the submission of the Gentiles who were not brought under the yoke of the Law and not that he rode for weariness because he rode from Bethany and not from a remote place Had two sons That is to say the people of God and the Gentiles Labour in the Vineyard That is keep the Commandments of God Master of the house That is God And planted a Vineyard The people of Israel And hedged it round That is He established the Law for them And built a Tower therein That is the Temple And set it out to Husbandmen To the Priests The time of fruit When they inherited the Land of promise He sent his servants That is to say the Prophets who were before the Captivity of Babylon Moreover he sent other servants viz. The Prophets who were after the Captivity His Son viz. Christ in the flesh When he shall come That is in the day of Judgment The stone which the builders refused That is to say the Jewish Doctors CHAP. XXII A Man who was not clad with a wedding garment That is a Believer destitute of good works For many are called Those who believe And few are chosen They who are adorned with good Works CHAP. XXIII THeir Phylacteries That is to say Tables whereon they wrote the Ten Commandments which the Scribes and Pharisees hung about their necks And inlarge the borders of their vestments That is to say they did interweave Scarlet in the manner of Stars on the borders of their garments that they might be known He who sweareth by the Corban which is thereupon is guilty That is to say he calls the Vessels or Utensils and Vestments of administration which approached the Altar by the name of Corban and it is certain that though they were simple in themselves yet were they sanctified in their relation to the Altar Vnto the bloud of Zacharias the Son of Barachias That is to say the Father of John the Baptist after whom your power was dissolved and you have not authority to put any one to death Some say that this was Zacharias one of the Twelve Prophets but this conjecture is not true for he was not slain but dyed in peace nor doth the scope of our Lords speech testifie the same Ye shall not see me henceforth That is from the time I am to ascend into Heaven Vntil ye shall say Blessed is he who cometh in the Name of the Lord. That is at my last coming CHAP. XXIV VVHen therefore ye shall see the abomination of desolation That is to say the ensign of the Eagle which Caius Caesar commanded that they should set up upon the Temple And unless those dayes were shortned That is to say Jerusalem was then besieged but One hundred and sixteen dayes by the Romans after the crucifying of our Lord viz. from the 25th of April to the 9th of August Then if one shall say unto you Lo here is Christ This he saith of Antichrist to wit a lying Christ and he giveth charge that they should not believe in him for it is Satan who enters into a deceiving Jew and worketh feigned miracles and before the latter coming of our Lord shall for a little while appear The sign of the Son of man in the clouds That is a Cross shining in the Air. With a Trumpet In some of the Greek copies with the voice of a Trumpet Heaven and Earth shall pass away Passing away he doth not call a total annihilation or privation but mutation like this He passed away from evil and did that which was good Who then is The word who is not here to be taken interrogatively but approbatively CHAP. XXV TEN Virgins The full number of vertuous souls The Bridegroom and the Bride The word Bride is not to be found in all the Greek copies and particularly in that of Alexandria To one he gave talents To wit to the chief Priests who consecrate the holy Unction offer the Oblation and confer Orders and baptize and consecrate Churches To another two viz. the Priests who offer the Oblation and do baptize And to another one As to the Deacons who purifie onely Which thou didst not sowe That is to say what Satan sowed thou didst reap The Son of man in his glory He raiseth the contemplation of the Disciples to the glory of his latter coming that they might not be offended at the meanness of his first coming CHAP. XXVI AND they covenanted with him That is to say they promised unto him Thirty pieces of money The word for the most part is taken for silver To such an one His name was not published lest Judas hearing of it should make ready those who were to crucifie him and so the washing and receiving of the mysteries might have been disturbed and as some think that this was Joseph the Counsellor and as others would have it it was Nicodemus or Lazarus or Simon of Cyrene And when it was Evening That is the Evening before the preparation Hypolitus of Rome saith That our Lord did not eat the Passeover this Evening for it ought to have been eaten in the morning of the day but he celebrated the mystery onely of his body and bloud in bread and wine But Juannis and the rest of the Doctors say That he did eat the Lamb. But the first Opinion is most to be approved of as appears by the Gospel which mentions onely the preparation of the Passeover Moreover The Law it self so testifieth which did not command to eat on the Evening preceding the 15th day but on the morning of the 15th day which the Evangelist John clearly demonstrates for on the morning of the preparation they had not yet eaten the Passeover and our Lord who came for the fulfilling of the old Law had broken it by eating before day and if he had so done this alone had been sufficient to have furnished them with high matter of accusation nor had they needed any thing else to have laid to his charge Who dippeth his hand All dipped with him but the rest of the Disciples with-held when he put forth his hand but Judas impudently put forth his hand to dip at the very same time with our Lord and that they dipped either in Wine or Vineger or Water is clear by the Law which prohibited to eat any thing made or prepared with fire As it is written concerning him Some object thus and say If Judas betrayed him for the fulfilling of the Scripture as our Lord himself saith Wherefore doth he pronounce a woe unto him We say That he is condemned for betraying him with an evil conscience and not for the fulfilling of the Law And he said Take ye all of it Prince Ephraim and Prince Jacobus say That our Lord communicated the mysteries unto Judas but after he had dissacrated the bread by dipping it in water But others say That the mysteries do not become unholy by dipping them in water St. Juannis and Severus say That he did partake of the holy bread without being
