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 ■^OtOGICAL  StWi^^ 
 
 2575 
 
THE 
 
 GOSPEL  OF   S.  MATTHEW, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 (CHIEFLY  IN  THE  DOCTRINAL  AND  MORAL  SENSE) 
 
 Ancient  anti  JHotiern  ^xiti)or0. 
 
 / 
 
 v/ 
 THE    REV.    JAMES    FORD,  M.A., 
 
 PREBENDARY  OF  EXETER  CATHEDRAL. 
 
 Ztconti  Haition. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 JOSEPH  MASTERS,  ALDERSGATE  STREET, 
 
 AND  NEW  BOND  STREET. 
 
 oxford:    J.    H.    PARKER.       CAMBRIDGE:    MACMILLAN    AND    CO. 
 
 1859. 
 
LOKDON : 
 PEINI'ED  BY  JOSEPH  MASTERS  AND  CO. 
 AXDERSGATE   STREET. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The  Author,  at  an  early  period  of  his  Ministry,  was 
 accustomed  to  send  daily  to  a  sick  friend  a  few  words 
 of  spiritual  comfort  or  admonition,  in  the  shape  of  an 
 extract  from  some  approved  Theological  writer.  He 
 thus  formed  the  habit  of  transcribing  passages,  as  they 
 struck  him  in  the  course  of  his  reading ;  a  practice, 
 which  he  afterwards  continued  for  his  own  edification. 
 Subsequently,  it  occurred  to  him  that  his  selections 
 might  furnish  the  means  of  illustrating  and  enforcing 
 particular  texts  of  Scripture.  He  therefore  transferred 
 them  to  an  interleaved  New  Testament,  adapting 
 them,  as  he  went  on,  and,  in  order  to  fill  up  the  many 
 unavoidably  vacant  spaces,  borrowing  from  different 
 Commentators ;  until  the  gradual  accumulations  of 
 many  years  at  length  assumed  the  form  of  a  Collecta 
 on  the  Sacred  Volume. 
 
 These  facts  are  mentioned,  solely  with  the  view  of 
 accounting  for  the  irregular  and  motley  character  of 
 
IV  PREFACE. 
 
 annotations,  thus  thrown  together,  from  time  to  time, 
 without  any  definite  plan  of  Scripture  interpretation. 
 Let  not,  however,  this  circumstance,  nor  the  wide 
 range  of  the  quotations,  nor  the  novel  cast  of  the  work 
 altogether,  raise  any  apprehension  of  latitudinarian 
 error,  as  likely  to  spring,  more  or  less,  from  the  freedom 
 and  indulgence,  which  the  Author  has  allowed  himself. 
 In  submitting  these  Notes  to  the  Public,  he  rather 
 hopes  that,  should  they  fail  to  serve,  as  helps  in  illus- 
 trating Scripture,  they  may,  at  least,  bring  the  reader 
 into  a  nearer  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  safest  and 
 best  authorities,  we  have,  in  matters  of  faith  and  prac- 
 tice, discipline  and  worship.  If  he  has  ventured,  how- 
 ever imperfectly,  to  work  on  the  plan  and  model, 
 suggested  by  Vincent  of  Lerins,  the  caution,  given  by 
 that  most  judicious  writer,  has  not  been  lost  sight  of : 
 "0!  Timothee,  0!  Sacerdos,  01  Tractator,  0  !  Doctor, 
 si  te  Divinum  munus  idoneum  fecerit,  ingenio,  exerci- 
 tatione,  doctrind,  esto  spiritualis  Tabernaculi  Beseleel 
 (Exod.  xxxi.  1 — 6) :  pretiosas  Divini  dogmatis  gem- 
 mas  exculpe,  Jideliter  coapta,  adorna  sapienter,  adjice 
 splendor  em,  gratiam,  venustatem.  Eadem  tamen,  qucB 
 didicisti,  ita  doce,  ut  cum  dicas  nove,  nan  dicas  nova.*'* 
 '*  Take  care  so  to  teach,  what  you  have  yourself 
 learned,  that,  when  you  express  yourself  after  a 
 new  mode,  you  deliver  nothing  new  in  doctrine."  He 
 has,  indeed,  remembered  a  still  higher  obligation, 
 and  well  considered  a  far  more  grave  responsibility — 
 his  own  Ordination  vow,  which  solemnly  binds  the 
 Priest  "  always  so  to  minister  the  Doctrine  and  Sa- 
 
 *  Vincent.  Lirinens.  Commonit.  c.  xxvii. 
 
PREFACE.  V 
 
 craments,  and  the  Discipline  of  Christ,  as  the  Lord 
 hath  commanded,  and  as  this  Church  and  Realm  hath 
 received  the  same.^'* 
 
 Supposing  then  a  work  of  this  original  stamp  to  be 
 free  from  those  serious  objections,  which,  perhaps, 
 primd  facie,  might  be  raised  against  it,  the  Author 
 would  submit ;  whether  the  variety  of  extracts,  drawn 
 from  so  many  different  sources,  may  not  have  some 
 peculiar  advantages  ?  It  prevents  sameness  of  thought 
 and  style ;  it  restrains  a  too  fond  indulgence  in  some 
 favourite  private  opinions,  on  which  an  undue  stress 
 might  otherwise  be  laid,  to  the  disparagement,  if  not 
 exclusion,  of  other  topics,  possessing  an  equal,  it  may 
 be,  a  greater  claim  on  our  consideration.  It  seems, 
 moreover,  to  offer  that  degree  of  interest  and  even  ex- 
 citement to  the  reader's  attention,  which  is  safe  and 
 allowable  in  works  of  a  religious  nature  ;  and  for  the 
 want  of  which,  perhaps,  many  excellent  existing  Com- 
 mentaries are  not  so  generally  valued,  as  they  deserve 
 to  be. 
 
 It  is  with  a  view  to  these  advantages,  that  the  Au- 
 thor has  purposely  introduced  the  remarks  of  Chris- 
 tians, belonging  to  different  ages,  and  to  different 
 sections  of  the  Church.  Hence,  selections  have  been 
 made  from  Christian  poets.  Hence,  not  even  the  aid 
 of  heathen  philosophers  has  been  refused.  Seneca's 
 rule  (Ep.  16),  Quicquid  bene  dictum  est  ah  ullo,  meum 
 est,  has  been  adopted,  with  the  sanction  of  S.  Ambrose 
 (in  1  Cor.  xii.  3).  Quicquid  verum  a  quocunque  dicitur, 
 a  Spiritu  Sancto  dicitur.    With  the  same  object  before 
 
 *  See  "  The  Form  aad  Manner  of  Ordering  of  Priests."    Book  of  Com.  Prayer. 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 him,  the  Author  has  decUned  to  borrow  from  our  best 
 known  and  established  Commentators,  and  has  endea- 
 voured to  infuse  some  fresh  variety  into  his  Notes  by 
 applying  to  sources  comparatively  less  familiar  among 
 us.  He  has  turned  aside,  for  instance,  from  Pole,  M. 
 Henry,  and  Bp.  Hall's  Contemplations — with  pain 
 truly  to  himself  in  so  doing — and  has  consulted  S. 
 Chrysostom,  Clarius,  Bengel,  and  the  Meditations  of 
 Mr.  Austin,*  as  remodelled  and  improved  by  our  ex- 
 cellent James  Bonnell.  Lastly,  he  has  appended  to 
 the  Notes  an  original  selection  of  Scripture  references ; 
 hoping  by  this  means  to  draw  back  continually  the 
 reader's  attention  to  the  Word  of  God,  as  the  Sovereign 
 and  paramount  authority,  the  only  fountain  of  infallible 
 truth. 
 
 The  ancient  Fathers  of  the  Church  present  great 
 variety  in  their  several  methods  of  treating  the  Sacred 
 Volume  ;  while,  as  to  all  necessary  doctrines  of  Salva- 
 tion, they  unite  together  in  one  harmonious  testimony. 
 Thus,  to  use  the  words  of  a  competent  witness,! 
 brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Abp.  Whitgift;  "After 
 these,"  (that  is,  the  Apostolical  Fathers,)  "  succeeded 
 other  Doctors,  as  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light 
 
 *  This  very  valuable  work  is  entitled 
 "  The  Harmony  of  the  Holy  Gospels 
 digested  into  one  History,  according 
 to  the  order  of  time,  divided  into  315 
 Lessons,  with  suitable  Meditations  and 
 Prayers,  subjoined  to  each  Lesson." 
 The  Author,  Mr.  Austin,  was  a  pious 
 Roman  Catholic.  Archdeacon  Hamil- 
 ton, the  Biographer  of  Bonnell,  pub- 
 lished the  Reformed  Edition  of  it  from 
 
 his  posthumous  papers,  giving  a  more 
 particular  account  of  the  work  in  a 
 Preface.  It  is  unhappily  now  scarce 
 and  rarely  met  with.  Edit.  London. 
 1705. 
 
 t  JohnBd^s,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Canter- 
 bury. Exposition  of  the  Dominical 
 Epistles  and  Gospels.  Epistle,  2nd 
 Sunday  in  Lent. 
 
PREFACE.  Vll 
 
 of  the  world ;  whereof  some  construed  the  Scripture 
 literally,  as  Jerome ;  other,  allegorically,  as  Origen ; 
 other,  morally,  as  Gregory  the  Great ;  other,  patheti- 
 cally, as  Chrysostom  ;  other,  dogmatically,  as  Augus- 
 tine :  all  of  them,  as  worthy  Melanchthon*  is  bold  to 
 deliver,  in  the  main  Articles  of  religion,  Apostolically." 
 In  borrowing,  however,  from  the  writings  of  the  Fa- 
 thers, the  Author  has  not  been  led  away  by  a  blind  and 
 passive  veneration  for  their  individual  opinions,  how- 
 ever disposed  he  is  to  place  the  fullest  reliance  on  their 
 aggregate  evidence,  whether  in  their  narration  of  Eccle- 
 siastical facts,  or  in  their  deduction  from  Scripture  of 
 the  vital  truths  of  Salvation.  He  has  exercised  his  own 
 judgment,  as  to  the  propriety  of  adopting  many  of 
 their  remarks.  He  cannot  but  consider  their  use  of  the 
 Allegorical  interpretation  of  Scripture  to  be  sometimes 
 overstrained  ;  particularly  when  they  enter  into  such  de- 
 tails, as  render  their  comments  unworthy  of  their  own 
 great  names,  and  beneath  the  soberness  and  grandeur 
 of  Divine  Truth. f  A  difficult  thing  no  doubt  it  is,  one 
 requiring  great  wisdom  and  experience,  to  know  exactly, 
 where  to  fix  the  limit  between  the  literal  and  figurative 
 sense  of  Scripture,  and,  especially,  to  keep  the  latter 
 within  proper  bounds  :  for  too  rigid  an  adherence  to 
 the  literal  meaning  may  sometimes  amount  to  a  taking 
 away  from  the  Word  of  God  ;  whereas  too  great  free- 
 dom in  the  figurative  interpretation  may  expose  us  to 
 the  danger  of  adding  to  it.   (Deut.  iv.  2 ;  Rev,  xxii. 
 
 *  Enar.   Symbol.   Nicen.      Tom.  i. 
 fol.  393. 
 
 t  See  Life  of  Bp.  Taylor,   prefixed 
 
 to  Bp.  Heber's  Edition  of  bis  Works  ; 
 p.  160,  161.     Edit.  1822. 
 
Vlll  PREFACE. 
 
 18,  19.)  Both  extremes  then  must  be  avoided  ;  that, 
 for  instance,  of  Bp.  Pearce,  who,  by  restricting  to  a 
 literal  sense  the  words  of  our  Lord  to  Martha,  "  One 
 thing  is  needful,"  as  if  they  appUed  only  to  a  single 
 dish,  in  contradistinction  from  her  much  serving,  came 
 short  of  the  true  spiritual  meaning  of  that  Divine 
 aphorism.*  This  comment,  however  countenanced  by 
 some  of  the  early  Fathers,  seems  to  be  a  taking  away 
 from  the  Word  of  God  ;  most  unintentionally,  it  need 
 scarcely  be  added,  on  the  part  of  the  worthy  Bishop. 
 On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  still  greater  danger  of 
 adding  to  the  Word  of  God  by  an  extreme  indulgence 
 in  metaphor.  Take  the  example  of  the  famous  Abp. 
 of  Seville,  who  extracted  by  this  means  from  the 
 Levitical  Law  a  positive  evidence,  decisive  of  the  vali- 
 dity of  what  is  termed  a  death-bed  repentance.  These 
 are  his  words  :  f  "  Nullus  desperare  debet  veniam,  etiam 
 si  circa  finem  vitse  convertatur  ad  pcenitentiam.  Unum- 
 quemque  enim  Deus  de  suo  fine,  non  de  vita  prseterita, 
 judicat.  Hoc  quippe  et  Legis  testimonio  edocetur ; 
 quod  homo  de  suo  extremo  justificatur,  quando  Deus 
 pro  asini  primogenito  ovem  jussit  offerri ;  hoc  est, 
 immunditiam  vitee  prioris  mutandam  in  innocentiam 
 boni  finis.  (Ex.  xiii.  13.)  Unde  et  cauda '^uhetur  of- 
 ferri in  hostiam,  id  est,  vitae  extremae  in  pcenitentiam." 
 It  is  just  to  observe,  that  the  allegorical  use  of  Scrip- 
 ture is  chiefly  employed  by  the  Fathers  in  illustrating 
 acknowledged  truths,  and  so  far  it  is  harmless;  but  the 
 
 *  See  his  Commentary  with  Notes 
 on  the  four  Gospels  and  Acts  of  the 
 Apostles. 
 
 t  Isidori  Seatentiarum  Lib.  ii.  c.  14 ; 
 De  desperatione  peccantium.  (Edit. 
 Colonise,  1617.) 
 
PREFACE.  IX 
 
 effect  must  be  extremely  injurious,  when  it  is  applied, 
 as  in  the  instance  before  us,  to  such  subjects  as  are 
 *'  best  left  in  the  merciful  obscurity,  with  which  Scrip- 
 ture has  enveloped  them." 
 
 Difficult  then,  as  it  may  be,  in  particular  instances 
 to  adjust  the  comparative  claims  of  the  literal  and  the 
 figurative  interpretation,  and  to  shun  the  dangers,  inci- 
 dent to  each,  we  shall  do  well,  especially  in  cases  of 
 doubt,  to  bear  in  mind  that,  as  a  general  rule,  the 
 literal  sense  has  the  precedence.  Lord  Bacon  calls 
 this,  "the  main  stream,  or  river."  "I  hold  it,"* 
 writes  the  judicious  Hooker,  "  for  a  most  infallible 
 rule,  in  expositions  of  Sacred  Scripture,  that,  when  a 
 literal  construction  will  stand,  the  farthest  from  the 
 letter  is  commonly  the  worst.  There  is  nothing  more 
 dangerous,  than  this  licentious  and  deluding  art,  which 
 changeth  the  meaning  of  words,  as  alchemy  doth,  or 
 would  do,  the  substance  of  metals,  making  of  anything, 
 what  it  listeth,  and  bringing  in  the  end  all  things  to 
 nothing."  There  is  no  such  fatal  easiness  of  perver- 
 sion, attending  the  literal  signification.  "  It  is  a  prin- 
 ciple with  me,"  says  Bp.  Horsley,  "  that  the  true  sense 
 of  any  phrase  in  the  New  Testament  is,  for  the  most 
 part,  what  we  may  call  a  standing  sense  ;  that,  which 
 will  be  the  first  to  occur  to  common  people  of  every 
 country  and  in  every  age."  Not  however  to  prolong 
 this  dissertation,  the  Author  would  simply  state,  that, 
 while  he  has  endeavoured  to  shun  the  two  extremes, 
 before  pointed  out,  he  has  been  chiefly  guided  by  the 
 Literal  and  Moral  sense  of  Scripture,  as  being  confes- 
 
 *  Eccl.  Pol.     B.  V.  §  59. 
 
X  PREFACE. 
 
 sedly  of  the  first  necessity  and  importance,  in  its  con- 
 stant bearing  on  our  daily  conduct  and  our  Eternal 
 Salvation. 
 
 But  here  he  would,  once  for  all,  disclaim  every 
 pretension  of  bringing  any  accession  of  light  to  the 
 Divine  Revelation.  The  Word  of  the  Lord  needs  not 
 the  help  of  man's  feeble  brain.  It  is  itself  "  the 
 Sovran  vital  lamp  ;"  the  great  "  Light-bearer"  {poio-TYig. 
 Gen.  i.  4;  Conf.  Ps.  xix.  4 — 11).  Sol  non  quarit  lu- 
 cernas.  The  sun  needs  not  our  candles.*  It  is  only  our 
 spiritual  dimness,  it  is  only  our  blindness  of  heart, 
 which  calls  for  aid.  In  this  sense,  and  by  the  gracious 
 institution  of  the  Apostolic  Ministry,  man  has  been 
 permitted  to  assist  his  fellow- sinner,  and  thus  to 
 "  work  together  with  God,"  in  "  purging  the  visual 
 nerve  " — in  even  opening  the  eye  itself  to  see.  God,  it 
 is  quite  true,  has  given  His  Gospel ;  but  this  Gospel 
 must  be  preached.  God  has  "  shewed  us  light ;"  but 
 this  light  must  be  placed  on  the  candlestick  of  the 
 Church.  It  is  by  these  mighty  instrumental  helps  to 
 human  infirmity  that  the  truth  enters  into  our  hearts, 
 when  by  the  grace  of  God  they  are  made  fit  to  receive 
 it.  Working  by  such  means,  "  the  Holy  Ghost,"  to 
 use  the  words  of  S.  Chrysostom,t  "inspires  the  trua 
 meaning  unto  them,  that  with  humility  and  diligence 
 do  search  for  it ;"  unto  them,  that  is,  who  hear,  or 
 read  God's  Holy  Word,  with  a  suitable  preparation  of 
 mind,  with  an  entire  self-distrust,  as  to  themselves, 
 with  a  full  purpose  of  mind  to  do,  as  tliey  are  taught, 
 
 *  See  S.  Augustine.    Horn,  xxxiv.    I       f  Homily  on    Reading   the    Scrip- 
 lu  Joan.  viii.  13,  14.  1    tures.     P.  2. 
 
PREFACE.  XI 
 
 with  "  hunger  and  thirst "  for  all  the  inestimable 
 blessings,  here  placed  within  their  reach. 
 
 To  the  humble  and  diligent,  then,  these  Notes 
 are  now  submitted;  and,  more  particularly,  they  are 
 commended  to  persons,  advancing  towards  manhood, 
 in  the  well-educated  classes  of  society.  May  the  re- 
 cently Confirmed,  may  the  young  Communicant,  may 
 the  unstable  member  of  the  Church,  may  the  ardent, 
 though  inexperienced  soldier  of  the  Cross,  hence  de- 
 rive some  wisdom,  strength,  and  encouragement ;  lest 
 sin  should  allure  them,  lest  heresy,  rationahsm,  or 
 infidelity  should  succeed  in  arguing  them,  from  their 
 better  principles,  from  "  the  Guide  of  their  youth,  and 
 from  the  Covenant  of  their  God." 
 
 And  may  not  short  comprehensive  extracts  of  this 
 kind  help  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  at  family 
 prayer,  when,  it  seems,  lengthened  expositions  should 
 be  avoided  ?  May  they  not  supply  edifying  thoughts 
 on  the  Gospel  for  the  week,  throughout  "  the  Christian 
 year?"  Or,  may  the  Author  venture  to  look  higher, 
 and  to  "  put  a  word  into  the  mouth  "  of  his  younger 
 brethren  in  the  Ministry,  by  furnishing  them  with 
 some  new  argument,  some  happy  turn  of  thought,  or 
 expression  ;  above  all,  with  some  sound  proof  of  doc- 
 trine, derived  from  the  authorities  of  the  early  Church, 
 or  from  the  scarcely  less  revered  Masters  of  our  own 
 beloved  Israel  ? 
 
 A  well-timed  introduction  of  judicious  citations  into 
 sermons  is  a  practice,  sanctioned  by  the  Homilies  of 
 the  Church.  It  revives,  sustains,  and  refreshes  the 
 attention,    which    might   otherwise    flag;    while    the 
 
Xll 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 truths,  thus  enforced,  more  readily  both  command  the 
 assent  and  dwell  in  the  recollection.  We  are  re- 
 minded indeed  of  those  acceptable  words,  which  the 
 wise  preacher  sought  out,  the  many  proverbs,  which  he 
 set  in  order.  These  are  justly  compared  to  goads  and 
 nails;  (Eccl.  xii.  9 — 11)  goads,  during  the  act  of 
 heating  ;  nails  in  the  memory  and  conscience  after- 
 wards, when  we  are  again  exposed  to  the  cares  and 
 temptations  of  life.  It  may  be,  that  our  sermons, 
 though  preached  "  by  the  Masters  of  assemblies,"  and 
 in  other  respects  excellent,  may,  humanly  speaking, 
 sometimes  fall  short  of  their  full  effect,  for  the  lack  of 
 some  such  seasonable  relief  and  stimulants  to  the 
 attention.* 
 
 The  old  Divines  of  our  Church,  men  by  no  means 
 fond  of  their  own  notions,  drew  largely  from  the  trea- 
 sures of  Antiquity.  Their  "  garners  were  full  and 
 plenteous  with  all  manner "  of  this  Sacred  store. 
 Thus  they  entered  into  the  labours  of  their  predeces- 
 sors ;  and  hence  arose  that  copia  fandi,  that  vivida  vis, 
 that  freshness  and  delightful  interchange  of  thought 
 and  style,  which  pervades  those  venerable  folios,  be- 
 queathed by  them,  in  their  turn,  to  us,  their  succes- 
 
 *  '*  How  great  and  how  acceptable  a 
 part  of  wit  that  is,  which  has  the  ad- 
 vantage to  be  expressed  by  apt  simili- 
 tudes, every  man's  own  experience,  if 
 he  please  to  consult  it,  may  in  some 
 measure  inform  him.  And  certainly 
 there  is  no  one  part  of  wit,  that  is  so 
 generally  applicable  to  all  kinds  of 
 persons  :  for  good  comparisons  serve 
 equally  to  illustrate  and  to  persuade. 
 
 The  greatest  wits  disdain  them  not ; 
 and  even  ordinary  wits  are  capable  to 
 understand  them  and  to  be  affected  by 
 them.  And,  if  a  sermon  or  a  long 
 discourse  be  enriched  with  one  apt 
 comparison,  what  part  soever  else  be 
 forgotten,  thai  will  sure  to  be  remem- 
 bered, &c." — The  Hon.  Robert  Boyle. 
 (Occasional  Reflections  upon  several 
 subjects,  s.  ii.  ch.  4.) 
 
PREFACE.  Xll 
 
 sors  ; — and  not  to  us  only ;  for  we  trust  that  this  pre- 
 cious legacy  will  abide  in  the  Church,  for  the  study 
 and  the  imitation  of  its  Reverend  pastors,  to  the  end 
 of  time. 
 
 It  was  to  these  men  and  to  their  invaluable  pro- 
 ductions, that  Lord  Bacon  pointed,  when  he  would 
 describe  the  best  means,  in  his  judgment,  of  attaining 
 to  the  most  perfect  elucidation  of  Scripture.  His 
 words  are  remarkable  •*  "  What  we  want  is  something 
 of  this  sort ;  I  mean,  a  concise,  orthodox,  and  judicious 
 collection  of  notes  and  observations  on  particular 
 texts  of  Scripture  ;  {neutiquam  in  locos  communes  ex- 
 currendo,  aut  controversias  persequendo,  aut  in  artis 
 methodum  eas  redigendo ;  sed  quce  plane  sparsce  sint, 
 et  nativ(B ;)  on  no  account  dilating  into  common 
 places,  nor  chasing  after  controversies,  nor  reducing 
 itself  into  some  artificial  system,  but  rather  such,  as 
 are  evidently  unconstrained,  and  natural."  He  illus- 
 trates what  he  means  in  this  beautiful  manner  :  "As 
 those  wines,  which  softly  flow  from  the  first  treading 
 of  the  grape,  are  more  sweet,  than  those,  which,  being 
 squeezed  out  by  the  press,  retain  the  rough  savour 
 of  the  stone  and  skin  ;  so  those  doctrines  are  sweetest 
 and  most  wholesome  {qucB  ex  Scripturis  leniter  ex- 
 pressis  emanant,)  which  flow  from  a  gentle  crush  of 
 the  Scriptures,  and  are  not  wrested  and  drawn  aside 
 to  controversy  and  common  place.  To  a  treatise  of 
 this  kind  we  will  give  the  name  of  the  Emanations,  or 
 first  flowings  of  the  Scriptures."     Afterwards  he  en- 
 
 *  De  augmentis  Scientiarum.      Lib.  ix.  s.  3.     Edit.  Dr.  Gilbert  Wats.     a.d. 
 1640, 
 
XIV  PREFACE. 
 
 larges  on  these  ideas,  and  proceeds  to  specify  the 
 ways  and  means  of  constructing  a  Commentary  on 
 these  principles.  "  I  am  persuaded,  (and  may  speak 
 it  with  an  absit  invidia  verbo,  and  no  ways  in  deroga- 
 tion of  Antiquity,  but  as  in  a  good  emulation  between 
 the  vine  and  olive,)  that,  if  the  choice  and  best  of 
 those  observations  upon  texts  of  Scripture,  which 
 have  been  made  dispersedly  in  sermons,  within  this 
 your  Majesty's  island  of  Britain,  by  the  space  of  these 
 forty  years  and  more,  leaving  out  the  largeness  of  ex- 
 hortations and  applications  thereupon,  had  been  set 
 down  in  a  continuance,  it  had  been  the  best  work  in 
 Divinity,  which  had  been  written  since  the  Apostles' 
 times." 
 
 It  is  indeed  strange  and  much  to  be  lamented,  that 
 this  suggestion  of  a  Master-mind,  this  dictum  of  "  the 
 great  Secretary  of  nature  and  of  all  learning,"*  on 
 a  subject  so  infinitely  important,  should  have  been 
 allowed  to  fall  to  the  ground  ;  at  a  period,  moreover, 
 when  there  existed  in  our  Church  a  host  of  pious  and 
 learned  men,  qualified  in  every  respect  to  give  the 
 fullest  effect  to  such  a  proposal.  For  that  period  has 
 been  considered  the  Golden  age  of  our  Church,  What 
 a  mine  of  solid  Divinity  was  then  laid  open  to  the 
 Commentator,  working  with  a  congenial  mind  on  this 
 plan  of  Lord  Bacon !  What  costly  and  beautiful 
 materials  were  here  ready  at  hand,  on  every  side,  for 
 this  oflfering  unto  the  Lord  !  What  a  constellation 
 then  shone  forth,  in  the  firmament  of  the  Church,  re- 
 flecting on  the  pages  of  Holy  Writ  the  light  of  the 
 
 *   See  Walton's  Life  of  Hooker. 
 
PREFACE.  XV 
 
 Sun  of  Righteousness  !  What  fruits  of  great  industry 
 and  practical  experience  were  then  ripened,  fit  to  be 
 laid  on  the  altar  of  Eternal  Truth,  "  to  the  praise  and 
 the  glory  of  God  !"  Yet,  although  the  labours  of 
 these  blessed  men  were  never  turned  to  this  good  ac- 
 count, as  forming  the  basis  of  a  continued  Scripture 
 Commentary,  vast  must  be  our  debt  of  gratitude  to 
 the  Lord,  who,  by  His  special  favour  and  grace, 
 raised  them  up  in  the  midst  of  us.  Surely,  this  fact 
 of  the  remarkable  life  and  vigour  of  our  Church,  in 
 giving  birth,  within  that  short  and  limited  period  of 
 time,  to  so  many  great  writers,  whom  she  taught  and 
 trained  up  under  her  system  of  Faith,  Worship,  and 
 Discipline,  and  so  rendered  both  the  ornaments  and 
 defenders  of  her  Communion,  should  confirm  our  re- 
 verence and  love  towards  her.  Surely,  the  due  re- 
 membrance of  these  mercies  of  God  should  help  in 
 arresting  the  hasty  steps  of  those  among  our  brethren, 
 who  fancy  that  they  can  find  elsewhere  "  a  more  ex- 
 cellent way."  Only  let  the  writings  and  the  temper 
 of  these  learned  and  holy  men — in  connexion  ever 
 with  the  one  great  source  of  saving  Truth,  the  Divine 
 Scriptures — be  more  studied  ;  and,  through  God's 
 blessing,  no  plea  will  be  left  for  distrust  of  our 
 Church,  and,  much  less,  for  defection  from  the  purity 
 of  her  doctrines,  or  for  the  desertion  of  her  Com- 
 munion, with  all  the  unnumbered  evils,  attendant  on 
 Separation,  to  others,  as  well  as  to  ourselves. 
 
 With  the  devout  prayer  and  wish  of  one  of  the  best 
 of  her  sons  the  Author  concludes,  venturing  to  make 
 the  words  his  own. 
 
XVI  PREFACE. 
 
 "  The  hord prosper  the  intention  to  myself  and  others , 
 who  may  not  despise  my  poor  labours,  hut  add  to  those 
 points,  ivhich  I  have  observed,  until  the  book  grow  to  a 
 complete  Pastoral."  George  Herbert.  (Preface  to  a 
 Priest  to  the  Temple.) 
 
THE    GOSPEL 
 ACCORDING   TO   S.    MATTHEW. 
 
 The  Spirit  of  God  acted  upon  the  minds  of  the  Sacred  writers  in 
 two  ways  :  that  of  Revelation,  iu  disclosing  to  thein  things,  of 
 which  they  could  have  no  knowledge  ;  and  that  of  superintend- 
 ence, in  respect  of  those  things,  with  which  the  writer  was  well 
 acquainted  from  trustworthy  sources  of  information :  in  these 
 they  were  effectually  secured  from  error  and  misrepresentation 
 by  the  superintendence  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  2  S.  Tim.  iii.  16  ; 
 2  S.  Pet.  i.  20, 21 ;  S.  Luke  i.  1—4.  5p.  Blomjield.  (Dissertation 
 on  the  Traditional  knowledge  of  the  Messiah.) 
 
 That,  which  all  men's  experience  teacheth  them,  may  not  in  any 
 ways  be  denied  :  and  by  experience  we  know  that  the  first  out- 
 ward motive  leading  men  to  esteem  the  Scriptures  (as  the 
 Oracle  of  God  Himself)  is  the  authority  of  God's  Church.  .  .  . 
 Afterwards,  the  more  we  bestow  our  labour  in  reading  or  hear- 
 ing the  mysteries  thereof,  the  more  we  find  that  the  thing  itself 
 doth  answer  our  received  opinion  concerning  it.  So  that  the 
 former  inducement  prevailing  with  us  somewhat  before,  doth  now 
 much  more  prevail,  when  the  very  thing  hath  ministered  further 
 reason.  S.  John  vii.  17 ;  viii.  31,  32  ;  Jer.  xv.  16  ;  S.  John  iv. 
 42  ;  1  Kings  x.  6—9.     Hooker.   (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  iii.  S.  8.) 
 
 What  mention  we  three  or  four  uses  of  the  Scripture,  whereas 
 whatsoever  is  to  be  believed,  or  practised,  or  hoped  for,  is  con- 
 tained in  them  ?  Or  three  or  four  sentences  of  the  Fathers, 
 since  whosoever  is  worthy  the  name  of  a  Pather,  from  Chbist's 
 time  downwards,  bath  likewise  written,  not  only  of  the  riches, 
 but  also  of  the  perfection  of  the  Scripture  ?  .  .  .  And  what  mar- 
 vel, the  original  thereof  being  from   heaven,  not  from  earth  ; 
 
 B 
 
2  S.  MATTHEW. 
 
 the  Author  being  GtOD,  and  not  man  ;  the  inditer  the  Holt 
 Ghost,  not  the  wit  of  the  Apostles,  or  Prophets ;  the  penmen — 
 such  as  were  sanctified  from  the  womb  and  endued  with  a  prin- 
 cipal portion  of  God's  Spirit ;  the  matter — verity,  piety,  purity, 
 uprightness;  the  form — Gob's  word,  God's  testimony,  God's 
 oracles,  the  Word  of  Truth,  the  Word  of  Salvation,  «fcc. ;  the 
 effects — light  of  understanding,  stableness  of  persuasion,  repent- 
 ance from  dead  works,  newness  of  life,  holiness,  peace,  joy  in 
 the  Holt  Ghost  :  lastly,  the  end  and  reward  of  the  study 
 thereof — fellowship  with  the  Saints,  participation  of  the  Hea- 
 venly nature,  fruition  of  an  inheritance  immortal,  and  unde- 
 filed,  and  that  shall  never  fade  away  ?  Happy  is  the  man,  that 
 delighteth  in  the  Scriptures  ;  and  thrice  happy,  that  meditateth 
 in  it  day  and  night.  Ps.  cxxxvii.  2 ;  1  Kings  x.  3 — 7.  Bp. 
 Smith.  (Preface  of  the  Translators  of  the  Authorized  Version  of 
 the  Bible.) 
 
 Let  us  never  multiply  examples,  or  testimonies  of  men  for  any 
 other  purpose,  than  to  be  able,  out  of  many  conflicting  opinions, 
 to  select  those,  which  are  most  iu  agreement  with  the  mind  of 
 our  Lord  and  Master  ....  We  have  stores  of  sound  learning, — 
 the  accumulated  wisdom  of  ages  ;  we  can  trace  the  thoughts  and 
 interpretations  of  the  holiest  men  through  every  age  of  the 
 Church  :  we  will  fetter  ourselves  to  no  party,  to  no  age,  to  no  pre- 
 judice ;  but  wherever  we  find  Holiness,  there  we  will  expect  to 
 find  also  Light ;  and  if  we  discern  at  every  point  the  footsteps  of 
 a  Cranmer,  or  a  Parker,  who  has  gone  before,  and  see  that  the 
 sense  of  Scripture  was  traced  by  those  patient  seekers  of  Truth 
 through  the  mind  of  every  faithful  and  pious  Commentator  in 
 all  ages  of  the  Church,  and  then  embodied  by  them  in  their 
 statements  of  Doctrine,  as  that  interpretation  of  the  Word  of 
 God,  which  had  been  received  "  always,  in  all  places,  and  by 
 all  men;"  we  will  accept  their  judgment,  rather  than  our  own  ; 
 because  no  one  can  set  up  his  own  opinion  against  such  a  "  cloud 
 of  witnesses,"  without  assuming  to  be  wiser  and  more  pious, 
 than  the  whole  Christian  world.  Job  viii.  8 — 10 ;  Acts  viii.  30 — 
 35.  Bp.  Selwyn.  (Charge  to  the  Clergy  of  New  Zealand,  1847.) 
 
 Now  Matthew  among  the  Hebrews  published  a  written  Gospel  in 
 their  own  language,  while  Peter  and  Paul  were  preaching  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW.  S 
 
 founding  the  Church  at  Rome.  After  their  departure,  (mean- 
 ing, probably,  out  of  this  life,)  Mark  himself,  the  disciple  and 
 interpreter  of  Peter,  also  delivered  to  us  in  writing  what  had 
 been  preached  by  Peter ;  and  Luke,  the  follower  of  Paul,  re- 
 corded in  a  book  the  Gospel  preached  by  him.  Afterwards 
 John  the  disciple  of  the  Loed,  who  had  leant  upon  His  breast, 
 himself  also  residing  at  Ephesus,  set  forth  a  Gospel.  S.  Irenceus. 
 (De  hser.  Lib.  iii.  c.  1.) 
 Were  we  to  consider  the  respective  styles  of  the  Evangelists,  as  a 
 matter  of  human  composition,  S.  Matthew's  Gospel  is  charac- 
 terised by  precept,  S.  Luke's  by  narrative,  S.  Mark's  by  human 
 incident,  and  S.  John's  by  doctrine.  I.  Williams.  (Thoughts  on 
 the  study  of  the  Gospels.) 
 The  four  Evangelists  exhibit  to  us  Jesus  Christ  under  the  mys- 
 tical form  of  four  animals.  Ezek.  i.  5,  10.  For  Matthew,  as 
 announcing  to  us  the  birth  and  death  of  the  B,edeemer,  com- 
 pares Him  to  a  Man.  i.  18.  Mark,  springing  forth  from  the 
 desert,  assumes  the  aspect  of  a  Lion,  and  announces  the  King- 
 dom of  Cheist  and  His  mighty  power,  i.  3.  Luke  also,  by  the 
 figurative  emblem  of  a  Calf,  declares  Cheist  to  have  been  sa- 
 crificed for  us.  i.  8 — 10 ;  while  John  shows,  by  the  likeness  of 
 an  Eagle,  how  the  same  Loed,  after  the  resurrection  of  His 
 Body,  soared  upwards  to  heaven.  Isidore  of  Seville.  (Allegories 
 of  the  N.  Test.) 
 
 Christe,  fave  votis,  qui  mundum  in  morte  jacentem 
 
 Vivificare  volens,  quondam  terreua  petisti, 
 
 Coelitus  humanam  dignatus  sumere  formam  ; 
 
 Sic  aliena  gerens,  ut  nee  Tua  linquere  posses. 
 
 Hoc  Matthseus  agens  hominem  generaliter  implet; 
 
 Marcus  ut  alta  fremit  vox  per  deserta  leonis  ; 
 
 Jura  sacerdotii  Lucas  tenet  ore  juvenci  ; 
 
 More  volens  aquilce  Verbo  petit  astra  Joannes. 
 
 Quatuor  hi  proceres  una  Te  voce  canentes 
 
 Tempora  ceu  totidem  latum  sparguntur  in  orbem. 
 
 Sic  et  Apostolici  semper  duodenus  honoris 
 
 Fulget  apex  numero,  menses  imitatus  et  horas ; 
 
 Omnibus  ut  rebus  totus  Tibi  militet  annus. 
 
 Sedulius.  (Carra.  lib.  i.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  I.   1. 
 
 CHAPTER  I. 
 
 T^HE  book  of  the  generation  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
 Son  of  David,  the  son  of  Abraham. 
 
 1  But  wherefore  doth  he  call  it  the  Book  of  the  generation  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  while  yet  this  Book  hath  not  the  birth  only,  but  the 
 whole  dispensation  ?  Because  this  is  the  sum  of  the  whole  dis- 
 pensation, and  is  made  an  origin  and  root  of  all  our  blessings. 
 As,  then,  Moses  calleth  it  the  Book  of  heaven  and  earth,  VeveaL<s, 
 Gen.  ii.  4,  although  he  hath  not  discoursed  of  heaven  and  earth 
 only,  but  also  of  all  things,  that  are  in  the  midst  thereof,  so  also 
 this  man  hath  named  his  Book  from  that,  which  is  the  sum  of 
 all  things  done  :  for  that,  which  teems  with  astonishment,  and 
 is  beyond  hope  and  all  expectation,  is  that  God  should  become 
 man.  But,  this  having  come  to  pass,  all  afterwards  follows  in 
 reasonable  consequence.  Phil.  ii.  6 — 8,  S.  Chrysostom.  (Horn. 
 S.  Matt.  i.  1.) 
 
 If,  then,  thou  hear  the  Gospel  saying,  The  Book  of  the  generation 
 of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  David,  the  son  of  Abraham,  understand 
 it  to  mean,  according  to  the  flesh  ;  for  He  is  the  Son  of  David, 
 in  the  end  of  the  world  ;  but  the  Son  of  God,  before  all  worlds, 
 unorigiuate.  The  one  He  received,  not  having  it  before  ;  the 
 other,  which  He  hath,  He  hath  Eternally,  in  that  He  is  "  be- 
 gotten, of  the  Fathee."  He  has  two  fathers  :  one,  David,  ac- 
 cording to  the  flesh ;  one,  God  the  Father,  after  a  Divine 
 manner,  according  to  His  Godhead.  As  the  Son  of  David,  He 
 is  both  subject  to  time,  and  is  handled ;  and  His  descent  is 
 traced :  but,  according  to  His  Godhead,  He  is  subject  neither 
 to  time  nor  place,  nor  has  He  any  descent :  for  "  who  shall  de- 
 clare His  generation  ?"  Isa.  liii.  8  ;  S.  Matt.  xxii.  44 ;  Eom.  i. 
 1 — 4  ;  Eev.  xxii.  16.     S.  Cyril.  (Catechis.  Lect.  ii.  5.) 
 
 Let  us  begin  and  end  all  our  works  and  actions  with  the  Name 
 of  the  Lord  Jesus.   (Col.  iii.  17.)  "  Whatsoever  we  do  in  word 
 
S.  MATTHEW  1.  1.  O 
 
 or  deed,"  says  the  Apostle  there.  We  can  neither  begin  nor 
 end  better.  How  sweet  is  the  Name  of  Jesus,  or  Sayiotjr 
 (verse  21),  at  the  onset  of  our  work,  to  save  and  keep  us  from 
 all  miscarriage  in  it.  How  sweet  it  is  again,  when  we  have  done, 
 if  we  can  say,  "  Jesus,'^  again;  that  we  have  been  saved  by  it, 
 been  saved  in  it,  and  shall  one  day  be  saved  through  it ;  that 
 Jesus  runs  through  all  with  us  !  So  then  remember  we  to  begin 
 and  end  all  in  Jesus.  The  New  Testament,  the  Covenant  of  our 
 Salvation,  begins  and  ends  so.  The  generation  of  Jesus ;  so  it 
 begins  (Conf.  S.  Mark  i,  1)  :  and  "  Come,  Lord  Jesus ;"  so  it  ends 
 (Eev.  xxii.  20.)  May  we  all  end  so  too,  and,  when  we  are  going 
 home,  commend  our  spirits  with  S.  Stephen  into  His  hands : 
 and,  when  He  comes,  may  He  receive  them  to  sing  His  praises 
 and  Allelujahs  to  His  Blessed  Name  amidst  the  Saints  and 
 Angels  in  His  glorious  Kingdom  for  ever !  S.  John  xiv.  13, 
 14  ;  Acts  vii.  59.     Dr.  Mark  Frank.    (Serm.  S.  Luke  ii.  21.) 
 
 2  Abraham  begat  Isaac ;  and  Isaac  begat  Jacob ; 
 and  Jacob  begat  Judas  and  his  brethren  ; 
 
 3  And  Judas  begat  Phares  and  Zara  of  Thamar ; 
 and  Phares  begat  Esrom ;  and  Esrom  begat  Aram  ; 
 
 4  And  Aram  begat  Aminadab  ;  and  Aminadab  be- 
 gat Naasson  ;  and  Naasson  begat  Salmon  ; 
 
 5  And  Salmon  begat  Booz  of  Rachab  ;  and  Booz 
 begat  Obed  of  Ruth  ;  and  Obed  begat  Jesse  ; 
 
 6  And  Jesse  begat  David  the  king ;  and  David 
 the  king  begat  Solomon  of  her  that  had  been  the  wife 
 of  Urias ; 
 
 7  And  Solomon  begat  Roboam  ;  and  Roboam  be- 
 gat Abia  ;  and  Abia  begat  Asa  ; 
 
 8  And  Asa  begat  Josaphat ;  and  Josaphat  begat 
 Joram  ;  and  Joram  begat  Ozias  ; 
 
 9  And  Ozias  begat  Joatham ;  and  Joatham  begat 
 Achaz  ;  and  Achaz  begat  Ezekias  ; 
 
6  S.  MATTHEW  I.  2—4. 
 
 10  And  Ezekias  begat  Manasses  :  and  Manasses 
 begat  Amon  ;  and  Amon  begat  Josias ; 
 
 11  And  Josias  begat  Jechonias  and  his  brethren, 
 about  the  time  they  were  carried  away  to  Babylon  : 
 
 12  And  after  they  were  brought  to  Babylon,  Jecho- 
 nias begat  Salathiel ;  and  Salathiel  begat  Zorobabel ; 
 
 13  And  Zorobabel  begat  Abiud ;  and  Abiud  begat 
 Eliakim  ;  and  Eliakira  begat  Azor ; 
 
 14  And  Azor  begat  Sadoc ;  and  Sadoc  begat 
 Achim ;  and  Achim  begat  Eliud  ; 
 
 1 5  And  Eliud  begat  Eleazar ;  and  Eleazar  begat 
 Matthan  ;  and  Matthan  begat  Jacob ; 
 
 16  And  Jacob  begat  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  until  the 
 carrying  away  into  Babylon  are  fourteen  generations  ; 
 and  from  the  carrying  away  into  Babylon  unto  Christ 
 are  fourteen  generations. 
 
 2  Jacobus,  totius  et  solius  populi  Dei  parens.  Jacob,  the  father  of 
 the  entire  family  of  God's  people,  and  of  them  exclusively. 
 Pererius. 
 
 And  his  brethren. — To  have  children  the  propagators  of  your  kin 
 and  heirs  to  the  succession  in  your  family,  is  no  common  gift  of 
 God.  The  fruitfulness  of  parents  is  a  Divine  gift.  Ps.  cxxvii. 
 4  ;  Job  xlii.  12 — 17,     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 3  Christ  Himself  is  '^ P hares, '^  the  Divider;  as  it  is  written 
 *'  Thou  shalt  divide  the  sheep  from  the  goats."  He  is  "  Zaram," 
 the  East :  "  Lo,  the  man,  the  East  is  His  name,"  Zech.  vi.  12, 
 Vulg.  He  is  '^ Esrom,^''  an  Arrow:  "He  hath  set  me,  as  a 
 polished  shaft,"  Isa.  xlix.  2.     Remigius. 
 
 4  He  is  '^  Aram,^'  the  Chosen,  according  to  that  "Behold  My  ser- 
 vant, whom  I  have  chosen,"  Isa.  xlii.  1.     He  is  ^'  Aminadab,^' 
 
S.  MATTHEW  1.  5,  6.  7 
 
 that  is,  "Willing,  iu  that  He  saith  "  I  will  freely  sacrifice  unto 
 Thee,"  Ps.  cxix.  108.  Also  He  is  "  Naasson,'^  Augury,  as  He 
 knows  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future.  He  is  "  Salmon,^' 
 that  Feeleth,  as  He  said,  "  I  feel  that  power  is  gone  out  of  Me." 
 S.  Luke  viii.  46.*     Rabanus. 
 
 5  It  is  very  observable,  in  the  genealogy  of  Cheist,  there  are  but 
 four  women  mentioned,  (it  is  not  usual  to  mention  women  in 
 genealogies,)  and  the  Scripture  sets  a  mark  of  infamy  on  them 
 all ;  Thamar,  Gen.  xxxviii.  24  ;  Rahab,  Heb.  xi.  31  ;  Ruth,  Gen. 
 xix.  37 ;  Euth  ii.  2,  6  ;  and  Bathsheba.  This  is  done  for  the 
 comfort  and  encouragement  of  the  most  infamous  sinners  to 
 come  in  to  Christ,  xxii.  9,  10  ;  Ex.  vi.  15,  20 ;  Eom.  x.  12,  13. 
 Chr.  Love.  (Serm.  on  S.  Matt.  xi.  12.) 
 
 These  women  were  types  of  the  heathen  world,  recovered  from  sin 
 and  misery  and  espoused  as  a  Church  to  Christ.  Ps.  xlv.  10. 
 S.  Jerome.  (In  Jovinian.) 
 
 6  (Conf.  ver.  1.)  S.  Luke  counts  seventy-seven  descents  between 
 Adam  and  Christ  ;  yet  the  words  of  promise,  "  Benedicentur  in 
 Nomine  tuo,"  it  was  only  spoken  unto  Abraham  and  David,  that 
 in  their  seed,  that  is,  in  Christ,  "  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
 should  be  blessed  ;"  and  therefore  Abraham  and  David  were 
 known  by  name  above  others  (S.  Luke  i.  69,  73).  The  more  to 
 illustrate  this,  you  must  know,  that  there  was  a  two-fold  root  or 
 foundation  of  the  children  of  Israel  for  their  temporal  being. 
 Abraham  was  the  root  of  the  people.  The  kingdom  was  rent 
 from  Saul,  and  therefore  David  was  the  root  of  the  kingdom ; 
 among  all  the  kings  in  the  pedigree,  none,  but  he,  hath  the 
 name.  "  And  Jesse  begat  David,  the  king  ;  and  David  the  king 
 begat  Solomon  ;"  and  therefore,  so  often  as  God  did  profess  to 
 spare  the  people,  though  He  were  angry,  He  says  He  would 
 "  do  it  for  Abraham's  sake ;"  so  often  as  He  professeth  to  spare 
 the  kingdom  of  Judah,  He  says  He  would  "  do  it  for  His  ser- 
 vant David's  sake;"  so  that,  ratione  radicis,  as  Abraham  and 
 David  are  roots  of  the  people  and  kingdom,  Christ  is  especially 
 called  "  the  Son  of  David,"  and  "  the  Son  of  Abraham.''  2  Kings 
 viii.  19;  xiii.  28.     Bp.  Racket.  (Serm.  1.  on  S.  Luke  ii.  7.) 
 
 *  The  entire  genealogy  is  thus  ex-    i    See  his  Homily  on  the  Nativity  of  the 
 plained  in  a  mystical  sense,  by  Bede.    |    Blessed  Mary. 
 
8  S.  MATTHEW  I.  6—16. 
 
 What  were  the  ark  of  Noah,  and  the  rod  of  Moses  and  his  feeble 
 upstayed  arm,  which  won  victory  over  Amalek,  but  types  of  the 
 Cross,  mighty  and  victorious  in  weakness  ?  What  the  line  of 
 the  Redeemer's  descent,  through  the  younger,  as  Seth,  Shem, 
 Abraham,  and  Isaac,  "  begotten  of  one,  as  good  as  dead,"  and 
 Jacob,  and  Judah,  and  David,  and  Solomon,  but  an  image  that 
 God  would  "  choose  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound 
 the  mighty  ?"  1  Cor.  i.  18—31.  Dr.  Pusey.  (Serra.  S.  John 
 XX.  21—23.) 
 
 7  I  find  the  genealogy  of  my  Saviotje  strangely  chequered  with 
 four  remarkable  changes  in  four  immediate  generations ;  first, 
 Roloam  begat  Abia,  that  is,  a  bad  father  begat  a  bad  son  :  second, 
 Abia  begat  Asa ;  that  is,  a  bad  father  a  good  son :  third,  Asa 
 begat  Josaphat ;  that  is,  a  good  father  a  good  son  :  fourth,  Josa- 
 phat  begat  Joram  ;  that  is,  a  good  father  a  bad  son.  I  see,  Lord, 
 from  hence,  that  my  father's  piety  cannot  be  entailed ;  that  is 
 bad  news  for  me  :  but  I  see  here  also,  that  actual  impiety  is  not 
 always  hereditary  ;  that  is  good  news  for  my  son.  Ezek.  xviii. 
 Th.  Fuller.     (Scripture  Observations,  8.) 
 
 9  Amongst  the  kings  of  Judah,  after  Solomon,  there  were  six,  who 
 were  good ;  that  is,  Asa,  Josaphat,  Ozias,  Joatham,  Ezekias, 
 Josias  ;  all  the  others  were  wicked.  Those,  who  were  good, 
 began  from  their  youth,  and  continued  such  all  their  life.  The 
 greatest  part  of  those,  who  were  vicious,  began  their  wickedness 
 in  their  younger  years  and  never  altered  their  conduct.  Jer. 
 xiii.  23  ;  Eccl.  xi.  9  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  22  ;  Titus  ii.  6.  Br.  Gobinet. 
 (The  Instruction  of  Youth  in  Christian  Piety.  Vol.  i.  p.  1. 
 ch.  12.) 
 
 10  Esekias  begat  Manasses. — A  father,  above  the  common  rate  of 
 men,  has  commonly  a  son  below  it.  Heroum  Jilii  noxce.  Br. 
 Johnson.     (Notes  upon  Shakespeare.) 
 
 16  Jacob  begat  Joseph.  —  (Conf.  S.  Luke  iii.  23.)  S.  Matthew, 
 who  is  understood  to  make  mention  of  that  father,  of  whom 
 Joseph  was  born,  enumerates  the  generations  thus :  This  one 
 begat  the  other ;  so  as  to  come  to  what  he  says  at  the  end ; 
 "  Jacob  begat  Joseph :"  but  S.  Luke,  because  he  cannot  pro- 
 perly be  said  to  be  begotten,  who  is  made  a  child,  either  by 
 adoption,  or  who  is  born  in  the  succession  of  the  deceased,  Deut. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  I.  16.  9 
 
 XXV.  5,  of  her  who  was  his  wife,  did  not  say,  Heli  begat  Joseph, 
 or  Joseph  lohom  Heli  begat ;  but  who  was  the  son  of  Heli,  whe- 
 ther by  adoption,  or  as  being  born  of  the  next  of  kin  in  the 
 succession  of  one  deceased.     S.  Augustine.  (Horn.  i.  N.  Test.) 
 
 Genealogies  in  general,  and  those  of  the  Jews  in  particular,  with 
 their  method  of  dividing  them,  and  the  confusion  often  arising 
 from  the  circumstance  of  the  same  person  being  called  by  dif- 
 ferent names,  or  diftereut  persons  by  the  same  name,  are  in  their 
 nature,  and  must  be  to  us  at  this  distance  of  time,  matters  of 
 very  complicated  consideration  ;  and  it  is  no  wonder  they  should 
 be  attended  with  difficulties  and  perplexities.  The  Evangelists, 
 in  an  affair  of  so  much  importance,  aud  so  open  then  to  detec- 
 tion, had  there  been  any  wrong  to  be  detected,  would  most 
 assuredly  be  careful  to  give  Christ's  pedigree,  as  it  was  found 
 in  the  authentic  tables,  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
 nation,  were  preserved  in  the  family  ;  as  is  evident  from  Jose- 
 phus,  who  says,  "  I  give  you  this  succession  of  our  family,  as  I 
 fiud  it  written  in  the  public  tables."  As  it  was  well  known 
 the  Messiah  must  descend  from  David,  the  genealogical  tables 
 of  that  family  would  be  kept  with  more  than  ordinary  diligence 
 and  precision.  Whatever  cavils  the  modern  Jews  and  others 
 now  make  against  the  genealogies,  recorded  by  the  Evangelists, 
 the  Jews  their  contemporaries  never  offered  to  find  ftiult  with, 
 or  to  invalidate  the  accounts,  given  in  the  Gospels.  As  they 
 wanted  neither  opportunity,  materials,  skill,  nor  malice  to  have 
 done  it,  and  it  would  have  offered  them  so  great  an  advantage 
 against  the  Christians,  this  circumstance  alone,  as  Dr.  South 
 well  remarks,  were  we  not  able  now  to  clear  the  point,  ought 
 with  every  sober  and  judicious  person  to  have  the  force  of  a 
 moral  demonstration.   Bp.  Home.  (Letters  on  Infidelity,  No.  17.) 
 
 Tlie  importance  and  observance  of  the  Sabbatical  year  and,  after 
 the  seventh  Sabbatical  year,  a  year  of  Jubilee  for  the  general 
 release  of  lands,  debts,  &c.  is  a  circumstance  of  great  moment ; 
 not  only  as  these  notable  periods  were  useful  towards  the  easy 
 computation  of  time,  but  as  it  made  inquiry  into  titles,  and 
 consequently  genealogy,  necessary  every  fiftieth  year.  Hon. 
 Duncan  Forbes.  (Thoughts  concerning  Religion,  &c.  Edit. 
 London,  1736,  p.  28.) 
 
10  S.  MATTHEW  I.  16,  18. 
 
 Those  things  in  the  Gospels,  which  have  the  greatest  appearance 
 of  weakness,  or  error,  are  of  peculiar  force  and  weight  with  dis- 
 cerning judges.  Tor  instance,  the  different  genealogies  of  S. 
 Matthew  and  S.  Luke ;  it  being  manifest  that  this  could  not  be 
 done  by  confederacy.     Pascal.  (Thoughts  on  Religion,  ch.  18.) 
 
 18  Now  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  was  on  this 
 wise :  When  as  His  mother  Mary  was  espoused  to 
 Joseph,  before  they  came  together,  she  was  found 
 with  child  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
 
 19  Then  Joseph  her  husband,  being  a  just  man, 
 and  not  wilhng  to  make  her  a  public  example,  was 
 minded  to  put  her  away  privily. 
 
 18  God  would  hereby  honour  both  estates,  of  maidenhead  and  of 
 marriage  ;  of  maidenhead,  in  that  she  was  a  virgin ;  of  marriage, 
 because  she  was  espoused,  xix.  12  ;  Heb.  xiii.  4.  S.  Basil.  (De 
 humana  Christi  generatione.) 
 
 Before  the  birth  of  Jesus  Cheist,  the  Gospel  speaks  little  of  the 
 virgin  state  of  His  holy  mother ;  that  there  might  be  no  part  of 
 Sacred  history,  but  what  should  directly  bear  a  reference  to  her 
 Son.  Acts  iv.  12  ;  Heb.  xii.  2.  Pascal.  (Thoughts  on  Religion, 
 ch.  14.) 
 
 That  Omnipotent  Majesty,  in  assuming  our  flesh,  effected  three 
 operations,  or  three  kinds  of  union,  tres  mixturas,  so  altogether 
 singularly  marvellous,  as  never  before,  nor  after,  to  be  wrought 
 on  earth.  God  and  man  are  conjoined,  a  mother  and  a  virgin, 
 faith  and  the  heart  of  man.  Isa.  ix.  6 ;  1  Cor.  ii.  7 — 10.  (S. 
 Bernard. 
 
 EiipeOrj,  she  was  found. — No  more  attributed  to  her ;  the  Holt 
 Ghost  the  principal,  nay,  sole  agent  in  the  work ;  and  she  a 
 pure  virgin  still :  and  yet,  (S.  Luke  i.  31,)  it  is  the  Angel's 
 divinity  that  Mary  "  shall  conceive,  and  bear  a  Son."  And  thus, 
 in  the  production  of  all  spiritual  actions,  the  principal  sole  effi- 
 cient of  all  is  Cheist  and  His  Spirit ;  all  that  is  conceived  of 
 us  is  of  the  Holt  Ghost.  (Phil.  ii.  13.)  But  then,  being  so 
 overshadowed,  the  soul  itself  conceives ;  being  still  assisted,  car- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  I.  19,20.  11 
 
 ries  in  the  womb  ;  and  by  the  same  strength,  at  fulness  of  time, 
 as  opportunities  do  midwife  them  out,  brings  forth  Christian 
 spiritual  actions  :  and  then,  as  Mary  was  the  mother  of  God, 
 so  the  Christian  soul  is  the  parent  of  all  its  Divine  Christian 
 performances ;  Christ  the  Father,  (Isa.  ix.  6,)  that  enables 
 with  His  Spirit,  and  the  soul  the  mother,  that  actually  brings 
 forth.  S.  John  vi.  27  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  10  ;  S.  Matt,  xii.  10—13. 
 Dr.  Hammond.  (Serm.  Phil.  iv.  13.) 
 
 19  Nothing  so  clearly  discovers  a  spiritual  man,  as  his  treatment 
 of  an  erring  brother,  when  our  object  is  to  bring  about,  not  his 
 exposure,  but  his  acquittal,  and  rather  to  restore  tlian  to  upbraid 
 him.     xviii.  15  ;  S.  John  viii.  9,  10  ;  Gal.  vi.  1.     (S.  Augustine. 
 
 A  man  had  better  be  convinced  in  private,  than  be  made  guilty  by 
 a  proclamation.  Open  rebukes  are  for  Magistrates  and  Courts 
 of  justice,  for  stalled  chambers,  and  for  scarlets,  in  the  thronged 
 hall :  private,  are  for  friends,  where  all  the  witnesses  of  the 
 offender's  blushes  are  blind,  and  deaf,  and  dumb  ....  Public 
 reproof  is  like  striking  of  a  deer  in  the  herd :  it  not  only  wounds 
 him  to  the  loss  of  inabling  blood,  but  betrays  him  to  the  hound, 
 his  enemy;  and  makes  him,  by  his  fellows,  be  pushed  out  of 
 company,  xviii.  15  ;  S.  John  iv.  17,  18,  8  ;  Prov.  xxv.  1 — 12. 
 O.  Feltham.  (Eesolves.     Cent.  1.  8.) 
 
 20  But  while  he  thought  on  these  things,  behold, 
 the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  dream, 
 saying,  Joseph,  thou  son  of  David,  fear  not  to  take 
 unto  thee  Mary  thy  wife  :  for  that  which  is  conceived 
 in  her  is  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
 
 21  And  she  shall  bring  forth  a  Son,  and  thou  shalt 
 call  His  Name  JESUS  :  for  He  shall  save  His  people 
 from  their  sins. 
 
 20  The  Scripture  is  intent  on  showing  that  He  was  not  born  of 
 Joseph's  seed,  when  he  is  told  in  his  trouble,  as  to  her  being 
 with  child,  "  He  is  of  the  Holt  Ghost  :"  and  yet  his  paternal 
 authority  is  not  taken  away,  forasmuch  as  he  is  commanded  to 
 "  name  the  Child  :"    (S.  Luke  i.  62.)     And  again,  the  Virgin 
 
13  S.  MATTHEW  I.  20,  21 
 
 Mary  herself,  who  was  well  aware  that  it  was  not  by  him  she 
 conceived  Christ,  yet  calls  him  the  father  of  Chkist.  S.  Luke 
 ii.  48.     S.  Augustine.  (Horn.  i.  N.  Test.) 
 
 In  old  times  God  was  known  by  names  of  power,  of  nature,  of 
 majesty ;  but  His  name  of  Mercy  was  reserved  till  now,  when 
 God  did  propose  to  pour  out  the  whole  treasure  of  His  mercy 
 by  the  ministry  and  mediation  of  His  Holy  Son.  Gen.  ii.  4 ; 
 xvii.  1 ;  Ex.  iii.  14 ;  vi.  3  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  3,  4.  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 (Life  of  Cheist,  P.  i.  s.  5.) 
 
 21  S.  Bernard  (Serm.  xv.  in  Cant.)  hath  summed  up  the  plea- 
 surableness  of  His  Name  "  Jesus  "  in  few,  but  very  sweet  words ; 
 Nomen  Jesu  est  mel  in  ore,  melos  in  aure,  et  jubilum  in  corde.  All 
 our  reasonable  acts  are  divided  into  speaking,  hearing,  and 
 thinking ;  and  Lo  !  we  cannot  speak  of  Him,  but  He  is  as  honey 
 in  our  mouths  ;  and  if  we  hear  of  Him,  the  talk  doth  make  the 
 best  melody  in  our  ears ;  finally,  the  greatest  joy  of  our  heart 
 and  the  truest  also  springeth  from  our  meditation  upon  Him. 
 Ps.  xix.  10  ;  Cant.  iv.  11 ;  v.  16  ;  Ps.  xliii.  4  ;  Hag.  ii.  6—9. 
 £p.  Lake.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  16,  17.) 
 
 He  himself  (awTo?)  shall  save.  Joshua  saved  Israel,  not  by  his 
 own  power,  not  of  himself,  but  God  by  him  ;  neither  saved  he 
 his  own  people,  but  the  people  of  God  :  whereas,  Jesus  Him- 
 self, by  His  own  power,  the  power  of  God,  saves  His  own 
 people,  the  people  of  God.  Well,  therefore,  may  we  under- 
 stand the  interpretation  of  His  Name  to  be  "  God  the  Saviotje." 
 ....  What  else  is  "  God  with  us,"  v.  23,  than  God  our  Sa- 
 viouK?  ....  The  Angelical  "God  the  Savioue  "  is  in  the 
 highest  propriety  the  Prophetical  "  God  with  us."  Heb.  i.  3  ; 
 2  Cor.  v.  19 ;  Ps.  xlvi.  7  ;  xcviii.  2.  Bp.  Pearson.  (Exposition 
 of  the  Creed,  Art.  2.) 
 
 God  willeth  to  save  sinners  ;  but  He  willeth  to  save  them,  as  sin- 
 ners :  if  He  saved  them  by  a  simple  change  of  heart,  without 
 any  repentance  for  their  past  life,  He  would  save  them,  as  in- 
 nocent. Nicole.  (Essais  de  morale.  Evang.  iv.  Dim.  de  I'Avent.) 
 
 From  their  sins. — For  my  own  part,  I  cannot  but  declare,  that  so 
 soon  as  the  Christian  religion  discovers  to  me  this  one  prin- 
 ciple, tliat  human  nature  is  depraved  and  fallen  from  God,  this 
 clears  up  my  sight,  and  enables  me  to  distinguish  throughout 
 
S.  MATTHEW  I.  22,  23.  13 
 
 the  characters  of  so  Divine  a  mystery.  For  such  is  the  whole 
 frame  and  disposition  of  nature,  as  in  all  things,  within  and 
 without  us,  to  bespeak  the  loss  of  God's  more  immediate  pre- 
 sence and  more  favourable  communications The  mystery 
 
 of  the  Incarnation  discovers  to  man  the  greatness  of  his  danger, 
 by  the  greatness  of  those  methods,  which  he  stood  in  need  of 
 for  his  relief  Eom.  iii.  23—27  ;  viii.  3,  4 ;  Gal.  iii.  21,  22. 
 Pascal.     (Thoughts,  &c.,  ch.  2.) 
 
 22  Now  all  this  was  done,  that  it  might  be  ful- 
 filled which  was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by  the  prophet, 
 saying, 
 
 23  Behold,  a  virgin  shall  be  with  child,  and  shall 
 bring  forth  a  Son,  and  they  shall  call  His  name  Em- 
 manuel, which  being  interpreted  is,  God  with  us. 
 
 22  These  events  were  not  fulfilled,  because  they  were  predicted  ; 
 but  because  they  were  assuredly  to  take  place,  therefore  they 
 were  predicted.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 23  If  reason  is  here  to  be  consulted,  it  ceases  to  be  a  wonder ;  if 
 a  precedent  be  demanded,  it  is  no  longer  a  fact  singulare,  such 
 as  stands  by  itself.  Let  us  only  grant  that  God  is  able  so  to 
 act,  as  to  baffle  our  investigation.  Fides  adsit,  et  nulla  qucestio 
 remanebit.  Exercise  faith,  and  nothing  will  be  left  to  question. 
 Tota  ratio  facti  est  in  talibus  potentia  facientis.  In  such  things 
 the  whole  reason  of  what  is  done  lies  in  the  power  of  the  doer. 
 Isa.  vii.  9  ;  S.  John  xx.  29.  S.  Augustine.  (Ep.  ad  Volutia- 
 num.) 
 
 The  prerogative  of  God  extendeth  as  well  to  the  reason,  as  to  the 
 will  of  man ;  so  that,  as  we  are  to  obey  His  Law,  though  we 
 find  a  reluctation  in  our  will,  so  we  are  to  believe  His  Word, 
 though  we  find  a  reluctation  in  our  reason.  Eor  if  we  believe 
 only  that,  which  is  agreeable  to  our  sense,  we  give  consent  to 
 the  matter,  and  not  to  the  author ;  which  is  no  more  than  we 
 would  do  to  a  suspected  and  discredited  witness  ;  but  that  faith, 
 which  was  "  accounted  to  Abraham  for  righteousness,"  was  of 
 such  a  point,  as  whereat  "  Sarah  laughed,"  who  therein  was  an 
 
14  S.  MATTHEW  I.  23. 
 
 image  of  natural  reason.  Eom.  iv.  13 — 25 ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  5 ; 
 Acts  vii.  5 ;  Heb.  xi.  7 — 12.  Lord  Bacon.  (Advancement  of 
 Learning,  B,  ix.) 
 
 We  are  far  from  suppressing  our  conviction  that  this  is  a  great 
 mystery.  We  rejoice,  on  the  contrary,  in  its  incomprehensi- 
 bility. We  delight  to  lose  ourselves  in  the  impenetrable  shades, 
 which  invest  the  subject ;  because  in  the  darkness  and  cloud, 
 which  envelope  it,  God  dwells.  It  is  the  greatness,  which 
 forms  the  mystery  of  the  fact ;  the  matchless  love  and  conde- 
 scension constitute  the  very  nucleus  of  the  difficulty.  It  could 
 only  be  brought  within  the  sphere  of  our  comprehension  by  a 
 contraction  of  its  vast  dimensions,  by  a  depression  of  its  natural 
 grandeur.  A  prostration  of  it  to  the  level  of  our  feeble  capa- 
 cities would  only  render  it  incapable  of  being  the  magnet  of 
 souls,  the  attraction  of  hearts,  the  wonder  of  the  universe.  Ps. 
 xcvii.  2  ;  Isa.  ix.  6 ;  Eom.  xi.  33—36.  R.  Hall.  (Serm.  Prov. 
 XXV.  2.) 
 
 I  believe,  0  !  most  condescending  Majesty,  that  when  Thou  didst 
 stoop  so  low,  as  to  assume  our  frail  nature,  "  the  Holt  Ghost 
 came  on  Thy  sacred  mother  (S.  Luke  i.  35)  ;  and  the  power  of 
 the  Highest  did  overshadow  her ;"  and  that  she  did  conceive 
 and  lodge  Thee  in  her  womb,  where  Thou,  who  fillest  heaven 
 and  earth,  wert  about  nine  months  for  our  sakes  imprisoned. 
 And  therefore  all  love  and  all  praise  be  to  Thee  !  I  believe,  O ! 
 most  adorable  Humility,  that  Thou  wast  at  last  born  into  the 
 world  ;  that  Thou,  having  only  God  for  Thy  Fathee,  and  Mary, 
 a  pure  virgin,  for  Thy  mother,  "  whom  all  generations  do  call 
 Blessed,"  both  Thy  conception  and  birth  were  perfectly  imma- 
 culate, that,  being  without  sin  Thyself,  Thou  mightest  be  a  fit 
 Sacrifice  to  atone  for  us  sinners,  who,  being  born  of  unclean 
 parents,  were  all  by  nature  unclean  :  and  therefore  all  love,  all 
 glory  be  to  Thee,  O !  immaculate  "  Lamb  of  God,  who  takest 
 away  the  sin  of  the  world  !"  I  believe,  0  !  Blessed  Saviotje, 
 that  the  two  natures  of  God  and  of  man  were  in  Thee  so  mys- 
 teriously united,  without  either  change  or  confusion,  that  they 
 made  in  Thee  but  One  Person,  but  one  Mediator,  one  Loed  : 
 Thou,  O!  Eternal  Word,  didst  "become  flesh"  and  didst 
 "  dwell  among  us,"   on  purpose  to  save  us  :  and  therefore  all 
 
S.  MATTHEW  I.  24,  25.  15 
 
 love,  all  glory  be  to  Thee.   Bp.  Ken.   (Exposition  of  the  Church 
 Catechism.) 
 
 24  Then  Joseph  being  raised  from  sleep  did  as  the 
 angel  of  the  Lord  had  bidden  him,  and  took  unto  him 
 his  wife  : 
 
 25  And  knew  her  not  till  she  had  brought  forth  her 
 first-born  Son  :  and  he  called  His  name  JESUS. 
 
 24  Took  unto  him,  his  wife. — As  S.  Thomas  became  a  most  resolute 
 asserter  of  Chbist's  resurrection,  through  his  first  doubting 
 and  then  handling  the  Body  of  the  Lord,  so  in  like  manner 
 Joseph  most  truly  attested  the  chastity  of  Mary,  through  his 
 first  espousing  of  her,  and  then  by  his  approval  of  her  vphole 
 conduct  and  behaviour,  vphich  all  the  time  before  the  marriage 
 he  narrowly  could  observe.  Pulchra  utriusque  rei  convenientia 
 — et  dubitatio  Thomce,  et  desponsatio  Marice.  Beautifully  do 
 these  two  events  harmonise — Thomas  doubting,  Mary  betrothed. 
 S.  Bernard.     (Horn.  21,  on  S.  Luke  i.  26.) 
 
 Chhist  is  Marys  Jirst-born  Son;  because  she  had  none  before 
 Him  :  but  the  primogenitus  of  His  manhood  is  no  prejudice  to 
 the  Uiiigenitus  of  His  Godhead.  Br.  Richd.  Gierke.  (Serm. 
 Heb.  i.  5.) 
 
 25  Jnd  knew  her  not. — We  must  not  be  too  curious  in  inquiring 
 what  happened,  after  she  was  delivered.     iS.  Augustine. 
 
 Her  first-born  Son.  (Verse  23.  A  -Sow.)— The  Most  High  God 
 and  Parent  of  all,  when  He  would  transfer  His  religion  (from 
 the  Jewish  to  the  Christian  Church),  He  sent  a  teacher  of 
 righteousness  from  heaven  ;  that  so,  to  His  new  worshippers 
 He  might,  in  and  by  Him,  give  a  new  Law ;  not,  as  He  had 
 done  before,  by  man  only.  Nevertheless,  He  would  have  Him 
 born,  as  a  man ;  that  so  in  all  things  He  might  be  like  the  Su- 
 preme Father.  For  He,  who  is  God  the  Father,  the  Original 
 and  Principal  of  all  things,  because  He  had  no  parents,  is  most 
 truly  styled  by  Trismegistus,  'ATraTwp  kuI  'Ajurjiivp,  (without  father 
 and  without  mother,)  as  being  begotten  of  none.  Therefore 
 also  it  behoved  the  Son  to  be  twice  born :  that  so,  He  might 
 become  'ATraTwp  kuI  'Afi'^Twp.     For,  in  His  first  and  spiritual 
 
16  S.  MATTHEW  I.  25. 
 
 birth,  He  was  without  mother ;  being  begotten  of  God  the 
 ^Father  only,  without  the  office  of  a  mother :  but,  in  His  second 
 and  carnal  generation,  He  was  without  father ;  being  conceived 
 in  a  virgin's  womb,  without  the  intervention  of  a  human  father : 
 that  so,  having  a  middle  substance  between  God  and  man.  He 
 might,  as  it  were,  conduct  by  the  hand  our  frail  •  and  infirm 
 nature  to  Immortality.  He  was  made  both  the  Son  of  God, 
 through  the  Spieit,  and  the  Son  of  Man,  through  the  flesh  ; 
 that  is  to  say,  He  is  both  God  and  Man.  The  Divine  nature 
 appeared  in  Him  by  the  works,  that  He  did  ;  the  frailty  of  man 
 appeared  by  the  sufferings  He  endured.  That  He  was  both, 
 ex  utroque  genere  permistum,  compounded  of  two  natures,  we 
 learn  from  the  prophets,  in  their  predictions  concerning  Him. 
 Heb.  vii.  3  ;  Job  ix.  32,  33,  Lactantius.  (De  vera  sapientia 
 et  religione.  Lib.  iv.  s.  13.) 
 Jesu,  esto  mihi  Jesus  !  Jesus,  be  a  Jesus  to  me  !  Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6 ; 
 Ezek.  xxxvi.  29  ;  Ps.  Ixxxv.  7.     Anselm. 
 
 Jesu  dulcis  memoria  Jesu,  spes  pcenitentibus, 
 
 Dat  vera  cordi  gaudia  :  Quam  pius  es  petentibus ! 
 
 Sed  super  mel  et  omnia  Quam  bonus  Te  quaerentibus  ! 
 
 Ejus  dulcis  praesentia.  Sed  quid  invenientibus  ? 
 
 Nil  canitur  suavius.  Nee  lingua  valet  dicere, 
 
 Nil  auditur  jucundius.  Nee  littera  exprimere  : 
 
 Nil  cogitatur  dulcius,  Expertus  potest  credere, 
 
 Quam  Jesus  Dei  Filius,  Quid  sit  Jesum  diligere. 
 
 Deut.  V.  29  ;  Ps.  cxix.  5.    S.  Bernard.    (In  Hythmica 
 Oratione  ad  Christum.) 
 
 CHAPTER  IT. 
 
 "^OW  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem  of  Judaea 
 in  the  days  of  Herod  the  king,  behold,  there 
 came  wise  men  from  the  east  to  Jerusalem. 
 
 2  Saying,  Where  is  He  that  is  born  King  of  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  11.  1.  17 
 
 Jews?  for  we  have  seen  His  star  in  the  east,  and  are 
 come  to  worship  Him. 
 
 1  This  was  to  add  misery  upon  misery,  one  degree  upon  another, 
 till  He  came  to  the  highest  pitch  of  humility.  Count  we ;  Im- 
 mortality itself  made  a  mortal  man,  Born;  the  first  step; — Im- 
 mortality confined  within  a  cratch.  Born  in  Bethlem,  the  second  ; 
 — Eternity  measured  by  time,  In  the  days,  the  third ; — Power 
 made  subject  to  tyranny,  In  the  days  of  Herod  the  King,  the 
 fourth  : — By  this  time  we  are  come  to  the  very  top  of  the  ladder. 
 But  a  strange  virtue  this  Humility  hath,  that  the  lower  it  goes 
 the  higher  it  riseth.  Phil.  ii.  5 — 12  ;  Ps.  ex.  7  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  4. 
 Bp.  Cosin.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 My  Sayioub,  who  in  His  Infancy  humbled  Himself  e\ en  to  the 
 form  of  a  servant  and  all  the  rest  of  His  life  to  death,  became 
 obedient  to  the  cross,  and  followed  then  the  decrees  of  Hia 
 Pathee,  not  by  election,  but  by  submission  and  patience.  The 
 Infancy  therefore  of  our  Saviour  is  an  estate,  where  we  must 
 die  to  all  things,  and  where  the  soul  in  faith,  silence,  reverence, 
 innocence,  purity,  and  simplicity,  doth  attend  and  receive  the 
 orders  of  GrOD,  making  it  his  daily  work  in  abnegation  ;  neither 
 looking  before  nor  behind,  but  being  united  to  the  holy  Child 
 Jesus,  who  with  an  absolute  resignation  received  orders  from 
 His  Pathee,  for  His  visitation  by  the  shepherds  and  wise  men, 
 for  His  circumcision,  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  flying  into  Egypt, 
 His  return  back,  His  journey  to  Jordan  to  be  Baptized,  into 
 the  wilderness  to  be  tempted,  for  His  preaching,  and  finally  for 
 His  death  upon  the  cross,  resurrection,  ascension,  and  consum- 
 mation in  glory.  Thus  ought  we,  methiuks,  to  follow  Jesus 
 our  model  in  these  steps  through  the  grace  of  His  Infancy  ;  be- 
 cause it  was  then  (as  saith  the  Apostle)  that  He  emptied  Him- 
 self, of  His  own  good  pleasure,  and  chose  the  manger ;  whereas 
 He  was  conducted  to  the  cross  by  His  obedience,  and  to  teach 
 us  to  choose,  of  our  own  accord,  annihilation,  and  so,  afterwards, 
 to  suffer  ourselves  willingly,  as  little  children,  to  be  led  into 
 Egypt,  the  desert,  the  cross,  and  the  crown,  xxvi.  39  ;  S.  John 
 v.  30;  vi.  38;  Phil.  ii.  5—8.  Mons.  de  Renty,  (Life  by  S. 
 Jure,  p.  iii.  s.  2,  cb.  4.) 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  II.  1,  2. 
 
 Wise  men. — 'Tis  Augustine's  observation,  that  'twas  in  respect  of 
 Cheist  and  for  the  propagation  of  the  Church  that  learning 
 was  ever  suffered  to  travel  out  of  Jewry.  Acts  xvii.  28.  Dr. 
 Hammond.   (Serm.  S.  John  vii.  48.) 
 
 These  are  the  only  true  Wise  men,  who  use  their  learning  to  find 
 out  heaven.  Go  on,  blest  pilgrims,  in  your  holy  voyage,  and  let 
 no  difiiculties  divert  your  purpose.  Behold,  a  Star  shows  your 
 way,  and  God  is  at  your  journey's  end.  Lose  not  too  long 
 your  time  in  the  distraction  of  the  city,  nor  concern  yourselves 
 in  the  politic  troubles  of  the  court.  (1  Kings  xiii.  7 — 11.) 
 Behold  the  miraculous  Star  shines  not  over  that  place  (Jeru- 
 salem), where  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  was  to  set.  xxviii.  7. 
 Austin.  (The  harmony  of  the  Holy  Gospels.  Meditation  21.) 
 
 2  God  would  engage  them  upon  the  use  of  ordinary  means  and 
 ministeries,  when  they  are  to  be  had :  for  now  the  extraordi- 
 nary and  miraculous  guide  did  for  a  time  cease ;  that  they, 
 being  at  Jerusalem,  might  inquire  of  them,  whose  office  and 
 profession  of  sacred  mysteries  did  oblige  thera  to  publish  the 
 Messiah,  xxiii.  1—3  ;  Mai.  ii.  7.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life  of 
 Cheist,  in  loco.) 
 
 The  wise  men  came  from  the  east  to  "  The  East,"*  that  He  might 
 receive  them  on  their  coming,  who  Himself  bade  them  come. 
 For  when  did  any  magician  seek  after  God  of  himself,  and  with- 
 out God's  helping  hand  ?  When  did  any  astrologer  find  out 
 the  LoED  of  the  heavens,  except  by  Divine  revelation  ?  What 
 Chaldsean,  the  worshipper  of  gods  as  many  as  the  stars  in  the 
 firmament,  ever  worshipped  on  the  earth  the   One  true  God 
 
 *  In  Zechariah,  iii.  8,  and  vi.  12, 
 the  term,  translated  The  Branch  in  our 
 version  of  the  Bible,  is  in  the  Greek 
 and  Latin  rendered  The  East,  a  title 
 well  suited  to  the  Messiah  in  His 
 rising,  as  the  Sun  of  Rigliteousness, 
 on  our  benighted  world.  (Conf.  S. 
 Luke  i.  78;  2  S.  Pet.  1.  18.)  The 
 early  custom  of  turning  to  the  east, 
 when  the  Creed  is  recited,  arose  from 
 this  fact ;  and  having  been  long  prior 
 to  the  modern  doctrine  of  Transub- 
 stantiation,  must   not  be  confounded 
 
 with  any  superstitious  reverence  paid 
 to  the  altar.  Surely  this  considera- 
 tion should  remove  the  scrupulous  ob- 
 jections honestly  entertained  by  some 
 persons  at  the  present  day  against 
 turnint/  to  the  East,  when  the  Creed 
 is  said  ;  and  let  it  be  remembered  that 
 the  accompanying  act  of  bowing  at  the 
 Name  of  Jesus  is  both  enjoined  and 
 explained  in  the  68th  Canon  of  the 
 Church.  See  also  the  Injunctions  of 
 Queen  Elizabeth,  1559.  Bp.  Sparrow's 
 Collections,  81. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  2.  19 
 
 without  His  aid  ?  Plus  coeleste  de  magis,  quhm  de  Stelld,  signum 
 est.  The  sign  of  the  magicians  is  more  supernatural  than  the 
 sign  of  the  Star.  A  magician  recognizes  the  King  of  the  Jews 
 and  the  Pounder  of  the  Law ;  a  Jew  knows  Him  not.  Chalda3a 
 announces  His  coming  ;  Jewry  is  silent.  Jerusalem  shuns  and 
 shrinks  back  from  Him  ;  Syria  pursues  and  adores  Him.  viii. 
 10 — 13  ;  Rom.  x.  16 — 21.  Petrus  Chrysologus.  (Serm.  156.) 
 It  was,  no  doubt,  a  Divine  inspiration  in  their  souls,  which  caused 
 them  to  understand  the  mystery  of  so  mighty  a  sign  :  whence 
 that  became  clear  to  their  understandings,  which  was  marvel- 
 lous in  their  eyes,  S.  John  i.  31 ;  Ps.  cxix.  18  ;  2  S.  Pet.  i.  19, 
 Leo.  (Serm.  3.  On  the  Epiphany.) 
 Cheist  is  wont  to  catch  every  man  in  the  way  of  his  own  craft — 
 magicians  with  a  star,  fishers  with  fish.  S.  John  iv.  10, 15.  S. 
 Chi-ysostom. 
 We  have  seen  .  .  and  are  come  to  worship  Him. — If  you  spend  your 
 time,  while  reading  the  Scriptures,  in  searching  for  poetical 
 beauties  or  making  critical  remarks,  you  act,  as  these  wise  men 
 would  have  done,  if  they  had  sate  down  spectators  of  the  ph^e- 
 nomenon,  but  taken  no  step  in  following  it.  We  are  not,  as 
 Mr.  Boyle  expresses  it,  to  stand  looking  at  the  telescope-case, 
 but  to  look  through  it :  children  may  be  amused  with  the  case  ; 
 but  the  astronomer  uses  the  telescope,  as  an  instrument, 
 whereby  to  discover  the  wonders  of  the  planetary  world.  Thus 
 let  us  endeavour  to  use  the  Light,  which  God  afibrds ;  not  to 
 amuse  ourselves  with  it,  but  to  make  our  way  by  it  to  the  Li'^ht 
 of  Life.  S,  Luke  ii,  15,  16  ;  Acts  i,  11 ;  S.  John  xii,  35.  R. 
 Cecil.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Paciferum  canimus  Ccelesti  semine  Regem, 
 
 Paustaque  Sacratis  saecula  pacta  libris, 
 Vagitumque  Dei,  et  stabulantem  paupere  tecto 
 
 Qui  Suprema  Suo  cum  Patre  regna  colit ; 
 Stelliparumque  polum,  modulantesque  sethere  turmas, 
 
 Et  subito  elisos  ad  sua  fana  deos. 
 Dona  quidcm  dedimus  Christi  Natalibus  ilia ; 
 
 Ilia  sub  auroram  lux  mihi  prima  tulit  .  .  . 
 Diis  etenim  sacer  est  vates,  divumque  sacerdos  ; 
 Spirat  et  occultum  pectus  et  ora  Jovem. 
 
 Milton.   (Elegia  vi.) 
 
20  S.  MATTHEW  II.  3. 
 
 3  When  Herod  the  king  had  heard  these  things 
 he  was  troubled,  and  all  Jerusalem  with  him. 
 
 4  And  when  he  had  gathered  all  the  chief  priests 
 and  scribes  of  the  people  together,  he  demanded  of 
 them  where  Christ  should  be  born. 
 
 5  And  they  said  unto  him,  In  Bethlehem  of  Judaea  : 
 for  thus  it  is  written  by  the  prophet, 
 
 6  And  thou  Bethlehem,  in  the  land  of  Juda,  art 
 not  the  least  among  the  princes  of  Juda  :  for  out  of 
 thee  shall  come  a  Governor,  that  shall  rule  ray  people 
 Israel. 
 
 3  He  was  troubled,  ^'•e. — In  regard  to  Herod,  he  was  naturally  dis- 
 concerted at  the  mention  of  a  King  of  the  Jews,  since  he  was 
 an  alien  and  had  obtained  the  sovereignty  by  force  of  arms. 
 ("  Where  is  he,  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?")  "  But  why," 
 says  Theophylact,  "  were  the  other  Jews  so  greatly  disturbed 
 in  their  minds  ?  Because  wickedness  is  res  vesana  atque  demens, 
 a  senseless  thing  and  void  of  understanding."  Job  xv.  21 ; 
 Prov.  xxviii.  1 ;  Ps.  cxii.  7,  8.     Camerarius  (in  loco.) 
 
 Ignorance,  as  it  makes  bold,  intruding  men  carelessly  into  un- 
 known dangers,  so  also  it  makes  men  ofttimes  causelessly  fear- 
 ful. Herod  feared  Christ's  coming,  because  he  mistook  it : 
 if  that  tyrant  had  known  the  manner  of  His  spiritual  regiment, 
 he  had  spared  both  his  own  fright  and  the  blood  of  others. 
 And,  hence  it  is,  that  we  fear  death,  because  we  are  not  ac- 
 quainted with  the  virtue  of  it.  Nothing  but  innocency  and 
 knowledge  can  give  sound  confidence  to  the  heart,  xiv.  26, 27  ; 
 Ps.  xiv.  5  ;  Prov.  xxviii.  1 ;  S.  John  xviii.  36.  Bp.  Hall.  (Holy 
 Observations,  32.) 
 
 The  Devil  was  that  great  Herod,  magnus  ille  Herodes,  that  was 
 perplexed  at  it.     Theodoret. 
 
 If  the  birth  of  a  little  infant  made  the  proud  king  tremble,  how 
 will  he  bear  the  tribunal  of  his  Judge  ?  S.  Augustine.  (Serm. 
 de  Epiph.) 
 
 AJl  Jerusalem  with  him. — The  spiritual  birth  of  Chbist  is  most 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  3—6.  21 
 
 infinitely  opposite  to  both  the  common  people  of  the  world  and 
 to  the  common  affections  of  the  soul ;  two  of  the  most  turbu- 
 lent, tumultuous,  wayward,  violent  nations  upon  the  earth. 
 Acts  xvi.  20 ;  xvii.  8  ;  Eom.  vii.  14 — 24 ;  Gal.  iv.  19.  Dr. 
 Hammond.  (Serm.  S.  Matt.  i.  23.) 
 The  first  cry  of  the  new  creature,  the  child  of  Grace,  gives  all  the 
 legion  of  hell  the  alarm.  They  are  much  troubled  at  it,  as 
 Herod  and  Jerusalem  were,  when  Christ  was  born ;  and  now 
 they  sit  in  council  to  take  away  the  life  of  this  new-born  King. 
 S.  Luke  ix.  42  ;  S.  John  xii.  10.  Gurnall.  (The  Christian  in 
 complete  armour,  ch.  i.  s.  1.) 
 
 4  Should  be  born. — His  part  it  w^as,  for  us  to  be  born ;  ours,  be- 
 cause of  Him,  to  be  "  born  again."  Eom.  viii.  29  ;  2  Cor.  v.  17. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 5  Thus  it  is  written, — The  Church  is  to  be  ascertained  from  the 
 sacred  and  canonical  Scriptures.  The  communion,  which  ad- 
 mits not  of  this  proof,  is  not  the  Church,  1  Tim.  iii.  15  ;  S. 
 John  XX.  31.  S.  Augustine.  (On  the  Unity  of  the  Church, 
 c.  4.) 
 
 Go  not  only  to  the  shop  of  Nature,  or  the  school  of  Philosophy. 
 The  candle,  which  Nature  affbrdeth  us,  is  good  ;  but  it  will  be 
 burnt  out,  before  we  come  to  our  journey's  end.  Philosophy 
 may  seek  truth  ;  theology  findeth  it ;  religion  doth  possess  it. 
 Philosophy  is  not  the  field,  wherein  the  pearl  of  truth  lieth  ;  but 
 rather  a  hedge  and  ditch  about  the  field,  to  defend  it  from  the 
 invasion  of  subtle  disputants.  Th.  Hill.  (Serm.  before  the 
 Parliament,  1642.) 
 G  Out  of  thee  shall  come,  &c. — 
 
 Terra  parens,  gaude !  Saturni  regna  redibunt 
 
 Aurea,  et  innocuo  flumina  melle  fluent. 
 Bellaque  cessabunt,  totumque  eff'usa  per  orbem 
 
 Mitia  tranquilla3  tempera  pacis  erunt. 
 Diff'ugiet  furor,  et  scissis  discordia  regnis, 
 Eixaque  turbatis  sanguinolenta  comis. 
 Omnia  Naturae  renovatis  legibus  ibunt, 
 
 Parsque  suum  sceleris  nulla  tenebit  iter. 
 Succedet  cum  pace  fides,  rectique  cupido, 
 Et  comes  intacta3  candor  amicitise. 
 
22  S.  MATTHEW  II.  8,  9. 
 
 Religioqne  sacris  altaribus  addet  honores  : 
 Tot  bona  roranti  nox  feret  una  sinu. 
 
 Livinus  Meyerus.     (Elegiarum,  Lib.  ii.  4.) 
 
 7  Then  Herod,  when  he  had  privily  called  the  wise 
 men,  inquired  of  them  diligently  what  time  the  star 
 appeared. 
 
 8  And  he  sent  them  to  Bethlehem,  and  said,  Go 
 and  search  diligently  for  the  young  Child  ;  and  when 
 ye  have  found  Him,  bring  me  word  again,  that  I  may 
 come  and  worship  Him  also. 
 
 9  When  they  had  heard  the  king,  they  departed ; 
 and,  lo,  the  star,  which  they  saw  in  the  east,  went 
 before  them,  till  it  came  and  stood  over  where  the 
 young  Child  was. 
 
 10  When  they  saw  the  star,  they  rejoiced  with  ex- 
 ceeding great  joy. 
 
 8  Cultum  pretendit ;  cultrum  intendit.     xxvi,  48,  49.     Rauliti. 
 Take  heed,  lest  you  become  like  Herod  ;  lest  you  say,  that  I  may 
 
 come  and  woi'ship  Him  also  ;  and  so  coming  should  attempt  His 
 life.  Por  sucli  are  all  they,  who"profane  the  mystery  of  Cheist's 
 Communion.  They  carry,  indeed,  a  tyrant  within  them,  who  is 
 at  constant  enmity  with  His  kingdom,  far  more  impious  than 
 Herod  himself;  Mammon,  I  mean.  He  it  is,  who  sends  his 
 votaries  to  Christ,  that  they  may  present  to  Him  a  counterfeit 
 act  of  homage  ;  whereas,  in  their  hearts  and  as  far  as  in  them 
 lies,  they  murder  the  very  object  of  their  pretended  worship, 
 xxii.  16  ;  xxvi.  49 ;  Ps.  xxviii.  3  ;  Heb.  vi.  6.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 9  Why  from  the  East  ?  There  were  Gentiles  in  the  north  and 
 south  too  ;  why  not  from  them  as  well,  but  from  the  east  alone  ? 
 Marry,  best  of  all,  from  hence ;  it  suits  well  to  make  even  with 
 Eve  in  Paradise,  that  as  from  the  east  came  the  first  news  of 
 sin,  so  from  thence  should  come  the  first  news  of  saving  from 
 sin  ;  and  to  make  even  with  Balaam  too,  that  as  he  came  a  mon- 
 tibus  Orientis,  to  curse  God's  people,  so  these  Magi  (that,  some 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  9,  10.  23 
 
 say,  were  his  scholars  far  removed)  should  come  ab  Oriente  to 
 bless  all  the  generations  of  the  Gentiles  after  them.  (Numb, 
 xxiii.  7  ;  xxiv.  17.)  Indeed,  from  whence  should  they  come, 
 but  from  the  East  ?  "  All  who  come  unto  Christ,"  saith  Ee- 
 migius,  "  must  come  from  Him  first."  Now  He  is  the  true 
 Day-spring,  "The  East  is  His  Name,"  &c.,as  Zechariah  speaks. 
 Gen.  iii.  24  ;  Zech.  vi.  12.    Bp.  Cosin.    (Serm.  S.  Matt.  ii.  1,  2.) 
 
 He  was  made  known  to  the  Jews,  in  the  persons  of  shepherds, 
 and  to  the  Gentiles,  in  the  persons  of  great  men,  Magi ;  that 
 we  might  know  how  the  chief  Pastors  and  Ministers  of  Christ's 
 Church  should  come  from  the  Jews,  as  S.  Peter  and  the  rest  of 
 the  Apostles  ;  but  the  chief  Defenders  of  it,  Kings  and  Princes, 
 they  should  come  out  of  the  Gentiles,  as  indeed  they  did.  E-om. 
 ix.  4,  5  ;  Isa.  xlix.  22,  23.     Bp.  Cosin. 
 
 The  star,  when  it  came  to  Christ,  stood  still  and  went  no  further  : 
 so,  when  we  come  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  we  should  stand 
 still  and  go  no  further ;  for  Paul  was  content  to  "  know  nothing, 
 but  Christ  Crucified."  Ps.  cxxxii.  15  ;  S.  Jude  3.  I)r.  Henry 
 Smith.     (A  Looking-glass  for  Christians.) 
 
 10  All  the  rest  of  the  stars,  together  with  the  sun  and  moon, 
 were  the  chorus  to  this  Star ;  but  this  sent  out  its  light  exceed- 
 ingly, above  them  all.  Cant.  v.  10.  S.  Ignatius.  (Ep.  to 
 Ephes.  s.  19.) 
 
 The  Birth  of  Christ  is  the  origin  of  His  people  ;  and  the  Birth- 
 day of  the  Head  is  that  of  the  members  also.  As  we  are  cru- 
 cified together  with  the  Lord  in  His  Passion,  I'aised  to  life  in 
 His  B/Csurrection,  placed  at  the  Eather's  right  hand  with  Him 
 in  His  Ascension,  so  in  this.  His  Birth,  we  are  conjointly  born 
 with  Him.  Bom.  vi.  1—6  ;  viii.  29  ;  Eph.  ii.  5,  6  ;  Gal.  iv.  19. 
 Leo.     (Serm.  de  Nativitate,  6.) 
 
 0 !  Lord,  Thou  didst  bring  the  wise  heathen  to  the  knowledge  of 
 Thy  Son  by  the  leading  of  a  star  !  How  early  didst  Thou  make 
 them  partakers  of  this  great  blessing  ;  whose  minds  having  duly 
 improved  their  natural  light,  Tliou  didst  form  by  Thy  Blessed 
 Spirit  to  that  degree  of  saving  humility,  that  they  were  not 
 ofiended  at  the  meanness  of  our  Saviour's  circumstances.  .  .  . 
 Otherwise,  the  pride  of  their  hearts  would  have  caused  them  to 
 fly  back,  as  Naaman  did  from  Elisha.     2  Kings  v.  12  ;  Exod. 
 
24  S.  MATTHEW  II.  10,   11. 
 
 V.  2 ;  Ps.  1.  23  ;  1  Cor.  i.  18.     Bonnell.     (Life  by  Archdeacon 
 Hamilton,  p.  2J<,  edit.  1707.) 
 
 O  !  quis  in  his  tendat  mihi  stamina  fida  periclis  ! 
 
 Qui  Deus  in  tanta  sit  mihi  nocte  Pharos  ? 
 Isacidas  quondam,  per  inhospita  regna  vagantes, 
 
 Insolitas  docuit  clara  columna  vias. 
 Stella  comes  monuit  Nabathseos  luraine  reges, 
 Parvaque  Bethlemise  duxit  in  antra  domus. 
 O  !  utinam  recto  tendat  mea  semita  ductu  ; 
 Nee  fraus  decipiat  tramitis  uUa  gradum. 
 
 Herm.  Hugo.     (Pia  desid.  Lib.  ii.) 
 
 ]  1  And  when  they  were  come  into  the  house,  they 
 saw  the  young  Child  with  Mary  His  mother,  and  fell 
 down  and  worshipped  Him  :  and  when  they  had 
 opened  their  treasures,  they  presented  unto  Him  gifts  ; 
 gold,  and  frankincense,  and  myrrh. 
 
 12  And  being  warned  of  God  in  a  dream  that  they 
 should  not  return  to  Herod,  they  departed  into  their 
 own  country  another  way. 
 
 13  And  when  they  were  departed,  behold,  the  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  be  thou  there  until  I  bring  thee 
 word :  for  Herod  will  seek  the  young  Child  to  destroy 
 Him. 
 
 14  When  he  arose,  he  took  the  young  Child  and 
 His  mother  by  night,  and  departed  into  Egypt : 
 
 15  And  was  there  until  the  death  of  Herod  :  that  it 
 might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  of  the  Lord  by 
 the  prophet,  saying.  Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called  My 
 Son. 
 
 11  Three  acts  are  here  ;  falling  down,  worshipping,  and  offering. 
 The  first,  the  worship  of  the  body  ;  the  second,  of  the  soul ;  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  11,  12.  25 
 
 third,  of  our  goods.  With  these  three,  our  bodies,  our  souls, 
 our  goods,  we  are  to  worship  Him  :  with  all  these  His  worship 
 is  to  be  performed ;  without  them  all  is  but  a  lame  and  maimed 
 sacrifice,  neither  fit  for  wise  men  to  give,  nor  Chbist  to  receive. 
 Ps.  ciii.  1,  2  ;  Ixxii.  9—12.  Br.  Mark  Frank.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 A  question  has  arisen,  whether  each  magician  ofiered,  severally, 
 only  one  of  these  presents ;  or,  all  three  of  the  presents  toge- 
 ther ?  It  is  most  in  accordance  with  the  mystery  before  us  to 
 acknowledge  each,  as  ofieriug  the  three.  For  the  faith  of  each 
 individual  rested  on  Cheist,  as  a  King,  as  God,  and  as  man. 
 Ps.  Ixxvi.  11 ;  Col.  ii.  6.  Anselm. 
 The  presents  were  representatives  of  interior  virtues  ;  the  myrrh 
 signifying  faith,  mortification,  chastity,  compunction,  and  all 
 the  actions  of  the  purgative  way  of  spiritual  life ;  the  incense 
 signifying  prayer,  hope,  obedience,  good  intention,  and  all  the 
 actions  and  devotions  of  the  illuminative  :  the  giving  the  ffold 
 representing  love  to  GrOD  and  our  neighbours,  the  contempt  of 
 riches,  poverty  of  spirit,  and  all  the  eminences  and  spiritual 
 riches  of  the  unitive  life.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life  of  Chkist,  in 
 loco.) 
 
 Ecce  iteris  medio  stellam  prsecurrere  ceruunt 
 Sulcantem  flammis  auras,  quae  in  culmine  summo 
 Eestitit,  et  Pueri  lustrata  habitacula  monstrat. 
 Gaudia  magna  Magi  gaudent,  sidusque  salutant. 
 Et  postquam  Puerum  videre  sub  ubere  matris 
 Dejecti  prono  texerunt  corpore  terram  ; 
 Submissique  simul  mox  mystica  munera  promunt. 
 Aurum,  thus,  myrrham,  Eegique,  Deoque,  hominique 
 Dona  ferunt :  totam  mox  horrida  somnia  noctem 
 Sollicitant,  sasvumque  jubent  vitare  tyrannum. 
 
 Juvencus.  (Lib.  i.  De  Evaug.  Histor.) 
 12  God's  dealings  with  them  were  analogous  to  His  customary 
 manner  of  opening  and  teaching  the  heart.  All  was  gradual, 
 and  yet  progressive.  He  placed  in  the  heavens  the  appearance 
 of  a  star ;  He  attracted  their  attention  to  its  course ;  He  dis- 
 posed them  to  follow  its  leading  ;  He  brought  them  onwards  on 
 their  way  in  faith  and  hope,  till  they  finally  came  where  the 
 young  Child  was  ;  to  derive  from  the  object  of  their  admiration, 
 
26  S.  MATTHEW  II.   12,  13. 
 
 even  in  His  lowly  manger,  new  liglifcs  and  a  more  excellent  wis- 
 dom, than  that,  which  they  had  hitherto  cultivated.  The  very 
 next  Revelation,  made  to  them,  was  of  a  higher  order  ;  it  was 
 no  longer  by  a  star,  that  they  were  directed,  but  they  were 
 warned  by  God  in  a  dream :  so,  that  they  might  defeat  the  in- 
 tentions of  Herod  by  returning  to  their  country  some  other 
 way.  Such  too  is  usually  the  progress  of  Divine  grace,  xiii. 
 11,  12  ;  S.  John  i.  50  ;  ix.  24—37 ;  Prov.  iv.  18.  Bp.  Sumner. 
 (On  the  Ministerial  Character  of  Christ,  ch.  2.) 
 
 Ought  we  not  often,  in  soul,  to  go  with  the  wise  men  to  Beth- 
 lehem, being  directed  by  the  stars  of  grace,  and  there  fall  down 
 and  worship  the  little  King  ;  there  offer  the  gold  of  charity,  the 
 frankincense  of  devotion,  the  myrrh  of  penitency ;  and  then  re- 
 turn, not  to  cruel  Herod,  or  troubled  Jerusalem,  but  another 
 way,  a  better  way,  unto  our  long  and  happy  home  ?  Heb.  xi. 
 15,  IG  ;  2  S.  Pet.  ii.  20—22.     Sutton.     (Disce  vivere,  c.  1.) 
 
 Another  way. — When  a  certain  end  can  be  arrived  at  by  a  means 
 more  ordinary,  God  is  not  wont  to  employ  one  more  extraor- 
 dinary. ...  It  is  where  human  weakness  fails,  that  Divine 
 power  begins  :  and  therefore  miracles  are  only  wrought,  when 
 it  is  beyond  human  strength  to  bring  about  the  result.  The 
 Magi  had  a  star  to  guide  them  on  their  jom-ney  to  Christ  ; 
 but  not  on  their  return  home.  Tet,  since  on  their  journey 
 home  they  had  to  strike  out  a  new  road,  one  perhaps  even  more 
 fatiguing,  more  lonely,  and  more  intricate,  it  seemed  as  though 
 they  quite  equally  needed  the  guidance  of  a  star.  But,  in  their 
 journey  to  Cheist,  they  had  to  reach  a  spot,  which  no  person 
 in  the  world  could  point  out  to  them  :  for  it  was  the  most  holy 
 cave  of  Bethlehem,  a  place  at  that  time  as  much  unknown  upon 
 the  earth,  as  it  was  renowned  in  heaven.  But  this  was  not  the 
 case  on  their  return :  because  as  the  place,  they  were  bound  to, 
 was  perfectly  well  known  to  them,  if  ignorant  of  the  way, 
 they  could  soon  by  human  means  have  found  it  out.  S.  John 
 xi.  36;  Acts  xii.  8.  Paolo  Seffneri.  (Quaresiraale.  Serni. 
 xvi.  s.  4.) 
 
 13  Haste  Thee  from  Thine  own  to  a  strange  people,  from  the 
 Holy  to  the  profane,  from  Thy  Temple  to  the  shrine  of  devils, 
 from  the  land  of  the  Saints  to  a  country  of  idolaters 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  13—15.  27 
 
 David,  persecuted  by  Saul,  found  a  shelter  and  retreat  near 
 home.  A  poor  widow's  house  sufficed,  as  a  hiding-place  to 
 Elijah.  Christ  flies,  and  there  is  no  place  to  receive  Him. 
 The  whole  province  fails  :  the  home  of  His  nativity  refuses  help. 
 ....  Brethren,  Christ's  flight  was  a  mystery,  and  not  the 
 effect  of  fear ;  the  creature  was  set  free,  the  Creator  not  placed 
 in  danger ;  it  was  a  sign,  not  of  human  weakness,  but  of  Divine 
 power.  Non  fugit  proptei'  authoris  mortem,  sed  fugit  propter 
 sceculi  vitam.  The  Author  of  life  fled  not,  for  fear  of  death  ; 
 but  He  fled,  that  He  might  preserve  His  human  existence. 
 Why  should  He  fear  death,  who  came  purposely  to  die  ?  .  .  .  . 
 But,  had  He  permitted  Himself  to  be  murdered  in  His  child- 
 hood, a  deathblow  would  have  been  given  to  the  whole  un- 
 dertaking of  man's  salvation.  Pet.  Chrysologus.  (Serm.  150, 
 151.) 
 
 Thus  early  did  the  infant  Jesus  exemplify  His  own  subsequent 
 direction,  so  consoling  to  the  Apostles  and  first  sufferers  for  the 
 faith :  "  When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  an- 
 other." X.  23;  xii.  14,  15;  xiv.  12,  13;  S.  John  xi.  54;  1 
 Kings  xix.  3.     J.  F. 
 
 Take  heed,  you  bold  offenders ;  "God  is  not  mocked,"  but  sees 
 and  disappoints  your  councils,  as  He  pleases.  Fear  not,  you 
 perseverers  in  virtue,  GrOD  will  not  leave  you ;  He'll  kindle  a 
 new  star  to  enlighten  your  way  and  redouble  your  joy  by  renew- 
 ing His  favours.  Prepare  for  Him  your  gold  in  alms,  and  your 
 frankincense  in  devotion,  and  your  myrrh  in  a  life  of  Christian 
 severity.  He'll  send  His  angel  to  prevent  your  danger  and 
 make  you  enter  at  last  into  His  Holy  presence  to  adore  your 
 Jesus  for  ever.     Austin.  (Harmony,  &c.  Medit.  22.) 
 
 14  When  He  arose. — The  gifts  of  the  Magi  supplied  the  means  of 
 the  journey.  How  careful,  how  wonderful  is  the  Providence  of 
 God  !     Ex.  xii.  35,  36.     E.  C.  Harington. 
 
 The  children  of  God  do  never  reason  thus :  "  If  God  hath  ap- 
 pointed the  matter,  it  skilleth  not  what  I  do ;"  but  they  use  the 
 appointed  means  and  leave  God's  counsels  to  Himself.  Gen. 
 xxii.  1 — 3  ;  Judges  vii.  14 — 16  ;  Acts  xxvii.  24,  31 ;  2  Tim.  ii. 
 10,  19.     Bp.  Babington.  (Serm.  S.  John  vi.  37.) 
 
 15  That  it  might  he  fulfilled,  ^-c. — How  delightful  it  is  to  see  with 
 
28  S.  MATTHEW  II.  15. 
 
 the  eye  of  faith  Darius,  Caesar,  Alexander,  the  Romans,  Pora- 
 pey,  Herod,  ignorautly  acting  for  the  glory  of  the  Grospel.  Ps. 
 Ixxvi,  12.  Pascal.  (Thoughts,  &c.  ch.  16.) 
 At  that  great  decretory  Day  those  great  politicians,  that  thought 
 fit  to  outwit  Providence  by  their  refined  subtleties,  shall  find 
 themselves  "  taken  in  their  own  craftiness,"  shall  have  their 
 deepest  counsels  "  turned  into  foolishness,"  and  shall  not  be  able 
 to  keep  the  amazed  world  from  discovering  that,  whilst  they 
 thought  they  most  craftily  pursued  their  own  ends,  they  really 
 accomplished  GtOd's:  and  those  subtle  hypocrites,  that  thought 
 to  make  pretended  religion  the  instrument  of  their  secular  de- 
 signs, shall  find  those  designs  both  defeated  and  made  truly 
 subservient  to  that  advancement  of  religion,  which  they  never 
 really  aimed  at.  Ps.  Ixxvi.  10  ;  S.  John  xi.  47 — 52  ;  Acts  iv. 
 24—29.  Robert  Boyle.  (Works,  Vol.  V.  Edit.  1772.) 
 And  was  there. — We  may  be  safe  in  Egypt,  if  we  be  there  in  obe- 
 dience to  God  ;  and  we  may  perish  among  the  babes  of  Beth- 
 lehem, if  we  be  there  by  our  own  election.  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 (Life  of  Cheist,  p.  i.  §  6.) 
 Egypt.  —  O  !  dilecta  Deo  regie  !     Eedit  Ille  tuorum 
 
 Servator  populorum,  his  nomen  amabile  terris 
 Joseph  us ;  nee  jam  attonito  nocturna  tyranno 
 Visa  aperit,  nee  septenos  collecta  per  annos 
 Partitur  frumenta,  famis  solatia  dirse. 
 Ipsum  adeo  Auctorem  frugum,  qui  gramina  campis 
 Qui  segetes  arvis,  qui  Nile  sufficit  undam, 
 Adducit  Deus  !  ecce  Deus  !  quern  ssecla  Canopo 
 Pristina  terribilem,  perdentemque  omnia  late, 
 Fulmina  vibrantem,  et  tonitru  videre  cientem. 
 Nunc  trepidus  fugit,  et  teneris  vagitibus  auras 
 Impellit  lacrymans,  latebrasque  et  tecta  requirit ! 
 
