436

He asks the twelve, whether they also would forsake him.
SECT. thence, as the food of the world? Or would you
Ixxxii. then believe that I came from heaven, not-
withstanding the objection you have made as to
John
VI.63. the meanness of my parentage? Thus our

63 It is the spirit

Lord intimated his intended ascension; and in that quickeneth, the the mean time, as a key to his former discourse, flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak he added, As in the human frame it is the in- unto you, they are dwelling Spirit that quickens every part of it; spirit, and they are life. and the flesh, how exactly soever organized and adorned, if separate from that, profits nothing, but is an insensible and inactive corpse; so also the words which I speak unto you, are spirit, that is, they are to be taken in a spiritual sense, and then you will find they are life to your souls; whereas to take them in a literal sense, would 64 be most unprofitable and monstrous.

65

It is in- 64 But there are

that believed not, and

deed strange that you should think of it; but lieve not.
some of you that be-
For Jesus
I know there are some of you who believe not, and knew from the begin-
would shelter your infidelity under these mean ing, who they were
and disingenuous cavils. This he plainly told who should betray
them: for Jesus knew from the beginning, who him.
they were that believed, and who did not; and
even knew the very person who it was, that at
last should so basely betray him.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto

And he farther said, For this reason I told you, (ver. 44.) that no man can come unto me, except you, that no man can it be given him of my Father; because I know come unto me, except that the prejudices of corrupt nature lie strongly it were given unto against such a doctrine as I publish, and that him of my Father. nothing but Divine grace will subdue them. 66 From this time many, who had borne the name 66 From that time of his disciples,abusing and misrepresenting what many of his disciples he had now delivered, as if it had been either ed no more with him, absurd or utterly unintelligible, went back and walked no more with him; plainly perceiving that their true character was now discovered, as well as that their secular views were disappointed.

you

went back, and walk

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve,

67 Jesus therefore said unto the twelve apostles, Will also go away? The multitude are gone, Will ye also go away? and will you also follow them, and leave me entirely alone? Choose for yourselves; for I desire

c Would you then believe, that I came from heaven, &c.] What Christ here says of his ascension may be farther intended to intimate the necessity of taking his discourse in a figurative sense, as it would so soon be evidently impossible to eat his flesh, which was to be received into heaven.

d Except it be given him of my Father.]

not

To be drawn by the Father, (ver. 44.) and to have faith given him by the Father, are evidently synonymous terms; which plainly vindicates the interpretation given above, and shews how far the loose and general glosses of Dr. Clarke and Dr. Clagget are from expressing the true and determinate sense of our Lord's words.

Christ declares his knowledge of the treachery of Judas.

473

65 Then Simon Peter not to detain you against your will. Then SECT. answered him, Lord, to Simon Peter, with his usual zeal, answered him, lxxxii. thou hast the words of Lord, to whom should we go, if we were really John

whom shall we go?

eternal life.

69 And we believe

and are sure, that thou art that Christ, the

Son of the living God.

70 Jesus answered them, Have not I cho

One of you is a devil?

disposed to quit thee? or what advantage could vi. 68.
we expect by it? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and hast even now been directing us in the
way to it; and God forbid that any other hopes
and views should ever be preferred by us to these!
However others may be governed by their carnal 69
prejudices, and a deluded multitude may treat
thee with contempt, we firmly believe, and as-
suredly know, on the most convincing evidence,
that thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living
God; in which persuasion we are determined to
hazard all in thy service, and to sacrifice.even
our lives to thee.

Jesus then answered them, Such a resolution 70
sen you twelve, and might reasonably be expected from you all"; for
have I not chosen you twelve to the honour of a
peculiar intimacy with 'me, and to a station of
the most distinguished eminence and importance
in the church? And yet I know, that one of
you is a devil, and, under the influence of that
malignant spirit of darkness, will turn my ac-
cuser and betrayer f

71 He spake of Ju

Simon; for he it was

This he spake concerning Judas Iscariot [the 71 das Iscariot, the son of son] of Simon; for it was he who at that time that should betray him, began to harbour in his breast this execrable purbeing one of the pose, and had then thoughts of betraying him ; though he was one of the twelve apostles, and therefore under peculiar obligations to fidelity and duty.

twelve.

e Have I not chosen you twelve? &c.] I see not the least reason with Elsner to expunge the note of interrogation, and render it, I have not chosen you all; which would entirely enervate the spirit of the following clause.