absolved of its holiness And St. Philoxenus saith That he did not at all partake thereof forasmuch as Satan had entred into him wherefore we do not communicate unto those who are possessed And David Caenobita the son of Paul saith That he did partake thereof not being unholied but he for want of faith did eat it as meer bread When they had sung In some of the Syriack copies it is in the singular number without the letter vau as if Jesus onely had sung but it ought to be in the plural number with the said letter and to refer to the Disciples as it is in all Greek Copies This night before the Cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice Mark saith Before the Cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice Both agree in the same sense but Mark declares this That the Cock at one time or uno impetu did double its voice Twelve Legions A Legion is Ten thousand I am able to destroy the Temple of God and to build it up in three dayes He did not say so but destroy this Temple to wit Ye wherefore those Witnesses were reputed false Witnesses CHAP. XXVII AND he went and hanged himself Luke in the Acts doth not say That he hanged himself but that he burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out and it might have been that after he was hanged he burst asunder A famous prisoner called Baraba His name was Jesus and that no errour might arise from the Identity of name he was named from his Father Scourged Jesus with whips Cords that were pleated for it was the custom of the Romans to scourge him first whom they would crucifie They plated a Crown of Boughs That is to say of Thorn having white blossoms They came to a place which was called Golgotha They say That Shem the son of Noah did there bury the head of Adam and this was the Court of Aran the Jebusite And they gave him to drink vineger In some of the Greek copies it is written Wine The cause of his death in writing In the Greek it is His accusation which was written Luke and John say That they wrote in three Languages in Hebrew Latin and Greek The reason was that these three Nations were then celebrated in Jerusalem more than the Syrians and the Arabians and the rest which much less esteemed them And they crucified with him two Thieves He who was on his right hand had the name of Titus and he on the left hand was named Domcus for so it is to be found in the Book of St. Aretus the Disciple of Paul Also the Thieves who were crucified with him reviled him It is probable that both of them did at first blaspheme but afterwards he on the right hand when he saw the darkness which hapned took it into consideration and confessed and the other though he saw what hapned did not consider it And there was darkness over the whole earth This darkness was not only upon the Land of Jerusalem but it was also observed to extend unto Athens as Dionysius the Areopagite declares in his Discourse against Apoloponis the Sophister and this was an Eclipse of the Sun not by the Moon as are all natural Eclipses thereof but it was contrary to custom by the body of some thick cloud or some other thing which by Gods Providence arose in the face of the Sun and darkned it and it is demonst able from hence That it was not in the Newness of the Moon but about the full Moon to wit on the 14th day thereof Vntil the ninth hour Matthew and Luke do not set forth at what hour our Lord was crucified but Mark saith it was the Third hour when they crucified him And John saith it was about the Sixth hour when Pilate sate upon the Tribunal and said unto the Jewes Shall I Crucifie your King And some desirous to shew the Truth of both sayings say That Pilate sate in Judgment upon our Lord from the Third hour to the Sixth and at the Sixth hour delivered him up to be crucified as St. John saith But Mark forasmuch as from the Third hour wherein they began to judge him they were resolved in their minds to crucifie him he said That they crucified him the Third hour And we say That this might have been probable if before the compelling of Simon of Cyrene and the coming to Golgotha and the drinking of imbittered Wine and the dividing of his garments Mark had said this That it was about the Third hour when they crucified him But behold it was not so Others say That this in St. John is an errour not of the Evangelist God forbid but of the first Scribe who instead of Three which he would have written wrote Six But without undervaluing the insufficiency of these two Answers I say That Mark reckoned from the hours which were from the beginning of the day until the hour wherein our Lord was crucified and they were three but John computeth the hour from the time when the Jewish Sergeants apprehended our Lord and bound him at night before the Cock crowed until the hour wherein they crucified him and it was the sixth hour three of the night of the preparation and three of the day And many bodies of the Saints He calls those Saints who believed in our Lord and departed this life a few dayes before And after his Resurrection they came into the holy City That is to say Jerusalem It hath been said That they remained therein onely Three dayes preaching and afterwards returned to their Sepulchres Neither did they appear unto all men but to their Kindred onely and some say That he doth not here call this earthly Jerusalem the holy City but the heavenly one One of them was Mary Magdalen Eusebius faith That there were two Magdalens and each of them was called Mary The one of them was this which Matthew speaks of and it is likely she was the daughter of Simon the Leper and sister of Lazarus The other was she out of whom he cast seven Devils whereof Luke speaks And they rolled a great stone and cast it to In all the Syriack copies these verbs are written in the plural number but in the Greek the singular number is used and that is congruous for this story concerns Joseph of Arimathea onely wherefore it is said He took it and rolled it and put it to CHAP. XXVIII AND for fear of him i.e. because he was an Angel For I know that ye seek Jesus who was crucified The Greek hath it The Nazarite who was crucified And take notice That in three Greek copies and in one Syriack the name Nazarite is not found All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth The word given he takes for revealed to wit my power which was hidden henceforward is revealed Amen That is in Truth MARK CHAP. I. The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ THat Baptism was the Beginning of the Gospel according to the order