 Becanus.  (Idyllia  sacra,  i.) 
 
 16  Then  Herod,  when  he  saw  that  he  was  mocked 
 of  the  wise  men,  was  exceeding  wroth,  and  sent  forth, 
 and  slew  all  the  children  that  were  in  Bethlehem,  and 
 in  all  the  coasts  thereof,  from  two  years  old  and  under, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  16.  29 
 
 according  to  the  time  which  he  had  diligently  inquired 
 of  the  wise  men. 
 
 1/  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by 
 Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying, 
 
 18  In  Rama  was  there  a  voice  heard,  lamentation, 
 and  weeping,  and  great  mourning,  Rachel  weeping /or 
 her  children,  and  would  not  be  comforted,  because 
 they  are  not. 
 
 16  Herod  was  a  man  of  an  obscure  and  private  family.  'Tis  such 
 commonly,  that  build  up  their  greatness  upon  blood  and  ruin 
 ....  Tyrants  and  usurpers  are  ever  jealous  and  suspicious, 
 fierce  and  bloody.  They  are  they,  that  dye  their  purples  in  the 
 blood  of  innocents  ....  The  ambitious  design  of  power  and 
 greatness,  the  driving  on  of  an  advantageous  interest,  the  keep- 
 ing of  an  unjust  possession  of  things,  that  simj  all  before  them  : 
 nor  the  tears  of  mothers,  nor  the  cries  of  infants,  nor  the  rela- 
 tions of  nature,  nor  the  obligations  of  friendship,  nor  the  charms 
 of  innocence  can  do  anything  against  those  furies.  Ahab,  and 
 Jezebel,  and  Zimri,  and  Jehu,  and  Herod  are  sufficient  witnesses 
 how  cheap  the  heads  of  all  sorts  are,  that  seem  but  to  stand  in 
 the  way  of  their  designments  ....  Men  think  themselves 
 sometimes  mocked,  when  disappointed  of  a  sin,  of  a  project,  of 
 doiug  mischief,  (see  Gen.  xxxix.  14  ;  Judg.  xvi.  10,  13,  15  ; 
 Numb.  xxii.  29),  nay,  sometimes  the  very  denouncing  of  God's 
 judgments  seems  to  some  men  as  mocking,  Gen.  xix.  8  ;  some- 
 times the  very  preaching  of  a  resurrection  does  so,  Acts  xviii. 
 32.     Dr.  Mark  Frank.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 It  pleased  the  Prince  of  Martyrs  to  have  His  train  composed,  when 
 He  made  His  entry  into  the  world,  of  infants,  suited  to  an  in- 
 fant Savioijb  ;  a  train  of  innocents,  meet  to  follow  the  spotless 
 Lamb,  who  came  to  convince  the  world  of  sin  and  to  redeem  it 
 in  righteousness.  They  were  the  first  fruits,  offered  to  the  Son 
 of  Gob,  after  His  Incarnation  ;  and  their  blood  the  first,  that 
 flowed  on  His  account.  They  appeared  as  so  many  champions 
 in  the  field,  clad  in  the  King's  coat  of  armour,  to  intercept  the 
 
30  S.  MATTHEW  II.  16,  18. 
 
 blows  directed  against  Him.  xix.  14 ;  xxi.  16  ;  Isa.  xi.  6.  Bp. 
 Home.     (Serm.  Jer.  xxxi.  15 — 17.) 
 
 Their  tender  age,  incapable  of  any  conflict,  yet  was  meet  for  the 
 victorious  crown.  And,  in  order  to  display  the  innocence  of 
 Martyrs,  dying  for  Christ's  sake,  the  innocent  childhood  is 
 made  to  suffer.  Ps.  viii.  2  ;  Eev.  xiv.  4,  5.  >S.  Cyprian.  (De 
 Stella  et  Magis. 
 
 Briars  and  thistles  wither  not  so  soon,  as  lilies  and  roses.  They 
 may  be  taken  out  of  the  world,  of  whom  the  world  is  not  wor- 
 thy :  and  they  remain  behind,  who  are  not  worthy  to  live  in  the 
 world.     1  Kings  xiv.  13  ;  Wisd.  iv.  11 ;  Heb.  xi.  5.     Chr.  Love. 
 
 Salvete,  flores  Martyrum,  Inter  cosevi  sanguinis 
 
 Quos  lucis  ipso  in  limine,  Pluenta  solus  integer : 
 
 Christi  insecutor  sustulit,  Ferrum,  quod  orbabat  nurus, 
 
 Seu  turbo  nascentes  rosas.  Partus  fefellit  Virginis. 
 
 Voa  prima  Christi  victima  Sic  stulta  Pharaonis  mali 
 
 Grex  immolatorum  tener  Edicta  quondam  fugerat 
 
 Aram  ante  ipsam  simplices  Christi  figuram  prseferens 
 
 Palmi  et  coronis  luditis  !  Moses,  receptor  civium  .  .  . 
 
 Quo  proficit  tantum  nefas  ?         Laudate  vestrum  Principem, 
 Quid  crimen  Herodem  juvat  ?      Omnes  beati,  ac  perditi, 
 TJnus  tot  inter  funera  Vivi,  imbecilli,  ac  mortui — 
 
 Impune  Christus  tollitur.  Jam  nemo  posthac  mortuus  ! 
 
 Prudentius.     (Catheraerinon,  H.  12.) 
 
 18  All  the  synonymas  of  sadness  were  little  enough  to  express 
 this  great  weeping  ....  The  mourning  was  great,  like  "  the 
 mourning  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom ;  and  there  was  no  Com- 
 forter." Their  sorrow  was  too  big  to  be  cured,  till  it  should  lie 
 down  alone,  and  rest  with  its  own  weariness.  2  Chron.  xxxiii. 
 6;  Zech.  xii.  11 — 14.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life  of  Cheist,  p.  i. 
 s.  6.) 
 
 Pew  evils  are  so  great,  but  that  they  might  be  greater.  Under 
 every  suffering  may  be  found  some  source  of  consolation,  if  the 
 mind  will  but  look  for  it.  Ps.  Ixxi.  19  ;  1,  15  ;  Phil.  iv.  4 — 10- 
 Bp.  Hunting  ford. 
 
 Children  are  such  blossoms,  as  every  trifling  wind  deflowers ;  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  18.  31 
 
 to  be  disordered  at  their  fall  were  to  be  fond  of  certain  troubles, 
 but  the  most  uncertain  comforts.  "We  give  hostages  to  fortune, 
 when  we  bring  children  into  the  world ;  and  how  unstable  this 
 is  we  know,  and  must  therefore  hazard  the  adventure.  Are  you 
 offended  that  it  has  pleased  God  to  snatch  your  pretty  babes 
 from  the  infinite  contingencies  of  so  perverse  an  age,  in  which 
 there  is  so  little  temptation  to  live  ?  .  .  .  ,  Say  not  they  might 
 have  come  later  to  their  destiny:  Magna  est  f elicit  as  cith  esse 
 felicem  ;  'tis  no  small  happiness  to  be  happy  quickl}'-.  J.  Evelyn. 
 (Letters,  a.d.  1G56.) 
 I  count  it  a  deed-royal  in  the  kingly  David,  who  began  to  warm 
 his  joys  again,  when  the  infant's  blood  was  cold,  (2  Sam.  xii.) 
 as  if  the  breath,  which  the  child  lost,  had  disclouded  his  in- 
 darkened  heart.  I  will  apply  myself  to  the  present ;  to  preserve 
 it,  to  enjoy  it ;  but  never  be  passionate  for  the  loss  of  that,  which 
 I  cannot  keep,  nor  can  regain.  When  I  have  a  blessing,  I  will 
 respect  it,  I  will  love  it,  as  ardently  as  any  man ;  and,  when  'tis 
 gone,  I  confess  I  would  grieve  as  little.  And  this  I  think  I 
 may  well  do,  yet  owe  a  dear  respect  to  the  memory  of  that  I 
 lost.     O.  Feltham.     (Eesolves,  Cent.  i.  22.) 
 
 19  But  when  Herod  was  dead,  behold,  an  angel  of 
 the  Lord  appeareth  in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt, 
 
 20  Saying,  Arise,  and  take  the  young  Child  and  His 
 mother,  and  go  into  the  land  of  Israel :  for  they  are 
 dead  which  sought  the  young  Child's  life. 
 
 21  And  he  arose,  and  took  the  young  Child  and 
 His  mother,  and  came  into  the  land  of  Israel. 
 
 22  But  when  he  heard  that  Archelaus  did  reign  in 
 Judrea  in  the  room  of  his  father  Herod,  he  was  afraid 
 to  go  thither  :  notwithstanding,  being  warned  of  God 
 in  a  dream,  he  turned  aside  into  the  parts  of  Galilee : 
 
 23  And  he  came  and  dwelt  in  a  city  called  Naza- 
 reth :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
 the  prophets,  He  shall  be  called  a  Nazarene. 
 
32  S.  MATTHEW  II.  19.  20. 
 
 19  Herod  was  dead. — Death,  like  a  dark  passage  to  a  comfortless 
 pi'ison,  puts  an  end  to  all  the  ungodly  man  would  have,  and  a 
 beginning  to  all  he  would  not,  Heb.  xi.  15,  16.  Dean  Young. 
 (Serm.  Job  xxviii.  28.) 
 
 The  robes  of  Majesty  and  the  rags  of  beggary  are  equal  preludes 
 to  the  shroud  ;  and  the  throne  is  only  a  precipice,  from  whence 
 to  fall  with  greater  noise  and  more  extensive  ruin  into  the  grave. 
 Acts  xii.  20 — 24.  ■  Satn.  Bavies.  (Sermon  on  the  death  of 
 Geoi'ge  II.) 
 
 Quid,  O  !  superbi  coUa  mortal!  jugo 
 
 Frustra  levare  gestiunt  ? 
 Licet  remotos  fama  per  populos  means 
 
 Diffusa  linguaa  explicet, 
 Et  magna  titulis  fulgeat  claris  domus. 
 
 Mors  spernit  altam  gloriam  ; 
 Involvit  humile  pariter,  et  celsum  caput, 
 -^quatque  sumrais  infima. 
 
 Boetius.  (Consol.  Philos.  Lib.  ii.  Metr.  7.) 
 In  a  dream. — It  is  most  evident  from  the  Scriptures  that,  of  all 
 created  beings,  the  angels  of  God  are  the  most  subtle,  defaecate, 
 pure,  active ;  and  so  the  most  perfect  and  noble  substances. 
 Hence  they  are  described  in  holy  writ,  as  creatures  of  wonderful 
 agility  and  swiftness  of  motion,  (Ps.  civ.  4,)  therefore  called 
 Cherubim,  that  is  winged  creatures  ;  and  of  as  strange  a  subtlety, 
 penetrating  into  any  kind  of  bodies,  yea,  insinuating  themselves 
 into  and  affecting  the  very  inward  senses  of  men.  Acts  xii.  8  ; 
 1  Sam.  xvi.  15.     Bp.  Bull.  (Serm.  on  Heb.  i.  14.) 
 
 20  They  intently  persecuted  the  infancy  of  Christ  ;  and  so,  even 
 before  Christ  be  formed  in  us,  in  the  very  first  state  of  a  religious 
 life,  their  grand  aim  is  to  quench  in  us  the  Spirit,  and  to  stifle 
 at  its  very  birth  the  life  of  righteousness.  S.  Luke  ix.  42.  S. 
 Cyprian.  (De  Stella  et  Magis.) 
 
 All  persecutors  (as  S.  Cyprian  observes)  are  like  Herod ;  they 
 take  their  time,  and  seek  to  slay  Christ,  and  overthrow  His 
 Kingdom  in  its  infancy  :  and  therefore  at  that  time  doth  He, 
 most  of  all,  magnify  the  power  and  protection  of  His  Spirit  over 
 the  same.  Exod.  vii.  10  ;  Acts  iv.  5  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  9 ;  Rev.  xii.  4. 
 Bp.  Reynolds.  (Exposition  of  Psalm  ex.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  II.  22-24.  33 
 
 22  He  was  afraid, — We  must  ever  bear  in  mind  the  purpose  and 
 counsel  of  God,  wherefore  from  the  beginning  He  kept  liis 
 Son  under  the  discipline  of  the  cross  :  for  this  was  His  method 
 of  bringing  about  the  Redemption  of  the  Church.  Hence  He 
 "bare  our  infirmities,"  was  compassed  about  with  dangers,  was 
 liable  to  fears  ;  that  by  such  means  He  might  bless  His  ran- 
 somed Church  with  perpetual  peace.  Hence  His  danger  became 
 our  safety,  His  fear  was  our  confidence.  His  tender  age  indeed 
 precluded  Him  from  all  fear  ;  but,  because  He  was  thus  taken 
 from  one  place  to  another,  in  consequence  of  the  fear  of  Joseph 
 and  Mary,  we  may  well  say  that  He  bare  our  feai's,  that  He 
 might  procure  for  us  quietness  and  confidence.  (Ps.  Ixxxviii. 
 15  ;  Prayer-Book  Version.)     Calvin. 
 
 23  Had  he  intended  to  produce  a  definite  proof  from  the  Scrip- 
 tures, he  would  never  have  said  by  the  prophets,  but  "  by  the 
 prophet."  By  this  he  shows  that  he  took  them  in  their  sense, 
 and  not  by  the  letter.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 24  We  trace  the  Glory  of  the  Loed,  where  His  enemies  would 
 brand  Him  with  shame.  They  call  Him  a  Nazarene  ;  we  see  in 
 Him  the  true  Samson,  (Judges  xiii.  5  ;  Heb.  vii.  26,)  bearing 
 on  His  shoulders  the  gates  of  the  city  of  hell,  (Col.  ii.  14,  15.) 
 He  is  despised  in  their  sight,  as  a  Galilean.  "  Jesus  of  Naza- 
 reth" is  the  designation  affixed  to  His  cross  ;  but  we  follow  liim 
 from  that  cross  even  to  Galilee.  There  we  "  see  Him,"  as  He 
 told  His  Apostles,  in  the  brightness  of  His  Eesurrection,  "  our 
 Loed  and  our  God."  xxi.  11 ;  xxviii.  7  ;  S.  John  i.  45,  46 ;  xx. 
 28  ;  Acts  xxii.  8  ;  xxiv.  5  ;  xxvi.  9.     J.  F. 
 
 CHAPTER  III. 
 
 TN  those  days  came  John  the  Baptist  preaching  in 
 
 the  wilderness  of  Judeea, 
 
 2  And  saying,  Repent  ye  :  for  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
 ven is  at  hand. 
 
34  S.  MATTHEW  III.   1,  2. 
 
 3  For  this  is  He  that  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet 
 Esaias,  saying,  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder- 
 ness, Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  His  paths 
 straight. 
 
 4  And  the  same  John  had  his  raiment  of  camel's 
 hair,  and  a  leathern  girdle  about  his  loins;  and  his 
 meat  was  locusts  and  wild  honey. 
 
 5  Then  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judeea, 
 and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan, 
 
 6  And  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan,  confessing 
 their  sins. 
 
 1  Extraordinary  cases  are  not  for  our  imitation  ;  and  it  is  as  great 
 a  fault  to  act  without  a  call,  as  to  refuse  to  act  upon  one.  S.  John 
 xxi.  20 — 23  ;  Jer.  xlv.  5  ;  Acts  xvi.  10.     J.  H.  Newman. 
 
 2  The  first  Evangelical  duty,  that  God  requires  for  obtaining 
 mercy  and  pardon,  'tis  Repentance.  Before  our  faith  can  be 
 persuaded  of  pardon,  nay,  before  it  can  lay  hold  of  pardon,  nay, 
 before  God  will  reach  out  His  pardon.  He  exacts  "Repentance. 
 Before  thou  stretch  out  thine  hand  of  faith,  thou  must  humble 
 thyself  upon  the  knee  of  repentance.  Faith,  that's  the  cordial  to 
 revive  and  comfort  thee  ;  but  Repentance,  that's  the  purgation, 
 that  must  first  work,  and  fit  thee  to  receive  this  cordial.  Still, 
 the  Scripture  gives  the  precedency  to  Eepentance.  'Tis  the 
 primitive  original  grace,  even  before  faith  itself,  as  it  serves  to 
 justify.  Isa.  i.  16—19  ;  S.  Mark  i.  15  ;  Acts  xx.  21 ;  xxvi.  20. 
 Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  on  S.  John  xiv.  15,  16.) 
 
 E-epentance  is  a  true  returning  unto  God  ;  whereby  men,  forsaking 
 utterly  their  idolatry  and  wickedness,  do  with  a  lively  faith 
 embrace,  love,  and  worship  the  true  living  God  only,  and  give 
 theaiselves  to  all  manner  of  good  works,  which  by  God's  Word 
 they  know  to  be  acceptable  unto  Him.  Now  there  be  four  parts 
 of  Eepentance  (contrition,  confession,  faith,  amendment  of  life) 
 which,  being  set  together,  may  be  likened  to  an  easy  and  short 
 ladder,  whereby  we  may  climb  from  the  bottomless  pit  of  per- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  2—4.  35 
 
 dition  up  into  the  castle,  or  tower  of  eterual  and  endless  Salva- 
 tion.    Homilies  of  the  Church.     (On  Eepentance.) 
 
 Belief  of  the  world  and  judgment  to  come,  faith  in  the  promises 
 and  sufferings  of  Christ  for  mankind,  fear  of  His  Majesty,  love 
 of  His  mercy,  grief  for  sin,  hope  for  pardon,  suit  for  grace,  these 
 we  know  to  be  elements  of  true  contrition.  Hooker.  (Eccl. 
 Pol.  B.  V.) 
 
 For  the  kingdom,  ^c. — Though  God  needs  not,  yet  He  requires 
 moral  preparation  of  us,  as  an  ordinary  meaus  to  make  us  more 
 capable  of  grace ;  for  although,  according  to  S.  Augustine,  Ne 
 ipsa  quidem  justitid  nostra  indiget  Deus,  our  very  E-ighteous- 
 ness  is  not  a  thing,  which  God  stands  in  need  of;  yet  accord- 
 ing to  Salvian's  limitation.  He  wants  it,  in  order  to  His  own 
 commandment,  though  not  in  regard  to  His  power ;  He  wants 
 it,  according  to  His  law,  not  according  to  His  own  Majesty. 
 Eget  juxta  prcBceptionem  Suam,  licet  non  juxta  potentiam  ;  eget 
 secundum,  legem  Suam,  non  eget  secundum  Majestatem.  Dr. 
 Hammond.   (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  3.) 
 
 This  phrase,  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  only  to  be  found  in  the 
 Gospel  of  S.  Matthew  ;  that  he  might  wean  the  Jews,  for  whose 
 sake  he  wrote,  from  their  notions  of  a  ivorldly  kingdom.    Bengel. 
 
 3  The  trumpet  of  God  sounds  through  the  voice  of  man.  S. 
 Augustine. 
 
 John  is  not  the  crier,  but  "the  voice  of  the  crier;"  for  it  is 
 Christ,  who  crieth  in  preachers,  who  "speaks  by  the  mouth  of  all 
 His  holy  prophets."     S.  Luke  i.  70  ;  1  S.  Pet.  i.  11.     T.  Aquinas. 
 
 4  Could  one  only  attain  to  perfection  by  exalted  employments, 
 great  elevation  of  soul,  and  sublime  meditations,  thou  mightest 
 have  some  excuse,  and  plead  thy  incapacity,  and  say,  thou 
 canst  not  soar  thus  high.  Were  it  required  of  thee  to  scourge 
 thyself  daily,  so  as  to  draw  blood,  to  fast  upon  bread  and  water, 
 to  walk  always  barefooted,  to  wear  constantly  a  hair-shirt  and 
 sackcloth,  thou  mightest  reply,  that  thou  dost  not  feel  thy 
 strength  equal  thereto.  But  Jesus  Christ  requires  none  of 
 these  things  from  thee.  He  simply  desires,  that  thou  shouldst 
 do  well  the  ordinary  duties  of  each  day.  If  therefore  thou  hast 
 hitherto  neglected  to  offer  all  thy  actions  to  God,  especially 
 thy  first  waking  thoughts,  thy  meals,  and  thy  recreations,  begin 
 
 d2 
 
36  S.  MATTHE'W'  HI.  4—6. 
 
 from  this  day  forth  to  offer  them  unto  Him.  If  thou  hast 
 prayed  with  little  reverence,  attention,  and  fervour,  form  the 
 resolution  to  act  better  for  the  future.  A  merchant  in  his 
 commercial  business,  the  mother  of  a  family  in  a  household,  a 
 scholar  in  the  midst  of  his  studies,  can  thus  attain  to  perfection 
 at  little  cost.  Thou  wouldest  be  most  guilty,  if  thou  didst  not 
 use  so  simple  a  means  to  render  thyself  more  and  more  pleasing 
 to  a  God,  who,  for  thy  love  and  in  order  to  thy  happiness, 
 spared  neither  His  own  glory,  nor  repose,  nor  yet  life.  1  Cor. 
 X.  31.  A.  Rodriguez.  (The  Practice  of  Christian  Perfection, 
 p.  ii.  ch.  2.) 
 
 Magne  Puer,  Tua  coelesti  cunabula  late 
 Per  populos  prfecone  tument.     Te  praevius  auteit 
 Isacidum  de  gente  nepos,  cui  rustica  prsebent 
 Mella  cibos,  et  cruda  parant  alimenta  locustse, 
 Horridaque  agrestes  circumdant  tergora  pelles. 
 Talis  man^  diem  et  roseos  Hyperionis  ignes 
 Aurea  prsegreditur  roseis  Aurora  capillis, 
 Venturumque  Deum  terris,  plenasque  remisso 
 Testatur  splendore  faces.     Sic  Eegia  jussi 
 Numina  prsecedunt  famuli ;  nee  fulgida  sceptri 
 Majestas  sine  teste  venit.     Prseludia  lecti 
 Sponsus  amat,  tsedisque  prseit  gavisa  juventua. 
 
 C.  Barlceus.     (Hym.  in  Christum.) 
 
 5  Then  went  out. — All  is  whist  and  quiet  in  an  unbelieving  soul ; 
 no  news  of  repentance,  nor  noise  of  any  complaint  made  against 
 sin,  till  faith  begins  to  stir.  When  faith  presents  the  threaten- 
 ing and  binds  the  truth  and  terror  of  it  to  the  conscience,  then 
 the  sinner  hath  something  to  work  upon.  Prov.  vi.  9,  10 ;  S. 
 Luke  xi.  21 ;  Acts  xvii.  6  ;  Eph.  v.  14.  Gurnall.  (On  the 
 Christian  armour,  ch.  ii.  s.  4.) 
 
 6  It  is  worth  observation,  that,  as  the  first  Baptism  (that  of  John) 
 was  in  Jordan,  a  river,  which  was  the  terminus,  or  common 
 limit,  between  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles  ;  through  which  also 
 the  Jews  entered  into  their  land  of  promise  ;  so  also  is  Baptism 
 (there  begun)  common  to  Jew  and  Gentile,  they  may  both  re- 
 ceive the  benefit  of  it ;  and  they  must  also  both  pass  through 
 it,  if  ever  they  mean  to  enter  and  inherit  the  heavenly  land  of 
 promise  ....  There   are  conceived   three   especial   kinds    of 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  6.  37 
 
 Baptism:  first,  Fiuminis,  in  aqua:  with  this  John  baptized. 
 Secondly,  Flaminis,  in poenitentid ;  with  this  Chiust  baptized. 
 Thirdly,  Sanguinis,  in  martyrio  ;  with  this  John  was  baptized. 
 John  baptized  in  water,  unto  repentance.  He  could  not  give 
 repentance ;  only,  as  a  minister,  he  prepared  the  way  by  giving 
 the  ceremony  ;  and  then  comes  Cheist  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
 and  with  jire ;  that  is,  gives  the  gifts  of  the  Holt  Spieit, 
 whereby  they  had  true  repentance,  which  is  compared  to  fire, 
 because  it  purgeth  :  by  which  they  were  enabled  and  made 
 ready  for  the  third  Baptism  also  (if  cause  were)  to  receive  their 
 confirmation,  even  in  Sanguine.  Now,  though  every  man  have 
 not  his  Consummatum  est  (S.  John  xix.  30 ;)  his  end  or  perfec- 
 tion, in  Martyrdom,  yet  every  man  hath  his  in  principio,  his  be- 
 ginning, in  Baptism.  The  minister,  to  this  day,  like  John, 
 prepares  the  way  and  gives  the  ceremony  of  the  Sacrament,  by 
 baptizing  with  water  ;  and  then,  Cheist  gives  the  substance  ; 
 bestowing  the  gifts  of  the  Holt  Spieit  in  such  measure,  as 
 may  best  serve  to  His  glory  and  the  good  of  the  baptized.  By 
 this  every  man  is  washed  from  original  sin  and  received  into 
 Cueist's  Church.  We  have  no  other  apparent  door  of  en- 
 trance revealed.  Acts  xix.  4.  Wm.  Austin.  (A  meditation  for 
 the  day  of  S.  John  Baptist.) 
 
 The  confession  of  evil  works  is  the  first  beginning  of  good  wofks. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 Jn  the  Baptism  of  Repentance,  they  confessed  their  sins  ;  in  the 
 Baptism  of  Cheist,  they  confessed  Christ.  Acts  xix.  1 — 5. 
 Bengel. 
 
 The  man,  who  confesses  his  misdeeds  and  reproaches  himself  for 
 them,  cum  Deo  facit,  sides  and  co-operates  with  God.  God 
 upbraids  your  sins  :  if  you  do  the  same,  you  act  with  God. 
 (Josli.  vii.  19 ;  Ps.  xxxii.  3 — 6.)  A  man  and  a  sinner,  quasi 
 duo  res  sunt,  are  part  and  counterpart.  That  you  are  a  man, 
 'tis  God's  work  ;  that  you  are  a  sinner,  'tis  your  own.  Undo 
 what  you  have  done,  that  God  may  preserve  what  He  has  done. 
 Ton  must  abhor  in  yourself  your  own  production ;  that  you 
 may  love  in  yourself  the  work  of  God.  S.  Augustine.  (Tr.  xii. 
 In  Joan.) 
 
 7  But  when   he   saw  many  of  the  Pharisees  and 
 
38  S.  MATTHEW  III.  7,  8. 
 
 Sadducees  come  to  his  baptism,  he  said  unto  them, 
 O  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee 
 from  the  wrath  to  come  ? 
 
 8  Bring  forth  therefore  fruits  meet  for  repentance  : 
 
 9  And  think  not  to  say  within  yourselves.  We  have 
 Abraham  to  our  father :  for  I  say  unto  you,  that 
 God  is  able  of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  unto 
 Abraham. 
 
 10  And  now  also  the  ax  is  laid  unto  the  root  of 
 the  trees  :  therefore  every  tree  which  bringeth  not 
 forth  good  fruit  is  hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
 
 1 1  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repent- 
 ance :  but  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  mightier  than 
 I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear  :  He  shall 
 baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire  : 
 
 1 2  Whose  fan  is  in  His  hand,  and  he  will  throughly 
 purge  His  floor,  and  gather  His  wheat  into  the  garner  ; 
 but  He  will  burn  up  the  chaff"  with  unquenchable  fire. 
 
 7  The  poison  of  a  viper  is  in  its  tongue ;  its  skin  is  beautiful. 
 Allusion  also  is  made  to  Genesis,  where  the  serpent  is  the  devil. 
 Ps.  cxl.  3.     Grotiiis  (in  loco.) 
 
 Whether  by  nature,  example,  or  education,  one  or  more  of  these, 
 certain  it  is  that,  most  times,  sins  pass  along  from  the  father  to 
 the  son  and  so  downward  by  a  kind  of  lineal  descent  from  pre- 
 decessors to  posterity  ;  whole  families  being  tainted  with  the 
 special  vices  of  their  stock.  Hence  we  might  espy,  here  and 
 there,  whole  generations  of  drunkards,  and  generations  of 
 swearers,  and  generations  of  seditious,  and  generations  of 
 worldlings,  and  generations  of  idolaters,  and  of  envious,  and 
 of  riotous,  and  of  unclean  and  haughty  persons,  and  of  sinners 
 in  other  kinds,  xxiii.  31 — 34  ;  Prov.  xxx.  11 — 14  ;  Ezek.  xviii. 
 14 — 19.     Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 8  None  are  to  measure  their  first  regeneration,  either  by  the  ve- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  8-10.  39 
 
 hemence,  or  by  the  continuance  of  their  sorrow  for  sin,  but  by 
 the  effect  it  produceth  :  if  it  makes  them  hate  sin,  so  as  most 
 carefully  to  avoid  it ;  if  it  makes  them  hate  themselves,  so  as  to 
 become  denied  to  all  self-pleasure  and  self-will  and  resigned  to 
 the  will  of  God,  they  are  not  to  be  scrupulous  about  anything 
 farther,  but  to  examine  these  carefully.  2  Cor.  vii.  10,  11. 
 Scougal.  (An  account  of  a  spiritual  life.  S.  8.) 
 'Tis  not  every  kind  of  fruit,  that  will  beseem  Repentance.  'Tis 
 Gregory's  observation,  Aliifructus  decent  innocentiam,  alii  poeni- 
 tentiam.  One  kind  of  fruit  accords  with  a  state  of  innocence, 
 another  with  the  state  of  a  penitent.  S.  Luke  xix.  8  ;  Hom.  vi.  19; 
 1  Cor.  XV.  9,  10.    Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serra.  on  S.  Matt.  iii.  7 — 9.) 
 
 9  It  is  the  madness  of  superstition  to  think  to  charm  God  by 
 ceremonies ;  indeed  to  expect  that  from  anything,  which  God 
 hath  not  promised  and  which  reason  cannot  account  for.  Dr. 
 Whichcote.     (Aphorisms,  Cent.  xii.  1144.) 
 
 The  Covenant  is  not  the  first  step,  wherein  we  must  begin  our 
 trial ;  much  less  must  we  begin  at  Predestination.  We  must 
 by  degrees  of  reason  read  the  gifts  of  God  in  our  faith,  hope, 
 and  charity,  to  work  which  the  Word  and  Sacraments  were  or- 
 dained ;  if  we  find  these,  we  find  God's  love  to  us;  they  prove 
 we  stand  in  good  terms  with  Him.  And,  when  we  have  thus 
 argued  from  the  effects,  we  may  safely  make  demonstrations 
 from  the  cause ;  and  then  it  will  be  a  good  plea,  if  our  con- 
 science doth  question  the  certainty  of  our  salvation,  because 
 "the  good,  that  we  would  do,  we  cannot  do,"  to  say  with  S. 
 Paul,  "  Thanks  be  to  God,  through  Jesus  Cheist  our  Lord  ;" 
 or  that,  which  is  equivalent,  "J  have  Abraham  to  my  father.''^ 
 Jer.  vii.  1—7  ;  1  Sam.  iv.  3—11 ;  2  S.  Pet.  i.  10, 11.  Bp.  Lake. 
 (Serm.  S.  Luke  iii.  7.) 
 
 Non  genus,  sed  genius ;  non  gens,  sed  mens.  S.  Luke  xvi.  24. 
 Chaucer. 
 
 10  He  does  not  say  "  hath  not  brought  forth,"  but  "  bringeth  not 
 forth  good  fruit;"  for  we  must  be  continually  bringing  forth 
 good  fruit :  for,  though  yesterday  you  were  full  of  benevolent 
 feelings,  yet  if  to-day,  you  take  to  plunder,  rapinis  sis  deditus, 
 you  will  be  void  of  goodness.  Ezek.  xviii.  24,  26  ;  Rom.  ii.  7  ; 
 Gal.  vi.  9.     Theophylact. 
 
40  S.  MATTHEW  III.  10—12. 
 
 Great  is  God^s  grace,  in  the  hearers  here,  to  bear  the  boisterous 
 terms  of  this  rough  prophet.  What  an  odious  appellation  is  the 
 blood  of  vipers  !  What  a  fearful  commination  is  hewing  down  and 
 burning  !  And  that  in  the  ears  of  publicans,  professed  extor- 
 tioners, and  soldiers,  commonly  hard-hearted  men,  (S.  Luke  iii.) 
 It  was  a  marvel,  one  haled  him  not  by  the  neck,  obtorto  collo, 
 into  Pilate's  hall ;  and  the  other  hewed  him  not  in  pieces  in 
 their  fury  ;  that  they  both  and  all  the  people  gnashed  not  at 
 him  with  their  teeth,  threw  not  dust  into  the  air,  cried  not  out 
 "  Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth  ;  it  is  not  fit  that  he 
 should  live  !"  1  Sam.  xxv.  26,  33 ;  Ps.  Ixxvi.  10.  Dr.  Richd. 
 Gierke.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  iii.  14.) 
 
 Though  he  calls  them  vipers,  yet  he  exhorts  them  to  repent. 
 We  must  despair  of  none.  (Acts  viii.  22,  23.)  His  severity 
 was  tempered  with  love.  He  stood  between  the  Law  and  the 
 Gospel ;  he  preached  both.     S.  John  i.  15,  &c.     J.  F. 
 
 11  I  am  not  worthy. — True  humility,  the  cheapest,  yet  best  orna- 
 ment of  the  soul  ....  The  first  thing  in  religion,  the  second 
 thing,  and  the  third  thing,  is  Humility,     v.  3.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Eaith  is  an  humble  self-denying  grace  ;  it  makes  the  Christian 
 nothing  in  himself  and  all  in  God.  S.  Luke  v.  8 — 10  ;  Eph.  iii. 
 8 ;  1  S.  John  v.  4.  Abp.  Leighton.  (Commentary  on  S.  Peter 
 i.  5.) 
 
 Ex  (pio  discimus,  homo  tantiim  aquam  tribuit :  Deus  Spiritum  Sanc- 
 tum. From  whence  we  learn,  that  the  ministry  of  man  applies 
 only  water  ;  the  power  of  God  gives  the  Holt  Ghost.  2  Cor. 
 iv.  7.    (See  at  xxviii.  20.  Bp.  Lake.)    S.  Jerome.   (In  Isa.  cap.  4.) 
 
 12  He  will  purge  His  floor. — Suffer  me  to  be  food  to  the  wild  beasts, 
 by  whom  I  shall  attain  unto  God.  Eor  I  am  the  wheat  of  God ; 
 and  I  shall  be  ground  by  the  teeth  of  the  wild  beasts,  that  I 
 may  be  found  the  pure  bread  of  Christ.  Eev.  ii.  10,  11 ;  IS. 
 Peter  i.  1—10.     <S.  Ignatius.     (Ep.  to  the  Eom.  §.  4.) 
 
 C/i«^'hath  two  remarkable  things  in  it,  ariditatem  et  sterilitatem  ; 
 w  hich  you  may  fitly  oppose  to  the  double  good  of  the  Blessed 
 tree  (Ps,  i.  3  :)  the  dryness  is  opposite  to  the  good,  that  is  done 
 for  the  tree ;  and  the  barrenness  to  the  good,  that  comes  of  it. 
 ,  .  .  The  state  of  the  ungodly  is  mean,  if  they  be  no  better  than 
 chaff;  but  their  state  is  meaner,  if  that  chaflf  be  winnowed.     It 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  13.  41 
 
 is  some  honour  to  the  chaft",  that  it  cleaves  to  the  ear  of  coru 
 growing  in  the  field  and  in  the  threshing-floor  lieth  mingled 
 with  the  grains  ;  but  it  loseth  much,  though  not  of  its  substance, 
 which  it  never  had,  yet  of  the  countenance,  which  it  seemed  to 
 have,  if  once  it  come  to  be  winnowed.  Those,  that  are  not  of 
 the  Church,  acquire  some  estimation  by  being  in  the  Church ; 
 which  they  utterly  lose,  when  they  leave  that  Communion.  .  .  . 
 Chaff,  tliat  is  winnowed,  is  reserved  for  the  fire ;  neither  are  the 
 wicked  separated  from  the  good,  but  for  their  greater  woe.  xiii.41, 
 42;  Ps.  cxis.  119  ;  Mai.  iii.  3  ;  Isa.  i.  25.  Bp.  Lake.   (Serm.  Ps.  i.) 
 
 1 3  Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto 
 John,  to  be  baptized  of  him. 
 
 14  But  John  forbad  Him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be 
 baptized  of  Thee,  and  comest  Thou  to  me  ? 
 
 15  And  Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Suffer  it  to 
 he  so  now :  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfil  all  right- 
 eousness.    Then  he  suffered  Him. 
 
 13  Then,  when  the  people  were  full  of  repentance  and  did  yearn 
 for  grace  ;  then,  wheu  they  began  to  conceit  too  much  of  John, 
 that  he  was  the  Chkist  ;  then,  when  our  Saviour  was  of  the  ripe 
 age  of  Priesthood,*  and  had  seen  thirty  years  in  the  world ;  The7i 
 came,  ^-c.     Ps.  xl.  9.     Bp.  Racket.     (Serm.  on  the  text.) 
 
 We  have  a  still  greater  proof  of  Cheist's  humility,  in  that  He 
 wished  to  be  Baptized  in  the  river  Jordan ;  for  this  very  Jordan 
 had  formerly  confessed  Him  to  be  the  Maker  of  all  things,  when 
 at  His  Word  the  waters  thereof  were  stayed.  Ps.  cxiv.  3. 
 Novarinus.      (in  loco.) 
 
 Is  Baptism  a  tiling  to  be  mumbled  over  in  a  corner?  Christ 
 came  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  to  be  Baptized.  Acts  viii.  36  ;  xxii. 
 IG.  Abp.  Usher.  (Sum  and  Substance,  p.  397,  Edit.  London, 
 1G77.) 
 
 *  The  Baptism  of  Christ  belonged  uuder  the  Law,  see  Numb,  iv.,  where 
 
 to  His   Priestly  office.     He   was  Bap-  it  is  mentioned  seven  times,  that  from 
 
 tized,  in  order  to  our  being  Baptized  thirty  years  upwards,  and  not  before, 
 
 in  His  Blood  for  the  remission  of  our  their  ministration   in    the    Tabernacle 
 
 sins.     For  the  custom  of  the  Priests,  should  commence.     S,  Luke  iii.  23. 
 
42  S.  MATTHEW  III.  13—15. 
 
 Baptism  is  a  Blessing,  that  the  world  hath  not  the  like.  S.  John 
 iii.  15  ;  S.  Mark  xvi.  16  ;  1  Cor.  i.  15.  G.  Herbert.  (Priest  to 
 the  Temple,  Ch.  22.) 
 
 14  The  Master  comes  with  the  servants,  the  Judge  comes  with  the 
 convicts,  to  be  Baptized ;  yet  rather  so,  as  to  sanctify  the  water, 
 than  to  be  Himself  cleansed  by  it.  Jesus  truly  comes  to  John, 
 the  greater  to  tlie  less,  that  is,  God  to  John,  the  Lobd  to  the 
 servant,  the  King  to  the  common  soldier,  the  Light  to  the 
 candle,  the  Sun  to  the  light-bearer,  Luciferum ;  that  He  might 
 both  sanction  John's  preaching,  and  receive  a  witness  from 
 John  ;  that  He  might  be  Baptized  by  him  with  an  outward  wash- 
 ing ;  the  fountain,  as  it  were,  by  the  stream,  the  spring  by  the 
 drop,  the  author  of  Baptism,  by  the  minister  of  it ;  needing 
 Himself  no  purification,  but  that  He  might  eiFect  ours  ;  not  re- 
 quiring remission  of  sins  in  Baptism,  but  that  He  might  certify 
 men  of  the  Divine  Mission  of  John,  teach  us  the  mystery  of  this 
 ordinance,  that,  as  born  man.  He  might  fulfil  all  riffhteoiisness, 
 might  manifest  to  us  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity,  and  assert  the 
 necessity  of  Baptism  to  all,  however  holy ;  that  He  might  first 
 do  Himself  what  He  required  to  be  done  by  others  ;  that  His 
 servants  might  understand,  how  eagerly  they  should  crave  the 
 Baptism  of  the  Loed,  when  the  Loed  thus  condescended  to  ac- 
 cept the  Baptism  of  the  servant ;  that  no  one  should  shun  the 
 laver  of  Grace,  since  He  declined  not  the  laver  of  Hepentance  ; 
 that  He  might  bruise  in  the  water  the  serpent's  head,  wash  out 
 sin,  bury  the  old  Adam ;  that  by  the  touch  of  His  most  clean 
 Flesh  and  Body,  sanctifying  the  water,  He  might  give  them  a 
 power  of  cleansing  from  sin  and  bestowing  Regeneration ;  and  to 
 bequeath  them  to  the  use  of  His  Church  in  after  times.  Ludol- 
 phus.     (Vita  Christi,  c.  xxi.  p.  1.) 
 
 15  Thus  it  becometh  us,  ^c. — I  believe  that  God  is  so  holy,  pure, 
 and  jealous,  as  it  is  impossible  for  Him  to  be  pleased  in  any 
 creature,  though  the  work  of  His  own  hands  ;  so  that  neither 
 Angel,  man,  or  world,  could  stand,  or  can  stand,  one  moment 
 in  His  eyes,  without  beholding  the  same  in  the  face  of  a  Me- 
 diator ;  and  therefore,  that  before  Him,  with  whom  all  things 
 are  present,  the  Lamb  of  God  was  "slain  before  all  worlds:" 
 without  which  eternal  counsel  of  His,  it  was  impossible  for  Him 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  15,  16.  43 
 
 to  have  descended  to  any  work  of  creation  ;  but  He  should  have 
 enjoyed  the  Blessed  and  individual  society  of  Three  Persons  in 
 Godhead  for  ever :  but  that,  out  of  His  eternal  and  infinite 
 goodness  and  love,  purposing  to  become  a  Creator,  and  to  com- 
 municate to  His  creatures,  He  ordained  in  His  eternal  counsel, 
 that  One  Person  of  the  Godhead  should  be  united  to  one  nature 
 and  to  one  particular  of  His  creatures  :  that  so,  in  the  Person 
 of  the  Mediator,  the  true  ladder  might  be  fixed,  whereby  God 
 might  descend  to  His  creatures  and  His  creatures  might  ascend 
 to  God  :  so  that  God,  by  the  reconcilement  of  the  Mediator, 
 turning  His  countenance  towards  His  creatures,  though  not  in 
 equal  light  and  degree,  made  way  unto  the  dispensation  of  His 
 most  holy  and  secret  will ;  .  .  .  .  which  is  the  great  mystery 
 and  perfect  centre  of  all  God's  ways  with  His  creatures,  and 
 unto  which  all  His  other  works  and  wonders  do  but  serve  and 
 refer.  Heb.  x.  5  — 8;  Eph.  i.  10;  Eom.i.  3.  Lord  Bacon.  (A 
 Confession  of  Faith.) 
 He  shows  us  that  all  righteousness  is  fulfilled  in  our  having  true 
 humility,  v.  3,  xviii.  4,  xxiii.  12  ;  Phil.  ii.  5 — 10.  (S.  Augustine. 
 (In  Evang.  Joan.  Serm.  63.) 
 
 16  And  Jesus,  when  He  was  baptized,  went  up 
 straightway  out  of  the  water :  and,  lo,  the  heavens 
 were  opened  unto  Him,  and  He  saw  the  Spirit  of  God 
 descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon  Him : 
 
 17  And  lo,  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  My 
 beloved  Son,  in  Whom  I  am  well  pleased. 
 
 16  And  Jesus. — Confestim  ascendit,  ut  ostendat  quam  gravi  onere 
 in  Bajjtistno  liberamur.  He  went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water, 
 to  show,  that  by  Baptism  we  are  lightened  of  the  heavy  burden 
 of  our  sins,  and  are  made  fit  to  ascend  unto  our  Eatheb. 
 Acts  viii.  39;  Col.  iii.  3.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  phrase  of  opening  the  heavens,  showed  us  that  only  by  Cueist 
 Paradise  above  is  opened,  and  the  commerce  renewed  between 
 heaven  and  earth  ;  and  "  as  many  as  are  Baptized  into  Christ," 
 are  really  freed  from  that  curse,  which  was  symbolically  figured 
 
44  S,  MATTHEW  III.  16,  17. 
 
 by  our  shutting  out  of  Paradise  below,  and  the  shutting  up 
 thereof  by  placing  the  Cherubim  at  the  entrance  with  a  flaming 
 branded  sword.  Gen.  iii.  24;  Col.  i.  12 — 15.  Bp.  Lake. 
 (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Ut  in  ccelestibus  esset  miraculum  de  his,  quce  agebantur  in  terris. 
 That  the  Angels  might  have  a  miraculous  insight  into  those 
 things  tl^at  were  done  upon  earth.  Eph.  iii.  10 ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  12. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  mystery  of  the  Trinity  is  demonstrated  in  the  Baptism  of 
 CnEisT.  The  Lokd  is  baptized  ;  the  Spirit  descends  in  the 
 form  of  a  dove ;  the  voice  of  the  Patheb  is  heard,  testifying  of 
 His  Son.  xxviii.  19  ;  Prov.  viii.  22—32  ;  Isa.  xlii.  1 ;  1  S.  John 
 V.  8.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Believest  thou  not  that  there  are  Three  Persons,  subsisting  in  the 
 Divine  Essence  ? — Go  then  with  John  to  Jordan.  Epiphanius. 
 (Contra  Sabellium.) 
 
 Christ,  in  His  Epiphany,  descended  into  the  womb  of  Jordan, 
 thereby  consecrating  unto  us  our  Baptism  ;  that,  as  by  His 
 birth  into  the  world  He  assumed  our  nature,  so  by  means  of 
 regeneration  He  might  lift  us  to  heaven  :  He  came,  that  He 
 might  secure  our  freedom  in  His  body,  whom  apart  from  Him- 
 self He  saw  captives  ;  that  He  might  render  us  capable  of  life, 
 whom  the  guilt  of  sin  had  made  mortal ;  and  incorruptible,  whom 
 death  had  made  corruptible ;  that  those,  whom  the  devil  had 
 banished,  even  from  earthly  enjoyment,  exules  terrenorum,  He 
 might  appoint  co-heirs  with  Himself  in  heavenly  blessings.  S. 
 John  X.  10  ;  Eom.  v.  12—21.     Pet.  Chrysologus.    (Serm.  157.) 
 
 17  The  Father  was  heard  in  the  sound  of  a  voice ;  the  Son  was 
 seen  in  the  form  of  a  man  ;  and  the  Spirit  was  beheld  in  the  shape 
 oi  a  dove.  ^' Voce  Pater  ;  Natus  corpore  ;  Flamen  ave.^'  There 
 are  many  such  places,  as  this,  all  the  New  Testament  over,  where 
 the  Three  Persons  of  the  Godhead  are  distinctly  mentioned.  S. 
 Luke  i.  35  ;  S.  John  xiv.  16,  26  ;  xvi.  7  ;  Gal.  iv.  6  ;  2  Cor.  xiii. 
 4;  and  yet,  all  these  three  Persons  are  but  one  God.  Gen. 
 xviii.  9  ;  S.  John  x.  30 ;  1  S.  John  v.  7  ....  As  all  the  three 
 Persons  met  together  at  our  Saviour's  Baptism,  so  doth  our 
 Saviour  command,  that  all  His  disciples  be  Baptized  in  the 
 Name  of  all  Three  (xxviii.  19)  ;  and  therefore  I  cannot  but  ad- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  III.  17.  45 
 
 mire,  how  any  one  should  dare  to  profess  himself  to  be  a  Chris- 
 tian, and  yet  deny  or  oppose  the  sacred  Trinity,  into  which  he 
 was  baptized,  when  he  was  made  a  Christian  :  for,  by  this  means, 
 he,  renouncing  his  baptism,  blasphemes  Christ,  unchristians 
 himself,  blotting  his  own  name  out  of  the  catalogue  of  those, 
 who  were  made  Christians  only  by  being  "  Baptized  in  the 
 Name  of  the  Pathee,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holt  Ghost." 
 Deut.  xvii.  6  ;  Prov.  viii.  22 — 33  ;  Isa.  xlii.  1.  See  at  xxviii.  19. 
 Bp.  Beveridge.     (Private  Thoughts,  p.  2.) 
 
 Without  the  true  knowledge  and  acknowledgment  of  the  Trinity 
 we  cannot  reap  the  comfortable  fruit  of  our  Baptism  ;  for  we 
 owe  it  unto  all  Three  Persons,  though  to  none,  but  to  them 
 Three.  S.  Jerome  saith  right,  Una  Divinitas ;  una  largitio. 
 The  Deity  in  all  Three  is  One,  and  therefore  all  Three  bestow 
 the  same  gift  upon  us.  We  have  the  same  author  of  our  Ee- 
 generation,  as  we  had  of  our  Creation.  All  Three  Persons  con- 
 curred to  work  it,  and  all  Three  to  put  us  in  possession  of  it, 
 Mark  then  S.  Augustine's  conclusion,  that  this  Perm  of  Baptism 
 doth  contain  the  whole  Creed.  (Lib.  vi.  Contr.  Donat.)  "  The 
 receiving  of  Baptism,"  he  says,  •'  is  the  profession  of  the  Chris- 
 tian Paith."  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  was  called  Sacramen- 
 tum  fideij  the  Sacrament  of  faith.  Bp.  Lake.  (Serm.  S.  Matt, 
 xxviii.  18—20.) 
 
 The  Baptism  of  our  Savioue  stands  us  under  the  Gospel  instead 
 of  the  same  comfort,  which  the  rainbow  afforded  unto  the  old 
 world.  The  rainbow  is  a  reflection  of  the  sun-beams  in  a  watery 
 cloud,  and  was  ordained,  as  a  sign  of  pacification,  Gen.  ix.  13, 
 that  God's  anger  should  no  more  strive  with  man.  Such  a  rain- 
 bow was  Jesus  Christ  (Rev.  iv.  3).  Look  upon  Him,  not 
 standing  Majestically  in  a  cloud  above,  but  wading,  like  an  humble 
 servant,  into  the  waters  of  Jordan  beneath ;  look  upon  Him, 
 how  He  sanctifies  that  element,  which  was  once  a  means  to 
 drown  the  world,  and  now  is  made  a  means  to  save  it ;  look 
 upon  Him  in  that  posture,  as  a  Rainbow  in  the  water,  and  you 
 may  read  God's  sure  covenant  with  His  whole  Church,  that 
 His  auger  is  pacified  in  His  well-beloved  Son,  and  that  He  will 
 be  gracious  with  His  inheritance.  S.  John  i.  29  ;  Eph.  ii.  14  ; 
 1  S.  Pet.  iii.  21.    Bp.  Racket.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  13.) 
 
46  S.  MATTHEW  III.  17;    IV.  1. 
 
 Agnoscia  Juvenem,  cui  coelo  illapsa  Coluraba 
 Dat  plausum  ingentem  pennis  tonitruque  sereno 
 Blaaditur,  "  Natum"  appellans,  Vox  missa  per  auras  ; 
 Mortal!  Deus,  Ipse  Deus,  sub  corpore  Numen 
 Dissimulans  sacro  dignatur  gurgite  tingi, 
 Misceturque  reis  insons.     Quid  dulcis  amantem 
 Non  cogat  pietas  ?     Tu  ver6  perfice  Justus 
 Grrande  ministerium.     Veniet  tibi  nomen  ab  illo  ; 
 Baptistceque  aetas  rairabitur  omnis  honorem  ! 
 
 Joan.  Commirius.     (Carm.  Lib.  ii.) 
 
 CHAPTER  IV. 
 
 'THEN  was  Jesus  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the  wil- 
 derness to  be  tempted  of  the  devil. 
 
 2  And  when  He  had  fasted  forty  days  and  forty 
 nights,  He  was  afterward  an  hangred. 
 
 3  And  when  the  tempter  came  to  Him,  he  said,  If 
 Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these  stones 
 be  made  bread. 
 
 4  But  He  answered  and  said.  It  is  written,  Man 
 shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that 
 proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God. 
 
 1  Then. — This  Arch-pirate  lets  the  empty  ships  pass  ;  but  lays 
 wait  for  them,  when  they  return  richest  laden,  xxvi.  31 ;  Heb. 
 X.  32.     Abp.  Leighton.     (Comment.  S.  Peter,  ch.  v.  7.) 
 
 Led  up  of  the  Spirit. — Lest  we  should  suppose  the  unclean  spirit 
 to  have  any  power  over  Him,  who,  being  full  of  the  Spirit  of 
 God,  went  where  He  listed,  and  acted  as  He  willed.  S.  John 
 X.  18;  Eora.  viii.  13,  14;  Gal.  v.  18.     Berle. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  1,2,  47 
 
 It  waa  not  enough  for  Him  to  be  born  ;  but  He  will  condescend 
 to  be  Baptized  by  His  servant.  It  was  not  enough  for  Ilim  to 
 fulfil  the  Law  ;  but  He  suffers  Himself  to  be  tempted  to  break 
 it.  It  was  not  enough  to  suffer  for  sin;  but  He  will  sufier 
 Himself  to  be  tempted  to  sin.  He  would  be  anything,  but  a 
 sinner ;  that  He  might  save  sinners.  Isa.  v.  4  ;  Lam.  i.  12  ; 
 1  Cor.  ix.  22.     Farindon.     (Serm.  on  text,  p.  i.) 
 
 To  be  tempted. — Baptism  is  rather  a  Sacramental  consecration  of 
 us  to  undertake  the  fight  with  the  works  of  our  flesh,  than  our 
 utter  extinction,  or  absolute  drowning  of  those  enemies.  Gen. 
 xxii.  1 ;  Eom.  vi.  3,  4—7 ;  Heb.  x.  32  ;  1  S.  Peter  iii.  20,  21 ; 
 Col.  iii.  1 — 5.     Dean  Jackson. 
 
 2  He,  which  brought  ruin  into  the  state  of  man,  began  the  same 
 by  eating  ;  but  He,  that  brought  recovery  into  the  ruinated 
 state  of  Adam,  began  the  same  by  fasting.  He,  in  whom  we 
 all  fell,  did  fall  by  yielding  to  temptation ;  but  He,  in  whom 
 we  all  rose,  and,  being  risen,  are  still  preserved  from  falling,  did 
 raise  us  up  by  vanquishing  the  tempter  and  temptation  .... 
 Fitly  is  the  number  oi  forty  days  mentioned  in  Christ's  fasting  ; 
 because,  saith  S.  Jerome,  this  period  is  often  in  Holy  Scripture 
 applied  unto  a  time  of  penitence  and  affliction  for  our  sins. 
 Gen.  viii.  4  ;  Ex.  xxxii.  2  ;  Ps.  xcv.  10 ;  Jonah  iii.  1 ;  Ezek.  iv. 
 4  ;  1  Kings  xix.  8.     Sutton.     (Disce  vivere,  c.  7.) 
 
 In  these  days,  during  this  retirement,  things  of  the  highest  im- 
 port were  transacted  between  God  and  the  Mediator.     Bengel. 
 
 Our  whole  life  should  be  nothing  else,  but  a  Lent ;  to  prepare 
 ourselves  against  the  Sabbath  of  our  death  and  the  Easter  of 
 our  resurrection.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Stated  times  for  particular  acts  of  devotion,  or  the  exercise  of  cer- 
 tain religious  duties,  have  been  enjoined  in  all  Civil  Govern- 
 ment, whatever  Deity  they  worshipped,  or  whatever  religion 
 they  professed.  That,  which  may  be  done  at  all  times,  is  often 
 totally  neglected  and  forgotten,  unless  fixed  and  determined  to 
 some  time  more  than  another ;  and  therefore,  thougli  several 
 duties  may  be  suitable  to  every  day  of  our  lives,  they  are  most 
 likely  to  be  performed,  if  some  days  are  more  particularly  set 
 apart  for  the  practice  of  them.  Our  Church  has  accordingly 
 instituted  several  seasons  of  devotions,  when  time,  custom,  pre- 
 
48  S.  MATTHEW  IV.  2—4. 
 
 scription,  (and  if  I  may  so  say)  the  fashion  itself  call  upon  a  man 
 to  be  serious  and  attentive  to  the  great  end  of  his  being.     S. 
 John  xi.  56.     Addison.     (The  Tatler,  No.  267.) 
 Hungred — Be  made  bread. — As  the  cunning  fowler  sets  his  limed 
 ears  of  corn  to  catch  sparrows  in  a  hard  frost  or  great  snow, 
 when  they  be  ready  to  starve.     Ps.  Ixxiii.  2,  13,  14 ;  Job  ii.  9. 
 Biez. 
 3  The  devil  does  not  say  here,  "  Pray  to  God,  to  your  Father  in 
 heaven,  &c.,"  but  he  says  Command ;  thus  showing  that  he  un- 
 derstood perfectly  well  the  true  meaning  of  that  title,  "  The 
 Son  of  God"  afterwards  so  disputed  and  upon  whichnaothing 
 less  than  the  whole  cause  of  our  Salvation  lay  suspended,     viii. 
 29  ;  xvi.  16  ;  xxii.  42  ;  xxvi.  63  ;  xxvii.  40,  43,  54 ;  S.  John  v. 
 18.     J.  F. 
 Satan  first  propounded  to  Christ  that  He  would  either  turn  all, 
 or  many,  stones  of  that  place  into  bread ;  and  presently,  ac- 
 cording to  the  description  of  Luke,  he  may  be  understood  to 
 have  added,  "  Or,  if  this  be  too  much,  say  to  this  one  stone,  let 
 it  be  bread."     Edw.  Leigh. 
 When  Satan  first  comes  to  tempt,  he  is  modest  and  asks  but  a 
 little.     He  digs  about  and  loosens  the  roots  of  faith,  and  then 
 the  tree  falls  the  easier  on  the  next  gust  of  temptation.     Gur- 
 nall.     (On  the  Christian's  armour,  ch.  2.) 
 Tu  minimis  prim6  vitiis  in  pectora  nostris 
 Influis,  ac  velut  exiguis  illaberis  undis  ; 
 At,  semel  atque  tibi  datus  est  locus,  illico  magnus 
 Irrumpis,  rapidfeque  fluens  latissimus  amnis ; 
 Donee  me  Chaos  abripiat,  barathrumque  profundum. 
 At  vero  celeri  quamprimtim  abscedito  cursu, 
 Atque  aliis  ssevasque  manus  unguesque  nefandas 
 lujice  ;  nirairum  populis  atque  urbibus  illis, 
 Ignotum  quibus  est  stellantis  Numen  Olympi : 
 Namque  ego  pars  Christi,  templumque,  et  victima  nunc  sum : 
 Post  Deus  existam,  seterno  cum  mens  mea  nexu 
 Juncta  Deo  fuerit,     E-egi  jam  cede  Superno  ! 
 
 S.  Greg.  Nasianzen.     (Adversus  Diabolum. 
 Carmina  varia,  xix.) 
 4  Our  Lord's  determined  purpose  and  design  was  to  overcome 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  4.  49 
 
 the  devil,  not  by  the  exorcise  of  Ilis  power,  but  by  means  of 
 His  own  self-abasement.  S.  John  xii.  32  ;  Heb.  ii.  14;  Col.  ii. 
 14,  15.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Let  us  learn  hence  to  regard  the  Scriptures,  all  of  them,  as  our 
 spiritual  armour.  Josh.  i.  6 — 10  ;  Eph.  vi.  17.  Card.  Caietan. 
 (in  loco.) 
 
 If  the  especial  goodness  of  God  were  not  every  where  present, 
 every  creature  should  be  out  of  order,  and  no  creature  should 
 have  his  property,  wherein  he  was  first  created.  God  is  there- 
 fore invisible  every  where  and  in  every  creature,  and  filleth 
 both  heaven  and  earth  with  His  Presence — in  the  fire,  to  give 
 beat ;  in  the  water,  to  give  moisture ;  in  the  earth,  to  give 
 fruit ;  in  the  heart,  to  give  His  strength  :  yea,  in  our  bread  and 
 drink  is  He,  to  give  us  nourishment,  where,  without  Him,  the 
 bread  and  drink  cannot  give  sustenance,  nor  the  herb  health  .  .  . 
 It  is  not  therefore  the  power  of  the  creatures,  which  worketh 
 their  eifects  ;  but  the  goodness  of  God,  which  worketh  in  them. 
 In  His  Word  truly  do  all  things  consist.  By  that  same  Word 
 that  heaven  and  earth  were  made,  by  the  same  they  are  up- 
 holden,  maintained,  and  kept  in  order,  and  shall  be,  until 
 Almighty  God  shall  withdraw  His  power  from  them  and  speak 
 their  dissolution.  Wisd.  xvi.  26  ;  Col.  i.  17  ;  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  5— 
 7;  Ps.  civ.  27 — 30.  (See,  in  regard  to  a  far  higher  mystery. 
 S.  John  vi.  63.  Abp.  Sharp.)  Homilies  of  the  Church.  (For 
 Eogation  week,  p.  i.) 
 
 Every  word. — Above  all,  his  chief  delight  was  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture, one  leaf  whereof  he  professed  he  would  not  part  with, 
 though  he  might  have  the  whole  world  in  exchange.  That 
 was  his  wisdom,  his  comfort,  his  joy  ;  out  of  that  he  took 
 his  motto,  "  Less  than  the  least  of  all  God's  mercies."  In 
 that  he  found  the  substance,  CnmsT,  and,  in  Christ,  re- 
 mission of  sins ;  yea,  in  His  Blood  He  placed  the  goodness 
 of  his  good  works.  Acts  v.  20  ;  xx.  27.  G.  Herbert.  (Life 
 by  Walton^ 
 
 How  affectionately  would  he  sometimes  bless  God  for  every  book, 
 and  chapter,  and  verse,  and  line  in  the  Bible.  Ps.  cxix.  128. 
 P.  Henry.     (Life  by  M.  Henry,  ch,  4.) 
 
 There  was  virtue  in  the  very  "  hem  of  His  garment ;"  much  more 
 
50  S.  MATTHEW  IV.  5,  6. 
 
 in  the  least  word  of  His  mouth.     S.  Luke  viii.  44  ;  2  Tim.  iii. 
 16.     Wm.  Austin. 
 
 5  Then  the  devil  taketh  Him  up  into  the  holy  city, 
 and  setteth  Him  on  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple, 
 
 6  And  saith  unto  Him,  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of 
 God,  cast  Thyself  down :  for  it  is  written,  He  shall 
 give  His  angels  charge  concerning  Thee  :  and  in  their 
 hands  they  shall  bear  Thee  up,  lest  at  any  time  Thou 
 dash  Thy  foot  against  a  stone. 
 
 7  Jesus  said  unto  him,  It  is  written  again.  Thou 
 shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God. 
 
 8  Again,  the  devil  taketh  Him  up  into  an  exceed- 
 ing high  mountain,  and  sheweth  Him  all  the  king- 
 doms of  the  world,  and  the  glory  of  them ; 
 
 9  And  saith  unto  Him,  All  these  things  will  I  give 
 Thee,  if  Thou  wilt  fall  down  and  worship  me. 
 
 5  Then. — "When  one  carnal  delight  is  mortified,  another  springs  to 
 life.  Tread  upon  that,  which  is  down,  calca  jacentem ;  wrestle 
 with  your  enemy,  that  is,  conjlige  cum  resistente.  This  is  our 
 great  business.  This  is  our  warfare.  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  1,  2  ;  1  Cor. 
 xvi.  13  ;  Heb.  xii.  4.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 6  He  forced  Him  not ;  he  touched  Him  not ;  he  only  said,  Cast 
 Thyself  down ;  that  we  may  know  that  whosoever  obeyeth  the 
 devil  casteth  himself  down  :  for  the  devil  may  suggest ;  com- 
 pel he  cannot,  viii.  32.  (1  S.  Pet.  v.  8,  ^' may  devour.") 
 S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 We  ever  carry  our  greatest  enemy  within  us.  There  was  never  a 
 sounder  truth  than  Nemo  Iceditur,  nisi  a  seipso ;  no  one  is 
 harmed,  but  by  himself,  (S.  Luke  xv.  17  ;  Acts  xvi.  28.)  Had 
 we  the  true  reins  of  our  passions  and  affections,  outward  oc- 
 casions might  exercise  our  virtues,  but  not  injure  them  ....  A 
 man's  own  heart  is  as  arch  a  traitor,  as  any  he  shall  meet 
 withal.     We  trust  in  it  too  much,  and  know  it  too  little  :  and, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  6.  51 
 
 while  we  think  it  surefooted,  it  slides  and  doth  deceive  us. 
 Jer.  XXV.  6,  7.     O.  Feltham.     (Eesolves,  cent.  i.  66.) 
 
 For  it  is  toritten. — Observe  the  peculiar  wickedness,  unbelief,  and 
 insolence  of  Satan.  Our  Lord  commends  evenj  word  in  the 
 Divine  revelation ;  and  Satan  immediately  mutilates  it  and 
 takes  away  from  it,  studiously  omitting,  in  his  very  next  temp- 
 tation, those  important  words,  "  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ivays,'" 
 (See  S.  Luke  iv.  10  ;  and  for  some  like  instances  of  suppression 
 Gen.  iii.  3 ;  Numb.  xxii.  14 ;  1  Kings  xxi.  6 ;  S.  John  ii.  19, 
 20 ;  S.  Matt.  xxvi.  61,)  words,  which  guard  and  preserve  the 
 promise  from  any  presumptuous  reliance  on  a  particular  Pro- 
 vidence to  save  us,  when  we  wilfully  thrust  ourselves  into 
 danger.  Thus  would  Satan  now  also  impose  upon  us  by  texts, 
 wrested  from  the  context  and  by  plausible  counterfeits  of  the 
 truth,  mixing  up  a  portion  of  God's  Word,  so  as  better  to  re- 
 commend his  own  dangerous  errors  and  to  blind  us  to  our  de- 
 struction. Acquaintance  with  "  the  whole  counsel  of  God," 
 constant  attention  to  received  Catholic  truth,  and  a  preference 
 of  general  to  particular  statements  in  Scripture,  of  what  is 
 practical  to  what  is  speculative,  of  what  is  plain  to  what  is  ob- 
 scure, will,  under  God,  prove  our  best  preservatives  against  all 
 these  crafts  of  the  enemy,  and  all  the  sophistries  of  men.  1  S. 
 John  iv.  1—7.     J.  F. 
 
 Parts  and  parcels  of  truth  are  the  most  envenomed  shafts,  which 
 fly  from  the  bow  of  Satan.     2  Cor.  xi.  14.     Howels. 
 
 Since  we  piously  detest  vain  oaths,  we  should  also  dread  the  rash 
 quotations  of  Scripture.  They  are  offences  of  the  same  batch, 
 breaches  of  the  same  spirit ;  and,  if  such  citations  are  applied  to 
 erroneous  opinions,  it  is  to  make  God  a  stale  for  Satan,  to  put 
 the  Divine  stamp  to  the  devil's  merchandise,  to  make  lieaven  a 
 disguise,  a  varnish,  for  hell.  Ps.  1.  17  ;  Jer.  xxiii.  30—38.  Bp. 
 Thomas.     (Apology  for  the  Church  of  England.) 
 
 Hie  Liber  est,  in  quo  quaerit  sua  dogmata  quisque  : 
 Invenit  et  pariter  dogmata  quisque  sua ! 
 
 (An  old  Epigram.     Anonym.) 
 
 "What  may  we  wretched  mortals  expect  at  his  hands,  who  scrupled 
 not  to  attack  the  very  Lord  of  Majesty  with  proofs  from  Scrip- 
 ture ?  .  .  .  .  The  doctrine,  contained  in  that  incident,  is  much  to 
 
 £  2 
 
52  S.  MATTHEW  IV.  7-9. 
 
 be  observed  aud  remembered ;  that,  fortified  by  so  high  au 
 authority  of  Scripture,  we  may  rest  quite  certain  that  the  devil 
 is  speaking  to  us  by  those  persons,  who  bring  forward  the 
 words  of  Apostles  and  Prophets,  but  in  a  sense  contrary  to  the 
 Catholic  faith.  2  Cor.  xi.  3  ;  1  Thess.  v.  20,  21.  Vincent.  Lirin. 
 (Commonit.  c.  32.) 
 
 7  li  is  written  again. — Though  thou  canst  not  clear  an  obscure 
 Scripture,  thou  shalt  always  find  a  sufficient  guard  in  one,  that 
 is  clearer.     Abp.  Leighton.     (Lectures,  in  loco.) 
 
 Evermore  we  know  certainties  must  rule  uncertainties,  and  clear 
 truths  doubtful.     Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 There  are  certain  things  written  on  these  subjects — (opposing 
 systems  of  religious  truth,  as  Arminianism  and  Calvinism) — 
 "  Thus  saith  the  Lord.'^  Good  sense  will  hesitate  to  push  what 
 is  said  to  all  its  apparent  conclusions  ;  for  "  It  is  written  again^ 
 There  ends  all  dogmatism  with  a  wise  man.  i?.  Cecil.  (Eemains. 
 Appendix.) 
 
 All  the  Scriptures,  which  Christ  has  yet  cited,  He  brings  out  of 
 Deuteronomy,  after  the  manners  of  the  Jews,  who  were  espe- 
 cially versed  in  that,  as  an  epitome  of  the  whole  Law.  Luhe  of 
 Bruges. 
 
 Thou  shalt  not  tempt. — Put  not  thy  soul  in  Satan's  hands,  in  hope 
 to  have  it  home  again  by  Christ.  Maledictus,  saith  S.  Augus- 
 tine, qui  peccat  in  spe.  Dr.  Eickd.  Gierke.  (Serm.  S.  Luke 
 xxiii.  46.) 
 
 8  He  showed  their  glory  to  Him  ;  but  he  carefully  concealed  their 
 utter  vanity.  So  he  does,  when  he  tempts  us.  Ps.  xvi.  12. 
 J.F. 
 
 Because  we  are  little,  we  think  these  things  to  be  great.     Seneca. 
 
 Synesius  calls  the  soul,  a/x(l}iap^pr]fxa  Qeov  Kal  haifiovwv,  this  stake 
 between  God  and  devils.  And  the  game  must  be  very  carefully 
 played  and  dexterously  managed  on  our  side,  if  we  think  ever  to 
 win  it  out  of  their  hands.  Job  i.  6 — 13.  Dr.  Hammond.  (The 
 Pastor's  Motto  ;  a  Sermon  on  2  Cor.  xii.  14.) 
 
 In  every  temptation  to  sin,  the  devil  cheapens  our  immortal  souls, 
 xvi.  26 ;  Heb.  xi.  25,  26 ;  Phil.  iii.  8.  Dr.  J.  Scott.  (Discourse 
 on  S.  Matt.  xvi.  26.) 
 
 9  When  the  flesh  presents  thee  with  delights,  then  present  thy- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  9,  10.  53 
 
 self  with  dangers  ;  when  the  world  possesses  thee  with  vain 
 hopes,  then  possess  thyself  with  true  fears  ;  when  the  devil 
 brings  thee  oil,  bring  thou  vinegar.  The  way  to  be  safe  is  never 
 to  be  secure.  F.  Quarles.  (Enchiridion,  Cent.  iv.  63.) 
 Whether  or  by  what  means,  does  Satan  seduce  or  lead  astray  the 
 whole  world,  if  not  by  drawing  them  off  from  the  due  worship 
 of  God  to  the  undue  worship  of  himself?  Acts  xix.  27  ;  2  Thess. 
 ii.  3,  4,  9  ;  Eev.  xiii.  4.     Rupert. 
 
 10  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  him,  Get  thee  hence, 
 Satan  :  for  it  is  written.  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord 
 thy  God,  and  Him  only  shalt  thou  serve. 
 
 1 1  Then  the  devil  leaveth  .Him,  and  behold,  angels 
 came  and  ministered  unto  Him. 
 
 10  Cheist,  the  Son  of  David,  entered  upon  His  career,  as  David 
 himself  did  typically,  by  a  special  conflict ;  sliowing  thereby  that 
 His  kingdom  in  this  world  was  to  be  of  a  militant  character  ;  His 
 reign,  as  the  Son  of  Solomon  in  the  abundance  of  peace,  being 
 yet  for  to  come.  As  for  the  Scriptures  He  here  quoted,  they  are 
 so  plain  and  simple  that  a  child  may  understand  and  use  them. 
 And  what  are  they,  in  this  connection,  but  the  "  smooth  stones 
 out  of  the  brook,"  with  which  our  true  Shepherd-champion 
 brought  at  once  to  the  ground  the  huge  Goliath  of  all  sin  and 
 wickedness  ?  1  Sam.  xvii.  40 ;  Ecclus.  ii,  1 ;  iv.  17.  /.  F. 
 Whatever  vices  we  cherish,  so  many  new  gods  have  we.  I  am 
 passionate  ;  anger  is  my  God.  I  have  looked  upon  a  woinan  to 
 lust  after  her  ;  lust  is  my  God.  What  a  man  desires  and  pays 
 his  court  to,  this  becomes  his  God.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Ah !  pereat  quicquid  gemmarum  quicquid  et  auri. 
 
 Dives  Arabs,  Gangis  potor  et  Indus  habet ; 
 Militiaeque  gradus,  regumque  optata  facessat 
 
 Purpura,  seu  quicquid  suggerit  ambitio. 
 Proh  !  pereat  luxus,  pereat  raalesuada  voluptas  : 
 
 Te  sine,  Cbriste,  gravi  dulcia  felle  madent. 
 Fac,  precor,  ut  recolens  noctesque  diesque  requirat 
 Te  mea  mens  unum  ;  cogitet,  optet,  amet. 
 
 Card,  Barberhii.     (Pocmata.) 
 
54  S.  MATTHEW  IV,   11. 
 
 11  The  temptations  were  severally  directed  against  the  three  con- 
 stituent parts  of  man,  his  body,  soul  (or  animal  life),  and  spirit. 
 '  (1  Thess,  V.  23.)  Thus  was  the  Loed  tempted,  as  a  perfect  man, 
 "  of  a  reasonable  soul  and  human  flesh  subsisting."  In  regard 
 to  His  Body,  He  was  tempted  to  a  distrust  in  the  Divine  Pro- 
 vidence ;  then  He  was  tempted,  in  the  opposite  direction,  to 
 the  sin  of  rashly  presuming  on  the  security  of  His  life  ;  and 
 lastly.  His  spirit  was  assaulted  by  worldly  ambition,  by  the 
 glory  of  this  world.  He  was  tempted,  that  He  might  triumph  ; 
 and  He  triumphed,  as  Leo  observes,  ut  cujus  tnunimur  auxilio 
 erudiamur  exemplo  ;  that  He  might  teacli  by  His  example  those, 
 whom  He  defends  by  His  power.  S.  James  i.  13  ;  Heb.  i.  6 ; 
 Judges  ix.  48  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  13.     /.  F. 
 
 Then. — Satan's  most  prevailing  temptation  is  worldly  wealth. 
 When  this  battery  could  not  make  a  breach,  he  raised  the  siege, 
 despairing  of  success,   xix.  23.   Bp.  Hopkins.    (Serm.  Eccl.  i.  2.) 
 
 Angels  came. — So  long  as  He  was  combating,  He  sufiered  them  not 
 to  appear,  nor  to  come  nigh  Him ;  lest  He  might  seem  to  have 
 put  the  adversary  to  flight  by  the  help  of  Angels,  i.  21 ;  ix.  34 ; 
 Ps.  xcviii.  1,  2.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 As  subjects  to  their  Sovereign,  not  as  helpers  to  the  indigent. 
 S.  Augustine, 
 
 Our  Loed  had  the  Spieit  "without  measure;"  but,  nevertheless, 
 as  though  to  mark  to  us  the  agency,  which  this  Spieit  is  often 
 pleased  to  employ,  it  was  in  and  through  Angels  that  consolation 
 was  imparted.  (Conf.  S.  Luke  xxii.  43.)  .  .  .  You  know  practi- 
 cally what  comfort  there  is  in  the  thought  of  its  being  in  human 
 form  that  the  Second  Person  of  the  Trinity  discharges  the  office 
 of  Intercessor  (Heb.  iv.  15, 16).  "We  should  be  quite  lost  in  ap- 
 proaching Him,  were  it  merely,  as  God,  that  He  ministers 
 above ;  but  we  are  more  at  home,  and  we  feel  greatly  assured, 
 in  having,  so  to  speak,  a  created  medium,  through  which  to  draw 
 nigh.  And  what  is  thus  true  of  the  work  of  Intercession, 
 carried  on  by  the  Second  Person,  is  true  also,  in  its  measure,  of 
 the  work  of  Sanctification,  which  appertains  specially  to  the 
 Third.  We  can  better  comprehend  this  work,  when  we  asso- 
 ciate it  with  a  created,  though  subordinate,  agency ;  and  that, 
 which  might  seem  vague  and  indefinite,  if  referred  wholly  to  one 
 
S,  MATTHEW  IV.  11,   12.  55 
 
 infinite  and  inapproachable  Being,  commends  itself  to  us,  both 
 as  actually  going  forward,  and  as  beautifully  fitted  to  our  weak- 
 ness and  w^ants,  when  we  know  it  effected,  through  the  instru- 
 mentality of  creatures  (the  Angels),  higher  indeed  and  far  more 
 glorious  than  ourselves,  but,  nevertheless,  creatures,  who  have 
 themselves  known  what  moral  danger  is,  and  who  can  therefore 
 rejoice  with  ineffable  gladness  over  one  sinner,  who  turns  from 
 the  error  of  his  ways.  Ex,  xx.  19  ;  Job  xxxiii.  7 ;  Heb.  i.  14. 
 //.  Melvill.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xxiv.  6—8.) 
 
 Oh,  what  reverence,  what  love,  what  confidence  deserveth  so  sweet 
 a  saying !  For  their  presence,  reverence  ;  for  their  goodwill, 
 love ;  for  their  tuition,  confidence.     Heb.  i.  14.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 How  sweet  to  the  believer  is  the  reflection,  tliat,  though  he  is  yet 
 a  stranger  in  the  world  of  spirits,  still  the  world  of  spirits  is  not 
 a  stranger  to  him.     Ps.  xxxiv.  7.     Toplady. 
 
 12  Now  when  Jesus  had  heard  that  John  was  cast 
 into  prison.  He  departed  into  Galilee ; 
 
 13  And  leaving  Nazareth,  He  came  and  dwelt  in 
 Capernaum,  which  is  upon  the  sea  coast,  in  the  bor- 
 ders of  Zabulon  and  Nephthalim  : 
 
 14  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
 Esaias  the  prophet,  saying, 
 
 15  The  land  of  Zabulon,  and  the  land  of  Nephtha- 
 lim, hy  the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of 
 the  Gentiles. 
 
 16  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  great 
 light ;  and  to  them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow 
 of  death  light  is  sprung  up. 
 
 12  He  fitly  began  to  preach  from  the  time,  when  John  was  cast 
 into  prison.  The  Law  drawing  to  its  end,  the  Gospel  in  conse- 
 quence sprung  forth.     Heb.  viii.  12.     Bede. 
 
 The  Gentiles,  as  worshippers  of  idols  and  of  evil  spirits,  were  in 
 the  shadow  of  death  ;  the  Jews,  to  whom  God's  righteousness 
 
56  S.  MATTHEW  IV.   16,  17. 
 
 was  not  yet  revealed,  were  iu  simple  darkness.     Pseudo-Chry- 
 sostom.     (Apud  Emanuel  Sa.) 
 
 16  Every  way,  Cueist  is  a  most  true  perfect  light  to  us.  Lux 
 clarissima,  Veritas,  a  light  enlightening  our  understandings 
 (S.  John  xii.  46)  ;  Lux  purissima,  Sanctitas,  a  purifying  and 
 beautifying  light,  dissolving  the  works  of  darkness,  making  us 
 children  of  light ;  (v.  16),  Lux  jucundissima,  amoenitas  ;  a  most 
 cheering  and  comforting  light,  filling  our  hearts  with  joy  and 
 gladness,  (ii.  10 ;)  Ps.  xix.  Bp.  Brownrig.  (Serm.  on  S.  John 
 iii.  19.) 
 
 Great  light. — None  are  saved,  but  they,  who  are  enlightened.  Acts 
 xxvi.  18  ;  Eph.  i.  17—23.     Bengel. 
 
 17  From  that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach,  and  to 
 say,  Repent :  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand. 
 
 18  And  Jesus,  walking  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw 
 two  brethren,  Simon  called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his  bro- 
 ther, casting  a  net  into  the  sea:   for  they  were  fishers. 
 
 19  And  He  said  unto  them.  Follow  Me,  and  I  will 
 make  you  fishers  of  men. 
 
 20  And  they  straightway  left  their  nets,  and  fol- 
 lowed Him. 
 
 2 1  And  going  on  from  thence,  He  «aw  other  two 
 brethren,  James  the  son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his 
 brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee  their  father,  mending 
 their  nets  ;  and  He  called  them. 
 
 22  And  they  immediately  left  the  ship  and  their 
 father,  and  followed  Him. 
 
 17  Began  to  preach. —  So  worthy  a  part  of  Divine  service  we 
 should  greatly  wrong,  if  we  did  not  esteem  preaching,  as  the 
 Blessed  Ordinance  of  God  ;  Sermons,  as  keys  to  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven,  as  wings  to  the  soul,  as  spurs  to  the  good  affections 
 of  man ;  unto  the  sound  and  healthy,  as  food  ;  as  physic  unto 
 diseased  minds.     Hooker.     (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  v.  s.  22.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  17—19.  57 
 
 Repent  ye. — This  Penance  is  the  chiefest  thing  in  all  the  Scrip- 
 ture. Herein  standeth  right  Penance ;  first,  we  must  know 
 and  acknowledge  our  sins,  be  sorry  for  them,  and  lament  them 
 in  our  hearts  ;  then,  the  second  point,  is  faith  ;  that  Christ  will 
 be  merciful  unto  us,  and  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  not  impute 
 them  unto  us  ;  thirdly,  we  must  have  an  earnest  purpose  to 
 leave  all  sin  and  wickedness,  and  no  more  to  commit  the  same. 
 Bp.  Latimer.     (Serm.  on  Eom.  xiii.  8.) 
 
 This  was  said  before  to  be  the  sermon  of  His  forerunner  ;  not  only 
 the  same  sense,  but  the  very  same  words,  (iii.  2.)  He,  who 
 needed  to  borrow  from  none,  but  gives  all  to  all,  yet  disdains 
 not  to  preach  this  over,  after  John  Baptist.  There  is  certainly 
 a  pride  and  vanity  in  the  minds  of  men,  in  that  extreme  affect- 
 ing still  either  to  speak,  or  hear,  new  things.  God's  voice, 
 more  regarded  and  owned,  would  make  that  sweet,  which  we 
 often  despise.  Acts  xiii.  42  ;  xvii.  21 ;  Phil.  iii.  1 ;  2  S.  Peter 
 iii.  1.     Abp.  Leighton.     (Lectures  on  S.  Matthew,  in  loco.) 
 
 18  Pie  saw  theai,  because  of  election  ;  He  called  them,  unto  the 
 faith ;  He  bade  them  follow  Him,  unto  obedience ;  He  pro- 
 mised a  reward,  unto  "  the  obedience  of  faith."  Horn.  viii.  30. 
 Ardens.     (Hom.  in  loco.) 
 
 Simon  called  Peter. — 
 
 Primus  Apostolico  parva  de  puppe  vocatus 
 Agraine  Petrus  erat,  quo  piscatore  solebat 
 Squamea  turba  capi :  subito  de  littore  visus 
 Dum  trahit,  ipse  trahi  meruit :  piscatio  Christi 
 Discipulum  diguata  rapit,  qui  retia  laxat 
 Humauum  captura  genus  ;  quae  gesserat  hamum 
 Ad  clavem  est  translata  mauus  ;  quique  sequoris  imi 
 Ardebat  madidas  ad  littora  vertere  prsedas 
 Et  spoliis  implere  ratem,  melioribus  undis 
 Nunc  alia  de  parte  levat. 
 
 Arator.     (Lib.  i.  in  Acta  Apost.) 
 
 19  Fishers. — It  is  an  excellent  memorandum,  that  Gregory  the  Great 
 hath  lel't  in  his  Morulia  (Lib.  33)  ;  Deus primus  collegit  indoctos  ; 
 post  modum  Philosophos  ;  et  non  per  Oratores  docuit  piscatores, 
 sed  per  piscatores  subeyit  Oratores.  (God  fii'st  gained  over  the 
 unlearned,  and  afterwards  the  Philosophers  ;  nor  did  He  teach 
 
58  S.  MATTHEW  IV.  19. 
 
 fishermen  by  means  of  orators,  but  overcame  orators  by  the  in- 
 strumentality of  fishermen).  The  learnedst  men  should  think 
 of  this.  1  Sam.  svi.  6  ;  1  Cor.  i.  18— 31.  R.Baxter.  (Gildas 
 Salvianus  ;  the  Reformed  Pastor.     Cb.  iii.  s.  1.) 
 
 From  times  of  old,  God  has  manifested  His  power  by  the  use 
 of  weak  means.  The  hand  of  Moses  was  made  leprous,  before 
 it  wrought  miracles ;  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell  at  the  sound 
 of  the  rams'  horns;  Goliath  was  slain  by  a  stripling  with  a 
 sling  and  a  stone ;  a  thief  was  received  into  Paradise ;  a  La- 
 zarus taken  to  Abraham's  bosom ;  the  most  obscure  are  made 
 the  most  distinguished,  that  none  might  "  glory,  except  in  the 
 Lord."  1  Sam.  xiv.  6 ;  Job  ix.  8 ;  Isa.  ii.  11 ;  1  Cor.  i.  18,  31. 
 Br.  Manton. 
 
 I  will  make  you. — All  things  receive  their  virtue  from  Divine  In- 
 stitution. How  else  should  a  piece  of  wheaten  bread  nourish  the 
 soul  ?  How  should  spring-water  wash  off  spiritual  filthiness  ? 
 How  should  "the  foolishness  of  preaching"  save  souls  ?  How 
 should  the  absolution  of  God's  minister  be  more  effectual  than  the 
 breath  of  an  ordinary  Christian  ?  Thou,  O,  God,  hast  set  apart 
 these  Ordinances :  Thy  Blessing  is  annexed  to  them  :  hence  is 
 the  ground  of  all  our  use  and  their  efficacy.  Hadst  Thou  so  in- 
 stituted, Jordan  would  as  well  have  healed  blindness,  and  Siloam 
 leprosy.  Isa.  Iv.  10,  11 ;  S.  John  xx.  21—23  ;  S.  Matt,  xxviii. 
 19,  20.     Bp.  Hall.     (Contemplations,  B.  iv.  18.) 
 
 They  were  first,  as  S.  John  reports  (i.  35 — 44),  acquainted  with 
 Cheist,  afterwards  made  disciples,  and,  last  of  all,  Apostles. 
 And  therefore  Cheist  here  saith,  I  will  make  you,  &c.  He 
 saith  not,  "  I  do  now  make  you  ;"  but,  having  instructed  them 
 all  His  life  and  breathing  on  them  the  Holy  Ghost  after  His 
 E-esurrection,  He  speaks  in  the  present,  "  As  My  Fathee  hath 
 sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you.  (S.  John  xx.  21 ;  S.  Matt,  xxviii. 
 19.)  They  were  a  great  while  learners,  before  they  were  leaders. 
 Bean  Boys.     (On  the  Festivals,  S.  Andrew's.) 
 
 It  was  S.  Jerome's  complaint,*  that  practitioners  of  other  arts 
 
 *  His  words  are  so  striking  (and,  it 
 may  be,  so  applicable  to  our  own 
 times)  as  to  deserve  to  be  quoted  in 
 the  original.     "Scribimus  indocti  doc- 
 
 tique  poemata  passim.^'  Sola  Scrip- 
 turarum  ars  est,  quam  sibi  omnes  pas- 
 sim vindicant.  Quod  medicorum  est, 
 promittiint  medici ;  "  tractant  fabrilia 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  21,  22. 
 
 59 
 
 could  contain  themselves  within  the  bounds  of  their  own  pro- 
 fession. "It  is  only,"  says  he,  "the  art  of  explaining  the 
 Scriptures,  which  all  persons  everywhere  lay  claim  to.  The 
 chattering  old  woman,  the  superannuated  dotard,  the  wordy 
 sophist,  and  all  others  presume  upon  this  art ;  they  maul  it  to 
 pieces;  they  teach,  before  they  learn:"  as  if  (so  Nazianzen 
 speaks)  this  great  mystery  of  Christianity  were  but  some  one  of 
 the  common,  base,  inferior,  and  contemptible  trades.  The  bold 
 intrusion  therefore  of  the  unlearned  into  the  chair  of  the  teacher 
 is  that,  which  here,  with  our  Blessed  Apostle,  I  am  to  reprehend. 
 S.  James  iii.  1 ;  Gal.  i.  17  ;  1  Tim.  iii.  10.  John  Hales.  (Serm. 
 on  2  S.  Peter  iii.  16.) 
 
 21  Mending  their  nets — two  brethren. — These  persons,  unfit  of 
 themselves,  made  fit  by  Him  and  found  by  Him  at  their  labour, 
 (labour  in  a  lawful  calling  and  in  their  own  calling)  our  Sa- 
 viour Cheist  calls  to  Him  ;  and  He  called  them  by  couples,  by 
 pairs,  two  together :  so  He  called  His  creatures  into  the  world, 
 at  the  first  Creation,  by  pairs  ;  so  He  called  them  into  the  ark 
 for  the  reparation  of  the  world,  by  pairs,  two  and  two.  God 
 loves  not  singularity ;  the  very  name  of  Church  implies  com- 
 pany. It  is  concio,  congregatio,  ccetus ;  it  is  a  congregation,  a 
 meeting,  an  assembly.  It  is  not  any  one  man  ;  neither  can  the 
 Church  be  preserved  in  one  man.  Acts  i.  4 — 11;  ii.  41 — 47; 
 1  Cor.  xi.  18—20.     Dr.  Donne.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iv.  18—20.) 
 
 22  Left  the  ship  and  followed  Him. — We  should  not  come  to  Him, 
 till  we  have  cast  our  cares  and  our  thoughts  behind  us.  The 
 beadsman's  motto  is  Non  aliud  nunc  euro,  quam  ne  curem.  I 
 have  now  but  one  care  in  the  world ;  and  that  is,  that  I  may 
 never  have  more.  When  I  call  upon  God,  God  doth,  as  it 
 were,  put  forth  His  hand  and  beckon  me  to  escape  from  the 
 world ;  not  to  be  multiplex  et  varium  animal,  not  to  divide,  and 
 distract  myself,  and  part  myself  out  to  a  variety  of  objects  ;  but 
 be  one  in  myself,  that  I  may  be  one  in  Him.  Ps.  xxvii.  3 — 7 ; 
 Ixxxvi.  11;  1  Cor.  vii.  34,  35;  Phil.  iii.  13,  14.  Farindon. 
 (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iv.  1,  p.  2.) 
 
 fahri."  Hanc  garrula  anus,  hanc 
 delirus  senex,  hanc  sophista  verbosus, 
 hanc   universi  praesurnunt,    lacerant, 
 
 docenf,   antequam   discant. 
 Paulinuru.J 
 
 (Ep.  ad 
 
60  S.  MATTHEW  IV.  23,  24. 
 
 23  And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in 
 their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
 kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all 
 manner  of  disease  among  the  people. 
 
 24  And  His  fame  went  throughout  all  Syria :  and 
 they  brought  unto  Him  all  sick  people  that  were  taken 
 with  divers  diseases  and  torments,  and  those  which 
 were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those  which  were 
 lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy ;  and  He  healed 
 them. 
 
 25  And  there  followed  Him  great  multitudes  of 
 people  from  Galilee,  and  from  DecapoHs,  and  from 
 Jerusalem,  and /rom  Judaea,  and /rom  beyond  Jordan. 
 
 23  The  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom. — The  Church,  or  the  Kingdom  of 
 Cheist,  may  be  thus  defined.  It  is  the  One  Universal  Society 
 of  all  Christian  people,  incorporated  by  the  new  Covenant  in 
 Baptism,  under  Jesus  Christ,  its  Supreme  Head,  and  distri- 
 buted, under  lawful  governors  and  pastors,  into  particular 
 Churches,  holding  communion  with  each  other  in  all  the  essen- 
 tials of  Cliristian  faith,  and  worship,  and  discipline.  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 (Christian  Life,  P.  ii.  ch.  7.) 
 
 24i  Divers  diseases. — As  soon  as  man  is  born,  he  begins  to  sicken ; 
 he  only  terminates  his  sickness  by  his  death.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 This  life  is  begun  in  a  cry,  and  ends  in  a  groan.  Job  xiv.  1,  2. 
 Bp.  Rust.     (Serm.  preached  at  the  funeral  of  Bp.  Taylor.) 
 
 So  far  am  I  from  thinking,  that  the  daemoniacs  were  mere  lunatics, 
 that  I  rather  think  with  Vossius  that  the  lunatics  were  truly 
 dseinouiacs ;  only  they  were  not  constantly  under  the  power  of 
 the  devil,  but  as  their  paroxysms  returned  upon  them,  the  devil 
 loving  to  fish  in  troubled  waters  :  and  hence  the  same  person  is 
 called  a  lunatic  in  one  place,  who  is  called  a  dgemoniac  in  an- 
 other (xvii.  15 ;  S.  Luke  ix.  39)  ;  because  he  did  ruere  in  pi'in- 
 cipiis  lunationum,  as  the  Arabic  version  expresses  it,  or,  as  Rus- 
 ticus  Elpidius  more  fully  explains  it. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IV.  24.  61 
 
 Repserat  in  medium  rabies  horrenda  furoris 
 Daemonis  afflatu,  propria  qui  peste  nocivus 
 Allidit  captas  fsedo  discrimine  mentes, 
 Menstrua  deciduos  cum  luna  recolligit  ignes. 
 
 Bp.  StiUingfleet .  (Orig.  Sacrae.  B.  ii.  c.  9.) 
 In  this  reasoning  age,  we  are  little  agreed  about  the  cause  of  the 
 disorder,  to  which  this  name,  Demoniacal  possession,  belongs. 
 If  we  may  be  guided  by  the  letter  of  Holy  Writ,  it  was  a 
 tyranny  of  hellish  fiends  over  the  imagination  and  sensory  of 
 the  patient.  Por  my  own  part,  I  find  no  diflSculty  in  believing 
 that  this  was  really  the  case.  T  hold  those  philosophising  be- 
 lievers but  weak  in  faith  and  not  strong  in  reason,  who  measure 
 the  probabilities  of  past  events  by  the  experience  of  the  present 
 age,  in  opposition  to  the  evidence  of  the  historian  of  the  times. 
 I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  power  of  the  infernal  spirits 
 over  the  bodies,  as  well  as  the  minds,  of  men  suffered  a  capital 
 abridgment,  an  earnest  of  the  final  putting  down  of  Satan  to  be 
 trampled  under  foot  of  men,  when  the  Son  of  God  had  achieved 
 His  great  undertaking ;  that  before  that  event  men  were  sub- 
 ject to  a  sensible  tyranny  of  the  hellish  crew,  from  which  they 
 have  been  ever  since  emancipated,  viii.  28  ;  xvii.  15 ;  S.  Luke 
 X.  18  ;  S.  Jude  6 ;  Eev.  xx.  1—3,  14.  Bp.  Horsley.  (Serm.  S. 
 Mark  vii.  16.) 
 At  evening,  when  the  sun  was  set.  (Compare  S.  Mark  i.  32.) — 
 That  quality,  or  defect,  in  S.  Matthew,  that  he  is  the  least  pic- 
 turesque of  the  Evangelists,  did  not  strike  me,  till  you  made  the 
 observation.  I  dare  say,  it  is  so.  I  remember  nothing,  which 
 contradicts  it.  Perhaps  it  was  S.  Matthew's  peculiar  vocation 
 to  record  our  Lord's  Discourses  ;  and  the  power  of  mind,  best 
 fitted  for  this  purpose,  namely,  memory,  is  seldom,  I  believe, 
 associated  with  the  power  of  picturesque  description.  A.  Knox. 
 (Correspondence.     Vol.  ii.  p.  259.     Edit.  1834.) 
 
63  S.  MATTHEW  V.  2. 
 
 CHAPTER  V. 
 
 A  ND  seeing  the  multitudes,  He  went  up  into  a  moun- 
 tain: and  when  He  was  set,  His  disciples  came 
 unto  Him : 
 
 2  And  He  opened  His  mouth,  and  taught  them, 
 saying, 
 
 2  Opened  His  mouth. — We  cannot  put  on  too  much  caution  and 
 reverence,  when  we  speak  of  God.  De  Deo  vel  serib  loqui  peri- 
 culosum,  ne  forte  Deo  indigna  loquamur.  The  Christian  world 
 hath  been  too  daring  and  bold  with  Him,  to  speak  of  Him  what 
 they  please,  and  then  to  teach  Him  to  speak ;  to  make  a  lan- 
 guage of  their  own,  and  say  it  is  His  ...  If  we  be  His  disci- 
 ples, when  we  speak  to  Him  or  of  Him,  let  us  use  His  own 
 words :  for  then  He  will  better  understand  us,  and  we  shall 
 better  understand  one  another.  Eccl.  v.  1 — 3 ;  Job  xlii.  8  ; 
 1  S.  Pet.  iv.  11.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Heb.  ii.  17.) 
 
 Schola  et  scala  coeli.  This  Sermon  is  the  school  of  heaven,  and 
 the  ladder  to  it.     Card.  Bonaventura. 
 
 Let  us  imagine  to  ourselves  that  we  saw  our  Savioue,  seated 
 upon  the  Mount  of  Blessing,  with  His  eyes  devoutly  set  to- 
 wards heaven,  and  his  hands  affectionately  stretched  forth  over 
 the  adoring  and  attentive  multitude,  and  with  looks,  full  of 
 concern  for  the  good  of  souls,  gravely  and  pathetically  distil- 
 ling down  upon  them  the  dew  of  His  Heavenly  Doctrine,  and 
 tempering  His  authority  with  the  style  of  goodness  and  kind- 
 ness, as  well  as  His  Divinity  with  the  veil  of  flesh.  Who  can 
 with  sufficient  wonder  contemplate  so  pleasing  a  scene  of  Love 
 and  sweetness  ?  And  who,  that  will  contemplate  it,  can  find 
 in  his  heart  to  transgress  a  Law,  delivered  with  so  much  con- 
 descension, or  offend  a  Lawgiver,  so  infinitely,  so  amazingly 
 good  ?  S.  Luke  iv.  22 ;  xxiv.  32  ;  S.  John  vii.  46.  Norris. 
 (Serm.  on  the  Beatitudes.) 
 
 I  cannot  give  you  a  readier  landskip,  to  present  them  all  to  your 
 view  together,  than  that  excellent  Sermon  of  Chkist  on  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  2.  63 
 
 Mount,  that  "  top  pitch  of  Divine  Philosophy,"  as  Chrysostom 
 calls  it,  worthy  to  be  imprinted  on  every  man's  heart ;  and  of 
 which  he,  that  hath  not  been  a  pondering  student,  and  re- 
 solved to  regulate  his  practice  by  it,  as  much  as  his  faith  by  the 
 Apostles'  Creed,  yea,  and  to  lay  down  his  life  a  martyr  for  that 
 doctrine,  though  he  hath  all  faith,  I  cannot  promise  myself  much 
 of  his  Christianity.     Dr.  Hammond.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  ix.  55.) 
 
 To  ^'live  by  faith^''  by  that  degree  of  knowledge,  which  is  im- 
 parted, is  the  end  of  it,  be  it  more  or  less.  This  is  the  doctrine 
 of  the  prophet  (Habakkuk  ii.  4,)  and  so  much  of  a  Christian 
 principle  and  sentiment  may  be  traced  in  what  he  has  written. 
 .  .  .  But  the  conclusion  of  Habakkuk,  (iii.  17,  18,)  is,  in  fact, 
 a  beginning  of  Christ's  proper  Doctrine  ;  and  whoever  will 
 read  it  and  then  pass  to  the  Beatitudes  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
 Mount,  will  see,  in  both,  the  sanctions  of  Canaan  recede,  and 
 the  vision  of  the  better  Kingdom  opened.  Prov.  iv.  18 ;  Eom. 
 i.  17.     Davison.     (On  Prophecy,  p.  ii.  Discourse  6.) 
 
 Whilst  you  read  or  hear  the  eight  Beatitudes,  as  they  call  them, 
 take  this  memorandum  with  you;  that  there  are  not  eight  several 
 Beatitudes,  distinct  one  from  another ;  for  all  are  contained  in 
 this  one  word,  to  wit.  Eternal  Life,  which  is  but  one  and  the 
 same  :  the  joy  or  happiness,  which  is  the  property  of  it,  is  the 
 same ;  it  hath  not  eight  several  branches,  albeit  our  Saviour 
 pronounce  this  Blessedness  eight  several  times.  What  then  ? 
 are  these,  but  so  many  tautologies,  or  repetitions  of  one  and 
 the  same  thing  ?  God  forbid  we  should  so  think,  or  speak  of 
 Him,  who  "  spake,  as  never  man  spake."  Or,  is  there  a  mystery 
 in  the  number  eight  ?  None,  questionless,  in  the  abstract 
 number.  All  the  mystery  (if  it  be  to  be  termed  a  mystery)  is 
 in  the  reference  of  one  and  the  same  Blessedness  to  eight 
 several  qualifications,  without  which  no  man  shall  be  a  partaker 
 of  the  life  to  come  ;  and  to  eight  sorts  of  men,  unto  whom, 
 according  to  their  several  conditions,  one  and  the  same  Blessed- 
 ness comes  more  welcome  under  one  style,  or  title,  than  it 
 would  do  under  another  ;  especially  whilst  it  is  preferred,  not 
 as  present  in  re,  but,  as  future,  and  in  sjoe,  as  a  thing  far  off, 
 whilst  it  is  yet  in  promise.  Dr.  Jackson.  (Treatise  on  the 
 Essence  of  God,  &c.  B.  xi.  c.  22.) 
 
64 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  V.  2,  3. 
 
 ¥ 
 
 These  eight  Beatitudes  are,  as  it  were,  "  the  eight  Paradoxes  of 
 the  world"  (Cornel,  a  Lapide);  for  the  world  and  philosophers 
 place  happiness  in  riches,  not  in  poverty  ;  in  sublimity,  not  in 
 humility  ;  in  fulness,  not  in  hunger ;  in  joy,  not  in  mourning, 
 iv.  8  ;  2  Sam.  vii.  19 ;  Isa.  Iv.  8,  9.     Sdw.  Leigh. 
 
 Either  these  sayings  are  not  Cheisx's  ;  or,  we  are  not  Christians. 
 Linacer,  (after  reading  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.) 
 
 3  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  their's  is  the 
 kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 3  (Our  Savioue  saw  Himself  followed  by  the  poor,  in  hope  of  their 
 circumstances  being  changed  through  their  early  attachment  to 
 the  Messiah.  He  begins  therefore  by  intimating  another  and 
 a  deeper  poverty,  a  want  in  the  inmost  soul,  which  no  external 
 opulence  could  supply  ;  a  want  of  God,  the  object  of  the  human 
 spirit,  its  true  and  infinite  inheritance.  Blessed,  says  He,  are 
 they,  who  discover  this  interior  poverty  :  for  this  it  is,  which  I 
 am  about  to  relieve.  To  this  spiritual  poverty  and  to  it  only 
 the  riches  of  My  kingdom  have  reference,  and,  until  a  con- 
 sciousness of  this  indigence  takes  place,  the  highest  blessing  I 
 dispense  will  excite  no  interest.  A  discovery  of  spiritual  good 
 and  evil — the  highest  good  and  the  deepest  evil — is  in  its  nature 
 antecedent  to  all  effort  for  attainment  of  the  one,  or  deliverance 
 from  the  other.  In  such  a  discovery  therefore  must  the  process 
 of  Renovation  commence :  it  is  the  first  symptom  of  Regenera- 
 tion. "  That,  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit,  is  spirit."  But  there 
 must  be  spirit,  in  order  to  the  discovery  of  spiritual  poverty 
 and  spiritual  riches  :  for  "  Except  a  man  be  born  again  he  can- 
 not see  the  Kingdom  of  God."  S.  Luke  xvi.  11,  12,  21 ;  S. 
 John  iii.  3  ;  iv.  10 — 14 ;  vi.  26,  27.     Alexander  Knox.     (Cor- 
 
 £, respondence,  &c.    Vol.  ii.  p.  154.) 
 
 The  grace,  Jlrst  named,  is  a  general  principal  grace,  which  is  the 
 foundation  of  the  rest  .  .  .  Then,  there  is  an  interchangeable 
 mixture  of  these  graces  ;  one  towards  God  and  another  towards 
 man,  thus  interwoven  that  the  first  (the  mourners)  respect  God, 
 the  next  (the  meek)  man ;  the  next  God  again,  till  you  come  to 
 the  last,  which  respects  God  again.     So._that_th£.j£st_and  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  3,  4.  65 
 
 last  both  respect  our  duty  towards  Q-od  (who  is  the  true  Alpha7  j^^  /<wwi 
 and  Omega,  the  First  and  the  Last);  and  those  between  are  !><  j  •  y 
 divided  between  God  and  our  neighbour ;  that  so  we  may  resolve,  1  \} 
 
 that  to  God  belongs  the  chief,  the  iirst,  and  the  last  of  our  love  p""^   /\/«'j 
 and  obedience,  and  that  our  neighbour  is  to  be  regarded  in  I 
 subordination  to  God  .  .  .  One  intermixes  lovingly  and  friendly  / 
 with  the  other ;  and  neither  is  performed,  asjt  ought,  if  the  / 
 other  be  neglected ,fTJ^ Hammond.     (Practical  Catechism?"  i3. 
 
 ii.  §  2.)  ; 
 
 As  pride  was  the  beginning  of  sin,  so  humility  must  be  the  begin-    -^    i 
 ning  of  the  Christian  discipline.     Prov.  xvi.  18.     S.  Augustine.      T' '»-<-- 
 
 Pride  is  the  first  vice  to  oppose  us ;  and  the  last  vice,  which  we 
 overcome.     Job  xlii.  5,  6.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 In  scald  prima  ascensio  est  ah  humo.  The  first  step  to  mount  a  lad- 
 der is  from  the  ground.     Prov.  xv.  33.     S.  Basil.  . 
 
 Humility  is  best  known  among  equals.     With  God  we  can  have!  /o*  oi,*^ 
 no  rivalry.     It  is  possible  for  a  man  to  be  humble  towards  God,  \±  j^  -^^ 
 and  proud  towards  his  fellow-creatures,  rxvili.  26 — 30 ;  Phil. 
 ii.  3  ;  Eph.  iv.  1,  2.     J.  Bawdier.     (Theological  Tracts.    No.  4.) 
 
 As  humility  is  nothing  but  a  generous  contempt  of  ourselves,  so 
 this  self-contempt  imports  a  lively  sense  of  God's  Greatness, 
 Holiness  and  Goodness.  That  is  it,  which  gives  humility  a 
 being  ;  that  is  it,  whereby  the  sacred  fire  is  kindled.  A  livelyT 
 sense  of  God's  Greatness  gives  the  soul  a  clear  sight  of  her 
 nothingness  ;  a  lively  sense  of  God's  Holiness  a  clear  sense  of 
 her  sinfulness  ;  a  lively  sense  of  His  Goodness  a  clear  sense  of 
 her  unworthiness.  The  greater  this  sense  is,  the  greater  is  the 
 humility  :  while  that  sense  lasts,  this  humility  lasts  :  when  that 
 decaysj  this  vanishes.  Gen.  xviii.  27 ;  Isa.  vi.  5 ;  Cant.  i.  6. 
 Dr.  Horneck.     (Serm.  on  Job  xlii.  5,  6.) 
 
 4  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn  :  for  they  shall  be 
 comforted. 
 
 4  It  is  worthy  of  observation  that  all  the  Beatitudes  are  affixed  to 
 conditions  of  humiliation,  or  suffering.  Listen  not  to  the  judg- 
 ment of  the  world  about  afflictions,  but  to  the  judgment  of 
 the  Spirit ;  not  to  what  sense  feels,  but  to  what  faith  expects. 
 Eom.  viii.  17;  Eev.  vii.  14.     Br.  Manton. 
 
66  S.  MATTHEW  V.  4,  5. 
 
 Let  the  penitent  be  ever  mourning :  and  in  his  tears  let  hira  ever 
 
 rejoice,  xiv.  3  ;  Ps.  cixvi.  7  ;  Isa.  li.  3.  S.  Augustine. 
 Repentance  itself  is  a  delightful  exercise,  when  it  floweth  from  the 
 principle  of  love.  There  is  a  secret  sweetness,  which  accom- 
 panieth  those  tears  of  remorse,  those  meltings  and  relentings 
 of  a  soul,  returning  unto  GIod  and  lamenting  its  former  un- 
 kindness.  Jer.  xxxi.  18 — 21 ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  4  ;  S.  Luke  vii.  87, 
 38.  Scougal.  (Life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man.  Disc.  i.  s.  34.) 
 These  words,  (Heb.  xii.  6 — 10,)  good  brother,  are  written  in  Holy 
 Scripture  for  our  comfort  and  instruction  ;  that  we  should  pa- 
 tiently and  with  thanksgiving  bear  our  Heavenly  Father's  cor- 
 rection, whensoever  by  any  manner  of  adversity  it  shall  please 
 His  gracious  goodness  to  visit  us.  And  there  should  be  no 
 greater  comfort  to  Christian  persons,  than  to  be  made  like  unto 
 Cheist  by  suffering  patiently  adversities,  troubles,  and  sick- 
 nesses. For  He  Himself  went  not  up  to  joy,  but  first  He  suffered 
 pain ;  He  entered  not  into  His  glory,  before  He  was  crucified. 
 So  truly  our  way  to  Eternal  joy  is  to  suffer  here  with  Christ  ; 
 and  our  door  to  enter  into  Eternal  life  is  gladly  to  die  with 
 Christ  ;  that  we  may  rise  again  from  death,  and  dwell  with 
 Him  in  Life  Everlasting.  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  (Visita- 
 tion of  the  Sick.) 
 
 O !  vos  felices  vestigia  nostra  prementes, 
 
 Quos  Evangelii  et  Patris  amore  Mei 
 Pauperiem  video  mecum  nunc  sponte  subire ; 
 
 En  !  vos  in  coelis  prsemia  magna  manent. 
 Et  vos,  nunc  lachrymis  quibus  ora  rigantur  amaris, 
 
 Qui  nunc  lugetis  nocte  dieque  pii 
 Duritiem  Solymse  et  mundi  delicta  mentis  ; 
 Solamen  vobis  En  !  erit  Ipse  Deus ! 
 
