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have led them to: However they had corrupted the Law by their Traditions, and, as appear'd by the Event, inverted the great Design of it, which was, to be their Schoolmaster to bring them unto Chrift; yet we are not from hence to conclude, that they were a People openly and scandaloufly wicked, or that they had no kind of Regard to God or his Laws.

On the contrary, we have many Instances of their being a very zealous People, extremely strict and scrupulous in their Religion. They contend that they were the Children of Abraham, and the Disciples of Mofes. Our Lord acknowledges that they trusted in Mofes, and that in the Scriptures they thought they had Eternal Life. So ftrict were they in the Obfervation of their Law, that in fome things they went beyond even the Rigour of the Letter, adding Weight to that, which was before a Burden

Burden not to be borne. Their great Cavils against our Lord and his Difciples were, their Non-obfervance of the Law, their Difregard to the Temple, their breaking the Sabbath, and the Freedom of their outward Behaviour; they represent him as a Glutton and a Wine-bibber, a Friend of Publicans and Sinners, with whom they would not fo much as eat, nor converse with;-- a Samaritan. Our Lord approves of their Teaching, when he bids his Followers do as they taught, and when he tells them, that unless their Righteousness exceeded the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, they should in no cafe enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, he plainly intimates that they had fome Kind or Degree of Righteousness, tho' it came fhort, and was infufficient. St. Paul testifies for them, that they had a Zeal of God, tho' not according to Knowledge; and St. Peter, fpeaking

of the Crucifixion of Chrift, fays, I wot that through Ignorance ye did it, as did alfo your Rulers; and our Lord, in his Interceffion for them on the Crofs, acknowledges that they knew not what they did. From thefe, and many other the like Particulars, we muft conclude that the Jews, inftead of being a profane and diffolute, were a very zealous and religious People.

My Design in what I have hitherto faid, is, to awaken our own Attention to bring the Cafe home to ourfelves, who may be apt to think that we are but little concern'd in a Caution given forth so many Ages ago, and against a wicked and irreligious People; whereas if we recollect, we shall scarce find in ourselves a greater Zeal for, or Regard to the Gofpel, be it as great as it will, than thefe Pharifees had to the Law; and I fear, upon further Enquiry, it will appear,

appear, that there is at least equal Reason for the Caution to be renew'd, and apply'd to the prefent State of Religion.

For

Before I proceed farther, I cannot but take notice both of the Occafion, which our Lord chofe, to give his Difciples the Caution in my Text,--- ic was when there were gathered together an innumerable Multitude of People, infomuch that they trod one upon another; -- and of the Emphasis with which it is introduced; First of all, beware ye of the Leaven of the Pharifees, which is Hypocrify. tho' fome Criticks refer the Words, First of all, to the foregoing Part of the Sentence, as they are alfo ftop'd in our Translation, yet whoever reads the Original cannot queftion but they belong to the latter; and that the Words should run, not that our Lord first of all faid unto them; but that he faid unto them, Beware ye first of all of G 3 the

the Leaven of the Pharifees, which is Hypocrify.

In difcourfing further upon which Words, it will be neceffary that I fhew you

First, What is here meant by Hypocrify, that we may have as clear and diftinct a Notion as poffible of the Thing we are to beware of.

Secondly, That we confider it under the Character of Leaven, which feems to carry with it fome peculiar Reasons of Caution.

Thirdly, That I inforce the Exhortation from the most weighty and important Motives.

First then, we are to confider what is here meant by Hypocrify, that we may have as clear and diftinct a Notion as poffible of the Thing we are to beware of.

The Hypocrify of the Pharifees confifted wholly in a great Zeal for, and

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