set down by St. Mark is evident from this That before our Lord was Baptized he neither Preached nor Evangelized but after that he was Baptized and Tempted he began to say Repent the Kingdom of heaven is at hand And St. Basil saith That this Mark first used the word Evangelium and this is clear from hence That the other Three Evangelists made no mention thereof A voyce crying in the wilderness John is called a voyce because he made known Christ the Word for by the voyce is made known the Word that is hidden in the mind Confessing their sins Hence it is manifest That confession is necessary for the Faithful And straightway he came up out of the water That is to say our Lord. He saw To wit John the Baptist And straightway the Spirit took him out To wit the holy Spirit What have we to do with thee This one speaks as from the mouth of them all CHAP. II. THE son of Halphaeus All the Doctors agree That this Levi was Matthew the Publican who was an Evangelist and that Jesus sat down in his House and Mark here calls him the son of Halphaeus and that this was not the brother of James the son of Halphaeus is demonstrable from this That Matthew was of the Tribe of Issachar and this James was of the Tribe of Menasse When Abiathar was High Priest In the Book of Samuel it is written That David desired the holy bread from Achimelech the Father of Abiathar and it is possible that he desired it from Achimelech and that Abiathar his son gave it CHAP. III. SOns of Thunder Because the sons of Zebedee did preach with a high voyce he calls them by this name And his Kindred heard That is to say the children of Joseph CHAP. IV. THat under the shadow thereof the Fowl may dwell That is to say the Gentiles without the Law may rest under the shade of the Gospel And they left the multitudes In some Copies it is read He left but that reading is not to be approved but we ought to follow the Greek Copies to wit That he and his Disciples left them or dismissed them And there was a great tempest The Syriack word signifieth a boysterous wind which bloweth on the face of the earth and raiseth up dust and sand it is of an Hebrew derivation and is expounded the ascent of God CHAP. V. LEGION That is to say Ten Thousand CHAP. VI. BEhold the Carpenter the son of Mary It is likely that Joseph was dead and therefore he did not mention him with his mother and brethren Except a Rod. The word except beareth the sense of neither in this place and it is clear from this That Matthew saith neither a Rod. It is not lawful for thee to take the wife of thy brother Because she had by fraud caused him to be put to death and had it not been for this it had not been unlawful for him to take her to Wife according to the Law of Moses CHAP. X. TImaeus the son of Timaeus In two Greek copies it is a blind man the son of a blind man And to say Son of David In two Greek copies we find it Son of the Son of David have mercy upon me CHAP. XIII AND not the Son but the Father Matthew hath not the woâ—ds and not the Son And our Lord said this wâ—th reservatâ—on and not that he was ignorant of the thing for he who knew the Father who was concealed and â—ncomprehensible saying No man knows the Father but â—he Son Hâ—w could he but know the time of the end of the World He said thus for this reason to wit That if he had said I know and will not tell they had been offended and it he had said he knew and had declared it unto them others would have known it frâ—m them and have communicated it to all other generations and so by reason of the remoteness of time they would have grown negligent and careless Hence it is known That it is more advantagious to the sons of men to be ignorant of a matter of this kind than to have knowledge thereof CHAP. XIV AND he took the Chalice and gave thanks and blessed and gave unto them In the Greek it is not said That he blessed any moâ—e than the body onely And a certain young man followed him and was naked onely covered with a linen cloth That this was a stranger is known from hence that his Disciples were modest and ashamed to accompany him with a linen cloth only Wine mixed with myrrhe That he might be the more intoxicated and not be sensible of the agony of death And Mary the mother of James the less That is to say the brother of our Lord and that he might be distinguished from James the brother of Zebedee he calls him the less and this Mary was not the mother of our Lord but the wife of Joseph to wit the mother of his children And of Jose and Shalom These also were the natural sons of Joseph and were called the brethren of our Lord in name only and not by consociation of blood CHAP. XVI AFter this he was seen of two of them Luke the Evangelist speaks clearly of one of them that he was Cleophas but as concerning the other there are different opinions Some say it was the wife of Cleophas Others say That it was Luke himself and that he might not seek glory he did not mention his name And confirmed their words with the signs which they wrought St. Severus saith in the Seventy seventh discourse of his Epithronion That in approved Greek copies the Gospel of Mark ends with these words For they were afraid LUKE CHAP. I. FOrasmuch as many That is to say The Sect of Simon the Sorcerer and those of the Circumcision for it is said That there were Eighty four Gospels according to the number of Apostles and Disciples and after the Apostles departed this life their Disciples chose two of those of the Apostles to wit those of Matthew and John and two of those of the Disciples to wit Mark and Luke and that they destroyed the rest According to what they have delivered That is to say The Apostles To us That is to say To me and to Mark. Of the Word That is to say of Preaching to wit Evangelical denuntiation and the doctrine of our Lord in the World and that this voyce the Word is applicable to those Three senses is apparent from the words of Gregorius Theologus Theophilus This man was a Believer and one of the Rulers of Alexandria Nor Seicera strong drink That is to say a certain kind of drink which was made of Honey and of Dates c. From the Birth of Jesus to his Baptism were Thirty years and from his Baptism to his Ascension were Two years and Six months He shall be great That is to say His greatness shall be revealed to Angels and to Men. And the power of him on high shall come upon thee All the
