This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other maiginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing tliis resource, we liave taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying. We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain fivm automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attributionTht GoogXt "watermark" you see on each file is essential for in forming people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liabili^ can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at|http: //books .google .com/I
|
^fl^^Sl^tott, |
1 |
|
^^oj |
'! |
|
i:: ^?»^,^&=isi^ ii |
|
|
ipi^^^sa |
h |
|
i %L ^ |
|
|
J |
» •••*-.
r
: - 'II
EXPLANATORY
NOTES
UPON THE
NEW TESTAMENT
BY JOHN WESLEY, M. A.
LATE FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD
PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT,
SOO MX7LBSSXT-STHEET. JOSEPH LONOKING, FEINTER.
1850.
r ^
f
r-'-;
A
9
PREFACE.
1. For many years I have had a desire of setting dovm and laying together, what has occurred to my mind, cither in reading, thinking, or conversation, which might assist serious persons, who have not the advantage of learning, in understanding the New Testament. But I have been continually deterred from attempting any thing of this kind, by a deep sense of my own inability : of my want, not only of learning for such a work, but much more, of experience and wisdom. This has often occasioned my laying aside the thought. And when, by much importunity, I have been prevailed upon to resume it, still I determined to delay it as long as possible, that (if it should please God) I might finish my work and my life together.
2. But having lately had a loud call from God to arise and go hencOt I am convinced that if I attempt any thing of this kind at all, I must not delay any longer. My day is far spent, and (even in a natural way) the shadows of the evening come on apace. And I am the rather induced to do what little I can in this way, because I can do nothing else : being prevented, by my present weakness, from either travelling or preaching. But, blessed be God, I can still read, and write, and think. O that it may be to his glory !
3. It will be easily discerned, even from what I have said already, and much more from the notes themselves, that they were not princi- pally designed for men of learning ; who are provided witli many other helps : and much less for men of long and deep experience in the ways and word of God. I desire to sit at their feet, and to learn of them. But I write chiefly for plain unlettered men, who understand only their mother tongue, and yet reverence and love the word of God, and havir a desire to save their souls.
4. In order to assist these in such a measure as I am able, I design first to set down the text itself, for the most part, in the common English translation, which is, in general, (so far as I can judge) abun- dantly the best that I have seen. Yet I do not say it is incapable of being brought, in several places, nearer to the original. Neither will I affirm, that the Greek copies from which this translation was made, are always the most correct. And therefore I shall take the liberty, <is occasion may require, to make here and there a small alteration.
5. I am very sensible this will be liable to objections : nay, to objec- tions of quite opposite kinds. Some will probably think, the text is altered too much ; and others, that it is altered too little. To the former I would observe, that I never knowingly, so much as in one place, altered it for altering sake : but there, and there only, where
o
J *J \.i
4 PREFACE.
fint the sense was made better, stronger, clearer, or more consistent with the context : secondly, where the sense being equally good, the phrase was better or nearer the original. To the latter, who think the alterations too few, and that the translation might have been nearer •till, I answer, this is true : I acknowledge it might. But what valuable end would it have answered, to multiply such trivial altera- tions as add neither clearness nor strength to the text? This I could not prevail upon myself to do : so much the less because there is, to my apprehension, I know not what, peculiarly solemn and venerable in the old language of our translation. And suppose this a mistaken apprehension, and an instance of human infirmity ; yet, is it not an excusable infirmity, to be unwilling to part with what we have been long accustomed to ; and to love the very words by which God has often conveyed strength or comfort to our souls !
6. I have endeavoured to make the notes as short as possible, that the comment may not obscure or swallow up the text : and as plain as possible, in pursuance of my main design, to assist the unlearned reader : for this reason I have studiously avoided, not only all curiou and critical inquiries, and all use of the learned languages, but all such methods of reasoning and modes of expression as people in common life are unacquainted with : for the same reason, as I rather endeavour to obviate than to propose and answer questions, so I purposely decline going deep into many difficulties, lest I should leave the ordinary- reader behind me.
7. I once designed to write down barely what occurred to my own mind, consulting none but the inspired writers. But no sooner was I acquainted with that great light of the Christian world, (lately gone to his reward,) Bengelius, than I entirely changed my design, being
^Aoroughly convinced it might be of more service to the cause of reli- gion, were I barely to translate his Gnomon Novi Tcstamentiy than to write many volumes upon it. Many of his excellent notes I have therefore translated. Many more I have abridged, omitting that part which was purely critical, and giving the substance of the rest. Those various readings likewise, which he has showed to have a vast majority of ancient copies and translations on their side, I have without scruple incorporated with the text ; which afler his manner I have divided all along (though not omitting the common division into chapters and verses, which is of use on various accounts) according to the matter it contains, making a larger or smaller pause, just as the sense requires. And even this is such a help in many places, as one who has not tried it can scarcely conceive.
8. I am likewise indebted for some useful observations to Dr. Heylin's Tkeologieal Lectures : and for many more to Dr. Guyse. and to the Family Expositor of the late pious and learned Dr. Doddridge
fKEFACE. 5
It was a doubt with oie for some time, whether I should not subjoin to every note I received from them the name of the author from whom it was taken ; especially considering I had transcribed some, and abridged many more, almost in the words of the author. But upon farther con- sideration, I resolved to name none, that nothing might divert the mind of the reader from keeping close to the point in view, and receiving what was spoken only according to its own intrinsic value.
9. I cannot flatter myself so far (to use the words of one of the above-named writers) as to imagine that I have fallen into no mis- takes in a work of so great difficulty. But my own conscience acquits me of having designedly misrepresented any single passage of Scrip- ture, or of having written one line with a purpose of inflaming the hearts of Christians against each other. God forbid that I should make the words of the most gentle and benevolent Jesus a vehicle to convey such .poison. Would to God that all the party names, and unscriptural phrases and forms, which have divided the Christian world, were forgot : and that we might all agree to sit down together, as humble, loving disciples, at the feet of our common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life in our own !
10. Concerning the Scriptures in general, it may be observed, the word of the living God, which directed the first patriarchs also, was, in the time of Moses, committed to writing. To this were added, in several succeeding generations, the inspired writings of the other prophets. Afterward, what the Son of God preached, and the Holy (rhost spake by the apostles, the apostles and evangelists wrote. — This is what we now style the Holy Scripture : this is that word of (rod which remaineth for ever : of which, though heaven and earth pass away, one jot or tittle shall not pass away. Tlic Scripture therefore of the Old and New Testament, is a most solid and precious system of Divine truth. Every part thereof is worthy of God ; and all together are one entire body, wherein is no defect, no excess. It is the fountain of heavenly wisdom, which they who are able to taste, prefer to all writings of men, however wise, or learned, or holy.
11. An exact knowledge of the truth was accompanied in the inspired writers with an exactly regular series of arguments, a precise expression of their meaning, and a genuine vigour of suitable affections. The chain of argument in each book is briefly exhibited in the table prefixed to it, which contains also the sum thereof, and may be of more use than prefixing the argument to each chapter ; the division of the New Testament into chapters having been made in the dark ages, and very incorrectly ; often separating things that are closely joined, and joining those that are entirely distinct from each other.
12. In the language of the sacred writings, we may observe the utmost depth, together with the utmost ease. All the elegancies of
J..
6 FBEFiCSt
faiUMa composores sink into nothing before it: God speaka not at many but as God. His thoughts are very deep : and thence his wmds are of inexhaustible rirtue. And the language of his messengers also is exact in the hi^est degree : for the words which were given them accurately answered the impression made upon their minds : and hence Luther says, " Divinity is nothing but a grammar of the language of the Holy Ghost." To understand this thoroughly, we should observe the emphasis which lies on every word ; the holy affections expressed thereby, and the tempers shown by every writer. But how little are these, the latter especially, regarded ? Though they are wonderfully difiused through the whole New Testament, and are in truth a continued commendation of him who acts, or speaks, or writes.
13. The New Testament is all those sacred writings in which the New Testament or covenant is described. The former part of this eontains the writings of the evangelists and apostles : the latter, the levelation of Jesus Christ. In the former is, first, the history of Jesus Christ, from his coming in the flesh to his ascension into heaven ; then the institution and history of the Christian Church, from the time of his ascension. The revelation delivers what is to be, with regard lot Christ, the Church, and the universe, till the consummation of all things.
Beistol Hot-Wells, January 4, 1754.
NOTES
ON TBS
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW.
The Gotpel (that is, good tidinga) means a book containing the good tidings of our salvation by Jesus Christ.
St. Mark in his Gospel presupposes that of St. Matthew, and supplies what is cunitted therein. St. Luke supplies what is omitted by both the former : St. John what is omitted by all the three.
St. Matthew particularly points out the fulfilling of the prophecies for the con. Tiction of the Jews. St. Mark wrote a short compendium^ and yet added many remarkable circumstances omitted by St. Matthew, particularly with regard to the apostles, immediately after they were called. St. Luke treated principally of the office of Christ, and mostly in a historical manner. St. John refuted those who denied his Godhead : each choosing to treat more largely on Uumb things, which most suited the time when, and the persons to whom, he wrote.
The Grospel according to St. Matthew tffntffin"
I. The birth of Christ, and what presently followed it
a. His genealogy . ....... Ch«p i, 1-17
i. His birth 18-25
0. The coming of the wise men ii, 1-19
i* His flight into Egypt, and return 13-23
II. The intrmiuction
a. John the Baptist iii, 1-12
d. The baptism of Christ 13-17
e. His temptation and victory It, 1-11
III. The actions and words by which Jesus proved ha was Um Christ
a. At Capernaum 12-16
Where wo may observe
1. His preaching 17
2. Calling Andrew and Peter, James and John . . . 18-22
3. Preaching and healing, with a great concoune of people . 23-25
4. Sermon on the mount ▼« Ti, yii,
5. Healing the leper viii^ 1-4
6. the centurion's servant 5-13
7. Peter*s mother-in.Iaw ...... 14-15
8. many that were sick 16-17
b. In his journey (wherein he admonished two that offered to follow
him) over the sea Here we may observe
1. His dominion over the winds and seas . . • • • 18-27
2. The devils passing from the men into the swine • . . 28-34 e. At Capernaum again Here, iz,
1. He cures the paralytic 1-8
2. Calb Matthew, and defends his conversing with publicans and
sinners 9-13
3. Answers concerning fasting 14-17
4. Raises Jairus's daughter (aner curing the issue of blood) . 18-26
5. Gives sight to two blind men 27-31
6. Dispossesses the demoniac 32-34
7. Goes through the cities, and directs to pray for labourers . 35-38
8. Sends and instructs hibourers, and preaches himself . z, 1 ; zi, 1
9. Answers the message of John 9^6
10. Commends John, reproves the unbelieving oitiae, invitM the
weary •..• • • • 7'"30
8 NOTES ON ST. MATTHEW.
11. DefendB the disciples* plucking the com Chap, zii, 1-8 13. Heals the withered hand 9-13
13. tletiies from the Piiarisees Ijrin^ in wait .... 14-Sl
14. Cures the demoniac, while the people wonder, and the Pharisees
blaspheming, are refated 22-37
15. Reproves them that require a sign 38-45
16. Declares who are his relations, and 46-50
17. TsaclMM by parables . . • • . • • xiii, 1-52
d. At Nazareth 53-58
e. In other places
1 . Herod having killed John, doubts concerning Jesus. Jesus retiring,
is sought for by the people xiv, 1-13
2. He heals the sick, and feeds ^e thousand .... 14-21
3. His voyage and miracles in the land of Grennesaret 22-36
4. Unwashen hands ....••. zv, 1-20
5. The woman of Canaan 21-28
6. Many sick healed 2d-31
7. Four thousand fed 32-38
8. Those who require a sign reproved . • zv, 39 ; zvi, 1-4
9. The leaven of the Pharisees 5-12
IV. Ihedictions of his death and resurrection a. The first prediction
1. Preparation for it by a confirmation tnat he is the Christ 13-20
2. The prediction itseU^ and reproof of Peter .... 21-28 h. The second prediction
1. The transfiguration, and silence enjoined • • . zvii, 1-13
2. The lunatic healed 14-21
3. The prediction itself 22-23
4. The tribute paid 24-27
5. Who is greatest in Christ's kingdom • • • • zviii, 1-20
6. The duty of forgiving our brother 21-35
c. The third prediction
1. Jesus departs out of Galilee ziz, 1-2
2. Of divorce and celibacy 3-12
3. His tenderness to little children 13-15
4. The rich man drawing back, and hence .... 16-22
Ofthe salvation of the rich 23-26
Of the reward of following Christ 27-30
Of the last and the first xz, 1-16
5. The prediction itself 17-19
6. The request of James and John; humility enjoined 20-28
7. The two blind men cured 29-34
V, Transactions at Jerusalem before his passion ff. Sunday
His royal entry into Jerusalem zzi, 1-11
His purging the temple 12-17
h, Monday
The barren fig tree 18-22
e, Tuesday, transactions In the temple
1. The chief priests and elders eonfbted
By a question concerning John's baptism . • 23-27
By the parables
Ofthe two sons . 28-32
Ofthe vineyard . 33-44
2. Seek to lav hands on him ..... . 45-46
3. The parable ofthe marriage fisast .... zzii, 1-14
4. He is questioned, concerning paying tribote 15-22
The resurrection 23-33
The great commandment 34-40
A, Christ's ({uestion eonoeminff David^i Lord .... 41-46
Caution concerning the icnbes and FhariseM aodii, 1-13
Beivsn repfoof of thtoi ••••••• 13—86
•ad tf J«raMlem S7-SI
NOTES ON ST. MATTHEW. 0
Got of the tomple 1. His discoune of the daitraction of Jemtalem, and the end of
the world Chap, xziv, 1-51
d. The ten vir^ns, the talents ; the last judgment . . zxv, 1-46
VI. Hia passion and resurrection
A, His passion, death, and burial . . • • • zzvi, 1-3 a. Wednesday i,
His prediction . ...••••• zzvi, 1-3
The consultation of the chief priests and elden • • . 3-5
Judas bargains to betray him ••••••• 6-16
h. Thursday
1. In the day time
The passover prepared • • 17-19
3. In the evening
The traitor discovered 30-35
The Lord*s Supper 36^
3. In the nijrht '•
1. Josus ^retells the cowardice of the apostles • • 33-35
2. Is in an agony 36-46
3. Is apprehend^, reproves Peter and the multitude ; is forsaken
ofall 47-56
4. Is led to Caiaphas, falsely accused, owns himself the Son of God,
is condemned, deridsd 57-68
5. Petor denies him and weeps 69-75
c. Friday
1. The height of his passion In the morning
1. Jesus is delivered to Pilate xzvii, 1-3
3. The death of Judas 3-10
3. Josus*s kingdom and silence ...••.. 11-14
4. Pilate, though warned by his wife, oondemna him • 15-36
5. He is mocked and led forth 37-33
The third hoar
The vinegar and gall: the crucifixion; his garments divided;
the inscription on the cross ; the two robbers ; blasphemies 33-44
From the sixth to the ninth hour
The darkness, his last agony 45-49
3. His death 50
The veil rent, and a great earthquake 51-53
The centurion wonders ; the women behold • • . 54-56
3. Hii burial 57-61
d. Saturday
The sepulchre secured 63-66
B. His resurrection
1. Testified to the women by an angal . . • • • zxviii, 1-8 By our Lord himself .••••••• 9-10
3. Denied by his adversaries • 11-15
3. Proved to his apostles 16-30
ST. MATTHEW.
1 The* book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of Di«
2 vid, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac bent
3 Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah and lus brethren; And Jn&h begat Pharez and Zarah of Thamar, and Pharez begat Esrom, and
4 Esrom begat Aram ; and Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab
5 begat Naasson, and Naasson begat Salmon ; and Salmon begat
6 Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesae ; and Jesse begat David the king.
7 And David the king begat Solomon, of the wife of Uriah ; and So- lomon begat Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begat Abijah, and Abijah
8 begat Asa; and Asa begat Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begat
9 Jehoram, and Jehoram begat Uzziah : and Uzziah begat Jotham, uid
10 Jotham begat Ahaz, and Ahaz begat Hezekiah, and Hezekiah begat Manassetl^ and Manasseth begat Amon, and Amon begat Josiui :
11 and Josiah begat Jeconiah and his brethren, about the time they
12 were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begat Salathiel, and Salathiel begat Zerubbabel ;
13 And Zerubbabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat Eliakim, and EUa- ■ ■■■ ■ ' — ' '
Yene 1. The hook •/ the generation of Je9M9 CkriH — ^That is, ■trictlj speaking, the •ocount of his birth aiid genealogy. This title therefore properly relates to the verMs that immediately follow : but as it sometimes signifies the histoiy of a person, in that sense it may belong to the whole book. If there were any diffi. culties in this genealogy, or that given by St. Luke, which could not easily bo removed, they would rather afiect the Jewish tables, than the credit of the evin. gelists : for they act only as historians wtting down these genealogies, as they stood in those public and allowed records. Therefore they were to take thom as they found them. Nor was it needflil thev should correct the mistakes, if there were any. For these accounts suficiently answer the end for which they an recited. They unquestionably prove the grand point in view, that Jesus was of the family from which the promised sera was to come. And they had more weight with the Jews for this purpose, than if alterations had been made by insiMration itself. For suoh alterations would have occasioned endless dispntes between them and the disciples of our Lord. The mm of Ihnidf the oon ofAJbrm- kam — He is so called, because to these he was more peculiarly promised ; and of these it was often foretold the Messiah should spring.
5. Of Thamar — St. Matthew adds the names of those women also, that were remarkable in the sacred history.
4. Naaeoon- -Who was prince of the tribe of Judah, when the Israelites entered into Canaan.
5. Obed begat Je99e — ^The proyidence of God was peculiarly shown in this, that Salmon, Boai, and Obed, must each of them have been near a hundred years old, at the birth of his son here recorded.
6. David the king — ^Particularly mentioned under this character, because his thione is given to the Messiah.
8. Jehoram begat Uzxiah — Jehoahaz, Joash, and Amaziah coming between. So that he begat him mediately, as Christ is mediately the son of David and of Almu ham. So the progeny of Heiekiah, afler many generations, are called the eoiu that should issue uom him, which he should begot, Isaiah zxxiz, 7.
11. Joeiah begat Jeconiah — Mediately, Jehoiakim coming between. And hig brethren — That is, his uncles. The Jews term all kinsmen brethren. Ahmi tkt time they tpsrt eerrtcil awejh-Which was a little after the birth of Jeconiah.
• LokeiiiySl.
CHAPTER I. 11
14 kim begat Azor ; and Azor begat ZadocK, and Zadock begat
15 Achim, and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar, and
16 Eleazar begat Matthan, and Matthan begat Jacob ; and Jacob begai Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations : and from David to the carrying away to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the carr3ring away to Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Christ was on this wise : his mother Mary, being espoused to Joseph, before they came together she was found
19 with child by the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and yet not willing to make her a public example, pur-
20 posed to put her away privately. But while he was thinking on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take to thee Mary thy wife ; for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy
21 Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
22 Jesus ; for he shall save his people from their sins. (Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
16. The husband of Mary — Jesus was generally believed to be the son of Joseph. It was needful for all who believed this, to know, that Joseph was sprung from David. Otherwise they would not allow Jesus to bo the Christ. Je«tM, who i§ called Christ — ^The name Jesus respects chiefly the promise of blessing made to Abraham : the name Christ, the promise of the Messiah's kingdom, which was made to David.
It may be farther observed, that the word Christ in Greek, and Messiah in Hebrew, signify anointed, and imply the prophetic, priestly, and royal characters, which were to meet in the Messiah. Among the Jews, anointing was the cere- mony whereby prophets, priests, and kings were initiated into those offices. And if we look into ourselves, we shall find a want of Christ in all these respects.— W« are by nature at a distance from God, alienated from him, and incapable of a free access to him. Hence we want a mediator, an intercessor, in a word, a Christ, in his priestly office. This regards our state with respect to God. And with respect to ourselves, we find a total darkness, blindness, ignorance of God, and the things of God. Now here we want Christ in his prophetic office, to enlighten our minds, and teach us the whole will of God. We find also within us a strange misrule of appetites and passions. For these we want Christ in his royal character, to reign in our hearts, and subdue all things to himself.
17. So aU the generations — Observe, in order to complete the three fourteens, David ends the first fourteen, and begins the second (which reaches to the oaptivity) and Jesus ends the third fourteen.
When we survey such a series of generations, it is a natural and obvious leflection, how like the leaves of a tree one posset k away, and another cometh ! Yet the earth still ahideth. And with it the goodness of the Lord which runs from generation to generation, the common hope of parents and children.
Of those who formerly lived upon earth, and perhaps made the most conspico. oas figure, how many are there whose names are perished with them 7 How many, of whom only the names are remaining ? Thus are we likewise passing away ! And thus shall we shortly be forgotten ! Happy are we, if, while we are forgotten by men, we are remembered by God ! If our names, lost on earth, aro at length found written in the book of life !
19. A just man — A strict observer of the law : therefore not thinking it right to keep her.
. 91. JesuB — ^That is, a Saviour. It is the same name with Joshua (who was a Me of him) which properly signifies. The hardy Sahation. Hit Msnle— Israel. And aU the Uriel of God.
12 ST. MATTHEW.
23 by the prophet, saying, * Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel^
24 (vvhich is, being interpreted, God with us.) Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded
25 him, and took unto him his wife : but he knew her not, till she had t brought forth her Son, the first bom. And he called his name Jesus.
II. Now after Jesus was bom in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusa-
2 lem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews ? For w^ have seen his star in the east, and are come to do him homage.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and
4 all Jerusalem with him. And having assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them. Where the
5 Christ was to be born ? And they said to him, in Bethlehem of
23. They shall call his name Emmanuel — To be calledy only means, according to the Ilobrow manner of speaking, that the person spoken of shall rcaUy and effectually bo what he is called, and actually fulfil that title. Thus, Unto U9 a child is bom — ajtd his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace — That is, he shall be all these, though not so much nominally, as really, and in effect. And thus was he called Emmanuel; which was no common name of Christ, but points out his nature and office ; as ho is God incarnate, and dwells by his Spirit in the hearts of his people.
It is observable, the words in Isaiah are. Thou (namely, his mother) shalt eaU; hut hero, They — that is, all his people, shall ca//— shall acknowledge Jiim to be Emmanuel, God with us. Which being interpreted — This is a clear proof that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel in Greek, and not in Hebrew.
25. He knew her not, till after she had brought forth — It cannot be inferred firom lience, that he knew her auerward : no more than it can be inferred from that expression, 2 Sam. vi, 23, Michal had no child till the day of her death, that ihe had children afterward. Nor do the words that follow, the first-born son, alter the case. For there are abundance of places, wherein the ierm first bom is lued, though there were no subsequent children.
II. 1. Bethlehem of Judea — There was another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zelm. Ion. In the days of Herod — commonly called Herod the Great, born at Ascalon. The sceptre was now on the point of departing from Judah. Among his ■ont were Archelaus, mentioned vcr. 22; Herod Antipas, mentioned chap, xiv; and Philip, mentioned Luke iii. Herod Agrippa, mentioned Acts xii, was his grandson. Wise men — The first fruits of the Gentiles. Probably they were Gentile philcao. phors, who, through the Divine assistance, had improved theb knowledge of nature, as a means of loading to the knowledge of the one true God. Nor it it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favoured them with some extraordinary revelations of himself, as he did Melchisedec, Job, and several others, who were not of the family of Abraham ; to which he never intended absolutely to confine his favours. The title given them in the original was anciently given to all philosophers, or men of learning; those particularly who were curious in examin- ing the works of nature, and observing the motions of the heavenly bodies.
Frojn the east — So Arabia is frequently called in Scripture. It lay to the eaat of Judea, and was famous for gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We have seen hie star — Undoubtedly they had before heard Balaam's prophecy. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was revealed to them that this prophecy was fulfilled. In the east — That is, while we were in the east.
2. To do him homage — To pay him that honour, by bowing to the earth before him, which the eastern nations used to pay to their monarchs.
4. The chief priests — That is, not only the high priest and his deputy, with those who formerly had borne that office : but also the chief man in each of thoee twenUr-four coureee, into which the body of priests were divided, 1 Chron. zzhr, 10. The acribee were those whoie peculiar business it was to explain the
* leaiah vii, 14. t L^® iit 7.
CHAPTER II. 13
6 Jiidea ; for thus it is written by the prophet, • And thon, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art in nowise the least among the princes of Judah ; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor, who shall rule
7 my people Israel. Then Herod, having privately called the wise men, inquired of them with great exactness, at what time the star
8 appeared : And sending them to Bethlehem, he said. Go, inquire exactly concerning the young child, and if ye find him, bring me
9 word again, that I also may come and do him homage. And hav- ing heard the king, they departed ; and lo, the star which they had seen in the east, moved on before them, till it came and stood over
10 where the young child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced
11 with exceeding great joy. And being come into the house, they saw the young child, with Mary his mother ; and falling down, they did him homage. And opening their treasures, they presented to
12 him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned of God in a dream not to return to Herod, they retired into their own country another way.
13 And when they had retired, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying. Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and continue there till I shall t^U thee : for Herod will seek the young child to destroy
14 him. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother by
15 night, and retired into Egypt, And continued there till the death of Herod ; that it might he fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by
] 6 the prophet, saying, t Out of Egypt have 1 called my Son. Then
Seriptures to the people. They were the public preachers, or exponndere of the law of Moses. Whence the chief of them were called doctors of the law.
6. Thou art in nowise the least among the princes of Judah — That is, among tbo eittes belonging to the princes or heads of thousands in Judah. When this and several other quotations front the Old Testament are compared with the original, it plainly appears, the apostles did not always think it necessary exactly to tran. scribe the passages they cited, but contented themselves with giving the general •ense, though with some diversity of language. The words of Micah, which wo render. Though thou he little^ may bo rendered, Art thou little ? And then the difference which seems to be here between the prophet and the evangelist vanishes away.
8. And if ye find him, bring me word — Probably Herod did not believe he was bom ; otherwiBe would not to suspicious a prince have tried to make sure work at once ?
10. Seeing the star — Standing over where the child was.
11. They presented to him gifts — It was customary to offer some present to any eminent person whom they visited. And so it is, as travellers observe, in tho eastern countries to this day. Oold, frankincense^ and myrrh — Probably these were the best things their country afforded ; and the presents ordinarily made to great persons.
This was a most seasonable, providential assistance for a long and expensive journey into Egypt, a country where they were entirely strangers, and were to stay for a considerable time.
15. That it might he fulfilled— Thtii is, whereby was fulfilled. The original word frequently signifies, not the design of an action, but barely the consequence or event of it. Which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet— on another occasion : Out of Egypt have I called my Son — which was now fulfilled as it were anew ; Christ being in a far higher sense the Son of God than Israel, of whom the words were originally spoken.
16. 7*A«?i Herod, seeing thai he was deluded by the wise men — So did his pride teach him to regard this action, as if it were intended to expose him to the deri.
*Micahv,3. fHoseaxi, 1.
14 ST. MATTHEW.
Herod, seeing he was deluded by the wise men, was exce^ wroth, and sending forth, slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the confines thereof, from two years old and under ; according to the time which he had exactly inquired of the
17 wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah
18 the prophet, saying, * In Rama was there a voice heard, lamenta- tion, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeureth
20 in a dream to Joseph in £g3rpt, saying. Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel ; for they
21 are dead who sought the young child's life. And he arose, an(i took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of
22 Israel. But having heard, Archelaus reigneth over Judea in. the room of his father Herod, he w£ts afraid to go thither, and being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of
23 Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
III. t In those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the wilder- 2 demess of Judea, And sayic^g, Repent ye ; for the kingdom of
flion of his subjects. Sending forth — a party of soldiers : In all the confine9 thereof — In all the neighbouring places, of which Rama was one.
17. Then woe fulfilled — A passage of Scripture, whether prophetic, historical, or poetical, is in the language of &e New Testament fUlfiUed, when an evBnt happens to which it'may with great propriety be accommodated.
18. Rachel weeping for her children — The Benjamites, who inhabited Rama, sprung from her. She was buried near this place; and is here beautifully represented risen, as it were out of her grave, and bewailing her lost children^ — Because they are not — ^that is, are dead. The preservation of Jesus from this destruction, may be considered as a figure of God's care over his children in their greatest danger. God does not often, as he easily could, cut off their persecutors at a stroke. But he provides a hiding place for his people, and by methods not less effectual, though less pompous, preserves tliem firom being swept away, even when the enemy comes in like a flood.
22, He was afraid to go thither — ^into Judea; and so turned aside into the region of Galilee — a part of the land of Israel not under the jurisdiction of Archelaus.
23. He came and dwelt in Nazareth — (where he had dwelt before he went tc Bethlehem) a place contemptible to a proverb. So that hereby was fiilfiUed what has been spoken in effect by several of the prophets^ (though bv none of them in express words,) He shall be called a Nazarene — ^that is, he shall be despised and rejected, shall be a mark of public contempt and reproach.
III. 1. In those days — ^that is, while Jesus dwelt there. In the wilderness of ' Judea — ^This was a wilderness properly so caUed, a wild, barren, desolate place as was that also where our Lord was tempted. But, generally speaking, a wilder noss in the New Testament means only a conmion, or less cultivated place, in opposition to pasture and arable land.
2, The kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, are but two phrases for the same thing. They mean, not barely a future happy state in heaven, bat a state to be enjoyed on earth : the proper disposition for the glory of heaven, rather than the possession of it. Is at hand — As if he had said, God is about to erect that kingdom, spoken of by Daniel (ch. ii, 44; and vii, 13, 14;) the kingdom of the God of heaven. It properly sisnifies here, the Gospel dispensation, in which subjects were to be gathered to God by his Son, and a society to be formed, which was to subsist first on earth, and afterward with God in glory. In some placet of Scripture, the phrase more particularly denotes the state of it on earth : in others, it signifies only the state of glory : but it generally includes both. Th«
* Jer. xxzi, 15i. t Moifc i, 1 i liuke iii, I.
CHAPTER ill. 1«
3 heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the Pro phet Isaiah, saying, * The voice of one crying aloud in the wilder- ness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
4 And this Jolin had his raiment of camels' hair, and a leathern gir die about his loins ; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region
6 round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confess
7 ing their sins. But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them. Ye brood of vipers, who
8 hath showed you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth
9 therefore fruit worthy of repentance : And say not confidently
J«wt understood it of a temporal kingdom, the seat of which they supposed would bo Jerusalem ; and the expected sovereign of this kingdom they learned from Daniel to call the Son of man.
Both John the Baptist and Christ took up that phrase, the kingdom of heaven^ as they found it, and graduallytaught the Jews (though greatly unwilling to learn) to understand it right. The very demand of repentance, as previous to it, showed it was a spiritual kingdom, and that no wicked man, how politic, brave, or learned soever, could possibly be a subject of it.
3. The way of the Lord — Of Christ. Make hio pnthM ttraighi — By removing every thing which might prove a hinderance to his g^racious appearance.
4. John had his raiment ofeatneW hair — Coarse and roueh, suiting his charactet and doctrine. A leathern girdle — Like Elij ih, in whose spirit and power he came. Hie food woe locusts uad wild honey — ^Locusts are ranked among clean meatfl» Lev. xi, 22. But these were not always to be had. So in default of those, ha fed on wild honey.
6. Confessing their sins^-Of their own accord ; freely and openly.
Such prodigious numbers could hardly be baptized by immerging their whole bodies under water : nor can we think they were provided with change of raiment for it, which was scarcely practicable for such vast multitudes. And yet they coitLd not be immerged naked with modesty, nor in their wearing apparel \f itn safbty. It seems, therefore, that they stood in ranks on the edffe of the river, and that John, passing along before them, cast water on their heads or faces, by which means he might baptize many thousands in a day. And this way most naturally signified Christ's baptizing them with the Holy Qheet and with fire% which John spoke of, as prefi^red by his baptizing with water, and which was eminently falfillod, when the Holy Ghost sat upon the disciples in the appearance of tongues, or flames of fire.
7. The Pharisees were a very ancient eeot among the Jews. They took their name from a Hebrew word, which signifies to separate, because they separated themselves from all other men. They were outwardly strict observers of tha law, fasted often, made long prayers, rigoro'jsly kept the Sabbath, and paid all tithe, even of mint, ani^, and cummin. Hence they were in high esteem among the people. But inwardly, they were full of pride and hypocrisy.
The Sadducees were another sect among the Jews, only not so considerable as the Pharisees. They denied the existence of angels, and the immortality of the sout, and by consequence the resurrection of the dead. Ye brood of vipers — In like manner, the crafty Herod is styled a fox, and persons of insidious, ravenous, orofane, or sensual dispositions, are named respectively by him who saw their hearts, serpents, dogs, wolves, and swine; terms which are not the random language of passion, but a judicious designation of the persons meant by them. For it was fitting such men should be marked out, either for a caution to others, or a warning to themselves.
8. Repentarfe is of two sorts ; that which is termed legal, and that which is styled evangelical repentanoe. The former (which is the same that is spoken of here) is a thorough conviction of sin. The latter is a change of heart (and consequently of fifo) from all sin to all holiness.
9. And say not confidently — ^The word in the original, vulgarly rendered, Tliink not, seems here, and in many places, not to diminish, but laihar add to
* Isaiah xl, 3.
16 ST. MATTHEW.
within yourselves, We have Abraham to our Fatner; for I ttjr unto you, Grod is able of these stones to raise up children to Abn-
10 ham. But the axe also already lieth at the root of the tree ; there- fore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down
11 and cast into the fire. 1 indeed baptize you with water unto re- pentance ; but he that coraeth aller me is mightier than I ; whose shoes I am not worthy to bear ; he shall baptize you with the Holy
12 Ghost and with fire : Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and gather the wheat into the gamer, but will bum up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
13 *Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to' be
14 baptized by him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be
15 baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? And Jesus answering said to him, Sufier it now ; for thus it becometh us to fulfil aU
16 righteousness. Then he sufiered him. And Jesus being baptized, went up straightway from the water, and, lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like
17 a dove, and coming upon him. And lo, a voice out of the heavenB, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight.
the force of the word with which it is joined. We have Abraham to our father^' It is almost incredible, how great the presumption of the Jews was on this their relation to Abraham. One of their famous sayings was, ** Abraham sits near the gates of hell, and suffers no Israelite to go down into it.** / tay unto you — ^This preface always denotes the importance of what follows. Of these ttanes — ^F^ob4. bly pointing to those which lay before them.
10. But the axe aUo already lieth — ^That is, there is no room for such idle pretan. ces. Speedy execution is determined against all that do not repent. The compari- 0on seems to bo taken from a woodman that has laid down his aze to put off hie coat, and then immediately goes to work to cut down the tree. This reftn to the wrath to come in verse 7. /« hewn dawn — Instantly, without farther delay.
11. He 8haU baptize you with the Holy Ohoet and with fire — He shall fill yoa with the Holy Ghost, inflaming your hearts with that fire of love, which maaj waters cannot quench. And wia wai done, even with a visible appearanee as of fire, on the day of pentecost.
12. Whoee /an— That is, the word of the Gospel. His /oor— That is, hia Church, which is now covered with a mixture of wheat and chaff. He will gather the wheat into the gamer — Will lay up those who are truly good in heaven.
15. It becometh ue to fulfil aU righteousness — It becometh every messenger of God to observe all his righteous ordinances. But the particular meaning of oar Lord seems to be, that it becometh ns to do (me to receive baptism, and yoa to administer it) in order to fulfil^ that is, that I may fully perform every part of tba righteous law of God, and the commission he hath given me.
16. And Jesus being baptized — Let our Lord's submitting to baptism teach na a holy exactness in the observance of those institutions which owe their obliga. tion merely to a Divine command. Surely thus it becometh all his followers to fulfil all righteousness.
Jesus had no sin to wash away. And yet he was baptized. And God owned liis ordinance, so as to make it the season of pouring forth the Holy Spirit upon him. And where can we expect this sacred effusion, but in an humble attondaaoe on Divine appointments 7 Lo^ the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God — St. Luke adds, tn o bodily form — ^Probably in a glorious appearance of fixe, perhaps in the shape of a dove, descending with a hovering motion, till it rested upon Aim. This was a visible token of those secret operations of the UesMd Spirit, by which he was anointed in a peculiar manner ; and abundantly fitted for his public work.
17. And lo, a voice — ^We have here a glorious manifestation of the ever.bleaMd Trinitj : the Father speaking from heaven, the Son spoken to, the Holy Ghoat
* Mark i, 9 ; Luke iii, 21.
CHAPTER IV. It
[V. Then * was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to
2 be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and forty
3 nights, he was afterward hungry. And the tempter coming to him, said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones
4 be made bread. But he answering, said, It is written, t Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of
5 the mouth of Grod. Then the devil taketh him with him into the holy city, and setteth him on the battlement of the temple,
6 And saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down ; for it is written, % He shall charge his angob concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash
7 thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, It is written again,
8 ^ fhou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him with him to an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all
9 the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. And saith to him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship
10 me. Then Jesus saith to him. Get thee hence, Satan ; for it is written, U Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt
1 1 thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came
and waited upon him.
* ' " ' ■ ■ ip ■ ■
descending upon him. In tphom I Might — What an encomiain is this ! How poor to this are all other kinds of praise ! To be the pleasure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed : this is true glory : this is the highest, the brightest light, that virtue can appear in.
IV. 1. Then — ^Afier this glorious evidence of his Father's love, he was com. pletely armed for the combat. Thus after the clearest hght and the strongest eonsolation, let us expect the sharpest temptations. By the Spirit — Probably through a strong inward impulse.
2. Hailing faated — Whereby doubtless he received more abundant spiritual strength from God. Forty daya and forty nights-^ Ab did Moges, the giver of the law, and Elijah^ the great restorer of it. He woe afterward hungry — And so prepared for the first temptation.
3. Coming to him — In a visible form ; probably in a human shape, as one that desired to inquire farther into the evidences of his being the Meweuth,
4. It ie iDritten — ^Thus Christ answered, and thus we may answer all the sng. gestions of the devil. By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Ood--^ That is, by whatever God commands to sustain him. Therefore it is not needfUl I should work a miracle to procure bread, without any intimation of my Father's will.
5. The holy city — So Jeruealem was commonly called, being the place God had peculiarly chosen for himself. On the battlement of the temple — Probably over the king's gallery, which was of such a prodigious height, that no one could look down from the top of it without making himself giddy.
6. In their hands — That is, with great care.
7. Thou shalt not tempt the Ixtrd thy Ood — ^By requiring farther evidence of what he hath already made sufficiently plain.
8. Showeth him all the kingdoms of the world — ^In a kind of visionary repre. •entation.
9. If thou wilt fall down and worship me — ^Horo Satan clearly shows who he was. Accordingly Christ answering this suggestion, calls him by his own name, which ho had not done before.
10. Get thee henee^ Satan — Not, get thee behind me, that is, into thy proper place ; as he said on a quite difierent occasion to Peter, speaking what was not expedient.
11. Angels came and wsAUd upon turn — Both to supply him with food, and to eongratnlate his victory.
• Mark i, 12 ; Luke iv, 1. f Dent viii, 3. t Psalm xci, 11, 12. 61>eatvi,16.
I Dtot vi* 13.
3
18 ST. MATTHBW.
12 * Bat when he heard that' John was cast into prison, he retired
13 into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt at Capep* naum, which is on the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulon and
14 Naphthali : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isiuih
15 the prophet, saying, f The land of Zebulon and the land of Naph- thali, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who walked in darkness saw a great light, and to them who sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say. Repent, tar
18 the kingdom of heaven is at hand. % And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
19 brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith to them. Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And straightway, leaving their nets, they followed him. And goinff
21 on from thence, he saw two other brethren, James the san.cf Zebedee, and John his brother, in the vessel with Zebedee their
22 father, mending their nets ; and he called them. And leaving the vessel and their father, they immediately followed him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner
24 of disease and all manner of malady among the people. And his fame went through all Syria: and they brought to him all sick people, that were held with divers diseases and tormenting pains ; and demoniacs, and lunatics, and paralytics ; and he healed them.
13. He retired into Galilee — T)um ionrney was not immediately afler his temptation. He first went from Judea into Gralilee, John i, 43 ; ii, 1. Then into Judea again, Imd celebrated the passorer at Jerusalem, John ii, 13. He baptised in Judea while John was baptizing at Enon, John iii, 22, 23. All thii time John was at liberty, ver. 24. But the Pharisees being ofiended, chap, iv, 1 ; and John put in prison, he then took this journey into Galilee.
13. Leaving Nazareth — Namely, when they had wholly rejected his word, and even attempteid to kill him, Luke iv, 29.
15. Oalilee of the Oentiles^Thai part of Galilee which lay beyond Jordan was so called, because it was in a great measure inhabited by Gentiles, that is, heathens.
16. Here is a beautifiil orradation, first, they walked, then they »at in darkmug, and lastly, in the region of the ehadiow of death.
17. From that time Jems began to preach — He had preached before, both to Jews and Samaritans, John iv, 41, 45. But from this time began his solemn stated preaching. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven it at hand— -Although it is tho peculiar business of Christ to establish the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of men, yet it is observable, he begins his preaching in the same words with John the Baptist : because the repentance which John taught still was, and ever will be, the necessary preparation for that inward kingdom. But that phrase is not only used with regard to individuals in whom it is to be established, but also with regard to the Christian Church, the whole body of believers. In tho former senso it is opposed to repentance ; in tho latter the Mosaic dispensation.
33. The Oospel of the kingdom — ^The Gospel, that is, the joyous message, is the proper name of our religion : as will be amply verified in all who earnestly and perseveringly embrace it.
S4. Tknugh all Syria — ^HThe whole province, of which the Jewish country was only a smaU part. And demoniac* — Men possessed with devils : and lmmtic9^ ami poro^ifttcs— -Men ill of the palsy, whoee cases were of all others moet deplo- fiUo and most helpless.
'^Mtiki.U. tlniahii,l,8. tliu^if 16; Lukev,!.
CHAPTER Y. 19
25 And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee, and Deca-
polis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and yrom beyond Jordan. V. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain ; and
2 when he was sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened
3 his mouth and taught them, saying, * Happy are the poor in spirit *
4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are they that mourn ,
5 for they shall be comforted. Happy are the meek ; for they shall
6 inherit the earth. Happy are they that hunger and thirst after
7 righteousness ; for they shall be satisfied. Happy are the merci-
8 fui ; for they shall obtain mercy. Happy are the pure in heart ;
25. DecapolU — ^A tract of land on the east side of the sea of GalUee, in which were ten cities near each other.
y. 1. And seeing the tnultitudea — ^At some distance, as they were coming to him from every quarter. Me went up into the mountain — ^Which was near : where there was room for them alL Hie diaeipleo — not only his twelve disciples, but all who daiired to learn of him.
2. And he opened his mouth — A phrase which always denotes a set and solemn discourse ; ana taught tJiem — ^To bless men, to make men happy, was the great business for which our Lord came into the world. And accordingly he here pronounces eight blessings together, annexing them to so many steps in Chris- tianity. Knowing that happiness is our common aim, and that an innate instinct continually urges us to the pursuit of it, he in the kindest manner applies to that inftinct, and directs it to its proper object.
Though all men desire, yet few attain, happiness, because they seek it whers it is not to be found. Our Lord therefore begins his Divine institution, which is the complete art of happiness, by laying down before all that have ears to hear, the true and only true method of acquiring it.
Observe the benevolent condescension of our Lord. He seems, as it were, to lay aside his supreme authority as our legislator, that he may the better act the part of our friend and Saviour. Instead of using the lofly stvle, in positive com. mands, he, in a more gentle and engaging way, msinuates his will and our duty, by pronouncing those happy who comply with it.
^ 3. Happy are the poor — In the following discourse there is, 1. A sweet in vita, tion to true holiness and happiness, ver. i-lQ. 2. A persuasive to impart it to others, ver. 13-16. 3. A description of true Christian holiness, ver. 17 ; chap, vii, 12, (in which it is easy to observe, the latter part exactly answers the for. mer.) 4. The conclusion : giving a sure mark of the true way, warning against false prophets, exhorting to follow after holiness. The poor in epirit — ^They who are unfeignedly penitent, they who are truly convinced of sin ; who see and feel the state they are in by nature, being deeply sensible of their sinfblness, guilti. ness, helplessness, for theire is the kingdom of heavet^^-The present inward kingdom : righteousness, and peace, and joy in ilie Holy Ghost, as well as the eternal kingdom, if they endure to the end.
4. They that maum — Either for their own sins, or for other men's, and are steadily and habitually serious. They ehall be comforted — More solidly and deeply even in this world, and eternally in heaven.
5. Happy are the meek — ^Thev that hold all their passions and afiections evenly balanced. They ehall inherit the earth— Thtj shall have all things really necee.. saty for life and godliness. They shall enjoy whatever portion God hath given them, hero, and shall hereafter poeeeee the new earth, wherein dwelleth right, eouaness.
6. They that hunger and tkiret after righteouenee^—AfteT the holiness here deecribed. Thev ehaU he eaUefied with it.
7. The merciful — ^The tender-hearted : they who love all men as themselves : They ehall obtain mfl-cy— Whatever mercy therefore we desire from God, the same let us show to our brethren. He will repay us a thousand fold, the love we bear to any for his sake.
8. The pure in Asort— The sanctified : they who love God with all tbnr heatti* Thay ehaU see CM— -In all tUnp here ; hereafter in gloiy.
*l4ikanyS0i
M ST, MATTHEW.
9 for they shall see God. Happy are the peace makers ; for tbejr
10 shall be called the children of God. Happy €tre they who an persecuted for righteousness' sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of
11 heaven. Happy are ye when men shall revile and persecute you,
12 and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake : Rejoice and be exceechng glad ; for great is your reward in heaven ; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.
13 * Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost its saTonr, wherewith shall it be salted ? It is thenceforth good for nothing,
14 but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is situated on a mountain cannot
15 be hid. f Neither do thoy light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets : I
18 am not come to destroy but to fulfil. X For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no-
9. The peace maker* — ^Thoj that out of love to God and man do all posaibla good to all men. Peace in the Scripture sense implies all blessings temporal and eternal. They thall he called the children of God — Shall be acknowledged such by God and man. One would imagine a person of this amiable temper and behaviour would be the darling of mankind. But our Lord well knew it would not be so, as long as Satan was the prince of this world. He therefore warns them before of the treatment all wore to expect, who were determined thus to tread in his steps, bj immediately subjoining, Happy are they who are persecuted for righteousness^ sake*
Through this whole discourse we cannot but observe the most exact method which can possibly be conceived. Every paragraph, every sentence, is cloiely connected both with that which precedes, and that which follows it. And la not this the pattern for every Christian preacher 7 If any then are able to follow it without any premeditation, well : if not, lot them not dare to preach without it. No rhapsoay, no incoheroncy, whether the things spoken be true or falae, comes of the Spirit of Christ.
10. For righteousness* sake — ^That is, because they have, or follow after, the righteousness here described. He that is truly a righteous man, he that numrme, and he that is pure in heart, yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution, 2 Tim. iii, 12. The world will always say. Away with each fellows from the earth. Tfiey are made to reprove our thoughts. They art grievous to us even to behold* Their lives are not like other men^s; their ways ars of another J ash ion.
11. Revile — When present: say all evil — ^When you are absent.
12. Your reward — Even over and above the happiness that naturally and directly results from holiness.
13. xe — Not the apostles, not ministers only ; but all ye who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth — Are to season others.
14. Ye are the light of the world — If ye ore thus holy, you can no more be hid than the sun in the firmament : no more than a city on a mountain — ^Probably pointing to that on the brow of the opposite hill.
15. Nay, the very design of God in giving you this light was, that it might shine.
16. That they may see — and glorify — ^That is, that seeing your good works, they may be moved to love and serve God likewise.
17. Think not — Do not imagine, fear, hope, that I am come — Like your teach ers, to destroy the law or the prophets, lam not come to destroy — ^The moral law, but to fulfil — ^To establish, illustrate, and explain its highest meaning, both bj my life and doctrine.
•Maikix,50; Lukeziii,34. f Maik iv, 31 ; Luke viu, 16 ; xi, 31
iLukexvi,!?: xsi, 33.
CHAPTER V. tl
19 wise paM finom the law till all things be effected. Whoeoevei therefore shall break one of the least of these commandroents, and teach men so, shall be the least in the kingdom of heaven ; but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be great in the
20 kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you. That unless your right- eousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Phari-
21 sees, ye shall in nowise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old, * Thou shalt do no murder, and whosoever shall do murder, shall be liable to the
22 judgment. But 1 say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment ; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council ; but whoso-
23 ever shall say. Thou fool, shall be liable to hell fire. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and shalt there remember, that thy
24 brother hath aught against thee, Leave there thy gift before the
18. Till till thingB bHoII be effected — ^Which it either require* or foretelli. For the law has its ofiect, when the rewards are given, and the punishments annexed to it inflicted, as well as when its precepts are obeyed.
19. One of the leaet — So accounted by men ; and thaU teach — ^Either by word or example ; thaU be the least — That is, shall have no part therein.
SO. The righteou$nen of the seribeg and Pharisees — ^Described in the sequel ol this discourse.
31. Ye have heard — From the scribes reciting the law ; Thou shalt do no tnur. der — And they interpreted this, as all the other commandments, barely of the outward act. The judgment — The Jews had in every city a court of twenty -three men, who could sentence a criminal to be strangled. But the sanhedrim only (the great council which sat at Jerusalem, consistmg of seventv-two men,) couM sentence to the more terrible death of stoning. That was caUed the judgment^ this the council,
22. But J say unto you — ^Which of the prophets ever spake thus 7 Their Ian. guage in. Thus saith the Lord. Who hath authority to use this language, but the one I/iwgiyer, who is able to save and to destroy. Whosoever is angry with his brother — Some copies add, without a cause — Bnt this is utterly foreign to the whole scope and tenor of our Lord's discourse. If he had only forbidden the being angry without a cause, there was no manner of need of that solemn declaration, I say unto you; for the scribes and Pharisees themselvoe said as much as this. Even they taught, men ought not to be angrv without a cause. So that this righteousness does not exceed theirs. But Christ teaches, that we ought not, tor any cause, to be so angry as to call any man Raca, or fool. We ought not, for any cause, to be angrv at the person of the sinner, but at his sins only. Happy world, were thii puim and necessary distinction thoroughly understood, remembered, practised ! Raca means, a silly man, a trifler. Whoso- ever shall say. Thou fool — Shall revile, or seriously reproach any man. Our Lord specified three degrees of murder, each liable to a sorer punishment than the other : not indeed from men, but from God. Hell fare — In the valley of Hin. nom (whence the word in the original is taken) the children were use^ to bo burnt alive to Moloch. It was a&rward made a receptacle for the filth of the city, where continual fires were kept to consume it. And it is probable, if any criminals were burnt alive, it was in this accursed and horrible place. There, fore both as to its former and latter state, it was a fit emblem of hell. It must here signify a degree of future punishment, as much more dreadful than those incurred in the two former cases, as burning alive is more dreadfiil tlian either ■trangling or stoning.
23. Thy brother kath aught against thee — On any of the preceding accounts : for any unkind thought or word : any that did not spring from love.
24. Leaving thy gift, ^o— For neither thy gifl nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love : Imt this will make them w>t!i an abomination before God.
« Exod. XX, 13.
It ST. MATTHEW.
altar, and go, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then
25 and offer thy gift. * Agree with thine adversary quickly wfafle thou art in the way with him, lest at any time the suiversaiy ddirer thee to the judge, and the judge deliver diee to this officer, and
26 thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shah ia no- wise come out thence, till thou hast paid the last feurthing.
27 Yc have heard, that it was said, f Thou shalt not commit add*
28 tery. But I say unto you. That whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her hi his
29 heart. % But if thy right eye cause thee to ofiend, pluck it onl, and cast it from thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not Uiat thy whole body should be cast
30 into hell. And if thy right hand cause thee to offend, cut it off, a&d cast it from thee ; for it is profitable fmr thee that one of thy mem- bers should perish, and not that thy whole body be cast into helL
31 It hath been said, ^ Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him
32 give her a writing of divorce. But I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, save for the cause of whoredom, canseth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is put away, committeth adultery.
33 Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old, I Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform thine oaths unto the
34 Lord. But I say unto you, Swear not at all, neither by heaven,
35 for it is God's throne : Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool :
36 neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither
25. Agree with thine adveraary — With any a|^unst whom thou haat thus offended: while thou art in the way — Instantly, on the spot; before yoa part. LeH the adversary deliver thee to the judge — Lest he commit his eause to God,
26. Till thou hast paid the last farthing — ^That is, for ever, since thoa cauut never do this.
What has been hitherto said refers to meekness : what follows, to parity of heart.
27. Thou shalt not commit adultery — And this, as well as the sixth commuid- ment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the ontward act.
29, 30. If a person as dear as a right ey«, or as useful as a right hand^ ohms thee thus to offend^ though but in heart.
Perhaps here may be an instance of a kind of transposition which is freouentlT found in the sacred writings : so that the 29th verse may refer to 97, 2o ; and the 30th to ver. 21, 22. As if he had said. Part with any thing, however dear to you, or otherwise useful, if you cannot avoid sin while you keep it. Even oat off your right hand, if you are of so passionate a temper, that you cannot other* wise be restrained from hurting your brother. Pull out your eyes, if you can no otherwise be restrained from lusting afler women.
31. Let him give her a writing of divorce — ^Which the scribes and FharisoM allowed men to do on any trifling occasion.
32. Causeth her to commit adtUtery — If she marry again.
33. Our Lord here refers to the promise made to the pure in heart, of seeing God in all things, and points out a ndse doctrine of the scribes, which arose from tneir not thus seeing God.
What he forbids is, the swearing at all, 1, by any creatnro, 2, in our ordinny conversation : both of which the scribes and Pharisees taught to be peHbetly innocent.
36. For thou canst not make one hair white or hlaek — ^Whereby it appears, thtt this also is not thme but God*s.
• Luke xu, 58. f Ezod. xx, 14. t Chap, xnli, 8 ; Mark ix, 43. ^ Deut xzir, 1 ; MaU. zix,7; Markx,2i Lukexri, 18. UExod. xx,7.
CHAPTER v. tt
riialt thon swear by thy head ; for thoa canst not make one hair
37 white or black. But let yoor conversation be yea, yea ; nay, nay ; for whatsoever is more than these is of the evil one.
38 Ye have heard that it hath been sail, * An eye for an eye,
39 and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not the evil man : but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek,
40 turn to him the other also ; And if a man will sue thee, and take
41 away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall
42 compel thee to go with him one mile, go with him twain, t Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, % Thou shah love thy
44 neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, § Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute
45 you: That ye may be the children of your Father, who is in heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
46 and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye ? Do not even the publicans
37. Let your conoergation be yea, yea ; nay, nay — ^That ii, in your ooxmnon discoorse, barely affirm or denj.
38. Ye have heard — Our Lord prooeedi to enforce such meekness and love on those who are persecuted for righteousness* sake (which be pursues to the end of the chapter) as were utterly unknown to the scribes and Fharisees. It hath heen eaid — In the law, as a direction to Judges, in case of violent and barbarous assaults. An eye for an eve, and a tooth fir a tootA— And this has been interpreted, as encourafing bitter and rigorous revenge.
39. But 1 Bay nnto you, that ye roeiet not the evil man — ^HThus ; the Greek word translated reaist signifies standing in battle array, striving for victory. If a man smite thee on the right cheek — ^Return not evil for evil : yea, 1mm to him the other —Rather than revenge thyself.
40. 41. Where the damage is not great, choose rather to su£for it, though possibly it may on that account be repeated, than to demand an eye for an eye, to enter into a rigorous prosecution of the offender. The meaning of the whole passage seems to be, rather than roturp evil for evil, when the wrong is purely personal, submit to one bodily wrong after another, give up one part of ypur goods after another, submit to one instance of compulsion after another. That the words are not literally to be understood, appears from the behaviour of our Lord himself, John zviii, 33, 33.
43. Thus much for your behaviour toward the violent. As for those who nse milder methods, Oioe to him that aaketh thee — Give and lend to any so far, (but no farther, for God never contradicts himself) as is consistent with tliy engage, ments to thy creditors, thy family, and the household of fiiith.
43. Thou ehalt love thy neighbour; and hate thy enemy — God spoke the former part ; the scribes added the latter.
44. Bleeo them that euroe you — Speak all the good you can to and of them, who speak all evil to and of vou. Repay love in thought, word, and deed, to those who hate you, and show it both in word and deed.
45. That ye may be the children — ^That is, that ye may continue and appear sach bofore men and angels. For he maketh hie tun to riee — He gives them such blessings as they will receive at his hands. Spiritual blessings they will not receive.
46. The jm&Zicans^-were officers of the revenue, farmers, or receivers of the public money : men employed by the Romans to gather the taxes and customs, which they exacted of the nations they had conquered. These were generally odious for their extortion and oppression, and were reckoned by the Jews as tho very scum of the earth.
• Dsttt. xix, 21. t Luke vi, 30. % her. nx, 18. f Luke vi, 37 SS
H ST. MATTHEW.
47 the same ? And if ye salute your friends only, what do ye -more
48 than others ; do not even the heathens so ? Therefore ye shall be perfect, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
VI. Take heed that ^ practise not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them ; otherwise ye have no reward from your
, 2 Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the syna*
3 gogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou dost
4 alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth : That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret
5 will reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites ; for they love to pray standing in the syini-
: • ■ ■ • ■ . ■ ; .' . ■■.,.»:
I
47. And if ye aalute your friends only — Our Lord probablj glances at ihoas prejudioes, which dijOTerent seotfl had against each other, and intimates, that hb would not have his followers imbibe that narrow spirit. Would to God this had been more attended to among the unhappy divisions and subdivisions, into which his Church has been crumbled ! And that we might at least advance 00 far, as cordially to embrace our brethren in Ckriet, of whatever party or denomi* nation they are !
48. Therefore ye shall be perfect; as your Father who is in heaven is perfeti-^ So the original runs, referring to all that holiness which is described in the fore. going verses, which our Lord in the beginning of the chapter recommends' tm happmess, and in the close of it as perfection.
And how wise and gracious is this, to sum up, and, as it were, seal all his commandments with a promise ! Even the proper promise of the Gospel ! Thai he will put those laws in our minds, and write them in our hearts ! He well know how ready our unbelief would be to cry out, this is impossiUe ! And therefore stakes upon it all the power, truth, and faithfiilness of him to whom all things are possible. *
VI. 1. In the foregoing chapter our Lord particularly described the nature of inward holiness. In this ho describes that purity of mtention without which none of our outward actions are holy. Tliis chapter contains four parts, 1. The right intention and manner of giving alms, ver. 1-4. 2. The right intentipn, manner, form, and prorequisLtos of prayer, ver. 5-15. 3. The right intention, and manner of fasting, ver. 16-18. 4. The necessity of a pure intention in all things, unmixed either with the desire of riches, or worldly care, and fear of want, ver. 19-34.
This Terse is a general caution against vain glory, in any of our good works : All these are here summed up together, in the comprehensive word righteous^ ness. This general caution our Lord applies in the sequel to the three principal branches of it, relating to our neighbour, ver. 3-4 : to God, ver. 5, 6 : and to ourselves, ver. 16-18.
To he seen — Barely the being seen, while we are doing any of these things, is a circumstance purely indifferent. But the doing them with this view, to be seen and admired, this is what our Lord condemns.
2. As the hypocrites do — Many of the scribes and Pharisees did this, under a pretence of calling the poor together. They have their reward — All they will have ; for they shall have none from GU>d.
3. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth — A proverbial expression for doing a thing secretly. Do it as secretly as is consistent, 1. With the doing it at all. 2. With the doing it in the most effectual manner.
5. 7%« synagogues — ^Those were properly the places where the people aseem. bled for public prayer, and hearing the Scriptures read and expounded. They were in every ci^ from the time of the Babylonish captivity, and had service in them thrice a day on three days in the week. In every synagogue was a council of grave and wise persons, over whom was a president, called the ruler of the synagogue. But the word here, as well as in many other toxts, signifies say place of pablio concourse.
CHAPTER VI. 85
goguesy and in the comers of the streets, that they may appear
6 unto men : verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth
7 in secret shall reward thee. But when ye pray, use not vain repe- titions, as the heathens ; for they think they shall be heard for
6 their much speaking. Be not therefore like them; for your
Father knoweth what thinm ye have need of, before ye ask hiuL
9 * Thus therefore pray ye, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
10 be thy name. Thy kingdom come ; thy will be done on earth, as
11 it is m heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive
12 us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
6. Enter into thy elo»et — ^That is, do it with as much secrecy bm thou canst.
7. U»e not vain repetition* — ^To rei>eat any n^ords without meaning them, is certainly a vain repetition. Therefore we should be extremely careful in all our prayers to moan what we say ; and to say only what we mean from the bottom of our hearts. The vain and heathenish repetitions which we are here warned against, are most dangerous, and yet very common ; which is a principal cause why so many, who still profess religion, are a disgrace to it. Indeed all the words in the world are not equivalent to one holv desire. And the very best prayers are but vain repetitions, if they are not the language of the heart.
. 8. Your Father knoweth tohat things ye have need of- — We do not pray to inform CSod of our wants. Omniscient as he is, he cannot be informed of any thing which ho knew not before : and he is alwajrs willing to relieve them. The chief thing wanting is, a fit disposition on our part to receiye his grace and blessing. Consequently, one great office of prayer is, to produce such a disposition in us : to exercise our dependence on God ; to increase our desire of the things we ask for ; to make us so sensible of our wants, that we may never cease wrestling till we have prevailed for the blessing.
9. Thus therrfare pray ye — lie who beet knew what we ought to pray for, and how we ought to pray, what matter of desire, what manner of address would most please himself, would best become us, has here dictated to us a most perfect and universal form of prayer, comprehending all our real wants, expressmg all our lawful desires ; a complete directory and full exercise of all our devotions.
Thtu — ^For these things ; sometimes in these words, at least in this manner^ short, close, full.
This prayer consists of three parts, the preface, the petitions, and the conelu. siou. The preface. Our Father^ who art in heaven, lays a general foundation for prayer, comprising what we must first know of God, before we can pray in confidence of being hl^^xd, It likewise points out to us that faith, humility, love of God and man, with which we are to approach God in prayer.
1. Our Father — ^Who art good and gracious to all, our Creator, our Preserver ; the Father of our Lord, and of us in him, thy children by adoption and grace : not my Father only, who now cry unto thee, but the Father or the universe, of angels and men : who art in heaven — Beholding all things, both in heaven and earth ; knowing every creature, and all the works of evoiy creature, and every possible event from everlasting to everlasting : the almighty Lord and Ruler of all, superintending and disposing all things ; tn ^oven— Eminently there, but not there alone, seeing thou fillest heaven and earth.
II. 1. Hallowed be thy name — Mayest thou, O Father, be truly known by all intelligent beings, and with affections suitable to that knowledge ; mayest thou be duly honoured, loved, ftared, by all in heavon and in earth, by all angels and all men.
2. Thy kingdom come — ^May thy kingdom of grace come quickly, and swallow up all the kingdoms of the earth : may all mankind, receiving thee, O Christ, for their king, truly believing in thy name, be filled with righteousness, and peace, and joy ; with holiness and happiness, till they are removed honce into thy kingdom of glory, to reign with thee for ever and ever*
tLiikexl,2.
M ST. MATTHEW.
13 temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdonii and the power, and the gloiy, for ever and ever. Amen.
14 * For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
15 will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespass^,
16 neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance ; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast : verily
17 I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou
18 fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face : That thou appear not unto men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee.
19 t Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
20 rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal : But Ifty ■- - ' ....... , m-"
3. Thy totZZ he done on earthy ae it i§ in heaven^— fAnj aU the inhabitants of the earth do thy will as willingly as the holy angels : may these do it continually eren as they, without any interruption of their willing service ; yea, and perfectly as they : mayest thou, O Spirit of grace, through Uie blood of the everlasting covenant, make them perfect in every good work to do thy will^ and woric in them all that is well pleasing in thy sight.
4. Oive «»— O Father (for we claim nothing of right, but onlv of thy fiiee mercy) thi» day — (for we take no thought for the morrow) our daily bread-^AlX things needful for our souls and bodies: not only the meat that perisheth, bat the sacramental bread, and thy grace, the food which endureth to everlast- ing life.
o. And forgive us our dehU, a$ we also forgive our dehtoro — Give us, O Lord, redemption in thy blood, even the forgiveness of sins : as thou enablest us fireely and fwly to forgive every man, so do thou forgive all our trespasses.
6. And lead ue not into temptation, hut deliver ue from mi---Whenever we are tempted, O thou that helpest our infirmities, suffer us not to enter into tempteu tion ; to be overcome or sufier loss therebv ; but make a way for us to escape, so that we may be more than conquerors, through thy love, over sin and all the consequences of it. Now the principal desire of a Christian's heart being the gloiy of God, (ver. 9, 10,) and sll he wants for himself or his brethren being the daily bread of soul and body, (or the support of lift, animal and spiritual,) pai. don of sin, and deliverance from the power of it and of the devil, (ver. 11, 13, IS,) there is nothing beside that a Christian can wish for ; therefore this praver eonu prebends all his desires. Eternal life is the certain consequence, or rather com- pletion of holiness.
III. For thine i$ the kingdom — ^The sovereign right of all things that are or ever were created: The power — ^the executive power, whereby thou govemest all things in thy everlasting kingdom : And the glory — ^The praise due firom every creature, for thy power, and all thy wondrous works, and the mightiness of thy kingdom, which endureth through all ages, even for ever and ever. It is ob. serreble, that though the doxology, as well as the petitions of this prayer, is threefold, and is directed to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost distinctly, yet is the whole fully applicable both to every person, and to the ever-blessed and undivided iximiy.
16. When ye foH — Our Lord does not enjoin either fasting, alms-deeds, or prayer : all these being duties which were before fblly estabtished in the Church of Grod. Diffigure — By the dust and ashes which they put upon their heads, as was usual at the times of solemn humiliation.
17. Anoint thy head — So the Jews frequently did. Dress thyself as usual 19. Lay not up for youroelveo — Our Lord here makes a transition from rill-
S*ous to common actions, and warns us of another snare, the love of money, as consistent with purity of intention as the love of praise. Where nut and imtk eonmnne — ^Where all things are perishable and transient. He may likewise have a &rther view in these words, evon to guard nt against
• Mark zi, 25. f Lake xii, 33.
CHAPTER VI. «T
op for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor mst doth consume, and where Uiieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. • Th©
22 eye is the lamp of the body : if therefore thine eye be single,
23 thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall bo full of darkness : if therefore the light that is
24 in thee be darkness, how great ts that darkness ? t No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will cleave to the one and neglect the other. Ye can-
25 not serve God and mammon. X Therefore I say unto you, Take not thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than
26 meat, and the body than raiment ? Behold the birds of the air : they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into bams ; yet your
27 heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they ? And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his age
28 the smallest measure? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil not, nei-
29 ther do they spin : And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in
30 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if Grod so clothe the grass of the field which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the stiU, will he not much more cbthe you, O ye of little faith !
31 Therefore take not thought, saying. What shall we eat, or what
making any thing on earth our tretuure. For then a thing properly beeomea oar tTMumre, when we let our aflbctiona upon it.
32. The eye U the lamp of the body-^And what the eye ia to the body, the intention ia to the aool. We may obaerve with what exact propriety our Lord placea purity of intention between worldly deairea and worldly carea, either of which directly tend to deatroy. If thine eye be single — Singly fixed on God and heaven, Uiy whole aoul will be full of holineaa and happineaa. Jf thine eye he evil — Not single, aiming at any thing elae.
24. Mammon — ^Richea, money; any thing loved or aought, without refStf. •nee to God.
25. And if you aerve God, you need be careful for nothing. Therefore take not thought — ^That ia, be not anxioualy carefliL Beware of worldly oarea; for these are as inconsistent with the true aervice of Grod aa worldly deairea. /# not the life more than meat ?-^And if God give the greater gift, will he deny the smaller?
27. And which of you — 1£ you are ever ao careftil, can even add a moment to your own life thereby? Thia aeema to be fiur the moat eaay and natural sense of the words.
29. Solomon in aU hie glory wae not arrayed like one of theee — ^Not in garments of so pure a white. The eaatem monarchs were often clothed in white robea.
30. The graee of the field — ^ia a general expreaaion, including both herbs and flowers. Into the still — ^Thia is the natural sense of the passage. For it oan hardly be supposed that grass or flowers should be thrown into the oven the day after they were cut down. Neither ia it the cuatom in the hottest countries, where they dry fastest, to heat OTens with them. Jf Ood so c2of Ae— -The word properly implies, the putting on a complete dress, that surrounds the body on all aides ; and beautifliUy expreases that external membrane, which (like the akin in a human body) at onoe adoma the tender fabric of the vegetable, and gnarda it from the injuries of the weather. Eyery microscope in which a flower is viewed gives a lively comment on thia text.
31. Ther^ore take not tkought^^ow kind are these precepts ! Tie substanoe of which ia only this, Do thyself no haxm I Let ua not be ao ongnteftd to him*
* Luks xi,3i. fLuke xri, 13. % Loke si, ZL
t8 ST. MATTHEW.
32 shall we drink, or what shall we wear ? (For afVer all these thingR do the heathens seek) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
33 need all these tilings. But seek ye first the kingdom of Grod and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Take not therefore thought for the morrow : for the morrow ^all take thought for itself: sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.
VII. * Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgmenl
2 ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it
3 shall be measured to you. fAnd why beholdest thou the mote in thy brother's eye, but observest not the beam in thine own eye ?
4 Or how sayest thou to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote from
5 thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye 1 Thou hypo- crite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then ibdh
6 thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye. Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turning rend you.-
nor so inJoriouB to ourselves, as to harass and oppress our minds with that bur* den of anxiety, which he has so graciously taken off. Every verse spealv.al once to the understanding, and to the heart. We will not therefore induigm these unnecessary, these useless, these mischievous cares. We will not borrow the anxieties and distresses of the morrow, to aggravate those of the present day. Rather we will cheerfully repose ourselves on that heavenly Father, who knows we have need of these things ; who has given us the life, w{iich is more than meat, and the body, which is more than raiment. And thus instructed in the philosophy of our heavenly Master, we will learn a lesson of faith and cheer- fulness from every bird of the air, and every flower of the field.
33. Seek the kingdom of God and hit righteouBne$9 — Singly aim at this, tluit God, reigning in your heart, may fill it with the righteousness above described. And indeed whosoever seeks this first, will soon come to seek this only.
34. The morrow shall take thought for f<«e//— That is, be carefbl for the mor- row when it comes. The evil thereof — Speaking after the manner of men. But all trouble is, upon the whole, a real good. It is good physic which God dii- penses daily to his children, according to the need and the strength of each.
Chap. VII. Our Lord now proceeds to warn us against the chief hinderaneet of holmess. And how wisely does he begin with judging ? wherein all young converts are so apt to spend that xeal which is given them for better purposea.
Ver. 1. Judge not-^^ny man without fall, clear, certain knowledge, without absolute necessity, without tender love.
2. With what meature ye mete, it shaU be meamred to you — Awful words ! So we may, as it were, choose for ourselves, whether God shall be severe or mercifol to lis. God and man will favour the candid and benevolent : but they must expect judgment without merey, who have showed no mercy.
3. In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater ? The mote — ^The word properly signifies a splinter or shiver of wood. This and a beam, its opposite, were pro- verbially used by the Jews, to denote, the one, small infirmities, the other, grow, palpable faults.
4. How Bayett thou — ^With what fiiee 7
5. Thou hypocrite — It is mere hypocrisy to pretend zeal for the amendment of others while we have none for our own. Then-— "When that which obstructed thy sight is removed.
6. Here is another instance of that transposition, where of the two things pro- posed, the latter is first treated of. Oive not — to dog9 — le$t turning they rend y9u: CoMt not^-^o BwinC'-^eMt they trample them under foot.
Yet even then, when the beam ie east out of thine own eye, Oive not — ^Tliat it, talk not of the deep things of God to those whom you know to bo wallowing in foi ; neither declare the great things God hath done for your loul to the prownti
*IiOkev)«87. tLqkevi,41.
CHAPTER Vn. 99
7 * Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock,
8 and it shall be opened to you. For erery one that asketh, receivetb, and he that seeketh, findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be
9 opened. What man is there of you, who if his son ask bread, will
10 give him a stone ? And if he ask a fish, will he give him a ser-
11 pent ? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
12 good things to them that ask him ? t Therefore all things whatso- ever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for this is the law and the prophets.
13 X ^i^tcr ye in through the strait gate : for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are
14 that go in through it : Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it.
15 But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^ By their fruits
16 ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs
17 from thistles 1 So every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; but
18 the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
furious, persecuting wretches. Talk not of perfection, for instance, to the for. mer ; not of your experience to the latter. But our Lord does in nowise forbid us to reprove, as occasion is, both the one and the other.
7. But atk—Yny for them, as well as for yoursehres : in this there can be no ■ach danger. Seek — Add your own diligent endeavours to your asking: and knock — Persevere importunately in that diligence.
8. For every one that asketh receiveth-^TroYidad he ask aright, and ask what is agreeable to God's will.
11. To them that ask him — But on this condition, that ye follow the example of his goodness, by doing to all as ye would they should do to you. For thi$ i$ the law and the prophets — ^This is the sum of all, exactly answering chap, v, 17. The wholo is comprised in one word, Imitate the God of love.
Thus far proceeds the doctrinal part of the sermon. In the next verse beg^ins the exhortation to practise it.
13. The strait gate — ^The holiness desoribed in the foregoing chapters. And this is the narrow way. Wide is the gate, and many there are that go in through it — They noed not seek for this ; they come to it of course. Many go in through it, because strait is the other gate — ^Therefore they do not care for it; they Uke a wider nie,
15. Beware of false prophets — ^Wfao in their preaching describe a broad way to heaven : it is their prophesying, their teaching the broad way, rather than their walking in it themselves, that is here chiefly spoken of. All those are false prophets, who teach any other way than that our Lord halh here marked out. In sheep^s clothing — With outside religion and fiur professions of love: Wolves — Not feeding, but destroying souls.
16. By their fruits ye shall know them — A short, plain, easv rule, whereby to know true from false prophets: and one that may be applied by people of the weakest capacity, who are not accustomed to deep reasonin&r. True prophets convert sinners to God, or at least confirm and strengthen those that are con. verted. False prophets do not. They also are false prophets, who though speaking the very truth, yet are not sent by the Spirit of God, but come m their own name, to declare it : their grand mark is, ** Not turning men from the power of Satan to Ood^
18. A good tree eamwi bring forth evU fruit, neither a corrupt tree rood fruits But it is certain, the goodness or badness here mentioned respeets the doctrine, rather than the pervonal character. For a bad man preaching the good doctriiM
*Liikexi,9. tLiikeTi,31. | Luke xiii, M. ^Luke Ti,43,44.
aO ST. MATTHEW.
19 fruit. Every treo that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn damn
20 and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall koim them.
21 * Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father who
22 is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast oat
23 devils, and in thy name iiave done many wonderful works ? t And then will I declare unto them, I never knew you, depart from me,
24 ye that work iniquity, j: Therefore whosoever heareth these my sayings, and doth them, 1 will liken him to a wise man, who buiu
25 his house on the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house ; and it fell not ;
26 for it was founded on the rock. But every one that heareth these my sayings, and doth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man,
27 who built his house on the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house ; atid
28 it fell, and great was the fall of it. And when Jesus had ended
29 these sayings, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Vlll. And when he was come down from the mountain, great multi-
2 tudes followed him. ^ And behold a leper came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3 And Jesus stretching forth his hand, touched him, saying, I will ; be thou made clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus saith to him. See thou tell no man, but go, show thyself
here deliyered, is sometimes an instrument of converting sinners to God. Yet I do not ayer, that all are true prophets who speak the truth, and thereby convert sinners. I only affirm, that none are such who do not.
19. Every tree that bringeth not forth goodJruU i$ hevon down and east intB th$ fire — How dreadful then is .the condition of that teacher who hath brought no sin. ners to God !
21. J^ot every one — ^That is, no one that eaith, Dtrd, Lord — ^That makes a mere profession of me and my religion, shall enter — Whatever their false teachers may assure them to the contrary : He that doth the wiU of my Father — as I have now declared it. Observe : every thing short of this is only saying, Lordt Lord,
23. We have prophesied--~We nave declared the mysteries of thy kingdom , wrote books; preached excellent sermons: In thy name done many wonderful foorks — So that even the working of miracles is no proof that a man dm saving faith.
23. / never knew ytm^^There never was a time that I approved of you : so that as many souls as they had saved, they were themselves never saved from their sins. Lord, is it my case 7
29. He taught them — ^The multitudes, as one having authority — With a dignity and majesty peculiar to himself as the great Lawgiver, and with the demonstra. tion and power of the Spirit: and not as the scrws — ^Who only expounded the law of another; and that in a lifeless, ineflbctual manner.
Till. S. A leper came — Leprosies in those countries were seldom curable by natural means, any more than palsies or lunacy. Probabljr this leper, though tie miffht not mix with the people, had heard our Lord at a distance.
4. See thou tell no man — rerhaps our Lord only meant here, Not till thou hast showed thyself to the priest^ — ^who was appointed to inquire into the case of lepoev. But many others he commanded, absolutely, to tell none of tbi miracles he had wrought upon them. And this he seems to have done, chiefly
«Lnkevi,4e. f Luke xiii, 27. tLnkevi»47. ( Mark it 40} Luke v, 12.
CHAPTER Yin. 11
to tlie priest, and offer the gift that * Moses commanded, for a testi- mony to them.
5 f And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came to him
6 a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my senrant lieth
7 in the house, ill of the palsy, grievously torment^. And Jesus
8 saith to him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answer^ ing said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: but speak in a word only, and my servant shall be
9 healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers imder me : and I say unto this man. Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant. Do this, and he doth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that fol- lowed. Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no,
11 not in Israel. ^ And I say unto you. That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac,
12 anci Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness: ^ there shall
13 be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion. Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, be it unto thee. And his servant was healed in that hour.
' ' ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ' ^— ~
for one or more of these reasons : 1. To prevent the multitade from thronging him, in the manner related Mark i, 45. 3. To fulfil the prophecv, Isaiah zlii, 1, that he would not be vain or ostentatious. This reason St. Matthew assigns, ehap. zii, 17, Slc. 3. To avoid the beinj^ taken by force and made a king, John vi, 15. And, 4. That he might not enrase the chief priests, scribes, and Phari* sees, who were the most bitter against him, any more than was unavoidable. Matt, zvi, 20, 21. For a testimony- That I am the Messiah; to them^The priests, who otherwise might have pleaded want of evidence.
5. There came to him a centurion — A captain of a hundred Roman soldiers. Probably he came a little way toward him, and then went back. He thought hiinself not worthy to oome in person, and therefore spoke the words that follow by his messengers. Ae it is not unusual in all languages, so in the Hebrew it is peculiarly frequent, to ascribe to a person himself the thing which is done, and the words which are s^ken by his order. And accordingly St. Matthew relates ae said by the centunon himself, what others said by order from him. An initanoa of the same kind we have in the case of Zebedee*s children. From St. Matthew, zx, 20, we learn it was their mother that spoke those words, which, Mark x, 35, 37, themselves are said to speak ; because she was only their mouth.
Yet from ver. 13, Oo thy way home, it appears he at length came in person : pvobably on hearing that ^esus was nearer to his house than he apprehended when ne sent the second message by his friends.
8. The centurion anotDered--~By his second messengers.
9. For I am a man under authority — I am only an inferior officer : and what I command, is done even in my absence : how much more what thou conmiandest, who art Lord of all!
10. / have not found n great faith, no, not in leraeU^For the centurion was not an Israelite.
11. Mamf from the farthest parts of the earth shall embrace the terms and enjoy the reward of the Gospel covenant established with Abraham. But the Jews, who have the first title to them, shall be shut out fi^m the feast ; from grace here, and hereafter from glory.
12. The outer doAneeo — Our Lord here alludes to the custom the ancients had of making their feast in the night time. Probably while he was speaking this, tli9 otntorion came in person.
«Lsv.av,S; tLolbtvil,!. ^LdkexUi,89. ^Mitt xiii,48,M; xni* 13
, . 3EztV|5i; iiv,30li
M ST. MATTHEW.
14 *And Jesns coming to Peter's house, saw his wife's mother
15 lying and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the iever left her ; and she arose and waited upon them.
16 tWhen it was evening they brought to him many demoniacs: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were
17 ill : Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Isaiah, saying, % Himself took our infirmities and bare our diseases.
18 And Jesus seeing great multitudes about him, commanded to
19 go to the other side. ^ And a certain scribe came and said to
20 him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith to him. The foxes have holes, and the birds of the siir have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21 And another of his disciples said to him. Lord, suffer me first to
22 go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him. Follow me, and
23 leave the dead to bury their dead. I And when he was come into
24 the vessel, his disciples followed him. And behold, there was a great tempest in the sea, so that the vessel was covered with the
25 waves. But he was asleep. And his disciples coming to him
26 awoke him, saying, Lord, save us ; we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful : O ye of little faith ? Then arising, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. But
27 the men marvelled, saying. What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him ?
28 ** And when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two demoniacs, coming out of the
14. Peter't vnf€*9 mother-Si* Peter was then a young man, as were all the apostles.
17. Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken hy the Prophet Isaiah — He spoke it in a more exalted sense. The evangelist here only alludes to those words, as being capable of this lower meaning also. Such instances arc frequent in the tiered writiugs, and are elesrancies rather than imperfections. He fulfilled these words in the highest sense, by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree .* in a lower sense, by sympathizing with us in oar sorrows, and healing us of the die eases which were the fruit of sin.
18. He commanded to go to the other side — ^That both himself and the people miffht have a little rest.
30. The Son of man — The expression is borrowed from Daniel vii, 13, and is the ^>pellation which Christ generally gives himself: which he seems to do out of humility, as having some relation to his mean appearance in this world. Hath not where to lay his head — ^Therefore do not follow me from any view of temporal advanta^.
81. Another said — I will follow thee without any such view ; but I must mind my business first. It is not certain that his father was already dead. Perhaps his son desired to stay with him, being veiy old, till his death.
22. But Jesus said — ^When God calls, leave the business of the world to them who are dead to God.
24. The ship was coveredSo man's extremity is God*s opportunity.
96. Why are ye fearful— ThiBn he rebuked the winds — First, he composed their spirits, and then the sea.
28. The country of the Oergesenes—Ot of the Oadarenes — Gergesa and Gadara were towns near each other. Hence the country between them took its name, sometimes from the one, sometimes from the other. TTiere met him two dems^ niaes — St. Mark and St. Luke mention only one, who was probably the fiercer of the two, and the person who spoke to onr Lord first. But this is no way inoon-
«lrazki,29; Lnkeiv, as. fMaiki, 3S; Lnkeiv,40. t Isaiah liii, 4. ^Liikeiz,ff7. BMadL XT, 39 ;Liikt ▼»»,». *• Haik v, 1 ; Luke viii, M.
CHAPTER IX. S3
tombs, exceeding fierce, 8o that no one could pass by tliat wa>.
29 And behold they cried out, saying. What have We to do with thee Jesus, thou Son of Godt Art thou come hither to torment us
30 before the time? And there was at some distance from them a
31 herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go into the herd of swine.
32 And he said to them, Go. And coming out, they went into the swine, and behold the whole herd rushed down the precipice
33 into the sea, and perished in the waters. But they that kept them fled, and going into the city, told every thing, and what had
34 befallen the demoniacs. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus ; and seeing him, they besought him to depart out of their coasts.
IX. And * going into the vessel, he passed over and came to his own
2 city, t And behold they brought to him a paralytic, lying on a couch ; and Jesus seeing their faith, said to the paralytic. Son, take courage : thy sins are forgiven thee.
3 And ))ehold certain of the scribes said within themselves. This
4 man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said,
5 Why think ye evil in your hearts ? For which is easier, to say,
6 Thy sins are forgiven thee ? Or to say, Arise and walk ? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the paralytic,) Arise, take up thy couch,
7 and go to thy house. And he arose, and went to his own house.
8 And the multitude seeing it, marvelled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
9 X And as Jesus passed along from thence, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom, and saith to him. Follow
iifteDt with the account which St. Matthew gives. The tombt — Doubtlees those malevolent spirits love such tokens of death and destruction. Tombs w«re usually in those days in desert places, at a distance from towns, and w^re often made in the sides of caves, in the rocks and mountains. No one could pa99 — Safely.
S9. What have we to do with thee — ^This is a Hebrew phrase, which signifies Why do you concern yourself about us 7 3 Sam. zvi, 16. Before the thne — ^Tha great dav.
30. There was a herd of many twine — ^Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keep. Therefore our Lord both justly and mercifully permitted them to be destroyed.
31. He fai(2, Oo — A word of permission only, not command.
34. They besought him to depart out of their cootie — They loved their swine so much better than their souls ! How many are of the same mind 1
DC. 1. Hie own city — Capernaum, chap, iv, 13.
9. Seeing their faith — Both that of the paralytic, and of them that brought him* Son — A title of tenderness and condescension.
3. This man blaephemeth — Attributing to himself a power (that of forgiving •ins) which belongs to God only.
5. Which it easier — Do not both of them argue a Divine power 7 Therefore if I can heal his disease, I can forgive his sins : especially as his disease is the consequence of his sins. Therefore these must be taken away, if that is.
6. On earth — Even in my state of humiliation.
8. So what was to the scribes an occasion of blaspheming, was to the people an incitement to praise God.
9. He sam a man named Matthew — ^Modestly so called by himself. The other
»lfaikv, 18iLukeviii,37: iUuku,^; Laimr,ld, t tfuk ii, 14 ; Luke ▼, 37.
3
34 ST. MATTHEW.
10 me. And he arose and followed him. And as he erat at table in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came, and sat down
11 with him and his disciples. And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sin-
12 ners. But Jesus hearing it, said to them. They that are whole
13 need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, * I will have mercy and not sacrifice ; for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
14 fThen come to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we
15 and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not ? And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then
16 shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth on an old garment : for that which is put in to fill it taketh from the gar-
,17 ment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old leathern bottles, else the bottles burst, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles are destroyed : but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
18 I While he spake these things to them, behold, a certain ruler coming, worshipped him, saying. My daughter is just dead : but
19 come and lay thine hand on her, and she shall live. And Jesus
20 arose and followed him, and so did his disciples. (And behold, a woman who had had a flux of blood twelve years, coming behind
evangelists call him by his more honoarable name, Levi. Sitting — In the very height of his business, at the receipt of cttttom^^The custom house, or place where the eustoms were received.
10. At Je9U8 sat at table in the house — Of Matthew, who having invited many of his old companions, made him a feast, Mark ii, 15 ; and that a great one, though he does not himself mention it. The publicans, or collectors of the taxes which the Jews paid the Romans, were infamous for their illegal exactions : Sinners — Open, notorious, sinners.
11. The Pharisees said to his disciples, Why eateth your Master? — ^Thus they commonly ask our Lord, Why do thy disciples this T And his disciples. Why doth your Master ?
13. Oo ye and learn — ^Ye that take upon you to teach others. / will h4xve mercy and not sacrifice — ^That is, I will have mercy rather than sacrifice. I love acts of mercy better than sacrifice itself.
14. TA«i>— While he was at Uble.
15. The children of the bride chamber — ^The companions of the bridegroom. Mourn — Moi rning and fasting usually go together. As if he had said. While I am with them, it is a festival time, a season of rejoicing, not mourning. But after I am gone, all my disciples likewise shall be in fastings often.
16. This is one reason, — It is not a proper time for them to fast. Another is, they are not ripe for it. New cloth — ^The words in the original properly signify oloth that hath not passed through the fuller's hand^, and which is consequently much harsher than what has been washed and worn ; and therefore yielding less than that, will tear away the edges to which it is sewed.
17. New — Fermenting wine will soon burst those bottles, the leather of which is almost worn out. The word properly means vessels made of goats* skins, wherein they formerly put wine, (and do in some countries to this day) to con. ▼ey it from place to place. Put new wine into new bottles — Give harsh doctrines to such as have strength to receive them.
18. Just dead — ^He had left her at Uie point of death, Mark v, S3. Probably a maasenger had now informed him she was dead.
90. OfffNtfy ieiUiuI-Ottt of baihfulneM and humility.
M,t. tMaikii,l$;MMT,llL |lUikv,»; Ukeviii.41.
CHAPTER UL 85
21 him, touched the hem of his garment. For she said within her-
22 self, If I but touch his garment I shall be made whole. And Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Daughter, take courage ; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole
23 from that hour.) And Jesus coming into the ruler's house, and
24 seeing the minstrels and the crowd making a noise, saith to them. Withdraw ; for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth : and they de-
25 rided him. But when the crowd were put forth, he went in and
26 took her by the hand ; .and the maid arose. And the fame of it went abroad into all that country.
27 And as Jesus passed thence, two blind men followed him, cry« ing aloud, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him ; and Jesus saith to them, Believe ye that I am able to do this 1
29 They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then he touched their eyes, say-
30 ing, Be it unto you according to your faith. And their eyes were opened ; and Jesus strictly charged them, saying. See that no man
31 know it. But when they were gone out, they spread his fame abroad in all that country.
32 * As they were going out, behold they brought a dumb demoniac
33 to him. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake : and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never seen thus, even in
34 Israel. But the Pharisees said, he casteth out the devils by the prince of the devils.
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and heal-
36 ing every disease and every malady. But seeing the multitudes he was moved with tender compassion for them, because they
37 were faint and scattered, as sheep having no shepherd, t Then saith he to his disciples. The harvest truly is great, but the labour-
22. Take courage — Probably she was Btruck with fear, when he turned and looked upon her, Mark v, 33 ; Luke viii, 47 ; lest she should have offended him, by touching his garment privately ; and the more so, because she was unclean according to the law, Le?. xv, 25.
33. The nUnetreU-^The musicians. The original word means flute pla3rers. Musical instruments were used by the Jews as well as the heathens, in their lamentations for the dead, to soothe the melancholy of surviving friends, by soft and solemn notes. And there were persons who made it their business to per. form this, while others sung to their music. Flutes were used e&oecially on the death of children ; louder instruments on the death of ffrown persons.
24. Withdraw — ^There is no need of you now ; for the maid ie not dead — Her life is not at an end ; but sleepeth — ^This is only a temporary mispension of sense and motion, which should ratber be termed sleep than death.
25. The maid aroae — Christ raised three dead persons to life ; this child, the widow's son, and Lazarus : one newly departed, another on the bier, the third smelling in the grave : to show us that no degree of death is so desperate as to be past his help.
33. Even in Israel — ^Where so many wonders have been seen.
36. Because they toere /atiil— In soul rather than in body. As sheep having no shepherd — And yet they had manv teachers ; they had scribes in every city. But they had none who cared for their souls, and none that were able, if they had been willing, to have wrought any deliverance. They had no pastors after Godft own heart.
37. The ianeoi (mly i§ frtat— When Christ came into the worid, it was pro.
«Jiiiks»,14. tLuksziS.
36 ST. MATTHEW.
38 ers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
would thrust forth labourers into his harvest. X. And * having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them
power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every dis-
2 ease and every malady, f Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ; the first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the publican* James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was
4 Thaddeus ; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also
5 betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, having commanded them, saying. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into a city
6 of the Samaritans enter not : But go rather to the lost sheep of
7 the house of Israel. And as ye go, proclaim, saying. The king-
8 dom of heaven is at hand. % Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : freely ye have received, freely
peiiy the time of harvest ; till then it was the *eed time only. But the lahourerg are few — ^Thoee whom God sends ; who are holj, and convert sinners. Of othem there are many.
38. TAe Lord of the harvest — ^Whose peculiar work and office it is, and who alone is able to do it : that he would thrust forth — for it is an employ not pleasing to flesh and blood; so full of reproach, labour, danger, temptation of every kind, that nature may well be averse to it. Those who never felt this, never yet knew what it is to be labourers in Christ's harvest. He sends them forth, when he calls them by his Spirit, furnishes them with grace and gifU for the work, and makes a way for them to be employed therein.
X. 1. Hie twelve dieciplee — Hence it appears that he had already chosen out of his disciples, those whom he afterward termed apostles. The number seems to have relation to the twelve patriarchs, and the twelve tribes of Israel.
2. The firstt Simon — The first who was called to a constant attendance on Christ ; although Andrew had seen him before Simon.
3. Lebbeue-^ommonlj called Judas, the brother of James.
4. Jeeariot — So called from Isoarioth, (the place of his birth,) a town of the tribe of Ephraim, near the city of Samaria.
5. These twelve Jesus sent forth — ^Herein exercising his supreme authority, as God over all. None but God can give men authority to preach his word. Go not — ^Thoir commission was thus confined now, because the calling of the Gentiles was deferred till after the more plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day of pentecost. Enter not — Not to preach ; but they might to buy what they wanted, John iv, 9.
8. Ckut out devils — It is a great relief to the spirits of an infidel, sinking under a dread, that possibly the Gospel may be true, to find it observed by a Teamed brother, that the diseases therein ascribed to the operation of the devil have the very same symptoms with the natural diseases of lunacy, epilepsy, or convul. sions ; whence he readily and very willingly concludes, that the devil had no hand in them.
But it were well to stop and consider a little. Suppose God should suffer an evil spirit to usurp the same power over a man's body, as the man himself has naturally ; and suppose him actually to exercise that power ; could we conclude the devil had no hand therein, because his body was bent in the very same man- ner wherein the man himself might have bent it naturally ?
And suppose God gives an evil spirit a greater power, to efifect immediately the organ of the nerves in the brain, by irritating them to produce violent motions, or so relaxing them that they can produce little or no motion ; still the symptoms will be those of over tense nerves, as in madness, epilepsies, convulsions ; or of relaxed nerves, as in paralytic cases. But could we conclude thence that the devil bad no hand in them 7 Will any man affirm that God cannot or will not,
«lIaikiii,U; vi,7;Lokevi,13;ix,l. f Acts i, 13. tUvkvi,?; Liikeix,2
CHAPTER X: 37
9 give. Provide neither gold, uor silver, nor brass in your purses :
10 *Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor yet
a staff: for the workman is worthy of his maintenance.
lit And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in
12 it is worthy, and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye
13 come into a house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it ; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall
14 return to you. And whosoever will not receive you, nor hear your words ; when you go out of that house or city, shake off the
15 dust from your feet. Verily I say unto you, it shall be mors tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judg* ment, than for that city.
16 I Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be
17 ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ^ But be** ware of men; for they will deliver you to the councils, and
18 scourge you in their sjmagogues. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them
19 and to the heathens. |But when they deliver you, take no
on any occasion whatever, give such a power to an evil spirit 7 Or that eflects, the like of which may be produced by natural causes, cannot possibly be produced bv preternatural ? If this be possible, then he who affirms it was so, in any par- ticular case, cannot be justly charged with falsehood, merely for affirming the reality of a possible thing. Yet in this manner are the evangelists treated by those unhappv men, who above all things dread the troth of the Gospel, became, if it is true, they are of all men the most miserable.
Freely ye hate received — All things ; in particular the power of working minu cles ; freely give — Exert that power wherever you come.
9. Provide not — ^The stress seems to lie on this word : they might nse what they had ready ; but they might not stay a moment to provide any thing more, neither take any thought about it. Nor indeed were they to take any thing with them, more than was strictly necessary. 1. Lest it should retard them. 3. Be- cause they were to learn hereby to trust to God in all future exigencies.
10. Neither ecrip — ^That is, a wallet, or beg to hold provisions : Nor yet a vtof-^ We read, Mark vi, 8, Take nothing, save a staff only. Ho that had one might take it ; they that had none, might not provide any. For the workman io worthy of his maintenance — The word includes all that is mentioned in the 9th and 10th verses ; all that they were forbidden to provide for themselves, so far as it was needful for them.
11. Inquire who is worthf — ^That you should abide with him : who is disposed to receive the Gospel. There abide — In that house, till ye leave the town.
12. Salute it — In the usoal Jewish form, ** Peace (that is, all blessings) be to this house.'*
13. If the heuae he worthy—of it, God shall give them the peace yon wish them. If not, he shall give you what they refuse. The same will be the case, when we pray for them that are not worthy.
14. Shake q/f the duktfrom your feet — ^Tho Jews thought the land of Israel so peculiarly holy, that when they came home from any heathen country, they stopped at the borders and shook or wiped off the dust of it from their feet, that the holy land might not be polluted with it. Therefore the action here enjoined was a lively intimation, that those Jews who had rejected the Gospel were holy no longer, but were on a level with heathens and idolaters.
17. But think not that all vour innocence and all your wisdom will screen you from persecution. They wUl eeourge you in their oynagogueo — In these the Jews held Uieir courts of judicature, about both civil and eccl«iiastical aflhirs.
19. Take no thought — ^Neither at this time, on any sudden call, need we be caiefbi how or what to answer.
* Luke X, 7. t Marii vi, 10 ; Luke ix, 4. % Luke x, 3. f Matt. xxiv. 9. n Loke xii, 11
38 ST. MATTHEW
thought, how or what ye shall apeak ; for it shall be given yoa
20 in that very hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that
21 speak, hot the Spirit of your Father who speaketh in you. * But the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child ; and children shall rise up against their parents, and
22 kill theuL fAnd ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake : but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another; for verily I say unto you. Ye shall not have gone over the cities
24 of Israel, till the Son of man be come. | The disciple is not above
25 his teacher, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. ^ If they have called the Master of Oie bouse Beelzebub, how much
26 more them of his household ? f Th^efore fear them not ; for there is nothing covered, which shall not be made manifest ; nor
27 hid, that shall not be known. ** What I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light, and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim on
38 the house tops. And be not afraid of them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather be afraid of him who
29 is able to destroy both soul and body in helL Are not two spar- rows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the
30 ground without your Father. ttYea, even the hairs of your
31 head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore ; ye are of more
32 value than many sparrows, f^ Whosoever therefore shall con- fess me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is
39. Of all m«ii— That know not God.
33. Ye shall not have gone over the eitieo of lormel — ^Make what haste ye win ; tiU the Son of man he come — ^To destroy their temple and nation.
35. How much more — This cannot refer to the quantity of leproach and perse- ccition : (for in this the servant cannot be above his lord :) but only to the oer- tainty of it.
36. Therefore fear them not — ^For ye haye only the same usage with your Lord. There is nothing covered— So that howcTer they may slander you now, your inno. cenee will at length appear.
37. Even what I now tell you secretly is not to bo ke|»t secret long, but declared publicly. Therefore, What ye hear in the ear, pMtsh on the hmim top— Two customs of the Jews seem to be alluded to here. Their doctors used to whisper in the ear of their disciples what they were to pronounce aloud to others. And as their houses were low and flat roofed, they sometimes preached to the people from thence.
38. And be not afraid^— of any thing which ve may sufier for proclaiming it. Be afraid of him whs is able to destroy both hoay ana soul in hsUr— It is remark, able, that our Lord commands those who Iotc God, still to fear him, even on this account, under this notion.
39. 30. The particular providenoe of God is another reason for jonr not fear, ing man. For this extend to the very smaUest things. And if he has such care oTer the most inconsiderable creatures, how much more will he take care of you, (prorided you confess him before men, befbre powerfbl enemies of the truth,) and that not only in this life, but in the other also 7
33. Whosoever shall confess me — ^Publicly acknowledge me fi>r the promised Messiah. But this confessioik implies the reoeiring his whole doctrine, Mark viii, 38, and obeying aU his conunandments.
* Luke xxi, 16. f Chap, zzir, 13. t Luke ri, 30 ', John zv, 20. 6 Chap, zii, 34. [|Markir,22;LukeTiii, 17;xii,2. «*Lukezii,3 4fLukezu,7. ItMaik
viii, 38; lAiksix, 96.
CHAPTER XL »
33 in neaven. Bat whosoever shall deny me before men, him will
34 I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. * Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I am not come to send peace,
35 but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter with her mother, and the danghter-in-
36 law with her mother-in-law. f And the foes of a man shall be they
37 of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me ; and ho that loveth son or daughter
38 more than me, is not worthy of me; |And he that taketh not
39 his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of mc. ^ He that findeth his life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life for my sake,
40 shall find it. | He that entertaineth you, entertaineth me ; and he
41 that entertaineth me, entertaineth him that sent me. He that entertaineth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward : and he that entertaineth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42 ** And whosoever shall give drink to one of Uiese little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto yon, he shall in nowise lose his reward.
XL And when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence, to teach and preach in their cities.
2 tt Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ;
3 he sent two of his disciples. And said to him. Art thou he that is to
4 come, or look we for another ? And Jesus answering, said to them,
5 Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see. Xt '^^ blind receive their sight, the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; 3ie dead are raised, and the poor have the Gospel
33, 34. Whowever shall deny me before mef»-— To which ye will be ttronglj tempted. For TMnk not that lam came — ^That ii, think not that universal peace
will be the immediate coneeqnence of my coming. Juat the contrary. Both pub. lie and private diviaiona will follow, whereaoeyer my Gospel comes with power. Yet thia is not the design, though it be the event of hia coming, tlurough Um opposition of devihi and men.
36. And the foes of a tiuifi— -That lovea and follows me.
37. He that loveth father or mother more than me — He that ia not ready to give up all these, when they stand in competition with hia duty.
38. He that taketh not hi$ croaa— That is, whatever pain or inconvenience earn, not be avoided, but by doing aome evil, or omitting some good.
39. He that findeth hio life ohall loee t'e— He that sayea his life by denying me, shall loae it eternally ; *«nd he that loeeth his life by confessing mo, shall save it eternally. And aa you ahall be thua rewarded, ao in proportion ahali they who entertain you for my sake.
41. Ht that entertaineth a prophet— -ThsX is, a preacher of the Gospel : In the name of a prophet — ^That is, becauae he ia auch, shall ahare in hia reward.
43. On« o/^Aese 2t//|0 onet^The very leaat Chriatian.
XI. 1. In their eitiee — ^The other citiea of Israel.
S. He sent two of hia dieeipleo—N oi becauae he doubted himself; but to con. firm their faith.
3. He that ie to come — The Meetiah,
4. Oo and tell John the thiuge that ye hear and ««e— Which are aatronget proof of my being the Meeeiah^ than any bare assertion can be.
5. The poor have the Qoepel preached to themr—The greatest mercy of all.
• Luke xii, 51. f Mieah vii, 6. t Chap, xvi, 24 ; Luke xir, 27. 6 Chap, anri, 25 ; John xii, 25. || Chap, xviij, 5 ; Luke z, 16 ; John ziii, 90. ^* Mark iz, 41. ft Loka vii, 18. tl Isaiah zziz, 18 ; jucxr, 5.
40 ST. MATTHEW.
6 preached to them : And happy is he whosoever shall not be
7 offended at me. And as they departed, Jesus said to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see ?
8 A reed shaken with the wind ? But what went ye out to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? Behold, they that wear sofl cloth-
9 ing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out to see ? A pro-
10 phet ? Yea, I say unto you, and more thsin a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written, * Behold, I send my messenger before
11 thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily 1 say unto you, among them that are bom of women, there hath not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist ; but he that is
12 least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist till now the kingdom of heaven is entered by force, and they who strive with all their might take it
13 by violence. fFor all the prophets and the law prophesied until
14 John. And if ye are willing to receive him, he is :]: Elijah, who
15 was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. But
16 whereto shall I liken this generation ? It is like children sitting
17 in the markets, and calling to their fellows, And saying, We have ' ' ~" •■ ' • ' • '
6. Happy it he who ahaU not he offended at me — ^Notwithstanding all these proofii that I am the Messiah.
7. A$ they departed, he oaid concerning John—Of whom probablv he would not have said so much when thev were present. A reed ehaken by the wind? — 'So ; nothing could eyer shake John in the testimony he gave to the truth. The expression is proverbial.
8. A man clothed in soft, delicate raiment — ^An efieminate courtier, accustomed to Owning and flattery 7 You may expect to find persons of such a character in palaces ; not in a wilderness.
9. More than a prophet — For the prophets only pointed me out afar off; but John was my immediate forerunner.
11. But he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he — ^Which an ancient author explains thus : — ** One perfect in the law, as John was, is inferior to one who is baptized into the death of Christ. For this is the kingdom of heaven, even to bis buried with Christ, and to be raised up together with him. John was mater than }«11 who had been then bom of women, but he was cut off before the kingdom of heaven was given.*' [He seems to mean, that righteous, ness, peace, and joy, which constitute the present inward kingdom of heaven.] ** He was blameless as to that righteousness which is by (be law ; but he fell short of those who are perfected by the spirit of life which is in Christ. Whoso, ever, therefore, is least in the kingdom of heaven, by Christian regeneration, is greater than any who has attained only the righteousness of the law, because the law maketh nothing perfect." It may farther mean, the least true Chris. tian believor has a more perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ, of his redemption and kingdom, than John the Baptist had, who died before the full manifestation of the Gospel.
\% And from the days of John — ^That is, from the time that John had fulfilled h» ministry, men rush into my kingdom with a violence like that of those who are taking a city by storm.
13. FtfT all the prophets and the law orophssied until John — For all that is written in the law and the prophets only foretold as distant what is now fulfilled. In John the old dispensation expired, and the new began.
15. He that hath ears to hear, let him Aeor— A kind of proverbial expression ; requiring the deepest attention to what is spoken.
16. This generation — ^That is, the men of this age.* They are like those froward children of whom their fellows complain, that they will be pleased noway.
* MaL iii, 1. f Lake xri, 16. t Hal. iv, 6.
CHAPTER XI. 41
piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned
18 unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eat>-
19 ing nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say. Behold a glutton and a wine bibber, a friend of pubhcans and sinners ; but wisdom is
20 justified by her children. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein the most of his mighty works had been done, because they
21 repented not. *Wo to thee, Chorazin; wo to thee, Bethsaida: for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been cbne in Tyre and Sidon, tney would have repented long ago in
22 sackcloth and ashes. Moreover I say to you. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, who hast been exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained lo
24 this day. Moreover I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for
25 the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee, f At that time Jesus answering said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
26 prudent, and hast revealed them to babes. Even so. Father ; for
27 so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me by my Father ; and no one knoweth the Son but the Father ; neither knoweth any one the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever
■ . ' ■ ■■ . ■ ■■■■■, r ■ . ■ . iiij
18. John cams neither eating nor drinking — In a rigorona austere waj, like Elijah. And they «ay, He hath a devil — Is melancholy, from the influence of an evil spirit.
19. The Son of man came eating and drinking — Conversing in a fVee, &miliar waj. Wiedom iejuetified hy her cAtltfren— That is, my wisdom herein is acknow* lodged bj those who are trulj wise.
SS). Then began he to ufhraid the citiee — It is observable he had never upbraided them before. Indeed at first thej received him with all gladness, Capernaum in particular.
21. Wo to theet Chorazin — ^That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonlv supposed ; but a solemn, compae. sionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorasin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the^ lake Gennesaretli. Tyre and Sidon were cities of Phenicia, lying on the sea shore. The inhabitants of them were heathens.
22. 24. Moreover I eay wiio you — Beside the general denunciation of wo to those stubborn unbelievers, the degree of their misery will be greater than even that of T3rre and Sidon, yea, of Sodom.
23. Thou Capernaum^ tDho haet been exalted to heaven — ^That is, highly honoured by my presence and miracles.
35. Jeeue anewermg — ^This word does not always imply, that something had been spoken, to which an answer is now made. It often means no more than the epeaking in reference to some action or circumstance preceding. The foUowing words Christ speaks in reference to the case of the cities above mentioned : / thank thee — ^That is, I acknowledge and joyfully adore the justice and mercy of thy dispensations : Beeauee thou haet Au^That is, because thou hast sumred these things to be hid from men, who are in other respects wise and prudent, while thou hast discovered them to those of the weakest understanding, to them who are only wise to God-ward.
27. All thinge are deUvered to me — Our Lord, here addressing himself to his disciples, shows why men, wise in other things, do not know this: namely, because none can know it by natural reason : none but those to whom be xevsaU ethit.
* Luke z, 13. t Luke z, 21»
43 ST. MATTHEW.
28 the Son is pleased to reveal Aim. Come ta me, all ye that labout
29 and are heavy laden, and 1 will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for 1 am meek and lowly in heart, and ye
30 shaU find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy anH my burden is light.
XII. * At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the com, and his disciples were hungry and plucked the ears ot com, and ate.
2 But the Pharisees seeing it said to him, Behold, thy disciples do
3 what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. But he said to them. Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that
4 were with him ? t How he entered into the house of God, and ate the show bread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither
5 for them who were with him, but only for the priests ? Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath days the priests in the
6 temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless ? But I say to you,
7 That a greater than the temple is here. X ^^^ ^^ Y^ ^^ known what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would
8 not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
28. Come to me — ^Here he showi to whom he iepleaeed to reveal these things ; to the weary and heavy laden ; ye that labour — After rest in God : and are heaxy laden — ^With the guilt and power of sin : and I wUl give you reet — I alone (for none else can) wul freely give you (what ye cannot purchase) reet from the guilt of sin by justification, and from the power of sin by sanctification.
29. Take my yoke upon you — ^Believe in me : receive me as your prophet, priest, and king. For I am meek and lowly in heart — Meek toward all men, lowly toward God : and ye ahallfind rsst— Whoever therefore does not find rest of sool, is not meek and lowly. The fault is not in the yoke of Christ : but in thee, who hast not taken it upon thee. Nor is it possible for any one to be discontented, bat through want of meekness or lowliness.
30. For my yoke ie easy — Or rather ^acious, sweet, benign, delightful : and my burden — Contrary to those of men, is ease, liberty, and honour.
XII. 1. Hie dtaciplee plucked the eare ofcorTt, and ate — Just what sufficed for present necessity : oried com was a common food among the Jews,
3. Have ye net read what David did — And necessity was a sufficient plea for his transgressing the law in a higher instance.
4. He entered into the Kouee of Ood — Into the tabernacle. The temple was not yet built. The ahow bread — So they called the bread which the priest, who served that week, put even" Sabbath day on the golden table that was in the holy place, before the Lord. The loaves were twelve in number, and represented the twelvn tribes of Israel : when the new were brought, the stale were taken away, but were to be eaten by the priests only.
5. The prieete in the temple profane the Sabbath — That is, do their ordinary- work on this, as on a common day, cleansing all things, and preparing the sacri. fices. A greater than the temple — ^If therefore the Sabbath must give way to the temple, much more must it give way to me.
7. / will have mercy and not eacrifiee — ^That is, when they interfere with eaeli other, I always prefer acts of mercy, before matters of positive institution : yea, before all ceremonial institutions whatever ; because these being only means of religion, are suspended of course, if circumstances oocur, wherein they clash with love, which is the end of it.
8. For the Son of man — ^Therefore they are guiltless, were it only on this account, that they act by my authority, and attend on me in my ministry, as the priests attended on God in the temple : i$ Lord even of the Sabbath — ^This certainly implies, that the Sabbath was an institotion of great and distinyiished importancs ; H may perhaps also refer to that signal act of authority which Christ afterward
•Marku,23;LakeTi,l. f 1 Sam. xzi, 6. t Matt, ix, 13.
CHAPTER xn. 43
9 ^And departing thence, he went into their synagogue. And
10 behold there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked him, sapng, Is it lawful to h6al on the Sabbath ? that they
11 might accuse him. And he said to them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, who if he fall in a pit on
12 the Sabbath will not lay hold on it and lift it out ? How much then is a man better than a sheep ? Wherefore it is lawful to do good
13 on the Sabbath day. Then saith he to the man. Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth ; and it was restored whole, as
14 the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and took counsel
15 together against him, how they might destroy him. And Jesus knowing it withdrew from thence ; and great multitudes followed
16 him, and he healed them all. And charged them not to make him
17 known : That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Pro-
18 phet Isaiah, saying, f Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul delighteth ; I will put my Spirit upon
19 him, and he shall show judgment to the heathens. He shall not strive nor clamour, neither shall any man hear his voice in the
20 streets. He shall not break a bruised reed, and smoking flax he
21 shall not quench, till he send forth judgment unto"" victory. And in his name shall the heathens trust.
22 X Then wiEis brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb ; and he
23 healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the multitude were amazed and said. Is not this the Son of David ?
24 ^ But the Pharisees hearing it said, This fellow casteth not out
25 devils but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus know- ing their thoughts said to them, Every kingdom divided against Itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided
26 against itself shall not be established. And if Satan cast out Satan,
exerted over it, in changing it from the eeventh to the first day of the week. If we suppose here is a transposition of the 7th and 8th verses, then the 8th verse is a proof of the 6th. ,
12. It i# lawful to do good on the Sabbath dtttf — ^To save a beast, much more a man.
18. He Mhall »how Judgment to the heathen9 — ^That is, he shall publish the mer. eiful Gospel to them also : the Hebrew word signifies either mercj or justice.
19. He shall not etrivet nor clamour; neither shall any man hear his voiee in the 9treet» — That is, he shall not, be contentious, noisj, or ostentatious: but gentle, quiet, and lowly. We may obeerve each word rises above the other, expressing a still higher degree of humility and gentleness.
20. A bruised reed — A convinced sinner : one that is bruised with the weight of sin : smoking Jlax — One that has the least good desire, the fiiintest spark of grace : till he send forth judgment unto vieiory — ^That is, till he make righteous . ness completely victorious over all its enemies.
21. In his nam€— That is, in him.
22. A demoniac, blind and dumb — ^Many undoubtedly supposed these defects to be merely natural. But the Spirit of God saw otherwise, and gives the tma account both of the disorder and the cure. How many disorders, seemingly natural, may even now be owing to the same cause 7
23. Is not this the son of David — ^That k, the Messiah.
25. Jesus knowing their thoughts — It seems, they had as yet only said it in their hearts.
26. How shall his kingdom he established^^Dwa not that subtle spirit know this ii not the way to establSih his kfaigdom 7
«MMkiii,l;Lakeri,a. f Isa. xlii, 1, dee. tLokexi,14. 4Markiii,Si.
44 ST. MATTHEW.
he is divided against himself : how then shall his kingdom be estir
27 blished ? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your
28 children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if it be by the Spirit of God that I cast out devils, then the kingdom
29 of Grod is come upon you. How can one enter into the strong one's house, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong
30 one ? And then will he plunder his house. He that is not with me, is against me, and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.-^
31 * Wherefore I say to you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men ; but Uie blasphemy against the Spirit shall not
32 be forgiven to men. And whosoever speaketh against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be i^rgiven him, neither in this world, nor
33 in that to come, f Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is
34 known by its fruit. Ye brood of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things ? For out of the abundance of the heart the
35 mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil treasure
36 bringeth forth evil things. But I say to you, That every idle word
d7. By whom do your children — ^That it, disciples, eaot them out — It seemt, sorae of them really did this ; although the sons of Sceva could not. Therefore ^kaU they be your judgeo—Aek them, if Satan will cast out Satan : let even them be judges in this matter. And they shall convict jou of obstinacy and partiality, who impute that in me to Beelxebuhf which in them you impute to God. Be. aide, how can I rob him of his subjects, till I have conquered him? The king* dom of Qod ia come upon you— Unawares ; before you expected : so the word imdlies.
29. How eon one enter into the otrong one*» houoe, unUoohefirot hind the etrong one^— So Christ coming into the world, which was then eminently the strong one's, Satan's house, first bound him, and then took his spoils.
30. He that it not with me ie against me — For there are no neuters in this war. Every one must be either with Christ or against him ; either a loyal subject or a rebel. And there are none upon earth, who neither promote nor obstruct his kinffdom. For he that does not gather souls to God, scatters them from him.
31. The hUuphemy against the Spirit — How much stir has been made about this 7 How many sermons, yea, volumes, have been written concerning it 7 And yet there is nothing plainer in all the Bible. It is neither more nor less than the ascribing those miracles to the power of the devil, which Christ wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32. Whoeoeverepeaketh against the Son of man — In any other respects : It shall hsfi^given him — Upon his true repentance : But whosoever speaketh thus against the i^ly Ohost^ it shaU not be forgiven^ neither in this world nor in the world to come — ^This was a proverbial expression among the Jews, for a thing that would never be done. It here means farther, He shall not escape the punishment of it, either in this world, or in the world to come. The judgment of God shall over, take him, both here and hereafter.
33. Either make the tree good and its fruit good : or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt — ^That is, you must allow, they are both good, or both bad. — For if the fruit is good, so is the tree ; if the fruit is evil, so is the tree also. For the tree is known by its fruit-^hjs if he had said, Te roav therefore know me by my fruits. By my converting sinners to God, you may know that God hath sent me.
34. In another kind likewise, the tree is known by tts/rutt— Namely, the heart ^ the conyersation.
36. Te may perhaps think, God does not so mneh regaid your words. Bmt 1
*lUrkiu,98;Liikazii.lO. f Ifatt vu, 16 ; Lokt vi, 43.
CHAPTER XII. 45
which men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the
37 day of judgment. For by thy words tibou shalt be justified, or by thy words thou shah be condemned.
38 * Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying,
39 Master, we would see a sign from thee. And he answering said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, and there shall be no sign given it, but the sign of the Prophet JonaJi.
40 t For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shaQ the Son of man be three days and three nights
41 in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condenm it ; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah ; and behold a greater than Jonah is here. -.«
42 X The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condenm it; for she came from the utter- most parts of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and
43 behold a greater than Solomon is here. ^When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry i^aces, seek-
44 ing rest, and findeth none. . Then he saith, I will return to my house whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it
' ' - ' ■ . , — .
9ay to you-— That not iot blaspbemous and profane words only, bat /or tnery idle ward which men »haU $peak-^FoT want of MriousneM or caution ; for every die. course which is not conducive to the glory of God, they §haU gite aeeount in the day of judgment.
37. For oy thy words (as well as thy tempers and works) thou ehalt then he either acquitted or condemned. Your words as well as actions shall be produced in evidence for or against vou, to prove whether you was a true believer or not. And according to that evidence you will either be acquitted or condemned in tka great day.
38. }Ve would gee a eign — Else we will not believe this.
39. An adulterous generation-^Whoae heart wanders from God, though they pro&ss him to be their husband. Such adulterers are all those who love the world, and all who seek the friendship of it. Seeketh a eign—AHer aU they have had already, which were abundantly sufficient to convince them, had not their hearts been estranged from God, and consequently averse to the truth. The eign of Jonah — Who was herein a type of Christ.
40. Three daye and three nighto — It was customary with the eastern nations to reckon any part of a natural day of twenty.fonr hours, for the whole dav. Ac- cordingly they used to say a thing was done afler three or seven days, if it wts done on the third or seventh day, from that which was last mentioned. Instances of this may be seen, 1 Kings zx, 29 ; and in many other places. And as the Hebrews had no word to express a natural day, they used night and day, or day and night for it. So that to say a thing happened after three day$ and three nighte, was with them the very same, as to say, it happened afler three days, or on the third day. See Esther iv, 16 ; v, 1 ; Gen. vii, 4, 12 ; Exod. zziv, 18 ; zxxiv, 28.
42. j^ came from the uttermoet parte of the earth — ^That part of Arabia from which she came was the uttermost part of the earth that way, being bounded by the sea.
43. But how dreadfhl will be the consequence of their rejecting me 7 When the unclean epirit goeth ott<~*Not willingly, but being compelled by one that is stronger than he. He tsoUreiA— Wanders up and down ; through dry plaee^-^ Barren, dreary, desolate ; or places not yet watered with the Gospel : Seeking reot, and findeth none — How can he, while he carries with him his own hell 7 And is it not the case of his children too 7 Reader, is it thy case 7
44. Whence he came o«t— He speaks as if he had come out of his own aocord : Seehisprtde! He findeth it omptf^^fGod^otChnalL, of hiMSpini: SwepU-^-Aom
•Matt.zvi,l;LQkeu,l6^a0l fJonahii,!. tlKuKfur,!. «Lnk«xi,a4.
46 ST. MATTHEW.
45 empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse Uian the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation.
46 * While he yet talked to the multitude, behold his mother and his
47 brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. And one said to him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seek-
48 ing to speak to thee. And he answering, said to him that told him,
49 Who is my mother, and who are my brethren ? And stretching forth his hand toward his disciples, he said. Behold my mother aiid
50 my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
XIII. t The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea
2 side. And great multitudes were gathered together to him, to that he went into thh vessel and sat, and the multitude stood on
3 the shore. And he spake many things to them in parables, saying,
4 Behold, the sower went forth to sow. And while he sowed, some seeds fell by the highway side, and the birds came and devoured
love, lowliness, meekness, and all the fruits of the Spirit : And garnished — ^With levity and securitj : so that there is nothing to keep him out, and much to invito him in.
45. 8ec4n other emriU — ^That is, a great many ; a certain number being pat for an uncertain : More u>ieked than himself — ^Wlience it appears, that there an degrees of wickedness among the devils themselves : They enter in and dtDsU^^ For ever in him who is forsaken of God. So shall it be to this wicked generatitn —Yea, and to apostates in all ages.
46. His brethren — His kinsmen : they were the sons of Mary, the wife of C^oo. pas, or Alpheus, his mother's sister ; and came now seeking to take him, as one beside himself, Mark iii, 21.
48. And he answering^ said — Our Lord's knowing why they came, sofficieiitly justifies his seeming disreg^ard of them.
49, 50. See the highest severity, and the highest goodness ! Severity to hif natural, goodness to his spiritual relations ! In a manner disclaiming the former, who opposed the will of his heavenly Father, and owning the latter, who obeyed it.
XIII. 3. He went itUo the oesse^— >Which constantly waited upon him, whUe ho was on the sea coast.
3. Jn parables — ^The word is here taken in it« proper sense, for apt similes or comparisons. This way of speaking, extremely common in the eastern countriot, drew and fixed the attention of many, and occasioned the truths delivered to sink the deeper into humble and serious hearers. At the same time, by an awful mix- tore of justice and mercy, it hid them from the proud and carelesf.
In this chapter our Lord delivers seven parables ; directing the four former (as being of general concern) to all the people ; tho three latter to his disciples.
Behold the sower — ^How exquisitely proper is this parable to be an introduction to all the rest ! In this our LK>rd answers a very obvious and a very important question. The same sower, Christ, and the same preachers sent by him, always sow the same seed : why has it not always the same effect 7 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear !
4. And while he sowed, some seeds fell by the highway side, and the birds earns and devoured them — It is observable, that our Jjoid points out the grand hinder, ances of our bearing fruit, in the same order as they occur. The first danger is, that the birds will devour the seed. If it escape this, there is then an<ther danger, namely, lest it be scorched, and wither away. It is long after this that the thorns spring up and choke the good seed.
A vast majori^ of thoee who hear the word of God, receive the seed as by the Mgkw9y side. Of thoee who do not lose it bj the birda, y«t many receive it as
•lUikiii,31iUkeviii,19. f Maik iv, 1 ; Laka titit i.
CHAPTER XIIL 47
5 them. Others fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and they sprung up immediately, because they had not
6 depth of earth. And when the sun was up, they were scorched ;
7 and because they had not root they withered away. And some fell among thorns: and the thorns sprung up and choked them.
8 And others fell on the good ground, and brought forth fruit, some
9 a hundred fold, some sixty^ some thirty. He that hath ears to
10 hear, let him hear. And the disciples came and said to him. Why
11 speakest thou to them in parables ? He answering, said unto them. Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
12 of heaven ; but to them it is not given. For * whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and he shall have abimdance: but who- soever hath not, from him shall be taken away even what he hath.
13 Therefore I spake to them in parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is ful&led the prophecy of Isaiah, who saith, t Hearing, ye will hear, but in nowise understand, and seeing
15 ye will see, but in nowise perceive. For the heart of this people IS waxed fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed : lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should
16 be converted, and I should heal them. % But blessed are your eyes,
17 for they see, and your ears for they hear. For verily I say unto you. That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see
Ml 9§anyplac€M. Many of them who reoeivo it in a better sofl, yet loffer the ihonu to grow up, and choke it : bo that few even of theee endure to the end, and bear fruit unto perfection : yet in all these cases, it is not the will of Grod that hinders, bat their own voluntaiy porverseness.
8. Cfood ground — Sofl, not like that by the highway side ; deep, not like the stony ground ; purged, not full of thorns.
11. To you, who have, it it given to know the myeteriea of the kingdom of heaven — ^The deep things which flesh and blood cannot reveal, pertaining to the inward, present kingdom of heaven. But to them who have not, it ie not given — Therefore epeak I in parablee, that ye may understand, while they do not understand.
13. Whoeoever hath — ^That is, improves what he hath, uses the grace given according to the design of the giver ; to him ehall be given — More and more, in proportion to that improvement. But whoeoever hath not — Improves it not, from him ehdU be taken even what he hath — ^Here is the grand rule of God*8 dealing with the children of men : a rule fixed as the pillars of heaven. This is the key to all his providential dispensations; as will appear to men and angels in that day.
13. Therefore I epeak to them in parablee, beeauee eeeing, they eee not — In piuvaance of this general rule, I do not give more knowledge to this people, be- canse they use not that which they have already : having all the means of seeing, hearing, and understanding, they use none of them : they do not effectually see, or hear, or understand any thing.
14. Hearing ye will hear, but in nowiee underetand — That is, Ye will eurely hear. All possible means will be given you : yet they will profit you nothing ; because your heart is sensual, stupid, and insensible ; your spiritual senses are shat up ; yea, you have eloeed your eyee against the light ; as being unwilling to understand the things of God, and afraid, not desirous that he ehould heal you.
16. But hleeeed are your eyee — For you both see and understand. You know how to priie the light which is given you.
*Cabv.Bnr,»;MvkiT,26;LQkeTiu,18;ziz,26. tlsiiyivi*9; JohBni,402
46 ST. MATl^HEW.
the things which ye see, and have not seen t?tem, and to hear the
18 things which ye hear, and hare not heard them. Hear ye there-
19 fore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and considereth it not, the wicked one cometh, and catcheth away what was sown in his heart. This is he who
20 received seed by the highway side. But he who received the seed in stony places^ is he that heareth the word and immediately
21 receiveth it with joy. Yet he hath not root in himself, and so endureth but for a while : for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
22 because of the word, straightway he is offended. He that received the seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word ; and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
23 and it becometh unfruitful. But he that receiveth seed on the good ^ ground, is he that heareth the word and considereth it : who also
beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some a hundred fold^ some sixty, some thirty.
24 He proposed to them another parable, saying. The kingdom of
25 heaven is like a man sowing good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel amidst the wheat,
19. When any one heareth the wordt and eoneidereth it not — ^The first and most
Sneral cause of imfruitfulness. T*he toieked one eometh — Either inwardly ; filling: » mind with thoughts of other things ; or by his agent. Such are all they that introduce other sublets, when men should be considering what they have heard.
20. The seed sown on etony placee, therefore eprang up soon, becauae it did not sink deep, ver. 5. He receiveth it with joy — Perhaps with transport, with ecstacy : •truck with the beauty of truth, and dirawn by the preventing grace of God.
. 31. Yet hath he not root in himeelf — No deep work of grace : no change in the ground of his heart. Nay, he has no deep conviction ; and without this, good desires soon wither away. He ie offended-— He finds a thousand plausible pre. tences for leaving so narrow and rugged a way.
22. He that received the seed among the thorns^ is he that heareth the word and eontidereth it — In spite of Satan and his agents : yea, hath root in himself ^ is deeply convinced, and in a great measure inwardly changed ; so that he will not draw back, even when tribiuation or persecution ariseth. And yet even in him, together with the good seed, the thorns spring up, ver. 7, (perhaps unperceived at first) till they gradually choke it, destroy all its li& and power, and it becometh unfruitful.
Cares are thorns to the poor : wealth to the rich ; the desire of other things to all. Tlie deceitfulness of riches — Deceitful indeed ! for they smile, and betray : kiss, and smite into hell. They put out the eyes, harden the heart, steal away all the life of God ; fill the soul with pride, anger, love of the world ; make men enemies to the whole cross of Christ '. And all the while are eagerly desired, and vehemently pursued, even by those who believe there is a God !
513. Some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty — ^That is, in various propor- tions ; some abundantly more than others.
24. He proposed another parable — in which he farther explains the case ol nnfiruitful hearers. The kingdom of heaven (as has been observed before) some, times signifies eternal glory : sometimes the way to it, inward religion ; some, ^imes, as here, the Gospel dispensation : the phrase is likewise used for a person or thing relating to any one of those : so in this place it means, Christ preaching the Gospel, who is like a man sowing good seed— -The expression, is like, both here and in several other places, only means, that the thing spoken of may be illustrated b^ the following similitude. Who sowed good seed in his field — God sowed nothing but good in his whole creation. Christ sowed only the good sood of truth in his Church.
85. But whSe men skpt—Thny ought to have watched: the Lord of the field ■iMpeth aot. Ait mmmy mmm smd mm§i imwA Thii is veiy like wheal, and
CHAPTER XIII. 49
26 «nd went away. And when the blade was sprung up and brought
27 forth fruit, then appeared the darnel also. So the servants of the householder came to him, and said, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field ? Whence then hath it darnel ? He said to them,
28 An enemy hath done this. The senrants said to him. Wilt thou
29 then, that we go and gather them up ? But he said. No : lest gather^
30 ing up the darnel, ye root up the wheat with them. Suffer both to grow together till the harvest ; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the darnel, and bind it in bundles to bum it, but gather the wheat into my bam.
31 He proposed to them another parable, saying, * The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed
32 in his field : W^hich indeed is the least of all seeds : but when it is grown up, it is the greatest of herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches of it.
33 He spake another parable to them : t The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman taking, covered up in three measures meal, till the whole was leavened.
34 All these things spake Jesus to the multitude in parables, and
35 without a parable spake he not unto them : Whereby was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 1 1 will open my mouth
commonly grows amooff wheat rather than among other grain : but tare§ or vetches are of the pulse Kind, and bear no resemblance to wheat.
26. When the bUde was tprung up, then appeared the darnel — It was not dis. cemed befoDB : it seldom appears, as soon as the good seed is sown : all at first appears to be peace, and love, an4 joy.
27. Didst not thou sow good aeed in thy field ? Whence then hath it darnel ?~^ Net from the parent of good. Even the heathen could say,
** No evil can (rom thee proceed : Tis only suffered, not decreed : As darlwess is not from the sun, Nor mount the shades, till he is gone."
28. He §did, An enemy hath done thio—~A plain answer to the great question concerning the origin of evil. God made men (as he did angels) intelligent creatures, and consequently free either to choose good or evil : but he implanted no evil in the human soul : An enemy (with m^n's concurrence) hath done thig. .
Darnel, in the Church, is properly outside Christians, such as have the form of godliness, without the power. Open sinners, such as have neither the form nor the power, are not so properly darnel, as thistles and brambleit : these ought to be rooted up without delay, and not suffered in the Christian community. Whereas should fallible men attempt to gather up the datnel, they would oflen root up the wheat with them.
31. He proposed to them another parable — ^The former parables relate chiefly to unfruitful hearers ; these that follow, to those who bear good fruit. The king, dom of heaven — Both the Gospel dispensation, and the inward kingdom.
32. The least — That is, one of the least : a way of speaking extremely com. mon among the Jews. It becometh a tree — In those countries it grows exceed, injr largo and high. So will the Christian doctrine spread in the world, and tht lire of Christ in the soul.
33. Three measures — ^This was the quantity which they usually baked at oaoe : till the whole was leavened — ^Thus wHl the Gospel leaven the world and gn^cs the Christian.
34. Without a parable tpaka he mot umto (Ami-— That is, not at that tims ; al •Iher times be dio.
•lUdLiv,aO;LalMStti, 18. tlalwaiii,»i tIMmiBcviii,«.
4
50 ST. MATTHEW.
in parables ; I will utter things hid from the foundation of the world.
36 Then Je&as having sent the multitude away, went into the house : and his disciples came to him, saying, Declare to us the
37 parable of the darnel of the field. He answering said to them, He
38 that soweth the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the
39 darnel are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil : the harvest is the end of the world ; the
40 reapers are the angels. As therefore the darnel is gathered and
41 burnt with ^te, so shall it be at the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be the
43 wailing and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He Qiat hath ears to hear, let him hear.
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hid in a field, which a man having found hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking goodly
46 pearls : Who having found one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, and
48 gathering fishes of every kind : Which when it was fuU, they drew to the shore, and sitting down, gathered the good into vessels, but
49 cast the bad away. So shall it be at tbe end of the world. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the
50 just ; And shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be
51 the wailing and the gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith to them. Have
52 ye understood all these things? They say to him. Yea, Lord. Then saith he to them, Therefore every scribe instructed unto the
38. Tke good seed are the children of the kingdom^^Th^i is, the children of God, the righteous.
41. They ohall gather all things that offend — Whatever had hindered or grieved tlie children of God; whatovor thin^ or persons had hindered the good seed which Christ had sown from taking root or hearing fiuit. The Greek word is, All oeandals.
44. The three following parables are proposed, not to the multitade, hut peeuliarlj to the apostles: the two former of them relate to those who receive the Gospel ; the third, both to those who rooeive, and those who preach it. The kingdom of heaven ie like treawre hid in a field— The king, dom of God within us is a treasure indeed, but a treasure hid from the world, and from the most wise and prudent in it. He that finds this tree- sure, (perhaps when he thought it &r Kom him,) hides it deep in his heart, and gives iip|dl other happiness tor it.
45. The kingdom of heaten — ^That is, one who earnestly seeks for it: in the 47th verse it means, the Grospel preached, which is like a net gatherinr of every kind : just so the Gospel, wherever it is preached, gathers at first both good and bad, who are for a season full of approbation and warm with good desires. But Christian discipline, and strong, close exhortation, begin that separation in this world, which shall be accomplished by the angels of God m the worid to come.
53. Every weribe instructed unto the kmgdam of heavenr—TlaX is, every duly fcvpsfed piwoher of the Gospel has a trwuraio of Divine knowledge, oat of
CHAPTER XIV, 51
kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who bringeth out of his treasure things new and old.
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed
54 thence : * And coming into his own country, he taught them in their 83magogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Whence
55 hath HE this wisdom and these mighty works 7 Is hot this the carpenter's son ? Is not his mother called Mary ? And his bre- thren James and Joses and Simon and Jude ? And his sisters, are
56 they not all with us ? Whence then hath HE all these things ? fAnd
57 they were ofiendod at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honour save in his own country, and in his own house.
58 And he wrought not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
XIV. i At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
2 And said to his servants. This is John the Baptist : he is risen from the dead, and therefore these mighty powers exert themselves
3 in him. ^ For Herod having apprehended John, had bound and put him in prison, for Herodias's sake, his brother Philip's wife.
4 For John had said to him. It is not lawful for thee to have her.
5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude,
6 because they accounted him a prophet. But when Herod's birth- day was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and
^which he is able to brintt forth all iorts of initructions. The word treaattre •ignifies anj collection of things whataoever, and the places where such coUec- tions are kept.
53. He departed thence — He oroaaed the lake from Capernaum: and came once more into hia own country — Naxaretk : but with no better luoceaa than he had had there before.
54. Whence hath HE — Manj texts are not understood, for want of knowing the proper emphasis ; and others are utterly misunderstood, by placing the em- phasis wrong. To prevent this in some measure, the emphatical words are herd printed in capital letters.
55. The earpenter*§ tan — The Greek word means, one that works either in wood, iron, or stone. His brethren — Our kinsmen. Thej were the sons of Mary« sister to the virgin, and wife of Cloophas or Alpheus. James — Styled by St. Paul also, the Lortfa brother ^ Gal. i, 19. Simon — Snmamed the Canaanite.
57. They were offended at Atm-— They looked on him as a mean, ignoble man, not worthy to be regarded. •
58 He wrought not many mighty works, because of their ufibelief-^And the reason why many mighty works are not wrought now, is not, that the fiiith is not every where planted ; but, that unbelief every where prevails.
XIV. 1. At that time — ^When our Lord had spent about a year in his public ministnr. Tetrarch — King of a fourth part of hu father's dominions.
fi. He is risen from the dead — Herod was a Sadducee : and the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead. But Saddnceeism staggers when conscience awakes.
3. His brother Philips s wife — ^Who was still alive.
4. It is not lawful Jor thee to huoe her — It was not lawful indeed for either of them to have her. For her father Aristobulus was their own brother. John's words were rough, like his raiment. He would not break the force of truth by using sofl words, even to a king.
5. He would have put him to death — ^In his fit of passion ; but he was then resirained by fear of the multitude ; and afterward by the reverence he bore him
6. The daughter of Herodiao^^Afiorwnrd infkmous for a life suitable to this beginning.
•Maikvi,!; Liiksiv,16,a3. tJohniv,44; Lnksix,7. ||Ciikvi*li.
17.
ta ST. MATTHEW.
7 pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath, to give
8 her whatever she should ask. And she, being before instructed by her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist's head in a
9 chsurger. And the king was sorry ; yet for the oath's sake, and them who sat with him at table, he conmianded it to be given her.
10, 11. And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel, and she carried
12 it to her mother. And his disciples came and took up the body,
13 and buried it, and went and told Jesus. *And Jesus hearing tt, withdrew thence by ship into a desert place apart: but when the people heard thereof^ they followed him by land out of the cities.
14 And coming forth he saw a great multitude, and was moved
15 with tender compassion for them, arid healed their sick, f And in the evening his disciples came to, him, saying. This is a desert place, and the time is now past : send the multitude away, that
16 going into the villages, they may buy themselves victuals. But
17 Jesus said to them. They need not go: give ye them to eat. They
18 say to him. We have here but five loaves and two fishes. He
19 said. Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass ; and taking the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven he blessed and brake, and gave the
20 loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they all ate and were satisfied : and they took up of the fragments
21 that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were
22 about five thousand, beside women and children. | And he con- strained his disciples to go straightway into the vessel, and go
23 before him to the other side till he sent the multitude away. And having sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart
24 to pray. And in the evening he was there alone ; but the vessel was now in the midst of the sea, tossed by the waves ; for the
8. Being before instructed by her mother — Both as to the matter and maoDer of her petition : She said. Give me here — Fearing if he had time to coniider, he would not do it : John the BaptieVa head in a charger — ^A large dish or bowl.
9. And the king was wrry — Knowing that John was a good man. Yet for the oath^a aake — So he murdered an innocent man from mere tenderness of conscience.
10. And he tent and beheaded John in the prison, and his head u>as given !• the damsel — How mysterious is the providence, which left the life of so holy « roan in such infamous hands ! which permitted it to be sacrificed to the malice of an abandoned harlot, the potulancy of a vain girl, and the rashness of a fool- ish, perhaps drunken prince, who made a prophet's head the reward of a dance ! But we are sure the Almighty will repay his servants in another world for what- ever they sufier in this.
13. Jesus withdrew into a desert place — 1. To avoid Herod: 3. Because of the multitude pressing upon him, Mark vi, 32 : and 3. To talk with his dis. ciples, newly returned from their progress, Luke iz, 10 : apart^-Fram all but his disciples.
15. The time is now past — The usual meal time.
92. He constrained his disciples — Who were unwilling to leave him.
24. In the evening — Learned men say the Jews reckoned two evenings ; the first beginning at three in the afternoon, the second, at sunset. If so, the latter is meant here.
* lUikvi»«i»Mi Luke ix, 10; John vi,L tMaikTi,35; Loksiz, 12; Johavi, 15.
tM«kfi,45;M»n,15.
CHAPTER XV 53
25 wind was contrary. Iq the fourth watch of the night he went to
26 them, walking on the sea. And the disciples seeing him walking on the sea, were affrighted, saying, It is an apparition : and they
27 cried out for fear. But Jesus immediately spake to them, saying,
28 Take courage : it is I : be not afraid. And Peter answering, said,
29 Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on the waters. And he said. Come. And Peter going down from the vessel, walked on
30 ^ waters, to go to Jesus. But seeing the wind boisterous, he
31 was afraid ; and beginning to sink, he cried, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus reaching forth his hand, caught him, and saith
32 to him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And
33 when they w^re come into the vessel, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the vessel came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
34 And having crossed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35 *And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into the country round about, and brought to him all that
36 were diseased ; And besought him that they might touch but the hem of his garment : and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
XV. tThen came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees who were at
2 Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders ? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answering said. Why do ye also transgress the command-
4 ment of Grod through your tradition ? For God said, | Honour thy father and mother : and he that revileth father or mother, let him
5 die the death. But ye say. Whosoever shall say to his father or mother. It is vl gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been pro-
6 fited by me : He shall in nowise honour his father or hi.s mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God through
7 your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you,
8 saying, ^ This people draweth nigh to me with their lips ; but
25. 7^e fourth watch — The Jewi (as well as the Romans) usaally divided the night into foar watches, of three hours each. The first watch began at six, the Mcond at nine, the third at twelve, the fourth at three in the momuig. If it be thou — ^It is the same as, Since it is thou. The particle if frequently bears this meaning, both in ours and in all languages. So it means, John ziii, 14 and 17. St. Peter was in no doubt, or he would not have quitted the ship.
30. He was afraid — ^Though he had been used to the sea, and was a skilful swimmer. But so it frequently is. When grace begins to act, the natural ecu. rage and strength are withdrawn.
33. Thou art the Son cf God — They mean, the Messiah. nXV. 2. The eldere — ^The chief doctors or teachers among the Jews.
3. They wash not their hands when they eat bread — Food in general is termed bread in Hebrew ; so that to eat bread is the same as to make a meal.
4. Honour thy father and mother — Which implies all such relief as they stand in need of.
5. It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me — ^That is, I have given, or at least, purpose to give to the treasury of the temple, what you might otherwise have had from me.
7. Well did Isaiah prophesy of you^ saying — That is, the description which Isaiah gave of your fathers, is exactly applicable to you. The woras therefore which were a description of them, are a prophecy with regard to you.
*Maikvi,45 fMarkvii,!. t Ezod. xx, 12 ; zzi, 17. f Isaiah xxix, 11.
M ST. MATTHEW.
9 their heart is far from me. But in vain dfi they worship me
10 teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And calling the multitude unto him, he said to them, Hear and understand.
11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but what
12 cometh out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came his disciples and said to him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees,
13 hearing this saying, were offended? He answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted
14 up. * Let them alone ; they are blind leaders of the blind : but
15 if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch. Then
16 answered Peter and said to him. Declare to us this parable. And
17 Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do ye not yet understand, that whatever entereth into the mouth, goeth into
18 the belly, and is cast out into the vault ? But the things which pro- ceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the
19 man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adul-
20 teries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings. These are the things which defile a man ; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
21 t And Jesus going thence, retired to the coast of Tyre and Si-
22 don. And behold, a woman of Canaan, coming out of those coasts, cried to him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of
23 David : my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought
24 him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth afler us. But he an- swering said, 1 am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of
25 Israel. Then she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help
26 me. But he answering said, It is not good to take Uie children's
27 bread and cast it to the dogs. And she said, True, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.
28 And Jesus answering said to her, O woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
8. Their heart it far from me — And without this all outward worship is mere mockery of God.
9. Teaching the eommandmente of men — Ab equal with, nay, superior to, those uf God. What can be a more heinous sin ? •
13. Every plant — ^That is, every doctrine.
14. Let them alone — If they are indeed blind leadere of the blind; let them alone : concern not yourselves about them : a plain direction how to behave with regard to all such.
17. Are ye aleo yet without underetanding — ^How fair and candid are the sacred historians 7 Never concealing or excusing their own blemishes.
19. First evil thought* — then murdero — and the rest. Railing* — ^The Greek word includes all reviling, backbiting, and evil speaking.
22. A woman of Canaan — Canaan was also called Syrophenioia, as lying be. tween Svria properly so called, and Phenicia, by the sea side. Cried to htm — From afar, Thou Son of David — So she had some knowledge of the promised Messiah.
23. He answered her not a word — ^Ho sometimes tries our faith in like manner. 94. / am not sent — ^Not primarily ; not yet.
25. Then came «Ae— Into the house where he now was.
38. Thy faitkr^Tby reliance on the power and goodneat of God.
«LakeYi,30. tHaikTii,24.
CHAPTER XVI. M
39 * And Jesus passing thence, came nigfa the sea of Galilee ; and
30 going up into a mountain, he sat down there. And great multi- tudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, dis* abled, and many others ; and cast them at the feet of Jesus, and
31 he healed them : So that the multitudes wondered, seeing the dumb to speak, the disabled whole, the lame to walk, and the blind
32 to see : and they glorified the God of Israel, f Then Jesus calling his disciples to him said, I have tender compassion on the multi- tude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat : and I am not willing to send them away fasting,
33 lest they faint in the way. And his disciples said to him. Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness, as to satisfy so
34 great a multitude ? And Jesus saith to them. How many loaves
35 have you ? They said. Seven, and a few small fishes. And he
36 commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves and the fishes, he gave thanks and brake them
37 and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they all ate and were satisfied, and they took up of the fragments
38 that remained seven baskets full. And they that had eaten were four thousand men, beside women and children.
39 And having sent away the multitude, he took ship again, and came into the coasts of Magdala.
XVI. X Then the Pharisees