f My accuser and betrayer.] According to Mr. Locke, our Lord intimates that this was the reason why he had not more plainly declared himself to be the Messiah, because he knew Judas would have accused him of rebellion against the Romans; (for so the word as does sometimes signify, a false accuser; see 1 Tim. iii. 11. 2 Tim. iii. 3. and Tit. ii. 3.) But I can see no proof that Judas, from the beginning, intended to betray Christ. It is more proba

IMPROVE

ble he at first engaged with him in expec-
tation of secular advantage; and finding
those views disappointed, he might now
begin to form that detestable scheme
which he afterwards executed. If this was
the occasion on which he first entertained
the thought (as I think it probably might,)
one would imagine that such an intimation
of his secret wickedness must have struck
him to the heart.

g Had thoughts of betraying him.] The
words ήμελλεν αυτόν παραδιδόναι, may
properly, though not necessarily, import
thus much; and, I think, had not this
been actually the case, Christ would not
have said he is a devil, but rather that he
would become onc.

a Which

438

SECT. 1xxxii.

Reflections on resolving to adhere to Christ.

IMPROVEMENT.

We have, through the Divine goodness, been made acquainted 1xxx with those gospel-truths, in their full evidence, and mutual conJohn nection, which were more obscurely hinted to those who attended VI. 60. on Christ's personal ministry: may we therefore hearken to the

63 spiritual sense of this sublime and excellent discourse! And as 62 the credible account of his ascension into glory is now added to the rest, let us receive the whole of his doctrine with the most humble submission earnestly intreating the influences of Divine grace, 65 that we may not only be drawn to Christ, but be so firmly attached to his interest, that whoever else forsake him, we may never go away. On the contrary, may we rather collect an argument from 67 their ingratitude and folly, more strenuously and more affectionately to adhere to him! Indeed to whom should we go, but to 68 him? He has the words of eternal life. From him therefore, in all lowly subjection of soul, may we learn those lessons on which our everlasting happiness depends!

70 May we never, like Judas, conceal a treacherous and disaffected heart, under the specious appearance of piety and goodness! This 64, 71 would be only imposing on ourselves; for his penetrating eye

can never be deceived. May we approve the integrity of our souls in his sight, and repose an unlimited confidence in him, as 69 one whom we believe and know to be a Divine Saviour, Christ the Son of the living God!

SECT.

SECT. LXXXIII.

Our Lord vindicates his disciples in neglecting the traditions of the Pharisees, and condemns those corrupt teachers for preferring such traditions to the precepts of the Divine law. Mat. XV. 19. Mark VII. 1—13.

MARK VII. 1.

MARK VII. 1. unto [Jesus] the Pharisees

Ixxxii. THE miracles which Jesus wrought, and THEN came together which have been mentioned above, being Mark reported at the ensuing passover, gave a farther

VII. 1.

a Which have been mentioned above.] As both Matthew and Mark introduce the following discourse immediately after his crossing the sea to Capernaum, when he but just before had fed the five thousand, and John determines the debates in the preceding sections to that time, there can be no reasonable doubt about placing this section, and several more that are expressly connected with it, in this order.

b At the ensuing passover.] That a passever followed quickly after the events

alarm

before related, is expressly determined: (see John vi. 4, and the note there, p. 412, and compare chap. vii. 2.) But the evangelists do not exactly determine whether Christ did or did not attend it. If he did not, we may conclude he had proper reasons for not doing it: but, to be sure, such numerous and public miracles, as he had lately performed, would be the subject of a great deal of discourse at Jerusalem. Compare John vii. 11, 12, and xi. 56.

© Almost

430

SECT.

lxxxii.

Mark

The disciples are blamed for eating with unwashed hands. Pharisees and certain alarm to the Jews, and especially to their estaof the scribes, which blished teachers; so that to obviate the effect of [were of, and] came from Jerusalem.[MAT. them, and to prevent the success of his ministry, XV. 1.] there were then gathered unto Jesus the Pharisees, VII. 1. and some of the scribes, who were stated inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] came [from thence] on purpose to watch, and if possible, to ensnare 2 And when they him. And, as they looked on all his actions with 2 saw some of his disci- a most malignant eye, they soon found an opfiled (that is to say, portunity to cavil; for seeing some of his disciwith unwashen) hands, ples eat bread with what they counted polluted they found fault. (that is, with unwashed) hands, they found fault with them among themselves.

ples eat bread with de

3 For the Pharisees,

and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition

of the elders.