souzes She cast in more than all the men cast in And how did she cast in more than all whereas they cast in twice as much as she He presently explains the difficulty and saith For all they cast in of their abundance Christ here teacheth us two things First That this gift which was made out of her penury was more abundant and greater in God's esteem than that which proceeded from Redundancy Secondly That God doth not regard the greatness or smallness of a gift but the will and mind wherewith it is given and it is certain That if it be given with a chearful will it is accounted much and great with God although it be small but if otherwise it is meanly esteemed by God though much in quantity CHAP. XIII BVt of that day and hour knoweth no man no not the Angels neither the Son but the Father The Hereticks to wit the Arrians when they are desirous to vilifie the Son they produce this Argument To whom we answer For inasmuch as he is God he knew all things that are before they were made but inasmuch as he was man he saith he knows not and the very same that is God is man and no other as he is life by nature and became death for us forasmuch as he was man so though he doth know all things as being God he said that he did not know as man And as he was before Abraham in respect of his Godhead according as he said Before Abraham was I am yet he was after him as being man for if he had said I know he had been like to the Father onely and not at all like unto us but he said I know not that he might be likened unto us and that there might be no place left for mistakes or to say that he was not made man for this property of man not to know things in futurity was common to him for he communicated in our want of knowledge even as in other humane infirmities and this is manifest from hence that he did not say Neither the Son of God knoweth but neither the Son simply as he was the Son of God so was he a so the Son of man and in that respect wanted knowledge though he knew all things as God Moreover it is certain That as he was man he said he did not know forasmuch as he did not say concerning the Holy Ghost that he did not know Again we say That God the Father is greater than the day of the coming of the Son and is more hidden and concealed than that day and yet the Son saith Even as the Father knoweth the Son the Son knoweth the Father If therefore he knoweth the Father who is high and exalted above all things and is more hidden and concealed than this day how much more then doth he know this day And if any one shall object That the Father knows the Son perfectly but that the Son knoweth the Father but in part let him know That for the same reason he might conclude that the Father knoweth not the Son but in part for the same knowledge is attributed to the Father and the Son as the Father knoweth the Son c. We say further That if the Father knows this day and hour the Son must necessarily know it because there is one knowledge of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit for they are of one and the same nature the same will the same power and operation and therefore necessarily have they one and the same knowledge Moreover for that the Son created the Worlds and Times and Years and Months and Hours and Dayes it is manifest That he knows the day and hour of his appearance but if any one shall object That he hath not yet created the day of his coming he may be convinced by the force of two reasons First From this which is written That he finished the heaven and the earth and all that was in them and God finished his works on the seventh day Secondly Let it be granted That it were so though it be not a Truth yet he knew as God before hand those Things which are not and he knows every thing before hand Again How doth he know the Prognostications and the Signs which are to be at the day of his coming and yet not know the day for he declareth how that there shall be lightning and that the Sun shall be darkned and other such like things and the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the powers of Heaven shall be shaken and the sign of the Son of man shall appear and other the like things which are to happen in that day and hour and how is it possible That one should know what things are in the House and not know the House or how doth a man know the thing that is within a City or a Ship without knowing the City or the Ship And how can he who knoweth what things are without and within a Wall say that he doth not know the Wall in the middle Moreover as he knew the hour of his Birth and the day of his first coming in Bethlehem so doth he know his second coming Furthermore Paul saith That Christ is the power and wisdom of the Father and in this that he saith the power he sheweth That there is nothing out of his Jurisdiction and Providence and by that of wisdom he declares That there is nothing out of the reach of his knowledge but that all things which are and are to come are comprehended within the compass of his knowledge for if he can err in any thing he is not perfect wisdom especially since that he is the Divine wisdom of the Father and in him is hidden all wisdom and he it is that gives wisdom to the wise as saith the Son of Syrach All wisdom is of the Lord and Christ is the Lord whence it was that the Angels said to the Shepherds there is born unto you a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. Neither the Angels In this which the Angels said unto the Shepherds viz. To you is born c. which neither the Angels knew did he forbid them to declare that day and by this That neither the Son that is to say my self he stopt their mouths from asking him for in like manner they asked him after the Resurrection Art thou at this time about to restore the Kingdom And he stopt their mouths saying It doth not belong unto you to know the times and seasons which the Father hath appointed c. But the Father Inasmuch as he spoke of the knowledg of the Father he prevented them that they might not ask him and it is like to that of the mother of the sons of Zebedee for being unwilling to answer whether he would grant the request or no he answered It is not mine to give when assuredly it was he who was to place the Sheep on his right hand and the Goats on his left and to call Come ye
