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Then spake Jesus to the mul∣titude, and to his Disciples, saying, The Scribes and Pha∣risees sit in Moses seat, &c. and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greet∣ings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi,
Matth. 23.1,2,6,7.
AS there is not a vainer puff of pride, then hypocriti∣cal humility; so there is not a more ridiculous piece of folly, then a serious affected gravity, where ambition is worn with
the wrong side outward: The Peoples Hosanna bred Vermin in Herod, that he became even worms-meat above ground, Acts 12.23. and 'twas the Scribes impudence to have that Chair for their Pulpit, which cost the ambitious Sons of Levi a Journey under ground, Numb. 16.32. Though it be not denyed but they were learned Expositors of the Law, yet we see not what niceties thereof they or their surviving hanging-sleeves at this day, can plead in Bar to that Action of Damage, which the poor mans Advocate hath com∣menced against them in Mat. 23.4. The Jews Proverb was,
The People of the Land are the footstool of the Pharisees: ours may be, The footstool of the People are the Pharisees of the Land. The Scribes were the Law-Criticks; The Pharisees Gospel-mimicks; The Scribes being Lawyers, made no conscience of washing their hands after a bribe, as the other before a feast, Mark 7.3. nor with much difficulty obtained the Hypocrites portion; but the Pharisees took more pains for eternal pains, and were more exact in going to Hell: It would nonplus a Syna∣gogue of Rabbies, to riddle whether they were more swoln with Ambition, or over-scurfed
with hypocrisie: It is not worth one dram of Super-rational Faith, to believe the lying Spirit in Ahab's Prophets, was no other then the Spirit of Na∣both, whom he had formerly slain; yet the creating Vote of this Supercilious Generation, is sufficient to Enact it in the Talmud for a tradition of faith to Posterity: Those whited-Sepulchres, would far better become a Charnel-house then Moses Seat. They had an ex∣cellent faculty of paying Tithe to a grain, but, Wo to widows Houses when they said their Prayers; It was their charity to loud Musick, that made them ambitious of it to the
Poor: Their devotion was very zealous for the Chief Seats in the Synagogues, and the uppermost Room was their best Cheer at a Feast, where they had a very good stomack to feed on the Chair at the Tables end: If this genera∣tion of Vipers can answer our Savior, how they can escape the damnation of Hell, Matt. 23.33. then let those blinde guides be greeted in our Mar∣kets (as too frequently they are) with the idolatrous salu∣tations of Rabbi, Rabbi.