§. 33. A second danger is, that by the possessing of men's minds with this opinion of new light, or the coice of God's Spirit within them, the authority of the whole written word of God in effect is superseded and evacuated. This we see already to be the fruit of this pretension in many, who, calling the scripture the letter, and the voice within them the Spirit, apply to these two that place of 2 Cor. iii. 6, the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life; the conclusion from whence is naturally and inevitably this, that the scripture, when it differs from the enthusiast's fancy, is pernicious and mortiferous, and no antidote sufficient against it but the following the dictates, be they never so corrupt and carnal, (as when they are contrary to God's written word it must be expected they should be,) of a man's own heart. And then, as when there was no king in Israel, it was an easy deduction that every one should do that which was right in his own, not in God's, eyes; so it is to be expected that when this theocraty (God's governing men's lives by the written word) is cast off, all villanies and abominations should straight possess those hearts which have betaken themselves to this riotous liberty. And so we find it affirmed of the Gnostics by St. Peter and St. Jude, (as the general observation of the apostles,) that they scoffed and derided the revealed promises of God, walking after their own ungodly lusts, every man following his own inordinate appetite; and these very men, when they did all this, calling themselves the spiritual and the knowing, (so yvwσTikol signified, and that yvoσis, knowledge, was the interpreting the mysteries in the scripture after their own fancy, miscalled the Spirit, directly th new light which now we speak of.) A consequent whereof it was, that they separated from all the orthodox Christians, and joined with the Jews to persecute them. §. 34. A third danger, most immediately consequent to this pretension, is the making God opposite and contrary to himself, as he must be if he be thought to own all the gleams of new light that shine in their several hearts that pretend to it; for these are most frequently different, and often contrary the one to the other, (as appears by the multitude of opinions and contrariety of practices which this one fruitful mother of monsters hath brought forth, all equally pretending to the wisdom that cometh from above,) and that not only in several men, but in the same men, at several times seeing and unseeing the same things; which how injurious it is to God, who can no more change than lie, need not be here manifested. §. 35. A fourth danger is confusion among men, continual disturbances of kingdoms or states; the governors whereof having no other authority than what is founded on or agreeable to the word and will of God, it will still be in the power of each pretender to deliver oracles out of his own breast as immediate dictates of God, quite contrary to the safety and interest of that government, whatsoever it is, which is at any time any where established. And so the peace of kingdoms must be as uncertain and mutable as the fancies of men, and the laws as ambulatory as testaments while the testator lives; every illuminate breast pretending to come, like Moses from God in Sinai, with new tables of divine commandments, which in all reason must supersede the old, be they never so firmly established. §. 36. The sum of this matter is, that it being evidently consequent to this pretension, that the voice of the devil may be mistaken for the dictate of the Spirit of God, there is nothing so vile or monstrous, earthly, sensual, devilish, but may pass for divinely inspired by these means; and if it be regular to worship him as God whom we own as such, it may by immediate consequence bring in among the Christians the same worship of devils which had long possession of the heathen temples, those being by the worshippers believed and adored as the true God, because they gave responses out of the cave, delivered oracles, &c. unto them. §. 37. How far the sober attempt and endeavour of interpreting obscure places of scripture, by the assistance of God's Spirit cooperating with human means, is removed from all these dangers, I shall not need to shew in more words than these, that what is here offered to the reader in this ensuing volume pretends no otherwise to challenge his belief, than it shall satisfy his understanding that it probably is what it pretends to be; and then if he receive damage by us in any thing, it is by his own rashness and overgreat easiness of belief, which he must in reason endeavour to put off, in exchange for some prudence and diligence of search, before he enter into this temptation. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW. THE СНАР. І. HE book of the 1. AN history of what concerned, or narration of [a] generation the passages of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the of Jesus Christ, who, according to the prophecies Son of [b] David, the foregoing of the Messias, sprang from the line of 2 Abraham begat David and Abraham, to both whom he was partiIsaac; and Isaac be- cularly promised. son of Abraham. gat Jacob; and Ja cob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of [c] Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jes se; 6 And Jesse be- a of her that had been defiled by David, while gat David the king; she was the wife of Uriah, but was now after Uriah's and David the king death taken to be David's wife, and of her in that begat Solomon " of her that had been the matrimony Solomon was born. wife of Urias; HAMMOND, VOL. I. B 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; band Jehoram begat Ahaziah; Ahaziah begat and Joram begat Joas; Joas begat Amaziah; Amaziah begat Ozias, Ozias ; 9 And Ozias be- called also Azarias. See 1 Chron. iii. 11. gat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias ; IO And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias ; II And Josias be с gat Jechonias and immediately before the time (see note [b] on his brethren, с a- Mark ii. that Jechoniah king of Judah, Jer. xxiv. 1, bout the time they and the Jews with him, were, at divers times, carried were carried away to captive by the king of Babylon to his country: 1 Babylon : 12 And after they 12. And after the time of their being carried or were brought to removed thither, Jechonias. Babylon, Jechonias [d] begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat [e] Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the ge- 17. So that the genealogy here set down (not by nerations from A- enumeration of all the severals which succeeded one braham to David are another from Abraham to Christ, see ver. 8, but) in fourteen genera- that manner as is sufficient to deduce his pedigree 1 near upon the transportation or remove to Babylon, ἐπὶ τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος. tions; and from from Abraham and David, may, for memory sake, be David until the car- divided into three fourteens; one, of those from Abrarying away into Babylon are fourteen ham to David, before they were kings; a second, from generations; and David to the captivity, whilst they enjoyed the regal from the carrying power entire; the third, from the captivity to Christ, away into Babylon when there were only some weak remainders of the regal power among the Jews. unto Christ are four teen generations. 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : e His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, When as his mo- but was not yet married to him, and in this space ther Mary was espoused to Joseph, he discerned her to be with child, but knew not before they came by whom it was, it being indeed conceived in her by together, she was a wonderful miraculous manner, by the operation of found with child of the Holy Spirit of God. the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph 19. Then her husband Joseph, being a merher husband, being ciful pious man, and not willing to expose or subject [9] just man, and her to that public and shameful punishment which not willing [h] to belonged among the Jews to those women whom the make her a publick husbands when they first came in to them found not example, was minded to put her away to be virgins, was willing secretly to dismiss her, that being not known to be betrothed to him, she might only be liable to the punishment of fornication, viz. infamy, not death. privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that proceeds from the powerful work of the Holy which is conceived Ghost overshadowing her, Luke i. 35, and omnipo in her 'is of the Holy tently working in her this conception. Ghost. 21 whether by thee (as here) or by Mary, Luke i. 31, bring forth a son, briand she shall or by both together, (by the common right of parents,) and thou shalt call his name shall be called Jesus, i. e. Saviour, the title his name JESUS: of leaders or generals, and governors among the for he shall save his Jews, Obadiah 21. to denote his spiritual kingdom, people from their and conduct of all that believe and obey him against their ghostly enemies, sin, &c. 22. (And hereby that prophecy, Isa. vii. 14, had a was done, [*]that it notable completion, when the prophet said to Ahaz, 22 Now all this it might be fulfilled Behold For Mary his mother having been betrothed to Joseph, μvnotevleíons yap, &c. before they came righteous. together, she was found to be with child from or by the Holy Ghost, ek Пveúμ. ȧy. 5 to take Mary to wife, παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν 4 by dream, κατ ̓ ὄναρ. γυναικά σου : see note [f]. |