say In thee is blotted out the Curse by thy bearing him in whom are blessed all Nations An EXPOSITION of the LORDS PRAYER taken out of DIONYSIVS SYRVS his CATENA on the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew And Translated by D. L. PRay thus That is to say Not as the Gentiles and Hypocrites but as I teach you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is sometimes taken for a promise of Vows which are separated or designed by us to God according to what David said I will perform my vowes to the Lord As also for whatsoever cometh from the lips And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is an Oblation made to God after the performance of a promise therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought first to be accomplished and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to follow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayer is taken three manner of wayes First For Words as that of Hannah who prayed with her mouth Secondly For matter of Fact as that of Phinehas who prayed by a zealous deed Thirdly For that of the mind according to that I will pray in the Spirit and I will pray with knowledge And every one of these three manner of wayes bodily mentally spiritually our Lord recommends unto us the latter Our Father who art in Heaven Our Father may be termed several wayes First Our remote Father as Adam the Father of us all Secondly Our next Father as Abraham who was the Father of Isaac Thirdly Accidental Fathers Fourthly An Instructer of Youths is called a Father Fifthly An aged man is called a Father Sixthly The High Priest is called Father Seventhly The Three hundred and eighteen Doctors are called Fathers Moreover Satan is called the Father of them who are subject unto him but in none of these kinds do we call God our Father but by reason of Baptism and forasmuch as Christ and we also are born in Baptism we are Brethren unto him and Sons to the Father as David said I will declare thy Name to my Brethren and he gave them authority to be called the Sons of God And we call the Father our Father Christ was the natural Son of his Father but we are the Sons of Grace Unto whom doth it belong to call God his Father He who is perfect in a good Conversation is he who calls God our Father but he who is of a sordid and evil Conversation calls Satan his Father because he fulfills his Will Why doth he teach us to say Our Father generally and not peculiarly every one of us My Father who art in Heaven That he might shew that we are one Body and that our Father is one and that we might pray for the intire body of Brethren Moreover by the words Our Father he beats down Pride and exalted Opinions of our selves shewing That Kings and Beggars are equal in that glorious Pedigree if ye all have one Father ye are also of one kind in the Spirit Our Father who art in Heaven Not that he is confined to Heaven but that he might divert the mind of him who prayeth from earthly Cogitations and raise it to Heaven Again He saith in Heaven That we might be weaned from earthly Parents and to shew that his dwelling is in Heaven Hallowed by the Name That is to say That by our glorious and gracious living the Name of God may be sanctified and glorified Again That we might consecrate our lips and our mouths to his Name because he is Holy before we can call him Holy Again Hallowed That is to say Let thy Holy Name be praised or celebrated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an Hebrew name and signifieth separation And whatsoever thing is separated from another whether it be in beauty or in riches c the Hebrew calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy according to that The Holy in the Land and Renowned Thy Name Thy Name is used in the place of God according to the phrase of Scripture Praise the Name of his holiness and let them know that thy Name is the Lord onely Thy Kingdom come That is to say That thou may'st deliver us from evil The word Kingdom is taken in sundry senses as we have hinted heretofore Kingdom The Beatitude of the World to come wherein we shall be made immortal Kingdom The time after the Resurrection of Christ according to that I will not drink of the fruit of the Vine until I drink it anew in the Kingdom Kingdom The Gospel Kingdom The Theory of Things of small quantity according to that The Kingdom is like unto Leaven Kingdom The Contemplation of the Trinity according to that The Kingdom cometh not by observation and the Kingdom of God is within you Here he calls the Kingdom the Grace of the Holy Spirit which we receive in Baptism Again Thy Kingdom come He teacheth us to pray for Faith in him therefore he calls Faith the Kingdom Thy Will be done He teacheth us to pray for a vertuous and chaste Conversation Moreover Be pleased that we who dwell on earth may glorifie thee As in Heaven so also in Earth That is to say As thou art well-pleased with the Angels in Heaven so also be pleased with us who dwell on Earth Give us the Bread of our Exigency By Bread is understood all things necessary for the Body Meat Drink Rayment and Lodging all which are requisite for the Body This day In that he saith the day he means the present time Remit unto us our debts as we also For remission he gives remission we as men remit unto men but he as God remits unto us our many Trespasses And as is the disproportion between a grain and a Mountain between a drop and the Sea so little is our remission in comparison of that remission he grants us Lead us not into Tentation That is to say Let us not be the occasion of their being condemned who are to bring Tribulations upon us And again It doth not befit us to presume of our own accord the exposing of our selves to Tentations for Satan himself continually raiseth them up against us and therefore let not us excite them But deliver us from Evil. That is to say It behoveth us alwayes to pray that we may be delivered from the Temptations which the evil one raiseth against us For thine is the Kingdom If the Kingdom be his then Satan is his Slave and cannot presume to attempt any thing unless he permit him as he gave him permission in the case of Job and of the Swine The Power and the Glory His is the Power for he is able to do all Things And Glory for ever For as his Kingdom is sure and his Power great so also shall his Glory without end remain for ever He comprehends the Prayer in Ten sentences according to the Mystery of the Ten Commandments and the Ten Beatitudes and Jud which signifieth Ten is the letter of Jesus and the five first sentences concern the Soul and the five latter concern the Body that we may purge the