 Nicols.     (Liturgica.) 
 
 5  Blessed  are  the  meek  :  for  they  shall  inherit  the 
 
 earth. 
 
 5  The  notion  of  this  word  Meekness,  in  the  Hebrew  and  Scripture 
 meaning  of  it,  is  as  large  well  nigh,  as  virtue  itself:  so  far  as  it 
 hath  respect  unto  the  second  Table  of  the  Law.  .  .  .  Eor  it  is  an 
 usual  trope  of  the  Scripture  to  make  that,  which  is  taken  for 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  5.  67 
 
 the  most  eminent  and  notable  in  any  kind,  to  bear  the  name  of 
 the  whole  kind,  as  a  foreman  speaks  for  the  whole  Jury,  and 
 armies  are  comprised  in  the  name  of  their  Chieftain.  In  the 
 Decalogue  it  is  a  regular  Synecdoche ;  father  and  mother,  for  all 
 sorts  of  superiors  ;  murder,  for  whatsoever  does  hurt  to  the  body 
 of  our  neighbour ;  adultery,  for  all  sins  of  intemperance ;  theft, 
 all  injuries  to  our  neighbour's  goods  ;  the  sanctifying  of  an  Holy 
 day,  to  comprehend  the  Holy  usage  of  all  things  sacred,  and 
 consecrate  to  Divine  uses.  So  Peace,  the  chief  of  blessings, 
 stands  in  the  Hebrew  style  for  happiness :  whence  is  this  He- 
 brew style,  "  Peace  be  unto  you  :"  so  Meekness,  of  near  akin  to 
 peace,  stands  here  for  a  general  name  to  all  probity  and  honesty  ; 
 as  lowliness  did  for  religious  devotion  to  GrOD.  .  .  For,  as  Meek- 
 ness, in  the  special  sense,  is  a  virtue,  exercised  only  towards 
 men ;  so,  in  the  general  notion  thereof,  I  extend  it  no  farther, 
 making  Lowliness  and  Meekness  to  share  the  Decalogue  between 
 them.  xi.  29  ;  Ps.  xxxvii.  2  ;  Ixxvi.  9  ;  Zeph.  ii.  3  ;  2  Sam.  xvi. 
 5—12 ;  1  Cor.  iv.  9—13.   J.  Mede.   (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xi.  28, 29.) 
 
 Some  persons  had  never  had  a  particular  place  in  my  prayers,  but 
 for  the  injuries  they  have  done  to  me.  Numb.  xii.  3,  13.  Burkitt. 
 (Diary.  See  his  life  by  the  Eev.  Nat.  Parkhurst,  p.  34,  Edit.  1704.) 
 
 Be  humble  in  asking  pardon,  and  be  easy  in  giving  it ;  and  you 
 will  be  at  peace  with  all  the  world.  1  S.  Pet.  iii.  8 — 14.  S. 
 Bernard. 
 
 For  they  shall,  ^c. — A  double  Canaan  is  thought  little  enough  for 
 the  meek  man ;  the  same  felicity  in  a  manner  attending  him, 
 which  we  believe  of  Adam,  if  he  had  not  fallen ;  a  life  in  Para- 
 dise and  from  thence  a  transplantation  to  Heaven.  Ps.  Ixxvi. 
 9  ;  cxl.  11 ;  1  S.  Pet.  iii.  8 — 14.  Dr.  Hammond.  (Practical 
 Catechism,  B.  ii.  S.  1.) 
 
 Not  that  the  meek  shall  not  also  obtain  mercy,  and  see  God,  and 
 be  comforted,  and  at  last  come  to  the  kingdom,  of  heaven :  but  in 
 the  meantime  he,  and  he  only,  possesses  the  earth,  as  he  goes  to- 
 wards the  kingdom  of  heaven,  by  being  humble,  and  cheerful, 
 and  content  with  what  his  good  God  has  allotted  him.  He  has 
 no  turbulent,  repining,  vexatious  thoughts,  that  he  deserves 
 better ;  nor  is  he  vexed,  when  he  sees  others  possessed  of  more 
 honours,  or  more  riches,  than  his  wise  God  has  allotted  for  his 
 
 r  2 
 
68  S.  MATTHEW  V.  6. 
 
 share.  But  he  possesses  what  he  has  with  a  meek  and  contented 
 quietness  ;  such  a  quietness,  as  makes  his  very  dreams  pleasing 
 both  to  God  and  himself,  .  .  I  have  heard  a  grave  Divine  say, 
 that  "  God  has  two  dwellings ;  one  in  heaven,  and  the  other  in 
 a  meek  and  thankful  heart."  Ps.  xxxvii.  11 ;  Phil.  iv.  10 — 20. 
 /.  Walton.     (Complete  Angler,  ch.  21.) 
 
 6  Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after 
 righteousness  :  for  they  shall  be  filled. 
 
 6  The  whole  life  of  a  good  Christian  is  nothing  else  but  a  state  of 
 holy  desire.  Gen.  xlix.  18 ;  Eom,  viii.  18 — 25  ;  Eev.  xxii.  20. 
 S  Augustine.     (Expos,  in  Joan.) 
 
 We  find  three  corresponding  expressions,  used  by  our  Blessed  Sa- 
 VIOUE — poor  in  heart,  pure  in  heart,  and  lowly  in  heart :  all 
 which  must  refer  to  the  inward  sentiments  and  affections  of  our 
 mind,  in  opposition  to  the  usual  acceptation  of  these  words, 
 poor,  pure,  and  lowly,  when  applied  to  outward  things.  And 
 that,  in  which  they  all  seem  to  agree,  is  desire.  Thus  he  is  poor 
 in  spirit,  who  desires  not  riches,  whether  he  hath  them  or  not : 
 he  is  pure  in  heart,  who  desires  not  sensual  pleasure,  whether  he 
 is  capable  of  it  or  not :  and  he  is  lowly  in  heart,  who  desires  not 
 honour,  whether  he  hath  it  or  not.  S,  John  ii.  15,  16.  Bonnell. 
 (Life,  p.  97.) 
 
 Desire  after  grace  is  accounted  by  God  the  grace  itself  we  desire  ; 
 for  so  we  find  that  Nehemiah's  "  desire  to  fear  the  Lobd,"  is 
 counted  for  actual  fearing  God.  Nehem.  i.  11 ;  S.  Matt.  xii.  20. 
 Chr.  Love.     (Serm.  on  Grace.) 
 
 It  is  not  enough  to  wish  to  be  good,  unless  we  hunger  after  it. 
 Ps.  cxix.  2,  10.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 What  then  is  the  consummation  of  man's  goodness,  but  to  co- 
 operate with  the  benevolent  purpose  of  his  Maker,  by  forming 
 the  habit  of  his  mind  to  a  constant  ambition  of  improvement ; 
 which,  enlarging  its  appetite,  in  proportion  to  the  acquisitions, 
 already  made,  may  correspond  with  the  increase  of  his  capacities, 
 in  every  stage  of  a  progressive  virtue,  in  every  period  of  an  end- 
 less existence  ?  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  1 — 8.  Bp.  Horsley.  (Serm.  on 
 PhU.  iii.  15.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  6—8.  69 
 
 S.  Austin,  wondering  at  the  overflowing  measure  of  God's  Spirit 
 in  the  Apostles'  hearts,  observes,  that  the  reason,  why  they  were 
 so  full  of  God,  was,  because  they  were  so  empty  of  His  crea- 
 tures. "  They  were  very  full,"  he  says,  "  because  they  were 
 very  empty ;"  because  they  were  so  very  empty  of  the  spirit  of 
 the  world,  therefore  they  were  so  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  A 
 Contrite  and  humble  heart,  with  motives  and  considerations  to 
 prepare  it.*     (P.  i.  S.  5.) 
 
 7  Blessed  are  the  merciful :   for  they  shall  obtain 
 mercy. 
 
 7  The  Court  of  Mercy  is  the  only  Court,  where  man  dares  to  ap- 
 pear or  can  abide  a  trial.  Man  expects  mercy  both  from  God  and 
 from  man  ;  in  this  life  and  in  the  next ;  in  death  and  after  death  : 
 and  therefore  there  is  great  reason  to  conclude,  that  he,  of  all 
 creatures,  should  be  merciful,  and  that  cruelty  was  as  little  made 
 for  man,  as  pride.     Norris.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 It  is  remarkable  that  of  the  merciful  it  is  here  said,  that  "  they 
 shall  obtain  mercy  .-"  mercy,  not  wages.  God  will  reward  their 
 mercifulness  ;  but  that  recompense  shall  be  matter  of  mercy, 
 not  of  debt.  It  is  the  glory  of  our  religion  that  our  people  can 
 be  merciful  without  an  opinion  of  merit,  and  "  give  their  goods 
 to  feed  the  poor"  from  a  pure  principle  of  the  Love  of  God. 
 Ex.  XX.  6  ;  2  Tim.  i.  16—18 ;  S.  Jude  20,  21.  Br.  Horneck. 
 (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 It  is  remarkable  that  the  qualification  of  mercifulness  is  the  only 
 qualification  or  condition,  which  is  rewarded  in  kind  :  in  this 
 we  most  perfectly  resemble  God.     Dr.  Jackson.     (B.  xi.  c.  22.) 
 
 8  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see 
 God. 
 
 8  What  is  a  pure  heart  ?  It  is  a  heart  which  in  every  respect,  rests 
 entirely  content  with  God  alone  (cui,  ex  toto  et  pure,  sufficit  solus 
 Deus)  which  finds  no  relish,  nor  takes  any  delight,  except  in  Him. 
 Ps.  Ixxiii.  24),  25  ;  S.  John  vi.  68.     Haeftenus.    (Schola  cordis.) 
 
 *  A  small  8vo.  Vol. ;  Anonymous;   I    structive."     mdcxciii.    Second  Edit, 
 "as  scarce,  as  it  is  beautiful  and  in-   I    approved. 
 
70  S.  MATTHEW  V.  8. 
 
 It  is  asked,  where,  in  what  part  of  the  body,  does  the  soul  reside  ? 
 Plato  fixes  it  in  the  brain  ;  Chbist  shows  it  to  be  in  the  heart. 
 Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart.  S.  Jerome. 
 All  the  Fathers  agree  in  this  resolution,  Solus  Deus  videt  cor  ;  so- 
 lum cor  videt  Beum  ;  God  alone  sees  the  heart ;  the  heart  alone 
 sees  God.  S.  John  vi.  40  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  16  ;  Heb.  xi.  27.  Br. 
 Bonne.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 In  some  sense,  God  is  seen  by  all  mankind,  and  by  the  whole  ra- 
 tional creation.  God  is  seen  by  all  men  in  His  works,  in  the 
 fabric  and  motions  of  the  material  world.  (Ps.  xix.  1.)  The 
 very  devils  see  Him  in  His  judgments  :  wise  men  see  Him  in 
 His  Providential  government  of  human  actions,  in  the  rise  and 
 fall  of  states  and  empires.  The  pious  believer  sees  Him  with 
 the  eye  of  faith,  in  the  miraculous  support  and  preservation  of 
 His  Church.  .  .  .  He  sees  Him  with  the  intellectual  eye,  dis- 
 cerning, in  part  at  least,  His  glorious  perfections ;  and  they,  and 
 only  they,  who  thus  see  Him  now,  shall  at  last  literally  see  the 
 Majesty  of  the  Godhead  in  the  Person  of  their  Glorified  Loed. 
 Bp.  Horsley.  (Sermons  on  Resurrection,  ii.) 
 What  is  heaven  by  way  of  object,  but  God  Himself  ?  "What  is  hea- 
 ven in  the  subject,  but  our  inward  health  and  strength,  our  recti- 
 tude and  sanctity,  our  conformity  to  God,  our  proportionableness 
 to  Him,  pro  modulo  creatures,  after  the  measure  of  created  beings 
 .  .  .  Heaven  is  first,  a  temper ;  then,  a  place.  Heb.  iv.  3  ;  S.  Luke 
 xvii.  21.  Br.  Whichcote.  (Cent.  xii.  Aphorisms,  884,  464.) 
 If  the  pure  in  heart  have  a  promise,  as  of  a  congenial  reward,  that 
 they  shall  hereafter  "  see  God^""  we  may  believe,  that  in  such 
 measure  as  their  hearts  are  pure,  they  will  have  a  capacity  for 
 some  anticipation  of  the  Blessed  Vision  here  on  earth.  Br. 
 Townson.  (See  Alex.  Knox,  postscript  to  his  Treatise  on  the 
 Eucharist.) 
 
 Puritas  vitse  mihi  Te  tueri 
 
 Corporis  vinclis  tribuet  soluto. 
 
 Ilia  lux  vere  faciet  me  ab  orani 
 Parte  beatum : 
 
 Lux  voluptatum  cumulata  cunctis 
 
 Gaudiis,  quum  se  sine  nube  menti 
 
 Pura  majestas  dabit  intuendam 
 
 Lumine  pure.     Buchanan.     (Ps.  xvii.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  9—10.  71 
 
 .    9  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers :  for  they  shall  be 
 called  the  children  of  God. 
 
 9  If  thou  have  peace  in  thyself  and  lovest  the  peace  of  thy  brethren, 
 so  ia  GrOD  through  Cheist  at  peace  with  thee,  and  thou  His 
 beloved  son  and  heir  also.  On  the  other  side,  cursed  be  the 
 peace-breakers,  pick-quarrels,  whisperers,  backbiters,  sowers  of 
 discord,  dispraisers  of  them,  that  be  good,  to  bring  them  out  of 
 favour,  interpreters  to  evil  of  that  is  done  for  a  good  purpose, 
 finders  of  faults  where  none  is,  stirrers  up  of  princes  to  battle 
 and  war ;  and,  above  all,  cursed  be  they,  that  falsely  belie  the 
 true  preachers  of  GtOd's  word  to  bring  them  into  hate  and  to 
 shed  their  blood  wrongfully,  for  hate  of  the  Truth  :  for  all  such 
 are  children  of  the  devil.  Eom.  xii.  18  ;  xiv.  17 — 19 ;  Heb.  xii. 
 14.     TF.  Tyndale.     (Expos,  on  S.  Matt.,  in  loco.) 
 
 God  will  judge  those,  who  create  schisms,  persons  devoid  of  the 
 love  of  God  in  their  hearts  and  bent  only  on  their  own  interests 
 and  gratification,  who,  for  trivial  and  indeed  any  reasons,  scru- 
 ple not  to  rend  the  Glorious  Body  of  Chuist.  It  is  impossible 
 that  any  fault  can  be  alleged  by  them  against  the  Church  so 
 serious,  as  to  exceed  the  harm,  done  by  their  schisms,  xii.  25, 
 xiii.  39  ;  1  Cor.  i.  10 ;  iii.  3,  4  ;  3  S.  John  9—11.  S.  Irenceus. 
 (De  Hser.  lib.  iv.  c.  62.) 
 
 10  Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for  right- 
 eousness' sake  :  for  their's  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 1 1  Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and 
 persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against 
 you  falsely,  for  My  sake. 
 
 12  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great  is  your 
 reward  in  heaven  :  for  so  persecuted  they  the  prophets 
 which  were  before  you. 
 
 10  The  world  condemns  without  mercy  all  those,  who  either  re- 
 prove, or  will  not  follow  its  maxims.  1  Kings  xxii.  8  ;  Gal.  iv. 
 16.     Bji.  Wilson. 
 
 Blessed  poverty.  Blessed  mourning.  Blessed  persecution  !  Blessed- 
 ness sits  upon  these,  as  a  crown ;  or,  as  a  rich  embroidery  upon 
 
72  S.  MATTHEW  V.  11,  12, 
 
 sackcloth,  or   some   coarser  stuff.     Acts  xv.  22  ;  Phil,  i,  29 ; 
 Eom.  XV.  29 ;  Eph.  i.  3.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Gal.  iv.  39.) 
 
 11  Falsely— for  My  sake. — Only  Blessed  on  these  two  conditions. 
 Bp.  Medley. 
 
 Martyrem  non  facit  poena,  sed  causa. — It  is  the  cause,  for  which 
 we  suffer,  and  not  the  mere  act  of  suffering,  which  makes  us 
 Martyrs.     1  Cor.  xiii.  1 — 4 ;  Eev.  ii.  13.     5".  Augustine. 
 JSTon  onus  est,  sed  honos ;  non  dedecus,  at  decus  ingens, 
 Tecum  vel  minimam,  Christe,  tulisse  crucem  ! 
 
 Haeftenus.     (Via  Eegia  Crucis,    L.  ii.  c.  17.) 
 
 12  Enemies  are,  perhaps,  more  immediate  instruments  of  good  to 
 us,  than  our  friends.  Bonnell.  (Life  by  Archdeacon  Hamilton, 
 p.  221.  Edit.  London.  1718.) 
 
 If  we  compare  Life  everlasting  to  the  work,  and  look  no  farther, 
 it  is  called  a  reward;  but  examine  the  first  original,  from 
 whence  the  work  also  itself  proceeds,  and  all  is  merely  and 
 wholly  gift.  Ps.  Ixii.  12  ;  Eom.  vi.  23  ;  Eev.  xxii.  14  ;  Phil.  ii. 
 11— 13  ;  S.  Jude  20,  21.  Bean  Boys.  (On  the  Dominical  Epis- 
 tles, &c.  Septuagesima.) 
 
 Not  he,  who  suffers  persecution,  but  rather  the  man,  who  cowardly 
 shrinks  from  it,  is  the  person  really  trampled  upon.  Calcari 
 enim  non  potest,  nisi  inferior ;  for  to  be  trampled  upon,  we  must 
 be  inferior ;  but  we  can  never  be  called  inferior,  how  much  so- 
 ever we  suffer  bodily  on  the  earth,  if  so  be  our  souls  are  fixed 
 on  heaven.     Heb.  xi.  38.     S.  Augustine.     (De  Serm.  Dom.) 
 
 In  order  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  these  Blessings,  we 
 ask,  in  the  seven  petitions  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  for  as  many 
 gifts.  The  gifts  are  seven  in  number,  the  Spirit  is  one ;  the 
 petitions  are  seven,  the  prayer  is  one ;  the  Beatitudes  are  seven. 
 Love  is  one.     Emanuel  Sa. 
 
 This,  O  my  soul,  is  the  way  to  Beatitude,  how  strange  soever  it 
 may  seem  to  our  sense.  These  are  the  words  of  the  Eternal 
 Verity,  how  improbable  soever  they  may  sound  to  our  ear. 
 Choose,  whether  here  thou  wilt  be  falsely  happy  for  a  while,  or 
 truly  happy  for  ever.  If  we  resolve  for  the  bliss  of  the  life  to 
 come,  we  are  like  to  meet  with  affliction  in  this  ;  and  if  we  place 
 our  felicity  in  this,  we  are  sure  to  meet  with  misery  in  the  other. 
 Choose,  which  thou  wilt ;  for  one  of  the  two  must  be  thy  por- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  13.  73 
 
 tion.    Heb.  xi.  25,  26 ;  2  Cor.  iv.  8—10,  17,  18.    Austin.    (The 
 Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  &c.    Meditation  73.) 
 
 13  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth  :  but  if  the  salt  have 
 lost  his  savour,  wherewith  shall  it  be  salted?  it  is 
 thenceforth  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  cast  out,  and 
 to  be  trodden  under  foot  of  men. 
 
 14  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  that  is 
 set  on  an  hill  cannot  be  hid. 
 
 15  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle,  and  put  it  under 
 a  bushel,  but  on  a  candlestick;  and  it  giveth  light 
 unto  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 
 which  is  in  heaven. 
 
 13  Grace  is  poured  out,  througli  the  Bishop,  on  the  people.  The 
 Bishop  is  the  seasoning  of  the  entire  Church  and  of  the  whole 
 world.  S.  Matt,  xxviii.  19  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  14—17  ;  iv.  16 ;  Titus 
 i.  5.     S.  Jerome.     (Dial.  adv.  Luciferum.) 
 
 Holiness  is  a  qualification  indispensably  required  in  every  Chris- 
 tian, and  that  sub  periculo  animce,  as  he  hopes  to  be  saved  and 
 to  see  the  face  of  God  in  heaven.  And  can  it  be  imagined  that 
 a  minister  of  God  should  be  saved  without  it  ?  Nay,  he  is 
 obliged  to  holiness  in  a  double  capacity,  both  as  a  Christian  and" 
 as  a  minister.  As  a  minister,  his  calling  obliges  him  to  be  al- 
 most perpetually  conversant  about  holy  things ;  which  he  pro- 
 fanes, if  he  be  not  himself  a  holy  person.  He  profanes  God's 
 holy  Worship,  His  holy  "Word,  and  His  holy  Sacraments ;  and 
 God  will  most  certainly  and  severely  punish  such  profaners 
 of  His  sacred  things.  Lev.  x.  3  ;  Eom.  ii.  21.  Bp.  Bull.  (Charge 
 to  his  Clergy.) 
 
 Nothing  is  more  despicable,  than  the  wish  to  be  esteemed  godlike, 
 without  really  being  so.     Bengel. 
 
 Sale  et  sole  nihil  utilius  ;  than  salt  and  sun  nothing  is  more  useful. 
 V.  14. 
 
74  S.  MATTHEW  V.  14,  16. 
 
 14  John  the  Baptist,  aa  Cheist  eaith  of  him,  was  a  light ;  but,  in 
 comparison  of  another  light,  he  was  not  light.  (S.  John  i.  9.) 
 Wherefore,  when  our  Lord  saith  also  to  the  disciples,  ye  are  the 
 light  of  the  world,  lest  they  should  account  that  as  attributed  to 
 them,  which  was  to  be  understood  of  Chbist  alone,  and  so  the 
 lamps  should  be  put  out  by  the  wind  of  pride,  He  straightway 
 subjoined,  A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill,  ^c.  S.  Augustine.  (In 
 Joan.  Hom.  23.) 
 
 The  house  of  our  dove-like  religion  is  simple,  built  up  on  high,  and 
 in  open  view ;  and  it  respects  the  light,  as  the  figure  of  the 
 Holt  Spieit,  and  the  east,  as  the  representation  of  Cheist. 
 ii.  2,  foot-note  ;  iii.  16 ;  Dan.  vi,  10.  Tertullian.  (Adv.  Va- 
 lentin.) 
 
 The  eclipses  of  the  sun  at  daytime  are  seldom  without  witnesses. 
 If  you  take  yourselves  to  be  the  lights  of  the  Church,  you  may 
 well  expect  that  men's  eyes  should  be  upon  you.  If  other  men 
 may  sin  without  observation,  so  cannot  you.  Even  the  light  of 
 your  own  doctrine,  will  disclose  your  evil  doings.  And  you 
 should  thankfully  consider,  how  great  a  mercy  this  is!  R. 
 Baxter.     (Gildas  Salvianus,  ch.  i.  s.  8.) 
 
 Ye  are  the  light,  ^c. — Sanctify,  O  Loed,  the  pastors  of  Thy  Church 
 and  make  us  duly  respect  them,  as  the  preservers  of  religion ; 
 illuminate  their  understandings  with  the  light  of  knowledge  and 
 inflame  their  wills  with  the  fire  of  Thy  love  ;  that  their  good 
 lives  may  shine  before  us,  and  our  obedience  follow  them,  and 
 both  together  bring  us  all  to  Thee.     Austin.     (Medit.  74.) 
 
 15  Our  Savioite  lighted  a  candle,  when  He  irradiated  and  in- 
 flamed the  obscure  lanthorn  of  human  nature  with  His  Divinity 
 and  placed  this  candle  of  His  divine  nature  on  the  candlestick 
 of  His  Church ;  and  this  candle,  the  Gospel,  could  not  be  put 
 under  a  bushel,  that  is,  confined  to  the  Jewish  commonwealth, 
 but  was  to  give  light  to  the  whole  world.  Heb.  i.  3  ;  S.  John 
 i.  4—14  ;  S.  Luke  ii.  31,  32.     JBede. 
 
 16  The  Gospel  of  Cheist  is  very  particularly  to  be  considered,  as 
 a  trust,  deposited  with  us  in  behalf  of  others,  in  behalf  of  man- 
 kind, as  well  as  for  our  own  instruction.  No  one  has  a  right 
 to  be  called  a  Christian,  who  doth  not  do  somewhat  in  his  sta- 
 tion towards  the  discharge  of  this  trust ;  who  doth  not,  for  in- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  16,  17.  75 
 
 stance,  assist  in  keeping  up  the  profession  of  Christianity,  where 
 he  lives.     Bp.  Butler.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xxiv.  14.) 
 
 It  is  not  sufficient  to  carry  religion  in  our  hearts,  as  fire  is  carried 
 in  flint-stones ;  but  we  are  outwardly,  visibly,  apparently,  to 
 serve  and  honour  the  living  GrOD.     Hooker. 
 
 I  wish  that  we  would  consider  ourselves  to  be  set  in  this  world,  as 
 a  crystal,  which  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  universe  would 
 give  free  passage  to  all  that  light,  which  it  receives  from  above. 
 I  wish  that  by  good  example,  by  a  high  estimation  of  virtue,  by 
 discountenancing  of  vice,  by  comforting  others,  by  pious  con- 
 verse, we  would  impart  those  talents  we  have  received  to  all 
 creatures  ;  and  this,  without  disguisement,  or  the  least  claim  of 
 propriety.  We  should  give  obedience  and  passage  to  them,  as 
 the  crystal  does  to  light.  2  Thess.  iii.  1,  Monsr.  de  Renty. 
 (Life  by  S.  Jure,  p.  iii.  c.  ii.  s.  8.) 
 
 The  true  Christian  is  not  only  improved  by  human  discourse 
 (philosophy,)  but  raised  by  Divine  Eevelation,  and  governed  by 
 the  wisdom  of  GrOD  ;  he  is  not  under  the  faint  and  fluctuating 
 hopes,  which  reason  can  suggest,  but  under  the  assurances  of 
 faith ;  he  is  not  only  eminent  for  one  or  more  virtues,  but, 
 being  inflamed  by  the  love  of  GrOD  and  the  prospect  of  heaven, 
 he  breathes  nothing  but  greatness  and  glory.  Wherever  he 
 goes,  God  is  in  his  heart,  heaven  is  in  his  eye,  joy  in  his  coun- 
 tenance, and  he  spreads  the  sweet  odours  of  piety  and  casts  a 
 lustre  upon  religion.  Acts  iv.  13 ;  Phil.  ii.  16.  Dr.  Goodman. 
 (The  Penitent  pardoned.) 
 
 1/  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy  the  law,  or 
 the  prophets  :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil. 
 
 18  For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth 
 pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from 
 the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled. 
 
 17  Our  LoED  anticipates  objections  and  obviates  prejudices  :  for 
 the  mode,  pursued  by  founders  of  a  new  system,  or  religion, 
 commonly  is  at  once  to  decry  what  has  been  done  or  said  before 
 them ;  and  then  to  build  again  de  novo.     This  arises  from  the 
 
76  S.  MATTHEW  V.   17. 
 
 overliking  we  bear  to  our  own  system  and  interests ;  but  our 
 Lord's  whole  work  was  one  of  humility.  As  He  condescended 
 to  follow  in  the  steps  of  the  Baptist  in  preaching  repentance, 
 so  here  He  takes  His  key  from  Moses ;  and  then  He  blends 
 with  the  illustration  of  His  own  humility  the  truth,  so  impor- 
 tant to  the  Ministers  of  religion,  that  they  ought  never  rudely, 
 or  needlessly,  to  shock  the  feelings  and  prejudices  of  their  peo- 
 ple.    Acts  V.  36 ;  viii.  9 ;  3  S.  John  9.     J.  F. 
 
 I  came  to  fulfil;  to  give  effect  to  all,  that  is  gone  before,  to  give  a 
 substance  to  the  shadow,  a  soul  to  the  body.  And  as,  when 
 the  body  is  present,  the  shadow  of  which  had  been  seen  pre- 
 ceding it,  the  shadow  is  not  done  away,  because  the  body  is 
 there,  but  follows  it,  instead  of  going  before  it ;  so  I  came  to  ful- 
 fil the  Law  and  the  Prophets.    Bp.  Medley.    (Serm.  Eom.  xv.  4.) 
 
 Theophylact  says,  "  as  a  painter,  laying  fresh  colours  upon  an  old 
 picture,  non  delendo,  sed  perficiendo,  tollit  priorem  imaginem, 
 makes,  as  it  were,  a  new  image,  not  by  blotting  out  the  old,  but 
 by  varnishing  and  washing  it  new  again  ;"  so  Cheist  gave,  as  it 
 were,  a  new  Law  to  the  Jews,  not  by  expunging  or  adding  any- 
 thing, but  by  applying  the  natural  exposition  to  the  text  .... 
 Summarily  our  Sayioub  ih\is  fulfilled  the  Law  and  all  righteous- 
 ness, iii.  15,  The  Law  consists  of  four  things.  Prophecies, 
 Moral  precepts.  Ceremonial  rites.  Judicial  statutes.  He  ful- 
 filled the  Prophetical  part  personally,  exhibiting  Himself  to  be 
 born,  to  be  crucified,  to  rise  the  third  day,  to  ascend  into  glory. 
 He  fulfilled  the  Moral  Law,  not  only  by  giving  it  the  right  in- 
 terpretation, but  by  exact  obedience.  He  gave  life  to  the  cere- 
 monies, pointing  to  their  true  meaning,  as,  instead  of  the  cir- 
 cumcision of  the  flesh,  exhorting  to  the  circumcision  of  the 
 heart.  Col.  ii.  11.  Whereas  the  Judicial  Law  of  the  Jew  did 
 mention  temporal  and  corporeal  rewards  and  punishments, 
 Cheist  changed  that  style  of  speech  into  Spiritual  and  Eternal. 
 Ps.  xl.  10  ;  Isa.  xlii.  41 ;  Acts  vi.  14  ;  Eom.  iii.  31.  Bp.  Hacket. 
 (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  14,  15.) 
 
 That,  which  the  Law  of  works  commands  with  threatening,  this 
 the  Law  of  faith  accomplishes  by  believing.  In  the  Law  of 
 works,  GrOD  says,  "Do  what  I  command."  By  the  Law  of  faith, 
 we  say  to  GrOD,  "  Give  what  Thou  commandest."     S.  Augustine. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  17,  18.  77 
 
 It  has  been  pretended  by  some  teachers  that  works  were  required, 
 only  under  the  Law  ;  and  that  grace  comes  instead,  under  the 
 Gospel.  But  the  true  account  of  the  matter  is  this ;  that  the 
 Law  enjoined  works,  and  the  grace  of  the  Gospel /m//?Z«  them  : 
 the  Law  commanded,  but  gave  no  power ;  the  Gospel  bestows 
 the  power.  Thus  the  Gospel  is  the  counterpart  of  the  Law. 
 It  does  not  abrogate  works  ;  but  provides  for  them.  Eom.  iii. 
 31 ;  viii.  1 — 4  ;  Gal.  v.  24 ;  Heb.  viii.  6—13.  J.  H.  Newman. 
 (Serm.  Ps.  civ.  23.) 
 
 Finis  enim  Legis  Christus,  quia  Lege  fideli 
 Prsedictus  ;  Legi  Lex  veniendo  fuit. 
 
 Paulinus.     (Poem,  xxxii.    De  obitu  Celsi.) 
 
 18  The  Law  may  be  considered  either,  as  a  Rule,  or  as  a  Covenant. 
 Cheist  hath  freed  all  believers  from  the  rigour  and  curse  of  the 
 Law,  considered  as  a  Covenant :  but  He  hath  not  freed  them 
 from  obedience  to  the  Law,  considered  as  a  Rule :  and  all  those 
 Scriptures,  which  speak  of  the  Law,  as  if  it  were  abrogated  and 
 annulled,  take  it,  considered,  as  a  Covenant ;  those,  again,  that 
 speak  of  it,  as  if  it  were  a  Law  still  in  force,  take  it,  considered, 
 as  a  Rule.  The  Law,  as  a  Covenant,  is  rigorous,  and  under  that 
 rigour  we  now  are  not,  if  we  be  in  Christ  ;  but  the  Law,  as  a 
 Rule,  is  equal,  and  under  that  equity  we  still  are,  though  we  be 
 in  Cheist.  Gal.  ii.  16 — 21 ;  iii.  10—13  ;  Isa.  ii.  3  ;  1  Cor,  ix. 
 21.     Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  S.  Pet.  ii.  16.) 
 
 By  the  Law  is  meant  the  eternal  unchangeable  Law  of  God,  which 
 is  the  revelation  of  His  will,  the  standard  of  perfection,  and  the 
 mould  and  fashion,  to  which  all  creatures  must  conform,  as  they 
 would  be  happy.  Rom.  vii.  12.  J.  H.  Newman.  (Serm.  Rom. 
 X.  4.) 
 
 At  the  Consummation  and  fulfilling  of  all  things,  the  Law,  which 
 was  our  rule  upon  earth,  shall  become  our  nature  in  heaven. 
 Rom.  xiii.  10  ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  8  ;  1  S.  John  iii.  2  ;  iv.  8.  Bp.  Hopkins. 
 (Expos,  on  the  Commandments,  Introd.) 
 
 19  Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  these 
 least  commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall 
 be  called   the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  but 
 
78  S.  MATTHEW  V.  19. 
 
 whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them,  the  same  shall  be 
 called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 20  For  I  say  unto  you,  That  except  your  righteous- 
 ness shall  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and 
 Pharisees,  ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven. 
 
 19  These  Commandments,  "Thou  shalt  do  no  murder,"  &c.,  are 
 not  the  least  in  themselves  ;  for  they  go  to  constitute  the  whole 
 Law  :  but  inasmuch  as,  when  truly  explained,  they  are  found  to 
 regulate  the  most  secret  affections  and  movements  both  of  the 
 heart  and  tongue,  it  hence  arises  that,  when  compared  with  other 
 Commandments,  they  seem  the  least.     Bengel. 
 
 The  authority  is  the  same  and  equal  in  them  all.  The  golden 
 thread,  on  which  these  pearls  are  stringed,  if  it  be  broken  in  any 
 one  part,  it  scatters  them  all.  The  Name  of  "  the  Lobd  thy 
 G-OD,"  signifying  His  authority,  keeps  the  whole  form  of  the  Law 
 together ;  and,  if  that  be  stirred,  it  falls  all  asunder.  S.  James 
 ii.  10,  11.    Abp.  Leighton.    (Expos,  of  the  Ten  Commandments.) 
 
 Parva  parva  non  sunt,  ex  quibus  magna  proveniunt.  Small  things 
 cease  to  be  small,  when  their  effects  are  mighty.  John  Damascene. 
 
 As  David  with  a  little  stone  slew  Goliath,  because  his  forehead  was 
 open,  so  can  our  enemy  deal  with  us,  if  he  observe  any  faculty 
 naked  and  neglected.  Ezek.  xviii.  10,  13 ;  Eph.  vi.  11 — 13. 
 Bp.  Reynolds.     (Exposition  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 'Tis  one  thing  to  be  a  seducer ;  another  thing  to  be  misled  and 
 seduced  by  others.  He,  that  shall  "  break  one  of  God's  Com- 
 mandments, and  teach  men  so"  hath  a  heavier  doom,  belonging 
 to  him,  than  poor,  misled,  and  seduced  Christians.  "  Hymenseus 
 and  Alexander,"  blasphemous  heretics,  S.  Paul  delivers  unto 
 Satan  (1  Tim.  i.  20);  but  "in  meekness  he  instructs  others, 
 if  God  peradventure  will  give  them  repentance  to  the  acknow- 
 ledgment of  the  Truth."  2  Tim.  ii.  25,  26.  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 (Serm.  on  1  Cor.  xv.  58.) 
 
 The  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  That  is,  he  shall  not  be  there 
 at  all ;  and  it  may  be  on  this  very  account,  ubi,  nisi  magni,  esse 
 non  possunt ;  because  in  heaven  there  are  none,  but  great  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  19,  20.  79 
 
 glorious  ones,  xviii.  1 — 4.  (Heb.  xii.  23,  "  Church  of  the  First 
 born.")     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Do  and  teach. — Validior  est  vox  operis  quhm  vox  oris.  Our  works 
 speak  more  effectually  than  our  words  do.  Acts  i.  1 ;  1  Tim. 
 iv.  16.     8.  Bernard, 
 
 20  S.  Clement  of  Alexandria  saith,  the  Pharisees'  righteousness  con- 
 sisted in  the  not  doing  evil,  and  that  Christ  superadded  this 
 also ;  that  we  must  do  the  contrary  good,  and  so  exceed  the 
 Pharisaical  measure.  They  would  not  wrong  a  Jew,  nor  many 
 times  relieve  him  ;  they  reckoned  their  innocence  by  not  giving 
 offence,  by  walking  blameless,  by  not  being  accused  before  the 
 Judges  sitting  in  the  gates  of  their  cities.  But  the  balance,  in 
 which  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead  weighs  Christians,  is  not 
 only  the  avoiding  evil,  but  Doing  good ;  the  "  following  peace 
 with  all  men  and  holiness ;"  the  proceeding  "  from  faith  to 
 faith  ;"  the  "  adding  virtue  to  virtue,"  the  persevering  in  all 
 holy  conversation  and  godliness.  Eom,  xiii.  10 ;  S.  Luke  xviii.  11. 
 Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Life  of  Cheist,  Pt.  ii.  Ch.  x.  S.  8.) 
 
 Secure  not  thyself  in  carentid  mali  fructus,  in  the  conceit  of  your 
 not  bringing  forth  evil  fruits.  A  Christian  is  not  defined  by 
 mere  negatives,  iii.  10 ;  Col.  i.  10 ;  S.  James  iii.  17.  Bp.  Brown- 
 rig.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  10.) 
 
 It  was  a  well-known  saying  among  the  Jews,  that,  if  two  men  only 
 were  to  be  saved,  one  certainly  would  be  a  Scribe  and  the  other 
 a  Pharisee. — Certainly,  unless  our  righteousness  exceed  theirs, 
 we  shall  never  come  to  heaven  ;  but  how  shall  we  escape  the 
 nethermost  hell,  if  our  unrighteousness  exceed  theirs  ?  xxv.  45  ; 
 S.  John  vii.  48.     Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 21  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
 time,  Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  and  whosoever  shall  kill 
 shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment : 
 
 22  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  is  angry 
 with  his  brother  without  a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of 
 the  judgment :  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother, 
 Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council :  but  whoso- 
 ever shall  say.  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of  hell  fire. 
 
80  S.  MATTHEW  V.  21,  22. 
 
 21  The  Law  is  given  to  the  whole  man.  This  commandment,  by  the 
 gloss  of  the  Pharisees,  was  restrained  to  the  hand ;  as  if  Thou 
 were  nothing,  but  thy  hand,  and  to  Mil  were  nothing,  but  to 
 shed  blood.  It  is  true  that  what  a  man  doth  with  a  part,  the 
 whole  becomes  guilty  of  it ;  but  then  he  must  know  there  is  no 
 part,  but  doth  contract  his  guilt.  A  man  may  commit  murder 
 with  his  thoughts  and  with  his  words.  Bp.  Lake.  (Serm. 
 on  Ps.  i.) 
 
 The  sword  indeed  you  have  not  drawn ;  you  have  inflicted  no  bo- 
 dily wound.  The  conception  of  hatred  only  is  in  thy  bosom ; 
 and  you  are  accounted  a  homicide.  Occidisti  quern  odisti,  whom 
 you  hated,  him  you  murdered.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 If  our  hands  did  never  offer  violence  to  our  brethren,  a  bloody 
 thought  doth  prove  us  murderers  before  God  ;  if  we  had  never 
 opened  our  mouth  to  utter  any  scandalous,  offensive,  or  hurtful 
 word,  the  cry  of  our  secret  cogitations  is  heard  in  the  ears  of 
 God,    Ps.  xix.  12 — 15.    Hooker.    (Discourse  on  Justification.) 
 
 The  Gospel  holdeth  us  with  a  stronger  bond,  than  the  Law ;  for, 
 though  it  add  nothing  to  the  Law,  in  respect  of  innocency, 
 (Hom.  vii.  12 ;  Gal.  iii.  21,)  as  if  that  were  defective,  yet  it  doth, 
 in  respect  of  illustrating  and  interpretation.  Our  Savioue  pro- 
 posed, non  nova  sed  nove ;  not  new  commands,  but  after  a  new 
 manner.  S.  John  xiii.  34 ;  1  S.  John  ii.  7 ;  Eom.  iii.  31. 
 Farindon.     (Serm.  Eph.  v.  1,  P.  2.) 
 
 22  The  true  interpretation  of  the  Decalogue  must  be  according  to 
 these  rules.  1 ;  In  the  negative,  the  aflB.rmative  must  be  under- 
 stood ;  and  in  the  affirmative,  the  negative.  2 ;  The  negative 
 bindeth  at  all  times  and  to  all  times  ;  and  the  affirmative  bind- 
 eth  at  all  times,  but  not  to  all  times ;  and  therefore  negatives 
 are  of  more  force.  3  ;  Under  one  vice,  expressly  forbidden,  are 
 comprehended  all  of  that  kind  ;  yea,  the  least  cause,  occasion,  or 
 enticement  thereto  is  forbidden,  as  S.  John  iii.  15.  Evil  thoughts 
 are  condemned,  as  well  as  evil  actions.  4 ;  The  smallest  sins 
 are  entituled  with  the  same  names,  that  that  sin,  which  is  ex- 
 pressly forbidden  in  the  Commandment,  to  which  they  apper- 
 tain. 5 ;  "We  must  understand  every  Commandment  so,  as  that 
 we  annex  this  condition ;  unless  God  command  the  contrary. 
 For  God,  being  an  absolute  Loed,  and  so  above  the  Law,  may 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  22.  81 
 
 command  that,  which  His  Law  forbiddeth.  Geu.  xxii.  2  ;  Deut. 
 XX.  13,  14  ;  1  Sam.  xv,  3.  W.  Perkins.  (Order  of  the  causes 
 of  Salvation,  c.  19.) 
 
 The  great  sin,  here  condemned,  is  an  allowed  temper  of  "  de- 
 spising a  brother ;"  yet  we  are  also  to  believe,  that  all  hasty  ex- 
 pressions and  words  of  contempt,  though  spoken  by  surprise  or 
 accident,  are  by  this  text  condemned  as  great  sins  and  notorious 
 breaches  of  Christian  charity.  ,  .  The  text  looks  no  further  than 
 the  outivard  language  ;  because  few  can  proceed  so  far,  as  to  the 
 accidental  use  of  haughty  and  disdainful  language,  but  they, 
 whose  hearts  are  more  or  less  possessed  with  habits  and  settled 
 tempers  of  pride  and  haughtiness.  Wm.  Law.  (Serious  call  to 
 a  devout  and  holy  life,  Ch.  21.) 
 
 ''Evoxo'i  ea-rai  (liable  to,  bound  over  to.)  God,  who  hath  the  Sove- 
 reign power  and  absolute  dominion  over  all  men,  hath  made  a 
 Law  to  be  a  perpetual  and  universal  rule  of  human  actions ; 
 which  Law  whosoever  doth  violate,  is  thereby  obliged  in  all 
 equity  to  suffer  the  punishment,  due  to  that  obliquity.  And, 
 after  the  act  of  sin  is  committed  and  passed  over,  this  guilt,  re- 
 sulting from  that  act,  remaineth  ;  that  is,  the  person,  who  com- 
 mitted it,  continueth  still  a  debtor  to  the  vindictive  justice  of 
 God  and  is  obliged  to  endure  the  punishment  due  unto  it. 
 Bp.  Pearson.     (Exposition  of  the  Creed,  Art.  x.) 
 
 In  the  first  offence,  we  have  anger  alone ;  in  the  second,  anger  and 
 ill  words  ;  in  the  third,  anger  and  a  kind  of  insulting  laughter, 
 certa  expressio  irrisionis.     Prov.  xvii.  14.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 As  there  are  here  three  degrees  of  punishment,  corresponding 
 severally  to  the  three  degrees  and  aggravations  of  guilt,  and  the 
 far  severest  punishment,  that  of  hell-fire,  denounced  on  him, 
 who  shall  "  say  to  his  brother,  Thou  fool .'"  might  we  not  under- 
 stand this  term  of  reproach  to  reflect  upon  the  religion  of  the 
 person,  thus  outraged  ?  This  then  being  an  evil  speaking  of  the 
 deepest  malignity,  must  needs  draw  upon  itself  the  most  severe 
 punishment.  It  was,  among  the  Jews,  the  fool,  who  "  said  in 
 his  heart,  there  is  no  God."  Ps.  xiv.  1 ;  Job  ii.  9,  10.  It  is 
 worthy  of  observation  that  the  two  offences  which  expose  us  to 
 God's  most  severe  condemnation  are  both  of  them  sins  of  the 
 tongue.     See  xii.  31,  37  ;  S.  James  iii.  6.     /.  F. 
 
82  S.  MATTHEW  V.  23,  24. 
 
 23  Therefore  if  thou  bring  thy  gift  to  the  altar, 
 and  there  rememberest  that  thy  brother  hath  ought 
 against  thee : 
 
 24  Leave  there  thy  gift  before  the  altar,  and  go  thy 
 way ;  first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother,  and  then  come 
 and  offer  thy  gift. 
 
 25  Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly,  whiles  thou 
 art  in  the  way  with  him  ;  lest  at  any  time  the  adver- 
 sary deliver  thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver 
 thee  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison, 
 
 26  Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  Thou  shalt  by  no  means 
 come  out  thence,  till  thou  hast  paid  the  uttermost 
 farthing. 
 
 23  To  find  a  substitute  for  violated  morality  was  the  leading  fea- 
 ture in  all  perversions  of  religion.     Dr.  Johnson. 
 
 Gob  regards  no  man's  person,  but  according  to  the  doing  of  his 
 duty  ;  but  then  G  on  is  said  first  to  accept  the  person,  and  then 
 the  gift,  (Gen.  iv.  4 ;)  wrhen  the  person  is  first  sanctified,  and 
 given  to  God,  by  the  vows  and  habits  of  a  holy  life.  And  then 
 all  the  actions  of  his  religion  are  homogeneal  to  their  principle 
 and  accepted  by  the  acceptation  of  the  man.  2  Cor.  viii.  1—5. 
 Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Life  of  Cheist,  P.  i.  S.  4.) 
 
 God  seeketh  thee,  rather  than  thy  gift.  Thou  ofierest  thy  gift, 
 and  thou  thyself  art  not  a  gift  to  God.  He,  who  redeemed 
 thee  with  His  Blood,  expects  more  at  thy  hands,  than  what  you 
 have  to  offer  from  your  barn.  S.  Augustine.  (De  Verb.  Dom. 
 in  S.  Matt.  Serm.  16.) 
 
 24  In  the  Gospel,  Chetst  is  the  Sacrifice  ;  the  gift,  which  a 
 Christian  by  faith  offers  unto  God  for  the  propitiation  of  his 
 sin.  This  sacrifice  is  commemorated,  sealed,  and  communicated 
 unto  us  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper : 
 whereby  it  will  easily  appear  how  this  precept  of  our  Saviotjb's, 
 uttered  after  the  style  of  the  Legal  worship,  is  applicable  to  the 
 Evangelical.     Hence,  in  the  ancient  Church,  when  they  assem- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  24,  25.  83 
 
 bled  to  celebrate  tbe  Sacrameut,  the  Deacon  was  wont  to  pro- 
 claim, "  Let  no  man  have  aught  against  his  brother !"  And 
 then,  "  Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss !"  tlie  osculum  pads. 
 2  Cor.  xiii.  2.     J.  Mede.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  ii.  13,  14..) 
 
 The  man,  who  defers  to  be  reconciled,  is,  as  if  he  sought  an  occa- 
 sion of  never  pardoning.  (Delays  make  reconciliation  more 
 diflScult.)     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 God  scorns  a  gift  from  him,  who  has  not  paid  his  debts.  Where 
 there  is  no  charity,  it  is  certain  there  can  be  no  religion  : 
 and  can  that  man  be  charitable,  who  is  not  so  much  as 
 just  ?  Isa.  i.  12,  &c. ;  1  Tim.  ii.  8.  Dr.  South.  (Serm.  2  Cor. 
 viii.  12.) 
 
 How  wonderful  is  the  Grace  of  God  !  He  will  have  us  settle 
 our  debt  of  "  an  hundred  pence  "  with  our  neighbour,  before  He 
 releases  us  from  the  obligation  of  our  debt  to  Himself  of  "  ten 
 thousand  talents."  Thus  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  vi.  12.  "And 
 is  this  the  manner  of  man,  O  Lord  God  ?"     J.  F. 
 
 25  "Who  is  this  thine  adversary  ? — The  word  of  the  Law.  What 
 is  the  way  ? — This  present  life.  When  you  find  that  the  Law 
 commands  one  thing  and  that  you  do  the  very  contrary  to  it,  it 
 becomes  thine  adversary.  Whiles  thou  art  in  the  ivay,  come  to 
 terms  with  him.  God  is  near  to  arrange  your  differences. 
 Adest  Deus,  qui  vos  concordet.  How  will  He  reconcile  you  to- 
 gether ?  By  forgiving  your  sins  and  imparting  such  righteous- 
 ness to  you,  as  will  produce  good  works.  S.  Augustine.  (Serm. 
 251,  c.  8.) 
 
 In  the  way  with  him. — How  can  the  debt  be  paid,  where  no  oppor- 
 tunity of  repentance  and  amendment  of  life  is  allowed  ?  .  .  .  For 
 ever  is  the  man  paying  the  uttermost  farthing,  who  expiates  in 
 eternal  punishments,  the  sins  committed  on  earth,  xviii.  34.  S. 
 Augustine.     (De  Serm.  Dom.) 
 
 Believe  and  live ;  and  let  those,  who  persecute  us  for  a  time,  re- 
 joice with  us  for  ever.  When  you  depart  hence,  there  will  be 
 no  room  for  repentance ;  no  method  of  being  reconciled  to  God. 
 It  is  here,  that  eternal  life  is  either  lost,  or  secured ;  here,  by 
 the  worship  of  GoD  and  the  fruit  of  faith,  provision  is  made 
 unto  eternal  life.  There  repentance  will  be  quite  ineffectual 
 and  sorrow  for  sin  unavailing ;  but  no  repentance  is  too  late, 
 
 g2 
 
84  S.  MATTHEW  V.  27,  28. 
 
 while  a  man  remains  in  this  world.     S.  Crjprian.     (Ep.  adv.  De- 
 metrianum.) 
 
 27  Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old 
 time,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery  ; 
 
 28  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  looketh  on 
 a  woman  to  lust  after  her  hath  committed  adultery 
 with  her  already  in  his  heart. 
 
 27  By  them  of  old  time. — Error  pleads  antiquity,  as  well  as  Truth  ; 
 and,  though  nothing  be  more  ancient  than  Truth,  (for  it  is  from 
 Eternity,  and,  before  ever  error  appeared  in  the  world,  Truth  had 
 the  universal  Monarchy,)  yet  error  is  as  ancient,  as  the  fall,  .  .  . 
 A  thing  is  not  therefore  true,  because  it  is  ancient ;  nor  doth  it 
 command  assent,  because  of  its  uncommon  pedigree.  Dr.  Hor- 
 neck.     (Serm.  on  S.  Matt.  v.  21,  22.) 
 
 28  In  the  Law,  the  fastening  of  the  eyes  on  an  idol,  considering 
 the  beauty  of  it,  saith  Maimonides,  is  forbidden  (Lev.  xix.  4)  ; 
 and  not  only  the  worship  of  it.  Br.  Hammond.  (Practical 
 Catechism,  B.  ii.  s.  6.) 
 
 This  is  a  most  mild  and  soft  precept.  It  would  have  been  much 
 more  hard,  if  He  had  given  commandment  to  converse  with, 
 and  to  look  curiously  on,  women,  and  then  to  abstain  from  fur* 
 ther  commissions  of  uncleanness  with  them.  S.  Chrysostom. 
 (Horn.  ii.  in  Ep.  ad  Eom.) 
 
 Believe  it,  there  is  no  sin  so  small,  but  it  tends  to  the  utmost 
 wickedness,  that  can  possibly  be  committed.  An  irreverent 
 thought  of  God  tends  to  no  less  than  blasphemy  and  atheism  ; 
 a  slight  grudge  of  another  tends  to  no  less  than  murder ;  a  las- 
 civious thought  tends  to  no  less  than  impudent  and  common 
 prostitution :  and  though  at  first  they  seem  to  play  only  singly 
 about  the  heart,  yet  within  a  while  they  will  mortally  wound  it. 
 Bp.  Hopkins.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  19.) 
 
 Between  actual  lust  and  the  first  rising  emotion  of  lust,  inter  pas- 
 sionem  et  propassionem,  there  is  this  difference  ;  that  lust  is  ac- 
 counted a  sin ;  the  other,  though  it  is  reprehensible,  as  a  first 
 movement,  yet  is  not  regarded  in  itself  to  be  criminal.  Jer.  iv. 
 14;  Ps.  cxix.  113.     S.  Jerome. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  28,  29.  85 
 
 All  sin  is  perfected  in  three  ways ;  namely,  by  suggestion,  by  de- 
 light, and  by  consent.  The  suggestion  is  from  the  devil ;  the 
 delight  is  from  our  flesh ;  the  consent  from  our  spirit  (our  own 
 choice  and  will).  Gen.  iii.  6  ;  Joshua  vii.  21  ;  S.  James  i.  13, 
 14.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 A.  woman,  who  lays  herself  out,  so  as  to  attract  the  eyes  of  all, 
 though  she  actually  may  do  mischief  to  none,  shall  suffer  eternal 
 punishment.  For  she  had  prepared  the  poison  for  their  souls, 
 notwithstanding  none  quaffed  it.  Prov.  ii.  16 — 20 ;  v.  3 — 15. 
 S.  Chrysostom.     (Hom.  ii.  in  Ep.  ad  Rom.) 
 
 Need  an  education,  that  turns  women's  minds  to  the  arts  and 
 ornaments  of  dress  and  beauty,  be  more  strongly  condemned 
 than  in  these  words  ?  For  surely,  if  the  eye  is  so  easily  and 
 dangerously  betrayed,  every  art  and  ornament  is  sufficiently 
 condemned,  that  naturally  tends  to  betray  it.  Numb,  xv,  37 — 
 41 ;  Isa.  iii.  16—26 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  9—13 ;  1  S.  Pet.  iii.  3—5. 
 Wm.  Law.     (Serious  Call,  ch.  19.) 
 
 29  And  if  thy  right  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out, 
 and  cast  it  from  thee  :  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that 
 one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy 
 whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell. 
 
 30  And  if  thy  right  hand  offend  thee,  cut  it  off, 
 and  cast  it  from  thee  :  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that 
 one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy 
 whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell. 
 
 29  S.  Chrysostom,  discoursing  of  the  exactness  of  God's  Law,  in 
 the  true  intent  of  it,  saith ;  the  Pharisees  forbad  the  outward 
 commission  of  uncleanness  ;  the  Law  of  God  forbids  the  un- 
 cleanness  of  the  thought.  They  make  the  Law,  like  John  Bap- 
 tist ;  he  had  zonam  pelliceam  circa  hcmbos,  "  a  leathern  girdle 
 about  his  loins ;"  whereas  Christ  hath  zonam  aureatn  circa 
 pectus,  a  golden  girdle  about  His  breast  (Eev.  i.  13),  repressing 
 the  first  rise,  and  stirring,  and  motions  of  sin.  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 (Serm.  Ps.  xix.  12,  13.) 
 
 As  the  eyes  dSQ  fenestras  animcB,  the  windows  of  the  soul,  so  portce 
 
86  S.  MATTHEW  V.  29,  30. 
 
 Paradisi  aut  inferi ;  they  are  full  of  either  the  stars  of  Heaven, 
 or  the  sparks  of  hell.  Eve's  eyes,  dazzled  with  the  forbidden 
 fruit,  betrayed  all  other  senses  and  faculties  of  the  soul.  Gen. 
 xxxix.  7 ;  xxxi.  1 ;  2  S.  Pet.  ii.  14.  Bp.  Gauden.  (Serm. 
 preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Bp.  Brownrig.) 
 
 How  many  thousands  have  died  of  the  wounds  of  the  eye.  If  we 
 do  not  let  in  sin  at  the  window  of  the  eye,  or  the  door  of  the 
 ear,  it  cannot  enter  into  our  hearts.     Job  xxx.  1.     Bp,  Hall. 
 
 Oh,  that  we  were  unable  even  to  see  that,  which  it  is  a  sin  to  do ! 
 Ps.  cxix.  37.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Pluck  it  out. — The  liberty  of  beholding  each  other  in  the  fulness 
 of  beauty  and  glory  will  be  a  part  of  the  felicity  of  the  Saints  ; 
 because  we  shall  then  be  free  from  the  weaknesses  of  mortality 
 and  all  the  carnal  desire  of  the  flesh  and  sense.  It  is  for  this 
 reason  that  God  indulges  the  whole  creation  in  a  general  free- 
 dom of  beholding  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and  whatsoever  is 
 comely  and  agreeable  in  all  the  productions  of  nature  ;  for  there 
 is  nothing  in  them,  which  can  provoke  in  us  any  unlawful  de- 
 sires. It  is  for  this  reason  that  God  hath  thought  it  convenient 
 to  lay  a  restraint  upon  the  affections  of  men,  both  with  regard 
 to  the  objects  and  degrees  of  our  exercising  them.  Job  xxxi. 
 1,2;  Prov.  xxiii.  31 ;  Ps.  cxix.  37 ;  viii.  3.  Card.  Bellarmine. 
 (On  the  Art  of  dying  well,  B.  i.  ch.  10.) 
 
 30  Thy  right  hand. — Prom  seeing  we  pass  on  to  doing.     Bengel. 
 
 Peccatum  in  deliciis.    The  bosom-sin.    Heb.  xii.  1.   Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 In  the  original  it  is,  chop  it  off,  a  very  emphatic  expression ;  not 
 saw  it  by  degrees,  but  chop  it  off;  that  is,  on  a  sudden  cut  it 
 0^;  on  a  sudden  cut  off  thy  sins,  which  are  as  dear,  as  thy  right 
 hand.     ("  Quickly,"  v.  25.)     Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 Be  not  too  slow  in  the  breaking  off  a  sinful  custom.  A  quick 
 courageous  resolution  is  better  than  a  gradual  deliberation.  In 
 such  a  combat  he  is  the  bravest  soldier,  that  lays  about  him 
 without  fear  or  wit.  Wit  pleads ;  fear  disheartens :  he,  that 
 would  kill  Hydra,  had  better  strike  off  one  neck  than  five  heads. 
 Pell  the  tree,  and  the  branches  are  soon  cut  off.  1  Sam.  xv.  33  ; 
 xvii.  49.     F.  Quarles.     (Enchir.  Cent.  ii.  12.) 
 
 No  weight  of  God's  whole  hand  here  can  be  so  heavy,  as  any 
 finger  of  His  in  hell.     The  highest  exaltation  of  God's  anger  in 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  30,  32.  87 
 
 this  world  can  have  no  proportion  to  the  least  spark  of  that  in 
 hell ;  nor  a  furnace  seven  times  heated  here  to  the  embers  there. 
 S.  Luke  xxiii.  31.  Dr.  Donne.  (Serm.  Ps.  vi.  1.) 
 Whole  body. — There  is  not  only  extremity  and  variety,  but  uni' 
 versanti/  of  torments  in  hell.  All  the  parts  of  the  body  and  all 
 the  parts  of  the  soul  shall  be  tormented ;  the  eye,  with  the  sight 
 of  devils ;  the  ear,  with  the  yelliugs  of  the  damned  in  flames ; 
 the  nostrils  shall  be  smothered  with  brimstone  to  choke  you ; 
 the  tongue  with  a  flame.  .  .  .  Your  imagination  shall  be  tor- 
 mented with  the  thoughts  of  your  pain ;  your  memory  with  the 
 thoughts  of  what  a  heaven  and  happiness  you  have  lost ;  your 
 understanding  shall  torment  you  in  the  thought  of  your  past 
 pleasures,  present  pains,  and  future  sorrows,  which  are  to  last 
 for  ever  ;  and  your  conscience  with  a  continual  gnawing  worm. 
 Isa.  xxxiii.  14 ;  2  Cor.  v.  11.    Chr.  Love.    (Serm.  S.  Matt.  x.  28.) 
 
 31  It  hath  been  said,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his 
 wife,  let  him  give  her  a  writing  of  divorcement : 
 
 32  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  shall  put 
 away  his  wife,  saving  for  the  cause  of  fornication, 
 causeth  her  to  commit  adultery  :  and  whosoever  shall 
 marry  her  that  is  divorced  committeth  adultery. 
 
 32  But  I  say  unto  you. — The  Apostles  preached  nothing,  but 
 either  by  immediate  commission  from  Christ,  or  out  of  the 
 Law  and  the  Prophets.  But  His  usual  form  was,  "  Verily  I 
 say  unto  you\^  noting  that  He  only  was  to  the  Church  the 
 Author  and  Fountain  of  all  heavenly  doctrine  ;  that  unto  Him 
 belougeth  that  authoritative  and  infallible  Spirit,  which  can 
 command  the  subscription  and  assent  of  the  conscience ;  that 
 He  only  can  say  to  the  soul  with  boldness,  as  He  did  to  the 
 Samaritan  woman,  "  Believe  Me."  Deut.  xviii.  15 — 19;  Acts 
 iii.  22,  23  ;  1  S.  John  i.  1,  2.  Bp.  Reijnolds.  (Exposition  of 
 Ps.  ex.) 
 
 All  or  nearly  all  the  things,  which  our  Lord  taught  or  com- 
 manded, when  He  added  those  words,  But  1  say  unto  you,  are  to 
 
88 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  V.  32. 
 
 be  found  in  the  Old  Testament.*  Ps.  cxix.  152.  S.  Augustine. 
 (Contra  Faust,  lib.  19.) 
 
 The  connexion,  formed  in  marriage,  is  called  a  mystery,  (Eph.  v. 
 32,)  because,  just  as  the  Church  cannot  be  divorced  from 
 Cheist,  so  neither  can  a  wife  be  severed  from  her  husband. 
 The  inseparable  bond  of  union,  which  subsists  between  Cheist 
 and  His  Church,  holds  good,  in  each  particular  case,  between  a 
 man  and  his  wife.     Isidore  of  Seville.     (De  officiis  Eccl.  c.  19.) 
 
 Adulterium  quasi  ad  alterum.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  Holy  Jesus  by  His  presence  (S.  John  ii.)  hallowed  marriage, 
 and  made  it  honourable,  not  only  in  civil  account  and  the  rites 
 of  heraldry,  but  in  a  spiritual  sense ;  he  having  new  sublimed 
 it  by  making  it  a  Sacramental  representment  of  the  union  of 
 Cheist  and  His  Spouse,  the  Church  ....  To  break  faith 
 with  a  wife,  or  husband,  is  a  divorce  from  Jesus  ;  and  that  is  a 
 separation  from  all  possibilities  of  felicity.  In  the  time  of  the 
 Mosaical  statutes,  to  violate  marriage  was  to  do  injustice  and 
 dishonour,  and  a  breach  to  the  sanctions  of  nature  or  the  first 
 constitutions  :  but  two  bands  more  are  added  in  the  Gospel  to 
 make  marriage  more  Sacred  ;  for  now  our  bodies  are  made 
 "  Temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  the  right  of  marriage  is 
 made  significant  and  Sacramental,  and  every  act  of  adultery  is 
 profanation  and  irreligion  ;  it  desecrates  a  Temple,  and  deflowers 
 a  Mystery.  Lev.  xx.  10  ;  Deut.  xxii.  22  ;  Eph.  v.  25—33.  Bp. 
 J.  Taylor.     (Life  of  Cheist,  P.  ii.  s.  10.) 
 
 The  domestic  conduct  and  the  daily  intercourse  with  each  other 
 of  believers  in  Cheist,  ought  to  bear  a  peculiar  stamp  of  grace, 
 dignity,  and  holiness,  and  to  savour  of  heavenly  things.  Man 
 and  wife,  for  instance,  must  live  together  in  a  constant  mutual 
 exchange  of  dutiful  afiectiou,  as  "joint  heirs  of  the  grace  of 
 
 *  Bp.  Andrewes,  in  his  Exposition 
 of  the  Ten  Commandments,  endeavours 
 to  show  from  the  following  texts,  that 
 ' '  before  the  giving  of  the  Law  its  effect 
 was  performed."  Gen.  xxxv.  2  ;  xxxi. 
 34  ;  XXXV.  5  ;  xxiv.  3  ;  ii.  3  ;  and  Ex. 
 xvi.  23  ;  xxvii.  27,  41  ;  iv.  9  ;  ix.  6  ; 
 xxxvhi.  24 ;  xxxiv.  31  ;  xliv.  7  ; 
 xxxviii.  20  ;    xii.  17j    xx.  3.      To  the 
 
 same  purport  it  has  been  noted,  that 
 God  required  no  other  sacrifices  under 
 the  Law  of  Moses,  than  what  were 
 taken  from  the  five  kinds  of  animals, 
 which  He  required  of  Abram,  Gen.  xv. 
 9.  Nor  did  the  Jews  feed  upon  any 
 other  domestic  animals,  than  the  three 
 there  named. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  33,  34.  89 
 
 Cheist,  that  their  prayers  be  not  hindered,"  (1  S.  Pet.  iii.  7 ;) 
 and  because  "it  is  fit  in  the  Loed."  (Col.  iii.  18.)  In  this 
 manner  they  are  to  help  and  assist  each  other,  to  have  their 
 cares  and  anxieties,  as  well  as  their  blessings  and  comforts,  in 
 common,  (Judg.  xiii.  22,  23  ;  1  Sam.  i.  8 ;)  to  walk  with  their 
 hearts,  as  well  as  their  hands,  knit  together  in  love,  along  the 
 pilgrimage  of  life ;  to  pray  together,  as  fellow-heirs  of  glory  ; 
 and,  above  all,  to  anticipate  the  time,  when  the  union,  com- 
 menced on  earth  and  here  at  its  best  so  imperfect,  will  be  spi- 
 ritualized and  made  Eternal  at  the  Marriage-supper  of  the 
 Lamb.     J.  F. 
 
 33  Again,  ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by 
 them  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but 
 shalt  perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths  : 
 
 34  But  I  say  unto  you,  Swear  not  at  all ;  neither 
 by  heaven  ;  for  it  is  God's  throne  : 
 
 35  Nor  by  the  earth  ;  for  it  is  His  footstool :  neither 
 by  Jerusalem  ;  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King. 
 
 36  Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  because 
 thou  canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black. 
 
 37  But  let  your  communication  be,  Yea,  yea; 
 Nay,  nay  :  for  whatsoever  is  more  than  these  cometh 
 of  evil. 
 
 33  Perjury  is  not  only  a  wrong  to  this  or  that  particular  person, 
 who  suflfers  by  it,  but  it  is  treason  against  human  society,  sub- 
 verting at  once  the  foundations  of  public  peace  and  justice,  and 
 the  private  security  of  every  man's  life  and  fortune.  Prov.  xxv. 
 18 ;  Isa.  lix.  1—15.     Abp.  Tillotson.     (Serm.  Heb.  vi.  16.) 
 
 34  "  The  caution  against  swearing  at  all  is  intended  to  be  a  safe- 
 guard against  perjury,"  says  TertuUian ;  just  as  before,  "the 
 least  commandment"  served,  as  the  preventative  of  the  greatest 
 sin.  The  prohibition  of  all  causeless  anger  is  the  check  to 
 murder ;  tliat  of  the  wanton  look  is  the  check  to  adultery.  J.  F. 
 
 Cueist's  omnino,  at  all,  means  not  the  act  of  swearing,  but  the 
 
90 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  V.  34—36. 
 
 form  of  the  oath :  as  if  He  had  said,  "  Thou  shalfc  not  swear 
 falsely  or  rashly  at  all  ^  that  is,  neither  by  God,  nor  by  His 
 creatures.  Eor  to  swear  by  earth,  by  heaven,  or  by  the  temple, 
 to  protest  the  thing  avouched  to  be  as  verily  true,  as  that  the 
 temple  is  GtOd's  house,  heaven  His  throne,  the  earth  His  foot- 
 stool, is  as  much,  though  indeed  indirectly,  as  to  swear  Vivit 
 Dominus,  "  The  LoED  liveth."  ....  Solus  orandus  est  solus 
 jurandus  :  all  invocation  belongs  wholly  to  God.  Juramenta 
 sunt  Sacramenta  :  an  oath  an  office  of  religion.  By  whom  I 
 swear,  on  Him  I  call  as  my  Kaphio^vwa-ri]^,  the  knower  of  my 
 heart,  and  so  the  witness  of  my  truth  ....  'Tis  then  an  impiety 
 to  swear  by  creatures ;  grand  sacrilege  to  swear  by  anything 
 but  God.  We  worship  God  only :  only  by  Him  can  we  use 
 an  oath.  xiv.  9;  xxvi.  63,  64;  Gen.  xxiv  ;  Ps.  Ixiii.  12;  Heb. 
 vi.  16 — 18  ;  S.  Jas.  v.  2.   Br.  Richard  Gierke.    (Serm.  Jer.  iv.  2.) 
 
 84 — 36  How  Sacred  the  whole  frame  of  the  world  is,  how  all  things 
 ^  are  to  be  considered  as  God's  and  referred  to  Him,  is  fully 
 taught  by  our  Blessed  Saviour  in  the  case  of  oaths  (Text). 
 Here  you  see  all  things,  in  the  whole  order  of  nature,  from  the 
 highest  heaven  to  the  smallest  hair  are  always  to  be  considered, 
 not  separately  as  they  are  in  themselves,  but  as  in  some  relation 
 to  God.  And,  if  this  be  good  reasoning,  thou  shalt  not  swear  by 
 the  earth,  or  city,  or  thy  hair,  because  these  things  are  God's, 
 and  in  a  certain  manner,  belong  to  Him  ;  is  it  not  exactly  the 
 same  reasoning  to  say,  thou  shalt  not  murmur  at  the  seasons  of 
 the  earth,  the  states  of  cities  and  the  change  of  times  ;  because 
 all  these  things  are  in  the  hands  of  God,  have  Him  for  their 
 Author,  are  directed  and  governed  by  Him  to  such  ends,  as  are 
 most  suitable  to  His  wise  Providence  ?  .  .  .  As,  when  we  think  of 
 God  Himself,  we  are  to  have  no  sentiments  but  of  praise  and 
 thanksgiving,  so,  when  we  look  at  those  things,  which  are  under 
 His  rule  and  guidance,  we  are  to  receive  them  with  the  same 
 tempers.    Wm.  Law.    xxiii.  16 — 23  ;  Eom.  xi.  36.    (Serious  call. 
 
 .^  Ch.  22.) 
 
 Swearing  is  a  sin,  whereunto  neither  profit  incites,  nor  pleasure 
 allures,  nor  necessity  compels,  nor  inclination  of  nature  per- 
 suades.    F.  Quarles. 
 
 Swearing  and  profaning,  that  cheap,  unprofitable ;  that  untempt- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  37,  38,  91 
 
 ing  and  therefore  unreasonable  sin.     Isa.  lii.  3.     Br.  Hammond. 
 (Serm.  Ezek.  xvi.  30.) 
 
 37  Yea  in  speech  and  yea  in  heart ;  nay  in  speech  and  nay  in 
 heart.     2  Cor.  i.  17,  18.     S.  Basil. 
 
 He,  that  speaks,  had  better  in  all  things  speak  plainly;  for  truth 
 is  the  easiest  to  be  told.     2  Cor.  iii.  12.     Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 All  vehement  asseverations  have  in  them  somewhat  of  the  nature, 
 and  are  dangerous  beginnings,  of  oaths  ;  and  those,  vrho  ac- 
 custom themselves  to  them,  will  in  time  think  them  not  forcible 
 enough  to  confirm  their  speeches,  and  so  be  brought  to  attest 
 them  by  oaths.  S.  Mark  xiv.  31,  71.  Bp.  Hopkins.  (Expo- 
 sition of  the  Commandments,  iii.) 
 
 38  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  An  eye  for 
 an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth : 
 
 39  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  ye  resist  not  evil :  but 
 whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn 
 to  him  the  other  also. 
 
 40  And  if  any  man  will  sue  thee  at  the  law,  and 
 take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloke  also. 
 
 41  And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile, 
 go  with  him  twain. 
 
 42  Give  to  him  that  asketh  thee,  and  from  him  that 
 would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away. 
 
 38  An  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.  This  was  to  serve  as  a 
 restraint  upon  anger,  not  as  fuel  to  it,  nonfomes  sed  limes;  not 
 that  we  were  to  take  occasion  thence  to  rekindle  the  smoulder- 
 ing ashes  of  wrath,  but  rather  to  check  the  further  outbreak  of 
 the  flame.  Non  ut  id,  quod  sopitum  erat,  inde  accenderetur  ;  sed 
 ne  id,  quod  ardebat,  ultra  extenderetvr.  For  there  is  a  certain 
 lawful  revenge  justly  due  to  au  ill-used  man  ;  when  therefore 
 we  forgive,  we  generously  dispense  with  our  own  right.  1  Cor. 
 vi.  7.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 We  do  not  consider,  as  we  ought,  observes  Isidore,  that  these  sta- 
 tutes in  the  law  are  on  account  of  the  person,  who  inflicts  the 
 
92 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  V.  39,  40. 
 
 .  injury,  so  as  to  restrain  the  outbreaks  of  his  anger,  and  not  only 
 for  the  offended  party,  whose  vindictive  feelings  are  thus  kept 
 under.  But,  taking  the  words  in  the  commonly  received  sense, 
 how  rarely  do  we  observe  a  strict  equality  in  making  retaliation. 
 M.  Cheminais.     (Sermon,  on  text.) 
 
 39  There  are  three  things,  which  he,  who  desires  to  be  sanctified, 
 should  labour  to  acquire ;  1,  not  to  seek  for  power ;  2,  to  be 
 content  with  a  lowly  place ;  3,  to  put  up  with  injuries  patiently, 
 xi.  28—30.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Certainly,  in  taking  revenge,  a  man  is  but  even  with  his  enemy  ; 
 but,  in  passing  it  over,  he  is  superior:  for  it  is  a  Prince's  part 
 to  pardon.     Lord  Bacon.     (Essays,  4.) 
 
 The  surest  way  to  keep  others  in  temper,  is  to  keep  ourselves  so. 
 Adam.     (Private  thoughts  on  Eeligion.     Ch.  10.) 
 
 The  Christian's  courtesy  prevents  him  from  giving  offence ;  and 
 his  charity  from  taking  it.     1  Cor.  xiii.  5.     Gresley. 
 
 The  King  of  Heaven  came  down  to  instruct  the  world  in  the 
 laws  of  a  heavenly  conversation,  which  He  proposed  in  a  way  of 
 conflict,  quite  contrary  to  that  in  the  Olympic  games  :  for  there, 
 he,  that  fights  and  conquers,  wins  the  garland  ;  here,  he,  that  is 
 beaten  and  bears  it  with  patience,  receives  the  crown :  there,  he 
 that  is  smitten  and  returns  blow  for  blow ;  here  he,  that  turns  the 
 other  cheek,  is  celebrated  as  victor,  in  the  theatre  of  angels. 
 For  the  Christian  victory  is  measured  not  by  revenge,  but  pa- 
 tience ;  this  is  the  new  law  of  crowns,  this  the  new  way  of  con- 
 flict and  contention,  xi.  29  ;  xxi.  5  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  24 — 27  ;  2  Cor. 
 vi.  4— 11;  X.  3— 5.     Isidore  of  Pelusium.     (Ep.  127.) 
 
 40  Sue  thee  at  the  law.  Doubtless  the  advice  of  our  Saviotjb 
 was  not  only  religious,  but  political  and  prudential  too.  A 
 small  loss  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than,  by  contention,  greater 
 
 inconvenience To  go  to  law  is  for  two  to  contrive  the 
 
 kindling  of  a  fire  at  their  own  cost,  to  warm  others  and  singe 
 
 themselves  to  cinders The  Apostle  throws  the  brand  of 
 
 simple  among  them,  that  would  be  striving  this  way  to  consume 
 both  their  peace,  their  treasure,  and  their  time  ....  Is  there 
 none  so  wise,  as  to  moderate  a  little,  that  he  may  save  a  great 
 deal  more  ?  1  Cor.  vi.  1—8 ;  Gal.  v.  15.  O.  Feltham.  (Ee- 
 solves,  Cent.  ii.  82.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  40,  42.  93 
 
 It  is  not  lawful  for  a  Christian  to  sue  his  brother  at  the  law,  unless 
 he  can  be  patient,  if  he  loses  ;  and  charitable,  if  he  be  wronged  ; 
 and  can  prosecute  his  end  without  any  mixture  of  covetousness  ; 
 or  desires  to  prevail  without  envy ;  or  can  believe  himself  wrong, 
 when  his  Judge  says  he  is ;  or  can  submit  to  peace,  when  his 
 just  cause  is  oppressed,  and  rejected,  and  condemned  ;  and  with- 
 out pain  or  regret  can  sit  down  by  the  loss  of  his  right,  and  of 
 his  pains,  and  of  his  money.  And,  if  he  can  do  all  this,  why 
 need  he  go  to  law  ?  He  may  with  less  trouble  and  less  danger 
 take  the  loss  singly,  and  expect  God's  Providence  for  reparation, 
 than  disentitle  himself  to  that  by  his  own  frowardness,  and  take 
 the  loss,  when  it  comes,  laden  with  many  circumstances  of  trou- 
 ble. But,  however  by  accident  it  may  become  unlawful  to  go  to 
 law  in  a  just  cause,  or  in  any,  yet  by  this  precept  we  are  not 
 forbidden.  To  go  to  law /or  revenge  we  are  simply  forbidden, 
 that  is,  to  return  evil  for  evil ;  and,  therefore  all  those  suits, 
 which  are  for  vindictive  sentences,  not  for  reparative,  are  directly 
 criminal.  Lev.  xix.  18  ;  Eom.  xii.  19.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life 
 of  Chbist.     p.  1.  Disc,  xi.) 
 
 42  Omni  petenti,  sed  nan  omnia  petenti — to  all,  who  ask;  but  not 
 
 all  they  ask And  yet,  give  what  he  does  not  ask ;  give, 
 
 at  all  events,  something.     He  asks  what  is  evil ;  do  thou  give 
 him  what  is  good.     Acts  iii.  6.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 How  scrupulous  our  forefathers  were  in  expounding  of  these,  or 
 the  like  texts  of  Scripture,  themselves  have  left  us  notable  mo- 
 numents. S.  Basil  makes  a  strange  supposition,  and  to  it  gives 
 as  strange  an  answer :  "  Wert  thou  brought,"  saith  he,  "  unto 
 those  straits,  that  thou  hadst  but  one  loaf  of  bread  left,  and 
 that  thou  knewest  no  means  to  provide  other,  when  that  is  spent, 
 if  there  should  come  some  poor  and  needy  man  and  ask  thee 
 food,  what,  thinkest  thou,  is  thy  duty  to  do  ?  Even  to  take 
 that  one  loaf,  and  put  it  into  the  hands  of  him,  that  requires  it, 
 and  looking  up  to  heaven,  say,  'Loed,  Thou  seest  this  one  loaf; 
 Thou  knowest  the  straits,  in  which  I  am,  and  that  there  is  no 
 other  means  than  Thy  Providence ;  yet  I  have  preferred  the 
 keeping  of  Thy  commands  before  mine  own  necessities."  Be- 
 loved, this  is  a  point  of  piety,  cujus  non  audeo  dicere  nomen,  I 
 should  scarcely  durst  to  have  taught  it,  had  I  not  had  the  war- 
 
94  S.  MATTHEW  V.  42. 
 
 rant  of  so  grave  a  man.  For  in  this  age  we  are  taught,  that  we 
 must  begin  from  ourselves,  that  we  must  not  "tempt  God"  by 
 making  ourselves  destitute  of  means  ;  and  other  such  thriving 
 doctrines,  which  strongly  savour  of  love  unto  the  world,  and 
 distrust  in  God's  promises.  There  may  be  many  reasons  of 
 mollifying  some  texts  of  Scripture  and  restraining  them  ;  but, 
 amongst  these,  let  that  be  the  last,  which  is  taken  from  our  own 
 commodity :  and,  so  there  be  no  other  cause  to  hinder,  let  not 
 respect  to  our  persons,  or  to  our  purses,  restrain  any  Scripture 
 from  that  latitude  and  compass  of  sense,  of  which  it  is  naturally 
 capable.  1  Kings  xvii.  10 — 16  ;  S.  Luke  iii.  10,  11 ;  S.  Mark 
 xii.  44 ;  S.  John  xii.  6.     J.  Hales.     (Serm.  i.  on  1  Tim.  iv.  1.) 
 
 What  we  have  to  bestow  in  charity  being  a  trust,  we  cannot  dis- 
 charge it  faithfully  without  taking  some  care  to  satisfy  ourselves, 
 in  some  degree,  that  we  bestow  it  upon  the  proper  objects  of 
 charity.  One  hears  persons  complaining  that  it  is  difficult  to 
 distinguish,  who  are  such ;  yet  often  seeming  to  forget  that  this 
 is  a  reason  for  using  their  best  endeavours  to  do  so.  And  others 
 make  a  custom  of  giving  to  idle  vagabonds  ;  a  kind  of  charity 
 very  improperly  so  called,  which  one  really  wonders  people  can 
 allow  themselves  in,  merely  to  be  relieved  from  importunity, 
 or,  at  best  to  gratify  a  false  good  nature.  For  they  cannot  but 
 know  that  it  is  at  least  very  doubtful,  whether  what  they  thus 
 give  will  not  immediately  be  spent  in  riot  and  debauchery.  Or, 
 suppose  it  be  not,  yet  still  they  know  they  do  a  great  deal  of 
 certain  mischief  by  encouraging  this  shameful  trade  of  begging 
 in  the  streets  and  all  the  disorders,  which  accompany  it.  Job 
 xxix.  16 ;  Prov.  xxix.  7.     Bp.  Butler.     (Serm.  Prov.  xxii.  2.) 
 
 We  have  a  countermand  from  the  Apostle  against  "  disorderly 
 walkers,"  (2  Thess.  iii.  7,  10,)  that,  "  if  any  would  not  labour, 
 neither  should  he  eat."  The  best  alms  for  them  (i.e.,  idle  wan- 
 dering beggars,)  the  seasonablest  provision  and  charity  to  such, 
 is  the  careful  execution  of  the  laws  of  this  realm  upon  them  ; 
 to  set  them,  every  one  single,  in  an  orb  to  move  in ;  by  that 
 means,  perhaps,  to  teach  them  the  skill  in  time  to  be  alms-givers 
 themselves,  (Eph.  iv.  28,)  at  least  to  become  fit  to  be  receivers. 
 Tobit  ii.  2.  J)r.  Hammond.  ("  The  poor  man's  tithing." 
 Serm.  on  Deut.  xxvi.  12,  13.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  42—44.  95 
 
 Qui  vitat  molum,  vitat  farinam.     No  mill,  no  meal.     Prov.  xix.  15. 
 
 Pauperibus  Christi  bona  debita  cuncta  fatemnr : 
 Sed  quae  sunt  Satanse  debita  pauperibus  ? 
 
 F.  Kilvert. 
 
 43  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt 
 love  thy  neighbour,  and  hate  thine  enemy. 
 
 44  But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies,  bless 
 them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you, 
 and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and 
 persecute  you ; 
 
 45  That  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father 
 which  is  in  heaven  :  for  He  maketh  His  sun  to  rise  on 
 the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just 
 and  on  the  unjust. 
 
 43  Cicero  gives  a  remarkable  caution,  as  showing  us  the  limits  he 
 would  place  upon  heathen  beneficence.  "  Kindness,"  he  says, 
 must  not  be  shown  to  a  youth,  nor  to  an  old  man ;  not  to  the 
 latter,  because  he  is  likely  to  die,  before  he  can  have  an  occasion 
 to  repay  you  the  benefit ;  not  to  the  former,  for  he  is  sure  to 
 forget  it."     S.  Luke  vi.  35.     J.  F. 
 
 "We  read  in  Cicero  that  justice  requires  that  we  endamage  none, 
 till  we  are  provoked  by  some  injury.  And  Lactantius  well 
 censureth  it ;  SimpUcem  vermnque  sententiam  duorum  verborum 
 adjectione  corrupit ;  "  he  spoilt  a  good  sentence  by  the  addition 
 of  two  words."  For  a  Christian  hurts  no  man,  though  he  be 
 provoked.  Seneca  speaks  more  like  a  Christian ;  Magni  animi 
 est,  omnium  veniam  dare,  nuUius  petere.  It  proceeds  from  a 
 great  and  well  subacted  mind  to  pardon  all  injuries,  but  to  walk 
 in  that  simplicity,  that  it  needs  ask  pardon  of  none.  But  yet 
 this  does  not  fully  express  a  Christian,  who  doth  not  only  pardon 
 injuries,  but  in  a  manner  reward  them.  xxvi.  53  ;  S.  Luke  xxii. 
 51.     Farindon.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  5,  P.  1.) 
 
 44  We  conclude,  that  Sacred  Theology,  which  in  our  idiom  we 
 call  Divinity,  is  grounded  only  upon  the  Word  and   Oracle  of 
 
96  S.  MATTHEW  V,  44. 
 
 God,  and  not  upon  the  light  of  nature ;  for  it  is  written  (Ps. 
 xix.  1),  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God;"  but  it  is  not 
 written,  "  The  heavens  declare  the  will  of  God  :"  but  of  that  it 
 is  said,  "  To  the  Law  and  to  the  testimony,  if  they  speak  not 
 according  to  this  word,  &c."  (Isa.  viii.  20.)  This  holdeth  not 
 only  in  those  points  of  faith,  which  concern  the  mysteries  of  the 
 Deity,  of  the  Creation,  of  the  Redemption,  but  likewise  those, 
 that  concern  the  Law  Moral,  truly  interpreted,  "  Love  your  ene- 
 mies ;  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you.  Be  like  to  your  heavenly 
 Father^''  &c.  To  this  it  ought  to  be  applauded  ;  Nee  vox  ho- 
 minem  sonat !  It  is  a  voice,  beyond  the  light  of  nature.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (Advancement  of  Learning,  B.  ix.) 
 
 To  return  good  for  good  is  liuman  ;  to  return  evil  for  evil  is  brutal ; 
 to  return  evil  for  good  is  diabolical ;  but  to  return  good  for  evil 
 is  Divine.  Gen.  xx.  27  ;  1  Kings  xiii.  6  ;  Eom.  v.  8  ;  xii.  20, 
 21.     Royard. 
 
 Prayer  for  our  enemies  is  the  surest  evidence  of  our  charity  to 
 them.  Mild  words  may  be  designed,  as  a  snare  to  entrap  them  ; 
 and  courtesy  may  be  done  them  to  serve  our  vanity  or  a  ge- 
 nerous kind  of  pride ;  which  may  make  us  delight  to  have  our 
 enemy  indebted  to  us,  as  knowing,  that  it  is  more  glorious 
 in  the  eyes  of  the  world  to  raise  a  fallen  adversary  than  to 
 trample  on  him.  But  it  must  be  only  obedience  to  God's  com- 
 mands and  sincere  love  to  our  enemies,  which  can  make  us  take 
 him  into  our  closet  and  into  our  heart,  to  share  our  prayers  with 
 him,  and  make  him  partaker  of  the  fruits  of  our  devotion,  and 
 to  have  that  same  concernment  for  his  interests,  as  for  our  own, 
 at  once  recommending  them  both  to  our  heavenly  Fathek. 
 1  Sam.  xii.  23 ;  Ps.  cix.  3  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  15 ;  S.  Mark  xii.  14. 
 Scougal.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  vi.  27.) 
 
 We  must  heap  upon  them  precious  melting  coals  of  love,  blessings, 
 and  prayers  ;  those  three  species  of  Sacred  vestal  fire  upon  our 
 enemies'  heads.    Eom.  xii.  20.    Dr.  Hammond.    (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 When  we  are  not  able  to  do  anything  for  men's  behoof,  when 
 through  maliciousness  or  unkindness  they  vouchsafe  not  to  ac- 
 cept any  other  good  at  our  hands,  grayer  is  that,  which  we 
 always  have  in  our  power  to  bestow,  and  they  never  in  their's 
 to  refuse.     1  Sam.  xii.  23.     Hooker.     (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  v.  c.  17.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  V.  45,  46.  97 
 
 45  That  ye  may  be,  ^'C. — Dura  prcecepit  ;  sed  majora  proinisit.  He 
 has  commauded  hard  things,  but  promised  greater.  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Nothing  causes  us  so  nearly  to  resemble  God,  as  the  forgiveness 
 of  injuries.     Jer.  ix.  24  ;    Isa.  xxviii.  21 ;    IS.  John  iv.  8.     S. 
 Chrysosto)n. 
 Sure,  he  is  not  fit  to  live  with  God  in  the  next  world,  who  is  not 
 
 fit  to  live  with  man  in  this.  Heb.  xii.  4.  Br.  Allestry. 
 Goodness  answers  to  the  Theological  virtue,  Charity  ;  and  admits 
 no  excess,  but  error.  The  desire  of  power  in  excess  caused  the 
 Angels  to  fall ;  the  desire  of  knowledge  in  excess  caused  man 
 to  fall ;  but'  in  charity  there  is  no  excess,  neither  can  Angel  or 
 man  come  in  danger  by  it.  1  Thess.  iii.  12,  13  ;  2  Thess.  i.  3. 
 Lord  Bacon.  (Essays,  12.) 
 His  Sun. — A  splendid  expression  !  He  both  made  the  Sun,  and 
 Himself  governs  it  and  controls  it  by  His  power  alone,  xiii. 
 41 ;  XXV.  31.     Bengal. 
 
 Cum  Tuns  et  pravis  sol  luceat,  atque  in  eorum, 
 Optime  Christe,  Tuus  decidat  imber  agros  ; 
 Quot  bona  siderea.  justis  serventur  in  arce, 
 
 Qusenam  vox  hominis  commemorare  queat  ? 
 O  !  quater  atque  quater  felix,  qui,  daemone  victo, 
 
 Tot  fruitur  Supero  Isetus  in  axe  bonis ! 
 Quam  locus  hie  felix,  Deus  est  ubi  nectaris  instar ; 
 Et  bibat  usque  licet,  mens  tamen  usque  sitit. 
 
 D.  J.  Billius.     (Sacra  Anthologia,  71.) 
 
 46  For  if  ye  love  them   which  love  you,  what  re- 
 ward have  ye  ?  do  not  even  the  pubhcans  the  same  ? 
 
 47  And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do  ye 
 more  than  others  ?  do  not  even  the  publicans  so  ? 
 
 48  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father 
 which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect. 
 
 46  Plus  nostra  tnisericordia  insumit  vicatim,  quam  ethnicorum  supei'- 
 
 stitio  femplatim,  saith  Tertullian.     Our  mercy  lays  out  more 
 
 for  the  poor  in  the  very  streets,  than  your  heathen  superstition 
 
 does  on  your  gods  in  your  temples.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Micah 
 
 vi.  8,  P.  5.) 
 
 u 
 
98  S.  MATTHEW  V.  46—48. 
 
 The  life  of  the  Jews  will  be  reproved  from  the  deeds  of  the  G-en- 
 tiles ;  and  the  life  of  the  Clergy  will  be  confouuded  by  the 
 deeds  of  the  Laity.     S.  Gregory.     (In  Job.  Lib.  i.  c.  6.) 
 
 How  many  consciences  are  kept  in  quiet  upon  no  other  foundation, 
 but  because  they  sin  under  the  authority  of  the  Christian  world. 
 Who  would  be  content  with  seeing  how  contrary  his  life  is  to 
 the  Gospel,  but  because  he  sees  that  he  lives,  as  the  Christian 
 world  doth  ?    S.  John  vii.  48.     Wm.  Law.    (Serious  call.  Ch.  17.) 
 
 47  As  for  "  doing,  as  others  do,"  if  that  is  to  be  the  rule  of  right, 
 what  is  the  meaning  of  all  those  texts,  which  tell  us  that 
 Christ  came  to  "  Redeem  us  to  Himself  for  a  peculiar  people  ?" 
 Peculiar  in  what  ?  Why,  in  acting  differently  from  others. 
 We  must  be  peculiar,  if  we  are  Christ's  people,  in  utterly  re- 
 nouncing Mammon.  We  must  be  peculiar,  in  acting  upon 
 those  Christian  principles,  which  are  foolishness  to  the  worldly. 
 We  must  be  peculiar,  in  taking  God's  Law  for  our  rule,  God's 
 Son  for  our  pattern,  God's  love  for  our  motive,  God's  glory 
 and  approbation  for  our  end  and  aim.  Isa.  xliii.  21 ;  and  viii. 
 18 ;  Titus  ii.  14.     A.  W.  Hare.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xiii.  33.) 
 
 48  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  ^c. — By  which  we  may  understand 
 Him  to  mean  one  of  these  two  things ;  either  that,  in  this 
 branch  of  imitation,  (that  is,  of  the  Love  of  God)  every  good 
 man  should  aim  at  the  fullest  conformity  to  God  possible  ;  or, 
 that  there  is  no  part  of  the  Image  of  God,  whicb  we  can  bear 
 in  this  life,  that  is  more  perfecting  of  our  natures  ....  The 
 common  distinction  of  the  Divine  attributes  into  communicable 
 and  incommunicable  seems  not  to  be  exactly  just.  There  are, 
 we  see,  in  creatures  some  faint  resemblances,  even  of  the  natural 
 perfections  of  God.  Indeed  necessity  of  being,  absolute  inde- 
 pendence, the  knowledge  of  all  things,  a  presence  everywhere. 
 Almighty  power,  supreme  dominion,  are  appropriate  to  Deity, 
 and  cannot  be  communicated  to  creatures ;  for  these  characters 
 plainly  bespeak  that  most  perfect  manner,  in  which  these  excel- 
 lencies belong  to  God,  and  so  they  cannot  possibly  belong  to 
 any  creature.  But  then  there  is  as  much  reason  to  call  the 
 moral  perfections  of  God  incommunicable  too;  that  is,  if  you 
 join  with  the  general  notion  of  them  that  most  perfect  manner, 
 in  which  they  do  belong  to  God.     1  Tim.  i.  17  ;  S.  Matt.  xix. 
 
S.  MA.TTHEW  V.  48.  99 
 
 17  ;  1  Sam.  ii.  1.  But,  if  we  separate  the  most  perfect  manner 
 of  attribution  from  the  general  notion  of  the  excellency,  it  must 
 be  confessed,  that  creatures  may  bear  some  likeness  to  God, 
 both  in  His  natural  and  moral  perfections.  Gen,  iii,  5 ;  Ps. 
 Ixxxii.  6 ;  Eph.  iv.  24 ;  Heb.  xii.  10  ;  IS.  John  iv.  7,  8.  Dr. 
 Evans.     (Discourses  on  the  Christian  temper,  3.) 
 
 Godliness  is  GoD-likeness.     1  S.  Pet,  i,  16.     Anonymous. 
 
 Even  as  your  Father,  ^c. — When  Christ  comes  with  His  scales, 
 thou  shalt  not  be  measured  with  that  man  ;  but  every  man  shall 
 be  weighed  with  God.  2  S.  Peter  i,  4,  Br.  Bonne.  (Serm, 
 Ps,  vi.  2,  3.) 
 
 We  are  now  at  the  top  of  Christ's  Mount,  the  highest  and  steep- 
 est point  of  Christianity  ....  It  makes  us  perfect,  as  our  hea- 
 venly Father  is  perfect ;  it  sets  our  heads  within  those  higher 
 and  untroubled  regions,  wherein  there  are  no  meteor  fires  ;  the 
 flame  of  passion  cannot  wing  it  thither ;  for  he,  that  is  above 
 the  power  of  injury,  discontent  cannot  look  up  to  him  ;  it  is 
 with  him,  as  in  the  upper  orbs,  where  there  is  only  harmony 
 and  shine ;  all  is  peace  and  love,  the  state  of  heaven  itself.  Ps. 
 cxix,  1 — 5.     Br.  Allestry.     (Serm.  S.  Matt,  v,  44f.) 
 
 How  wise  and  holy  are  Thy  commandments,  O  Lorb  !  How 
 sweetly  enforced  with  fit,  and  evident,  and  familiar  arguments ! 
 Ee  Thou  my  Sovereign  King,  O  glorious  Jestt  !  Be  Thou  my 
 soul's  director  for  ever.  Thou  tellest  me  my  duty,  and  enablest 
 me  to  do  it ;  Thou  settest  me  to  work,  and  promisest  me  a  rich 
 reward.  Oh,  make  me  merciful ;  Oh,  make  me  perfect,  as  Thou 
 art ;  then  shall  I  love  and  delight  in  Thee  for  ever  !  Ps.  cxix. 
 33—40,     Austin.     (Medit.  77.) 
 
 CHAPTER  VI. 
 
 'TAKE  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  alms  before  men,  to 
 be  seen  of  them  :  otherwise  ye  have  no  reward  of 
 your  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
 
 H  2 
 
100  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  1,  2. 
 
 2  Therefore  when  thou  doest  thine  alms,  do  not 
 sound  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the  hypocrites  do  in 
 the  synagogues  and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have 
 glory  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their 
 reward. 
 
 3  But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand 
 know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth : 
 
 4  That  thine  alms  may  be  in  secret :  and  thy 
 Father  which  seeth  in  secret  Himself  shall  reward 
 thee  openly. 
 
 1  Alms-giving,  prayer,  and  fasting,  are  the  three  especial  Chris- 
 tian sacrifices  :  the  first,  out  of  our  estates  ;  the  second,  of  our 
 souls  ;  the  third,  from  our  bodies  ;  which  are  the  three  principal 
 parts  of  a  man ;  every  one,  therefore,  being  obliged  to  pay  its 
 tribute  of  acknowledgment  to  the  Creator.     T.  Aquinas. 
 
 Fasting,  prayer,  and  alms-giving,  that  is,  denial  of  self,  love  of 
 others,  and  devotion  to  God,  are  the  three  heads,  under  which 
 our  LoBD  brings  all  Christian  duties.     Col.  iv.  12.     Dr.  Pusey. 
 
 A  man  must  want  to  be  robbed,  who  allows  people  on  the  public 
 road  to  see  his  treasures.     (S.  Gregory.     (Hom.  ii.  in  Evang.) 
 
 Si  times  spectatores,  non  habebis  imitatores.  If  you  are  afraid  of 
 spectators,  you  must  not  expect  to  have  imitators.  Tou  ought 
 therefore  to  be  seen,  v.  16  ;  but  this  should  on  no  account  be 
 your  motive  in  any  good  deed,  that  you  may  be  seen.  Par  be  it 
 from  you  ever  to  regard  the  gaze  and  the  applause  of  men,  as 
 the  object  of  your  satisfaction  and  the  whole  fruit  and  benefit 
 to  be  derived  from  your  good  deed.  Rom.  ii.  28,  29  ;  2  Cor.  x. 
 17,  18.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Bonum  non  est  bonum,  nisi  bene  fiat.  An  action,  good  in  itself,  is 
 not  really  good,  unless  it  be  done  well.  2  Chr.  xxv.  2  ;  S.  Mark 
 vii.  37;  Eom.  xiv.  16;  Col.  iii.  17;  1  Cor.  xvi.  14.  -S.  Greg. 
 Nazianzen. 
 
 2  The  hypocrite,  or  the  stage-player,  is  the  man,  who  acts  a  coun- 
 terfeit part  and  character.  Exactly  so  in  the  affairs  of  this  life 
 they,  who  mean  in  their  hearts  one  thing  and  pretend  to  the  very 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  2—4. 
 
 101 
 
 opposite  in  the  sight  of  the  world,  adapt  to  their  modes  of  pro- 
 ceeding all  the  contrivances  of  the  theatre.  2  Sam.  xv.  1 — 11 ; 
 Job  xxvii.  8,  9.     S.  Basil. 
 
 Hypocrisy  is  a  most  insidious  mischief,  a  subtle  poison,  a  venom 
 within,  a  blot  upon  all  virtue,  a  canker  to  all  sanctity.  Crudeli 
 arte  virtutes  truncat  mucrone  virtutum.  By  a  cruel  contrivance 
 of  its  own,  it  employs  virtue  to  destroy  virtue  :  fasting  it  anni- 
 hilates by  fasting  ;  prayer  it  nullifies  by  prayer ;  mercy  it  defeats 
 by  mercy.  Isa.  1.  11 ;  and  Ivii.  12.  Pet.  Chrysologus.  (Serm.  7.) 
 
 Negodatores  famce.  Traffickers  and  hucksters  for  a  fine  name. 
 TertuUian. 
 
 Outward  acts  have  outward  rewards  ;  inward  and  spiritual  acts 
 have  spiritual  and  eternal  rewards.    Bonnell. 
 
 3  Humilitas  conservatrix  virtutum.  Humility  ia  the  guardian  of  all 
 virtues.     1  Cor.  xv.  10.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 The  true  Christian's  chief  care  lies  in  right  ordering  and  com- 
 manding his  own  spirit ;  for,  where  the  hypocrite's  work  ends, 
 there  the  true  Christian's  work  begins.     Abp.  Leighton. 
 
 The  true  Christian  cares  not  how  much  men  hear  of  his  public 
 charities  (v.  16),  nor  how  little  they  hear  of  his  private  ones. 
 Acts  ix.  39  ;  X.  2,  31.     Toplady. 
 
 4  It  is  admirable,  that  the  reward  of  our  imperfect  and  finite  ser- 
 vice here  shall  be  perfect  and  infinite  Glory  hereafter.  But  it  is 
 impossible  to  be  otherwise  (yet  not  in  respect  of  us,  or  our  de- 
 sert, but  of  God)  ;  because  His  mercy,  being  boundless  and 
 infinite,  should  else  be  terminate,  and  God's  greatest  attribute 
 should  suffer.  (Ps.  Ixii.  12  ;  2  Tim.  i.  16—18.)  Lobd,  grant 
 that  I  may  often  contemplate  this  with  admiration  !  admire  with 
 gratefulness  !  be  thankful  with  love !  love  with  obedience  !  and 
 obey  with  cheerfulness !  Lord  Capel.  (Contemplations,  Divine 
 and  Moral,  43.) 
 
 Licet  in  cruce  vitam 
 Ducant,  et  jugi  afficiant  sua  corpora  morte, 
 Abstineant  opibus,  sint  casti,  sintque  benigni, 
 Terrenisque  ferant  animum  super  astra  relictis ; 
 Si  tamen  hsec  propria  virtute  capessere  quemquam 
 Posse  putant,  sitve  ut  dignus  labor  ille  juvari, 
 Ingenium  meruisse  aiunt  bona  vera  petentis ; 
 
102  '  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  5. 
 
 Crescere  quo  cupiunt,  minuuntur ;  proficiendo, 
 Deficiunt ;  surgendo,  cadunt ;  currendo,  recedunt. 
 Unde  etenim  vane  frustra  splendescere  quserunt, 
 Inde  obscuranlur  ;  quoniam  sua  laudis  amore 
 Non  qus9  sunt  Christi  quserunt :  nee  fit  Deus  illis 
 Principium,  et  Capiti  non  dant  in  corpore  regnum. 
 
 S.  Prosper.     (Carm.  de  ingratis.  p.  iii.) 
 
 5  And  when  thou  prayest,  thou  shalt  not  be  as 
 the  hypocrites  are :  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in 
 the  synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that 
 they  may  be  seen  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
 They  have  their  reward. 
 
 6  But  thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy 
 closet,  and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy 
 Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father  which 
 seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly. 
 
 5  When  thou  prayest. — It  is  our  duty,  at  the  time  of  prayer,  to  enter 
 with  our  devotions  the  Heavenly  Court,  in  which  the  King  of 
 kings  sits  upon  a  starry  throne,  surrounded  with  an  innumerable 
 attendance  of  Blessed  Spirits.  "With  what  awe,  with  what  humble 
 reverence,  with  what  holy  fear  does  it  become  us  to  approach  Him, 
 when  we  soar  upon  the  wings  of  devotion  into  His  Presence,  into 
 the  assembly  of  angels,  and  the  council  of  "just  men  made  per- 
 fect!" In  all  our  actions,  therefore,  there  is  a  necessity  for 
 watchfulness  and  attention ;  but  especially  in  the  exercise  of 
 prayer  and  devotion.  Isa.  vi.  1 — 7 ;  S.  Luke  iii.  21 ;  S.  John 
 xvii.  1 ;  Heb.  xii.  22—29.     S.  Bernard.     (Sermo  de  Precat.) 
 
 Acts  of  worship  are  to  be  unto  God  and /or  God.  Consider,  then, 
 not  the  manner  only,  not  the  object  only  ;  but  the  end  in  prayer. 
 It  is  not  enough  to  make  God  the  object  of  the  prayer ;  He 
 must  be  the  end  also.  S.  John  vi.  26 ;  S.  James  iv.  3  ;  Ps.  Ixxiii. 
 23—28.     Dr.  Manton. 
 
 The  virtue  of  every  instrument  lies  in  its  use  ;  and,  if  the  end  be 
 not  attained,  the  instrument  is  vain  :  so  it  is,  as  to  instruments 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  6.  103 
 
 of  religion,  prayer,  fasting,  Sacraments.  When  we  are  brought 
 to  a  religious  frame  of  mind  and  put  upon  a  religious  course  of 
 life,  then  the  use  of  the  religious  instrument  is  right ;  not  else. 
 1  Cor.  ix.  26.     Dr.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  xi.  1080.) 
 
 6  He,  who  would  pray,  must  first  retire.  The  spirit  of  the  world 
 and  the  spirit  of  prayer  are  contrary,  the  one  to  the  other.  .  .  . 
 The  soul,  before  she  can  take  her  flight  to  heaven,  must  plume 
 and  balance  her  wings  by  holy  meditation  :  she  must  consider 
 the  nature  of  God,  to  whom  she  is  to  pray — of  herself,  who  is 
 to  pray  to  Him — the  sins,  of  which  she  has  been  guilty,  to  con- 
 fess them,  and  the  graces,  of  which  she  stands  in  need,  to  pray 
 for  them.  All  this  is  not  to  be  done,  but  by  deep  meditation  : 
 and  meditation,  which  is  the  mother  of  devotion,  is  the  daughter 
 of  retirement.  They,  who  do  not  meditate,  cannot  pray  ;  and 
 they,  who  do  not  retire,  can  do  neither.  Ps.  iv.  4,  5  ;  xxxix.  4. 
 R.  F.  Suckling.     (Serm.  Dan.  vi.  10.) 
 
 0,  devout  soul,  court  retirement.  Know  you  not,  that  He,  who  is 
 your  Spouse,  is  bashful  ?  xii.  19 ;  S.  Luke  v.  16.  S.  Bernard. 
 (Serm.  20  in  Cantic.) 
 
 I  find  the  Vulgar  Latin  rendereth  the  words  of  the  text.  Lam.  iii. 
 28,  Sedebit  solitarius  et  tacebit,  quia  levavit  se  supra  se.  "  The 
 solitary  person  will  sit  still  and  hold  his  peace,  because  he  hath 
 lifted  up  himself  above  himself;"  raised  his  spirit  above  its  ordi- 
 nary pitch.  "  In  solitude,"  says  one  of  the  Fathers,  (Origen) 
 "  the  atmosphere  is  more  pure,  the  heavens  are  wider  opened, 
 and  familiarior  Deus,  God  is  brought  nearer  to  us."  Acts  x.  3, 
 9  ;  Eev.  i.  9,  10.     Scougal.     (Serm.  on  Lam.  iii.  27,  28.) 
 
 If  a  man  of  a  carnal  mind  is  brought  into  a  large  company,  he  will 
 have  much  to  do  ;  if  into  a  company  of  Christians,  he  will  feel 
 little  interest ;  if  into  a  smaller  company,  engaged  in  religious 
 exercises,  he  will  feel  still  less  :  but  if  taken  into  a  closet  and 
 forced  to  meditate  on  death  and  eternity,  this  is  insupportable. 
 Eom.  viii.  7  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  14.  R.  Cecil.  (Remains.  On  a  spiritual 
 mind.) 
 
 Seeth  in  secret. — It  cannot  enter  into  the  heart  of  man,  that  any, 
 but  God,  could  be  the  author  of  a  command,  so  abstracted  from 
 all  worldly  interests  :  for  how  absurd  were  it  in  a  Being,  that 
 had  not  an  intercourse  with  our  souls,  or  knew  not  their  most 
 
104  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  7. 
 
 secret  motions,  to  direct  our  applications  to  itself,  so  strictly 
 apart  and  out  of  the  observation  of  any  power,  less  than  ubiqui- 
 tary.  Ps.  cxxxix. ;  S.  John  i.  48.  Sir  R.  Steele.  (The  Chris- 
 tian hero,  ch.  2.) 
 
 .  7  But  when  ye  pray,  use  not  vain  repetitions,  as  the 
 heathen  do :  for  they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard 
 for  their  much  speaking. 
 
 8  Be  not  ye  therefore  like  unto  them  :  for  your  Fa- 
 ther knoweth  what  things  ye  have  need  of,  before  ye 
 ask  Him. 
 
 7  Prayer  is  a  Divine  converse,  differing  from  human,  as  God  differs 
 from  man.     S.  John  iv.  24.     J.  W.  Newman. 
 
 Repetitions  in  prayer  are  not  to  be  absolutely  condemned,  as  the 
 manner  of  some  is  to  condemn  them,  in  regard  to  our  Church 
 Services.  When  a  man  is  in  earnest,  he  vpill,  generally,  more  or 
 less  repeat  himself,  "  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart"  the 
 mouth  will  speak.  Thus  David  (Ps.  cxxvi.,  cxlviii.)  ;  thus  our 
 Divine  pattern  Himself  (xxvi.  44)  ;  thus  the  glorious  worship- 
 pers in  heaven,  whom  we  hope  to  join  and  for  whose  worship  we 
 are  even  now  preparing  (Eev.  iv.  8).  But  who  would  ever 
 think  of  confounding  these  simple  repetitions,  the  expressions 
 of  genuine  devout  feeling,  with  the  vain  repetitions  of  the  igno- 
 rant heathen,  who,  because  they  knew  not,  as  we  know,  how 
 gracious  the  Lokd  is,  and  because  they  had  not,  as  we  have, 
 any  sure  promise  to  depend  upon,  thought  that  they  should  be 
 heard  for  their  much  speaking  ?     J.  F. 
 
 That  the  same  prayers  be  repeated  often,  is  not  censured  by  our 
 Saviour,  but  our  placing  of  our  devotion  in  the  bare  repetition, 
 xxvi.  44.  We  must  not  be  superstitious  ;  but  we  cannot  be  too 
 Canonical  in  our  devotions.  Eccl.  v.  1,  2  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  40. 
 Farindon.     (Sermon  on  text,  p.  2.) 
 
