great commandment; for obedience to this is the spring of obedience to all the rest; which is then only acceptable, when it flows from love.

To love our neighbour as ourselves is the second great commandment (ver. 39), It is like unto that first; it is inclusive of all the precepts of the second table, as that is of the first. It is like it, for it is founded upon it, and flows from it; and a right love to our brother, whom we have seen, is both an instance and evidence of our love to God, whom we have not seen, 1 John iv. 20.

Observe what the weight and greatness of these commandments is (ver. 40); On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets; that is, This is the sum and substance of all those precepts relating to practical religion, which were written in men's hearts by nature, revived by Moses, and backed and enforced by the preaching and writing of the prophets. All hang upon the law of love; take away this, and all falls to the ground, and comes to nothing. Rituals and ceremonials must give way to these, as must all spiritual gifts, for love is the more excellent way. This is the spirit of the law, which animates it, the cement of the law, which joins it; it is the root and spring of all other duties, the compendium of the whole Bible, not only of the law and the prophets, but of the gospel too, only supposing this love to be the fruit of faith, and that we love God in Christ, and our neighbour for his sake. All hangs on these two commandments, as the effect doth both on its efficient and on its final cause; for the fulfilling of the law is love (Rom. xiii. 10), and the end of the law is love, 1 Tim. i. 5. The law of love is the nail, is the nail in the sure place, fastened by the masters of assemblies (Eccl. xii. 11), on which is hung all the glory of the law and the prophets (Isa. xxii. 24), a nail that shall never be drawn; for on this nail all the glory of the new Jerusalem shall eternally hang. Love never faileth. Into these two great commandments therefore, let our hearts be delivered as into a mould; in the defence and evidence of these let us spend our zeal, and not in notions, names, and strife of words, as if those were the mighty things on which the law and the prophets hung, and to them the love of God and our neighbour must be sacrificed; but to the commanding power of these let every thing else be made to bow.

41

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

≈ Mark xii. 35; Luke xx. 41. a Psal. cx. 1; Acts. ii. 34; 1 Cor. xv. 25; Heb. i. 13, x. 12, 13. b Luke xiv. 6. c Mark xii. 34;

Luke xx. 40.

Many questions the Pharisees had asked Christ, but now let him ask them a question; and he will do it when they are gathered together, ver. 41. He did not take some one of them apart from the rest; but to shame them the more, he took them all together, when they were in confederacy and consulting against him, and yet puzzled them.

What think ye of Christ? They had put questions to him, one after another, out of the law; but he comes and puts a question to them upon the promise. Many are so full of the law, that they forget Christ; as if their duties would save them without his merit and grace. It concerns each of us seriously to ask ourselves, What think we of Christ? Some think not of him at all— he is not in all, not in any, of their thoughts; some think meanly, and some think hardly, of him ; but to them that believe he is precious, and how precious then are the thoughts of him! While the daughters of Jerusalem think no more of Christ than of another beloved, the spouse who thinks of him as the chief of ten thousands.

Our Lord starts a difficulty upon their answer, which they could not so easily solve, ver. 43–45; If Christ be David's son, how then doth David, in spirit, call him Lord? He did not hereby design to ensnare them, as they did him, but to instruct them in a truth they were loath to believe, -that the expected Messiah is God. It is easy to see that David calls Christ Lord, and this in spirit being divinely inspired, and actuated therein by a spirit of prophecy. David was one of those holy men that spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, especially in calling Christ Lord; for it was then, as it is still (1 Cor. xii. 3), that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now, to prove that David, in spirit, called Christ Lord, he quotes Psal. cx. 1, which psalm the scribes themselves understood of Christ; of him, it is certain, the prophet there speaks of him, and of no other man; and it is a prophetical summary of the doctrine of Christ, it describes him executing the offices of a Prophet, Priest, and King, both in his humiliation and also in his exaltation.

