of Labrador. It is calculated, therefore, for universal use, and its universal spread is promised. If we advert also to the miracles with which each dispensation was introduced, we find those of Moses were miracles of judgment, inflicting punishment upon sinners (not, indeed, undeserved,) but of a very different character from those by which our Redeemer introduced the gospel : these were, almost without ex- ception, miracles of mercy. 4. Another point of view in which we may advantageously compare the Old and New Testaments, relates to the gradual development of divine truth, which is like that of light, shining more and more unto the perfect day." The gos- pel dispensation dawned on Adam, and gradually opened during the Patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations : the Sun of righteousness arose under the clearer revelations of David and Solomon ; but attained not its zenith until the (lay of Pentecost, when the shadows of the Old Testament types were all withdrawn, and the whole scheme of redemption by Jesus Christ exhibited. During the middle age?, indeed, darkness, even " such as might be felt," again covered Christendom, but the Reformation in a great measure cleared away the gloom ; and that mighty engine, Printing, has diffused its truths more extensively than ten thousand Missionaries could have done. Nor has it rested there. By the invention of stereotype and steam printing, a new impulse has been given to this vast machine. Steam navigation is another important dis- covery, which will facilitate the rapid dispersion both of Bibles and of Missiona- ries throughout the world. The revival of zeal and energy in the propagation of the Christian religion among almost all denominations of Christians, promises a speedy accomplish- ment of the divine predictions. Christianity is planted in every quarter of the globe, and is spreading on every hand. Savages of Africa, and in every part of the Pacific Ocean, hitherto considered as the most untameable, are stretching out their hands to welcome it ; Hindoos have began to throw away their caste ; and the bigoted Chinese are studying in their own language, the printed word of a INTRODUCTION. God. There is " a shaking" even " ar jng the dry bones" of the house of Is- rael ; and Scripture and facts equally assure us, that the time is coming, when " the knowledge and the glory of God shall cover the earth as the waters do the bottom of the sea." The Evidences of Christianity. II. Whatever argument may be named in defence of the Jewish Scriptures, applies with two-fold, yea, with seven-fold, force in favour of tiie Christian revelation, while there ace others peculiar to itself, one only of which we can here mention, referring our readers, who wish to examine for themselves, to Mr. Home and other able writers. The argument here presented to our readers, is from one who boldly assumed the character of " a free-thinker," and scorned the shackles of a creed : we re- fer to Rousseau. " I will confess to you, that the majesty of the Scriptures strikes me with ad- miration, as the purity of the gospel hath its influence on my heart. Peruse the works of our Philosophers with all their pomp of diction : how mean, how con- temptible are they, compared with the Scriptures ! Is it possible that a book, at once so simple and sublime, should he merely the work of man ? Is it possible that the sacred personage, whose history it contains, should he himself a mere man ? Do we rind that he assumed the tone of an enthusiast, or an ambitious sectary? What sweetness, what purity in his manners! What an affecting gracefulness in his delivery .' What sublimity in his maxims ! What profound wisdom in his discourses ! What presence of mind, what subtlety, what truth in his replies ! How great the command over his passions ! Where is the man, where the philosopner, who could so live, and so die, without weakness, and without ostentation? When Plato described his imaginary good man, loaded with all the shame of guilt, yet meriting the highest rewards of virtue, he de- scribed exactly the character of Jesus Christ : the resemblance was so striking, that all the Fathers perceived it. ' What prepossession, what blindness must it he, to compare the son of So- phroniscus (Socrates)* to the son of Mary ! What an infinite disproportion there is between them ! Socrates, dying without pain or ignominy, easily supported his character to the last ; and if his death, however easy, had not crowned his life, it might have been doubted whether Socrates, with all his wisdom, was any thing more than a vain sophist. He invented, it is said, the theory of morals. Others, however, had put them in practice ; he had only to say, therefore, what they had done, and to reduce their examples to precepts. Aristides had been just before Socrates defined justice : Leonidas had given up his life for his coun- try before Socrates declared patriotism to be a duty ; the Spartans were a sober people before Socrates recommended sobriety ; before he had even defined vir- tue, Greece abounded in virtuous men. But where could Jesus learn, among his competitors, that pure and sublime morality, of which he only hath given us both precept and example ? The greatest wisdom was made known amidst the most bigotted fanaticism, and the simplicity of the most heroic virtues did honour to the vilest people upon earth. The death of Socrates, peaceably philosophi- zing with his friends, appears the most agreeable that could be wished for ; that of Jesus, expiring in the midst of agonizing pains ; abused, insulted, and accu- sed by a whole nation ; is the most horrible that could be feared. Socrates, on receiving the cup of poison, blessed indeed the weeping executioner v ho ad- ministered it; but Jesus, in the midst of excruciating tortures, prayed for his merciless tormentors^ Yes, if the life and death of Socrates were those of a sage, the life and death of Jesus are those of a God. Shall we suppose the Evan- gelical History a mere fiction ? Indeed, my friend, it bears not the marks of fic- tion ; on the contrary, the history of Socrates, which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of Jesus Christ. Such a supposition, in fact, only shifts the difficulty, without obviating it : it is more inconceivable that a num- ber of persons should agree to write such a history, than that one only should furnish the subject of it. The Jewish authors were incapable of the diction, and strangers to the morality contained in the gospel, the marks of whose truth are so striking and inimitable, that the inventor would be a more astonishing character than the hero."* (Letter to the Archbishop of Paris.) * A judicious writer has remarked, that few Deists have ventured to attack the moral cha- racter of Christ Even Thomas Paine, in the midst of his virulence against Christianity, observes, " Nothing that is hire said can apply, even with the most distant disrespect, to the real character of Jesus Chris:. He was a virtuous and amiable man. The morality that he preached and practised was of the most benevolent kind." Nothing, however, is too daring for some writers A French infidel of the nairre of Volney undertook to prove, in spite of all history, sacred and profane, that Christ (or Chrestus, as he calls him) was an allegorical personage — the Sun. In answer to which ridiculous notio *, we need only refer to G7•otius , work " On the Truth of the Christian Religion." Grotius says, " That lesus of Nazareth formerly lived in Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, INTRODUCTION. L How lamentable is it to add, that a man who saw thus clearly the beauty of the gospel, was prevented, by the depravity of his own heart, from embracing it. He at once admired and hated it. The Authenticity of the four Gospels. III. Of the authority of the four Gospels already named, we shall quote only the concluding remarks of Dr. Lardner. " In the first part of this work (his ' Credibility') it was shown," says the Doc- tor, " that there is not any thing in the books of the New Testament, however ,j strictly canvassed, inconsistent with their supposed time and author:; J I In this second pait we have had express and positive evidence, that these hooka I; were written by those whose names they bear, even the Apost jes of Jesus Christ, I who was crucified at Jerusalem in the reign of Tiberius Ceesar, whe" Pontius Pilate was governor in Judea ; and their well known companions and fellow- labourers. It is the concurring testimony of early and later ages, and of writers in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and of men of different sentiments in divers re- spects. For we have had before us the testimony of those called heretics, . . . . as well as Catholics. These bo^ks were rpceived from the beginning with the greatest respect, and have been publicly and solemnly read in the assemblies of Christians throughout the world, in every age from that time to this. They were early translated into the. languages of divers countries and people. They were quoted by way of proof in all arguments of a religious nature : and were ap- pealed to, on both sides, in all points of controversy that arose among Chris- tians themselves. They were likewise recommended to the perusal of others as containing the authentic account of the Christian doctrine. And many com- mentaries have been writ to explain and illustrate them. All which afford full assurance of their genuineness and integrity. If these books had not been writ by those to whom they are ascribed, and if the things related in them had not been true, they could not have been received from the beginning. If they eon- tain a true account of things, the Christian religion is from God, and cannot but be embraced by seriourch25. 32 4740 . . 3 780 April 10. 33 4741 . . 4 781 April 1. 34 4742 202 1 782 March 21. THE 1 I COTTAGE TESTAMENT. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. Matthew, surnamed Levi, was the son of Alphei s ; but not of that Alnheus who was the father of James. (Matt. x. 3.) Matthew was a native of Gali- lee ; but of what city, or from what tribe, is unknown. Before his conversion, lie was a publican, or tax-gatherer ; and is understood to have collected the customs on all imports or exports at Capernaum, and a tribute from all pas- sengers who went by water. "While thus employed, Jesus called him to be a disciple, and when the apostles were chosen, he was numbered among the twelve. He was one of the most constant attendants upon our Lord during bis life; and after his resurrection, was, on the day of Pentecost, endowed with the Holy Spirit from on high. But how long he remained in Judea after 1 his event, is unknown, as are also the time and circumstances of his decease. The Gospel of Matthew is uniformly placed first among the Gospels and among all the books of the New Testament. It has always had the same pre- cedence given it. When.liowever, it was written, is a question that has oeen much disputed. Of the modern critics, Dr. Townson, Dr. H. Owen, and Bp. Tom line, date it in A. D. 37 or 38 ; but Dr. Lardner, Michaelis, and Dr. Hales, between 61 and 6? The only way to reconcile them is, with Eusebius, (an Ec- clesiastical historian of the third century,) to admit two original copies, one in Hebrew, and the other in Greek ; the former written for the Jews, about A. D. 33, and the latter written, or translated by the author into Greek, about A, D. 61 ; thus Josephus is said to have written his Jewish war both in Hebrew and in Greek. And we think the arguments adduced by Home, in his Critical In- troduction, on this subject, very powerful, though the Greek is the only original now remaining. We know that several sects of Jewish Christians boasted the possession of a Hebrew Gospel, which we suppose some of them might corrupt, to favour their peculiarities ; and this was the more easy, as very few of the Christian Fathers understood Hebrew. Lardner and Jones, however, consider the Greek as the original, and the Hebrew as a translation. CHAPTER I. 1 The genealogy of Christ from Abranam to Joseph. 18 He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary when she was espoused to Joseph. 19 The angel sat isfieth the misdeeming thoughts of Joseph, and in- terpreted) the names of Christ. ^HE book of the generation a of Jesus Christ, the -*- son of b David, c the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham d begat Isaac ; and e Isaac begat Jacob ; and Jacob f begat Judas and his brethren ; 3 And Judas begat ' Phares and Zara of Thamar ; and Phares begat h Esrom ; and Esrom begat i Aram ; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab be- gat j Naasson ; and Naasson begat k Salmon : 5 And Salmon begat Booz of l Rachab ; ana Booz begat Obed of m Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; 5 And Jesse begat n David the king : and David the king begat ° Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias ; A. M. 4000. B. C 5. CHAP. 1. a Lu.3.23. b Ps.13a.ll. c.22.45. Ac.2.30. c Ge.22.18. Ga.3.16. dGe.2l.2..5 e Ge. 25.26. f Ge.29.35. g Ge.S8.29, 30,&c. Ge.46.12. Ru 1.19. lCn.2.10 Nu. 1.7. Ru.4.20. Jos.6.25. m Rn.4 13. n lSa.17.12. o 2Sa. 12.24. Chap. I. Ver. I. The book of the generation— This term is here generally understood in the sense of genealogy, and so applied to the verses following ; but it is equally applicable to the whole book in the sense of history. So it is used, Gen. xxxvii. 2. The son of David, the son of Abraham.— The Arabs generally derive their descent from some few well-known illustrious person*;. Ver. 2. Abraham, &c— '2he genealogy which here follows, appears to be that ot Joseph, the reputed father of Jesus, and that in Luke. rhap. iii the ge- nealogy of Mary, his real mother. We shall more particularly compare them when we come to that evangelist. i' 14 MATTHEW, I. A. M. 4000. B. C. 5. p 1 Ch.3. 10,&c. q2Ki.20.2l. 1 Ch.3. 13. r some read, Jo- sias begat Jaldm, and Ja- kim begat Jechoni- . as. s I Ch.3. 17, t Ne.12.1. u La. 1.27, &c. v 5th year before the account ca.Wzd.An. Domini. wDe.24.1. 7 And Solomon begat p Roboam ; and Roboam be- gat Abia ; and Abia begat Asa ; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat ; and Josaphat begat Jo- ram ; and Joram begat Ozias ; 9 And Ozias begat Joatharn ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and Achaz begat Ezekias ; 10 And Ezekias begat Ver. 22. That it might be fulfilled ;— or, as Boothroyd, " So that it was ful- filled." The Greek term Una) often expressing, not the cause, but the conse- quent event. See Luke xi. 50. John v. 20 ; xii. 38, &c. Spoken of the Lord. — That is, of Christ: or" spoken (apo) from the Lord ;" that is, by inspiration. Many have supposed this passage quoted merely by way of accommodation, as some texts confessedly are ; but Bp. Chandler, at great length, and with much ability, contends that it is decidedly a typical prophecy of Messiah. Dr. John Pye Smith adopts nearly the same hypothesis, and defends it with no less ability. Ver. 24. When he was raised— Hammond, "Being risen." Ver. 25. Her first-born son.— Doddridge, "Her son, the first-born." See Rom. viii. 29. Chap. II. Ver. 1. Bethlehem— i. e. House of bread. — A town about sixmiles S. by W. of Jerusalem. The birth place also of David, and hence called the city of David. It still retains its ancient, name, and contains about 200 houses, inhabited by Christians and Turks. Wise men (Gr. Magi) from the east.— But the country here meant is much disputed ; Cbaldea and Persia have both been named ; but we follow Grothis and Doddridge, in fixing on Arabia. King Herod— That is, " Herod the Great," called Great by reason of his crimes. Mosheim.—He put to death his own wife Maviamne, with her two nons, Alex- ander and Aristobulus. When dying, he imprisoned a number of bis most il- lustrious subjects, and exacted from his sister a promise that they should be mur- dered as soon as he expiied, so that, as he said, tears should be shed at the death of Herod. Ver. 2. We have seen his star in the east; — or, "We (while) in the east, l i ♦trrr: Jj 16 MATTHEW, II. A. M. 4001. B. C. 4. X c Ps.2.2. f Mi. 5. 2. Jn.7.42. g or, feed Is. 40 11 f a Re.2.27. i Pr.26.24. j ver. 2. k Ps.67.4. 1 or, of- fered. m Ps.72. 10. Is. 60. 6. n c.1.20. 3 IT When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered e all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea : for thus it is written f by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee ' shall come a Governor, that shall s rule h my people j Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise j men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child ; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come i and worship him also. 9 IF When they had heard the king, they departed ; and, lo, the star, which they saw j in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they k rejoiced with ex- ceeding great joy. 11 IT And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell , down, and worshipped him : and when they had open- ed their treasures, they l presented unto him m gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God n in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. have seen his star;" i.e. an extraordinary meteor which they thought indica- ted the birth of King Messiah. The star seen by these Magi, must evidently have been a meteor, at no great height in the atmosphere, or it could not have marked a particular house, or even town. So we call those meteors frequently shooting through our atmosphere, falling' stars. To 10 or ship hi/ni— lite- rally, To fall prostrate before him." Ver. 3. He was troubled.— It was natural for Herod to be alarmed for the safety of his throne ; but why should all Israel be troubled? Meteors have al- ways been alarming to the superstitious and ignorant. Indeed, Justin Martyr supposed this to be a comet, which it probably resembled in form. Ver. 4. The chief priests.— "Not only the high priest and his deputy, with all who formerly had borne that office, but also the heads of the twenty-four courses, as well as any other persons of peculiar eminence in the priesthood." -Doddridge. And scribes— Sue note on t^re reads, Hav- So " Josephus uses the word." chap. v. 20. Ver. 7. Inquired of them diligently — or exactly. Doddrid, ing got exact information from them." Ver. 8. I may come and 10 or ship him also. —Herod would cover his malice with a cloak of religion. Hypocrisy is double wickedness. Ver. 9. The star.— [It seems evident, that this was neither a star, pbnet. or comet ; but a luminous meteor, of a star-like form, in our atmosphere, formed by God for the express purpose of guiding the magi, not only to Bethlehem, but to the very house where the child lay. J— Bagster. Ver. 11, Presented unto him gifts.— [This was according to the universal custom of the people of the East, who never approach the presence of a supe- rior without ii present in their hands. This was, as Dr. Doddridge remarks, a most .seasonable, providential assistance, to furnish them for a long and expen- sive journey to Egypt ; a_ country where they were entirely strangers, and yet where they were to stay for a considerable time. ]— Bagster. Ver. 12. Another way — Literally, " they turned back their course" to Arabia without going again to Jerusalem, as Herod had desired. MATTHEW, II. 17 A. M. 4001. B. C. 4. o Job 33. 15, 17. p Hos.11.1. (j disap- pointed of his expec- tation. q ver.7. r Je.3l.15. A. M. 4003. B. C. 2. y called Herod the Great, son of Anti- pater, having reigned 40 years. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod ° will seek the young child to de- stroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt : 15 And was "there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, P Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 TT Then Herod, when he saw that he was ,8 mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, aecoi r mg to the time which he had diligently inquired ' p Ps.2.7. Ep.l 6 2Pe.l 17. CHAP. 4. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. a lKi.18.I2 Ez.11.1, 21. Ac. 8. 39. b Ma. 1.12. Lu.4.l. c De.8.3. d Ke.ll.-1. c.27.53. t e P&91.1L 12. f De.6.16. 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved p Son, in whom I am well pleased. CHAPTER IV. 1 Christ ftisteth, and is tempted. 11 The angels minister unto him. 13 He dwelledi in Capernaum, 17 beginneth to preach, 18 called) Peter, and An- drew, 21 James, and John, 23 and healeth all the diseased. THEN was Jesus led up of a the spirit into the wil- derness to be b tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward a hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, c Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh hii\ up into the holy i city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, e He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, fThou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. II ven tongues." Acts ii. 3. The rite of baptism was in use among the Jews, be- fore the time of Christ, in the admission of proselytes to the Jewish community. Robinson's Wahl. In the opinion of many, the Saviour, when baptized by John, was inducted into the priest's office. When Aaron was consecrated to the office of priest, Moses washed him with water, and poured tbe anointing oil upon his head. Lev. viii. 6,12. But Jesus, when consecrated, was baptized and am in ted witli the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Does not the Saviour (Mat. xxi. 25.) by directing the chief priests and elders to the baptism of John, really, among other things, answer their question. '' by what authority doest. thou these things?" CiJAP.IV.Ver. 1. Led up of the Spirit.— Ca??ipbell, " conducted by tbe Spirit." Into the wilderness — That is, of Judea, near Jordan. Tbe wilderness here referred to, is thus described by Maundrell, one of our most respectable modern travellers in that country : ''After some hours travel you arrive at the mountainous desert into which our blessed Saviour was led by the Spirit, to be tempted of tbe devil. A most miserable, dry, barren place it is, consisting of high, rocky mountains, so torn and disordered, as if the earth had here suffered some great, convulsion, in which its very bowels had been turned outward. On the left hand, looking down into a deep valley, as we passed along, we saw some ruins of small cells and cottages, which they told us were formerly 1 he habitations of hermits, retiring thither for penance and mortification ; and cer- tainly there could not be found in the whole earth a more comfortless and aban- doned place for that purpose." To be tempted oftheDevil— Greek, Diabolos, which means a calumniator, and ansv\ era to Satanm the Old Testament, which means an adversary. He is describe, as the chief of the fallen angels ; the prince of the power of the air, under wnom those demons are arranged, which are active in introducing every evil among mankind. Ver. 3. The tempter— -That is, the devil, iust before named. Be made bread. —Campbell and Doddridge. " Be made loaves (of bread.") Ver. 4. By every word— [That, is, as Dr. Campbell renders, " by every thing which God is pleased to appoint ;" tor rerna, which generally signifies a word, is, by a Hebraism, here taken for a thing-, like davar, in Hebrew. J— Bag- ster. Ver. 5. Taketh him— -That is, " Along with him," says Doddridge. An intel- ligent, jhild being asked, " [Toio did the devil take Christ to the temple?' 1 replied, "As you (father) would take me to St. Paul's." The holy city — namely. Jerusalem. On a pinnacle— Gr. "The wing," which Eusebius explains of the battlement round the top of the temple. See Hammond here, and on chap. x. 27. This was probably at the time of evening service, which might from this part be visible ; and some think that Satan meant to intimate that by such a miracle, the priests and people would be at once convinced of his mission. MATTHEW, IV. 21 r 1 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Sa- tan : for it is written, s Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 1 1 Then the devil leaveth him, 13 and, hehold, angels h came and ministered unto him. 12 IF Now when Jesus had heard that John was i cast into prison, he departed into Galilee ; 13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the bor- ders of Zabulon and Nephthalim : 14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the j prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephtha- lim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, y Galilee of the Gentiles ; 16 The people which sat in y darkness saw great light ; and to them which sat in the region and sha- dow of death light is sprung up. 17 IT From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent : 1 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 ir And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw- two brethren, Simon m called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you n fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left ° their nets, and follow- ed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two p brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets ; and he called S them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their fa- ther, and followed him. 23 IT And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching ! A. M. 4031. A D. 27. t Lu.6.17, 19. CHAP. 5. t Lu.6.20 iic. b Is.57.15. 66.2. c Ja.2.5. d Is.61.3. Eze7.16. e Jn.16.20. 2Co.L7. f Ps.37.11. g Ps.145.19 Is.65.13 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy ; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes t of peo- ple from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Je- rusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan. CHAPTER V. 1 Christ beginneth bis sermon on the mount : 3 declaring who are blessed, 14 the light of the world, the city on a 13 who are the salt>of the on earth, hill, 15 the candle : 17 that he came to fulfil the law. 21 What it is to kill, 27 to comm't adultery, 33 to swear: 38 exhorteth to sufier wrong, 44 to love even our enemies, 48 and to labour after perfectness. ND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when he was set, his disciples came unto him : 2 And he opened his mouth, and a taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor b in spirit : c for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that d mourn : for they e shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek : for they ( shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for s they shall be rilled. :l Ver. 24. Possessed ivith devils— Greek, " Demons," and so rendered by Dod- dridge, Campbell, and other modern translators ; and Dr. C. has particularly noted, that the terms Diabolos (or devil) and demon are, in the New Testa- ment, never confounded with each other. See John viii. 44. Ac. xiii. 10. 1 Pet. v. 8. That insanity arose from such possessions, " was the prevailing- opinion, not only among the Jews, . . . but also among the Greeks and Romans. iEschylus Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Lucian, and others, speak of demoniacs." Herodotus speaks of the mental alienation of Cleomenes as extraordinary, be- cause it was not " occasioned by a demon, but by excessive drinking." — Rosen- mutter. Some have endeavoured to explain what is said of demons, and pos- session by them, of corporeal diseases only, and especially of insanity. Camp- bell remarks on this hypothesis, " When I find mention made of the number of demons in particular possessions, their actions so expressly distinguished from those of the man possessed, conversations held with the former in regard to the disposal of them after their expulsion, and accounts given how they were ac- tually disposed of: when I find desires and passions ascribed peculiarly to them, and similitudes taken from the conduct which they usually observe ; it is impossible for me to deny their existence, without admitting that the sacred historians were either deceived themselves in regard to them, or intended to de- ceive their readers. Nay, if they were faithful historians, this reflection, I am afraid, will strike still deeper." Campbell's Gospels. Ver. 25. Decapolis.— [Decapolis was a district of Syria, east of Jordan, so called from deka, ten. and polis, a city, because it contained ten cities ; which were, according to Pliny, Scythopolis, Philadelphia, Raphanre, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, Canalha, and Damascus. No two geographers enumerate the same ten cities.]— Bagster. Chap. V. Ver. 1. Into a mountain— A. hill, called " The Mountain of Beati- tudes," is still pointed out to travellers, though the tradition is of no authority, When he was set. — It was customary among the Jews for the teacher to sit and for his pupils to stand, or sit in a semicircle around him. Ver 2. He opened his mouth. — A Hebraism for "he began to speak." See chap. xiii. 35. Ver. 3. Blessed.— Doddridge and Campbell, Happy the poor ;" and sointhe following. Poor in spirit— i. e. the humble and lowly in mind. 4. They that mourn— \. e. that are " hnbiiually serious." 5. Inherit the earth— ox "land ;" i. c. the land of promise. See He.«ci. verses Ver. Ver. 9--16. Ver. 6. Hunger and thirst. — Xenophon in like manner applies these appe- ~> MATTHEW, V. 23 7 Bler-sed are the merciful : for h they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in i heart : for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the j peacemakers : for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righte- ousness' k sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you i falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward m in heaven : for so persecuted they the pro- phets which were before you. 13 IT Ye are the salt n of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light ° of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under P a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they mav see your good works, and glorify i vour Father which is in heaven. 17 IT Think not that I am come to destroy r the law, or s the prophets : I am not come to destroy, « but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle u shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least tites to the mind. He says, " Some tempers hunger after praise, no Jess than others after meat and drink." Ver. 6. Pure in heart— Vs. xv. 1 ; xxiv. 4, 5, and compare Acts xv. 9. 1 Pe. i. •22. I Jn. iii. 8. Ver. 13. Ye are the salt of the world— \. e. by your influence you are to make men better, as salfrpreserves and renders food more savoury and acceptable. If the salt have lost hissavrur.—Maundrell mentions, that in the valley of salt (four hours journey Roil Aleppo) he broke off a piece of salt, which, from its being long exposed to the sun, rain, and air, had lost its savour, though the part which adhered to the rock retained it. But Totonscnd quotes from Schoet- gen a different illustration. He says, that an inferior kind of salt was collected from the Asphaltic lake, with which the sacrifices were salted ; but which, on being exposed to sun and air, soon lost its flavour, and was then sprinkled over the pavement of the temple, like sand. IV/ierewith shall it be salted ? Dr. Good quotes a learned Swede, who gives to this clause a different translation, " How can we salt with it," which he prefers. Ver. 15. A candle .... candlestick.— Campbell, "Lamp," and "lamp- stand." Ver. 17. To destroy.— Hammond, " To dissolve ;" so Doddridge. — To fulfil.— Hammond, To perfect ;" Doddridge, " To complete ;" Campbell, ' To ratify." The sense appears to be, that whereas the Jewish teachers re- laxed the morality of the law, as we shall see in the instances here subjoined, the object of Jesus was, ta enforce it to the utmost extenl; of its demands. Ver. 13. Verily— Gr. Amen; I solemnly assure you. One jot or tittle - The jot {Iota) is the Hebrew Jod, and the tittle seems to rsfbr to the corners of certain Hebrew letters, which distinguish them from d;ner3, (as, for instance, the Beth from the Caph, or the Daleth from the Resh;) wmch letters, without they are written with great care, are scarce.y to be distinguished. Lamy, Gro- tius, &c. Ve;. 19. One of these least commandments.— Doddridge and Campbell, " One of the least of these commandments." A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. h Ps.41.1,2. i Ps.24.3,4. He.12.14. Uu.3.2.3. j Ps.34.14. lc lPe.3.13, 14. 1 lying. m2Co.4.l7. n Ma. 9.50. o Ph.2.15. p The word, in the original, signifieth a mea- sure con- taining about a qrint less than a peck. q lPe.2.12. r c3.15. s Is.42.21. t Ps.40.6..8 u Lu.16.17. I I 24 MATTHEW, V. A M. 4031. A D. 27. t iSa.2.30. w c.23.23. 28. Ph.3.a. x or t U> *frtrt y Ex.2°.J». Je r > n. z Un.3.15. a l. e. vain fellow. 2 Sa.6.20. b De.16.16, 17. c Pr.25.8. La. 12.58, 59. commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but who- soever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great v in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteous- ness shall exceed w the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the king- dom of heaven. ) 21 5T Ye have heard that it was said x by them of old time, y Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall lull shall be in danger of the judgment : 22 But J say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a z cause shall be in danger of the judgment : and whosoever shall say to his brother, a Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but whoso- ever shr--.ll say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift b to the altar, and there rcmemberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come ana i>fter thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art :.n the way with him ; lest at any time the adver- sary deliver c thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 20 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means •;ome out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost far- thin ig. Ver. 20. Of the scribes.— -These are said to be of two classes, secular and ec- clesiastical j but the latter are here intended, among whom were many degrees of rank, from mere transcribers, to men " learned in the law," like Ezra, (vii. 6.) Some of these are called " Doctors," and doubtless had disciples. (Mat. xxiii. 2,3.) The Pharisees were a sect remarkable for their attachment to the cere- monial law. and still more to the traditions of the elders. They vere account- ed most, orthodox, and the scribes are generally associated with thun. But we shall find their true character best developed in our Lord's addresses To them. Righteousness.— Sanctity of life and integrity of conduct. Verses 21 and 27. Said by— Marg. " To ;" so Doddridge and all the modem translators. Them of old awe— That is, those to whom the law was deliver- ed at Sinai. Ver. 22. Judgment.— [An inferior court of judicature, in every city, consisting of twenty-three members, which punished criminals by strangling or beheading.]— Bagster. Raca— That is, an empty, worthless fellow ; so Drusius, who is fol- lowed by Doddridge, &c. The council— -Greek, Sanhedrim— composed of seventy-two elders, who alone punished by stoning. Thou fool— Greek, Moreh, which Doddridge explains, " Thou wicked villain." Hell fire- Greek, " The fire of the valley of Hinnom." Ver. 24. Leave there thy gift.— It appears from Dr. Light foot, that sacrifices were not always offered immediately, but sometimes reserved to an approach- ing feast. At those timos the people collected from all quarters, and reconci- liation might be more easily effected. It may also be remembered, that there were fields, or pasture grounds, belonging to the temple, as it was impossible to keep all the great and small cattle for the public feasts within the couits of the- temple.; Then come and offer thy gift.—Philo says, " When a man had in- jured his brother, and repenting of his fault, voluntarily acknowledged it, On which case both restitution and sacrifice were required,) he was first to make restitution, and then to come into the temple, presenting his sacrifice, and ask- ing pardon." Philo was contemporary with our Lord : but this rule appears to have been much neglected. Ver. 25. Agree . . . quickly.— According to the Roman custom, a person ag- grieved could compel the other party to go with him before the Praetor, unle39 he agreed by the way to adjust the matter. Adams's Rom. Antiq. Ver. 26. The uttermost farthing— -That is, the full extent of the penalty in- MATTHEW, V. ~S1 27 IT Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh ou, O ye of little faith ? 31 Therefore take no d thought, saymg, What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink 7 or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after ail these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Ver. 22. The light— Gr. " Lamp ;" so Doddridge and Campbell. Single.— Doddridge, " Clear ;" Campbell, " Sound." It properly means "simple," unin- cumbered by film. Ver. 23. Evil.— Doddridge and Campbell, "Distempered ;" filmy, or other- wise diseased. Ver. 24. Mammon.., — "A Syriac wor.J S?r riches. Wealth is here personified, and represent^' "-2 "mister »;*« ^vih Q?,:} in our heurts." Two masters — namely, of opposing interests, as God ?.i>n Gammon, Ver. 25. Take no thought.— Doddridge and Campbell, " Be not anxious ;" and there is no doubt but this was the meaning of our translators, as the word thought is evidently so used, 1 Sam. ix. 5 ; also by Milton, Bacon, &c, i& quoted in Johnson, and by Fox, the martyrologist, and the Geneva translators, as quoted by Parkhurst, who observes that the Greek term, in its derivation, means a distracting, or heart-dividing carefulness. Ver. 26. Fowls.— Doddridge, " Birds ;" probably sparrows, as chap. x. 29. Barns.— Hammond, " Repositories ;" Doddridge, "hoards." Ver. 27. Gne cubit. — Tin's (being at least 18 inches) would be a great addition to the height, which cannot therefore be here intended : most commentators therefore refer this to age. Applying this measure, however, to human life, it must be considered metaphorically as a race, of which a cubit describes a very small portion, analogous to " an inch of time," a common phrase with poets. Campbell translates the phrase, " Prolong his life one hour." Ver. 30. The gj-ass of the field.— The Hebrews divided all their vegetable productions into two classes ; trees, and herbs, or grass, Gen. i. 29, 30. Into the oven.— Jt is certain that fires were kindled and ovens heated with dried vegetables, &c. Compare Ezek. xv. 4. Ver. 32 Gentiles. — All nations, exclusive of the Israelites. d Ps.37.3. 55.22. 1 Pe.5.7 \ 30 MATTHEW, VII. A M. 4031. A. D. 27. c lTi.4.3. y before al: things, above all tilings. the grace of God, and the sanciifi- cation of hisSpi it. f Le. 25.20, 21. lKi.3.13. Ps.37.2L0. Mar. 5. 30. g De.33.25 He. 13. 5,6 CHAP. 7. a Lu.6.37. Ro2.1. 1 Co. 4. 5. b Ju.1.7. c Ga.6.1. d Pr.9.7,8. 23.9. e Is.55.6. Lu.lS.l. f Ps.81.10, 16. Jn.14.13, 14. 16.23,34. 1 Jn.3.22. 5.14,15. g Pr.8.17. Je.29.12, 13. \ h Lu.11.11, &c. i Le.19.18. Ro.13.8-. 10. Ga.5.14. 33 But seek ye first e the y kingdom of God, 6 and his righteousness ; and all these things shall be added f unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought for the things of s it- self. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. CHA PTER VII. 1 Christ, ending his sermon on the mount, reproveth rash judgment, 6 forbd- deth to cast holy things to dogs, 7 exhorteth to prayer, 13 to enter in at t.ae strait gate, 15 to beware of false prophets, 21 not to be hearers, but deers of the word : 24 like houses builded on a rock, 26 and not on the sand. JUDGE a not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged : and with what measure ye b mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam c out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 6 TT Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither d cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 7 1T Ask, and it shall be given you ; e seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you : 8 For every one that asketh f receive th ; and he that seeketh s findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, h how much more snail your Fa- ther which is in heaven give good things to tnem that ask him 1 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for i this is the law and the prophets. Ver. 33. Seek ye first the kingdom— Religion ; to be sought " before all things, and above all things," as having " the promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come." Ver. 34. The morrow snail take thought for itself— T\\zX is, it will be time enough to care for the morrow when the morrow comes. Every day brings its duties and its cares. So Ezra and his companions " offered the daily burnt-of- ferings, .... as the duty of every day required." Ezra iii. 4. Chap. VII. Ver. 1. Judgz not.— This does not forbid us to judge of men by their fruits, i. e. by their lives and principles ; but it forbids us to judge with severity, and to condemn wifh censoriousness. Ver. 3. The mote .... the beam.— The one a small thorn, or splinter of wood. Dr. Lightfoot has shown, that this saying (as well as the preceding) was proverbial among the Jews. [Similar to this is the caution given by Horace, " When you can so readily overlook your own toickedfiess, Why are you more clear sighted than the eagle, or serpent of Epidaurus, in spying out the failing's of your friends?"]— Bagster. Compare Numb, xxxiii. 55. Josh, xxiii. 13 Ver. 4. Let me pull. &c— Doddridge, " Hold still ; I will take," &c. Ver. 6. Givenot that.— Apply not the promises to the wicked. - ■ ~ - - — ^ MATTHEW, VII. 31 1 i 13 ^T Enter ye in j at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruc- tion, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 k Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few i there be that find it. 15 IT Beware of false prophets, m which -come to vou in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening n wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by heir ° fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree p bringeth forth good fruit ; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit 19 Every Le:6.43, 45. q c.aio. Jn.6.15. r Is. 48. 1,2. ©.25.11,12' Lu.6.46. 13.25. Ro.2.13. € Nu.24.4. IK1.22.U,! &c. Ja. 23. 13, &c. Ac. Yd. 13.. 15. 1 Co. 13.2. t Ps.5.5. ■e.25.41. Re.22.15. u Lu.6.47, •&c. v Ps.l 11.10. 119.99,130 wPs.S2.13.. 15. x 1 Sa.2.30. Je.8.9. \ Ver. 13. The strait. g(Ue.— Dr. Whitby explains this as referring to a wicket gate, admitting but one i\pt3on at a time, and that not without some difficulty. These (he says) were ik?ed on occasions of marriage feasts, &c.^ a porter was placed to keepimproper persons from pressing in. and when allthe company in-' vited were assembled, the door was shut. Mat. xxv. 10. Ver. 13, 14. Enter ye. in.