both removed the burden of it as a covenant, and made the observation of it as a rule more easy.

"But they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." To make them lighter; neither coming themselves, nor suffering others to come to Christ, the reliever of our burdens, and the true rest of our souls. chap. xi. 28-30. It is, therefore, no wonder that they would not move the burden with one of their fingers, in another sense; that is, of doing what they imposed upon others; that some were corrupt in their lives; and others, whatever they pretended, or however they appeared to men, were sadly defective in the sight of God, as to any perfect obedience of the heart. Gal. vi. 13. And this our Lord, who knew what was in man, has here fully laid open, for the conviction of all such unbelieving, self-righteous hypocrites.

5. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their gar

ments.

The meaning is not, that they directly proposed this mean end to themselves, but that it lay close at the root of all they did, whether they knew it or not. And I suppose that Christ is here chiefly taking the veil from their hearts. Yea, and from ours too. This one thing, of having an eye to men, it is to be feared will wipe a great part of the good that is done in the world out of God's book; for nothing Lord, search us with this

is good but as it is done to him. word, and send us to our hearts, that we may know whether thou rulest there; and that the good we do may not be found evil, by proceeding from base motives; nor expose us to a greater condemnation, by inflaming our pride.

"They make broad their phylacteries." That is," preservatives;" as memorials of their duty, and to keep them from transgression. These were pieces of parchment, with the ten commandments, or other sentences of the law, written upon them, which they bound upon their wrists and foreheads; and it does not appear that they were so

commanded. Exod. xiii. xix. xvi.; Deut. vi. viii. xi. xviii. The borders, or fringes, in their garments, are mentioned, Num. xv. 38. And they exceeded in both, mistaking the letter for the spirit. Now it is plain that these, and a hundred such things, were no burdens, but an easy substitute for deadness to the world, in an humble heart, and a clean conscience.

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.

Doubtless they sat down in the highest room with a strained courtesy, and not in an open, barefaced manner; for this would have lost them the esteem they sought after. Observe Christ's word; he says, they loved distinction and titles. O the heart! There he looks, and there he aims his blow.

8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all

ye are

brethren.

Do not be called Rabbi to look great in

your own eyes, as thinking the title of master your due. Christ is your master in reality, and he only is worthy of the name. "And all ye are brethren." If we do not learn this of him, we are nothing.

9. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Do not submit your understandings to any one " upon earth," for this is God's prerogative.

10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

Observe the repetition. Christ knows the pride of our natures, and how deeply it is rooted in them, and, therefore, speaks to the point a second time.

11. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Account no otherwise of himself than as an instrument,

in the hands of God, to promote his glory, and stoop to all for the good of all.

12. And whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.

"Whosoever exalts himself," lies horribly to God and himself, is as low in God's esteem as he is high in his own, and shall find it to his cost.

"He that shall humble himself," dwells in the truth.Lord, help here. Though we are dust and ashes, and our all is sin and misery, thou knowest we are not sufficiently humble. It is hard work to bring down our pride; but nothing is impossible with thee, and great as this mountain is, thou canst remove it.

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.

They shut up Christ's kingdom of grace and help; by a false conceit of a righteousness of their own, and ability to attain it, which they have not. There are many degrees of hypocrisy, and many kinds of hypocrites; but they are the most dangerous, and most effectually shut the kingdom of heaven against themselves and others, who think they can do what they cannot, and think they do what they do

not.

"Ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." This is as true of those who talk of the moral sense, beauty of virtue, and fitness of things, as sufficiently evident, and sufficient guides to mankind. Which is nothing but speculative unbelief; and though some are not aware of it, it is in fact pleaded by others as the ground of their opposition to the gospel.

14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: thereshall receive the greater damnation.

fore

ye

No kind of oppression was too great for them. And yet, doubtless, they who were so scrupulous in paying

tithes of the smallest things, condemned, and pretended to abhor, all manner of injustice and oppression.

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 two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Nothing is more common than for converts to be overzealous in their new way; and if it is bad, they become doubly bad.

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, or 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.

Perhaps the manner of swearing by other things rather than God, was introduced out of a too superstitious reverence for his name. Our Saviour's decision is, that such distinctions are frivolous; and that all oaths, as such, are binding, as carrying in them an appeal to God.

SECTION LXII.

Chap. xxiii. ver. 23-39.

CHRIST DENOUNCES EIGHT WOES.

23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye

VOL. I.

BB

pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Is it possible that they who were so scrupulous in paying tithes of the smallest trifles, should be chargeable with this guilt? It is well, if many of us do not thus deceive ourselves by a compliance with the outward part of religion, when the inward is neglected; or an exact observation of some commands, which do not much thwart our humour or interest, when we are sadly defective in the weightier matters of justice and mercy to men, and faith in, or faithfulness to, God.

"These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Happy is the man who has a regard to all his duty; and neither makes one part of it a pretence for overlooking another, nor thinks anything little which God hath commanded.

24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

Nice in small matters, when hardly any sin was too great for them. Grievous as this charge may seem, probably you may find it to be your own case, if you will abide by the scripture-estimate of sin. To mention only one instance. Love to God with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength, is the first and great commandment. Now what can it signify that your life is exact and well-ordered in other respects, if you make no conscience of this great duty, and can swallow the great sin of not loving God?

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.

This is to be understood of the outside and inside of the

man.

26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Observe this upon the peril of your souls.

This is