scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

Ye think now, that ye are utterly free from the danger of this accusation, and presume of your own judgment; whereas, he, whom ye reject, shall be approved that true Messiah, on whom the Church of God is built, according to that of the Psalmist. See Psalm cxviii. 22.

XXI. 44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Christ is as a Rock, every way; as in regard of the use of that spiritual building, so in respect of the danger of opposing him whosoever will be dashing upon him, shall but split and break himself in pieces; and if he fall, in just revenge, upon any that makes head against him, he shall crush and grind him to powder.

XXII. 9. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

Since the Jews, my selected people, will not obey these gracious invitations, nor approve themselves worthy of this mercy, go ye to the despised Gentiles, and call them to this spiritual marriage feast.

XXII. 10. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good.

So those, my Apostles and Evangelists, went to call those that are without; the contemptible heathen, that lay by the highways and hedge-rows of the world, as unworthy of the house-room of my Church, and gathered them, &c.

XXII. 11, 12, 13. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into utter darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But, though God vouchsafed to call even the Gentiles to the participation of the privileges of his Church, yet he will not abide that they should dishonour his holy vocation, by their known filthiness and pollution: the King of Glory, the God of his Church, takes notice of his guests, and marks how they come dressed and habited to his spiritual feast; and if he see a man, who, professing Christ, shall notwithstanding continue in the old rags and filth of his natural corruption, he cannot but be highly offended with this foul hypocrisy and presumption, and, after a sharp expostulation, shall adjudge that man to a just and heavy damnation.

XXII. 14. For many are called, but few are chosen.

For, think not that all, who are outwardly called by the sweet invitations of the Gospel, are made partakers of grace and salvation. God calleth all sorts of men, and men of all sorts, and they do outwardly answer this voice of God; but his inward and effectual calling, and the election of grace, is but of few.

XXII. 16. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

And they sent unto him their disciples, togiether with them which were of the faction and clientage of Herod; messengers divided both in opinion and affection; the one part standing for the liberty of the Jews, the other part for the impositions of Cæsar and Herod; saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and, without all respects to the persons of one side or other, teachest unpartially the way of God in sincerity and truth.

XXII. 17. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou of this point? Thou knowest that God hath imposed upon us a sacred tribute to be paid unto himself: now, our Roman usurpers require us to pay this very tribute unto their coffers, who do justly challenge to be God's free people; now then, what sayest thou? Is it lawful for us thus to yield unto their exactions, and, abdicating our just privileges, to pay this tribute unto Cæsar or not?

XXII. 18, 19, 20, 21. But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

And Jesus, who knew the very secret thoughts of their hearts, perceiving their wicked conspiracy against him, said, Why do ye thus seek to entrap me, under a colour of respect and reverence to me, O ye hypocrites? Ye think ye now have me in a snare: for if I say it is not lawful, ye Herodians are ready to accuse me as seditious; if I affirm it lawful, ye disciples of the Pharisees are ready to load me with the envy of the people: but ye shall well see how easily I can avoid this net ye have laid for me. Shew me the tribute money. And they brought him a Roman penny (to the value of seven pence halfpenny of the present coin:) and he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription, which is stamped upon this metal? They say to him, Cæsar's. Then saith he

unto them, Ye have answered yourselves: this very coin convinces you ye stand upon your freedom from the subjection to the Roman empire; yet, in this very stamp, ye read your own subjection: ye are mistaken, if ye think that your spiritual interest in my Father or me discharges you from obligations and duties to your earthly princes: your soul doth or should bear the image of God, and therefore is justly claimed by him, as his; your coin is stamped with Cæsar's image, to shew his claim unto such part of it, as pertaineth unto him: give therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's.

XXII. 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Ye Sadducees do err grossly and damnably in this your misconceit of the Resurrection; and the ground of your error is your ignorance, both of the Scriptures, which have clearly revealed the truth thereof, and of that omnipotent power of God, whereby only this, otherwise impossible, work shall be effected.

XXII. 30. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in

heaven.

As for that absurdity, which ye suppose would follow upon the certainty of a Resurrection, compared with the Law of Moses; had ye any true insight into the state of heavenly things, ye would easily see, how it vanisheth of itself. For in the Resurrection and Life to Come, there is no such matter as marrying and giving in marriage; no more than there is now among the angels in heaven: for the condition of the Saints shall then be like unto that of the celestial Spirits, equally free from all these earthly relations and carnal respects.

XXII. 32. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

He doth not say, I was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; or, I am the God of Abraham that once was: but, as implying his own eternal being, and the certain being of those holy Patriarchs, he saith, I am the God of Abraham, &c. Now God is not the God of those, that are not, and have no existence at all, but of those that have a being; so as, ye Sadducees are in this palpably disproved, while ye grossly hold, that the souls of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are utterly extinct, and have ceased to be: they are; and expect the full accomplishment of that happiness and glory, which God, by virtue of his covenant, hath assured unto them.

XXII. 42, 43, 45. Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him,

Lord, saying, &c. If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

I shall need no other proof of the Deity of the Mediator, than your own mouths, and your own attestation to this very Scripture. Ye grant, that the Christ is, and must be, the son of David, according to the flesh as I am: this is assurance enough of his Humanity; the truth of his Deity is sufficiently evicted by that title and compellation which David gives him, in calling him, by the direction of the unfailable Spirit of God, My Lord: how can he, being David's son, be David's Lord, if herein David meant not to acknowledge the Messiah for his God?

XXII. 44. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit down on my right hand, &c. See Psalm cx. 1.

XXIII. 2. Saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

The Scribes and Pharisees, which are the teachers and expounders of the law of God, however they set false glosses upon many precepts thereof, and corrupt it with their own traditions, yet they do out of God's law shew you how ye ought to live, what sins ye ought to avoid, what good duties ye ought to perform.

XXIII. 3. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Their counsels and doctrines carry in them much shew of holiness and austerity, but their practices are full of looseness and iniquity: whatsoever therefore they enjoin you out of the law of God, that observe, and do; but follow not the examples of their actions, for they say well, and do evil.

XXIII. 4. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

They do, in their many and strict traditions, impose heavy charges of busy and troublesome observations upon the people; but they themselves will be sure to ease their own shoulders, and take the freedom of a lawless kind of licentious

ness.

XXIII. 5. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.

They make great ostentation of the outward signs of holiness; enlarging those parchment-guards, which they wear about them, as containing the parcels and monuments of God's law; that they may be noted for great professors of sanctity.

XXIII. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

But do not ye arrogate to yourselves any such power or title, as may derogate from the absolute authority of him who is the Word of the Father: do not ye take upon you to deliver any doctrine, as of your own head, but only that which ye shall receive from your Heavenly Master: Christ is your Father and Master, to teach and command; ye are brethren, to join together in observance and obedience. So also verses 9 and 10.

XXIII. 13. But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for, whereas, by your office and profession, ye should by the key of knowledge open the kingdom of heaven unto men; ye do, contrarily, defraud the people of the true understanding of God's law; and, by that means, do, as it were, shut the gates of heaven against both them and yourselves: your false glosses and vicious practices exclude you; and, by the impossibility of observing your many vain traditions, ye do, in your judgment, exclude others: and, as for matter of faith, ye do neither believe in me, the true Saviour, yourselves; neither suffer others, that would gladly embrace the truth of my Gospel, to cleave unto me.

XXIII. 15. For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Ye leave no means unattempted, ye spare no pains nor cost, to win a Gentile, to your Jewish religion; and, when ye have drawn him to you, ye do so foully corrupt him, that he is a much worse Jew than he was a Gentile; and ye do more damn him, by a sacrilegious pretence of religion, than he did before damn himself, by a heathenish civility.

XXIII. 16. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoerer shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which lead God's people into gross and foul errors, by your false and absurd expositions; while ye teach, that the gold of the temple is more holy than the temple itself: and, therefore, that if a man swear by the temple, the oath binds not; but if he swear by the gold of the temple, now he is bound to perform it! So verse 18.

XXIII. 20. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Whatsoever the forms of your swearing be, it is God only, that is and must be sworn by; and the creatures are only