— Ate these verses consistent with tke Salvation of all men ? See Luke xiii. 23—30. Ver. 15. B^ivare of false prophets^— In Jeremiah xxiii. 17, 21, false prophets are represented as saying to the wicked, "the Lord bath said ye shall have peace — no evil shall come upon you."— The Saviour, after ^declaring the start- ling tact, that many iose their souls, cautions all tofoeware-of those who teach a contrary doctrme. By their fruits ye shall Jcn&io or distinguish them : an unholy life, a graceless -heart. I Ver. 17, 18. A corrupt tree — " An evil tree." The Oreek word does not al- ways signify corrupt, or rotten ; hutof a bad kind, like the rejected fishes, ch. xviii. 43. Campbell. Ver. -26. By their fruits.— 1 " By their fruits ye shall know them," is certainly the best rule to judge, both of preachers and their doctrines. The fruits here referred to, are those virtues and graces of the Holy Spirit ©n which our Lord has pronounced his blessing in the opening of this discourse, — meekness, hu- mility, puwty, and a peaceable disposition ; none of which belong to the cha- . racter of loolves. Ver. 21. The kingdom, of heaven— Has two departments, grace and glory but the expression must evidently refer to the latter. Ver. 23. Never kneio you — As a true disciple. Ver. 26. Upon the sand. — " The fishermen in Bengal build their huts, in the M_. il r — U 32 MATTHEW, VIII. ^ A. M. 4831. A. D. 27. y 1 Cov&13. z He.l8i2S v 27. a Jc.25.QS. Ma.6.2. CHAP. 8. a Ma. 1.40, &c Lu.&I2 T &c. b e.9.39. Ma.&43. c I.e. 14.3, d Lu.7.2, &c. e Ps.10.17. Lu.l5.1&, 21. f Ps.33.9 107.20. g C.15.2& h Is.2 2;3. I^t.lS.29. Ac. 11.18. Ep.3.6. Re. 7.9. 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, 7 and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was * the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass T when Jesus had ended 1 tese sayings, the people were astonished a at his doctrine : 29 For he taught tbem as one having authority, and not as the scribes. CHAPTER VIII. 2 Christ elearoseth tire leper, 5 healeth the centurion's servant, 14f Peter's mother-m-law y 16 and many other diseased : 18 showeth how he is to be fol- lowed : 23 stilteth ths> tempest on the sea, 23driveth the devils out of two men possessed, 31 and suffereth them to go into the swine. WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper a and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will ; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell b no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, e for a testimony unto them. 5 IT And when Jesus was entered into Capernaunij there came unto him a d centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that e thou shouldest come under my roof : but speak the word f only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me : and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great s faith, no, not in Israel. . .1 And I say unto you, That h many shall come from i ii dry season, on the beds of sand from which the river has retired. When the rains set in, which they often do very suddenly, accompanied with north- west wind's, the water pours down in torrents front the mountains. In one night, multitudes of these huts are frequently swept away, and the place where they stood is, the next morning, undiscoverable." Ward's Hindoos. Ver. 27. And the rain descended.— -In Palestine tire quantity of rain that falls between seed time and harvest is very great. Sometimes it descends in to?rents. The brooks are suddenly filled, and streams that were scarcely noticed before, swell into the likeness of rivers rushing in every direction through the land, and sweeping away houses and cattle that may fall in their way. Bib. Antiq. Ver. 29. And not as the scribes.— The pcribes used to say, Rabbi such-a- one says so and so : Jesus spake as one sent from God, " Verily I say unto you." Chap. VIII. Ver. 4. For a testimony unto them—Fyrst, to the " priests, " for though one only was sufficient to pronounce him cured, others would probably inquire into it ; and, secondly, to the people, who would eventually learn the truth of the miracle through their means. Ver. 5. A centurion. — [A centurion was a captain of a Irundred men, so> call- ' ed from centum, a hundred. It was a Roman military title ; and therefore this \ officer may be concluded to have been a Gentile. I — Bagster. XTr%* £ 'rV>-**/Mi ovk tort C*rt/*\Mr\T\oll 4 * & ffl»/»trwl *' **v ' preside over distinct regions, under the direction of Satan their prince." Ver. 32. The whole herd.— Mark says they were about 2000, and the demon*' themselves boast that they were a legion, which at this period contained be- tween 4 and 500©, but probably varied like oar regiments, and was often used indefinitely, like our terra regiment, for an undefined number. CnAP. IX. Ver. 1. His own city — That is, Capernaum, the metropolis of Galilee, whither our Lord bad removed from Nazareth, Mat. iv. 13. Ver. 2. Lying on a bed.— Doddridge, " Couch," or mattress. Seeing their faith— -That is, both of the. sick man and his friends. Thy sins be (Luke, " are"). forgiven thee.— Not a prayer, but an affirmation. Campbell. ■\ I V tr- MATTHEW, IX. 35 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within them- selves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their c thoughts said. Where- fore think ye evil in your hearts ? 5 For whether is easier, to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, Arise, and walk 1 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And x the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 27 If And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of y David, have mercy on us. Ver. 15. The children of the bride-chamber— Namely, the guests invited to celebrate the marriage. Ver. 16. A piece of new cloth— Literally, " unfulled ;" i. e. unfinished cloth : a proper type of a new disciple. [Or, raw, or, unwrought cloth, the rough ana unpliant sides of which would not suit the soft old cloth, but would tear away the edges to which it was sewed, and make the rent worse.]— Bagster. Ver. 17. Old bottles. — [That is, skin bottles, which were, and still are, com- monly used in the East ; and when old, they must necessarily burst through . the fermentation of the new wine put into them ; but by putting the new wine " into strong new bottles, both might be preserved.]— Bagster. Ver. 18. A certain ruler— Namely, of the Synagogue," Luke viii. 50. This reconciles this account with that of Mark and Luke. Even now dead. — Campbell, " Is by this time dead ;" i. e. he left her apparently at the last gasp, and concluded she must, by this time, have departed. Ver. 20. Hem {Doddridge and Campbell, " fringe") of his garment— Which every Jew was commanded by the law to wear. Ver. 23. Minstrels.— Gr. " Flute-players," or pipers, who commenced the lament, and were followed by the professional mourning women, and as appears in the present instance, by all present. The introduction of instruments on this occasion, is thought to nave been, at this period, a novel practice, borrowed s from the heathen. Ver. 27. Thou Son of David.— By this it is evident that these men took Je- suit to be the Messiah. •-- MATTHEW, X. 37 A. M. 4031. A. D- 27. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him : and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this 1 They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying. According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened ; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know l it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32 ir As they went out, behold, they brought to. him a dumb man a possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb b spake : and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He c casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 35 And d Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gos- pel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 IT But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they e fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep f having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest S truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few ;. 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth h labourers into his harvest. CHAPTER X. 1 Christ sendeth out his twelve apostles, enabling them with power to do mira- cles, 5 giveth them their charge, teacheth them, 16 cornforteth them against persecutions : 40 and proniise'Ji a blessing to those that receive them. A ND when he had called unto him his twelve dis- -^- ciples, he a gave them power » against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names c of the twelve apostles are these ; Ver. 32. With a devil.— Doddridge, " a demon." So ver. 33, 34. It is evi dent from this expression, that the Pharisees, hy demons, did not mean the souls of departed heroes (as did the Greek, and other Gentile nations) hut the apostate spirits who sided with Satan in his apostacy. In the Jewish sense, a demon was an evil angel, subject to the dominion of Satan — and having great influence in afflicting the human race with natural and moral evils. Ver. 33. The dumb spake. — It seems evident that this man was dumb, not from any natural defect, but from the power of an evil spirit ; for when the evi! ti« rit was expelled, he was immediately capable of speaking. The spec- tators were justly surprised at these multiplied and > astonishing miracles ; for in one afternoon our Lord had raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, heal- ed u woman with s.n issue of blood, restored two blind men to sight, and cured this dumbdemoniac r and all this in Capernaum, one of the places which the Sa- yiovr so fearfully denounced for continuing impenitent sinners after behold- ing \ lis miracles. Ver. 36. The harvest . . .is plenteous.— 1 ' Five hundred millions of souls," ex- claims a missionary, "are represented as being unenlightened! I cannot, if I would, give up the idea of being a missionary, v Mile I reflect upon this vast num- ber of my fellow-sinners, who are perishing tor lack of knowledge. Five hundred millions! intrudes itself upon my mind wherever 1 go, and however I am em- ployed. When I go to bed, it is the last thing that recurs to my memory ; if I awake in the night, it is to meditate on it alone ; and in the morning, it is generally the first thing that occupies my thoughts." Chap. X. Ver. 2. Twelve apostles.— The terra A.pos*le literally means, a person sent upon some errand, and is in its derivation equal' to Missionary : lb« Apostles, however, if Missionaries, were in theirs* instance, Ho?ne-mi3s\on- i If,. 42.2. 52.13. c.1 2. 16. a c. 12.22. Lu. 11.14. b Is.35 % c c. 12.24. Ma. 3. 22. Lu.11.15. d c.4.23. e or, were tired and. lay down f Nu.S7.17. lKi.22.17. Eze.34.5. Zee. 10.2. g Ln.10.2. Jn.4.35. h Ps.68.11 CHAP. 10. a Ma.3.13, 14. 6.7, &c. Lu.9.1, &c. b or, over. c Lu.6.13. S8 MATTHEW, X. H A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. d 2Ki.17.24. Jn.4.5,9, 20. e Ac. 13.46. i Ps.119 17G. )s.53.fc. Je.50.6,1? Eze.34.5, 6,8. I Pe.2.25. c c.3.2. 4.17. Lu.9.2. 10.9. h Ac 8.18, 20. i or, get. j Lu.22.35. 1 Co.9.7, &c. k a staff. 1 Lu.10.7, &c mPs.35.13. n Ne.5.13. Ac. 13. 51. 18.6. o c 11.22, 24. The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother ; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew ; Thomas, and Matthew the publican ; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus ; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 IT These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans d enter ye not : 6 But go e rather to the lost f sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, s The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : h freely ye have received, freely give. 9 i Provide j neither gold, nor silver, nor brass m your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet k staves : for l the workman is worthy of his meat. . 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye > shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy ; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come imo a house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come, upon it : but if it be not worthy, let your peace return m to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake n off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It ° shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.. i aries. But the sacred writers usually confine the term to the twelve, and to St. Paul. They are probably coupled together as Christ sent them forth. Mark tells us that the Lord sent them forth by two and two.— — Peter— commonly called Simon Peter. James.— This name in Greek is Jacob, the same as that of the Patriarch. Ver. 3. Lebbeus— Also called " Jude," and author of the Epistle. Ver. 5. Samaritans. — Inhabitants of the city or region of Samaria ; a race of people who sprung originally from an intermixture of the ten tribes with Gen- tile nations. The name of Samaritan was a term of reproach among the Jews, and all intercourse between them carefully avoided. Ver. 7. As ye go, preach— Doddridge and Campbell, "Proclaim." It is the office of a herald that is here alluded to. Ver. 8. Raise the dead. — There is no instance on record of the Apostles /ais- ing any dead person till after the day of Pentecost. Ver. 9. In your purses.— Gr. zones, or girdles, the folds of which usually formed their purses. Ver. 10. Neither two coats, &c. — Perhaps the most correct English version would be, " No change of coats, or shoes, or staves ;" that is. nothing unne- cessary for their journey, which was to be short, and in haste. Compare Ex. xii. 11. Worthy of his meat.— Campbell, " Of his maintenance.'' Ver. 11. Who in it is loorthy— The worthiness here referred to, is evidently that of character : they were to inquire for persons of repute for piety, benevo- lence, and hospitality, and then receive their offered kindness ; not wandering from house to house, with idle curiosity, but saluting them with words of peace, and imploring on them all its blessings. Ver. 12. Salute it. — The usual salutation was a salam : this house 1" Such is the custom in the East to this day, i. e " peace be ui ito f ^1 MATTHEW, X. 39 A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. p Ro.16.19. Ep 5.15. q oT,simple r Phi. 2. 15. s Phi. 3. 2. t c.24.9. Ma. 13.9. u Ac.5.40. 2 Co. 11. 24. v Ac.c.24, 16 If Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : be ye therefore P wise as serpents, and s harmless r as doves. 17 But beware s of men : for * they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge u you in their synagogues; 18 And v ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 1U But w when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak : for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child : and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them, to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake : but x he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee y ye into another : for verily I say unto you. Ye shall not a have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The a disciple is not above his master, nor the ser- vant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his mas- ter, and the servant as his lord. If b they have called the master of the house c Beelzebub, how much more mall tkey call them of his household 7 26 Fear them not therefore : for d there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ve upon the house-tops. 28 And e fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hel Ver. IS. Against them.— Hammond and Doddridge, " To them." Ver. 23. Son of man-become. — [This coming of the Son of man, or the Mes- siah, seems to refer to the subversion of the Jewish state by the Romans.] — B. Ver. 25. Beelzebub — (OrBaalzebub) primarily the god-fly worshipped at Ek- ron, 2 Ki. i. 2. but afterwards applied to Satan by the Jews ; and applied by Jews also to the Son of God himself. See ch. xii. 24. Some derive this mine from Heb. words, which signify the God of the dung-hill: which name the Jews gave Satan, as being the author of all the pollutions and abomina :ions of idol worship. Ver. 27. in darkness— i. e. privately: in light — i. e. publicly. "In open day " as we say. Ver. 28. Sot*, and bod]/ in hell.— Does hell, in this passage, .Tiean only the valley of Hinn-mi, a place near Jerusalem, rendered odious by its having been a scene of cruelty and pollution, and in which worms were found, and a fire was kept up to consume the carcasses and offals of various kinds that were thrown into it? The body, it is granted, might be destroyed in this place ; but our Saviour speaks of the soul being destroyed in Gehenna. Does it not then desig- nate a place far more terrible than the valley of Hinnom 7 The worms in this val- ley died, and the tire was often quenched ; and while it burned, it consumed nothing more than the body. But the Gehenna with which sinners are threaten- ed, is a flame that seizes the soul, and is never quenched. Of this place of endless wrath, the valley of Hinnom, with its past idolatries and cruelties, wMa.13. 11. Lu.12.ll. 21.14,15. x De.12.12, 13. Re. 2. 10. y Ac.8.1. z or, e?id, or, finish. a Lu.6.40. Jn.13.16. 15.20. W Jn.8.48 c Beelzebub d Ma. 4. 22. Lu. 12.2,3 I C®.4.5. e Is. 8. 12, 13. 51.7,12. 1 Pe.3. 14. 40 MATTHEW, X. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. f In value, one cent and a half, a 10th part of the Ro- man penny. c.18.23. g Ac.27.34. h Re.3.5. i 2TL2.12. i Lu. 12.49, 53. k Mi.7.5,6. 1 Ps.41.9. m Lu.14.26. n c. 16.25. o c.18.5. 25.40,45. J n. 12.44. p IKi. 17.10. He. 6. 10. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a f farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But s the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ve not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Who soever therefore shall confess me before men, him h will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But i whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : J I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance k against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And l a man's foes shall be they of his own house- hold. 37 He ra that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daugh- ter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He "that findeth his life shall lose it : and he that lcfseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 IT He ° that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He p that receiveth a prophet in the name of a with its blood and pollution, with its devouring worms and consuming fires, was, no doubt, the most striking image that could be suggested to the mind of a Jew. Ver. 31. Than many sparrows.— The Rev. Mr. Nosw or thy, who died in 1677, had, from the persecuting spirit of the times, been imprisoned at Win- chester, where he met with much cruel usage. After his release, he was se- veral times reduced to great straits. Once, when he and his family had break- fasted, and had nothing left for another meal, his wife, lamenting her condi- tion, exclaimed, " What shall I do with my poor children ?" He persuaded her to walk abroad with him, and seeing a little bird, he said, "Take notice how that little bird sits and chirps, though we cannot tell whether it has been at breakfast ; and if it has, it knows not whither to go for a dinner. Therefore be of good cheer, and do not distrust the providence of God ; for are we not better than many sparrows ?" Before dinner time they had plenty of provisions brought them. Thus was the promise fulfilled, " They who trust in the Lord shall not want any good thing." Ver. 34. Peace on earth.— Doddridge, " On the land," namely, of Ju dea; and certainly the words apply in a peculiar manner to that country, where the gospel met, in the first instance, with the most inveterate opposi- tion from those for whose salvation it was peculiarly designed. It is the gospel of peace ; but men war against it. [An energetic mode, as Dr. Campbell re- marks, of expressing the certainty of a foreseen consequence of any measure, as if it were the purpose for which the measure was adopted. Our Lord here refers to their own traditions : " A little before the coming of the Messiah, the son shall insult the father, the daughter rebel against her mother, the daughter- in-law against the mother-in-law, and each man shall have his own househ )ld for his enemies." Again, " In the age in which the Messiah shall come, the young men shall turn the elders into ridicule, the elders shall rise up against the youth," &c. All these things took place after the rejection of Christ, as may be seen in the terrible account which Josephus gives of these times.]—/?. Ver. 33. That taketh not his cross.— Alluding to criminals being compelled «o bear their own cross, as was our Saviour. Jn. xix. 17. Ver. 36. They of his oxon household. — The gospel, by reason of men's op- position to it, will cause much variance, even between nearest relatives. Ver. 41. A prophet— That is, a messenger from God, whether under the Old Testament or the New. > —- ■ «frd MATTHEW, XI. 41 i prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward ; and he that receivetn a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. CHAPTER XI. 2 John sendeth his disciples to Christ. 7 Christ's testimony concerning John. 18 The opinion of the people, both concerning John and Christ. 20 Chrisl npbiaideth the untlnfliktulness and unrepeittance of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum : '25 and praising his father's wisdom in revealing the gospel to the simple. 23 he called) to him all such as feel the burden of their sins. A ND it came to pass, when Jesus had made an ■*-*- end of commanding his twelve disciples, he de- parted thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 IT Now » when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another ? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see : 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended b in me. 7 IT And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What c went ye out into the wilderness to see'] A reed shaken with the d wind ? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment ? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went, ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is fie, of whom it is e written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall pre- pare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among f them that are born of women there Hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, she that is least in the kingdom of heaven /?is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven h suffereth violence, and the violent i take it by force. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. CHAR 11. a Ln.7.18, ate. b ls.S.14, 15. lCo.1.22, 23. 1 Pe.2.8. c Lu.7.24.. 30. d Ep.4.14. Ja.1.6. e Is 40 .3. Mai. 3.1. Lul.76. f Jn.5.35. g Jn.1.15, 27. 3.30. /j John as Christ's messen- ger is greater than the old pro- phets, but after Christ he who comes in the ful- ness of the gospei is greater than John h or, is got- ten by force, and they that thrust men, take it, &c. i Lu.16 16. Ep.6.11 ..13. Chap. XI. Ver. 2. John had heard —John was at this time in prison, and soon after suffered for the freedom and fidelity with which he reproved Herod. Ver. 3. He that should come— Namely, the Messiah. See chap. hi. 11. Ver. 5. The poo?- have the gospel preached to them.— A circumstance little less singular than the miracles which Jesus wrought ; for neither Rabbins nor philosophers ever condescended to teach the lower classes. Ve'\ 6. Offended in me. —Doddridge, "Scandalized (or stumbled) at me." The same Messiah who was promised as the foundation stone of his church, was also predicted as a stumbling-stone to those who rejected him through unbe- lief. See ch. xxi. 44. Ver. 8. A man clothed in soft raiment.—" An effeminate courtier, accustom- ed to fawning and flattery. You may expect to find such Dersons in palaces, 1 not >n a wilderness." — Wesley. 42 MATTHEW, XL A. M. 1031. A. D. 27. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it % this is Elias, which j was for to come. 15 He k that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 16 IT But i whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows. 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced ; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eatmg nor drinking, and they say, m He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating n and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bib- ber, a friend of publicans ° and sinners. But p wis- dom is justified of her children. 20 IT Then q began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not : 21 Wo unto thee, Chorazm ! wo unto thee, r Beth- saida ! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, It s shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon atthf clay of judgment, than for you. 23 And thou, Caper i mum, which t art exalted unto heaven, shalt be broi.ght down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say unto you, That u it shall be more toler- able for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. 25 TT At v that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and. prudent, and hast revealed them unto * babes. 26 Even so, Father: for N so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All x things are delivered unto me of my Father : Ver. 15. He that hath ears, &c— That is, " Let those who are dispose.! to learn, attend." See Deut. xxix. 4. Ezek. xii. 2. Ver. 17. We have mourned.— Campbell, "Sung mournful songs." Compare cli. ix. 23, and note. Vor. 20. He began to- upbraid.— This is the first time he had done so. At | first they received him joyfully, but after a while, not only became inattenthc, but persecuted him. Ver. 23. Exalted unto heaven— -That is, very highly favoured. Down to hell.— This, in opposition to the preceding phrase, means, to the most degrading situation. Ver. 25. Jesus answered.— Th'\s expression, in Scripture, does not always imply a previous question. Doddridge, in this place renders it, " Took occasion to say," &c. I thank thee. — Campbell, " I adore thee ;" i. e. " Every thing in which I discover thy will, I receive, not with acquiescence only, hut with vene- ration." Thou hast hid.— Campbell, "That having hidden." From the w he and prudent.— Campbell^ " From sages and the learned." Unto babes. —Doddridge, " Infants," i. e. in knowledge. Ver. 27. All tilings are delivered unto me— That is, all things relative to Christ's mediatorial kingdom, which, at its completion, shall be delivered back j Mal.4.5. c.17.12. k Re.2.7, &c. 1 Lu.7.31. ra c 10.25. Jn.7.20. n c.9.10. Jn.2.2. o Lu.15.2, 19.7. p Ps.92.5,6. Pr. 17.24. q Ln.10.13, &c. r J n. 12.21. a c.10.15. t ls.14.13. 15. La. 2.1. u ver.24. v Lu.10.2l, &c w Ps.8.2. .Ie.!.7,8. 1 Co. I. 27. x c.28.18. Lu. 10.22. J n.3. 35. 17. 2. 1 Co. 15. 27. MATTHEW, XII. 43 and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; nei- ther y knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28 TT Come unto me, all ye that labour * and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn a of me; for lam meek and lowly b in heart : and c ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is a easy, and my burden is light. CHAPTER XII. 1 Christ reproveth the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the breach of the sabbath, 3 by scriptures, 9 by reason, 13 and by a miracle. 22 He healeth the man possessed that was blind and dumb. 31 Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven. 36 Account shall !>e made of idle words. 38 He rebuketh the unfaithful, who seek after a sign : 49 and showeth who is his brother, sister, and mother. A T that time a Jesus went on the sabbath day -^ through the corn ; and his' disciples were a hungered, and began to b pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it y they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do c upon the sabbath day. .3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, d when he was a hungered, and they that were with him ; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat. the e shew-bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only f for the priests ? 5 Or have ye not read in the s law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple h profane the sabbath, and are blameless ? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater i than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, j I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have con- demned the guiltless. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. y Jn.1.18. 1 Jn.5.20. z Is.53.2,3. a Phi.2.5. 8. 1 Pe.2.25. b Zec.9.9 c Je.6 16, d 1 Jn.5.3. CHAP. 12. a Ma. 2.23. &c. Ln.6.1, &c. b De.23.25. c Ex.31.15. d 1 Sa.21.6. e Ex.25.30. f Ex.2B.32. 33. g Nu.28 9. h Jn.7.22, 23. i 2Ch.6.18. Mal.3.1. c.23.17.. 21. j Ho.6.6. unto the Father, 1 Cor. xv. 25 — 28. Among the all things here mentioned, must particularly be included, the revelation of the Father's will to man, which to the Son only is fully atjd confidentially intrusted. No man knoweth. — Dod- dridge, Fully knoweth." > J. P. Smith says, " The word used hy Matthew, signifies such knowledge as is peculiarly intimate and accurate, full and perfect. Ver. 30. For my yoke is easy.— -The yoke is a symbol of authority, and to carry it denotes subjection and obedience. The yoke of Christ is easy and light, while that of sin is galling and burdensome. Chap. XII. Ver. 1. At that time.— See Luke, chap. vi. l. — —Plucked the ears of corn — Sufficient for their present necessity ; dried corn was commonly eaten among the Jews. Ver. 2. Behold, thy disciples. — rThe law expressly allowed persons to pluck ears of corn in passing through a field, (De. xxiii. 25.); and, as the malignity of the Pharisees could find no sufficient ground for censuring the thing itself, they cavilled at the disciples' plucking and rubbing out the grain in their hands tin the sabbath day, considering that as servile work, and in some respects equi- valent, to reaping and threshing.] — Bagster. Ver. 4. In the house of God— That is, the tabernacle at Nob. Ver. 5. On the sabbath day .... profane the sabbath.— {That is, put it to a com- mon use, by killing and offering sacrifices, as well ashy other kinds of manual labour necessary in performing the service of God as on common days.] — B. Ver. 6. One greater than the temple.— Doddridge and Campbell, on the authority of many MSS. and some ancient expositors, read, " Something great- er," which Doddiidge explains of our Lord's body. See John ii. 19. Ver. 7. Iioillhave mercy. — LThat is, I desire, or require mercy, or acts of humanity, rather than sacrifice. ]—Bagster. — "- ' — « — *• -^ 44 MATTHEW, XII. n A. M 4031. A. D. 27. k Ma.3.l &c. Lu.6.6, &c. 1 Ln.14.3. m De.22.4. & being con- founded by scrip- ture and reason. n or, took counsel. o Is. 42.1. y a soul broken with a sense of sin. 8 till brought to perfect flame. y upon his - promise, power, mercy, and good- ness, even the Gen- tiles shall depend for salvation. p Ma.3.11. Lu.11.14. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 9 IT And k when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue : 10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is l it lawful to heal on the sabbath days 1 that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and m if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much ther» is a man better than a sheep I Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith be to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth ; and it was restor- ed whole, like as the other. 14 ff Then the Pharisees went out, /3 and held n a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all ; 16 And charged them that they should not make him known : 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the ° prophet, saying, 18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen ; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased : I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice :n the streets. 20 A bruised reed y shall he not breaks and smoking flax shall he not quench, S till he send forth judgment unto victory^ 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles 6 trust. 22 IT Then p was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb* both spake and saw. Ver. 11. What man. — [The Jews held that such things were lawful on the sabbath day, and our Saviour very properly appealed to their conscience in vin- dication of his intention to heal the distressed man.] — Bagster. Ver. 18. Judgment to the Gentiles— Thai is, the Gospel ; " the great law (or rule) of religion, righteousness, and truth." Doddridge.— [This prophecy is ex- pressly referred to the Messiah by the Targumist, who renders, " Behold my servant the Messiah ;" and it was amply fulfilled in the gentle, lowly, conde- scending, and beneficent nature of Christ's miracles and personal ministry ; his perseverance in the midst of opposition, without engaging in contentious dispu- tation ; and his kind and tender dealing with weak and tempted believers. ]-B. Ver. 20. Smoking flax, &c. — i. e. the wick whose flame has expired, but which still burns faintly, he will not entirely extinguish. The sense is, that the Messiah will impose upon his people, borne down with oppression and suffer- ing, nothing more than they can bear. He will not add to their afflictions. The passage is adduced by Matthew, as exhibiting the meek and retiring character of the Saviour. Rob. Wahl Till he send forth judgment unto victory. — Isaiah says, "unto truth ;" that is, " till he make the cause of righteousness and truth completely victorious, through the world." Ver. 22. With a devil— Greek, " Demon." So the plural in the following verses should be rendered " demons." MATTHEW, XII. ^1 45' i) A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. q Beelzcbul. r Ps.189.fc Jn.2.24, 25. s vei 24. t Da244. c.6.33. Lu.ii.ao 17.21. Ro.U.17. u Is. 49.24, 53.12. Re. 12.7.. 10. 20.2,3. v 1 Jn.2.19. w Ma. 3.28. Lu.12.10. x He.10.29. 1 Jn.5.16. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David ? 24 IT But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by s Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their r thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation ; and every city or nouse divided against itself shall not stand : 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub s cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out ? therefore they shall be your judges. 23 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom i of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil u his goods, except he first hind the strong man 1 and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against v me ; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31 Wherefore I say unto you, All , w manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost x shall not be for- given unto men. Ver. 26. Satan. — Undoubtedly the same as Beelzebub, the prince of demons, ver. 24. Conip. Rev. xii. 9 ; xx. 2. The demons here referred to, are evidently " the angels of Satan," spoken of Matt. xxv. 41. Rev. xii. 9, just quoted. By demons, the heathens understood the spirits of deceased heroes, &c, and hence those possessed by them, were supposed to be possessed of the same talents or virtues ; but the word is never used in this sense in the New Testament ; but only for the angels or agents of Satan ; hence for Satan to cast out de- mons would be, as our Lord argues, to fight against himself We have stated our full persuasion, that the same agency of demons still takes place in many cases of lunacy, and other diseases ; since writing which, the Edi- tor has had the satisfaction to find, that the same opinion was adopted by Joseph Mede, as appears by the following extract from the late Granville Sharp. " It is plain (says Mr. S.) that Mede did not believe the demoniacs to be mere madmen, according to our modern ideas of madness ; and his discourse plainly tends to a very different purpose ; viz. to show that some madmen, even at this day, are really demoniacs, actuated by evil spirits, as much as those mentioned in Scripture ! How far this opinion may be true, with respect to some modern madmen, (adds Mr. S.) I am not able to determine : but that the demoniacs mentioned in Scripture were really possessed by evil spirits, . . . I cannot possibly doubt, notwithstanding the Gentile opinion of demons may have been very different." Gran. Sharpens case of Saul. The late Mr. An- drew Baxter, in his Essay on Dreaming, evidently adopted the same hypo- thesis ; for, speaking of impressions made upon the brain in sleep, he adds, " If the same vibrations are more powerfully excited in the optic nerves, while the eyes are open, than those excited by external objects then acting, the man pursuing with the drawn sword (as in a supposed dream) will appear, even though the eyes be open. And thus . . . we see that dreaming may degene- rate ihto possession ; and that the cause and nature of both are the same, differing only in degree." This writer was equally admired and eulogized by Bp. Warburton and Mr. Toplady ! The latter, at least, adopted the same hypo- thesis. Ver. 27. By whom do your children cast them out?— That some Jews practised exorcism, and pretended (at least) to cast out demons, appears from Mark ix. 38. Luke ix. 49. Acts xix. 13. See our note on the last cited text. Ver. 29. Spoil. — Hammond and Doddridge, " Plunder." Ver. 30. He that gathereth not with me, in the Gospel harvest, may be con- sidered as an enemy, who scatters abroad the grain ; or, without metaphor, he that is not my friend, is my enemy. Ver. 31. Shall be forgiven- -That is, are pardonable.— [Blasphemy, when 40 MATTHEW, XII. :: a. m. 403i. I A. D. 27. y Lu.7.34. Jn.7.12. lTi.1.13. z c.7.16,17. a c.3.7. b Lu.6.45. c Ec.12.14. Ep.5.4,6. Jude 15. d Pr.13.3. e c.16.1. 1 Co. 1.22 f Is.57.3. g Jon.1.17. I 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the y Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be for- given him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt for z the tree is known by his fruit. 34 O generation a of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things ? for out of the abundance ° of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account c thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words d thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 38 IT Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign e from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous f generation seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the pro- phet Jonas : 40 For s as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's, belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. applied to men, denotes injurious speaking, or calumny, and when used in reference to God, signifies speaking impiously of liis nature, attributes, and works. ]—Bagster. Ver. 32. Holy Ghost. — The Holy Ghost is that divine subsistence, which is most intimately united with God the Father and Son. He is distinguished from the Father and Son in certain respects, but possesses the same nature and attributes which are ascribed to God the Father rmd Son. Neither in this world; neither (nor) in the world to come — That is, shall never be forgiven. Mark iii. 29. Dr. Whitby remarks, that there are several passages in the Rabbins which show this to have been a proverbial expression, implying no forgiveness. There is, therefore, no ground to infer from hence the purgatory of the church of Rome. Ver. 33. Either make the tree good, &c. — Grotius understands this, as if our Lord had said, " Since you cannot but allow that my life, and the tendency of my doctrine, are (morally) good, be not so inconsistent as to suppose I am a confederate witli Beelzebub !" So Boothroyd. Ver. 36. Idle word.— [A. word that produces no good effect, and is not calcu- hlcii to produce any. " Discourse," says Dr. Doddridge, " tending to innocent mirth, to exhilarate the spirits, is not idle discourse: as the time spent in ne- cessaiy recreation is not idle time."} — Bagster. Ver. 37. And by.— Doddridge and others, " Or by thy words," &c. Ver. 33. A sign from thee— That is, a miracle. Exod. iv. 8. ' Ver. 40. Three days and three nights — Answering to the Greek term nuch- themeron, a night and day, or a day of 24 hours. " It is of great importance to observe, (says Doddridge) that the Easterns reckoned any part of a day of 24 hours for a whole day, and say a thing was done after three or seven days, &c, if it was dime on tbe third or seventh day from that last mentioned. (Comp. 1 Kings xx. 29. 2 Chron. x. 5, 12. and Luke ii. 21.). ... So that, to say a tiling jhappenod after three days and three nights, was the same as to say, it hap- pened "after Ihree days," or on the third day. (Compare Esth. iv. 16. with v. 1. Gen. vii. 12. Exod. xxiv. 18, and xxxiv. 28.) In the whale's belly.— \Ketos denotes any large fish; and that a tish of the shark kind, and not a whale, is here meant, Bochart has abundantly proved.]— B. MATTHEW, XIII. ( . M. 4C3L A. D. 27. - Ro.2.27. lo3 5. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn h it : because they repented at i the preaching of Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 42 The j queen of the south shall rise up in the judg- ment with this generation, and shall condemn it : for she k came from the uttermost parts of the earth. to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 43 When i the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he m walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house-from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they en- ter in and dwell there : and the last state of that man is worse n than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 46 IT While he yet talked to the people, behold, his ° mother and his p brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 43 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his dis- ciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will l i of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sis- ter, and mother. CHAPTER XIII. 3 The p&.able of the sower and the seed : 18 die exposition of it. 24 The pa- rable o( die tares, 31 of the mustard seed, 33 of the leaven, 44 of the hidden treasure, 45 of the pearl, 47 of the draw-net cast into the sea: 53 and how C.i 1st is contemned of his own countrymen. THE same day went Jesus out of the house, a and sat by the sea side. Ver. 41. Nineveh— The metropolis of the Assyrian empire, called by the Greeks and Romans, Nituis. Most have placed it upon the eastern hank of the Tigris above Babylon. The city was of great' extent and very splendid. See book of Jonah. During nearly 1500 years it was the mistress of the east. But when taken by Nebuchadnezzar it rapidly declined, and Babylon became the seat of empire. Its site is not now known. Zee. ii. and Na. 1. Ver. 42. The queen of the south— -That is, ofSheba. See 1 Ki. x. 1, &c. Ver. 43. When the unclean.— -[Had there been no reality in demoniacal pos- sessions, as some have supposed, our Lord would scarcely have appealed to a case of this kind here to point out the real state of the Jewish people . and their approaching desolation. Had this been only a vuiga\ error, of the non- sense of which the learned scribes and wise Pharisees must have been con- vinced, the case not being in point, because not true, must have been treatei with contempt by the very people for whose conviction it was designed.] — B. Ver. 44. Empty— That is, uninhabited. Swept and garnished— or "adorn- ed," as Doddridge. Ver. 45. Even so. — [And so it was ; for they became worse and worse, as if totally abandoned to diabolical influence, till the besom of destruction swept them away.l — B. Ver. 50. My brother, and, sister, and mother.— Those who truly love and obey the Saviour, are as dear to him, as the nearest relations can possibly be. Chap. XIII. Ver. I. The same day.— Namely, on which Jesus had held his pre- ceding discourse with the Pharisees. Lu. 1.3Vj he-. t> r rh.9, .. l Ln.X1.24. R: Jot>.l.£« lP-». fe.fi n He.6.4. 10.29. 2 Pe.2.20 22. o Ma.3.31, &c. Lu.8.19, &c. p c. 13.55. q c.7.20. Jn.15.14. Ga.5.6. Hc.2.11. 1 Jn.2. 17. CHAP. 13. a Ma.2.13. 4.1. ft- 48 MATTHEW, XIII. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. a Lu.5.3. o Ma.4.2. Lu.8.5, &c. 3 c.11.15. d c.11.25. Ma. 4.11. 1 Co.2.10, 14. Ep. 1.9,18. 39. Uoi.1.26, 27. lJn.2.27. e c.25.29. Lu.9.26. f Is. 6.9. g Eze.12.2. Jn. 12.40. Ac. 23. 26, 27. Ro.11.8. 2Co.3.14, 15. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a a ship, and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, b Behold, a sower went forth, to sow ; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up : 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth : and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth : 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns ; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them : 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. 9 Who c hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 IT And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables 7 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to «i know the mysteries of the king- dom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For e whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables : because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, nei- ther do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy off Esaias, which saith, By s hearing ye shall hear, and shall not Ver. 3. A 'parable. — [A parable has been justly defined to be a comparison or similitude, in which one thing- is compared with another, especial ly spirit- ual things with natural, by which means those spiritual things are better un- derstood, and make a deeper impression on an honest and attentive mind. In a parable, a resemblance in the principal incidents is all that is required ; smaller matters being considered as a sort of drapery. Maimonides gives an excellent rule on this head : " Fix it as a principle to attach yourself to the grand object of the parable, without attempting to make a particular application of all the circumstances and terms which it comprehends."] — Bagster. The parable of the sower is designed to show what are the hinderances which prevent the power of the gospel, and to demonstrate that the salvation of three classes of hearers is impossible. Ver. 4. The fowls (i. e. birds) came and devoured them.—Thevenot (the traveller) says, "There are so many sparrows in Persia, that they destroy all things ; and scare-crows are so far from frightening them, that they will perch upon them." He adds, that when they see flocks of birds coming, the pea- sants run, and shout, and smack their whips, to drive them farther. Orient. Oust. No. 118S. Ver. 8. Some a hundred fold. — The sower was one, and the seed the same ; but even in good ground some spots will be far more productive than others. Ver. 12. For ivhosoever hath, &c. — He that hath improved the talents and privileges granted him to acquire divine knowledge, shall have given him more talents and greater privileges — but he that hath not improved the talents and privilej es granted him, shall have them taken from him. But whosoever hath not, fi om him shall be taken away even that he hath. — To those who cavil at this * ieming contradiction, we recommend the following lines from Juvenal : 11 'Tis true, poor Codrus nothing had to boast ; And yet poor Codrus all that nothing lost." See Orient. Lit. No. 1193. Ver. 14. Is fulfilled.— -Dr. Campbell remarks, that the Greek word is here emphatic, implying that this was the proper fulfilment of 1 he prediction, which (he adds) is oftener quoted in the New Testament than any other. MATTHEW, XIII. 49 i understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive : .15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull h of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But i blessed are your eyes, for they see : and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, j That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 18 IT Hear * ye therefore trie parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the i word of the king- dom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked m one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy n receive th it ; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while : for when tribulation or persecution ariseth be- cause of the word, by and by he is ° offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word ; and the care P of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, Q choke the word, ana he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth r fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. 24 IF Another s parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed <■ good seed in his field : 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. Ver. 19. Understandeth it not.— Campbell, "Mindeth (it) not." He adds, "that the word frequently means, both in the Septuagint and New Testament, to mind, to regard, to attend to, is unquestionable." The same word is used in the close of ver. 13, " Neither do they mind." The wicked (or evil) one —That is, Satan ; see ver. 38. And catcheth.— Campbell, " Snatcheth ;" a more happy rendering, the original word implying violence. — Hammond. Ver. 21. Dureth— That is, endureth. He is offended— ox " stumbleth."— See note on chap. xi. 6. Ver. 22. The deceitfulness.— Doddridge and Campbell, " Delusion " Choke— Campbell, " Stifle." Plants may properly be said to be choked (or stifled) by thorns, which do not leave them room to grow ; and the word of God is represented as choked when thus pressed with secular cares, prevailing in the mind. Ver. 23. Understandeth— Or "mindeth" it, as ver. 19. Ver. 24. Parable of tares.— The design of this parable is to illustrate the di- vine government, showing this world as a place of probation, where men form their characters, and eternity as the place of retribution, where men are treated according to their characters in this life. The field is the world, and not the church See Saviour's exposition, 38 — 43. Ver. 25. Tares.— Greek, Zizania. — " It appears from the parable itself, isays Campbell,) I. That this weed was not only hurtful to the corn, but otherwise of no value, and therefore to be severed and hurnt. 2. That it resembles corn, A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. h Ile.5.11. i c.16.17. Lu. 10.23, 24. Jn.20.29. 2 Co.4.6. j Ep.35,6. He.ll.13. lPe.1.10, 11. k Ma 4.11, &c. Lu.8.11, &c. 1 c.4.23. m 1 Jn.2.13, 14. 3.12. n Is.58.2. Eze.33.31. 32. ~ Jn.5.35. Ga.4.15. o c.24.!0. 26.31. 2Ti.4.I<>. p Lu.14.16 ..24. q Ma. 10. 23. 1 Ti.6.9. 2TU.10. r Jn.15.5. s Is.23.10, 13. t lPe.1.23. 50 MATTHEW, XIII. u A. M.4031. A. D. 27. u 1TL5.24: p the hypo- crites to destruc- tion, the faitliful to salvation. v Mai .4.1. tLu.3.17. x Md.4.30. y Eze.17.23 z the Greek word sig- nifies a measure (about a peck and a half, wanting a little mo-/ o than a pint.) a Ma. 4. 33. b Ps.78.2. c Ln. 10.14. Ro. 16.25, 26. Col. 1.26. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and* said unto him, Sir. didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath it tares ? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up 7 29 But he said, Nay ; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest u I will say to the reapers. Gather ye /? together first the tares and bind them in bundles to v burn them : but gather the w wheat into my barn. 31 IT Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a x grain of mus- tard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field : 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds : but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becom- eth a / tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 33 "0* Another parable spake he unto them ; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three z measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in a parables ; and without a parable spake he not unto them : 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the b prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in para- bles ; I will utter things which have been kept c secret from the foundation of the world. 36 1T Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, say- ing, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. especially wheat, since it was only when the wheat was putting forth the ear, lhat these weeds were discovered. Now, neither of these characters will suit the tare, which is excellent food for cattle, .... and distinguished from corn the moment it comes above ground." Dr. Clarke therefore concludes it must mean the darnel, (Latin, Lolium,) which Shakspeare mentions as " ;:/> idle weed," which grows among our corn. (See Johnson's Dictionary.) The Tal- mud calls it zonim; the Turks, zitoan; the Arabs, ziiivan; and I he Spa- niards, zisanium. Its seeds, if mingled with corn, produce inebriety, vertigo, and lethargy, ln some parts of Syria, travellers mention that it is diawn up by the hand, in time of harvest, and tied in bundles, to be burnt. See Taylor's Expos. Index, and Harris's Nat. Hist, of the Bible, in Tares. Ver. 31. Like to a grain of mustard seed. — This parable is designed to show the manner in which the spirit of Christianity operates secretly and unobserved, spreading from one individual to another, and from family to family, till a whole village, town, or country, is imbued with it ; or, speaking figuratively, leavened thereby. Ver. 32. The least of all seeds.— Not absolutely, but one of the smallest, and therefore used proverbially, chap. xvii. 20. And, according to Sir Thos. Broion, the smallest of such as are apt to grow to a ligneous (or woody) substance, of which C. Taylor refers to a specimen in the collection of Sir Jos. Banks. The Talmud speaks of a mustard tree, one of whose branches covered a potter's hovel ; and a certain Rabbi boasts of possessing one which he could climb up, like a fig tree : but for these we cannot vouch. See Taylor's Expos. Index, and Harris's Nat. Hist. A traveller in Chili says, ''I have travelled many leagues through groves (of mustard seed) which were taller than horse and man ; and the birds build their nests in them." Pinke* ton's Voy. li: «a r MATTHEW, XIII. 51 A. M. 4031. A. D 27. LL 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man ; 38 The field is the d world ; the good seed are the children of the e kingdom ; but the tares are the child- ren of the f wicked one ; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil ; the har- vest is the end of the s world ; and the reapers are the h unscr*. ■-?. 40 As tnerefore the tares are gathered and burned in the i fire ; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all j things that offend, k and them which do iniquity; 42 And i shall cast them into a furnace of fire : (here m shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine n forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 44 IT Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure ° hid in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth P all that he hath, and buyethi that field. 45 IT Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man, seeking goodly pearls : 46 Who, when he had found one r pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 TT Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered s of every kind." 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world : the an- gels shall come forth, and * sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And u shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be wailing and gnashing of* teeth. 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things ? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which bring- j eth forth out v of his treasure things new and w old. j 53 ir And it came to pass, that when Jesus had j finished these parables, he departed thence. 54 And x when he was come into his own country, Ver. 39. The devil (diabolos.)—" A plain answer to the great question con- cerning the origin of evil. God made man (as lie did angels) intelligent crea- tures, and consequently free either to choose good or evil : but he implanted no evil in the human soul ; an enemy (with man's concurrence) nath done this.'' —J. Wesley. m Ver. 46. One pearl of great price.— The parable of the pearl of great price, shows the earnestness with which we must seek religion, and the sacrifices we must lie willing to make for its acquirement. See Mat. xix. 21. Ver. 47. A Net.— [A drag net, which the Latins call verricuhim, a sweep- net, " which is cast into the water to catch fish, and the particular use of which is to drag them up from the bottom." As this is dragged along, it gathers good and bad, great and small, which are separated when brought ashore.] — B. Ver. 52. Things new and old.— As the Orientals never change their fashions, they are remarkable for hoarding large stocks of raiment, as well as provisions. d Rr. 10.18. C0I.U6. e 1 Pe.1.23. f J.j.8.44. Ac 13. 10. 1 Jn.3.8. g Joel 3.13. Re. 14. 15. h Rn. 14.15 ..19. i ver.30 j or, scan- dals. k Lu.13.S7. 1 e.3.12. Re. 19.20. 20.10. m ver.50. c.8.12. n Da. 12. 3. 1 Co. 15. 49. o Pr.2.4,£. p Fh.3.7,8. q Is.55. 1. Re. 3. 18. r Pr.3.14, 15. 8.11. s c.22.10. t C.25-.32. j ver. 42. v Pr. 10.21. 15.7. 18.4. w Ca.7.13. x Ma.6.1, &c. Lu.4.16, &c. ii 52 MATTHEW, XIV. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. y Is. 49.7. 53.3. Jn.6.42 he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, ana these mighty works ? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas ? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us ? Whence then hath this man all these things ? 57 And they were offended y in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58 And he did not many mighty works there be- cause of their unbelief. CHAPTER XIV. 1 Herod'3 opinion of Christ. 3 Wherefore John Baptist was beheaded. 13 Jesus departeth into a desert place: 15 where he feedeth five thousand men with five leaves and two fishes : 22 he walketh on the sea to his disciples : 34 and landing at Gennesaret, healeth the sick by the touch of the hem of his gar- ment. AT that time a Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Bap- tist ; he is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works b do show forth themselves in him. 3 IT For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, It c is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he fear- ed the multitude, because they counted him as a d pro- phet. 6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daugh- ter of Herodias danced e before them, and pleased Herod. 7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. 8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's f head in a charger. Chap. XIV. Ver. 1. Hero the Tetrarch.— {This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great by Malthace, and Tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, which produced a revenue of 200 talents a year. He married the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, whom he divorced in order to marry Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, who was still living. Aretas, to revenge the affront which He- rod had offered his daughter, declared war against him ; and vanquished him after an obstinate engagement. This defeat Josephus assures us the JeAvs con- sidered as a i unlshment for the death of John the Baptist. — Having gone to Rome to solicit the title of king, he was accused by Agrippa with carrying on a correspondence with Artabanus king of Parthia, against the Romans, and was banished by the Emperor Caius to Lyons, and thence to Spain, where he and Herodias died in exile.]— Bagster. Ver. 2. He is risen. — Josephus represents Herod as a Sadducee, which sect denied the^ resurrection, &c. (See Doddridge.) But " Conscience makes cowards of us all ;" and infidels who deny a future state, will yet tiemble at the sight of a supposed spectre. Ver. 3. Herodias. — IThis infamous woman was the daughter of A .istobulus and Berenice, and grand-daughter of Herod the Great. Philip's wife. — He- rod Philip, son of Herod the Great and Mariamne.]— Bagster. Ver. 7. Promised ivith an oath. — Doddridge and Campbell, " Sware unto her." Ver. 8. Before instructed. — Campbell, "Instigated." The facts appear to have been, that when the daughter of Herodias danced, her mother was not in the ball-room, but in an antechamber ; when, therefore, Herod made his foolish : CHAP. 14. a Ma. 6. 14. Lu.9.7, &c. b or, are wrought by him. c Le.8.16. 20.21. d c.21.26. Lu.20.6. e in the midst. f Pr.29.10. =1 MATTHEW, XIV. 53 9 And the king was s sorry : nevertheless for the oath's ii sake, and them which sat with him at meat, (3 he commanded it to be given her. 10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his he/id was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel : and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried « it, and went and told Jesus. 13 IT When Jesus heard y of it, he j departed thence by ship into a desert place apart : and when the peo- ple had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and k saw a great multi- tude, and was moved with compassion l toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past ; send the multitude away, that they may go in- to the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27 g Ju.ll.31, Da. 6. 14.. 16. h Ju.21.1. lSa.l-l.28 25 22. Ec.5.2. ,6 lest .hey should consider him fickle and per- jured. i Ac.8.2. y viz. that Ilerod in- quired af- ter him, ver.1,2. 1 c. 10.23. 12.15. Ma. 6. 32, &c. Lu.9.10, &c. J n. 6. ,2, &c. j k c.9.36. 15.32,&c 1 He.4.15. L vow, the girl ran to her mother, who told her what to ask. and she followed her directions. Give me here.— Mark, " By and by ;" Doddridge, " Presently," which seems more exact. Ver. 10. He sent and beheaded, &c. — This is no uncommon thing in Turkey and the East to this day. Some time since the Grand Signior having received the heads of some of his officers who had been decapitated by his orders, com- manded that they should he exposed in large silver dishes (chargers) at the en- trance of* his porte. See Orient. Lit. No. 1195. \JosevIms informs us that John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod in the strong castle of Machasrus. which he describes as situated about 60 stadia east of Jordan, not far from where the river discharges itself into the Dead sea.] — Bagster. She brought it to her mother. — Jerome relates thatHerodias treated the Baptist's head with great disdain, and pierced it with a needle. So when the head of Cicero was brought to Fulvia (wife of Mark Anthony) she is said to have pier- ced it with a silver bodkin. Ver. 11. The damsel. — I Tin's was Salome, the daughter of Herodias by her uncle and husband, Herod Philip. N'cephorus and Metaphra-ste-s relate, that she accompanied her mother Herodias and Herod in their banishment ; and when passing over a river that was frozen, the ice broke, and she sunk up to her neck, and the ice uniting, she suffered the same punishment she had caused to be inflicted on John the Baptist. If true, this was certainly a won- derful providence ; but it must be confessed that it appears contrary to the account of Josevhus, who says, that she first married Philip the Tetrarch, and then Herod the king of Chalcis, by whom she had three sons.] — Bagster. Ver. 13. Apart.— Campbell, " Privately ;" so ve»\ 24. On foot— Campbell, "By land ;" he says that the Green word means on foot, when opposed to horseback ; and by land, when contrasted with by sea. Ver. 15. When it was evening.— Campbell, " Towards evening." He adds, ' The Jews reckoned two evenings, the one commencing about three in ihe af- ternoon, (the time of the evening sacrifice,) the other about, six, or sun-set." The second evening is mentioned ver. 23, where the same critic renders, " It was late." Ver. id. He blessed.— Query, What did he bless? This is generahy explained 54 MATTHEW, XIV. A. M.4031. A. D. 27. Jthere must be frugal- ity in the greatest plenty. m2Ki.4.1.. 7. r. Ma. 6. 46. 3 Jo!>9.8. J11.6.IS p Lu.24.37. q Ac 23.11. r Phi. 4. 13. s or,strong. t Ps.69.l,2. La. 3.57. u Is. 63. 12. v Ja.1.6. w Ps. 107.29 they had evidence of the weakness of Peter's faith, and his dan- ger with- out aid and assist. ai:ee fromJesus y Ma.6.53. Lu.4.41. J n. 1.49. 6.63. 11.27. Ac. 8.37. Ro.1.4. x Da.3.25. 20 And they did ?».ll eat, and were filled : and they took up of the fragments that remained 6 twelve bas- kets m full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thou- sand men, besides women and children. 22 IT And straightway Jesus constrained his disci- ples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he 11 went up into a mountain apart to pray : and wnen the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves : for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. y 2G And ° when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were p troubled, saying, It is a spirit ; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be s : the first was from six o'clock in the evening till nine ; the second from nine to twelve ; the third from twelve till three ; and the fourth, from three till six. So thai it probably began to be daylight before our Lord came to his disciples. Walking on the sea.— This was thought so absurd, that the Egyptian hieroglyphic for an impossibility was " two feet walking on the sea." This sus- pension of the laws ot gravitation was a proper manifestation of omnipotence. Ver. £6. It is a spirit.— Gr. Phantasina, i. e. " an apparition." So Doddridge. Ver. 34. Gennesaret.— [Gennesaret was a fertile district, in wnich were situated the cities of Tiberias and Capernaum, extending along the western sl:ore of the lake to which it gave name, about thirty stadia, or nearly four miles in length, and twenty stadia, or two miles and a half in breadth, accord- ing to Josephus.]—Bagster. MATTHEW, XV. 55 1 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased ; 3G And besought him that they might only touch the hem z of his garment : and as many a as touched were made perfectly whole. CHAPTER XV. 3 Christ reproveth the scribes and Pharisees for transgressing God's commai d- ments through their own traditions: 11 teachelh how that which goeth ir.to the mouth doth not dePle a man. 21 He healeth the daughter of the woman of Canaan, 30 and other great multitudes : 32 and with seven loaves and a few little fishes feedeth four thousand men, besides women and children. THEN a came to Jesus scribes ft and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders ? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your b tradition ? 4 For God commanded, saying, c Honour thy father and mother : and, He d that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. , 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightesi be profited by me ; 6 And honour not e his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment ol God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you. . saying, t 8 This r people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me. A. M. 4031 A. D.27 z Nu. 15.38. c.9.20 Ma. 3. 10. Lu.6.19. Ac. 19. 12. a Jn.6.37. CHAP. 15. A. M. 4032. A D. 23. a Ma.7.1; &c. 6 ihescribes were pre- tenders to a greater measure of know- ledge, and the Pha- risees to a greater . measure of holiness than oth ers. b Col.2.8, 23. Tit. 1.14. c Ex.20. 12. De.5.16. d Ex.2l.17. Le.20.9. e De.27.16. f Is.29.13. Ver. 35. Had knowledge of him— That is, found out who he was. Ver. 36. Hem— Or " fringe." See note on ch. ix. 20. Chap. XV. Ver. I. Of Jerusalem— Or, from Jerusalem. Doddridge suggests, that these were deputed to watch the conduct of Jesus and his disciples in Galilee. Ver. 2. Traditions of the elders.— [Tradition,, in Latin traditio, from ti ado I deliver, hand down. Among the Jews, it signifies what is called the oral law, which ihey say has been successively handed down from Moses, through every generation, to Judah the Holy, who compiled and digested it into the Mishneh, to explain which the two Gemaras, or Talmuds. called the Jerusalem and Baby- lonish, were composed. Of the estimation in which ihese were held by the Jews, the following may serve as an example : " The words of the Scribes are lovely beyond the words of the law, for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the Scribes are all weighty." Hieros. Berac.]—Bagster. Ver. 4. Curseth.— Campbell is surprised at this translation being so current • he thinks that both the Hebrew and Greek words signify to reproach, or calumniate, h it the penalty of death being affixed to this " reproach," proba- bly led to this strong term " curseth," and seems to justify it : for no slight re- proach, assuredly, would warrant such s punishment. Ve.\ 5. It is (or, be it) a gift.— (i It is Corban." the Hebrew term for a gift, or tfterng to God. Levit. i. 2, 3 ; ii. 1, 8, &c. To interfere with this offering would nave incurred the imputation of impiety ; but it was often wickedly pleaded, as an excuse for neglecting the plainest duty. Ver. 6. Honour not his father and mother. — Bp. Jebb, in his metrical version of verses 5, 6, seems to have rendered the passage clearer and more elegant. " But ye say : "Whoever shall say to his father or mother, (Be that) a gift, by whic.li thou might est have been relieved from me ; Must also not honour his father or his mother : Thus have ye nullified the commandment of God by your tradition." F T.r_"T- 56 MATTHEW, XV. 1 A. M. 4032. A. D 28. g Col.2.22. h Ac 10.15. Ro.14.14, 20. lTi.4.4. Tit. 1.15. i Jn. 15.2,6. j C.23.1G. Lu.6.39. k Lu.6.45. J a. 3. 6. 1 Ge.6.5. 8.21. Pr.8.14. 24.9. Je.17.9. Ro.3.I;,. 19. Ga.5.19., 21. Ep.2.3. Tit.3.3. P 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doc- trines s the commandments of men. 10 IT And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand : 11 Not h that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this de- fileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Know- est thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying ? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, i which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be root- ed up. 14 Let them alone: they J be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 ThfiKi answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us tnis parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without under- standing 1 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth k goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught ? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart ; and they defile the man. 19 For l out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur- ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, /? blasphemies : 20 These are the things which defile a man : but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. y 21 TT Then m Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of n David"; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not y a ° word. And his dis- ciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, P I am not sent but unto the lost 6 sheep of the house of Israel. Vcr. 9. Teaching' for doctrines.— Doddridge, "While they teach doctrines (that are) human injunctions," or the commandments of men. These ;hey con- sidered not only equal, but in some cases even more obligatory, than the precepts of Moses and of God. Thus they considered the neglect of washing, accord- in? to their traditions, as equal to whoredom, and worthy of death. See Hani' mbnd and Doddridge. Ver. 12. Then came, &c— This was after Jesus had gone into a hoitfe. Ver. 13. Every plant— That is, every doctrine not of God ; every teachei wot enlightened by him. Ver. 14. Blind leaders.— Elsewhere they are called " blind guides." Ver. 20. To tat with unwashen, &c— It is no sin to neglect a superstitious ceremony. Ver. 22. A wonnan of 'Canaan— Of 'the accursed and devoted race of Canaan, and, as Mark informs us (ch. vii. 26), a Syro-phamician ; i. e. a native of ihat part of Phcenicia which had formerly been conquered by the Syrians. Dod- dridge. Vexed with a devil— -or " demon," as before. Ver. 23. Send her away ; for she crieth after us.— Grant ner request and dismiss her. slander- ing and speaking evil of others. m Ma. 7.2-1. :i Lu. 18.33, 39. y thereby to try her faith and constan- cy. o Ps.23.1. La. 3. 8. p c.10.5.6. Ac. 3.26. A my per- sonal mi- nistry is to the straying Jews only MATTHFW, XV. 57 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to -2#. Ver. 30. Maimed— [Properly, those who had lost a hand, arm, foot, &c. " It is reasonable to suppose, that among the many maimed, who were brought on these occasions, there were some whose limbs had been cut off; and I think, hardly any of the miracles of our Lord were more illustrious and amazing than the recovery of such.*' Dr. Doddridge.]— Bagster. Ver. 32. Lest they faint.— Campbell, " Lest their strength fail." Ver. 37. Baskets— Campbell, " Maunds ;" properly, hand-baskets, a different word from what is used in the preceding miracle, chap. xiv. 20. Ver. 39. Magdala.— [Magdala was a city, and probably a territory, east of Jordan, sometimes called hy the Rabbins Magdala of Gadar a, from its vicinity to that city. Dr. Lightfoot has satisfactorily shown, from the Jewish writers, 58 MATTHEW. XVI. A M. 4032. A. D. 2* j CHAP 16. a c. 152. 38, &c. Ma.8.11, &c. Lu.11.1j. 12. 54.. 58. lCo.1.22. b J o.l. 17. c Lu.12.1. d lCo.5.6.. 8. Ga.5.9. 2 Ti.2. 16, 17. e c.6.30. 8.26. 14.31. { c.14.19, &c. g c. 15.34, &c. h c. 15.1.. 9. CHAPTER XVI. 1 The Pharisees require a sign. 6 Jesus warneth his disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 13 The people's opinion of Christ, 16 anil ' Peter's confession of him. 21 Jesus foreshoweth his death, 23 reproving Peter for dissuading him from it : 24 and admonishetli those dial will follow him, to bear the cross. THE Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and, tempting, desired him that he would show them a sign a from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is even- ing, ye say, It will be fair weather : for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day : for the sky is red ana lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not dis- cern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet b Jonas. And he left them, and de- parted. 5 TT And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, c Take heed and be- ware of the leaven d of the Pharisees and of the Sad- ducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, e O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five f loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? 10 Neither the seven 'loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? 11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Saddu- cees ? 12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine h of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 13 IT When Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea that it was situated on the south-east side of the Lake of Gennesareth, a sab- bath-day's journey, or two miles, from Chammath, near the hot baths of Tibe- ! rias, one mile from Jordan, and the same distance from Hippo. It appears to ' be the same Magdala which Josephus mentions, in his Life, as in the vicinity of Gamala, in Gaulonitis.]— Bagster. Chap. XVI. Vcr. 3. It will be foul to-day.— Doddridge, " Tempestuous." The sky is red. — The same signs are observed by ourselves. Ver. 13. Cesarea Philippi— [Cesarea Philippi was anciently called Vaneas, from the mountain of Panium, or Hcrmon, at the foot of which it was situated, \ near the springs of Jordan ; but Philip the Tetrarch, Ihe son of Herod the Great, having rebuilt it, pave it the name of C cesarea in honour of Tiberius, the reigning emperor, and he added his own name to it, to distinguish it from ano- ther Cesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean. It was afterwards named Neronias by the young Agrippa, in honour of Nero, and in the time of William of Tyro, it was called Belinas. It was, according to Josephus, a day's journey from Sidou, and 120 stadia from llu; lake of'Phiala, and, according to Abiilfcda, a journey of a day and a half from Damascus. It is now called Hernias. Burckhardt says it contains about 150 houses, inhabited by Turks, Greeks, &c. T ravels in Syria.]— Bagster. I MATTHEW, XVI. 59 j| Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom i do men say that I the Son of man am ? 14 And they said, j Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Efias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am ? 16 And Simon Peter answered and k said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : for l flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but m my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art n Peter, and ° upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of p hell shall not prevail q against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou r shalt bind on earth A. M. 4032. Ij A. D. 23. i Ma.3.27. Lu.9.18. i c.14.2. * Lu.9.7..9. k Ps.2.7. c. 14.33. Jn.L.49. Ac.aao. He.1.2,5. 1 lCo.2. 10. Ga.1.16. Ep.2.8. mlJn.4.15 5.20. n Jn.1.42. o Ep.2.20. Re. 21. 14 p Ps.9.13. q Is.51.17. r c.18.18. Ver. 17. Simon Bar-jona— Or, the son of Jonas. Ver. IS. Thou art Peter.— The Catholics explain the name Peter (Gr. Pe- tros) to mean a rock, but a learned Lexicographer of the 17th century (Edw.' Leigh, Esq.) says, " Petros (i. e. Peter) always signifies a stone, never a rock ;" which is confirmed by another learned layman, Granville Sharp, Esq., who appeals to the Lexicons of Scapula, Schrevelius, Dawson, Parkhurst, &c, to which might be added, many others of the highest literary authority. The Syro-Chaldaic term Cephas, also simply means a stone. See John i. 41.—" Re- marks on an important Passage," &c. Upon this rock. — Chrysostom says, On this rock, not upon Peter, for he did not build his church upon the man, but upon his faith ;" or, as he elsewhere expresses it, " his confession." The following words, " Thou ait Peter, and upon ilhis Rock will I build my church," are of peculiar importance in our controversy with the church of Rome, which founds thereon the primacy of St. Peter, who is the foundation of their church, though not of ours. Thus the Rhemish translators explain the words, " Christ foretold and appointed (John i. 42) that this man, named Simon, should after- ward be called Cephas, or Petrus, that is to say, a rock; not then uttering the cause, but now expressing the same, viz. (as St. Cyril writeth ;) ' For that upon him, (Peter j as upon a firm rock, his church should be builded.' " It is also the avowed doctrine of the Catholic church to this day, " that our Lord did make St. Peter the chief pastor of the church, 'giving him a name that im- plied no less than being a rock, or foundation stone, declaring that upon this rock he would build his church." 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three s witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church : but if he neglect to hear the chrtrch, let t him be unto thee as a heathen man and a pub- lican. 18 Verily I say unto you, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : and what- soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it v shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together w in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 21 IT Then came Peter, to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive x him ? till seven times 1 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times : but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account y of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand z talents. Ver. 12. And goeth into the mountains.— Campbell, ' Will he not. leave the ninety and nine upon the mountains, and go in quest of the stray?" So Vulgate and Syriac. So Doddridge. Ver. 15. Tell him his fault.— Doddridge says the Greek word signifies " to convince, as well as to admonish." Not to rail, or to abuse, but to reason calmly, and on Christian principles. Ver. 17. The church.— A congregation of faithful men gathered together in the name of Christ. See verse 20. As a heathen man, &LC,.—Maimonrdcs speaks of private admonition ; then before witnesses ; and if that failed, then they proclaimed an incorrigible person in the synagogue. Ver. 24. Ten thousand talents.— According to Pridcavx, the Roman ta- lent was equal to $959 90 cents ; ten thousand of which would amount, to $9,599,000. If the Jewish talent of silver be designed, which is estimated bv the same learned writer at 81,999 80, this sum amounts to $19,998,000 ; but if the gold talent is meant, which is equal to $31,996 80, then the amount is $319,968 000. [The value of ten thousand silver talents, according to the ta- ble adopted in this book, is $15,188,300, and of the like number of gold talents, $242,47J,oou. I This immense sum represents our boundless obligations to God, =U MATTHEW, XIX. 65 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord com- manded him to be a sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and b worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with ; compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a d hundred pence : and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, e Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not : but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, thev were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked f servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me : 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow : servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was T to give his life a ran- som for many. 29 IF And as they departed from Jericho, a great mul- titude followed him. rr — MATTHEW, XXI. 71 30 And, z behold, two blind men sitting by the way- side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cxied out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude a rebuked them,, because they should hold their peace : b but they cried the more, say- jng, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, e What will ye that I shall do unto you ? 33 They say unto him, dLord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 So e Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes : and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. CHAPTER XXI. 1 Christ rideth into Jerusalem upon an ass, 12 driveth the buyers and sellers out of the temple, 17 curseth the fig tree, 23 putteth to silence the priests and elders, 28 arid rebuketh them by the similitude of the two sons, 35 and the husbandmen, who slew such as were sent unto diem. AND a when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of •Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples. 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : loose them, and bring- them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them ; ana straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken fcy the » prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, c Behold, thy Kinsr cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and. a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus com- manded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that fol- lowed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David : Ver. 31. Because— Or, " That they should," &c. Chap. XXI. Ver. 1. To Bethphage.—A small village at the foot of the mount of Olives. And Bethany :— The latter is the village "opposite," to which the disciples were sent, and both were very near Jerusalem. Ver. 5. Daughter of Sion— That is, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Ver. 7. Brought an ass. — This narrative has given great offence to infidels ; namely, the animal on which Jesus rode — an ass. The riding upon th»s creature was characteristic, since patriarchs, judges, and kings of Israel, thus rode ; and it. was even forbidden to the Jews to cultivate the breed of horses. (See De. xvii. 16. Jos. xv. 13. Ju. v. 10. 2 Sa. xvi. 2.) This precept had been, however, so ■much neglected, that in the time of our Lord it was certainly a mark of meek- ness and humility, to ride on this much-injured and despised beast ; as, indeed, is intimated in the prediction quoted from Zechariah. Ver. 8. Spread their garments, &c— This account agrees with the customs of the Jews at the feast of Tabernacles, and on other times of rejoicing. (See 1 Mac. xiii. 51. 2 Mac. x. 7.) The like ceremonies were used by the heathen toward kings and conquerors, on great occasions. See Orient. Lit. No. 1214. Ver. 9. Hosanna /—Save now 7 , 1 beseech. Psalm cxviii. 25. Blessed is he that cameth, &lc— Campbell, "Blessed be," &c. Bp. Chandler remarks, that the prophecy of Zechariah, here referred to, is twice explained in the Tal- mud, of Messiah. The same learned prelate quotes from a Rabbinical book A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. z c.9.27. Ma. 10. 46. Lu.'18.35. a ch.15.83. 19.13. b ch.7.7,8. Ge.32.25.. 29. Lu.11.8.. 10. 18.1,&c, 39. Col.4.2. lTh.5.L7. e ver.2l. Eze.36.37 Ac. 10.29. Phi.4.6. d Ps 119.18. Ep.1.17.. 19". e ch.9.36. 14.14. 15.32 Ps. 145.8. Lu.7.13. Ju. 11.33.. 35. He. 2. 17. 4.45,16. 1 Pe.3.8. CHAP. 21. a Ma.ll.l. Lu. 19.29. b Zec.9.9. c Is.62.ll. Ma. 11. 4,&c. Jn.12.15. 72 MATTHEW, XXI. A. M. 4033. A. P. 29. d Ps. 1 18.26. c.23.39. e Lu.2.14. Ma.ll.lt. Lu.19.45, &c. Jn.2.15, &c. g .*56.7. h Je.7.11. 1 ls.a5.6. j ver.9. k Ps.8.2. 