CHAP. IV. THen Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness He did not immediately after his Baptism go into the Wilderness for that Three dayes after he was baptized he wrought the miracle of converting Water into Wine in Kotna To be Tempted of the Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Accusations and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth as much as if one should repeat the crimes of another He was afterward an hungred That is to say in confirmation of his Humanity but though Moses and Elias fasted each of them Forty dayes it was not said of them that they suffered Hunger for no man doubted but that they were men And shewed him all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them That is to say by the ministry of the Fancy but not really and in Truth Luke placeth the conflict of Vain-glory in the Third place and that congruously because the Two conflicts viz. of Bread and of shewing him the Kingdoms were in the Wilderness but that of Hunger was on the Temple in the City He departed into Galilee That is to say He Taught us that we should not stand in the way of evil For they were Fishers That is to say in the Old Testament Shepherds were chosen and called as Jacob Moses and David because they were to govern their own and peculiar people but in the New they were Fishers because they were commanded to Teach without limitation every one who was prepared as well of the Gentiles as of the Jewes CHAP. V. BLessed are they who mourn That is to say who mourn for their sins For they shall be comforted That is to say by pardon and forgiveness For they shall inherit the Earth He calls Earth the extremity of the Firmament whereunto the righteous are to ascend in the Resurrection as David said I hope to see the blessings of the Lord in the Land of the Living The Peace-makers That is to say They who work a reconciliation between the Soul and the Body insomuch that the Soul desireth nothing that may be hurtful to the Body It is good for nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is unusual and is not to be found elsewhere in the whole Contexture of the Scripture Guilty of Judgement That is to say of Murther Guilty of the Congregation That is to say To be expelled out of the Congregation Raka This word signifieth Contempt in respect of the Body and the word Fool Contempt in regard of the Soul Thou shalt not go thence until thou shalt pay The word until doth not denote a Release from Hell nor an end of Torment Hath committed Adultery in his heart He doth not condemn the natural motion but the will of him who is incited lasciviously And shall take away thy Tunick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Thy upper garment Thy Vest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say The nether garment which covereth the nakedness CHAP. VI. THey have received their Reward That is to say Praise from Men. Our Father which art in Heaven He Teacheth us That we should seek those Things which are above the Earth and not that God is confined to the Heavens From Evil. That is to say from Satan The light of the Body is the Eye The Eye mystically signifieth the Fathers and Teachers and the Body signifieth the People CHAP. VII JVdge not That is to say wickedly Not every one who shall say unto me Lord Lord. That is to say Faith without good Works doth not avail CHAP. VIII AS Moses commanded for a testimony unto them That is to say That they might Testifie for me that I do not destroy the Law When Jesus heard he marvelled That is to say According to his Humane Nature for the Divine Nature doth not wonder at any thing because admiration is a passion of the rational Soul not comprehending the cause of a Thing And saw his Wives mother He declares hereby That he had a Wife And it hath been said That when he was called to the Office of an Apostle he did not any more converse with her Bury my Father Either he was sick unto death or was very aged Permit us to go into the herd of Swine That is to say To the intent that when the Swine should perish the Owners of them might persecute him CHAP. IX AND passed over and came to his own City That is to say to Capernaum as Mark saith for in Bethlehem he was born in Nazareth he was bred and he dwelled in Capernaum Thy sins are forgiven thee That is to say because sins were the cause of the Palsie by the taking away the cause he also took away the effect Sitting amongst the Publicans whose name was Matthew This he writes of himself and such was his Humility that he was not ashamed of his former calling to wit of being a Customer which was reproachful CHAP. X. THE first Simon who is called Cephas He was the chief of the Apostles he was of Bethsaida of the Tribe of Naphtali He Taught one year in Antioch and built a Church there and went to Rome and preached there for the space of Twenty seven years and when Paul came unto him there was a great perturbation in Rome and Nero commanded that both of them should be slain and Peter desired to be crucified with his Head downwards that he might as it were kiss his Lords feet And John his brother That is to say The Evangelist He departed from Jerusalem together with Mary the mother of our Lord and they were banished together to the Island of Patmus and when he returned from Banishment he Preached in Asia and built a Church in Ephesus and Ignatius the fiery and Polycarp ministred unto him and he buried the Blessed Mary and no man knoweth where he laid her He lived seventy and three years and dyed after all the Apostles and was buried in Ephesus Bartholomew His name was Jesus and in honour of his Master he did not call him by his name but by the name of his Father Think not that I come to send peace on earth Some Object How doth this agree with that He shall speak peace with the Nations And that He is our peace And that My peace I give unto you We answer That those Things respect the perfection of the Gospel but this hath relation to the beginning thereof A Prophet in the name of a Prophet That is to say Although he be a Prophet in name onely and not in deed CHAP. XI A Reed shaken with the wind That is to say What think ye of him who hath a wavering mind ready to bend with every wind And of him who having formerly known me will now make shew as if he knew me not And more than a Prophet That is to say He Prophesied and gave Testimony of me as did the rest of the Prophets And he hath this superadded excellency That he saw me bodily CHAP. XII
