pers are pulled off at the door, and either left there, or given to a servant to bear. This was the work of servants among the Jews and it was reckoned so servile that it was thought too mean for a scholar or a disciple to do. The Jews say "All services which a servant does for his master a disciple does for his master, except unloosing his shoes."-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. ii, page 1166.

III.- -12. "Whose fan is in his hand." It was customary antiently, to winnow corn by throwing it against the wind with a shovel: Dr. Shaw, therefore, thinks that the Greek word rendered fan might more properly have been translated shovel.

IV. 5. "Setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple." The south-east corner of the roof of what Josephus terms the Royal Portico of the temple is supposed to be the spot of this pinnacle or wing. See this more at large in Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. page 229.

IV.-8. "And sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them." By the world is probably meant the Roman empire, because it was the most considerable part of it: and in this sense the word world must frequently be taken.-Ostervald.

IV.-16. "The people which sat in darkness, saw great light." The prophetic denunciation of a future event will be often expressed in the past tense, in order to indicate the certainty of its occurrence. Vide Professor Lee's Hebrew Grammar, page 353.

V.-5. "For they shall inherit the earth." Concerning the Holy Land, a celebrated author in his "Introduction" observes, "This country has, in different ages, been called by various names, which have been derived either from its inhabitants, or from the extraordinary circumstances attached to it. Jer. iv. 20. it is termed generally the land: and hence both in the Old and New Testament the word which is

sometimes rendered earth, is by the context in many places determined to mean the promised land of Israel."--Horne, vol. iii. page 1.

This passage was literally fulfilled when the believing Jews returned to their own country after the destruction of Jerusalem.-Ostervald.

V.-9. "Shall be called the children of God." The terms to be called, to arise, and to be found, are the same as to be, with the Hebrews, and this latter is in the Old Testament frequently expressed by the former. Accordingly, these terms in the New Testament, are often employed one for the other.-Horne, vol. ii. page 25.

V.-13. "If the salt has lost its savour." Our Lord's supposition of the salt losing its savour is illustrated by Mr. Maundrell, (Journey, page 162) who tells us, that in the Valley of Salt near Gebul, and about four hours' journey from Aleppo, there is a small precipice occasioned by the continual taking away of the salt. "In this," says he, "you may see how the veins of it lie. that part exposed to the rain, sparks and particles of salt, yet had perfectly lost its savour. The innermost, which had been connected to the rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof.-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. i. page 258.

I broke a piece of it of which sun, and air, though it had the

V.-14. "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Maundrell says, there is a city called Saphet, supposed to be the antient Bethulia, which, standing on a high hill, might easily be seen from the mountain on which Christ made his discourse; and probably, supposes that he might point to that here, as afterwards he did to the birds and lilies: Matt. vi. 26. 28.-Ostervald.

V.-15. "Neither do men light a candle." The original word should be translated lamp, agreeably to the antient

custom.

V.-18.

"One jot or tittle." Jot answers to the Hebrew Jod, or rather Yod. This is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet; and according to an antient opinion of the Jews, if all the nations were to assemble on purpose to abolish Yod, they would not be able to effect it. A tittle signifies the least part of a letter or a point.

V.-21. "Shall be in danger of the judgement." This was a court of judicature among the Jews, consisting of twenty three judges who had power of life and death.

V.-22. "Shall say to his brother, Raca." Raca or rather Racha is a Syriac word, which properly signifies empty, vain, beggarly, foolish, and which includes in it a strong idea of contempt. Lightfoot says "that in the books of the Jews, the word Racha is a term of the utmost contempt and is used with certain gestures of indignation, as spitting, or turning away the head, &c.-Cruden.

"The council" or court of Sanhedrim consisted of seventy or seventy-two judges; it determined in the highest affairs relative to church and state. It received appeals from the minor

courts.

To the terms "Raca," "Thou fool," supply, without a

cause.

V.-24. "Leave thy gift before the altar." What our Lord here teaches appears to be new and founded on his superior lessons of morality; but particularly on what he had said above. That this was practicable, we shall see from the following extract from Burder on Oriental Customs, vol. i. page 259. "It was a custom and a law among the Jews, that the sacrifices of particular men should not immediately, as soon as they were due, be brought to the altar, but that they should be reserved to the feast next following, whatsoever that were, whether the passover, or pentecost, or tabernacles, and be then offered. At those times all the Israelites were present, and any brother, against whom one had sinned, was

not far off from the altar. To this time and custom of the nation it is probable that Christ might allude."

V.-25. "Agree with thine adversary quickly." He who entered the action went to the judges and stated his affair to them and then they sent officers with him to seize the party and bring him to justice. To this our Lord alludes when he says "Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him" before thou art brought before the judge, lest thou be condemned. Horne, vol. iii. page 111.

V.-29. "If thy right eye offend thee." Not the natural member, but the offensive one: this may also be read causitively.

V. 34. "Swear not at all. Neither by Jerusalem &c." Various examples of this kind of swearing may be seen in that excellent and very useful book on Oriental Customs by Burder, vol. ii. page 296. I have extracted the following specimen to show the subterfuge of the Jews on this point and as tending to illustrate our Lord's meaning. "It was common with the Jews both to swear and vow by Jerusalem. the altar, as the temple, as Jerusalem," are expressions frequently to be met with in their writings. In the Gemara it is, "He that says as Jerusalem does not say any thing, till he has made his vow concerning a thing which is offered up in Jerusalem."

"As

V.-37. "Let your conversation be Yea, yea." The Jews used to characterize a man of strict probity and good faith, by saying-His yes is yes and his no is no; that is, you may depend upon his word.-Vide Valpy's Greek Testament:

V.41. "Whosoever shall compel thee." The Greek word is derived from the name of those officers who were commissioned by the Persian emperors, when Judæa was one of their provinces, to press carriages or horses on the road, if they had occasion for them, and even forced the drivers and riders to go along with them.-Ostervald.

B

Antipas or Antipater, an Idumean,

Appointed prefect of Judæa and Syria by J. Cæsar.

Herod mis-named the Great, by his will divided his dominions among his three sons, Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip.Vide Horne's Introduction, vol. iii. page 99.

II.—23. "He shall be called a Nazarene." These words are not to be found in the writings of the prophets; yet as the things meant thereby often occur in them, the applica