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fused to open their eyes, and behold this glorious light of heaven which shone among them; therefore he said, now they are hidden from thy eyes, still alluding to the import of the

name.

Verse 43. Cast a trench about thee] This was literally fulfilled when this city was besieged by Titus. Josephus gives a very particular account of the building of this wall, which he says was effected in three days, though it was not less than thirty-nine furlongs in circumference; and that when this wall and trench were completed, the Jews were so enclosed on every side, that no person could escape out of the city, and no provision could be brought in, so that they were reduced to the most terrible distress by the famine which ensued. The whole account is well worth the Reader's attention. See Josephus, War, book v. chap. xii. sec. 1, 2, 3. Verse 44. The time of thy visitation.] That is, the time of God's gracious offers of mercy to thee. This took in all the time which elapsed from the preaching of John the Baptist to the coming of the Roman armies, which included a period of above forty years.

Verse 45. Went into the temple] See all this transaction explained, Matt. xxi. 12—16.

the temple, and lodged each night at Bethany. See the note on Matt. xxi. 17.

Verse 48. Were very attentive to hear him.] Or, they heard him with the utmost attention, eexgeμato autou axouwv, literally, They hung upon him, hearing. The same form of speech is used often by both Greck and Latin writers of the best repute.

Ex vultu dicentis, pendet omnium vultus.

The face of every man hung on the face of the speaker.
Penditque iterum narrantis ab ore.

Virg. Æn. iv. 79. And she hung again on the lips of the narrator. The words of the Evangelist, mark not only the deepest attention because of the importance of the subject, but also the very high gratification which the hearers had from the discourse. Those who read or hear the words of Christ in this way, must inevitably become wise to salvation.

The Reader is requested to refer to Matt. xxiv. and to Matt. xxv. 14. for more extensive information on the different subjects in this chapter, and to the other parallel places Verse 47. And he taught daily in the temple.] This he did marked in the margin. The prophecy relative to the destrucfor five or six days before his crucifixion. Some suppose that tion of Jerusalem, is one of the most circumstantial, and the it was on Monday in the passion week that he thus entered most literally fulfilled of any prediction ever delivered. See into Jerusalem, and purified the temple: and on Thursday he this particularly remarked at the conclusion of Matt. chap. was seized late at night: during these four days he taught in | xxiv. where the whole subject is amply reviewed.

CHAPTER XX.

The question concerning the authority of Christ, and the baptism of John, 1-8. The parable of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen, 9—18. The chief priests and scribes are offended, and lay snares for him, 19, 20. The question about tribute, 21-26. The question about the resurrection of the dead, and our Lord's answer, 27-40. How Christ is the son of David, 41-44. He warns his disciples against the hypocrisy of the scribes, whose condemnation he points out, 45-47.

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ND it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

let out to wicked husbandmen.

12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

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13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see. him.

14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they

3 And he answered and said unto them, I will reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the also ask you one thing; and answer me: heir come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be our's.

4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

5 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

6 But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. 17 And he beheld them, and said, What is

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7 And they answered, that they could not tell this then that is written, The stone which the whence it was. builders rejected, the same is become the head

8 And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I of the corner? you by what authority I do these things.

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9 ¶ Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

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18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

19¶ And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

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e Ps. 118. 22. Matt. 21. 42. Dan. 2. 34, 35. Matt. 21. 44 Matt. 22. 15.

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NOTES ON CHAP. XX.

Verse 1. One of those days] Supposed to have been one of the four last days of his life, mentioned chap. xix. 47. probably Tuesday before the pass-over.

Verse 2. By what authority, &c.] See the note on Matt. xxi. 23-27.

Verse 9. A certain man planted a vineyard, &c.] See this parable largely explained, Matt. xxi. 33-46. See also on Mark xii. 4-9.

Verse 16. God forbid.] Or, let it not be, μn yɛvosto. Our phrase, God forbid, answers pretty well to the meaning of the Greek, but it is no translation.

Verse 18. Grind him to powder.] See on Matt. xxi. 44. Verse 20. They watched him] Tagarnpnoavtes, insidiously watching. See on chap. xiv. 1.

Spies] Eyxaberous, from e, in, and xafinu, I let down, to set in ambush. One who crouches in some secret place to spy, listen, catch, or hurt. Hesychius explains the word by vede sorts,

The question about paying

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A. D. 29.

CCII. 1.

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21 And they asked him, saying, the first took a wife, and died without A.M. 4053. children.

