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A35949
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A brief exposition of the evangel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew by David Dickson ...
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Dickson, David, 1583?-1663.
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1651
(1651)
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Wing D1400; ESTC R13881
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307,666
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370
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A BRIEF EXPOSITION OF THE Evangel of JESUS CHRIST According to MATTHEW By DAVID DICKSON Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Professor of Divinity in the University of GLASGOW PHIL. 2. VER 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Iesus Who being in the form of God though it not robbery to be equal with God But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse Wherfore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name That at the name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth And that every tongue should confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father The Third Edition LONDON Printed for Ralph Smith at the sign of the Bible in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange 1651. TO THE Right Honorable and truly Noble MY LORD EARL OF LOUDOUN LORD OF MAUCHLIN and TARINZAN c. High Chancellor of SCOTLAND c. And to His Honorable and Hopeful Eldest Son my Lord MAUCHLIN Grace and Peace Right Honourable IT is a sweet and remarkable Providence that within these not many yeers such a multitude of Impressions of the holy Scriptures are vented among these three united Kingdoms and so many thousands are of Scots and English who delight not only to have the holy Bible in their possession and houses but also to carry it in their pockets for reading of it upon all occasions This as it speaketh much of the desire after divine Knowledge raised up by God in peoples hearts and as it promiseth much of the spreading of the light of the Gospel in these Dominions especially the Lord having now seconded his own Work by drawing from the fountain of his own free grace the body of these Kingdoms into a solemn Covenant for purging of all his holy Ordinances and promoving of sound Religion so doth it call aloud to all the Pastors of his Flock and to all the godly learned by all means to lead the Lords people in upon the right understanding of the Scriptures left the plain and marvellously consonant word of God be mistaken and wrested by the instability and unskilfulnesse of such as have not their senses exercised to discern the single meaning of the Lords Voyce and the admirable harmony of his heavenly Speeches Many worthy men of God it is true have profitably taken pains to this purpose and some have written large Commentaries upon sundry Books and parcels of Scripture others have translated out of Latine the Commentaries of others But of those worthy mens Labours only such as have much leasure and patience to read can make use Others have written short Paraphrases of harder places others Expositions of hard words others have minded herewith some sweet notes and observations all of them contributing one with another to the common good so much as each sort of Writing could carry Yet besides all these laudable wayes of explication of Scripture it seemeth that these dangerous Times wherein so many diverse errours are privily crept in and begun openly also to avow themselves do call for such an Explanation of the whole Bible as might not only shew the scope of each Book and Chapter with the cohesion of the Verses and the meaning of the Words but also propone the speciall heads of Doctrine in each place whereby people might see the whole grounds of Religion in the Text and be guarded against all damnable errours in which those persons are easily ensnared who know not the Scriptures nor the power of God and all this to be in such brevity and cleerness That men in their daily set-reading of the Lords word might in the space of half an hour peruse a competent portion of Scripture thus explained I say Set-time for their private reading because albeit every man is not set apart for the Word and Doctrine but most part have by Gods appointment civil callings and necessary imployments about the matters of this life each calling and imployment having its own work and each work requiring his own time so that there remaineth little time beside unto many yet that man is too much busied in temporall affairs and more involved in the World then he can answer for who doth not daily redeem so much time as the necessary exercise of Religion in the Word and Prayer doth require beside secret ejaculations of Prayer unto God mixed with his affairs and the Mason-like-looks of his Conscience levelling its eye to each action to see if it be conform to the Rule for presuppose a man were imployed as much as a King and had so many Realms to govern as were under David K. of Israel yet could he not be excused for this to neglect Gods word prayer for Dav. oftner then once a day yea in the night also found time to call on God praise his name verse himself in his Word Ps. 119.55 62 164. Let the men of this world who have their portion in this life have set up in their hearts the filthy idols of worldly profit pleasure preferment for gaining keeping wherof they make use not only of all men but also of God and Religion so far only as they may be suitable serviceable to their base ends Let such men I say neglect reading the Scriptures and all serious following of religious exercises But let not the children of God do so who hold their standing here and the hopes of eternal life hereafter by faith in Christ for promoving of whose cause and Kingdom they are resolved to bear his Crosse were it even to the doors of Heaven if so GOD please and to lay it down on the threshold with thanks and praise that ever they were counted worthy to suffer for his Name let not these blessed Soules walk in the way of the ungodly but rather delight themselves in the Law of GOD and meditate therein night and day Psal. 1.2 3. For the service of such saints and facilitating of their reading of holy Scripture I come forth as before in the brief Explanation of the Epistle to the Hebrews so now in the brief explanation of the Evangel according to Matthew to call yet again unto the Godly Learned to stir up themselves for contributing one with another unto some such brief explanation of the whole Bible as their Godly wisdome shall agrâ—e upon a mould this or any other because apparently it is but little and not considerable which any one man alone can overtake in this Work As for this Piece such a one as it is There is great reason why it should bear your Honourable Name in the title of it it being a part of the fruit of your Lordships labour who as
