Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 19:21

21 Jesus saith unto him, If thou wilt be perfect Go, and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, and follow me.

Mark repeats it thus, Ch. 10.21. Then Iesus beholding him, loved him. And said unto him, One thing thou lackest. Go thy way, sell, whatsoever thou hast and give to the Poor, and thou shalt have Treasure in Heaven, and come, take up thy Cross, and follow me. Luk. ch. 18.22. repeats it as Matthew, only [illegible: 1 letter]e begins it with, One thing thou lackest▪ Mark saith, that Iesus beholding him loved him, not with a special saving Love, for he sent him away sad, upon his going, he tells his Disc[illegible: 1 letter]ples, that it was a very hard thing for a Rich man to come to Heaven, he tells him, One thing was wanting to him; but he loved him with such a common Love, as he loveth all his Creatures with, and more especially, such as are better than others All that can be concluded from hence is: Th[illegible: 2 letters] Acts of moral Righteousness are pleasing to God. He saith to him, If thou wilt be perfect: That is, in keeping the Commandements of God. The Papist make a great deal of stir to found upon this Text, their Councels of Perfection. As if Christ here were advising only the young Man, to do something beyond what the Law strictly required, in Order to a more perfect state than others. But that this cannot be the Sense of the Words will appear to him, who will diligently consider, 1. That this had been needless for our Saviour, for directing the young Man to keep the Commandements, in Order to his obtaining Everlasting Life, had sufficiently declared, that the keeping o[illegible: 1 letter] the Commandements was Perfection enough. 2. He says, One thing is want[illegible: 1 letter]ing to thee: That is, in Order to thy obtaining Everlasting Life, which had not been true, if our Saviour had granted him to have kept all the Commandements, for he had before let him know, that the keeping them was sufficient. Our Saviour therefore, by this Speech only indeavours to convince him, that he had not [illegible: 1 word] all the Commandements. But it may be objected, How [illegible: 2 letters]ould that be? For there was no Commandement that [illegible: 1 word] him to go sell all that he had, and give to the Poor: I answer: There was a Commandement, That he should Love the Lord his God with all his Heart, and Soul, and Strength, which he could not do, unless he had an Heart ready to obey any Command God should lay upon him, which our Saviour puts upon the Tryal, by this special Precept. 2. There was a Commandement, that he should Love his Neighbour as himself, and that he should not Covet. Now not to be ready at the Commandement of God, liberally to relieve the poor Members of Christ, argued a Covetous mind; more in Love with his Estate, than with God: So as though this was not before specially Commanded, yet it was Commanded generally, and that he would have understood, had he rightly understood the Law of God; especially, having such a Promise annexed, as thou shalt have Treasure in Heaven. 3. Nor must all the Command be taken to be included in those Words, Go sell all that thou hast, and give to the Poor, but the following Words must also be taken in. And come, and take up the Cross, and follow me. Perfection here, is not made to lye in a Voluntary Poverty only, but in coming after, and following of Christ with a free taking up of the Cross. In short: No man can be perfect in keeping the Commandements of God. That doth not love God with all his Heart, Soul, and Strength: Nor can any Man pretend to this, that hath not an Heart ready to obey God in all things, whether more generally, or more specially Commanded. Nor can any man fulfil the Duty of the second Table▪ without first fulfilling the Duties of the first; for if our Love to our Neighbour flow not from a Love to God, it is no Act of Obedience, and Consequently no fulfilling the Law, which is not fulfilled by meer doing the external Duty of it, but by doing what is required in it, out of an Obedience unto God, which cannot be without a first loving God.

Marginal references: Chap. 6.20. Luk. 12.33. & 16.9. 1 Tim. 6.18, 19.