Furthermore This is to be taken notice of That Mark onely saith That neither the Son knoweth whereas Matthew saith no such thing Matthew he wrote to the Hebrews and Mark to the Romans The Hebrews They doubted of his Divinity and the Romans of his Humanity by reason of the seed of fancy which Simon had sown amongst them viz. That our Lord had not assumed a Body for which reason Mark adds Neither the Son Teaching thereby That he was not only God but also man who was like unto us in every thing sin excepted After another Exposition thus Mark doth not here call our Lord Son but the faithful who are called Sons by reason of Baptism and Christ he calls Father for he is the Father of the World to come And my children a little while I am with you and behold I and the children which the Lord hath given me for the name Father is used for the Father and the Son for the Father by Nature for the Son by Dispensation And he used here a communion of name to his Disciples as this Destroy this Temple and I will raise it whil'st he spoke of his Body the Jewes understood a Temple of stones In like manner the Disciples here when they heard these words Neither the Angels nor the Son but the Father they thought that he had called his own father Father and himself Son and they declined the question because it was not of advantage to know for if he spoke concerning the Father he knows the day this is not worthy admiration for naturally he had this knowledge but this deserves admiration That the faithful should gain a foreknowledge of any thing Furthermore As he being the power and life of all things was exercised with infirmities and slept and was wearied and was hungry so here he is brought to that pass that he knows not the day Because the Disciples were desirous to know that which was too high for them and that they might not be troubled because he did not reveal the mystery unto them he saith That neither the Angels Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not the day He commanded them that they should be vigilant and watchful for it is certain That if they had known it they had slept and would not have watched therefore that he might drive forth sloathfulness out of them he doth not reveal the day and forasmuch as he saith Pray he sheweth That the power of Prayer is able to free us from the fear of this day As a man taking a far journey Even as a man ready to go to a remote place calls his servants and gives them power over his goods promising to reward them plentifully who shall observe his commands and to punish those who shall slight his Word if he should also reveal unto them the day of his coming one of these two things would happen if the day of his coming vvere neer and short they vvould give themselves pleasure they vvould live vvantonly and idly saying The time is short and there is not space sufficient to fulfill his will and neglectful men do altogether weaken and cut off hope if the time of his coming were long they would live pleasantly and idly and those who are idle are neglectful they would Wander and play the fool until the day came for inasmuch as he exhorts them to apply themselves to their Work concealing from them the day they are incited on both sides to the performance of his Will It is thus to be explained after another manner Even as a man the Master of a Family being about to take a Journey if he acquaint his servants with the day of his return from the day of his setting forth the fear of him is taken from them and they eat and drink c. and say our Master deferreth his coming for he appointed such a day for his return but if he do not appoint a day for his coming they remain in fear and terror thinking with themselves perhaps he may come in an hour we know not of and may take us in our follies So also Christ did not reveal that day unto us nor the time of our death that we might be retained in awe and be careful and watchful Moreover the Master who took the Journey and declared the day of his coming to his servants was bound up within restriction and limits and could neither anticipate nor prolong the time according to justice for if he come before the time appointed and they do not come forth to meet him it is not just that he should reprehend them because the day appointed is not yet come and if he prolongs the time when he cometh the same thing hapneth So our Lord also had he revealed this day they had been like Lords and he as a servant so that he could not have prevented nor delayed the time for if he had done the one or the other one of the two had hapned either they had said that because the day of his coming was not known before it fell out so or that there was a cogent Master above him who constrain'd him to anticipate or go beyond the time appointed for as much therefore as he did not reveal the time he remained in the power of his dominion and forasmuch as he excited their diligence to watch and pray he kept them in fear and expelled carelesness out of them Again as he gave men to understand that they were mortal that therefore they might be kept in awe and practise Holiness but did not declare unto them on what day they should dye lest they might sin upon the opinion that their life was to last longer so here he did not reveal to his Apostles the day of his coming to the end they might be watchful and diligent in prayer CHAP. XIV ONE of the Twelve It is known that Judas was not of the least but one of those of best note amongst the Twelve Some say that he was the Third for he was ranked next to Simeon and James but because the Evangelists wrote the Gospel after his Treachery they placed him last in order Who dippeth with me in the dish There were two round Tables set before them and Judas sate down at our Lords Table Others say That there was but one round Table and all of them sate down to it but that there were two Dishes at the Table and Judas dipped into that which was our Lords And he took with him Peter and James and John These three he took with him when he prayed here he took them also with him when he raised to life the Damsel and when he was Transfigured in the Mount not that he undervalued the rest but first of all for the great love which they bore unto him secondly because Judas was not vvorthy of that sight thirdly for a Testimony of vvhat he did for the Testimony of Three is sure And he went a little nearer and fell upon the earth John expresseth