 Avoid  in  your  prayer  much  speech ;  but  let  there  be  much  suppli- 
 cation, pressing  on  with  the  fervour  of  earnest  desire  :  for  this 
 business  between  God  and  our  souls  jj^ms  yemitibus  quum  sermo- 
 nibus  ax/itur,  plus  fletu  quain  affiatu^  is  managed  by  us  more  with 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  7,  9.  105 
 
 groans,  than  with  the  use  of  words ;  more  by  our  tears,  than  by 
 our  talk.  1  Sam.  i.  13  ;  Eom.  viii.  26.  S.  Augustine.  (Ep.  ad 
 Probam.) 
 I  have  heard  of  a  very  good  man,  who  was  wont  to  pray  to  God, 
 that  he  would  forgive  him  his  "long  prayers."  Bp.  Patrick. 
 (Advice  to  a  friend,  ch.  5.) 
 
 9  After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye  :  Our  Father 
 which  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  Thy  Name. 
 
 9  In  the  due  performance  of  this  duty,  we  are  directed  and  assisted 
 by  the  Form  of  Prayer,  composed  and  dictated  for  that  purpose 
 by  Him,  who  best  knew  what  we  ought  to  pray  for,  and  how  we 
 ought  to  pray ;  what  matter  of  desire,  what  manner  of  address, 
 what  disposition  of  mind,  would  be  most  pleasing  and  acceptable 
 to  His  Patuee  ;  would  most  become  and  befit  us  in  our  ap- 
 proaches to  Him.  We  might  consequently  observe  many  things 
 concerning  those  particulars,  discernible  in  this  Perm  ;  the  sub- 
 limity, the  gravity,  the  necessity,  the  singular  choiceness  of  the 
 matter,  together  with  the  fit  order  and  just  disposition  thereof, 
 according  to  the  natural  precedency  of  things  in  dignity  or 
 necessity ;  the  full  brevity,  the  deep  plainness,  the  comely  sim- 
 plicity of  expression ;  the  lowly  reverence  signified  therein,  ac- 
 companied with  due  faith  and  confidence  :  these,  and  the  like 
 virtues,  directive  of  our  devotion,  we  might  observe  generally 
 running  through  the  whole  contexture  of  this  venerable  Porm. 
 Deut.  xxvi.  5  —  13  ;  Eom.  viii.  26.  Br.  Barrow.  (Expos,  of  the 
 Lobd's  Prayer.) 
 
 So  punctual  a  method  had  not  been  observed  by  Him,  that  "  hear- 
 eth  prayer,"  if  it  had  been  all  to  Him  the  same,  to  have  had  our 
 devotions  confused  and  tumultuary.    1  Cor,  xiv.  33.    Bp.  Hall. 
 
 S.  Augustine  calls  the  Lord's  Prayer  Symboliim  abbreviatum,  The 
 condensed  or  short  Creed,  and  Forma  desideriorum,  The  mould, 
 into  which  our  desires  are  to  be  cast.  Tertulliau  calls  it  Totius 
 breviarium  Evangelii,  the  summary  of  the  whole  Gospel,  quod 
 quantum  substringitur  verbis  tanthn  diffunditur  sensibus,  which  is 
 as  comprehensive  in  its  meaning,  as  it  is  concise  in  its  language  ; 
 and,  in  another  place,  he  styles  it  Legitima  oratio,  the  prayer. 
 
106  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  9. 
 
 that  is  a  law  to  all  other  prayers, — a  model  prayer.  S.  Cyprian 
 pronounces  it  to  be  PrcBceptorum  Christi  grande  compendium,  a 
 noble  collection  of  all  Christ's  precepts.  Durandus  speaks  of 
 it,  as  tanquam  sal  omnium  Divinorum  officiorum,  as  the  salt,  which 
 seasons  all  our  other  acts  of  worship  ;  and  Luther  pronounces  it 
 to  be  "  The  prayer  of  all  prayers,"  and  "  The  kernel  of  Christi- 
 anity."    /.  F. 
 
 Our  Father. — The  very  first  words  mark  how  full  they  are  of 
 grace  and  kindness.  O  man,  you  did  not  dare  to  lift  up  your 
 eyes  to  heaven ;  your  eyes  were  bowed  down  to  the  earth  :  and 
 suddenly  you  receive  the  grace  of  Cheist.  Out  of  a  wicked  ser- 
 vant you  are  made  a  good  son  ;  this  therefore  is  no  arrogance  on 
 your  part ;  but  it  is  faith.  To  make  mention  of  the  grace,  which 
 you  have  received,  is  not  pride,  but  true  devotion.  S.  John 
 XX.  17  ;  Eom.  viii.  15.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 This  little  word,  "  Father,^''  outwardly  uttered  from  the  dictate 
 of  the  heart,  formaliter  dicta  in  corde,  exceeds  the  eloquence  of 
 Demosthenes,  Cicero,  and  of  all  the  most  famous  orators  in 
 the  world.     (S.  Augustine  says  the  same  of  xi.  28.)     Luther. 
 
 He  did  not  bid  us  say,  My  Fatheb.,  but  Our  Father  ;  that,  being 
 taught  we  have  a  common  Father,  we  might  show  a  brotherly 
 good- will  one  toward  another The  mention  of  heaven  with- 
 draws him,  that  prays,  from  earth,  and  fastens  him  to  the  places 
 on  high  and  to  the  mansions  above.  Col.  iii.  1 — 4.    S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Every  man,  when  he  says  his  Pater  Noster,  is,  as  it  is  said  of 
 General  Councils,  a  kind  of  representative  Church  ;  for  he  prays 
 in  persona  Ecclesice ;  nor  can  one  pray  for  himself,  but  he  must 
 pray  for  the  others  also.  Though  the  Church  be  scattered  in  its 
 members  throughout  all  the  parts  of  the  world,  yet,  as  our  eyes 
 meet  every  day  in  looking  upon  the  same  sun,  and  every  night 
 upon  the  same  moon  and  stars,  so  our  hearts  meet  in  the  same 
 God,  even  in  Our  Father ;  and  our  prayers  are  sent  up  for  the 
 Church,  and  the  Church's  for  every  man.  1  S.  Pet.  i.  17.  Far- 
 indon.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Non  servatur  unitas  in  credendo,  nisi  eadem  adsit  in  colendo. — There 
 will  no  Unity  be  kept  in  believing,  except  it  be  entertained  in 
 worshipping.  S.  Matt,  xviii.  19 ;  Acts  ii.  1,  and  iii.  1.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (On  Church  Controversies.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  9—11.  107 
 
 Our. — Si  pro  te  solo  oras,  pro  te  sohts  oras.  If  thou  prayest  for 
 thyself  alone,  thou  alone  prayest  for  thyself.  (See  at  S.  John 
 xvii.  20.     Bp.  Lake.)  Heb.  x.  25.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 You  ask,  that  what  was  ever  holy  may  be  Hallowed  in  thee.  1  S. 
 Pet,  iii.  15.     »S.  Augustine. 
 
 He,  who  hath  elsewhere  taught  ua,  that  "the /ear  of  the  Loed  is 
 the  beginning  of  wisdom,"  hath,  in  like  manner,  instructed  us 
 frst  to  pray,  Hallowed  be  Thy  Name  !  Ps.  ix.  20,  and  xxxiv. 
 11.     Bp.  Medley. 
 
 10  Thy  kingdom  come.     Thy  will  be  done  in  earth, 
 as  it  is  in  heaven. 
 
 10  The  old  Tabernacle  was  still  standing,  because  our  High  Priest 
 was  not  yet  entered  into  the  true  Sanctuary ;  and  therefore  in 
 crepusculo  Evangelii,  in  this  dawning  of  the  Gospel,  when  the 
 Sun  of  Righteousness  had  not  yet  climbed  up  to  the  proper 
 horizon  of  the  Church,  in  this  interstitium,  this  interposition  of 
 John  preaching,  (who  was,  as  Nazianzen  calls  him,  placed  in 
 the  middle  between  the  Law  and  the  Gospel,)  this  petition.  Thy 
 Kingdom  come,  was  most  fit  and  opportune  to  be  offered ;  fitting 
 the  time,  and  opportune  for  the  persons,  who  would  be  disciples 
 of  the  kingdom,     xi.  12,  13  ;  S.  Luke  xvi.  16.     Farindon. 
 
 "  The  Will  of  God,"  which  we  pray  "  may  be  done,"  is  that,  which 
 Chbist  both  did  and  taught ;  meekness  in  our  conversation, 
 firmness  in  our  faith,  modesty  in  our  speech,  uprightness  in  our 
 actions,  mercy  in  our  deeds,  strictness  in  our  deportment.  Rom. 
 xii. ;  1  Thess.  v.     S.  Cyptrian. 
 
 If  Moses'  art,  speaking  of  Gob's  power,  (Gen.  i.  3,)  did  seem  so 
 wonderful  to  that  heathen  orator  (Longinus,)  what  art  then 
 may  a  Christian  observe  in  those  words  of  our  Saviour,  "  Thy 
 will  be  done  r^  which  to  speak  to  any  thus,  but  to  God,  were 
 utterly  unlawful  ?     Farindon.     (Serm.  S.  Matt,  vi.  10.) 
 
 1 1  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. 
 
 11  Let  your  prayer  for  temporal  blessings  be  strictly  limited  to 
 
 things  absolutely  necessary.     1  Tim.  vi.  8 — 10.     iS.  Bernard. 
 How  can  we  reconcile  the  words,  Give  us  ours  ?    How  can  it  be 
 
108  S.  MATTHEW  VI.   II,  12. 
 
 ours  ?  How  can  it  be  give  ?  By  ackuowledging  it  to  be  thine, 
 you  will  not  be  ungrateful ;  by  asking  it  of  Him,  you  will  not  be 
 destitute.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 By  saying  Give  us,  we  acknowledge  it  to  be  of  God  ;  but,  wben 
 we  call  it  otirs,  we  show  how  God  gives  it ;  namely,  in  the  use 
 of  means.  For  bread  is  ours,  not  only  in  the  right  of  the  pro- 
 mise, "  I  will  not  fail  thee  nor  forsake  thee,"  but  by  service  and 
 by  quiet  working  in  an  orderly  calling.  2  Thess.  iii.  11,  12. 
 S.  John  vi.  27.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Serm.  Eom.  vii.  14.) 
 
 Thou,  0  God,  which  takest  care  of  our  souls,  do  not  despise  our 
 bodies,  which  Thou  hast  made,  and  sanctified,  and  designed  to  be 
 glorious.  Clothe  us  with  fitting  provisions,  according  to  that 
 state  and  condition,  wherein  Thou  hast  placed  Thy  servants;  that 
 we  may  not  be  tempted  with  want,  nor  made  contemptible  by 
 beggary,  nor  wanton  or  proud  by  riches,  nor  in  love  with  any 
 thing  in  this  world ;  but  that  we  may  use  it,  as  strangers  and 
 pilgrims,  as  the  relief  of  our  needs,  the  support  of  our  infirmities, 
 and  the  oil  of  our  lamps ;  feeding  us,  till  we  are  quite  spent  in 
 Thy  service.  Loed,  take  from  Thy  servants  sad  carefulness  and 
 all  distrust,  and  give  us  only  such  a  proportion  of  temporal  things, 
 as  may  enable  us  with  comfort  to  do  our  duty.  1  Tim.  vi.  6 — 11 ; 
 Phil.  iv.  10—14.     Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (The  Golden  Grove.) 
 
 12  And  forgive  us   our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our 
 debtors. 
 
 12  It  was  not  for  nothing  that  our  Satioue  yokes  these  two  peti- 
 tions together.  Give  us  this  day,  &c.,  and  Forgive  us  our  trespasses. 
 Surely,  methinks.  He  teaches  us,  that  so  long  as  we  have  need 
 to  say.  Give,  so  long  we  have  need  to  say,  Forgive ;  and  that 
 daily  repentance  is  as  necessary  for  the  soul,  as  daily  sustenance 
 for  the  body.  S.  James  iii.  2  ;  Gal.  v.  17.  Jer.  Dyke.  (Ep. 
 Dedic.  to  a  treatise  on  Eepentance,  by  his  brother,  Dan.  Dyke, 
 B.D.) 
 
 What  will  our  bodily  food  avail  us,  si  illis  reputamur  re  vera  quasi 
 taurus  ad  victimam,  if  by  it  we  be  accounted  as  oxen,  fattened 
 for  the  slaughter  ?  S.  Matt.  iv.  4.  Tertullian.  (De  oratioue, 
 §7.) 
 
 The  worst  of  men  do  not  so  much  need  our  forgiveness,  as  the  best 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  12,  13.  109 
 
 of  men  need  the  forgiveness  of  God.  xviii.  24,  28.  Dr.  Which- 
 cote.  (Aphor,  cent.  xii.  1102.) 
 
 Conceive  a  revengeful  unforgiving  man  repeating  this  prayer, 
 which  you  all,  I  hope,  repeat  daily  ;  conceive  a  man,  vpith  a  heart 
 full  of  wrath  against  his  neighbour,  with  a  memory,  which  trea- 
 sures up  little  wrongs,  and  insults,  and  provocations,  he  fancies 
 himself  to  have  received  from  that  neighbour — conceive  such  a 
 man  praying  to  God  most  High,  to  forgive  him  his  trespasses,  as 
 
 he  forgives  the  man,  who  has  trespassed  against  him But  he 
 
 does  not  forgive  his  neighbour ;  so  he  prays  to  God  not  to  forgive 
 him.  God  grant  that  his  prayer  may  not  be  heard !  For  he  is 
 praying  a  curse  on  his  own  head  !  Isa.  i.  15,  and  lix.  1 — 4.  A. 
 W.  Hare.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 I  beseech  you,  look  into  your  lease  ;  look  into  your  covenant,  that 
 conveyance,  by  which  bliss  and  immortality  are  made  over  to  you  ; 
 and  you  shall  find  that  you  hold  all  by  this.  You  hold  it  from 
 the  King  of  Kings,  and  your  quit-rent,  your  acknowledgment  for 
 His  great  mercy,  is  your  mercy  to  others.  Pay  it  down  ;  or  you 
 have  made  a  forfeiture  of  all.  S.  James  ii.  13.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 Micah  vi.  8,  p.  5.) 
 
 13  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us 
 from  evil  :  For  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power, 
 and  the  glory,  for  ever.     Amen. 
 
 13  After  we  have  received  the  most  especial  manifestations  from 
 God's  love  and  favour  in  Christ,  then  may  we  expect  to  be  as- 
 saulted by  the  devil.  From  the  connexion  between  those  two 
 petitions,  Forgive  us  our  trespasses,  and  Lead  us  not  into  temp- 
 tation, note  that,  no  sooner  can  we  get  the  evidence  of  our  par- 
 don, but  we  may  expect  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil,  iii.  17  ; 
 iv.  1 ;  xvi.  18,  20  ;  xxvi.  31.     Chr.  Love.  (Serm.  2  Tim.  ii.  1.) 
 
 Power  against  us  is  granted  to  Satan  in  two  ways :  either  for  our 
 punishment,  when  we  yield  to  temptation ;  or,  to  our  glory,  when 
 we  stand  the  test.     xiii.  19  ;  S.  James  i.  12 — 15.     S.  Cyprian. 
 
 Satan  hath  three  titles  given  him  in  Scripture  setting  forth  his 
 malignity  against  the  Church  of  God  :  a  dragon,  to  note  his 
 malice ;  a  serpent,  to  note  his  subtlety  ;  and  a  lion,  to  note  his 
 
110  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  13, 
 
 strength  :  but  none  of  all  them  can  stand  before  prayer.  The 
 greatest  malice,  the  malice  of  Haraan,  sinks  under  the  prayer  of 
 Esther;  (Esth.  iv.  1 — 3;)  the  deepest  policy,  the  counsel  of 
 Ahithophel,  withers  before  the  prayer  of  David  (2  Sam.  xv.  31)  ; 
 the  hugest  army,  a  host  of  a  thousand  thousand  Ethiopians,  run 
 away,  like  cowards,  before  the  prayer  of  Asa.  2  Chron.  xiv.  11 ; 
 Acts  iv.  29  ;  xii.  5  ;  xvi.  25.  Bp.  Reynolds.  (Serm.  Hos.  xiv.  2.) 
 
 Evil  is  of  two  sorts  :  the  evil  of  fault  and  the  evil  of  punishment, 
 malum  delicti  and  malum  supplicii,  as  TertuUian  calleth  them  ; 
 or,  as  the  more  received  terms  are,  malum  cidpce,  malum  poems ; 
 the  evil  we  commit  against  God,  and  the  evil  God  inflicteth 
 upon  us ;  the  evil  we  do,  unjustly  but  yet  willingly,  and  the 
 evil  we  suffer  unwillingly,  but  yet  justly :  in  a  word,  the  evil  of 
 sin  and  the  evil  of  pain.     Bp.  Sanderson.  (Serm.  E/om.  iii.  8.) 
 
 Thine  is  the  Kingdom. — Had  we  no  other  proofs,  the  Loed's  Prayer 
 alone  would  be  sufficient  to  defend  the  doctrine  of  the  Grace  of 
 God  ;  because  in  that  prayer  nothing  is  ascribed  to  ourselves,  as 
 being  in  our  power,  but  every  blessing  is  sought  at  the  hands  of 
 God.  Eom.  xi.  35,  36 ;  S.  James  i.  16, 17.  S.  Augustine.  (On 
 perseverance.) 
 
 Amen. — Blessed  Loed,  therefore  be  it,  according  to  these  our  pe- 
 titions and  desires ;  and  so  much  the  rather,  because  these  our 
 requests  are  not  the  product  of  our  imaginations  and  weak  judg- 
 ments ;  but  that  Son  of  Thine,  who  best  knew  Thy  will,  and 
 what  Thou  wouldst  grant,  hath  taught  us  thus  to  pray.  Judg. 
 xiii.  23  ;  1  Chron.  xvii.  25.  Sir  M.  Hale.  (Paraphrase  of  Loed's 
 Prayer.) 
 
 I  adore  and  love  thee,  0  Jesu,  who  by  concluding  this  prayer  in 
 this  manner,  hast  taught  us  that  the  right  end  of  our  prayers 
 should  be  the  Glory  of  God  ;  that  we  should  ever  be  careful  to 
 mix  praise  with  our  prayers,  and  be  as  zealous  to  give  thanks 
 for  what  we  receive,  as  to  pray  for  what  we  want.  Phil.  iv.  6 ; 
 Ps.  1.  23  ;  Dan.  vi.  10.  Bp.  Ken.  (Expos,  of  the  Church  Cate- 
 chism.) 
 
 The  Eabbins  enjoined  the  saying  Amen  after  every  little  prayer,  as 
 a  thing  pleasing  to  God  and  profitable  to  men  ;  comparing  it  to 
 setting  our  name  to  an  Epistle,  written  in  another's  hand,  which 
 then  becomes  our's,  when  we  sign  it.    The  same  Doctors  in  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  13. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Talmud  also  reprove  three  sorts  of  Amen:  1.  pupillum ;  when, 
 like  children,  they  speak  it  to  that  they  understand  not.  2. 
 Surreptitium ;  when  by  carelessness  they  say  it  before  the 
 prayer  be  done.  3.  Sectile  ;  when  by  sleepiness  and  yawning 
 they  cut  it  in  two  parts.  By  all  which  it  appears  they  would 
 have  it  pronounced  zealously  and  reverently  by  all  the  people. 
 Dean  Comber,     (Companion  to  the  Temple,  Part  i.  S.  3.) 
 
 My  brethren.  Amen  is  your  subscription ;  it  is  your  consent ;  it  is 
 your  stipulation.     Deut.  xzvii.  15  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  16.    S.  Augustine. 
 
 Amen  teaches  us  to  pray  with  fervent  zeal  and  affection.  It  is  a 
 wing  to  our  prayers.  It  is  the  bow,  that  shoots  them  up  to 
 heaven.     Bp.  Hopkins.  (Expos,  of  the  Lord's  Prayer.) 
 
 The  Christians  echo  out  the  Amen,  like  a  thunderclap,  xviii.  19. 
 Ps.  cvi.  46.     S.  Jerome.  (In  2  Prooem.  in  Gal.) 
 
 At  the  last  acclamations  of  their  prayers,  they  raised  themselves 
 upon  their  tip-toes,  as  if  they  desired,  that  the  word  Amen  should 
 carry  up  their  bodies,  as  well  as  their  souls,  to  heaven,  xi.  21 ; 
 Kom.  viii.  23.     S.  Clem.  Alex.     (Stromat.  L.  7.) 
 
 Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven  :*  One  God,  the  Fatheb  Al- 
 mighty, One  LoED  Jesus  Christ,  One  Holt  Ghost,  proceed- 
 ing from  the  Eathee  and  the  Son  ;  have  mercy  upon  us.  Thy 
 children,  make  us  all  One  in  Thee.  Hallowed  be  Thy  Name  : 
 Thou,  who  art  One  Lord,  and  Thy  Name  One,  have  mercy 
 upon  us  all,  who  are  called  by  Thy  Name,  and  make  us  more 
 and  more  One  in  Thee.  Thy  kingdom  come :  O,  King  of 
 Righteousness  and  Peace,  gather  us  more  and  more  into  Thy 
 kingdom,  and  make  us  both  visibly  and  invisibly  One  in  Thee. 
 Thy  will  be  done  in  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven  :  Thou,  who  hast  de- 
 clared unto  us  the  mystery  of  Thy  will,  to  "  gather  together  in 
 
 preface  of  Mr.  Keble's  recent  volume  of 
 Sermons.  While,  therefore,  he  reserves 
 the  Paraphrase  of  Ludolphus  to  be  in- 
 serted at  the  parallel  place  in  S.  Luke, 
 he  would  commend  Mr.  Keble's  sug- 
 gestion ;  which  is,  that  "  Christians,  of 
 whatever  section  of  the  Church,  should, 
 at  one  time  or  another  in  their  daily  de- 
 votions, offer  up  our  Lord's  Prayer,  as 
 a  prayer  in  special  for  Church  Union." 
 
 *  It  was  the  intention  of  the  author 
 to  have  introduced  here,  at  full  length, 
 the  beautiful  Paraphrase  of  the  Lord's 
 Prayer,  composed  by  Ludolphus  of 
 Saxony,  and  given  by  him,  in  his  "  Life 
 of  Christ;"  but  a  Paraphrase,  most 
 happily  conceived,  and  eminently  suit- 
 ed to  the  state  of  the  Church  in  these 
 days  of  controversy  and  trouble,  has 
 just  been  brought  to  his  notice  in  the 
 
112  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  14. 
 
 One  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which 
 are  on  earth  ;"  conform  us,  O  Lord,  to  that  holy  will  of  Thine, 
 and  make  us  all  One  in  Thee.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread : 
 Thou,  in  whom  we,  being  many,  are  One  Bread  and  One  Body, 
 grant  that  we,  being  all  partakers  of  that  One  Bread,  may  day 
 by  day  be  more  and  more  One  in  Thee.  And  forgive  us  our  tres- 
 passes, as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us :  Thou,  who 
 didst  say,  Father,  forgive  them,  for  those,  who  were  rending  Thy 
 Blessed  Body,  forgive  us  the  many  things  we  have  done  to  mar 
 the  Unity  of  Thy  Mystical  Body,  and  make  us,  forgiving  and 
 loving  one  another,  to  be  more  and  more  One  in  Thee.  And 
 lead  us  not  into  temptation  :  As  Thou  didst  enable  Thine 
 Apostles  to  continue  with  Thee  in  Thy  temptations,  so  enable 
 us  by  Thy  grace  to  abide  with  Thee  in  Thy  true  Church,  under 
 all  trials,  visible  and  invisible,  nor  ever  to  cease  from  being  One 
 in  Thee.  But  deliver  us  from  evil :  from  the  enemy  and  false 
 accuser,  from  envy  and  grudging,  from  an  unquiet  and  discon- 
 tented spirit,  from  heresy  and  schism,  from  strife  and  debate, 
 from  a  scornful  temper  and  reliance  on  our  own  understanding, 
 from  offence  given  or  taken,  and  from  whatever  might  disturb 
 Thy  Church  and  cause  it  to  be  less  One  in  Thee  ;  good  Lord, 
 deliver  and  preserve  Thy  servants  for  ever !  S.  John  xvii.  20 
 — 23.     Keble.     (Preface  to  Sermons.) 
 
 14  For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  trespasses,  your  hea- 
 venly Father  will  also  forgive  you  : 
 
 15  But  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
 will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses. 
 
 14  We  should  not  overlook  that  in  all  the  petitions,  enjoined  by 
 our  Lord,  He  judgeth  that  most  worthy  of  further  enforcement, 
 which  relates  to  the  forgiveness  of  sins;  in  which  He  would 
 have  us  merciful,  as  the  only  means  of  our  obtaining  mercy,  v. 
 7  ;  xviii.  35.  S.  Augustine. 
 This  is  our  covenant  with  God,  a  settled  covenant  and  condition 
 ^  between  us.  *'  You,"  He  says,  "  are  in  My  debt,  because  you 
 have  sinned  against  Me;    and   you  in  your  turn  have  your 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  15,  16.  113 
 
 brother  a  debtor  to  you ;  because  he  has  sinned  against  you. 
 Well ;  as  you  act  towards  your  debtor,  so  I  act  towards  Mine : 
 that  is,  if  you  release  him,  tlien  I  release  you  ;  if  you  detain  him, 
 then  I  detain  you.  Tu  contra  te  tenes,  quod  alteri  non  dimittis. 
 When  you  refuse  to  release  another,  you  refuse  to  release  your 
 own  self.     2  Sam.  xxii.  26 ;  S.  James  ii.  13.    S.  Augxistine. 
 
 15  A  forgiving  spirit  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  ever  we  liope  for 
 pardon  of  our  own  sins,  as  ever  we  hope  for  peace  of  mind  in 
 our  dying  moments,  or  for  the  Divine  mercy  at  that  Day,  when 
 we  shall  most  stand  in  need  of  it.  S.  James  ii.  13.  Bp.  Butler. 
 (Serm.  ii.  on  text.) 
 
 If  the  feeling  of  anger  cannot  be  prevented,  it  is  to  be  sorrowed  ; 
 but,  ratio  ircB,  the  measure  or  impostume  of  the  anger,  must  be 
 met  with.  The  Christian  will  now  and  then  be  angry  ;  but  he 
 must  not  requiescere  in  ird,  sleep  in  anger ;  Ne  occidet  sol,  let 
 not  the  Sun  go  down  upon  your  wrath  (Eph.  iv.  26)  ;  and  the 
 reason  is,  because  we  must  then  offer  an  evening  Sacrifice :  S. 
 Mark  ii.  25.  Before  we  open  our  mouth  to  pray,  we  must  for- 
 give. 1  Tim.  ii.  8.  Bp.  Andrewes.  (The  Moral  Law  expounded. 
 vi.  Commandment.) 
 
 1 6  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  I  say 
 unto  you,  They  have  their  reward. 
 
 16  There  be  three  ends,  whereunto  if  our  fast  be  directed,  it  is  then 
 a  work  profitable  to  us  and  accepted  of  God.  The  first  is  to 
 tame  the  flesh,  that  it  be  not  too  wanton,  but  tamed  and  brought 
 into  subjection  to  the  Spirit.  (1  Cor.  ix.  27.)  The  second  is, 
 that  the  spirit  may  be  more  fervent  and  earnest  in  prayer.  (Acts 
 xiii.  2,  and  xiv.  23.)  The  third,  that  our  fast  be  a  testimony  and 
 witness  with  us,  before  God,  of  our  humble  submission  to  His 
 High  Majesty,  when  we  confess  our  sins.  .  .  .  These  are  the 
 three  ends,  or  right  uses  of  fasting :  the  first  belongeth  most 
 properly  to  private  fasts  ;  the  other  two  are  common  as  well  to 
 public,  as  to  private.  Homilies  of  the  Church.  (Of  Fasting, 
 p.  i.) 
 
 1 
 
114  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  16,  17. 
 
 The  Pharisee  was  the  devil's  beloved  disciple,  when  he  was  on  his 
 knees  with  a  disfigured  face.  Farindon.  (Serm.  Micah  vi.  8, 
 p.  i.) 
 
 Fools  !  who  to  persuade  men  that  Angels  lodged  in  their  hearts, 
 hung  out  a  devil  for  a  sign  in  their  faces.  T.  Fuller.  (The  Holy 
 State,  iii.) 
 
 It  was  their  sin  to  make  a  parade  of  fasting ;  it  is  our's,  perhaps, 
 to  be  ashamed  of  it.  ix.  14.  Keyworth.  (Daily  Expos,  of  the 
 N.  Test.,  in  loco.) 
 
 By  all  means  be  cheerful  before  company,  that  you  may  not 
 bring  an  ill  report  upon  the  pleasant  land  of  promise,  like  the 
 murmuring  spies ;  but  take  a  special  complacency  in  seeing 
 others  cheerful,  as  well  as  yourself.  It  was  recorded,  as  a  say- 
 ing of  our  Savioue,  in  the  interpolated  Gospel,  according  to 
 the  Nazarenes,  Nunquam  Iceti  sitis,  nisi  cum  fratres  in  charitate 
 videritis.  And  do  not  willingly  give  offence  to  any,  but 
 where  justice  and  their  own  greater  interest  require  it ;  and 
 even  then,  take  care  that  this  offence  rather  be  at  their  own 
 guilt,  than  your  way  of  admonition ;  at  least,  beware  that  they 
 have  no  just  reason  to  do  so.  But  especially  take  care  to  behave 
 yourself  cheerfully  in  your  exercises  of  austerity ;  that  they  may 
 understand  there  are  indeed  other  joys,  besides  those  of  sense, 
 and  that  they  are  chiefly  then  to  be  expected,  when  the  mind  is 
 freest  from  worldly  solaces.  Numb,  xiii.,  xiv.  H.  Dodwell. 
 (Two  letters  of  advice  to  candidates  for  Orders,  1.) 
 
 A  good  God,  and  a  good  conscience,  and  the  consciousness  of 
 being  at  peace  with  both,  furnish  a  perpetual  feast ;  and  it  well 
 becomes  a  wise  man  to  be  merry  at  it.  2  Cor.  i.  12.  Bennet. 
 (Sacred  oratory.) 
 
 17  But  thou,  when  thou  fastest,  anoint  thine  head, 
 and  wash  thy  face  ; 
 
 18  That  thou  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  unto 
 thy  Father  which  is  in  secret :  and  thy  Father, 
 which  seeth  in  secret,  shall  reward  thee  openly. 
 
 17  Anoint  thine  head,  ^c.  Ps.  civ.  15. — Plaisance,  and  joy,  and  a 
 lively   spirit,   and  a  pleasant   conversation,  and   the  innocent 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  17,  18.  115 
 
 caresses  of  a  charitable  humanity,  is  not  forbidden  ;  plenum 
 tamen  suavitatis  et  gratice  sermonem  non  esse  indecorum,  S.  Am- 
 brose affirmed.  Our  conversation  ought  to  be  as  far  from  sul- 
 lenness,  as  it  is  from  lightness ;  and  a  cheerful  spirit  is  the  best 
 convoy  for  religion.  Nehem.  ii.  1 ;  Prov.  xv.  26  ;  xvi.  24.  Bp. 
 J.  Taylor. 
 
 A  natural,  free,  ingenuous,  and  noble  piety,  which  does  not  con- 
 sist in  phrases,  and  tone,  and  melancholy  censure.     Bonnell. 
 
 The  old  hermit,  Palladius,  having  five  hundred  scholars,  used  never 
 to  dismiss  them,  without  this  admonition :  "  My  friends,  be 
 cheerful ;  forget  not,  I  beseech  you,  to  be  cheerful,"  This  was 
 the  constant  lecture,  he  repeated,  as  often  as  S.  John  was  wont 
 to  do  these  words,  "  My  little  children,  love  one  another."  Ps. 
 xxxii.  12  ;  Ixviii,  3  ;  cxlix.  5  ;  Phil,  iv.  4 — 7.  Scougal.  (Serm. 
 Ps.  ii.  11.) 
 
 18  If  we  take  so  great  pains  to  conceal  our  vices,  lest  we  should 
 forfeit  by  their  exposure  the  praise  of  man,  with  how  much 
 greater  care  should  we  hide  our  virtues,  lest  we  should  lose  the 
 Glory  of  Heaven  ?     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Shall  reward  thee. — As  our  Loed  in  this  discourse  was  instructing 
 His  disciples  in  the  principal  duties  of  the  Christian  life,  it  is 
 not  to  be  supposed  He  would  have  vcxeniioviedi  fasting,  unless  He 
 intended  that  it  should  be  looked  upon,  as  a  Christian  duty. 
 'Tis  remarkable  moreover  in  this  Scripture  that  the  duty  of 
 fasting,  if  performed  as  He  prescribed,  woiild  be  accepted  of 
 God  and  openly  rewarded  by  Him.  This  is  also  an  evidence 
 that  it  is  Christian  duty,  that  it  has  the  very  same  promise  made 
 to  the  regular  practice  of  it,  as  there  is  to  giving  of  alms  and  to 
 prayer.  Ca^'d.  Bellarmine.  (On  the  Art  of  Dying  well.  B.  i. 
 Ch.  7.) 
 
 In  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  future  reward  is  everywhere  promised 
 and  propounded,  as  a  motive  to  excite  and  stir  us  up  to  good 
 works  ....  Now  what  an  unreasonable  conceit  is  it  to  think 
 that,  when  a  reward  is  promised,  as  an  encouragement  to  work, 
 it  should  be  a  fault  and  sin  to  work  with  an  eye  or  respect  to 
 the  reward.  It  is  so  far  from  being  sinful,  that  we  sin,  if  we  do 
 not  so ;  yea,  if  we  do  not  fix  our  eye  upon  the  heavenly  reward 
 and  employ  our  chief  studies,  cares,  and  desires  about  the  ob- 
 
 i2 
 
116  .  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  18,  19. 
 
 taining  of  it.  For,  unless  we  do  this,  we  transgress  the  plain 
 Commandment  of  God,  who  alone  hath  power  to  determine 
 what  we  ought  to  do,  and  who  best  knows  what  is  fittest  for  us 
 to  do.  1  Cor.  ix.  24—27  ;  Heb.  xii.  1,  2 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  7,  8.  Bp. 
 Bull.     (Serm.  on  Heb.  xi.  26.) 
 
 O  !  Nazarene,  Lux  Bethlem,  Verbum  Patris, 
 
 Quern  partus  alvi  virginalis  protulit, 
 
 Adesto  castis,  Christe,  parsimoniis  ; 
 
 Festumque  nostrum  Eex  serenus  adspice, 
 
 Jejuniorum  dum  litamus  victimam  .... 
 
 Hinc  subjugatur  luxus,  et  turpis  gula  ; 
 Vini  atque  somni  degener  socordia. 
 Libido  sordens,  irreverecundus  lepos, 
 Vanaeque  pestes  languidorum  sensuum 
 Parcam  subactae  disciplinam  sentiunt. 
 
 Prudentius.     (Cathemerinon,  Hymn.  7.) 
 
 19  Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth, 
 where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves 
 break  through  and  steal : 
 
 20  But  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in  heaven, 
 where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where 
 thieves  do  not  break  through  nor  steal : 
 
 2 1  For  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart 
 be  also. 
 
 9  Love  to  the  earth,  in  preference  to  Heaven,  is  the  great  ruling 
 passion  of  the  human  mind.  Jer.  ii.  13 ;  Col.  iii.  2.  Bp. 
 Medley. 
 
 Where  rust  and  moth,  ^c. — The  Holt  Ghost,  to  prevent  mischief 
 by  these  outward  things,  gives  a  dangerous  report  of  them,  call- 
 ing them  "  vanity,"  "  unrighteousness,"  "  mammon,"  "  uncertain 
 riches,"  "thorns,"  yea,  "nothing;"  because,  though  they  be 
 not  so  in  themselves,  yet,  our  imagination  overvaluing  them, 
 they  prove  so  to  us  upon  trial,     ix.  8.     Dr.  Sibbes. 
 
 It  is  to  a  Christian  consideration  one  of  God's  greatest  mercies. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  20.  117 
 
 * 
 
 that  this  world  is  full  of  troubles :  for,  if  we  so  much  court  her, 
 now  she  is  foul,  what  should  we  do,  if  she  were  beautiful  ?  If 
 we  take  such  pains  to  gather  thorns  and  thistles,  what  should 
 we  do  for  figs  and  grapes  ?    Lord  Capel.    (Contemplations,  127.) 
 
 20  We  are  to  consider,  that,  albeit  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  are  simply 
 evil,  yet  the  affections,  wherein  they  are  always  seated,  are  in 
 their  nature  neither  simply  good  nor  simply  evil ;  but  of  an 
 indefinite  or  indifierent  temper  between  moral  goodness,  and 
 that,  which  is  morally  evil  ....  The  flesh  or  deeds  of  the 
 body  must  be  mortified  ;  but  this  mortification  must  be  wrought, 
 not  by  mortifying  or  destroying,  but  first  by  purifying,  then 
 by  quickening  or  reviving  the  natural  aff'ection,  wherewith  the 
 lusts  of  the  flesh  do  mingle,  as  mire  or  filth  does  with  water, 
 that  falls  into  it,  or  as  bad  humours  do  with  the  blood  .... 
 "Wherein  then  doth  covetousness  consist  ?  Not  simply  in  the 
 desire  of  riches,  but  in  the  excessive  desire  of  such  riches,  as 
 perish,  or  of  such  other  means  and  necessaries  of  life,  as  are 
 less  worth,  than  life  itself  The  affection,  or  desire  of  riches,  is 
 not  to  be  quelled,  but  to  be  diverted  from  its  muddy  channel 
 by  the  spirit  of  mortification.  The  Spirit  of  Life  doth  draw, 
 or  conduct  our  desires  that  way,  which  the  Lord  of  Life  com- 
 mands them  to  take ;  that  is,  to  seek  after  riches,  but  after 
 riches  of  another  kind.  S.  Luke  xvi.  8,  9.  (The  distinction 
 here  to  be  observed  is  further  shown,  in  regard  to  other  affec- 
 tions and  lusts  of  the  flesh,  by  reference  to  S.  Luke  vii.  38  ; 
 S.  John  V.  44 ;  Eph.  v.  18.)  (See  note  Illus.  S.  John,  v.  44.) 
 Dr.  Jackson.     (Treatise  on  the  Essence  of  God,  &c.  B.  x.  c.  35.) 
 
 Can  any  man  be  contented  with  a  less  degree  of  happiness,  who 
 knows  there  is  a  greater  ?  This  is  stupidity  and  baseness  of 
 spirit,  an  ignoble  mind,  which  is  not  capable  of  great  hopes. 
 Ambition  and  covetousness  are  indeed  ill  names ;  but  yet  they 
 are  symptoms  of  a  great  and  generous  soul,  and  are  excellent 
 virtues,  when  directed  to  the  right  objects,  that  is,  to  such  ob- 
 jects, as  are  truly  great  and  excellent ;  for  it  is  only  the  mean- 
 ness of  the  object,  which  makes  them  vices.  To  be  ambitious 
 of  true  Honour,  of  the  true  glory  and  perfection  of  our  natures, 
 is  the  very  principle  and  incentive  of  virtue.  To  be  covetous  of 
 true  and  real  Happiness,  to  set  no  bounds  nor  measures  to  our 
 
118  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  20,  21. 
 
 desire  or  pursuit  of  it,  is  true  greatness  of  mind,  which  will  take 
 up  with  nothing  on  this  side  perfection  ....  Let  us  endeavour 
 to  inform  ourselves  what  the  Happiness  of  the  next  world  is, 
 and  how  we  may  attain  it.  And  let  us  use  all  present  things, 
 as  those,  who  know  there  are  infinitely  greater  and  better  things, 
 reserved  for  us  in  the  next  world.  1  Cor.  ix.  24 — 26 ;  Heb.  xi. 
 25,  26.     Dean  Sherlock.     (On  Death,  §  1.) 
 
 I  say  not,  "This  treasure  perishes  not;"  but  rather,  "this  is  the 
 only  thing,  which  does  not  perish."  1  S,  Pet.  i.  24,  25 ;  IS. 
 John  ii.  15 — 17.     iS.  Augustine. 
 
 Heaven  is  the  universal  measure  of  all  things  here  below,  and  they 
 assume  a  greater  or  less  value,  according  to  the  relation,  which 
 they  sustain  to  Heaven.  Riches  are  valuable,  if  they  may  be 
 laid  up  there  ;  honour  is  valuable,  if  it  may  be  continued  there ; 
 pleasure  is  valuable,  if  it  may  be  enjoyed  there.  Ecclus.  vii.  36 ; 
 2  Cor.  iv.  18.     Bp.  Medley.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 21  Where  your  pleasure  is,  there  is  your  treasure ;  where  your 
 treasure,  there  your  heart ;  where  your  heart,  there  your  hap- 
 piness. The  affections  are  like  steps.  Iter  tuum  voluntas  tua 
 est.  Your  will  is  to  you  a  kind  of  journey.  By  loving  God, 
 you  ascend ;  by  neglecting  Him,  you  descend.  Though  you 
 stand  on  the  earth,  yet  are  you  in  heaven,  if  you  love  GrOD. 
 The  body,  to  be  elevated,  must  shift  its  place  ;  the  soul,  to  be 
 elevated,  changes  its  will.  S.  John  iii.  6  ;  iv.  14;  Rom.  viii.  5, 
 6 ;  Phil.  iii.  20.     S.  Augustine,     (in  Ps.  Ixiv.  64.) 
 
 There  was  never  soul,  that  made  Cheist  and  glory  the  principal 
 end,  nor  that  obtained  rest  with  God,  whose  desire  was  not  set 
 upon  Him  ;  and  that,  above  all  things  else  in  the  world  whatso- 
 ever. Cheist  brings  the  heart  to  heaven  first ;  and  then  the 
 person.     R.  Baxter.     (The  Saints'  Eest,  P.  i.  s.  11.) 
 
 O,  man !  what  have  you  to  do  with  earth,  who  pretend  to  be  of 
 Heavenly  extraction,  when  you  say,  "  Our  Fathee,  which  art 
 in  Heaven  ?"     Col.  iii.  1,  2.     Pet.  Chrysologus. 
 
 Quam  mihi  sordet  tellus  dum  ccelum  aspicio !  Oh,  the  vileness  of 
 this  earth,  when  I  look  above  to  Heaven !  Ps.  xiii.  Ignatius 
 Loyola. 
 
 22  The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye ;  if  therefore 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  22,  23,  119 
 
 thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of 
 light. 
 
 23  But  if  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy  whole  body  shall  be 
 full  of  darkness.  If  therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee 
 be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness  ! 
 
 22  The  light  of  the  body,  ^c. — A  great  part  of  wisdom  consists  iu 
 knowing  how  to  make  a  right  estimate  of  things.  2  Cor.  iv.  18. 
 C.  Howe. 
 
 All  our  actions  and  all  our  designs  must  take  such  different  direc- 
 tions, accordingly  as  we  cherish,  or  reject,  the  hope  of  Eter- 
 nity, that  it  is  impossible  to  act,  or  determine  rightly,  unless 
 we  regulate  our  conduct  and  decisions  by  a  continual  refer- 
 ence to  this  main  and  primary  question.  Pascal.  (Thoughts, 
 ch.  i.) 
 
 In  order  to  our  having  our  eye  single,  two  things  are  necessary ; 
 charity  in  our  intention,  and  uprightness  in  the  choice  of  the 
 means  we  employ,     x.  16.     <S.  Bernard. 
 
 23  I  think  we  may  safely  resolve  with  Bonaventura,  out  of  Austin 
 against  Pelagius,  Non  est  parum  accepisse  naturale  indicatorium  ; 
 "  'Tis  no  small  mercy  that  we  have  received  a  natural  glass,"  in 
 which  we  may  see  and  judge  of  objects,  before  we  venture  on 
 them  ;  a  power  of  distinguishing  good  from  evil,  which  even  the 
 malice  of  sin  and  passions  in  the  highest  degree  cannot  wholly 
 extinguish  in  us  ;  as  may  appear  from  Cain,  the  voice  of  whose 
 conscience  spake,  as  loud  within  him,  as  that  of  his  brother's 
 blood;  as  also  in  the  very  damned,  where  the  worm  of  sense 
 (not  penitence  for  what  they  have  done  in  the  flesh)  shall  for 
 ever  bite  and  gripe  them  hideously."  Dr.  Hammond.  (Serm. 
 i.  Eom.  i.  26.) 
 
 Sins  shut  up  the  soul,  as  darkness  shuts  up  the  eyes.  Isa.  xxv.  7. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  total  loss  of  reason  is  less  deplorable,  than  the  total  deprava- 
 tion of  it.     S.  John  ix.  41.     Cowley. 
 
 This  blindness,  like  the  covering  of  the  face,  or  tying  the  handker- 
 chief over  the  eyes,  is  in  order  to  their  turning  off  into  hell. 
 S.  Luke  xix.  42  ;  S.  John  xii.  35,  41 ;  2  Cor.  iv.  3,  4.     Flavel. 
 
120  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  24,  25. 
 
 24  No  man  can  serve  two  masters  :  for  either  he 
 will  hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other ;  or  else  he  will 
 hold  to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot 
 serve  God  and  Mammon. 
 
 25  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Take  no  thought  for 
 your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ; 
 nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not 
 the  life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body  than  raiment  ? 
 
 24  Royalty  will  admit  of  no  rivalry,  and,  least  of  all,  the  highest 
 and  best  of  all.    Abp.  Leighton.    (Comment.  1  S.  Peter  iv.  2,  3.) 
 
 A  soul,  immersed  in  sense  and  worldly  pleasure,  cannot  be  a  par- 
 taker of  true  spiritual  comfort.  The  Ark  and  Dagon  could  not 
 stand  upon  the  same  altar ;  nor  will  Cheist  submit  to  share 
 the  heart  with  Mammon.  God  sent  no  Manna,  till  the  pro- 
 vision of  Egypt  was  spent.  And  this  Heavenly  Manna  is  tied 
 to  the  same  rules  :  it  will  not  descend,  till  vain  cares  and  sinful 
 inclinations  are  sent  off  to  make  room  for  it.  Isa.  i.  16,  18  ; 
 1  Sam.  V.  i.  3  ;  S.  Mark  iv.  18,  19.  Parsons.  (Christian  Di- 
 rectory, P,  ii.  ch.  ii.  s.  4.) 
 
 25  I  was  sent  into  the  world  to  provide  for  my  soul.  Indeed,  God 
 hath  also  committed  to  me  the  care  of  my  body ;  but,  as  one 
 happily  expresses  it,  with  this  difference :  a  Master  commits 
 two  things  unto  a  servant — the  child  and  the  child's  clothes. 
 Will  the  Master  thank  the  servant,  if  he  plead,  "  I  have  kept 
 the  clothes,  but  I  have  neglected  the  life  of  the  child  ?"    Flavel. 
 
 Pew  take  care  to  live  well,  but  many  to  live  long ;  though  it  is  in 
 a  man's  power  to  do  the  former,  but  in  no  man's  power  to  do 
 the  latter.     Palmer.     (Aphorisms.) 
 
 What  ye  shall  put  on. — In  thy  apparel  avoid  singularity,  profuse- 
 ness,  and  gaudiness.  .  .  .  Decency  is  the  half-way  between 
 affectation  and  neglect.  The  body  is  the  shell  of  the  soul ;  ap- 
 parel is  the  husk  of  that  shell :  the  husk  often  tells  you  what 
 the  kernel  is.     F.  Quarles.     (Enchir,  Cent,  ii,  79.) 
 
 26  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air :  for  they  sow  not, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  26.  121 
 
 neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  yet  your 
 Heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much 
 better  than  they  ? 
 
 27  Which  of  you  by  taking  thought  can  add  one 
 cubit  unto  his  stature  ? 
 
 28  And  why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment  ?  Con- 
 sider the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil 
 not,  neither  do  they  spin  : 
 
 29  And  yet  I  say  unto  you,  That  even  Solomon  in 
 all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 
 
 30  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the 
 field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the 
 oven,  shall  He  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of 
 little  faith  ? 
 
 26  The  fowls  of  the  aii'. — Nothing  so  bigb,  that  is  above  His 
 command ;  nothing  so  low,  tliat  is  beneath  His  Providence. 
 X.  28—30.     Corbet.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  i.  27.) 
 
 Who  blusheth  not  to  hear  the  birds  every  morning,  how  sweetly 
 and  solemnly  they  sing  out  their  praise  unto  God,  and  is  so 
 dull  himself,  as  not  to  do  the  like  ?    Ps.  civ.  12,  24.   S.  Ambrose. 
 
 Are  ye  not,  c^e. — God  hath  more  communicated  Himself  to  man, 
 than  to  any  other  creature.  In  his  creation,  we  find  man  "  made 
 after  the  similitude  of  God  ;"  and,  in  his  restoration,  we  find 
 God  made  after  the  similitude  of  man,  and  man  once  again 
 after  the  similitude  of  God.  And  now  it  is  needless  to  search 
 out  the  worth  of  the  creature  ;  our  Savioue  will  decide  the 
 point;  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world, 
 and  lose  his  own  soul  ?"  Gen.  i.  27  ;  1  Tim.  iii.  16;  Eph.  iv. 
 24 ;  Col.  iii.  10.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Serm.  Eccl.  i.  14.) 
 
 Behold ;  consider. — These  creatures  would  be  almost  useless,  yn<«- 
 tra  ii  essent,  if  they  were  not  taken  notice  of     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 There  is  no  creature,  of  whom  we  may  not  learn  sometliing ;  every 
 herb,  flower,  spire  of  grass,  every  twig,  and  leaf,  every  worm, 
 and   fly,    every   scale   and   feather,  every   billow  and  meteor, 
 
122  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  26—30. 
 
 speaks  the  Power  and  "Wisdom  of  their  infinite  Creator.     Bp. 
 Hall. 
 
 I  think  that  one  little  flower,  gathered,  I  say  not  from  the  garden, 
 but  from  the  common  hedge-row,  non  sordidum  artificem  pronun- 
 ciavit  tibi  Creatorem,  hath  declared  the  Creator  to  be  a  work- 
 man of  no  mean  order.     Ps.  civ.  24.     Tertullian. 
 
 27  By  taking  thought. — A  flower,  or  fruit,  may  be  plucked  ofl" 
 before  the  time  of  their  maturity  ;  but  they  cannot  be  made  to 
 outgrow  the  fixed  period,  when  they  are  to  fade  and  drop  off 
 themselves.  The  hand  of  nature  then  plucks  them  off",  and  all 
 human  art  cannot  withhold  it.     Dr.  Richard  Bentley. 
 
 29  Christ  well  knew  how  Solomon  used  to  be  dressed.  S.  John 
 viii.  58.     Bengel. 
 
 The  reason  of  this  inferiority  Solon  formerly  gave  to  Croesus, 
 when  the  philosopher  preferred  to  all  his  magnificence  the 
 poultry,  the  pheasants,  and  tlie  peacocks ;  because,  he  said.  Hoc 
 quod  habent  naturd  habent ;  their  beauties  were  natural,  not 
 artificial.     Heinsius. 
 
 There  is  not  the  most  contemptible  thing,  which,  by  virtue  of  the 
 Almighty  Fiat  at  first  started  out  of  nothing,  that  will  not,  if 
 it  be  thoroughly  searched  and  followed,  at  length  bring  us  home 
 to  its  Eternal  Father  ;  as  "  of  Him,  and  from  Him,  and  through 
 Him,  so  to  Him  are  all  things  ;  to  whom  be  Glory  for  ever!" 
 A  light  and  superficial  knowledge  of  natural  things  may  indeed 
 consist  with  atheism  ;  but  a  deep  and  profound  search  into  them 
 brings  men  back  again  to  God,  and  necessarily  binds  them  over 
 to  Religion.  Solomon's  wisdom  stayed  not  in  the  creature, 
 though  he  perfectly  knew  so  great  variety  ;  but  did  from  them 
 only,  as  it  were,  take  its  rise,  and  mount  higher  than  the  cedars, 
 even  into  Heaven  itself :  and  there  only  could  find  its  rest,  from 
 whence  it  had  its  first  beginning,  like  the  "  spirit  of  man  re- 
 turning to  God,  who  gave  it."  Ps.  xix.  1 ;  civ.  1,  24 ;  Acts 
 xvii.  23,  24  ;  Eom.  i.  19,  20.     Bp.  Butler. 
 
 30  O !  vauas  hominum  curas,  et  inania  vota ! 
 
 Si  quis  et  assequitur  quidquid  anhelus  avet. 
 Non  mihi  sint  Eegum  vitse,  nee  funera  testes ; 
 
 Est  tua.  Rex  Salomon,  pagina  nota  satis. 
 Pierius  resouet  cantus,  famulatus  abundet 
 Promptus,  et  Assyrio  spiret  odore  domus  ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VI.  31—33.  123 
 
 Quid  regale  jubar,  vel  opum  quid  gloria  prodest  ? 
 
 Quid  populi  plausus  deliciseque  juvant  ? 
 Sunt  aurae  sonitus,  vel  opus,  quod  aranea  texit ; 
 
 Nectunt,  sint  quamvis  aurea,  vincla  manus. 
 Quid  decor  est  formse  ?  veluti  rosa  sera  superbit ; 
 
 Sole  oriente  oritur,  sole  cadente  cadit. 
 
 Card.  Barherini.     (Poemata.) 
 
 31  Therefore  take  no  thought,  saying,  What  shall 
 we  eat  ?  or,  What  shall  we  drink  ?  or,  Wherewithal 
 shall  we  be  clothed  ? 
 
 32  (For  after  all  these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek :) 
 for  your  Heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need 
 of  all  these  things. 
 
 33  But  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His 
 righteousness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added 
 unto  you. 
 
 34  Take  therefore  no  thought  for  the  morrow  :  for 
 the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself. 
 Sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof. 
 
 31  I  have  often  thought  it  a  great  blessing  to  mankind,  that  God 
 hath  concealed  future  events  from  us  ;  especially  such  things,  as 
 concern  our  own  condition.  But  it  is  to  no  purpose,  that  God 
 hath  done  this,  if  we  will  disquiet  ourselves  with  the  fears  and 
 anxieties  of  to-morrow,  without  knowing  what  they  will  be. 
 Gen.  xii.  10 — 14 ;  and  xlii.  36 — 38.     Dean  Sherlock. 
 
 32  It  is  not  so  much  general  notions  of  Providence,  which  are  our 
 best  support,  but  a  sense  of  the  personal  interest,  if  I  may  so 
 speak,  taken  in  our  welfare  by  Him,  who  died  and  rose  again. 
 X.  30 ;  S.  John  xiv.  1.    Dr.  Arnold.     (Life  by  Stanley.    Ch.  7.) 
 
 If  God  were  not  a  necessary  Being,  He  might  almost  seem  to  be 
 made  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  men.  Abp.  Tillotson.  (Serm. 
 Job  xxviii.  28.) 
 
 33  The  two  most  important  points  in  moral  philosophy  are  a  last 
 end,  and  the  means  to  attain  it.     Our  happiness  consists  in  the 
 
124  S.  MATTHEW  VI.  33,  34. 
 
 noblest  action  of  man,  in  reference  to  the  most  excellent  object. 
 Aristotle.     (Eth.  Nic.  Lib.  1.) 
 
 The  mark  and  the  ultimate  aim  are  different  things.  The  mark  is 
 the  point,  to  which  the  arrow  is  directed  ;  the  ultimate  aim  is 
 the  prize,  awarded  to  those,  who  best  hit  the  mark.  The  point 
 we  have  to  make  for  in  our  actions,  as  proposed  to  us  by  God, 
 is  Righteousness ;  tlie  reward  of  those,  who  attain  to  this  point, 
 is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  2  Cor.  vii.  1 ;  Titus  ii.  12,  13  ; 
 Phil.  iii.  12 — 14.     Cassian.     (Collationes,  Lib.  i.  c.  2.) 
 
 Hoc  Regnum,  amove  quceritur.  It  is  by  Love,  that  we  seek  this 
 Kingdom.     S.  James  ii.  5.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 These  most  comfortable  Sentences  are  our  bills  of  exchange,  on 
 the  credit  of  which  we  lay  down  our  cares,  and  receive  pro- 
 vision for  our  need.  2  Tim.  ii.  12  ;  IS.  Pet.  iv.  19.  Bp.  J. 
 Taylor.     (Holy  Living.     Ch.  ii.  s.  6.) 
 
 If  you  constantly  make  the  best  use  of  the  present  hour,  you  are 
 sure  to  be  prepared  for  those,  which  shall  follow.     Fenelon. 
 
 If  thou  have  a  concern  for  the  things,  that  are  God's,  He  will  also 
 be  careful  of  thee  and  thine.  Ps.  xci.  14 — 16.  Abp.  Leighton. 
 (Comment.  1  S.  Peter  v.  7.) 
 
 34  Were  it  not  for  the  hope  of  a  Blessed  immortality,  man  were 
 of  all  creatures  the  most  miserable :  for  his  very  reason,  by 
 which  he  is  capable  of  a  larger  happiness,  doth  most  commonly 
 in  this  life  prove  an  instrument  of  grief  and  vexation  to  him. 
 1  Cor.  XV.  19.     Br.  John  Scott. 
 
 I  know  but  one  way  of  fortifying  my  soul  against  all  gloomy 
 presages  and  terrors  of  mind  ;  and  that  is,  by  securing  to  my- 
 self the  friendship  and  protection  of  that  Being,  who  disposes  of 
 events  and  governs  futurity.  He  sees  at  one  view  the  whole 
 thread  of  my  existence  ;  not  only  that  part  of  it,  which  I  have 
 already  passed  through,  but  that,  which  runs  forward  into  all 
 the  depths  of  Eternity.  When  I  lay  myself  down  to  sleep,  I 
 recommend  myself  to  His  care ;  when  I  awake,  I  give  myself 
 up  to  His  direction.  Though  I  know  neither  the  time  nor  the 
 manner  of  the  death  I  am  to  die,  I  am  not  at  all  solicitous 
 about  it;  because  I  am  sure  that  He  knows  them  both,  and 
 that  He  will  not  fail  to  comfort  and  support  me  under  them. 
 Isa.  xl.  27 — 31  ;  Ps.  xci.  and  xxiii.    Addison.   (Spectator.  No.  7.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  1,  2.  125 
 
 CHAPTER  VII. 
 
 JUDGE  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged. 
 
 2  For  with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be 
 judged :  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
 measured  to  you  again. 
 
 3  And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy 
 brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is  in 
 thine  own  eye  ? 
 
 4  Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  Let  me  pull 
 out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ;  and,  behold,  a  beam  is 
 in  thine  own  eye  ? 
 
 5  Thou  hypocrite,  first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of 
 thine  own  eye  ;  and  then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast 
 out  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye. 
 
 1  As  to  be  perfectly  just  is  an  attribute  of  the  Divine  nature  ;  to 
 be  so,  to  the  uttermost  of  our  abilities,  is  the  glory  of  man. 
 Addison.     Eom.  ii.  1 — 3.     (Guardian.  No.  99.) 
 
 It  behoves  us  ever  to  bear  in  mind,  that  vfhile  actions  are  alveays 
 to  be  judged  by  the  immutable  standard  of  right  and  vrrong, 
 the  judgments,  v^hich  we  pass  upon  men,  must  be  qualified  by 
 the  considerations  of  age,  country,  situation,  and  other  inci- 
 dental circumstances.  And  it  will  then  be  found  that  he,  who 
 is  most  charitable  in  his  judgment,  is  generally  the  least  unjust. 
 Col.  iii.  12—14.    Dr.  Soiithey.    (Book  of  the  Church.    Ch.  xii.) 
 
 As  it  is  hard  for  one,  who  is  good  himself,  to  judge  another  to  be 
 naught :  so  again  it  is  hard  for  one,  who  is  naught  himself,  to 
 judge  another  to  be  good.    >S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 2  Punishment  is  the  recoil  of  crime.  And  the  strength  of  the 
 backstroke  proportions  itself  to  the  strength  of  the  original 
 blow.  Obad.  15  ;  Judg.  i.  6,  7  ;  1  Sam.  xv.  33  ;  Esther  vii.  10  ; 
 Dan.  vi.  24.     R.  C.  Trench. 
 
126  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  3—5. 
 
 3  There  are  two  extraordinary  virtues  to  be  learnt  from  human 
 imperfections.  The  imperfections  of  others  may  teach  us  pa- 
 tience ;  the  imperfection  of  ourselves  may  teach  us  humility. 
 Gal.  vi.  1.     C.  Howe. 
 
 Let  any  man  look  into  his  own  heart  and  observe  in  how  different 
 a  degree  of  detestation  numbers  of  actions  stand  there,  though 
 equally  bad  and  vicious  in  themselves.  He  will  soon  find,  that 
 such  of  them,  as  strong  inclination  and  custom  have  prompted 
 him  to  commit,  are  generally  dressed  out  and  painted  with  all 
 the  false  beauties,  which  a  soft  and  flattering  hand  can  give 
 them ;  and  that  the  others,  to  which  he  feels  no  propensity,  ap- 
 pear at  once  naked  and  deformed,  surrounded  with  all  the  true 
 circumstances  of  their  folly  and  dishonour.  Sterne.  (Serm.  2 
 Sam.  xii.  7.) 
 
 Crimina  qui  cernunt  aliorum,  nee  sua  cernunt ; 
 Hi  sapiunt  aliis,  desipiuntque  sibi. 
 
 J.  Owen.     (Epigrammata.) 
 
 "Whenever  I  spy  a  fault  in  another,  I  am  determined  to  look  for 
 two  in  myself;  and  they  will  not  be  far  to  seek.  Ps.  cxxxix. 
 19—24.     Adams.     (Private  thoughts.    Ch.  4.) 
 
 4  Conscience  is  the  eye  of  the  soul.  Now  tenderness  is  a  dispo- 
 sition very  proper  to  the  eye ;  it  is  the  tenderest  part  of  the 
 whole  body  :  and,  if  the  conscience  be  right,  that  is  so  of  the 
 soul.  The  smallest  spill  or  mote  is  restless  agony  to  the  eye  ; 
 it  never  leaves  to  force  out  tears,  both  to  bewail  the  torment 
 and  to  wash  away  the  cause.  Our  Saviour  calls  a  sin  of  the 
 least  size,  or  guilt,  a  mote ;  things,  that  should  make  the  con- 
 science as  restless,  fret  it  into  lamentings,  prick  passages  for 
 repenting  sorrow.  Acts  ii.  37.  Br.  Allestry.  (Serra.  Acts 
 xxiv.  16.) 
 
 5  There  is  no  man,  but  knows  more  evil  of  himself,  than  he  does 
 of  his  neighbour.     Bp.  Wilson.     (Maxims  :  On  evil  speaking.) 
 
 The  hand,  that  minds  to  remove  dirt,  ought  itself  to  study  cleanli- 
 ness.    Acts  XX.  33 — 35 ;  Eom.  ii.  21,  22.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 He  cannot  be  a  bold  reprover,  who  is  not  a  conscientious  liver. 
 Such  a  one  must  speak  softly,  for  fear  of  waking  his  own  guilty 
 conscience.  Every  one  desires,  if  he  must  be  smitten,  that  it 
 may  be  by  the  hand  of  the  righteous.     Ps.  cxli.  5  ;  sxiii.  23  ;  S. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  5,  6.  127 
 
 John  vii.  19  ;  viii.  1 — 11 ;  S.  Luke  xvii.  3.     Gurnall.     (On  the 
 Christian's  armour.    Ch.  x.  s.  4.) 
 
 Horrendi  sceleris  poenas  tribus  una  pependit, 
 
 Dum  reliquse  sumunt  arma,  jubente  Deo. 
 Ante  tainen  meritas  quam  possunt  sumere  poenas 
 
 Victores,  pugnS.  bis  cecidere  gravi ! 
 Quid  sibi  vult,  quod  dum  Sanctissiraa  jussa  Tonantis 
 
 Exequitur  populus,  bis  tamen  ille  cadit  ? 
 Nempe  quod  ille,  alios  qui  tentat  plectere,  debet 
 Ipse  prius  vindex  criminis  esse  sui. 
 
 Judg,  XX.     D.  J.  Billius.     (Sacra  Anthologia,  45.) 
 
 6  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  unto  the  dogs,  neither 
 cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine,  lest  they  trample 
 them  under  their  feet,  and  turn  again  and  rend  you. 
 
 6  Holy,  inasmuch  as  it  ought  not  to  be  desecrated ;  a  pearl,  inas- 
 much as  it  ought  not  to  be  depreciated  ...  By  dogs,  we  under- 
 stand the  enemies  of  the  Truth  ;  and  by  swine,  its  despisers. 
 1  Tim.  vi.  5  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  5.     S.  Auffustine, 
 
 This  verse  qualifies  the  prohibition,  apparently  so  absolute  at  v.  1. 
 Without  some  judgment  we  cannot  know,  who  are  the  dogs  and 
 who  are  the  swine.  (Comp.  v.  15.)  It  is  needless,  rash,  cen- 
 sorious, proud,  uncharitable  judgment,  that  is  forbidden.  We 
 may  mark  the  tares  in  the  field  of  Cheist's  Church  for  our  edi- 
 fication ;  but  we  must  not  rudely  pull  them  up  to  their  destruc- 
 tion. Beugelius  puts  this  with  his  usual  point  and  precision, 
 "  B-efrain  from  judging,  that  is,  without  knowledge,  without 
 charity,  without  necessity  :  Tamen  canis  pro  cane,  parens  pro 
 porco  est  habendus.  Still,  a  dog  must  pass  for  a  dog,  and  swine 
 for  swine."     iii.  7  ;  Tit.  i.  12.     /.  F. 
 
 There  is  an  imprudent  zeal  and  sometimes  a  mixture  of  irreverent 
 commonness,  in  speaking  of  Holy  things  indifferently  in  all 
 companies.  Certainly,  such  company  willingly  ought  to  be 
 chosen,  as  give  most  liberal  and  kind  entertainment  to  such 
 discourse.  But  when,  not  of  choice,  but  by  some  unavoidable 
 engagement,  we  fall  among  others,  then  our  rule  ought  to  be, 
 
128  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  6,  7. 
 
 not  to  partake  of  their  ungodly  ways  and  communication  ;  but 
 for  the  communicating  in  another  way  Holy  things  to  them, 
 this  must  be  well  advised  on,  whether  it  be  suitable  to  this  rule. 
 Abp.  Leighton.     (Lectures  on  the  Gospel  of  S.  Matthew.) 
 
 As  the  blood  of  the  Paschal  lamb  was  not  to  be  spilt  on  an  Is- 
 raelite's door  (where  it  might  be  trampled  on,)  but  on  the  side- 
 posts  ;  so  neither  is  the  Blood  of  Cheist  to  be  applied  to  the 
 believer  himself,  while  he  lies  in  any  sin  unrepented  of,  for  his 
 present  comfort.  1  S.  John  i.  7.  (Isa.  i.  16—18.  "  Come 
 now.")     Gurnall.     (On  the  Christian's  armour,  eh.  ix.  s.  4.) 
 
 O,  LoED  God,  shine  with  Thy  light  into  our  hearts,  that  we  may 
 know  the  inestimable  worth  of  T\\j pearl,  (xiii.  46),  and  how  low 
 is  the  price  Thou  dost  require  of  us.  Add  this  to  Thy  mercies, 
 0,  LoED,  that  the  precious  pearl  be  not  shown  and  exhibited  to 
 us  in  vain.  And  Thou,  that  didst  forbid  us  to  cast  pearls  before 
 swine,  Oh,  grant  by  Thy  grace,  that,  though  we  have  been  some- 
 times so  like  the  swine,  as  not  to  know  the  worth  of  Thy  pearl, 
 but  to  prefer  acorns  and  husks  before  it,  yet,  now  enlightened 
 and  better  taught  of  God,  we  may  so  well  understand  ourselves 
 and  Thy  pearl,  as  most  earnestly  to  covet  it  and  gladly  to  pur- 
 chase it  with  all  we  have.  Isa.  xxvi.  13  ;  Phil.  iii.  7 — 12.  Card. 
 "Bellarmine.     (On  Eternal  happiness,  B.  v.  ch.  2.) 
 
 7  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye 
 shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you  : 
 
 8  For  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth ;  and  he  that 
 seeketh  findeth  ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be 
 opened. 
 
 9  Or  what  man  is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son 
 ask  bread,  will  he  give  him  a  stone? 
 
 10  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent  ? 
 
 7  A  hearer,  sensible  of  his  own  ignorance,  might  here  say,  "  Why 
 do  you  forbid  me  to  cast  that,  which  is  Holy,  to  the  dogs ;  whereas 
 you  see  that  I  have  nothing  Holy  about  me  ?"  Therefore  he 
 fitly  adds,  Ask,  and  ye  shall  have,  c^c.    S.  Jas.  i.  5.    /S.  Augustine. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  7—9.  129 
 
 In  regard  to  the  act  or  duty  itself ;  Petite  orando ;  qucerite  medi- 
 tando  ;  pulsate  operando.  In  respect  of  tlie  degree  and  intense- 
 ness  of  the  act ;  Petite  ardenter  ;  qucerite  dlliffenter  ;  pulsate 
 perseverantei-.  As  to  the  object  of  the  duty,  the  thing  itself, 
 that  is  to  be  desired  and  endeavoured,  we  find  it  in  general 
 terms  at  ver.  11,  which  S.  Luke,  xi.  13,  has  restrained  to  a  par- 
 ticular sort  of  blessing  ....  And  thus  in  sense  we  may  dif- 
 ference the  terms  ;  Petite  id,  quod  caretis,  qucerite  id,  quod  pe?'- 
 didistis  ;  pulsate,  unde  exclusi  estis.  vi,  33 ;  xxv.  11  ;  S.  Luke 
 XV.     Dr.  Littleton.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Ash,  as  a  beggar ;  seek,  as  a  merchant  of  pearls  (v.  6)  ;  knock,  as  a 
 lost  traveller.     J.  F. 
 
 He  wishes  to  give,  who  advises  us  to  ask  ;  He  desires  to  be  boun- 
 tiful, who  is  anxious  for  our  petitions.     Ps.  xxvii.  8 If 
 
 you  are  not  so  far  wanting  to  yourself,  as  to  desist  from  praying, 
 God  will  not  be  so  unmerciful  to  you,  as  to  desist  from  giving. 
 Ps.  Ixvi.  20;  Exod.  xvii.  11.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 He  will  not  refuse  any,  when  they  ask  ;  since  He  offered  Himself 
 voluntarily  to  those,  who  ask  not ;  the  seekers  shall  find  Him, 
 since  they,  who  sought  not,  received  grace  to  find  Him.  (Isa. 
 Ixv.  1.)  He  will  open  to  those,  who  knock  ;  since  He  Himself 
 exclaims,  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock."  Rev.  iii. 
 20 ;  Cant.  v.  2  ;  1  Chron.  iv.  9,  10.     Emanuel  Sa. 
 
 8  God  does  not  delay  to  hear  our  prayers,  because  He  has  no  mind 
 to  give ;  but  that,  by  enlarging  our  desires,  He  may  give  us 
 more  largely.     Ps.  Ixxxi.  10.     Anselm. 
 
 Aut  dabit  Deus  quod  petimus,  aut  quod  novit  utilius.  God  will 
 either  give  us  what  we  ask,  or  what  He  knew  to  be  better  for 
 us.     Eph.  iii.  20.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 If  we  would  remember  what  an  honour  we  do  ourselves,  when  we 
 pray  to  the  Almighty,  if  we  would  remember  how  much  we 
 want  and  how  much  He  can  give,  we  surely  should  not  be  so 
 unwilling  to  pray.     Isa.  xliii.  22 — 24.     Mayow. 
 
 9  A  serpent,  lest  it  should  hurt  us ;  a  stone,  lest  unhappily  we 
 should  hurt  others.     Dean  Boys. 
 
 11  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
 gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your 
 
 K 
 
130  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  11,  12. 
 
 Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them 
 that  ask  Him  ? 
 
 1 2  Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 
 men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them  :  for  this 
 is  the  law  and  the  prophets. 
 
 11  If  ye  then,  ^c. — What  Tertullian  speaks  of  God's  swearing  to 
 us  (Heb.  vi.  17,)  we  may  well  say  of  Christ's  proving  and  ar- 
 guing with  us ;  O !  nos  Beatos,  quorum  causa  Christus  arguit  ! 
 O  !  nos  miseros,  qui  Christo  arguenti  non  credimus  !  Happy  men, 
 that  we  are,  for  whose  assurance  Christ  will  argue  thus ;  and 
 wretched  men  shall  we  be,  if,  when  Christ  thus  argues  with  us, 
 we  will  not  yield  to  Him.  Isa.  i.  18  ;  Micah  vi.  1 — 3.  Bi^. 
 Brownrig.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xi.  13.) 
 
 Whom  He  calls  the  children  of  God,  the  same  He  calls  evil.  Ps. 
 xix.  12  ;  IS.  John  i.  8.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Quamvis  Patriarcha  sit,  quamvis  Propheta,  quamvis  Apostolus, dicitur 
 lis  a  Domino '^  Si  vos,  cum  sitis  mali."  Although  one  have  the 
 dignity  of  a  Patriarch,  of  a  Prophet,  or  even  of  an  Apostle,  yet 
 even  to  such,  the  Lord  says,  "  if  ye,  being  evil,''  &c.  vi.  12  ; 
 Eom.  iii.  10,  11.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 It  merits  observation,  that,  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  God  is 
 called  Father  no  less  than  sixteen  times.  What  an  introduc- 
 tion to  the  Gospel !  What  a  prelude  to  the  gift  of  the  Spirit 
 of  adoption  and  of  grace  !     S.  Luke  i.  74 ;  Eom.  viii.  15.     J.  F. 
 
 Whatever  God  withholds  from  us,  is  not  necessary  for  us.  S. 
 John  xiv.  2.     ^S".  Chrysostom. 
 
 Good  things. — Beware,  O  my  soul,  lest  (which  God  forbid)  you 
 be  branded  with  the  name  of  prostitute,  by  your  prizing  more 
 munera  dantis  quhm  mnantis  affectum  the  gift  itself,  than  the 
 feeling  of  love,  which  prompts  the  giver.  Ps.  cvi.  15.  S. 
 Augustine. 
 
 12  Therefore  here  stands  parallel  with  For,  in  the  fourteenth  verse 
 of  the  last  Chapter.  In  both  places,  they  relate  to  the  duty  of 
 Prayer  ;  showing  us  how  indispensably  necessary  Charity  is,  in 
 order  to  the  right  performance  of  that  duty.  All  our  happiness 
 depends  upon  prayer;    all  our  prayer  depends  upon  Charity. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  12.  131 
 
 Pour  into  our  hearts,  good  Lobd,  this  "  most  excellent  gift!" 
 vi.  12  ;  Isa.  i.  15 ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  1 ;  1  Tim.  ii.  8.     /.  F. 
 
 We  are  so  well  acquainted  with  one  part  of  this  sentence,  that  we 
 never  pass  it  over ;  but  the  other  we  take,  as  little  notice  of,  as 
 if  we  knew  nothing  of  it.  For  we  know  very  well  how  we 
 would  have  men  deal  with  us ;  but  we  are  ignorant  of  our  duty 
 to  other  men,  2  Cor.  x.  24  ;  Phil.  ii.  4.  Salvian.  (On  God's 
 Government,  &c.,  B.  iii.  s.  6.) 
 
 The  partiality  of  our  own  side,  to  which  all  men  in  this  corrupt 
 state  are  naturally  inclined,  acts,  as  a  bias  of  injustice.  Now 
 this  is  well  guarded  against  in  the  same  rule,  which  sets  self-love 
 and  the  love  of  our  neighbour  upon  one  and  the  same  foot :  so 
 that  it  is  not  possible  to  observe  this  rule,  but  either  by  depress- 
 ing self-love  to  the  love  of  our  neighbour,  or  by  exalting  our 
 neighbour  to  the  pitch  of  self-love  ....  This  precept  is  what 
 the  law  and  the  prophets  aimed  at  in  the  many  particular  rules 
 of  duty,  which  they  taught.  So  that  the  fifth  Commandment, 
 for  example,  obliges  superiors  to  use  the  same  moderation  to- 
 wards their  inferiors,  and  inferiors  to  pay  the  same  respect  to 
 their  superiors,  as  they  would  think  just,  if  they  were  in  each 
 other's  place.  And  the  sixth  Commandment  is  only  preserving 
 our  neighbour's  life  by  the  same  rules  of  justice,  by  which  we 
 think  it  reasonable  to  preserve  our  own.  The  seventh  Com- 
 mandment lays  the  same  restraint  upon  us,  in  regard  of  our 
 neighbour's  wife  and  daughter,  which  we  confess  should  be  ob- 
 served, as  to  our  own.  The  eighth  Commandment  preserves 
 our  neighbour's  goods  and  estate  by  the  same  rules  of  justice 
 and  honesty,  with  which  we  are  desirous  to  preserve  our  own. 
 The  ninth  Commandment  requires  the  same  candour  and  vera- 
 city in  speech  from  us  to  them,  which  we  think  it  is  their  duty 
 to  use  towards  us.  And  the  tenth  Commandment  lays  the 
 same  restraint  upon  our  covetous  appetite  after  our  neigh- 
 bour's goods  and  estate,  as  we  ourselves  think  just  should  be 
 laid  upon  all  men,  with  regard  to  our  goods  and  estate.  Exod. 
 xxiii.  9  ;  Deut.  xxx.  11.     James  Blair.     (Serra.  ou  text.) 
 
 Let  a  man  give  himself  up  to  a  strict  and  literal  observation  of 
 this  precept,  and  it  will  impress  a  two-fold  direction  upon  him. 
 It  will  not  only  guide  him  to  certain  performances  of  good  in 
 
 k2 
 
132  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  12,  13. 
 
 behalf  of  others  ;  but  it  •will  guide  bitn  to  the  regulation  of  his 
 owu  desires  of  good  from  them.  For  his  desires  of  good  from 
 others  are  here  set  up,  as  the  measvire  of  his  performances  of 
 good  to  others.  The  more  selfish  and  unbounded  his  desires  are, 
 the  larger  are  those  performances,  with  the  obligation  of  which 
 he  is  burdened.  Whatsoever  he  would  that  others  should  do  unto 
 him,  he  is  bound  to  do  unto  them;  and  therefore,  the  more  he 
 gives  way  to  ungenerous  and  extravagant  wishes  of  service  from 
 those,  who  are  around  him,  the  heavier  and  more  insupportable 
 is  the  load  of  duty,  which  he  brings  on  himself.  Dr.  Chalmers. 
 (Serm.  on  text.) 
 Hence  it  is,  that  our  Satioub  saith.  This  is  the  Law  and  the  Pro- 
 phets ;  because  there  is  no  duty,  which  we  owe  unto  our  neigh- 
 bour, but  it  may  be  referred  to,  and  is  really  comprised  under, 
 this  one  general  rule ;  (Rom.  xiii.  8 — 11,)  which  S.  Jerome 
 therefore  rightly  calls,  Totiics  justitiee  breviarium,  an  abstract,  or 
 compendium  of  all  justice  and  equity.  And,  before  him,  Lac- 
 tantius  to  the  same  purpose  said,  Radix  justitics  et  omne  funda- 
 mentum,  ^"c.  The  very  root  of  justice  and  the  basis  of  all  equity 
 is  this  principle,  that  you  should  not  do  to  others,  what  you 
 would  dislike  yourself ;  but  rather  take  your  measure  of  their 
 feelings  by  your  own.     Bp.  Beveridge.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 13  Enter  ye  in  at  the  strait  gate:  for  wide  is  the 
 gate,  and  broad  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  to  destruc- 
 tion, and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat : 
 
 14  Because  strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the 
 way,  which  leadeth  unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that 
 find  it. 
 
 13  The  pleasures  of  sense,  the  prevalency  of  bodily  temper,  the 
 allurements  of  pleasure,  gain,  and  honour  from  without,  the 
 presence  of  the  things  of  this  life  and  of  the  world,  the  absence 
 of  the  things  of  the  other  life  and  the  other  world,  the  great 
 improvement  necessary  to  a  higher  life,  the  no-improvement  ne- 
 cessary to  this,  the  depravation  of  our  principles  by  ill  use — 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  13.  133 
 
 these  things  make  it  hard  to  live  religiously.     1  S.  Pet.  iv.  18. 
 Dr.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  viii.  740.) 
 
 Of  all  similes,  none  doth  so  fitly,  methinks,  express  the  manner  of 
 this  renewing  of  our  souls,  as  that  of  the  snake ;  which,  by 
 leaving  his  old  slough  in  the  streights  of  the  rock,  glides  forth 
 glib  and  nimble.  I  remember  Holcot  (in  Librum  Sapientice) 
 urges  the  similitude  thus  :  "  To  turn  off  the  snake's  skin,"  saith 
 he,  "two  things  are  requisite;  the  first  is, foraminis  angustia, 
 the  straitness  of  the  passage  ;  else  he  must  needs  draw  the  old 
 skin  with  him  :  the  latter  is  stabilitas  saxi,  the  firmness  of  the 
 stone ;  else,  instead  of  leaving  the  skin,  he  shall  draw  the  stone 
 away  with  him.  So  must  it  be  in  the  business  of  our  renova- 
 tion :  first,  we  must  pass  through  the  strait  way  of  due  peni- 
 tence ;  secondly,  we  must  hold  the  firm  and  stable  purpose  of 
 our  perseverance  in  good.  True  sorrow  and  contrition  of  heart 
 must  begin  the  work  ;  and  then  an  unmoved  constancy  of  en- 
 deavours must  finish  it."  Whosoever  thou  art,  therefore,  if  thy 
 heart  have  not  been  touched,  yea,  torn  and  rent  in  pieces,  with 
 a  sound  humiliation  for  thy  sins,  the  old  slough  is  still  upon  thy 
 back :  thou  art  not  yet  come  within  the  ken  of  true  renovation. 
 Or,  if  thou  be  gone  so  far,  that  the  skin  begins  to  reave  up 
 (contracts)  a  little  in  a  serious  grief  for  thy  sins  ;  yet,  if  thy  re- 
 solutions be  not  steadily  settled,  and  thine  endeavours  bent  to 
 go  through  with  that  holy  work,  thou  comest  short  of  thy  re- 
 newing :  thine  own  loose  film  of  corruption  shall  so  encumber 
 thee,  that  thou  shalt  never  be  able  to  pass  on  smoothly  in  the 
 ways  of  God.     2  Cor.  vii.  11.     JSp.  Hall.    (Serm.  Eom.  xii.  2.) 
 
 The  way  of  Cheist  is  so  strait,  that  no  man  can  halt  in  it,  but 
 needs  must  go  upright ;  for,  as  the  straitness  will  suffer  no 
 reeling  to  this  side  or  to  that,  so,  if  any  man  halt,  lie  is  like  to 
 fall  off  the  bridge  into  the  pit  of  eternal  perdition.  Prov.  iv.  23 
 — 27.     J.  Bradford.     (Letters  in  prison.) 
 
 There  are  three  ways,  that  men  go,  contraiy  to  this  direction ;  and 
 all  of  them  destructive  to  the  power  of  holiness.  Some  walk  by 
 no  rule,  as  the  antiuomist  and  libertine ;  some  walk  by  a  false 
 rule,  as  the  superstitious  zealot ;  and  a  third  walk  by  the  true 
 rule,  but  partially,  as  the  hypocrite.  2  Cor.  xiii.  8.  Gurnall. 
 (On  the  Christian's  Armour,  ch.  xi.  s.  2.) 
 
134  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  14,  15. 
 
 14  If  I  am  seeking  every  thing,  that  can  delight  my  senses  and 
 regale  my  appetite,  spending  my  time  and  fortune  in  pleasures, 
 in  diversion,  and  worldly  enjoyments,  a  stranger  to  watchings, 
 fastings,  prayers,  and  mortifications,  how  can  it  be  said,  that  I 
 am  "  working  out  my  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling  ?"  Phil. 
 ii.  12.  If  there  is  nothing  in  my  life  and  conversation,  that 
 shows  me  to  be  different  from  the  Jews  and  heathens  ;  if  I  use 
 the  world  and  worldly  enjoyments,  as  the  generality  of  people 
 now  do,  and  in  all  ages  have  done,  why  should  I  think  that  I 
 am  amongst  those  few,  who  are  walking  in  the  narrow  way  to 
 heaven  ?  v.  47  ;  Titus  ii.  14.  Wm.  Law.  (Serious  Call,  &c., 
 ch.  iii.) 
 
 The  gate  is  strait — not  so  the  city  it  leads  to.  Eev.  xxi.  10.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Few  there  be,  &c. — This  is  a  view  of  human  nature,  which,  when 
 lookiug  on  human  life  in  its  full  dress  of  decencies  and  civiliza- 
 tions, we  are  apt  to  find  hard  to  realise.  Dr.  Arnold.  (Life  by 
 Stanley,  ch.  iii.) 
 
 15  Beware  of  false  prophets,  which  come  to  you 
 in  sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening 
 wolves. 
 
 16  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits.  Do  men 
 gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of  thistles  ? 
 
 17  Even  so  every  good  tree  bringeth  forth  good 
 fruit ;  but  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  evil  fruit. 
 
 18  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither 
 can  a  corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit. 
 
 19  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is 
 hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire. 
 
 20  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them. 
 
 15  What  is  the  sheep's  clothing  ?  but  texts  from  the  Prophets  and 
 Apostles  ?  These  texts  some  teachers  employ  with  the  apparent 
 simplicity  of  so  many  sheep,  ovili  quddam  sinceritate,  as  fleeces 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  15,  16.  135 
 
 for  the  service  of  that  spotless  "  Lamb,  which  taketh  away  the 
 sill  of  the  world."  Who  are  the  ravening  wolves,  but  heretics, 
 cruel  and  quick  to  the  prey,  who  prowl  about  the  neighbour- 
 hood of  the  sheepfolds  and  tear  Christ's  flock  to  pieces,  when 
 they  can  ?  And,  in  order  to  deceive  more  readily  the  unwary 
 sheep,  while  they  retain  the  wolf's  fierceness,  they  put  off  his 
 outward  aspect  and  cover  themselves  witli  some  sentences  of 
 the  Word  of  God,  as  with  a  fleece ;  so  that  the  sheep,  when 
 they  feel  the  softness  of  the  wool,  may  have  no  fear  whatever  of 
 the  sharp  fangs  of  their  teeth.  Gen.  xxvii.  22  ;  Acts  xx.  29,  30  ; 
 Eph.  iv.  14.      Vincent.  Lirin.     (Commonitoriura,  c.  36.) 
 
 Intus  linum  subtilitatis,  extra  lanam  simplicitatis  demonstrant. — 
 They  show  within  the  web  of  subtlety ;  without,  the  wool  of 
 simplicity.     Rom.  xvi.  18.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 Similia  quidem  nobis  loquentes  ;  dissimilia  verb  sentientes. — Speak- 
 ing, as  we  do  ;  but  meaning  quite  differently,     iv.  6.    S.  Irenceus. 
 
 16  Christ  says,  Bij  their  fruits  ye  shall  knoio  them  ;  not  by  the 
 rind  of  an  outward  profession,  not  by  the  foliage  of  "  fair 
 words;"  but  by  t\\e\v  fruits  alone  is  judgment  passed  upon 
 these  trees  :  and  not  our  judgment  only,  but  that  of  the  Su- 
 preme Judge  of  all  at  the  last  Tribunal.  In  the  sight  of  God 
 and  men,  silent  verba,  facta  loquiintur,  immo  clamant,  words  are 
 silent,  while  deeds  speak,  yea,  cry  aloud,  xii.  33 — 35.  JBp. 
 Hall.      (The  way  of  Enoch.) 
 
 They  hide  their  cruel  and  malicious  design  under  sheep's  clothing; 
 soft  and  fair  pretences  of  meekness  and  humility,  professions  of 
 extraordinary  holiness,  great  care  of  souls,  singular  love  of 
 God's  glory,  to  which  they  add  good  words,  kind  and  flattering 
 speeches  ("Rom.  xvi.  18),  and  which  is  the  master-piece  of  cun- 
 ning, "  they  promise  them  liberty."  (2  S.  Pet.  ii.  19.)  By  their 
 fruits  ye  shall  know  them.  When  you  see  them  "  creeping  into 
 houses,"  and  instilling  doctrines  into  the  weaker  sort,  by  this 
 you  may  have  just  cause  to  suspect  them  for  false  teachers 
 (2  Tim.  iii.  6)  ;  who,  when  they  shall  offer  themselves  to  be 
 your  teachers,  shall  forsake  the  lawful  and  public  assemblies, 
 established  by  just  Authority  in  the  Houses  of  Pi'ayer  (S.  Jude 
 17,  18;  Numb.  xvi.  3,  7,  12,  26),  by  this  fruit  you  may  know 
 them.     But  there  is  one  character  or  mark,  by  which  you  shall 
 
136  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  17—20. 
 
 undoubtedly  know  them.  S.  Paul,  S.  Peter,  S.  Jude,  tell  us 
 for  certain,  those  are  false  teachers,  by  all  means  to  be  avoided, 
 who  "  despise  Government,  and  speak  evil  of  Dignities."  Bp. 
 Sparrow.     (Primary  Visitation  Charge,  Serm.  1  Thess.  iii.  8.) 
 
 17  Por  as  the  good  fruit  is  not  the  cause  that  the  tree  is  good, 
 but  the  tree  must  first  be  good,  before  it  can  bring  forth  good 
 fruit ;  so  the  good  deeds  of  men  are  not  the  cause,  that  maketh 
 men  good  ;  but  he  is  first  made  good  by  the  grace  and  Spirit  of 
 God,  that  efiectually  worketh  in  him  ;  and  afterward  he  bring- 
 eth  forth  good  fruits.  And  then,  as  the  good  fruit  doth  argue 
 the  goodness  of  the  tree,  so  doth  the  good  deed  of  the  man 
 argue  and  certainly  prove  the  goodness  of  him,  that  doth  it ; 
 according  to  the  saying,  Ye  shall  know  them  by  their  fruits. 
 Homilies  of  the  Church.     (On  Almsgiving.) 
 
 18  As  the  child  of  hell  is  carried  to  sin  pleno  impetu — he  does  not 
 check  at  it,  he  does  it  and  is  not  troubled — so,  on  the  other 
 side,  a  child  of  God  is  as  fully  convinced  of  righteousness ;  and 
 that,  which  is  unrighteous,  is  as  hateful  to  him,  as  colocynths  to 
 the  taste,  or  the  sharpest  punctures  to  the  pupils  of  the  eye. 
 Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Serm.  Eom.  vii.  19.) 
 
 A  man's  nature  runs  either  to  herbs  or  weeds.  Therefore,  let 
 him  seasonably  water  the  one  and  destroy  the  other.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (Essays,  38.) 
 
 20  Here  seems  to  be  prescribed  a  plain  and  easy  way  of  discern- 
 ing/«/*e  teachers  from  true ;  and  a  way,  which  lies  level  to  the 
 meanest  capacity.  It  is  only  by  observing  the  fruits  and  con- 
 sequents of  every  doctrine,  what  it  is  apt  to  produce,  when  it  is 
 thoroughly  sucked  in  and  believed:  and  then,  judging  how  far 
 those  fruits  resemble  the  doctrine  and  spirit  of  Christianity. 
 S.  James  iii.  13 — 18  ;  1  S.  John  iv.  1.  James  Blair.  (Serm. 
 on  text.) 
 
 The  very  heathens  were  so  persuaded  of  this  truth,  that  Quinc- 
 tilian,  speaking  of  a  Teacher,  does  not  scruple  to  assert,  Ipse  nee 
 habeat  vitia  nee  ferat ;  let  him  cherish  no  vice  in  himself,  nor 
 bear  it  in  others.  Then  he  adds,  "  Let  the  Sanctity  of  the 
 teacher  preserve  the  gently  disposed  from  harm  ;  and  let  his 
 grave  authority  keep  the  headstrong  within  bounds,"  Teneriores 
 animos  ab  injuria  sanctitas  prceceptoris  custodiat;  et  ferociores  a 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  21.  137 
 
 Ucentid  gravitas  deterreat.  Elsewhere  lie  remarks,  "  Should  it 
 appear  that  schools  of  in  str action  are  conducive  to  learning,  but 
 injurious  to  morals,  the  object  of  good  living  seems  to  be  far 
 preferable  to  that  of  the  highest  intellectual  attainment." 
 Jouvency.     (De  ratione  discendi  et  docendi.) 
 
 21  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Lord,  Lord, 
 shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  he  that 
 doeth  the  will  of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
 
 22  Many  will  say  to  Me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord, 
 have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  Name  ?  and  in  Thy 
 Name  have  cast  out  devils  ?  and  in  Thy  Name  done 
 many  wonderful  works  ? 
 
 23  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
 you  :  depart  from  Me,  ye  that  work  iniquity. 
 
 21  Theologia  est  scientia  affectiva,  non  speculativa.  Theology  is  a 
 science  of  motives  and  practice,  rather  than  of  speculation. 
 S.  John  xiii.  17  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  3.     Gerson. 
 
 To  Te'Xos  ^ek-Tiwaoi,  ov  SiBa^ai.  The  design  of  Christianity  is  to  make 
 us  better,  not  more  learned,  men.   S.  Clemens  Alex.     (In  Paedag.) 
 
 Christ  came  not  into  the  world  to  fill  our  heads  with  mere  specu- 
 lations, to  kindle  a  fire  of  wrangling  and  contentious  dispute 
 amongst  us,  and  to  warm  our  spirits  against  one  another  with 
 angry  and  peevish  debates  ;  while,  in  the  fneantime,  our  hearts 
 remain  all  ice  within  towards  God,  and  have  not  the  least  spark 
 of  true  heavenly  love  to  melt  and  thaw  them.  Cheist  came  not 
 to  possess  our  brains  with  some  cold  opinions,  that  send  down 
 a  freezing  and  benumbing  influence  into  our  hearts.  Cheist  was 
 a  Master  of  the  life,  not  of  the  school ;  and  he  is  the  best  Chris- 
 tian, whose  heart  beats  with  the  purest  pulse  towards  heaven ; 
 not  he,  whose  head  spins  the  finest  cobweb.  1  Tim.  i.  5  ;  and  vi. 
 3.     Br.  Cudworth.     (Serm.  1  S.  John  ii.  3,  4.) 
 
 We  must  remember,  that  there  is  clamor  cordis  et  oris,  a  crying  of 
 the  heart  and  of  the  mouth  :  and,  as  Gob  is  specially  inspector, 
 so  He  is  auditor,  cordis ;  as  His  eyes  are  specially  upon  our 
 hearts,  so  are  His  ears  open  thereunto. 
 
138 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  VII.  21—23. 
 
 Non  vox,  sed  votum  ;  non  musica  chordula,  sed  cor  ; 
 Non  damans,  sed  amans,  psallit  in  aure  Dei.* 
 
 Isa.  xlviii.  1,  2.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xviii.  7,  8.) 
 
 It  is  an  undeniable  truth  that  Cheist  in  this  Sermon  not  only  ex- 
 plained the  Moral  Law,  but  also  laid  it  down,  as  His  own ;  and 
 required  its  observance,  assisted  by  the  grace  of  the  Gospel, 
 from  all  Christians,  as  a  condition  of  His  Covenant  indispensably 
 necessary,     xix.  17  ;  Horn.  ii.  7.     Bp.  Bull.     (Harm.  Apostol.) 
 
 Good  works  are  not  causa  regnandi,  the  cause  of  reigning,  yet  they 
 are  via  ad  regnum,  the  vi^ay  to  the  Kingdom.  Isa.  xxxv.  8  ;  Rev. 
 xiv.  13;  xxii.  14.     S.  Bernard.    (In  Cant.  Serm.  22.) 
 
 22  Many. — (v.  13,  14.)  Many  professors  and  few  converts  hath 
 ever  been  the  lot  of  the  Gospel.     S.  John  vi.  26.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 It  would  be  an  ease  to  Gospel-sinners  in  hell,  if  they  could  raze 
 the  remembrance  of  the  Gospel  out  of  their  memories  and  forget 
 that  they  ever  knew  such  truths.  S.  Luke  xvi.  25.  Gurnall. 
 (On  the  Christian's  armour.  Ch.  vii.  S.  3.) 
 
 23  Work  iniquity. — It  is  a  pretty  observation  of  a  very  learned 
 writer  (Bp.  Sanderson),  that  the  Greek  word,  TrovTjpia,  which  sig- 
 nifies wickedness,  comes  from  another  that  signifies  labour,  7r6vo9. 
 And  it  is  not  without  great  elegance  and  particular  good  reason, 
 that  the  lusts  and  practices  of  sinners  are  so  frequently  styled 
 works,  and  sinners  emphatically  called  workers  of  iniquity,  and 
 said  to  work  wickedness ;  expressions,  all  implying  the  toil  and 
 drudgery  of  wicked  courses.  Isa.  v.  18  ;  Jer.  ii.  13  ;  Wisd.  i. 
 12.     Arnold.     (On  the  Apocrypha.     Wisd.  Ch.  v.  7.) 
 
 It  is  an  observation,  as  true  as  common,  that  no  man  was  ever  ex- 
 tremely wicked  on  a  sudden.     A  hardy  sinner  must  be  a  work 
 
 *  I  find  a  curious  and  clever  trans- 
 lation of  these  verses  in  Bp.  Baily's 
 "  Practice  of  Piety."  This  most  ex- 
 cellent devotional  guide,  now  unhap- 
 pily superseded  and  even  scarcely 
 known,  passed  through  no  less  than 
 fifty  editions  in  the  course  of  an  hun- 
 dred years,  and  served  to  train  the  early 
 piety  of  two  eminent  but  very  different 
 Christian  men,  Bunyan  and  Bonnell. 
 
 "  'Tis  not  the  voice,  but  vow  ; 
 
 Sound  heart,  not  sounding  string; 
 True  zeal,  not  outward  show, 
 That  in  God's  ear  doth  ring." 
 
 (See  "  Practice  of  Piety,"  p.  126. 
 London,  1680.) 
 
 The  work  is  often  quoted  from  in 
 these  Illustrations. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  23,  24.  139 
 
 of  time,  a  creature  of  industry  and  toil,  of  conflict  and  repulses. 
 Isa.  V.  18;  Jer.  ix.  5.     Dean  Young.     (Serm.  Ps.  lii.  7.) 
 Work  (pres.  tense). — Not  even  then,  in  that  Day,  will  their  wicked- 
 ness cease.     Eev.  xvi.  9,  11,  21.     Bengel. 
 
 24  Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of 
 Mine,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise 
 man,  which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock : 
 
 25  And  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came, 
 and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house :  and  it 
 fell  not :  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock. 
 
 26  And  every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of 
 Mine,  and  doeth  them  not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a 
 foolish  man,  which  built  his  house  upon  the  sand  : 
 
 27  And  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods  came, 
 and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon  that  house ;  and  it 
 fell :  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it. 
 
 24  The  Lord  Jesus,  without  any  reference  to  those,  who  do  not 
 hear  Him,  has  distinguished  the  hearers  of  the  Gospel  among 
 themselves  ;  and  that,  not  with  a  fine-drawn  line,  but  with  a 
 broad  mark  of  separation,     xiii.  5  ;  xxv.  32,  33.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Seest  thou,  how  He  varies  His  discourse,  at  one  time  saying,  "  Not 
 every  one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Loed,  Lobd,"  and  revealing  Him- 
 self; at  another  time,  "  He  that  doeth  the  will  oi  My  Father  ;"" 
 and  again  bringing  in  Himself,  as  Judge  ;  "  for  many  will  say  to 
 Me  in  that  day,  Lobd,  Loed,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy 
 Name  ?  and  I  will  say,  I  know  you  not."  And  here  again  He 
 indicates  Himself  to  have  power  overall,  this  being  why  He  said. 
 Whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  Mine.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 The  parallel  passage  (S.  Luke  vi.  48,)  where  the  words  cometh 
 unto  Me  are  inserted,  indicates  clearly  the  foundation  of  faith, 
 "the  receiving  the  Loed  Jesus,"  as  our  Prophet,  our  Priest, 
 and  our  King,  which  is  the  only  basis,  on  which  good  works 
 can  be  built.  In  regard  to  the  house  also,  S.  Luke  records  the 
 expression   of   digging   deep,   omitted   here ;    a   phrase,   which 
 
140  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  26,  27. 
 
 mightily  adds  to  the  force  and  meaning  of  the  comparison,  and 
 harmonizes  with  those  other  terms  in  the  Scripture,  "  strive," 
 "give  all  diligence,"  "work  out,"  "  labour,"  &c.  "Would  we 
 lay  to  heart  some  leading  particulars,  in  respect  of  which,  at 
 the  last  awful  Day,  we  shall  be  found  to  have  done  or  done  not 
 the  sayings  of  our  Loed,  we  possess  a  sure  and  a  strict  guide  to 
 our  self-examination  both  in  this  sermon  and  in  His  tremendous 
 account  of  the  proceedings  of  that  Day  in  Ch.  xxv.  31 — 46.  Eph. 
 ii,  20  ;  iii.  17  ;  Acts  iv.  12  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  11.     J.  F. 
 
 26  The  right  and  true  Christian  faith  is,  not  only  to  believe  that 
 Holy  Scripture  and  all  the  Articles  of  our  faith  are  true ;  but 
 also  to  have  a  sure  trust  and  confidence  in  God's  merciful  pro- 
 mises to  be  saved  from  everlasting  damnation  by  Cheist  ; 
 whereof  doth  follow  a  loving  heart  to  keep  His  Commandments. 
 Gal.  V.  6  ;  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15.  Homilies  of  the  Church.  (On  Sal- 
 vation, p.  3.) 
 
 Unless  our  Faith  purifies  our  hearts  and  works  by  love ;  unless 
 our  sorrow  for  sin  works  in  us  repentance,  or  a  change  of  mind  ; 
 unless  our  prayers  raise  in  us  Divine  and  heavenly  afiections ; 
 that  is,  unless  we  so  practise  the  duties  of  the  religion  of  the 
 means,  as  thereby  to  acquire  the  virtues  of  the  religion  of  the  end, 
 it  will  be  all,  as  insignificant  to  our  title  to  Heaven,  as  the  most 
 indifferent  actions  in  the  world.  S.  Jas.  i.  22 — 27.  I)r.  J.  Scott. 
 (Christian  Life,  p.  1,  c.  2.) 
 
 Rest  not  in  the  outward  profession.  Think  not,  that  you  are  only 
 vessels  to  receive  Him,  but  channels  and  conduits,  through 
 which  He  must  be  conveyed,  even  through  every  vein,  through 
 every  faculty  of  your  soul,  and  every  member  of  your  bodies ; 
 and  so  be  made  visible  in  the  actions  of  your  lives.  S.  John 
 XV.  8.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Col.  ii.  6.) 
 
 27  This  doctrine  of  Christian  duty  and  obedience  is  such,  as  can 
 never  deceive  any  man,  that  is  content  to  build  upon  it.  Nor 
 infirmity,  nor  sin  (repented  of  and  forsaken,)  nor  devil,  shall 
 ever  shake  any  man's  hold,  that  is  thus  built,  endanger  any 
 man's  Salvation,  that  lives  according  to  the  Rule  of  this  Ser- 
 mon ;  nor  shall  all  the  flattering,  deceitful  comforters  of  the 
 world  bring  in  any  true  gain  or  advantage,  or  substantial  ground 
 of  hope  to  any  other.  Ps.  xv.  7.  Dr.  Hammond.  (Practical 
 Catechism,  B.  iv.  s.  3.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VII.  27,  28.  141 
 
 Great  was  the  fall.  Sane  totalis !  Tes  indeed ;  complete  and 
 irremediable !  Non  opus  est  omites  homilias  desinere  in  usum 
 Paradeticum.  It  is  by  no  means  requisite  that  every  Sermon 
 should  conclude  with  words  of  comfort.  Acts  xiii.  40,  41  ; 
 xxviii.  25 — 28.     Bengel. 
 
 28  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  ended 
 these  sayings,  the  people  were  astonished  at  His  doc- 
 trine : 
 
 29  For  He  taught  them  as  one  having  authority, 
 and  not  as  the  scribes. 
 
 28  The  splendour  of  the  Beatitudes  shines  forth  in  the  Blessed 
 Passion  of  our  Lord,  which  is  properly  their  foundation  and 
 origin.  For  who  is  ^' poor  in  spirit,"  unless  Cheist  naked  upon 
 the  Cross  ?  who  is  "  meek,"  unless  He,  who  was  led,  as  a  sheep, 
 to  the  slaughter,  and  who,  as  a  lamb,  opened  not  His  mouth  ? 
 Who  "motirns,"  unless  He,  who  with  a  great  cry  and  tears 
 offered  up  supplication  for  His  enemies,  who  lamented  for  our 
 sins,  and  had  compassion  on  our  miseries  ?  Who  "  hiinffered  and 
 thirsted  after  righteousness,"  unless  Christ  upon  the  Cross, 
 satisfying  for  our  sins  and  thirsting  for  the  salvation  of  our 
 souls?  Who  is  "wierci/w/,"  unless  that  Samaritan,  who  bore 
 our  infirmities  upon  His  own  body  ?  Where  is  "  cleanness  of 
 heart "  seen,  unless  in  Him,  who  cleanses  our  hearts  with  His 
 most  precious  Blood  ?  Who  is  "pacific,"  unless  He,  who  is  "  our 
 Peace,"  and  hath  reconciled  us  to  God  by  His  Blood  ?  Who 
 "suffers  persecution"  for  the  sake  of  righteousness,  unless  He, 
 who  was  crucified  by  the  Jews,  against  whom  men  blasphemed 
 and  bare  lying  testimony  ?  Card.  Bonaventure.  (Stimuli  amoris, 
 p.  i.  c.  8.) 
 
 Christianity  writes  over  the  rich  man's  gates,  "  Blessed  are  the 
 poor  ;"  over  the  Doctor's  chair,  "  Where  is  the  disputer  of  this 
 world  ?"  over  the  Temple,  Non  lapis  super  lapidem,  that  "  not 
 one  stone  shall  be  left  upon  another."  Por  a  Non  occide,  it 
 brought  in  a  Ne  irasceris,  and  made  anger  murder ;  for  a  Non 
 mcechaberis,  a  Non  concupisces,  and  made  desire  adultery.  It 
 brought  down  sin  to  a  look,  to  a  thought ;  and  therefore  no 
 
143  S.  MATTHEW  VII.  29, 
 
 wonder  if  there  arose  against  Christians  tot  hostes  quot  extranet, 
 as  many  enemies  as  there  were  heathens  and  Jews.  1  Kings 
 xxi.  20  ;  Gal.  iv.  16;  vi.  12  ;  Acts  xxviii.  12.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 S.  Matt.  V.  5,  p.  4.) 
 
 29  It  is  evident  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  most  perfect  Pro- 
 phet, the  Prince  and  Lobd  of  all  the  prophets,  doctors,  and  pas- 
 tors, which  either  preceded,  or  succeeded  Him.  For  He  hath 
 revealed  unto  us  the  most  perfect  will  of  God,  both  in  His  pre- 
 cepts and  His  promises.  He  hath  delivered  the  same  after  the 
 most  perfect  manner,  with  the  greatest  authority ;  not  like 
 Moses  and  the  prophets,  saying,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  ;"  but 
 "  I  say  unto  you  :"  not  like  the  interpreters  of  Moses,  for  He 
 taught  them,  as  one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the  Scribes ; 
 with  the  greatest  perspicuity  ;  not  as  those  before  Him  under 
 types  and  shadows,  but  plainly  and  clearly ;  from  whence  both 
 He  and  His  doctrine  is  frequently  called  "  Light :"  with  the 
 greatest  universality,  as  preaching  that  Gospel,  which  is  to 
 unite  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  into  one  Church,  that  there 
 might  be  "one  Shepherd  and  one  flock."  Whatsoever  then 
 that  great  Prophet,  the  Messiah,  was  to  teach,  that  Jesus 
 taught ;  and  whatsoever  works  He  was  to  do,  these  Jesus  did. 
 Isa.  xlii.  1,  4 ;  S.  John  xv.  22,  24 ;  IS.  Pet.  ii.  25.  Bp.  Pear- 
 son.    (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art.  2.) 
 
 He  spake  as  one,  who  had  power  to  command  and  enjoin  the 
 heart.  Who  could  look  into  man,  but  the  Maker  of  man  ? 
 Who  could  enjoin  a  Law  to  man's  thoughts,  but  He,  which 
 "  knew  their  thoughts  ?"  S.  John  ii.  25  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  11.  Sutton. 
 (Disce  vivere,  c.  xi.) 
 
 The  Scribes. — For  first,  they  failed  in  the  matter  ;  they  delivered 
 not  the  doctrine  of  God  :  secondly,  in  the  manner  ;  they  taught 
 coldly  and  without  zeal :  thirdly,  in  the  end ;  they  taught  in 
 pride  and  ambition,  seeking  themselves  and  not  God's  glory. 
 Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 How  easy  and  natural  it  is  for  contempt  to  pass  from  the  person 
 to  the  Office,  from  him,  that  speaks,  to  the  thing,  that  he  speaks 
 of,  experience  proves;  counsel  being  seldom  valued  so  much  for 
 the  truth  of  the  thing,  as  the  credit  of  him,  that  gives  it.  Ob- 
 serve an  excellent  passage  to  this  purpose  in  Eccles.  ix.  14,  15 
 
S,  MATTHEW  VII.  29;  VIII.  1.  143 
 
 ...  In  the  Jewish  Church  it  was  cautiously  provided  in  the 
 Law,  that  none,  that  was  blind  or  lame,  or  had  any  remarkable 
 defect  in  his  body,  was  capable  of  the  Priestly  Office  ;  because 
 these  things  naturally  make  a  person  contemned,  and  this  pre- 
 sently reflects  on  the  function.  This  therefore  is  one  way,  by 
 which  the  low  despised  condition  of  Ministers  tends  to  the  de- 
 struction of  the  Ministry  and  religion ;  namely,  because  it  sub- 
 jects their  persons  to  scorn  and  consequently  their  calling :  and 
 it  is  not  imaginable  that  men  will  be  brought  to  obey  what  they 
 cannot  esteem.  1  Kings  x.  5  ;  1  Tim.  iv.  12;  Titus  ii.  15.  Br. 
 South.  (Serm.  1  Kings  xiii.  33,  34.) 
 Let  us  be  holy,  and  we  shall  be  respected  ;  let  us  not  conform  to 
 the  vain  pomps  of  the  world  ;  let  us  honour  our  Ministry,  and 
 our  Ministry  will  honour  us.  It  is  the  only  way  to  obtain 
 veneration  and  esteem.  1  Tim.  iv,  11,  12,  13  ;  Titus  ii.  15. 
 Massillon.     (Conferences,  Serm.  S.  Luke  xv.  2.) 
 