of Moses and the Prophets as they are now revealed in the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles Therfore the Books of Scripture written before Christ came in the flesh are called the Old Covenant or the Old Testament and these which are written since he came are called the New Covenant or the New Testament of our Lord Jesus The speciall Title prefixed to this Evangel is THE GOSPEL By or According to MATTHEW THis Book is called the Gospel or glad Tidings because the doctrine contained in it concerning our redemption from sin and misery by Christ the Son of God is the most joyfull news that ever the world did hear especially after that the Law and Covenant of works have discovered unto us the vilenesse of sin and the unsupportable burden of Gods wrath due to our sin It is called The GOSPEL by or according to Matthew who also was called Levi because God in a speciall providence did make choice of him to write this Evangel to the world as of one who had found in a speciall manner by experience in his own person the power of life and riches of grace is Christ making him not onely of a sinner a Saint but also of 〈◊〉 Publican an Apostle CHAP. I. In this Chapter is contained the Genealogy of JESUS CHRIST as he is Man unto vers 18. And five evidences of his holy and wonderfull incarnation from vers 18. to the end Vers. 1. THe Book of the generation of JESUS CHRIST the son of David the son of Abraham IN this Title of the Genealogie Or Roll of the Pedigree of Christ the Evangelist holdeth forth unto us these things The person of whom we have to take notice here is not a meer man but the Saviour of men for the inscription calleth this Roâ—l The book of the generation of IESUS CHRIST such a man as is true God also and worthy to be called in the most proper ond strict sense IESUS the true SALVATOR and DELIVERER of men from sin and wrath which still properly taken belongeth only to him who is almighty God and IESUS in effect 2. This person IESUS is throughly able and fully furnished for accomplishing the work of mans salvation and one who is anointed unto the offices of Prophet Priest and King to bring about and perfect the salvation of his own for this IESUS is that CHRIST the eminently anointed SAVIOUR 3. He is the Saviour of Jew and Gentile who in his Hebrew name IESUS and his Greek name CHRIST doth lift up a Banner of love unto both That the Hebrews and Grecians the Jews and Gentiles may come to him for salvation the one no lesse then the other 4. As the Lord did promise in Paradise in the assumed seed of the woman to tread down the head of the serpent and did renew his promise in Abrahams seed to blesse all the nations of the earth and in Davids seed to reign and rule over the true Israel of God for ever so hath he performed yea he hath carefully provided not only to make his promise good but also that the degrees of his lineall descent according to his humanâ— nature should be marked partly in the holy Scripture from Abraham unto the Jews captivity in Babylon and partly in the publick registers of the family and posterity of David from the captivity unto his birth Thâ—rfore he is called the Son of Abraham â—he Son of David and mention is made of a Book or Roll drawn forth of the records This Register was from age to age so punctually filled up in every family and made notour to all men Ezra 2.62 that not only Davids posterity was known thereby and according to it was taxed by Caesar in Beth-lehem but also all the rest of the families of the Hebrews then in Judea could reckon their genealogie by the publick records and were taxed in their severall places accordingly Luke 2.3 4 5. Verse 2 Abraham begat Isaac and Isaac begat Iacob and Iacob begat Iudas and his brethren 3 And Iudas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar and Phares begat Esrom and Esrom begat Aram. 4 And Aram begat Aminadab and Aminadab begat Naasson and Naasson begat Salmon 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab and Booz begat Obed of Ruth and Obed begat Iesse 6 And Iesse begat David the king and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias 7 And Solomon begat Roboam anâ— Roboam begat Abiâ— and Abiâ— begat Asa. 8 And Asa begat Iosaphat and Iosaphat begat Ioram and Ioram begat Ozias 9 And Ozias begat Ioatham and Ioatham begat Achaz and Achaz begâ—â— Ezekias 10 A Ezekias begat Manasses and Manasses begat Amon and Amon begat Iosias 11. And Iosias begat Iechonias and his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon 12 And after they were brought to Babylon Iechonias begat Salathiel and Salathiel begat Zorobabel 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud and Abiud begat Eliaâ—im and Eliakim begat Azor. 14. And Azor begat Sadoc and Sadoc begat Achim and Achim begat Eliud 15. And Eliud begat Eleazear and Eleazear begat Matthan and Matthan begat Iacob 16 And Iacob begat Ioseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Iesus who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations and from David untill the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations This Catalogue of the posterity of David being so notourly known from the publick Registers and records of the families of David that no doubt nor question was made of Christs descent from David no not by his enemies Therefore the Evangelist doth not scrupulously name here every one of his Ancestors but only draweth the line along so far as it might suffice for the churches edification and by so much as is here set down he doth teach us these things 1. Jesus Christ is the very true Messias promised to the fathers who now in the fulness of time hath assumed humane nature of the seed of Abraham and David whose Son he is called according to the flesh and this he pointeth at when he saith Abraham begat Isaac c. 2. For our confirmation in the faith of Jesus Christ we should acquaint our selves with the prophesies which went before of him and with the history of his Ancestors here recorded from the Scripture of the Old Testament and in speciall from Abraham to the captivity of Babylon 3. Seeing it is a hard matter to beleeve that God should so empty himselfe for us and become a man like unto us we should receive so many impressions of the verity of his humane nature as there are severall names of his Ancestors according to the flesh named in this Catalogue for to this end we are led from one to another by he begat and he begat 4. No man should be astrayed to offer himselfe to be ingrafted as a branch in Christ because Christ hath been pleased