2. And it was not long before they found an Opportunity of expreffing their Malice: For, obferving Jesus's Difciples to fit down to Meat fometimes, without having washed their Hands immediately before; (for which Omiffion the fuperftitious Pharifees accounted them polluted and unholy ;) they presently began to accuse them, as prophane, irreligious, and ill-instructed Perfons. 3. (For the Pharifees, and other Jews alfo, held it ftrictly as a Law delivered down to them by Tradition from their Predeceffors or Rabbies and Heads of Sects, that in many Cafes they ought not to eat, without washing their Hands immediately before. 4. For Inftance: If they had been at any publick Affembly, where they converfed with mix'd Company; as at the Market, or at any Court of Judicature; they would never eat without first washing their Hands. And many other fuch Things, not commanded in Scripture, but delivered by Tradition from their Rabbies, they thought themselves obliged to obferve, and fuperftitiously laid even the greatest Stress upon them; fuch as vain and unneceffary Washing of Pots, and Cups, and brazen Veffels, and Beds on which they fat at Meat, &c.) 5. Upon this Occafion therefore the Pharifees and Jewish Teachers began to accufe Jefus and his Difciples, of Prophaneness; faying to Jefus, Wherefore do you, who profefs to be a Teacher of Righteoufnefs, fuffer your Difciples to tranfgrefs the Laws which our Elders have eftablished, I blifhed, fitting down to Meat without first washing their Hands? 6. Jefus answered: The Character which Ifaiah gave of your Fore-fathers, is moft exactly true of you; (Efai. xxix, 13.) This hypocritical People make great Pretences and outward Shows of Piety and Devotion, of Purity and Holiness; but they are utterly void of that Sincerity and Uprightnefs of Heart, which only is acceptable to God. 7. Vain therefore and unacceptable in the Sight of God are all their Pretences to Religion; fince in their Practice they prefer the fuperftitious Doctrines of Men, before the eternal Laws and express Commandments of God; Teaching others alfo, and impofing it upon them, to do the Same. 8. Moft exactly, I fay, does this Character fit you. For thus ye, negJecting the great Commands of God, Juftice, Charity, and Truth; lay the great Strefs of your Religion, upon fuch vain Traditions and Impofitions of Men, as washing of Hands, and of Pots and Cups, and the like. 8 For laying afide the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other fuch like things ye do. 9 And he faid unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that 9. Nay, and ye not only prefer thefe Impofitions of Men before the Commandments of God, to the great Neglect and Omiffion of your Duty; but ye even directly tranfgrefs, and ye may keep your act plainly in Contradiction to Commandments of God, when some Tradition happens to be contrary thereto. the own tradition. 10 For Mofes faid, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Whofo curfeth father or mother, let 10. For Inftance: It is an exprefs Command of God by Mofes, that every Man should Honour his Father and Mother, Exod. xx, 12. And of fuch Importance and Neceffity is him die the death. this Duty, that whoever tranfgreffes it, is pofitively condemned to die by the Law of God, Exod. xxi, 17. II. Yet ye on the contrary teach, that if a Man gives that Money to the Treafury, to be employed in the Service of the Temple, with which he ought to have relieved the Neceffities of his Parents; that then he fins not, though he fuffers his Parents to want. 12. And thus ye hinder Men from relieving the Wants of their Parents; which yet is evidently a principal and efpecial Part of that Honour, which Men are exprefsly required to pay unto them by the Law of God. 13. By this Invention therefore, and other fuch vain and unjuft Tra many ditions, ye prefumptuously disobey the exprefs Commandments of God, under fpecious and hypocritical Pretences of Religion. 14. Then Jefus, turning himself from the Scribes and Pharifees, called to the common People to draw nigh and hear, faying; Hearken all of you, and learn to understand the true Differences of things. 15. Cleannefs and Uncleanness in the Sight of God, are not outwardAccidents of the Body, but inward Difpofitions of the Heart and Mind. Whatever therefore is without the Man, or enters only into his Body, without affecting his Mind; as the Things which he touches, or eats or drinks; cannot make him * unclean before . *That is, no Kind of Meat or Drink makes a Man a Sinner, tho' the Quantity may through Intemperance, which is a Vice of the Mind. God: God: But the things which make a 16. Whofoever is capable and defi- 17. Then Jefus, leaving the Multitude, retired into a Houfe; and when he was alone, his Difciples defired him to explain to them yet more fully the true Notion of Cleanness and Uncleannefs. 18. Jefus wondring at their Dulness in not presently apprehending fo plain a Matter: What, faith he; are you, who ought to teach others, fo flow in understanding fuch an eafy thing yourfelves! Can any thing be more evident, than that what a Man eats or SeeNote drinks, cannot make him † unclean in on Ver. 15. the Sight of God? 19. For whatever fo enters into a Man, goes only through his Body; without making his Mind, which is the Seat of Virtue and Vice, either the better or the worse. 20. But the Things that come from 21 & 22. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 17 And when he was entred into the houfe from the people, his difciples asked him concerning the parable. 18 And he faith unto them, Are ye fo without under ftanding alfo ? Do ye not perceive, that whatfoever thing from without entreth into the man, it cannot defile him, 19 Because it entreth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he faid, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from with in, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, cove toufnefs, wickednefs, deceit, lafcivioufnefs, an evil eye, blafphemy, pride, foolishnefs. 25 For a certain woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: all fions. foolish and ungoverned Paf 23. These are the things, which proceeding from wicked and corrupt Minds, make Men really unclean and hateful to God. But if your Minds be pure and free from these Vices, there is no Uncleannefs in neglecting the Pharifees fuperftitious Washings. 24. After this, Jefus departing out of the Country of Gennefareth, retired towards the Borders of Tyre and Sidon, and went into a House there, defiring to conceal himself a while from the Throngs and Importunities of the Multitude. But the Fame of his Doctrine and Miracles had fo fpread it felf even beyond the Bounds of Judea, that it was not poffible for him to keep himself unknown, no not in that very extreme part of the Country. aProfelyte, 25 & 26. For no fooner was he arrived in thofe Parts, but prefently there met him a Syrophenician Woman, one by Birth and Education a Stran- † Yet proger to the Nation and Religion of the bably now 26 (The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Jews; who having heard of his Miwas a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation) racles, followed him, begging and in- fus the Son treating him with great Importunity, of David, that he would vouchfafe to caft out Matt. xv. an unclean Spirit that poffeffed her 22. Daughter. and she befought him for it is not meet to 27. But Jefus faid; Nay: The Jews are the peculiar People of God: And as it is not fit for a Man to take away his Childrens Meat, and give it to the Dogs; fo I muft firft difpenfe God's Mercies to the Jews, before it * So a poróvn feems here most properly to fignifie, in Oppofition το σωφροσύνη. calling Je |