An. Olymp. Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

30 And the second took her to wife,

and he died childless.

A. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1.

31 And the third took her; and in like man

22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Ca- ner the seven also: and they left no children, sar, or no?

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and died.

32 Last of all the woman died also.

33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36 Neither can they die any more for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

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29 There were therefore seven brethren and living: for all live unto him.

Matt. 22. 16. Mark 12. 14.

b Or, of a truth.d Matt. 22. 23. Mark 12. 18.

- See Matt. 18. 28.

e Acts 23. 6, 8.- -f Deut. 25. 5.-8 1 Cor.
h Rom. 8. 23.- - Exod. 3. 6.

15. 42, 49, 52. 1 John 3. 2. Rom. 6. 10, 11.

those who lie in wait, or in ambush, to surprise and slay. Josephus uses the word to signify a person bribed for a particular purpose. See War, b. ii. c. ii. s. 5. and b. vi. c. 5. s. 2. No doubt the persons mentioned in the text were men of the basest principles, and were hired by the malicious Pharisees to do what they attempted in vain to perform.

Verse 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar] See this insidious, but important question considered at large on Matt. xxii. 16-22.

See the Jewish testimonies to the resurrection of the human body, quoted at length on 1 Cor. xv. 42.

Verse 38. All live unto him.] There is a remarkable passage in Josephus's account of the Maccabees, chap. xvi. which proves that the best informed Jews believed that the souls of righteous men were in the presence of God in a state of happiness. "They who lose their lives for the sake of God, LIVE unto GOD, as do Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the Patriarchs." And one not less remarkable in Shemoth Rabba, fol. 159. "Rabbi Abbin saith, the Lord said unto Moses, find me out ten righteous persons among the people, and I will not destroy thy people. Then said Moses, behold, here am I, Aaron, Eleazar, Ithamar, Phineas, Caleb, and Joshua; but God said, here are but seven, where are the other three? When Moses knew not what to do, he said, O Eternal God, Verse 36. Equal unto the angels] Who neither marry nor die. do those live that are dead? Yes, saith God. Then said Moses,

Verse 29. There were therefore seven brethren] See on Matt. xxii. 23-33.

Verse 34. The children of this world] Men and women in their present state of mortality and probation; procreation being necessary to restore the waste made by death, and to keep up the population of the earth.

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40 And after that, they durst not ask him any the people he said unto his disciples, question at all.

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46 Beware of the scribes which desire to walk

41 ¶ And he said unto them, How say they in long robes, and love greetings in the mar that Christ is David's son ? kets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

a Matt. 22. 42. Mark 12. 35.b Ps. 110. 1. Acts 2. 34. Matt. 23, 1.

if those that are dead do live, remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So the resurrection of the dead, and the immortality and immateriality of the soul were not strange or unknown doctrines among the Jews.

Verse 40. They durst not ask] Or, did not venture to ask any other question, for fear of being again confounded, as they had already been.

Verse 41. How say they] See the note on Matt. xxii. 42-16.

Verse 43. Thy footstool.] Literally the footstool of thy feet. They shall not only be so far humbled that the feet may be set on them; but they shall be actually subjected, and put completely under that Christ whom they now despise, and are about to crucify.

Verse 46. Beware of the scribes] Take heed that ye be not seduced by those who should shew you the way of salvation. Sce on Matt. xxiii. 4-14.

1. How it can be supposed that the ancient Jewish church had no distinct notion of the resurrection of the dead is to me truly surprising. The justice of God so peculiarly conspicuous under the old covenant, might have led the people to infer that there must be a resurrection of the dead, if even the passage to which our Lord refers, had not made a part of our law. As the body makes a part of the man, justice requires, that not only they who are martyrs for the testimony of God, but also all those who have devoted their lives to his service,

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47 Which devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Mark 12. 38.—d Matt. 23. 5.— ch. 11. 43. Matt. 23. 14.

and died in his yoke, should have their bodies raised again. The justice of God is as much concerned in the resurrection of the dead, as either his power or mercy. To be freed from earthly incumbrances, earthly passions, bodily infirmities, sickness, and death, to be brought into a state of conscious existence with a refined body, and a sublime soul, both immortal, and both ineffably happy; how glorious the privilege! But of this, who shall be counted worthy in that day? Only those who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; and who, by patient continuing in well-doing, have sought for glory and honour and immortality. 2. A bad example, supported by the authority, reputation, and majesty of religion, is a very subtle poison from which it is very difficult for men to preserve themselves. It is a great misfortune for any people to be obliged to beware of those very persons who ought to be their rule and pattern. This is a reflexion of pious Father Quesnel; and while we admire its depth, we may justly lament that the evil he refers to should be so prevalent, as to render the observation, and the caution on which it is founded, so necessary. But let no man imagine that bad and immoral ministers are to be found among one class of persons only. They are to be found in the branches as well as in the root in the different sects and parties as well as in the mother or national churches, from which the others have separated. On either hand there is little room for glorying.-Professors and Ministers may change, but the Truth of the Lord abideth for ever!