:

For this was a favourite tenet of the Pharisees, 3 on which they laid a particular stress, and indeed almost all the Jews pay a considerable regard to it, that they do not allow themselves to eat without washing their hands often with abundance of exactness, and particularly just before their meals and this they observe, not in consequence of any express Divine command, but as holding the tradition of the elders, who thought this scrupulous care a decent expression and memorial of their concern to keep themselves free from 4 And when they whatsoever might pollute them. And especially 4 come from the market, [when they come] from the market, or any other they eat And place of public concourse, lest they should many other things without their knowledge have touched any thing there be, which they unclean, they eat not, till they have washed their have received to hold, hands at least, if not their whole body.

except they wash,

not.

as the washing of cups

sels, and of tables.

And

and pots, brasen ves- there are many other things, besides the washing of their hands, which they in like manner receive and maintain by the authority of the same tradition, [as] the washing of cups and pots in which their food is put, and of the brasen vessels made use of in preparing it, and even of the very couches on which they lie at their meals.

e Almost all the Jews pay a considerable regard to it.] Their rabbies carried this to a most ridiculous height; one of them determining the neglect of washing to be a greater sin than whoredom; and another saying, it would be much better to die, than to omit it. Many instances of this kind may be seen in Dr. Whitby and Dr. Hammond in loc. and in Buxtorf. Synaz. Jud. cap. xi. p. 236. It is plain, that other na. tions commonly used to wash before their meals. See Athenæus, p. 408, Edit. Casaub. 1675, and Elsner. Observ, Vol. I. p. 73.

d Washing their hands often.] The word

Then

wyn is ambiguous, being very seldom
used. Theophylact's gloss would incline
one to render it, as L'Enfant does, up to
the elbores; and Beza translates it with the
fist. (See Godwyn's Moses and Aaron,
lib. i. cap. 10, p. 39.) Not being able
certainly to determine the point, I thought
it sufficient to add in the paraphrase, with
abundance of exactness. Cumero, and Lud.
Cappellus (in loc.) explain it of holding up
their hands closed, while the water was
poured upon them; and I have nothing to
object to the reasons they give for that
interpretation.

440

SECT. lxxxiii.

Mark

Christ vindicates their neglect of human traditions.

sees and Scribes asked

Then the Pharisees and Scribes, after they had 5 Then the Pharicensured the disciples of Christ among them- him, Why walk not selves (as was observed before), came to Jesus, thy disciples according VII. 5. and asked him, Why do not thy disciples walk to the tradition of the and behave themselves according to the tradition elders, but [transgress it, for they] eat bread of the elders, as other pious and regular Jews do; with unwashen hands? but transgress [it] in a very obvious and mate- [MAT. XV. 2.] rial instance, for they eat with unwashed hands? Can they be so ignorant as not to know the traditions that forbid it? Or are they so profane as not to regard them?

Mat. XV. 3.

XV. 4.

I

unto them, Why do

ye

own tradition.

MAT. XV. 4. For

manded, saving, Ho

And he answering, said unto them, Nay, but MAT. XV. S. But may with much greater reason ask you, Why be answered and said do you also transgress what is infinitely more you also transgress the sacred, even the command of God himself, out of commandment of God regard to your own vain and superstitious tra- by your tradition? [MARK VII. 9.---] Mark dition? And this, in several instances, you run MARK VII.-9. VII. 9. to such a length, as that you fairly make void Full well ye reject the the command of God, and render it insignificant, commandment of God, that you may observe your tradition; though you that ve may keep your consider not perhaps from whence it comes, or may easily know that it was derived only from Mat. a fallible man. I will give you one notorious instance of it, which you cannot dispute: for God [by Moses] comyou well know that God has commanded [by] nour thy father and Moses, saying, "Honour thy father and thy [thy] mother: and, mother:" A precept written with his own finger on the tables of stone, and guarded by that awful the death. sanction, "Whoso curseth his father, or his VII. 10.] mother, let him surely die without mercy." (See Exod. xxi. 17. Lev. xx. 9. and compare Prov. xx. 20. and Deut. xxvii. 16.) Now for any one to suffer his parents to languish in want of the necessary supplies of life, must certainly be a yet more aggravated wickedness, than an impious word, which may possibly escape a inan's lips in a sudden transport of passion. Mark But what you teach is contradictory to this VII. 11. Divine command; and an ungrateful child may justify himself in the neglect of it, in consequence of your tradition: for you assert, [that] any one

e For they eat with unwashed hands.] It is, in the original, eat bread; and I have sometimes retained the Hebraism, but did not think it necessary always to do it. Every attentive reader must have observed that food in generai is called bread in a multitude of places; and bread is sometimes put even for the provisions of a royal table, 2 Sam. ix. 7, 10, and xii. 20.

f In a sudden transport of passion.] Dr. Lightfoot (in his Hor. Heb. in loc.) has

may

He that curseth father or mother, let him die

[MARK

MARK VII. 11.But ye say, Whosoever]