 CHAPTER  VIII. 
 
 T17HEN  He  was  come  down  from   the   mountain, 
 great  multitudes  followed  Him. 
 
 2  And,  behold,  there  came  a  leper  and  worshipped 
 Him,  saying,  Lord,  if  Thou  wilt.  Thou  canst  make  me 
 clean. 
 
 3  And  Jesus  put  forth  His  hand,  and  touched  him, 
 saying,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean.  And  immediately  his 
 leprosy  was  cleansed. 
 
 4  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  See  thou  tell  no  man  ; 
 but  go  thy  w^ay,  shew  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer 
 the  gift  that  Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  unto 
 them. 
 
 1  When  Re  was  come  down ; — From  the  Mount  of  Heaven  into 
 
144  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  1—3. 
 
 this  valley  of  earth,  as  a  physician,  to  cure  our  leprosies  ;  or, 
 from  the  mount  of  the  Law  to  the  plain  of  the  Grospel ;  or, 
 from  the  mount  of  contemplation  unto  the  field  of  action  ;  or, 
 He  came  down  from  the  mountain,  first  instructing  His  disci- 
 ples and  after  descending  to  the  capacities  of  the  people  :  teach- 
 ing all  teachers  hereby  to  deliver  high  points  unto  the  learned, 
 and  plain  principles  to  the  simple.  Heb.  v.  12 — 14.  Dean 
 Boys.  (On  the  Dominical  Epistles,  &c.  3rd  Sunday  after 
 Epiphany.) 
 
 If  we  may  here  indulge  in  metaphor,  it  may  be  said  that  our  Lord 
 descended  from  the  Mount,  when  He  ceased  from  the  delivery  of 
 Heavenly  Doctrine  and  began  to  work  miracles,  as  an  evidence, 
 suited  to  the  plainest  minds.  (1  Cor.  xiv.  22.)  And  indeed 
 the  performance  of  miracles  came  most  appropriately  after  the 
 preaching  of  His  Gospel,  as  an  outward  attestation  to  it,  and  as 
 the  miracles  themselves,  in  their  specific  character  of  merciful- 
 ness, harmonized  with  the  gracious  Doctrines  He  had  delivered. 
 S.  Mark  xvi.  20 ;  1  Thess.  i.  5.     J.  F. 
 
 The  preferments  of  heaven  will  be  sure  to  meet  us,  only  in  the 
 state  of  an  ajBBlicted  abject  humility.  Cheist  preached  upon 
 the  Mount ;  but  He  lived  and  acted  His  Sermons  in  the  valley. 
 Dr.  South.     (Serm.  Eph.  iv.  10.) 
 
 2  Faith  says,  if  Thou  wilt ;  not,  if  Thou  art  able.  S,  Mark  ix.  22. 
 Bengel. 
 
 3  Putting  forth  His  hand  ;  which  was  a  sign  of  liberality,  addressed 
 to  the  avaricious.  He  touched^  him,  which  was  done  in  humility 
 against  the  proud;  saying  /  will,  which  was  a  sign  of  pity 
 against  the  envious  ;  Be  clean,  which  was  a  sign  of  His  power 
 against  the  unbelieving.     Ludolphus.     (Vita  Christi,  in  loco.) 
 
 He  says,  I  will ;  because  of  Photinus — (who  regarded  Cheist,  as 
 being  a  mere  man) — He  commands  ;  because  of  Arius — (who 
 denied  the  equality  of  the  Son  with  the  Fathee) — He  touches ; 
 because  of  Manichseus — (who  maintained  that  Cheist  had  not 
 human  flesh,  but  was  a  mere  phantom.)  ix.  20;  Numb.  v.  2; 
 Lev.  xiii.  46 ;  Acts  iii.  12—36.     -S.  Ambrose.     (In  Luc.  v.  12.) 
 
 When  our  Loed  said,  I  will ;  be  thou  clean ;  and  the  leper  was 
 immediately  cleansed.  His  Divinity  shone  forth  more  brightly, 
 than  if  He  had  commanded  all  the  powers   above  visibly  to 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  4,  145 
 
 assist  Him.  S.  John  ii.  11 ;  Ps.  xxxiii.  9.  Bji.  Sherlock.  (Dis- 
 courses.    Vol.  i.  p.  G-l.) 
 
 4  CuRiST  was  unwilling  that  the  Ceremonies  of  the  Law  should 
 be  treated  with  contempt,  seeing  that  they  were  not  yet  abro- 
 gated.    Lev.  xiv. ;  Eora.  xiv.      Calvm. 
 
 Let  every  one  of  you,  brethren,  bless  God  in  his  proper  station 
 with  a  good  conscience  and  with  all  gravity,  not  exceeding  the 
 rule  of  his  service,  that  is  appointed  to  him.  The  daily  sacri- 
 fices are  not  offered  everywhere ;  nor  the  peace-offerings,  nor 
 the  sacrifices,  appointed  for  sins  and  transgressions,  but  only  at 
 Jerusalem  ;  nor  in  any  place  there,  but  only  at  the  altar  before 
 the  Temple ;  that,  which  is  offered,  being  first  diligently  exa- 
 mined by  the  High  Priest  and  the  other  ministers  we  have 
 before  mentioned.  (Priests  and  Levites.)  They  therefore  who 
 do  anything,  which  is  not  agreeable  to  his  will,  are  punished 
 with  death.  Consider,  brethren,  that  by  how  much  the  better 
 knowledge  God  has  vouchsafed  unto  us  (as  Christians)  by  so 
 much  the  greater  danger  we  are  exposed  to.  Deut.  xvii.  8 — 13  ; 
 S.  Matt,  xxiii.  2,  3 ;  Heb.  xiii.  17  and  ii.  1 — 5.  .S.  Clemens 
 Romanus.     (Ep.  Cor.  s.  41.) 
 
 5  And  when  Jesus  was  entered  into  Capernaum, 
 there  came  unto  Him  a  centurion,  beseeching  Him, 
 
 6  And  saying,  Lord,  my  servant  Heth  at  home  sick 
 of  the  palsy,  grievously  tormented. 
 
 7  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  will  come  and  heal 
 him. 
 
 8  The  centurion  answered  and  said.  Lord,  I  am 
 not  worthy  that  Thou  shouldest  come  under  my  roof: 
 but  speak  the  word  only,  and  my  servant  shall  be 
 healed. 
 
 9  For  I  am  a  man  under  authority,  having  soldiers 
 under  me  :  and  I  say  to  this  man,  Go,  and  he  goeth ; 
 and  to  another,  Come,  and  he  cometh  ;  and  to  my 
 servant,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it. 
 
146  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  6—8. 
 
 6  Lord,  my  servant,  8(c. — Josh.  xxiv.  15,  "As  for  me  and  my 
 house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord."  This  ought  to  be  the  sincere 
 resolution  and  constant  practice  of  every  Christian  Master  of  a 
 family.  Without  this,  none  can  reasonably  expect  to  have  duti- 
 ful children  or  faithful  servants,  nor  justly  hope  to  have  God's 
 Blessing.  Gen.  xvii.  23  ;  xviii.  19  ;  Ps.  ci. ;  Jer.  x.  25  ;  Acts  x. 
 1,  2,     Bp.  Wilson.     (Prefixed  to  a  Porm  of  Pamily  Prayer.) 
 
 The  first  fruits  of  the  Gentiles  made  supplication  before  God  for 
 the  salvation  of  the  whole  Gentile  world.    Acts  x.  4.    Remigius. 
 
 7  Consider  the  humility  of  our  Lobd,  who  offered  to  go  Himself 
 to  the  servant,  but  refused  the  pomp  of  the  nobleman.  (S. 
 John  iv.  46.)  Consider  also,  that  we  ought  not  to  accept  per- 
 sons :  for  our  Lord,  without  any  great  requiring,  went  to  heal 
 the  soldier's  servant,  and  refused  to  go  to  the  Prince's  son, 
 though  earnestly  prayed  and  entreated  thereto  ;  thereby  to  re- 
 prove the  pride  of  many,  who  run  with  speed  to  rich  men's 
 houses  to  please  them  and  to  do  them  all  possible  service,  in 
 hope  of  some  worldly  reward  and  favour  ;  but  are  slack  to  go 
 unto  those,  that  are  poor  and  needy,  to  assist  and  succour  them 
 in  their  necessities,  only  in  hope  of  a  reward  in  heaven.  S.  Jas. 
 ii.  1 — 4  ;  Prov.  iv.  20.  (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and 
 others,  ch.  30.) 
 
 Ne  dicas,  assistant  eras,  says  S.  Gregory  ;  do  not  say,  I  will  help 
 thee  to-morrow  j  ne  quid  inter  propositum  et  heneficium  interce- 
 dat.  Perchance  that  poor  soul  may  not  need  thee  to-morrow  ; 
 perchance  thou  mayest  have  nothing  to  give  to-morrow  ;  per- 
 chance there  shall  be  no  such  day,  as  to-morrow :  and  so  thou 
 hast  lost  that  opportunity  of  thy  charity,  which  God  offered 
 thee  to-day.  Unica  beneficientia  est,  quce  moram  non  admittit ; 
 only  that  is  charity,  that  is  given  presently.  Prov.  iii.  28 ;  S. 
 Luke  xix.  8.     Br.  Donne.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  ix.  2.) 
 
 From  under  the  exterior  form  he  discerned  the  hidden  Godhead  ; 
 well  aware  that  the  benefit  was  not  to  be  expected  from  what 
 appeared  without,  even  to  the  eyes  of  the  incredulous,  but  from 
 that,  which  was  secreted  within,  ix.  20 ;  Acts  xix.  12.  S. 
 Jerome. 
 
 8  By  pronouncing  himself  not  worthy  he  made  himself  worthy  of 
 receiving  the  "Word  of  God  ;  I  say  not  into  his  house,  but  into 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  8,  9.  147 
 
 his  heart.  Nor  would  he  have  uttered  this  with  so  great  faitli 
 and  humility,  luiless  in  his  heart  he  had  borne  that  Saviour, 
 whom  he  scrupled  to  admit  under  his  roof.  S.  Augustine. 
 (Serm.  62,  c.  1.) 
 Water- springs  shall  flow  out  of  a  barren  ground,  that  suspected 
 itself  to  be  parched  and  di-y.  Though  you  see  but  little  by 
 your  own  light,  it  is  because  it  is  put  in  the  lanthorn  of  hu- 
 mility. And  let  these  be  the  consolations  of  Paith.  Bp.  J. 
 Taylor.  (Christian  Consolations,  ch.  i.) 
 Shall  Augustine  have  the  command  over  his  fellow-servants  ?  And 
 shall  he  not  rather  mourn,  that  the  Loed  speaks  and  commands 
 in  vain  ?     Mai.  i.  6.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 9  Quid  mirum  est,  menti  quod  sit  caro  serva  rebellis, 
 Nee  jussis  dominae  pareat  ilia  suae  ? 
 Mens  meritas  pendit  poenas  in  carne  rebelli ; 
 
 Obsequium  dominse  cum  neget  ipsa  suae. 
 Ut  mentis  caro  jussa  tuae  non  pigra  facessat, 
 
 Fac  tua  mens  servet  sedula  jussa  Dei. 
 Ordinis  hoc  etenim  ratio  exigit,  ut  caro  mentis 
 Imperio  subsit,  mente  sequente  Deum. 
 
 Eom.  vi.  12—22  ;  Eph.  vi.  9.     D.  J.  Billius. 
 (Sacra  Anthologia,  14.) 
 
 10  When  Jesus  heard  it.  He  marvelled,  and  said  to 
 them  that  followed,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not 
 found  so  great  faith,  no  not  in  Israel. 
 
 1 1  And  I  say  unto  yoa,  That  many  shall  come  from 
 the  east  and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
 and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 12  But  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast 
 out  into  outer  darkness  :  there  shall  be  weeping  and 
 gnashing  of  teeth. 
 
 13  And  Jesus  said  unto  the  centurion,  Go  thy  way  ; 
 and  as  thou  hast  believed,  so  be  it  done  unto  thee. 
 And  his  servant  was  healed  in  the  selfsame  hour. 
 
 l2 
 
148  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  10—12. 
 
 10  Unbelief  is  now  so  universally  common,  that  it  is  a  matter  of 
 marvel  to  find  any  man,  who  can  fully  trust  GrOD,  even  in  the  les- 
 ser operations  of  His  hand.  But  the  real  marvel  ought  rather 
 to  be,  not,  as  Christ  said  to  this  Centurion,  to  find  a  person, 
 who  believes,  but  to  find  a  person,  who  does  not.  Isa.  liii.  1 ; 
 S.  John  xii.  37 ;  xiv.  9.     Segneri.     (Quaresimale.  Pred.  ii,  s.  i.) 
 
 Though  the  persons,  who  approached  our  Loed,  manifested  a 
 variety  of  difierent  virtues,  yet  faith  is  the  only  grace,  which 
 He  is  wont  to  commend,  ix.  2,  22,  29  ;  S.  Luke  vii.  50 ;  Heb. 
 xi.     Bengel. 
 
 It  is  observable  that  Cheist  commended  faith,  only  in  the  case 
 of  Gentiles,  as  is  seen  in  this  Centurion  and  that  woman,  xii. 
 11,  12 ;  XV.  22,  28.     Maldonate. 
 
 I  have  not  found  in  the  olive  the  fruit,  which  I  have  found  in  the 
 wild  olive-tree.  Wherefore  let  the  towering  olive  be  cut  down  ; 
 and  let  the  creeping  wild  olive  be  planted  in  its  place.  Vide 
 inserentem ;  vide  prcecidentem.  See,  how  He  plants  the  one. 
 See,  how  He  cuts  down  the  other.     Isa.  v.  1 — 7.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 11  This  was  on  purpose  to  awaken  the  jealousy  of  the  Jews.  Eom. 
 xi.  11.     Bengel. 
 
 Cheist  was  corporally  present  among  the  Jews ;  among  the  Gen- 
 tiles spiritually,  in  the  putting  forth  of  His  power.  Judaea 
 knew  Him  personally  and  crucified  Him  ;  the  Gentiles  heard  of 
 Him  and  believed.  Ps.  xviii.  43  ;  S.  John  xv.  24  ;  xx.  29 — 31. 
 S.  Augustine.     (De  Verb.  Dom.  Serm.  6.) 
 
 12  Children  of  the  kingdom,  rather  than  of  the  King;  since  many 
 are  in  the  kingdom,  whom  notwithstanding  the  King  rejects,  as 
 traitors  :  whereas  all  the  children  of  the  King  are  adopted,  as 
 co-heirs  with  His  only-begotten  Son.  Eom.  ix.  6;  xi.  1 — 6. 
 Beza. 
 
 Outer  darkness. — Hell  appears  to  be  situated  beyond  the  limits  of 
 this  universe.  Nor  are  reasons  wanting  for  this  locality ;  for, 
 as  the  place  of  the  damned  is  the  same,  as  that  "  prepared  for 
 the  devil  and  his  angels  "  (xxv.  41)  in  punishment  of  their 
 apostasy,  which  occurred  before  the  fall  of  man,  it  does  not 
 seem  probable  that  hell  should  have  been  prepared,  within  the 
 limits  of  this  world,  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  on  which  the 
 curse  had  not  yet  passed.   Milton.  (Christian  Doctrine,  Ch.  33.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  12—14.  149 
 
 MoUes  flehiint,  durifrement. — The  sensitive  shall  weep ;  the  callous 
 shall  gnash  their  teeth,     xiii.  42  ;  Acts  vii.  54.     Bengel. 
 
 13  As  thou  hast  believed. — "A  merciful  GrOD,"  says  S.  Chrysos- 
 tom,  "  is  wout  to  confer  this  honourable  privilege  on  His  ser- 
 vants, that  others  for  their  sake  should  be  saved ;"  but  this 
 doth  not  exclude  the  faith  of  the  particular  man,  v^ho  is  to  be 
 saved.     S.  Mark  ii.  5  ;  Acts  xxvii.  31.     Dr.  Bonne. 
 
 Notice  the  distinction ;  that  "  Euler "  (S.  John  iv.  46)  "  be- 
 sought the  LoED  to  come  down  to  his  house  "  this  Centurion 
 professed  his  unworthiness  of  such  an  honour.  To  him  it  was 
 replied,  "  I  will  come  and  heal  him  :"  to  the  former,  "  Go  ;  thy 
 son  liveth."  In  one  case.  He  promised  a  visit ;  in  the  other. 
 He  healed  with  a  word.  And  yet,  the  Euler  prcesentiam  ejus 
 extorquebat,  almost  forced  Him  to  come  to  his  house  ;  whereas, 
 the  Centurion  pleaded  his  unworthiness.  Hie  cessmn  est  elationi  ; 
 illic  concessum  est  humilitati.  Here  the  cure  is  conceded  to  bold- 
 ness ;  there  it  is  granted  to  humility.  S.  Augustine.  (In  Joan. 
 Tr.  16.) 
 
 14  And  when  Jesus  was  come  into  Peter's  house, 
 He  saw  his  wife's  mother  laid,  and  sick  of  a  fever. 
 
 15  And  He  touched  her  hand,  and  the  fever  left 
 her  :  and  she  arose,  and  ministered  unto  them. 
 
 16  When  the  even  was  come,  they  brought  unto 
 Him  many  that  were  possessed  with  devils :  and  He 
 cast  out  the  spirits  with  His  word,  and  healed  all  that 
 were  sick. 
 
 17  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
 Esaias  the  prophet,  saying,  Himself  took  our  infirmi- 
 ties, and  bare  our  sicknesses. 
 
 14  He  saw  Peter^s  wife's  mother. — The  ancients  observe,  that  in 
 three  of  the  miracles,  performed  by  Jesus,  after  His  Sermon 
 on  the  Mount,  the  three  kinds  of  God's  benefits  are  represented 
 to  us :  first,  of  those,  which  are  bestowed  upon  us,  on  our  suing 
 to  God  for  them  ourselves,  as  in  the  case  of  the  leper ;  secondly. 
 
150  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.   14-17. 
 
 of  those,  which  are  obtained  for  us  by  the  prayers  of  others  (the 
 Centurion's  servant ;)  and  the  third,  of  those,  which  God  con- 
 fers out  of  His  own  free  mercy,  without  any  prayer  of  our's :  to 
 which  kind  of  mercy  the  Apostles  very  justly  refer  the  calling 
 of  the  Gentiles.     Isa.  Ixiii.  7.     Grotius. 
 
 ISimon's  wife. — We  say  that  matrimony  is  holy  and  honourable  in 
 all  sorts  and  states  of  persons  ;  as  in  the  Patriarchs,  in  the  Pro- 
 phets, in  the  Apostles,  in  the  holy  Martyrs,  in  the  Ministers  of 
 the  Church,  and  in  IBishops ;  and  that  it  is  an  honest  and  lawful 
 thing,  as  Chrysostom  saith,  for  a  man,  living  in  matrimony,  ad 
 Cathedram  Episcopalem  accedere,  to  take  upon  him  therewith 
 the  dignity  of  a  Bishop.  Heb.  xiii.  4 ;  1  Cor.  ix.  5  ;  1  Tim.  iv. 
 3.     Bp.  Jewel.     (Apology.) 
 
 It  appears  that  He  entered  Peter's  house  for  the  sake  of  some 
 necessary  refreshment,  as  it  is  recorded  that  Peter's  mother, 
 immediately  on  her  recovery,  ministered  unto  them.  This  latter 
 circumstance  not  only  shows  the  completeness  of  the  cure,  the 
 fever  generally  leaving  the  patient  exceedingly  weak  ;  but  it 
 helps  us  to  remark  how  our  Blessed  Lord  preferred  relieving 
 others  to  the  supply  of  His  own  wants.  The  case  of  the  woman 
 of  Samaria  offers  a  remarkable  counterpart  to  this  incident; 
 only  her's  was  a  higher,  a  spiritual  cure.  S.  John  iv.  6,  7,  31, 
 32,  34.     J.  F. 
 
 16  When  the  even  was  come. — The  setting  of  the  sun  may  be  in- 
 terpreted the  change  of  worldly  prosperities  into  adversity  ;  after 
 which  many  are  healed,  who  were  grievously  sick,  so  long  as  the 
 sun  of  prosperity  shined  upon  them.  S.  Mark  i.  24 ;  Eccl.  xi. 
 7,  8.     (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and  others.     Ch.  32.) 
 
 They  brought  unto  Him. — Oh,  that  such  a  Saviotje  should  live  in 
 heaven,  so  able,  so  wise,  so  gracious  ;  and  men  not  be  persuaded 
 to  put  themselves  into  His  hands  !     S.  John  v.  40.     J.  Milner. 
 
 17  We  know  that  this  saying  of  the  Prophet  is  rather  to  be  under- 
 stood of  our  sins ;  the  Evangelist  applies  it  to  sicknesses ;  for 
 generally  these  come  of  our  sins.  ix.  6 ;  Ps.  cvii.  17.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Ipse  gerit  quod  struxit  opus,  nee  ferre  pudescit 
 Factor  quod  peperit ;  corpus,  loquor,  atque  animse  vim  : 
 Finxerat  hoc  digitis,  animam  sufflaverat  ore. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII,  20.  151 
 
 Totum  hominem  Deus  adsumit,  quia  totua  ab  Ipso  est ; 
 Et  totum  redimit,  quern  sumpserat,  orane  reducens 
 Quidquid  homo  est ;  istud  tumulis,  ast  illud  abysso. 
 
 Prudentius.     (Apotheosis.) 
 
 18  Now  when  Jesus  saw  great  multitudes  about 
 Him,  He  gave  commandment  to  depart  unto  the  other 
 side. 
 
 19  And  a  certain  scribe  came,  and  said  unto  Him, 
 Master,  I  will  follow  Thee  whithersoever  Thou  goest. 
 
 20  And  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  The  foxes  have  holes, 
 and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ;  but  the  Son  of 
 Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  His  head. 
 
 21  And  another  of  His  disciples  said  unto  Him, 
 Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury  my  father. 
 
 22  But  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Follow  Me ;  and  let 
 the  dead  bury  their  dead. 
 
 20  Who  can  now  complain  of  want,  when  he  hears  his  Lokd  and 
 Saviotje,  but  thus  provided  for  ?  He  could  have  brought  down 
 with  Him  a  Celestial  house  and  have  pitched  it  here  below,  too 
 glorious  for  earthen  eyes  to  have  looked  upon  it.  He  could 
 have  commanded  all  the  precious  things,  that  lie  shrouded  in 
 the  bowels  of  the  earth,  to  have  made  up  a  Majestical  palace 
 for  Him,  to  the  dazzling  of  the  eyes  of  all  beholders.  He  could 
 have  taken  up  the  stateliest  Court,  that  any  earthly  monarch 
 possessed,  for  His  peculiar  habitation.  But  His  straituess  was 
 spiritual  and  heavenly  ;  and  He,  that  owned  all,  would  have 
 nothing ;  that  He  might  sanctify  want  unto  us  and  that  He 
 might  teach  us  by  His  blessed  example  to  sit  down  contented 
 with  anything,  with  nothing,  xxvii.  34.  Bp.  Hall.  (Remedy 
 of  Discontentment ;  Ch.  2.) 
 
 The  foxes,  8(0. — Mighty  Loed,  who  wast  thus  rejected,  that  we 
 might  live,  teach  us  to  understand  and  feel  this  mystery  of  woe ! 
 Teach  us  to  love  what  Thou  hast  made  Thine  own  ;  to  honour 
 the  misery,  which  Thou  hast  selected  ;  to  look  with  respect  and 
 
152  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  21,  22. 
 
 awe  upon  the  Christian  poverty,  whose  sorrows  whisper  to  us 
 of  Thine  !  v.  3  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  9.  PF.  Archer  Butler.  (Serm.  S. 
 Matt.  XXV.  40.) 
 
 21  What  plea  seems  in  our  eyes  more  reasonable,  more  amiable, 
 more  dutiful,  more  necessary  ?  But  would  it  stand  the  test, 
 would  it  bear  the  gaze  of  that  Infinite  eye,  "  from  which  no 
 secrets  are  hid  ?"  Alas  !  there  might  have  existed  under  this 
 specious  plea  the  most  self-interested  covetousness.  S.  John 
 ii.  25  ;  Eom.  ii.  16.     J.  F. 
 
 Amo  Te,  Domine,  plus  quam  meos ;  jil^s  quam  mea  ;  plus  quam  me! 
 I  love  Thee,  O  Lobd,  more  than  my  kin,  more  than  my  posses- 
 sions, more  than  my  own  self!     Ps.  xviii.  1,  2.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 22  We  must  bid  all  things  stand  aside,  that  would  impede  us,  and 
 tell  them  that  they  have  no  interest  at  all  in  us,  when  we  are  in 
 pursuit  of  so  great  a  good  ;  the  love  of  which  will  soon  reconcile 
 us  to  the  hardest  duties  and  endear  to  us  the  most  self-denying 
 courses.  It  will  alter  the  countenance  of  sufferings  and  make 
 all  the  troubles  of  this  life  cast  a  kinder  aspect  on  us.  Nay,  it 
 will  enable  us  to  look  death  in  the  face  with  a  cheerful  heart ; 
 for  it  will  present  it  to  us  in  another  shape  aud  make  the  grave, 
 that  house  of  darkness,  seem  like  the  Beautiful  gate  of  tlie 
 Temple  of  God.  Ps.  cxlvi.  3,  4 ;  1  S.  John  iv.  16—18.  Bp. 
 Patrick.     (The  glorious  Epiphany.     Ch.  8.) 
 
 Even  an  act  of  charity,  such  as  is  the  burial  of  the  dead,  must  not 
 be  preferred  before  obedience.  We  may  indeed,  peradveuture, 
 with  Elisha  (1  Kings  xix.  20,)  have  leave  to  go,  kiss  our  father 
 and  mother  at  our  parting,  to  use  civilities  to  our  friends,  and 
 with  some  little  solemnity  leave  the  world  and  them.  God's 
 work  does  not  make  us  unnatural  or  uncivil.  'Tis  none  of  His, 
 whatsoever  is  pretended,  that  makes  us  unnatural,  that  makes 
 us  disrespective  of  our  friends,  or  uncivil  to  them,  or  utterly  re- 
 nounce the  bonds  of  nature  and  relation.  It  only  requires  that 
 they  should  not  hinder  us,  that  they  should  not  stay,  or  let  us, 
 from  our  master's  business.  Kiss  them  we  may  ;  but  part  and 
 kiss ;  not  stay  long  upon  ceremonies  ;  much  less  defer  our  fol- 
 lowing Him,  till  they  be  dead  and  buried,  till  they  first  forsake 
 us.  Nehem.  vi.  3  ;  S.  Luke  ii.  49 ;  S.  John  iv.  32,  34.  Br. 
 M-  Frank.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iv.  20.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  22—24.  153 
 
 Quorum  vita  mortiia  est  in  culpd,  eorum  mors  vivet  in  pcend.  A  life, 
 dead  iu  sin,  will  be  followed  by  a  death,  living  in  punisbraent. 
 S.  Luke  XV.  13,  24 ;  1  Tim.  v.  6.     Ardens. 
 
 23  And  when  He  was  entered  into  a  ship,  His  dis- 
 ciples followed  Him. 
 
 24  And,  behold,  there  arose  a  great  tempest  in  the 
 sea,  insomuch  that  the  ship  was  covered  with  the 
 waves  :  but  He  was  asleep. 
 
 25  And  His  disciples  came  to  Him,  and  awoke  Him, 
 saying.  Lord,  save  us:  we  perish. 
 
 26  And  He  saith  unto  them.  Why  are  ye  fearful, 
 O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  Then  He  arose,  and  rebuked  the 
 winds  and  the  sea ;  and  there  was  a  great  calm. 
 
 27  But  the  men  marvelled,  saying.  What  manner 
 of  man  is  this,  that  even  the  winds  and  the  sea  obey 
 Him  ! 
 
 23  Christ  entering  into  the  ship,  His  disciples  foUoxved  Him, 
 leaving  others  upon  the  land.  They  are  the  true  disciples  of 
 Jesus,  who  not  only  keep  Him  company  upon  the  land,  that  is 
 to  say,  whilst  things  succeed  with  them  prosperously  ;  but  also 
 go  with  Him  into  the  sea,  to  wit,  amidst  the  storms  and  tribu- 
 lations of  this  life  ;  for  no  good  Christian  can  pass  this  life, 
 without  he  suffer  some  affliction.     S.  John  xi.  16  ;  S.  Luke  xxii. 
 
 28  ;  2  Tim.  iv.   10.      (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaveuture  and 
 others,  ch.  xxxiii.) 
 
 24  As  long  as  things  prosper  around  us  in  the  world,  we  look  not 
 to  the  Lord.  The  Apostles,  while  the  sea  was  calm,  paid  so 
 little  regard  to  our  Lord,  that  they  left  Him  to  fall  asleep  by 
 Himself  in  the  vessel ;  but,  no  sooner  did  the  tempest  begin  to 
 rage,  thau  they  cried  out  to  Him  for  deliverance.  Ps.  xxx. 
 6 — 8  ;  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  9.    Segneri.    (Quaresimale.    Pred.  xxvi.  S.  4.) 
 
 Every  man  is  a  vast  and  spacious  sea.  His  passions  are  the  winds, 
 that   swell   him   iuto   disturbaut  waves :   liow  he  tumbles,  and 
 
154  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  25—27. 
 
 roars,  and  foams,  when  they  in  their  fury  trouble  him  !  Some- 
 times the  West  of  pleasure  fanning  in  luxurious  gales ;  some- 
 times the  madid  South,  sorrowful  and  full  of  tears ;  sometimes 
 the  sharp  East,  piercing  with  a  testy  spleen ;  sometimes  the 
 violent  and  blustering  North,  swelling  the  cheek  with  the 
 anger's  boiling  blood.  Any  of  these,  in  extremes,  make  it  be- 
 come unnavigable  and  full  of  danger  to  the  vessel,  that  shall 
 coast  upon  it.     O.  Feltham.     (E-esolves,  Cent.  i.  62.) 
 
 25  Nobis  dormit  Chr'istus,  nobis  surgit  a  somno.  'Tis  for  us,  that 
 Jesus  sleeps ;  'tis  for  us,  that  Jesus  awakes.  (Cant.  v.  2.) 
 Euseb.  Emissenus. 
 
 It  is  a  notable  both  sign  and  effect  of  true  faith  in  sudden  ex- 
 tremities to  ejaculate  holy  desires,  and  with  the  wings  of  our 
 first  thoughts  to  fly  up  instantly  to  the  throne  of  Grace  for  pre- 
 sent succour.     Jonah  i.  6;  Nehem.  ii.  4.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 Prayer  is  the  application  of  want  to  Him,  who  can  alone  relieve  it ; 
 the  voice  of  sin  to  Him,  who  can  alone  pardon  it.  It  is  not 
 eloquence,  but  earnestness ;  not  the  definition  of  helplessness, 
 but  the  feeling  of  it ;  not  figures  of  speech,  but  compunctions 
 of  soul.  It  is  the  cry  of  Faith  to  the  ear  of  Mercy.  H.  More. 
 (Spirit  of  Prayer.) 
 
 26  He  rebuked  the  winds. — We  may  believe  that  Satan  had  stirred 
 up  this  tempest.     Job  i.  12 — 19.     Bengel. 
 
 Cheist  does  not  stand  in  need  of  the  ship  (S.  Mark  iii.  9) ;  but 
 the  ship  stands  in  need  of  Cheist  ;  because  the  vessel  of  the 
 Church,  exposed  to  so  many  and  great  perils  in  its  voyage 
 through  this  world,  can  never  reach  the  Heavenly  harbour 
 without  God  to  guide  its  course.  Acts  xxvii.  24,  25.  Pet. 
 Chrysologus.     (Serm.  50.) 
 
 27  How  much  more  should  we  wonder  at  all  disobedient  Chris- 
 tians, saying,  "  What  manner  of  men  are  these,  who  refuse  obe- 
 dience unto  Him,  whom  the  senseless  creatures,  the  winds  and 
 the  sea,  obeyed  ?"  Isa.  i.  3  ;  Acts  xix.  13  ;  Phil.  ii.  9,  10. 
 Bj).  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art.  2.) 
 
 Hie  Deus  noster,  Via  nostra,  semper 
 Sit  comes  nobis ;  sit  et  antecessor  ; 
 Semitis  lumen,  pedibusque  nostris 
 Sermo  lucerna ! 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  27.  155 
 
 Qua  per  obscuri  vada  c£eca  saacli 
 Luminia  veri  face  dirigamur  ; 
 Donee  optatos  liceat  salutis 
 
 Tangere  portus, 
 Quos  rnodo  undosum  petimus  per  sequor  ; 
 Dum  vagaj  mentis  fluitamus  aestu, 
 Terreo,  taniquain  fragili  carina 
 
 Corpore  vecti : 
 Sed  gubernaclo  Crucis  banc  regente 
 Nunc  ratem,  in  nobis  pia  vela  cordis 
 Pandimus,  Cbristo  referente  littus 
 
 Flamiue  dextro. 
 Paulinus.     (Poem.  xvii.  ad  Nicetam.) 
 
 28  And  when  He  was  come  to  the  other  side  into 
 the  country  of  the  Gergesenes,  there  met  Him  two 
 possessed  with  devils,  coming  out  of  the  tombs,  exceed- 
 ing fierce,  so  that  no  man  might  pass  by  that  way. 
 
 29  And,  behold,  they  cried  out,  saying,  What  have 
 we  to  do  with  Thee,  Jesus,  Thou  Son  of  God  ?  art 
 Thou  come  hither  to  torment  us  before  the  time  ? 
 
 30  And  there  was  a  good  way  off  from  them  an 
 herd  of  many  swine  feeding.  ■ 
 
 31  So  the  devils  besought  Him,  saying,  If  Thou 
 cast  us  out,  suffer  us  to  go  away  into  the  herd  of 
 swine. 
 
 32  And  He  said  unto  them,  Go.  And  when  they 
 were  come  out,  they  went  into  the  herd  of  swine : 
 and,  behold,  the  whole  herd  of  swine  ran  violently 
 down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea,  and  perished  in  the 
 waters. 
 
 33  And  they  that  kept  them  fled,  and  went  their 
 ways  into  the  city,  and  told  everything,  and  what  was 
 befallen  to  the  possessed  of  the  devils. 
 
156  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  28-31. 
 
 34  And,  behold,  the  whole  city  came  out  to  meet 
 Jesus  :  and  when  they  saw  Him,  they  besought  Him 
 that  He  would  depart  out  of  their  coasts. 
 
 28  So  that  no  man,  ^c. — Observe  how  tbe  devils  had  stopped  the 
 way  of  those,  who  were  coming  to  Christ,  and  had  forbidden 
 access  to  Him.  For  this  is  the  special  business  of  devils,  to 
 prevent  man  from  finding  the  means  of  returning  to  God  ;  be- 
 cause their  only  way  of  enjoying  uninterrupted  possession  of 
 man  is  by  withdrawing  him  from  the  presence  of  his  Creator, 
 xiii.  19  ;  S.  Luke  ix.  42.     Pet.  ChrysoJogus.     (Serm.  16.) 
 
 29  All  are  true  Christians,  who  believe  in  Christ  and  so  believe, 
 as  to  love  Him.  For  to  believe  in  Christ  is  nothing  else,  but 
 to  love  Christ.  (2  Cor.  v.  14,  15 ;  Gral.  v.  6.)  Not  as  the 
 devils  believed,  who  had  no  love  for  Him,  and  thence,  though 
 they  believed,  exclaimed.  What  have  we,  ^c.  S.  James  ii.  19. 
 S.  Augustine  (in  Ps.  cxxx.) 
 
 Thou  Son  of  God. — Men  imploring  His  help  confidently  addressed 
 Him,  as  "  the  Son  of  David ;"  devils  in  their  fear  call  Him  "  the 
 Son  of  God."     Bengel. 
 
 31  Alarmed  by  the  presence  of  their  Judge,  they  instantly  fore- 
 boded their  punishment :  for,  though  Christ  was  silent  about 
 it,  yet  their  own  evil  consciences  pronounced  the  verdict  upon 
 them.     xiv.  1,  2  ;  S.  Luke  xvi.  14,  15.     Calvin. 
 
 Adam  is  alarmed  at  the  gentlest  breeze  he  hears  in  Paradise  (Gen. 
 iii.  8).  Cain  starts  at  the  least  trembling  of  a  leaf  he  sees  in  the 
 forest.  Lamech,  of  his  own  accord,  discloses  and  confesses  a 
 murder  he  had  secretly  committed,  though  not  a  person  pro- 
 ceeded against  him  for  it,  nor  cited  him  to  appear,  nor  was  even 
 aware  of  his  crime.  Gen.  iv.  23  ;  Job  xv.  20 — 23.  Segneri. 
 (Quares.  Pred.  xxiv.  s.  3.) 
 
 Without  making  any  curious  and  needless  inquiries,  it  is  quite 
 enough  for  us  hence  to  learn  the  inveterate  evil  nature  of  devils, 
 and  to  consider  how  utterly  unable  they  must  be  to  harm  us,  if 
 they  cannot  do  mischief,  even  to  swine,  without  the  Divine  per- 
 mission,    viii.  32  ;  Ps.  xci.  ;  1  S.  Pet.  iii.  13.     7*.  Clarius. 
 
 The  devils,  without  Christ's  leave,  had  no  power  even  over  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  32,  34.  157 
 
 Gadarenes'  swine ;  much  less  have  they  power  over  God's  own 
 sheep.     S.  John  x.  27,  28.     Tertullian.     (De  fuga,  2.) 
 
 32  Ran  violently,  &c. — As  the  just  man,  having  ascended  by  these 
 steps,  presses  on  to  Life  with  gladness  of  heart ;  so,  descending 
 by  the  saaie  steps,  the  wicked  hasten  down  to  hell  with  an  easy 
 course.  Love  helps  forward  the  one  ;  lust  urges  on  the  other. 
 Love  renders  the  one,  while  a  sort  of  stupor  renders  the  other, 
 insensible  to  the  labour  incurred.  Advance  in  goodness  drives 
 away  fear  in  the  former ;  determined  wickedness  has  the  same 
 effect  in  the  latter.  Ps.  xxxvi.  1 — 4 ;  Px'ov.  iv.  18  ;  2  Cor.  v. 
 14.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Our  Lord's  Divine  power  to  save  was  shown  in  miracles  of  mercy  ; 
 His  power  to  destroy  in  the  miracles  of  destruction.  The  former 
 miracles  were  numberless  :  of  the  latter  we  have  only  two  in- 
 stances ;  here,  in  the  death  of  the  swine,  and  at  ch.  xxi.  in  the 
 blasting  of  tlie  fig-tree.  Judgment,  in  this  life,  is  "  His  strange 
 work,"  "His  strange  act;"  and  He  is  more  willing  to  save, 
 than  to  destroy.  (S.  John  iii.  16,  17  ;  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  9.)  And 
 what  else  are  these  two  instances  of  His  power  to  destroy,  than 
 gracious  warnings  to  the  impenitent  and  to  the  unclean  ?  Nei- 
 ther in  them  did  He  do  any  wrong:  for  the  fig-tree,  being 
 barren,  was  of  no  value ;  and  the  Gadarene  traffic  in  swine  was 
 illegal.  "  Whoso  is  wise  will  consider  these  things  ;  and  they 
 shall  understand  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord."  Ps.  cvii. 
 43  ;  Acts  X.  38  ;  Eom.  iii.  4.     /.  F. 
 
 34  When  they  saw  Him  ;  that  He  was  a  poor,  plain,  unpretending 
 person,  "  having  no  form,  nor  comeliness,  nor  any  beauty,  that 
 they  should  desire  Him,"  and-  much  less  any  worldly  power  or 
 grandeur  to  help  them,  they  rejected  Him.  So,  on  the  other 
 hand,  when  Laban  "  saw  the  ear-ring  and  bracelets  upon  his 
 sister's  hands,"  he  kindly  received  the  servant  of  Abraham. 
 These  are  exquisite  natural  traits  of  the  effects  of  avarice  in 
 worldly  minds.     Gen.  xxiv.  30 ;  1  Kings  x.  5.     J.  F. 
 
 Note  Christ's  unspeakable  goodness,  who  came  to  the  Gerge- 
 senes,  before  they  desired  Him  and  stayed  in  their  country,  till 
 they  rejected  Him,  as  being  prior  in  amore,  posterior  in  odio ; 
 .  .  .  the  first  to  love,  the  last  to  hate.  Titus  i.  12.  Beati  Boys. 
 (On  the  Dominical  Ep.,  &c.,  Ninth  Sunday  after  Trinity.) 
 
158  S.  MATTHEW  VIII.  34. 
 
 The  Greek  writers  here  adduce  a  good  remark.  "Where  men 
 live  a  swinish  life,  there  Christ  abideth  not,  but  devils  only." 
 Titus  i.  2  ;  S.  James  iii.  15.  Camerarius.  (in  loco.) 
 Oh,  what  feebleness  of  mind  does  it  discover,  to  be  insensible  to 
 the  misery  of  being  "  without  God  in  the  world  !"  Nothing 
 more  clearly  proves  a  native  baseness  of  spirit,  than  not  to  desire 
 the  accomplishment  of  Eternal  promises  ;  nothing  can  be  more 
 cowardly,  than  to  affect  bravery  by  defying  God.  Prov.  i.  1 — 7, 
 Pascal.  (Thoughts,  &c.,  ch.  i.) 
 The  contempt  of  mercy  is  one  of  the  highest  aggravations  of  guilt. 
 And  nothing  can  be  more  just,  than  that  He  should  havejudff- 
 ment  without  mercy,  who  refuses  even  to  accept  of  mercy,  who 
 will  show  no  mercy  ;  no,  not  even  to  himself.  Prov.  i.  24 — 32  ; 
 Rom.  ii.  4,  5.     Wogan. 
 
 Vincla  sepulcrali  sub  carcere  ferrea  daemon 
 Fregerat :  erumpit,  pedibusque  advolvitur  Jesu. 
 Ast  hominem  Dominus  Sibi  vindicat,  et  jubet  hostem 
 Porcorum  raptare  greges,  ac  per  freta  mergi. 
 
 Prudentius.     (Enchiridion,  xxxvi.) 
 
 CHAPTER  IX. 
 
 A  ND  He  entered  into  a  ship,  and  passed  over,  and 
 came  into  His  own  city. 
 
 2  And,  behold,  they  brought  to  Him  a  man  sick  of 
 the  palsy,  lying  on  a  bed  :  and  Jesus  seeing  their 
 faith,  said  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy  ;  Son,  be  of  good 
 cheer ;  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee. 
 
 3  And,  behold,  certain  of  the  Scribes  said  within 
 themselves.  This  man  blasphemeth. 
 
 4  And  Jesus  knowing  their  thoughts  said.  Where- 
 fore think  ye  evil  in  your  hearts  ? 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  1,  2.  159 
 
 5  For  whether  is  easier  to  say,  Thy  sins  be  forgiven 
 thee  :  or  to  say,  Arise,  and  walk  ? 
 
 6  But  that  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of  Man  hath 
 power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  (tlien  saith  He  to  the 
 sick  of  the  palsy,)  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  go  unto 
 thine  house. 
 
 7  And  he  arose,  and  departed  to  his  house. 
 
 8  But  when  the  multitude  saw  it,  they  marvelled, 
 and  glorified  God,  which  had  given  such  power  unto 
 men. 
 
 1  He  is  said  to  have  come  into  His  own  citij.  Not  Nazareth,  where 
 He  was  born,  (bred?)  but  Capernaum,  where  He  dwelt  and 
 preached,  is  called  His  own  city.  Thou  art  not  a  Christian,  be- 
 cause thou  wast  born  in  a  Christian  kingdom,  and  born  within 
 the  Covenant,  and  born  of  Christian  parents  ;  but  because  thou 
 hast  dwelt  in  the  Christian  Church  and  performed  the  duties, 
 presented  to  thee  there,  iii.  9  ;  xii.  46 — 50 ;  Horn.  ii.  28,  29. 
 Br.  Bonne.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  ix.  2.) 
 
 That  is  called  a  bed,  where  the  spirit  of  a  man  reclines  and  rests, 
 weak  and  sickly ;  indisposed,  that  is,  through  carnal  pleasure 
 and  worldly  gratifications.  Judges  xvi.  19  ;  Amos  vi.  4.  S. 
 Augustine,  (in  Ps.  vi.) 
 
 Seeing  their  faith  (as  seen  in  their  works  of  love.  S.  Mark  ii.  3,  4  ; 
 S.  Luke  V.  17 — 20). — Quicken,  0  Lord,  our  half-dead  spirits  into 
 a  lively  and  active  zeal  of  bringing  others  to  Thee  (Numb.  x.  29  ; 
 S.  John  i.  29 — 41)  ;  and  touch  their  hearts  with  the  same  affec- 
 tion to  us,  that  by  our  mutual  charity  we  may  obtain  Thy  par- 
 don and  taste  the  joys  of  a  peaceful  conscience.  Let  us  not  faint 
 at  the  first  encounter  (S.  Mark  ii.  4),  nor  quit  our  pious  purpose 
 for  a  little  pains  ;  but  wisely  cast  about  to  overcome  the  difii- 
 culty  and  try  all  possible  ways  to  attain  our  end.  Austin. 
 (Medit.  59.) 
 
 2  This  paralytic  believed  ;  or  he  would  not  have  allowed  himself  to 
 be  let  down  through  the  roof.     Heb.  xi.  33.     *S'.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Behold,  how  that  miserable  man,  whom  the  proud  Pharisees  scarce 
 
160  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  3—5. 
 
 vouchsafed  to  look  upon,  of  our  sweet  and  gentle  Lobd  is  called 
 "  Son."  Never  in  the  whole  Gospel  do  we  read  any  of  the 
 Apostles  to  be  called,  severally,  of  our  Lord,  Son,  like  as  this 
 sick  of  the  palsy  was  ;  so  grateful  to  God  is  sickness  and  po- 
 verty, when  sustained  with  patience,  ix.  22 ;  S.  John  viii.  10, 
 11 ;  Isa.  1.  4  ;  Heb.  xii.  5.  As  soon  too  as  the  palsied  man  was 
 oftered  unto  Him,  not  being  asked  of  any,  Christ  forgave  Him 
 his  offences ;  to  give  us  an  example  of  forgiving  injuries,  done 
 unto  us  by  our  neighbours,  even  before  the  same  be  demanded 
 of  us.  Ps.  Ixxxvi.  5.  (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bonavenlure  and 
 others,  Ch.  31.) 
 
 3  A  man  may  blaspheme  three  ways  especially  :  first,  by  ascribing 
 to  God  that,  which  is  unbefitting  His  excellent  Majesty ; 
 secondly,  by  denying  to  God  His  proper  attributes;  thirdly,  by 
 giving  that  to  himself,  which  is  only  due  to  God.  xxvi.  G5. 
 Ludolphus.     (Life  of  Christ,  P.  i.  Ch.  47.) 
 
 4  Intus  est  os  cordis — The  mouth  of  the  heart  is  within,  xii.  35. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 Here  is  the  great  point  of  self-denial,  to  deny  our  thoughts  and  to 
 turn  them  from  objects,  to  which  they  incline,  to  others.  This 
 is  the  true  source  of  mortification :  get  the  mastery  of  these, 
 and  you  command  all  the  rest.  Gen.  vi.  5 ;  Jer.  iv.  14.  Bonnell. 
 (Life,  p.  126.) 
 
 5  'Twas  as  easy  for  Him  to  say  the  one,  as  the  other ;  but  it  was 
 more  suitable  to  His  office  (Isa.  xxvii.  9),  more  behooiful  for  us 
 to  make  this  truth  known  to  us,  that  He  came  to  pardon  and 
 forgive  sins.  Isa.  xl.  1,  2 ;  S.  Luke  iv.  18,  19.  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 (Serm.  1  S.  John  iv.  10.) 
 
 There  is  therefore  carnale  signum,  a  sign  in  the  flesh,  that  the 
 power  over  the  soul  may  be  demonstrated.  He  effects  the 
 lesser,  which  is  more  manifest ;  that  He  may  display  the 
 greater,  which  is  not  manifest  at  all.  S.  John  ix.  6,  7.  S. 
 Jerome. 
 
 Sicknesses  befall  us  in  five  ways,  either  for  the  increase  of  our  re- 
 ward, as  in  the  case  of  Job  ;  Job  xlii.  12  ;  or,  to  repress  pride, 
 as  in  the  case  of  Paul ;  2  Cor.  xii.  7  ;  or,  to  punish  sin,  as  in  the 
 case  of  this  paralytic ;  or,  for  the  glory  of  God,  as  in  tlie  case  of 
 the  man  born  blind  (S.  John  ix.  1 — 12)  ;  or,  as  a  commence- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  5-8.  161 
 
 ment  of  penal  torment,  as  in  the  case  of  Herod.  Acts  xii.  28. 
 Emanuel  Sa. 
 
 Every  evil  of  pain,  howsoever  considered,  whether  formally  or  sub 
 ratione  poence,  as  the  proper  effect,  of  God's  vengeance  and 
 wrath  against  sin  ;  or,  as  a  fatherly  correction  and  chastisement, 
 to  nurture  us  from  some  past  sin ;  or,  as  a  medicinal  preserva- 
 tive, to  strengthen  us  against  some  future  sin  ;  or,  as  a  clogging 
 chain  to  keep  under,  and  disable  us  from,  some  outward  work  of 
 sin ;    or,  as  a  fit  matter,  whereon   to  exercise  our  Christian 
 
 .  graces  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  patience,  humility,  and  the 
 rest ;  or,  as  an  occasion,  given  and  taken  from  Almighty  God, 
 for  the  greater  manifestation  of  His  wisdom,  power,  and  good- 
 ness in  the  removal  of  it ;  or,  as  an  act  of  exemplary  justice  for 
 the  admonition  and  terror  of  others ;  or,  for  whatsoever  other 
 end,  purpose,  or  respect  it  be  inflicted ;  every  such  pain  is 
 brought  upon  us  for  sin.  Judith  v.  20;  S.  John  ix.  2.  Bp. 
 Sanderson.    (Serm.  1  Chron.  xxi.  29.) 
 
 6  That  ye  may  know,  S^c. — "We  are  not  to  inquire  into  any  hidden 
 records  :  forgiveness  of  sins  is  not  a  secret  sentence,  a  word,  or 
 a  record  ;  but  it  is  a  state  of  change  and  effected  upon  us ;  and 
 upon  ourselves  we  are  to  look  for  it,  to  read  it,  and  understand 
 it.  We  are  only  to  be  curious  of  our  duty  and  confident  of  the 
 Article  of  the  Eeraission  of  sins  :  and  the  conclusion  of  these 
 premises  will  be,  that  we  shall  be  full  of  hopes  of  a  prosperous 
 Resurrection.     1  S.  John  i.  7  ;  Rom.  viii.  1.     Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 By  saying  that  sins  are  forgiven  on  earth,  our  Lord  reminds  us, 
 that  after  death  there  is  no  more  place  for  repentance  and  for- 
 giveness :  for  then  the  door  is  shut.  v.  26.  Theophylaet.  (in 
 Luc.  V.  24.) 
 
 7  We  are  naturally  palsied,  and  lame,  and  halt  with  sin ;  but, 
 when  Jesus  says  to  us,  "  Repent,  and  your  sins  shall  be  for- 
 given," we  are  strengthened  and  encouraged  to  arise  and  walk 
 in  the  paths  of  righteousness.  We  leave  our  burden  of  sin  be- 
 hind us,  and  take  up  our  bed,  and  carry  it  along  with  us ;  that 
 is,  in  our  duty  we  find  our  rest.  Rom.  vi.  22.  A.  W.  Hare. 
 (Serm.  S.  Luke  xi.  4.) 
 
 8  If  the  Lord  possessed  this  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  as  He 
 was  "the  Son  of  Man,"  in  great  humility,  and  before  the  Sacri- 
 
 M 
 
162  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  9. 
 
 fice  of  His  death  for  sin  was  offered,  how  much  more  may  our 
 faith  rest  on  Him  for  pardon  now,  when  He  is  the  "  Grlorified 
 Son  both  of  God  and  of  Man,"  and  exalted  to  the  right  hand  of 
 the  Fathee:  yea,  exalted  for  the  very  express  purpose  of  "  giving 
 repentance  unto  Israel  and  the  remission  of  sins?"  xviii.  18  ; 
 Acts  V.  31 ;  Eom.  viii.  33,  34.     J.  F. 
 
 9  And  as  Jesus  passed  forth  from  thence,  He  saw  a 
 man,  named  Matthew,  sitting  at  the  receipt  of  custom : 
 and  He  saith  unto  him,  Follow  Me.  And  he  arose, 
 and  followed  Him. 
 
 10  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the 
 house,  behold,  many  publicans  and  sinners  came  and 
 sat  down  with  Him  and  His  disciples. 
 
 1 1  And  when  the  Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto 
 His  disciples.  Why  eateth  your  Master  with  publicans 
 and  sinners  ? 
 
 12  But  when  Jesus  heard  that,  He  said  unto  them, 
 They  that  be  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that 
 are  sick. 
 
 13  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  to  repentance. 
 
 9  In  the  call  of  Matthew  and  of  the  Publicans,  is  figured  the  faith 
 of  the  Grentiles,  who  first  gaped  after  the  gain  of  the  world,  and 
 are  now  spiritually  refreshed  by  the  Lord  (S.  Luke  xv.  2)  ;  in  the 
 pride  of  the  Pharisee,  the  jealousy  of  the  Jews  at  the  salvation 
 of  the  Gentiles.  Or,  Matthew  signifies  the  man,  intent  on  tem- 
 poral gain  ;  Jesus  sees  him,  when  He  looks  on  him  with  the 
 eyes  of  mercy.  Por  Matthew  is  interpreted,  "given;"  Levi, 
 *'  taken  :"  the  penitent  is  taken  out  of  the  mass  of  the  perishing, 
 and,  by  God's  grace,  given  to  the  Church.     Rabanus. 
 
 The  other  Evangelists,  from  respect  to  Matthew,  have  not  called 
 him  by  his  common  name  ;  but  say  here  Levi :  for  he  had  both 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  10,   11.  163 
 
 names.  Matthew  himself,  according  to  what  Solomon  says, 
 "  The  righteous  man  accuseth  himself,"  (Prov.  xviii.  17,)  calls 
 himself  both  Matthew  and  publican,  to  show  the  readers  that 
 none  need  despair,  seeing  he  from  a  publican  became  an  Apostle. 
 X.  3 ;  1  Tim.  i.  12—16.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 10  S.  Matthew  leaves  out  the  story  of  his  own  feasting  of  Christ 
 (only  as  Cheist  sat  at  meat  in  the  house')  which  S.  Luke  sets 
 down  exactly.  And  "  Levi  made  Him  a  great  feast."  S.  Luke 
 V.  27.  (See  S.  Mark  viii.  30.  J.  F.)  Dr.  Hammond.  (Serm. 
 S.  Luke  xviii.  11.) 
 
 Matthew's  house  and  his  "  great  feast"  show  that  the  receipt  of 
 custom  was  not  an  unprofitable  business,  and  that  he  had  much 
 to  give  up  for  Christ's  sake.  S.Lukexix.  2, 8;  Actsxix.25.  J.F. 
 
 10  S.  Paul  allows  Christians  to  accept  the  hospitable  invitations 
 of  their  heathen  neighbours,  and  contents  himself  with  only 
 prescribing  some  rules  for  their  conduct,  while  in  such  society. 
 We  profess,  not  absolutely  to  renounce  the  world,  but  the 
 pomps  and  vanities  of  this  wicked  world  ;  and  certainly,  by  means 
 of  our  kind,  prudent,  and  consistent  demeanour  towards  the  un- 
 godly we  may  do  them  the  greatest  good ;  and  that,  in  the  only 
 way  perhaps  they  will  allow  us  to  do  so.  S.  Luke  vii.  86  ; 
 1  Cor.  X.  27.     J.  F. 
 
 11  We  may  be  in  societate  impiorum,  in  the  company  of  evil  men  ; 
 but  in  solitudine  vitiorum,  in  respect  of  their  evil  we  may  be 
 alone.  We  may  be  with  them  in  participations  Sacramentorum, 
 saith  S.  Augustine,  in  the  participation  of  the  same  Sacraments, 
 but  not  iti  consentione  factorum,  in  our  consent  to  their  evil 
 deeds.  We  may  be,  like  the  ark  of  Noah,  in  the  deluge ;  yet 
 not  drowned :  like  Moses'  bush  in  the  fire ;  yet  not  burnt ; 
 1  Kings  xviii.  3-;  Phil.  iv.  22;  Eev.  ii.  13;  iii.  4.  Farindon. 
 (Serm.  S,  Luke  x.  5,  6,  p.  2.) 
 
 Does  any  man's  sinfulness  offend  thee  ?  "  Thou  hast  not  then 
 touched  the  unclean."  Thou  hast  for  thy  part,  remonstrated, 
 rebuked,  counselled,  and  withal  applied  (if  circumstances  ad- 
 mitted) suitable  correction  without  bi'each  of  charity  ;  thou  hast 
 "  come  out  from  among  them."  2  Cor.  v.  14 — 18.  S.  Augustine. 
 (Serm.  88,  c.  20.) 
 
 Lux  etsi  per  immunda  transeat,  non  inquinatur.     Though  the  light 
 
 m2 
 
164  s.  MATTHEW  IX.  11—13. 
 
 shines  on  things  unclean,  yet  is  it  not  thereby  defiled.     S.  Au- 
 gustine,    (in  Joan.  tr.  4.) 
 Ipsa  malorum  societas  purgatio  bonorum  est.     The  society  of  evil 
 persons  tends  in  a  certain  way  to  refine  the  good.     xiii.  30 ; 
 Ezek.  xviii.  14.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 12  Physician. — In  treating  of  the  human  mind  and  the  manage- 
 ment of  it,  the  two  great  sources  of  illustration  in  Scripture  are 
 Agriculture  and  Medicine,  xiii. ;  Isa.  i.  5,Q;  v.  1 — 7.  Ld. 
 Bacon.     (Advancement  of  Learning,  vii.  3.) 
 
 He  calls  those  whole  and  righteous,  who  "  being  ignorant  of  God's 
 Righteousness  and  going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteous- 
 ness, have  not  submitted  themselves  to  the  Righteousness  of 
 God  ;"  (Rom.  x.  3  ;)  who,  presuming  upon  their  punctual  ful- 
 filment of  the  Law,  reject  the  grace  of  the  Gospel.  (Rev.  iii. 
 17.)  Again,  He  calls  those  sick  and  sinners,  who,  subdued 
 under  a  deep  sense  of  their  weakness  and  conscious  of  their  in- 
 ability to  justify  themselves  by  the  Law,  bow  the  neck  in  true 
 repentance  to  the  grace  of  Cheist.     Bede. 
 
 The  righteousness,  which  the  Jews  sought  from  the  Law,  was  not 
 so  much  the  righteousness  of  the  Law,  as  their  own ;  not  such, 
 as  God  demanded  of  them,  but  such,  as  they  had  foolishly  ima- 
 gined for  themselves  ;  the  fiction  of  their  own  foolish  brain. 
 This  S.  Paul  properly  calls  a  righteousness  "  of  their  own,"  op- 
 posed to  the  Righteousness  of  God.  Rom.  x.  3  ;  Titus  ii.  5. 
 Bp.  Bull.     (Harmonia  Apostol.) 
 
 It  is  Satan's  policy  to  crack  the  breast-plate  of  thy  own  righteous- 
 ness, by  beating  it  out  further  than  the  metal  will  bear.  Job 
 xxxiii.  9 ;  xxxiv.  5  ;  xxxv.  1.  Gurnall.  (On  the  Christian's 
 Armour,  ch.  xi.  s.  3.) 
 
 13  The  LoED  does  not  here  reject  the  truly  righteous,  but  the 
 proud ;  He  condemns  those,  who  boast  that  they  are  righteous, 
 when  they  are  really  not.  S.  Luke  xvi.  15.  Pet.  Chrysologus. 
 (Serm.  29.) 
 
 None  are  more  incurable,  than  they  who  deem  themselves  whole. 
 S.  John  ix.  39 — 41.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  counsels  of  Heaven  are  not  known  to  the  wicked,  because 
 they  are  not  sought  after ;  and  they  are  not  sought  after,  be- 
 cause of  a  diabolical  self-suflicieucy,  which  having  taken  pos- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  13.  165 
 
 session  of  the  heart  displays  itself  in  the  countenance  and  reigns 
 throughout  the  man.  He  wants  no  prophet  to  teach  him ;  he 
 needs  neither  a  Christ  to  redeem  him,  nor  a  Spieit  to  sanctify 
 him  ;  he  believes  no  Providence,  adores  no  Creator,  and  fears 
 no  Judge.  Thus  he  lives  "  a  stranger  from  the  covenant  of 
 promise  and  without  God  in  the  world."  Oh,  that  this  cha- 
 racter now  existed  only  in  the  Psalmist's  description  !  Ps.  xii.  4  ; 
 Prov,  XX.  12, 13  ;  Eph.  ii.  12.     Bp.  Home.     (Comment.  Ps.  x.  4.) 
 
 We  can  by  no  means  come  to  understand  how  in  Cheist  we  are 
 "  Blessed,"  unless,  as  Lutber  says,  we  first  know,  by  a  sort  of 
 antithesis,  how  under  the  Law  we  are  "  cursed."  Gal.  iii.  10, 
 24.     Chemnitius. 
 
 Spiritualia  non  capit  carnalis  ;  carnalitas  vetustas  est,  gratia  novi- 
 tas  est.  The  carnal  mind  understandeth  not  spiritual  things. 
 The  carnal  state  is  one  of  oldness  :  Grace  makes  all  things  new. 
 2  Cor.  v.  16,  17.     (S.  Augustine. 
 
 Vt  nullus  magnus  superbiret,  nullus  injirmus  desperaret.  That  no 
 great  one  should  presume,  no  weak  one  despair,  xxvi.  75  ;  S. 
 Luke  xxiv.  43.     (S.  Augustine. 
 
 14  Then  came  to  Him  the  disciples  of  John,  saying, 
 Why  do  we  and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft,  but  Thy  disci- 
 ples fast  not  ? 
 
 15  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Can  the  children  of 
 the  bridechamber  mourn,  as  long  as  the  bridegroom  is 
 with  them  ?  but  the  days  will  come,  when  the  bride- 
 groom shall  be  taken  from  them,  and  then  shall  they 
 fast. 
 
 16  No  man  putteth  a  piece  of  new  cloth  unto  an 
 old  garment,  for  that  which  is  put  in  to  fill  it  up 
 taketh  from  the  garment,  and  the  rent  is  made  worse. 
 
 1 7  Neither  do  men  put  new  wine  into  old  bottles  : 
 else  the  bottles  break,  and  the  wine  runneth  out,  and 
 the  bottles  perish :  but  they  put  new  wine  into  new 
 bottles,  and  both  are  preserved. 
 
166  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  14-17. 
 
 14  If  men  may  go  thus  far  and  yet  be  in  a  state  of  damnation, 
 what  hope  then  of  heaven  for  such  profane  ungodly  wretches, 
 as  are  so  far  from  having  the  power,  as  that  they  have  not  so 
 much  as  the  least  show  of  godliness  ?  S.  Luke  xix.  24,  27. 
 Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 15  When  I  shall  be  taken  from  them  in  body  and  shall  send  them 
 My  Holt  Spirit  to  strengthen  and  prepare  them  for  hard  ser- 
 vice, then  they  shall  fast,  and  perform  those  parts  of  more  diffi- 
 cult obedience  unto  Me.  Phil.  iv.  13.  Bp.  Reynolds.  (Expos, 
 of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 Another  of  our  enemy's  methods  for  obstructing,  or  at  least  cor- 
 rupting, the  seed  of  God,  sown  in  regeneration,  is  to  work  upon 
 the  temper  and  genius  of  a  person  to  make  him  spend  all  his 
 care  on  some  voluntary  piece  of  severity,  or  devotion  ;  or  on 
 some  part  of  a  spiritual  course,  which  is  set  up  with  a  care,  dis- 
 proportioned  to  its  importance  and  to  the  other  greater  duties, 
 that  are  by  such  unequal  preference  either  wholly  neglected,  or 
 but  little  accounted  of.  Thus  some  are  very  exact  in  their  fasts 
 and  hours  of  devotion  ;  and  yet  are  peevish,  ill-natured,  and  not 
 charitable  to  the  poor,  xxiii.  23.  Scougal.  (An  account  of  a 
 spiritual  life.) 
 
 17  He,  that  seeketh  victory  over  his  nature,  let  him  not  set 
 himself  too  great,  nor  too  small,  tasks :  for  the  first  will  make 
 him  dejected  by  often  failings,  and  the  second  will  make  him  a 
 small  proceeder  though  by  often  prevailings.  Lord  Bacon. 
 (Essays,  38.) 
 
 Eew  acts  require  more  caution  and  more  consultation  with  expe- 
 rienced advisers,  than  the  resolving  upon  a  private  system  of 
 fasting.  We  have  seen  (ch.  iv.  2,  3)  that  fasting  was  the  occa- 
 sion of  trial,  even  to  our  Lobd  Himself.  Surely  the  same 
 tempter  will  try  to  ensnare  us  also  in  a  like  manner.  Let  there- 
 fore the  novice  in  religion  beware,  and  consider  the  good  advice 
 of  Bp.  J.  Taylor,  "  Be  not  slow  in  common  and  usual  acts  of 
 piety  and  devotion,  and  quick  and  prompt  at  singularities  ;  but, 
 having  first  done  what  thou  art  bound  to,  proceed  to  counsels, 
 and  perfections,  and  the  extraordinaries  of  religion,  as  you  see 
 cause."     iv.  2,  3  ;  Prov.  iv.  24—27  ;  xxiv.  27.     /.  F. 
 
 The  rvde  to  be  constantly  observed  in  fasting  is  this ;  take  care 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  18.  167 
 
 that  your  strength  is  equal  to  your  journey,  lest  after  running 
 the  first  stage  you  break  down  in  the  middle  of  it.  S.  Luke 
 xiv.  28—31.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 18  While  He  spake  these  things  unto  them,  behold, 
 there  came  a  certain  ruler,  and  worshipped  Him,  say- 
 ing, My  daughter  is  even  now  dead :  but  come  and 
 lay  Thy  hand  upon  her,  and  she  shall  live. 
 
 19  And  Jesus  arose  and  followed  him,  and  so  did 
 His  disciples. 
 
 20  And,  behold,  a  woman,  which  was  diseased  with 
 an  issue  of  blood  twelve  years,  came  behind  Hiniy  and 
 touched  the  hem  of  His  garment  : 
 
 21  For  she  said  within  herself,  If  I  may  but  touch 
 His  garment,  I  shall  be  whole. 
 
 22  But  Jesus  turned  Him  about,  and  when  He  saw 
 her,  He  said,  Daughter,  be  of  good  comfort ;  thy  faith 
 hath  made  thee  whole.  And  the  woman  was  made 
 whole  from  that  hour. 
 
 23  And  when  Jesus  came  into  the  ruler's  house, 
 and  saw  the  minstrels  and  the  people  making  a  noise, 
 
 24  He  said  unto  them,  Give  place :  for  the  maid  is 
 not  dead,  but  sleepeth.  And  they  laughed  Him  to 
 scorn. 
 
 25  But  when  the  people  were  put  forth.  He  went 
 in,  and  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  the  maid  arose. 
 
 26  And  the  fame  hereof  went  abroad  into  all  that 
 land. 
 
 18  My  little  daughter. — S.  Mark  v.  22.  Life  is  but  a  play  upon 
 this  world's  stage  ;  and,  if  a  man  were  to  choose  his  part,  in  dis- 
 cretion he  would  not  take  it  for  the  length,  but  for  the  ease 
 and  goodness.     The  short  life  has  but  the   shorter  audit  to 
 
168  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  18,  21. 
 
 make ;  and,  if  it  be  one  of  the  greatest  felicities,  that  can  befall 
 man,  to  be  in  such  a  condition,  as  he  may  not  displease  God, 
 surely  then  soon  to  enter  upon  death  is  best.  .  .  .  Death  to  a 
 righteous  man,  whether  it  cometh  soon  or  late,  is  the  beginning 
 of  a  certain  happiness,  the  end  but  of  a  doubtful  and  allayed 
 pleasure.  I  will  not  much  care  whether  my  life  be  long,  or  short. 
 If  short,  the  fewer  my  days  be,  the  less  I  shall  have  of  trouble, 
 the  sooner  shall  I  arrive  at  happiness ;  if  long,  let  me  be  sure 
 to  lay  it  out  in  doing  the  more  good.  xxiv.  42.  O.  Feltham. 
 (Eesolves.  Cent.  ii.  13.) 
 
 Tou  are  not  certain  that  ever  you  will  attain  to  the  years  of  your 
 fathers.  There  are  graves  in  the  churchyard  just  of  your 
 length  ;  and  there  are  skulls  of  all  sorts  and  sizes  in  Grolgotha, 
 as  the  Jewish  proverb  is.     S.  James  iv.  13 — 15.     Flavel. 
 
 Death  goes  always  armed  with  a  sword  and  a  bow.  Gladium  suum 
 vibravit ;  arcum  suum  tetendit.  (Ps.  vii.  13.)  With  his  sword 
 he  strikes  the  aged,  who  cannot  ward  it  off;  with  it  he  strikes 
 the  timid  and  the  infirm  :  but  with  his  bow  he  strikes  the 
 young  who  presumptuously  hope  to  make  their  escape.  Segneri. 
 (Quaresimale,  Pred.  i.  s.  6.) 
 
 21  She  believed,  she  spake,  she  touched ;  because  by  these  three 
 things,  the  faith  of  the  heart,  the  confession  of  the  mouth,  and 
 the  conduct  of  the  Me,Jide,  verbo,  et  ojpere,  all  our  Salvation  is  ac- 
 quired.   S.  John  iii.  16 ;  Kora.  x.  10 ;  Eom.xi.  6,  7.    T.Aquinas 
 
 From  the  glorious  vestments  of  our  High  Priest  and  King  is  dif- 
 fused the  sweet  savour  of  His  heavenly  graces,  filling  those 
 happy  regions  of  joy  and  gladness,  where  He  keeps  His  residence 
 above,  and  by  the  communication  of  His  Spirit  refreshing  the 
 faithful  on  earth  with  their  odours.  Ps.  cxxxiii.  2  ;  Cant.  i.  3. 
 Bp.  Home.     (Comment.  Ps.  xlv.  8.) 
 
 Jairus  signifies  the  enlightener,  or  the  enlightened ;  and  stands 
 for  Moses,  who,  foreseeing  the  Loed's  coming  in  the  flesh,  in- 
 tercedes for  his  daughter,  that  is,  the  Synagogue,  who,  brought 
 up  under  the  Law  and  prophets,  was  nevertheless  languishing  in 
 a  state  of  error  and  dying  in  a  state  of  sin,  though  in  the  house, 
 or  possessing  the  true  worship  of  G-OD.  (S.  John  iv.  22.)  But 
 the  Hcemorrhoissa,  the  woman  with  the  bloody  Jlux,  stands  for  the 
 Gentile,  who,  meeting  Christ  in  the  way,  prcecipiens  salutem 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  21—24.  169 
 
 Judcds  paratam,  is  healed,  while  she  snatches  from  His  hands 
 the  Salvation,  prepared  for  the  Jew.  (Acts  xiii.  4G,  47  ;  Rom. 
 xi.  7.)  She  had,  moreover,  "  spent  all  her  substance  on  the 
 physicians"  (S.  Mark  v.  26):  for  truly,  the  more  the  Gentile 
 world  laboured  by  the  force  of  natural  ability  to  follow  the  pre- 
 cepts of  her  philosophers,  the  less  was  she  freed  from  her  un- 
 cleanness.,    Rom.  i.  22  ;  Acts  xvii.  23.     Emanuel  Su. 
 
 The  power  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  went  out  of  Him,  like  the 
 hem  spreading  itself  beyond  the  garment,  instar  fanbricB  de  veste 
 se  expandentis.  For  that  power  was  not  shut  up  in  His  Body. 
 Faith  in  all  places  takes  hold  of  the  power  of  Christ,  because 
 in  all  places  that  power  is.  (Mai.  iv.  2,  wings  ;)  Isa.  vi.  1 ;  S. 
 Luke  V.  17 ;  Acts  xiv.  9.     S.  Hilanj. 
 
 She  said  within  herself,  ^c. — To  obtain  true  health,  it  is  not  enough 
 that  we  have  good  desires  and  good  purposes,  unless  we  follow 
 Christ,  and  set  our  hands  to  work,  imitating  His  holy  example. 
 S.  John  xiii.  17.  (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bonaventure  and  others, 
 oh.  xxxiv.) 
 
 22  The  word  "  Daughter,"  is  magnce  familiaritatis  ;  "  Be  of  good 
 comfort,"  magnce  securitatis  ;  "  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole," 
 magnce  jucunditatis.  Here  then  are  set  down  three  notable  ef- 
 fects of  a  lively  faith.  It  maketh  us  the  children  of  God  ; 
 Daughter.  (Gal.  iii.  26.)  It  bringeth  comfort ;  Be  of  good 
 cheer.  (Rom.  v.  1,  2.)  It  procures  Salvation  both  of  body 
 and  soul:  Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.  Acts.  iii.  16.  Dean 
 Boys.     (On  the  Dominical  Ep.  &c.  24  S.  Trinity.) 
 
 24  Our  Lord,  in  this  miracle,  did  His  utmost  to  lower  in  the 
 minds  of  the  parents  any  sense  of  their  obligation  to  Him  for 
 the  kindness  He  designed  to  show  them.  He  prepared  it  by  a 
 kind  of  Divine  equivoque,  The  maid  is  not  dead  but  sleepeth  I 
 What !  sleepeth  !  Would  not  any  man,  possessing  the  power, 
 that  Christ  had,  have  done  just  the  contrary  ?  It  is  pretty 
 evident  that  any  other  person  would  first  place  beyond  all  doubt 
 the  fact  of  her  being  dead.  He  would  have  addressed  the  by- 
 standers to  this  effect ;  "  Di'aw  near ;  pay  attention  :  mark 
 well,  if  she  retains  in  her  any  symptoms  of  life.  Feel  her  pulse, 
 if  it  beats ;  feel  her  heart,  if  it  moves  ;  observe  her  eyes,  if  they 
 have  any  animation  :  take  notice,  if  you  can  observe  the  least 
 
170  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  24,  25. 
 
 breath  playing  on  her  lips.  Make  yourselves  quite  sure  that 
 she  is  really  cold,  stiffened,  discoloured,  and  all  over  of  a  deadly 
 pale."  Thus,  in  order  to  blazon  forth  to  the  utmost  his  intended 
 act  of  kindness,  he  would,  it  seems,  have  been  at  the  greatest 
 pains  to  make  them  feel  their  absolute  need  of  his  help.  But 
 Cheist  did  no  such  thing.  He  would  have  it  appear  that  He 
 was  doing  nothing  more  than  banishing  sleep  from  the  eyes  of 
 the  slumbering  damsel ;  that  by  this  means  He  might,  I  think, 
 put  to  shame  those  persons,  who  arrogate  to  themselves  so 
 much  praise  for  their  insignificant  services ;  whereas  He  les- 
 sened the  immensity  of  His  benefits  by  His  modest  way  of  con- 
 ferring them,  ix,  6 ;  Hab.  iii.  4 ;  S.  Luke  vii.  15  ;  S.  Mark  v. 
 19.     Segneri.     (Quaresimale,  Pred.  ii.  s.  5.) 
 
 Sleep  is  death's  younger  brother,  and  so  like  him,  that  I  never 
 dare  trust  him  without  my  prayer.  Ps,  iv.  9.  Sir  T.  Brown. 
 (Eeligio  medici.) 
 
 25  They  were  quite  unworthy  to  be  eye-witnesses  of  the  mystery 
 of  a  Resurrection,  who  had  derided  the  very  Renovator  of  Life 
 with  unworthy  mockery.  Acts  x.  41.  (See  S.  John  xii.  10. 
 Hurrion.)     S.  Jerome. 
 
 The  people  are  put  forth,  that  the  damsel  may  be  raised  ;  for  un- 
 less the  multitude  of  worldly  cares  is  first  banished  from  the 
 secrets  of  the  heart,  the  soul,  that  is  laid  dead  within,  cannot 
 rise  again,     xiii.  22  ;  Ex.  xiv.  13.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 27  And  when  Jesus  departed  thence,  two  blind 
 men  followed  Him,  crying,  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  unto  them. 
 Believe  ye  that  I  am  able  to  do  this  ?  They  said  unto 
 Him,  Yea,  Lord. 
 
 29  Then  touched  He  their  eyes,  saying,  According 
 to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you. 
 
 30  And  their  eyes  were  opened  ;  and  Jesus  straitly 
 charged  them,  saying,  See  that  no  man  know  it. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  28—34.  171 
 
 31  But  they,  when  they  were  departed,  spread 
 abroad  His  fame  in  all  that  country. 
 
 32  As  they  went  out,  behold,  they  brought  to  Him 
 a  dumb  man  possessed  with  a  devil. 
 
 33  And  when  the  devil  was  cast  out,  the  dumb 
 spake :  and  the  multitudes  marvelled,  saying,  It  was 
 never  so  seen  in  Israel. 
 
 34  But  the  Pharisees  said,  He  casteth  out  devils 
 through  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  healing  every  sickness  and  every 
 disease  among  the  people. 
 
 28  Yea,  Lord. — To  believe  and  to  hope  well  in  the  power  of  our 
 God  and  in  His  strength,  will  be  half  a  conquest,  xiv.  31. 
 Dr.  Cudworth.     (Serm.  1  S.  John  ii.  3,  4.) 
 
 30  The  LoED,  from  humility,  shunning  the  fame  of  His  glorious 
 works,  gave  them  this  charge  ;  and  they,  from  gratitude,  cannot 
 be  silent  respecting  so  great  a  benefit,  xii.  34  ;  Acts  iv.  20.  (S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 31  Between  two  friends  it  is  the  Law  of  kindness,  that  he,  who 
 confers  the  favour,  should  straightway  forget  it ;  but  he,  who 
 receives  it,  never.  Qui  dedit  benejicium,  taceat ;  narret,  qui 
 accepit.  Let  him,  that  bestows  it,  bold  his  tongue;  let  him 
 talk,  who  has  received.     Seneca. 
 
 32  As  in  the  two  blind  men,  were  figuratively  denoted,  both  na- 
 tions, Jews  and  Gentiles,  so  in  the  man  dumb,  possessed  with  a 
 devil,  is  denoted  the  entire  human  race.     Rabanus. 
 
 34  He  casteth  out,  8fc. — There  is  no  readier  way  for  a  man  to  bring 
 his  own  worth  into  question,  than  by  endeavouring  to  detract 
 from  the  worth  of  other  men.  S.  John  ix.  28 — 32.  Abp.  Tillotson. 
 
 If  I  am  weak  in  body,  Cheist,  my  Head,  was  "  wounded ;"  if  I 
 am  weak  in  mind,  Cheist,  my  Head,  was  "  heavy  unto  death." 
 If  I  suffer  in  my  estate,  Cheist,  ray  Head,  "  became  poor,"  as 
 
173  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  34,  35. 
 
 poor,  as  a  servant ;  if  in  my  name,  Cheist,  my  Head,  was  es- 
 teemed vile,  vile  as  Beelzebub.  2  Cor.  viii.  9 ;  Phil.  ii.  7.  Bp. 
 Reynolds.  (Serra.  Eccl.  i.  14,  s.  63.) 
 Do  by  thy  slander,  as  Hezekiah  did  by  the  railing  lines  of  Eabsha- 
 keh.  Spread  them  before  the  Loud  and  leave  thy  quarrel  in 
 the  just  hands  of  that  great  Arbiter  of  heaven  and  earth,  who 
 will  be  sure  in  His  good  time  to  revenge  thy  wrong  and  to  clear 
 thine  innocence,  and  will  requite  thee  good  for  their  causeless 
 curses.  2  Kings  xix.  14  ;  Ps.  xlvii.  2,  3  ;  2  Sam.  xvi.  12.  Bp. 
 Hall.  (Balm  of  Gilead.) 
 35  Every  sickness,  every  disease. — The  number  of  His  miracles  was 
 so  great,  that  S.  John  saith  ;  If  all  were  written,  the  world  would 
 not  contain  the  books,  xxi.  25.  We  may  in  part  conjecture 
 how  numerous  they  were  by  taking  notice  how  many  He  per- 
 formed in  one  day.  He  dined  with  Matthew  at  Capernaum  ; 
 whilst  He  was  there,  Jairus  entreats  Him  to  go  to  his  daughter 
 newly  dead  (verse  18 ;)  as  He  went,  the  woman  with  the  bloody 
 issue  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment,  and  was  healed ;  (verse 
 20,  21,  22,)  He  raised  the  dead  maid ;  in  His  returning  He 
 cured  two  blind  men,  and  immediately  after  cast  out  the  devil 
 from  one,  that  was  dumb.  And  in  all  these  miraculous  opera- 
 tions the  glory  of  God's  power  was  clearly  manifested,  x.  1. 
 Br.  Bates.  (Harmony  of  the  Divine  attributes,  c.  20.) 
 Permutat  lymphas  in  vina  liquentia  Christus  ; 
 
 Quo  primum  facto  Se  probat  esse  Deum. 
 Quinque  explent  panes,  pieces  duo,  millia  quinque  : 
 
 Et  Deus  ex  parvo  plus  superesse  jubet. 
 Editus  ex  utero  csecus  nova  lumina  sensit, 
 
 Et  stupet  ignotum  se  meruisse  diem. 
 Lazarus  h  tumulo,  Christo  inclamante,  resurgit, 
 
 Et  durse  mortis  lex  resoluta  perit. 
 Nutantem  quatit  unda  Petrum  ;  cui  Christus  in  alto 
 
 Et  dextrS,  gressus  firmat,  et  ore  fidem. 
 Exsanguis  Christi  contingit  fsemina  vestem  : 
 
 Stat  cruor  in  venis  :  fit  medicina  fides. 
 Jussus  post  multos  graditur  paralyticus  annos, 
 Mirandum,  lecti  portitor  ipse  sui. 
 
 Claudianus.     (Epigrammata,  xlix.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  IX.  36,  38.  1  73 
 
 36  But  when  He  saw  the  multitudes,  He  was  moved 
 with  compassion  on  them,  because  they  fainted,  and 
 were  scattered  abroad,  as  sheep  having  no  shep- 
 herd. 
 
 37  Then  saith  He  unto  His  disciples,  The  harvest 
 truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are  few  ; 
 
 38  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that 
 He  will  send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest. 
 
 36  Moved  with  compassion. — We  see  here  that  the  misery,  which 
 peculiarly  excited  the  compassion  of  our  gracious  Loed,  was 
 not  that  of  men's  bodies,  though  He  came  in  contact  with 
 every  sickness  and  every  disease  ;  but  the  misery  of  their  souls. 
 "  Let  this  mind  be  in  us"  also,  "which  was  in  Cheist  Jesus." 
 For,  until  we  make  this  true  account  of  the  comparative  worth 
 of  soul  and  body,  we  shall  never  pray,  as  we  ought,  that  "  the 
 Lord  would  send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest"  the  harvest 
 of  His  chief.  His  Eternal  joy.  xvi.  26  ;  Isa.  liii.  11  ;  S.  Luke 
 XV.  6—9.     J.  F. 
 
 At  the  very  time,  when  He  bids  them  pray,  He  implants  the  de- 
 sire of  the  heart,  to  which  He  listens.  (Ch.  x.  1.)  These  very 
 persons,  who  are  commanded  to  pray,  are  themselves  anon  made 
 the  labourers.     Jer.  xxix.  11 — 13  ;  Rom.  viii.  26,  27.     Bengal. 
 
 38  Send  forth. — Extrudat  rather  than  emittat.  Word  for  word, 
 cast  them  out ;  for  men  are  very  slow  in  so  holy  a  work.  Jonah 
 i.  1 — 3  ;  Jer.  xvii.  16 ;  S.  Jas.  iii.  1.     Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 In  this  act  of  sending  forth  labourers  upon  the  work  of  the  Gospel, 
 the  Holt  Ghost  is  proved  to  be  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  to 
 whom  Cheist  Himself  has  directed  us  to  pray.  Acts  xiii.  2 — 
 4;  xvi.  6, 7 — 10;  Jerem.  iii.  15.  ?F.  Jones.  (On  the  Divinity 
 of  the  Holt  Ghost,  s,  3.) 
 
 If  we  neglect  prayer  to  God,  how  can  we  expect  a  godly  pastor  ? 
 "  Whosoever  thou  art  (writes  Hooker,  quoting  S.  Gregory, 
 Serm.  2,  on  S.  Jude  17 — 21,)  whom  the  inconvenience  of  an 
 evil  governor  doth  press,  accuse  thyself,  and  not  him :  his  being 
 such  is  thy  deserving."     Jer.  iii.  14,  15.     J.  F. 
 
174  S.  MATTHEW  IX.  38. 
 
 The  belief  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  necessary  for  the  continuation 
 of  a  successive  Ministry  and  a  Christian  submission  to  the  acts 
 of  their  function,  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  For,  as  God  the 
 Father  sent  the  Son  and  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Loed  was  upon 
 Him,  because  He  had  anointed  Him  to  preach  the  Gospel,"  (S. 
 Luke  iv.  18,)  so  the  Son  sent  the  Apostles,  saying,  "  As  My 
 Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you  ;"  and,  as  the  Son 
 sent  the  Apostles,  so  did  they  send  others  by  virtue  of  the  same 
 Spirit,  as  S.  Paul  sent  Timothy  and  Titus  and  gave  them  power 
 to  send  others,  saying  to  Timothy,  "  Lay  hands  suddenly  on  no 
 man  "  (1  Tim.  v.  22)  ;  and  to  Titus,  "  For  this  cause  left  I  thee 
 in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest  set  in  order  the  things,  that  are 
 wanting,  and  ordain  elders  in  every  city,  as  1  had  appointed 
 thee."  (Titus  i.  5.)  Thus,  by  virtue  of  an  Apostolical  Ordina- 
 tion, there  is  ever  to  be  continued  a  Ministerial  Succession. 
 1  S.  Pet.  V.  2  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  14.  Bp.  Pearson.  (Expos,  of  the 
 Creed,  Art.  8.) 
 
 'Tis  not  a  man's  skill  in  state-aftairs,  that  makes  him  an  Ambas- 
 sador, nor  ability  in  the  law  that  makes  him  a  Magistrate ;  but 
 their  call  to  their  places :  neither  do  gifts  make  a  man  a  Minis- 
 ter, but  his  Mission.  Eom.  x.  15.  (See  at  S.  Mark  i.  2.  Dr. 
 Donne.')     Gurnall.     (On  the  Christian's  armour,  ch.  xiii.  s.  1.) 
 
 CHAPTER  X. 
 
 A  ND  when  He  had  called  unto  Him  His  twelve  dis- 
 ciples,   He   gave    them  power    against    unclean 
 spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  and  to  heal  all  manner  of 
 sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease. 
 
 2  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 : 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  1,  2.  175 
 
 3  Philip,  and  Bartholomew ;  Thomas,  and  Matthew 
 the  pubUcan ;  James  the  son  of  Alphseus,  and  Lebbseus, 
 whose  surname  was  Thaddseus  ; 
 
 4  Simon  the  Canaanite,  and  Judas  Iscariot,  who 
 also  betrayed  Him. 
 
 5  These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth,  and  commanded 
 them,  saying.  Go  not  into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
 into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not : 
 
 6  But  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
 Israel. 
 
 1  The  Most  High  came  down  on  Mount  Sinai  and  consecrated 
 Moses  ;  Moses  laid  his  hands  upon  Aaron  ;  Aaron  upon  his 
 sons  ;  his  sons  successively  upon  those,  that  followed  them,  till 
 John  the  Baptist ;  John  the  Baptist  laid  his  hands  upon  our 
 Savioue  ;  our  Saviour  upon  His  Apostles  ;  His  Apostles  upon 
 the  Bishops,  that  succeeded  them  ;  and  they,  ever  since,  on 
 those,  who  have  been  admitted  into  Holy  Orders,  xxviii.  20  ; 
 Numb.  xi.  17,  25  ;  Deut.  xxxiv.  9  ;  Acts  viii.  17,  18 ;  Heb.  v. 
 1 — 6.     Morinus.     (De  Ordiu.  Maronitarum.) 
 
 The  ancients  have  much  extolled  the  Apostolical  dignity.  Some 
 styled  these  Twelve  Pedes  Christi,  the  feet  of  Cheist,  because 
 they,  as  it  were,  carried  Cheist  up  and  down  the  world ;  others, 
 Oculi  Dei,  the  very  eyes  of  God,  they  were  His  watchmen,  that 
 took  care  for  the  concernments  of  His  Name  and  Gospel  in  the 
 world  ;  others.  Mammae  Ecclesiee,  the  breasts  of  the  Church ; 
 they  fed  and  nourished  the  children  of  God  by  their  doctrine, 
 xix.  28 ;  Eom.  x.  15  ;  1  Cor.  iii.  2  ;  B,ev.  xxi.  10 — 14.     Flavel. 
 
 To  heal  all  manner  of  sickness,  and  all  manner  of  disease. — Minis- 
 ters, in  visiting  the  sick,  have  at  one  time  to  combat  with  har- 
 dened impenitence,  at  another  to  awaken  the  self-righteous  from 
 their  deceitful  supineness,  not  unfrequently  to  vindicate  the 
 justice  and  mercy  of  God  from  the  charge  of  partial  grace,  and 
 personal  favour  ;  and  sometimes  to  dissipate  the  gloomy  terrors 
 of  moody  nervousness,  or  the  dark  forebodings  of  unholy  infi- 
 delity.    These,  with  many  other  cases  of  corrupt  nature,  are 
 
176  S.  MATTHEW  X.  2,  3. 
 
 continually  calling  for  our  intervention,  for  the  exercise  of  the 
 best  powers  of  our  mind.     xiii.  52  ;  2  Cor.  i.  4. 
 
 2  All  the  Apostles  had  the  same  calling  and  the  same  charge. 
 Happily  in  this  commission  S.  Peter  had  a  priority,  not  a  supe- 
 riority ;  or  if  a  primacy,  not  a  Supremacy  over  the  rest ;  he  had 
 (as  our  Divines  acknowledge)  a  precedence  in  place,  named,  for 
 the  most  part, y?/«^  ;  as  the  foreman  of  the  quest;  and  a  pre- 
 eminence in  grace,  reputed  for  his  excellent  knowledge  and  zeal 
 the  chief  of  the  whole  college  ;  the  Scripture  witnessing  that  he 
 was  the  first  Confessor,  the  first  Preacher,  the  first  Baptizer, 
 \kiQ  first  worker  of  miracles  :  in  a  word,  as  he  was  the  foreman, 
 so  the  most  forward  of  all  the  Twelve  in  the  execution  of  his 
 Apostleship.  xvi.  16  ;  S.  Mark  iii.  16  ;  S.  Luke  ix.  28  ;  Acts 
 ii.  iii.  (See  Illustr.  Acts  i.  15.  Dr.  Barrow.)  Dean  Boys. 
 (Exposition,  &c.     Pirst  Sunday  after  Easter.) 
 
 Peter  was  the  first,  among  the  Apostles,  not  above  them  ;  in  the 
 Apostleship,  not  over  and  beside  it.     1  S.  Pet.  i.  1  ;  v.  1.   Bengel. 
 
 Christ  loves  not  singularity  ;  He  called  not  one  alone.  He  loves 
 not  schism  either  between  tliera,  whom  He  calls  ;  and  therefore 
 He  calls  persons  likely  to  agree,  "  two  brethren,  Peter  and  An- 
 drew." So  He  began  to  build  the  Synagogues,  to  establish 
 that  first  government  in  Moses  and  Aaron,  "  brethren  :"  so  he 
 begins  to  build  the  Church,  in  Peter  and  Andrew,  "brethren." 
 The  principal  fraternity  and  brotherhood,  that  God  respects,  is 
 spiritual,  (xviii.  19,)  brethren  in  the  profession  of  the  same  true 
 religion.  Exod.  iv.  14;  Eccl.  iv.  9,  10.  Dr.  Donne.  (Serm.  S. 
 Matt.  iv.  18—20.) 
 
 Single  endeavours  seldom  prosper.  Many  hands  make  the  work 
 both  quick  and  sure.  They  can  be  no  friends  to  the  happy 
 estate  of  a  family,  or  Church,  that  labour  to  cause  distractions. 
 Division  makes  certain  way  to  ruin.  S.  Luke  x.  1 ;  Acts  xi. 
 30;  xiii.  2  ;  xv.  2,  39,  40.     Bp.  Hall.     (Select  thoughts.     72.) 
 
 Matthew  abstains  from  calling  Andrew  and  the  others,  fishermen  ; 
 but  he  calls  \x\mse\i  o.  publican,  ix.  9  ;  S.  Mark  iii.  18  ;  S.  Luke 
 vi.  15  ;  2  Sam.  xxiii.  1.     Bengel. 
 
 3  Iscariot,  quasi  Isachariot  (of  the  tribe  of  Isachar).     Erasmus. 
 Nothing  could  be  more  opposite  to  the  signification  of  the  name 
 
 than  his  perfidious  character ;  for  he  was   not  "  a  Confessor," 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  5.  177 
 
 as  the  name  imports,  but  a  denier  and  betrayer  of  Jesus 
 Chkist.  Rambach.  (Meditations  on  the  sufferings  of  Christ, 
 P.  ii.  Ch.  1.) 
 
 5  These  twelve  Jesus  sent  forth. — In  the  first  days  of  the  Church, 
 that  is,  before  the  Apostles  had  completed  its  structure  and  had 
 formed  its  several  parts  according  to  the  instructions  of  their 
 Divine  Master  and  the  direction  of  His  Holy  Spirit,  they  could 
 not  proceed  so  regularly  in  the  arrangement  of  it,  as  their  suc- 
 cessors did ;  nevertheless,  from  the  very  first  we  discover  in 
 their  practice  a  decided  distinction  between  the  Ordination  to 
 the  sacred  office,  and  the  Ordination  to  employment  in  that 
 office.  Even  in  our  Lord's  proceedings,  we  find  a  marked  dif- 
 ference between  the  calling  and  the  sending  of  a  minister.  The 
 Evangelist  Mark  relates  that  "  Jesus  ordained  twelve,  that  they 
 should  be  with  Him  ;  and  that  He  might  send  them  forth  to 
 preach,"  &c.  (iii.  14.)  Here  our  Lord's  ordaining  of  the 
 twelve  is  represented,  as  one  thing ;  His  mission  to  preach,  an- 
 other. He  ordained  them  "  to  be  with  Him."  This  was  one 
 operation  ;  afterwards  He  sent  them,  and  gave  them  power, 
 and  prescribed  the  course  and  limits  of  their  commission.  This 
 was  done  at  a  subsequent  time.  The  Ordaining  is  mentioned 
 in  the  third  chapter  of  S.  Mark's  Gospel;  their  Mission  to 
 preach,  not  till  the  sixth.  The  same  thing  is  observable  in  S. 
 Luke,  Chap.  vi.  and  ix.  Jer.  xxiii.  21;  1  Cor.  xiv.  40.  Sikes. 
 (A  Discourse  on  Parochial  communion.     Ch.  6.) 
 
 At  our  Ordination,  as  Priests,  we  receive  a  general  Commission  to 
 "  preach  the  Word  ;"  but  afterwards,  by  the  wise  restraints  of 
 Ecclesiastical  discipline  and  under  the  salutary  control  of  his 
 Bishop,  a  particular  part  of  the  vineyard  is  assigned  to  each 
 minister.  This  latter  is  our  Mission ;  and  happy  are  we,  if  we 
 are  found  continually  watching  for  the  souls,  thus  individually, 
 as  well  as  authoritatively  entrusted  to  our  care.  1  Cor.  xiv.  33  ; 
 2  Cor.  X.  13—18  ;  Gal.  ii.  7—9.     /.  F. 
 
 Christ  said,  "  Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  He  will  send 
 forth  labourers  into  His  harvest ;"  and  without  waiting  for  the 
 prayer  He  sends  them.  For  God  does  not  require  to  be  in- 
 treated,  as  though  He  cared  less  for  us,  than  we  for  ourselves ; 
 but  prayer  is  enjoined,  that  we  may  the  more  readily  acknow- 
 
178  S.  MATTHEW  X.  6. 
 
 ledge  the  lovingkindness  of  God  towards  us.  *'  Prayer,"  saith 
 Dionysius,  "  is  as  a  chain  of  gold,  let  down  from  heaven  to  earth  ; 
 which,  if  a  man  take  hold  of  and  ascend  by  it,  he  appears  to  jje 
 drawing  down  the  chain  towards  himself,  all  the  while,  that  it 
 is  drawing  him  np  towards  heaven."  Isa.  Ixv.  24 ;  Acts  xii.  12  ; 
 Eph.  iii.  20.  Isid.  Clarius. 
 6  It  is  true,  our  Sayiour  had  a  peculiar  Kingdom  in  this  world, 
 that  is,  the  Jewish  Church,  not  only  before  His  Ascension,  but 
 before  His  Incarnation  ;  but,  as  for  that  right  of  dominion  over 
 the  Gentile  world  too,  by  which  He  became  Universal  Lobd 
 and  King,  He  was  not  invested  with  it,  till  His  Ascension  into 
 heaven,  xv.  24  ;  xxviii.  18,  19  ;  Acts  ii.  33  ;  Eph.  iv.  8,  Br. 
 John  Scott.     (Christian  Life.     P.  ii.  Ch.  7,  s.  7.) 
 
 7  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of 
 heaven  is  at  hand. 
 
 8  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead, 
 cast  out  devils :  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give. 
 
 9  Provide  neither  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass  in  your 
 purses, 
 
 10  Nor  scrip  for  your  journey,  neither  two  coats, 
 neither  shoes,  nor  yet  staves ;  for  the  workman  is 
 worthy  of  his  meat. 
 
 1 1  And  into  whatsoever  city  or  town  ye  shall  enter, 
 inquire  who  in  it  is  worthy ;  and  there  abide  till  ye  go 
 thence. 
 
 12  And  when  ye  come  into  an  house,  salute  it. 
 
 13  And  if  the  house  be  worthy,  let  your  peace  come 
 upon  it :  but  if  it  be  not  worthy,  let  your  peace  re- 
 turn to  you. 
 
 14  And  whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  nor  hear 
 your  words,  when  ye  depart  out  of  that  house  or  city, 
 shake  off  the  dust  of  your  feet. 
 
 15  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X,  8.  179 
 
 for  the  land  of  Sodom  and   Gomorrha  in  the  day  of 
 judgment,  than  for  that  city. 
 
 8  Heal  the  sick. — Men  will  never  believe  that  we  really  intend 
 the  good  of  their  souls,  if  they  do  not  find  that  we  endeavour  to 
 do  them  good,  disinterestedly,  in  temporal  things.  S.  John  iv. 
 15.     Th.  Scott. 
 
 How  is  it  that  the  common-sense  view  of  Christian  Missions,  on 
 the  principle  of  acting  first  on  men's  secondary  motives  by  re- 
 lieving their  temporal  distresses,  and  as  that  principle  is  sanc- 
 tioned by  the  practice  of  Christ  and  His  Apostles,  has  been 
 so  much  lost  sight  of  in  the  foreign  operations  of  our  Church  ? 
 Of  all  human  qualifications  for  a  Missionary's  Divine  work,  the 
 knowledge  of  medicine  seems  the  most  likely,  under  God's  bless- 
 ing, to  prove  useful  "  to  the  furtherance  of  that  Gospel,"  which 
 is  the  healing  of  men's  souls.    Col.  iv,  14  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  18.   J.  F. 
 
 The  country  Parson  hath  thoroughly  digested  all  the  points  of 
 consolation,  as  having  continual  use  of  them  ;  such  as  are  from 
 God's  general  Providence,  extending  even  to  lilies  ;  from  His 
 particular,  to  His  Church ;  from  His  promises  ;  from  the  ex- 
 ample of  all  saints,  that  ever  were ;  from  Cheist  Himself,  per- 
 fecting our  Redemption  no  other  way  than  by  sorrow ;  from  the 
 benefit  of  afl9.iction,  which  softens  and  works  the  stubborn  heart 
 of  man ;  from  the  certainty  both  of  deliverance  and  reward,  if 
 we  faint  not :  from  the  miserable  comparison  of  the  moments  of 
 grief  here  with  the  weight  of  joys  hereafter.  Isa.  1.  4 ;  Acts 
 iv.  36.     G.  Herbert.     (The  country  Parson,  c.  15.) 
 
 Freely  ye  have  received,  ^c. — Observe,  how  He  is  as  careful  that 
 they  should  be  upright  in  moral  virtue,  as  that  they  should  have 
 the  miraculous  powers,  showing  that  miracles  without  these  are 
 nought.  Freely  ye  have  received,  seems  a  check  upon  their 
 pride ;  freely  give,  a  command  to  keep  themselves  pure  from 
 filthy  lucre.     2  Cor.  vi.  3,  4;  1  Tim.  iii.  2,  3.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 From  the  commission  here  given  to  cure  diseases,  cast  out  devils, 
 and  raise  the  dead,  and  from  that  saying  of  Irenseus,  that  "  the 
 Church  did  these,  neither  seducing  any  man,  nor  taking  money 
 for  them  (for  as  she  has  received  them  freely  from  God,  so  she 
 freely  ministers  them"),  we  may  conclude,  that  the  gratuitous 
 
 N  2 
 
180  S.  MATTHEW  X.  9-11. 
 
 dispensation  here  enjoined,  relates  only  to  those  miraculous  gifts; 
 and  that  the  words  are  abused  by  those,  who  plead  them  against 
 the  lawfulness  of  ministers'  maintenance.  Conf.  Verse  10. 
 Gen.  xlvii.  22  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  14.  Reading.  (Sermons  on  the  First 
 Lessons,  Morn.  3  S.  after  Epiph.) 
 
 9  Cheist  sent  His  Apostles  without  gold  and  gathered  His 
 Church  without  gold.  The  Church  hath  gold,  not  to  keep  it ; 
 but  to  bestow  it  on  the  necessities  of  the  poor.  The  Sacraments 
 look  for  no  gold  ;  neither  do  they  please  God  for  the  commen- 
 dation of  gold,  which  are  not  bought  for  gold.  The  adorning 
 and  decking  of  the  Sacraments  is  the  redemption  of  captives. 
 Acts  iii.  6 ;  iv.  35  ;  viii.  20.     S.  Ambrose.     (2  Offic.  cap.  28.) 
 
 10  Beausobre  mentions  a  peculiarity  connected  with  the  inclosure 
 of  the  Temple ;  "  It  was  unlawful  for  any  one  to  come  in  here 
 with  a  stick,  or  purse,  in  his  hand,  with  shoes  on,  or  dusty 
 feet ;"  which  circumstance  may  give  some  light  to  S.  Matt.  x. 
 9,  10  ;  where  our  Lobd  orders  His  disciples  to  walk  in  the  dis- 
 charge of  their  ministry  with  the  same  circumspection  and  care, 
 as  men  were  wont  to  take,  when  they  designed  to  walk  in  the 
 Temple.  Exod.  iii.  5  ;  Eccl.  v.  1.  Bp.  Sumner,  (On  the  Minis- 
 terial character  of  Cheist,  Ch.  6.) 
 
 The  Levites  under  the  Old  Testament  had  plentiful  provision. 
 Do  the  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  deserve  worse  wages  for  bring- 
 ing better  tidings  ?  Besides,  Clergymen  are  deeply  rated  to  all 
 payments.  Oh,  that  their  profession  were  but  as  highly  prized,  as 
 their  estate  is  valued !  1  Cor.  ix.  9  ;  Gal.  vi,  6.  Th.  Fuller. 
 (The  Holy  state,  P.  i.) 
 
 The  workman,  <SfC. — Madam,  Religion  is  the  foundation  and  cement 
 of  human  societies  ;  and,  when  they,  that  serve  at  God's  Altar, 
 shall  be  exposed  to  poverty,  then  Religion  itself  will  be  exposed 
 to  scorn  and  become  contemptible.  1  Kings  xiii.  33  ;  1  Sam.  ii. 
 36.  Abp.  Whitgift.  (Speech  to  Q.  Elizabeth.  See  Walton's 
 Life  of  Hooker.) 
 
 Priests  ought  to  consider  how  criminal  and  punishable  a  thing  it  is  to 
 receive  the  fruit  of  labour  without  labour.  Ezek.  xxxiv. ;  Isa.  Ivi. 
 10—12  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  10.     S.  Gregory.     (Hom.  1.  in  Evang.) 
 
 11  Bonus  esto,  et  bonos  invenies.  Be  good  yourself,  and  you  will 
 be  sure  to  find  out  good  people.     S.  Augustine,     (in  Ps.  iv.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  12—14.  181 
 
 12  Salute  it. — Be  more  studious  of  pacific,  than,  of  polemic  Divi- 
 nity. 1  Tim.  i.  5  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  24,  25.  Abp.  Leighton.  (Address 
 to  Students.) 
 
 I  know  it  was  a  common  salutation  among  the  Jews,  "  Gro  in 
 peace,"  or,  •'  Peace  be  with  thee."  And  under  this  they  com- 
 prised all  prosperity  whatsoever.  But  we  may  say  of  them,  as 
 Jehu  said  to  Joram's  horseman,  "  What  had  they  to  do  with 
 peace  ?"  and  "  turn  them  behind."  But  our  Savioue  takes  it 
 up  and  doth,  as  it  were,  enfranchise  it.  He  sets  it,  as  a  jewel, 
 in  its  proper  place.  He  makes  it  a  Gospel ;  and  puts  it  into 
 their  mouths,  who  were  the  Ambassadors  of  Peace.  Gen.  xxxvii. 
 4 ;  Deut.  X.  8 ;  Eom.  i.  7.  Farindon.  (Serm.  S.  Luke  x. 
 5,  6.) 
 
 13  If  it  be  not  worthj. — As  the  dove  returned  to  the  ark  again, 
 when  it  found  the  earth  under  water,  so  doth  the  Spirit  of  God 
 carry  Hia  comfort  back  with  Him  again  into  heaven  from  a  soul 
 in  the  suds  of  sin,  soaking  in  its  abominations.  Where  can  this 
 Heavenly  Dove  find  rest  for  the  sole  of  His  foot  in  such  a  soul? 
 And  will  He  speak  peace  to  that  soul,  in  which  Himself  can  find 
 no  rest  ?  vii.  6;  Amos  iii.  3  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  14.  Gurnall.  (On  the 
 Christian's  armour,  Ch.  ix.  S.  2.) 
 
 Let  your  peace  return  to  you. — How  true  it  is,  that,  as  in  God's 
 material  world,  so  in  His  spiritual  nothing  can  be  lost.  Here  is 
 a  consolation  for  ministers  at  the  time,  when  they  most  need  it, 
 when  their  spirits  faint,  when  their  hearts  are  well  nigh  broken 
 under  failures,  disappointments,  and  "  the  contradiction  of 
 sinners."  They  receive  that  Blessing  from  the  Lord,  which 
 others  have  refused.  It  reverts  to  them.  Eor,  as  the  snow  and 
 rain  in  the  natural  world,  so  it  is  in  the  spiritual ;  the  Word  of 
 the  Lord  shall  "  accomplish  that  which  He  pleases,  and  prosper 
 in  the  thing  whereto  He  has  sent  it."  Isa.  Iv.  10,  11 ;  Prov.  xi. 
 25.     /.  F. 
 
 14  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  you,  &;c. — Wherefore,  in  order  that 
 we  may  be  the  servants  of  God,  let  us  be  very  careful  not  to  set 
 ourselves  against  the  Bishop.  Por  every  one,  whom  the  Master 
 of  the  house  sends  to  His  own  household,  we  ought  to  receive, 
 even  as  Him,  who  sent  him.  It  is  therefore  manifest  that  we 
 ought  to  look  upon  the  Bishop,  even  as  we  would  do  upon  the 
 
182  S.  MATTHEW  X.  14,  15. 
 
 LoED  Himself,  viii.  4 ;  xxiii.  1 — 3  ;  Gal.  iv.  14.  S.  Ignatius. 
 (Ep.  to  the  Eph.  S.  5,  6.) 
 
 'Tis  in  vain  for  men  to  turn  away  their  thoughts  from  this  Eternity, 
 which  awaits  them,  as  if  they  were  able  to  destroy  it  by  denying 
 it  a  place  in  their  imagination.  It  subsists,  in  spite  of  them  ; 
 it  advanceth  unobserved  :  and  Death,  which  is  to  draw  the  cur- 
 tain from  it,  will  in  a  short  time  infallibly  reduce  them  to  the 
 dreadful  necessity  of  being  for  ever  nothing,  (as  they  indeed 
 fancy,)  or  for  ever  miserable.  Isa.  xxviii.  15 — 18 ;  Amos  ix. 
 9—10.     Pascal.     (Thoughts,  &c.,  Ch.  2.) 
 
 15  They,  of  all  religions,  that  despise  the  Priesthood,  will  be  found 
 the  same,  both  as  to  their  principles  and  their  practice  ;  sceptical 
 in  the  one,  and  dissolute  in  the  other.  S.  Luke  x.  16  ;  2  S.  Pet. 
 ii.  10 — 15.     Nelson.     (Pasts  and  Festivals,  Preface.) 
 
 Therefore  it  is  a  worse  thing  to  disbelieve  the  Gospel,  than  to  live 
 after  the  manner  of  Sodom.  ...  If  a  temporary  rejection  shall 
 be  severely  punished,  what  will  become  of  those,  who  go  on  de- 
 terminately  in  their  resistance  ?  S.  Luke  x.  16 ;  Ps.  Ixviii.  21 ; 
 Eom.  i.  32  ;  and  ii.  4,  5,  8.     Bengel. 
 
 16  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst 
 of  wolves :  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and  harm- 
 less as  doves. 
 
 17  But  beware  of  men :  for  they  will  deliver  you 
 up  to  the  councils,  and  they  will  scourge  you  in  their 
 synagogues : 
 
 18  And  ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and 
 kings  for  My  sake,  for  a  testimony  against  them  and 
 the  Gentiles. 
 
 19  But  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take  no  thought 
 how  or  what  ye  shall  speak  :  for  it  shall  be  given  you 
 in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak. 
 
