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 LV.

MARK Chap. IX. from V. 33. to the end of the Chapter.

MATTH. Chap. XVIII. all the Chapter.

LUKE Chap. IX. from Ver. 46. to Ver. 51.

A dispute who greatest; One casting out Devils, and yet not following Christ: Dic Ecclesiae, &c.

THe order needeth no demonstration: the seeming difference between Matthew and Mark in the beginning of the Section needeth animadversion rather: Mark saith their dispute who should be greatest, was as they went in the way towards Capernaum, and when Christ asked them at Capernaum what their discourse had been, they held their peace. But Matthew saith, At the same time, namely while Christ was at Capernaum, the Disciples came to him and asked him, Who is the greatest, &c. in which relation he briefly coucheth the two stories that Mark speaketh of into one, namely, their talking by the way who should be greatest, and this question coming before Christ.

It may be Christs so lately taking Peter and James and John into the mount apart from the rest, gave occasion to this debate, which he determineth by setting a Child in the middest, &c. They that have held this Child to have been Ignatius in his infancy, who was afterward the Martyr, [as see Niceph. lib. 2. c. 3. Baron. ad Annum Christ 71. Marg. de la Bign. in Ignat. in Biblioth. Patr. tom. 1.] sure did not well observe his own words, if they be his own, in his Epistle to the Church of Smyrna, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And I do not only know that Christ is come in the flesh, by his being born and being cru∣cified, but I saw him in the flesh after his resurrection. For so the Latine renders it, Vidieum in carne: or be it, I knew him in the flesh after his resurrection, it may seem very strange, that he that was so very a Child as Christ to take him in his arms this year almost at the feast of Tabernacles, and the next year at Easter, which was but within half a years space, to become so intelligent as to take notice of his being risen.

Upon Christs speaking of receiving those that come in his Name, John propounds a dubious case of one that they had met with that went about indeed in his Name, and in his Name cast out Devils, and yet would not own himself his Disciple, nor follow him: which raiseth to us a further scruple, How this man came to this miraculous power? for that it was so, and not Magical exorcizing in the Name of Jesus, as divers enemies of the Gospel used afterward, may be gathered by Christs answer, who calls it doing a Mi∣racle in his Name, and speaks of this man as not being against him but for him. Whether he did these Miracles in the Name of Messias or of Jesus we will not question: the ori∣ginal of this power to him, we may resolve much into the same principle from whence Caiaphas prophesied, John 11. 51. This he spake, not of himself, but being Highpriest that year he prophesied: There is an emphasis in That year: For now was the fulness of time, the year of expectation, and accomplishment of Vision and Prophesie, and the time of the powring out of the Spirit as never before: and if in that full meal of this provision that Christ had made for his own, some crumbs fell besides the table that others gathered up, or were partakers of, it doth the more magnifie the diffusion, and doth so much the more point out and give notice to observe the time. For Christ did so little leave himself without witness, and did give so clear evidence that this was the great and signal time spoken of by the Prophets in all generations, that Miracles wrought not only by himself and his Disciples, but even by the Jews own Children, as Matth. 12. 27. give abundant testimony to it.

Matthews text in this Section runs parallel with the other to ver. 10. and so far the Rea∣der may take them up together: then goeth he on with Christs speech and the story alone.

The number of a hundred divided into ninety nine and one, ver. 12. is according to the usual and ordinary manner of the Jews speech, with whom this very division is very com∣mon.

Talm. in Peah. per. 4. halac 1. & 2. When a man is dividing nuts among the poor, though ninety nine call on him to divide them, and one call on him to scatter them, to him they must hearken. With Grapes and Dates it is not so, though ninety nine call on him to scatter them, and one to divide them, to him they must hearken, &c.

Jerus. in Shab. fol. 14. col. 3. Rabh, and R. Chaijah Rabbah, both of them said, If ninety nine dye by an evil eye, and one by the hand of Heaven. R. Chaninah and Samuel both of them said, if ninety nine dye by cold and one by the hand of Heaven, &c.

The rules that Christ giveth about dealing with an offending brother, were very well known in the Nation, and such as were practised, at least prescribed in their own Disci∣pline.

• 1. Admonition privately betwixt the party offended and the party offending. Of such Maymony speaks in his Treatise Deah. per. 6.
• 2. Admonition, two witnesses being present. Jerus. in Joma fol. 45. col. 3. He that sinneth against his fellow, it is necessary that he say unto him, I have offended against thee. If he receive him, well: If not, he must bring two men and appease him before them, &c. Only Christ rai∣seth his lesson to a higher charity, namely for the offended party to try the amendment of the offending. So the jealous Husband admonisht his Wife before two. Sotah. per. 1. and the Sanhedrin by two Scholars of the wise admonished an Israelitish City that fell to Idolatry, before they made war upon it. Maym in Avodah Zarah. per. 4.
• 3. If he will not hear them, tell the Church. They used the open proclaiming of an in∣corrigible person in the Synagogue, A woman that is rebellious against her husband, that she may vex him, and says, Behold I will thus vex him because he did so and so to me: they send to her from the Judicatory or Bench, and say to her, Know thou that if thou persist in thy rebelliousness, though thy Joynture be a hundred pound, thou hast forfeited it; and after∣ward they make Proclamation concerning her in the Synagogues and in the Schools every day for four Sabbaths together, saying, such a Woman rebels against her Husband, &c. May∣mony in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 per. 14. And likewise Ibid. cap. 12. If a man will not provide for his Chil∣dren, they rebuke him, and shame him, and are urgent with him; and if yet he will not, they proclaim him in the Synagogue saying, Such a one is cruel and will not nourish his Children, &c. Here was telling the Church, by open Proclamation.