The success of this gentle trial which Christ made of the Pharisees' knowledge, appears in two things, First, It puzzled them (ver. 46), No man was able to answer him a word. Either it was their ignorance that they did not know, or their impiety that they would not own, the Messiah to be God; which truth was the only key to unlock this difficulty. What those Rabbies could not then answer, blessed be God, the plainest Christian that is led into the understanding of the gospel of Christ, can now account for; that Christ, as God, was David's Lord; and Christ, as Man, was David's son. This he did not now himself explain, but reserved it till the proof of it was completed by his resurrection; but we have it fully explained by him in his glory (Rev. xxii. 16); I am the root and the offspring of David. Christ, as God, was David's Root; Christ, as Man, was David's Offspring. If we hold not fast this truth, that Jesus Christ is over all God blessed for ever, we run ourselves into inextricable difficulties. And well might David, his remote ancestor, call him Lord, when Mary, his immediate mother, called him Lord and God, her Saviour, Luke i. 46, 47. Second, It silenced them, and all others that sought occasion against him: Neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more such captious, tempting, ensnaring questions. God will glorify himself in the silencing of many whom he will not glorify himself in the salvation of. Many are convinced, that are not converted, by the word. Had these been converted, they would have asked him more questions, especially that great question, What must we do to be saved? But since they could not gain their point, they would have no more to do with him. But thus all that strive with their Master shall be convinced, as these Pharisees and lawyers here were, of the inequality of the match..

CHAPTER XXIII.

1 Christ admonisheth the people to follow the good doctrine, not the evil examples, of the scribes and Pharisees. 5 His disciples must beware of their ambition. 13 He denounceth eight woes, against their hypocrisy and blindness: 34 and prophesieth of the destruction of Jerusalem.

THEN spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying,

The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for "they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 'And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters for one is your Master even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

a Neh. viii. 4, 8; Mal. ii. 7; Mark xii. 38; Luke xx. 45. d Chap. vi. 1, 2, 5, 16. e Num. xv. 38: Deut. vi. 8, xxii. 12; g James iii. 1; 2 Cor. i. 24; 1 Pet. v. 3. h Mal. i. 6. Luke xiv. 11, xviii. 14; James iv. 6; 1 Pet. v. 5.

b Rom. ii. 19.

k

c Luke xi. 46; Acts xv. 10; Gal. vi. 13. Prov. iii. 3. f Mark xii. 38, 39; Luke xi. 43, xx. 46; 3 John 9. i Chap. xx. 6, 27. k Job xxii. 29; Prov. xv. 33, xxix. 23;

We find not Christ, in all his preaching, so severe upon any sort of people as upon these scribes and Pharisees; for the truth is, nothing is more directly opposite to the spirit of the gospel than the temper and practice of that generation of men, who were made up of pride, worldliness, and tyranny, under a cloak and pretence of religion; yet these were the idols and darlings of the people, who thought, if but two men went to heaven, one would be a Pharisee. Now Christ directs his discourse here to the multitude, and to his disciples (ver. 1), to rectify their mistakes concerning these scribes and Pharisees, by painting them out in their true colours, and so to take off the prejudice

which some of the multitude had conceived against Christ and his doctrine, because it was opposed by those men of their church, that called themselves the people's guide.

Now, in this discourse Christ allows their office as expositors of the law. The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat (ver. 2), as public teachers and interpreters of the law. Hence he infers (ver. 3), Whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. As far as they sit in Moses' seat, that is, read and preach the law that was given by Moses (which, as yet, continued in full force, power, and virtue), and judge according to that law, so far you must hearken to them, as remembrancers to you of the written Word.-The scribes and Pharisees made it their business to study the Scriptures, and were well acquainted with the language, history, and customs of it, and its style and phraseology. Now Christ would have the people to make use of the helps they gave them for the understanding of the Scriptures, and do accordingly. As long as their comments did illustrate the text, and not pervert it-did make plain, and not make void, the commandment of God-so far they must be observed and obeyed; but with caution, and a judgment of discretion. We must not think the worse of good truths, for their being preached by bad ministers; nor of good laws, for their being executed by bad magistrates.

But whilst he allows their office as teachers, he condemns the men. He had ordered the multitude to do as they taught; but here he annexeth a caution-Do not ye after their works. Doctrines and practices are spirits that must be tried, and, where there is occasion, must be carefully separated and distinguished; and as we must not swallow corrupt doctrines for the sake of any laudable practices of those that teach them, so we must not imitate any bad examples for the sake of the plausible doctrines of those that set them. He specifies divers particulars of their works, wherein we must not imitate them. Their saying and doing were two things. They taught out of the law that which is good, but their conversation gave them the lie; and they seemed to have found another way to heaven for themselves than what they showed to others. Those are of all sinners most inexcusable that allow themselves in the sins they condemn in others, or in worse. This doth especially touch wicked ministers, who will be sure to have their portion appointed them with hypocrites (chap. xxiv. 51); for what greater hypocrisy can there be, than to press that upon others, to be believed and done, which they themselves disbelieve and disobey; pulling down in their practice what they build up in their preaching; when in the pulpit, preaching so well that it is a pity they should ever come out-but, when out of the pulpit, living so ill that it is a pity they should ever come in; like bells, that call others to the church, but hang out of it themselves; or road-posts, that point the way to others, but stand still themselves? Such will be judged out of their own mouths.

