debtor, to transfer the debt to the poor's box; by which means he was obliged to pay it, under the penalty of bringing upon himself the imputation of cruelty to the poor and impiety towards God; and that children would sometimes imitate this practice in their conduct towards their parents.

No. 1193.-xviii. 25. His lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had.] It was not only the custom of the Jews to come upon children for the debts of their parents, but of other nations also. With the Athenians, if a father could not pay his debts, the son was obliged to do it, and in the mean time to be kept in bonds till he did. (Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. 1. vi. c. 10.) Grotius proves from Plutarch and Dionysius Halicarnassensis, that children were sold by the creditors of their parents in Asia, at Athens, and at Rome.

and delivered him to

No. 1194.. xviii. 34. the tormentors.] The word Barauss properly denotes examiner, particularly one who has it in charge to examine by torture. Hence it came to signify gaoler, for on such in those days this charge commonly devolved. They were not only allowed, but even commanded, to treat the wretches in their custody with every kind of cruelty, in order to extort payment from them, in case they had concealed any of their effects; or, if they had nothing, to wrest the sum owed from the compassion of their relations and friends, who, to release an unhappy person for whom they had a regard from such extreme misery, might be induced to pay the debt: for, let it be observed, that the person of the insolvent debtor was absolutely in the power of the creditor, and at his disposal.

CAMPBELL'S Translation of the Gospels, note.

No. 1195.xix. 13. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them and pray.] It appears to have been customary among the Jews, when one prayed for another who was present, to lay his hand upon the person's head..

CAMPBELL'S Translation of the Gospels, note.

No. 1196.-xix. 13. That he should put his hands on them and pray.] It was common with the Jews to bring their children to venerable persons, men of note for religion and piety, to have their blessing and prayers. Gen xlviii. 14.

No. 1197.-xx. 16. For many are called, but few chosen.] There was not an Israelite that did not carry arms; the priests and Levites not excepted. 2 Sam. xxiii. 20. 1 Kings ii. 35. All were reckoned soldiers that were of age for service, and that was at twenty years old and upwards. Numb. i. 3, 22. They were like the militia in some countries, always ready to assemble at the first notice. The difference is, that with us all ecclesiastics are forbidden the use of arms, and that we have moreover an infinite number of people unfit for war: whereas they were all husbandmen and shepherds, inured from their childhood to labour and fatigue. Nor is it improbable that they used them to handle arms from the time of David and Solomon. Thus at Rome, all the citizens of such an age were obliged to serve a certain number of campaigns, when they were commanded; from whence it comes that they did not use the expression of levying troops, but called it choosing (delectum habere) them, because they had always a great many more than they wanted. This is what our Lord refers to when he says, many are called, but few chosen. The great mass of the people

were called together, and a choice was made of those who were most fit for service.

FLEURY'S Hist. of Israelites, p. 152.

No. 1198.-xxi. 12. And the seats of them that sold doves.] Selden (de Diis Syris, Syntag. ii. cap. 3. p. 276.) tells us he had learned from Ferdinandus Polonus, that the keepers and sellers of pigeons were looked upon as men of infamous character among the Jews, and held in no better estimation than thieves, gamblers, and the like; mentioning at the same time the opinion of Scaliger, that the persons here spoken of were those who taught pigeons to fly, and carry messages.

No. 1199.-xxi. 34. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.] The fruit of all manner of trees for the first three years was not to be eaten, nor any profit made of it: in the fourth year it was to be holy, to praise the Lord with; being either given to the priests, or eaten by the owners before the Lord at Jerusalem: in the fifth year it might be eaten and made use of for profit, and thenceforward every year. To this time of fruit, and the custom of bringing it up to Jerusalem, there seems to be an allusion here.

GILL, in loc.

No. 1200.-xxii. 3. And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding.] To explain the reason why the servants were sent to call them that were already bidden, Grotius (in loc.) informs us, that it was sometimes customary to give two invitations to a feast.

No. 1201.-xxii. 11. And when the king came in to see the guests.] The Persians "in circumstances of

grief or joy visit each other with great attention, which is a tribute of duty always expected from persons of inferior condition, especially if they be dependent. The guests are ushered into a large room, and served with coffee and tobacco. After some time the master of the house enters, and his visitors, rising to receive him, continue standing till he has passed through the whole company and paid his respects to each: he then takes his seat, and by signs permits them to be also seated." GOLDSMITH'S Geography, p. 216. In the parable now referred to, the circumstances of which may reasonably be supposed conformable to existing customs, it is evidently implied that the guests were collected together previous to the appearance of the king, who came in to see the guests. So also in Luke xiv. 10. in a similar parable, it is said, when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest ROOM, that WHEN HE THAT BADE THEE COMETH, he may say unto thee, go up higher. This unquestionably confirms the application of the Persian ceremony to the parable first cited. It may just be further observed, that in the last mentioned passage it seems as if it had then been the prevailing practice for the master of the house "to pass through the guests and pay his respects to each of them," as was certainly the case in Persia.

No. 1202.-xxii, 11, A wedding-garment.] The following extract will shew the importance of having a suitable garment for a marriage-feast, and the offence taken against those who refuse it when presented as a gift. "The next day, Dec. 3, the king sent to invite the ambassadors to dine with him once more. The Mehemander told them, it was the custom that they should wear over their own clothes the best of those garments which the king had sent them. The ambassadors at first made some scruple of that compliance ;

but when they were told that it was a custom observed by all ambassadors, and that no doubt the king would take it very ill at their hands if they presented themselves before him without the marks of his liberality, they at last resolved to do it; and, after their example, all the rest of the retinue." Ambassador's Travels, p. 138.

No. 1203.-xxii. 30. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage.] This declaration of Christ is directly contrary to the opinion and practice of some of the ancient idolaters, and particularly the Persians. From a notion that married people were peculiarly happy in a future state, they used often to hire persons to be espoused to such of their relations as had died in celibacy. Richardson's Dissert. on the East, p. 347.

No. 1204.-xxiii. 5. They make broad their phylacteries.] These were four sections of the law written on parchments folded up in the skin of a clean beast, and tied to the head and hand. The four sections were the following: Exod. xiii. 2-11. Exod. xiii. 11-17. Deut. vi. 4-10. Deut. xi. 13-22. Those that were for the head were written and rolled up separately, and put in four distinct places in one skin, which was fastened with strings to the crown of the head towards the face. Those that were for the hands were written in four columns on one parchment, which being rolled up, was fastened to the inside of the left arm between the shoulder and the elbow, that it might be overagainst the heart. GILL, in loc.

No. 1205.-xxiii. 6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues.] Jarchi on this passage observes, that by the manner of sitting