mh_parser/vol_split/40 - Matthew/0 - Introduction.xml

<div2 id="Matt.i" n="i" next="Matt.ii" prev="Matt" progress="0.52%" title="Introduction">
<h2 id="Matt.i-p0.1">Matthew</h2>
<hr/>
<pb id="Matt.i-Page_1" n="1"/>
<div class="Center" id="Matt.i-p0.3">
<p id="Matt.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
<h3 id="Matt.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
<h4 id="Matt.i-p1.2">W I T H   P R A C T I C A L   O B S E
R V A T I O N S,</h4>
<h5 id="Matt.i-p1.3">OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO</h5>
<h2 id="Matt.i-p1.4">S T.   M A T T H E W.</h2>
<hr style="width:2in"/>
</div>
<p class="indent" id="Matt.i-p2"><span class="smallcaps" id="Matt.i-p2.1">We</span> have now
before us, I. <i>The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ;</i> so this second part of the holy Bible is entitled: The
<i>new covenant;</i> so it might as well be rendered; the word
signifies both. But, when it is (as here) spoken of as Christ's act
and deed, it is most properly rendered a <i>testament,</i> for he
is the testator, and it becomes of force <i>by his death</i>
(<scripRef id="Matt.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.9.16-Heb.9.17" parsed="|Heb|9|16|9|17" passage="Heb 9:16,17">Heb. ix. 16, 17</scripRef>); nor
is there, as in covenants, a previous treaty between the parties,
but what is granted, though an estate upon condition, is owing to
the will, the free-will, the good-will, of the Testator. All the
grace contained in this book is owing to Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Saviour; and, unless we consent to him as our Lord, we cannot
expect any benefit by him as our Saviour. This is called a
<i>new</i> testament, to distinguish it from that which was given
by Moses, and was not antiquated; and to signify that it should be
always new, and should never wax old, and grow out of date. These
books contain, not only a full discovery of that grace <i>which has
appeared to all men, bringing salvation,</i> but a legal instrument
by which it is conveyed to, and settled upon, all believers. How
carefully do we preserve, and with what attention and pleasure do
we read, the last will and testament of a friend, who has therein
left us a fair estate, and, with it, high expressions of his love
to us! How precious then should this testament of our blessed
Saviour be to us, which secures to us all his unsearchable riches!
It is <i>his</i> testament; for though, as is usual, it was written
by others (we have nothing upon record that was of Christ's own
writing), yet he dictated it; and the night before he died, in the
institution of his supper, he signed, sealed, and published it, in
the presence of twelve witnesses. For, though these books were not
written for some years after, for the benefit of posterity, <i>in
perpetuam rei memoriam—as a perpetual memorial,</i> yet the New
Testament of our Lord Jesus was settled, confirmed, and declared,
from the time of his death, as a nuncupative will, with which these
records exactly agree. The things which St. Luke wrote were
<i>things which were most surely believed,</i> and therefore well
known, before he wrote them; but, when they were written, the oral
tradition was superseded and set aside, and these writings were the
repository of that New Testament. This is intimated by the title
which is prefixed to many Greek Copies, <b><i>Tes kaines Diathekes
Hapanta</i></b>—<i>The whole of the New Testament,</i> or <i>all
the things of it.</i> In it is declared <i>the whole counsel of
God</i> concerning our salvation, <scripRef id="Matt.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Acts.20.27" parsed="|Acts|20|27|0|0" passage="Ac 20:27">Acts
xx. 27</scripRef>. As <i>the law of the Lord is perfect,</i> so is
the gospel of Christ, and nothing is to be added to it. We have it
all, and are to look for no more.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Matt.i-p3">II. We have before us <i>The Four Gospels.
