intention in the heart is the perfection of knowledge, and a poor man may have it as soon as another.

SECTION XL.

Chap. xi. ver. 37–54.

CHRIST REPROVES THE PHARISEES, &c.

37. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.

38. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.

The Pharisees thought he ought to have washed, according to their customs; which had eaten out the heart of better things, and Christ therefore discountenances it by his practice.

39. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

This sect pretended to great strictness, but they were sadly corrupt; fair without, and foul within. They did not think so; they did not know so much; but this would not excuse them. Lord, how deceitful is the heart of man! Christ lays the axe there, as we shall see farther in what follows. Let us pray that we may see our own; and let us not ever speak of our good hearts, till Christ has searched them to the bottom.

40. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

Let us not then suppose that he looks with more pleasure upon clean hands, than clean hearts.

41. But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.

This comes to pass by the blessing and word of God. Not by giving alms, as if their food would not have been clean to them otherwise. The meaning is, giving some part of what was in the dish (rà évovra) to the poor, was much better than the superstitious washing themselves to make that clean, which was so before.

42. But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

They paid tithe, not only to the utmost of what was due in everything, but of things where it was not certain whether they ought to pay tithe, or not. They however passed over judgment, that is, the pure love of their neighbour; judgment and justice in its whole extent. They ought indeed to be strict and honest, in every the smallest thing: but they ought not to put this in the place of the love of God and their neighbour.

43. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.

Christ knew the pride of their hearts. we love in ours. Look there, if you against his eye, for he looks nowhere else.

He knows what would be proof

44. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

These graves were full of stench and rottenness within, however adorned without. Was this true only of the Pharisees? Let the self-righteous search into his own breast. Thou art the man, if a sense of thy own loathsomeness never brought thee to Christ for cleansing.

45. Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.

Why not? They thought he did it unjustly. This is what we would fain be at, when we say, that we have good

hearts, and do no harm. And thinking so, keeps us from Christ, The world is full of good meanings; but one has said, hell was so too.

46. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.

Christ is still levelling a home-stroke at their hearts. The burden was not touched there. Their outward show was nothing to him.

47. Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.

48. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.

The meaning is, that they were the true children of such fathers, and would soon show it by their deeds; as they did in murdering Christ, and his followers.

49. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and perse

cute :

50. That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

51. From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

They should be answerable for it, on account of the same blood-thirsty disposition; more especially in crucifying Christ.

52. Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye enter not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

They took away the key of the knowledge of Christ. There may be such false teachers at all times. But as we have the Bible, we have the key in our own hands, and in spite of any man may enter into the way of salvation by him. God grant you may be willing!

53. And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:

54. Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

As all do, more or less, openly, or in their hearts, till he has brought them to accuse themselves.

SECTION XLI.

Chap. xii. ver. 1—12.

THE APOSTLES WARNED.

1. In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is, where the heart does not agree with the outward appearance. A day is coming, when all such will be unmasked, to their everlasting confusion. We are undone by not looking more into our own hearts; and so long as they are hidden from us, we cannot take one step towards God. It is also hypocrisy, to conceal what we know, for fear of man. The four following verses answer to both

these kinds of hypocrisy.

2. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

3. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.

4. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

We are Christ's friends, if we hear him. Friends of the blessed Jesus! Who would not give the world to have this said of him?

5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

The words are plain, yet but little understood, or believed; and are therefore repeated to strike a terror into us: "Fear him.”

6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

He al

Fear God, and you need not fear anything else. ways has you in his eye, and whatever befals you, is, by his appointment, for your good.

8. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. 9. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

Even those who fear God in some degree, often fear men more, and are cowards in God's cause. Here is strong warning to them, to consider what they will get by it, în the end.

10. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

He who speaks against Christ, in his state of humiliation, does not sin so dangerously, by far, as he who blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost. Because without him none can come to faith in Christ, and newness of life; and therefore speaking against, and rejecting him, is sinning against our remedy.

11. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Many have experienced the truth of this, as all will who