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,

d

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

c Mar.12.35,&c. Lu. 20.41,&c. d Ps.110.1. Ac.2. 34,35. He.1.13; 10.12,13.

42. What think ye of Christ? Our Lord now in turn (while He was yet teaching in the temple-Mark) puts a question to them, which should show their ignorance of the scriptures, and of the Christ whom they professed to look for. The difficulty which this question involved, had reference to the two natures of Christ in one person; and because they could not understand how He could be God and man at the same time, they rejected Jesus of Nazareth, who was the son of David (Matt. 1. 1), and also David's Lord, as the co-equal Son of God. David “in spirit"—that is, by inspiration of the Holy Ghostcalls Him"Lord" (Ps. 110. 1).

45. How is He his Son? This is substantially the difficulty which Socinians find in the doctrine of Christ's divinity. They ask how Christ can be equal with God, and be the Son of God, at the same time? Yet their own scripture plainly asserts that He is both, just as it asserts that He was David's Son and Lord. And where the scripture testimony is acknowledged, as it was by the Jews, the result must be the same as in their case "No man was able to answer Him a word," &c. (vs. 46.) Mark adds, beautifully, "The common people heard Him gladly."

OBSERVE, (1.) From these repeated triumphs over His most cunning enemies, we infer Christ's Divinity. He was beyond the power of His most bitter and venomous assailants to

overthrow Him in doctrine, or ensnare Him in conversation. He could read their hearts, and so He could well adapt His replies to their inquiries, so as to foil them in their base attempts. (2.) The scripture is full of authority for the doctrine of Christ's Divinity-and on this ground it must irrefragably stand. They who deny it, must be silenced from the plain word of God. (3.) "Common people" receive this doctrine with joy, while disputers of this world reject it. Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

CHAPTER XXIII.

4 For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will

b Ro.2.21-23. c Ac.15.10.

the law-giver, so these were the public expounders of the law. In this sense they sat in His seat, or chair, as teachers. This alludes to the fact that the Jewish Doctors sat when they taught.

3. All therefore. On account of their holding this place as authorized teachers of the Mosaic law, they were to be respected. But as it was expressly on account of this relation in which they stood to Moses and his seat, that they were to be followed, it must be only so far as their teachings were consistent with Moses' law. Their works were to be avoided, for they practised inconsistently with their instructions.

As

4. They bind heavy burdens. the loads were packed on beasts of burden, so they imposed the heaviest requisitions of the ritual, with all their grievous additions. This was the yoke upon the neck, which neither their fathers nor they were able to bear (Acts 15. 10). They were intolerant and exacting. Those rites, however numerous and costly, they loved to enforce upon others, but would not touch for themselves "with one of their fingers”—that is, in the least. They would not carry "the burdens, no not even touch them." They sought indulgence and applause rather.

5. All their works, &c. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They practised not self-denial, but self-exaltation. Some of their self-sufficient practises are here mentioned. T They make broad their phylacteries. These were

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

d c.6.1-16. e Nu.15.38. ƒ Mar. 12.38,&c. Lu.11. 43,&c.

scraps of parchment containing certain passages from the law, which they rolled up in a leathern case, and bound by leather thongs to the hand and forehead-according to the letter of that direction in Deut. 6. 8; 11. 18. The passages so carried about the person were, Exod. 13. 1-10, 11-16. Deut. 6. 4-9; 11. 13-21. These parchments they made broader than common, in order to seem more religious than others. (See cut.)

T Borders of their garments. These were fringes on the edges of their garments, called the hem, (ch. 9. 20,) which they were commanded to have, as a distinction from other nations, and as a meriorial of God's statutes, and which He also wore (ch. 14. 36. Num. 15. 32–41). These people made them wider than others, to seem extra religious (ch. 5. 40; 9. 26).

6. Uppermost rooms. Rather the uppermost places. The Jews reclined at table instead of sitting as we

your h Father, which is in heav.

en.

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 whosoever shall exh c.6.9. i c.20.26,27. j Pr.15.33. Ja.4.6.

synagogues. In the Jewish synagogues there was a class of officers called Elders, whose seats were conspicuous near the minister, under the pulpit and fronting the people. These seats they loved, as bringing them into notice.

7. Greetings, &c. The markets were public places where a large concourse usually met for business,

and here also, they loved show and distinction and applause. They were fond of being saluted and greeted there by the crowd. T Rabbi. This was a title of honour given to the doctors of the law in the time of Christ, equivalent to our doctor and master, combining the sense of both. They loved to be saluted by men as their superiors. It is from a word meaning great.

8. Be not ye. Such fondness for titles was forbidden by our Lord. It showed a wrong heart. The custom made invidious distinctions and fostered pride, and was unfit among the apostles, as He had previously shown, when they asked who should be the greatest. And there was this broad reason against it, that Christ claimed to be their Master, and no other should be owned as such.

9. Call no man your Father, &c. Neither treat others so, nor demand so to be treated. They who own a religious head on earth as infallible and supreme, violate this precept. So the Papists own the Pope as their papa or father, and they call other religious dignitaries by this title. They who make ranks in the clergy, who are set to be equal, foster this spirit.

11, 12. But he that is greatest, &c. The highest honour in the church is not superiority of station, but of service. Humility is the most excellent distinction of the truly great and good. Only they who are humble shall be exalted, and they who seek earthly exaltation, whose hearts are proud and presumptuous, shall be abased. The spirit of ambitious rivalry and proud self-seeking is rebuked.

13. Wo unto you. Our Lord now Our Lord now puts forth the severest denunciations against those who had so attacked Him, and of whom He had just warned the people. They were guilty of shutting up the kingdom of heaven. All their influence was turned against the gospel, so as to prevent the multitude from receiving it. They professed to be guardians of the church, and this had been their office. But they abused it to exclude men from this salvation. Holding the keys in this sense, they locked the door and kept men from entering. They persecuted the true Messiah, and they taught for doctrines the commandments of men.

14. Devour widows' houses. Cruelty, avarice, and hypocrisy, are here charged upon them. Such was their greedy avarice, that they even swallowed up the houses' (or property) of widows, as they went about seeking whose estates they could devour. They often took advantage of the unprotected, and perverted their office as ecclesiastics and lawyers, to get possession of their property. - For a pretence-for a disguise. In Luke, we read "for a show," but the same Greek word. With all this, they pre

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 twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind m

k 2Ti.3.6. Tit. 1.11. 7 Jno.8.44. Ac.13.10. Ep.2.3. m c.15.14.

tended the greatest piety, so they made long prayer (see ch. 6. 5), "standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets," and continuing several hours in these showy devotions. For this hypocrisy, doing the most despicable deeds under the show of piety, they should be the more severely punished in the future world.

15. Ye compass sea and land-or traverse. This is a proverbial phrase, expressing the most extensive and assiduous efforts. They would leave no stone unturned, and would spare no pains to make one proselyte-that is, to convert one man to their religion, more or less fully. -¶Two-fold more. The result was, that those whom they so won over to the Jewish rites, were made twice as bad as themselves.¶ A child of hell, is a Hebrew mode of speech, to denote one who belongs to hell- the offspring and heir of perdition. So in Sam. 20. 31, marg., "Son of death"-devoted to death. And it was notorious that their adherents became more awfully wicked than themselves-doubly sc. The proselytes were called "the scabs of Israel, as hindering the coming of the Messiah, being ignorant of the law and bringing in revenge." Their zeal for proselyting was proverbial among the heathen. The Latin poet Horace speaks of it.

16, 17. Ye blind guides. Here they are denounced for their mischievous