A. D. 32.

c Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

a Then came unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes which came from Jerusalem, Mark vii. 1. b See on clause 2. ver. 4. ch. ii. c See on clause 1. ver. 7. ch. iii. VER. 2.

Διατί οἱ μαθηταί σου παραβαίνουσι τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων; οὐ γὰρ νίπσονται τὰς χεῖρας αὑτῶν, ὅταν ἄρτον

ἐσθίωσιν.

Why do thy disciples a transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen hands, they found fault, Mark vii. 2. And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers, Gal. i. 14. Beware lest any man spoil you | through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ, Col. ii. 8. Wherefore if ye

be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using ;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh, 20-23. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, 1 Pet.

i. 18.

VER. 3.

Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Διατί καὶ ὑμεῖς παραβαίνετε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν ;

But he answered and said unto them, a Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

a And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is

Howbeit

A. D. 32. in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye, Matt. vii. 3—5. He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you, hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do, Mark vii. 6—8. ing the word of God of none effect delivered: and many such like things through your tradition, which ye have do ye, 13.

VER. 4.

Mak

Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐνετείλατο, λέγων· Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου, καὶ τὴν μητέρα· καὶ ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ή μητέρα, θανάτῳ rλEUTάTW.

For a God commanded, saying, ↳ Hothat curseth father or mother, let him nour thy father und mother: and, c He die the death.

if they speak not according to this a To the law and to the testimony: word, it is because there is no light in them, Isa. viii. 20. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law, Rom. iii. 31.

Ho

ther: and, Thou shalt love thy neighb Honour thy father and thy mobour as thyself, Matt. xix. 19. nour thy father and thy mother: that which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thy days may be long upon the land Exod. xx. 12. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God, Lev. xix. 3. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lonp thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, Deut. v.

16.

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old, Prov. xxiii. 22. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right, Eph. vi. 1.

c And he that curseth his father,.

or his mother, shall surely be put to death, Exod. xxi. 17. For every one that curseth his father or his mother, shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him, Lev. xx. 9. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you ; and all Israel shall hear, and fear, Deut. xxi. 18-21. Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall Amen. say, xxvii. 16. Whoso curseth his father or his mother; his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness, Prov. xx. 20. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it, xxx. 17.

VER. 5.

Ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε· Ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ πατρὶ, ἢ τῇ μητρί· Δῶρον, ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς, καὶ οὐ μὴ τιμήσῃ τὸν πατέρα αὑτοῦ, ἢ τὴν μητέρα αὑτοῦ.

But aye say, Whosoever shall say to his father, or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by

me;

a 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! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but who soever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty, Matt. xxiii. 16-18. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a

A. D. 32.

man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye, Mark vii. 10-13. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye, Acts iv. 19. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men, v. 29. VER. 6.

τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν. Καὶ ἠκυρώσατε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ διὰ

And a honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye mude the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

Tim. v.

a Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God, 3, 4. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel, 8. If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the Church be charged : that it may relieve them that are widows indeed, 16.

b It is time for thee, LORD, to work : for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold, Psal.cxix. 126, 127. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them, 129. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them, Jer. viii. 8, 9. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast for

gotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children, Hos. iv. 6. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law, Mal. ii. 7-9.

VER. 7.

b

A. D. 32.

1

ὑμῶν Ἡσαΐας, λέγων·

Yea hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

a See on clause 2. ver. 2. chap. vi. b He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, Mark,

vii. 6.

VER. 8.

Εγγίζει μοι ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τῷ στόματι αὑτῶν, καὶ τοῖς χείλεσί με τιμά· ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόῤῥω ἀπέχει ἀπ ̓ ἐμοῦ.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; b but their heart is far from me.

a Wherefore the LORD said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men, Isa. xxix. 13. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness, Ezek. xxxiii. 31. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! John i. 47. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile, 1 Pet. iii. 10.

ments of men.

a I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague; that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it, Lev. xxvi. 16. And your strength shall be spent in vain for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land Now David

yield their fruits, 20. had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good, 1 Sam. xxv. 21. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency, Psal. Ixxiii. 13. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers

A. D. 32.

:

vanities but fear thou God, Eccles. v. 2-7. Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear your hands are full of blood, Isa. i. 13-15. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours, lviii. 1-3. Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? Mal. iii. 14. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, Mark vii. 7. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain, 1 Cor. xv. 2.

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it, Deut. xii. 32. Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar, Prov. xxx. 5, 6. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with

A. D. 32.

| Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances; (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Col. ii. 18-22. Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying, which is in faith: so do, 1 Tim. i. 4. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth, iv. 1. 3. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness, 6, 7. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth, Tit. i. 13, 14. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be esta blished with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein, Heb. xiii. 9. For I testify to every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book, Rev. xxii. 18.

VER. 10.

Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ακούετε καὶ συνίετε.

And a he called the multitude, and said unto them, b Hear, and understand:

a And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering in to him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are

they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear, Mark vii. 14-16.

b When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side, Matt. xiii. 19. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not, Isa. vi. 9. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David, Iv. 3. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, Luke xxiv. 45. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, Eph. i. 17, 18. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, Col. i. 9. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him, Jam. i. 5.

A. D. 32.

that made that which is without, make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you, Luke xi. 38-41. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I bave never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common, Acts x. 14, 15. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into iny mouth. But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call thou not common, xi. 8, 9. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean, Rom. xiv. 14. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, 17. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence, 20. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5.

Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled, Tit. i. 15. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profted them that have been occupied therein, Heb. xiii. 9.

b But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man, ver. 18-20. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto