The system of the Pharisees

A. D. 27.

a

A. D. 27.

A. M. 4031. John, saying, Why do we and the unto an old garment, for that which A. M. 4051. An. Olymp. Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples is put in to fill it up taketh from An. Olymp. fast not? the garment, and the rent is made worse.

CCI. 3.

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bride-groom is with them? but the days will come, when the bride-groom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

CCI. 3.

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are

16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth preserved.

Mark 2. 18, &c. Luke 5. 53, &c. & 18. 12.

b John S. 29.

Acts 13. 2, 3. & 14. 23. 1 Cor. 7. 5.— Or, raw, or unwrought cloth.

Verse 10. No man putteth a piece of new cloth] Oudus de επιβαλλει επίβλημα ράκους αγναφου επι ιματιω παλαίω. No man putteth a patch of unscoured cloth upon an old garment. This is the most literal translation I can give of this verse, to convey its meaning to those who cannot consult the original. Paxos ayvaçov is that cloth which has not been scoured, or which has not passed under the hand of the fuller, who is called yvaeus in Greek: and a signifies a piece put on, or what we commonly term a patch.

It-taketh from the garment] Instead of closing up the rent, it makes a larger, by tearing away with it the whole breadth of the cloth, over which it was laid; algu yag to Tλngwμa autou- -it taketh its fulness or whole breadth from the garment; this I am persuaded is the meaning of the original, well expressed by the Latin, or Itala of the c. BEZE, Tollit enim plenitudo ejus de vestimento. "It takes away its fulness from the garment."

Verse 15. Can the children of the bride-chamber] Nuuwvos. HOURS; and this absurdity continues in some Christian Or, vuμqov, bride-groom, as the Cod. Beza and several Versions || churches to the present day. For more on fasting, see chap. have it. These persons were the companions of the bride- || vi. 16. groom, who accompanied him to the house of his father-inlaw when he went to bring the bride to his own home. The marriage-feast, among the Jews, lasted seven days; but the new married woman was considered to be a bride for thirty days. Marriage feasts were times of extraordinary festivity, and even of riot, among several people of the East. When the bride-groom shall be taken from them, &c.] There was only one annual fast observed in the primitive church, called by our ancestors, lenczen-pærren, the spring fast; and by us, LENT: by the Greeks Toσaxon, and by the Latins, Quadrigessima. This fast is pretended to be kept by many in the present day, in commemoration of our Lord's forty days fast in the wilderness; but it does not appear that, in the purest ages of the primitive church, genuine Christians ever pretended that their quadrigessimal fast was kept for the above purpose. Their fast was kept merely to commemorate the time during which Jesus Christ lay under the power of death; which was about FORTY HOURS: and it was in this sense they understood the words of this text: the days will come, &c. with them, the bride-groom meant Christ; the time in which he was taken away, his crucifixion, death, and the time he lay in the grave. Suppose him dying about 12 o'clock on what is called Friday, and that he rose about four on the morning of his own day (St. John says, Early, while it was yet dark, chap. xx. 1.) the interim makes forty hours, which was the true primitive Lent, or quadrigessimal fast. It is true that many in the primitive church were not agreed on this subject, as Socrates in his Church History, book v. chap. 22, says, "Some thought they should fast one day; others two; others more."--Different churches also were divided concerning the length of the time; some keeping it three, others five, and others seven weeks: and the historian himself is puzzled to know why they all agreed in calling these fasts, differing so much in their duration, by the name of Quadrigessima, or forty days fast: the plain obvious reason appears to me to have been simply this: They put DAYS in the place of

Verse 17. New wine into old bottles] It is still the custom, in the eastern countries, to make their bottles of goat-skins ; if these happened to be old, and new wine were put into them, the violence of the fermentation must necessarily burst them, and therefore newly made bottles were employed for the purpose of putting that wine in, which had not yet gone through its state of fermentation. The Institutes of Christ, and those of the Pharisees, could never be brought to accord: an attempt to combine the two systems, would be as absurd as it would be destructive. The old covenant made way for the new, which was its completion and its end: but with that old covenant, the new cannot be incorporated.

Christian prudence requires that the weak, and newly converted, should be managed with care and tenderness. To impose such duties and mortifications as are not absolutely necessary to salvation, before God has properly prepared the heart by his grace for them, is a conduct as absurd and ruinous as putting a piece of raw unscoured cloth on an old garment; it is, in a word, requiring the person to do

My daughter is even now dead] Or, my daughter was just How dying; azTI ETEλUTNJE, or, is by this time dead: i. e. as Mr. Wakefield properly observes, She was so ill when I left home, that she must be dead by this time. This turn of the expression reconciles the account given here, with that in Mark and Luke. Michaelis conjectures, that in the Hebrew original, the words must have stood thus, nn nny âtah matah; which without the points, may signify either She is dead, or She is dying.

To be successful in our applications to God by prayer, four things are requisite, and this ruler teaches us what they are.

First, A man should place himself in the presence of God-he came unto him.

Secondly, He should humble himself sincerely before God be thought sufficiently explanatory of the disorder in ques-he fell down before him-at his feet. Mark v. 22. Thirdly, He should lay open his wants with a holy earnestness—he besought him greatly. Mark v. 23.

An. Olymp. comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made

CCI. 3.

с

raised from the dead.

house, and saw the minstrels and the A. M.4031. people making a noise,

A.D. 27. An. Olymp. CCI. 3.

24 He said unto them, "Give place:
for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And

whole from that hour.
23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's they laughed him to scorn.

b

a Luke 7. 50. & 8. 48. & 17. 19. & 18. 42. Mark 5. 38. Luke 8. 51.

modesty forbad her to make any public acknowledgment of it: and therefore she endeavoured to transact the whole business in private. Besides, the touch of such a person, was reputed unclean. By faith in Christ Jesus, little things are often rendered efficacious to our salvation. What more simple than a morsel of bread, and a few drops of wine, in the Lord's Supper! and yet, they who receive them by faith in the sacrifice they represent, are made partakers of the blessings purchased by the crucified body, and spilt blood of the Lord Jesus!

See 2 Chron. $5. 25.-d Acts 20. 10.

bards and croteries prepared the caoinan. The chief bard of the head chorus, began by singing the first stanza in a low doleful tone; which was softly accompanied by the harp. At the conclusion, the foot semichorus began the lamentation or ULLALOO, from the final note of the preceding stanza, in which they were answered by the head semichorus; then both united in one general chorus.

The chorus of the first stanza being ended, the chief bard of the foot semichorus sung the second stanza, the strain of which was taken from the concluding note of the preceding Verse 22. Daughter, be of good comfort] Oxzou buyar, chorus, which ended, the head semichorus began the GOL, take courage, daughter. See on ver. 2. The reason of this or lamentation, in which they were answered by that of the kind speech was, Jesus finding that virtue had proceeded foot, and then, as before, both united in the general full from him, made enquiry who had touched him. The woman chorus. Thus alternately were the song and choruses perfinding that she could not be hid, came fearing and trembling || (Mark v. 33.) and confessed the truth: to dispel these fears and to comfort her mind, Jesus said, Daughter, take courage. Thy faith hath made thee whole.] H MIOTIS GOU CECWXE σ, This thy faith hath saved thee; i. e. thy faith in my power, has interested that power in thy behalf, so that thou art saved from thy disorder, and from all its consequences. See on Luke viii. 46.

formed during the night. I have seen a number of women, sometimes fourteen, twenty-four, or more, accompany the deceased from his late house to the grave-yard, divided into two parties on each side the corpse, singing the ULLALOO alternately, all the way. That drinking, in what is called the wake, or watching with the body of the deceased, is practised, and often carried to a shameless excess, needs little proof. This kind of intemperance proceeded to such great lengths among the Jews; that the Sanhedrin were obliged to make a decree, to restrain the drinking to ten cups each. I mention these things more particularly, because I have often observed that the customs of the aboriginal Irish bear a very striking resemblance to those of the ancient Jews; and other Asiatic nations. The application of these obser vations I leave to others.

Verse 23. Saw the minstrels and the people making a noise] Auλntas pipers; Anglo-saxon hpirtlepar, the whistlers; Gothic haurngans haurngandans, the horn blowers blowing with their horns. Nearly the same as the pipublasara, pipe blowers, of the Islandic, for among all those nations funeral lamentations, accompanied with such rude instruments, were made at the death of relatives. That pipes were in use among the Jews, in times of calamity or death, is evident from Jer. It was a custom with the Greeks to make a great noise xlviii. 36. And among the Greeks and Romans, as well as with brazen vesscis; and the Romans made a general outcry, among the Jews, persons were hired on purpose to follow the called conclamatio, hoping either to stop the soul which was funeral procession with lamentations. See Jer. ix. 17—21. now taking its flight, or to awaken the person, if only in a Amos v. 16. Even the poorest among the Jews were re- state of torpor. This they did for eight days together, callquired to have two pipers, and one mourning woman. Ating the person incessantly by his name; at the expiration of these funeral solemnities it was usual with them to drink which term the phrase, conclamatum est—all is over-there is considerably; even ten cups of wine cach, where it could no hope-was used. See the words used in this sense by be got. See Lightfoot. This custom is observed among the Terence, EUN. 1. 347. In all probability this was the (9native Irish to this day, in what is called their CAOINAN. Bousov) the making a violent outcry, mentioned here by the The body of the deceased dressed in grave-clothes, and or- Evangelist. How often, on the death of relatives, do men namented with flowers, is placed on some eminent place; incumber and perplex themselves with vain, worldly and the relations and caoiners range themselves in two divisions, tumultuous ceremonies, instead of making profitable reflecone at the head, and the other at the feet of the corpse. An- tions on death! ciently, where the deceased was a great personage, the

Verse 24. The maid is not dead, but sleepeth.] That is, she

is not dead so as to continue under the power of death; but incontestably acknowledged as coming from this stock. Matt. shall be raised from it as a person is from natural sleep.

They laughed him to scorn.] Kartychwy autov, they ridiculed him; from xara intensive, and yɛhaw I laugh-they grinned a ghastly smile, expressive of the contempt they felt for his person and knowledge. People of the world generally laugh at those truths which they neither comprehend nor love, and deride those who publish them; but a faithful minister of God (copying the example of Christ) keeps on his way, and does the work of his Lord and Master.

xii. 23.

Have mercy on us.] That man has already a measure of heavenly fight, who knows that he has no merit; that his cry should be a cry for mercy; that he must be fervent, and that in praying he must follow Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, the son of David expected from heaven.

Verse 28. When he was come into the house] That is, the house of Peter, at Capernaum, where he ordinarily lodged. Believe ye that I am able to do this?] Without faith Jesus does nothing to men's souls now, no more than he did to their bodies in the days of his flesh.

They said unto him, Yea, Lord.] In our blindness we should have, 1st. A lively faith in the almighty grace of Christ. 2dly. A fervent, incessant cry for the communication of this grace. 3dly. A proper view of his incarnation, because it is through his union with our nature, and by his sufferings and death, we are to expect salvation.

Verse 25. He took her by the hand, and the maid arose.] The fountain of life thus communicating its vital energy to the dead body. Where death has already taken place, no power but that of the great God can restore to life; in such a case, vain is the help of man. So the soul that is dead in trespasses and sins, that is, sentenced to death because of transgression; and is thus dead in law, can only be restored to spiritual life by the mighty power of the Lord Jesus; because He alone has made the atonement, and Hɛ alone can pardon transgression. If the spiritually dead person be utterly unconcerned about the state and fate of his soul, let auto, from , and Beques to roar or storm with anger; converted relative either bring him to Christ by leading him to hear the unadulterated Gospel of the kingdom; or bring Christ to him by fervent, faithful, and persevering prayer.

Verse 26. And the fame hereof went abroad] In this business Jesus himself scarcely appears, but the work effected by his sovereign power, is fully manifested; to teach us that it is the business of a successful preacher of the gospel to conccal himself as much as possible, that God alone may have the glory of his own grace. This is a proper miracle, and a full exemplification of the unlimited power of Christ.

Verse 27. Son of David] This was the same as if they had called him Messiah. Two things here are worthy of remark: 1st. That it was a generally received opinion at this time in Judea, that the Messiah should be son of David. (John vii. 47.) 2dly. That Jesus Christ was generally and

Verse 29. According to your faith] See on chap. viii. 13.
Verse 30. Straitly charged them] He charged them severely,

he charged them on pain of his displeasure, not to make it as yet public. See the reasons, chap. viii. 4.

Verse 31. But they-spread abroad his fame] They should have held their peace; for to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam. xv. 22. but man must always be wiser than God. However, it may be profitable to remark, 1st. That honour pursues those who fly from it. 2dly. He who is thoroughly sensible of God's mercy, cannot long contain his acknowledgments. 3dly. That God in general requires that what a man has received for his own salvation, shall become subservient to that of others--Let your light so shine, &c. God chuses to help man by man, that all may be firmly knit together in brotherly love.

Verse 32. A dumb man possessed with a devil.] Some dæmons rendered the persons they possessed paralytic, some

33 And when the devil was cast villages, teaching in their synagogues,

An. Olymp. out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and sheep having no shepherd.

Those teachers in name, have left their successors behind. them; but as in the days of Christ, so now, God has in his, inercy rescued the flock out of the hands of those who only fed upon their flesh, and clothed themselves with their wool. The days in which a man was obliged to give his property to what was called THE Church, for the salvation Among the people.] Εν τω λεω. This clause is omitted by of his soul, Christ being left out of the question, are, thank