 20  For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  your 
 Father  which  speaketh  in  you. 
 
 21  And  the  brother  shall  deliver  up  the  brother  to 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  16—18.  183 
 
 death,  and  the  father  the  child  :  and  the  children  shall 
 rise  up  against  their  parents,  and  cause  them  to  be  put 
 to  death. 
 
 22  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  men  for  My  Name's 
 sake :  but  he  that  endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved. 
 
 16  Sheep  are  of  a  very  harmless  and  inoffensive  nature.  "  What 
 the  dove  is  among  birds,  the  same  is  the  sheep  among  cattle. 
 Summa  vivendi  mansuetudo,  summa  simplicitas,^'  saith  S.  Chry- 
 sostom.  And  such  must  Christians  be,  endued  with  dove-like 
 simplicity,  with  lamb-like  innocency.  Isa.  Ixv.  25.  Bp.  Brown- 
 riff.     (Serm.  on  Heb.  xiii.  20.) 
 
 To  combine  the  simplicity  of  children  with  the  wisdom  of  age  is  a 
 
 rare  and  precious  gift.     Bp.  Medley. 
 The  serpenfs  eye  does  only  well  in  the  dove^s  head. 
 TJt  uulli  noceas,  columba  fias  ; 
 Ut  nemo  tibi,  sis,  Marine,  serpens. 
 
 B.  Bauhusius.     (Epigr.  1.  ii.  ad  Marinum.) 
 
 17  But  beware  of  men,  ^c. — As  if  He  should  say.  What  speak  1 
 of  wolves  ?  Tou  have  more  cause  to  fear  danger  from  men,  than 
 from  wolves,  or  from  any  other  creature  whatsoever.  Homo 
 homini  lupus.  Acts  vii.  26  ;  Rom.  iii.  13 — 19  ;  Gal.  v.  15.  Edw. 
 Leigh. 
 
 Thus  transformed  and  brutified,  that  smiling  friend  may  be  a 
 tempter :  he,  that  calls  himself  a  Saint,  may  be  a  seducer ;  his 
 oily  tongue  may  wound  thee,  his  embrace  crush  thee  to  pieces  : 
 that  demure  countenance  may  shadow  a  Legion  of  devils.  Look 
 not  upon  his  phylacteries ;  the  man's  a  Pharisee :  and  this 
 Angel-keeper  may  be  thy  murderer,  xxii.  15, 16  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  14. 
 Farindon.     (Serm.  iv.  on  Micah  vi,  8.) 
 
 18  Is  there  any  other  doctrine  in  the  world,  whose  followers  are 
 punished  ?  Can  the  enemies  of  Cheist  say,  that  He  knew  His 
 opinions  to  be  false  and  impious,  and  therefore  He  might  well 
 conjecture  and  foretell,  what  would  be  the  treatment  of  those 
 persons,  who  should  embrace  them  ?  Supposing  His  doctrine 
 were  really  such,  why  should  this  be  the  consequence  ?  What 
 likelihood  that  men  should  be  brought  before  Kings  and  Governors 
 
184  S.  MATTHEW  X,  19,  20. 
 
 for  opinions  and  tenets  of  any  kind,  when  this  never  happened 
 even  to  the  Epicureans,  who  absolutely  denied  a  Providence ; 
 nor  to  the  Peripatetics  themselves,  who  laughed  at  the  prayers 
 and  sacrifices,  which  were  made  to  the  Divinity  ?  Are  there 
 any,  but  the  Christians,  who,  according  to  this  prediction  of  our 
 Savioue,  being  brought  before  Kings  and  Governors  for  His 
 sake,  are  pressed  to  their  latest  gasp  of  breath  by  their  respective 
 Judges  to  renounce  Christianity,  and  to  procure  their  liberty 
 and  rest,  by  offering  the  same  sacrifices  and  taking  the  same 
 oaths,  that  others  did  ?    Acts  xviii.  17.    Origen.    (Adv.  Celsum.) 
 
 19  It  shall  he  given  you. — The  example  of  the  Apostle  here  is,  I 
 confess,  particular,  personal,  and  miraculous ;  but  the  reason  of 
 it  is  universal  and  perpetual,  as  being  founded  in  this,  that,  as 
 nature  in  things  natural,  so  grace  in  things  supernatural,  is 
 never  deficient  or  wanting  to  men  in  necessities.  And,  as  ne- 
 cessary as  it  was  for  the  first  founding  of  a  Church,  that  Chbist 
 should  vouchsafe  His  disciples  those  miraculous  assistances,  in 
 point  of  ratiocination  and  elocution,  so  necessary  it  is  at  this 
 very  day  and  will  be,  so  long  as  the  world  lasts,  for  God  to 
 vouchsafe  men,  under  some  temptations,  extraordinary  supplies 
 of  supporting  Grace,  as  otherwise  are  not  commonly  dealt  forth 
 to  them.  Por,  God  intends  us  a  sufiiciency  of  grace.  But, 
 when  the  trial  is  extraordinary,  unless  the  grace  afforded  be  so 
 too,  it  neither  is,  nor  can  be  accounted  sufiicient.  Deut.  xxxiii. 
 25 ;  2  Cor.  xii.  7—9.     Br.  South.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  x.  13.) 
 
 Our  faith,  observing  all  the  precepts  of  the  Divine  will,  will  be  in- 
 structed with  an  answer,  according  to  knowledge ;  after  the  ex- 
 ample of  Abraham,  to  whom,  when  he  had  given  up  Isaac,  there 
 was  not  wanting  a  ram  for  a  victim.     S.  Hilary. 
 
 20  It  is  not  ye  that  speak. — A  spirit,  having  no  proportion  with 
 place  (if  we  may  believe  philosophers)  is  neither  here  nor  there, 
 nor  anywhere  of  itself;  but  only  by  its  operation  in  a  body, 
 which  is  in  some  place.  When  Angels  formerly  appeared  with 
 any  bodies,  they  were  truly  and  substantially  present  in  those 
 human  forms,  which  they  inhabited  by  operating  there.  What- 
 ever the  airy  body  seemed  to  do,  the  Angel  truly  did  ;  the 
 Angel  moved,  the  Angel  walked,  the  Angel  spoke.  The  Holy 
 Ghost  is  likewise  truly  and  substantially  present  in  the  soul  of 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  20—22.  185 
 
 a  devout  and  pious  Christian.  He  dwells  in  his  heart  by  ope- 
 rating there  :  his  heart  becomes  a  Paradise  on  earth.  The  love 
 of  God,  now  planted  in  the  midst  of  it,  is  the  tree  of  Life  ;  the 
 Holt  Ghost  Himself  becomes  the  guardian  Angel  of  the  place, 
 and,  like  the  Cherubim,  defends  it  with  a  flaming  sword.  He 
 gives  him  life ;  "  "We  live  by  the  Spirit."  He  gives  him  mo- 
 tion; "  We  walk  by  the  Spirit."  He  gives  him  speech;  "It 
 is  not  you,  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  speaks  in 
 you."  Ezek.  i.  19—21.  A  Contrite  Heart.  (P.  i.  s.  4.) 
 (So  in  the  functions  of  the  Ministry.)  We  speak  the  words  ;  God 
 openeth  the  heart.  We  wash  with  water  ;  Christ,  with  the 
 Holt  Ghost.  We  give  the  bread  and  wine ;  Christ,  His 
 Body  and  Blood.  Ros  ccelestis  facit  messem  terrestrem.  The 
 dew  of  heaven  produces  the  harvest  on  the  earth,  xxviii.  19,  20 ; 
 1  Cor.  iii.  6 ;  Acts  x,  44.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  xv.  10.) 
 
 21  The  children  shall  rise  up,  Sfc. — It  was  anciently  a  proverb 
 among  the  heathen.  In  sold  Sparta  expedit  senescere  ;  it  is  only 
 safe  in  Sparta  to  grow  old ;  on  account  of  the  strict  laws,  made 
 to  punish  the  rebellions  and  disobedience  of  children  to  their 
 aged  parents.     Flavel. 
 
 22  Ye  shall  be  hated,  Sfc. — Suffering  sometimes  becomes,  as  a  re- 
 ward for  doing.  Tou  read  of  the  heifers,  which  brought  home 
 the  ark  out  of  the  Philistines'  country,  that,  when  they  brought 
 the  ark  home,  the  Israelites  took  the  heifers  and  offered  them 
 up  to  God,  as  a  sacrifice.  (1  Sam.  vi.  14.)  "Why  so?"  saith 
 one;  "this  is  an  ill  requital  to  the  heifers."  No:  the  heifers 
 could  not  have  so  high  an  honour  put  upon  them.  Phil.  i.  29 ; 
 Acts  ix.  16 ;  xxi.  13.      Wm.  Bridge, 
 
 Athanasius  was  nicknamed  Satanasius,  and  Cyprian  Caprian;* 
 Paul  accounted  mad,  and  Christ  Himself  a  conjuror.  Bean 
 Boys.     (On  the  Dominical  Ep.,  &c..  Third  Sunday  in  Lent.) 
 
 Omnes  virtutes  pugnant ;  sola  perseverantia  coronatur.  All  our 
 graces  are  for  the  conflict.  Perseverance  is  the  only  triumphing 
 grace.  1  Kings  xx.  2  ;  Heb.  x.  36—39 ;  Eev.  ii.  7,  10,  17,  26. 
 S.  Bernard. 
 
 *  According  to  Farindon,  Cyprianus  was  nicknamed   Coprianus.     (See  his 
 Serm.  on  S.  Matt.  iv.  1.) 
 
186  S.  MATTHEW  X.  23. 
 
 23  But  when  they  persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee 
 ye  into  another  :  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Ye  shall 
 not  have  gone  over  the  cities  of  Israel,  till  the  Son  of 
 man  be  come. 
 
 24  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master,  nor  the 
 servant  above  his  lord. 
 
 25  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his 
 Master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord.  If  they  have 
 called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelzebub,  how  much 
 more  shall  they  call  them  of  his  household  ? 
 
 26  Fear  them  not  therefore :  for  there  is  nothing 
 covered  that  shall  not  be  revealed  ;  and  hid,  that  shall 
 not  be  known. 
 
 23  That  man  cannot  be  said  by  his  fleeing  to  deny  Christ,  who 
 only  flees,  lest  he  should  deny  Hiui.  ii.  12,  20 ;  S.  John  x.  13, 
 11;  2  Tim.  iv.  10.     (S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 I  do  very  readily  acknowledge  that  the  qualifications  for  so  great 
 an  engagement  ought  to  be  weighty  and  serious,  and  that  to 
 rush  into  Martyrdom  (as  long  as  God  hath  left  us  any  justifiable 
 human  means)  may  want  as  much  of  true  Christian  piety,  as  it 
 may  seem  of  prudence.  God  hath  engaged  our  nature  to  many 
 and  several  duties  and  functions  ;  and  each  hath  its  several  laws 
 and  rules  proper,  whereby  they  are  so  set  on  work,  that  each 
 may  attain  their  due  and  proper  ends.  Nor  is  the  greatest 
 means  always  best,  when  there  are  others,  though  less,  yet  fitter. 
 i.  12  ;  xii.  15  ;  xiv.  13  ;  S.  John  xi.  54.  Lord  Capel.  (Letter 
 to  Bp.  Brownrig.)  ^ 
 
 I  have  good  ground  to  think  that  the  phrases.  Son  of  man,  and 
 Sons  of  men,  (Ben-Adam  and  Bene-Ish)  belong,  in  the  Scripture 
 language,  to  Princes,  (Ps.  Ixxx.  17  ;  iv.  2 ;  cxlvi.  3.)  .  .  .  Hence 
 we  may  learn  what  to  understand  by  that  title,  which  our 
 Blessed  Saviour  so  often  gives  to  Himself,  of  6  Ylhs  -rov  avOpw- 
 TTov,  "  The  Son  of  man,"  or  rather  "  that  Son  of  man ;"  that  is, 
 the  Messiah^  the  Lord's  iVnointed,  that  great  Prince.    It  can 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  26.  187 
 
 have  no  other  meaniug  at  S.  John  v.  22,  27 ;  S.  Luke  vi.  5.  So 
 He  appeared  to  be,  when  He  sent  the  Holt  Ghost  ;  which 
 seems  to  be  called  The  coining  of  the  Son  of  man,  S.  Matt.  x.  23. 
 .  .  .  Where  He  says,  "  They  shall  not  have  gone  over  the 
 cities  of  Israel,  till  the  Son  of  man  come  "  by  the  power,  that 
 is,  of  the  Holt  Ghost,  to  enable  them  and  give  them  autho- 
 rity to  go  and  preach  Him  in  all  other  countries,  as  well  as 
 there,  to  be  the  great  "  Lobd  of  all."  Acts  x.  36.  Bp.  Patrick. 
 (Preface  to  Comment,  on  Psalms.) 
 
 26  There  is  nothing,  &c. — In  due  time  your  godly  sincerity  and 
 truth  in  preaching  the  Gospel  shall  be  acknowledged  by  the 
 world.     1  Cor.  iv.  1 — 5.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 We  are  soon  to  go  off  the  stage  to  a  region  of  peace  and  love, 
 where  malice  and  envy  cannot  follow  us.  He,  to  whom  our  in- 
 tegrity is  known,  will  pardon  all  our  frailties  and  even  all  our 
 omissions,  and  will  deal  with  us  according  to  our  sincere  endea- 
 vours :  from  whose  hands  we  may  expect  to  receive  the  more 
 entire  reward,  the  less  of  it  we  have  received  from  men.  Ps. 
 xxxvii.  5,  6 ;  Ixii.  5  ;  2  Thess.  i.  4—7.  Bjp.  Burnet.  (Pref.  to 
 the  Third  Edit,  of  the  Pastoral  Care.)    . 
 
 27  What  I  tell  you  in  darkness,  that  speak  ye  in 
 light :  and  what  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  that  preach  ye 
 upon  the  housetops. 
 
 28  And  fear  not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are 
 not  able  to  kill  the  soul :  but  rather  fear  Him  which 
 is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell. 
 
 29  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing  ?  and 
 one  of  them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your 
 Father. 
 
 30  But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  num- 
 bered. 
 
 31  Fear  ye  not  therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than 
 many  sparrows. 
 
 32  Whosoever   therefore  shall  confess   Me   before 
 
188  S.  MATTHEW  X.  27—29. 
 
 men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  My  Father  which 
 is  in  heaven. 
 
 33  But  whosoever  shall  deny  Me  before  men,  him 
 will  I  also  deny  before  My  Father  which  is  in 
 heaven. 
 
 27  After  He  had  relieved  their  minds  from  all  fear,  He  very  pro- 
 perly speaks  of  the  free  promulgation  of  His  Gospel.  Eph.  vi. 
 19,  20.     Bengel. 
 
 28  Pardon  me.  Emperor,  thou  threatenest  me  only  with  a  prison ; 
 but  God  threatens  me  with  Hell.  Tu  carcerem  ;  Dens  Gehen- 
 nam  minatur  !  Isa.  li.  7,  8,  12  ;  Heb.  xi.  23,  27.  A  Primitive 
 Marty}-. 
 
 If  man  hate  and  God  love,  man  kill  the  body  and  God  bring  both 
 body  and  soul  to  Eternal  life,  the  exchange  is  good  and  profita- 
 ble.    Eora.  viii.  18.     Bja.  Hooper. 
 
 Erras,  cruente,  si  meam  Hoc  quod  laboras  perdere 
 
 Tu  rere  pcenam  sumere,  Tantis  furoris  viribus, 
 
 Quum  membra  morti  obnoxia      Vas  est  solutum,  ac  fictile, 
 Dilancinata  interficis.  Quocunque  frangendum  modo. 
 
 Est  alter  homo  intrinsecus,  Quin  imm6  nunc  enitere 
 
 Violare  quem  nullus  potest ;       Ilium  secare  et  plectere. 
 Liber,  quietus,  integer.  Qui  perstat  intus,  qui  tuam 
 
 Exsors  dolorum  tristium.  Calcat,  Tyranne,  insaniam  ! 
 
 Prudentius.    (Peristephanon.  Passio  S.  Vincentii  Martyris.) 
 
 29  Had  you  heard  our  Saviour  speak  after  this  manner,  when 
 as  yet  His  disciples  were  under  no  such  trials,  you  would  cer- 
 tainly have  said  within  yourself ;  If  these  speeches  of  Jesus 
 are  true,  and  if,  according  to  Hia  prediction,  Governors  and 
 Kings  (verse  18)  undertake  to  ruin  and  destroy  those,  who 
 shall  profess  themselves  His  disciples,  we  will  believe  (not  only 
 that  He  is  a  prophet,)  but  that  He  has  received  power  from 
 God  sufficient  to  preserve  and  propagate  His  religion  ;  and 
 that  He  would  never  talk  in  such  a  peremptory  and  discou- 
 raging manner,  were  He  not  assured  that  He  was  able  to  sub- 
 due the  most  powerful  opposition,  that  could  be  made  against 
 the  faith  and  doctrine,  which  He  taught,     xvi.  18  ;  xxviii.  20  ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  29—33.  189 
 
 Ps.  ii. ;  Acts  iv.  25 — 31.  Addison.  (Evidences  of  the  Christian 
 religion,  s.  8.) 
 
 One  of  them  shall  not  fall,  8(C. — Musca  Soli  prceferenda,  quia  vivit. 
 A  fly,  because  it  has  life,  excels  the  Sun.  Eccl.  ix.  4.  S. 
 Atigustine. 
 
 30  Man  is  a  vast  mystery,  whose  very  hairs  Thou,  O  Lord,  hast 
 numbered !  And  yet  his  hairs  are  not  so  numerous,  as  are  the 
 dispositions  and  the  workings  of  his  heart,   v.  36.    S.  Augustine. 
 
 Are  "the  hairs  of  our  head  numbered?"  And  wilt  Thou  not 
 much  more  take  account  of  those  sighs  and  tears,  which  are 
 produced  by  Thy  Holt  Spibit  ?  Rambach.  (Medit.  on  the 
 Sufferings  of  Christ,  ch.  8.) 
 
 Meditating  on  the  works  of  God,  I  am  transported  with  the  un- 
 speakable praises  of  their  Maker  ;  qui  prorsus  ita  est  magnus  in 
 operibus  magnis,  ut  minor  non  sit  in  minimis ;  who  is   mighty  in 
 
 -  His  mightiest  operations,  yet  so,  as  not  to  come  short  in  His 
 most  minute  care  of  lesser  things.  Ps.  Ixviii.  4,  5  ;  cxiii.  5 — 9  ; 
 Isa.  xl.  9 — 18.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 32  Had  the  faith  of  the  heart  been  sufficient,  God  would  not  have 
 given  you  a  mouth.     Eom.  x.  10  ;  Ps.  Ivii.  8.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Some  confess,  but  believe  not,  as  hypocrites :  others  believe,  but 
 confess  not,  as  timorous  and  Peter-like  professors  in  the  days 
 of  persecution  ;  others  do  neither  confess  nor  believe  in  Cheist, 
 as  atheists ;  others  both  confess  and  believe,  and  they  be  true 
 Christians.     D.  Willet. 
 
 33  Then  the  sense  of  shame  will  arise  from  the  consideration  of 
 God's  verdict,  which  decides  upon  sin,  "according  to  the 
 truth."  Job  X.  14 — 16  ;  Eom.  ii.  2.  T.  Aquinas.  (Summa. 
 Qu.  88,  p.  3.) 
 
 34  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on 
 earth  :  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword. 
 
 35  For  I  am  come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against 
 his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother,  and 
 the  daughter  in  law  against  her  mother  in  law. 
 
 36  And  a  man's  foes  shall  he  they  of  his  own  house- 
 hold. 
 
190  S.  MATTHEW  X.  34. 
 
 37  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  Me 
 is  not  worthy  of  Me :  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daugh- 
 ter more  than  Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me. 
 
 38  And  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross,  and  followeth 
 after  Me,  is  not  worthy  of  Me. 
 
 39  He  that  findeth  his  Ufe  shall  lose  it :  and  he  that 
 loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it. 
 
 34  Beloved,  opposition  and  war  are  not  the  right  fruits  of  the 
 Gospel,  any  more  than  ivy  is  the  fruit  of  the  oak  tree,  though  it 
 creep  upon  it.  But,  presupposing  the  malice  and  corruption  of 
 men,  the  tidings  of  salvation,  though  they  exhort  unto  peace, 
 yet  they  will  beget  division :  for  Satan  reigns  in  the  wicked, 
 and  it  makes  him  rage  to  hear  celestial  doctrine  preached  ;  and 
 that  impiety,  which  was  asleep  before,  is  roused  with  the  noise 
 of  the  Gospel  and  grows  tumultuous  :  this  is  consequentice  ne- 
 cessiias,  non  consequentis  ;  an  accidental  misfortune,  not  a  proper 
 effect,  ii.  3,  8  ;  S.  Jas.  iii.  11,  12  ;  iv.  1.  Bp.  Racket.  (Serm, 
 8.     S.  Luke  ii.  14.) 
 
 But  a  sword. — Prejudice  gatliers  every  conventicle,  moulds  every 
 sect,  coins  every  heresy,  and  is  that  sword,  which  our  Saviour 
 speaks  of,  which  makes  division  of  "  a  man  from  his  father,  and 
 a  daughter  from  her  mother,  and  makes  enemies  of  those,  who 
 are  of  a  man's  own  household."  Prejudice  is  that  East-wind, 
 which  brings  in  the  locusts,  which  cover  the  face  of  the  Church 
 and  make  it  dark,  and  eat  up  those  fruits  of  peace  and  holiness, 
 which  otherwise  we  might  gather.  S.  Luke  ii.  34 ;  S.  John  iv.  9. 
 Farindon.     (Preface  to  Sermons.) 
 
 The  means,  which  God  vouchsafes  to  employ  for  the  perfect  over- 
 throw of  the  devil's  kingdom,  are  not  such,  as  He  might  be  ex- 
 pected to  put  in  use,  if  His  Omnipotence  alone  were  regarded : 
 but  they  are  such,  as  are  consistent  with  the  free  agency  of 
 man  ;  such,  as  are  adapted  to  the  nature  of  man,  as  a  rational 
 and  moral  agent,  and  adapted  to  the  justice,  and  wisdom,  and 
 mercy  of  God  in  His  dealings  with  such  a  creature.  2  Cor.  x.  3 
 —6.     Bp.  Horsley.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xxiv.  12.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  36—39.  191 
 
 36  These  are  almost  the  words  of  the  prophet  Micah  (vii.  6.)  We 
 should  always  take  note,  when  a  passage  is  cited  out  of  the  Old 
 Testament,  whether  the  sense  only,  or  the  very  words,  are  given, 
 i.  23.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 37  Wovdd  God,  we  would  remark  it  and  remember  well,  that  the 
 bond  of  "  one  God,  one  Fathee,  one  Baptism,"  and  so  fortli, 
 is  as  far  above  the  bond  of  one  father,  one  mother,  and  such  like  ; 
 as  God  is  above  man,  spiritual  things  above  carnal,  and  the 
 spirit  above  the  flesh.  Phil.  iii.  8 — 12.  Bp.  Babington.  (Com- 
 fortable Notes  on  Genesis,  ch.  xiii.) 
 
 It  is  undeniable  that  those,  vsrho  are  near  of  kin  to  you,  should  be 
 loved  accordingly.  But,  believe  me,  there  is  nothing  so  nearly 
 related  and  akin  to  you,  as  is  your  own  self.  Love  your  kins- 
 men :  we  do  not  object :  love  your  children  ;  only  in  a  second 
 degree:  so  love  them,  as  not  to  seem  to  hate  your  own  selves. 
 Inconsultus  namque  et  stultus  amor  est  alterius  memor,  sui  im- 
 memor.  For  the  love,  which  is  mindful  of  another,  while  un- 
 mindful of  itself,  is  blind  and  foolish.  Salvian.  (Lib.  iii.  De 
 avaritia.) 
 
 38  Our  cross,  which  the  Loed  commands  us  to  take  up,  is  our 
 mortal  flesh.  This  is  the  cross,  which  we  have  to  crucify  and 
 which  must  be  transfixed  with  the  fear  of  God,  as  with  nails. 
 Col.  iii.  5  ;  Prov.  xvi.  6  ;  Jer.  xxxii.  40.    S.  Augustine.    (Ep.  38.) 
 
 We  are  bid  to  take,  not  to  make  our  cross.  God,  in  His  Provi- 
 dence, will  provide  one  for  us.  And  we  are  bid  to  take  it  up  ; 
 we  hear  nothing  of  laying  it  down.  Our  troubles  and  our  lives 
 are  coetaneous,  live  and  die  together.  Here,  when  joy  comes, 
 sorrow  is  at  its  heel.  "  Staff"  and  rod  "  go  together.  Ps.  xxiii. 
 14 ;  XXX.  6,  7  ;  ci.  1 ;  Eccl.  ii.  1 ;  S.  John  ii.  3.  (Gen.  xxii.  1. 
 "  After  these  things.")  Gurnall.  (On  the  Christian's  armour, 
 ch.  V.) 
 
 39  He,  that  would  lose  nothing,  must  learn  to  have  nothing. 
 Farindon.     (Serm.  Ps.  cxix.  19.) 
 
 40  He  that  receiveth  you  receiveth  Me,  and  he  that 
 receiveth  Me  receiveth  Him  that  sent  Me. 
 
 41  He  that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name  of  a 
 
193  S.  MATTHEW  X.  40—42. 
 
 prophet  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward  ;  and  he  that 
 receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the  name  of  a  righteous 
 man  shall  receive  a  righteous  man's  reward. 
 
 42  And  whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one  of 
 these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only  in  the  name 
 of  a  disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  no  wise 
 lose  his  reward. 
 
 40  In  a  word,  this  is  the  priceless  boast  and  rejoicing  of  our  con- 
 science, inestimabilis  gloria  conseientice,  in  the  face  of  all  possible 
 worldly  insult,  that  Christ  nos  prcedicatores  plane  deos  creat,  in- 
 vests us  with  the  honour,  due  to  gods  ;  in  that  He  says,  "  He, 
 who  receives  you,  receives  Me  and  receives  My  Fatheb."  Ex. 
 vii.  1  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  1.     Luther. 
 
 41  When  men  really  love  God,  they  will  honour  Him  in  His 
 Ministers.  They,  that  do  not  do  so,  do  not  consider  that  pre- 
 judices easily  pass  from  the  persons  to  the  truths  they  preach, 
 and  to  the  ordinances  they  administer.  Who  does  not  see  the 
 fatal  consequence  ?  The  sins,  committed  against  God's  Minis- 
 ters, are  not  generally  understood  ;  they  have  a  peculiar  guilt 
 in  them  ;  for  they,  that  despise  them,  dishonour  Him,  that  sends 
 them,  even  Jesus  Chbist  and  the  Holt  Ghost.  3  S.  John 
 ix.  10.     Bp.  Wilson.     (Maxims,  God's  Ministers.) 
 
 A  brother,  that  hath  entered  into  thine  house,  dismiss  not  with- 
 out a  prayer.  "Thou  hast  seen,"  saith  He,  "thy  brother; 
 thou  hast  seen  thy  Loed  !"  Tertullian.  (De  Oratione,  s.  25, 
 alluding  probably  to  Ex.  iv.  16,  or  Gen.  xxxiii.  10.) 
 
 Shall  receive  a  prophefs  reward. — As  there  is  a  way  of  partaking 
 of  other  men's  sins,  so  in  other  men's  holy  services.  Gurnall. 
 (On  the  Christian's  Armour,  ch.  ii.) 
 
 42  It  is  usual  to  take  only  in  connection  with  the  cup  of  cold 
 water  :  but  the  context  seems  to  justify  and  to  recommend  its 
 being  taken  rather  with  what  follows,  In  the  name  of  a  disciple. 
 Now  this  teaches  us  a  very  important  lesson,  not  to  have  "  men's 
 persons  in  admiration,"  (S.  Jude  16,)  but  to  be  kind  to  them 
 only  for  Christ's  sake ;  as  before,  in  respect  to  a  prophet,  it  is 
 
S.  MATTHEW  X.  42.  193 
 
 not  to  the  person,  but  to  the  oflBce,  the  name  of  a  prophet,  we 
 are  to  have  regard ;  and  however  unworthy  in  himself  of  any 
 honour  the  prophet  may  be.  This  is  the  force  of  the  parallel 
 passage  at  S.  John  xiii.  16 — 20,  where  reference  seems  to  be 
 made  to  that  most  unworthy  of  Ministers,  the  traitor  Judas. 
 See  Art.  xxvi.  of  the  Church,  xxiii.  2,  3  ;  1  Thess.  v.  12,  13. 
 J.F. 
 
 One  Minister  may  be  of  gold,  another  of  iron  ;  but  they  are  both 
 like  rings,  which  have  the  seal  of  CnnisT — (power  to  administer 
 the  Word  and  Sacraments).  Let  them  stamp  on  thee,  who  art 
 the  wax,  the  image  of  the  great  King.  There  is  a  difference  in 
 the  metal,  but  not  in  the  seal.  2  Kings  v.  3,  12 ;  Phil.  i.  14 — 
 18.     S.  Greg.  Nazianzen.     (Orat.  ii.) 
 
 In  Chbist's  true  members  Faith  sees  her  Lord,  and  Love  minis- 
 ters to  His  necessities.  If  there  be  any  Universal  virtue,  which 
 fills,  as  it  were,  all  the  rest  with  goodness  and  gives  them  their 
 value  and  importance,  that  certainly  is  Charity,  the  true  love 
 of  God  and  of  our  neighbour;  from  which  whatever  arises  will 
 at  last  be  grateful  and  pleasing  to  God,  although  it  should  seem 
 otherwise  of  little  value,  xxv.  31 — 40.  Bp.  Bull.  (Harmonia 
 Apostol.) 
 
 Pro  poculo  aquae  frigidce  torrens  voluptatis ;  for  "  a  cup  of  cold 
 water,"  (the  water,  common  element ;  and  cold  water,  which 
 cost  thee  not  the  charge  of  fire  to  warm  it,)  there  is  a  torrent, 
 nay,  a  very  sea  of  all  pleasures,  pi-ovided  for  thee,  for  all  Eter- 
 nity.    2  Cor.  ix.  8  ;  Phil.  iv.  19.     Bp.  Andrewes. 
 
 CHAPTER  XI. 
 
 A  ND  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  made  an  end 
 of   commanding   His   twelve   disciples,    He   de- 
 parted thence  to  teach  and  to  preach  in  their  cities. 
 
 2  Now  when  John  had    heard   in   the  prison   the 
 works  of  Christ,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples, 
 
 0 
 
194  S.  MATTHEW  XI.  2,  4. 
 
 3  And  said  unto  Him,  Art  Thou  He  that  should 
 come,  or  do  we  look  for  another  ? 
 
 4  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Go  and  shew 
 John  again  those  things  which  ye  do  hear  and  see : 
 
 5  The  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk, 
 the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead 
 are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached 
 to  them. 
 
 6  And  blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended 
 in  Me. 
 
 2  Our  desires  towards  God  are  then  most  raised,  when  we  stand 
 in  need.  John  chose  that  time  to  send  his  disciples  to  Jestjs, 
 when  they  were  likely  to  feel  their  need  of  Him,  during  his 
 own  imprisonment,  xv.  30 — 32 ;  Ps.  slvi.  1.  S.  Chrysostom. 
 (Horn,  1,  in  Acta  Apost.) 
 
 If  the  Word  of  God  cannot  be  "  bound,"  2  Tim,  ii.  9,  so  neither 
 can  the  Voice.  John  was  iu  chains  ;  but  not  i\\e prcBCursor  :  no 
 fetters  can  detain  the  Voice  from  communicating  with  the  Word. 
 Ego  vox.     Phil.  Ellis.     (Serm.  S.  John  i.  26.) 
 
 When  the  Pastor  is  restrained  of  his  liberty,  let  him  not  cease  to 
 provide  for  his  flock  ;  when  the  Master  of  the  family  cannot 
 come  to  Church  himself,  let  him  send  his  servants  unto  Cheist. 
 Eph.  iv.  1.     Bemi  Boys.     (On  the  Dominical  Ep.  &c.  in  loco.) 
 
 4  We  can  by  no  means  think  that  John  himself  doubted,  but 
 John's  disciples.  We  trace  his  charity  in  sending  them  to  in- 
 quire in  such  manner,  as  if  the  doubt  were  his  own.  We  trace 
 also  the  goodness  of  the  Loed,  exercised  in  the  same  manner, 
 so  as  not  to  shame  and  discourage  these  young  tender  con- 
 verts for  their  unbelief;  for  He  says,  Go  and  show  John. 
 Thomas  Aquinas  well  observes  on  Gen.  xviii.  17,  Valde  difficilis 
 est  Deus  ad  puhlicanda  occulta  crimina  nostra.  God  is  very 
 backward  to  expose  to  the  public  our  secret  faults.  Finally,  we 
 may  connect  this  narrative  with  another  of  still  deeper  import ; 
 observing,  that  while  here  Cheist  solved  the  doubt  by  an 
 appeal  to  His  power  in  others,  He  there  referred  to  His  power 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  5,  6.  195 
 
 over  His  own  body.  (See  S.  John  xx,  27  ;  ii.  19 — 21 ;  x.  17, 
 18.)  Gen.  xlv.  1—4 ;  S.  Luke  xv.  22  ;  S.  John  viii.  10  ;  iv.  8— 
 18.     J.  F. 
 
 5  Great  and  many  were  the  miracles,  which  Moses  and  the  rest 
 of  the  prophets  wrought  for  the  ratification  of  the  Law  and  the 
 demonstration  of  God's  constant  presence  with  His  people ; 
 and  yet  all  these,  wrought  by  so  many  persons,  in  the  space  of 
 3000  years,  are  far  short  of  those,  which  this  one  Jesus  did 
 perform  within  the  compass  of  three  years.  The  ambitious 
 diligence  of  the  Jews  hath  reckoned  up  seventy-six  miracles  for 
 Moses  and  seventy-four  for  all  the  rest  of  the  prophets ;  and 
 supposing  that  they  were  so  many  (though  indeed  they  were 
 not,)  how  few  are  they,  in  respect  of  those,  which  are  written  of 
 our  Sayioue  ;  how  inconsiderable,  if  compared  with  all  He 
 wrought ;  when  John  testifieth  with  as  great  certainty  of  truth, 
 as  height  of  hyperbole,  that  "  There  are  many  other  things, 
 which  Jestts  did ;  the  which,  if  they  should  be  written  every 
 one,  he  supposed  that  even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain 
 the  books,  that  should  be  written."  Ps.  cvi.  2;  S.  John  xxi. 
 25.     Bp.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed.     Art.  2.) 
 
 The  poor,  S^c. — The  passive  verb,  in  the  Greek,  signifies  non  actum 
 prcedicationis,  sed  effectum  Evangelii  prcedicati.  "  The  poor  are 
 Evangelised,^''  wrought  upon  by  the  Gospel.  Christ's  special 
 regard  to  the  destitution  of  poverty  and  to  the  helplessness  of 
 childhood,  shows  His  mission  to  have  been  Divine,  as  not  need- 
 ing the  support  of  the  rich,  the  mighty,  the  noble  of  this  w^orld, 
 whose  special  favours  an  impostor  doubtless  would  have  su- 
 premely courted.  The  conversion,  too,  of  any  one  single  soul, 
 is  a  proof  of  the  Divine  power,  and,  as  a  moral  evidence,  pos- 
 sesses more  weight  than  the  attestation,  borne  by  external 
 miracles.  Ps.  Ixxii.  1,  2,  4,  12,  13.  Por,  as  one  says,  M««mw/M 
 miraculum  est  Dei  patientia  et  mimifcentia.  God's  patience 
 and  bountifulness  towards  us  is  the  greatest  of  all  miracles. 
 Acts  xiii.  12.    J.  F. 
 
 6  Divines  say,  there  are  offences  given  ;  and  ofiences,  not  given, 
 but  taken,  xviii.  7.  Is.  Walton.  (Pref.  to  the  Complete 
 Angler.) 
 
 If  the  Eeligion  of  Jesus  Chbist  is  to  be  corrected  and  softened 
 
 o  2 
 
196  S,  MATTHEW  XL  6. 
 
 down,  till  it  becomes  agreeable  to  the  natural  thoughts  and 
 imaginations  of  the  human  heart,  then  in  vain  was   it   said, 
 "  Blessed  is  he,  whosoever  shall  not  be  offended  in  Me."     Col. 
 ii.  8, 9  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  17 ;  Gal.  i.  8  ;  Eev.  xxii.  19.   TF.  Jones.  (The 
 Catholic  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity.     Conclusion.) 
 Vos  ite,  et  sacro  responsa  hsec  dicite  vati. 
 Per  Me  fulgorem  coeli,  qui  luce  carebant, 
 Adspiciunt ;  nuperque  obstructas  missus  ad  aures 
 Jam  souus  accipitur  certus ;  nee  uon  quibus  segra 
 Torpebant  membra  incolumes  vestigia  firmant. 
 Turn  quibus  ambesos  elephantia  laeserat  artus 
 Squalens,  et  maculis  foedarat  corpora  diris, 
 Jam  mundos  tristisque  lues  languorque  reliquit. 
 Et  quibus  exactse  fluxerunt  ultima  vitae 
 Tempera,  perpetuusque  urgebat  lumina  somnus, 
 Ad  superas  auras  revocati  et  sidera,  rursus 
 JEtherium  coeli  lumen  spirabile  captant : 
 Instruimusque  inopes  Divini  ad  gaudia  Eegui. 
 Et  felix  Nostri  quem  nil  offenderit  unquam. 
 
 S.  Capicius.     (De  vate  maximo.     L.  ii.) 
 
 7  And  as  they  departed,  Jesus  began  to  say  unto 
 the  multitudes  concerning  John,  What  went  ye  out 
 into  the  wilderness  to  see  ?  A  reed  shaken  with  the 
 wind? 
 
 8  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  man  clothed 
 in  soft  raiment  ?  behold,  they  that  wear  soft  clothing 
 are  in  kings'  houses. 
 
 9  But  what  went  ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ? 
 yea,  I  say  unto  you,  and  more  than  a  prophet. 
 
 10  For  this  is  he,  of  whom  it  is  written,  Behold,  I 
 send  My  messenger  before  Thy  face,  which  shall  pre- 
 pare Thy  way  before  Thee. 
 
 11  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Among  them  that  are 
 born  of  women  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  7.  197 
 
 John  the  Baptist :  notwithstanding  he  that  is  least  in 
 the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he. 
 
 12  And  from  the  days  of  John  the  Baptist  until 
 now  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suffereth  violence,  and  the 
 violent  take  it  by  force. 
 
 13  For  all  the  prophets  and  the  law  prophesied  until 
 John. 
 
 14  And  if  ye  will  receive  it,  this  is  Elias  which  was 
 for  to  come. 
 
 1 5  He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 
 
 7  (When  John  is  put  in  prison,  then  our  Loed  praises  him.) 
 Faith  and  friendship  are  seldom  tried,  but  in  extremes.  To 
 find  friends,  when  we  have  no  need  of  them,  and  to  want  them, 
 when  we  have,  are  both  alike  easy  and  common.  In  prosperity, 
 who  will  not  profess  to  love  a  man  ?  In  adversity,  how  few 
 will  show  that  they  do  it  indeed  ?  When  we  are  happy  in  the 
 spring-tide  of  abundance  and  the  rising  flood  of  plenty,  then  the 
 world  will  be  our  servant;  then  all  men  flock  about  us  with 
 bared  heads,  with  bended  bodies,  and  protesting  tongues ;  but 
 when  these  pleasing  waters  fall  to  ebbing,  when  wealth  but 
 shifteth  to  another  stand,  then  men  look  upon  us  at  a  distance 
 and  stifien  themselves,  as  if  they  were  in  armour  ....  The 
 trial  of  friendship  is  by  finding  what  others  will  do  for  us  ;  but 
 the  trial  of  faith  is  by  seeing  what  we  will  do  for  God.  Ps. 
 xlix.  18  ;  Gen.  xl.  23  ;  Job  vi.  15  ;  S.  Luke  xv.  16  ;  2  Tim.  iv. 
 16.     O.  Feltham.     (Eesolves,  Cent.  i.  11.) 
 
 More  than  a  Prophet. — How  so  ?  He  presently  gives  the  reason  : 
 because  John  not  only  prophesied  himself,  but  was  spoken  of  in 
 prophecy  by  others.     Ver.  10.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 S.  John  the  Baptist  is  called  by  some  of  the  Fathers,  Fibula  Legis 
 et  JEvangelii,  the  clasp,  that  unites  the  two  Testaments.  In  his 
 person  and  office  the  Law  and  the  Gospel  both  joined  and  met 
 together.  In  respect  of  the  Law,  so  be  is  called  a  Prophet,  the 
 last  Prophet,  that  immediately  foretold  Christ's  coming  and 
 manifestation  ;  his  father  Zacharie  terms  him,  "  The  Prophet  of 
 
198  S.  MATTHEW  XI.  9—11. 
 
 the  Highest."  He  was  Elias  redivivus,  a  second  Elias,  raised  up 
 to  the  Church.  In  respect  of  the  New  Testament,  so  he  was 
 an  Evangelist  (Messenger),  pointing  out  and  discovering  the 
 Messias  already  come  and  exhibited.  Bp.  Brownrig.  (Serra. 
 S.  Matt.  iii.  10.) 
 
 9  John  is  placed  as  a  houndanj  between  both ;  as  a  point,  where 
 old  things  terminate,  and  a  new  order  begins.  Mai,  iv.  4 — 6. 
 Tertullian. 
 
 10  As  this  prophecy  is  worded  by  S.  Matthew  (as  also  by  S.  Mark 
 and  S.  Luke),  there  is  a  personal  distinction  between  Him,  who 
 sends  His  messenger,  and  Christ,  before  whom  the  messenger 
 is  sent.  I  send  My  messenger  to  prepare  Thy  way  before  Thee  ; 
 but  the  Prophet  himself  (Mai.  iii.  1.)  has  it  thus,  I  send  My 
 messenger  to  prepare  the  way  before  31e.  Yet  the  Evangelist 
 and  the  Prophet  are  both  equally  correct  and  true.  For,  though 
 Cheist  be  a  different  Person,  yet  He  is  One  and  the  same  God 
 with  the  Father.  And  hence  it  is,  that  with  the  Evangelists, 
 the  Persons  are  not  confounded ;  with  the  Prophet,  the  Godhead 
 is  not  divided.     W.  Jones.     (On  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  S.  8.) 
 
 11  John  stood  on  a  middle  ground  between  the  two  Covenants ; 
 he  was  equal  to  any  Saint  under  the  Law,  but  inferior  to  the 
 least  Saint  under  the  Gospel.  And  why  inferior  ?  because,  as 
 one  important  reason,  he  did  not  live  to  see  the  dispensation  of 
 the  fulness  of  the  grace  of  God.  Like  Moses,  he  could  only 
 speak  of  a  grace  to  come,  which  he  himself  was  not  permitted 
 to  receive,  namely,  that  "  Baptism  with  the  Holt  Ghost  and 
 with  fire,"  poured  out  on  the  Church  at  Pentecost,  when  the 
 Kingdom  of  Heaven  was  opened,  when  the  most  excellent  gift  of 
 Eegeneration  and  of  all  heavenly  spiritual  blessings  in  Christ 
 Jesus  was  communicated  to  those,  who  believe.  S.  Jerome's 
 comment  here  seems  wide  of  the  mark  ;  aliud  est  coronam  justi- 
 tice  possidere,  aliud  in  acie  pugnare.  It  is  one  thing  to  receive 
 the  crown  of  righteousness,  and  another  to  contend  in  the  battle 
 for  it.  iii.  11 ;  S.  John  i.  16,  17,  33  ;  Eora.  xv.  29  ;  1  S.  Pet.  i. 
 12.     J.  F. 
 
 The  Prophet  of  the  ancient  Church  had  for  his  main  ofl&ce  to  en- 
 force the  Law,  to  show  God's  people  their  transgression  and 
 sin  :  if  he  spake  of  the  Gospel,  it  was  in  prospect  only  and  seen 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  11-15.  199 
 
 afar  oiF.  .  .  .  The  messengers  sent  to  us  are  a  "  Ministry  of  Ee- 
 conciliation,"  ministers  and  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of  Ee- 
 demption,  with  power  and  commandment,  as  Ambassadors  of 
 Cheist,  to  declare  and  pronounce  to  God's  people,  being  peni- 
 tent, the  Blessed  tidings  of  forgiveness  ;  and  in  the  preaching 
 of  His  Word  and  the  distribution  of  His  Sacraments  to  convey 
 and  apply  its  benefits  to  each  individual  member  of  Christ's 
 Body.  And  does  not  this  great  Blessing  entail  on  us  a  heavy 
 responsibility?  2  Cor.  iii.  6;  v.  18—21;  1  Cor.  iv.  1,  2. 
 Tracts  for  the  Times.     (No.  16.) 
 
 As  Cheist  saith,  concerning  John  the  Baptist,  Among  them, 
 8(0.,  the  same  may  I  say,  concerning  Adam  in  innocence. 
 Among  all  the  visible  creation  there  was  none  greater,  nor  more 
 happy  than  he  :  yet  the  least  believer,  who  is  now  in  the  King- 
 dom of  Heaven,  is  far  greater  than  he,  when  he  was  Lord  of 
 Paradise.  S.  John  x.  10.  Bp.  Hopkins.  (Doctrine  of  the  Two 
 Covenants.) 
 
 12  We  meet  in  the  assembly  and  congregation,  and  with  our 
 prayers  we  make  an  attack  upon  God  in  one  united  band. 
 Hcec  vis  Deo  grata  est.  This  violence  pleases  Him.  Gen.  xxxii. 
 24—28  ;  Nehem.  viii.  6 ;  Acts  iv.  24—31 ;  xii.  5, 12.  Tertullian. 
 (De  Oratione.) 
 
 Not  the  violent  doers,  but  the  sufferers  of  violence :  for,  though 
 the  old  Law  was  established  in  the  promises  of  temporal  pros- 
 perity, yet  the  Gospel  is  founded  in  temporal  adversity  :  it  is 
 directly  a  covenant  of  suffering  and  of  sorrows,  v.  2 — 12  ;  Zech. 
 xiii.  9  ;  Heb.  xii.  7.    Bp.  J.  Taylor.    (Serm.  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  17, 18.) 
 
 15  Perhaps  our  Satioue  used  so  frequently  to  conclude  His  Di- 
 vine discourses,  with  that  just  Epiphonema,  '''He,  that  hath  ears 
 to  hear,  let  him  hear ;''  to  teach  us,  that  there  is  no  employment 
 of  our  faculties,  that  more  deserves  their  utmost  attention,  than 
 the  scrutiny  of  Divine  truths.  Isa.  Iv.  3  ;  Rom.  x.  17.  22.  Boyle. 
 (Considerations  on  the  style  of  the  H.  Scriptures.) 
 
 16  Bat  whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation  ?  It 
 is  like  unto  children  sitting  in  the  markets,  and  calling 
 unto  their  fellows, 
 
200 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  XI.  17. 
 
 17  And  saying,  We  have  piped  unto  you,  and  ye 
 have  not  danced  ;  we  have  mourned  unto  you,  and  ye 
 have  not  lamented. 
 
 18  For  John  came  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  and 
 they  say,  He  hath  a  devil. 
 
 19  The  Son  of  Man  came  eating  and  drinking,  and 
 they  say,  Behold  a  Man  gluttonous,  and  a  winebibber, 
 a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners.  But  wisdom  is  jus- 
 tified of  her  children. 
 
 17  The  temper  of  all  meu  in  the  world  is  either  sad  and  composed, 
 or  joyful  and  serene  ;  and  even  the  same  man  will  find  that  he 
 is  wholly  acted,  in  the  genei'al  tenour  of  his  life,  by  the  vicissi- 
 tude and  interchange  of  these  affections.  Accordingly,  Christi- 
 anity in  those  great  matters  of  fact,  upon  which  it  is  founded, 
 happily  complies  with  man's  mind  by  this  variety  of  its  subject. 
 Por  we  have  both  the  sorrows  and  glories  of  Christianity,  the 
 depressions  and  the  triumphs,  the  mournings  and  the  Hosannas. 
 We  have  the  aflecting  sadnesses  of  Cheist's  fasting.  His  bloody 
 agony.  His  crucifixion,  and  the  bitter  scene  of  His  whole  Passion 
 in  its  several  parts  and  appendages  :  on  the  other  side,  we  gaze 
 at  His  miracles,  admire  His  Transfiguration,  joy  at  His  super- 
 natural Resurrection,  and  that,  (which  is  the  great  complement 
 and  consummation  of  all)  His  glorious  Ascension.  .  .  .  Nay, 
 such  a  Divine  checker-work  do  we  find  in  the  whole  contexture 
 of  the  story  of  our  Religion,  that  we  have  the  light  still  with  the 
 advantage  of  the  shade,  and  things  exhibited  with  the  recom- 
 mending vicinity  of  their  contraries :  so  that  it  is  observed,  that, 
 in  the  whole  narrative  of  our  Saviotje's  life,  no  passage  is  re- 
 lated of  Him  low  or  weak,  but  it  is  immediately  seconded  and, 
 as  it  were,  corrected  by  another  high  and  miraculous,  iii.  17  ; 
 iv.  1 ;  xvii.  11,  12  ;  Ps.  xxx.  5,  6,  7  ;  Eccl.  vii.  13,  14 ;  2  Cor. 
 xiii.  4.     Dr.  South.     (Serm.  Eph.  iv.  10.) 
 
 We  have  piped  unto  you. — I  must  confess,  I  think  it  below  reason- 
 able creatures  to  be  altogether  conversant  in  such  diversions,  as 
 are  merely  innocent,  and  have  nothing  else  to  recommend  them, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  17,  18.  201 
 
 but  that  there  is  no  liurt  in  them.  Addison.  (Spectator,  No. 
 93.) 
 
 I  resolve  to  have  innocent  mirth,  mixed  with  good  discourse,  at  my 
 table.  Wm.  Burkitt.  (Eesolves.  See  his  Life,  P.  28,  Edit. 
 London,  1704.) 
 
 His  conversation  had  all  the  pleasantness  of  a  comedy  and  all  the 
 usefulness  of  a  sermon.  Dr.  Rust.  (Serm.  preached  at  the 
 Funeral  of  Bp.  J.  Taylor.) 
 
 There  is  a  kind  of  unreasonableness  of  desire  and  unsatiableness 
 in  infidelity.  It  never  knows,  when  it  hath  evidence  enough. 
 It  ever  loves  to  be  its  own  carver.  S.  John  ix.  15,  16,  24,  26. 
 Bp.  Hall. 
 
 18  He  hath  a  devil. — Never  can  you  entirely  repair  the  mischief, 
 you  have  inflicted  by  calumny  on  your  neighbour's  character. 
 Never  can  you  perfectly  restore  to  him  his  former  good  name ! 
 You  cannot  say  here,  as  you  may  of  a  pecuniary  damage  :  "  If 
 I  have  done  any  wrong  to  any  man,  I  restore  fourfold."  (S. 
 Luke  six.  8.).  .  .  When  Moses  was  desirous  of  proving  his  Di- 
 vine Mission  to  Pharaoh,  he  cast  his  rod  before  him,  and  it  be- 
 came a  serpent :  afterwards  the  rod  returned  to  its  former  shape. 
 The  magicians  of  Pharaoh,  trying  to  be  even  with  Moses,  cast 
 down  their  rods,  which  indeed  became  serpents,  yet  never  re- 
 turned to  their  former  shape,  but  remained  serpents  still.  (Exod. 
 vii.  10 — 12.")  Now  listen  to  the  acute  observation  of  Origen 
 upon  this  incident :  Non  potuit  virtus  dcemoniaca  malum,  quod  ex 
 bono  fuerat,  restituere  in  bonum.  Satanic  power  was  quite  un- 
 able to  make  that  good  again,  which,  from  being  before  good,  it 
 had  once  made  bad.  It  could  turn  the  rod  into  a  serpent ;  but 
 it  could  by  no  means  extract  the  rod  out  of  the  serpent  agaiu. 
 (Horn.  xiii.  in  Numb,  xii.)  Now  the  same  thing  will  happen  to 
 calumniators.  You  may  with  a  mere  trifle  make  a  worthy  man 
 look,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  like  a  monstrous  serpent ;  but 
 how  will  you  manage  afterwards  wholly  to  re-invest  him  with 
 his  former  good  name  ?  Isa.  xli.  21 — 24.  Segneri.  (Quaresi- 
 male,  Pred.  xix.  S.  2.) 
 
 Nisi  homini  Dens  placuerit,  Deus  non  erit.  Unless  God  be  such  a 
 one,  as  pleases  man.  He  shall,  in  your  esteem,  be  no  God  at  all. 
 Judg.  V.  8 ;  S.  Luke  xix.  14. 
 
202  S,  MATTHEW  XI.   19,  20. 
 
 Though  objections  against  the  evidence  of  Christianity  are  most 
 seriously  to  be  considered,  yet  objections  against  Christianity 
 itself  are,  in  a  great  measure,  frivolous ;  almost  all  objections 
 against  it,  excepting  those,  which  are  alleged  against  the  par- 
 ticular proofs  of  its  coming  from  God.  Bp.  Butler.  (Analogy 
 P.  ii.  Ch.  3.) 
 
 20  Then  began  He  to  upbraid  the  cities  wherein 
 most  of  His  mighty  works  were  done,  because  they  re- 
 pented not : 
 
 2i  Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin  !  woe  unto  thee,  Beth- 
 saida !  for  if  the  mighty  works,  which  were  done  in 
 you,  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon,  they  would 
 have  repented  long  ago  in  sackcloth  and  ashes. 
 
 22  But  I  say  unto  you.  It  shall  be  more  tolerable 
 for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for 
 you. 
 
 23  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto 
 heaven,  shall  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  until 
 this  day. 
 
 24  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  it  shall  be  more  tole- 
 rable for  the  land  of  Sodom,  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
 than  for  thee. 
 
 20  To  upbraid. — The  carelessness,  which  men  betray  in  an  affair 
 where  their  person,  their  interest,  their  whole  Eternity  is  em- 
 barked, rather  provokes  my  resentment,  than  engages  my  pity  : 
 nay,  it  strikes  one  with  amazement  and  astonishment ;  it  is  a 
 monster  to  my  apprehension.  I  speak  not  this,  as  transported 
 with  the  pious  zeal  of  a  spiritual  and  rapturous  devotion.  On 
 the  contrary,  I  aflS.rm  that  the  love  of  ourselves,  the  interest  of 
 mankind,  and  the  most  simple  and  artless  reason  do  naturally 
 inspire  us  with  these  sentiments ;  and  that  to  see  thus  far,  is 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  20,  21.  203 
 
 not  to  exceed  the  sphere  of  unrefined  and  uneducated  men. 
 Acts  xiii.  41.     Pascal.     (Thoughts,  &c.,  Ch.  i.) 
 
 We  must  connive  at  no  evil ;  every  sin  unreproved  becomes  our's. 
 xiv.  4  ;  Ps.  1.  18  ;  Eph.  v.  11.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 21  We  read  of  mighty  works,  done  in  Chorazin  and  Bethsaida ;  and 
 yet  none  of  them  are  recorded,  or  even  elsewhere  alluded  to,  in 
 the  Gospels.  What  a  proof  have  we  here  of  the  truth  of  the 
 seemingly  hyperbolical  declaration  of  S.  John,  with  which  he 
 emphatically  closes  his  Grospel.  (S.  John  xxi.  25.)  None  of  these 
 miracles  might  have  been  recorded,  because  none  produced  the 
 designed  effect  in  the  conversion  of  those,  who  witnessed  them ; 
 for  miracles  were  instrumental  to  faith,  iv.  23,  24  ;  xi.  5  ;  xv. 
 30.     J.  F. 
 
 If  the  mighty  works,  &c. — Among  all  the  aggravation  of  our  sins, 
 there  is  none  more  heinous  than  the  frequent  hearing  of  our 
 duty.  Among  all  the  errors  of  our  lives,  there  is  none  more 
 fatal  than  that,  concerning  t)ae  easiness  of  the  duty  of  Repent- 
 ance. S.  John  XV.  22 — 24;  Acts  xxiv.  25.  2?^^.  Seth  Ward. 
 (Introd.  to  Serm.  on  Eev.  ix.  20.) 
 
 In  the  primitive  and  purest  ages  of  Christianity,  it  is  evident  that 
 the  bitterest  sorrows  and  remorses  were  looked  upon,  as  neces- 
 sary preparations  to  repentance ;  for  the  penitents  in  those 
 days,  as  Tertullian  and  Naziauzen  describe  them,  "  Lay  pros- 
 trate at  the  Church-doors  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  supplicating 
 the  prayers  of  the  Presbyters  and  widows,  hanging  on  the  gar- 
 ments and  knees  of  those,  that  entered  into  the  Church,  kissing 
 their  footsteps  and  with  rivers  of  tears  in  their  eyes  beseeching 
 their  prayers  to  God  for  their  pardon."  Now,  though  we  are 
 not  under  the  severities  of  such  an  Ecclesiastical  discipline,  yet 
 we  are  equally  obliged  with  those  ancient  penitents  to  exercise 
 it  internally  in  our  hearts.  For  sin  is  as  bad  now,  as  it  was 
 then  ;  and  as  great  an  evil  to  us,  as  it  was  to  them  :  and  there- 
 fore ought  to  be  lamented  by  us  with  an  equal  sorrow  and  re- 
 morse. S.  James  iv.  8—10.  Br.  J.  Scott.  (Christian  Life, 
 P.  i.  ch.  iv.) 
 
 Much  knowledge  and  little  practice,  much  light  and  little  heat, 
 many  leaves  and  slender  fruit,  much  "  drinking  in  of  the  rain, 
 that  Cometh  oft  upon  us,"  and  scanty  produce ;  these  things 
 
204  S.  MATTHEW  XI.  23. 
 
 suit  not  together  :  of  such  God  saith,  "  It  is  rejected  and  nigh 
 unto  cursing ;  whose  end  is  to  be  burned."  (Heb.  vi.  7,  8.) 
 "  The  knowledge  of  the  Lord  may  cover  the  earth,  as  the  waters 
 cover  the  sea;"  yet  the  earth  be  as  barren,  as  the  sea-shore. 
 The  pale  cold  light  of  the  moon,  which  enlightens  but  warms 
 not,  putrifies  what  it  falls  upon.  An  especial  judgment  is  de- 
 nounced throughout  Scripture  on  those,  who  have  much  know- 
 ledge, but  little  love  and  cold  deeds.  The  judgment  of  Sodom, 
 "set  forth,"  as  it  is,  "for  an  example,  suffering  the  vengeance 
 of  eternal  fire,"  shall  be  more  tolerable,  than  that  of  Capernaum  : 
 Tyre  and  Sidon,  of  which  not  a  trace  remains,  more  tolerable, 
 than  Bethsaida.  God  give  us,  who  have  the  wealth  of  Tyre 
 and  the  knowledge  of  Capernaum,  grace,  in  this  our  day,  to  lay 
 it  to  heart!  Dan.  xii.  4;  S.  John  ix.  40,  41;  Eom  ii. ;  2  S. 
 Pet.  ii.  20—22.     Br.  Puseij.     (Plain  Sermons,  Phil.  iii.  8—11.) 
 
 23  Exalted — {Mighty  works,  ver.  21.) — Sin  against  God,  as  He  is 
 Almighty,  is  the  excess  of  madness  and  of  folly ;  but,  as  He  is 
 most  kind  and  merciful,  it  is  the  basest  ingratitude.  The  greater 
 His  goodness,  the  greater  is  our  guilt,  if  we  be  undutiful  ser- 
 vants ;  and  the  greater  will  be  our  punishment  and  that  remorse 
 and  horror,  which  S.  John  in  so  strong  a  manner  expresses, 
 when  he  makes  the  wicked  to  say  to  the  mountains  and  rocks, 
 "  Fall  on  us,"  &c.  (Eev.  vi.  16.)  He  says  not  from  the  wrath 
 of  the  Lion  (though  in  the  same  book  he  calls  Cheist  "  The 
 Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,")  but  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb  ; 
 from  long  despised  patience  and  much  injured  mercy.  Prov.  i. 
 23—32  ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  7—10;  Eom.  ii.  4,  5.     Jortin. 
 
 Height  of  place  gives  opportunity  of  temptation.  They  had  need 
 to  stand  fast,  that  stand  high  ;  there  is  both  more  danger  of 
 their  failing  and  more  hurt  in  their  fall.  iv.  5,  6  ;  Isa.  xiv.  12 
 —18.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 As  many  go  to  heaven  by  the  very  gates  of  hell,  so  more  go  to 
 hell  by  the  gates  of  heaven  ;  in  that  the  number  of  them,  that 
 profess  Cheist  is  greater,  than  the  number  of  them,  that  truly 
 close  with  Him.  vii.  21,  22.  M.  Meade.  (Dedication  to  "  The 
 almost  Christian  discovered.") 
 
 Is  there  a  drop  of  more  exquisite  bitterness  in  the  cup  of  everlast- 
 ing perdition,  than  the  knowledge  how  near  you  shall  have  been 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  25.  205 
 
 to  the  happiness,  you  have  lost  ?     S.  Mark  xii.  34  ;  Acts  xxvi. 
 29.     W.  Archer  Butler.     (Serm.  1  S.  John  ii.  13.) 
 
 25  At  that  time  Jesus  answered  and  said,  I  thank 
 Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  because 
 Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
 and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes. 
 
 26  Even  so.  Father  :  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  Thy 
 sight. 
 
 27  All  things  are  delivered  unto  Me  of  My  Fa- 
 ther :  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son,  but  the  Father  ; 
 neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father,  save  the  Son, 
 and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  Him. 
 
 25  Faith,  being  of  things  noi  seen  (Heb.  xi.  1),  would  quite  lose 
 its  honour,  if  it  met  with  sufficient  grounds  in  iiatural  reason, 
 whereon  to  stay  itself.  For  Faith  is  a  mixed  act  of  the  will  and 
 understanding,  to  yield  full  approbation  to  that,  whereof  it  sees 
 not  full  proof:  not  but  that  there  is  a  most  full  proof  of  them  ; 
 but  because  the  main  grounds,  which  prove  them,  are  concealed 
 from  our  view  and  folded  up  in  the  unrevealed  counsel  of  God  ; 
 GrOD  in  Christ  resolving  to  bring  mankind  to  their  last  hap- 
 piness by  Faith  and  not  by  knowledge,  that  so  the  weakest 
 among  men  may  have  their  way  to  Blessedness  open.  And  cer- 
 tian  it  is  that  many  weak  men  believe  themselves  into  heaven, 
 and  many  over-knowing  Christians  lose  their  way  thither,  while 
 they  believe  no  more,  than  they  can  clearly  know  ;  in  which  pride 
 and  vanity  they  are  left,  and  have  these  things  hid  from  them. 
 Isa.  1.  11;  S.  John  ix.  34,  39 — 41.  Abp.  Laud.  (Conference 
 with  Fisher,  s.  16.) 
 
 There  is  nothing,  revealed  to  us  in  Holy  Scripture,  as  matter  of 
 opinion.  It  is  all  either  matter  of  faith,  or  of  practice.  Ps. 
 six.  7—14  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17.     Bp.  Medley. 
 
 There  are,  as  in  philosophy,  so  in  Divinity,  sturdy  doubts  and 
 boisterous  objections,  wherewith  the  unhappiness  of  our  know- 
 ledge too  nearly  acquainteth  us.     More  of  these  no  man  hath 
 
206  S.  MATTHEW  XI.  25,  27. 
 
 known  than  myself;  which  I  confess  I  conquered,  not  in  a  mar- 
 tial posture,  but  on  my  knees.  Ps.  v.  8 ;  xxv.  13.  Sir  Th. 
 Browne.     (Religio  Medici,  s.  19.) 
 
 Im/possibile  est  eum  corrigere,  qui  otnnia  scit.  It  is  impossible  to 
 set  the  man  right,  who  thinks  that  he  knows  everything.  Ps. 
 xii.  4  ;  S.  John  ix.  41 ;  Eora.  xii.  IG.     ^S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 27  Christ  re-appears  in  all :  for  all  the  New  Testament  Theology 
 is  but  different  perspective  views  of  the  one  unchangeable 
 object,  the  gift  of  Jesus  Cheist.  Seen  in  one  direction,  it  is 
 Pardon  ;  seen  in  another,  it  is  Holiness  ;  seen  in  another,  it  is 
 Glory.  He  justifies,  as  Cheist  crucified  and  risen  without  us ; 
 He  sanctifies,  as  Cheist  crucified  and  risen  within  us  ;  He  glo- 
 rifies, in  virtue  of  both,  as  Cheist  enthroned  in  the  fulness  of 
 consummate  power,  and  at  length  "subduing  all  things  unto 
 Himself"  Feel  and  know  this,  as  it  ought  to  be  felt  and 
 known :  and  you  may  leave  the  rest  to  the  Schools,  xiii.  46  ; 
 S.  John  xvii.  3 ;  Heb.  xii.  2.  W.  Archer  Butler.  (Serm.  1 
 Cor.  i.  30.) 
 
 No  man  knoweth  the  Son. — The  Divine  Nature  being  removed 
 from  human  thoughts  and  discovery,  every  Eeligion,  which  does 
 not  confess  it  to  be  so,  is  false ;  and  every  Religion,  which  does 
 not  show  the  reason  why  it  is  so,  must  be  barren  and  unedify- 
 ing.  Our  Religion  hath  performed  both  parts.  Job  xi.  7 — 12  ; 
 Rom.  xi.  83—36.     Pascal.     (Thoughts,  &c.,  ch.  2.) 
 
 An  exclusive,  or  a  limiting  mode  of  speech,  attached  to  any  Person 
 in  the  Godhead,  does  not,  in  essential  things,  imply  an  exclusion 
 of  the  other  Divine  Person.  (Here  the  Holt  Ghost  is  not 
 excluded.  Rom.  viii.  27  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  10.)  S.  John  xvii.  3  ; 
 Rev.  vii.  10.     Card.  Caietan. 
 
 How  dare  we  be  so  bold  to  renounce  the  Presence  of  the  Fathee, 
 Son,  and  Holt  Ghost  ?  For,  where  one  is,  there  is  God,  all 
 whole  in  Majesty,  together  with  all  His  power,  wisdom,  and 
 goodness.  Yer.  10 ;  S.  John  xvii.  3.  Homilies  of  the  Church. 
 (Of  the  Resurrection.) 
 
 28  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy 
 laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest. 
 
 29  Take  My  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  Me ;  for 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  28,  29.  207 
 
 I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest 
 unto  your  souls. 
 
 30  For  My  yoke  is  easy,  and  My  burden  is  light. 
 
 28  lu  Plato,  in  Cicero,  and  in  other  writers  of  this  stamp,  there 
 are  many  shrewd  sayings,  such  also  as  blandly  warm  the  pas- 
 sions, acute  dicta  et  leniter  calentia  :  but  in  none  of  them  do  I 
 find  this  :   Come  unto  Me,  ^'c.     1  Cor.  ii.  8 — 10.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 I  need  not  bid  you  remark,  that  the  expressions  of  labour  and  are 
 heavy  laden,  in  the  first  verse,  answer  exactly  to  yoke  and  bur- 
 den in  the  last :  and  that  the  two  ideas  comprehend  all  the 
 modes,  in  which  working  animals  can  be  employed.  They  either 
 draw  or  carry  :  in  the  former  case,  they  wear  a  yoke ;  in  the 
 latter,  they  bear  a  burden.  There  is  then  a  beautiful  contrast 
 between  the  ideas  in  the  first  verse  and  those  in  the  last.  The 
 bondage  of  the  world  and  flesh  are  lamented  over  in  the  one  ; 
 the  happy  enfrauchisement,  implied  in  the  service  of  Chktst, 
 is  luminously  and  almost  gaily  opposed  in  the  other.  Alex- 
 ander Knox.     (Correspondence,  &c.,  vol.  ii.  p.  404.) 
 
 Come,  for  I  am  "  the  way ;"  learn,  for  I  am  "  the  Truth  ;"  and  ye 
 shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls,  for  I  am  "the  Life."  S.  John 
 xiv.  6.     Dean  Boys.     (On  the  Festivals  :  S.  Matthew.) 
 
 The  world  says,  "  Come  to  me,  and  I  will  fail  you ;"  the  flesh  says, 
 "  Come  to  me,  and  I  will  destroy  you."  Cheist  says,  "  Cotne 
 to  Me,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Cant.  i.  7  ;  Isa.  Iv.  1,  5  ;  S. 
 John  iv.  13,  14.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 A  Christian  has  his  joys ;  but  his  sorrows  are  better  than  joys. 
 Ps.  iv.  8.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 29  He,  that  means  to  build  lasting,  must  lay  his  foundation  low. 
 .  .  .  and,  lest  our  proud  hearts  should  think  it  a  disparagement 
 to  be  humble,  we  are  commanded  by  our  Saviour  to  leai-n  it  of 
 Him,  who  tells  us  the  benefit  will  be  rest  to  our  souls.     We  are 
 
 sent  to  the  ant  for  industry,  to  the  lion  for  valour,  to  the  dove    / — 
 for  innocence,  to  the  serpent  for  wisdom ;  but  for  humility,  unto 
 God  Himself,  an  attribute  more  peculiar  to  His  excellence. 
 S.  John  xiii.  14,  15  ;  Phil.  ii.  5 — 11.     O.  Feltham.     (Eesolves, 
 Cent.  ii.  2.) 
 
208  s.  MATTHEW  XI.  29,  30. 
 
 Lowly  in  heart. — The  first  degree  of  humility,  which  is  humility  of 
 judgment,  was  not  to  be  found  in  Cheist,  as  S.  Bernard  well 
 observes  ;  because  He  knew  Himself  too  well  to  have  a  mean 
 opinion  of  Himself,  or  think  Himself  contemptible,  or  judge 
 that  He  deserved  to  be  despised  by  all  the  world  (S.  John  xiii. 
 1,  8,  13)  :  but  the  second  degree,  the  true  humility  of  heart, 
 was  the  humility  of  our  Redeemer.  He  took  pleasure  in  de- 
 scending and  becoming  man  ;  He  loved  to  be  neglected,  and 
 scorned,  and  ridiculed  ;  He  heartily  desired  to  undergo  all  in- 
 juries, insults,  and  outrages.  Behold  the  example  of  our  Master ! 
 See  the  lesson,  which  He  came  to  teach  us.  Learn  of  Me  :  for 
 I  am  Jowly  in  heart.  Rodriguez.  (The  Practice  of  Christian 
 Perfection,  P.  ii.  ch.  xvi.) 
 
 Meekness  is  a  virtue,  by  which  a  man  may  know  a  Christian  better 
 than  by  his  name,  says  S.  Chrysostom  ;  and  TertuUian  telleth 
 us,  that  anciently,  among  the  heathen,  professors  of  Christianity 
 were  called,  not  Christiani,  but  Chrestiani,  from  xpV'^'^"^)  ^  word 
 signifying  sweetness  and  benignity  of  disposition.  S.  John  xiii. 
 35  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  12.     Farindon.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  5,  P.  ii.) 
 
 No  one  will  easily  believe  how  anxiously  for  a  long  time  I  have 
 wished  to  retire  from  these  labours  into  a  scene  of  tranquillity, 
 and,  for  the  rest  of  my  life,  (dwindled  it  is  true  to  the  shortest 
 span,)  to  converse  only  with  Him,  who  once  cried,  and  who 
 still  does  cry.  Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labour,  ^c.  In  this 
 turbulent,  and,  I  may  say,  raging  world,  amid  so  many  cares, 
 which  the  state  of  the  times  heaps  upon  me  in  public,  or  which 
 declining  years  and  infirmity  cause  me  in  private,  nothing  do  I 
 find,  on  which  my  mind  can  more  comfortably  repose,  than  on 
 this  secret  communion  with  God,  hoc  arcano  coUoquio.  Ps. 
 Ixxxv.  8  ;  cix.  8  ;  2  Kings  xix.  14.  Erasmus.  (De  ratione  con- 
 cionandi,  Ep.  Dedic.) 
 
 30  Ob,  what  a  Love  was  that  to  mankind,  which  made  such  great 
 troubles  and  miseries  seem  light  and  easy  !  Gen.  xxix.  20 ; 
 S.  Luke  xii.  50.     Bonnell.     (Life,  p.  91.) 
 
 The  Gospel  is  called  a  burden  and  a  yoke,  lest  we  presume ;  yet 
 light  and  easy,  lest  we  despair.     Euthymius. 
 
 Suave  ;  sed  amanti. — Sweet,  yet  only  sweet  to  those,  who  love  Him. 
 Gen.  xxix.  20  ;  S.  Johnxiv.  15  ;  1  S.  John  v.  1 — 3.     S.  Bernard. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XI.  30.  209 
 
 0  most  grateful  burden,  which  more  comforts  them,  that  carry  it. 
 The  burdens  of  earthly  masters  gradually  wear  out  the  strength 
 of  those,  who  bear  them  ;  but  the  burden  of  Cheist  more 
 assists  the  bearers  of  it ;  because  we  carry  not  grace,  but  grace 
 us.  Isa.  Iv.  1,  2 ;  Ps.  cxix.  32.  S.  Chrysostom. 
 The  more  we  are  subjects,  the  more  we  shall  reign,  as  Kings  ;  and 
 the  faster  we  run,  the  easier  is  our  burden  ;  and  Christ's  yoke 
 is  like  feathers  to  a  bird  ;  not  loads,  but  helps  to  motion ;  with- 
 out them  the  body  falls.  ^  Prov.  ii.  11 ;  iii.  17;  S.  James  i.  25. 
 Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Serm.  Rom.  viii.  9,  10.) 
 
 Sarcina  cum  soleat  quae  vis  onerosa  videri. 
 Sola  tamen  Christi  sarcina  corda  levat. 
 Sic  avibus  levitas  ex  pennis  nascitur  ipsis, 
 
 Nedum  deprimat  has  et  gravet  istud  onus. 
 Eobora  sic  mulis  addunt  non  parva  clitellse ; 
 Hinc  etenim  melius  pondera  ferre  solent. 
 Tale  jugum  est  Christi :  nihil  illo  lenius  usquam  est : 
 Utque  laboris  onus  dulce  sit  omne,  facit. 
 
 D.  J.  Billius.     (Anthol.  Sacra,  37.) 
 
 A' 
 
 CHAPTER  XII. 
 
 T  that  time  Jesus  went  on  the  Sabbath  day  through 
 the  corn ;  and  His  disciples  were  an  hungred,  and 
 began  to  pluck  the  ears  of  corn,  and  to  eat. 
 
 2  But  when  the  Pharisees  saw  it,  they  said  unto 
 Him,  Behold,  Thy  disciples  do  that  which  is  not  law- 
 ful to  do  upon  the  Sabbath  day. 
 
 3  But  He  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read  what 
 David  did,  when  he  was  an  hungred,  and  they  that 
 were  with  him  ; 
 
 4  How  he  entered  into  the  house  of  God,  and  did 
 eat  the  shewbread,  which  was  not  lawful  for  him  to 
 
210  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  1,  2. 
 
 eat,  neither  for  them  which  were  with  him,  but  only 
 for  the  priests  ? 
 
 5  Or  have  ye  not  read  in  the  law,  how  that  on  the 
 Sabbath  days  the  priests  in  the  temple  profane  the 
 Sabbath,  and  are  blameless  ? 
 
 6  But  I  say  unto  you,  that  in  this  place  is  one 
 greater  than  the  temple. 
 
 7  But  if  ye  had  known  what  this  meaneth,  I  will 
 have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have  con- 
 demned the  guiltless. 
 
 8  For  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath 
 day. 
 
 1  By  the  apostles,  that  is  to  say,  preachers,  and  Prelates,  sundry 
 things  may  be  here  understood.  By  their  hunger,  the  hunger 
 they  had  of  man's  salvation;  by  the  corn  fields,  the  world, 
 wherein  divers  sorts  of  men  are  sowed ;  by  divers  sorts  of  corn, 
 divers  nations  ;  by  the  ears,  men ;  by  the  chaff,  the  bodies  ;  by 
 the  grain,  the  souls.  Preachers  and  Prelates  therefore  hun- 
 gering after  the  health  of  men  ought  to  go  through  the  fields, 
 that  is,  through  the  world,  by  their  preaching ;  to  pluck  up  the 
 ears  of  corn,  to  wit,  men  from  the  love  of  earthly  things,  where- 
 on their  hearts  are  fastened ;  to  rub  them  betwixt  their  hands 
 provoking  them  to  good  works  by  their  example ;  and  so  to  eat 
 them  by  incorporating  them  into  the  Catholic  Church.  And 
 this  ought  to  be  done  upon  the  Sabbath ;  that  is,  for  Eternal 
 rest,  whereunto  they  invite  others.  And  of  this  the  Pharisees, 
 namely,  the  devils,  the  capital  enemies  of  our  souls,  complain. 
 (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and  others,  ch.  45.) 
 
 2  Albeit  the  Pourth  Commandment  of  God  doth  not  bind  Chris- 
 tian people  so  straitly  to  observe  and  keep  the  utter  ceremonies 
 of  the  Sabbath-day,  as  it  was  given  unto  the  Jews,  as  touching 
 the  forbearing  of  work  and  labour  in  time  of  great  necessity, 
 and  as  touching  the  precise  keeping  of  the  Seventh  day,  after 
 the  manner  of  the  Jews ;  (for  we  keep  now  the  Pirst  Day, 
 which  is  our  Sunday,  and  make  that  our  Sabbath,  that  is,  our 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  2—5,  211 
 
 day  of  rest,  in  honour  of  our  Saviour  Christ,  who  as  upon 
 that  Day  rose  from  death  conquering  the  same  most  triumph- 
 antly;) yet,  notwithstanding,  whatever  is  found  in  the  Com- 
 mandments appertaining  to  the  law  of  nature,  as  a  thing  most 
 godly,  most  just,  and  needful  to  the  setting  forth  of  God's 
 glory,  it  ought  to  be  retained  and  kept  of  all  good  Christian 
 people.  S.  Matt.  v.  17  ;  Eom.  iii.  31.  Homilies.  (On  place 
 and  time  of  Prayer,  Part  1.) 
 
 Surely  we  Christians  may  see  the  reason  of  our  keeping  this  Day 
 far  more  than  any  other  day,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  first  of  all 
 days,  the  first  day  of  the  Old  Creation,  and  the  first  day  of  the 
 New  in  Christ,  as  on  this  day  Christ  rose  from  the  grave. 
 On  this  day,  the  first  day  in  the  beginning,  the  Light  was 
 created.  On  this  day,  the  first  of  days,  Christ,  the  true  Light, 
 the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  rose  from  the  grave.  On  this  day, 
 the  Holt  Spirit  came  down,  the  true  illumination,  to  fill  the 
 New  Creation  with  the  light  of  God.  This  day,  therefore,  is 
 beyond  all  days  the  day  of  our  Maker,  the  day  of  our  Redeemer, 
 the  day  of  our  Sanctifier.  Ps.  cxviii.  21 — 25.  Plain  Sermons. 
 (No.  304.) 
 
 3  He  mentions  the  case  of  David,  because  he  was  had  in  high 
 honour  among  the  Jews.  Acts  ii.  25  ;  xiii.  33.  S.  Chrysos- 
 tom. 
 
 5  For  instance,  when  they  slay  the  victims  for  the  sacrifices,  in 
 spite  of  the  Command  prohibiting  every  kind  of  work  on  the 
 Sabbath  :  yet  in  this  they  are  guiltless  ;  because  they  thus  act 
 with  a  view  to  God's  glory.  What  therefore  either  necessity, 
 or  a  regard  to  the  honour  of  God,  prompts  us  to,  that  does  not 
 trench  upon  the  Sabbath.     Eom.  siv.  6.     Isid.  Clai'ius. 
 
 The  Sabbaths  themselves  S.  Paul  puts  among  ceremonies  (Col.  ii. 
 17);  and  that  man,  who  assisted  the  Reformation  of  religion 
 with  as  much  learning  and  modesty,  as  any  (Melanchthon,)  de- 
 fines the  Commandment  of  the  Sabbath  well,  to  be  Morale  prce- 
 ceptum  de  Ceremoniali ;  that,  though  the  Commandment  be 
 Moral  and  bind  all  men  for  ever,  yet,  that,  which  is  commanded 
 in  that  Moral  commandment,  is  in  itself  Ceremonial  :•  for  in- 
 deed all  that,  which  we  call  by  the  general  name  of  religion,  as 
 it  is  the  outward  worship  of  God,  is  Ceremonial,  and  there  is 
 
 p  2 
 
212  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  7,  8. 
 
 nothing  more  Moral  than  that  some  Ceremonial  things  there 
 must  be.     Dr.  Donne.     (Serm.  on  Eom.  xiii.  7.) 
 
 7  Our  rest  mnst  be  a  sanctlfication.  The  outward  rest  is  destina- 
 turn  sanctijicationi  ;  ideo  quiescimus  ut  sanctijicemus.  So  whereas 
 our  quies  is  destinata  sanctijicationi,  where  the  sanctification  can 
 be  cum  quiete,  with  rest,  there  it  is  lawful ;  where  it  cannot  be, 
 there  it  is  unlawful  .  .  .  Mercy,  being  a  work  of  sanctification,  is 
 preferred  before  the  means.  Bp.  Andrewes.  (The  Moral  Law 
 expounded,  in  loco.) 
 
 Moral  precepts  are  precepts,  the  reason  of  which  we  see ;  positive 
 precepts  are  precepts,  the  reasons  of  which  we  do  not  see. 
 Moral  duties  arise  out  of  the  nature  of  the  case  itself,  prior  to 
 external  command.  Positive  duties  do  not  arise  out  of  the  na- 
 ture of  the  case,  but  from  external  command  :  nor  would  they 
 be  duties  at  all,  were  it  not  for  such  command,  received  from 
 Him,  whose  creatures  and  subjects  we  are  ...  As  mankind  are 
 for  placing  the  stress  of  their  religion  anywhere,  rather  than 
 upon  virtue  .  .  .  our  Lord  Himself,  from  whose  command  alone 
 the  obligation  of  positive  institutions  arises,  has  taken  occasion 
 to  make  the  comparison  between  them  and  Moral  precepts  .  .  . 
 and  has  determined  expressly  and  in  form,  which  shall  have  the 
 preference,  when  tliey  interfere,  ix.  13  ;  Ps.  1.  8 — 14 ;  Jer.  vii. 
 22,  23  ;  Micah  vi.  6—8.     Bp.  Butler.     (Analogy,  P.  ii.  Ch.  1.) 
 
 8  The  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  one  "  greater  than  the  Temple,"  (ver. 
 6.)  one,  who  was  "before  Abraham,"  one,  who  was  "David's 
 Lord,"  one,  who  was  even  "greater  than  Solomon,"  (ver.  42.) 
 How  must  these  titles  have  sounded  in  the  ears  of  a  bigoted 
 Jew !  What  an  offence  to  his  national  pride ! — And  to  hear 
 them  assumed  by  the  despised  Nazarene,  ''  the  carpenter's  Son!" 
 xiii.  55.     Acts  iii.  10—12.     J.  F. 
 
 To  your  question,  "  Why,  if  Christ  came  not  to  destroy,  but  to 
 fulfil  the  Law,  Christians  do  not  keep  the  Passover,  as  the  Jews 
 did  ?"  I  reply,  that  the  Christian  has  the  greater  reason  not 
 to  keep  it ;  because,  what  the  Passover  figuratively  signified, 
 Christ  indeed  accomplished,  when,  "  purging  out  the  old  lea- 
 ven," He  brought  the  new  Life  to  light.  (1  Cor.  v.  7.)  The 
 Gospel  is  a  rule  of  Life ;  the  Passover  is  only  a  Sacrament  of 
 promise  :  the  intention  of  the  one  is  completed  by  the  Grace, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  8.  213 
 
 which  helps  us ;  of  the  other,  by  the  truth  made  known  to  us  : 
 but  both  by  Cheist,  who  ever  bestowed  that  Grace,  and  now 
 reveals  it,  who  even  then  (i.e.)  in  the  Passover,  promised  that 
 Truth  and  hath  now  manifested  it.  Eom.  viii.  2  ;  Heb.  viii.  10. 
 S.  Augustine.  (Contr.  Faustinum,  lib.  xix.  10 — 18.) 
 Chbist  came  not  to  abolish  the  Sabbath,  but  to  explain  and  en- 
 force it,  as  He  did  the  rest  of  the  Law.  Its  observance  was 
 nowhere  positively  enjoined  by  Him  ;  because  Christianity  was 
 to  be  practicable  to  "all  nations  ;"  and  it  goes  to  them, stripped 
 of  its  precise  and  various  circumstances.  "  I  was  in  the  Spirit 
 on  the  Loed's  Day  "  (Eev.  i.  10,)  seems  to  be  the  soul  of  the 
 Christian  Sabbath.  In  this  view  of  the  day,  a  thousand  frivolous 
 questions  concerning  its  observance  would  be  answered  .  .  .  We 
 are  going  to  spend  a  Sabbath  in  Eternity.  The  Christian  will 
 acquire  as  much  of  the  Sabbath-spirit,  as  he  can.  And,  in  pro- 
 portion to  a  man's  real  piety  in  every  age  of  the  Church,  he 
 will  be  found  to  have  been  a  diligent  observer  of  the  Sabbath 
 Day.  Ps.  xlii.  1,  2  ;  Ixxxiv.  R.  Cecil.  (Remains  :  on  the  Chris- 
 tian Sabbath.) 
 
 9  And  when  He  was  departed  thence,  He  went  into 
 their  synagogue  : 
 
 10  And,  behold,  there  was  a  man  which  had  his 
 hand  withered.  And  they  asked  Him,  saying.  Is  it 
 lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath  day  ?  that  they  might 
 accuse  Him. 
 
 1 1  And  He  said  unto  them,  What  man  shall  there 
 be  among  you,  that  shall  have  one  sheep,  and  if  it  fall 
 into  a  pit  on  the  Sabbath  day,  will  he  not  lay  hold  on 
 it,  and  lift  it  out  ? 
 
 1 2  How  much  then  is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep  ? 
 Wherefore  it  is  lawful  to  do  well  on  the  Sabbath  days. 
 
 13  Then  saith  He  to  the  man.  Stretch  forth  thine 
 hand.  And  he  stretched  it  forth  ;  and  it  was  restored 
 whole,  like  as  the  other. 
 
214  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  10—13. 
 
 10  By  this  hand  is  signified  Adam  and  his  whole  posterity,  whose 
 right  hand,  which  he  reached  forth  to  take  and  eat  of  the  for- 
 bidden fruit,  was  truly  dried  up  and  withered  to  all  good  works ; 
 while  the  left  retains  its  strength,  too  ready  and  active  in  the 
 performance  of  evil.  Let  therefore  man  with  the  withered  hand 
 come  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly  and  into  the  Presence  of 
 Jesus  ;  that  the  hand  may  be  restored  by  His  Word  and  Spirit 
 and  no  longer  continue  useless,  but  be  employed  in  the  works 
 of  God.     Rom.  v.  6  ;  xii.  1 ;  Acts  iii.  2.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 11  What  man,  ^c. — Can  there  be  words  more  familiar,  than  these  ? 
 And  yet  their  passions  will  not  understand  them.  Can  there 
 be  demonstration  more  evident,  than  this  ?  And  yet  their 
 blindness  will  not  see  it.  Teach  us,  O  Thou  Wisdom  of  Heaven, 
 to  argue  thus  convincingly ;  teach  us  to  yield  to  such  convinc- 
 ing arguments.  At  once  Thou  bendest  Thy  awful  brow  in  re- 
 proof of  their  perverseness  and  grievest  with  hearty  sorrow  in 
 pity  of  their  miseries.  Every  way  Thou  takest  to  convert  them 
 to  Thy  Truth ;  every  means  Thou  usest  to  persuade  us  to  be 
 happy.     Isa.  v.  4  ;  Heb.  i.  1,  2.     Austin.     (Medit.  70.) 
 
 13  Stretch  forth  thine  hand. — Those  things,  which  God  worketh 
 in  us  and  bestoweth  upon  us  by  His  grace,  He  also  requireth  of 
 us  by  His  command.  Sometimes  He  promiseth  to  "  turn  us," 
 sometimes  He  commandeth  us  to  "  turn  to  Him ;"  sometimes 
 He  biddeth  us  to  "  put  away  sin,"  and  sometimes  He  promiseth 
 to  "  take  it  away"  from  us.  In  the  one,  He  shows  us  what  is 
 our  duty ;  and  in  the  other,  where  is  our  help.  And  as  this 
 latter  consideration  calleth  upon  our  faith  to  pray;  so  the 
 former  upon  our  obedience  to  work.  Comp.  Ezek.  xviii.  31 ; 
 xxxvi.  26 ;  Ps.  li.  10 ;  1  Cor.  v.  7 ;  Ps.  li.  7 ;  Isa.  i.  25 ;  Eom. 
 xi.  26 ;  2  Cor.  iii.  16.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Serm.  i.  on  Hos.  xiv.  2.) 
 
 It  is  one  of  the  sophisms  of  every  age  to  urge  the  Spirit's  efficacy, 
 as  a  plea  for  the  neglect  of  means.  It  is  folly  and  presumption 
 to  think,  that,  because  power  is  with  God  and  from  God,  efforts 
 should  not  be  in  ourselves.  S.  John  vi.  27  ;  Phil.  ii.  12,  13. 
 Dr.  Manton. 
 
 14  Then  the  Pharisees  went  out,  and  held  a  council 
 against  Him,  how  they  might  destroy  Him. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  14—19.  215 
 
 15  But  when  Jesus  knew  it,  He  withdrew  Himself 
 from  thence :  and  great  multitudes  followed  Him,  and 
 He  healed  them  all ; 
 
 16  And  charged  them  that  they  should  not  make 
 Him  known  : 
 
 17  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
 Esaias  the  prophet,  saying, 
 
 18  Behold  My  servant,  whom  I  have  chosen;  My 
 beloved,  in  whom  My  soul  is  well  pleased  :  I  will  put 
 My  Spirit  upon  Him,  and  He  shall  show  judgment  to 
 the  Gentiles. 
 
 19  He  shall  not  strive,  nor  cry  ;  neither  shall  any 
 man  hear  His  voice  in  the  streets. 
 
 20  A  bruised  reed  shall  He  not  break,  and  smoking 
 flax  shall  He  not  quench,  till  He  send  forth  judgment 
 unto  victory. 
 
 21  And  in  His  name  shall  the  Gentiles  trust. 
 
 14  The  performance  of  so  many  miracles  on  the  Sabbath  day 
 seems  to  intimate  its  being  the  most  "acceptable  time"  for  our 
 doing  good  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  men,  after  the  pattern  of 
 Cheist's  example  and  as  we  have  opportunity.  And  it  is  this 
 perhaps,  that  may  especially  expose  us  to  the  unkind  remarks  of 
 those,  who  make  the  Loed's  Day  a  day  of  mere  Pharisaic  for- 
 malities, or  one  of  idle  and  selfish  indulgence,  by  doing  their 
 own  way,  by  finding  their  own  pleasure,  and  by  speaking  their 
 own  words.     Isa.  Iviii.  13,  14  ;  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  4.     J.  F. 
 
 18  Afy  Beloved,  8(C. — My  love  is  conveyed  from  Him  and  on  ac- 
 count of  Him  to  mankind;  so  that  through  Him  they  can 
 "  please"  Me,  and  I  can  be  reconciled  to  them.  iii.  17  ;  xvii. 
 5  ;  S.  John  x.  17.     Jansenius. 
 
 19  This  instance  of  His  humility  and  gentleness  fitly  precedes  the 
 manifestation  of  His  severity  at  verse  34.  Thus  also  did  He 
 weep,  before  He  entered  the  city  ;  and  then  drove  the  buyers  and 
 sellers  out  of  the  temple,     xxv.  34,  41.     Bengel. 
 
216  S,  MATTHEW  XII.  19,  20. 
 
 It  was  solitude  and  retirement,  in  which  Jesus  kept  His  vigils. 
 The  desert  places  heard  Him  pray ;  in  a  privacy  He  was  born  ; 
 in  the  wilderness  He  fed  thousands  ;  upon  a  mountain  apart 
 He  was  Transfigured  ;  upon  a  mountain  He  died ;  and  from  a 
 mountain  He  Ascended  to  His  Patheb.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life 
 of  Cheist.     p.  i.  8.  8.) 
 
 The  spiritual  kingdom  within  you  comes  not  "  by  observation." 
 It  is  a  growth  :  so  that  you  must  not  look  for  violent  or  sudden 
 changes  in  yourself.  Remember  that  the  waters  of  the  stream, 
 however  slowly  they  may  at  times  appear  to  move,  yet,  by  never 
 stopping  on  their  journey,  are  sure  to  reach  the  great  sea.  Let 
 your  progress  towards  godliness  be  like  that  of  the  gentle 
 stream,  which  neither  murmurs  nor  chafes,  nor  dashes  against 
 its  banks,  but  keeps  ever  flowing  on  and  on,  until  it  fulfils  the 
 task,  which  GrOD  has  set  it,  and  loses  its  own  littleness  by  min- 
 gling with  the  mighty  waters.  Isa.  xxx.  15 — 17 ;  Eom.  ii.  7. 
 A.  W.  Hare.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xi.  2.) 
 
 Vera  laus  sciri  fugit :  ipse  pulcher 
 Se  sua  Titan  prohibet  videri 
 Luce :  qui  totus  potuit  latere 
 
 Major  habetur. 
 Qui  premit  sacram  taciturnitate 
 Pectoris  gazara,  ben^  non  silenti 
 Tutus  in  vulgo,  bene  suspicaci 
 
 Regnat  in  aula. 
 Prseterit  mutas  ben^  cymba  ripas ; 
 Quae  simul  raucis  strepuere  saxis. 
 In  latus  cautam  sapiens  memento 
 
 Avertere  proram. 
 Matth.  Casitn.  Sarbievius  (Lyric,  lib.  4.  ode  11). 
 
 20  The  smoking  jlax  is  the  people  of  the  Loed,  gathered  from 
 among  the  Gentiles,  who  on  the  extinction  of  the  heat  of  the 
 Law  of  Nature  were  involved  in  the  gloomy  darkness  of  error, 
 as  of  a  smoke  scarcely  to  be  endured  and  distressful  to  the  eyes. 
 Yet,  so  far  from  extinguishing  such  embers  and  reducing  them 
 to  ashes,  our  Loed  contrariwise  kindled  from  the  small  and 
 almost  expiring  spark  a  mighty  flame ;  so  that  the  whole  world 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  20.  217 
 
 blazed  forth  with  that  "fire"  of  the  Divine  Satioue,  which 
 He  "  came  to  send  upon  the  earth,"  and  which  He  longed  to 
 see  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  all.  S.  Jerome.  (Ad,  Algas. 
 Quaest.  2.) 
 
 I  have  heard  Divines  say,  that  those  virtues,  that  were  but  sparks 
 upon  earth,  shall  become  great  and  glorious  flames  in  heaven. 
 Zech.  iv.  10.     Is.  Walton.     (Introd.  to  his  Life  of  Dr.  Donne.) 
 
 The  Christian  religion  made  its  way  through  Paganism  (v.  21,) 
 with  an  amazing  progress  and  activity.  Its  victories  were  the 
 victories  of  reason,  unassisted  by  the  force  of  human  power,  and 
 as  gentle,  as  the  triumphs  of  light  over  darkness.  Ps.  xlv.  5  ; 
 xlvi.  8 — 11;  Ixxii.     Addison. 
 
 Go  to  your  natural  religion.  Lay  before  her  Mahomet  and  his 
 disciples  arrayed  in  armour  and  in  blood,  riding  in  triumph  over 
 the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  who  fell  by  his  victorious 
 sword.  Show  her  the  cities,  which  he  set  in  flames,  the  coun- 
 tries, which  he  ravaged  and  destroyed,  and  the  miserable  distress 
 of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  When  she  has  viewed  him 
 in  this  scene,  carry  her  into  his  retirements.  Show  her  the  pro- 
 phet's chambers,  his  concubines  and  wives.  Let  her  see  his 
 adultery,  and  hear  him  allege  revelation  and  his  divine  commis- 
 sion to  justify  his  lust  and  oppression.  When  she  is  tired  with 
 this  prospect,  then  show  her  the  Blessed  Jestjs,  humble  and 
 meek,  doing  good  to  all  the  sons  of  men,  patiently  instructing 
 both  the  ignorant  and  the  perverse.  Let  her  see  Him  in  His 
 most  retired  privacies ;  let  her  follow  Him  to  the  Mount,  and 
 hear  His  devotions  and  supplications  to  God.  Carry  her  to 
 His  table  to  view  His  poor  fare  and  hear  His  Heavenly  discourse. 
 Let  her  see  Him  injured,  but  not  provoked.  Let  her  attend 
 Him  to  the  tribunal,  and  consider  the  patience,  with  which  He 
 endured  the  scoff's  and  reproaches  of  His  enemies.  Lead  her 
 to  His  Cross,  and  let  her  view  Him  in  the  agony  of  death,  and 
 hear  His  last  prayer  for  His  persecutors,  Father,  ybr</we  them  ; 
 for  they  know  not  what  they  do  !  When  natural  religion  has 
 viewed  both,  ask — "  Which  is  the  prophet  of  God  ?"  But  her 
 answer  we  have  already  had,  when  she  saw  part  of  this  scene, 
 through  the  eye  of  the  Centurion,  who  attended  at  the  Cross : 
 by  him  she  spake  and  said.  Truly  this  man  was  the  Son  of  God. 
 
218  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  22. 
 
 S.  John  xviii.  36 ;    2  Cor.  x.  1—6.     Bp.  Sherlock.     (Serm.  S. 
 John  XX.  30,  31.) 
 
 22  Then  was  brought  unto  Him  one  possessed  with 
 a  devil,  bUnd,  and  dumb :  and  He  healed  him,  inso- 
 much that  the  blind  and  dumb  both  spake  and  saw. 
 
 23  And  all  the  people  were  amazed,  and  said,  Is 
 not  this  the  Son  of  David  ? 
 
 24  But  when  the  Pharisees  heard  it^  they  said,  This 
 fellow  doth  not  cast  out  devils,  but  by  Beelzebub  the 
 prince  of  the  devils. 
 
 25  And  Jesus  knew  their  thoughts,  and  said  unto 
 them.  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  is  brought 
 to  desolation ;  and  every  city  or  house  divided  against 
 itself  shall  not  stand : 
 
 26  And  if  Satan  cast  out  Satan,  he  is  divided 
 against  himself ;  how  shall  then  his  kingdom  stand  ? 
 
 27  And  if  I  by  Beelzebub  cast  out  devils,  by  whom 
 do  your  children  cast  them  out  ?  therefore  they  shall 
 be  your  judges. 
 
 28  But  if  I  cast  out  devils  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
 then  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  unto  you. 
 
 29  Or  else  how  can  one  enter  into  a  strong  man's 
 house,  and  spoil  his  goods,  except  he  first  bind  the 
 strong  man  ?  and  then  he  will  spoil  his  house. 
 
 30  He  that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me ;  and  he 
 that  gathereth  not  with  Me  scattereth  abroad. 
 
 22  Blind  and  dumb. — The  devil  acts  the  part  of  a  murdering  thief. 
 He  comes  to  steal  from  us  our  soul,  the  most  precious  thing  in 
 all  our  house.  Wherefore  he  laboureth  to  shut  our  eyes,  lest 
 we  should  see  that,  which  is  for  our  good ;  and  to  stop  our  ears, 
 lest  we  should  hear  that,  which  is  for  our  good ;  and  to  close 
 
S.  MA.TTHEW  XII.  24—30.  219 
 
 our  mouths,  lest  we  should  call  for  that,  which  is  for  our  good. 
 2  Tim.  ii.  26;  Eph.  vi.  11.     Ferus.  (in  loco.) 
 
 24  Next  to  our  body  and  soul  is  the  care  of  our  reputation  ;  which 
 whoso  hath  lost  is  no  better  than  civilly  dead  ....  Innocence 
 itself  is  no  antidote  against  evil  tongues.  Neither  greatness 
 nor  sanctity  can  secure  any  man  from  unjust  calumny  .... 
 Look  upon  the  Lord  of  Life,  the  Eternal  Son  of  the  ever-living 
 God,  God  clothed  in  flesh,  and  see  whether  any  other  were  His 
 lot,  while  He  sojourned  in  this  region  of  mortality,  xi.  19 ; 
 xxvi.  65 ;  xxvii.  63  ;  S.  John  ix.  24 ;  x.  20.  Bp.  Hall.  (Balm 
 of  Gilead.) 
 
 25  Our  Church's  strength  would  be  irresistible,  humanly  speak- 
 ing, were  it  but  "at  Unity  with  itself."  If  it  remains  divided, 
 part  against  part,  we  shall  see  the  energy,  which  was  meant 
 to  subdue  the  world,  preying  on  itself.  Phil.  i.  27,  28.  J.  H. 
 Newman.     (Introd.  to  Tract  90.) 
 
 There  can  nothing  come  of  contention,  but  the  mutual  waste  of 
 the  parties  contending ;  till  a  common  enemy  dance  in  the 
 ashes  of  them  both.     Acts  vii.  26 ;  Gal.  v.  15.     Hooker. 
 
 The  shoulders,  as  it  were,  of  this  Atlas,  on  which  all  things  go 
 about,  are  Unity  and  Order.  These  are  the  two  sinews  of 
 Peace ;  Unity,  the  sinew  of  its  subsistence  ;  Order,  of  its  mo- 
 tion. Unity  collects  its  strength  ;  Order  manages  it.  Eph.  iv. 
 1—6  ;  Col.  ii.  5.     Ch.  Herle.     (Serm.  before  Pari.  1642.) 
 
 29  The  enemy  got  possession  of  my  will ;  from  a  perverse  will  came 
 forth  lust;  and  from  yielding  to  lust  came  forth  habit;  and 
 from  failing  to  oppose  habit  came  forth  necessity  in  sinning.  Jer. 
 xiii.  23  ;  S.  James  i.  14,  15.   S.  Augustine.    (Confessions,  B.  7.) 
 
 30  We  are  born  in  the  womb  of  the  Church,  we  are  nourished 
 with  her  milk,  we  are  quickened  with  her  Spirit.  .  .  .  Whoever, 
 having  left  the  Church,  is  joined  to  an  adulteress,  is  cut  off  from 
 the  promises  of  the  Church  :  nor  can  any  one  attain  her  rewards, 
 who  forsakes  her.  He  is  an  alien  ;  he  is  profane  ;  he  is  an  ad- 
 versary. Habere  jam  non  potest  Deum  patrem,  qui  Ecclesiam 
 non  habet  Matrem.  No  one  can  have  God  to  be  his  Eatheh, 
 who  has  not  the  Church  to  be  his  mother.  .  .  .  The  Loed  cau- 
 tions us,  and  says,  He  that  is  not  with  Me  is  against  Me  ;  and 
 he  that  gathereth  not  with  Me,  scattereth  abroad.     The  man. 
 
220  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  SO. 
 
 that  breaks  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  Church,  is  against 
 Christ  ;  he  who  gathers  elsewhere,  apart  from  the  Church, 
 scattereth  her  abroad.  .  .  .  He,  who  regards  not  this  Unity,  re- 
 gards not  the  law  of  God,  regards  not  the  faith  of  the  Faxhek 
 and  of  the  Son,  and  keepeth  not  the  Truth  unto  Salvation.  S. 
 John  XV.  6  ;  Acts  ii.  47  ;  1  S.  John  ii.  19.  S.  Cyprian.  (Tr.  iii. 
 De  Simplicitate  Prelat.) 
 
 We  see  of  the  fundamental  points  our  Savioue  penneth  the 
 league  thus  ;  He,  that  is  not  with  us,  is  against  us  :  but  of  points 
 not  fundamental  thus  ;  "  He,  that  is  not  against  us,  is  with  us." 
 (S.  Mark  ix.  40.)  So  we  see  the  coat  of  our  Saviour  was  en- 
 tire, and  "without  seam,"  and  so  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Scrip- 
 ture in  itself;  but  the  garment  of  the  Church  was  "  of  divers 
 colours,"  and  yet  not  divided.  We  see  the  chaff  may,  and  ought 
 to  be,  severed  from  the  corn  in  the  ear  (S.  Matt.  iii.  12),  but 
 the  tares  may  not  be  pulled  up  from  the  corn  in  the  field. 
 (S.  Matt.  xiii.  29,  30.)  So,  as  it  is  a  thing  of  great  use  to  de- 
 fine what  and  of  what  latitude  those  points  are,  which  do  make 
 men  merely  aliens,  and  disincorporate  from  the  Church  of  God. 
 Ps.  xlv.  10  (Prayer  Book  Version)  ;  S.  John  xix.  28  ;  Eom.  xiv. 
 1,  17,  19.     Lord  Bacon.     (Advancement  of  Learning,  B.  ix.) 
 
 The  differences  among  Christians  about  lesser  matters  prove  the 
 truth  of  those  great  and  fundamental  points,  in  which  they  all 
 agree.  Phil.  iii.  16.  Bp.  Home.  (Thoughts  and  essays  on 
 various  subjects  :  Art.  Christianity.) 
 
 31  Wherefore  I  say  unto  you,  All  manner  of  sin 
 and  blasphemy  shall  be  forgiven  unto  men :  but  the 
 blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  for- 
 given unto  men. 
 
 32  And  whosoever  speaketh  a  word  against  the 
 Son  of  man,  it  shall  be  forgiven  him :  but  whosoever 
 speaketh  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  shall  not  be  for- 
 given him,  neither  in  this  world,  neither  in  the  world 
 to  come. 
 
 33  Either  make  the  tree  good,  and  his  fruit  good ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  31,  32.  221 
 
 or  else  make  the  tree  corrupt,  and  his  fruit  corrupt : 
 for  the  tree  is  known  by  his  fruit. 
 
 34  O  generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye,  being  evil, 
 speak  good  things  ?  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  the 
 heart  the  mouth  speaketh. 
 
 35  A  good  man  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the 
 heart  bringeth  forth  good  things :  and  an  evil  man  out 
 of  the  evil  treasure  bringeth  forth  evil  things. 
 
 36  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  every  idle  word  that 
 men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof  in  the 
 day  of  judgment. 
 
 37  For  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by 
 thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned. 
 
 31  As  the  deluge  overflowed  the  highest  mountains,  as  well  as  the 
 least  hill,  so  pardoning  mercy  covers  sins  of  the  first  magnitude, 
 as  well  as  the  smallest,  Micah  vii.  19  ;  Col.  ii.  13  ;  Ps.  ciii.  3. 
 Br.  Bates.     (Harmony  of  the  Divine  Attributes,  &c.,  ch,  xiv.) 
 
 32  Son  of  man. — Whosoever  taketh  offence  at  this  weakness  of  My 
 assumed  human  body,  shall  have  his  error  forgiven,  since  it  was 
 the  result  of  ignorance :  but  there  is  no  forgiveness  for  him, 
 who  shall  speak  evil  of  the  plain  undeniable  words  of  the  Grod- 
 head.  This  sin  He  terms,  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 
 S.  John  XV.  21 — 25.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 The  blasphemy  against  the  Son  of  man  was,  when  men  considered 
 Cheist,  as  a  mere  man,  and  did  disgracefully  tax  His  conver- 
 sation by  saying,  "  Behold  a  glutton,  a  bibber  of  vrine,  a  friend 
 to  publicans  and  sinners."  But  the  blasphemy  against  the 
 Holy  Ghost  was,  when  men,  believing  Cheist's  miracles,  did 
 enviously  ascribe  them  to  the  devil,  which  they  knew  and  be- 
 lieved to  be  done  by  God's  power.  S.  John  vii.  28.  John 
 Hales.     (Tract  on  the  Sin  against  the  Holt  Ghost.) 
 
 If  the  Holt  Ghost  be  not  God,  how  can  we  sin  against  Him  ? 
 Or,  how  comes  our  sin  against  Him  to  be  unpardonable,  if  He 
 be  not  God  ?     Acts  v.  3,  4  ;  vii.  51.     Bp.  Beveridge. 
 
222  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  32—36. 
 
 Neither  in  this  world,  ^c. — There  are,  who  are  punished  in  this 
 life  only,  as  they  among  the  Corinthians,  who  were  unworthy 
 partakers  of  the  mysteries  (1  Cor.  xi.  30 — 32)  ;  others,  who 
 are  punished  only  in  the  life  to  come,  as  the  rich  man  in  hell : 
 but  those,  who  blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  to  be 
 punished  both  in  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come  ;  as  were 
 the  Jews,  who  suffered  horrible  things  in  the  taking  of  Jeru- 
 salem and  shall  hereafter  undergo  most  heavy  punishment.  S. 
 Jude  7.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 33  Either  make  the  tree  good,  ^c. — The  dependence  of  the  words 
 is  this :  "  Tou  say,  I  work  by  the  devil,"  saith  Christ  ;  "  but 
 you  do  not  see  any  other  work  of  Mine  besides  this  miracle, 
 which  looks  like  a  work  of  the  devil :  you  see  I  go  about  doing 
 good  ;  I  exhort  people  to  repentance  ;  I  show  them  the  way  to 
 heaven.  These  are  no  works,  which  the  devils  use  to  do. 
 Therefore,  either  say  that  I  do  all  this  in  the  name  of  Beelze- 
 bub too,  or  else  acknowledge  that  I  do  My  miracles  by  the  power 
 of  God  :  for  men  judge  of  the  quality  of  the  mind  by  the  common 
 actions  or  habits  of  their  life,  as  they  do  of  trees,  by  the  fruits 
 which  they  produce,  be  they  good  or  evil."  vii.  20  ;  S.  James  ii. 
 18  ;  S.  John  viii.  40.    John  Hales.    (Paraphrase  of  S.  Matt,  xii.) 
 
 Muta  cor,  et  mutahitur  opus.  Change  a  man's  heart,  and  you  will 
 change  his  life.  Boni  et  mali  mores  sunt  boni  et  mali  amores. 
 Talis  est  quisque,  qualis  ejus  delectio.  A  man's  character  may 
 be  known  by  what  he  chiefly  loves.  S.  John  v.  42 ;  xii.  43. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 36  The  meaning  of  an  idle  word  may  be  best  understood  from  the 
 metaphor,  whence  it  appears  to  be  taken ;  that  of  money,  not 
 employed,  but  lying  dead  in  the  hands  of  the  possessor.  Our 
 words  are  as  precious  in  their  proper  use,  as  gold  and  silver ; 
 but  they  become  "  idle  "  words,  when  they  yield  no  interest, 
 when  they  bear  no  good  fruit  in  promoting  the  glory  of  God, 
 the  edification  or  comfort  of  our  neighbour,  the  Salvation  of 
 ourselves  and  of  those,  that  hear  us,  Prov.  x.  21 ;  Eph.  iv.  29, 
 30  ;  Ps.  Ixxi.  24.     J.  F. 
 