1 Ma.ll. 13. ra one Jig tree. Blessed d is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the e highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12 TT And f Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is s written, My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye have made it a den h of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple ; and i he healed them. 15 IT And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna j to the son of David ; they were sore displeased, 16 And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? Arid Jesus saith unto them, Yea ; have ye never read, Out k of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise ? 17 IF And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany ; and he lodged there. 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And i when he saw m a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee the following tradition ; That at the Paschal feast, a man, who personated the Messiah, bursting open a door, used to ride into the room upon an ass, another following with a horn, to proclaim and anoint him. Zechariah's prophecy was by the Jews understood of Messiah, anil could not justly be applied to any other. Ver. 12. Into the temple. — Campbell observes, that the word here used for the temple is hieron, not naos : the latter being confined to the sanctuary, the former comprehending all the courts of the temple, in the outermost of which (entering from the eastern gate) Jesus found the money-changers and the pi- geon-dealers, who were no better than " a den of thieves." Orient. Cast. Nos. 405, 1198. This appears not to have been the first time of Jesus' clearing the temple. — —The tables.— Hammond and Doddridge, " Seats ;" Gr. Kathedra. They were probably seats with desks, or counters, attached to them. Ver. 13. The house.— Doddridge and others, "A house." Ver. 15. They loere sore (i. e. greatly) displeased.— Doddridge, "Filled with indignation." '"But the chief priests and scribes were sore displeased.' 1 Jesus taught the people, and healed them, at which every humane and bene- volent person would have rejoiced. Jesus purified the temple from thieves and robbers, which the priests themselves ought to have done. The multitude, and especially the children, glorified God our Saviour for these displays of his grace and mercy ; but with all this, these hypocritical priests and scribes were sore displeased." Ver. 17. Bethany— [Was a village to the east of the Mount of Olives, on the road to Jericho, (Jn. 11. 18.) nearly two miles, as Jerome states, from Jerusalem. This village is now small and poor, and the cultivation of the soil around it is much neglected ; but it is a pleasant romantic spot, shaded by the Mount of Olives, and abounding in vines and long grass. It consists of f om thirty to forty dwellings, inhabited by about Six hundred Mahommedans, for whose use there is a neat little mosque standing on an eminence. Here they show the ruins of a sort of castle as the house of Lazarus, and a grotto as his tomb ; and the house of Simon the leper, of Mary Magdalene, and of Martha, and the identical tree which our Lord cursed, are among the monkish curiosi- ties of the place. ]—Bagster. MATTHEW, XXL 73 A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. n Aide 12. henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered n away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ° ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou p remo- ved, and be thou cast into the sea ; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask q in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. . 23 IT And r when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By s what authori- ty doest thou these things ?- and who gave thee this authority. 24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from hea- ven, or of men'7 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven ; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him ? 26 But if we shall say, Of men ; we fear the people ; for * all hold John as a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus, and said, W T e cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things. 23 IT But what think ye? A certain u man had two sons ; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. 29 He answered ana said, I will not : but afterward v he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I £"o, sir : and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father ? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. Ver. 22. Believing, ye shall receive. — We are warranted to ask nothing in prayer, but with a deference to the will of God. Our Lord himself has taught us this, who, with unlimited miraculous powers, and having more than twelve .legions of angeis at his command, thus prayed : (chap. xxvi. 39.) " Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Indeed, as respects ourselves, there are but two things we are taught to ask unconditionally ; the pardon of our sins, and the aid of God's Holy Spi- rit : and these we know it is the good pleasure of God to give to them that ask him. But temporal blessings should always be asked with the deepest submis- sion to the divine will. Ver. 23. The chief priests — See note on chap. ii. 4. And elders.— Proba- bly the members of the Sanhedrim, or Jewish council. So Doddridge. By what authority. — An absurd demand, because miracles carry with them their own authority : Jesus, however, instead of a direct reply, answers them by another question, which much embarrassed them; because, had they ad- mitted John the Baptist to be a prophet, they must have admitted Jesus to be the Messiah, for he "bare witness of him :" and they dared not say any thing against the former, for " all men held John to be a prophet." They were there- fore silent, and Jesus avoided their ensnaring questions. Ver. 28 — s; . The parable of the two sons, designed to point out two classes of persons, viz. those who prove better than they promise ; and those who promise batter than they prove. — Henry. o c. 17.20. Lu.17.6. Ju.1.6. p c.8.12. q c.7.7. Ma. 11. 24. J a. 5. 16. Un.3.22. 5.14. r Ma. 11. 27. L u. 20.1. Ex.2. 14* t c.14.5. u Lu.l5.1> v 2 CI). 33. 12.13. 1 Co.6. 11. Kp.2.1.. 13. 74 MATTHEW, XXL A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. wLu.3.12. x Lu.7.37, &c. y Re.2.21. z Ps.80.8.. 16. Ca.8.11, 12. Is. 5.1.. 7. Je.2.21. Ma. 12. 1. Lu.20.9, •Sic. a 2Ki.l7. 13,&c. c 2Cli.36.16 Ne.9.26. Jc.25.3..7 c.5.12. 23. 34.. 37. Ac.7.52. lTh.2.15. He. 11.36, 37. Re. 6. 9. c He. 1.1,2. d Ac. 2. 23. 4.25.27. p they pro- noiince their own condem- nation, fulfilled 40 yearsafter by die Roman armies. e Ps. 2. 4,5,9. Zec.12.2. f Lu.21 .24. Ro.9.26. 11.11. ^ Ps. 118.22. Is. 28. 16. lPe.2.6,7. h Is. 23. 2. i I Co. 13. 2. 32 For John came unto you in the way of righteous- ness, and ye believed him not : but the publicans w and the harlots x believed him : and ye, when ye had seen it x repented not y afterward, that ye might be- lieve him. 33 IT Hear another parable : There was a certain householder, which z planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built n tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country : 34 And vhen the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his serv i~its a to the husbandmen, that they might receive > as fruits of it. 35 Ana » the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first : and they did unto them likewise. 37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the c heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39 And they d caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen ? 41 They say unto him, /? He will miserably e destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other f husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The s stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom h of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation » bring- ing forth the fruits thereof. Ver. 32. In the way of righteousness— Campbell, " Sanctity ;" who adds, " There can be no doubt but this is spoken principally in allusion to the auste- rities of John's manner of living in the desert. Ver. 33—41. A prophetic parable, shadowing forth Jewish nation to their prophets — their rejection and and their consequent rejection and ruin. It also forete tiles to the distinguished blessings of the gospel. That is, a place for a wine-fat. (or vat,) over which the unkindness of the murder of the Messiah ; s the calling of the Gen- Digged a wine-press— the press was placed. These circumstances respecting the press and the tower, only signify that every thing had been done that was necessary for a vineyard, lsa. v. 2—4. Ver. 35. Stoned.— Properly, "pelted with stones.'' Ver. 37. They will reverence my son.— This is spoken after the r anner of men : God knew that they would not, as appears from the context, w. 42. He was the "stone which the builders rejected." Ver. 33. This is the heir— let us kill him.— 'This does not imply that the Jewish rulers generally, indeed, knew that Jesus was the Son of God, for " had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Co. ii. 8.) Some of them were ignorant zealots, and others downright infidels ; but some, we fear, sinned against light and knowledge, and committed the unpardonable sin. See chap. xii. 31, 32. Ver. 41. He will, miserably destroy, &c— Doddridge, "Wretchedly destroy those wretches." Those who gave this answer, seem not to have understood that the parable was aimed at them, till our Lord (15th and 46th verses 1 ) quoted the passage from the 1 18th Psalm ; then they were enraged.— [Our Lord here causes MATTHEW, XXII. 75 44 And whosoever shall fall j on this stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, it k will grind him to powder. 45 And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they i took him for a prophet. CHAPTER XXII. 1 The parable of the marriage of the king's son. 9 The vocation of the Gen- tiles. 12 The punishment of him that wanted the wedding garment. 15 Tri- bute ought to be paid to Cesar. 23 Christ confuteth the Sadducees for the resurrection : 34 answereth the lawyer, which is the first and great command- ment : 41 and poseth the Ph 9 And call no man your father upon the earth : for one is your h Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters : for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But i he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And J whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13 IT But wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hy- pocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men : for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' k houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child i of hell than yourselves. 16 Wo unto you, ye blind m guides, which say, Who- soever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor ! 17 Ye fools n and blind : for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold 7 IS And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is ° guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind : for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth p the gift ? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, swear- eth bv it, and by all things thereon. 21 Aid whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him i that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne r of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- crites! for s ye pay tithe of mint and l anise and A. M. 4033, A. D. 29. h c.6.9. i c.20.26, 27. j Pr. 15.33. Ju.4.6. k 2 Ti.3.6. Tit. 1.11. a pre- tence tf holiness is most odi- ous in the sight of God. 1 Jn.8.44. Ac.13.10 Ep.2.3. rac.15.11 n Ps.94.8. o or, debt- or, or, bound. p Ex.29.37. 30.29. q 2 Ch.6.2. Ps.26.8. r Ps.11.4. Is.66.1. c.5.34. s Lu.11.42 t dill. ■ gen and Chrysostovi, and by many modern critics. He adds, " The internal evidence is entirely in favour of this reading." Ver. 12. Whosoever shall exalt himself. — Doddridge remarks, " No one sen- tence of our Lord's is so frequently repeated as this, which occurs at. least ten times in the Evangelists." Ver. 13. Hypocrites— -Dr. More observes, that " this word, in its most exact application, signifies players, who, according to the unnatural custom of the ancients, acted a part under a mask." Ver. 15. Ye coiJipass sea and land. — The zeal of the Jews in making pr»>- selytes, even at Rome, was so remarkable, that it became almost proverbial. See Orient. Oust. No. 1207. Ver. 16. It is nothing — That is, " it has not the power of binding." Camp- bell. So in ver. 18. Ver. 17. Ye fools and blind.— See chap. v. 33— 37, and notes. Our Lord here subjoins a specimen of the various ridiculous subterfuges adopted by these men to chgat their consciences, and evade the guilt of perjury. Ver. 23. Ye pay tithe of mint and anise.— Campbell, " dill," a medicinal herb resembling fennel. But Doddridge and others retain the term anise, which is said to be a native of Tartary, though brought to us from the Philip- pine islands ; it resembles fennel, arid is sometimes called the Chinese fennel, and used by them in the preparation of their tea. With us it is only used me- 80 MATTHEW, XXIII. cummin, and have omitiedthe weightier matters u of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for v ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto w whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 23 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within "e are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and gar- nish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fa- thers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed x the prophets. 32 Fill y ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation z of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 IF Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes : and some of them ye shall kill a and crucify ; and some of them shall yo scourge t> in your synagogues, and persecute them from city c to city : 35 That d upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of right- dicinally. And cummin. — This was another medicinal plant, cultivated by the Jews, (see Is. xxviii. 25, 27,) and very similar to the preceding. See Dr. Har- ris's Nat. Hist, of the Bible ■ Faith— Rather " fidelity." The word (pistis) Doddridge remarks, " has undoubtedly this signification in many places ;" he refers to Tit. ii. 10. Gal. v. 22. Rom. iii. 3. Ver. 24. Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel— Doddridge, 1 ' Strain out a gnat, and swallow down a camel ;" i. e. you affect to scruple little tilings, and disregard those of the greatest moment. " In those hot countries, gnats were apt to fall into wine, if it were not carefully covered ; and passing li- quor through a strainer, that no gnat, nor part of one, might remain, grew into a proverb for exactness about, little matters." Orient. Cust. No. 412. Ver. 25. They arc full— That is, the cup and platter, the emblems of their own characters. Excess. — Many MS. versions read (adikios) injustice. Ver. 27. Whited sepulchres— Harmer says, the Turks whitewash ..their se- pulchres against the feast of Ramadan ; perhaps the Jews might do the same against the pas.sover. The primary object with the latter is supposed to be, to prevent ceremonial defilement; afterwards, probably, the object was embel- lishment. See ver. 29. According to Dr. Shaw, the practice is si ill continued. Ver. 31. Wiierefore ye be loitncsscs unto yourselves, that, &c— Doddridge, " So that ye bear witness to yourselves, that you are the sons of those that murdered the prophets." Ver. 32. Fill ye up then, &c. — Add ye to their perversity and guilt, perpe- tuate the crimes that they have left undone.— Rob. Wahl. Ver. 33. Ye serpents.— See chap. iii. 7. Hoio can ye escape the damna- tion {Campbell, "punishment") of hell— {Gr. Gehenna.) See chap. xxv. 41. Ver. 34. Behold, I send.— This refers to the ministers and writers of the New Testament, who were "scribes well instructed." Ch. xiii. 52. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. u I Sa.15. 22. Je.22.15, 16. Ho.6.6. Mi.6.8. c.9.13. v Ma.7.4, w Lu.ll.44. Ac.23.3. x Ac.7.52. lTh.2.15. y Ge.15.16. 1 Th.2.16. z c.3.7. a Ac.7.59. b Ac. 5. 40. 2Co.ll. 24,25. c He. 11.37. d Re. 13.24. F MATTHEW, XXIV. 81 II — i] eous Abel e unto the blood of Zachariasf son ofBara- chias, whom ye slew between the temple and tfie altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come : upon this generation. 37 O o Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered h thy^ children to- gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not ! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you i desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me hence- forth, till ye shall say. J Blessed is he that cometh m the name of the Lord. GHAFTER XXIV. I Christ foMtelleth the destruction of the temple : 3 what, and liow great cala- mities sLu.il be before it : '29 the signs of his coming to judgment 3G And because diat day and hour is unknown, 42 we ought to watch like goodser rants, expecting every moment our master's coining. AND a Jesus went out, and departed from the temple : and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things ? verily, I say unto you, There « shall not be \eft here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 IT And as he sat iroon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the c world '? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take d heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my e name, saying, 1 am Christ ; and shall deceive many. 6 And when ye shall hear of f wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For = nation shall rise against nation, and king- A. M. 4033. a. n. 29. e Ge.4.8. f 2 Ch.24. 20,21. g Lu.ia34. h De.31.1 12. Ps.91.4. i Zec.11.6. j Ps.llS.2G. c.21.9. CHAP. 21. a Ma. 13. 1. Lu.21.5. b 1 Ki.9.7. Je.26.18. Lu.19.41. c 1 Th.5.1, I &c. d Col.2.8. 2 Th.2.3. e Je.14.14 f Da.o.11 g Hag.2.2t, 22. Ver. 35. Son of Barachias. — We have no hesitation in referring this to Za- charias, son of Jehoiada, mentioned 2 Ch. xxiv. 20, 21, whose father night pos- sibly have two names, as was not uncommon. Ver. 39. Till ye shall say — That is, until ye are ready to join ? hose Ho- sannas with which, but a few days since, ye were so much offended. Seech, xxi. 15, 16. Chap. XXIV. Ver. 1. To show him the buildings of the temple— Their magnitude and beauty. Vci. 2. One stone upon another. — Some of these stones Josephus describes as foi?y-live cubits long, live high, and six broad; yet these stones were not only broken and dislodged, but the very ground on which they were erected, was dug up, and afterwards ploughed by one Turnus Rufus. [Cesar gave or- ders that they should demolish tbe whole city and temple, except the three towers Pbaselus, Hippicus, and Mariamne, and a part of the western wall ; all the rest was laid so completely even with the ground, by those who dug it up from the foundation, that there was nothing left to make those who came thither believe it had ever been inhabited.] — Bagster. Ver. 3. The end of the ivorld — i. e. the end of the present age, or period of the world. The Jews were accustomed to dispute concerning the two ages of the world, viz. the present age or world, i. e. the age antecedent to the coming of the Messiah, and the age or world to come, when the Messiah 3hould come in majesty to establish his kingdom, and should introduce a new era, distinguished by knowledge, liberty, piety, and felicity of every kind. l- 82 MATTHEW, XXIV. -n A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. h Lu.21.12. Jn.16.2. Ac.7.59. c.13 21. 2Pe.2.l. 1 Jn.4.3 1 LTi.4.1. ra Re. 3. 15, 16. n Re.2.10. c.28.19. Ro.10.18. Re. 14.6. Da.9.27. 12.11. q Lu.23.29. r Da. 12.1. dom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then h shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill i you : and ye shall be hated of all na- tions for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be 3 offended, and shall be- tray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And '< many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive i many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax rn cold. 13 But n he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preach- ed in all the world for a witness unto all nations ; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken p of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,(whoso readeth, let him understand :) 16 Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains : 17 Let him which is on the house-top not comedown to take any thing out of his house : 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And ( i wo unto them that are with child, and to j them that give suck in those days ! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day : 21 For r then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning,of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Ver. 7. Famines.— Particularly one mentioned by St. Luke, (Acts xi. 28.) also by J'osephus and Suetonius. Earthquakes in divers places, as in Crete, Smyrna. Miletus, and various other places, as mentioned by the Jewish and Roman historians. Ver. 9. Then shall they deliver. — |We have ample evidence of the fulfil- ment of this prediction in the Acts of the Apostles, but we have a more me- lancholy proof of it in the persecutions under Nero, in which fell, besides num- berless others, those two great champions of our faith, St. Peter and St. Paul. It was, as Tertullian says, a war against the very name.]— Basis! er. Per- secution for Christ's sake is another sign here mentioned, and which the Apos- tles experienced, both from Jews and Gentiles, more or less, in all countries to which they carried the gospel, which, indeed, before the destruction of Jerusa- lem, extended io the boundaries of the Roman empire, and of the then known world. Ver. 10. Be offended— \. e. desert and abandon his cause. Ver. 17. On the hoiise-top. — A traveller of the name of Willy ams has re- marked, that the houses in Judea "are all flat-roofed, and communicate with each other ; (so that) a person might proceed to the city walls, and escape into the country, without, coming down into the street." Orient. Cvst. No. I210. # Ver. IS. To take his c'othes.— The ancients performed their field-woik in summer almost naked. Ibid. No. 1211. Ver. 20. Neither on the sabbath day.— A sabbath day's journey was about a mile only. The sense of the verse is. Pray that your flight may be in a time when you are likely to meet with no impediments. Ver. SI. Great tribulation.— Joscphns reckons that 1,100,00C Jews perished in Jerusalem ; and above 250.000 in other parts of Judea, besides 97,ooo captives, and innumerable others, who perished by starvation, and other means. And he sums up all by saying, in remarkable conformity to our Saviour's words, ''If the misfortunes of all, from the beginning of the world, were compared with those of the Jews, they woidd appear much inferior upon comparison.*' MATTHEW, XXIV. 83 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but 5 for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then *■ if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there ; believe it not. 24 For u there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and v shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if w it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert ; go not forth : behold, he is in the secret chambers ; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning x cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west ; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For y wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall l the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens a shall be shaken : 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man b in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and c they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. A.M.4033. A. D. 29. s Is.65.8,9. t De.13.1.. 3. u ver.5.11. v 2 Th.2.9.. 11. Re. 13. 13. wJn.10 23, 29. x Zec.914. Lu. 17.24, &c. y Job 39.30. z Is. 13.10. Eze.32.7. Am. 5.20. Ac.2.20. Re.6.12. a 2Pe.3.10. b Da.7.13. Re. 1.7. c c.16.27. Mar. 13. 26. Lu.22.69. Ver. 22. Except those days should be shortened, &c. — That is, "If such times wore to continue, no flesh of that nation could be preserved ; Iratforthe elect's sake, those who had believed, or who should believe hereafter, those days were shortened ; so that some of the seed of Abraham were preserved to be witnesses of the truth of the gospel, and to be called at last to enjoy its savin? blessings." Compare Ro. xi. 26. Boothrcyd. Nothing but a special pro- vidence can account for the people not being at this time wholly extirpated. Ver. 24. False prophets— That is, heretical and corrupt teachers, who should preach another gospel, and another Saviour. See Gal. i. 6 — 8. And shall shoio great signs and wonders.— This does not necessarily imply the working of real miracles, but only pretensions to such a power, as in the case of Simon Magus, Acts viii. 9—11. If it, were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. — The words // possible, do not denote a natural, but a moral impossi- bility : a thing which God will not permit. Boothroyd. Ver. 26. Behold he is in the desert. — It is remarkable, that several of the im- postors named by Josephus assembled their followers in the wilderness, or desert, particularly the Egyptian mentioned by Luke, Acts xxi. 38. Another pseudo-pro- phet enticed a multitude of people into the chambers of the temple, where 6000 miserably perished. Ver. 27. For as the lightning, &c— The meaning appears to be, that as this surprising meteor shoots in the same instant from east to west, and pervades the whole horizon, so should the Roman armies, which attend the coming of the Son of man, like a mighty tempest, at once cover the whole land of Israel. Ver. 28. Wheresoever the ccircass is, &c. — We have here a proverbial expres- sion, applied in allusion to the eagles of the Roman standard. Compare Job xxxix. 30. Mr. Ward, late Baptist missionary in India, remarks, that the vul- tures in Bengal are highly useful, in devouring the dead bodies of m*»n and beasts ; and adds, it is astonishing how swiftly these birds collect, wherever a dead body falls, though one of them should not have been seen in the place for weeks or months before. Ver. 29. Immediately after. — There is here no doubt aCto either the reading or translation of this passage, and as nearly eighteen centuries have passed since this time, it is most certain they cannot primarily apply to the day of judgment. See also ver. 33. By sun, moon, and stars, are meant temporal powers, as kings, princes, high priests, tetrarchs, &c. Ver. 30. Tribes of the earth.— Doddridge, " Of the land," meaning the land of Israel. zzj 84 MATTHEW, XXIV. A. M. 4033. A. D. 2 ). d or, with a trumpet and a great voice* I 1 Th.4.16. Zec.14.5. g Lu.21.29. h or, He. i Ja.5.9. j Ps. 102.26. Is-51.6. k Zeo.14.7. 1 'j'ii.5.2. i Ge.6.2. 31 And he shall send his angels d with a great sound e of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect f from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 fl Now s learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that h it is near, } even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven i and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 IT But k of that day and hour knowoth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until i the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the Sou of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Ver. 31. His angels. — There are angels celestial and terrestrial : the latter are generally styled " messengers ;" but the Greek and Hebrew terms are tbe same for both. In this place both Doddridge and Campbell (with many others) use the term " messengers ;" but we confess the change to us appears unneces- sary, since we are accustomed to read of the angels of the churches (Re. i. 20, &c,) as well as of heaven ; and we think the equivocal term better preserves the harmony of the double prophecy. Ver. 31. With a great sound of a trumpet. — Margin, " With a trumpet and a great voice." This is an evident allusion to the Jews' manner of proclaim- ing their public festivals ; and intends, first the trumpet of the gospel, by which both Jews and Gentiles are summoned to attend the standard of Messiah ; and secondly, "the voice of the arch-angel and the trump of God," which shall summons all men to the bar of judgment. They shall gather his elect from the four winds— That is, from all parts of the earth, as was in part fulfilled at the^ day of pentecost, Ac. ii. 7 — 11 ; continues still to be fulfilled in the propagation of the gospel, and shall be finally and completely accomplished in the last days. Ver. 31. This generation shall not pass, &c.— We cannot but think with Doddridge, that the attempt of some to interpret this of the Jewish nation altogether, instead of the generation then living, as if the words only meant that they should never be extirpated, is a very forced and unnatural interpreta- tion, and therefore not to be justified. Ver. 35. Heaven and earth shall pass away. — We consider this as a strong asseveration that all things shall pass away sooner than the word of God shall fail. Ver. 33. Rating and drinking— -That is, feasting, or carousing. Marry- ing, &c— That is, they were forming new connexions in life. So that all the awful predictions of Noah neither disturbed the festivities of the gay, nor in- terruoted the social plans of the more sober. Ver. 40. Then shall two.— Doddridge and Campbell, " Two men be (work- ing) together in the field," &c. Ver. 41. Two women shall be grinding. — [A handmill composed of two stones ; " the uppermost of which is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron th;it is placed in the rim. When this stone is large, or expedition re- quired, a fcecond person is called to assist ; and as it is usual for women a.\~)i\e to be concerned in ibis employment, who seat themselves over against each # other, with the millstone between them, we may see not only the propriety of the expression, Ex. xi. 5. but the force of this." Dr. Shatv.] — Bagster. F MATTHEW, XXV. 85 >i 42 IT SVatch m therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servani, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them "meat in due ° season 7 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler p over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming ; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken ; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day •J when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall r cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there s shall be weep- ing and gnashing of teeth. CHAPTER XXV. I The parable of the ten virgins, 14 and of the talents. 31 Also the description of the last judgment. THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten a virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the b bridegroom. 2 And c five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that loere foolish took their lamps, and took no d oil with them : 4 But the wise took oil e in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumber- ed f and slept. 6 And at midnight = there was a h cry made, Be- hold, the bridegroom cometh ; go ye out i to meet him. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. m Lu. 12.39, 40. Re.3.3. 16.15. n Je.3.15. o c. 12.52. p c.25.21. q 1 Th.5.3. Re.3.3. r or, cut him off. s c.25.30. CHAP. 25. a Ps.45.14. Ca.6.8,H. 2C0.11.2. b Jn.3.29. c Je.24.2..9. c.22.10. d Is.48.1. e 1 Jn.2.20. f 1 Th.5.6. g Re. 16. 15. h lTh.4.16. i Am.4.12. I Ver. 51. Cut him asunder. — This punishment has been confounded with being sawn asunder, (He. xi. 37.) but means: we apprehend, a severe scourg- ing, such as shall " cut asunder" the flesh, and then the servant thus scourged is assigned to a prison, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; thai is, sorrow without true repentance ; for gnashing of teeth seems to imply the presence of evil passions. Chap. XXV. Ver. 1. Then shall the kingdom.— The application of this to the case of those who wear a Christian profession, and pass for the friends of the Redeemer, is not difficult ; and the pointed and most wholesome caution which it contains, to be ready for the coming" of Christ, at death and judg- ment, has been felt by thousands. Ver. 6. Behold, the bridegroom cometh.— li appears to have been a custom among the Greeks to conduct their new married couples home at night with torches and lamps : '' Along the streets the new-made brides are led, With torches flaming, to the nuptial bed." Iliad, xviii. 569. So aiso the Roman ladies ; and a like custom prevails in Persia and the East Indies to the present time. See Orient. Gust. No. 418. The wicks of the lamps used on these occasions in the Indies, are only rags, very tightly pressed into a _ fm MATTHEW, XXV. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. j or, going out. k Lu. 12.33. 1 Is.&3.1,G. mArr,.8.12, 13. r He.3.18, 19. Re.22.ll. o c.7 21..23. He. 12. 17. p Ha. 1.13. r. c.24.42,44. Ma.13. 33,35. Lu.21.36. r Lu.19.12, &c. s a talent is 865 dolls. 38 cts. c.13.24. t D o.l2.6 1 Co. 12. ^ &c. tp.4.11. u c.24.48. v c. 18.23,24 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are j gone k out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and you : but go ye rather i to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And m while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was n shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, 1 p know you not. 13 Watch q therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 14 IT For r the kingdom of heaven is as a man travel- ling into a far country, who called his own servantSj ana delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto one he gave five s talents, to another two, and to another one ; to every man according to his several t ability ; and straightway took his journey. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long u time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth v with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliver- edst unto me five talents : behold, I have gained be- sides them five talents more. copper mould, and these are carried in one hand, and a similar vessel with oil in the other hand, with which they frequently wet the rags. Orient. Oust. No. 1214. Also, Orient. Lit. No 1230. Ver. 9. Go .... to them that sell and buy.— See Isa. lv. 1, &c. Ver. 10. And the door was shut. — The late Missionary Ward mentions be- in? once present on such an occasion, when many of the circumstances agreed with those in the parable, particularly the last. After the bridegroom " went into the house, the door was immediately shut, and guarded by Sepoys. I (says Mr. W.) and others expostulated with the door-keepers, but in vain." Orient. Lit. No. 1231. Ver. 13. Wherein the son, &c. — This last clause of the verse is wanting in many MSS. and versions ; but the sense is certainly implied. Ve •. 14. For the kingdom, &c— Some words must here be necessarily sup- plied ; instead of those inserted by our translators in Italic, Drs. Doddridge and Campbell supply " the Son of man !" This parable, without straining it. to support any peculiar system, clearly teaches the following important points : 1. That, all the talents we possess, however natural we may consider them, are derived from God, the author of our being ; and to deny this, is nothing short of Atheism. 2. That, these talents are bestowed in great, variety upon mankind, some possessing ten (i. e. many) times the abilities and advantages of others, both natural and acquired. 3. That these talents, and the impro/e- rnent of them, must be accounted for to him, from whom they were received. 4. That no excuse will be admitted for the non-employment even of a single talent : much less such an excuse as reflects upon the character of our great Benefactor. 5. That the -rewards which the great Judge bestows, will not be so much in proportion to the talents bestowed as according to the improve- ment, which we are enabled to make of them. MATTHEW, XXV. 8? A. M. 4033. A. D. '29. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful over a figw things, I will make thee ruler w over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, I have gained two other talents besides them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard *man. reaping where thou hast not y sown, and ga- thering where thou hast not strewed : 25 And I was afraid, z and went and hid thy talent in the earth : lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wick- ed 11 and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strew- ed : 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. t • 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For bunto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that nath not shall be taken away c even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer d darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 31 IT When e the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : I Ver. 21. Well done.— Dr. Doddridge says, " the original word has a peculiar force and energy, far beyond what I can express in English. It was used hy auditors, or spectators, to express the highest applause." It answers to Euge ! in Latin, and Bravo ! in Italian. Ver. 24. Then he ivhich had received. — [Our Lord placed the example of negligence in him to whom the least was committed, probably to " intimate," says Doddridge, "that we are accountable for the smallest advantage with which we are intrusted ; but it cannot imply, that they who have received much will ordinarily pass their account, best ; for it is too plain, in fact, timt most of those whose dignity, wealth, and genius, give them the greatest oppar- tunities of service, seem to forget that they have any Master in heaven to serve, or any future reckoning to expect ; and many render themselves mvch more criminal than this wicked and slothful servant, who hid his talent in the earth."]— Bagster. Gathering where thou hast not strewed. — The charge implies, that God is unreasonable in his demands, unjust in judg- ment. See Rom. ix. 14 , &c. Ver. 28. Thou, wicked and slothful servant. — The word used throughout this chapter for servant, means primarily a slave, and such were often ad- vanced to the office of stewards. Ver. 27. Exchangers.— Doddridge, " Bankers." With usury. — Dod- dridge," Interest." When that interest became oppressive, it became a crime. Ver. 30. And cast ye. — If he be thus punished that neglects to improve one talent, how much more shall he be punished that neglects to improve, or mis- spends many ? Ver. 31. With his holy angeU. — The expression seems designedly varied from ch. xxiv. 31., where angels may include human messengers ; but these are called "holy ancels." w Lu. 12.44. 22.29. Re.3.21. x Job 21.15. v Je.2.3i. z Pr.26.13. Re.21.8. a Job 15.5, 6. c 18.32. Lu. 19.22. Jude 15. b c.13.12. Ma. 1.25. Lu.S.lS, 19.26. c Lu. 10.42. d c.8.12. e Da.7.13. Zee. 14.5. c. 16.27. 19.23. Ma. 8.38. Ac. 1.11. 1 Th.4.16 2 Tli.1.7. Jude 14. Re. 1.7. 88 MATTHEW, XXV. i - A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. f Re. 14.10. 2CO.5.10. R<,. 20. 12. g Eze.20.3S c.13.49. h Ps.78.52. Jm.10.14, 27. i He 1.3. j Pg.115.15. k Ro.8.17. 1 Pe.1.4. 1 lTh.2.12. Re.5.10. m 1 Co.2.9. He. 11.16. n Is. 58.7. Eze.18.7. o I Pe.4.9. 3Jn.5. p Ja.2.15, 16. Ja.1.27. r 2Ti.l.l6. He. 13.2. s Pr.19.17. Ma.9.4l. He. 6. 10. t Lu.13.27. u c. 13.40, 42. Re. 14. 11. v Jude6. Re. 20. 10. w Zec.2.8. Ac. 9.5. x Da. 12.2. a 1.5.29. 32 And f before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate s them one from another, as a shepherd h divideth his sheep from the goats : 33 And he shail set the sheep on his fight > hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed J of my Father, k inherit the i kingdom m prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For n I was a hungered, aiyi ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a ° stran- ger, and ye took me in : 36 p Naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited ^ me : I was in r prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee ? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch s as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart * from me, ye cursed, into u everlasting fire, v prepared for the devil and his angels : 42 For I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, or athirst, or a stran- ger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not min- ister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch w as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And x these shall go away into everlasting punish- ment : but the righteous into life eternal. 'i Ver. 33. Ye visited — Doddridge, "Looked after me." "Tended," or wait- ed upon, seems to be the exact idea. Ver. 43. Ye took me not in.— The charge here, is want of hospitaHty ; a most heinous crime in the eastern countries. Vei. 44. Then shall they also answer.— We must not take this too liberally, as if sinners should then dare to dispute with their judge ; it must be under- stood parabolically. Ver. 45. Not to inc.— See ch. xviii. 6. Ver. 46. Everlasting punishment. — The word rendered everlasting, in ren- dered eternal in the concluding member of the sentence. The same word in the original is used to express the duration of the happiness of* the righteous ill heaven, and the duration of the misery of the wicked in bell. The words ever- lasting and eternal are to be understood by the nature of the objects to which thejrare applied : as, for example, when it is said that a disease cleaves to a man for ever, it obviously means, to the end of his life. So an everlasting' priesthood, means that it shall continue to the end of the dispensation. Everlasting iiills or mountains, means that they will continue till the end [. MATTHEW, XXVI. 89 CHAPTER XXVI. 1 The rulers conspire against Christ. 7 The woman anointeth his feet 14 Judas selleth him. 17 Christ eatetli the passover : 26 iustituteih his holy supper : 36 prayeth in the garden : 47 and being betrayed with a kiss, 57 is carried to Caiaphas, 69 and denied of Peter. AND it came_ to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, 2 Ye a know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is hetrayed to be cru- cified. 3 IT Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 And b consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. 5 But they said, Not on the feast day^ lest there be an uproar among the people. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. CHAP. 26. a Ma. 14.1, &o. Lu.22.1, &c. Jn.13.1, b Ps.2.2. of the ioo rid. Theteims are applied to the longest period of which the na- ture of the object will admit. The existence of the object being limited, so, of necessity, in these cases, the words have a limited meaning. Upon the same principle of interpretation, it follows, that when applied to the soul and to God, who are immortal, they must literally mean loithout end. _ We read also that when this world is ended, and when successive duration is terminated, then the wicked shall go away into everlasting 1 punishment, but, the righteous into everlasting life; as nothing but eternity remains, the words can only mean never-ending existence. The following passages of scripture express the fi- nal states of men, and if their final, then there is no possibility of another state succeeding it. Ps. xvii. 14, 15. Pr. x. 26. ; xiv. 32. Da. xii. 2. Mat. iii. 12; vii. 13,14,21; V'iii. 11,12 ; xiii. 30, 40— 43.47 ; xxiv. 46— 51 ; xxv. 23, 30, 34, 41, 46. Ma. xvj. 16. Lu. vi. 23, 24, 47, 49. Jn. iii. 16 ; v. 29. Ro. ix. 21, 23. 2Ti. ii. 19, 20. Ga. vi. 7, 8. He. vi. 8. 9 ; x. 27. That the above texts do speak of the final state of men, is obvious : 1. The state of the righteous is allowed to be final, but the state of the wicked is all along put in contrast as to happiness or wo. 2. These texts are totally silent as to any other state following that of de- struction, damnation, &c. 3. The language of the greater part of them is incon- sistent with any other state to follow. Now examine the following list of pas- sages, which speak of the duration of future punishment. Da. xii. 2. Mat. xviii. 8 ; xxv. 14—46. Ma. iii. 29. 2 Th. i. 9. Jude vii. 13. 2 Pe. ii. 17. Re. xiv. 10, 11 ; xix. 3 ; xx. 10. The Greek noun Axon, reckoning the reduplica- tions of it, occurs in the New Testament 104 times ; in 32 of which it means tem- porary duration. In 7, it may be taken tor either temporary or endless. In 65 it plainly signifies an endless duration. The Greek adjective Aionios is found in 71 places in the New Testament ; of these, 66 times it is used to express endless duration or existence. It will be easy to determine, according to the rule of interpretation given above, when the meaning is limited o otherwise. Another class of texts express by implication the duration of fu \ire punish- ment, as Mat. xii. 31, 32 ; xxvi. 24. Ma. iii. 29; ix. 43—48. Lu. nx. 25 ; xvi. 26. Jn. iii. 36; viii. 21 ; xvi. 9. Phi. iii. 19. He. vi. 6; x. 26, 27. Ja. ii. 13. 1 Jn. v. 16. To these add one more class of scripture, which declare that a change of heart and preparedness for heaven, are confined to the present life. Is. lv. 6, 7. Pr. i. 24—28. Mat. xxv. 5—13. Lu. xiii. 24—29. Jn. xii. 36. 2 Co. vi 1, 2. He. iii. 7, 8 ; xii. 15—17. Re. xxii. 11. It should ever be borne in mind, that the doctrine of eternal punishment is one purely of revelation. That it is to be received upon the authority of God. If he clearly reveals it in his word, then it must be received, even if we are not able to reconcile all the difficulties which objectors may present. Chap. XXVI. Ver. 2. Is betrayed— That is, he is about to be betrayed : the treason is already begun. Ver. 3. Caiaphas. — [This was Joseph, surnamed Caiaphas, who succeeded Simon, son of Camith, in the high priesthood, about A. D. 25. He married the daughter of Annas, who had also been high priest. About two years after our Lord's death, he was deposed by Vitellius, governor of Syria ; and, unable to bear his disgrace, and perhaps the stings of conscience for the murder of Christ, he killed himself about A. D. 35. — JosephusA—Bagster. Ver. 5. Not on the feast day. — As the word " day" is supplementary, Dod- dridge and Campbell render it, " not at the feast." The plan proposed seems to have been assassination : some objected, however, not to the murder, but to transacting it at a public festival, lest the people should raise a tumult, and fall upon themselves. 00 MATTHEW, XXVI. 1 A. M. 40c3. A. D. 29. c Jn.ll.1,2. 12.3. <1 De.15._l. e Jn.14.19, 17.11. f c.10.4. g Zee. 11. 12,13. c.27.3. probtibly shekels, worili 50 cts. each, the total sum $15. h Ex. 12.6, 18. 6 IT Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There c came unto him a woman having an alabas- ter box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples sawii, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste ? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For 34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. 36 IF Then r cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My s soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death : tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and l prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup "pass from me: nevertheless, v not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he c meth unto the disciples, and fmdeth them asleep, a. i saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 w Watch and ray, that ye x enter not into y temp- tation : the spin! indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. i &j i I was both ashamed and afraid u be thought a disciple of Jesus, though he had talked so boastingly. It is not unlikely, that the homely proverb", that "great talkers do the least," might originate from this instance ot Peter's cowardice. Ver. 34. Before the cock crow (Ma. xiv. 30, crow twice.) — Whitby hasjpro- duced sufficient authorities to prove that there was a double crowing of the cock— at midnight, and ut day-break ; the latter answered, according to him., to the fourth watch of the night, though others say the third. On comparing the Evangelists, it appears to us that our Lord's meaning was, that Peter should deny his Master thrice between the present hour and that of the cock crowing ; i. e. about the break of day. Ver. 36. Gethsemane.— A private and retired garden at the foot of mount Olivet, whither Jesus often retired for prayer, and where (as the name im- plies) an oil pres^ then, or formerly, had been used. Ver. 38. Mi/ soul is exceeding sorrowful ', &e. --Doddridge, "Surrounded with -sorrow;" Campbell, (connecting this with trie preceding verse,) "Being oppressed with grief, the said of them, My soul is overwhelmed with a deadly anguish." This is explained to mean, a grief of mind sufficient to kill the body ; " a sorrow thai worketh (or produceth) death." See l Co. vii. 10. Ver. 39. Let this cup pass from we.— But what means this prayer? Could not Jesus tell whether his petition were possible? Or could he pray lor an im- possibility? Neither of these circumstances must be supposed : but the extra- ordinary language here used may serve to teach us, 1. That our Lord _(-#>ply felt the extreme nature of the sufferings he was about to endure for our salva- tion : it is as if he had said, O that then? were some other way in which God i coidd be glorified arid sinners saved, without my drinking of this fatal cup! But, 2. That he felt the absolute necessity of his own obedience unto death for these ends ; and therefore, though his flesh recoiled (as if were) from the impending stroks. his heart, cheerfully submitted; "Father, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt!" Ver. -to. One hour. — The Greek term, besides its more limited meaning, is often used metaphorically, as with us, for any short time, or period. J MATTHEW, XXVI. 93 i l 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, ^ saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third a time, saying the sarrfe words. 45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them. Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. 47 TT And while he yet spake, lo, b Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. 43 Now he that betrayed him gave them a c sign, saying. Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he : hold him fast. 49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master ; and kissed d him. 50 And Jesus said unto him, e Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. 51 IT And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up a^ain thy sword intj his place: for fall they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Fa- ther, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions = of angels ? 54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that h thus it must be? 55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. a 2 Co. 12 8. b Ac. 1.16. c Ps.38.12. d 2 Sa.3.27. 20.9. Ps.23.3. e Ps.41.9. 55. 13. i Ge.9.6. Eze.35.5, 6. Re. 13.10. g2Ki.6.17. Da.7.10. c.4.11. h Lu.24.26, 46. Vcr. 43. Their eyes were heavy.— Doddridge, " weighed down." Ver. 44. The same words— Or, "words (or matter) to the same effect."— Doddridge. Ver. 45. Sleep on now— [That is, as it is well paraphrased bv Euthymius, " Since you have thus far failed to watch, sleep on the rest of the time, and take your rest, if you can."\ — Bagster. Ver. 49. Hail.— A usual salutation. The Greek signifies "Joy to thee." The Saxon hail means "health." Master— Gr. Rabbi. And kissed him.— IPretending the most affectionate attachment to our Lord.]— Basrster. Ver. 50. Friend, wherefore art thou come?—[ Rather, " Companion, against whom art thou come?"]— Bagster. Ver. 53. Twelve legions of angels.— [A legion was a particular division, or battalion of the Roman army, which at different times contained different numbers. In the time of our Saviour, it probably consisted of 6200 foot, and 300 horse, twelve of which would amount to 78,000 men.] — Bagstfr. Ver. 54. That thus it must be?— See Ac. ii. 22—24. Our Lord continual y adverts to the necessity of the Scriptures being fulfilled. See ver. 56. Ver. 55. As against a thief— Doddridge, " Robber;" alluding to the chufs of banditti, common in the mountains of Judea. Staves— Namely, of office, like those of constables with us. With swords and staves? Our Saviour plainly intimates that swords and staves may be necessary in treating with such characters ; but surely not with him. as a prophet and teacher of religion : J 94 MATTHEW, XXVI. 1 A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. i Ge.3.15. Ps.22.1, &c. (j9.l,&c. Is.53.3, ttv. La. 4.20. Da.9.24, 26. Zec.13.7. Ac. 1.16. Ma. 14. 53,4 c. I.u.22.54, &c. Jn. 18.12, &c. k Ps.27.12. 35.11. 1 Jn.2.19.. 21. m Is. 53.7. c.27.12, 14. n 1 Sa.14. 2653. Ilf heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what farther need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blas- phemy. and though, indeed, he claimed a kingdom, it was of a nature so purely spiritual that it required no support from the sword, much less could it be propagated Ver. 56. That the scriptures .... might be fulfilled— This object we find traced through all the Evangelists, not as a motive of human action, but as a leading design of Providence. For the prediction here alluded to turn back to ver. 31. Ver. 58. And went in— Namely, into the court before the palace which was alwavs open to the sky, though sometimes with piazzas round it. It is not cer- tain, however, that this palace was the private residence of Caiaphas, (which is understood to have been on Mount Sion,) but rather his official house, or apartment? in the temple, where the Sanhedrim now sat, and into one of the courts of which Peter and John obtained admission. So the late Editor of Calmet, Fragments, No. exxxvii. Ver. 61. I am able to destroy.— [The words of our Lord were widely different from this statement of them ; so that the testimony of these witnesses was false, though it had the semblance of truth. \—Bagster. Ver. 63. J adjure thee.— Thus the high priest, in his magisterial capacity, lays the holy Jesus under a judicial oath, which in some cases, very different from the present, he was allowed to lay upon the accused party. See Nu. v. 19, &c. Ver.64. Thou hast Bfiid—x. e. I am the Christ, the Son of God. The Son of wan —See Da. vii. 13, 14. Ver. 65. Kent his clothes— \\ has been said, that the high priest might never rend his clothes ; but that he might, and did on extraordinary occasions, Dr. Lardner 1ms eiven several instances. '• Mistaken Caiaphas 1 ah! which blasphem'd, Thou, or thy prisoner?— Which shall be condemn'd?" Young. MATTHEW, XXVII. 95 A. M. 4053. A. D. 29. r Le.24.16. Jn.19.7. s ls.50.6 t or, rods. u Ma. 11 66,&& Lu. 22.55, &c. Jn.18.16, &c. v ver.34. Lu.22.3l 66 What think ye ? They answered and said is, He guilty of r death. 67 Then s did they spit m his face, and buffeted him ; and others smote him with » the palms of their hands, 68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? 69 IT Now u Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before ihtm all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, an- other maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them ; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the v word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. CHAPTER XXVII. 1 Christ is delivered bound to Pilate. 3 Judas hangeth himself. 49 Pilate, ad- monUhel of his wife, 24 washeth his hands: 25 and looseth Barabbas. 29 Christ is crowned with thorns, 31 crucified, 40 reviled, 50 dieth, and is buried. 65 His sepulchre is sealed, and watched. WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel a against Jesus to put him to death : Ver. 67. Then did they spit, &c. — This mark of contempt and malice is still continued in the East. In 1744, when a rebel prisoner was brought before Na- dir Shah's general, " the soldiers were ordered to spit in his face ; an indignity of great antiquity in the East." Hanwaifs Travels. Buffeted him. — [" Smote him with their fists," as Thtophylact interprets. Smote him with the palms of their hands.—' 1 Smote him on the cheek with the open hand," as Su idas renders. They offered him every indignity in all its various and vexa- tious forms.] — Bagster. Ver. 68. Who is he that smote thee?— -Dr. Gill thinks this alludes to a play, resembling blind man's buff, called by the Greeks, Kollabismos. Thus was our Saviour made a jest of! But we rather think this was done in allusion to an ancient custom of covering the faces of condemned persons, as in the in- stance of Haman, Es. vii. 8. See also Je. xiv. 3. Likewise Harmer. Ver. 69. Peter sat xoithout in the palace.— The term aule, rendered palace, more properly signifies an open court. Faber's Heb. Archaeology, arid com- pare note on ver. 58. Ver. 73. Thy speech bewrayeth— Or, betrayeth thee ; meaning that his accent was Galilean. See Ma. iv. 79. Ver. 75. He wept bitterly. — Such a bitter apostacy indeed requires bitter tears ; and if they are not produced on earth, they will be mingled with " wail- ing and gnashing of teeth" in hell. " This deep sorrow is required (says Mr. Henry) not lo satisfy divine justice, (as a sea of tears will not do that :) but to evidence that there is a real change of mind, which is the essence of repent- ance ; to make pardon more welcome, and sin, in future, more loathsome. Peter, who wept so bitterly for denying Christ, never denied him again •, but confessed him often and openly, and in the face of danger. So far from ever again saying, ' I know not the man,' he made all the house of Israel k/noio assuredly, that this same Jesus was both Lord and Christ. True repentance for any sm will he best evidenced by our abounding in the contrary grace and duty ; that is a sign of our weeping, not only bitterly, but sincerely." Chap. XXVII. Ver. 1. Took counsel— That is, consulted afresh ; the pre- CHAP. 27. a Ps.2.2. J 96 MATTHEW, XXVII. A. M. 4033. A D. v>>. b c.20.19. c 2Ki.24.4- d Ps. 55.25. 2 Sa.17.23 Ac.! 18. e Ze. 11.12. 13. f or, whom they bought of the child- ren oj Israel. 2 And when they had bound him ? they led him away, and delivered him fc to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3 H Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent c blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the tem- ple, and departed, and went and hanged & himself. 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said. It is not lawful for to pp.t them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken e by Jeremy the prophet, saying. And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, f v/hom they of the children of Israel did value ; ceding transactions took place during the night and early dawn. Their prisoner was now probably sent out of court, while they obtained some interval of rest or refreshment : but they again consulted together, so soon as the day was fully come. Ver. 2. Pontius Pilate. — [Pontius Pilate governed Judea ten years under the emperor Tiberius, from his 13th to his 23d year, A. D. 26 to 26 ; but, having ex- ercised great cruelties against the Samaritans, they complained to Vitellius, governor of Syria, who sent Marcellus, one of his friends, to superintend Judea, and ordered Pilate to Rome, to give an account of his conduct to Tiberius. The emperor was dead before he arrived ; but it is an ancient tradition, that he was banished to Vienne in Dauphir.v. where he was reduced to such ex- tremity that he killed himself with his own sword two years after.— Euseb.]—B. Ver. 5. And ivent and hanged himself.— Campbell, " Strangled himself," as the word certainly may mean ; put Parkhurst also shows it is used for hang- ing, both hy the LXX. and in the Classics ; and we agree with Doddridge in preferring this interpretation. The suicide of an apostate is, of all others, the most awful ; and that of Judas the most dreadful crime of this class. " Here we behold ' the rebel dead ; Under the curse of God he lies ; He seals the curse on his own head, And with a double vengeance dies !' " Watts. Ver. 7. The potter's field— Which, according to Mr. Taylor, (the late Editor of Calmet.) was situated on the south, beyond the valley of Tophet, and at some distance without the walls. This had no doubt been formerly occupied as a pottery, (see Zee. xi. 13.) and the earth having been dug away tor pottery, accounts for its being bought so cheap. Ver. 9. By Jeremy (or Jeremiah) the prophet.— -[The words here quoted are not found in Jeremiah, but in Zechariah; and a variety of conjectures have been formed in ouler to reconcile this discrepancy. The most probable opinion seems to be. that the name of the prophet was originally omitted by the Evan gelist. arid that the name of Jeremiah was added by some subsequent copyist. It is omitted in two MSS. of the 12th century, in the Syriac r later Persic, two of the Hula, and in some other Latin copies. Augustine also mentions that the nir.x: »3 wanting in some MSS. of his time. Griesbach marks it to be omitted. What venders it highly probable that the original reading was by the prophet, is, that St. Matthew frequently omits the name of the prophet in his quotations. See oh. i. 22 ; ii. 5, 15 ; xiii. 35 ; xxi. -1. This omission is ap- proved of by Bengel Dr. A. Clarke, and Horne.}—Bagstcr. The price of him that was valued, &c. — We may either render these words, " of one who was sold, whom the children of Israel did sell," and so consider them as the price of a common slave ; or, "of him that, vias sold, or \alued, (.Messiah,) whom the children of Israel sold," at the shameful price here named. See Doddridge, who considers these words as a parenthesis, and the words of J Matthew. rds or I MATTHEW, XXVII. 9? 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. 11 5F And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the Kin^ ,vf the Jews ? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. 12 And when he was accused of the chief priests arui elders, he s answered nothing. 13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee ? 14 And he answered him to never a word; insomucn that the governor marvelled greatly. 15 IT Now h at that feast the governor was wont t/> release unto the people a prisoner, whom they woulri. 16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Ba- rabbas. 17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ 'I 18 For he knew that for envy i they had delivered him. 19 TT When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that J just man : for I have suffered many things this day ft in a dream because of him. 20 if But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask k Barabbas, and de- stroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said unto them. Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you I They said, Barabbas. 22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23 And the governor said. Why, what evil hath tie done ? But they cried out the more, saying, Let i him be crucified. 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed m his hands before the multitude, sayinjr, I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see ye to it. A. M. 4033. A. D. '29. g c 26.63. ]l Ma. 15. 6, fee. .Lu.23.17, &c. Jn.13 39. &c. ; Pr.27 I. Ec.4.4. Js.53.11. Zec.9.9. Lu.23.47. 1 Pe.2.22. 1 Jn.2.1. probably early in the morn- ing. The heathen imagined those dreams most sig- nificant which came about break of day ; and on that account she inijjht lay the greater stress upon it k Ac.3.14. 1 c.21.38,39 m De.21.6 Ver. 10. And gave them.— Doddridge, " And they were given," &c. Com- pare Zee. xi. 13. Campbell renders it, "The thirty shekels, the stipulated I price at which he was valued, I took, as the Lord appointed me, from the sons of Israel, who gave them for the potter's field." Ver. 11. Art thou the king of the Jeios?— Campbell, " Thou art the king of the Jews ?" This form of the words is most literal, and ambiguity might be avoided by introducing the adverb then — "Thou art the king 1 of the Jews then V Answer, " Thou sayest ;" i. e. " thou sayest truly." Ver. 15. At that feast (the passover) the governor ivas wont to release .... a prisoner. — This was, it seems, in memorial of their being released from Egyp- tian bondage. The like custom, it seems, prevailed among some of the Greeks. Orient. Lit. No. 1241. Verses 16, 17. Barabbas. — A thief, guilty also of murder and sedition. Origen says, that in many copies of his time, Barabbas was also called Jesus ; and the Armenian version reads. " Whom will ye that I deliver up unto you, Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ % ' Calmet and Michaelis. Verses 18, 19. For he knew, &c. — Campbell considers these two verses as a parenthesis. Ver. 24. He washed his hands before the multitude— This r»t*> of " wash- =Ti $8 MATTHEW, XXVII. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. u Be. 19.10. Jos. 2. 19. c.21.41. Ac.5.28. o Js.53.5. Lu. 18.33. p or, gover- no r's hovse. q Va 69.19, 20. r Is. 49.7. 50. G. 53.3,7. s Nn. 15.35. I Ki.21. 10.13. Ac.7.58. He. 13. 12. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His n blood be on us, and on our children. 26 Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had scourged ° Jesus, he delivered him to be cru- cified. 27 IT Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the p common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked q him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! 30 And they spit r upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. 31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and s led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cy- ing the hands in innocency," appears to have originated in a Mosaical institu- tion, De. xxi. 6, 7, is alluded to by David, Ps. xxvi., and was copied by the Gen- tiles. Ovid Fast. I. 2. Vev. 25. H/s blood, be on us, &c. — This imprecation appears to have been remarkably fulfilled in the circumstances connected with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. Bp. Newton traces a striking correspondence between their sin and punishment. " They put Jesus to death when the nation was as- sembled to celebrate the passover ; and when the nation was assembled to ce- lebrate the passover. Titus shut them up within the walls of Jerusalem. The rejection of the true Messiah was their crime ; and the following of false Mes- siahs to their destruction, was their punishment. They sold and bought Jesus as a slave : and they themselves were afterwards sold and bought as slaves at. the lowest, prices. They preferred a robber and a murderer to Jesus, whom they crucified between two thieves ; and they themselves were afterwards in- fested with bands of thieves and robbers. They put Jesus to death, lest the Romans should come and take away their place and natron ; and the Ro- mans did come and took away their place and nation. They crucified Je- su? before the walls of Jerusalem; and before the walla of Jerusalem they themselves were crucified in such numbers, that it is said room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses for the bodies. I should think it hardly possible for any man to lay these things together, and not conclude the Jews' own im- procut i to be remarkably fulfilled upon them ; ' his blood be on u^i, and on our children ! ' " Ver. 26. When he had scourged Jesus. — This punishment was used both by the Jews and Romans. The latter being administered by military executioners, was no doubt severe, the flesh being generally cut by the whips used for this purpose ; and some think it might be the more so in this instance, as Pilate hoped that the Jews, when they saw him scourged, might be pacified, with- out insisting on his crucifixion ; but nothing could satisfy these cruel hypo- crites, short of death, in its most tremendous form. See Doddridge. Ver. 27. The whole band— What we might call his " body guard." Ver. 28. Put on him a scarlet robe— That is, no doubt, a decayed and left off tobe. Mark calls the robe purple. See Ma. xv. 20. Scarlet and purple are not (infrequently interchanged. Such pieces of mockery were not uncom- mon in those times. When Herod Agrippa wished to display his royal dignity to the people, the mob, in ridicule, dressed up a half crazy man, with a paste- board crown, a reed for a sceptre, and a robe of matting. Orient. Lit'. No. 124 ; compare No. 1243. Ver. 29. A crown of thorns. — The species of thorns here employed is doubt- fid, and of no consequence. The object was, to inflict pain and ridicule ; but, query, Have not all crowns more thorns than jewels in them? A reed — Most probably a common walking cane. {Calamus.) Ver. 30. They spit upon him. — See note on rh. xxvi. 67. Ver. 31. And lad him away.— Capital punishments were, both by Jews and ' L* Romans, generally inflicted without their cities ; especially crucifixion. Orient. Cv.st. No. 1230. MATTHEW, XXVII. 09 ! A. M, 4U33. A. D. 29. t Ps.G9.21. rene, Simon by name : him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 IF And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled * with gall : and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35 And u they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken Y by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37 And set up over his head his accusation wTitten, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then were there two thieves w crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. 39 TT And they that passed by reviled him, wagging x their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thvself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking 7 him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down irom the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let z him deliver him now, if he will have him : for he said, :i I am the Son of God. 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Ver. 32. To bear his cross. — St. John informs us, that at first Jesus went forth bearing his cross ; it may be, however, this referred only to the transverse beam, and that Simon carried the upright part after him : or if the cross was formed, that Jesus fainted under the weight, and it was then laid on Simon. Ver. 33. Golgotha . . . . a place of a skull.— Campbell, "of skulls ;" sup- posed to be so called from its having been a place of public execution. It is more usually called Mount Calvary ; but of the mount then; are no remains, nor do the Scriptures mention it; though as a place of execution it might probably be an elevated spot. The present Calvary is covered with religious buildings pretending to enclose our Saviour's tomb, and other Christian antiquities, all of which are doubtful, and some gross impositions ; though they afford a rich revenue to monks and priests, both Greek and Roman Catholic. See Dr. R. Richardson's interesting Travels along the Mediterranean. Ver. 34. Vinegar .... mingled with gall.— The LXX. use the same Greek word for wormwood. Mark says, " Wine mingled with myrrh;" sour wine (vinaigre, French) mingled with myrrh, bitter as gall Myrrh itself, says Dr. Harris, is " extremely bitter." Nat. Hist, of the Bible. This mixture, or some- thing like it, is said to have been given to criminals to deaden the sense of pain ; which might be the reason why our Lord refused to drink it. See Orient. Lit. I No. 1249. Ver. 35. That it might be fulfilled. — Ps. ^x\\. 18.— Persons crucified were al ways stripped of their clothes, which became the perquisites of the executioners. Orient. Lit. No. 1250. This quotation, according to Campbell, is " wanting in a very great number of MSS." He thinks it was introduced here from Jn. xix. 24. to which place it belongs ; but as it belongs there, the question is of no importance. Ver. 37. This is Jesus. &c. — On this inscription, see Jn. xix. 19, &c. Ver. 40. Thou that destroyest.— See note, chap. xxvi. 61. Ver. 42. We will believe him. — So unbelievers argue. Could they see a mi- racle, they would believe ; but our Lord says they would not, and facts con- firm bis words. They saw Lazarus raised from the dead, yet woidd not believe. See Jn. xi. 46. Compare Lu. xvi. 41. Ver. 44. Cast the same in his teeth. — Doddridge, " Upbraided him with the same reproach;" Campbell, " In the same manner." u Ps.22.16. Ma. 15. 24, &c. Lu.23.34, &c. J n. 19.24, &c. v Pb.C2.13. w Is.53.12. x Ps.22.7. 109.25. y Job 13.9. Ps.35.!6. is.23.22. Lu. 18.32. z Ps.3.2. 22.8. 42.10. 71.11. ca Jn.5.17, 18. 10.30,36. 100 MATTHEW, XXVII. A. M. 4033. A. D. '29. b Am. 8.9. c Ps.22.1. Is. 53. 10. La. 1.12. cl Ps.69.2l. e Ex.26.-31. Le.16.2, 15. 21.23. 2 Ch.3. 14. f Is.25.7. g Is. 25. 8. 26.19. Ho.13.14. Jn 5.25.. 28 li Da. 12.2. lTh.4.14. i lCo.15. 20. j Ma. 15. 39. Lu.23.47, &c. ^5 *iT Now from the sixth hour there was darkness i> over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud, voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, c My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with d vinegar, and put it on a r^ed, and gave him to drink. *9 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 30 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. r »l If And, behold, the veil e of the temple was rent t n twain from the top to the bottom ; and the earth aid quake, and the rocks rent ; 62 And s the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which h slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves i after his resurrection, end went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 64 Now j when the centurion, and they that were with him ; watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and r*>ose things that were clone, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. Ver. 45. N**\o from the sixth hour. — Matthew and Mark reckon from sun- rise, which i%( this time (about the equinox) was six o'clock, by our reckoning. Christ was u«?n crucified at nine in the morning (the third hour, Ma. xv. 25 ;) the darkness game on at noon, the sixth hour, and continued till three in the af- ternoon, wbJ*-h was the ninth hour. See Jn. xix. 14.— — [That this general darkness w«*a wholly preternatural is evident from this, that it happened at the pasn'-ver, which was celebrated only at the full moon, a time in which it wtu" mipossible for the sun to be eclipsed, natural eclipses happening only at the fine of the new moon.l — Bagster. Dionysius. the Areopagite, when in Egrot, noticed this unnatural darkness, and exclaimed, " Either the God of Nature sutlers, or the machinery of nature is dissolving." Ver. 46. FH, Eli, - ; also frequently by Josephus, and several Greek writers. | Ver. 51. T h e veil was rent. — Ancient writers tell us that there were two veils ; one \r the entrance to the outer temple, and the other between that and the most hoy. The Greek term here made use of, is applied by Philo to the latter only, which may represent the way opened to us into heaven by the death of Christ. He. vi. 19; x. 21. Ver. 53. 7ne holy city.—' i The Orientals never call Jerusalem by any other name than Sl-kods, the holy ; sometimes adding the epithet El-sherif the no- ble." Volnr-u. Ver. 54. 'y-uly this was the son of God.— [Since they were Romans that said this, some i^oik it evident that they meant to say that he was not only an in- nocent, bu'> .(together n just man, as in Lu. xxiii. 47. But in fact that ex- pression is explained by this ; for, as Jesus was crucified by the Jews for say- ing that he vas " the Son of God ;" so if he were a righteous man, and un- MATTHEW, XXVII. 101 55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which k followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: 56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zehedee's children. 5? H When i the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, namftd Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple : 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. _ 59 And when Joseph had taken trie body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And m laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 62 IT Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came to- gether unto Pilate, 63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver n said, while he was yet alive, After ° three days I will rise again. 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and p steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead : so the last error shall be worse than the first. A. M. 4033 A. I). 29. k Lu.8.2,3. 1 Ma 15 11 Lu.23.50 Jn.19.3S. m Is.53.9. n Jn.7.12, 47. 2 Co.6.8. o c.16.21. 17.23. 20.19. Lu.24.6,7 Jn.2.19. p c.23.13. justly condemned, he must be " the Son of God." Some render "a son of God," that is, according to the pagan notions, a hero, or demi-god, such as Hercules, &c. But in this, and in some other places, the article is omitted be- fore huyos, son. when it i< used in the highest sense ; and Bp. Middleton, on the Greek article, has shown, that theou huyos, son of God, and huyos tou theou, " the son of God," are used without any exact discrimination. " The centurion," as he observes, " could not rail to know the alleged blasphemy for which our Saviour suffered ; and had he intended, in heathen phraseology, to express his admiration of our Saviour's conduct, he would not have called our Saviour Son of God."]— Bagster. Ver. 55. Many women were there. — Dr. Doddridge, who remarks the pWis attachment of these females, is inclined to think that their sex, een particularly intimate with St. Peter, under whose inspection, it is generally agreed, he wrote his gospel at Rome, between the years A. D. 60 and 65. Eusebius informs us, (Hist. Eccles. 1. ii. c. 15.) from Papias and Cle- ment of Alexandria, that St. Mark composed his gospel at the earnest request of St. Peter's hearers at Rome ; and tlrat the Apostle being informed of what was done by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, authorized it to be introduced into the churches. With this agrees the internal evidence furnished by the Gos- pel itself; tor many things honourable to St. Peter are omitted in it, which are mentioned by other Evangelists, while his weaknesses and failings are freely exposed to view. It is also undeniable, that from the earliest ages of the church, this Gospel was received, not only as genuine and authentic, but as a divinely inspired writing. Some learned men, in opposition to the unanimous voice of antiquity, have represented it as an abridgment of that of St. Mat- thew. But, though he doubtless relates many of the same facts, and some of the parables and discourses, in common with St. Matthew ; yet he omits many important particulars, and adds others, dilates upon some facts but concisely mentioned by Matthew, not without considerable variation, and now and then departs from the order of time observed by tliat apostle. Hence there is no reason to suppose, that he intentionally took any thing from Matthew, but that he wrote such things as were especially brought to his knowledge, and im- pressed on his mind; and the coincidence seems to have arisen, ratRer from the circumstance of their writing the history of the same grand and interesting events, than from any design in the one deducing bis materials from the other. TlatSt. Mark wrote his gospel in Greek, is attested by the uninterrupted voire of antiquity, and is now generally admitted ; and the occurrence of several f ~-££~lC_l MARK, I. 105 Latin words, which has Jed some to contend for a Latin original, may easily be accounted for, by supposing it was written for the use of the Roman people, by a person then resident among them ; and it is on this account that he omits the genealogy of our Lord, and some other matters, as being of no importance to Gentile converts, though very necessary for the Jews.]— Bolster. CHAPTER I. 1 The office of John the Baptist. 9 Jesus is baptized, 12 tempted, 14 he preacheth : 16 calleth Peter, Andrew, James, and John : 23 healeth one that had a devil, 29 Peter's mother-in-law, 32 many diseased persons, 41 and cleanseth the leper. THE beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the a Son of Goal ; 2 As it is written in the b prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The c voice of one crying in the wilderness, Pre- pare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 John a did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance e for the remission f of sins. 5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing s their sins. 6 And John was clothed with camels' hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat lo- custs h and wild honey ; 7 And preached, saying, There i comethone mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water : but he shall baptize J you with the Holy Ghost. 9 IT And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized k of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens i opened, and the m Spirit like a dove descending upon him : 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying,Thou art my beloved n Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 IF And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness, 13 And °he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan ; and was with the wild beasts ; and the angels ministered unto him. A. M. 4030. A. D. 26. CHAP. I. a He. 1.1,2 b Maiai. c Is.40.3. d Mat.3.l. Lu.3.3. Jn.3.23. e or, unto. f Ac.22.16. g Le.26.40 ..42. Ps 32.5. Pr.2S.13. 1 Jn.1.8.. 10. h Le.11.22. i Mat.3.11. Jn.1.27. Ac. 13.25. j Joel 2.23. Ac. 1.5. 2.4. 10.45. 11.15,16. 1 Co. 12. 13 k Mat.3.13. Lu.3.21. 1 or, cloven , or, rent. mis. 42. 1. Jn.1.32. n Ps.2.7. o Mat. 4.1, &c. Lu.4.1, &c. Chap. I. Ver. 2. In the 'prophets.— {Several MSS., the Syriac, Persic, Cop- tic, Armenian, Gothic, Vulgate, and Itala versions, and several of the fathers, have, " by Isaiah the prophet," which should probably be adopted instead of the common text. ]— Bagst er. Ver. 4. John did baptize. — John was the Elias of the New Testament. a»»l forerunner of the Saviour. He was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth and his birth was announced by the angel Gabriel. SeeLu. i. 5. Ver. 7. The latchet of iohos*i shoes. — See note on Mat. iii. 11. Ver. 10. Compare this verse and next with Mat. iii. 16, 17. Ver. 12. The spirit driveth him.— -This refers, doubtless, to the Holy Spirit, and is, perhaps, too forcibly rendered. Campbell, " Conveyed." Ver. 43 and elsewhere it is rendered "sent." Compare Mat iv. 17. {Or, "sendeth him forth." The expression does not necessarily imply any violence, but seems to intimate the energy of that impulse on the mind of our Lord, by which he was ^awardly constrained to retire from society.] — Bagster. ^ Ver. 13. With the wild beasts.— This is a feature of alarm not mentioned by the other Evangelists. See Mat. iv. 1, &c. ff. 106 MARK, I. A. M 4031. A. D 27. p Mat.4.23. q Lu.8i.. r Da.2.44. 9.25. Ga.4.4. Ep.1.10. i Ac.2.33. t Ro. 16.26. u Mat.4.1, 8,&c. Lu.5.4, &c. v Mat.7.23. wLu.4.33, &c. wmng him as if one limb had been pulled from another. 14 IT Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus Pcame into Galilee, preaching the gospel Qof the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time r is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent s ye, and believe * the gospel 16 IF Now u as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and fol- lowed him. 19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired ser- vants, and went after him. 21 And they went into Capernaum ; and straight- way on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, ancf taught. 22 And v they were astonished at his doctrine : for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 IT And w there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit ; and he cried out r 24 Saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth 7 art thou come to des- troy us 1 I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is Ver. 16. Sea of Galilee. — A fresh water lake on the east side of Lower Ga- lilee, called also the sea of Cinnereth, and sea of Tiberias. Ver. 16—20. " Few passages are more exactly parallel than these verses ind those referred to in St. Matthew, (Mat. ix. ;) yet, if carefully compared, (espe- cially in the Greek,) it will he found that they so vary, as to minute things, in several particulars, as to render it clear, that Mark did not intentionally copy Matthew. — ' The hired servants ' \vl>om Zebedee had as helpers when his sons were called to a higher employment, are not mentioned by Matthew." — T. Scott. Ver. 21. Capernaum— \ Capernaum was a city of Galilee, (Lu. iv.3i.) situa- ted on the confines of Zebulun and Naphtali, (Mat. iv. 135,) on the western border of the lake of Tiberias, (Jn. vi. 59.,) and in the land of Gennesareth, (chap. vi. 53. Mat. xiv. 34. ) where Josephus places a spring of excellent water, called Caperna- um. Dr. Lightfoot places it between Tiberias and Tariehea, about two miles from the former ; and Dr. Richardson, in passing through the plain of Gennesa- reth, was told by the natives that the ruins of Caper natim were quite near.]— J?. Ver. 22. As one that had authority.— -See Mat. vii. 28, 29. Ver. 23. An unclean spirit— -That is, a wicked demon. (On demons, see notes on Mat. iv. 12, 25 ; viii. 16, 24.) Ver. 24. Let us alone.— Compare % Mat. viii. 2&. Satan and his demons doubt- less knew that one great object of Christ's incarnation was to destroy his power upon earth, or, in the language of the first oracle, to " bruise his liead. " (Ge- iii. 15.) When, therefore, they saw the miracles that Jesus did, they trembled on that account, and cried out, " What have we to do with thee? 1 " or, as Dr. Campbell renders it, " What hast thou to do with us?" Ver. 26. Had torn him— That, is, convulsed him. Doddridge. i i\ MARK,_L this? what new doctrine is this \ for with authority commanded! he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad through- out all the region round about Galilee. 