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.

SECTION XXIII.

MARK Chap. II. from the beginning to Ver. 15.

LUKE Chap. V. from Ver. 17. to Ver. 29.

MATTH. Chap. IX. from Ver. 2. to Ver. 10.

CHRIST healeth a palsie man: forgiveth sins: calleth MATTHEW.

MARK and Luke do again confirm the order: but Matthews dislocation of the same story, doth breed some scruple. For the clearing of which, let us first begin at the very conclusion of this Section, and make good the order there in the end, and that will illustrate the propriety of it here in the beginning: We have parted the story of the calling of Levi, from the story of the feast that he made for Christ after his call, although all the Evangelists that handle his story have laid them close together: The warrant upon which we have parted them, although they be so nearly joyned in the Text, is from these two things: 1. From undoubted evidence, by the current of the history, and the pro∣gress of the Evangelists hitherto, which makes it plain, that Levies calling was at that time that we are now upon; or as it is laid in the end of this Section. 2. From this evi∣dence, that his feast was not of a good while after his call, in that Matthew saith, while he was speaking, namely about fasting, and putting new cloth into an old garment, &c. [which speech both the other Evangelists place at Levies feast or presently upon it:] Jairus came unto him. See Matth. 9. 18. Mark 2. 15, 18, 19. Luke 5. 29, 33, &c. Now it is plain by the process of the history of Mark and Luke, that very many things, and a good space of time intercurred between the calling of Matthew or Levi, and the com∣ing of Jairus: for Levies call is in Mark 2. 14. and Luke 5. 27. and the story of Jairus his coming is not till Matth. 5. 22. and Luke 8. 41. Now in that these words that Christ was in speaking when Jairus came to him, Matth. 9. 18. were spoken at Levies feast, Luke 5. 29, 33. it is apparent that his feast was a good space of time after his call: and hence have we warrant for the putting of those stories in the harmonizing of the Evangelists. The three indeed that speak of these stories do handle them together, because they would dispatch Levies story at once: and Mark and Luke do mention what occurred at his feast, but when they have done that, they return to the story and time, that properly followed in order after his calling.

Here therefore is the reason of Matthews so far dislocating the story of the palsie man that is before us as he hath done: namely because in that ninth Chapter he pitcheth upon the time of Levies feast, and from that time goes on forward with the story succeeding it: And so having pitched upon the time of his feast, he also brings in the story of his call, because he would take up his whole story in one place, as the other Evangelists have also done: and with the story of his call, he hath likewise brought in the story of the palsie man because it occurred at the same time.

Matthew is not ashamed to proclaim the baseness of his own profession before he was called, that that grace might be magnified that had called him. He was a Publican [and as it seemeth] at the Custom-house of Capernaum, to gather custom and tribute of those that passed over the water, or that had to deal on that Sea of Galilee. The Jerus. Talm. hath this Canon. Demai. fol. 23. col. 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: A Pharisee [or one of the religion] that turns Publican, they turn him out of his order, but doth he leave his Publicanism? They restore him to his order again: so unconsistent did they repute this profession and religion. Maym. in Gezelah. per. 5. Men of whom it may be presumed that they are robbers, and of whom it may be presumed that all their wealth is gotten of rapine, because their trade is a trade of robbers, as Publicans and theeves, it is unlawful to use their wealth, &c. He becomes an Apostle and a Penman of the Gospel: He wrote his Gospel first of all the four; and wrote it in Greek, though he wrote it more particularly for Hebrews: for the Hebrew Tongue was so lost, that it was not ordinarily to be under∣stood; and the Greek Bible was the readiest in the hands of the unlearned, to examine the quotations from the Old Testament, that he or any other of the divine Penmen should alledge: The Prophets had been but very lately before Matthews time turned into the Chaldee Tongue by Jonathan ben Uzziel, and the Law by Onkeles a little after; and the

Jerusalem Talmud tells of a Targum or translation of Job, which Gamaliel Pauls Master had. Shabb. fol. 15. col. 3. and all this because the original Hebrew was not commonly un∣derstood. And in the reading of the Law and Prophets in the Synagogues, they had In∣terpreters that rendred it into the Syriack, as was said a little before, because they under∣stood not the Original; therefore it were unreasonable that Matthew should write in Hebrew, a Language then to the most unknown.