The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

VERS. XXXIX.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c.

Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, &c.

THIS our Saviour speaks of the persons and not of the vessels, which is plain in that,

I. He saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, your inward parts, &c. so that the sense is to this purpose: you cleanse your selves outwardly indeed by these kinds of washings, but that which is within you is full of rapine, &c.

II. Whereas he saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he that made that which is without, he doth not speak it of the artificer that made the cup or the platter, but of God. Else what kind of argument is this? He that made the cups and the platters, made both the outside and the inside of them: What then? therefore do ye make your selves clean both outside and inside too. But if we refer it to God, then the argument holds forcibly enough. Did not God that made you without, make you within too? he expects therefore that you should keep your selves clean, not only as to your outside, but as to your inside too.

III. It is hardly probable that the Pharisees should wash the outside of the cup or plat∣ter, and not the inside too; take but these two passages out of this kind of Authors them∣selves: t 1.1 Those dishes which any person eats out of over night, they wash them that he may eat in

them in the morning. In the morning: they wash them that he may eat in them at noon. At noon: that he may eat in them at the Mincha; after the Mincha he doth not wash them again, but the cups, and jugs, and bottles he doth wash, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and so it goes through∣out the whole day, &c. I will not give my self nor Reader the trouble to examine the mean∣ing of the words, it suffices only that here is mention of washing, and that the whole vessel, not of this or that part only; and the washing of such vessels was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 by dipping them in water. u 1.2

x 1.3 All vessels 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that have an outside and an inside, if the inside be de∣fil'd, the outside is also, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 if the outside be defil'd the inside is not defil'd; one would think this was to our purpose, and asserted the very literal sense of the words we have in hand, viz. that the cups and the platters, although they were un∣clean on the outside, yet in the inside they might be clean; and it was sufficient to the Pharisee if he cleans'd them on the outside only, but the vessels here mention'd (if the Gloss may be our interpreter) are such 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which they might use both the outside and the inside indifferently: Some of them are recited by the Gemarists, viz. sacks, wallets, night-caps, pillowbears, &c.

Our Saviour therefore does not here speak according to the letter, neither here nor in Mat. XXIII. 25. when he saith, Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but by way of parable and similitude. You, while you are so very nice and officious in your external washings, you do nothing more than if you only washt the outside of the cup or dish, while there was nothing but filth and nastiness within.

Notes

• t 1.1

  Schabb. fol. 118. 1.
• u 1.2

  Vid. Aruch in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• x 1.3

  Pesach. fol. 17. 2.