The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1871-11-08
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
EXEGESIS OF LUKE xi: Al.


But rather give aims of such things as you
have; and behold all things are clean unto you"
Quite breeze was occasioned at Lynch
burg during the discussions of Synod by
the view taken Of this passage by the res
pected Chairman of the Committee on Sys.
tematic Bene6cence. At another time |
may say something farther on that point
At present it is my intention to examine the
text itself, and especially the first clause,
"But rather give aims Of such things as you
have" No wonder the Synod was in doubt,
as this place has Perplexed, if not baffed,
the commentators Of all ages,
The general scope is plain enough. A
Pharisee asked our Saviour to dine, and was
shocked to observe that he failed to wash
his hands before eating, in the way of cere-
mOnial publication. Our Saviour in his re-
jOinder sharply reproyes the Journalist for his
gross inconsistency in being so punctilious
about having "clean hands" and so care
less about having "pure heart. With
all his hypOcritical ceremonies his heart was
full of rapacity and cxtortion. His conduct
was no less absurd, than that of man who
should undertake to scour a dirty dish, and
should leave the inside of the vessel un-
touched. So long as the inward part of the
dish is foul, 50 long the dish as a whole must
be foul So long as the inward part of the
Pha:isee was unclean, (by reason of extor-
ton and the ike,) 50 long the whole man
must be unclean in the sight of God.
Instead then of outward ceremonies, which
at best were mere sign of the outward
cleansing, in order to a perfect cleenneas in
the sight of God, he ought to look to the
state Of his heart, and order his behaviour
Alright. Instead of grinding the faces of
the poor, he ought to bestow his goods upon
them in charitable aims. Then, and not till
then, would he be inwardly, and therefore
wholly, clean and hence acceptable before
God.
So much for the general meaning. Now
for the exact sense of the clause, ''such things
as you have"
In the account Of the Pharisee and the
Publican who went up to the temple to pray,
the former is represented as saying, 81 give
tithes Of all that l possess" The word there
should be rendered acquire, or, as we say,
make. Here however the word is different
The whole phrase "of such things as you
have" is expressed in the Greek by ia enOnta
The margin has it, as ys are able" 81
Schleusner: "Pro yiribus ct facultatibus yes
iris distribute eleemosynas; ut ia saoatG
postum sit pro kata ia enonta cBremata, SCI
sr ton en0aton.
Pafkhurst in his Lexicon agrees with
WOlfus and Kypke in referring ia snonto
to "the cOntents" of the cup and platter
Raphelius disputes the view of Schleusnel
and is supported by Bretschneider and Koch
noel
SchleusneT, however, gives Greek paral
lels, and is sustained by Boisius, Boss, anC
RosenmUller. Robinson (in uoes) confirms
ROsenmUller and KoehnOel, citing the parable
in Matt. xiii: 20, and says: According t.
this latter We may here render: bat giv
Vhat is belongs 'oitln the cup and platte
IN aims instead of making the inside ful
Of rayening and wickedness;) and behold
az things inside and Outside) are cleaI
unto you; i, e. shew forth works of mer