Gospel</i> signifies <i>good news,</i> or <i>glad tidings;</i> and
this history of Christ's coming <i>into the world to save
sinners</i> is, without doubt, the best news that ever came from
heaven to earth; the angel gave it this title (<scripRef id="Matt.i-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Luke.2.10" parsed="|Luke|2|10|0|0" passage="Lu 2:10">Luke ii. 10</scripRef>), <b><i>Euangelizomai
hymin</i></b>—<i>I bring you good tidings; I bring the gospel to
you.</i> And the prophet foretold it, <scripRef id="Matt.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.52.7 Bible:Isa.61.1" parsed="|Isa|52|7|0|0;|Isa|61|1|0|0" passage="Isa 52:7,61:1">Isa. lii. 7; lxi. 1</scripRef>. It is there
foretold that in the days of the messiah <i>good tidings</i> should
be preached. <i>Gospel</i> is an old Saxon word; it is <i>God's
spell</i> or <i>word;</i> and God is so called because he is good,
<i>Deus optimus—God most excellent,</i> and therefore it may be a
good spell, or word. If we take <i>spell</i> in its more proper
signification for a <i>charm (carmen</i>), and take that in a good
sense, for what is moving and affecting, which is apt <i>lenire
dolorem—to calm the spirits,</i> or to raise them in admiration or
love, as that which is very amiable we call charming, it is
applicable to the gospel; for in it the charmer <i>charmeth
wisely,</i> though to <i>deaf adders,</i> <scripRef id="Matt.i-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.58.4-Ps.58.5" parsed="|Ps|58|4|58|5" passage="Ps 58:4,5">Ps. lviii. 4, 5</scripRef>. Nor (one would think) can
any charms be so powerful as those of the beauty and love of our
Redeemer. The whole New Testament is the gospel. St. Paul calls it
<i>his</i> gospel, because he was one of the preachers of it. Oh
that we may each of us make it ours by our cordial acceptance of it
and subjection to it! But the four books which contain the history
of the Redeemer we commonly call <i>the four gospels,</i> and the
inspired penmen of them <i>evangelists,</i> or
<i>gospel-writers;</i> not, however, very properly, because that
title belongs to a particular order of ministers, that were
assistants to the apostles (<scripRef id="Matt.i-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Eph.4.11" parsed="|Eph|4|11|0|0" passage="Eph 4:11">Eph. iv.
11</scripRef>): <i>He gave some apostles, and some evangelists.</i>
It was requisite that the doctrine of Christ should be interwoven
with, and founded upon, the narrative of his birth, life, miracles,
death, and resurrection; for then it appears in its clearest and
strongest light. As in nature, so in grace, the most happy
discoveries are those which take rise from the certain
representations of matters of fact. Natural history is the best
philosophy; and so is the sacred history, both of the Old and New
Testament, the most proper and grateful vehicle of sacred truth.
These four gospels were early and constantly received by the
primitive church, and read in Christian assemblies, as appears by
the writings of Justin Martyr and Irenæus, who lived little more
than a hundred years after the ascension of Christ; they declared
that neither more nor fewer than four were received by the church.
A Harmony of these four evangelists was compiled by Tatian about
that time, which he called, <b><i>To dia tessaron</i></b>—<i>The
Gospel out of the four.</i> In the third and fourth centuries there
were gospels forged by divers sects, and published, one under the
name of St. Peter, another of St. Thomas, another of St. Philip,
&amp;c. But they were never owned by the church, nor was any credit
given to them, as the learned Dr. Whitby shows. And he gives this
good reason why we should adhere to these written records, because,
whatever the pretences of tradition may be, it is not sufficient to
preserve things with any certainty, as appears by experience. For,
whereas Christ said and did many memorable things, which <i>were
not written</i> (<scripRef id="Matt.i-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:John.20.30 Bible:John.21.25" parsed="|John|20|30|0|0;|John|21|25|0|0" passage="Joh 20:30,21:25">John xx. 30;
xxi. 25</scripRef>), tradition has not preserved any one of them to
us, but all is lost except what was written; that therefore is what
we must abide by; and blessed by God that we have it to abide by;
it is the sure word of history.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Matt.i-p4">III. We have before us <i>the Gospel
according to St. Matthew.</i> The penman was by birth a Jew, by
calling a publican, till Christ commanded his attendance, and then
he left <i>the receipt of custom,</i> to follow him, and was one of
those that accompanied him <i>all the time that the Lord Jesus went
in and out, beginning from the baptism of John unto the day that he
was taken up,</i> <scripRef id="Matt.i-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Acts.1.21-Acts.1.22" parsed="|Acts|1|21|1|22" passage="Ac 1:21,22">Acts i. 21,
22</scripRef>. He was therefore a competent witness of what he has
here recorded. He is said to have written this history about eight
years after Christ's ascension. Many of the ancients say that he
wrote it in the Hebrew or Syriac language; but the tradition is
sufficiently disproved by Dr. Whitby. Doubtless, it was written in
Greek, as the other parts of the New Testament were; not in that
language which was peculiar to the Jews, whose church and state
were near a period, but in that which was common to the world, and
in which the knowledge of Christ would be most effectually
transmitted to the nations of the earth; yet it is probable that
there might be an edition of it in Hebrew, published by St. Matthew
himself, at the same time that he wrote it in Greek; the former for
the Jews, the latter for the Gentiles, when he left Judea, to
preach among the Gentiles. Let us bless God that we have it, and
have it in a language we understand.</p>
</div2>