this exactly He departed from them about a stones cast he did not pray before them that he might not be thought proud or vain-glorious and that he might Teach them to pray privately nor did he depart to a great distance that they might hear the words of his prayer what they were and might learn by that pattern But not my will He doth not say so as if his Will were contrary to the Will of his Father but by way of submission he used this expression Moreover He did it for instruction to others that we should not be troubled for those Things which befall us from enemies which oftentimes hapneth not from our Will but from the infirmity of Nature for he was pleased to Teach this to all men in his own person That what passions we suffer by reason of those who vex us is not blameable by reason of the infirmity of Nature yet ought we to take a care if we be not cleared of them by the love of God that we shun natural commotions Whomsoever I kiss the same is he Judas because it was night lest as they went they might take another and leave our Lord he gave this sign unto them Whomsoever I shall kiss take And it is probable That it was usual with our Lord to kiss any of the Disciples when they came from a remote place A certain young man followed him Some say That it was John the Evangelist Others say no and it is known from hence That John did not walk naked with our Lord nor any other of his Disciples Others say He was none of the Twelve but some other man and the Jewes by reason of their Wickedness apprehended him and taking hold of the linnen cloth vvherein he vvas vvrapped he left the same behind him and fled Others say That it vvas this Mark the Evangelist and therefore he did not make express mention of his name Sought for testimony against Jesus Wherefore did they seek Witnesses for this that he said Destroy this Temple and I will raise it up in three dayes And if he did not build it he vvas a Lyar for this vvas no greater a vvork than to raise him vvho had been dead four dayes The servants That is to say The Souldiers or Executioners Seditions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Wars and Contentions The Souldiers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say Those vvho vvere sent to guard him The vvay is in Greek called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praetorium That is to say The Court of Justice CHAP. XV. SImon a Cyrenian He was of the Gentiles the Father of Alexander and Rufus he who was chosen by our Lord he called him an Apostle and in respect of the love he bore him he esteemed his Mother as his own when our Lord went out of the Court of Justice he bore his own Cross but when they saw Simon coming from his Town they pressed him and laid the Cross upon him And they led him to Gogulta It is called Gogulta by reason of its roundness Which is by interpretation a skull That is to say by reason of its figure which is high and rising a little from the ground And they gave him to drink wine mixed with myrrhe That is to say That he might be Transported beyond the use of Reason and Intoxicated and might not be sensible of what they were to do unto him but he did not drink it for two Reasons First None of the Prophets prophesied that he was to drink Wine Secondly That he might not deviate out of the way which the Prophets had strewed for him not that he did so because the Prophets foretold it but because he was to fulfill his office or dispensation and myrrhe is that which they join with aloes That is to say tsaboro and it is another kind of Fruit and it is not so bitter as tsaboro And he received it not That is to say He drank it not Once they gave him Vinegar and another time Wine mixed with Myrrhe that they might add asperity and bitterness to his Passion and that as a Token of the exceeding-great Hatred towards him And when they had crucified him they divided his garments In Matthew we have expounded these Things What every man should have That is to say To which of them such a part should fall and which of the Souldiers was to take such a part his Under-Coat was glorious having never a seam from the upper side and they did not divide it but put a price thereupon and divided the price into four parts and then they cast lots amongst themselves and agreed That he unto whom the lot fell should have the Coat and pay the other three parts of the price to his Comrades and this is that which Mark saith What every man should have That is to say what every one of the Souldiers should have whether the Coat or part of the price And the occasion of his death was written That is to say That he was Crucified because he designed to usurp the Kingdom And with him they crucified two thieves First Because he was found guilty of Rebellion against God and the King as they were Secondly That the Psalm might be fulfilled in his being reckoned with transgressors They crucified them together thereby to hide their Envy and Arrogancy And one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar That is to say instead of Wine they gave him Vinegar that they might dry his Tongue so that he might not cry any more And when the evening of the preparation was come The setting of the Sun and the end of the preparation he calls Evening and it may allude unto him who that day cryed out to him Go and prepare thou Christ everlasting blessings and which are to come Came Joseph who was of Ramatha He calls him honoured because he was not by descent a Counsellor but by bribing and money obtained the place of a Counsellor In like manner there was a Family or Tribe in the land of the Romans and it was highly honoured and if there were not any to be found of the Progeny of Kings they set up Kings out of that Tribe and when any of them Transgressed they whipped his Horse instead of him with white handgripes of Wooll Amongst the Persians also was a Tribe called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gondi namiran that is to say Immortal Tribe And it was not lawful to instruct or correct them when they offended He was confident and went in unto Pilate That is to say That he durst ask him who was Crucified as a Rebel against the Kingdom and was reputed as an Enemy to God Again It was a bold Act because he knew that he was to be accounted an Enemy to the Jewes for honouring the body of our Lord he was confident That is to say because it was a Festival and the Law did not permit it And Pilate marvailed if he were already dead He marvailed because he thought the time of his