29 *ir And x forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of "Simon, and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up ; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 IT And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door, 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils ; and suffered not the devils to >" speak, because they knew him. 35 IT And in the morning, rising up a great while be- fore day, he went out. and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. 33 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also : for therefore 2 came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout a 1 ! Galilee, and cast out devils. 107 A. M. 403l". A. D. 27. x Mat. 8. 14 Lu.4.33. bevngSab ba:h even, they waited until the sun was set, that they might not break it by carry- ing any burden. y or, to say that they knew him 7. Is.61.lA Jn.17.8. Ver. 29. The house of Simon— That is, Simon Peter. Ver. 30. Anon — That is, soon, quickly. Ver. 32. The sun did set.— Doddridge, " Was set ;" i.e. when the sabbath was closed. Ver. 34. Suffered not the devils to speak, &c— " ' It is not the office of the devil to preach the gospel .... who is never more to be feared by us. than when he transforms himself into an angel of light. ' Beta.— He suffered not the evil spirits to profess their knowledge of him ; because he would not have him, who is the father of lies, to slander and disgrace the truth by bis testimony.' -Bp. HalU'—T. Scott. Ver. 35. A great ichile before day.— Doddridge, " In the morning, before it was light;" i.-e. at the first dawn of day.— Colonel Gardiner used constantly to rise at four in the morning, and to spend his time till six in the secret exer- cises of the closet, reading, meditation, and prayer; in which last he acquired such a fervency of spirit, as, " I believe," says his biographer, " few men liv- ing ever attained. If at any time he was obliged to go out before six in the morning, he rose proportionally sooner: so that-when a journey or a march has required him to be on horseback by four, he would be at his devotions by two." Ver. 39. Galilee. — [Galilee was a province of Palestine, being bounded, says Josephns. on the: west by Ptolemais and Mount Carmel ; on the south by the country of Samaria and Scythopolis, on the river Jordan ; on the east, by the cantons of Hippos, Gadara, and Gaulon ; and on the north by the confines of che Tynans. It was divided into Lower and Upper Galilee -.—Upper Galilee, so called from its being mountainous, was eminently termed Galilee of the Gentiles, (Mat. iv. 15.) because it abounded with them, being inhabited, fsays Strabo, by Egyptians, Arabians, and Phcenicians, and comprehended the tribes of Asher and Naphtali ;— the Lower Galilee contained the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar, and was sometimes termed the Great Field. It was, says Jose- Vhus, very popidous and rich, containing 204 cities and towns.] — Bagster. I 10S MARK, II. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. a Mat. 8.2. Lu.5.12 b Ps.3S.9. Jn.15.3. c Le.14.2.. 32. d Ro.15.4. 1 Co. 10. 11. e Ps.T7.ll, 12. Tit.1.10. f c.2.13. CHAP. 2. : aPg.40.9. \\ b Mat. 9.1, &c. Lu.5.18, &c. c Ac.14.9. Ep.2.8. 40 TT And a there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, 1 will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately b the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away ; 44 And saith unto him, See thou sav nothing to any man : but go thy way, show thyself to the priest, and oner for thy cleansing those things c which Moses commanded, for a testimony dun to them. 45 But he went out, and began to e publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places : and f they came to him from every quarter. CHAPTER n. 1 Christ healeth one sick of the palsy. 14 callcth Matthew from the receipt <• ' custom, 15 eateth with publicans ana sinners, 18 excuseth his disciples for not fasting, 23 and for plucking the ears of corn on the sabbath day. AND again he entered into Capernaum, after some days ; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them. no, not so much as about the door : and he preached a the word unto them. 3 IT And b they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him foi the press, they uncovered the roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein trie sick of the palsy lay. 5 When Jesus saw their he saith unto them, They k that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners l to repentance. 18 IT And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not ? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride- chamber fast, while the bridegroom ra is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then n shall ihey fast in those days. 21 No man also seweth apiece of ° new cloth on an old garment : else the new piece that filled it up taketn away from the old, and the rent is mude worse. 22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottleu : else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be p marred : but new wine must be put into new bottles. 23 IT And him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day ; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, c Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil ? to save d life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the e hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it out : and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6 *iT And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the f Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. 7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea : and a great'* multitude from Galilee follow- ed him, and from Judea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond Jordan ; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed hmany ; insomuch that they j pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. here, that Ahimelech was then high priest at Nob ; and from other passages, that Abiathar was his son. Various conjectures have been formed in order to solve this difficulty ; and some, instead of untying, have cut the knot, by pro- nouncing it. an interpolation. The most probable opinion seems to be, that both father and son had two names, the father being also called Abiathar ; and this appears almost certain from 2 Sa. yiii. 17. 1 Ch. xviii. 16, where Ahimelech seems evidently termed Abiathar, while Abiathar is called Ahimelech or Abi- melc.ch. Compare 1 Ki. ii. 26, 27. \—Bagster. Chap. III. Ver. 1—12. And he entered again, &c— The parallel passage to this will be found Mat. xii. 9—15. Ver. -l. Is it lawful to do good, or to do evil, &c— Dr. Campbell remarks, that m the style of Scripture, the mere negation of any thing is often expressed by the affirmation. Hence he infers, Not to do good when we can, is to do evil : not to save, (when we have opportunity,) is to kill. Ver. 5. With anger.— [With anger at their desperate malice and wicked- ness, and with commiserwt ion for the calamities which they would thereby bring on themselves.] — Bags ter. Ver. 8. From Idumea. — Hyrcanus, more than 150 years before this, had compelled the Idumeans to be circumcised. See Josephus' Antiq. bk. xiii. ft bo p. 9. Ver. 10. Plagues.— Campbell, "Maladies." nas pow- er to dis- pose of it tor the good of man. CHAP. 3. a Mat. 12. 9, &c. Ln.6.6, &c. b Liu 14.1, c Arise, stand forth in the midst. d Ho. 6. 6. e or, blind- ■ ness. f Mat.22. 16. g Lu.6.17. h Mat. 12. 15; 14.14. i or, rush- ed. i 112 MARK, III. Tl < A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. j c.1.24. Mat. 14. 33. Lu.4.41. Ja 2.19. k c. 1.25,34. 1 Mat.10.1 m Jn.15.16. n Jn 1.42. o Is.58.1. Je.23.29. p or, home. q c.6.31. r or, kins- men. s Ho.9.7. Jn. 10.20 t Mat. 9. 34. 10.25. 12.2-}. Lu.ll.lSL Jn.7.20. 8.48,52. u Is. 49. 24, 26. 61.1. Mat. 12. 29. v Mat. 12. 31. Lu.12.10. 11 And 3 unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him k known. 13 IT And i he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he m would : and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils : 16 And Simon n he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, the sons of ° thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Al- pheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, # 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him : and they went p into a house. 20 IF And the multitude cometh together again, so i that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his r friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He s is beside him- self. 22 IT And the scribes which came down from Jeru- salem said, He i hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan ? 24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divi- ded, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No u man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you, All v sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme : Ver. 13—19. And he goeth up, &c— For the parallel narrative to this, see Mat. x. 1—4. Ver. 17. Boanerges, the sons of thunder.— -This term has heen generally mistaken, as implying that John and James were noisy preachers, of which there is neither proof nor probability. According to the Hebrew idiom, light- ning is the son of thunder, and may represent their natural quickness of temper, of which we have a remarkable instance, Luke ix. 54, 55. Ver. 13. Canaanite. — So called from the Heb. kana, to be zealous. — Whence he is also called Zelot.es, from a Greek word which means to he zealous. Ver. 21. He is beside himself.— But who were the friends that said this? Campbell, " His kinsmen,'' or other members of the family, who did not. cor- dially believe on him ; and woo were disconcerted by not having their meals regularly, as ver. 20. He is beside himself, or " out of his wits," as we say j Doddridge, " transported beyond himself." Compare John x. 20. Ver. 22—30. And the scribes, &c.— The parallel to this passage may be found Mat. xii. 22—33. I found I fc=rr=: r MARK, IV. f * 113 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost w hath never forgiveness, b.ut is in danger of eternal damnation : 30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit./? 31 TT There x came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren with- out seek for thee. 33 And he answered them, saying. Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34 And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! 35 For whosoever shall do y the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. CHAPTER IV. 1 The parable of the sower. 14 and the meaning thereof. 21 We must commu- nicate the light of our knowledge to others. 26 The parable of the seed growing secretly, 30 tmd of the mustard seed. 35 Christ stilleth the tempest on t lie sea. AND a he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multi- tude, so that he entered into a ship, ana sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by b parables, and said unto tnem in his doctrine, 3 c Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to j sow : 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way-side, and the a fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony e ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth : 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and f because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among s thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good h ground, and did yield fruit i that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, jet him hear. A. M. 4031 I i A. D. 27. i) w He. 10.29. p contrary (o the clear con- victions of their own con- sciences, saying, that Jesus was con- federate with devils. i Mat. 12. 46..4S. Lu.8.19., 21. y Ja.1.25. 1 Jn.2.17. CHAP. 4. a Mat. 13.1, &c. Lu.8.4, &c. b Ps.78.2. ver.34. c ver.9.23. c.7.16. d Ge.15.ll. e Ege.il. 19. 36.26. f Ps.1.4. Ja.1.11. g Je.4.3. h He.6.7,8. i Col. 1.6. it Ver. 29. Is in danger of eternal damnation. — Campbell, "Liable to. eternal punishment." The Greek word (/crisis) is used both for condemnation and subsequent punishment. Ver. 30. Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit. — ''Is it not asto- nishing (.says Wesley) that men who have ever-read these wordS, should doubt what is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? Can any words declare more plainly, that it is the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought hy the power of the Holy Ghost?" Ver. 31—35. There came then his brethren and his mother.— We are not to suppose that his mother joined in the charge of his being beside himself; but she might be alarmed for h"s health, from his exertions and long fasting. Com- pare parallel, Mat. xii. 46— V. Chap. IV. Ver. 1—20. Ana he began again to teach, &c— The parable of the sower, which here follow*, with its explanation, has been already consi- dered on Mat. xiii. 1—23. 114 MARK, IV. "=1 A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. j Mat. 13. lC&c. k Ep.1.9. 1 CoM.SL 1 Th.4.1£ 1 Ti.3.7. mis. 6. 9,10. J 1 1.12,40. Ac.23.26, 27. Ro.11.8. n Ts.32.20. lPe.1.25. 1 Pe.5.8. Re. 12.9. p He.2.1. q Job 19.28. r Job 27.10. sSTi.1.15. t Lu.14.18 .20. I Ti.G.9.. 17. 2TL4.1C. u Pr.23.5. v 1 Jn.2. 16,17. wls.5.2,4. x Ro.7.4. Col. 1.10. 2Pe.L8. y See on Mat. 5. 15. 1 Ec.12.14. Mat. 10. 26. Lu.12.2 1 Co.4 5 a 1 Pc.2.5 b Mat.7.2. c Lu-8.18. d Mat. 13. 24. 10 IT And j when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto k you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that, are i without, all these things are done in parables : .2 That m seeing they may see, and not perceive; i and hearing they may hear, and not understand ; j lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this para- ble ? and how then will ye know all parables ? 14 TT The sower n soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way-side, where the word is sown ; but when they have heard, Satan cometh ° immediately, and taketh away p the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root what measure ye mete, it shall be mea- sured to you : and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from c him shall be taken even that which he hath. 26 IT And he said, So d is the kingdom of God. as if a man should cast seed into the ground ; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the Ver. 10. Alone — That is, the multitude heing gone. Ver. 12. That seeing.— [Rather, " So that seeing they see, and do not per- ceive, and hearing they hear, and do not understand," «fec. The expression ap- pears to he proverhial ; and relates to those who might see what, they now overlook through inattention and folly. See the parallel texts.] — Bagster. Ver. 21. In a cundbe brought, &c— See Mat,, v. 15, where we have the same sentiment spoken on another occasion. MARK, V. 115 se^d should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 23 For the eartn bringeth forth fruit of e herself; first f the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 20 But when the fruit is 'brought forth, immediately he » putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is cune. 30 IT And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God ? or with what comparison shall we compare it ? 31 It i is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth : 32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater J than all herbs, and shooteth out great, branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as * they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable spake he not unto them : and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. 35 IT And the same day, when the even was come,he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And i there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, m Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And n the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them. Why are ye so ° fearful 1 how is it that ye have no faith ? 41 And they feared p exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the Q sea obey him ? CHAPTER V. 1 Christ delivering the possessed of the legion of devils, 13 they enter into the s\vit;e. 25 He healeth the woman of the bloody issue, 35 and raiseth from death Jairus's daughter. A ND a _ they came over unto the other side of the -^*- sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. i A. M. 4031 A. D. 27. e Ge.LL 12. f Ec.£ 1,11. g or, ripe. Job 5.26. h Re. 14. 15. i Mat. 13. 31 .32. Lii.13.1S, 19. j Pr.-lia Is.11.9. Da.2.44, Mai. 1.11. k Jn.16.12. 1 Mat. 8.23 Lu.8.22 mPs.10.1. Is. 40. 27- La.3-8. n Ps.89.9. La.3.31, 32. o Ps.46.1,2 Is.43.2. p Jo.1.10, 16. q Job 38. V CHAP. 5. a Mat. 8. 28,&c. Ln.8.26, &c. Gadara & Gergesa lay near together, ai id ooth had the same con- \ fines and borders. Ver. 26—29. So is the kingdom of God.— This seems to us connected A'itb the parable of the tares, Mat. xiii. 24, &c. Ver. 30—34. And he said, &c— The parable of the mustard seed, and fol- lowing remarks, will be found Mat. xiii. 31— 36, &c. Mustard. — [Mustard is a well known plant of the tetradynamia siliquosa class, distinguished by its yellow cruciform flowers, with expanding caiyx, and its pods smooth, square, and close to the stem. Its seed was probably the smallest known to the Jews ; and though its ordinary height does not exceed four feet, yet a species grows to the height of from three to five cubits, with a tapering, ligneous stalk, and spreading branches. See Scheuchzer.]—Bagster. Ver. 36. Even as he was— That is, without rest or refreshment. In the ship.— Campb ill renders the word bark : it was doubtless a small sailing ves- sel. Ver. 38. On a pillow.— -But Wesley renders it, " on the pillow in the stern ;" understanding " a particular part of the vessel, near the rudder." 116 MARK, V. j=ri A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. b Is.b'5.4. c Pe.72.3. d Ac.16.18. He.2.14. 1 Ja.3.8. e Mat. 12. 45. f Le.11.7,8. De.14.8. g Job 1.10, 12. 2.5,5. h Re.13.7. 1 Pe.3.22. i Is.49.25. Col. 1.13. i Job 13.11. Ps.14.5. 2 Ti 1.7. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediate- ly there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his b dwelling among the tombs ; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetter^ and chains, and the chains had been plucked asun- der by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And alvyays, night and day, he was in the moun- tains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worship- ped c him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God ? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come d out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is e Legion : for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine f. feeding. 12 And all the devils besought shim, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave h them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine : and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and ihad the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were j afraid. 16 And they that saw it told them how it befel to him that was possessed with the devil, and also con- cerning the swine. Chap. V. Ver. 2. A man with. — [St. Matthew gives a brhef account of two de- moniacs who were dispossessed on this occasion ; but Mark anil Luke omit the mention of one, (who was perhaps not so remarkable,) in order to record that ot the other more fully. That these wretched men were not merely mad, as some suppose, hut really possessed of'evil spirits, appears clearly from the language employed, as well as from the narrative itself. St. Matthew expressly affirms, that they were " possessed with devils," or demoniacs. St. Mark says, he had " an unclean spirit," i. e. a fallen spirit : and St. Luke asserts, that be " had devils (or demons) a long lime," and was called Legion, " because many devils were entered into him." With supernatural strength the demons hurst asunder the chains and fetters with which he was bound ; they address Christ as the " Son of the most high God ;" they beseech him to suffer them to enter into the swine ; and when he had given them leave, they " went out and en- tered into the swine," &c.]— Bagster. Ver. 13. Down a steep place — Wesley ■, "down the steep ;" i. e. the shelv- ing coast. Ver. 16. Swine— [These swine were in all probability Jewish property, MARK, V inn A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. 17 And they began to pray him to depart k out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but s&ith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and l tell them how great things the Loral hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapo- lis how great things Jesus had done for him : and all men did marvel. 21 IT And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him : and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, m behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue^ Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point n of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be heal- ed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him ; and much people fol- lowed him, and thronged him. 25 IT And a certain woman, which had an issue °of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing P bet- tered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched q his garment : 23 For she said, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up ; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague./? 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue r had gone out of him, turned nim about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes ?y 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? and kept and usee in express violation of the law of God ; and, therefore, their destruction was no more than a proper manifestation of the justice of God.] — Bagster. Ver. 20. Decapolis— That is, the ten cities, a district of country beyond Jor- dan, so called from its containing ten principal towns. Ver. 22. One of the rulers.— Large synagogues had sometimes several el- ders, or rulers : the name of this man is here given— Jairus. Ver. 26. Had suffered many. — No person will wonder at this account, when he considers the therapeutics of the Jewish Physicians, in reference to diseases of this kind ; (for an account of which, see Drs. Lighfoot and Clarke;) from some of their nostrums, she could not have been bettered; from others, she must have been made loorse ; from all, she must have suffered mam/ things : and, from the persons employed, the expense of the medicaments, and the number of years she was afllicted, it is perfectly credible that, she had spenl all that she had. She was, therefore, a fit patient for the Great Physician. Ver. 29. Of that plague.— Campbell, " Delivered from that scourge," meaning the very distressing complaint called by physicians dysenteria san- guine a. k Job 21.14. Lu.5.8. Ac. 16.39. Ps.66.16. ls.38.19. m Mat. 9. 18, &c. I,u.8.4l, <&o. n Ps.107.18 o Le.15.19, &c. p Job 13.4. Ps.108.12. .Ter.30.12, 13. 2 Ki.13. -21. Mat.14. 36. Ac.5.15. 19.12. P found a manifest recovery of her strength. r Lu.6.19. y vi: not in an oixli- naryway, but with some de- sign, and with a touch of faith. [I 118 MARK, VI. Hi A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. 0. ieeling the most pro- fouuti re- verence, and over- come with gratitude to Christ, for this demon- stration of his Divine power. s Ps.30.2. t c.10.52. Ac. 14.9. a 1 Sa.1.17. 20.42. 2KL5.19. v Jn.5.25. 11.25. w2Ch.20. 20. Jn. 11.40. x c.9.2. 14.33. y Jn.11.11. 13. z Ac.9.40. a Mat. 8. 4. 12. 16.. IS. c.3.12. Lu.5.14. CHAP. 6. a Mat. 1 3. 54, &c. Lu.4.16, 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, /? knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and s told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith t hath made thee whole; go u in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 35 IT While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is v dead: why troublest thou the Master any farther? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only w believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save x Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but y sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, z arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them a straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given ner to eat. CHAPTER VI. 1 Christ is contemned of his countrymen. 7 He giveth the twelve power over unclean spirits. 14 Divers opinions of Christ. 18 John Baptist is beheaded, 29 and buried. 30 The apostles return from preaching. 34 The miracle of five loaves and two fishes. 48 Christ walketh on the sea: 53 and liealeth ail that touch him. A ND he went out from thence, and came into his -^*- own country, and his disciples follow him. 2 And a when the sabbath day was come, he began Ver. 35. Thy daughter is dead.— This message is not mentioned in the ac- count of Matthew, hut is perfectly consistent with it. Ver. 40. Them that loere loith him. — Namely, Peter, James, and John. [He took just so many as prudence required, and us were sufficient to prove the reality of the cure ; to have permitted the presence of more, might have sa- voured of ostentation.] — Bagster. Ver. 41. Talitha cumi. — The Syriac words rendered, " Damsel, arise." Ver. 43. And commanded. — [This was to show that she had not only re- turned to life, but was also restored to perfect health; and to intimate, that thou " ence, anot necessary, let it lie resorted to; when not necessary, let the ordinary means be used." — Horace. To act otherwise would he to tempt God. |— Baffler. Chap. VI. Ver. l-r-8. And he 'went out from thence, &c— -See Mat. xiii 54—58. led to life, but was also restored to perfect health; and to intimate, that i<:h raised to life hy extraordinary power, she must he continued in exist- l\ as before, hy the use of ordinary means. The advice of a heathen, on tner subject, is quite applicable : " When the miraculous power of God is I 54—58. MARK, VI. 119 to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From b whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of c James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? and they were offended d at him. 4 But Jesus said unto them, e A prophet is not with- out honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5 And f he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6 And he marvelled s because of their unbelief. And h he went round about the villages, teaching. 7 51" And i he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits ; 8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only ; no scrip, no bread, no j money in their purse: 9 But be shod k with i sandals; and not put on two coats. 10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake m off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom n ana! Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. 12 And they w r ent out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many p devils, and anointed with oil q many that were sick, and healed them. Ver. 3. Is not this the carpenter ?— Justin Martyr, in his dialogues with Trypha, expressly says, that Jesus assisted his father in his trade of a carpen- ter, making agricultural tools, &c. — It is also said that among the Jews it was infamous for a father not to bring up his children to some trade. (Grotius in Mat. xiii. 55.) But why then reproach Jesus on that account j It was proba- bly on account of his mean line of business. He was not a master builder. Little did they think that this despised Jesus had made the world, and was born to judge it! Ver. 5. And he could there do no mighty ivork, ice.—' 1 "We are not to un- derstand .... as if the power of Christ was here disarmed ; but rather .... that they brought few sick people to him for cure." Doddridge ; who remarks also, that, so far as appears, " he never after this returned to Nazareth." ( Ver. 8. A staff only. — Not staves. [St. Matthew says, that they were to take "neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves;" but this precept plainly means, " Go just as you are ; take no other coat, shoes, or staff, than what you already have."] — Bagster. Ver. 9. But. be shod with sandals. — [The sandal consisted only of a sole, fastened about the foot and ankle with straps.]— Bagster. Matthew inhibits shoes. Ver. 11. Sodom and Gomorrah.— -Two of the four cities anciently situated in the fertile vale of Siddim, which God overthrew for their wickedness, and left their places to be occupied by the Dead sea. Ver. 13. And anointed ivith oil many that were sick. — This is not men- 1 A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. b Jn.6.42. c Gal. 1.19. d Mai. 11. 6. e Mat. 13. 57. Jm.-J.44. f Ge.19.22. c.9.23. g Is. 59. 16. Jer.2.11. h Mat. 9.35. Lu.13.22. Ac. 10.38. i Mat.10.1, &c. c.3.13, &c. Lu.9.1, &c. 10.3,&c j The word signifies a piece of brass mo- ney, in value some- what less than half a cent, Mat.10.9. but here it is taken in general for mo- ney : Lu.9.3. k Ep.6.15. 1 Ac. 12.8. mNe.5.13. Ac. 13. 51. n or. o Lu. 24.47. Ac.238. 3.19. p Lu.10.17. q Ja.5.14. fr 120 MARK, VI. A. M. 4031. A.J). 27. r Mat. 14.1, &c- Lu.9.7, &c. s Mat 16. 14. c.8.23. A. M. 4032. A. D. 2d. t Le.iS.ll u or, an in- ward grudge. v Ex. 11. 3. Eze.2.5.. 7. w or, kept him or, saved him. 8 they that have got over the f)oint of awftil- ness in an action, have no- thing to consider but the conveni- ency. x Ge.40.20. y Is. 3. 16. z Es.5.3,6. 7.2. a Ps.37.12, 14. b or, one of his guard 14 IT And r king Herod heard of him; (for his namo was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty- works do shovy forth themselves in him. 15 Others s said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 IF But when Herod heard thereof] he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful 1 for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had Ll a quarrel against him, and would have killed him ; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared v John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy, and w observed him ; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a ^convenient day was come, that Herod on his x birth-day made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and ? danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever z thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she w r ent forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head a of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent b an executioner, tioned by either of the other Evangelists ; hut it is evident from James v. 14, that in the age of miracles, oil was thus employed ; yet the reason of this, as of many other things in Scripture, we are not able to assign. Ver. 14—29. And king Herod, &c— Matthew's account of this tragical event may he found Mat. .\iv. 6 — 12; some things are here stated more fully, as mentioned in the following notes. Ver. 20. And observed him.— Campbell, " Protected him :" i. e. from He- rodias, by whose means he had been arrested. Heard him gladly. — The pleasure with which many hear the gospel, is no proof of the benefit they de- rive from it. He beard him gladly, perhaps, in ail things but his reproofs, tor Herodias still lay in his bosom. Ver. 27. The Icing aent an executioner.— [As sentinels kept guard at the palaces of kings, and the residences of Roman governors, so they were em- ployed in other offices besides guarding, and usually performed that of execu- tioners. As, however, we lean from Josephus, that Herod was at this very time engaged in war with Aretas, king of Arabia, in consequence of Herod ha- ving divorced his daughter in order to marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife ; and as this event occurred at an entertainment given at the castle of Maclue- rus, while' his army was on its march against his father-in-law, we are fur- nished with an additional reason why a sentinel shoild have been empl »yed as r MARK, VI. 121 and commanded his head to be brought : and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples.heard of it, they c came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. 30 TT And d the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31 And he said unto then, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 34 IT And Jesus, when he came out, saw much peo- ple, and was moved with compassion toward them, because e they were asrsheep not having a j3 shepherd : and he began to teach them many things. 35 And f when the day was now far spent, his disci- ples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed : 36 Send them away, that they mav go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall owe go and buy two hundred h pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat 1 38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 39 And i he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. 40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and J blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set A. M. 4032. A. D.28. c Ac. 8. 2, d Lu.9.10. e 1 Ki.22.17 destitute of faith- ful, skil- ful pas- tors, to in- struct and guide them. f xVTat.14. 15, &c. Lu.9.12, &c. Jn.6.5, &c. g Nu.11.13, 22. 2KL4.43. h See on Mat. 18, 28. i Mat. 15. 35. c.8.5. j 1 Sa.9.ia Mat. 26. 26. Lu.24.30. an executioner ; and are thus enabled to discover such a latent and undesigned coincidence, as clearly evinces the truth of the evangelical narrative. SeeBp. Marsh's Lectures.]— Bagster. Ver. 30—46. And the apostles, &c— The first two verses of this paragraph (not in Matthew) show that our Lord was much more anxious for the rest and refreshment of his disciples than for his own. The parallel verses to the re- mainder of the section may be found Mat. xiv. 13 — 36. Ver. 33. Saw them departing— That is, though they said nothing, and pro- ceeded as quietly as might be, still the people perceived they were preparing to sail. ■Knew him.- that they were going.- 1 it;" 1. !. the place, or the fiict, 13. -Jebb and Priestley, -A foot— Or " by land." See note on Mat. xiv Ver. 34. As sheep not having, &c— See Mat. ix. 36. Ver. 40. They satdoivn in ranks.— Campbell, " In squares," like plats, or square flower beds in a garden. See Ec. xxiv. 31. — [It is generally supposed, that they were so arranged as to be a hundred in rank or depth, and fifty in front, or file ; which would make the number just five thousand ; and will re- concile this account with St. Luke's, who only speaks of their sitting down by fifties.]— Bagster. \b.z: 11 rr 199 MARK, VI. 1 A. M 4032. A. I V .i«. k De.8.3. Mat. 14. 22,&c. Jn.6.17, &c. mor, over against Bethsai- da. n Mat.6.6. c.1.35. Lu.6.12. Jo.1.13. p Lu.24.28. •1 Job 9.8. 1 Lu.24.37. s Is. 43.2. t Ps.93.3,4. u Is. 63. 17. v Mat. 14. 34. \v Mat.4.21. C.2.1..3. x Mat.9.20. c.5.27,28. Ac. 19. 12 y Nu.15.3? 39. z or, it. before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. 42 And k they did all eat, and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the frag- ments, and of the fishes. 44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. 45 IT And l straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before m unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 46 And when he had sent them away, he n departed into a mountain to pray. 47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. 48 And he saw them toiling ° in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them : and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed P by them. 49 But when they saw him r this saying go thy way ; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone z out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. 31 if And a again, departing from the coasts of Tyre andSidon, /?he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and b he spit, and touch- ed his tongue; 34 And c looking up to heaven, dhe sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And e straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man : but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it ; 37 And were beyond measure f astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh sboth the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. CHAPTER VIII. 1 Christ feocleth the people miraculously : 10 refuseth to give a sign to the Phari- sees: 14 admonisheth his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod : 22 giveth a blind man his sight : 27 acknowledg- eth that lie is the Christ, who should suffer and rise again : 34 and exhortcth to patience in persecution for the profession of the gospel. IN a those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, A. M. 4032. A. D. 28. v or, Gen- tile. Is. 49. 12. w Mat 7. 6. 10.5,6. x Ro.15.8.9 Er2.12 14. y ls.66,.2. z 1 Jn.3.8. a Mat. 15. 29,&c. P the ut- most bor- der of Pa lestine. b c.8.23. Jn.9.6. c c.6.41. Jn.ll.41. 17.1. d Jn.U. 33,38. e Is.35.5,6. Mat. 11. 5. f Ps.139.14. Ac.14.11. g Ex.4.10, XX* chap, a a Mat. 15. 32,&c. Ver. 26. A Greek. — Her nation is specified in the next, word, " a Syropheni' Cian." See note on Mat. xv. 22. Ver. 28. Yts, Lord: — The same Gr. word (nai) is here used, as is in Mat. xv. 27, rendered ' truth," and should be rendered alike in both places. Doddridge and Campbell render it "true." V:r. 33. Put his fingers. — [This was clearly a symbolical action ; for these remedies evidently could not, by their natural efficacy, avail to produce so wonderful an effect. As the ears of the deaf appear closed, he applies his fin- gers to intimate that he would open them ; and as the tongue of the dumb seems to be tied, or to cleave to the palate, he touches it, to intimate he would give loose and free motion to it. He accommodated himself to the weakness of those who might not indeed doubt his power, but fancy some ex- ternal sign was requisite to healing. It was also thus made manifest, that this salutiferous power came from Himself, and that He who by one word had healed the man, must be Divine.] — Bagster. Chap. VIII. Vet. 1—10. In those days. — This is the same miracle related Mat. xv. 32—36. 11* =-n 126 MARK, VIII. A. M. 4032. A. D. 23. b Ps.145.8, 15. He.5.2. c 0.6.36,37, d Mat.14. 19. e Ps.107.5, 6.; 145.16. f 1 Ki.17. 14.. 16. 2 Ki.4.2.. 7.; 42.44. g Mat. 15. 39. h Mat. 12. 38. 16.1, &c. Jn.6.30. /? to raise cavils a- bout his person, authority, doctrine, and mira- cles. i Pr.19.27. Lu.12.1. j Ex. 12.20. Le.2.11. 1 Co.5.6.. 8. k c.6.52. 1 c.3.5. 16.14. mis. 44. IS. n2Pe.L12. o c.6 38,44. Mat. 14. 17. .21. Lu.9.12.. 17. Jn.6.5.. 13. 2 I have compassion b on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way : for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From c whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in (he wilderness ? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes : and he d blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and e were filled: and they f took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand : and he sent them away. 10 IT And % straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 11 And h the Pharisees came forth, and began to /? question with him, seeking of him a sign from hea- ven, tempting him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith. Why doth this generation seen: after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this ge- neration. * 13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again, departed to the other side. 14 U Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf. 15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, be- ware j of the leaven j of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. 17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive k ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your i heart yet hardened? 18 Having m eyes, see ye not ? and having ears, hear ye not ? and do ye not n remember? 19 When I brake the five ° loaves among five thou- sand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto nim, Twelve. Ver. 8. And were filled.— [This was another incontestable miracle— four thousand men, besides women and children, (Mat. xv. 28.) fed with seven loaves (or rather cakes) and a few small fishes ! Here there must have been a manifest creation of substance— for they all ate, and were filled.]— B. Ver. 10. Dalmanutha.— {Dalmanutha is supposed to bave been a town east of the sea of Gennesareth, in the district of Mag da la, and not far from the city of that riame.l— Bagster. Ver. It— 21. And the Pharisees, &c— See the parallel passage, Mat. xvt 1-15 MARK, VIII. 127 20 And when the seven p among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up ? and they said, Seven. 21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand ? 22 IT And he cometh to Bethsaida ; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch ihim. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit r on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught. 24 And ne looked up, and said, S I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands Again upon his eyes, and made him look up : and he was restored, and saw t every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saving, Neither go into the town, nor tell it toany in the town. 27 IT And u Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Cesarea Philippi : and by the way he ask- ed his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John v the Baptist : but some say, Elias ; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto nim, Thou w art the Christ. 30 And he charged then, that they should tell no man of him. 31 IT And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days ris< again. 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked x Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, y Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men, 34 IT And when he had called the people usluo him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever z will come after me. let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For a whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? '37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? 38 Whosoever b therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. A. M. 4032. A. D. 23. p ver.l..9. Mat 15. 34..3S. q Mat8.3, 15. r c.7.33 s Ju.9.36. ls.29.18. ICo.lS. 11,12. ( Pr.4.18. Is. 32.3. 1 Pe.2.9. a Mat. 16. 13.&c. Lii.9.13, &c. v Mat. 14.2. w.Tn.1.41.. 49. G.69. 11.27. Ac. 8. 37. 1 J n.5.1. p plainly and boldly, without any fear or con- cern tor the con- sequence of it. x Re.3.19. y 1 Co.5.5. z Mat 10. as. 16.24. Lu.9.23. 14.27. Tit 2. 12. a Es.4.14 Mat. 13. 39. 16.25. Lu.9.24 11.33. J ii. 12.25. STi.2.11. 4.6,8. Re.2.10. 7. 14.. 17. b Lu.15.9. 