CHAPTER XXI.

The poor widow casting two mites into the treasury, 1-4. The destruction of the temple foretold, 5, 6. The signs of this desolation, 7. False Christs, 8. Wars, 9, 10. Earthquakes and fearful sights, 11. Persecutions against the godly, 12-19. Directions how to escape, 20-22. The tribulation of those times, 23-28. The parable of the fig-tree, illustrative of the time when they may expect these calamities, 29-33. The necessity of sobriety and watchfulness, 34–36. He teaches by day in the temple, and lodges by night in the mount of Olives, and the people come early to hear him, 37, 38.

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3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. 5¶And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Destruction of the temple foretold.

when shall these things be? and what
sign will there be when these things
shall come to pass?

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A. D. 29.

CCII. 1.

8 And he said, 'Take heed that ye be not deceived for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and bye. 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

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11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

12 But before all these, they shall lay their 7 ¶ And they asked him, saying, Master, but hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you

Mark 12. 41.-- See Mark 12. 42. - 2 Cor. 8. 12.-4 Matt. 21. 1.
Mark 13. 1.- e ch. 19. 44.

f Matt. 24. 4. Mark 13. 5.
Matt. 3. 2. & 4. 17.

Eph. 5. 6. 2 Thess. 2. 3. Or, and the time,
Matt. 24. 7.- Mark 13. 9. Rev. 2. 10.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXI.

Verse 1. The rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.] See all this from verse 1 to 4. explained on Mark xii. 41-44.|| Verse 2. A certain poor widow] A widow miserably poor : this is the proper import of xg, and her being miserably poor, heightened the merit of the action.

Two mites.] Which Mark says, chap. xii. 42. make a farthing or quadrans, the fourth part of an As, or penny, as we term it. In Plutarch's time we find the smallest piece of brass coin in use among the Romans was the quadrans, but it appears that a smaller piece of money was in circulation among the Jews in our Lord's time, called here, and in Mark,|| chap. xii. 42. a lepton, i. e. small, diminished, from Auw, I fail. In ancient times our penny used to be marked with a deep indented cross, dividing the piece into four equal parts, which, when broken in two, made the half-penny, and when broken into four made the fourthing, what we have corrupted into farthing. Probably the Roman quadrans was divided in this way for the convenience of the poor. Our term mite seems to have been taken from the animal called by that name; for as that appeared to our ancestors, to be the smallest of all animals, so this being the smallest of all coins was called by its name. Junius says that miite was a small base coin among the Dutch. Our word mite seems to be a contraction of the Latin minutum, a small thing, whence the French miéte, a crumb, a very small morsel. See the note on Mark xii. 41.

Verse 5. Goodly stones] Or, costly stones. It has been thought, by some, that this relates not so much to the stones of which the temple was built, but to the precious stones with which it was decorated.. For an account of the stones of the temple, see on Mark xiii. 1.

And gifts] Or, consecrated things, avaluaσs. Avanua proΑναθημα perly signifies a thing consecrated to sacred uses: Arabia signifies a thing devoted to a curse, or to destruction. They both come from the same root, avarinμi, I lay up, separate: and though two meanings cannot be more opposite than those assigned to these words, yet in the words themselves a short vowel () in the place of a long one (") makes all the difference between blessing and cursing.

Verse 6. One stone upon another] This was literally fulfilled. See Matt. xxiv. 2.

Verse 8. Many shall come in my name] Usurping my name: calling themselves the Messiah. See Matt. xxiv. 5. Concerning this prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, and its literal accomplishment, see the notes on Matt. xxiv. 1-42.

Verse 9. Commotions] Seditions and civil dissentions, with which no people were more agitated than the Jews. Verse 11. Fearful sights] What these were the Reader will find in detail on Matt. xxiv. 7.

Verse 12. Synagogues] Or, assemblies, &c. See these all ex-plained on Mark xiii. 9.

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