in

tual and mystical fenfes for every place of fcripture; which at length fwelled to that number, that by reafon of their new and cabbalistical interpretations the word of god was corrupted, and the true meaning of it fo miferably perverted, that our Saviour himself tells them, they had made it of none effect, Mat. xv. 6. And herein it was that all the righteoufnefs which they pretended to confifted, even in having the fcripture at their tongues-end, and being able to bring it upon all occafions; in understanding the high and myftical meaning of it, fo as to be able to explain it unto others; in performing outward obedience to the law, not according to the true and literal, but the new and myftical fenfe, which themselves had put upon it; in frequenting the finagogues, and for a pretence making long prayers, Mark. xii. 38, 39, 40. So that the Scribes were much like to those whom they call myftical divines in the popish religion, and to such among our felves as turn the fcriptures into allegories, and invent new notions and fpeculations in divinity, and fo make a greater fhew of piety, but neglect the power and fubftance of it.

THUS much of the Scribes. As for the Pharifees, we must know there were, in our Saviour's time, three principle fects among the Jews: The Effenes; the Sadduces; and the Pharifees. Whereof the Effenes never, the Sadduces feldom, the Pharifes very often mentioned in the new teftament, and reproved by our Saviour: Not

but

but the others were as bad or worse than thofe ; but because these were more numeroufe, and their errors were more fpecious and plausible than the others were: This being the ftri&eft fect, in all the Jewish religion, as St. Paul himself, who was brought up in it, teftifieth, As. xxvi 4, 5. And therefore were called Pharisees, from the Hebrew word, to feparate, because they feparated themselves from other people, as being more pure and holy in their own efteem, than they; as we may fee by the Pharisees prayer when he faid, I thank thee, O God. that I am not as other people, Luke. xviii. 11. So that the word Pharifee properly fignifies a feparatift, one that feparateth himself from the fociety and fellowship of others upon the account of religion, as pretending greater purity and holiness than others do. Hence this name properly belongs not only to many among ourselves,but likewise to very many in the popish religion, even to the monks and friars, yea and nuns too: For there were women Pharifees as well as men, as I could eafily fhew, was it neceffary or pertinent to my purpofe. Hence the Jews to this day commonly call monks in Hebrew Pharifees, and nuns he Pharifees; yea, the very word Monachus, a monk, fignifies much the fame thing as Pharifee doth, even one that lives along, feparate from all commerce with other people And the expofition which R. D. Kimchi gives of the word Pharifee plainly agrees with the temper of the

monks,

monks, amd their manner of life; for they were called Pharifees, faith he, because they made fhew to the world, that they were fingular and Separate perfons, and reghteous men. And if we compare the one with the other, we fhall eafily conclude that the Pharifees were just such perfons in the Jewish, as the monks are in the Chriftian religion, and fo that they may properly be termed Pharifees. For the Pharifees pretended to follow a double law, the one written, and the other unwritten; the one which they received from Mofes the other by tradition from their fore-fathers, as Jofephas a Few tells us: And how exactly the friars agree with them in this. you all know. Yea, the Pharisees prefer their tradition before the written law, Mat. xv. 3. as you all know the papifts do at this time. The Pharifees had a different habit to other people, as the friars of the feveral orders now have. The Pharifees were very much noted for their running over a great many prayers each day, in the fame manner as the papifts do their Ave-Mary's and Pater-Nofters. The Pharifees prefer their vows before the works of justice and charity, Mat. xv. 4, 5. wherein they are exactly imitated by the friars and nuns. Moreover, had the Pharifees, their phylacteries, or pieces of parchment with fentences of the law written in them fastened to their foreheads and hands to preferve them as they thought, from witchcraft and all evil? fo have the fri

ars

ars pieces of wood which they fancy to be parts of the cross, the virgins hair-lace, or fome holy relicks or other which they carry about as amulets and prefervatives against diftempers, mifchiefs and dangers. Did the Pharifees, under a pretence of long prayers, devour widows houses? fo have the friars devoured the houses and estates too both of widows, and many others, under a pretence that they fhould be prayed for a long while after they are dead: Were the Pharifees very zealous in getting procelites? Mat. xxiii. 15. fo are all the the papifts in propagating their religion. Did the Pharifees adorn the fepulchres of the Prophets? fo do the papists thofe of their faints. In a word, were the Pharifees more earnest for their fuperftitious rites and ceremonies, than for the follid and fubftantial worfhip of Almighty God? It would be well if the monks ad friars were not too much their apes in this particular. And this I might fhew how they who profefs and call themielves the religi ons, in the Chriftian religion, exactly agree in almost every thing with those which our bleffed Saviour here calleth Pharifees. From whence it is easy to obferve what the righteoufnefs of the Pharifees was, even a more outward fhew of piety and religion, a fpecious profeffion of righteoufnefs, without the practice of it; or at the beft, but an external obfervance of fome things only, with the neglect, if not the contempt of others.

THUS We have confidered the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees directly and apart. But we muft further know, that in many things they agreed: Not as if the Scribes were any part or fect of the Pharifees, as Baronius and others have falfly conjectur'd from Acts. xxiii. 9. where mention is made of the Scribes which were of the Pharifees part; for the meaning is not that the Scribes were any part of the Pharifees, but that fome of the Scribes took part with the Pharifees, as it is plain 'they did; many of the Scribes efpoufing the fame opinions, and being guilty of the fame errors as the Pharifees were. Hence they are often joined and condemned together by our bleffed Saviour for their hypocrify and deceit, Mat. xxiii. 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29. So in my text the Scribes and Pharifees are put together, as having only fuch a partial, external and hypocritical righteousness, which can never bring a foul to heaven.

THE next thing to be confidered is, wherein our righteousness foould exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees.

To understand which, we must know that the righteoufnefs of the Scribes, and especially that of the Pharifees, was in very great repute and efteem among the Jews fo that St. Paul himself calleth it the the ftricteft fect of their religion, Ats. xxvi. 5. and elsewhere, the perfect manner of of the law of the forefathers, Acts. xxiii. 3. and the reafon was, because the Pha