2 Ti.1.8. t i > ti Ver. 23. Led him out of the toion.—Grotius thinks this was dene to sho # i our Lord's displeasure against the people of Bethsaida. i Ver. 26. Any in the town— That is. if he should meet any of them in his w* jr. Bethsaida was one of the places denounced by the Saviour. i! 123 MARK, IX. A. AT. 4(13-2. A. D. 28. CHAP. 9. a Mat. 16. '28. Lu.9.27. b Jn.8.52. He.2.9. c Mai.17.1, &c. Lu.9.28 &c d Da.7 9. Mat.28.3. e Ps.63.2. 84.10. f Da. 10. 15. j.le.1.17. g Ps.2.7. Mat.3. 17. 2Pe.L17. h De.18.15. i Ac.17.18. j Mal.4-5. k Ps.22.1 &c. Is. 53.3, &c. Da.9.26. Zee. 13.7. 1 R-,.74.22. Ln.S3.-U. Phi.2.7. CHAPTER IX. 2 Jesus is transfigured. 11 He iusirocteth his Jisuipl-rs concerning the coming of Elias: 14 casieth forth a dumb and deaf spirit : 30 foreielleih hi: death and resurrection: 33 exhorted] his disciples to humility: 38 bidding diem not to prohibit such as be not against them, nor to give offence to any of the faithful. AND he said unto them, Verily a I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not b taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 ^F And c after six days Jesus taketh withhim Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves : and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white 'das snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses . and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be e here : and let us make three ta- bernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias : 6 For he wist not f what to say ; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them : and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This § is my beloved Son : hear h him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, ques- tioning one with another what the rising from the dead should i mean. 1 1 "iT And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias Jmust first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; ad how it is written k of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be i set at nought. Chap. IX. Ver. 1. And he said, &c— See Mat. xvi. 28. Ver. 2—14. And after six days, &c— The parallel history of the transfigura- tion, and the subsequent conversation respecting Elias, have been considered on Mat. xvii. 1—13. Ver. 3. No fuller on earth— Or, " with earth." Dr. John Edwaras. Ver. 4. Elias with Moses.— [Moses was the founder of the Jewish polity, and Elias the mod. zealous reformer and prophet of the Jewish church ; their presence implied, that the ministry of Christ was attested by the law and the prophets. \—Bagster. , . , Ver. 5. It is good, &c— " Hnd it been possible for Peter to have pone to hea- ven directly, with Christ, and Moses, and Elias ; all his usefulness would have been prevented. But he lived many years amidst contlict and suffering, and died on a cross : yet tens and hundreds of thousands were saved by his means, to the glory of God by him! And was not ihis well worth his while ?"— T. ^cott. _ „ ■ *_ ., Ver. 12. And how it is written of the Son of man, &c— Doddridge re- marks, the construction of this verse in the original, is as perplexed as almost any in the New Testament. Campbell, "satisfied that no proper meaning can bo drawn from the words as they lie," follows a various reading (diiiering MARK, IX. 129 A. M. 4032. A. D. 28. 13 But I say jnto you, That m Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is w ritten of him. 14 IT And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed and running to him, salu- ted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye n with them ? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb ° spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he p teareth him : and he qfoameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away : and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out ; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless r genera- tion, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him ; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him 7 And he said, Of a s child. 22 And oft-times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him : but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If • thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with u tears, Lord, I believe ; help v thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. only in two letters.) which is supported by fourteen MSS., (three ancient,) and is adopted by Bps. Pearce, Marsh, &c, and produces the following transla- tion : " And (as is written of the Son of man) must likewise suffer many things, and be contemned." So Boothroyd; who also transposes the last clause of verse 13 thus : " Elias is indeed come, as it is written of him, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed" (or chose.) Ver. 15. Were greatly amazed.— Campbell, " Struck with awe." Whitby, Doddridge, and others, suppose, that as the face of Moses shone when he came down from the mount, so did the countenance of Jesus. See 2 Co. iii. T . Ver. 15—32. And straightway, &c— See parallel, Mat. xvii. 14— 23. Ver. 18. Foameth. — [As those symptoms accord very much with those t epileptic persons, some have ventured to assert that it was no real possession; but the Evangelist expressly affirms, that he had " a dumb spirit," which tare him ; that our Lord charged him to come out of him," &c.]—Eagster. Ver. 20. The spirit tare him.— Doddridge, " Threw him down and con- vulsed him ;" Campbell, (better) " threw him into convulsions." Ver. 24. Mine imbelief.-Litera.Uy, "want of faith," of which the* most eminent believers find reason to complain. Ver. 25. Thou dumb and deaf spirit, &c— [If this had been only a natural disease, as some have contended, could our Lord with any propriety have thus addressed it ? If the demoniacal possession had been false, or merely a -. Igar error, would our Lord, the Revealer of truth, have thus established falsenood, sanctioned error, or encouraged deception, by teaching men to ascribe effects m Mat. 11. 14. Lu.1.17. n or, among your- selves. o Mat 12. 22. Lu.11.14. p or, d(ish~ eth him. q Jude 13. r De.32.20. Ps.78.8. He.3.10. s Job 5.7. Ps.51.5. t 2Ch.20. 20. Mat. 17. 20. c.11.23. Lu.17.6. J i i.l 1.40. He. 11.6. u Ps. 126.5. v He. 12.2. *»- 130 MARK, IX. i A. M. 4032. A. D. 28. w Re. 12. 12. x 2*41.1?, y Ep.6.18. z 1 Co. 9.27. a Jn.16.19. Mat. 18. 1, &e. Lu.9.46, &c. 22.24,&c Mat. 20. 26,27. c. 10.43. d Lu.9.18. Nu. 11. 26 ..28. f 1 Co. 12.3. g Mat. 12. b 30. h Mat. 10. 42. 25.40. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent w him sore, and came out of him : and he was as one dead ; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the x hand, and lifted him up ; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disci- ples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out 1 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by y prayer and z fasting. 30 IT And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee ; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him ; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask a him. 33 IT And b he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye dispu ted among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace : for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If c any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them : and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever d shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me : and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 33 fl And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw e one casting out devils in thy name, and he fob loweth not us : and we forbade him, because he fol- loweth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there f is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For s he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For b whosoever shall give you a cap of water to to the malice and power of evil spirits, which they had no agency in produ- cing ? impossible ! Such conduct is utteily unworthy the sacred character of the Redeemer. 1 — Bagster. Ver. 26. Kent him sore.- -Campbell, " Severely convulsed him." Ver. 29. Can come fort). —Doddridge, "Go forth." Campbell, "Be dis- lodged." Ver. 32. But they understood wo?.— They could not understand how the Son of God should suft'er death, or rise again from the dead. Their expectation of a temporal kingdom completely warped their understanding on these subjects. Ver. 37. Receiveth not wis— That is, " not me only." Ver. 38. Casting out devils.— Greek, demons. It is difficult to account for the circumstance here related. Our Lord will at last refuse to acknowledge some who plead that they have cast out devils in his name; Mat. vii. 2'i. Yet i he man thai wrought, or pretended to work miracles in his name, couid scarcely at the tune speak lightly of him, however he might afterwards desert him Ver. \\. A crep of water.— This is an instance of true Asiatic charity. Niebuhr mentions, that among the public buildings of Kahira are places for MARK, X. 131 drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily 1 say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend i one of these little one? t;i2.! believe in me, it is better for him that a mill- stcse were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And jif thy hand k offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire thai never shall be quenched : 44 Where l their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot m offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched : 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye m offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire : 43 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire n is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice ° shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good : but if the salt p have lost his salt- ness, wherewith will ye season it? Have ' shalt love thy neighbour as thyself There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. s Ru.1.11, 13. t lCo.15. 45. 53. ii Ex.3.6. v ver.21. w Mat.22. 35. x De.6.4.5. Lu. 10.27. O every fa- culty should be employ- ed, every energy of the soul roused, in the feeling and ex- pression of love to Him. y Le.19.13. Mat.22. 39. Ro.13.9. Vcr. 24. Do ye not therefore err. — [As the five books of Moses were the only Scriptures which the Sudducees admitted as divine, our Lord confutes them by an appeal to these Books, and proves that they were ignorant of those very writings which they professed to hold sacred. In Avoda Zara, and San- Jiedrim, it is said, " These are they which shall have no part in the world to come : those who say, the Lord did not come from heaven ; and those who •say, the resurrection cannot be proved out of the Law." Our Lord not only rectified their opinions, but so explained the doctrine, as to overthrow the erro- neous decision of the Pliarisees, that if two brother's married one woman, she should be restored at the resurrection to the Jii'st.] — Bagster. Ver. 29. The Lord our God is one Lord.— This passage in the Greek is quo- ted literally from the LXX. of Deut. vi. 4. The word Lord in Greek is Ku- rios. but in Hebrew Jehovah. The passage in both Testaments is translated as a single proposition ; but the best critics in both places divide it into two, thus: " Jehovah our Elohim, Jehovah is one." So Ainsworth : or as in the LXX. and this verse, " The Lord is our God ; the Lord is one ;" Kurios here, as generally, answering to Jehovah. So Vitringa, Campbell, Doddridge, &c. Dr. Lighr foot remarks, that our Lord here quotes to the Jews one of the texts inscribed on their phylacteries. Ver. 32. Well, Master, thou hast said the truth.— Doddridge, "Truly, Master, thou hast spoken well." For there is one God. — " God" (Theos) is wanting in the Alexandrian and three other ancient MSS.. besides many others ; 140 MARK, Xffl. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. z De.4.39. ls.45.5,6, 14. 46.9. a ISa. 15.22 Ho. 6.6. Mi.6.6..£ fc Mat.22. 46. c Mat.22. 41. Lu.Q0.41, &c. d 2 Sa.23.2. 2Ti.3.16. e Ps.110. 1. f 3.4.2. g Mat.23.1. Lu.20.46, &c. h Lu. 11.43. i 2Ti.3.6. j Lu.21.1, &c. k apiece of brass see Mat. 10.9. 1 7th part of that piece of brass money. m2Cc.8.2, 12. n lCh.29. 3,17. 2 Ch.24. 10. o De.24.6. hast said the truth : for there is one God ; an^ z there is none other but he : 33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is a more than all whole burnt-oflferings and sacrifices. 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him b any question. 35 51 And c Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David ? 36 For David himself said by d the Holy Ghost, The e Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. 37 David therefore himself calleth him Lord ; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. 38 IF And he said unto them fin his doctrine, Beware s of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market-places, 39 And h the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts : 40 Which devour widows' » houses, and for a pretence make long prayers : these shall receive greater dam- nation. 11 IT And j Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast k money into the treasury : and many that were rich cast in much. 42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two l mites, whieh make a farthing. 43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That m this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury : 44 For all they did cast in of their n abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all «-* her living. CHAPTER XIII. I Christ fovetelleth the destruction of the temple : 9 the persecutions for the gos- pel : 10 that tl>e gospel nmst be preaclied to all nations : 14 that great calami- ties shall happen to the Jews: 24 and the manner of his coming to judgment 32 the hour whereof being known to none, every man is to watch a-nd pray, that we be not found unprovided, when he eotneth to each one particularly by death. ND ■ as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what man- Mb". A ner of stones and what buildings are here} CHAP. 13. a Mat.24.1, &c. Ln.21.5, &c. &nd in several ancient versions* It must, however, be necessarily understood unless we supply, instead of it, Kurios, or Jehovah, as Parkh urst does. Ver. 41. Cast money into the treasury.— Marg. " Brass money ;" answer- ing to our copper; but it is difficult to state the exact value of these pieces, as they were of different sizes, and changed their value with time and circum- stances. It is probable the Fbarisees gave large pieces of brass, instead of small silver, as making a greater chink. These are supposed to be nearly iA' the value of our sixpence, and much, or many of these brass pieces, would make a great sound. Chap. XI11. Ver. 1—23. And as he went out oj the temple, &c— For the corresponding predictions of Matthew, see cbap. xxiv. 1—23. Ver. 1. See what manner. — [Tacitus applies to the temple the terms im- ii $ MARK, XIII. 143 A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings ? b there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 < JT And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be ful- filled ? 5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take c heed lest any man deceive you : 6 For many shall come din my name, saying, I am Christ ; and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be e ye not troubled : for such things must needs be; but the end shall not beyet. 8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : and there shall be earthquakes in d»vers places, and there shall be famines and troubles : these are the beginnings of f sorrows. 9 But take heed to yourselves : for they s shall deliver you up to councils ; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten : and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10 And h the gospel must first be published among all nations. 11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye that speak, but i the Holy Ghost. 12 Now the brother j shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son ; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated k of all men for my name's sake : but he i that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. mensce opulent ice : and Josephus says, " that it was, of all buildings he had seen or heard of, the most wonderful for its size, structure, and magnificence," and states that the " stones were white and strong, fifty feet long, twenty-four broad, and sixteen in thickness."] — Bagster. Ver. 8. These are the beginnings of sorrows. — The margin of our bibles re- marks, that the original word for sorrows imports " the pains of a woman in travail." See Rom. viii. 22. Ver. 9. Councils. — [Sanhedrims, the grand national council, and smaller courts of judicature in each city : see on Mat. v. 22.1 — Bagster. For a tes- timony against them.— So Doddridge. But Campbell renders it "to them/," referring to Mat. xxiv. 14. Both senses are just. The first preachers of the gospel were witnesses for Christ to "rulers and kings ;" and when their wit- ness was rejected, then they became witnesses against them. See chap. vi. verse I'.. Ver. It. Take no thought beforehand.— See note on Mat. vi. 25. It would be a ;?ross perversion of Scripture to apply this, as some have done, to minis- fcerialstudies, as an encouragement to idleness in preachers : but when pre- vented from study, either by the opposition of their enemies, or by the multi- plicity of the labours to which they have in providence been called, and still more under circumstances of persecution— these words have afforded rational sunport and consolation to many, and have been, in some instances, remark- ably fulfilled. b Lu.lQ.44. c Je.29.8. Ep.5.6. 2 Th.2.3. Re.20.7,8. d Ac.5.36.. 39. Un.4.1. Ps27.3. 4*; 1.2. Pi. 3.25. Jn.14.1, 27. f The word in the original importetfr the pains of a wo- man in travail. s Mat. 10. 17,&c. Re. 2. 10. h Mat.28. 19. Re.14.6. i Ac.2.4. 4.8.31. 6.10. j Mi.7.6. lc Lu.6.22. Jn.17.14. 1 Da. 12. 12. Re.2.10. r 142 MARK, XIII. A. M. -1033. A. D. 29. m Da.y.27. n Da. 12. 1. Joel 2.2. c Lu. 17.23. p 2 Pe.3.17. q Da. 12.1. . Zep.1.15. ..17. r Is. 13. 10. 24.20,23. Je.4.23. 2Pe.3.10, 12. Re. 6.12.. 14. 20.11. s Da.7.9..t4 Mat. 16. 27. 2130. c.14.62 Acl.ll. lTh.4.16. 2Th.l.7, '0. Re. 1.7. ( t is. 40 a 14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desola- tion, spoken of m by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the house-top not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house : 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But wo to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days ! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not m the winter. 19 For n in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shaM be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved : but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, °here is Christ ; or, lo, he is there ; believe him not : 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But p take ye heed : behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 TF But in those days, after that ^ tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And r the stars of heaven shall fall, and the pow- ers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And s then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall ga- ther together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree \ When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near : 29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. 30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. 31 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but * my words shall not pass away. 32 IT But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,, neither the Son, but the Father. Ver. 32. Of that day and thathonr — Cainpbelf, " or hour :" which he docs not hesitat e to admit as the true reading, supported hy the most and best MSS. , and ancient versions. Hour being distinguished from day, marks the precise time. Neither the, Sow.— This is parallel to Matthew's expression, "But the Father only ;" the only question is, can lh\a be explained in consistency, with the doctrine of Christ's divinity? Many solutions of this difficulty have been proposed. i The more general, and, as we think, just interpretation is, that though theim man nature of Christ was joined to the divine ; yet, as infinite attributes coui d MARK, XIV 143 33 Take u ye heed, watch and pray : fo-T ye know not when the time is. 34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far ; ourney, who left his house, and gave authority to liis servants, and to every man his work, and com- manded the porter to watch. 35 Watch ye therefore : for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or. at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you v sleeping. 37 And what I say unto you I say unto ail, w Watch. CHAPTER XIV. 1 A conspiracy against Christ. 3 Precious ointment is .poured on his head by a womnn. 10 Judas selietli his Master for money. 12 Christ hims>elf Yoreteiieth now he shall be betrayed by cne of his disciples: 22 after the passover pre- pared, and eaten, insututeth his supper: 26 dechtreth aforehand the flight of all his disciples, and Peter's denial. 43 Judas betrayeth him with a kiss. 46 He is apprehended in the garden, 53 falsely accused, and impiously con- demned ot the Jews' council : 65 sliamef-ully abused by theni : 66 and thrice denied of Peter. AFTER two days was the feast of the passover, . and of unleavened bread : And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. 2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. 3 IT And ? - being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having 3n alabaster box of ointment of b spikenard very pre- cious ; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. u Mat.24. 42. 25.13. Lu. 12.40. 21.34. Ro.13.ll, 12. 1 Th.5.6. Re. 16. 15. v Mat.25.5. w ver. 33,35. CHAP. 14. a Mat 26. 6.&c. L'u.7.37 Jn.12.1, &c b or,jmre n&rd; or, liquid nard. not be communicated to a finite mind, so the soul of Jesus could be no more omniscient than omnipresent ; and therefore might not, at this period, know the precise day and hour here spoken of. This sense is saably defended by Dr. Pije Smith, that we shall present our readers with a short extract or two from his valuable work. After remarking that the " intellectual attainments of Jesus were partly ac- quired by diligence in the use of proper means," but chiefly communicated by the Holy Spirit (Isa. x-i. 2, 3.) he adds, " All the knowledge which his offices required, or to the use of which his commission extended, he unquestionably enjoyed (on earth ;) but beyond this sphere, there is an indefinite field for the acquisition of new knowledge, as well asef higher felicity in his glorified state. ' The Scriptures appear to us, on the ene hand, to teech the existence of such a union as produces a personal oneness ; and on the jther, to exclude the notion of transmutation, or confusion, of the essential properties of either na- ture with respect to the other. It follows that, whatever communication of supernatural qualities, powers, or enjoyments, was made by the indwelling di- vinity to the man Christ Jesus," it was made in various degrees, and on suc- cessive occasions, as the divine wisdom iudged fit ; and this necessary limit- ation would apply to times or seasons which the Father has put in his own power, (Acts i. 7,) "as mach as to any other conceivable class of objects." Messiah, vol. ii. It is no part of the prophetic office— nor of the ministry of angels, nor of the commission of Christ, to gratify men's curiosity. " After all, what more real difficulty presents itself in this case, than in that where Jesus is said to have increased in wisdom? Luke ii. 52. If he did possess a nature really human, that nature was capable, of course, of progressive improvement and knowledge. And there is no proper method, as it appears to me, of solving the difficulty, as the text stands, but by appropriating, as in other cases, the ex- pression to that nature, of which the assertion made«an be predicated." Stu- arts Letters. Ver. 35. At evtn, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morn- ing.—" These are the four night watches, answering with us to the hours of nine and twelve at night, and three and six in the morning." — Campbell. Chap. XIV. Ver. 1— 11. After two days— So Mat. xxvi. 2—16. Ver. 3. An alabaster box.— So called, as Parkhurst thinks, from their being made of alabaster stone. And she brake.— Campbell, "Brake open" the I r, 144 MARK, XIV. A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. c See Mat. 18.28. d D&15.U. if she had known any bet- ter way of ex- pressing her love and ho- nour to me, she would have chosen it. * Mat.26. 14,&c. Lu.22.3, &c. f Jn.13.2. g 1 Ki.21.20 Pr.1.10.. 16. h Ex. 12. 8, &c. l or, tacru Jiced. j c. 11.2,3. He.4.13. k Jn. 11.28. 13.13. 1 Re. 3 20. mJn.16 4. 4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made ? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred c pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. 6 And Jesus said, Let her alone ; why trouble ye her ? she hath wrought a good work on me. 7 For d ye have the poor with you always, and when- soever ye will ye may do them good : but me ye have not always, 8 She hath done what, she could : she is come afore- hand to anoint my booy to the burying. 9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial /?ofher. 10 IT And f Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray f him unto them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him ° money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. 12 IT And the first day of h unleavened bread, when they i killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover ? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go j ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water : follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the good man of the house, The Master k saith, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat l the passover with my disciples ? 15 And he will show you a large upner room furnish- ed and prepared : there make ready for us. 16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found m as he had said unto them : and they made ready the passover. 17 And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18 And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I box. Probably it was somehow sealed; as bottles often are with us, to prevent evaporation. See Harmer. Ver. 5. Three hundred pence.— About $41,50 of our money. Ver. 8. She hath done ivhat.—V It appears to me more probable," says Dr. Doddridge, "that Matthew and Mark should have introduced this story out of its place ; that Lazarus, if he made this feast, (which is not expressly said by John,) should have made use of Simon's house, as more convenient ; and that Mary should have poured this ointment on Christ's head and body, as well as on his feet ; than that, within the compass of four days, Christ should have been twice anointed with so costly a perfume ; and that the same fault 3hould be found with the action, and the same value set upon the ointment, and the same words used in defence of the woman, and all this in the presence of many of the same persons : all which improbable particulars must be admitted, if the stories be considered as different." The rebuke which Judas received from Christ at this unction determined him in his resolution to betray his Master : and, therefore, Christ's rebuke, and Judas's revenge, are united, as cause ana effect, by Matthew and Mark.l— Bagster. Ver. 12—26. And the first day of unleavened tread, when they killed, &c. —The passage paraJel to this section is Mat. xxvi. 17—25. MARK, XIV. 145 say unto you, One of you which eateth n with me shall belray me. 19 And. they began to be sorrowful, and to say untoi him one by one, Is it I ? and another said, Is it 1 1 20 And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him : but wo to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed ! good ° were it for that man if he had never been born. 22 ir And p as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said,Take, Hll says, " There are not many wor.ils in Scripture which have undergone n, ore interpretations than this term idpibalon.) Our translators give two of those in the margin. 1. " He went abundantly." 2. "He began to weep." 3. Dod- dridge reads, " Covering (his head) he went out," 's sufferings meritorious."] — Bagster. Ver. 37. Gr led with a loud trice, &c— viz. Father, into thy hands I com- mend my spit it. Vcr ; 42. When the even was come.— The Hebrews speak of two evenings. The former commenced about three o'clock, the latter at six. As the sabbath began soon after this, the preparation must have begun soon after three (when Jesus died) on the Friday afternoon. Ver. 43. An honourable counsellor. — Campbell, " Senator;" i. e. a rncm- J MARK, XVI. 151 which also x waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a 7 stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. CHAPTER XVI. ] An angel declareth the resurrection of Christ to three women. 9 Christ him- self appeareth to Mary Magdalene : 12 to two going into the country : 14 then to the apostles, 15 whom he sendeth forth to preach the gospel : 19 and as- cendeth into heaven. A ND a when the sabbath was past, Mary Magda- -^*- lene, and Mary the mother of James, and Sa- lome, had bought sweet b spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away : for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they w r ere affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is c risen ; he is not ' here ; behold the pl^ce where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter /? that A. M. 4033. A. D. 29. x Lu.2.25, 38. y c. 16.3,4. CHAP. IS a Mat.28.1, &c. Lu.24.1, &c. Jn.20.1, &c. b Lu.23.56. c Ps.71.20. more es- pecially, lest he should think Christ had re- jected him for his denial of him ; and be- cause he had need of extra- ordinary comfort, by reason of his ex- traordina- ry sorrow for his fad. ber of the Sanhedrim. Waited for the kingdom of God—i. e. for the ma- nifestation of the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah. Ver. 46. And rolled a stone.— Doubtless by the assistance of nis servant*:. Chap. XVI. Ver. I. And when the sabbath was past— That is, soon after six or. the Saturday evening. Mary Magdalene, &c. — These verses are pa- rallel with the first eight of the last chapter of Matthew. Ver. 2. And very early.— [ West supposes, that the women made two differ- ent visits to the sepulchre ; and in consequence of that, two distinct reports to the disciples ,— that Mary Magdalene, with the other Mary and Salome, set out not only early, but very early in the morning, before the time appointed tj meet Joanna and the other women there. (Lu. xxiv. 10.) This interpreta- tion, which is adopted by several eminent writers, is very probable, and recon- ciles the apparent, discrepancy in the Evangelists. \—Bagster. Ver. 5. A young man sitting. — [Tins appears to have been a different an- gel from that mentioned by St. Matthew. The latter sat in the porch of the tomb, and had assumed a terrible appearance to over-awe the guard ; (Mat. xxviii. I.;) but this appeared as a young man, within the sepulchre, in the in- ner apartment. The two angels spoken of by St. John (chap. xx 11.) appeared some time after these ; but whether they were the same or different cannot be ascertained ; neither can it be affirmed that the angels which manifested them- S' Ives to the second party of women, recorded by St. Luke, (ch. xxiv. 4.) were the same or different.} — Bagster. Ver. 7. And Peter, &c— Particularly tell Peter, "lest he be swallowed up with over much sorrow." Tims the Lord raises up the bowod down. L— . ~- - , , ^- .,.,--., .... ■ ■ -I ■ ,. fen 152 MARK XVI. A. M. 4033. A, D 29. d Lu.24.13. e Lu.24.36. 1 Co. 15.5. f or, to- gether. g Lu.24.25. h Mat.28. 19. Jn.20.21. i Ro.10.18. Col.1.23. j Jn.3.18,36 Ac.16.3l.. 33. Ro.10.9. 1 Pe.3.21. k Jn. 12.48. 2Th.2l2. 1 Lu.10.17. Ac. 5. 16. 8.7. 16.18. 19.12. m Ac.2.4. 10.46. lCo.12. 10,28. n L «. 10. 19. Ac.28.5. o Ac.5.15, 16. 28.8. Ja.5. 14,15 p Ac. 1.2,3. Lu.24.51. q Ps.110.1. 1 Pe.3.22. Re. 3. 21. r Ac.5.12. 143. He.2.4. he goeth before you into Galilee : there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre ; for they trembled and were amazed : nei- ther said they any thing to any man ; for they were afraid. 9 fT Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 IT After that he appeared in another form unto d two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue : nei- ther believed they them. 14 TT Afterward e he appeared unto the eleven as they sat f at meat, and upbraided them with their un- belief s and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go i» ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every » creature. 16 He j that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but k he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In i my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak m with new tongues ; 18 They shall take up n serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they ° shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 "ft So then p after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat q on the right hand of God. , i 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the r Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Ver. 9—20. Noio when Jesus was risen, &c— These twelve verses are wanting in many MSS., and in the canons of Eusebitis : but they are in the Alexandrian MSS.; seven of them, at least, in the Codex Beza ; in the old Syriac, the Arabic, the Vulgate, and the old Italic, and other ancient versions, and in the Commentaries or Theophylact. They are quoted by Ambrose, Au- gustin, and Leo, styled the Great ; and verse 19 in particular, is so cited by Irenczus in the second century, as giving room to believe they were all in his copy. See Home's Introduction, 4th edition, vol. iv. p. 254, &c. Ver. 15. Every creature.— The commission itself is here somewhat more generally expressed, than in St. Matthew: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature :"— i. e. of the human race. Ver. 18. They shall take up serpents, &c— lit is fully asserted here, that the Apostles of our Lord should not lose their life by poison, and there is neither record nor tradition to disprove it. But it. is worthy of remark, that Moham- med, who styled himself the apostle of God, lost his life by poison ; and, had he been a true prophet, or a true apostle of God, lie would not have fallen into the snare. \—Bagster. CONCLUDING REMARKS ON MARK. Mark, the writer of the preceding Gospel, was doubtless born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Levi, and the line of the priesthood. He was sister's son to Peter, and by some is thought to have been one of the 70 disciples ; while others suppose, that he was converted by Peter's ministry ; but, perhaps, there is no other reason for this, than because he calls him his son.— Mark was constantly with Peter; he accompanied his apostolical progress, ai.fl preached tlie Gospel in Italy and at Rome ; where, at the request of the Cluis- tians of those parts, he composed and wrote his Gospel. By Peter he was sent into Egypt, there to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. Eusebius says, that so great was the success of his ministry, that he was instrumental in converting multitudes of men and women. The vigilant enemy of the souls of men would not allow his success to he uninterrupted ; accordingly, when at Alexandria, the multitudes heing assembled for their idolatrous solemni- ties, broke, in upon him during his engagements in the service of God's house, and binding his hands and feet with cords, dragged him through the streets until his flesh was dreadfully lacerated and his blood gushed out : nature sunk under si ch tortures, and he soon became a sacrifice to the rage of an infuriated and persecuting populace. Tradition states that Mark was of a middle size and stature, hfs nose long, his eyebrows turning back, his eyes graceful and amiable, his head bald, his beard long and gray, his gait quick, and the consti- tution of his body strong and healthy. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [Luke, to whom this Gospel has been uniformly attributed from the earliest ages of the Christian Church, is generally allowed to have been " the heloved physician" mentioned by St. Paul ; (Col. iv. 14.;) and as he was the compa- nion of that Apostle, in all his labours and sufferings, for many years, (Acts xvi. 12. xx. 1—6 ; xxvii. 1,2; xxviii. 13—16. 2 Ti. iv. 11. Phil. 24.) and wrote " the Acts of the Apostles," which conclude with a brief account of St. Paul's imprisonment at Rome, we may be assured that he had the Apostle's sanction to what he did ; and probably this Gospel was written some time before that event, about A. D. 63 or 64, as is generally supposed. He would appear, from Col. iv. 10, 11., and his intimate acquaintance with Ihe Greek language, as well as from his Greek name Loukas, to have been of Gentile extraction ; and ac- cording to Eusebius and others, he was a native of Antioch. But, from tht* Hebraisms occurring in his writings, and especially from his accurate know- ledge of the Jewish rites, ceremonies, and customs, it is highly probable that he was a Jewish proselyte, and afterwards converted to Christianity. Though he may not have been, as some have affirmed, one of the seventy disciples, and an eye-witness of our Saviour's miracles, yet his intercourse with the Apostles, and those who were eye-witnesses of the works, and ear-witnesses of the words of Christ, renders him an unexceptionable witness, if considered merely as a historian ; and the early and unanimous reception of his Gospel as divinely inspired, is sufficient to satisfy every reasonable person.]— Bagstei CHAPTER I. A. M. 4069 1 The preface of Luke to his whole gospel. 5 The conception of John the Baptist. 26 and of Christ. 39 The prophecy of Elisabeth., and of Mary, con- cerning Christ. 57 The nativity and circumcision of John. 67 The prophecy of Zachary, both of Christ, 76 and of John. FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning a were eye-witnesses, and ministers of b the word ; A. D. 64. :hap. i Jn.15.2" He.2.3. 1 Pe.5.1. SPe.l.U 1 Jn.1.1. Ro.15.16. Ep.3.7. 4.11,12. Chap. I. Ver. 1. Have taken in hand — i. e. have undertaken. To set forth in order.— Doddridge, " To compose the history ;" Campbell, " a narrative :" so Boothroyd. Of those things that are most surely believed.— Dod- dridge, " Have been confirmed among us with the fullest evidence ;" — Camp- bell and Boothroyd. " Which have been accomplished • i "—Parkhurst t " Ful- ly proved," or, " confirmed with the fullest evidence." Ver. 2. Ministers of the word.— Gr. "The Logos," which term St. John, in the preface to his Gospel, applies personally to Christ; but. as the same term is by all the Evangelists applied to the Gospel, either preached or written, we think it would be wrong here to restrict its meaning. IW^r; , ■,- Jj »s 164 A. M 4DG9. A. D. 64. c Ac.11.4. d Ac. 1.1. e Jn.20.31. A. M. 3999. B. C. 6. { Mat.2.1. g 1 Ch.24. Nfi.12.4, 11. h Ge.7.1. 1 Ki.9.4. 2 Ki.20.3. i lCo.11.2. Ph. 3. 6. j Ex.30.7,8 k Le.16.17. 1 Ex.30.1. Re.8.3,4. mJu. 13.22. ver.29. n ver. 60,63. o ver. 58. p c.7.28. q Nu.6.3. r Je.1.5. LUKE, I. 1 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in c order, most excellent d Thecphilus, 4 That thou mightest know e the'certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 5 HPHERE was in the days of f Herod, the king -*- of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of S Abia : and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous h before God, walk- ing in all the commandments and ordinances i of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course. 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was J to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were pray- ing k without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar i of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw /am, he was m troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him. Fear not, Zacha- rias : for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shaft call his name n John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness ; and many shall rejoice ° at his birth. 15 For he shall be great P. in the sight of the Lord, and shall Q drink neither wine nor strong drink; and hp shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even r from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. Ver. 3. Having had perfect understanding.— Doddridge and Campbell, " Having accurately (or exactly) traced all things from the first," or from their origin. It svemed good to me also. . . . to write unto thee in order.— Campbell, "A particular account;" Doddridge, " An orderly account." From this expression, some have understood that St. Luke meant to pay par- ticular attention to the order in which the several events occurred : this, how- ever, does not appear to have been the case in every instance ; hut he certainly gives a longer series of events, beginning from " the very first," the vision of Zacharias, and continuing his narrative to the ascension of our Saviour into heaven, which neither Matthew nor John mention ; which Mark indeeJ men- tions, but Luke only describes. From the very first.— Some render the Greek (anothen) " from above," and found thereon an argument for Luke'a inspira- tion ; but as the term is equivocal, we think, with Doddridge, it is too wes'i au- thority to support an inference so important. Most excellent Theophiius —A noted Christian, to whom Luke directs his Gospel and Acts of the Apos'ifos. Some think that this name means any lover of God. Ver. 5. Herod, the king of Judea— That is, " Herod the Great." Zacha- rias, of the course of Abia.— This was one of the 24 courses into which Da- vid divided the priests, and that of which Abia, or Abijah, was the head. Com- pare 1 Ch. xxiii. 6 ; xxiv. 10 Ver. 13. John —This name, Heb. Johanan, occurs about thirty times in the Old Testament, ind properly signifies the grace and favour of the Lord. Dod- dridgt. Ver. 11 Rejoice at his birth— As the forerunner of the Messiah. Ver. 15. Even from his mother's womb.— See ver. 41. I I I 155 A. M. 3999. B. C. 6. LUKE, I. 17 And s he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient '- to the wisdom u of the just ; to make ready a people v prepared for the Lord. 18 IT And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for W I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am * Gabriel that stand in the presence of God ; and am sent y to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be z dumb, arid not able to speak, until the day that these things shall' be per- formed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvel- led that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them : and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple : for he beckoned unto them, and re- mained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that^ as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 TT And after those days his wife Elisabeth concei- ved, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take a away my reproach among men. 2C IT And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin b espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, Ver. 17. To turn the hearts, &c— This is a quotation from Mai. iv. 6, which see. The only doubt remaining in the text seems to be, whether the passage should be rendered as in our translation, which implies reconciliation and har- mony among the people ; or, as Doddridge renders it, to " convert the hearts of the fathers with the children," which implies the preparation of the people for Messiah. As these senses are not inconsistent, the question is not im- portant. Ver. IS. lam Gabriel— The same as appeared to Daniel (chap. viii. 16; ix. 21.) That stand in the presence of God— -Which implies high rank. See note on Mat. xviii. 10. Ver. 20. Thou shalt be dumb—[\. e. silent; for in this case there was nc natural imperfection or debility of the organs of speech, as in dumbness, and the fol- lowing words, thou shalt not be able to speak, may be regarded as merely ex- pletive. This was at once a proof of the severity and mercy of God : of se- verity, in condemning him to nine months' silence for his unbelief; ot'metcy, in rendering his punishment temporary, and the means of making others re- joice in the events predicted.]— Bagster. Ver. 22. Speechless.— Perhaps both deaf and dumb ; for when the father came to the circumcision, instead of asking verbally by what name he should be called, they " made signs" to him, ver. 62. Ver. 23. The days of his ministration— Thai is, his week, during which he was rut allowed to leave the precincts of the temple. Ver. sa. And after those days — That is, when he returned to his own house. And hid herself— Meaning, lived a very retired life, her husband being deaf and dumb ; and not disclosing her situation, probably, to any one, till she re- ceived the visit of her cousin Mary. Ver. 25. To take away my reproach— That is, of barrenness. s Jn.1.34. t or, by. % Ps.111.13 Mat. 11. 14. 19.26. Ma. 9. 12. Rc.4.21. v 1 Pe.2.9. wGe.17.17. x Da.8.16. ver.26. y He. 1.14. z Eze.3.26. a Ge.30.23. 1 Sa.1.6. ls.54.1,1. A. M. 4000. B. C. 5. b Mat.1.18. LUKE^L thou that art e highly d favoured, the e Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him. she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of saluta- tion this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary : for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou fshalt conceive in thy womb,and bring forth a son, and shalt cail his name JESUS. 32 He shall be s great, and shall be called the i> Son of the Highest : and the Lord God shall give unto him the i throne of his father David : 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; and J of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man ? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called k the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age ; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For i with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the m handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me according n to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 39 IT And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into ° a city of Juda ; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb ; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost : 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed p art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord Q should come to me ? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb q m> 13 13 for jo y. Ver. 29. She was troubled. — Doubtless alarmed at. seeing a stranger in her apartment, and not less so, if the splendour which attended him (as is proba- ble) marked him to be a messenger from heaven. Ver. 32. He shall he great.— Son of the highest, the true and essential Son of God, the promised Messiah.— These words of the angel have evidently a re- ference to various prophecies of the Old Testament, particularly Ps. Ixxii. Ver. 35. That holy thing— & noun is evidently to be understood : Dod- dridge supplies " offspring," and Campbell, " progeny ;" but the simple term " child" is more in harmony with the style of Scripture. Ver. 39. A city of Juda.— [This was most, probably Hebron, a city of the priests, and situated in the hill country of Judea, about 25 miles south of Je- rusalem, and nearly one hundred from Nazareth. Such was the intense de- sire of 'Marys mind to visit and communicate with her relative Elisabeth, that she scrupled not to undertake this long journey to effect her purpose. 1 — B. Ver. 44. The babe leaped in my loomb for joy.— This seems to justify a literal intetpretation of ver. 15. 156 A. M. 4000. B. C. 5. c or, gra- ciously accepted ; or, rnuc.i graced. d Do.9 23. e Ju.6.12. f Is.7.11. Mat. 1.21. s Mat. 12. 42. h He.l.2..8. i 2Sa.7.11, 12. Is.9.6,7. j Da.7.14, 27. Mi.4.7. k Ma. 1.1. 1 Mal.4.5,6. mPs.116. 16. nPs. 119.38. o Jos.21.9.. 11. p Ju.5.24. ver. 23. LUKE. I. 157 45 And blessed is she r that believed ; for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 TT And Mary said, My s soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced «• in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the u low estate of his hand- maiden : for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me v blessed. 49 For he that is mighty w hath done to me great * things ; and holy y is his name. 50 And z his mercy is on them that fear him from i generation to generation. 51 He a hath showed strength with his arm ; he hath scattered the b proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He c hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He d hath filled the hungry with good things ; and the rich he hath sent empty aw r ay. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in e remem- brance of his mercy ; 55 As he spake f to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 IT Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered ; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and tier cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her ; and they s rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to p^ss, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child ; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so ; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kin- dred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is h John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth i w r as opened immediately, and his tongue loosed^ and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them : and all these J sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea. A. M. 4000. 15. C. 5. r or, which believed that there shall be. s 1 Sa.2.1. Ps.34.2.3. t Ps.35.9. Ha.b3.la u Ps. 136.23 v Mal.3.12. c 11.27; wGe.17.1. x Ps.7l.21. 126.2,3. Kp.3.20. y Ps. 111.9. z Ge.17.7. Ex.20.6. Ps.103,17. a Ps.ys.i. Is.51.ft 52.10. 63.5. b 1 Sa.2.9. Da. 4.37. c Job 5.11. c.18.14. d 1 Sa.2.5. e Ps.98.3. f Ge.17.19. Ps.132.11. g ver. 14. h ver. 13. i rer.20. j or, things. Ver. 45. She tliat believed.— Meaning Mary, who " stumbled not at the pro- mise through unbelief," as Zacharias seems to have done. Ver. 43. All generations shall call me blessed.— This has been literally fid- filled, and in the church of Rome carried to idolatrous excess. Ver. 52. He hath put down— {Rather, "He hath taken away, or snatched the mighty from their throne ;" which is well expressed by Seneca, " Who bestoweth kingdoms on the wretched, and plucketh them away fnm the noble 1 ' or exalted.]— Bagster. Ver. 63. A writing table.— Doddridge, " Tablet ;" Campbell, '* Table book." This was a piece of board covered with wax, or, in some cases, with sand, on which they wrote with a metal or wooden style or pen. His name is John. •—It was customary at the time of circumcision for the father to name the child ; and this was not an uncommon name under the Old Testament, though our translators there render it Johanan. 14 ment, tnougn i A. M. 4000. B. C. 5. k c.2.19,51. 1 Ps.80.17. mPs.72.18. n Ps.Ul.9. o Je.23.5,6. Da.9.24. |» Is.54.7.. 17. Je.30.10, 11. q Le.26.42. Ps. 105.8.. 10. Eze.lS.60 r Ge.22.16, 17. 6 Ro.6.22. t Tit2.ll, 12. 1 Pe.1.14, 15. u Re.2.10. v Mal.3.1. w or, for. x Ac. 5.31 y or.bowels of the mercy. 7, or. sun- rising'ox, branch. lsll.l. Zec.3.8. 6. 12. a Is.9.2. 49.9. CHAP. 2. a or, en- rolled. LUKE, II. 158 66 And all they that heard them laid them up .kin their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be ! And the hand. i of the Lord was with him. 67 IT And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed m be the Lord God of Israel ; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation n for us in the house of his servant David ; 70 As he spake ° by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began : 71 That we should be saved p from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us ; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to .4G.30. p Is.57.2. Re. 14. 13. q Is.52.10. e.3.6. Ac.4.12. r Is.42.6. 49.6. 60.3. Ac. 13. 47, 48. s Is.8.14. Ro.9.32, 33. 1 Co.1.23, 24. 2Co.2.16. lPe.2.7,8. t Ac.23.22. u Jn.19.25. v Ju.5. 15, 16. 1 Co.ll. 19. wAc.26.7. 1 Ti.5.5. x ver.25. y or, Is? net. Ver. 24. A pair of turtle-doves. — [One was for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering. The rich were required to bring a lamb : but the poor and middling classes were required to bring either two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. This is a proof of the comparative poverty of Joseph and Mary ; and shows that this event occurred before the offering of the Magi, which would have enabled them to offer a lamb.]— Bagster. Ver. 25. The consolation of Israel.— A common name for the Messiah. Gill. Ver. 26. Should not see death.— [To see death, is a Hebraism for to die. Vs. Ixxxix. 49.]— Bagster. Ver. 37. Fourscore and four years— That is, of her life. Grotius. But Doddridge refers it to the period of her widowhood, in which case she must be above a century old. Ver. 38. That looked for redemption, &c— i. e. who expected the coming of the Messiah. Ver. 39. And to hen.— Campbell, " After" they had performed, &c. To their oicn city Nazareth.— By comparing Mat. ii. it will be seen that Luke J 162 LUKE, II. A. M. 4001. B. C. 4. z Is. 11. -2,3. ver.52. A. M. 4012. A. D. 8. a Ex.23.15. De.16.1. Ps. 119.99. Mat.7.8. Ma. 1.22. c.4.22,32. Jn.7.15, 46. c J n.5. 17. 9.4. ing to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled z with wisdom : and the grace of Goo. was upon him , 41 IT Now his parents went to Jerusalem every a year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they re- turned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem ; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the com- pany, went a day's journey ; arid they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding b and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed : and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy father and I have sought ihee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me 1 wist ye not that I must be about c my Father's business ? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. has omitted the whole narralive of the Magi, and the flight into Egypt, which probably occupied two or three years at least : indeed, we have no farther ac- count of Jesus till his attending the passover, ver. 22. — [Nazareth, now Nas- sara, was a small town of Zehulun, in Lower Galilee, according to Eitsebius, fifteen miles east of Legio, near mount Tabor, and, according to D'Arvieux, about eight leagues, or according to Maundrell, seven hours, or about twenty miles south-east of Acre. It is one of the principal towns of the pashalic of Acre, containing a population of about 3000 souls, of whom 500 are Turks, the remainder being Christians. It is delightfully situated on elevated ground., in a valley, encompassed by mountains.]— Bagster. Ver. 40. Strong in spirit.— See chap. i. 80. And the grace of God was upon him.—\n other words, " filled with the Holy Ghost," meaning the spirit of wisdom and devotion ; for it does not appear that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were bestowed on the man Christ Jesus until his baptism, ch. iv. 1. Ver. 41. His parents loent. — The law obliged only the males to attend the great feasts, (Exod. xxiii. 17,) yet females were not forbidden to attend. Ver. 42. And when he toas twelve years old. — This is understood to he the period at which youth were required to attend the temple worship, and from which period they were brought under the yoke of the law, and were denomi- nated sons of the covenant." Wotton and Lightfoot. Ver. 44. Went a day's journey— That is, before they missed him : then they inquired among the party with whom they travelled, which probably was numerous, and on the third day, returning to the city, found him in the temple, ver. 46. Ver. 46. After three days.— That this phrase was to the Jews equivalent to " on the third day," is evident from Mat. xxvii. 64, and note. Ver. 48. And when they saw him— That is, his parents, they also were amazed. It is observable that Mary here speaks, to hereon Jesus, of Joseph as his father ; which he was, both legally and in courtesy, though not in fact. Ver. 49. Wist (i. e. knew) ye not that I must be about my Father's busi- ness?— Doddridge and Campbell, "At my Father's." So the Syriac, and many able critics. 1 r LUKE, III. 163 51 TF And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them : but his mo- ther kept d all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased e in wisdom and f stature, and in favour with God and man. CHAPTER III. 1 The preaching and baptism of John : 15 his testimony of Christ. 20 Herod imprisoneth John. 21 Christ baptized, reeeiveth testimony from heaven. 23 The age anil genealogy of Christ from Joseph upwards. NOW in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius ' Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region ofTracho- nitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas a and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And b he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance c for the remis- sion of sins ; 4 xA.s it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the d prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth ; 6 And e all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, f O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits s worthy of repentance, i A. M. 4012. A. D. 8. d Da 7.23. ver. <9. e lSa.^26. ver. 40. f or, age. CHAP. 3. A. M. 4030. A. D 26. a Jn.ll.49. 51. 18.13. Ac. 4.6. b Mat.3.1. Ma. 1.4. e c.1.77. d Is. 40.3. e Ps.98.2. Is. 40.5. 49. G. 52.10. Ro.10.12. 18. f Mat.3.7. g or, meet for. Chap. III. Vor. 1. In the fifteenth year of Tiberius. — There is doubtless some difficulty in reconciling this with the Roman history. Lardner has con side red the various solutions offered, at considerable length; and Doddridge, having reviewed his arguments, aerees with. him that Christ was bom in Sep- tember, the year of Rome 749 (Julian Period 4709,) and reckons these 15 years, not from the death of Augustus, but from Tiberius being received into the government three years before, which brings John's entrance on his mission to the spring of 779 ; and supposing Jesus baptized about a year after, he would then be bur a few months over 30 years of age, as Lardner calculates. Pon- tius Pi'ate being governor (or procurator) of Judea.— Herod the Great, as we have seen. Blat. ii. 19, 22, dying that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and lie that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans J to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact k no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, say- ing, And what shall we do? and he said unto them, i Do violence to no man, neither accuse any "'falsely; and be content n with your ° wages. 15 II And as the people were p in expectation, and all men Q mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not ; 1(3 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire : 17 Whose r fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and £ will gather the wheat into his garner ; but the <■ chaff' he will burn u with fire un- quenchable. 18 And many other things in his exhortation preach- ed he unto the people. 19 IT But v Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. the Jewish nation, and is styled, on account of his confidence in the promises of God, the lather of the faithful. Ver. 14. Do violence to no man. — Doddridge, "Terrify no man." And be content with your wages.— It is well known that soldiers often mutinied on this ground. And those who were the most ready tools to oppress others, were the most sturdy in resisting oppression, and even a just subordination to the higher powers. — [Soldiers here mean men actually under anna, or march- ing to battle. Now, as we learn from Josephus that Herod was at this lime engaged in war with Aretas, a king of Arabia. Michaelis concludes, that these military men were a part of Herod's army, tben on its march from Galilee, which must of necessity have passed through the country where John wa3 baptizing. See on Ma. vi. 27.]— Bagster. Ver. 16. Jle shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and ivith fire.— Here is an evident allusion to the pouring "down of tlie Holy Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost. See Acts ii. 3. This, as many think, proves that the term baptism is at least not always used for immersion ; but, sometimes at ieast, forerriision, or pouring down. But on this we speak with tenderness, as our object is to promote Christian harmony and affection ; not controversy on the non-essentials of religion. Ver. 13. He preached unto the people.— This version is defective ; l%rdner remarks, the words may be rendered, " He evangelized (or preached the gos- pel) to the people." Campbell, " He published the good tidings (or gospel) to the people." 1 LUKE, III. 165 21 IT Now when all the people were baptized, it w came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, wliich said, Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am well pleased. 23 IT And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son x of Joseph, which was the son of Hell, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, A. M. 4031). A. D. 26. P the birth of Jesus Christ is Jie great tera from wliich our time is reckoned AnnoDo- mbri ; and the word (Bra itself is forn: ed from the first "let- ters, An- nus crat rcgni Au- gust l, ti £ year of Augus- tus's reign. w Mat. 3. 13,&c. Jn.1.32, &c. x Mat. 13. 55. Jn.6.42. Ver. 21. Now ivhen all the people were baptized— That is, great numbers of them. Ver. 22. In a bodily shape.— Doddridge, " In a corporeal form :" that it was in the form of a dove, however, many doubt. Dr. Daniel Scott supposes it to have been a lambent flame, with a hovering motion ; but the dove seems so fine an emblem of the Holy Spirit, that we see no more exception to this form than that of a tongue of fire, Act? ii. 3. Ver. 23. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age. — Dod- dridge, " And Jesus when beginning (his ministry) was about thirty years old ;" so Lardner. But Campbell (following Groiius and others) reads, "Now Jesus was himself about thirty years in subjugation ;" namely, to his parents. Being (as loas supposed) the son of Joseph.— Joseph being his mother's espoused husband, it was of course supposed by the world, that Joseph must be his father ; but this expression strongly implies the contrary.— (The real father of Joseph was Jacob, (Mat. i. 16;) but having married the daughter of Heli, and being perhaps adopted by him, he was called his son, and as such was entered in the public registers ; Mary not being mentioned, because the Hebrews never permitted the name of a woman to enter their genealogical tables, but inserted her husband as the son of him who was, in reality, but his father-in-law. Hence, it appears that St. Matthew, who wrote principally for the Jews, traces the pedigree of Jesus Christ from Abraham, through whom the promise was given to the Jews, to David, and from David, through the line of Solomon, to Jacob the father of Joseph, the reputed, or legal father of Christ ; and that St. Luke, who wrote for the Gentiles, extends his ffenealoiry up- wards from Heli the father of Mary, through the line of Nathan, to David, and from David to Abraham, and from Abraham to Adam, who was the im- mediate " son of God" by creation, and to whom the promise of the Saviour was given in behalf of himself and all his posterity. The two branches of descent from David, by Solomon and Nathan, being thus united in the per- sons of Mary and Joseph. Jesus the son of Mary re-united in himself all the blood, privileges, and rights, of the whole family of David, in consequence of which he is emphatically called " The son of David.")— Bagster. What may have thrown some considerable difficulty in the way of reconciling these ge- nealogies, is the Hebrew law, which obliged men. in certain cases, to many the widows of their deceased brothers, (sec Deut. xxv. 5, &c.) to whom their children are therefore reckoned. |L= 166 LUKE, IV. A. M. 4030. A. D. 26. v Zee. 12. * 12. 2Sa.5.14. z Ru.4.18, 22. a Ge. 11.24.. 26. b Ge.11.12. z Ge.5.25. d Ge.1.26. 2.7. Is.64.8. 1 Co. 15. 45,47. CHAP. 4. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. a Mat.4.1, &c. Ma. 1.12, &c. ver.14. /? manifest- in? Iiim- selt" so to be, hav- ing com- menced the public exercise of his office. o Ex. 3 1. 23. 1 Ki.19.8. c De.3.3. 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which w as the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of y Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of z Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, w T hich was the son of Isaac, which was the son of a Abraham, w 7 hich was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of b Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of c Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of d God. CHAPTER IV. 1 The temptation and fasting of Christ. 13 He overcometh the devil : 14 begin- neth to preach. 16 The people of Nazareth admire his gracious words. 33 He cureth one possessed of a devil, 33 Peter's mother-in-law, 40 and divers other sick persons. 41 The devils acknowledge Christ, and are reprored for it. 43 He preacheth through the cities. A 1SD a Jesus being full of the /? Holy (^host return- -£»■ ed from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And b m those days he did eat nothing : and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, c It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by everv word of God. 5 And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. Ver. 36. Whichwas the sot. o Cainan, ivhich was the son of Arphaxad, &c— This Cainan is not in the Hebrew genealogy, (Ge. xi. 12,) but is found in the LXX. Whether it was here inserted by Luke, or by some copyist, is not of great importance, since the only question arising from it is, whether Salah was the son or grandson of Arphaxad. --lit may here be remarked, that though some of the same names occur here, from Nathan downwards, as in Joseph's genealogy, yet there appears no sufficient evidence that the same persons were intended, different persons often bearing the same name.]— Bagster. Persons who wish further to study these genealogies, will find abundant learn- ed discussion in Dr. Clarke's Comments on Luke iii., and in Mr. Prebend. TownsencVs New Testament, arranged. Chap. IV. Ver. 5. In a 'moment.— Perhaps meaning, "at a glance," or in one view. It is remarkable that this scene from the mountain, which is placed last in Matthew, is here placed second ; for which we can give no reason. LUKE, IV. 167 ! .( 6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them : for d that is delivei- ed unto me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt e worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan : for f it is written, Thou shalt wor- ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence : 10 For it is written, He ° shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee : 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou h shalt not tempt the Lordthy God. 13 And when the devil had ended all the i tempta- tion, he departed from him for a season. 14 *0" And Jesus J returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee : and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glori- fied of all. 16 5T And he came to k Nazareth, where he had been brought up : and, as his custom was, he i went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 Ana there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The m Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the 11 broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering ° of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are P bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable ' H v 1 Ki.17.9. wJa.5.17. x 2 Ki.5.14. y or, edge. z Ps.37.14. 32.33. a Jn.8.59. 10.39. b Je.23.29. Mat.7.28, 29. Tit.2.15. He.4.12. c Ma. 1.23. d or, away. e Ja.2.19. f ver.4l. g Ps.16.10. Da.9.24. c.1.35. Ac.3.14. me this proverb. Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in l Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No u prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you of a truth, v many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up w three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land ; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And * many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet ; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the y brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down z head- long. 30 But he passing a through the midst of them went his way, 31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. 32 And they were astonished at his doctrine : for his word was with b power. 33 IF And c in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, d Let us alone; what e have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? f I know thee who thou art ; the s Holy One of God. Ver. 25. Elias— Or, Elijah, 1 Kings xvii. 9, &c. Ver. 26. Sarepta.— \ Sarepta, a city of Phoenicia, on the coast of the Medi- terranean, is called Zarphand hy the Arabian geographer Sherif ' Ibn Idris, who places it 20 miles N. of Tyro, and 10 S. of Sidon ; but its real distance from Tyre is about 15 miles, the whole distance from that city to Sidon being only 25 miles. Maundrell states, that the place shown him for this city, called Sarphan, consisted of only a few houses, on the tops of the mountains, with- in about 1-2 a mile of the sea ; between which there were ruins of considera- ble extent.]— Bagster. Ver. 27. Eliseus— Or Elisha, 2 Kings v. 3. Ver. 29. The brow (margin, " edge"") of the hill lohereqn their city was built. — But modern travellers tell us that Nazareth was built in a valley, sur- i rounded by hills. So Dr. Richardson compares it to a delightful basin of earth, surrounded by fifteen mountains. The village, he says, stands on an elevated situation, on the west side of the valley. Now it appears by God- wyn that the law required only an eminence of two cubits high, from which the person stoned must be thrown down, and such an eminence may be found almost any where. Perhaps the original term (ophrus) may be misunderstood. Po- lybius uses it for the " batik of a river," which is generally sloping. (See Jones's Lex.) The human eye-brow, which seems the origin of the term, is not on the top of the forehead, but on the rise ; perhaps, therefore, the true meaning may be, that the city was built on the slope of the hill, from the steepest part of which they meant to precipitate our Lord. What is now called the Mount of Precipitation is, however, full half a league from the village, and difficult of access, which is therefore very unlikely to be the place to which tbe Jews meant to drag our Saviour. Ver. 33. A spirit of an unclean devil— That is, a demon, who was an un- clean spirit : this seems utterly inconsistent with the idea of these demons be- ing diseases. I A 169 A. M. 4031. a. d. 27. h I Pe.3.22. i Mat.8.14, &c. M;i. 1.29, j or, to say that they knew him to be Christ. k Ma. 1.30. LUKE, V. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this ! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, h and they come out. 37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. 38 TT And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house, i And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever ; and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever ; and it left her : and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40 IT Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him ; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. 41 IT And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them, suffered them not J to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. 42 IT And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43 And he said unto them, I must preach the king- dom of God to other cities also : for therefore k am I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. CHAPTER V. 1 Christ teacheth the people out of Peter's ship : 4 in a miraculous taking of fishes, showeth how he will make him and his partners fishers of men : 12 cleunseth the leper: 16 prayeth in the wilderness : 18 healeth one sick of the palsy: 27 ealletn Matthew the publican : 29 eateth with sinners, as being the physician of souls : 34 foretelleth the fastings and afflictions of the apos- tles after his ascension : 35 and likeneth faint-hearted and weak disciples to old bottles and worn garments. ND a it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake : but the Ver. 37. The fame, &c— [The sound ; a very elegant metaphor, says Dr. Adam Clarke. The people are represented as struck with astonishment, and the sound goes out through all the coasts ; in allusion to the propagation of sound by a smart stroke upon any substance.]— Bagster. Ver. 42. When it was day. — Mark says, " A great while before day," which may refer to his rising at the first dawn ; and when the day advanced, Diit pro- bably before sun-rise, he went forth, &c. Ver. 44. Galilee.— [Many of the Jewish traditions, in accordance with Is. ix. ), 2, assert that Galilee was the place where the Messiah should first ap- pear. Thus also Is. ii. 19, " When he shall arise to smite terribly the eath," is expounded in the book Zohar, as referring to the Messiah : " When lie shall arise, and shall be revealed in the land of Galilee." See Schoetgen.]— Bagster. Chap. V. Ver. 1. And it came to pass.. — No particular day or time is here pointed out ; but one day, while he was preaching. — The lake of Gennesaret —Called also'" the sea of Galilee," and " of Tiberias ;" called also in the Old Testament, " the Sea of Cinnereth." Num. xxxiv. [I. Jos. xii. 3. Ver. 2, Tivo ships.— Evidently fishing-barks. Standing— That is, aground ; not afloat. CriAP. 5. a Mat 1.18, &c. Ma. 1.16, &c. 15 170 LUKE, V : A. D. 27. \ b Jn.21.6. Ps. 127. 1,2 Eze.37. 11,12. Ec 11.6. Ga.6.9. Ex.23.5. Ga.0.2 Pr. 13.24. Jn.13.22. 2 Sa.6.9. 1 Ki.17. 18. Is.6.5. g Ps.8.6,8. h Mat.4.20. 19.27. Phi.3.7.8. Mat.8.2, &e. Ma.1.40, &c. I Ki.5.10. 14. k Le.14.4, &c. 1 Mat. 4. 25. Ma.3.7. Jn.6.2. A. m. 4031.1 fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing !' their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 ^T Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, b Launch out into the deep, ana let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken c nothing : nevertheless at thy word I will letdown the net. 6 And d when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes : and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help e them. And they came, ana filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down f at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes s which they had taken : 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Ze- bedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook h all, and followed him. 12 IT And i it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy : who seeing Jesus, fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, say- ing, I will : be j thou clean. And immediately the le- prosy departed from him. 14 And he charged him to tell no man : but go, and show ^hyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses k commanded, for a testimony unto them. 15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him : and l great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. Ver. 3. Thrust out a little.— So that the people on land might hear, without in- commoding him. Sat down, &c— [This account of the calling of Peter and Andrew, James and John, will be found, as Dr. Townson observes, on a near inspection, to tally marvellously with the preceding ones of Matthew and Mark ; and is one of the evidences, that the Evangelists vary only in the number or choice of circumstances, and write from the same idea of the tact, which they lay before w. Though St. Matthew and Mark do not exactly tell us, that St. Peter was in the vessel" when he was called by Christ, they signify as much in saying that he was casting a net into the sea ; and though only St. Luke informs us that James and John assisted Peter in landing the fish, yet. it is implied, for Mark says, that when Christ had gone a liitle_ farther, he saw them mending their nets, which had been torn by the weight offish hauled on shore.]— Bagster. Ver. 8. Depart from me, &c— I am totally unworthy of such manifesta- tions of thy power and glory. See Is. vi. 5. v Ver. 11. They forsook all and followed him,.— They had followed him before, (John i" 43 ;) but not so as to forsake all. Till now they wrought at their ordinary calling." Wesley. ] ~ LUKE, V 16 IT And m he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. 17 il And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that n there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the (3 Lord was present to heal them. 18 o And, behol'd, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him m because of the multitude, they went upon the hous^-top, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when dp saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive p sins, but God alone 1 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he an- swering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts 7 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk ? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and .i3 ..16. liken the men of this generation 1 and to what are they like? 82 They are like unto children sitting in the market- place, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came a neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and yes-ay, He hath a devil. 34 The b Son of man is come eating and drinking ; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine- bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But c wisdom is justified of all her children. 36 If And done of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a e sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipethe-m with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee, which had 1 bidden him - , saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if f he were a prophet r would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him : for she is a s sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debt>' ors : the one owed five hundred h pence,, and theo?!u-r fifty. 42 And when they had nothing t to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most ? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that ke. \o whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou has rightly j judged. I i Ver. 3fi. And mt doion to meat.— 'The word means strictly, to Yedine; Campbell (probably to avoid the apparent strangeness of the word reclining) renders it. " Placed himself at table." That the reclining picture is intended, is perfectly clear from ver. 38. Ver. 37. Which was— Doddridge, " had been"— a sinner— Tkut is noto- riously so. An alabaster box. -Sen Mat. xxvi. 7. Ver. 38. And stood at his feet behind.— Tlie ancients- placed themselves along a couch- on their sides, supporting their beads with one arm, bent al f.l e elbow, and resting on the coach: with the otlv-r they took their food uj d were supported at the back by cushions. Their feet, u§ course, were ae*vssv hie to any one whr, came behind the conch. Wakefield. To wash hh feet with tears.— Doddridge, " To water his feet with a shower of tears ;" Camp- bell, "Bathed them with tears, and wiped/' &c. , which we prefer. be remarked, that the sandals were always taken oft' at meals. It shoukl And ti'd wipe them with the hairs of her head —Dnddridge, " Tresses of her hair '•' Po/ybius tells us, that when Hannibal drew near to Home, the Human ladies went t(^ the temples to supplicate the gods-, washing the floors of them wirn their hair ; which (he adds; was their custom on such occasions. Ami kiss- ed his feet.— -This was no unusual practice with the Jews. Ver. 41. Five hundred pence — That, is, Roman denarii, equal to seven- ty-two dollars. LUKE, VIII. 1/9 s 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, | Seest tliou this /? woman? I entered into thy house, | thou gavest me no water for my feet : but she hathi washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the! hairs of her head. 4o Thou gavest me no kiss : but this woman since the rime I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet 46 My k head with oil thou didst not anoint : but this w;) nan hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much : but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 4> And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him i egan to say within themselves, Who lis this that forgiveth sins also ? 50 And he said to the woman, m Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in peace. CHAPTER VIII. 3 Women minister unto Christ of their substance. 4 Christ, atter he had preach- ed from place lo place, attended with his apostles, propounded the parable of the sower, 16 and oj' the candle : '21 declared] who are his mother, and bre- thren : V2 rebuked] ike winds: 2(j caste th the legion of devils out of the man iino tie herd of swine: 37 is rejected of the (iadarenes : 43 liealeth the woman of herbtaedy issue, 49 and raiseth from death Jainis' daughter. A ND it came to pass afterward, that he went through- - 4 -*- out every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God : and the twelve were with him, 2 And ;'■ certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out |j of whom went seven devils, 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him c of their substance. 4 IF And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A d sower went out to sow his seed f and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side : and it was trodden e down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. who has shown these ex- traordi-' nary to- kens of her singu- lar love to .. i she has obtained pardon, and being pardoned, she is till- ed \\ itli love to me. k Ps.23.5. 1 Mai. 9.2,3. Ma.tt/& m Ha. 2.4. Ma i. 9. 22. Ma. 5. 34. 10.52. c.8.48. 18.42. Ep.2.8. CHAP. 8. a Mat. 27. 55. b Ma. 16. 9. ver.30. c 2 Co. 8.9. d Mat. 13.3, &c. Ma.4.3, &c. e Ps. 119. 118. Mat. 5. 13. Vwr. 44. Thou gavest me no ipatcr.— Washing the feet, before meals is fre- quently mentioned in the Old Testament, Gen. xliii. 24. 1 Sam. xxv. 41 ; so 1 Tim. v. 10. This, was done by the master of a family. Harmer, Shaw Ver. 45. I came in. — Some MSS. with the Vulgate, both the Syriucand the Coptic versions read, " She came in." Campbell. So Doddridge, Eoothroyd, &c. Compare ver. 37. — [Many have supposed, that this person was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the sister of Lazarus. But there is no indication in the gospel history, that Mary Magdalene was the sister of Lazarus ; but on the contrary, it would appear that they are perfectly distinct persons, the sister of Lazarus residing at Bethany, while Mary Magdalene appears to have resided at Magdala, east of Jordan , a distance of nearly 90 miles. Add to this, that our Saviour seems to have been now either in or near Nain, not at Bethany ; and the woman appears from the recital to have been previously unknown to him.]— Bagster. Chap. VUL Ver. 2. Mary called Magdalene.— From Magdala, a town of Galilee, where she lived. Doddridge. Out of whom went seven dtvih — Or demons ; that is, who had been dispossessed. Some suppose this was the same woman that is mentioned in the preceding chapter as a sinner, (ver. 37.) but this is very doubtful. If her having seven demons implied her being a. great sinner, what must the Gadarene have been, who was possessed by a le- gion— below, ver. 30? But to us it is not ev ; Jent that possessioi had any con- nexion with moral evil. 180 LUKE, VIII. A. M. 4031. A. D. 27. f Je.5.3. g Je.4.3. h Ge.26.12. i Pr.20.12. Je.13.15. 25.4. j Is.6.9. k Mat. 13. 18. Ma. 4. 14, &c. 1 1 Pe.1.23. mPr.4.5. Is.65.11. Ja.1.23, 24. nPs.106.12, 13. Is.53.2. Ga.3.1,4. 4.15. o Pr.12.3. Ho. 6.4. p I Ti.6.9, 10. 2TL4.10. 1 Jn.2.15 ..17. q Jn.15.6. r Je.32.39. s He. 10. 36. Ja.1.4. t Mat.5.15. Ma.4.21. c. 11.33. a Eo. 12.14. Mat. 10. 26. c.12.2. 1 Co.4.5. v Ja.1.21.. 25. w Mat. 13. 12. 25.29. c.19.26. x or, thinlc- eth that hehat/u y Mat. 12. 46, &c. Ma.3.32, ftc. 6 And some fell upon a frock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among s thorns ; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up. and bare fruit a h hundred-fold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him > hear. 9 IT And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be ? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mys- teries of the kingdom of God : but to others in para- bles; that J seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 IT Now k the parable is this: The * seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way-side are they that hear ; then cometh the devil, and taketh away m the woid out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive n the word with joy ; and these have no °rqot, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with P cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit