Annotations upon all the New Testament philologicall and theologicall wherein the emphasis and elegancie of the Greeke is observed, some imperfections in our translation are discovered, divers Jewish rites and customes tending to illustrate the text are mentioned, many antilogies and seeming contradictions reconciled, severall darke and obscure places opened, sundry passages vindicated from the false glosses of papists and hereticks / by Edward Leigh ...

CHAP. XI.

Vers. 1. WHen he ceased] The Greek word signifieth to put an end to a thing, properly to sit downe and rest, as if prayer were a labour.

Vers. 2. When yee pray say our Father, &c.] Luke somewhat varies from Matthew in laying down the forme of the Lords prayer, that he might teach, that in prayer wee ought not to be so sollicitous of words as to pray in the mind and Spirit, and to at∣tend rather to the matter than to the words. For the sense, there is no difference to be found between both formes, onely the words are changed, when the sense is coinci∣dent.* 1.1 Matthew saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 this day, Luke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 dayly, Matthew hath 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 debts, Luke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 our sinnes, Matthew saith 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as also we forgive, Luke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for even we forgive, but the sense in both is the same, and in Luke the conclu∣sion, for thine is the kingdome, the power and the glory, is omitted.

Vers. 5. Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, &c.] There are five excellent things observable out of this Parable.

1. When a people of God are in the darkest condition they ought to sue to him for mercy and deliverance.

2. It is our duty then not only to be importunate but impudent with God. Ver. 8. Because of his importunity, in the Greek it is impudence; there should be a holy boldness in prayer.

3. A people that are so importunate with God, he will at last shew mercy to them.

4. God will not only grant what we desire, but will give more than we desire, he desired but three loves, he will give him as many as he needs.

5. When a friend comes to a friend he shall prevaile.

Vers. 9. And I say unto you] It is a comparison not from the like but from a greater, if an impudent beggar obtaine so much from man, what will not an humble and dayly petitioner obtaine from God.

Vers. 11. If a Son shall aske bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone, &c.] This seemes to have been a common Proverbe.* 1.2

Ver. 13. Being evill] Either simply in our selves, or comparatively with God.

The holy Spirit] By which is meant, First, the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost. Se∣condly, the inward sense and feeling of him in the heart, thus he who hath the Holy Ghost may pray both for encrease of his gifts, and for a comfortable sense and feeling of him.

Vers. 21. His goods are in peace] Whereby is signified, that the wicked of the world being possessed of Satan, are at peace in themselves in regard of temptations; not as if lusts do not differ among themselves,* 1.3 but Satan will not suffer them to question their estate.

Vers. 27. Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked] The peri∣phrasis of a mother described from her belly and paps. See 23.29.

* 1.4—Qui te genuere beati. Et mater foelix et quae dedit ubera nutrix.

Vers. 30. As Ionas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this gene∣ration] Signum non confirmationis, sed condemnationis; a sign not of confirmation, but Condemnation.

Vers. 33. No man when he hath lighted a Candle, putteth it in a secret place, &c.] Christ by the name of a Candle understands the word of God according to that Psal. 119.105. and 2 Pet. 1.19. Prov. 6.23. The word of God is compared to a Candle in ma∣ny respects.

1. For the Author, which is God, he by his Son (who is the light of the world) kindled this Candle thence from the beginning, that is to say, he hath revealed his word, and by that his will to us. 2. For its nature, because as there is nothing purer than light in all the world,* 1.5 with which no filth can be mingled; so the words of the Lord are pure words, Psal. 12.4.7. 3. For its effects which are manifold, the Candle reveales those things (the darknesse being expelled) which did first lye hid, so the word of God reveales many things, which are otherwise unknown; the Candle directs the

steps and actions of the body; the word of the Lord shines in all spirituall actions. Light also expels the darkness of the mind, sadness, and feare; so the word of God first enligh∣tens the consciences of men, afterward frees from the terrours of sin and eternall damnation.

Vers. 44. Ye are as graves which appeare not] As the deepe grave hides the stinking Carkasse, and keepes in the stench from offending any mans smell within: so the deep and dissembling heart of man is a cunning digger of such graves, nay it selfe as it were is a grave, wherein their rottenness and corruption lies so closely covered,* 1.6 that hardly the sharpest noses of such as converse with them shall be able to smell them out.

Vers. 45. Then answered one of the Lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying,* 1.7 thou reproachest us also] As if he should say, not only the Scribes and Pharisees, but also we Lawyers, therefore the Lawyers were somewhat different from the Scribes.

Vers. 51. From the bloud of Abell unto the bloud of Zacharias] The question is who this Zachary was of whose slaughter Christ here speakes, and there are three opinions of learned men concerning three persons: 1. We read of one Zacharie, 2 Chron. 24.20. which agrees with those words of Christ, Who perished between the Altar and the Temple. For the Altar stood in the Court before the place of the Temple, and this very Zachary desired from God the revenge of his bloud, for he said, Let the Lord see and require it. But that in Matthew seemes to oppose this opinion, that Christ saith this Zachary was the son of Barachias, but in the Chronicles he is called the son of Iehoiadah,* 1.8 but others say, that he was Binominis, had two names. 2. Others say, it was that Zachary which was one of the lesser Prophets, who himself in the Book of his Prophecie,* 1.9 chap. 1. ver. 1. witnesseth, that he was the Son of Barachias, but though nothing be observed in the Scripture of his slaughter, yet some thinke that he also was killed by the Jews in that holy place. 3. Origen and Basill say, it is an ancient tradition, that Zachary the Father of Iohn Baptist, when he tooke Mary the mother of our Lord for a Virgin, after her birth, He was killed by the Jews between the Temple and the Altar, being accused by the people.

Vers. 52. The key of knowledge] That is, the meanes of knowledge, whereby (as by the key) men are to have their entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Tertullian right∣ly interprets the key the interpretation of Scriptures. See Grotius.

Vers. 53. Began to urge him vehemently] The old Latine Translation is thus, Coepe∣runt Pharisaei & legis periti graviter insistere & os ejus oprimere de multis,* 1.10 which last words the Rhemists translate to stop his mouth about many things, whereas the Greeke sig∣nifies, to provoke him to speake of many things, as Erasmus out of Theophylact, and Be∣za do prove, and the words following in the Evangelists do shew, Lying in wait for him. Vide Bezam.

Vers. 54. That they might accuse him) The Greeke word here comprehends complaint to the Superiours, and the publike action before the people, that they might condemn him publikely before the people who was privately accused as a seditious man, and a cor∣rupter of the Law.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Polyc. Lyser. Omnino credi∣bile est in Grae¦cis codicibus adjecta ex Mat∣thaeo quae Lucas omiserat, cum non exstet in Latinis antiquis illud, qui es in coelis, item, fiat voluntas tua ut in coelo ita in terra (quod & Graeci codices quidam omittunt) item, sed libera nos à malo; quae ipsa etiam non expressa vi insunt verbis coeteris. Grotius.
• * 1.2

  Videtur hoc fuisse vulgatum proverbium, cui respondet Plautinum illud quod Erasmus observat. Altera manu fert lapidem, panem ostentat altera.
• * 1.3

  Mr Perkins.
• * 1.4

  Ovid Meta∣morph. l. 4. fab. 8.
• * 1.5

  Polyc. Lyser.
• * 1.6

  Dike.
• * 1.7

  Drus. detribus Sectis Judaeo∣rum l. 2. c. 13.
• * 1.8

  Polyc. Lyser.
• * 1.9

  Neque proba∣bilis est eorum opinio qui hoc ad Zachariam referunt qui populum ab ex∣ilio Babyloni∣co reducem ad templum aedifi∣candum hortatus est cujus extant vaticinia. Tametsi enim libri inscriptio filium Barachiae fuisse docet, occisum tamen fu∣isse nunquam legitur. Deinde coacta est expositio quod medio tempore inter altaris & Templi aedificationem occisus fuerit. De altero Zacharia Ioiadae filio sacra historia refert, quod huic loco optimè quadrat, eum in atrio Templi fuisse lapidatum. Templum hic sumitur pro atrio, huìc propinquum erat altare. Calvinus.
• * 1.10

  Haec una est vo∣cum in quibus intimam periti∣am Graeci ser∣moni•• Lucas ostendit. Nam 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 planè vox est de schola sumpta. Solebant magistri scholarum provectiores discipulos junioribus praeficere, ut illi hos inter∣rogarent. Id dicebatur 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Doctè igitur hoc verbo usus est Lucas, ut indicaret Pharisaeos omni modo hoc co∣natos ut multa ex ore Christi elicerent. Sensum rectè expressit Syrus aucupandi vocabulo, & Arabs eo verbo quod signi∣ficat facere ut quis disserat. Grotius.