They were also very severe in imposing upon others things which they were not themselves willing to submit to (ver. 4),-They bind heary burdens, and grievous to be borne. Not only insisting upon the minute circumstances of the law, which is called a " yoke" (Acts xv. 10), and pressing the observation of them with more strictness and severity than God himself did, but by adding to his words, and imposing their own inventions and traditions, under the highest penalties. They loved to show their authority and to exercise their domineering faculty-lording it over God's heritage, and saying to men's souls, "Bow down, that we may go over." But see their hypocrisyThey themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. They would not exercise themselves in those things which they imposed upon others; they pressed upon the people a strictness in religion which they themselves would not be bound by; but secretly transgressed their own traditions, which they publicly enforced.

Our Lord next specifies two things which they did to be seen of men :—

First. They made broad their phylacteries. Those were little scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written, with great niceness, these four paragraphs of the law-Exod. xiii. 2-11; xiii. 11-16; Deut. iv. 4-9; xi. 13-21. These were sewn up in leather, and worn upon their foreheads and left arms. It was a tradition of the elders, which had reference to Exod. xiii. 9, and Prov. vii. 3, where the expressions seem to be figurative, intimating no more than that we should bear the things of God in our minds as carefully as if we had them bound between our eyes. Now the Pharisees made broad these phylacteries, that they might be thought more holy, and strict, and zealous for the law, than others. It is a gracious ambition, to covet to be really more holy than others; but it is a proud ambition, to covet to appear so.

Second. They enlarged the borders of their garments. God appointed the Jews to make borders or fringes upon their garments (Numb. xv. 38), to distinguish them from other nations, and to be a memorandum to them of their being a peculiar people; but the Pharisees were not content to have these borders like other people's, which might serve God's design in appointing them, but they must be larger than ordinary, to answer their design of making themselves to be taken notice of—as if they were more religious than others.

Our Lord next describes their pride, vers. 6, 7. They courted and coveted places of honour and respect. In all public appearances, as at feasts, and in the synagogues, they expected, and had, to their heart's delight, the uppermost rooms, and the chief seats. They took place of all others, and precedency was adjudged to them, as persons of the greatest note and merit; and it is easy to imagine what a complacency they took in it-they loved to have the pre-eminence. 3 John 9. It is not possessing the uppermost rooms, nor sitting in the chief seats, that is condemned (somebody must sit uppermost), but loving them. For men to value such a little piece of ceremony as sitting highest, going first, taking the wall, or the better hand, and to value themselves upon it, to seek it, and to feel resentment if they have it not-what is that but making an idol of ourselves, and then falling down and worshipping it?-the worst kind of idolatry. It is bad any where, but especially in the synagogues. There to seek honour to ourselves, where we appear in order to give glory to God, and to humble ourselves before him, is indeed to mock God instead of serving him. They loved greetings in the markets-loved to have people put off their hats to them, and show them respect when they met them in the streets. O how it pleased them, and fed their vain humour, to be pointed out, and to have it said, "This is he!"—-to have way made for them in the crowd of market people, "Stand off, here is a Pharisee coming!"-and to be complimented with the high and pompous title of Rabbi! Rabbi! This was meat, and drink, and dainties to them; and they took as great satisfaction in it as Nebuchadnezzar did in his palace, when he said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built?" The greetings would not have done them half so much good, if they had not been in the markets, where every body might see how much they were respected, and how high they stood in the opinion of the people.

Christ cautions his disciples against being herein like them; herein they must not do after their works,-But be not ye called so, for ye shall not be of such a spirit, ver. 8, &c. Here is a prohibition of pride. They are here forbidden to challenge titles of honour and dominion to themselves, vers. 8-10. It is repeated twice,-Be not ye called Rabbi, neither be ye called Master, or Guide. Not that it is unlawful to give civil respect to those that are over us in the Lord,-nay, it is an instance of the honour and esteem which it is our duty to show them; but Christ's ministers must not affect the name of Rabbi, or Master, by way of distinction from other people; it is not agreeable to the simplicity of the gospel, for them to covet or accept the honour which they have that are in kings' palaces.

They must not assume the authority and dominion implied in those names; they must not be magisterial, or domineer over their brethren, or over God's heritage, as if they had dominion over the faith of Christians. What they received of the Lord, all must receive from them; but in other things they must not make their opinions and wills a rule and standard to all other people, to be admitted with an implicit obedience. The reasons for this prohibition are as follows,-One is your Master, even Christ, ver. 8; and again, ver. 10. Christ only is Master, the great Prophet, whom we must hear, and be ruled and overruled by; whose words must be an oracle and a law to us. Verily I say unto you, must be enough to us. And if he only be our Master, then for his ministers to set up for dictators, and to pretend to a supremacy and an infallibility, is a daring usurpation of that honour of Christ which he will not give to another. All ye are brethren. Ministers are brethren not only to one another, but to the people; and therefore it ill becomes them to be masters, when there are none for them to master it over but their brethren.

But it will also be observed, that the disciples are forbidden to ascribe such titles to others (ver. 9) -Call no man your father upon the earth. Constitute no man the father of your religion; that is, the founder, author, director, and governor, of it. The fathers of our flesh must be called fathers. and as such we must give them reverence; but God only must be allowed as the Father of our spirits. Heb. xii. 9. Our religion must not be derived from, or made to depend upon, any man We are born again to the spiritual and divine life, not of corruptible seed, but by the word of God not of the will of the flesh, or the will of man, but of God. Now, the will of man not being the rise of our religion, must not be the rule of it.

The punishment intended for the proud is expressed (ver. 12),—Whosoever shall exalt himsel shall be abased. If God give them repentance, they will be abased in their own eyes, and will abho themselves for it; if they repent not, sooner or later they will be abased before the world. Nebu chadnezzar, in the height of his pride, was turned to be a fellow-commoner with the beasts; Herod to be a feast for the worms; and Babylon, that sat as a queen, to be the scorn of nations. God mad the proud and aspiring priests contemptible and base (Mal. ii. 9), and the lying prophets to be th tail. Isa. ix. 15. But if proud men have not marks of humiliation set upon them in this world there is a day coming when they shall rise to everlasting shame and contempt (Dan. xii. 2); s plentifully will he reward the proud doer! Psal. xxxi. 23.

The preferment intended for the humble is also expressed (ver. 12),-He that shall humble him

self shall be exalted. Humility is that ornament which is in the sight of God of great price. In this world the humble have the honour of being accepted with the holy God, and respected by all wise and good men- -of being qualified for, and often called out to, the most honourable services; for honour is like the shadow, which flees from those that pursue it, and grasp at it, but follows those that flee from it. However, in the other world, they that have humbled themselves in contrition for their sin, in compliance with their God, and in condescension to their brethren, shall be exalted to inherit the throne of glory-shall be not only owned, but crowned, before angels and men. 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 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 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! "for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 16 Woe unto you, "ye blind guides, which say, "Whosoever 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 and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, Por the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 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 the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 'for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and "have omitted the weighter matters 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 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for 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 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 'for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, 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 the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

S

Luke xi. 52. m Mark xii. 40; Luke xx. 47; 2 Tim. iii. 6; Tit. i. 11. p Exod. xxx. 29. 1 Or, debtor, or bound. q Exod. xxix. 37. r1 Kings Psal. xi. 4; Acts vii. 49. t Luke xi. 42. + Gr. anethon, dill. * Mark vii. 4; Luke xi. 39. y Luke xi. 44; Acts xxiii, 3. 1 Thess. ii. 16. c Chap. iii. 7, xii. 34. 2

Chap. v. 34; ix. 13, xii. 7.

Gen. xv. 16;

n Chap. xv. 14; ver. 34. o Chap. v. 33, 34. viii. 13; 2 Chron. vi. 2; Psal. xxvi. 8, cxxxii. 14. u 1 Sam. xv. 22; Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 8; Chap. ≈ Luke xi. 47. a Acts vii. 51, 52; 1 Thess. ii. 18.