204 The NEw and COMPLETE LIFE of our BLESSED LORD their affecting to be faluted in the flreets, with the founding titles of Rabbi and Fa- ther : They make broad their ßhylaleries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermoft rooms at leap, , and the chieffeats in the fynagogues, andgreet- ings in the markets, and tobe called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. The proper meaning ofthe word Rabbi, is great, and it was given to thofe men who had rendered themfelves remarkable for theextent of their learning ; it is there- fore no wonder that the proud and fuper- cilious Pharifees were fo fond of a title, which gave them great authority with their difciples, and highly complimented their underilandings. But our Lord's followers were to decline this title, becaufe the thing fignified by it belonged folely to their Mailer, in whom are hid all the treafures of wifdom and knowledge ; and becaufe they owed no part of their knowledge to themfelves, but derived it entirely from him who came down from heaven : But be not ye called Rabbi: for one isyour Mailer, even aril ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your Father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven, Matt. xxiii. 8, g. Life, with all it's bleffings, comes from God, andmen wholly depend upon him; all praife and thankfulnefs, therefore, fhould ultimately be referred to him ; fo that if any one teacheth rightly, not the teacher, but the wifdom of the Almighty is to be praifed, which exerts and communicates itfelf by him. The difciples of our bleffed Saviour were likewife enjoined not to accept of the title of matter or leader, which the Jewifh doctors alto courted ; becaufe in point of commiffion and infpiration they were all equal : neither had they any title to rule the confciences of men, except by virtue of the infpiration which they had received from their Mailer, to whom alone the prerogative of infallibility be- longed : Neither be ye called matters : for one is your Mailer, even aryl. 3 However, our bleffed Saviour did not intend by this to infinuate, that it was fin- ful to call men by the flations they held in the world; he only intended to reprove the fimplicity of the common people, who loaded their teachers with praifes, and for- got to afcribe any thing to God; and to root out of the minds of his apofles, the Pharifaical vanity, which decked itfelf with honours belonging folely to the Creator of the univerfe. Accordingly, that he might instil into their hearts humility to difpofe them to do good offices to one another, as occafion offered, he aífured them, it was the only road to true greatnefs ; for, by affuming what did not properly belong to them, they should be defpifed both byGod and men; whereas, they fhould enjoy a high degree of the divine favour, who did not difdain to perform the meanest offices of love to their brethren. The Scribes and Pharifees were greatly incenfed at the above difcourfes ; and, as they were pronounced in the hearing of many of that order, it is therefore no wonder that they watched every opportu- nity to deftroy him : but this was not a time to put their bloody defigns in exe- cution ; the people fet too high a value on his doárine to fuffer any violence to be offered to his perfon ; and, as this was the lait fermon he was ever to preach in public, and as all his mild perfuafions had hitherto proved ineffectual, it was ne- ceffary, that he fhould now ufe force fe- verity. He accordingly denounced in the molt folemn manner, dreadful woes against . them, not on account of the perfonal in- juries he had received from them, but on account of their exceffive wickednefs. They were public teachers of religion ; and therefore should have ufed every method in their power to recommend it's precepts to the people, and to have been themfelves fhining examples of every duty it enjoined : but, on the contrary, they abufed every mark and character ofgood- nefs for all the purpofes of villany ; and, under
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