 Idle  words  are  deemed  of  little  consequence.  There  be  more 
 deaths,  contracted  out  of  the  unperceived  irregularities  of  diet, 
 than  by  open  and  apparent  surfeits.     If  venial  sins  be  less  in 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  36,  37.  223 
 
 quality,  they  are  more  in  number  ;  and  their  multitude  equals 
 them  to  the  others'  greatness.  "  Despise  not  venial  sins,  be- 
 cause they  are  small ;  but  rather  fear  them,  because  they  are 
 many,"  was  S.  Augustine's  counsel  of  old.  The  aggregation  of 
 atoms  made  at  first  the  world's  huge  mass ;  and  the  aggrega- 
 tion of  drops  did  drown  it,  when  it  was  made.  Prov.  x.  8,  19  ; 
 Ecclus.  xiv.  1 ;  xix.  1 ;  Cant.  ii.  15.  O.  Feltham.  (Eesolves, 
 Cent.  ii.  9.) 
 
 Vitasti  saxa  grandia  ;  vide  ne  obruaris  arena.  You  have  escaped 
 the  formidable  rocks.  Beware,  lest  you  are  wrecked  on  the 
 sands.     S.  Luke  xv.  28,  29.     iS.  Gregory. 
 
 37  The  Judge  will  pass  sentence,  not  according  to  what  any  other 
 person  has  said  concerning  you,  but  according  to  what  you  have 
 yourself  spoken.  They,  that  are  accused,  then  have  no  need  to 
 fear ;  but  they,  that  accuse,  v.  22 ;  vii.  2 ;  S.  Luke  xix.  22  ; 
 Ps.  1.  20,  21.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 If  men  shall  be  strictly  judged  for  "  every  idle  word,"  how  much 
 more  severe  will  the  judgment  be  on  every  word,  that  is  sharp, 
 false,  injurious,  proud,  wanton,  flattering,  or  calumnious  ?  Ps. 
 cxli.  3.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 What  remaineth  then  for  thee  to  do,  O  sinner,  Jiisi  ut  totd  vita 
 tud  deplores  totam  vitam  tuam,  except  to  mourn  over  your 
 whole  life,  as  long  as  you  live  ?  Ps.  xix.  12 — 14 ;  xl.  11,  12. 
 Anselm. 
 
 38  Then  certain  of  the  scribes  and  of  the  Pharisees 
 answered,  saying,  Master,  we  would  see  a  sign  from 
 Thee. 
 
 39  But  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  An  evil 
 and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after  a  sign ;  and 
 there  shall  no  sign  be  given  to  it,  but  the  sign  of  the 
 prophet  Jonas : 
 
 40  For  as  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights  in 
 the  whale's  belly ;  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  three 
 days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth. 
 
 4 1  The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  in  judgment  with 
 
224  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  38,  39. 
 
 this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it :  because  they 
 repented  at  the  preaching  of  Jonas  ;  and,  behold,  a 
 greater  than  Jonas  is  here. 
 
 42  The  queen  of  the  south  shall  rise  up  in  the  judg- 
 ment with  this  generation,  and  shall  condemn  it :  for 
 she  came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to  hear 
 the  wisdom  of  Solomon  ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than 
 Solomon  is  here. 
 
 38  Now  they  rail  against  Him,  saying,  "  He  hath  a  devil ;"  now 
 they  fawn  upon  Him,  calling  Him  "  Master.^'  "When  they  railed 
 on  Him,  He  answered  them  mildly.  Now  they  approach  Him 
 with  smooth  and  deceitful  words,  He  rebukes  them  sharply  ; 
 showing  that  He  was  above  either  affection  and  was  neither 
 moved  to  anger  by  evil- speaking,  nor  was  to  be  gained  by  flat- 
 tery,    xxii.  16  ;  S.  John  xix.  10 ;  Eccl.  iii.  7.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 39  Adulterous  generation. — Not  because  the  particular  sin  of  adul- 
 tery was  so  frequent  in  that  age,  but  because  by  every  kind  of 
 sin  a  man,  under  the  contract  of  religion,  runs  into  that  charac- 
 ter, wherewith  Solomon  describes  the  adulteress,  who  forsaketh 
 the  guide  of  her  youth,  and  forgetteth  the  Covenant  of  her 
 God."  S.  James  iv.  4.  Dean  Young.  (Serra.  S.  Luke  xxii. 
 48.) 
 
 I  cannot  but  be  surprised,  whence  this  novel  taste  arose  to  call  every 
 thing,  spoken  against  an  adversary,  abusive  language.  "  What 
 think  ye  of  Cheist  ?"  Was  He  a  reviler,  when  He  calls  the 
 Jews  an  adulterous  and  perverse  generation  ?  verse  34  ;  iii.  7  ; 
 xxiii.  13—33;  Acts  xiii.  10;  Phil.  iii.  2;  Titus  i.  13.  ...  A 
 mind  conscious  of  truth  cannot  with  easy  indifference  endure 
 the  obstinate  enemies  of  truth.    Luther.    (Letter  to  Spalatinus.) 
 
 Seeketh  a  sign. — Let  us  not  seek  for  signs  and  wonders,  or  ask  for 
 sensible  tokens  of  GtOd's  favour  :  let  us  not  indulge  enthusiasm, 
 or  become  the  slaves  of  superstition,  who  are  "  the  children  of 
 God  by  faith."  Gal.  iii.  26.  Faith  only  can  introduce  us  into 
 the  unseen  presence  of  God.  Let  us  venture  to  believe  ;  let  us 
 make  trial,  before  we  see ;  and  the  evidence,  which  others  de- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  40,  42.  225 
 
 mand  before  believing,  we  shall  gain  more  abundantly  by  be- 
 lieving.    Eom.  iv.  18 — 22  ;  Heb.  xi.  6.     J.  H.  Newman. 
 
 40  Three  days  and  three  nights. — That,  which  is  most  used,  both  in 
 our  Savioub's  prediction  before  His  death  and  in  the  Apostle's 
 language,  after  the  Resurrection,  is  that  "  He  rose  from  the  dead 
 on  the  third  day.  .  .  .  Those  other  forms  of  speech,  which  are 
 less  frequent,  must  be  so  interpreted,  as  to  be  reduced  to  the 
 expression  of  the  third  day  so  often  reiterated.  Jip.  Pearson. 
 (Expos,  of  the  Creed.  Art.  5.) 
 
 At  the  instant  of  our  Loed's  dissolution  our  satisfaction  was 
 made ;  and  the  work  of  our  Redemption,  so  far  as  it  depended 
 on  His  sufferings,  finished  :  so  that,  had  it  not  been  for  a  witness 
 of  the  reality  and  truth  of  His  death  and  of  the  power  and  reality 
 of  His  resurrection,  and  the  fulfilling  of  the  decree  of  God,  ma- 
 nifested in  the  Scriptures,  He  might  have  reassumed  life  the  next 
 instant  after  His  death.  For  the  debt  to  the  justice  of  God  was 
 fully  satisfied ;  and  His  continuance  iu  the  grave  until  the  third 
 day  was  not  by  the  power  of  death,  which  He  vanquished  in  the 
 instant  of  His  dissolution,  but  a  voluntary  subjecting  Himself 
 unto  that  state  for  the  strengthening  of  our  faith  and  the  fulfil- 
 ling of  the  Scriptures.  S.  John  xi.  42  ;  Acts  i.  3.  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 (Contemplations  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Crucified.) 
 
 42  It  will  be  a  horrid  exprobration  at  the  day  of  doom,  when  a 
 neat-washed  respectful  Gentile  shall  put  a  swinish,  miry, 
 negligent  Christian  to  shame;  such  a  one,  who  never  took  so 
 much  care  to  trim  himself  to  entertain  the  Bridegroom,  as  the 
 heathen  did  to  adore  an  empty  gaud,  a  vain  ridiculous  bauble. 
 V.  46 ;  xi.  20—24  ;  xiii.  17 ;  xix.  30 ;  xxi.  31.  Dr.  Hammond. 
 (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  3.) 
 
 Wilt  thou  not  be  sore  confounded,  Christian,  when,  born,  as  thou 
 art,  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  oracles 
 of  Scriptures,  so  many  doctrines  of  Fathers,  so  many  examples 
 of  Saints,  tliou  shalt  yet  see  many  heathens  outstripping  thee 
 in  goodness ;  so  that,  excepting  only  thy  faith,  which  being 
 "  without  works"  shall  only  serve  to  increase  thy  shame,  instead 
 of  adding  to  thy  glory,  thou  shalt  find  thyself,  on  the  stage  of 
 these  momentous  proceedings,  placed  in  other  respects  below  au 
 Aristides  in  justice,  below  a  Zeleucus  in  rectitude,  below   a 
 
 Q 
 
226  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  43,  44. 
 
 Palemon  in  chastity,  below  an  Antigonus  in  meekness,  below  a 
 Socrates  in  patience,  below  an  Epaniinondas  in  disinterestedness ; 
 men,  who  were  all  of  them  boro  in  the  deep  gloom  of  heathenism, 
 never  for  their  misfortune  favoured,  as  thou,  with  any  knowledge 
 of  Life  Eternal,  with  any  Gospel,  with  any  traditions,  with  any 
 creed,  with  any  prophecies,  with  any  miracles,  with  any  Sacra- 
 ments ;  men,  who  had  never  seen  a  GrOD,  Dying  for  their  sakes 
 in  His  excess  of  love  towards  them,  and  in  such  dreadful  agonies, 
 as  thou  hast  seen?  Ezek.  xvi.  48 — 51;  Eora.  ii.  17 — 24  ;  Isa. 
 i.  2,  3 ;  Ps.  xliv.  16,  17  ;  xxxi.  19.  Segneri.  (Quaresimale.  Pred. 
 V.  S.  6.) 
 
 43  When  the  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man, 
 he  walketh  through  dry  places,  seeking  rest,  and 
 findeth  none. 
 
 44  Then  he  saith,  I  will  return  into  my  house  from 
 whence  I  came  out ;  and  when  he  is  come,  he  findeth 
 it  empty,  swept,  and  garnished. 
 
 45  Then  goeth  he,  and  taketh  with  himself  seven 
 other  spirits  more  wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter 
 in  and  dwell  there :  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  is 
 worse  than  the  first.  Even  so  shall  it  be  also  unto  this 
 wicked  generation. 
 
 43  Hell  is  a  barren  place.  Nothing  grows  in  that  land  of  darkness 
 to  solace  and  recreate  the  sinner's  mind.  You  shall  have  your 
 lusts ;  but  want  the  food  you  long  for.  S.  Luke  xvi.  19,  24. 
 Gurnall.     (On  the  Christian's  armour,  Ch.  viii,  S.  6.) 
 
 44  Erom  whence  I  came  out. — He  speaks,  just  as  if  he  had  not 
 been  cast  out.  Mark  his  arrogance,  appearing  not  only  from 
 this  expression,  but  from  the  whole  language  he  uses ;  as  if  he 
 would  make  it  to  appear  that  it  rested  with  him  to  come  in  or 
 to  go  out,  as  he  pleased,  iv.  9  ;  viii.  16  ;  ix.  10 ;  S.  John  viii. 
 44,  45  ;  Ps.  lii.  1.     Bengel. 
 
 God  doth  not,  and  the  devil  cannot,  necessitate  anybody  to  sin. 
 S.  Augustine  and  all  the  ancient  Fathers  say,  Omne  peccatiim  est 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  45.  227 
 
 voluntarium.  When  we  sin,  the  fault  ia  in  our  own  wills ;  for  we 
 should  not  have  consented,  and  then  no  sin  would  follow.  Gren. 
 iii.  When  it  is  said  in  the  Gospel,  that  the  evil  spirit  enters  into 
 a  man,  it  is  not  said,  that  he  breaks  open  the  door,  or  that  he 
 does  so  much,  as  draw  the  latch  ;  but  that  he  finds  it  empty  and 
 open  already,  and  all  things  ready  for  his  entertainment :  so  that, 
 if  we  reach  not  our  hands  to  welcome  hira,  when  he  comes,  and 
 set  not  our  doors  open  to  let  hira  in,  when  he  knocks,  his  temp- 
 tations can  never  do  us  hurt :  he  can  but  intreat  us,  as  he  did 
 Chbist  ;  and,  if  we  fall,  the  fault  is  our  own  :  we  cast  ourselves 
 down  headlong  into  misery  and  sin.  iv.  6;  Gen.  xxxix.  12; 
 Prov.  vii.  6 — 21;  S.James  iv.  7.    Bj).  Cosin.   (Serm.  S.Matt.  iv.  6.) 
 
 45  Seven  other  spirits. — No  doubt  they  are  the  patron  guardian 
 Saints  of  the  seven  deadly  sins  ;  their  tutelary  devils.  Br.Allestry. 
 
 If  you  cannot  leave  sin  now,  how  can  you  leave  it  then  ?  Or,  if 
 one  sin  grow  stale  by  the  decay  of  nature,  another,  that's  worse, 
 will  spring  up  in  its  stead ;  and,  though  the  acts  abate,  they  will 
 all  live  still  at  the  root :  for  sin  was  never  mortified  by  age. 
 Col.  iii.  5.     R.  Baxter. 
 
 If  a  man  is  not  rising  up  to  be  an  Angel,  depend  upon  it  he  is 
 sinking  downward  to  be  a  devil :  he  cannot  stop  at  the  beast. 
 (Ps.  i.  1 ;  S.  James  iii.  15.)  The  most  savage  men  are  not  beasts  ; 
 they  are  worse,  a  great  deal  worse.    S.  T.  Coleridge.   (Table  Talk.) 
 
 I  have  observed  that  when  a  man,  who  once  seemed  a  Christian, 
 has  put  off  that  character  and  resumed  his  old  one,  he  loses  to- 
 gether with  the  grace,  which  he  seemed  to  possess,  the  most 
 amiable  part  of  the  character  he  resumes.  The  best  features  of 
 his  natural  face  seem  to  be  struck  out ;  that,  after  having  worn 
 religion,  only  as  a  handsome  mask,  he  may  make  a  more  dis- 
 gusting appearance,  than  he  did,  before  he  assumed  it.  Prov. 
 xxxvi.  1 — 3.     Cowper.     (Letters.) 
 
 What  Cueist  said  of  the  evil  spirit  in  a  wicked  man,  may  be  said 
 of  the  Holt  Spieit  in  the  heart  of  a  penitent  and  faithful 
 Christian.  When  he  finds  the  house  of  the  soul  clean,  and 
 swept,  and  garnished,  then  He  comes  and  brings  with  Him  seven 
 other  spirits  of  grace  and  dwells  in  it.  (Isa.  xi.  2,  3.)  Res  de- 
 licata  est  Spiritus  Dei,  saith  Tertullian.  (De  pcenit.  c.  2.)  The 
 Holy  Ghost  abhors  uucleanness,  will  not  come  near  to  a  defiled 
 
 q2 
 
228  S.  MATTHEW  XII.  48. 
 
 soul.  Repentance  sweeping  the  house,  and  scouring  it  clean, 
 verrens  et  radens,  and  casting  out  all,  that  defiles,  presents  it  in 
 a  clean  state,  that  so  the  Holt  Ghost  may  enter  into  it  and  fill 
 it  bounteously  with  all  His  good  gifts.  S.  Luke  xxii.  9 — 12 ; 
 Acts  ii.  38.     Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  Acts  ii.  38.) 
 
 46  While  he  yet  talked  to  the  people,  behold.  His 
 Mother  and  His  brethren  stood  without,  desiring  to 
 speak  witii  Him. 
 
 47  Then  one  said  unto  Him,  Behold,  Thy  Mother 
 and  Thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  speak  with 
 Thee. 
 
 48  But  He  answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told 
 Him,  Who  is  My  mother?  and  who  are  My  brethren? 
 
 49  And  He  stretched  forth  His  hand  toward  His 
 disciples,  and  said,  Behold  My  mother  and  My  bre- 
 thren ! 
 
 50  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  My  Father 
 which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  My  brother,  and  sister, 
 and  mother. 
 
 48  He  speaks,  not  as  defrauding  His  mother  of  her  due  honour, 
 but  indicates  for  what  kind  of  maternity  the  Virgin  is  to  be 
 pronounced  "  Blessed."  For  if  he,  who  "  hears  the  word  of 
 God,  and  keeps  it,  is  His  brother,  and  sister,  and  mother,"  and 
 Cheist's  mother  had  both  these  (see  S.  Luke  ii.  51,)  evidently 
 this  was  the  maternity,  in  respect  of  which  His  mother  was  to 
 be  '•  Blessed."  For  to  "  hear  the  word  of  God  and  keep  it  " 
 belongs  to  a  pure  soul,  looking  altogether  towards  God.  vii. 
 26  ;  xiii.  16,  23.     QucBst.  et  Resp.  ad  Orthod.  ap.  S.  Just.  Mart. 
 
 If  Mary  is  nothing  profited  by  being  His  mother,  were  it  not  for 
 that  quality  in  her  of  true  piety,  hardly  will  any  one  else  be 
 saved  by  his  kindred.  Nam  una  Nobilitas  est  facer e  Dei  volun- 
 tatem.  For  there  is  only  one  Nobleness,  which  is  to  Do  the  will 
 ■  of  God  .  .  .  Therefore,  in  another  place  also,  when  some  woman 
 bad  said,  "  Blessed  is  the  womb  that  bare  Thee,  and  the  paps 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XII.  48,  50.  239 
 
 which  Thou  hast  sucked;"  He  said  not,  "The  womb  bare  Me 
 not,  neither  did  I  suck  the  paps ;"    but   this,   "  Tea,  rather, 
 Blessed  are  they,  that  Do  the  will  of  My  Father."     (S.  Luke  xi. 
 27,  28.)     Seest  thou  how  on  every  occasion  He  denies  not  the 
 affinity  of  nature,  but  adds  that  by  virtue  ?     And  His  fore- 
 runner too,  in  saying,  "  O  generation  of  vipers,  think  not  to 
 say,  we  have  Abraham  to  our  father  "  (S.  Matt.  iii.  7 — 9),  means 
 not  this,  that  they  were  not  naturally  of  Abraham,  but  that  it 
 profits  them  nothing  to  be  of  Abraham,  unless  they  had  the 
 affinity  by  character :  which  Christ  also  declared,  when   he 
 said,  "  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would  Do  the  works 
 of  Abraham ;"  (S.  John  viii.  39  ;)  not  depriving  them  of  their 
 kindred,  but  teaching  them  to  seek  after  that  affinity,  which  is 
 greater  than  it  and  more  real.     S.  John  i,  12, 13  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  17, 
 18.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 The  claims  of  parents  are  not  here  disallowed.  We  are  ouly  taught 
 that  spiritual  ties  bind  faster  and  are  more  saci'ed,  than  mere  car- 
 nal ones.     Ps.  xlv.  11 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  49  ;  Gal.  i.  17.     S.  Ambrose. 
 Justly,  0  LoED,  dost  Thou  require  us  to  forsake  our  nearest 
 friends  and  relations  in  this  world  for  Thy  sake  and  the  Gos- 
 pel's, when  we  see  Thee  renouncing  Thine  own  relations  (ac- 
 cording to  the  flesh)  for  our  sakes  ;  that  Thou  mightest  receive 
 us  into  the  same  degree  of  nearness  to  Thyself  with  them,  by 
 our  being  doers  of  the  will  of  Thy  Father,  who  is  in  heaven.     2 
 Cor.  V.  16;  Gal.  iii.  26.     Austin.     (Medit.  94.) 
 50  I  think  there  is  a  mighty  emphasis  here  in  these  words,  My 
 Father,  which  is  in  heaven  ;  as  if  He  had  said,  Tou  Jews  think 
 of  Me,  as  a  mere  man,  and  understand  not  any  other  relation, 
 that  I  have,  besides  that,  which  is  according  to  the  flesh  :  but 
 know  ye,  that  I  am  of  a  higher  Original,  even  the  Eternal  Son 
 of  the  Eternal  God  dwelling  in  heaven  ;  and,  as  such,  I  own  no 
 relation,  but  what  is  spiritual,  and,  every  obedient  disciple  of 
 Mine  is  to  Me  a  brother,  or  sister,  or  mother  .  .  .  The  blessedness 
 of  the  Virgin  is  not  so  altogether  proper  to  her,  or  incommunica- 
 ble to  others,  but  that  the  meanest  sincere  Christian  may  share 
 with  her  in  the  better  part  of  it.     iii.  17  ;  vi.  9 ;  S.  Jas.  i,  22 — 
 25 ;  Eev.  xxii.  14  ;  S.  John  ii.  4  ;  xx.  17.     £p.  Bull.     (Serm. 
 S.  Luke  i.  48,  49.) 
 
230  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  1,  2. 
 
 CHAPTER  XIII. 
 
 'THE  same  day  went  Jesus  out  of  the  house,  and  sat 
 by  the  sea  side. 
 
 2  And  great  multitudes  were  gathered  together  unto 
 Him,  so  that  He  went  into  a  ship,  and  sat ;  and  the 
 whole  multitude  stood  on  the  shore. 
 
 3  And  He  spake  many  things  unto  them  in  para- 
 bles, saying,  Behold,  a  sower  went  forth  to  sow  ; 
 
 4  And  when  he  sowed,  some  seeds  fell  by  the  way 
 side,  and  the  fowls  came  and  devoured  them  up  : 
 
 5  Some  fell  upon  stony  places,  where  they  had  not 
 much  earth :  and  forthwith  they  sprung  up,  because 
 they  had  no  deepness  of  earth  : 
 
 6  And  when  the  sun  was  up,  they  were  scorched  ; 
 and  because  they  had  no  root,  they  withered  away. 
 
 7  And  some  fell  among  thorns  ;  and  the  thorns 
 sprung  up,  and  choked  them  : 
 
 8  But  other  fell  into  good  ground,  and  brought 
 forth  fruit,  some  an  hundredfold,  some  sixtyfold,  some 
 thirty  fold. 
 
 9  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear. 
 
 1  Sat  by  the  sea  side. — Religion  is  like  the  firmament,  in  which 
 new  stars  are  found  to  appear,  the  more  intently  one  gazes 
 upon  it.  It  is  like  the  sea,  which  seems  to  grow  in  vastness, 
 the  more  we  contemplate  it ;  and  it'  is  like  gold,  which  in  pro- 
 portion as  it  is  cast  into  the  crucible,  shines  out  with  greater 
 lustre  and  purity,  2  Chron.  ix.  5,  6  ;  Eph.  iii.  8.  P.  Ganga- 
 nelli.     (Letters.) 
 
 2  Great  multitudes,  ^c. — Such  a  demonstration  of  popular  favour 
 would  most  probably  have  encouraged  an  impostor,  or  indeed 
 ,any  houest  founder  of  some  new  system,  to  augur  the  most 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  3—6.  231 
 
 abundant  success  to  bis  undertaking  :  but  our  Loud,  as  know- 
 ing and  searching  the  heart,  saw  in  all  this  outward  show  no 
 solid  ground  of  encouragement.  Hence  He  meets  the  multi- 
 tudes not  with  words  of  congratulation,  but  rather  of  caution 
 and  warning.  He  takes  occasion  to  guard  them  against  those 
 dispositions  of  mind,  which  render  the  Word,  even  when  preached 
 by  Himself,  to  be  of  no  effect  to  the  Salvation  of  souls.  An  in- 
 structive parallel  to  this  is  found  at  S.  Luke  xiv.  25,  26.  See 
 also  S.  John  vi.  26.     J.  F. 
 
 3  The  word  is  compared  to  seed  with  great  propriety  ;  for  the 
 Latin  word  sermo,  discourse,  is  thought  to  be  derived  a  serendo, 
 from  sowing.     Grotius. 
 
 Just  as  Christ  is  both  the  physician  and  the  medicine,  the  priest 
 and  the  sacrifice,  the  I'edeemer  and  the  redemption,  the  legis- 
 lator and  the  law,  the  doorkeeper  and  the  door,  so  also  is  He 
 both  the  sower  and  the  seed.  For  indeed  the  very  Gospel  it- 
 self is  no  other  than  Cheist  Incarnate,  born  into  the  world, 
 preaching,  dying,  rising  again,  sending  forth  His  Spirit,  gather- 
 ing His  Church,  sanctifying  it,  governing  it.  Heb.  v.  12,  13. 
 Salmeron.     (Serm.  on  Parables.) 
 
 4  Fowls  of  the  air  devoured  it. — One  cannot  proceed  one  step  in 
 reasoning  upon  natural  religion  any  more  than  upon  Chris- 
 tianity, without  laying  it  down,  as  a  first  principle,  that  the 
 dispensations  of  Providence  are  not  to  be  judged  of  by  their 
 perversions,  but  by  their  genuine  tendencies  ;  not  by  what  they 
 actually  seem  to  effect,  but  by  what  they  would  effect,  if  man- 
 kind did  their  part ;  that  part,  which  is  justly  put  and  left  upon 
 them,    X.  34  ;  Eev.  xxii.  11.    Bp.  Butler.   (Analogy,  P.  ii.  Ch.  1.) 
 
 5  Forthwith  they  sprung  up. — Eeligion  sometimes  runs  into  stalk 
 and  blade,  into  leaves  and  suckers,  which  should  be  concocted 
 into  pith  and  fruit,     vii.  21 ;  S.  Jas.  i.  26.     Flavel. 
 
 Most  Christians  are  perfect  too  soon,  which  is  the  reason  that  they 
 are  never  perfect,    xix.  20.    Farindon.    (Serm.  S.  John  xvi.  13.) 
 
 6  When  the  sun  was  up. — The  bark  of  a  tree  contains  an  oily  juice 
 which,  when  it  is  in  greater  plenty  than  can  be  exhaled  by  the 
 sun,  renders  the  plant  evergreen.  Such  is  the  state  of  the  man, 
 whose  virtue  is  proof  against  the  scorching  heat  of  temptation 
 and  persecution  ;  he  is  like  a  "  green  olive  tree  "  in  the  courts 
 
232  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  6,  9. 
 
 of  the  temple;  "his  leaf  shall  not  wither."  Ps.  i.  3  ;  civ.  16; 
 Prov.  i.  20,  27 ;  S.  Luke  viii.  8.     Bp.  Home. 
 
 Among  those,  who  hear  the  wise,  four  species  may  be  distin- 
 guished— the  sponge,  the  funnel,  the  filter,  and  the  sieve.  The 
 sponge  swallows  iip  everything.  The  funnel  allows  that  to 
 escape  at  one  end,  which  it  receives  at  the  other.  The  filter 
 allows  the  liquor  to  escape,  and  retains  the  dregs.  The  sieve 
 rejects  the  chaff,  and  retains  nothing,  but  the  wheat.  S.  Luke 
 iii.  17.     Jewish  Proverb. 
 
 9  He  that  hath  ears,  ^c. — (v.  4.)  To  see  and  consider  the  empti- 
 ness and  error  of  all  worldly  happiness ;  to  see  the  grossness  of 
 sensuality,  the  poorness  of  pride,  the  stupidity  of  covetousness, 
 the  vanity  of  dress,  the  delusion  of  honours,  the  blindness  of 
 our  passions,  the  uncertainty  of  our  lives,  and  the  shortness  of 
 all  worldly  projects — these  are  meditations,  that  are  suited  to 
 all  capacities,  fitted  to  strike  all  minds :  they  require  no  depth 
 of  thought,  nor  sublime  speculation  ;  but  are  forced  upon  us  by 
 all  our  senses  and  taught  us  by  almost  everything,  that  we  see 
 and  hear.  This  is  that  wisdom,  that  crieth  and  putteth  forth 
 her  voice  in  the  streets,  (Prov.  i.  20 — 24  ;  S.  John  vii.  37,  38,) 
 that  standeth  at  all  our  doors,  that  appealeth  to  all  our  senses, 
 teaching  us  in  everything  and  everywhere,  by  all  that  we  see, 
 all  that  we  hear,  by  births  and  burials,  by  sickness  and  health, 
 by  life  and  death,  by  pains  and  poverty,  by  misery  and  by  vanity, 
 and  by  all  the  changes  and  chances  of  life,  that  there  is  nothing 
 else  for  man  to  look  after,  no  other  nature  for  liim  to  drive  at, 
 but  a  happiness,  which  is  only  to  be  found  in  the  hopes  and  ex- 
 pectations of  Eeligion.     TFm.  Law.     (Serious  call,  &c.,  ch.  12.) 
 
 The  country  Parson  often  tells  his  people  that  Sermons  are  dange- 
 rous things  ;  that  none  goes  out  of  Church,  as  he  came  in,  but 
 either  better  or  worse  ;  that  none  is  careless  before  his  Judge ; 
 and  that  the  Word  of  God  shall  judge  us.  By  these  and  other 
 means  the  Parson  procures  attention.  Acts  x.  33  ;  xvi.  14 ;  S. 
 John  xii.  48  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  16.  G.  Herbert.  (Priest  to  the  Tem- 
 ple, ch.  7.) 
 
 10  And  the  disciples  came,  and  said   unto   Him, 
 Why  speakest  Thou  unto  them'in  parables  ? 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  11.  233 
 
 1 1  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Because  it  is 
 given  unto  you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom 
 of  heaven,  but  to  them  it  is  not  given. 
 
 12  For  whosoever  hath  to  him  shall  be  given,  and 
 he  shall  have  more  abundance :  but  whosoever  hath 
 not,  from  him  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  he  hath, 
 
 1 3  Therefore  speak  I  to  them  in  parables  :  because 
 they  seeing  see  not ;  and  hearing  they  hear  not,  nei- 
 ther do  they  understand. 
 
 14  And  in  them  is  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  Esaias, 
 which  saith,  By  hearing  ye  shall  hear,  and  shall  not 
 understand ;  and  seeing  ye  shall  see,  and  shall  not 
 perceive : 
 
 15  For  this  people's  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their 
 ears  are  dall  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  they  have 
 closed  ;  lest  at  any  time  they  should  see  with  their 
 eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  should  understand 
 with  their  heart,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I  should 
 heal  them. 
 
 1 6  But  blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see  :  and 
 your  ears,  for  they  hear. 
 
 17  For  verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  many  prophets 
 and  righteous  men  have  desired  to  see  those  things 
 which  ye  see,  and  have  not  seen  them ;  and  to  hear 
 those  things  which  ye  hear,  and  have  not  heard  them. 
 
 11  It  has  been  justly  observed,  that  religion  and  its  evidence  may 
 serve  equally  to  the  ends  of  a  moral  probation  to  all,  to  whom 
 it  is  offered,  hoveever  it  may  be  received.  But  perhaps  it  is  by 
 its  internal  evidence  in  particular  that  this  trial  is  most  dis- 
 tinctly made,  that  evidence  having  the  nearest  connection  with 
 our  personal  habits ;  whereby,  whilst  we  scan  religion,  its 
 Author,  it  is  plain,  may  be  making  His  judgment  of  us.     For  it 
 
234  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  11—13. 
 
 is  a  great  and  universal  truth,  which  is  spoken  by  Christ,  (S. 
 John  vii.  17,)  "  If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall  know  of 
 the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God."  Micah  ii.  7  ;  Wisd.  i.  4, 
 5  ;  Rom,  xii.  2.     Davison.     (On  Prophecy,  Disc.  ii.  p.  11.) 
 
 There  is  a  kind  of  sanctity  of  soul  and  body,  that  is  of  more  effi- 
 cacy for  the  receiving  or  retaining  of  Divine  truth,  than  the 
 greatest  pretences  to  discursive  demonstration.  Gen.  xviii.  17 
 —20 ;  Ps.  cxix.  100  ;  Prov.  iv.  18,  19.  Dr.  H.  More.  (Divine 
 Dialogues,  i.  §  4.) 
 
 Christianity  is  the  easiest  and  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world.  It 
 is  like  a  secret  in  arithmetic  ;  infinitely  hard,  till  it  be  found  out 
 by  a  right  operation  ;  and  then,  it  is  so  plain,  we  wonder  we  did 
 not  understand  it  earlier.  Prov.  viii.  9.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Serm. 
 before  Dublin  University. 
 
 12  How  can  that  be  ?  How  can  a  man  both  have  and  have  not  ? 
 And  how  can  he,  that  hath  nothing,  have  anything,  taken  from 
 him  ?  This  looks  like  a  contradiction  ;  but  He  Himself  clears 
 it  in  another  place,  by  saying,  "  Whosoever  hath  not,  from  him 
 shall  be  taken  even  that,  which  he  seemeth  to  have,^^  (S.  Luke 
 viii.  18,)  which  shows,  by  His  saying  before,  what  he  hath,  His 
 meaning  was  that  he  seemed  to  have  it,  but  really  had  it  not. 
 xix.  23  ;  S.  Mark  x.  24 ;  S.  John  iii.  3,  5.  Bp.  Beveridge. 
 (Serm.  2  Cor.  v.  17.) 
 
 God  gives,  in  proportion  as  we  use.  xxv.  28 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  10,  58.   J.  F. 
 
 God's  benefits  come  not  alone  ;  but  one  is  the  pledge  of  another. 
 The  grant  of  a  mite  is  the  assignment  of  a  talent.  A  drop  of 
 dew  from  heaven  is  a  prognostic  of  a  gracious  shower,  of  a  flood, 
 which  nothing  can  draw  dry,  but  ingratitude.  S.  James  i.  5  ; 
 iv.  6.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Hom.  viii.  32.) 
 
 13  Parables  were  peculiarly  adapted  to  answer  a  double  purpose ; 
 of  giving  inatruction  to  the  simple,  to  whom  Christ  explained 
 them  in  private,  and  of  darkening  the  minds  of  the  proud  and 
 disobedient,  whom  He  left  without  the  key  of  interpretation. 
 (S.  Mark  iv.  34.)  In  this  respect,  parables  were  like  "  tlie 
 pillar  of  the  cloud"  in  Egypt.  "  It  came  between  the  camp  of 
 the  Egyptians  and  the  camp  of  Israel ;  and  it  was  a  cloud  and 
 darkness  to  them,  but  it  gave  light  by  night  to  these."  Exod. 
 xiv.  20.     J.  F. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII,   13—17.  '        235 
 
 If  thou  have  an  ear  for  God,  tliough  deaf  to  men,  how  nmch  hap- 
 pier art  thou  than  those  millions  of  men,  that  have  an  ear  for 
 men  and  are  deaf  to  God.  S.  John  ix,  39—41.  Bp.  Hall. 
 (Balm  of  Gilead.) 
 
 "  It  were  meet  then,"  one  may  say,  "to  have  opened  their  eyes,  if 
 they  saw  not."  Nay,  if  the  blindness  were  natural,  it  were 
 meet  to  open  them  ;  but,  because  it  was  voluntary  and  self- 
 chosen  blindness,  therefore  He  said  not  simply,  thei/  see  not,  but 
 seeing  they  see  not ;  so  that  the  blindness  is  of  their  own  wick- 
 edness. Por  they  saw  even  devils  cast  out  and  said,  "  By  Beel- 
 zebub, prince  of  the  devils  He  casteth  out  devils."  xii.  24  ;  xv. 
 14.     S.  Chrysostom, 
 
 15  Then  is  the  heart  hardened,  when  the  mind  of  man,  like  wax, 
 becomes  so  petrified  with  the  cold  benumbings  of  sin,  that  the 
 impression  of  the  Divine  Image  cannot  be  made  upon  it.  2 
 Cor.  iii.  2,  3  ;  Heb.  iii.  13.     Origen. 
 
 Their  eyes  have  they  closed. — Involuntary  ignorance  is  not  charged 
 against  you,  as  a  fault ;  but  your  fault  is  this ;  you  neglect  to 
 inquire  into  the  things  you  are  ignorant  of.  Job  xxi.  14  ;  S. 
 Jas.  iv.  2.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 16  Blessed  are  your  eyes,  ^c. — This  is  conceived  to  be  the  mean- 
 ing of  those  expressions  in  the  Mystical  song  (Cant.  i.  2  ;  viii. 
 1, 14,)  as  they  suit  those  times  of  the  Jewish  Church,  breathing 
 out  her  longings  for  the  coming  of  her  Beloved.  His  "  speaking 
 by  the  prophets"  was  His  voice  afar  off;  but  His  Incarnation 
 was  His  coming  near  and  kissing  His  Church  with  the  kisses 
 of  His  mouth,  S.  Luke  ii.  25,  29  ;  Eph.  i.  3 — 14.  Abp.  Leigh 
 ton.    (Comment.  1  S,  Peter  i.  10—12.) 
 
 17  Righteous  men. — The  preparatory  disposition  of  mind,  to  wit,  a 
 belief  of  the  Eternal  power  and  Godhead  of  the  Supreme  Being, 
 and  a  conscious  sense  and  practice  of  the  duties,  resulting  thence 
 towards  God  and  their  neighbour,  is  what  we  intend  by  good 
 heathens ;  and  whoever  reads  the  ancient  ethics  or  moral  phi- 
 losophy of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  and  compares  them  with 
 the  common  life  of  Christians,  will  more  plainly  understand 
 what  is  meant  hereby,  xii.  42  ;  Acts  x.  2,  34,  35.  Wogan. 
 (On  the  Lessons.     AVhit-Sunday.) 
 
 I  doubt  not  but  all,  to  whom  the  sound  of  the  Gospel  hath  any 
 
236        "  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.   17- 
 
 way  come,  are  strictly  obliged  to  this  (positive  faith  in  Cheist 
 for  salvation.)  When  God  hath  showed  them  this  Name  (Acts 
 iv.  12),  in  vain  they  seek  for  another.  Nominal  Cheist  is 
 necessary  to  those,  that  have  nominally  heard  of  Him.  Yet  v^ho 
 can  tie  up  the  Spirit  of  God  from  illuminating  this  to  the  souls 
 of  the  heathen  either  in  this  life,  or  in  their  very  farewell  of  it  ? 
 But  this  is  rather  possible,  than  proving  ;  though  I  hope  it  will 
 not  prove  a  paradox,  if  I  should  beg  leave  to  believe  that  some, 
 who  never  heard  of  Christ,  may  yet  die  and  be  saved  by  having 
 a  faith  in  Him.  How  many  of  them  have  died  penitent  for 
 their  sins,  for  which  they  have  found  their  conscience  checking 
 them,  and  withal  wholly  resting  themselves  on  the  mercy  of  the 
 Supreme  God  ....  Now  I  would  ask  the  question,  whether 
 Christ  crucified  and  God's  mercy  be  not  things  coincident  ?  S. 
 Luke  i.  50,  54,  72.  O.  Feltham.  (Eesolves,  Cent.  ii.  19.) 
 Think  what  shame  it  will  be  to  have  it  said,  that  many  honest 
 heathens  spent  more  thoughts  about  a  future  life,  and  loved  it 
 more,  and  enjoyed  it  more,  while  it  was  a  mere  conjecture  with 
 them,  than  we  do,  now  it  is  a  certainty.  Jer.  ii.  10,  11.  Dean 
 Young.     (Serm.  1  Thess.  iv.  18.) 
 
 18  Hear  ye  therefore  the  parable  of  the  sower. 
 
 19  When  any  one  heareth  the  word  of  the  king- 
 dom, and  understandeth  it  not,  then  cometh  the 
 wicked  one,  and  catcheth  away  that  which  was  sown 
 in  his  heart.  This  is  he  which  received  seed  by  the 
 way  side. 
 
 20  But  he  that  received  the  seed  into  stony  places, 
 the  same  is  he  that  heareth  the  word,  and  anon  with 
 joy  receiveth  it ; 
 
 21  Yet  hath  he  not  root  in  himself,  but  dureth  for 
 a  while :  for  when  tribulation  or  persecution  ariseth 
 because  of  the  word,  by  and  by  he  is  offended. 
 
 22  He  also  that  received  seed  among  the  thorns  is 
 he  that  heareth  the  word ;  and  the  care  of  this  world, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  18—20.  237 
 
 and  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  choke  the  word,  and  he 
 becometh  unfruitful. 
 
 23  But  he  that  received  seed  into  the  good  ground  is 
 he  that  heareth  the  word,  and  understandeth  it ;  which 
 also  beareth  fruit,  and  bringeth  forth,  some  an  hun- 
 dredfold, some  sixty,  some  thirty. 
 
 18  This  kind  of  instruction  by  catechizing  is  the  foundation  of  all 
 other  improvements.  Reading,  preaching,  reproof,  and  exhor- 
 tation are  all  cast  away  upon  uncatechized  persons,  vii.  26  ; 
 Heb.  V.  12 — 14  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  7.  Bean  Comber.  (A  brief  dis- 
 course upon  the  Catechism.) 
 
 19  Heareth  the  Word  of  the  Mngdom. — By  the  ear  the  gate  of 
 death  was  first  opened ;  by  the  ear  is  now  the  entrance  into 
 life.  Gen.  iii. ;  Isa.lv.  3;  S.  John  viii.  47.  S.  Bernard.  (Serm. 
 28  in  Cant.) 
 
 20  These  persons  take  Cheist,  but  under  a  false  person :  either 
 they  take  the  promises  only,  and  let  Cheist  alone  ;  or,  they 
 take  Cheist  the  Savioue,  but  not  Cheist  the  Loed,  are  will- 
 ing to  be  saved  by  Him,  but  never  think  of  serving  Him  .... 
 They  abstract  the  cheap  and  profitable  attributes  of  Cheist, 
 His  Priestly  ofB.ce  of  satisfaction  and  propitiation ;  but  never 
 consider  Him,  as  a  King.  i.  21 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  49  ;  Col.  ii.  6 ;  1 
 Cor.  xii.  3.     Dr.  Hammond.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  x.  15.) 
 
 With  joy  receiveth  it. — I  could  not  but  think,  as  I  have  often  re- 
 marked to  others,  that  much  more  of  true  religion  consists  in 
 deep  humility,  brokeuiiess  of  heart,  and  an  abasing  sense  of  bar- 
 renness and  want  of  grace  and  holiness,  than  most,  who  are 
 called  Christians,  imagine ;  especially  those,  who  have  been 
 esteemed  the  converts  of  the  late  day,  many  of  whom  seem  to 
 know  of  no  other  religion,  but  elevated  _;oy*  and  affections,  aris- 
 ing only  from  some  flights  of  imagination  or  some  suggestion, 
 made  to  their  mind  of  Cheist's  being  their's,  God's  loving 
 them,  and  the  like.  S.  John  v.  35  ;  S.  Mark  vi.  20 ;  S.  Luke 
 iv.  22,  29.     D.  Brainerd.     (Missionary  Diary,  May  24,  1747.) 
 
 It  is  with  joys,  as  they  say  of  cares  and  griefs,  Leves  loquuntur, 
 ingentes  stupent.     The  deepest  waters  run  stillest.     Res  severa 
 
238  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  20-22. 
 
 est  verum  gaudium,  says  Seneca.  True  joy  is  a  solid  grave  thing, 
 dwells  more  in  the  heart,  than  in  the  countenance ;  whereas,  on 
 the  contrary,  base  and  false  joys  are  but  superficial,  skin-deep, 
 as  we  say  ;  they  are  all  in  the  face.  Ps.  ii.  11 ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  6, 
 7.  Abp.  Leighton.  (Comment.  1  S.  Peter  i.  9.) 
 It  is  very  certain,  that  great  immediate  apparent  effect  may  be  pro- 
 duced by  a  high  strained  and  vehement  tenour  of  discourse.  It 
 may  be  granted  also,  that  no  teacher  will  be  likely  to  prove 
 attractive,  who  shall  not  be  able  to  interest  the  feelings  of  his 
 hearers  sufficiently.  In  order  however  to  produce  the  true  and 
 lasting  power  of  godliness,  must  not  the  judgment  also  be  en- 
 listed on  the  side  of  truth  ?  It  is  the  judgment,  that  must  weigh, 
 and  mark,  and  inwardly  digest  the  various  materials,  which  the 
 feelings  have  accepted  in  the  gi'oss,  and  finally  decide  what  will, 
 and  what  will  not,  abide  the  touchstone  of  a  reasonable  faith. 
 S.  Luke  xxiv.  32,  45  ;  Acts  xvii.  11 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  7.  J.  Miller. 
 (Pref.  to  Bampton  Lectures.) 
 
 21  When  tribulation,- ^c. — Half  our  virtue  arises  from  our  being 
 out  of  the  way  of  temptation.  Heb.  xii.  4.  Adam.  (Private 
 thoughts.) 
 
 When  the  wind  doth  not  blow,  then  cannot  a  man  know  the 
 wheat  from  the  chaff:  but,  when  the  blast  cometh,  then  fleeth 
 away  the  chaff;  but  the  wheat  remaineth,  and  is  so  far  from 
 being  hurt,  that  by  the  wind  it  is  more  cleansed  from  the  chaff 
 and  known  to  be  wheat.  Eom.  v.  3 — 5 ;  1  S.  Pet.  i.  6,  7.  J. 
 Bradford.     (Letters.) 
 
 A  variety  of  circumstances  render  the  sinner's  first  approaches  to 
 Chkist  difficult.  They,  who  find  an  easy  access,  will  find  an 
 easy  departure,  when  troubles  arise.  Ecclus.  iv.  16 — 18  ;  S. 
 Luke  ix.  42.     R.  Cecil.     (Eemains.     Appendix.) 
 
 Beware  of  driving  too  furiously,  at  first  setting  out.  Take  the  cool 
 of  the  day.  Begin,  as  you  can  hold  on.  In  a  word,  endeavour 
 to  hit  the  just  medium,  so  as  neither  to  make  too  much  haste, 
 nor  too  little  speed ;  neither  to  loiter,  nor  to  run  yourself  out 
 of  breath.   Eccl.  vii.  16  ;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  10  ;  S.  Mark  x.  17.    Topladij. 
 
 22  Por  thorns  cause  us  pain,  when  first  they  prick,  and  when  they 
 adhere  to  us,  and  when  they  are  extracted.  So  riches  are  ob- 
 tained with  great  trouble,  are  possessed  in  much  fear,  are  lost 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  22,  23.  239 
 
 with  the  keenest  regret.  1  Tim.  vi.  10.  Lndolphis.  (De  vita 
 Christi.  iu  loco.) 
 
 Our  Lord  doth  uot  say  "  this  world,"  but  "  the  care  of  this  world  ;" 
 nor  "  riches,"  but  "  the  deceitfulness  oi  t\c\\q&"  S.  Mark  x.  24. 
 Theophylact. 
 
 Iu  gold  there  is  a  halter ;  in  silver  there  is  bird-lime ;  in  the  farm 
 there  is  a  bond  ;  in  the  love  of  the  world  there  is  a  chain. 
 While  we  search  for  gold,  we  are  strangled ;  while  for  silver,  we 
 stick  fast ;  while  we  seize  upon  the  farm,  we  are  taken  prisoners. 
 2  S.  Pet.  ii.  19  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  9.  S.  Ambrose.  (De  bono  mortis, 
 c.  v.) 
 
 23  IJnderstandeth  it. — I  have  always  found  that  such  preaching 
 of  others  hath  most  commanded  my  heart,  which  hath  most 
 illuminated  my  head.  S.  Luke  xxiv.  32,  45.  Dr.  Whichcote. 
 (Aphor.  Cent.  iv.  393.) 
 
 To  be  short,  there  is  nothing,  that  more  maintaineth  godliness  of 
 the  mind  and  driveth  away  ungodliness,  than  doth  the  continual 
 reading  or  hearing  of  Gob's  word,  if  it  be  joined  with  a  godly 
 mind  and  a  good  affection  to  know  and  follow  Gob's  will.  Por 
 without  a  single  eye,  pure  intent,  and  good  mind,  nothing  is 
 allowed  for  good  before  Gob.  vi.  22,  23  ;  Ps.  Iviii.  1 ;  S.  Jas. 
 iv.  3 — 9.  Homilies.  (On  reading  and  knowledge  of  Holy 
 Scripture.) 
 
 Above  all,  pray  before,  after,  and  in  hearing.  Dart  up  desires  to 
 Gob.  He  is  "the  Lobb  of  the  harvest,"  whose  influence  doth 
 all.  The  difference  of  the  soil  makes  indeed  the  difference  of 
 success ;  but  the  Lorb  hath  the  privilege  of  bettering  the  soil. 
 He,  that  framed  the  heart,  changes  it  when  and  how  He  will. 
 There  is  a  curse  on  all  grounds  naturally,  that  fell  on  the  earth 
 for  man's  sake,  but  fell  more  on  the  ground  of  man's  own  heart 
 within  hira.  "  7%o?-««  and  briars  shalt  thou  bring  forth."  Now, 
 it  is  He,  who  denounceth  that  curse,  that  alone  hath  power  to 
 remove  it.  He  is  botli  the  Sovereign  owner  of  the  seed  and 
 changer  of  the  soil ;  He  turns  a  wilderness  into  Carmel  by  His 
 Spirit ;  and  no  ground,  no  heart  can  be  good,  till  He  change  it. 
 Prov.  xvi.  1  ;  Isa.  Iv.  8 — 13.     Abp.  Leighton.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 As  in  the  bad  ground  the  diversity  was  threefold — the  wayside,  the 
 stony,  and  the  thorny  ; — so  in  the  good  ground  there  is  a  like 
 
240  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  24,  25. 
 
 diversity — the  fruit  yielding  some  a  hundredfold,  some  sixty,  some 
 thirty.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 24  Another  parable  put  He  forth  unto  them,  say- 
 ing, The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  Ukened  unto  a  man 
 which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field  : 
 
 25  But  while  men  slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed 
 tares  among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way, 
 
 26  But  when  the  blade  was  sprung  up,  and  brought 
 forth  fruit,  then  appeared  the  tares  also. 
 
 27  So  the  servants  of  the  householder  came  and 
 said  unto  him.  Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good  seed  in 
 thy  field  ?  from  whence  then  hath  it  tares  ? 
 
 28  He  said  unto  them,  An  enemy  hath  done  this. 
 The  servants  said  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  then  that  we 
 go  and  gather  them  up  ? 
 
 29  But  he  said,  Nay  ;  lest  while  ye  gather  up  the 
 tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them, 
 
 30  Let  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest :  and 
 in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will  say  to  the  reapers,  Gather 
 ye  together  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles 
 to  burn  them  :   but  gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn, 
 
 24  The  noa-residence  of  the  Pastor  encourages  the  wolf  to  infest 
 the  fold.     1  Sam.  xvii.  28  ;  S.  John  x.  4.     S.  Athanasius. 
 
 25  The  sly  pursuer  seeks  the  shelter  of  darkness  .  ,  .  The  brave 
 openly  seek  the  battle.  No  greater  sign  of  weakness  than  to 
 rush  upon  persons,  while  they  sleep,  iv.  2,  3.  Peter  Chrysologus. 
 (Serm.  97.) 
 
 The  enemy  came. — God  declares;  the  woman  doubts;  the  devil 
 denies.     Gen,  iii,     S.  Bernard.     (Serm.  de  quadr.  debito.) 
 
 "Wheresoever  the  finger  of  God  is,  there  doth  Satan  lay  his  claw. 
 If  God  makes  "  tables  of  stone,"  he  will  set  up  "  a  calf,"  Peter 
 Chrysologus   says.  Super seminavit,  non  seminavit ;  he  did   not 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  26—30.  241 
 
 SOW  it,  as  the  wheat ;  but  sowed  it  upon.  PrcBcedunt  Creatoris 
 bona,  mala  Diaboli  post  sequuntur.  Malum  non  est  natura,  sed 
 accidens.  The  good  things  of  God  are  first ;  the  devil's  work 
 after.  The  growth  of  evil  is  not  natural,  but  accidental.  Ex. 
 xxxi.  18  ;  Judg.  vi.  3 ;  Eccl.  vii.  29.  Farindon.  (Serm.  S. 
 Matt.  iv.  1.) 
 
 26  Wherever  the  good  is  in  the  increase,  the  evil  becomes  more 
 apparent.     Phil.  ii.  15.     Bengel. 
 
 27  All  Atheists  and  Epicures,  holding  that  either  there  is  no  GrOD, 
 or  that  He  cares  not  for  the  things  on  earth,  are  confronted  by 
 this  one  word,  that  God  is  an  householder,  a  father  of  His 
 Church.  Ps.  x.  11 — 13,  14,  and  Iviii.  11.  Dean  Boys.  (On 
 the  Dominical  Ep.  &c.  Septuagesima.) 
 
 Adam's  family  was  the  one  and  the  only  one  visible  Church,  una 
 et  iinica,  for  a  time.  Therein  there  was  a  Cain,  as  well  as  an 
 Abel ;  both  sacrificed,  though  both  were  not  sanctified.  In 
 Abraham's  family  (a  visible  Church)  there  was  au  Ishmael,  as 
 well  as  an  Isaac.  In  Isaac's  house  au  Esau,  as  well  as  a  Jacob. 
 Among  the  Patriarchs  (Jacob's  issue)  Simeon  and  Levi  with 
 Joseph  and  Benjamin.  In  Noah's  ark,  a  type  of  the  Church, 
 there  was  a  Ham  ;  a  Judas  among  the  Apostles,  a  Nicholas 
 (Rev.  ii.  6,  15)  among  the  deacons.  Acts  vi.  5  ;  S.  Jude  12. 
 Bp.  Thomas.     (Apology  for  the  Church  of  England.) 
 
 28  They  made  pretences  to  very  superior  sanctity,  when  they  had 
 a  mind  to  disturb  everything.  Eom.ii.  18.  S.  Augustine.  (De 
 Donat.) 
 
 29  Christ  has  commanded  us  to  keep  together,  congregationetn  : 
 our  separation  He  hath  reserved  unto  Himself,  xxv.  32  ;  1 
 Cor.  i.  10;  Heb.  x.  25.  S.  Augustine.  (Ep.  209.  Eeliciae 
 virgini.) 
 
 30  I  regard  the  Church  as  full,  both  of  wheat  and  chaff.  I  do 
 good,  where  I  can.  I  tolerate  those,  to  whom  I  cannot  do  good. 
 Fugio  paleam,  ne  hoc  sim  ;  non  aream,  ne  nihil  siin.  I  shun  the 
 chaff,  for  fear  of  becoming  chaff  myself;  but  I  shun  not  the  floor, 
 lest  I  come  to  nothing.  S.  Augustine.  (Lib.  iii.  Contr.  Cres- 
 cen.  c.  35.) 
 
 There  is,  and  ever  will  be,  a  mixture  in  the  Church,  till  the  great 
 Day  of  separation  comes.    There  are  good  only,  in  heaven  ;  bad 
 
 R 
 
242  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  30. 
 
 only,  in  hell ;  this  our  present  state  admits  a  mixture  of  citizens 
 of  both  cities,     xxv.  32,  46.     Gregory. 
 
 The  householder  deferred  both  to  the  harvest,  that  is,  to  the  final 
 settlement  of  the  Divine  patience  and  the  close  of  the  time, 
 granted  us  for  repentance  ;  in  order  that  the  man,  who  changed 
 a  bad  life  for  a  good  one,  might  be  set  apart,  as  God's  wheat, 
 to  be  gathered  into  His  barn;  and  also  that  the  man,  who 
 changed  his  belief  into  unbelief,  might  be  set  apart  for  the 
 flames  of  hell.  And  why  should  I  say  more  ?  If  God's  pa- 
 tience had  not  spared  the  tares,  the  Church  would  never  have 
 had  an  Evangelist,  like  Matthew,  taken  from  one,  who  was  a 
 publican  ;  nor  an  Apostle,  like  Paul,  taken  from  one,  who  was 
 a  persecutor.  1  Cor.  iv.  5  ;  1  Tim.  i.  13 — 16.  Pet.  Chrysologus. 
 (Serm.  97.) 
 
 The  life  of  every  wicked  person  is  prolonged,  either  for  the  pur- 
 pose of  his  own  amendment,  or,  for  the  trial  througli  his  instru- 
 mentality of  the  good.  Rev.  ii.  21 ;  vi.  10,  11.  >S'.  Augustine. 
 (In  Ps.  liv.) 
 
 A¥e  must  not  forsake  the  good  for  the  bad ;  but  rather  tolerate  the 
 bad  forthe  sake  of  the  good.  Gen.  xviii.23.  S.  Augustine.  (Ep.48.) 
 
 Contrary  blasts  of  doctrine  do  sift  and  winnow  men's  faith.  1  Cor. 
 xi.  19.     Lord  Bacon. 
 
 The  reapers. — (The  angels,  v.  39.)  Even  in  this  life,  the  appear- 
 ance of  a  single  Angel  to  the  very  best  of  men  with  words  of 
 comfort  and  blessing  has  always  been  attended  with  fear  and 
 trembling.  It  seems,  that  the  sight  of  a  being  superior  to  our- 
 selves and  without  sin  is  such,  as  no  human  being  can  witness 
 without  fear.  But  how  terrible  must  be  the  sight  of  thousands 
 of  Angels,  each  one  fearful  to  behold,  clothed  with  power  to 
 sever  the  wicked  from  the  righteous  and  to  hurl  amongst  them 
 the  thunderbolts  of  Almighty  wrath !  xxvi.  53  ;  2  Thess.  i.  7, 
 8.     Bp.  Medley.     (Serm.  on  S.  Matt.  xiii.  39.) 
 
 As  in  binding  up  wood  to  burn,  each  several  kind  is  gathered  into 
 its  own  bundle ;  so  in  the  Day  of  Judgment  those,  who  have 
 committed  the  like  sins,  shall  be  classed  with  their  fellow  sin- 
 ners :  that  they  may  resemble  each  other  in  punishment,  whom 
 their  deeds  have  assimilated  together  in  evil.  Nahum  i.  10 ; 
 He  v.  xxi.  8.     Isidore  of  Seville. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  31.  243 
 
 31  Another  parable  put  He  forth  unto  them,  saying, 
 The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  to  a  grain  of  mustard 
 seed,  which  a  man  took,  and  sowed  in  his  field : 
 
 32  Which  indeed  is  the  least  of  all  seeds  :  but  when 
 it  is  grown,  it  is  the  greatest  among  herbs,  and  be- 
 cometh  a  tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and 
 lodge  in  the  branches  thereof 
 
 31  Since  He  had  said  that  of  the  crop  three  parts  are  lost  and  but 
 one  saved,  and  in  every  part  again,  which  is  saved,  so  great  da- 
 mage ensues  ;  lest  they  should  say,  "  And  who  and  how  many 
 will  be  the  faithful  ?"  this  fear  again  He  removes  by  the  parable 
 of  the  mustard  seed,  leading  them  on  to  belief  and  signifying  that 
 in  any  case  the  Gospel  should  be  spread  abroad.  Ps.  Ixxxix.  47  ; 
 Eom.  xi.  1 — 5.     8.  Chrysostom. 
 
 This  parable  of  the  leaven  (v.  33)  is  concerning  the  Kingdom  of 
 God,  which  "cometh  not  with  observation  ;"  the  parable  of  the 
 mustard  seed  is  concerning  that  same  Kingdom,  as  it  displays 
 itself  openly  and  cannot  be  hid  (v.  14.)  That  sets  forth  the 
 power  and  action  of  the  truth  on  the  world,  brought  in  contact 
 with  it;  this  the  power  of  the  truth  to  develope  itself  from 
 within  itself;  how  it  is,  as  the  tree  shut  up  within  the  seed, 
 which  will  unfold  itself  according  to  the  inward  law  of  its  own 
 being,     R.  C.  Trench.     (On  the  Parables.) 
 
 Cheist,  planted  in  the  garden,  where  His  tomb  was,  grew  up  to  be 
 a  great  tree.  The  seedgvew  through  His  humiliation  and  death  ; 
 the  tree  through  His  Resurrection  and  power.  Eom.  i.  3,  4 ; 
 2  Cor.  xiii.  4.     S.  Gregory.     (Moral.  Lib.  xix.  c.  1.) 
 
 The  most  obvious  and  most  general  notion  of  this  Catholicism  con- 
 sisteth  in  the  diffusiveness  of  the  Church,  grounded  upon  the 
 commission  given  to  the  builders  of  it,  "  Go,  teach  all  nations  ;" 
 whereby  they  and  their  successors  were  authorized  and  empowered 
 to  gather  congregations  of  believers  and  to  extend  the  borders  of 
 the  Church  unto  the  utmost  parts  of  the  earth.  The  Synagogue 
 of  the  Jews  especially  consisted  of  one  nation,  and  the  public 
 worship  of  God  was  confined  to  one  country  (Pa.  Ixxvi.  1,  2  ;  and 
 cxlvii.  19;  S.  John  iv.  20— 22).   The  Temple  was  the  only  place, 
 
 b2 
 
244  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  32. 
 
 in  which  tlie  sacrifices  could  be  oflfered,  in  which  the  priests 
 could  perform  their  office  of  ministration ;  and  so,  under  the 
 Law,  there  was  an  inclosure  divided  from  all  the  world  besides. 
 But  God  said  unto  His  Son,  "  I  will  give  Thee  the  heathen,  &e." 
 (Ps.  ii.  8  ;  S.  Mark  xvi.  15  ;  S.  Luke  xxiv.  47.)  Thus  the  Church 
 of  Chkist  in  its  primary  institution  was  made  to  be  of  a  diffusive 
 nature,  to  spread  and  extend  itself  from  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
 where  it  first  began,  to  all  the  parts  and  corners  of  the  earth 
 (E-ev.  V.  9).  This  reason  did  the  ancient  Fathers  render,  why 
 the  Church  was  called  Catholic ;  and  the  nature  of  the  Church 
 is  so  described  in  the  Scriptures.  Ps.  Ixxx.  8 — 11 ;  Ixxii.  8 — 11. 
 Bp.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  art.  9.) 
 
 32  The  least. — The  first  work  of  grace  is  the  desire  of  grace.  Neh. 
 i.  11 ;  Job  viii.  7.     Fulgentius. 
 
 In  the  Church  of  Cnm^i: profectusfidei,  non  permufatio,  faith  should 
 be  progressive,  but  not  changeable.  For  it  is  the  character  of 
 progression  that  each  component  part  be  in  a  state  of  increase ; 
 but  of  change,  that  one  thing  is  put  in  place  of  another.  May 
 these  things  therefore  mightily  increase  and  abound  more  and 
 more  both  in  the  life  of  every  Christian,  and  throughout  the 
 Church's  duration,  and  the  lapse  of  ages — I  mean  quickness  of 
 apprehension,  knowledge,  wisdom  ;  provided  they  continue  in 
 one  and  the  same  kind,  in  one  doctrine,  one  way  of  interpre- 
 tation, one  judgment.  Col.  ii.  6,  7.  Vincent.  Lirin.  (Com- 
 monit.  c.  xxviii.) 
 
 33  Another  parable  spake  He  unto  them ;  The 
 kingdom  of  heaven  is  hke  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman 
 took,  and  hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole 
 was  leavened. 
 
 34  All  these  things  spake  Jesus  unto  the  multitude  in 
 parables;  and  without  a  parable  spake  He  not  unto  them: 
 
 35  That  it  might  be  fulfilled  which  was  spoken  by 
 the  prophet,  saying,  I  will  open  my  mouth  in  parables  ; 
 I  will  utter  things  which  have  been  kept  secret  from 
 the  foundation  of  the  world. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  33,  35.  245 
 
 33  Every  description,  that  Scripture  gives  of  the  Church,  repre- 
 sents a  continual  progress  and  expansion,  as  essential  to  her 
 being.   Bp.  Thirlwall.    (Serm.  for  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  Soc.) 
 
 The  woman  i'eceives  the  leaven,  vpheu  through  the  bounty  of  the 
 Loud  the  Church  obtained  the  virtue  of  faith  and  heavenly  love. 
 She  hides  it  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole  be  leavened, 
 when  she  administered  the  word  of  life  to  the  regions  of  Asia, 
 Europe,  and  Africa,  until  the  whole  earth  was  warmed  with  the 
 love  of  the  Heavenly  King.     Ps.  xix.  5,  6.     Bede. 
 
 The  whole  ! — What  force  is  here  !  It  seems  to  relate  to  the  whole 
 human  race,  described  under  the  three  measures,  and  as  propa- 
 gated over  the  earth  by  the  three  sons  of  Noah.  Gen.  x.  32. 
 Bengel. 
 
 May  the  Holt  Ghost,  which  is  figured  under  the  type  of  this 
 woman  in  the  Gospel,  whose  meal  are  we,  hide  the  Lord  Jesus 
 in  the  innermost  places  of  our  hearts,  till  the  warmth  of  the  Di- 
 vine Wisdom  penetrates  into  the  most  secret  recesses  of  our 
 souls!     Gen.  i.  2  ;  Eph.  iii.  16,  17.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 Religion  doth  possess  and  affect  the  whole  man.  In  tlie  under- 
 standing, it  is  knowledge ;  in  the  life,  it  is  obedience ;  in  the 
 affections,  it  is  delight  in  God  ;  in  our  carriage  and  behaviour  it 
 is  modesty,  cahnness,  gentleness,  quietness,  candour,  ingenuity  ; 
 in  our  dealings,  it  is  uprightness,  integrity,  correspondence  with 
 the  rules  of  righteousness.  E-eligiou  makes  men  virtuous  in  all 
 instances.  S.  Mark  xvi.  9  ;  S.  John  v.  4  ;  vii.  23  ;  Eph.  vi.  11, 
 13.     Br.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  x.  957.) 
 
 35  Things  hejit  secret,  &c. — Concerning  that  faith,  hope,  and  cha- 
 rity, without  which  there  can  be  no  Salvation,  was  there  ever  any 
 mention  made,  saving  only  in  that  Law,  which  God  Himself  hath 
 revealed  from  heaven  ?  There  is  not  in  the  world  a  syllable, 
 muttered  with  certain  truth,  concerning  any  of  these  three,  more 
 than  hath  been  supernaturally  received  from  the  mouth  of  the 
 Eternal  God.  Ps.  Ixxviii.  2 ;  Acts  xvii.  23  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  9.  Hooker. 
 (Eccl.  Pol.  b.  i.  s.  2.) 
 
 There  is  no  necessary  part  of  our  faith,  couched  in  figurative  lan- 
 guage which  Holy  Scripture  does  not  somewhere  else  plainly  open 
 in  its  literal  meaning.  Conf.  S.  John  vi.  53  ;  with  S.  Matt.  xxvi. 
 26—28.     T.  Aquinas. 
 
246  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  36,  39. 
 
 36  Then  Jesus  sent  the  multitude  away,  and  went 
 into  the  house :  and  His  disciples  came  unto  Him,  say- 
 ing,  Declare  unto  us  the  parable  of  the  tares  of  the  field. 
 
 37  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  He  that  sow- 
 eth  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  Man ; 
 
 38  The  field  is  the  world;  the  good  seed  are  the 
 children  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  the  tares  are  the  children 
 of  the  wicked  one ; 
 
 39  The  enemy  that  sowed  them  is  the  devil ;  the 
 harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world ;  and  the  reapers  are 
 the  angels. 
 
 40  As  therefore  the  tares  are  gathered  and  burned 
 in  the  fire ;  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this  world. 
 
 4 1  The  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  His  angels,  and 
 they  shall  gather  out  of  His  kingdom  all  things  that 
 offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity  ; 
 
 42  And  shall  cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire  :  there 
 shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
 
 43  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun 
 in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father.  Who  hath  ears  to 
 hear,  let  him  hear. 
 
 36  Declare  unto  us. — Si  te  titillat  clericatus  desiderium,  saith  S. 
 Jerome,  if  thou  art  tickled  with  the  desire  of  being  a  preacher, 
 if  thou  thinkest  the  nearest  way  to  heaven  is  to  go  up  into 
 the  pulpit ;  yet,  at  least,  discas  quod  possis  docere,  learn  that 
 first,  which  thou  mayest  after  teach ;  and  think  there  is  a  pair 
 of  stairs  unto  knowledge,  as  well  as  into  the  pulpit,  and  that 
 thither  thou  must  ascend  by  steps  and  by  degrees.  S.  James  iii. 
 1 ;  1  Tim.  iv.  13.     Farindon.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iv.  1,  p.  2.) 
 
 39  However  the  devil  labours  to  keep  his  own  kingdom  in  peace 
 and  tranquillity,  yet  he  seeks  nothing  more  than  to  cause  divi- 
 sions in  the  Kingdom  of  CnuiST.  S.  Luke  xi.  21.  March. 
 (Serm.  1  Cor.  xi.  19.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  39—43,  247 
 
 The  Lord  suffers  and  allows  these  divisions  to  be  in  the  Church, 
 that,  manente  propricB  libertatis  arbitrio,  the  free  action  of  man's 
 private  judgment  not  being  interfered  with,  while  the  trial  of 
 the  truth  serves  as  a  test  to  our  hearts  and  minds,  the  faith  of 
 those,  who  are  approved,  may  clearly  shine  forth.  1  Kings 
 xviii.  21 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  34.     S.  Cyprian.     (De  unit.  Eccl.  c.  1.) 
 
 The  harvest,  ^c. — Few  things  remind  us  more  strikingly  that  we 
 live  in  a  sinful  disordered  world,  than  this  :  that  our  Blessed 
 LoED  selects  the  most  joyous  season  in  the  whole  year,  as  a  type 
 of  the  most  awful  and  stupendous  event,  that  can  be  conceived, 
 the  Last  Judgment.  Eev.  xiv.  17 — 20.  Bp.  Medley.  (Serm. 
 on  text.) 
 
 41  His  angels — His  kingdom. — Here  is  the  Majesty  of  the  Son  of 
 God.  His  are  the  Angels.  His  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven, 
 His  is  the  world.     Heb.  i.  6,  8,     Bengel. 
 
 They,  who  prematurely  put  themselves  forward  to  root  out  what- 
 ever is  displeasing  to  them,  overthrow  the  judgment  of  God  and 
 rashly  intrude  upon  the  office  of  the  Angels,  Bom,  xiv.  10 ; 
 1  Cor,  iv.  5,     Calvin. 
 
 We  long  for  this  Blessed  time.  Thus,  the  confusions,  failings,  and 
 trials  in  the  Church  Militant  on  earth  excite  us  to  raise  our 
 eyes  to  the  future  peace,  order,  beauty,  and  felicity  of  the 
 Church  Glorified  in  heaven.  Through  the  mists  and  clouds  we 
 see  the  clear  blue  sky,  the  calm  and  joy  of  Angels,  the  pure 
 river  of  God,  the  crystal  sea,  and  the  Throne  of  God.  (Gen,  xlix., 
 18 ;  observe  context.)    Chr.  Wordsworth.    (Serm.  1  Cor.  xi,  19.) 
 
 42  They  shall  gnash  with  their  teeth,  who  gloried  in  their  glut- 
 tony. (Phil,  iii,  19,)  Those  eyes  shall  weep,  whicb  went  a 
 wandering  through  lust.  By  weeping,  is  meant  mental ;  by 
 gnashing  of  teeth,  bodily  anguish,     x.  28,     Emanuel  Sil. 
 
 43  The  righteous. — There  neither  is,  nor  ever  was,  any  mere 
 natural  man,  absolutely  righteous  in  himself;  that  is  to  say, 
 void  of  all  unrighteousness,  of  all  sin  ,  ...  If  Christ  have 
 paid  a  ransom  for  all,  it  foUoweth,  that  all,  without  exception 
 were  captives.  If  "  one  have  died  for  all,"  then  all  were  dead 
 in  sin  ;  all  sinful  therefore  ;  none  absolutely  righteous  in  them- 
 selves :  but  we  are  absolutely  righteous  in  Christ  ....  There 
 is  a  glorifying  righteousness  of  men  in  the  world  to  come,  as 
 
248 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  43. 
 
 there  is  a  justifying  and  sanctifying  righteousness  here.  The 
 righteousness,  wherewith  we  shall  be  clothed  in  the  world  to  come, 
 is  both  perfect  and  inherent :  that,  whereby  we  are  justified,  is 
 perfect ;  but  not  inherent :  that,  whereby  we  are  sanctified,  is 
 inherent,  but  not  perfect  ....  We  distinguish  the  righteous- 
 ness of  Sanctification,  a  thing  different  in  nature  from  the  righ- 
 teousness of  Justification :  we  are  righteous,  the  one  by  the 
 faith  of  Abraham  ;  the  other  way,  except  we  do  the  works  of 
 Abraham,  we  are  not  righteous  :  of  the  one,  S.  Paul — "  To  him, 
 that  worketh  not,  but  believeth,  faith  is  counted  for  righteous- 
 ness," (Rom.  iv.  5)  :  of  the  other,  S.  John — Quifacit  justitiam, 
 Justus  est.  He  is  righteous,  that  worketh  righteousness,  (1  S. 
 John  iii.  7)  :  of  the  one  S.  Paul  doth  prove  by  Abraham's  ex- 
 ample, that  we  have  it  of  faith  without  works  ;  of  the  other,  S. 
 James  by  Abraham's  example,  that  by  works  we  have  it,  and 
 not  only  by  faith.  S.  Paul  doth  plainly  sever  these  two  parts  of 
 Christian  righteousness,  one  from  the  other;  for  he  writeth 
 (Eom.  vi.  22),  "Being  freed  from  sin,  and  made  servants  to 
 God,  ye  have  your  fruit  in  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting 
 life;"  "Te  are  made  free  from  sin  and  made  servants  unto 
 God" — this  is  the  righteousness  of  Justification:  "Ye  have 
 your  fruit  in  holiness" — this  is  the  righteousness  of  Sanctifica- 
 tion. By  the  one  we  are  interested  in  the  right  of  inheriting ; 
 by  the  other  we  are  brought  to  the  actual  possession  of  Eternal 
 bliss  :  and  so,  "  the  end"  of  both  is  "  everlasting  life."  Hooker.* 
 (A  discourse  of  Justification,  &c.  s.  2,  6.) 
 
 Thelicht  of  Eevelation  shines  more  and  more.  It  is  a  Revelation 
 "from  faith  to  faith."  Daniel  speaks  of  our  shining  in  heaven, 
 like  the  stars  (xii.  3)  ;  Christ  speaks  of  our  shining,  like  the 
 Sun.     xi.  11 ;  S.  John  i.  40,  51.     J.  F. 
 
 Our  bodies,  which  now  imprison  and  eclipse  the  soul's  lustre,  shall 
 then  not  only  be  co-agile,  but,  like  a  crystalline  lanthorn,  trans- 
 parent and  coruscant ;  not  hiding,  but  by  a  radiant  concomi- 
 
 *  This  note  will  not  be  regarded,  as 
 an  unnatural  straining  of  the  sacred 
 text,  when  we  consider  that  Hooker 
 grounded  his  learned  Discourse  on  Jus- 
 tification on  the  simple  term  righteous, 
 
 as  employed  too  in  the  Old  Testament, 
 "  The  wicked  doth  compass  about  the 
 righteous:  therefore  perverse  judg- 
 ment doth  proceed^" — Habak.  i.  4. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  43,  44.  249 
 
 tancy  augmenting  the  other's  splendour.  For,  as  in  the  sun 
 there  is  the  containing  and  the  contained,  the  sphere  and  the 
 light,  yet  both  conspire  and  meet  in  a  height  of  brightness ;  or, 
 as  in  sounds,  strings  apart  musical,  being  struck  together,  pro- 
 duce a  harmony,  so,  though  the  body  and  soul  are  two  distinct 
 excellences,  yet  being  united  they  shall  mutually  convey  and 
 reflect  their  beauty,  conducing  to  and  efiectinga  joint  perfection 
 of  glory.  1  Thess.  v.  23.  Sir  James  Harington.  (Divine 
 Meditations  on  Faith.) 
 
 How  gloriously  bright  we  may  suppose  the  souls  of  men  will  be, 
 when  even  their  bodies  shall  be  as  resplendent,  as  the  stars  in 
 the  firmament !     Phil.  iii.  21.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 'Tis  a  marvellous  consolation  to  think  that  the  children  of  God, 
 now  oppressed  by  poverty,  or  sunk  in  obscurity,  or  even  loaded 
 with  obloquy,  shall  then  at  once  shine  forth  in  transparent 
 brightness,  as  seen  in  the  clear  light  of  heaven,  when  every  cloud 
 is  chased  away.  The  Son  of  God  shall  exalt  on  high  them, 
 that  are  His,  and  shall  wipe  off  every  stain,  which  as  yet  ob- 
 structs their  splendour,  xvii.  3 ;  Ps.  xxxvii.  6  ;  1  Cor.  iv,  5. 
 Calvin. 
 
 "  Cras  ero  lux^^ — Carolus  Rex.  (Anagram  by  Charles  I.  the  day 
 before  his  execution.)     Sir  J.  Balfour.     (Annals  of  Scotland.) 
 
 44  Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  trea- 
 sure hid  in  a  field ;  the  which  when  a  man  hath  found, 
 he  hideth,  and  for  joy  thereof  goeth  and  selleth  all  that 
 he  hath,  and  buyeth  that  field. 
 
 45  Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a 
 merchant-man,  seeking  goodly  pearls  : 
 
 46  Who,  when  he  had  found  one  pearl  of  great  price, 
 went  and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought  it. 
 
 44  When  our  Loed  proposes  the  parable  of  the  sower,  He  des- 
 cribes the  fruit,  which  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  usually  pro- 
 duces, according  to  the  various  dispositions  of  the  soil,  where 
 the  seed  of  the  Word  is  cast.     And  this  He  calls  the  "  mystery 
 
250  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  44. 
 
 of  the  Kingdom  of  God."  But  He  is  silent  on  the  subject  of 
 the  Blessedness  of  His  Saints.  When  however  He  adds  a 
 parable  of  the  tares,  He  briefly  touches  on  this,  speaking  of  the 
 wheat  to  be  gathered  into  the  Lord's  barn,  while  the  tares  were 
 to  be  bound  up  for  the  fire.  After  this,  in  narrating  the  para- 
 ble of  the  merchant,  seeking  goodly  pearls,  and  of  the  treasure, 
 hid  in  a  field.  He  more  clearly  illustrates  the  heavenly  Kingdom 
 by  a  pearl  and  a  treasure.  And  He  has  six  parables  to  this 
 effect.  Card.  Bellarmine.  (The  Saints'  Eternal  happiness.  B.  v. 
 Ch.  1.) 
 
 To  hide  the  treasure  found,  what  is  it  but  to  cover  received  grace 
 under  the  veil  of  humility,  and  not  to  be  puffed  up  with  the 
 light  sent  from  above,  nor  make  proud  boast  of  Divine  conso- 
 lations and  revelations  ;  lest  vain  glory  corrupt  the  truth  ?  S. 
 Paul  said,  "  It  was  not  expedient  for  him  to  glory,"  (2  Cor.  xii. 
 1,)  though  no  one  might  have  such  cause,  as  he  had  for  it ;  yet 
 he  speaks  there  of  a  man  "  caught  up  into  Paradise,"  as  if  it  had 
 not  been  of  himself;  and  not  that  mention  made  either,  till 
 "  fourteen  years  after."  Numb.  viii.  3,  8  ;  Gal.  i.  15—17. 
 Card.  Bellarmine.     (Ibid.     B.  v.  Ch.  i.) 
 
 It  is  a  sure  rule,  that  whatsoever  heights  of  piety,  union,  or  famili- 
 arity any  man  pretends  to,  it  is  of  the  Devil,  unless  the  greater 
 the  pretence  be,  the  greater  also  be  the  humility  of  the  man. 
 The  highest  flames  are  the  most  tremulous.  Gen.  xviii.  27  ; 
 Eph.  iii.  8;  1  Cor.  iii.  18;  viii.  2.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life  of 
 Chbist.     p.  1,  s.  5.) 
 
 From  the  first  time  that  the  impressions  of  religion  settled  deeply 
 in  his  mind,  he  used  great  caution  to  conceal  it,  not  only  in 
 obedience  to  the  rules,  given  by  our  Savioub,  of  fasting,  pray- 
 ing, and  giving  alms  in  secret ;  but  from  a  particular  distrust 
 he  had  of  himself :  for  he  said,  he  was  afraid  he  should  at  some 
 time  or  other  do  some  enormous  thing  ;  which,  if  he  were  looked 
 on,  as  a  very  religious  man,  might  cast  a  reproach  on  the  pro- 
 fession of  it  and  give  great  advantages  to  impious  men  to  blas- 
 pheme the  Name  of  God.  But  a  tree  is  known  by  its  fruits  ; 
 and  he  lived,  not  only  free  from  blemishes  or  scandal,  but  shined 
 in  all  the  parts  of  his  conversation.  And  perhaps  the  distrust 
 he  was  in  of  himself  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  purity  of  his 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  46.  251 
 
 life:  for  he  being  thereby  obliged  to  be  more  watchful  over 
 himself  and  to  depend  more  on  the  aids  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  no 
 wonder,  if  that  humble  temper  produced  those  excellent  effects 
 in  him.     Bp.  Burnefs  Life  of  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 
 46  The  good  treasure  and  the  good  pearl  is  Thy  heart,  O  good 
 LoED  Jesu,  which  in  digging  up  the  field  of  Thy  Body  we  have 
 found.  Who  will  throw  away  such  a  pearl  ?  Ps.  cxxix.  3  ; 
 S.  John  i.  45,     S.  Bernard. 
 
 The  pearl  is  white,  lucid,  solid,  pure,  smooth,  and  round.  Such 
 likewise  is  the  Humanity  of  Christ,  (and  much  more  His  Di- 
 vinity)— white,  for  innocence;  bright,  for  wisdom;  solid,  for 
 constancy ;  pure,  without  spot ;  smooth,  because  sweet  and 
 meek ;  and  round,  because  perfect  and  complete  in  every  re- 
 spect. Cant.  V.  9 — 16.  Card.  Bellarmine.  (On  the  Saints' 
 Eternal  happiness.     B.  v.  Ch.  2.) 
 
 The  Law  and  the  Prophets  are  goodly  pearls  ;  but  that  one  most 
 precious  pearl  is  the  knowledge  of  the  Satiour,  and  the  Sacra- 
 ment of  His  Passion,  and  the  mystery  of  His  Death.  The  mer- 
 chant-man, who  finds  this,  acts,  as  did  Paul.  Phil.  iii.  7 — 11. 
 S.  Jerome. 
 
 Went  and  sold. — Spiritual  joy  is  a  motive  and  stimulus  to  our  re- 
 nouncing the  world.     Heb.  xii.  2.     Bengel. 
 
 How  delightful  and  sweet  to  my  soul  is  the  privation  of  my  former 
 delight  in  things  of  no  value !  Et  quas  amittere  metus  erat,jam 
 dimittere  gaudium  fuit ;  and  what  joy  it  yielded  me  to  abandon 
 what  I  dreaded  most  to  lose  !  For  Thou  didst  cast  them  from 
 me,  Thou  true  and  chief  Delight,  and  didst  enter  Thyself  in 
 their  stead,  sweeter  to  my  soul  than  all  enjoyment.  S.  Luke 
 xix.  6,  8  ;  Eom.  vi.  21—23.    S.  Augustine.    (Confess,  lib.  ix.  c.  1.) 
 
 TJnio,  quem  prsecepit  emi  Servator  Iesus, 
 Hie  situs  est :  debet  non  aliunde  peti. 
 
 (Inscription  on  title  page  of  Jugge's 
 4to.  N".  Testament,  1552.) 
 
 47  Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  hke  unto  a 
 net,  that  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and  gathered  of  every 
 kind  : 
 
252  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  47. 
 
 48  Which,  when  it  was  full,  they  drew  to  shore,  and 
 sat  down,  and  gathered  the  good  into  vessels,  but  cast 
 the  bad  away. 
 
 49  So  shall  it  be  at  the  end  of  the  world  :  the  angels 
 shall  come  forth,  and  sever  the  wicked  from  among 
 the  just, 
 
 50  And  shall  cast  them  into  the  furnace  of  fire : 
 there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
 
 51  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Have  ye  understood  all 
 these  things?     They  say  unto  Him,  Yea,  Lord. 
 
 52  Then  said  He  unto  them,  Therefore  every  scribe 
 which  is  instructed  unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  is  like 
 unto  a  man  that  is  an  householder,  which  bringeth 
 forth  out  of  his  treasure  things  new  and  old. 
 
 47  The  Word  of  God,  according  to  the  sundry  effects  and  pro- 
 perties thereof,  hath  sundry  names.  For  example,  for  that  it  in- 
 creaseth  and  multiplieth,  it  is  called  "  seed ;"  for  that  it  cutteth 
 the  heart  and  divideth  the  flesh  from  the  spirit,  it  is  called  "  a 
 sword  ;"  for  that  it  taketh  and  incloseth  us  and  bringeth  us  to- 
 gether, it  is  called  "«  net ;"  for  that  it  washeth  us  clean,  it  is 
 called  water  ;  for  that  it  iniiameth  us,  it  is  called  "  fire  ;"  for 
 that  it  feedeth  us,  it  is  called  "  bread  ;"  and  even  so,  for  that  it 
 openeth  and  giveth  us  an  entry  into  the  house,  it  is  called  the 
 "key."  This  house  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  Christ  is  the 
 door  ;  the  Word  of  God  is  the  key.  Ps.  xix.  7 — 11 ;  cxix.  96. 
 Bp.  Jewell.     (Defence  of  the  Apology,  P.  ii.) 
 
 He  saith  elsewhere  that  the  Shepherd  Himself  separates  them 
 (xxv.  32)  ;  but  here  He  saith,  the  Angels  do  this  ;  and  so,  with 
 respect  to  the  tares,  v.  30.  How  then  is  it  ?  At  one  time  He 
 discourses  to  them  in  a  way,  more  suited  to  their  dulness  ;  at 
 another  time  in  a  higher  strain.  And  this  parable  He  interprets 
 without  so  much  as  being  asked  ;  but  of  His  own  accord  He 
 explained  it  by  one  part  of  it  and  increased  their  awe.  (S. 
 Chrysostom  had  just  before  called  it  a  fearful  parable,  (jjofteimv.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  51.  253 
 
 For,  lest  on  being  told,  TJie\j  cast  the  bad  away,  thou  shouldest 
 suppose  such  ruiu  to  be  without  danger,  by  His  interpretation 
 He  signified  the  punishment,  saying,  "  They  shall  cast  them  into 
 the  furnace  of  fire. ^^  And  He  declared  the  gnashing  of  teeth  and 
 the  anguish,  that  it  is  unspeakable.  Seest  thou  how  many  are 
 the  ways  of  destruction  ?  By  the  rock,  by  the  thorns,  by  the 
 way-side,  by  the  tares,  by  the  net.  Not  without  reason  there- 
 fore did  He  say,  "  Broad  is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  destruc- 
 tion, and  many  there  be  which  go  away  by  it."  Isa.  v.  14  ;  1  Cor. 
 vi.  9,  10.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 51  It  is  my  persuasion  that  the  Parables  in  this  Chapter  are  not 
 to  be  considered  disjointedly,  but  to  be  taken  together,  as  a 
 connected  series,  indicating,  progressively,  the  several  stages  of 
 advancement,  through  which  the  mystical  Kingdom  of  Christ 
 upon  earth  was  to  proceed  from  its  commencement  to  its  con- 
 summation. It  is  thus  supposed,  that  the  different  movements 
 of  the  Divine  scheme,  represented  by  the  diffei'ent  parables, 
 commence,  successively,  each  in  its  season :  but  it  is  not  sup- 
 posed, that  a  former  movement  ceases,  when  the  next  com- 
 mences. It  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  matter  of  obvious  certainty, 
 that  the  first  parable,  for  instance,  and  indeed  the  second  and  no 
 less  evidently  the  third,  though  succeeding  each  other  in  point 
 of  commencement,  can  have  no  other  termination  than  the  grand 
 denouement  of  the  mystical  drama.  .  .  .  The  first  parable  of  the 
 sower  gives  us  the  foundation,  on  which  all  the  sequel  of  effica- 
 cious mercy  to  man  must  depend.  Therefore  most  fi.tly  our 
 LoED  says,  in  S.  Mark's  Gospel,  to  His  disciples,  "  Know  ye  not 
 this  parable  ?  And  how  then  shall  ye  know  all  parables  ?" 
 Alex.  Knox.     (Eemains,  Vol.  i.  p.  408.) 
 
 Parables  possess  an  inward  marrow,  diflferent  from  what  their 
 exterior  form  would  lead  us  to  expect ;  and,  as  gold  is  sought 
 in  the  earth,  the  kernel  in  the  nut,  and  the  hidden  fruit  in 
 the  rough  coating  of  the  chesnut,  so  in  Parables  there  is  a 
 Divine  spirit  and  meaning,  which  we  must  explore.  S.  Jerome. 
 (in  Eccl.  xii.) 
 
 Have  ye  understood,  8(c. — 'Tis  now  time  that  every  tender,  open, 
 guilty  heart  begin  to  retire  into  itself;  every  man  consider, 
 whether  he  be  not  the  man  the  parable  aims  at ;  that  you  be 
 
254  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.    52. 
 
 uot  content  to  have  your  ears  affected,  or  the  suburbs  of  the 
 soul  filled  with  the  sound,  unless  also  the  heart  of  the  city  be 
 taken  with  its  efficacy,  xxvi.  22 ;  2  Sam,  xii.  7.  Dr,  Hammond. 
 (Serm.  Ezek.  xvi.  30.) 
 
 52  We  should  not  account  him  a  good  or  a  generous  house-keeper, 
 who  should  not  have  always  something  of  standing  provision  by 
 him,  so  as  never  to  be  surprised ;  but  that  he  should  still  be 
 able  to  treat  his  friend  at  least,  though  perhaps  not  always  pre- 
 sently to  feast  him.  So  the  Scribe,  here  spoken  of,  should  have 
 an  inward  lasting  fulness  and  sufficiency  to  support  and  bear 
 him  up,  especially  when  present  performance  urges  and  actual 
 preparation  cannot  be  but  short.  Thus,  it  is  not  the  oil  in  tlie 
 wick,  but  in  the  vessel,  that  must  feed  the  lamp.  The  former 
 indeed  may  cause  a  present  blaze  ;  but  it  is  the  latter,  that  must 
 give  a  lasting  light.  It  is  not  the  spending-money  a  man  has  in 
 his  pocket ;  but  his  hoards  in  the  chest  or  in  the  bank,  which 
 must  make  him  rich.  xxv.  3,  4 ;  Acts  xiii.  15  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  16, 
 17  ;  Col.  iii.  16.     Dr.  South.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 The  Priest  should  be  a  treasury  of  knowledge,  not  to  be  exhausted. 
 He  must  have  knowledge,  not  only  to  spend,  but  to  keep ;  not 
 like  those,  that  live  from  hand  to  mouth,  or  whose  stock  of 
 knowledge  is  quickly  spent  in  a  few  sermons  ;  but  he  must  have 
 something  still  reserved  and  laid  up  in  store.  .  .  .  He  must  keep 
 a  table  well  furnished  witli  provisions  of  all  sorts  and  kinds  for 
 all  comers.  Mai.  ii.  7  ;  Cant.  vii.  13  ;  1  Tim.  iii.  2 ;  Titus  i. 
 9.     Bp.  Bull.     (Visitation  Serm.  S.  James  iii.  1.) 
 
 Woe  !  to  the  unlearned  Clerick,  a  stranger  to  study,  sine  libris, 
 who  often  involves  himself  and  others  in  error.  For  a  Clerick 
 without  books  is  like  a  soldier  without  armour,  a  ship  without 
 oars,  a  bird  without  wings,  a  besieger,  ascensor,  without  ladders, 
 a  blind  man  without  a  guide.  Isa.  Ivi.  10.  T.  Kempis.  (Doc- 
 trinale  juvenum,  c.  vii.) 
 
 Concerning  tbe  hardness  of  Scripture,  he,  that  is  so  weak,  that  he 
 cannot  brook  "  strong  meat,"  yet  he  may  suck  the  sweet  and 
 tender  milk  and  defer  the  rest,  until  he  wax  stronger  and  come 
 to  more  knowledge.  For  God  receiveth  the  learned  and  un- 
 learned and  casteth  away  none ;  but  is  indifferent  unto  all. 
 And  the  Scripture  is  full,  as  well  of  low  valleys,  plain  ways,  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  54.  255 
 
 easy  for  every  man  to  use  and  to  walk  in ;  as  also  of  high  hills 
 and  mountains,  which  few  men  can  climb  unto.  And  whosoever 
 giveth  his  mind  to  holy  Scriptures  with  diligent  study  and 
 burning  desire,  it  cannot  be,  saith  S.  John  Chrysostom,  that  he 
 should  be  left  without  help.  For,  either  God  Almighty  will 
 send  him  some  godly  doctor  to  teach  him,  as  He  did  to  instruct 
 the  Eunuch  (Acts  viii.  29),  or  else,  if  we  lack  a  learned  man  to 
 instruct  and  teach  us,  yet  God  Himself  from  above  will  give 
 light  unto  our  minds  and  teach  us  those  things,  which  are  ne- 
 cessary for  us  and  wherein  we  be  ignorant.  Homilies.  (On 
 Beading  and  Knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  P.  ii.) 
 
 53  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Jesus  had 
 finished  these  parables,  He  departed  thence. 
 
 54  And  when  He  was  come  into  His  own  country, 
 He  taught  them  in  their  synagogue,  insomuch  that 
 they  were  astonished,  and  said,  Whence  hath  this  man 
 this  wisdom,  and  these  mighty  works  ? 
 
 55  Is  not  this  the  carpenter's  Son  ?  is  not  His  mother 
 called  Mary  ?  and  His  brethren,  James,  and  Joses,  and 
 Simon,  and  Judas  ? 
 
 56  And  His  sisters,  are  they  not  all  with  us  ? 
 Whence  then  hath  this  man  all  these  things  ? 
 
 57  And  they  were  offended  in  Him.  But  Jesus 
 said  unto  them,  A  prophet  is  not  without  honour,  save 
 in  his  own  country,  and  in  his  own  house. 
 
 58  And  He  did  not  many  mighty  works  there,  be- 
 cause of  their  unbelief. 
 
 54  How  very  small  a  matter  will  serve  to  overpower  the  strongest 
 evidence  of  our  religion,  (xi.  5,)  though  proposed  with  all  ima- 
 ginable advantage  to  us,  when  we  "hate  to  be  reformed,"  or  for 
 any  other  reason  have  no  mind  to  be  convinced  of  its  truth. 
 Isa.  xxvi.  10,  11 ;  S.  Luke  iv.  22—28  ;  S.  John  vi.  66.  Bp. 
 Hard.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
256  S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  55. 
 
 55  It  was  not  without  a  definite  mysterious  intention  that  the 
 LoED,  appearing  in  our  flesh,  was  pleased  to  be  called  and  re- 
 garded, as  a  carpenter  and  son  of  a  carpenter.  Per  rather  by 
 this  title  He  declared  Himself  "  a  Sou"  from  before  all  ages, 
 who  "in  the  beginning  Created  the  heavens  and  the  earth." 
 S.  John  i.  3,  10 ;  Heb.  i.  2.     Bede. 
 
 The  whole  mystery  of  Christ  was  made  up  of  power  and  weak- 
 ness. His  conception  was  by  the  Holt  Ghost,  miraculously, 
 of  a  pure  virgin ;  but  the  outside  mean,  His  mother  but  an 
 earthen  vessel,  the  spouse  of  a  poor  carpenter.  His  birth  made 
 known  and  published  by  an  Angel ;  there  is  the  heavenly  trea- 
 sure :  but  discovered,  not  to  the  great  ones  of  the  world,  but  to 
 poor  shepherds.  His  lodging  pointed  out  by  a  glorious  Star ; 
 and  yet  His  cradle  but  a  cratch.  His  nursery  but  a  stable. 
 Being  in  the  wilderness.  He  was  attended  by  Angels  ;  but  see 
 the  poor  outside,  He  was  "  among  the  wild  beasts."  (S.  Mark 
 i.  13.)  In  His  agony  He  was  full  of  trembling  and  horror ;  but 
 then  He  was  comforted  from  Heaven  by  an  Angel.  At  His 
 death  He  was  crucified  with  thieves ;  but  yet  the  powers  of 
 heaven  and  earth  trembled  at  it.  The  tidings  of  His  Resurrec- 
 tion first  published  by  an  Angel  ;  but  yet  sent  into  the  world 
 by  poor,  weak  women.  ...  A  carnal  eye  saw  nothing  in  Cheist, 
 but  weakness  and  infirmity ;  but  a  spiritual  eye  in  all  these  pas- 
 sages "  beheld  His  Griory,  as  the  Glory  of  the  only  Son  of  God." 
 The  Gospel  is  so  carried  by  God,  that  Infidelity  finds  occasion 
 to  stumble,  and  Faith  a  sure  foundation  to  stand.  (Horn.  i.  3,  4 ; 
 2  Cor.  iv.  7  ;  xiii.  4.)     Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  S.  Mark  xvi.  7.) 
 
 How  great  a  difference  there  is  between  the  prisoner  in  his  dun- 
 geon and  the  visitor,  that  has  come  to  see  him.  They  are  both 
 within  the  walls  of  the  dungeon.  One,  who  did  not  know,  might 
 suppose  them  under  equal  restraint ;  but  one  is  the  compassion- 
 ate visitor,  who  can  use  his  freedom,  when  he  will ;  the  other  is 
 fast  bound  there  for  his  offences.  So  great  is  the  difference  be- 
 tween Cheist,  the  compassionate  visitor  of  man,  and  man  him- 
 self, the  criminal  in  bondage  for  his  offences.  S.  John  i.  11 ; 
 xiv.  9.     8.  Augustine.     (In  1  S.  John,  tr.  2.) 
 
 When  the  Emperor  Julian  was  about  to  wage  war  against  the 
 Persians  and  had  threatened,  when  the  war  should  be  over,  bit- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIII.  57,  58. 
 
 257 
 
 terly  to  persecute  the  Christians,  insolently  mocking  the  car- 
 penter's  son,  as  one  quite  unable  to  succour  them,  Didymus,  an 
 Ecclesiastic,  pronounced  this  sentence  upon  him :  "  This  car- 
 penter^s  son  is  even  now  making  a  wooden  coffin  for  Julian  !"* 
 1  Kings  xxii.  24,  25,  28.     Sozomen.     (Hist.  Eccl.  Lib.  vi.  c.  2.) 
 
 57  Behold  the  manner,  in  which  worldly-minded  parents  feel  and 
 bestow  honour.  Happy  is  the  man,  who,  being  found  worthy  to 
 have  God  for  his  Fathee,  desires  nothing  else  but  a  heavenly 
 home.  Isa.  Ixiii.  16  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  17,  18 ;  Heb.  xi.  16.  Pet. 
 Chrysologus.     (Serm.  49.) 
 
 Not  only  Cheist,  who  is  the  Head  of  all  the  prophets,  but  Jere- 
 miah, Daniel,  and  the  other  lesser  prophets,  had  more  honour 
 and  regard  among  strangers  than  among  their  own  citizens. 
 S.  Luke  iv.  24 ;  S.  John  vii.  4.     Remigius. 
 
 58  Power,  whether  it  be  ascribed  to  God  or  man,  is  either  abso- 
 lute, or  ordinate.  Absolute  power  respects  the  simple  ability  of 
 acting ;  ordinate  power  respects  also  the  will  and  determination 
 to  act.  viii.  2 ;  S.  Mark  ix.  22.  Bp.  Hopkins.  (Expos,  of 
 the  Loed's  Prayer.) 
 
 Because  of  their  unbelief. — Neither  can  Satan  do  any  great  hurt 
 unto  the  Christian,  so  long  a.^  faith  is  upon  the  place.  S.  Luke 
 xxii.  32 ;  Eph.  vi.  16  ;  IS.  Pet.  v.  9.  Gurnall.  (On  the  Chris- 
 tian's Armour,  Ch.  2.) 
 
 Plus  est  bonitas  Dei,  quam  beneficentia.  The  benevolence  of  God 
 is  greater  than  His  beneficence.  Cheist' s  Blood  is  ever  on  the 
 flow,  though  there  be  few,  that  take  the  tide  and  are  carried 
 along  with  it.  We  will  not  suffer  Him  to  be  good ;  we  will  not 
 suffer  Him  to  be  merciful ;  we  will  not  suffer  Him  to  save  us. 
 xxiii.  37;  Eom.x.  21;  S.  JudeS.  Farindon.  (Serm.  Eom.  viii. 32.) 
 
 Augustine  fitly  compares  faith  to  the  open  mouth  of  a  vessel ;  but 
 he  says  that  unbelief  is  like  the  lid,  which  closes  up  the  mouth, 
 so  that  the  heavenly  liquid,  when  poured  out,  cannot  enter. 
 Ps.  Ixxxi.  10 ;  Isa.  vii.  9  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  1.     Calvin. 
 
 *  Julian  was  suddenly  stricken  in  the 
 breast  with  an  arrow,  said  to  have  been 
 from  heaven.  He  pulled  it  out,  and 
 finding  the  wound,  inflicted  by  it,  to  be 
 deadly,  he  cursed  the  Lord  ;  and  then 
 
 taking  some  of  the  blood  from  the 
 wound  he  threw  it  up  into  the  air,  ex- 
 claiming, Vicisti,  Galilael  "  O,  Thou 
 Christ  of  Galilee,  Thou  hast  con- 
 quered 1" 
 
258  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  1,  2. 
 
 CHAPTER  XIV. 
 
 A  T  that  time  Herod  the  tetrarch  heard  of  the  fame  of 
 Jesus. 
 
 2  And  said  unto  his  servants,  This  is  John  the 
 Baptist :  he  is  risen  from  the  dead :  and  therefore 
 mighty  works  do  show  forth  themselves  in  him. 
 
 3  For  Herod  had  laid  hold  on  John,  and  bound 
 him,  and  put  him  in  prison  for  Herodias'  sake,  his  bro- 
 ther Philip's  wife. 
 
 4  For  John  said  unto  him,  It  is  not  lawful  for  thee 
 to  have  her. 
 
 5  And  when  he  would  have  put  him  to  death,  he 
 feared  the  multitude,  because  they  counted  him  as  a 
 prophet. 
 
 1  Herodes  Magnus  pueros ;  Antipa  Joannem  ; 
 
 Teque,  Jacobe,  Agrippa  necat,  Petrum  et  capit  idem. 
 
 Acts  xii.  1 — 3. 
 2  John  was  a  voice,  crying  (iii.  3.)  Tou  cannot  kill  a  voice,  but, 
 like  that  of  Abel,  it  cries  the  louder,  being  freed  from  the  body. 
 (Gren.  iv.  10.)  And  so  did  John,  who,  as  he  once,  at  the  ap- 
 proach of  Christ,  sprang  in  the  womb  of  his  mother,  before  he 
 was  born  (S.  Luke  i.  44),  so  now,  at  the  fame  of  Chbist,  he 
 sprang  after  his  death  in  the  conscience  of  Herod ;  of  which 
 Herod  was  so  sensible  that  he  cries,  John  is  risen  from  the  dead. 
 And  when  his  parasites  would  quiet  him  with  tales  (that  it  was 
 Elias,  one  of  the  prophets,  or,  I  wot  not,  who) — S.  Mark  vi.  16 
 — he  cries  again,  It  is  John,  whom  I  beheaded !  he  is  risen  from 
 the  dead !  And  he  spake  truer,  than  he  was  aware  :  for  John 
 was  risen  in  Christ.  As  Christ  suffers  in  those,  that  be  His, 
 so  those,  that  suffer  for  Him,  arise  in  Him.  He  dies  in  them : 
 they  live  in  Him.     The  voice  indeed  was  gone ;  but  here  was 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XIV.  2—5.  259 
 
 that,  which  it  proclaimed — the  Eternal  Word,    Acts  ix.  4  ;  Rev. 
 
 vi.  9 — 11.   Wm.  Austin,  (Medit.  for  S.  John  Baptist's  Day,  p.  4.) 
 
 He   is   risen.  —  Sadduceism   staggers,    when    conscience    awakes. 
 
 xxii.  23  ;  viii.  29. 
 They  are  guilty  of  falsehood,  who  say  that  they  are  not  conscious  of 
 the  existence  of  a  God.    They  say  this  to  you,  but  not  to  them- 
 selves.   They  profess  it  in  the  daytime,  but  not  at  night.    The 
 consciousness  of  a  Supreme  Being  is  deep  rooted  in  their  hearts, 
 and  only  with  their  very  hearts  can  it  be  eradicated.    Seneca. 
 Such  is  the  way  with  sinners.     Every  thing  excites  their  sus- 
 picion ;  they  quake  at  every  shadow ;  they  start  at  every  noise  ; 
 they  look  upon  every  man,  as  an  enemy,     ii.  3 ;  1  Kings  xvii. 
 18  ;  Ps.  cxii.  7.     S,  Chrysostom. 
 Believe  it,  the  tales  of  ghosts  and  spectres  were  not  (as  is  com- 
 monly said)  the  mere  inventions  of  designing  men  to  keep  weak 
 minds  in  awe  ;  nor  the  products  only  of  a  religious  fear,  de- 
 generated into  melancholy  and  superstition  :  but  wicked  men, 
 haunted  with  a  sense  of  their  own  guilt,  were  used  to  affright 
 themselves  with  such  phantoms,  as  these,  and  often  mistook 
 strong  and  terrible  imaginations  for  real  apparitions.    Job  ix.  4  ; 
 1  Mace.  vi.  10 — 13.     Bp.  Atterbury.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 Si  strepitum  moti  dederit  mus  stramine  lecti, 
 
 Creditur  e  sylvis  exiluisse  leo. 
 Nocte  levis  quassa  si  murmuret  arbore  ventus, 
 
 Horrescunt  rigidae,  fronde  sonante,  comae. 
 Quid  faciant  subitis  si  fulminet  ignibus  aether, 
 
 Aut  sonet  sethereo  grandior  axe  fragor  ? 
 Pectora  coelesti  stupeant  perculsa  tumultu, 
 
 Et  flamma  metuent  dissiliente  peti. 
 Wisd.  xvii.     H.Hugo,     (Suspiria.  Vota  animae  sanctse,  iv.) 
 
 4  The  wound  of  conscience  cannot  be  healed  without  probing,  nor 
 probed  without  pain.  If  then  like  Herod,  you  have  some  par- 
 ticular sin,  for  which  you  cannot  bear  reproof,  you  are  deceiv- 
 ing yourself  by  supposing  your  joys  (S.  Mark  vi.  20)  are  a  proof 
 of  your  conversion,  xiii.  20,  21.  J,  Thornton.  (On  Eepent- 
 ance,  ch.  5.) 
 
 5  They  counted  him  as  a  prophet. — Justice  and  integrity  are  always 
 valuable,  because  they  cannot  easily  be  imitated.     Professions 
 
 82 
 
260  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  5. 
 
 of  religion  are  easily  made ;  religious  phraseology  is  soon  caught 
 and  copied  ;  the  Shibboleth  of  religious  party  may  admit  the  in- 
 dulgence of  irritating  and  unchristian  feelings ;  the  external 
 appearance  of  devotion  it  is  very  possible  to  assume :  but  real 
 honesty  of  character,  integrity  of  purpose,  and  justice,  unbend- 
 ing to  take  an  advantage  or  inflict  a  wrong,  is  neither  easy  to 
 be  attained,  nor  easy  to  be  counterfeited,  vii.  29  ;  xix.  18,  19  ; 
 Eom.  ii.  21,  22.  Bp.  Medleij.  (Serm.  Gen.  vi.  9.) 
 When  he  would  have  put  him  to  death. — Whither,  Alas !  do  our 
 passions  lead  us  ?  How  desperately  does  one  darling  sin  en- 
 gage into  others !  Deliver  us,  0  Loed,  in  the  first  beginnings 
 and  suffer  not  our  faults  to  become  strong  and  customary  (Acts 
 xii.  2,  3,)  lest  we  grow  at  length  to  despise  reproof  and  hate  our 
 reprover.  Herod  knew  John  to  be  just ;  yet  kept  him  in  prison. 
 He  "  heard  him  gladly;"  yet  cut  off  his  head.  Nothing  is  so 
 embroiled,  as  a  wicked  life  ;  nothing  so  full  of  contradictions,  as 
 a  wicked  conscience.  (Prov.  ii.  12 — 16.)  Deliver  us,  O  Loed, 
 from  darling  sins,  which  keep  us  irrecoverably  chained  to  hell, 
 though  the  chain  may  seem  never  so  long.  Prov.  iv.  23,  24. 
 Austin.     (Med.  45.) 
 
 6  But  when  Herod's  birthday  was  kept,  the  daugh- 
 ter of  Herodias  danced  before  them,  and  pleased  Herod. 
 
 7  Whereupon  he  promised  with  an  oath  to  give  her 
 whatsoever  she  would  ask. 
 
 8  And  she,  being  before  instructed  of  her  mother, 
 said,  Give  me  here  John  Baptist's  head  in  a  charger. 
 
 9  And  the  king  was  sorry :  nevertheless  for  the 
 oath's  sake,  and  them  which  sat  with  him  at  meat,  he 
 commanded  it  to  be  given  her. 
 
 10  And  he  sent,  and  beheaded  John  in  the  prison. 
 
 11  And  his  head  was  brought  in  a  charger,  and 
 given  to  the  damsel :  and  she  brought  it  to  her  mother. 
 
 12  And  his  disciples  came,  and  took  up  the  body, 
 and  buried  it,  and  went  and  told  Jesus. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  6.  261 
 
 6  Mira  coUusio  ;  sal  tat  Diabolus  per  puellam.  Here  is  a  wonder- 
 ful under-plot.  The  devil  dances  in  the  person  of  this  damsel. 
 Gen.  iii.  1 ;  1  Kings  xxii.  22.      Theophylact. 
 
 Dancing  in  itself,  as  it  is  a  set,  regular,  harmonious  motion  of  the 
 body,  cannot  be  unlawful,  more  than  walking  or  running.  Cir- 
 cumstances may  make  it  sinful.  Ex.  xxxii.  19 ;  1  Cor.  x.  7, 
 Bp.  Hall. 
 
 "When  I  see  an  afflicted  and  an  unhappy  man,  I  say  to  myself, 
 there  is  perhaps  a  man,  whom  the  world  would  envy,  if  they 
 knew  the  value  of  his  sorrows,  which  are  possibly  intended  only 
 to  soften  his  heart  and  to  turn  his  affections  towards  their 
 proper  centre.  But,  when  I  see  or  hear  of  a  crowd  of  volup- 
 tuaries, who  have  no  ears  but  for  music,  no  eyes  but  for  splen- 
 dour, and  no  tongue  but  for  impertinence  and  folly,  I  say — or 
 at  least  I  see  occasion  to  say — This  is  madness.  This,  if  per- 
 sisted in,  must  have  a  tragical  conclusion.  It  will  condemn 
 you,  not  only  as  Christians,  unworthy  of  the  name,  but  as  in- 
 telligent creatures.  Tou  know  by  the  light  of  nature,  if  you 
 have  not  quenched  it,  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  a  life,  like 
 your's,  cannot  be  according  to  His  will.  Isa.  v.  11,  12  ;  Amos 
 vi.  1 — 6.     Cowper.     (Letters,  44.  Hayley.) 
 
 Respecting  amusements  in  general,  it  would  be  well  for  all  persons, 
 and  especially  for  those,  who  yet  retain  the  freshness  and  inno- 
 cence of  youth,  to  regard  the  sage  counsel  of  Lactantiua. 
 (Divin.  Inst.  lib.  iv.  c.  21.)  "  He,  that  is  studious  of  truth, 
 he,  that  is  not  willing  to  deceive  himself,  let  him  cast  away 
 those  noxious  and  unfriendly  pleasures,  which  chain  down  the 
 soul,  as  luxurious  food  subjugates  the  body.  Let  things  true 
 be  preferred  to  things  false  ;  things  Eternal  to  things  momen- 
 tary ;  things  useful  to  things  agreeable.  Let  nothing  be  grate- 
 ful to  thy  sight,  which  thou  mayest  not  justly  and  piously  be- 
 hold ;  nothing  pleasant  to  thine  ear,  which  doth  not  nourish 
 thy  soul  and  render  thee  a  better  man.  True  pleasure  is  the 
 companion  and  associate  of  virtue.  This  is  a  pleasure  not  frail 
 and  fleeting,  like  the  base  pursuits  of  men  imbruted  and  en- 
 slaved to  the  body ;  but  solid,  and  perpetual,  and  delighting 
 without  pause  or  intermission."  1  Tim.  v.  6  ;  Prov.  iii.  13 — 20. 
 S.  John  iv.  13, 14.  Bp.  Jebb.  (Note  to  Serm.  on  Isa.  Iviii.  13, 14.) 
 
263  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  7,  9. 
 
 7  It  is  frequent  with  mauy,  upon  every  slight  and  trivial  demand, 
 to  pawn  their  reputation  ;  a  most  inconsiderate  thing.  For 
 what  is  so  often  lent,  and  passeth  so  many  hands  upon  every 
 occasion,  cannot  but  lose  much  of  its  lustre  and  receive  soil.  v. 
 37 ;  S.  Jas.  v.  12.     Lord  Capel.     (Contemplations,  97.) 
 
 9  The  days  of  pleasure  are  often  the  Vigils  of  Eepentance.  S. 
 Luke  XV.  14 — 17 ;  Hom.  vi.  21 ;  S.  Jas.  iv.  9.     Gratian. 
 
 God  hath  ordained  it,  and  so  it  is :  all  inordinate  lust  is  its  own 
 punishment.  Gen.  xxv.  32  ;  xxx.  1 ;  xxxv.  16 — 18  ;  1  Sam. 
 viii.  19.     S.  Augustine.     (Confessions,  B.  i.  ch.  12.) 
 
 No  man  is  so  straitened  between  two  sins,  but,  without  commit- 
 ting a  third,  he  may  get  forth.  Herod  thought  he  could  not ; 
 and  therefore,  being  in  a  strait  betwixt  murder  and  perjury, 
 thought  he  could  have  no  issue,  but  by  putting  John  Baptist  to 
 death.  It  was  not  so :  for  having  sworn,  and  his  oath  proving 
 unlawful,  if  he  had  repented  him  of  his  unadvisedness  in  swear- 
 ing and  gone  no  further,  he  had  had  his  issue  without  any  new 
 offence.  If  we  have  sworn  rashly,  poenitenda  promissio,  non  per- 
 ficienda  prcesumptio.  "We  must  repent  of  our  promise  and  by 
 no  means  do  the  presumptuous  thing.  Esther  v.  3 — 6  ;  vii.  2  ; 
 1  Sam.  xxv.  22 — 24.     Bp.  Andrewes.     (Serm.  on  Jer.  iv.  2.) 
 
 Let  not  Sacramentum  pietatis  be  vinculum  iniquitatis,  the  badge  of 
 religion  be  the  bond  of  wickedness  ;  or  haply,  hast  thou  sworn 
 already  ?  Look  at  the  Law,  not  at  thine  oath.  Pray  God  to 
 pardon  thee,  for  taking  it ;  double  not  thy  sin  by  fulfilling  it. 
 Bind  not  two  sins  together  ;  and  the  latter  error,  too,  "  worse 
 than  the  first."     Dr.  Rd.  Gierke.     (Serm.  Jer.  iv.  2.) 
 
 Etsi  in  vovendo  stultus,  in  reddendo  impius.  If  we  have  been  foolish 
 enough  to  vow,  we  must  not  be  so  impious,  as  to  keep  it.  Judg. 
 xi.  30  ;  Acts  xxiii.  12.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 "Worldly  honour,  instead  of  being  a  finer  form  of  moral  life,  may 
 be  more  truly  described  as  the  shadow,  or  ghost,  of  virtue  de- 
 ceased.    S.  T.  Coleridge.     (The  Friend.) 
 
 "With  the  ungodly  ^^fear  is  on  every  side."  Herod  fears  the  re- 
 surrection of  John  (v.  2.)  He  "  fears  the  multitude,"  (v.  5,) 
 the  very  subjects  of  his  power,  whose  duty  it  rather  was  to  fear 
 him.  He  fears  now  his  own  friends  and  courtiers.  Thus  does 
 an  unprincipled  life  unnerve  and  unfit  a  man  for  the  discharge 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  11,  12.  263 
 
 of  public  duties,  and  make  even  the  social  comforts  of  life  a 
 snare  and  trouble  to  him.  ii.  3  ;  xxvii.  24 ;  Ps.  xxvi.  1 — 3  ; 
 Prov.  xxix.  25.     J.  F. 
 
 11  "Why  in  a  charger  ?  Why  dost  thou  so  honourably  present 
 what  so  vilely  thou  didst  destroy,  unless  it  be  to  show  that 
 "  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  Death  of  His  Saints  ?" 
 S.  Luke  xvi.  22.     Pet.  Chi-ysologus.     (Serm.  174.) 
 
 When  the  holy  servants  of  God  remove  out  of  the  body,  the 
 choirs  of  Angels  take  up  their  souls  unto  their  own  side,  unto 
 the  pure  Eternal  world,  and  so  bring  them  unto  the  Loed.  Heb. 
 xii.  22 ;   S.  Luke  xvi.  22.    Macarius.     (Spiritual  Homilies,  22.) 
 
 His  coffin  is  his  pulpit;  his  grave  is  his  temple;  and  he  still 
 teaches  you,  though  he  says  never  a  word.  Now  he  is  in  hea- 
 ven, he  lives  in  his  good  name  upon  earth  ;  as,  when  he  was 
 upon  earth,  he  lived  by  his  good  heart  in  heaven.  Death  has 
 but  done  us  a  courtesy  in  breaking  the  box,  to  make  the  pre- 
 cious ointment  of  his  fame  to  have  a  more  fragrant  and  diffusive 
 savour.  S.  Mark  xiv.  3 — 8  ;  Heb.  xi.  4  ;  xiii.  7.  B.  Riveley. 
 (Serm.  preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Bp.  Heynolds.) 
 
 12  Refer  to  iii.  17.     Commirius. 
 
 Incesto  ante  tamen  debes  crudele  tyranno 
 Ludibrium.     Video  mensas,  quas  potus  equino 
 Sanguine  Massagetes  Hircanique  accola  ponti 
 Horreat.     Heu  !  fractos  lasciva  puella  per  artem 
 Emollire  gradus,  et  brachia  docta  movere 
 Ad  numeros,  madida  saltatrix  saevit  in  aula 
 Turpis  ;  et  in  pretium  ludi  petit  impia  mortem 
 Vatis :  marmoreoque  caput  cervice  recisum 
 Pert  disco,  infandae  gratissiraa  munera  matri. 
 Haec  vultus,  primdque  oculos  in  morte  natantes, 
 Oraque,  adhuc  tacita  Venerem  damnantia  voce 
 Illicitam,  digitis  tractare  immitibus  audet ; 
 Dira  et  pungit  acu,  vetitos  ne  turbet  amores  ; 
 Terrificamque  jubet  servare  silentia  linguam. 
 
 Joan.  Commirius.     (Carm.  Lib.  ii.) 
 We  have  a  very  affecting  proof,  in  this  incident,  that  the  distrust  and 
 jealousy,  with  which  John's  disciples  once  regarded  the  Ministry 
 of  our  Blessed  Loed,  was  now  perfectly  removed.     That  "  root 
 
264  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  12. 
 
 of  bitterness  "  was  plucked  up.  (See  at  S.  John  iii.  26.)  No- 
 thing more  calms  our  animosities,  more  reduces  our  minds  to 
 reason  and  moderation,  more  disposes  us  to  peace  and  charity, 
 than  a  sanctified  affliction.  Here  we  learn,  moreover,  that  it  is 
 the  duty  and  privilege  of  the  Church,  when  under  any  suffering 
 and  persecution,  to  go  and  tell  Jesus  :  and,  more  particularly, 
 on  our  losing  a  faithful  and  beloved  Minister,  that  we  must  go 
 and  tell  Jesus,  that  He  may  comfort  our  hearts  under  the 
 sad  bereavement,  and  provide  a  like-minded  successor  to  have 
 a  care  for  our  souls.  Gren.  xlii.  21,  22  ;  Heb.  xiii,  7,  8.  J.  F. 
 The  loss  of  my  friend,  as  it  shall  moderately  grieve  me,  so  it  shall 
 another  way  much  benefit  me,  in  recompense  of  his  want:  for  it 
 shall  make  me  think  more  often  and  seriously  of  earth  and 
 heaven  ;  of  earth,  for  his  body,  which  is  reposed  in  it ;  of  heaven, 
 for  his  soul,  which  possesseth  it  before  me :  of  earth,  to  put  me 
 in  mind  of  my  like  frailty  and  mortality ;  of  heaven,  to  make 
 me  desire,  and,  after  a  sort,  emulate  his  happiness  and  glory, 
 Eccles.  vii.  2 — 4  ;  Heb.  xi.  4 ;  Acts  ix.  39.  Bjo.  Hall.  (Medi- 
 tations and  Yews,  Cent.  ii.  70.) 
 
 13  When  Jesus  heard  of  it,  He  departed  thence  by 
 ship  into  a  desert  place  apart :  and  when  the  people 
 had  heard  thereof,  they  followed  Him  on  foot  out  of 
 the  cities. 
 
 14  And  Jesus  went  forth,  and  saw  a  great  multi- 
 tude, and  was  moved  with  compassion  toward  them, 
 and  He  healed  their  sick. 
 
 15  And  when  it  was  evening,  His  disciples  came  to 
 Him,  saying,  This  is  a  desert  place,  and  the  time  is 
 now  past  J  send  the  multitude  away,  that  they  may  go 
 into  the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  victuals. 
 
 16  But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  They  need  not  de- 
 part ;  give  ye  them  to  eat. 
 
 17  And  they  said  unto  Him,  We  have  here  but  five 
 loaves,  and  two  fishes. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  17,  19.  265 
 
 18  He  said,  Bring  them  hither  to  Me. 
 
 19  And  He  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit  down 
 on  the  grass,  and  took  the  five  loaves,  and  the  two 
 fishes,  and  looking  up  to  heaven.  He  blessed,  and 
 brake,  and  gave  the  loaves  to  His  disciples,  and  the 
 disciples  to  the  multitude. 
 
 20  And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were  filled :  and  they 
 took  up  of  the  fragments  that  remained  twelve  baskets 
 full. 
 
 21  And  they  that  had  eaten  were  about  five  thou- 
 sand men,  beside  women  and  children. 
 
 17  S.  Hilary  conjectures  that  the  Jive  loaves  represented  the  Five 
 Books  of  Moses,  and  the  two  fishes  the  preaching  of  the  Pro- 
 phets and  of  John  the  Baptist,  Supposing  this,  we  may  con- 
 sider, with  Emanuel  Sa,  that  Christ's  private  exposition  of  the 
 Scriptures  to  His  disciples,  of  which  we  read  in  the  last  chapter, 
 prepared  and  qualified  them  for  rightly  administering  to  the 
 people  that  spiritual  food,  which  the  Loed  had  first  given  to 
 themselves,     xiii.  52.     J.  F. 
 
 19  Gave  the  loaves  to  His  disciples,  ^c. — Let  that  be  esteemed  a 
 true  Eucharist,  which  is  administered  by  the  Bishop,  or  by  one 
 appointed  by  him.  Eor  where  the  Bishop  appears,  there  let  the 
 people  be ;  just  as  where  Christ  is,  there  is  the  Catholic 
 Church.  It  is  not  lawful  to  Baptize,  or  to  celebrate  a  love-feast, 
 apart  from  the  Bishop.  Acts  x.  48.  S.  Ignatius.  (Ep.  ad 
 Smyrnseos,  s.  viii.) 
 
 The  miraculous  food,  which  the  Apostles  dispensed,  neither  gained 
 nor  lost  any  portion  of  the  virtue,  which  Christ  had  infused 
 into  it,  through  their  personal  merits  or  demerits  ;  but  increased 
 and  grew,  and  nourished  and  sustained  those,  who  received  it 
 from  the  hands  of  the  traitor  Judas,  as  effectually,  as  that, 
 which  was  distributed  by  S.  Peter,  or  the  beloved  Apostle  him- 
 self. .  .  .  And,  if  we  would  receive  the  gifts  of  grace  aright, 
 evident  it  is  that  we  must  seek  them  in  the  way  of  Christ's 
 appointment ;  looking  not  in  the  smallest  degree  to  the  personal 
 
266  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  19,  20. 
 
 worthiness  of  the  miuister,  but  wholly  and  solely  to  Him,  from 
 whom  the  Sacraments  derive  all  their  efficiency  and  virtue,  and 
 who  alone  is  able  to  bless  them  to  the  strengthening  and  re- 
 freshing of  our  souls.  1  Cor.  iii.  4,  5  ;  S.  Jude  16.  Bean  Lowe. 
 (Serm.  S.  John  vi.  14.) 
 
 Oh,  the  ecstatic  entertainment,  when  they  could  behold  their  food 
 immediately  increase  to  the  distributor's  hand  and  see  their 
 God  in  person  feeding  and  refreshing  His  creatures  !  O  envied 
 happiness  !  But  why  do  I  say  envied,  as  if  our  God  did  not 
 still  preside  over  our  temperate  meals,  cheerful  hours,  and  inno- 
 cent conversations  ?  Sir  R.  Steele.  (The  Christian  hero, 
 ch.  2.) 
 
 He  blessed. — (xv.  36 ;  gave  thanks.)  'Tis  a  general  fault,  that  the 
 most  common  and  frequent,  the  most  obvious  and  conspicuous 
 favours  of  God,  the  constant  rising  of  the  sun  upon  us,  the  de- 
 scent of  fruitful  showers,  the  recourse  of  temperate  seasons,  the 
 continuance  of  our  life,  the  enjoyment  of  health,  the  providen- 
 tial dispensations  of  wealth  and  competent  means  of  livelihood, 
 the  daily  protection  from  incident  dangers,  the  helps  of  im- 
 proving knowledge,  obtaining  virtue,  becoming  happy,  and  such 
 like  excellent  benefits,  we  commonly  little  mind  or  regard ;  and 
 consequently  seldom  return  due  thanks  for  them.  Ps.  Ixxviii. 
 34,  35.     Dr.  Barrow.     (Serm.  Eph.  v.  20.) 
 
 20  Every  Apostle  brought  his  basket,  it  seems,  after  the  usual 
 manner  of  the  Jews  (a  custom,  observed  by  Juvenal  in  his  Third 
 Satire),  as  often  as  they  went  any  journey  far  from  the  towns. 
 (v.  15.)  In  these  baskets  they  were  wont  to  carry  bread  with 
 them.     xvi.  7  ;  S.  Mark  viii.  14.     Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 Each  single  Apostle  fills  his  basket  with  the  relics  of  the  Savioue's 
 feast,  either  to  have  wherewithal  to  give  food  to  the  Gentiles,  or 
 to  prove  by  the  means  of  the  relics  themselves  that  they  were 
 real  loaves,  that  were  multiplied.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 22  And  straightway  Jesus  constrained  His  disciples 
 to  get  into  a  ship,  and  to  go  before  Him  unto  the 
 other  side,  while  He  sent  the  multitudes  away. 
 
 23  And  when  He  had  sent  the  multitudes  away,  He 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  23.  267 
 
 went  up  into  a  mountain  apart  to  pray :  and  wlien  the 
 evening  was  come,  He  was  there  alone. 
 
 24  But  the  ship  was  now  in  the  midst  of  the  sea, 
 tossed  with  waves :  for  the  wind  was  contrary. 
 
 25  And  in  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night  Jesus 
 went  unto  them,  walking  on  the  sea. 
 
 26  And  when  the  disciples  saw  Him  walking  on  the 
 sea,  they  were  troubled,  saying.  It  is  a  spirit ;  and  they 
 cried  out  for  fear. 
 
 27  But  straightway  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying, 
 Be  of  good  cheer ;  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid. 
 
 23  The  Redeemer  of  mankind  in  tbe  day-time  exhibits  His  mira- 
 cles in  cities,  and  spends  the  night  in,  devotion  to  prayer  upon 
 the  mountain ;  that  He  may  teach  all  perfect  preachers,  that 
 they  should  neither  entirely  leave  the  active  life  from  love  of 
 the  speculative,  nor  wholly  slight  the  joys  of  contemplation 
 from  excess  in  working  ;  but  in  quiet  imbibe  by  contemplation, 
 what  in  employment  they  may  pour  back  to  their  neighbours  by 
 word  of  mouth,  xxvi.  39,  40;  Eom.  xii.  11.  S.  Gregory. 
 (Moral,  vi.  s.  56.) 
 
 (Conf.  S.  Mark  i.  35.)  If  our  Blessed  Loed  used  to  pray  early 
 before  day  ;  if  He  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer  ;  if  the  devout 
 Anna  was  day  and  night  in  the  Temple ;  if  S.  Paul  and  Silas 
 "  at  midnight  sang  praises  unto  God  ;"  if  the  primitive  Chris- 
 tians, for  several  hundred  years,  besides  their  hours  of  prayer  in 
 the  day-time,  met  publicly  in  the  Churclies  at  midnight  to  join 
 in  psalms  and  prayers,  is  it  not  certain,  that  these  practices 
 showed  the  state  of  their  hearts  ?  Are  they  not  so  many  plain 
 proofs  of  the  whole  turn  of  their  minds  ?  And,  if  you  live  in  a 
 contrary  state,  wasting  great  part  of  every  day  in  sleep,  think- 
 ing any  time  soon  enough  to  be  at  your  prayers ;  is  it  not 
 equally  certain,  that  this  practice  as  much  shows  the  state  of 
 your  heart  and  the  whole  turn  of  your  mind  ?  xx.  1 ;  xxvi.  40. 
 Law.     (Serious  Call,  &c.,  ch.  14.) 
 
 O  soliiudo,  in  qiid  Deus  cum  Suis  familiariter  loquitur  et  conver- 
 
268  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  23—27. 
 
 satur !  0  solitude,  the  time  for  God's  familiarly  talking  with 
 His  own,  and  conversing  with  them  !  xi.  28  ;  Gen.  xlv.  1 ;  Ps. 
 Ixiii.  title ;  Hos.  ii.  14.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 There  is  no  doubt  but  'prayer  is  needful  daily,  ever  profitable  and 
 at  all  times  commendable.  If  it  be  for  ourselves  alone,  'tis  ne- 
 cessary ;  and  'tis  charitable,  when  for  others.  Prayer  should  be 
 the  key  of  the  day  and  the  lock  of  the  night.  At  night  it  is 
 our  covering;  in  the  morning  it  is  our  armour:  so  at  all  times 
 it  defends  us  from  the  malice  of  Satan,  our  own  subordinations 
 and  betrayings,  the  unequal  weather  the  world  assaults  us  with, 
 and  preserves  us  in  the  favour  and  esteem  of  heaven.  Ps.  cxxxii. 
 1—5 ;  cxix.  148 ;  cxliii.  8 — 12 ;  1  Sam.  xiii.  12.  O.  Feltham. 
 (Eesolves.  Cent.  ii.  59.) 
 
 When  the  evening  was  come,  ^c. — 
 
 PEECATIO   YESPEETINA. 
 
 Ante  finitse,  Deus  alme,  lucis 
 Terminum  fusd  prece  supplicamus, 
 Nos  ut  assueto  tueare  custos 
 
 Semper  amore. 
 Somnia  a  nobis  procul  atra  cedant ; 
 Terreant  motam  neque  spectra  mentem  : 
 Neu  soporati  maculemur,  hostem 
 
 Comprime  vafrum. 
 Hoc  Pater  rerum  venerande  prsesta, 
 Per  Tuum  Natum  Dominumque  nostrum, 
 Quo  fit,  ut  totum  modereris  orbem 
 Elamine  Sancto, 
 Salm.  Macrinus.     (Leviter  immutatum. 
 Hymn.  Lib.  iii.) 
 25  Our  LoED  descending  from  the  mountain  went  and  walked 
 upon  the  sea ;  to  show  unto  us  the  admirable  effects  of  holy 
 prayer,  and  the  singular  comfort  received  therein,  to  be  so  great, 
 as  to  encourage  and  embolden  the  man  of  prayer  to  set  upon 
 any  hard  and  difficult  thing,     xxvi.  44,  46  ;    Ps.  Ivi.  9 — 13. 
 (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and  others,  ch.  40.) 
 27  Light  is  the  great  source  of  blessing  in  the  natural  world,  Love 
 in  the  moral.    The  excellencies  of  both  are  united  in  the  Divine 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  27.  269 
 
 Nature.  God  is  Light,  and  God  is  Love.  A  slavish  and  super- 
 stitious fear  of  God,  proceeds,  therefore,  from  a  misapprehension 
 of  Him  ;  as  when  the  disciples  saw  Jestjs  walking  upon  the  sea, 
 and  knew  not  who  it  was,  they  were  scared  with  the  appearance  ; 
 and  accordingly  our  Loed,  to  take  off  their  fear,  only  made 
 Himself  better  known  to  them — It  is  I,  says  He,  be  not  a/raid. 
 Ps.  Ixxvii.  3  ;  S.  John  xiv.  1.  Bp.  Home.  (Memoirs,  &c.,  by 
 Eev.  Wm,  Jones.     Appendix.) 
 
 It  is  no  uncommon  thing,  even  now,  for  those,  who  profess  that 
 they  know  Christ,  to  be  so  utterly  perplexed,  when  trouble 
 comes  upon  them,  as  to  regard  even  Christianity  itself  to  be 
 something  visionary.  Ut  res  Christiana  eis  tunc  quasi  phan- 
 tasma  quoddam  videatur.  Ps.  cxvi.  10 ;  and  Ixxiii.  21.  Isid. 
 Clarius. 
 
 We  follow  Him  with  fear  and  distrust  through  the  deep  waters  of 
 affliction,  though  those  waters  are  "  a  wall  unto  us  on  the 
 right  hand  and  on  the  left."  Exod.  xiv.  22 ;  Isa.  xliii.  2.  Bp. 
 Medley. 
 
 28  And  Peter  answered  Him  and  said,  Lord,  if  it 
 be  Thou,  bid  me  come  unto  Thee  on  the  water. 
 
 29  And  He  said,  Come.  And  when  Peter  was  come 
 down  out  of  the  ship,  he  walked  on  the  water,  to  go 
 to  Jesus. 
 
 30  But  when  he  saw  the  wind  boisterous,  he  was 
 afraid  ;  and  beginning  to  sink,  he  cried,  saying.  Lord, 
 save  me. 
 
 31  And  immediately  Jesus  stretched  forth  His 
 hand,  and  caught  him,  and  said  unto  him,  O  thou  of 
 little  faith,  wherefore  didst  thou  doubt  ? 
 
 32  And  when  they  were  come  into  the  ship,  the 
 wind  ceased. 
 
 33  Then  they  that  were  in  the  ship  came  and  wor- 
 shipped Him,  saying,  Of  a  truth  Thou  art  the  Son  of 
 God. 
 
270  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  28—30. 
 
 34  And  when  they  were  gone  over,  they  came  into 
 the  land  of  Gennesaret. 
 
 35  And  when  the  men  of  that  place  had  knowledge 
 of  Him,  they  sent  out  into  all  that  country  round 
 about,  and  brought  unto  Him  all  that  were  diseased  ; 
 
 36  And  besought  Him  that  they  might  only  touch 
 the  hem  of  His  garment :  and  as  many  as  touched 
 were  made  perfectly  whole. 
 
 28  Eaitli  is  nothing  else,  but  the  soul's  venture.  It  ventures  to 
 Chbist,  in  opposition  to  all  legal  terrors.  It  ventures  on 
 Cheist,  in  opposition  to  all  our  own  guiltiness.     It  ventures 
 
 for  Chkist,  in  opposition  to  all  difficulties  and  discouragements. 
 Wm.  Bridge. 
 
 Bid  me  come,  8(c.  Beginning  to  sink. — Presumption  and  despair 
 are  the  two  rocks,  'twixt  which  all  Christians  ought  to  steer  an 
 even  course  and  so  avoid  the  one,  as  not  to  dash  upon  the 
 other.  'Tis  perhaps  the  greatest  secret  of  the  devil's  art :  he 
 first  inclines  us  to  presume ;  and,  we  no  sooner  see  the  danger 
 of  it,  but  he  tempts  us  to  despair.  Thus  he  commences  ;  thus 
 he  finishes  his  work.  iv.  3,  6 ;  Heb.  xii.  5.  A  Contrite  heart. 
 (P.  iii.  s.  1.) 
 
 It  was  Peter's  faith,  not  his  body,  which  enabled  him  to  walk  on 
 the  waters.  Super  aquas  non  ambulabat  Petri  corpus,  sed  fides. 
 S.  Ambrose. 
 
 Alas  !  Peter,  thou  knowest  not  thine  own  heart.  It  is  but  like  a 
 quiet  sea ;  when  the  wind,  the  temptation,  shall  blow,  thou  wilt 
 be  quickly  troubled  and  find  an  alteration  :  thy  tide  will  turn, 
 and  the  ebb  of  thy  zeal  will  flow.  xxvi.  33,  35 ;  Ps.  xxx.  6  ; 
 and  Ixxviii.  9,  10.     Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 29  Caica  mare,  ne  mergaris  a  mari. — Tread  on  the  sea,  lest  it 
 drown  you.  Ps.  Ix.  12  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  9.  S.  Augustine.  (In  Ps. 
 xxxix.  6.) 
 
 He  was  not  reproved  for  venturing  out  of  the  ship,  but  for  not  per- 
 severing in  faith.  He  entered  upon  the  trial ;  well :  but  he  ought 
 to  have  gone  on.    S.  Luke  xiv.  30  ;  Gal.  iii.  3,  4 ;  v.  7,  8.   Bengel. 
 
 30  Peter  walking  upon  the  water  suffered  no  evil  by  the  water, 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XIV.  30,  31.  271 
 
 but  by  the  wind,  which  indeed  began  to  drown  him  ;  to  teach 
 all  those,  who  by  true  contempt  tread  under  their  feet  the 
 pleasures  of  the  world,  that  yet  they  ought  to  fear  the  wind 
 of  vain  glory,  which  sometime  sinketh  those  in  their  poverty, 
 which  it  could  not  do  in  their  prosperity,  vi.  1,  2 ;  S.  Luke 
 xvii.  10.     (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bonaventure  and  others,  ch.  40.) 
 
 It  is  very  hard  for  the  best  man,  in  a  sudden  extremity  of  death, 
 to  satisfy  himself  in  apprehending  his  stay  and  reposing  his 
 heart  upon  it :  for  the  soul  is  so  oppressed  with  sudden  terror, 
 that  it  cannot  well  command  itself,  till  it  have  digested  an 
 evil.  It  were  miserable  for  the  best  Christian,  if  all  his  former 
 prayers  and  meditations  did  not  serve  to  aid  him  in  his  last 
 straits,  and  meet  together  in  the  centre  of  his  extremity,  yield- 
 ing, though  not  sensible  relief,  yet  secret  benefit  to  the  soul : 
 whereas,  the  worldly  man,  in  this  case,  having  not  laid  up  for 
 this  hour  hath  no  comfort  from  God,  or  from  others,  or  from 
 himself,  vi.  34  ;  xxv.  6  ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  25 ;  Eccl.  viii.  12.  Bp. 
 Hall.     (Holy  Observations,  65.) 
 
 If  I  fear,  I  either  do  not  believe,  or  I  do  not  believe  enough.  Ps, 
 cxii.  8.     Bomiell.     (Life,  42.) 
 
 31  If  his  faith  had  not  been  weak,  he  would  have  stood,  easily 
 against  the  wind  also.  And  for  this  reason,  you  see,  even  when 
 He  had  caught  hold  of  him.  He  suffers  the  wind  to  blow,  show- 
 ing that  no  hurt  can  come  thereby,  when  faith  is  steadfast. 
 And,  as  when  a  nestling  has  come  out  of  the  nest  before  the 
 time,  and  is  on  the  point  of  falling,  its  mother  bears  it  on  her 
 wings  and  brings  it  back  to  the  nest ;  even  so  did  Christ. 
 xxiii.  37  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  11.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Faith  is  said  to  be  weak,  when  a  man  either  fails  in  the  know- 
 ledge of  the  Gospel ;  or  else,  having  knowledge,  is  weak  in  grace 
 to  apply  unto  himself  the  sweet  promises  thereof.  Gen.  xii. 
 12 ;  XV.  1 ;  1  Sam.  xxvii.  1;  Rom.  iv.  19 — 21.  W.  Perkins. 
 (Expos,  of  the  Creed.) 
 
 The  Christian  is  often  as  much  troubled  and  perplexed  for  the 
 weakness  of  his  grace,  as  for  the  strength  of  his  sin,  and  so  is 
 fain  to  fly  to  Cheist  for  sanctuary,  not  only  from  his  sins,  but 
 from  the  imperfection  of  his  graces.  Ps.  cxix.  25  ;  S.  Mark  ix. 
 24;  S.  Luke  xvii.  5.     Dr.  Obadiah  Grew.    (Serm.  Jer.  xxiii.  6.) 
 
272  S.  MATTHEW  XIV.  32—36. 
 
 32  It  happens  now  and  then  that  He,  whom  the  winds  and  sea 
 obey,  is  pleased  to  make  them  for  a  time  so  calm  and  quiet,  that 
 a  man,  who  swims  upon  his  plank  with  industry  and  courage, 
 meets  at  length,  by  Providence,  another  vessel,  better  fitted 
 than  his  own,  and  sails  with  much  more  comfort,  much  more 
 joy,  into  the  haven,  than  he  would  ever  have  done,  if  he  had 
 never  suffered  shipwreck  in  a  storm.  S.  Luke  xv.  30 — 32 ; 
 Acts  xxvii.  44.     AbbS  S.  Jean.     (Entretien  7.) 
 
 33  Like  some  precious  gums,  Grace  distils  most  and  in  greatest 
 plenty,  after  storms  and  violent  thunders.  Isa.  liv.  11 — 14  ; 
 Jer.  xxxi.  18 — 20.     Fr.  Quarles. 
 
 36  Touch  the  hem  of  His  garment. — A  dim,  or  blear  eye,  that  looked 
 upon  the  brazen  serpent,  did  procure  a  remedy  for  a  wound, 
 as  much,  as  a  clear  and  well-conditioned  eye.  And  a  little  faith, 
 casting  its  weak  beams  upon  Cheist  and  His  death,  will  go  far. 
 ix.  12;  Ps.  cxxxiii.  2;  Hom.  x.  11—13;  Mai.  iv.  2.  Bp.  J. 
 Taylor.     (Christian  Consolations,  ch.  i.) 
 
 35,  36  Brought  unto  Him — besought  Him,  &c. — Come  thou  so  far  ; 
 come,  or  be  content  to  be  brought,  to  be  brought  by  example,  to 
 be  brought  by  a  statute,  to  be  brought  by  curiosity ;  come  any 
 way  to  touch  the  hem  of  His  garment ;  yea,  the  hem  of  His  ser- 
 vant, of  Aaron's  garment ;  and  thou  shalt  participate  of  the 
 sweet  ointment,  which  flows  from  the  Head  to  the  hem  of  the 
 garment.  (Ps.  cxxxiii.  2.)  Come  to  the  house  of  God,  His 
 Church ;  join  with  the  congregation  of  the  saints  ;  love  the 
 body  and  love  the  garments  too ;  that  is,  the  order,  the  discip- 
 line, the  decency,  the  unity  of  the  Church :  love  even  the  hem 
 of  the  garment,  that  almost  touches  the  ground,  that  is,  such 
 ceremonies,  as  had  a  good  use  in  their  first  Institution  .... 
 which  have  been  induced  by  earthly  men,  and  are  not  immediate 
 Institutions  from  God  ;  yet  love  that  hem  of  that  garment, 
 those  outward  assistances  of  devotion  in  the  Church.  Zech. 
 viii.  23  ;  S.  Luke  i.  6.     Dr.  Bonne.     (Serm.  Ps.  vi.  2,  3.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  2.  273 
 
 CHAPTER  XV. 
 
 'THEN  came  to  Jesus  scribes  and  Pharisees,  which 
 were  of  Jerusalem,  saying, 
 
 2  Why  do  Thy  disciples  transgress  the  tradition  of 
 the  elders  ?  for  they  wash  not  their  hands  when  they 
 eat  bread. 
 
 3  But  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why  do 
 ye  also  transgress  the  commandment  of  God  by  your 
 tradition  ? 
 
 4  For  God  commanded,  saying,  Honour  thy  father 
 and  mother :  and,  He  that  curseth  father  or  mother, 
 let  him  die  the  death. 
 
 5  But  ye  say,  Whosoever  shall  say  to  his  father  or 
 his  mother,  It  is  a  gift,  by  whatsoever  thou  mightest 
 be  profited  by  me  ; 
 
 6  And  honour  not  his  father  or  his  mother,  he  shall 
 be  free.  Thus  have  ye  made  the  commandment  of 
 God  of  none  effect  by  your  tradition. 
 
 7  Ye  hypocrites,  well  did  Esaias  prophesy  of  you, 
 saying, 
 
 8  This  people  draweth  nigh  unto  Me  with  their 
 mouth,  and  honoureth  Me  with  their  lips  ;  but  their 
 heart  is  far  from  Me. 
 
 9  But  in  vain  they  do  worship  Me,  teaching  for 
 doctrines  the  commandments  of  men. 
 
 2  Why  was  it  commanded  in  the  Law  (Lev.  xix.  14 — 16,)  "  Thou 
 shalt  not  curse  the  deaf?"  Have  then  the  deaf  any  special 
 privilege  above  their  suffering  brethren  ;  so  that,  while  every 
 imaginable  abuse  may  be  heaped  upon  the  blind,  the  maimed, 
 
274  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  2-4. 
 
 the  deformed,  and  the  stammering,  nothing  of  the  kind  may  be 
 done  in  their  single  instance  ?  This  cannot  be ;  for  charity,  we 
 know,  is  universal :  "Love  covereth  all  sins"  (Prov.  x.  12.)  Still, 
 if  we  are  to  believe  commentators  on  Scripture,  God  here  de- 
 signed to  express  a  more  particular  concern  for  the  deaf,  be- 
 cause it  is  an  extremely  unjust  and  cruel  thing  to  attack  those, 
 who,  since  they  cannot  hear  the  accusations  brought  against 
 them,  have  not  the  means  of  defending  themselves.  Prov.  xxvi. 
 20;  3  S.  John  10;  Titus  iii.  2.  Segneri.  (Quaresimale,  Pred. 
 xix.  s.  2.) 
 
 The  order,  or  decree,  made  by  the  elders  for  washing  ofttimes, 
 tending  to  superstition, our  Savioue  Chbist  altered  and  changed 
 the  same  in  His  Church  into  a  profitable  Sacrament,  the  Sacra- 
 ment of  our  Eegeneration,  or  new  Birth,  xxviii.  19 ;  Acts 
 xxii.  16  ;  Titus  iii.  5.     Homilies. 
 
 Tenderness  of  conscience  is  always  to  be  distinguished  from  scru- 
 pulousness. The  conscience  cannot  be  kept  too  sensible  and 
 tender  :  but  scrupulousness  arises  from  bodily  or  mental  in- 
 firmity and  discovers  itself  in  a  multitude  of  ridiculous,  super- 
 stitious, painful  feelings.  Acts  xxiv.  16 ;  Col.  ii.  20—23.  B. 
 Cecil.     (Remains,  s.  i.) 
 
 Esteem  not  thyself  to  have  profited  in  religion,  unless  thou  thinkest 
 well  of  others  and  meanly  of  thyself:  therefore  never  accuse 
 any  but  thyself.  And  he,  that  diligently  watches  himself, 
 will  be  willing  to  be  silent  concerning  others.  Acts  xxviii.  19 ; 
 1  Cor.  xiii.     Bp.  J.  Taylor.      (The  Golden  Grove.     Via  pacis.) 
 
 3  As  in  the  Articles  of  Paith  it  is  safest  to  believe  what  was  first 
 delivered  (S.  Jude  3  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  2,  23,)  so  in  the  rules  of  our 
 manners  it  is  best  to  observe  what  was  first  commanded.  The 
 reason  is  plain.  God  gave  the  first  beginning  both  to  our 
 faith  and  our  manners  ;  and  from  our  most  wise  and  holy  God 
 nothing  could  proceed,  that  was  not  most  righteous  and  most 
 true.  xix.  4  ;  Deut.  xix.  14;  1  Cor.  xv.  3.  Bp.  Lake.  (Serm. 
 on  Mai.  ii.  15.) 
 
 4  We  may  observe  a  ray  of  the  infinite  Wisdom  of  God  in  the 
 order  and  method  of  this  Commandment.  For,  after  He  had 
 prescribed  laws  for  His  own  honour.  His  next  care  is  for  the 
 honour  of  our  imreiits  ;  because  they  are  next,  under  God,  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  4—8.  275 
 
 authors  and  originals  of  our  lives  and  being.  Epb.  vi.  1 — 3. 
 Bp.  Hopkins.     (Expos,  of  the  Commandments,  5.) 
 
 Let  him  die  the  death. — Observa,juventus  !  Young  people,  take 
 notice  of  this.  Deut.  xxi.  18 — 23  ;  Prov.  xx.  20  ;  xxx.  17  ; 
 1  S.  Pet.  V.  5.     Bengel. 
 
 5  It  is  a  gift,  &;c. — As  we  would  not  in  any  way  disparage  true 
 primitive  self-denial — on  the  contrary  we  honour,  and  revere  it, 
 and  account  it  most  exceedingly  blessed  ....  so  in  propor- 
 tion would  we  beseech  those,  who  feel  themselves  impelled  to 
 seeming  acts  of  high  self-denial,  to  search  and  probe  their  own 
 hearts  the  more  unsparingly,  lest  there  be  something  there 
 cherished,  tending  to  make  their  outward  sacrifices  void  and 
 profane  ....  Our  Lorb  condemned  those,  who  pleaded  a  re- 
 ligious vow  for  refusing  due  succour  to  their  parents  :  and  will 
 not  such  His  sentence  tell  against  us,  if  we  permit  excited  feel- 
 ings, be  the  matter  ever  so  Sacred,  to  make  us  unmindful  of 
 what  we  owe  to  any  kind  of  parental  authority  ?  S.  Peter  and 
 S.  Andrew,  though  they  forsook  all,  did  not  so  in  such  a  sense, 
 as  to  imply  alienation  from  their  parents  :  for  we  find  them  pre- 
 sently afterwards  in  the  house  of  Simon,  attending  on  his  sick 
 mother-in-law.  And,  though  for  the  time  the  sons  of  Zebedee 
 left  their  father  in  the  ship,  we  know  that  S.  John  still  so  far 
 resided  with  his  mother  in  his  own  house,  as  to  be  able  to  take 
 the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  there  from  the  hour,  when  our  Lord 
 was  crucified.  1  Cor.  xiii.  1 — 4  ;  1  Tim.  v.  8  ;  Eom.  xiv.  16. 
 Keble.     (Serm.  S  Luke  v.  11.) 
 
 8  These  outward  performances,  this  formality  in  religion  may  have 
 the  same  spring  and  motive  with  our  greatest  and  foulest  sins. 
 The  same  cause  produceth  them  ;  the  same  considerations  pro- 
 mote them  ;  they  are  carried  to  their  ends  on  the  same  wings 
 of  our  carnal  desires.  Ezek.  xvi.  44.  Ambition  was  the  cause 
 of  Absalom's  rebellion ;  and  ambition  sent  him  to  Hebron  to 
 perform  his  vow,  (2  Sam.  xv.)  Covetousness  made  Ahab  and 
 Jezebel  murderers ;  and  covetousness  proclaimed  their  fast,  (1 
 Kings  xxi.)  Lust  made  Shechem,  the  son  of  Hamor,  a  ravisher ; 
 and  lust  made  him  a  proselyte  and  circumcised  him,  (Gen. 
 xxxiv.)  Covetousness  made  the  Pharisee  a  ravenous  wolf;  and 
 covetousness  clothed  him  in  a  lamb's  skin,     xxiii.  14  ;  xxvii.  6  ; 
 
 T  2 
 
276  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  8,  9. 
 
 Isa.  xlvi.  3;  Prov.  xiv.  12;  2  Cor.  xi.  14;  IS.  John  iv.  1. 
 Farindon.     (Serm.  Micah  vi.  8.     P.  i.) 
 
 Of  all  objects  under  the  sun  in  this  vain  world,  there  is  none  that 
 can  be  found  more  exalted,  more  noble,  more  GoD-like,  than  the 
 heart  of  man :  wherefore  God  demands  no  other  thing  of  thee, 
 than  thy  heart.     Ps.  cviii.  1.     ^S.  Bernard. 
 
 The  Lord  weighs  the  heart,  not  the  material  offering:  nor  does 
 He  regard  how  great  the  sacrifice,  but  from  how  great  store  ifc 
 proceeds,     v.  23,  24.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 For  neither  in  the  sacrifices,  oflered  by  Cain  and  Abel,  did  God 
 look  to  their  gifts,  but  to  their  hearts ;  in  so  much  that  his  gift 
 was  found  to  be  most  acceptable,  whose  heart  was  right  with 
 God.     Gen.  iv.  4,  5  ;  Prov.  xv.  8.     S.  Cyprian. 
 
 Formalists  are  noted  by  the  Apostle  as  "  disobedient  to  parents" 
 (2  Tim.  iii.)  ;  a  very  grievous  sin  likewise,  and  most  opposed  to 
 the  power  of  godliness.  Por,  let  men  pretend  what  they  will, 
 he  cannot  truly  honour  God,  the  Father  in  heaven,  who  doth 
 not  honour  his  father,  his  parents  on  earth.  But  interpreters 
 here  will  observe  that  we  are  to  collect  ex  specie  genus,  from  one 
 special  sort  of  disobedience  mentioned,  that  is  disobedience  to 
 parents,  all  disobedience  to  superiors  in  general ;  and  indeed  all 
 disobedience  to  Superiors,  whether  natural,  civil,  or  ecclesiastical, 
 whether  to  parents,  magistrates,  or  ministers  of  the  Church, 
 though  it  may  consist  with  a  form  of  godliness,  yet  it  is  utterly 
 inconsistent  with  the  power  of  it.  Eom.  xiii.  1 ;  Eph.  v.  21. 
 Bp.  Bull.     (Serm.  2  Tim.  iii.  5.) 
 
 9  The  two  great  sects,  into  which  the  Jewish  church  was  divided, 
 carried  away  the  bulk  of  the  people ;  but,  whatever  rivalship 
 subsisted  between  them,  and  whatever  difi'erences  of  opinion 
 kept  up  the  distinction  of  Pharisees  and  Sadducees,  yet  both 
 united  in  opposing  the  Gospel ;  and  each  seemed  to  vie  with 
 the  other  in  discovering  a  most  incurable  malignity  against 
 Christ  and  His  disciples  ....  He  did  not  flatter  the  preju- 
 dices of  either,  nor  attempt  to  engage  their  good-will  by  any 
 arts  of  accommodation.  His  doctrine  was  in  direct  opposition 
 to  the  tenets  of  both;  and  His  example  involved  a  constant 
 reprehension  of  their  practice.  He  resisted  with  equal  firmness 
 the  haughty  scepticism  of  the  Sadducee  and  the  abject  super- 
 stition of  the  Pharisee.     Against  the  one  He  maintained  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  11.  277 
 
 doctrine  of  a  future  life ;  and  in  the  presence  of  the  other  He 
 expatiated  on  the  folly  of  ceremonial  observances  and  the  fallacy 
 of  traditional  doctrines.  S.  Luke  xxiii.  12  ;  S.  John  vii.  26 ;  1 
 Thess.  ii.  3 — 5  ;  Eph.  vi.  19, 20.   White.  (Bampton  Lectures,  3.) 
 
 10  And  He  called  the  multitude,  and  said  unto 
 them,  Hear,  and  understand  : 
 
 11  Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth  defileth  a 
 man ;  but  that  which  cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this 
 defileth  a  man. 
 
 12  Then  came  His  disciples,  and  said  unto  Him, 
 Knowest  Thou  that  the  Pharisees  were  offended,  after 
 they  heard  this  saying  ? 
 
 1 3  But  He  answered  and  said.  Every  plant,  which  My 
 heavenly  Father  hath  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up. 
 
 14  Let  them  alone:  they  be  blind  leaders  of  the 
 blind.  And  if  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  both  shall  fall 
 into  the  ditch. 
 
 11  Pride,  self-love,  profaneness  of  spirit,  and  irreligion,  though 
 they  do  not  so  properly  pollute  the  body,  as  carnal  uncleauness, 
 yet  they  do  no  less  defile  the  soul  and  make  it  abominable  in 
 the  eyes  of  God.  Those  apostate  angels,  called  unclean  spirits, 
 are  incapable  of  bodily  defilement,  (though  indeed  they  tempt 
 and  inveigle  men  to  it)  :  their  own  inherent  pollutions  must 
 needs  be  spiritual,  for  they  are  spirits.  Idolatry,  in  Scripture, 
 goes  often  under  the  name  of  fornication  and  adultery  :  and  in- 
 deed these  sins  may  mutually  borrow  and  lend  their  names,  the 
 one  to  the  other ;  idolatry  may  well  be  called  spiritual  unchas- 
 tity,  and  unchaste  love  carnal  idolatry.  Earthly-mindedness 
 likewise  is  an  impurity  of  the  soul.  In  the  Apostle's  phrase, 
 "  Covetousuess  is  idolatry-,"  and  so  a  spiritual  pollution  ;  yea, 
 it  may  well  share  with  idolatry  in  its  borrowed  name  and  be 
 called  adultery  too ;  for  it  misbestows  the  soul's  prime  affection 
 upon  the  creature,  which,  by  right,  is  God's  peculiar.  Isa.  vi. 
 5 ;  Ezek,  xxxvi.  29  ;  S.  John  xiii.  8  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  17.  Abj).  Leigh- 
 ton,     (Serm.  S.  James  iii.  7.) 
 
278  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  13,  14. 
 
 13  Errors  will  be,  like  a  mist,  in  time  dispersed ;  but  the  Sun  of 
 Truth  stands  firm  in  the  firmament  of  God's  Church.  Dan.  iii. 
 29;  Acts  V.  38;  2  S.  John  2.  Dr.  Temple.  (Serm.  before 
 Pari.     1642.) 
 
 The  planting  of  "the  trees  of  righteousness,"  is  from  God's 
 Word;  their  growth  is  from  God's  Spirit;  their  root  is  faith; 
 their  sap  is  love ;  they  are  full  of  the  fruits  of  holiness ;  they 
 mount  far  above  the  earth  in  their  beautiful  uprightness  ;  they 
 grow,  and  point  toward  God.  And  shall  they,  after  all,  die  ? 
 Verily  I  say  to  you,  not  one  of  them  shall  die.  Isa.  Ix.  21 ;  Ps. 
 i.  1—4.     A.  W.  Hare.     (Serm.  Isa.  Ixi.  3.) 
 
 14  Let  them  alone. — Neither  God,  nor  His  creatures,  have  any 
 sympathy  with  the  reprobate,  xxiv.  1  ;  Prov.  i.  26 ;  S.  Luke 
 xvi.  26.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Major  ira,  quando  Deus  nan  requirit. — God's  auger  against  us  is 
 at  its  height,  when  He  ceases  to  call  us  to  an  account.  Amos 
 iii.  2  ;  Isa.  i.  5,  6  ;  Heb.  xii.  8.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Both  shall  fall,  ^c. —  We  indeed  are  chiefly  affected  by  the  great 
 risk  and  danger,  there  is  in  Governing  the  Church  ;  but  how 
 will  you  be  free  from  danger,  if  the  whole  vessel  is  in  jeopardy  ? 
 Beware  lest  you  be  the  first  persons  shipwrecked,  if  you  are 
 negligent  and  fail  in  your  prayers  for  us.  We  are  all  in  one 
 common  danger ;  we  are  all  in  the  same  ship  ;  alii  operantur, 
 alii  portantur,  some  carry,  some  are  carried  :  still  all  of  us  with- 
 out distinction  are  exposed  to  the  tempest,  as  all  of  us  are  to- 
 gether brought  into  the  harbour.  Isa.  xxiv.  2 ;  1  Tim.  iv.  16 ; 
 Acts  xxvii.  24.     S.  Augustine,     (in  Ps.  cxlv.) 
 
 15  Then  answered  Peter  and  said  unto  Him,  Declare 
 unto  us  this  parable. 
 
 16  And  Jesus  said,  Are  ye  also  yet  without  under- 
 standing? 
 
 17  Do  not  ye  yet  understand,  that  whatsoever  en- 
 tereth  in  at  the  mouth  goeth  into  the  belly,  and  is  cast 
 out  into  the  draught  ? 
 
 18  But  those  things  which  proceed  out  of  the  mouth 
 come  forth  from  the  heart;  and  they  defile  the  man. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  18,  19.  279 
 
 19  For  out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts,  mur- 
 ders, adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false  witness,  blas- 
 phemies : 
 
 20  These  are  the  things  which  defile  a  man :  but  to 
 eat  with  unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a  man. 
 
 18  Look  iuto  the  Gospel ;  examine  the  places,  where  the  mind,  the 
 inward  man,  the  inside  of  the  cup  and  platter,  are  commanded 
 to  be  purified.  Consider  how  frequently  this  is  pressed.  Do 
 not  you  see  what  a  stress  the  Holt  Guost  lays  upon  it  ? 
 Why  should  you  deceive — why  should  you  delude  yourselves  ? 
 Why  should  you  think  it  needless  ?  Is  it  not  wisdom  to  believe 
 Him,  who  is  the  Fountain  of  truth  and  wisdom  ?  Does  not 
 reason,  nay,  does  not  sense  tell  you,  that,  if  the  waters  in  the 
 spring  be  muddy,  the  streams  and  rivulets  cannot  be  clear  ? 
 What !  would  you  have  the  fruit  good,  when  the  tree  is  naught  ? 
 How  can  your  actions  be  pleasing  to  God,  when  your  minds  are 
 full  of  weariness,  and  unwillingness,  and  backwardness  in  His 
 service  ?  Can  the  outward  man  be  good,  when  the  inward  is 
 rotten  and  putrefied  ?  Are  you  wise  builders,  do  you  think — 
 do  you  hope  to  make  a  good  piece  of  work  of  it,  to  build  the 
 top  of  the  house,  when  you  have  not  laid  the  foundation  ?  iii. 
 10  ;  Isa.  i.  10 — 15  ;  S.  James  iv,  4,  8  ;  E-om.  xii.  1 — 3.  Dr. 
 Horneck.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  8.) 
 
 This  intellectual  heart,  the  spirit  and  soul  of  man,  is  the  fountain 
 and  source  of  all  action.  This  is  that,  which  sees  in  the  eyes 
 and  hears  in  the  ears.  This  is  that,  which  understands  and 
 wills,  loves  and  hates.  Here  are  all  the  springs  and  powers  of 
 life  and  motion  ;  here  is  the  last  resort  of  all  outward  impres- 
 sions, and  from  this  central  point  are  derived  all  the  lines  of 
 action  and  motion,  even  as  all  the  arteries  and  veins  are  from 
 the  natural  heart,  which  it  difl'uses  and  disperses  throughout 
 
 the  body,  and  has  its  pulses  in  every  part This  heart  is 
 
 always  beating  ;  the  pulses  of  it  never  rest :  thought  rises  upon 
 thought,  and  desire  succeeds  desire.  Gen.  vi.  5  ;  S.  James  iii. 
 14,  15.     Norris.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  8.) 
 
 19  We  are  sinners  by  the  corruption  of  the  heart ;  and  it  is  a 
 
280  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  19. 
 
 fatal  mistake  to  suppose,  that  we  are  so,  only  by  the  commission 
 of  sin.  Our  guilt  does  not  then  begin  to  exist,  when  it  is 
 brought  into  action,  but  to  appear  ;  and  what  was  always  mani- 
 fest to  God  is  now  become  so  to  ourselves  and  others,  ix.  4  ; 
 xix.  8 ;  Eom.  vii.  7,  13,  18 ;  Acts  v.  4.  Adam.  (Private 
 Thoughts,  ch.  iv.) 
 
 Eeject  evil  thoughts  at  the  beginning,  and  they  will  fly  from  you. 
 Lascivious  thoughts,  which  are  not  resisted,  cause  delight ;  de- 
 light draws  on  consent ;  consent  produces  the  act ;  from  the 
 act  springs  a  habit ;  from  a  habit,  necessity  ;  and  from  neces- 
 sity, Death.  And,  as  the  viper  is  killed  by  the  young  ones  she 
 carries  in  her  womb,  so  we  receive  death  by  our  vicious  thoughts^ 
 when  we  nourish  them  in  our  hearts.  Isa.  lix.  4 — 7  ;  Ps.  Ixvi. 
 18  ;  Jer.  iv.  14.     *S.  Bernard. 
 
 When  the  Publican  smote  his  breast  (S.  Luke  xviii.  13),  he  smote 
 the  very  sins,  that  were  lodged  therein.     8.  Cyprian. 
 
 Ought  we  not  to  long  to  get  rid  of  such  a  heart  and  to  receive  a 
 different  heart  in  its  stead  ?  A  heart  pure  and  loving,  kind 
 and  gentle,  true  and  humble,  holy  and  pious, — a  heart,  that 
 covets  heavenly  treasures  and  does  not  vex  itself  about  the  pelf, 
 the  amusements,  or  the  honours,  which  the  old-hearted  world 
 are  gasping  after.  Ps.  cxix.  5  ;  Ezek.  xi.  19,  20.  A.  W.  Hare. 
 (Serm.  Ps.  Ixviii.  18.) 
 
 The  Holy  Jestjs  endured  pain  in  every  part  to  expiate  the  sins, 
 which  every  part  of  us  had  committed.  For  the  wicked  ima- 
 ginations of  our  heads,  upon  His  was  platted  a  crown  of  thorns. 
 Tor  the  lust,  the  vanity,  the  envy  of  our  eyes.  His  were  be- 
 dewed with  tears.  Por  our  proud  looks.  His  face  was  spit  upon. 
 Por  the  softness  and  effeminacy  of  our  bodies.  His  was  cast 
 upon  the  ground  and  then  nailed  to  a  hard  cross.  Por  the 
 wanton  sounds,  the  idle  or  profane  discourses,  which  our  ears 
 have  been  delighted  with,  His  ears  were  wounded  with  bitter 
 scoffs  and  blasphemous  revilings.  Our  taste  hath  grievously 
 sinned  by  gluttony  and  drunkenness,  delicacy  and  indulgence ; 
 His  was  punished  and  insulted  with  vinegar  and  gall.  Our 
 "  feet  were  swift  to  shed  blood  ;"  therefore  His  feet  were  nailed 
 to  the  cross.  Our  hands  have  been  defiled  ;  and  His  were 
 bathed  in  blood.     Thus  we  see  His  temples  were  tormented 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  21.  281 
 
 with  the  thorns,  His  cheeks  with  the  rude  buffets,  His  face 
 with  the  spittle.  His  joints  with  the  strains.  His  body  with  the 
 stripes,  which  we  deserved.  And  lastly,  His  Sacred  heart  was 
 pierced  with  a  spear  for  the  unchaste,  malicious,  covetous,  am- 
 bitious thoughts,  desires,  and  affections,  which  lodged  and  reigned 
 in  our's.     Wogan.     (On  the  Lessons.     Good  Priday.) 
 
 21  Then  Jesus  went  thence,  and  departed  into  the 
 coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon. 
 
 22  And,  behold,  a  woman  of  Canaan  came  out  of 
 the  same  coasts,  and  cried  unto  Him,  saying,  Have 
 mercy  on  me,  O  Lord,  Thou  Son  of  David  ;  my  daugh- 
 ter is  grievously  vexed  with  a  devil. 
 
 23  But  He  answered  her  not  a  word.  And  His 
 disciples  came  and  besought  Him,  saying,  Send  her 
 away  :  for  she  crieth  after  us. 
 
 24  But  He  answered  and  said,  I  am  not  sent  but 
 unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
 
 25  Then  came  she  and  worshipped  Him,  saying. 
 Lord,  help  me. 
 
 26  But  He  answered  and  said,  It  is  not  meet  to 
 take  the  children's  bread,  and  to  cast  it  to  dogs. 
 
 27  And  she  said,  Truth,  Lord  :  yet  the  dogs  eat  of 
 the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their  masters'  table. 
 
 28  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  O 
 woman,  great  is  thy  faith :  be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
 thou  wilt.  And  her  daughter  was  made  whole  from 
 that  very  hour. 
 
 21  "When  Jesus  had  freed  the  Jews  from  the  observance  of  meats, 
 (ver.  11,)  then  He  proceeds  to  open  a  door  for  the  Gentiles,  in 
 due  course  ;  even  as  Peter,  having  been  first  directed  to  annul 
 this  Law  (Acts  x.  15,  20),  is  sent  to  Cornelius.  S.  Chry- 
 sostom. 
 
282  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  21—24. 
 
 No  wind  so  powerful  to  drive  us  yrom  Tyre  and  Sid  on  unto  Christ, 
 from  the  coasts  of  sin  to  the  land  of  the  living,  as  calamity. 
 When  we  are  vexed,  eximus ;  when  the  wind  blows,  we  pre- 
 sently bethink  ourselves,  and  depart  out  of  those  coasts.  Gen. 
 xii.  10.     Farindon.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 The  valley  of  tears  brought  me  more  sight  of  my  God,  more  in- 
 sight into  myself,  than  ever  the  valley  of  visions,  more  than  all 
 duties  and  ordinances  had  done. 
 
 Quod  sani  qusesivitnus,  hoc  invenimus  segri : 
 Qjise  nequiit  vallis  visus,  tulit  hsec  lachfymarum. 
 
 viii.  24,  25  ;  Ps.  cxix.  71  ;  Job  xxxiii.  19^ — 30  ;  xlii.  5,6.  Sam. 
 Shaw.     (A  Welcome  to  the  plague.     Serm.  on  Amos  iv.  12.) 
 
 22  Never  had  she  left  her  own  coasts,  if  Christ  had  not  first 
 gone  into  them.  (Gen.  iii.  9.)  This  departure  of  her's  sig- 
 nifies, that,  if  the  soul  qf  the  sinner  desire  to  obtain  remission 
 and  the  grace  of  God,  it  is  not  enough  to  desist  from  its  evil 
 custom  ;  but  it  must  also  depart  from  the  confines,  the  coasts  of 
 sin,  that  is,  fly  all  the  occasions  of  it.  (Life  of  Chetst,  by  Bo- 
 naventure  and  others,  ch.  xli.) 
 
 We  find  something  of  an  expectation  of  the  Messiah  of  the  Jews 
 in  all  parts  of  the  world  at  this  season.  But  the  remarkable 
 circumstance  is  this,  that  this  Syrophoenician  idolatress  must 
 have  looked  for  no  partial  deliverer  of  the  Jewish  nation,  but 
 for  a  general  benefactor  of  all  mankind  in  the  person  of  the 
 Jewish  Messiah  ;  for,  had  He  been  to  come  for  the  particular 
 benefit  of  the  Jews  only,  this  daughter  of  Canaan  could  have 
 had  no  part  or  interest  in  the  Son  of  David.  S.  John  iv.  25  ; 
 Eph.  i.  9,  10;  iii.  1,  6.     Bp.Horsleij.     (Serm.  S.  Mark  vii.  16.) 
 
 Miserere  mihi,  non  mece.  Necessity  makes  a  man  pray  for  himself; 
 Charity  makes  him  pray  for  another.     Phil.  ii.  4. 
 
 24  He  says  not,  that  He  was  sent  to  all  the  Jews,  among  whom 
 there  were  many  stiff-necked  and  unbelieving  ;  but  to  such 
 among  them,  as  He  knew  to  be  of  the  number  of  His  sheep.  S. 
 John  x.  27,  28  ;  Eom.  ix.  6  ;  xi.  1—5  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  19.  S.  Augus- 
 tine.    (In  Joan.  Tr.  47.) 
 
 As  in  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount  the  Lord  referred  to  the  testi- 
 mony of  Scripture  in  that  sense,  in  which  the  Pharisees  them- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  25,  26.  283 
 
 selves  received  it ;  so  here  He  says  that  He  is  sent  only  to  the 
 sheep  of  Israel.  Tor  so  all  men  looked  for  Chbist  ;  with  the 
 exception  of  the  few,  who  entered  into  the  true  meaning  of 
 prophecy,  (S.  Luke  ii.  25,  31,  32.)  And  this  is  what  is  meant 
 by  "  knowing  Cheist,  according  to  the  flesh."  2  Cor.  v.  16. 
 Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 25  Then  came  she,  S<c. — Jacob  holds  with  his  hands,  when  his  thigh 
 is  lamed.  Gen.  xsxii.  25,  26 ;  Job  xiii.  15.  ;  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 (Serm.  i.  Hos.  xiv.  2.) 
 
 Etiam  post  naufragium  tentantur  maria.  Even  after  the  shipwreck, 
 we  try  the  sea  again.     Seneca.     (Epist.  81.) 
 
 Tou  shall  not  find  our  Savioub  in  all  the  New  Testament  in  such 
 a  mood,  so  bent  to  contemn  and  vilify  a  poor  suitor.  S.  Augus- 
 tine, comparing  together  S.  Matthew  and  S.  Mark  (eh.  vii.), 
 who  both  of  them  record  the  same  story,  and,  gathering  toge- 
 ther the  circumstances  out  of  them  both,  tells  us,  that  first  she 
 follows  our  Sa-VIOOE  in  the  street,  and  that  our  Savioue  takes 
 house,  as  it  were,  to  shelter  Himself  from  her :  but  she  comes 
 after  and  throws  herself  at  His  feet  ;  and  He,  as  off'ended  at  her 
 importunity,  again  quits  the  house  to  be  rid  of  her,  and,  all  this 
 while,  deigns  her  not  a  word.  .  .,  .  Beloved,  God  hath  not  only 
 expressed  thus  much  iij  parables,  and  practised  these  strange 
 delays  upon  the  Canaanitish  woman ;  but  He  hath  acted  it  in- 
 deed, and  that  upon  His  dearest  saints.  Ps.  xiii. ;  Isa.  xlv.  15  ; 
 liv.  8  ;  xl.  27  ;  S.  Luke  xxiv.  28 ;  Rev.  vi.  10.  J.  Hales.  (Serm. 
 S.  Luke  xviii.  1.) 
 
 And  worshipped  Him. — He,  who  regarded  not  her  noise,  makes  a 
 reply  to  her  reverence  and  adoration  :  not  a  word  from  Cheist, 
 till  He  sees  us  on  our  knees :  our  noise  is  not  always  heard, 
 but  He  speaks,  when  we  worship.  Ps.  xcv.  6.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 on  text.) 
 
 Lord,  help  me. — "With  God,  a  publican  goes  beyond  a  Pharisee ;  a 
 sigh  or  a  groan,  that  cannot  be  uttered,  beyond  a  long  prayer 
 with  ostentation.  Care  not  how  long,  nor  how  loud,  thy  prayer 
 be ;  but  how  hearty.  S.  Luke  xviii.  9 — 14.  Bp.  Henshawe. 
 (Horse  Succisivse.) 
 
 26  AVhen  God  is  slow  in  giving,  He  only  sets  off"  His  own  gifts  to 
 advantage  ;  He  does  not  withhold  them.    Blessings  long  desired 
 
284  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  26-28. 
 
 are  sweeter,  when  they  come  ;  if  soon  given,  they  lose  much  of 
 their  value.  God  reserves  for  thee  that,  which  He  is  slow  to 
 give  thee,  that  you  may  learn  to  entertain  a  supreme  desire  and 
 longing  after  it.  Ps.  xxvii.  14  ;  Heb.  x.  35 — 39.  S.  Augustine. 
 (De  Verb.  Dom.  in  S.  Matt.  5.) 
 
 It  is  a  mercy  to  pray,  though  I  never  have  the  mercy  prayed  for. 
 Gen.  xviii.  27.     Wm.  Bridge. 
 
 The  children's  bread.— -He  cannot  eat  the  Body  of  Christ,  who 
 belongs  not  to  the  Body  of  Christ.  Acts  ii.  47  ;  Eph.  ii.  21. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 To  the  Jews  themselves  Jesus  spake  severely;  when  speaking 
 about  them  to  others,  commendably.     S.  John  iv.  22.     Bengel. 
 
 Truth,  Lord. — Ob,  rare  example  in  a  heathen  of  resignation  to 
 the  will  of  God,  of  complacency  and  satisfaction  in  the  general 
 arrangement  of  His  Providence.  .  .  .  Would  God,  that  men 
 would  imitate  the  humility  of  this  pious  Canaanite  ;  that  they 
 would  consider  the  scanty  measure  of  the  human  intellect ;  rest 
 satisfied  in  the  general  belief  of  the  Divine  goodness  and  wis- 
 dom ;  and  wait  for  the  event  of  things  to  clear  up  the  things 
 "hard  to  be  understood"  in  the  present  constitution  of  the 
 moral  world,  as  well  as  in  the  Bible.  Gen.  xviii.  35  ;  Ps.  xcv. 
 1,  2  ;  S.  John  xiii.  7  ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  12.  Bp.  Horsley.  (Serm. 
 S.  Mark  vii.  26.) 
 
 27  We  must  brace  our  minds  to  the  full  extent  of  that  great  truth, 
 that  "  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time."  Still,  amid  out- 
 ward darkness  and  inward,  amid  a  world  going  on,  it  seems,  its 
 own  course,  with  no  other  laws  than  those,  which  God  hath 
 given  to  nature,  amidst  all  the  doubts  and  perplexities  of  our 
 own  hearts,  the  deepest  difficulties  sitting  hard  beside  the  most 
 Blessed  truths,  still  we  must  seek  after  the  Lord  with  un- 
 abated faith,  if  so  be  that  we  may  find  Him.  Ps.  iv.  7  ;  Job 
 xiii.  15  ;  Habak.  iii.  17,  18.  Br.  Arnold.  (Life  by  Stanley, 
 eh.  4.) 
 
 Ut  pretium  facias  dono,  donare  recusas  : 
 
 Usque  rogat  supplex,  Tu  tamen  usque  negas. 
 Hoc  etiam  donare  fuit  donare  negando  : 
 Saepe  dedit  quisquis  ssepe  negata  dedit. 
 
 R.  Crashaw.     (Epigram.  Sacra.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  28.  285 
 
 28  Then  Jesus,  SfC. — He  cries  out,  as  one  conquered.     Lucas  Bru- 
 
 gensis. 
 Mark  thou,  I  pray  thee,  how,  when  the  Apostles  had  failed  and 
 had  not  succeeded,  this  woman  had  success.  So  great  a  thing 
 is  assiduity  in  prayer.  Tea,  He  had  even  rather  be  solicited  by 
 us,  guilty  as  we  are,  for  those,  who  belong  to  us,  than  by  others 
 in  our  behalf.  And  yet  they  had  more  liberty  to  speak ;  but 
 she  exhibited  much  endurance.  S.  Jas.  v.  14 — 16.  ^S".  Chrysostotn. 
 Our  Saviouk  Himself,  when  He  negociated  our  reconciliation, 
 continued  in  "  sighs  and  supplications  with  strong  crying  ;"  and 
 now  beholding,  as  it  were.  Himself  in  the  woman  and  seeing, 
 though  not  the  same,  yet  the  like  fervour  and  perseverance,  as 
 His,  He  approves  it,  as  a  piece  of  His  own  coin,  and  sets  His 
 impress  upon  it.  O  !  mulier,  magna  est  fides  tua  !  xxvi.  37 — 39  ; 
 Heb.  iv.  15,  16 ;  IS.  Pet.  iv.  1.  Farindon.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 Four  things  are  required  to  justifying  faith ;  knowledge,  assent, 
 confidence,  application  :  in  all  these  four  the  faith  of  this  woman 
 was  great.  Ediv.  Leigh. 
 We  may  observe  that  we  have  three  ascending  degrees  of  faith, 
 manifesting  itself  in  the  breaking  through  of  hindrances,  which 
 would  keep  from  Christ  ;  in  the  paralytic  (S.  Mark  ii.  4,)  the 
 blind  men  at  Jericho  (S.  Mark  x.  48),  and  this  woman  of  Canaan. 
 The  paralytic  broke  through  the  outward  hindrances  of  things 
 merely  external ;  blind  Bartimseus  through  the  hindrances,  op- 
 posed by  his  fellow-men  ;  and  this  woman,  more  heroically  than 
 all,  through  apparent  hindrances  even  from  Christ  Himself. 
 These  in  their  seeming  weakness  were  the  three  mighty  ones,  not 
 of  David,  but  of  David's  Son,  that  broke  through  the  hosts  of 
 the  enemy,  until  they  could  draw  living  water  from  the  wells 
 of  Salvation.  2  Sam.  xxiii.  16 ;  Heb.  xi.  33—37.  R.  C.  Trench. 
 (On  the  Miracles.) 
 
 Hinc  Tyrias  partes  Sydoniaque  arva  petentem 
 Anxia  pro  natae  vitio  (quam  spiritus  atris 
 Vexabat  stimulis)  mulier  Canansea  rogabat, 
 Se  canibus  confessa  parem,  qui  more  sagaci 
 Semper  odoratse  recubant  ad  limina  mensse, 
 Assueti  refluas  dominorum  lambere  micas. 
 Vox  hurailis,  sed  celsa  fides,  quae  sospite  natd 
 
286  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  28. 
 
 De  cane  fecit  ovem,  geutisque  in  sentibus  ortam 
 Compulit  Hebrsei  de  gramine  vescier  agri. 
 
 Sedulius.     (Lib.  iii.  Carra.) 
 
 29  And  Jesus  departed  from  thence,  and  came  nigh 
 unto  the  sea  of  Galilee ;  and  went  up  into  a  moun- 
 tain, and  sat  down  there. 
 
 30  And  great  multitudes  came  unto  Him,  having 
 with  them  those  that  were  lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed, 
 and  many  others,  and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus'  feet ; 
 and  He  healed  them  : 
 
 31  Insomuch  that  the  multitude  wondered,  when 
 they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the  maimed  to  be  whole, 
 the  lame  to  walk,  and  the  blind  to  see  :  and  they  glo- 
 rified the  God  of  Israel. 
 
 32  Then  Jesus  called  His  disciples  unto  Him,  and 
 said,  I  have  compassion  on  the  multitude,  because 
 they  continue  with  Me  now  three  days,  and  have  no- 
 thing to  eat :  and  I  will  not  send  them  away  fasting, 
 lest  they  faint  in  the  way. 
 
 33  And  His  disciples  say  unto  Him,  Whence  should 
 we  have  so  much  bread  in  the  wilderness,  as  to  fill  so 
 great  a  multitude  ? 
 
 34  And  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  How  many  loaves 
 have  ye  ?     And  they  said.  Seven,  and  a  few  little  fishes. 
 
 35  And  He  commanded  the  multitude  to  sit  down 
 on  the  ground. 
 
 36  And  He  took  the  seven  loaves  and  the  fishes, 
 and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  them,  and  gave  to  His  dis- 
 ciples, and  the  disciples  to  the  multitude. 
 
 37  And  they  did  all  eat,  and  were  filled  :  and  they  took 
 up  of  the  broken  meat  that  was  left  seven  baskets  full. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XV.  31—36.  287 
 
 38  And  they  that  did  eat  were  four  thousand  men, 
 beside  women  and  children. 
 
 39  And  He  sent  away  the  multitude,  and  took  ship, 
 and  came  into  the  coasts  of  Magdala. 
 
 31  Israel  had  the  honour  first  to  receive  his  name  from  GrOD  Him- 
 self, and  then  to  give  a  name  to  all  the  people  of  God,  yea,  and 
 to  God  Himself  too ;  for  He  is  frequently  called  the  God  of 
 Israel,  the  Hope  of  Israel,  the  Strength  of  Israel,  the  Eock  of 
 Israel,  the  King  of  Israel,  the  Saviour  of  Israel ;  and  Christ 
 is  called  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  the  Glory  of  Israel.  Gen. 
 xxxii.  28  ;  Gal.  vi.  16.  W'hitefoot.  (Serm.  Gen.  xlvii.  29. 
 Preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Bp.  Hall.) 
 
 32  In  His  sufferings  He  had  trial  of  mercy,  and  learned  to  be 
 merciful.  His  own  hunger  moved  Him  to  work  the  miracle  of 
 the  loaves;  for  He  said,  "/  have  compassion  on  the  multitude P 
 His  poverty  made  Him  an  orator  for  the  poor,  and  He  begs 
 with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;  for,  when  He  became  a 
 "  man  of  sorrows,"  He  became  also  a  "  man  of  compassion." 
 Ex.  xxiii.  9  ;  Heb.  ii.  10—18.    Farindon.    (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iv.  1.) 
 
 Hark,  O  my  soul,  how  graciously  thy  Eedeemer  considers  His 
 servants.  He  keeps  account  how  long  they  have  been  with 
 Him,  and  how  far  they  are  off  from  their  own  houses  ;  and 
 casting  all  together  resolves  to  supply  them,  and  with  His 
 speedy  mercy  prevents  their  wishes.  O  infinite  Goodness,  how 
 safely  may  our  prayers  expect  Thy  pity,  while  our  wants  alone 
 are  enough  to  move  Thee,  and  draw  from  Thy  tender  bowels 
 such  soft  and  kind  expressions  !  S.  Luke  xxii.  28  ;  S.  John  v.  6. 
 Austin.     (Medit.  126.) 
 
 He  did  not  this  on  the  first  and  second  day,  but  when  all  their 
 provisions  had  been  consumed  by  them,  in  order,  that  having 
 first  been  in  want  they  might  more  eagerly  accept  His  work, 
 (verse  28.)     S.  John  ii.  4 ;  xi.  6.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 33  This  miracle  is  wrought  in  the  wilderness  (as  xiv.  15)  to  pre- 
 vent the  suspicion  of  the  people  being  fed  with  food,  brought 
 from  any  neighbouring  village.     S.  John  vi.  10.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 36  He,  that  enjoys  anything  without  an  act  of  thanksgiving,  is  as 
 
288  S.  MATTHEW  XV.  37,  39. 
 
 one,  who  robs  the  Almighty.  Geu.  xlviii.  15 ;  Hosea  ii.  8  ; 
 1  Tim.  iv.  5.     Talmud. 
 
 37  In  a  former  miracle  there  remained  twelve  baskets  of  frag- 
 ments, now  seven.  Then,  the  number  of  the  baskets  answered 
 to  the  number  of  the  Apostles  ;  now  to  the  number  of  the 
 loaves.     Luke  of  Bruges, 
 
 Seven  baskets. — This  is  to  teach  us  that  the  distribution  of  our 
 Charity,  especially  to  good  men,  (verse  32)  shall  be  rewarded 
 with  great  increase.  S.  Luke  vi.  38  ;  Prov.  xix.  27  ;  xxvii.  27. 
 Card.  Bellarmine.     (On  the  art  of  Dying  well.    B.  i.) 
 
 39  The  end  again  was  like  the  former.  For,  as  then,  He  left  the 
 multitude  and  withdrew  in  a  ship,  so  also  now  (xiv.  22 ;)  and 
 John  also  saith  this.  (vi.  17.)  "For,  since  no  sign  did  so  work 
 upon  them  to  follow  Him,  as  the  miracle  of  the  loaves,  and  they 
 were  minded  not  only  to  follow  Him,  bat  also  to  "  make  Him 
 a  King"  (S.  John  vi.  15  ;)  avoiding  all  suspicion  of  usurping 
 Eoyalty  He  hastens  away  after  this  work  of  wonder ;  and  He 
 doth  not  even  go  away  a-foot,  lest  they  should  follow  Him,  but 
 by  entering  into  a  ship.  S.  John  xviii.  36  ;  Acts  xii.  17.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 The  Fathers  give  various  allegorical  turns  to  this  miracle.  S. 
 Augustine  tells  us  that  the  seven  loaves  signify  the  sevenfold 
 operations  of  the  Holt  Ghost  ;  the  four  thousand  men,  the 
 Church,  established  on  the  four  Gospels  ;  the  seven  baskets  of 
 fragments,  the  perfection  of  the  Church.  But  we  may  well  rest 
 content  with  that  golden  key,  given  to  us  by  the  Loiiu  Himself 
 of  this  whole  transaction  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  S.  John,  where 
 with  the  eyes  of  Faith  we  trace  under  the  veil  of  this  miracle 
 the  far  greater  mysteries  of  the  Spiritual  feast  of  Divine  Love, 
 the  manner  of  our  soul's  food,  and  our  body's  immortality  in 
 the  Holy  Communion  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  our 
 Savioue.  There,  in  the  highest  sense.  His  compassion  is  mani- 
 fested. He  places  us,  one  by  one,  in  the  well-ordered  ranks  of 
 His  Church.  He  Blesses  the  material  bread,  so  that  it  be- 
 comes not  multiplied,  but  spiritualized.  We  receive  it  from 
 Him  by  the  hands  of  His  Ministers ;  and  then  He  sends  us 
 away,  or  graciously  dismisses  us  with  that  gift  of  Peace,  which 
 passeth  all  understanding,  which  endureth  for  ever.     J.  F. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  289 
 
 CHAPTER  XVI. 
 
 T^HE  Pharisees  also  with  the  Sadducees  came,   and 
 tempting  desired  Him  that  He  would  show  them 
 a  sign  from  heaven. 
 
 2  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  When  it  is 
 evening,  ye  say,  it  will  be  fair  weather  :  for  the  sky  is 
 red. 
 
 3  And  in  the  morning,  it  will  be  foul  weather  to- 
 day :  for  the  sky  is  red  and  lowring.  O  ye  hypocrites, 
 ye  can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky ;  but  can  ye  not  dis- 
 cern the  signs  of  the  times  ? 
 
 4  A  wicked  and  adulterous  generation  seeketh  after 
 a  sign ;  and  there  shall  no  sign  be  given  unto  it,  but 
 the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas.  And  He  left  them,  and 
 departed. 
 
 5  And  when  His  disciples  were  come  to  the  other 
 side,  they  had  forgotten  to  take  bread. 
 
 6  Then  Jesus  said  unto  them.  Take  heed  and 
 beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the 
 Sadducees. 
 
 7  And  they  reasoned  among  themselves,  saying,  It 
 is  because  we  have  taken  no  bread. 
 
 8  Which  when  Jesus  perceived.  He  said  unto  them, 
 O  ye  of  little  faith,  why  reason  ye  among  yourselves, 
 because  ye  have  brought  no  bread  ? 
 
 9  Do  ye  not  yet  understand,  neither  remember  the 
 five  loaves  of  the  five  thousand,  and  how  many  baskets 
 ye  took  up  ? 
 
290  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  1 ,  2. 
 
 10  Neither  the  seven  loaves  of  the  four  thousand, 
 and  how  many  baskets  ye  took  up  ? 
 
 1 1  How  is  it  that  ye  do  not  understand  that  I  spake 
 it  not  to  you  concerning  bread,  that  ye  should  beware 
 of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees  ? 
 
 12  Then  understood  they  how  that  He  bade  them 
 not  beware  of  the  leaven  of  bread,  but  of  the  doctrine 
 of  the  Pharisees  and  of  the  Sadducees. 
 
 1  The  children  of  this  world,  the  better  to  effectuate  what  they 
 have  resolved  upon,  are  at  a  marvellous  great  unity  among  them- 
 selves. "They  hold  all  together  and  keep  themselves  close." 
 (Ps.  Ivi,  6.)  Herod  and  Pilate  (S.  Luke  xxiii.  12),  at  some 
 odds  before,  must  now  be  made  friends.  Pharisees  and  Sadducees, 
 sectaries  of  contrary  opinion  and  notoriously  factious  against 
 each  other,  will  yet  conspire  to  tempt  Cheist.  The  Epicureans 
 and  the  Stoics,  two  sects  of  philosophers,  of  all  others  the  most 
 extremely  distant  and  opposite  in  their  tenets  and  doctrines, 
 came  with  their  joint  forces  at  Athens  to  encounter  Paul  and 
 discountenance  Christianity.  Prov.  i.  10 — 16  ;  xi.  21 ;  S,  Mark 
 xii.  13.     Bj).  Sanderson.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xvi.  8.) 
 
 Semper  inter  duo  latrones  crucifixus  Christus.  Cheist  is  always 
 crucified  between  two  thieves.  1  Cor.  i.  22  ;  Acts  xvii.  18. 
 Tertullian. 
 
 Such  a  sign,  as  when  Joshua  arrested  the  course  of  the  sun,  or 
 Samuel  called  down  the  thunder,  or  Isaiah  made  the  shadow  of 
 the  degrees  to  go  down  on  the  sun-dial.  2  Kings  i.  10 ;  S. 
 John  vi.  32  ;  xiv.  8.     Beza. 
 
 2  The  face  of  the  sky. — The  beautiful  system  of  sun,  planets,  and 
 comets,  could  have  its  origin  in  no  other  way,  than  by  the  pur- 
 pose and  command  of  an  intelligent  and  powerful  Being.  He 
 governs  all  things ;  not  as  the  soul  of  the  world,  but  as  the 
 LoBD  of  the  Universe.  He  is  not  only  "  God,"  but  "  Loed," 
 or  Governor.  We  know  Him  only  by  His  properties  and  attri- 
 butes, by  the  wise  and  admirable  structure  of  things  around 
 us  and  by  their  final  causes;  we  admire  Him,  on  account  of 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  3—6.  291 
 
 His  perfections  ;  we  venerate  and  worship  Him,  on  account  of 
 His  government.  Ps.  viii.  9  ;  civ. ;  Acts  xiv.  17.  Sir  Isaac 
 Newton. 
 
 3  The  signs  are  no  more  outward  things.  They  are  the  presence 
 of  our  LoED,  or  of  His  adversary,     xxiv.  29.     Dr.  Pusey. 
 
 Upon  the  Church  there  never  yet  fell  tempestuous  storm,  the  va- 
 pours whereof  were  not  first  noted  to  rise  from  coldness  in  affec- 
 tion and  from  backwardness  of  service  towards  God.  xxiv.  12, 
 37,  88  ;  Judges  v.  8  ;  S.  Luke  xviii.  8.     Hooker. 
 
 Religion  employs  itself  alike  in  establishing  these  two  maxims, 
 that  God  has  left  in  His  Church  certain  characters  of  Himself, 
 by  which  they,  who  sincerely  seek  Him,  shall  not  fail  of  a  sen- 
 sible conviction  ;  and  yet  that  He  has  at  the  same  time  so  far 
 shaded  and  obscured  these  characters,  as  to  render  them  imper- 
 ceptible to  those,  who  do  not  seek  Him  with  their  whole  heart. 
 Ps.  1.  23  ;  Isa.  xxxv.  5,  8  ;  1  S.  Pet.  ii.  7,  8.  Pascal.  (Thoughts, 
 &c.,  Ch.  1.) 
 
 How  is  it  made  red  ?  Or,  how  doth  the  day  grow  clear  ?  Ruhet 
 ccelum  sanguine  Christi,  says  S.  Augustine.  Our  Redeemer  has 
 dipt  His  Blood  upon  the  sky,  as  upon  the  door-posts  (Exod. 
 xii.)  ;  and  thus  the  day  is  clear,  the  Sun  of  Consolation  shines 
 upon  us.  Gen.  ix.  13  ;  Lev.  iv.  6.  Bp.  Hacket.  (Serm.  S.  John 
 xix.  34.) 
 
 4  The  prophet  Jonah,  as  I  may  say,  compensates  for  the  absence  of 
 any  direct  Christian  prediction  in  what  he  delivers  by  the  typi- 
 cal prophecy,  embodied  in  his  own  personal  history.  And,  as 
 he  is  the  first  and  oldest  of  the  prophets,  we  perceive  that  the 
 first  image,  the  introductory  representation,  which  meets  us  at 
 the  opening  of  the  Prophetic  Canon,  when  we  explore  it  in  a 
 Christian  sense,  is  that  of  the  great  fact  of  Cheist's  Eesurrec- 
 tion.  Ezek.  xii.  6,  11;  S.  John  ii.  19;  Heb.  xi.  17—19. 
 Davison.     (Discourses  on  Prophecy,  P.  ii.  6.) 
 
 He  left  them. — The  miracles,  which  He  afterwards  wrought,  were 
 not  for  the  benefit  of  these  persons,  but  on  account  of  the 
 people  generally  and  of  the  sick.  Never  in  this  manner  did 
 Jesus  leave  the  people.  Ps.  xciv.  14  ;  S.  Mark  xii.  37  ;  Tit.  iii. 
 10.     Bengel. 
 
 6  Their  singularity  and  their  hypocrisy,  like  leaven,  had  a  double 
 
 TJ  2 
 
293  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  9,  10. 
 
 influence,  to  swell  and  to  sour,  to  produce  in  them  arrogance 
 and  virulence. 
 
 9,  10  Whence  is  it,  that  the  fragments  in  this  latter  miracle  are 
 fewer  than  in  the  former,  although  they,  who  ate,  were  not  so 
 many  ?  It  is,  either  because,  the  basket  (airvph)  in  this  miracle 
 is  larger  than  in  the  former  (^Kocpivoi)  ;  or,  that  by  the  point  of 
 difference  they  might  remember  the  two  several  miracles.  S. 
 Mark  viii.  19.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 We  ought  to  fix  in  our  memories  the  lesser  details,  which  belong 
 to  the  works  of  God  ;  and  we  should  take  occasion  from  former 
 mercies  to  hope  for  future.  S.  John  iv.  52  ;  Ps.  cxliii.  4,  5 ; 
 Hom.  V.  6 — 11.     Bengel. 
 
 "  The  natural  man  perceives  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;" 
 and  therefore  the  Loed,  dealing  out  His  gifts  to  every  man  ac- 
 cording to  his  powers  of  reception,  and  ever  disposing  us  to 
 something  more  perfect,  semper  que  ad  perfectiora  provocans,^Tst 
 feeds  five  thousand  with  five  loaves,  then  four  thousand  v^ith 
 seven  loaves ;  then  He  intrusts  to  His  disciples  the  mystery  of 
 His  Body  and  Blood  (S.  John  vi.).  In  the  last  place.  He  be- 
 queaths a  Blessed  privilege  to  His  elect,  that  they  should  "  eat 
 and  drink,  at  His  table,  in  His  Kingdom.  S.  John  i.  50,  51 ; 
 iii.  12 ;  Eev.  iv.  1.     Bede. 
 
 13  When  Jesus  came  into  the  coasts  of  Csesarea 
 Philippi,  He  asked  His  disciples,  saying,  Whom  do  men 
 say  that  I  the  Son  of  Man  am  ? 
 
 14  And  they  said,  Some  say  that  Thou  art  John  the 
 Baptist :  some,  Elias  ;  and  others  Jeremias,  or  one  of 
 the  prophets. 
 
 15  He  saith  unto  them,  But  whom  say  ye  that  I 
 am? 
 
 16  And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  Thou  art 
 the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
 
 17  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Blessed 
 art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  13,  17.  293 
 
 not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but  My  Father  which  is  in 
 heaven. 
 
 18  And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  That  thou  art  Peter, 
 and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church  ;  and  the 
 gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 
 
 19  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  king- 
 dom of  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
 earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever  thou 
 shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 
 
 20  Then  charged  He  His  disciples  that  they  should 
 tell  no  man  that  He  was  Jesus  the  Christ. 
 
 13  He  must  be  man,  that  be  may  be  capable  of  suffering  ;  and 
 God,  in  order  to  impart  an  infinite  value  to  His  sufferings.  He 
 must  be  man,  to  humble  Himself  to  the  earth,  and  God,  to  raise 
 us  to  heaven ;  man,  that  He  may  represent  mankind  and  stand 
 in  their  stead  ;  and  God,  that  He  may  reconcile  and  propitiate 
 the  Divine  justice.  Isa.  vii.  14 — 16 ;  Zech.  xiii.  7 ;  Ps.  Ixxxv. 
 11 ;  1  Cor.  XV.  21,  22.  Rambach.  (Medit.  on  the  Sufferings 
 of  Christ.     P.  i.  ch.  1,  s.  3.) 
 
 17  Simon  Bar-jona. — "  Since  thou  hast  thus  proclaimed  My  Fa- 
 THEE,  I  too  name  him,  that  begat  thee  ;"  all  but  saying,  "As 
 thou  art  son  of  Jonas,  even  so  am  I  of  My  Father."  Else,  it 
 were  superfluous  to  say,  "  Thou  art  son  of  Jonas ;"  but,  since 
 he  had  said,  "  Son  of  God,"  to  point  out  that  He  is  so  Son  of 
 God,  as  the  other  son  of  Jonas,  of  the  same  substance  with 
 Him,  that  begat  Him,  therefore  He  added  this  ;  And  I  say 
 unto  thee,  Thou  art  Peter  ;  and  upon  this  rock  will  I  build  My 
 Church,  that  is,  on  the  Paith  of  this  Confession  .  .  .  Unless 
 Peter  had  rightly  confessed  Him,  as  begotten  of  the  very  Fa- 
 THEE.  Himself,  this  were  no  work  of  revelation.  Nathaniel  was 
 so  far  from  being  Blessed,  (for  confessing  Jesus  to  be  "  the 
 Son  of  God,")  he  is  even  reproved  of  Him,  as  having  said  what 
 was  far  short  of  the  truth  :  at  least  our  Lord  replied,  "  Be- 
 cause I  said,"  &c.  xxiv.  33  ;  S.  John  i.  49,  50  ;  Gal.  i.  15,  16  ; 
 1  Cor.  xii.  3  ;  1  S.  John  iv.  2.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
294  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  17. 
 
 Thou  art  Peter,  ^c. — The  Apostle  Peter,  by  reason  of  the  Primacy 
 of  His  Apostleship,  is,  by  figurative  generality,  the  Representa- 
 tive of  the  Church.  Por,  as  it  regards  himself  in  his  proper 
 person,  by  nature  he  was  one  man  ;  by  grace,  one  Christian  ; 
 by  more  abundant  grace,  one  and  withal  the  chief  Apostle :  but, 
 when  it  is  said  to  him,  "  To  thee  I  will  give,^^  &c.,  our  Lord  de- 
 noted the  Universal  Church,  which  in  this  world  by  divers 
 temptations,  like  as  by  rains,  floods,  and  tempests  is  shaken 
 and  falleth  not,  because  it  is  founded  upon  the  rock,  super 
 2)etram  ;  from  which  Peter  had  his  name.  S.  John  i.  42.  Por 
 it  is  not  a  Petro  petra,  but  Petrus  a  petrd;  not  from  Peter  hath 
 the  rock  its  name,  but  Peter  his  from  the  rock ;  just  as  Chbtst 
 is  not  so  called  from  "  Christian,"  but  "  Christian "  from 
 Cheist.  Inasmuch  as  the  Loed  said,  Ujwn  this  rock  will  I 
 build  My  Church,  it  was  because  Peter  had  said,  Thou  art  Christ, 
 the  Son  of  the  Living  God.  Upon  this,  then,  saith  He,  this  rock, 
 which  thou  hast  confessed,  will  I  build  My  Church  :  for  "  other 
 foundation  can  no  man  lay,"  &c.  1  Cor.  x.  4.  The  Church, 
 therefore,  which  is  founded  in  Christ,  did  in  Peter  receive  the 
 Keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  that  is,  the  power  of  "binding 
 and  loosing  sins."  For  that,  which  in  strictness  of  speech  the 
 Church  is  in  Cheist,  the  same,  by  significance,  is  Peter  in  the 
 Hock :  in  which  significance  the  Eock  means  Cheist  ;  Peter 
 the  Church,  vii.  25  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  4 ;  Isa.  xxviii.  16 ;  1  Cor. 
 iii.  11.     S.  Augustine.     (Hom.  in  Joan.  124,  s.  5.) 
 
 Although  after  His  Resurrection  He  committed  the  same  au- 
 thority to  all  His  Apostles  and  said,  "As  My  Fathee,"  &c. 
 (S.  John  XX.)  .  .  •  yet  that  He  might  declare  the  Unity  of  His 
 Church,  He  ordained  the  origin  of  that  same  Unity  to  take  its 
 rise  from  one  person.  The  other  Apostles  were  in  truth  on 
 the  same  level  with  Peter,  pari  consortio  prcediti  et  hotioris  et 
 potestatis ;  endowed  with  a  like  participation  in  honour  and 
 power;  but  their  constitution  takes  its  rise  in  a  Unity,  that 
 the  Church  might  be  manifested  to  be  One.  (Cant.  vi.  9.)  .  .  . 
 Episcopatus  unus  est,  cujus  a  singulis  in  solidum  pars  tenetur. 
 The  Episcopacy  is  one,  a  portion  whereof  each  individual  Bishop 
 holds  for  himself  in  full.  S.  Cyprian.  (Tr.  iii.  De  Simplicitate 
 Praelatorum.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  17,  18.  295 
 
 S.  Peter  and  tlie  Blessed  Mary  have  alike  suffered  wrong  from 
 the  unjust  extremes  of  men's  opinions,  warped  by  prejudice  and 
 party  feeling.  They  have  been  either  -unduly  elevated,  or  un- 
 duly brought  low.  S.  Peter  had  no  separate  and  superior  Juris- 
 diction among  the  Apostles ;  yet  was  he  specially  honoured. 
 If  he  was  not  Episcopus  Episcopoi'um  and  Summus  supra  in- 
 feriores,  he  was  Primus  inter  pares.  We  are  told  that  he  "  stood 
 up  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples  "  and  "  with  the  eleven ;"  not 
 apart  from  them,  not  above  them  ;  but  as  one  of  their  com- 
 pany, taking,  however,  the  lead.  The  Keys  were  equally  com- 
 mitted to  all  the  Apostles  ;  but  Peter  certainly  had  the  first  use 
 of  them.  He  it  was,  who  to  the  Jews  first  and  afterwards  to 
 the  Gentiles  opened  "  the  door  of  faith,"  even  of  that  same 
 faith,  which  he  expressed  in  his  own  noble  Confession,  Thou  art 
 the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living  God  /  1  S.  Pet.  v.  1 ;  Acts  i. 
 15  ;  ii.  14,  38  ;  X.  44—48.     J.  F. 
 
 Was  S.  Peter  a  rock,  on  which  the  Church  was  to  be  founded  ? 
 Be  it  so ;  but  no  less  were  the  other  Apostles  (Eev.  xxi.  10, 
 14;  Eph.  ii.  20.)  Ex  cequo  super  eos  Ecclesicefortitudosolidatur 
 (Jerome  in  Jovin.  i.  14.)  Equally  the  strength  of  the  Church 
 is  settled  upon  them.  Was  S.  Peter  an  architect  of  the  spiritual 
 house  (as  himself  called  the  Church,  1  S.  Pet.  ii.  5  ?)  So  were 
 also  they  (1  Cor.  iii.  10.)  Were  the  Keys  of  the  Church  com- 
 mitted to  him  ?  So  also  were  they  unto  them.  They  had  a 
 power  to  open  and  shut  it  by  effectual  instruction  and  persua- 
 sion, by  dispensation  of  the  Sacraments,  by  exercise  of  discipline, 
 by  exclusion  of  scandalous  and  heretical  persons  :  whatever 
 faculty  the  Keys  did  impart,  the  Apostles  did  use  it  in  the 
 foundation,  guidance,  and  Government  of  the  Church,  and  did 
 (as  the  Fathers  teach)  impart  it  to  those,  whom  they  did  in 
 their  stead  constitute  to  feed  and  govern  the  Church,  xviii. 
 18 ;  S.  John  xx.  23 ;  Eph.  iv.  11 ;  Acts  xx.  28  ;  1  S.  Pet.  v.  2. 
 Br.  Barrow.     (Treatise  of  the  Pope's  Supremacy.) 
 
 18  Our  LoED  promises,  not  only  perpetuity  to  the  Church  to  the 
 last  moment  of  the  world's  existence,  notwithstanding  the  suc- 
 cessive mortality  of  all  its  members  in  all  ages,  but,  what  is 
 more,  a  final  triumph  over  the  power  of  the  grave.  Pirmly  as 
 the  gates  of  Hades  may  be  barred,  they  shall  have  no  power  to 
 
296  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  18,  19. 
 
 confine  His  departed  saints,  when  the  last  trump  shall  sound, 
 and  the  voice  of  the  Archangel  shall  thunder  through  the  deep. 
 XXV.  46 ;  xxviii.  20 ;  Eev.  xx.  10 — 15.    Bp.  Horsley.    (Serm.  13.) 
 
 T/ie  gates  of  hell,  ^c. — Notwithstanding  the  numerous  births  of 
 schisms  and  heresies,  the  revolutions  in  government,  and  the 
 utter  change  in  all  tilings,  the  same  Church,  whose  glory  it  is 
 to  adore  Him,  who  has  ever  been  adored,  still  subsists  without 
 interruption  or  decay.  And,  what  must  be  incomparably  ex- 
 cellent, wonderful,  and  altogether  Divine,  this  Eeligion,  which 
 has  ever  subsisted,  has  ever  been  opposed.  A  thousand  times 
 it  has  been  on  the  brink  of  universal  ruin  ;  and,  as  often  as  it 
 has  been  reduced  to  this  estate,  so  often  has  it  been  relieved  by 
 some  extraordinary  interposition  of  Almighty  power  .  .  .  Civil 
 states  must  infallibly  perish,  if  they  do  not  many  times  permit 
 their  laws  to  give  way  to  necessity  .  .  But  that  Religion  should 
 have  always  kept  its  ground,  by  always  continuing  unalterable 
 and  inflexible,  this  is  truly  great  and  Providential.  Ps.  xlvi.  5  ; 
 cxviii.  23  ;  Acts  v.  38,  39.     Pascal.     (Thoughts,  s.  2.) 
 
 19  The  Key  of  Order,  to  send,  as  Chkist  sends ;  and  the  Key  of 
 Jurisdiction,  to  govern,  as  He  governed.  Isa.  xxii.  22.  Bp. 
 Cosin.     (Serm.  S.  John  xx.  21,  22.) 
 
 Jesits  hath  "  the  Keys  of  death  and  hell,"  and  He  can  loose,  whom 
 He  pleasethj'by  forgiving;  that  is,  absolving  or  unloosing  the 
 bonds  of  sin.  But,  because  He  is  now  invisible  and  employed 
 in  heaven  to  intercede  for  us,  before  His  departure  He  ap- 
 pointed His  Apostles  to  supply  this  place  by  giving  them  Com- 
 mission, by  a  visible  and  external  application  of  this  power  to 
 support  the  spirits  of  all  true  penitents,  until  Himself  should 
 come  to  ratify  their  Absolution.  Upon  which  ground  the 
 Bishops  and  Priests  of  the  whole  Christian  Church  have  ever 
 used  to  absolve  all,  that  truly  repented  ;  and  at  this  day  it  is 
 retained  in  our  Church  .  .  .  Our  Church  hath  three  Porms  of 
 Absolution  in  her  public  offices,  the  first  Declaratory  .  .  .  the 
 second.  Petitionary  in  the  Communion  Service  .  .  .  the  third, 
 Judiciary  in  the  Office  for  the  Sick  .  .  .  Though  we  perform 
 Absolution  in  that  sober,  moderate,  and  useful  manner,  we  do 
 not  vary  from  the  prime  intention  of  Christ's  Commission, 
 and  the  practice  of  Antiquity.     Absolution  was  instituted  by 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XVI.  19.  297 
 
 Jesus  ;  and,  if  it  have  been  corrupted  by  men,  we  will  cast 
 away  the  corruptions,  not  the  Ordinance  itself.  Isa.  Ixvi.  1 ; 
 Zech.  ix.  12 ;  Acts  viii.  23  ;  S.  John  xx.  22,  23.  Dean  Comber. 
 (A  Companion  to  the  Temple,  P.  i.  s.  4.) 
 
 "Will  not  our  Loed  Christ,  who  has  promised  to  own  you,  as  His 
 children,  when  His  Ministers  have  admitted  you  into  His 
 Church  by  Baptism,  also  disown  you,  when  the  same  Ministers, 
 acting  in  His  Name,  shall,  by  the  same  power  of  the  Keys,  shut 
 you  out  of  His  Church  ?  For,  if  you  believe,  that  they  receive 
 you  into  Christ's  Church  by  Baptism,  you  must  also  believe, 
 that  they  shut  you  out,  as  effectually,  by  excommunication.  In 
 short,  every  Christian,  when  he  is  Baptized,  is  admitted  into 
 the  Church  upon  a  most  solemn  promise  to  live,  as  a  Christian 
 ought  to  do :  if  he  does  not  do  so,  those  very  Ministers,  who 
 admitted  him,  are  bound  to  exhort,  to  rebuke,  and  to  censure 
 him  ;  and,  if  these  methods  will  not  do,  to  excommunicate  him ; 
 that  is,  to  cut  him  off  from  the  Body  of  Christ  and  from  God's 
 favour  and  mercy  ;  not  that  he  may  be  lost  for  ever,  but  that 
 he  may  see  his  sad  condition,  and  repent,  and  be  saved,  xvii. 
 17 ;  1  Cor.  V.  1—6  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  1—4  ;  1  Tim.  i.  20.  Bp. 
 Wilson.     (Form  of  Excommunication.) 
 
 The  power  of  the  Ministry  of  God  translateth  out  of  darkness 
 into  glory  ;  it  raiseth  men  from  the  earth,  and  bringeth  God 
 Himself  down  from  heaven  ;  by  Blessing  visible  elements  it 
 maketh  them  invisible  Grace  ;  it  giveth  daily  the  Holt  Ghost  ; 
 it  hath  to  dispose  of  that  Flesh,  which  was  "  given  for  the  life 
 of  the  world,"  and  that  Blood,  which  was  poured  out  to  redeem 
 souls  :  when  it  poureth  malediction  on  the  heads  of  the  wicked, 
 they  perish  ;  when  it  revoketh  the  same,  they  revive.  Oh, 
 wretched  blindness,  if  we  admire  not  so  great  power;  more 
 wretched,  if  we  consider  it  aright,  and  notwithstanding  imagine 
 that  any,  but  God,  can  bestow  it !  1  Cor.  iv.  1 ;  2  Cor.  viii. 
 23  ;  1  Thess.  v.  12,  13.     Hooker.     (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  v.  ch.  62.) 
 
 21  From  that  time  forth  began  Jesus  to  show  unto 
 His  disciples,  how  that  He  must  go  unto  Jerusalem, 
 and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests 
 
298  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  21,  22. 
 
 and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised  again  the 
 third  day. 
 
 22  Then  Peter  took  Him,  and  began  to  rebuke 
 Him,  saying,  Be  it  far  from  Thee,  Lord  :  this  shall 
 not  be  unto  Thee. 
 
 23  But  He  turned,  and  said  unto  Peter,  Get  thee 
 behind  Me,  Satan :  thou  art  an  offence  unto  Me  :  for 
 thou  savourest  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but 
 those  that  be  of  men . 
 
 21  Be  raised  again  the  third  day. — Early  tears,  like  the  mist  de- 
 scending, prognosticate  a  fair  serene  day,  as  "  April  showers 
 bring  forth  May  flowers."  They  also  prove  Benjamins ;  "  sons 
 of  the  right-hand  "  are  commonly  first  Benonis  "sons  of  sor- 
 row." (Gen.  XXXV.  18.)  Cheist  Himself  did  wear  a  crown 
 of  thorns,  before  He  obtained  a  crown  of  glory.  Joseph  was 
 first  clapped  up  close  in  a  dungeon,  where  he  saw  neither  sun, 
 nor  moon,  nor  star,  for  a  season,  before  the  sun,  moon,  and 
 stars  did  fall  down  and  worship  him.  v.  3,  4 ;  S.  Jas.  iv.  10 ; 
 2  Tim.  ii.  11,  12.     Abp.  Bramhall. 
 
 22  He,  that  seemed  a  rock,  even  now  through  Satan's  policy  is 
 laid  a  stone  of  offence  for  Cheist  to  stumble  at.  Such  is  the 
 weak  constitution  of  grace,  that  it  can  well  bear  neither  smiles 
 nor  frowns  from  God  without  a  snare.  Gurnall.  (On  the 
 Christian's  armour,  ch.  i.) 
 
 Whom  God  loves  most,  the  devil  hates  most.  When  the  voice 
 from  heaven  said  to  Cheist,  "  Thou  art  My  beloved  Son,"  then 
 came  the  devil  to  assault  and  to  tempt  Him.  Thus  Peter,  an 
 eminent  apostle  of  Cheist,  after  he  had  made  such  a  glorious 
 Confession  of  his  faith  and  had  discovered  more  grace  than  in 
 all  his  lifetime  before,  suddenly  after  by  an  instigation  from  the 
 devil  began  to  rebuke  Cheist,  counselling  Him  to  spare  Him- 
 self,    iii.  17  ;  iv.  1 ;  vi.  12, 13.     Chr.  Love.     (Serm.  2  Tim.  ii.  1.) 
 
 The  devil  labours  both  to  make  us  use  and  lose  our  lives  when,  and 
 as  he  would.  As  he  would  have  us  live  to  him,  so  to  die  to  him. 
 When  God  calls  for  our  lives  to  be  spent  in  His  quarrel,  then 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  23.  299 
 
 He  makes  us  timorous  and  fearful.  When  God  would  have 
 us  live  and  do  good,  then  the  devil  labours  to  make  us  idly  and 
 vainly  prodigal  of  our  lives.  When  Cheist  had  no  calling  to 
 venture  His  life,  now  he  persuades  Him  to  venture  it  (refer  to 
 iv.  6)  ;  but  afterwards,  when  God  called  Him,  he  set  on  Peter 
 to  call  Him  back,  and  to  say,  Master,  spare  Thyself.  So  the 
 gallants  of  our  days,  that  seem  so  little  to  pass  by  their  lives, 
 that  will  venture  them  to  revenge  (by  duels)  the  least  disgraceful 
 word  or  look,  if  God  should  call  them  to  suffer  martyrdom  for 
 His  glory's  sake,  how  base  and  dastardly  would  they  show  them- 
 selves !  Eora.  xiv.  7,  8  ;  Acts  xxi.  13  ;  xxv.  11.  Ban.  Dijke,  B.D. 
 (Michael  and  the  dragon,  or  Christ  tempted  and  Satan  foiled.) 
 
 23  Get  thee  behind  Me,  Satan,  said  the  Loed  to  Peter,  thus  com- 
 manding him  to  fall  back  into  the  rank  of  a  disciple.  But  the 
 Loed  said  to  Satan  (iv.  10),  "  Get  thee  hence,  Satan ;"  not  be- 
 hind Me,  \}Vit  far  from  Me.     xxv.  41.     Bengel. 
 
 I  will  use  my  friend,  as  Moses  did  his  rod  :  while  it  was  a  rod,  he 
 held  it  familiarly  in  his  hands  ;  when  once  a  serpent,  he  ran  away 
 from  it.  Prov.  xvii.  10;  xxvii.  6.  Bp.  Hall.  (Medit.  and 
 vows.     Cent.  i.  23.) 
 
 24  Then  said  Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  If  any  man 
 will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up 
 his  cross,  and  follow  Me. 
 
 25  For  whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it :  and 
 whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it. 
 
 26  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the 
 whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or  what  shall  a 
 man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ? 
 
 27  For  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of 
 His  Father  with  His  angels  ;  and  then  He  shall  reward 
 every  man  according  to  his  works. 
 
 28  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  There  be  some  standing 
 here,  which  shall  not  taste  of  death,  till  they  see  the 
 Son  of  Man  coming  in  His  kingdom. 
 
300  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  24,  25. 
 
 24  I  think  it  will  appear  to  a  diligent  reader  of  the  Gospels,  that 
 our  Satioue  almost  always  followed  up  His  invitations,  given 
 to  great  efforts  of  self-denial  and  His  recommendations  and 
 praises  of  them,  with  some  cautionary  words  or  actions,  intimat- 
 ing humility  and  soberness  of  mind  ....  The  promise  to  S. 
 Peter,  that  he  should  have  "  the  Keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  Hea- 
 ven," was  succeeded  by  the  earnest  warning  to  take  up  the  cross 
 and  follow  Christ.  As  this  led  to  the  Transfiguration,  the 
 height  of  spiritual  joy,  so  that  again  to  the  silence,  imposed  on 
 the  high  thoughts  of  the  disciples  by  "settiug  a  little  child 
 before  them."  (xvii.  1 ;  xviii.  2 ;  S.  Mark  ix.  36.)  The 
 series  of  lessons,  begun  in  self-denial,  was  imperfect,  and 
 came  to  nothing,  unless  so  far  as  it  was  accompanied  with 
 humility.  1  Cor.  xiii.  3 ;  2  Cor.  xii.  7.  Keble.  (Serm.  S. 
 Luke  V.  11.) 
 
 Love  the  cross  of  Chbist  ;  and  be  content  to  have  your  faith  tried 
 every  day  by  some  cross  or  other,  as  it  pleaseth  God  to  put  on 
 you.  And,  if  God  putteth  no  grievous  cross  on  you,  let  your 
 brethren's  cross  be  your  cross  ;  which  is  a  certain  token  of  true 
 brotherly  love.  E,om.  ix.  1 — 3;  Gal.  vi.  2.  J.  Bradford. 
 (Letters  from  his  prison.) 
 
 Every  day  deny  yourself  some  satisfaction.  Deny  the  eye  all  ob- 
 jects of  mere  curiosity ;  the  tongue,  everything,  that  may  feed 
 vanity,  or  vent  enmity ;  the  palate,  what  it  most  delights  in  (but 
 this,  not  to  be  seen  by  others)  ;  the  ears,  by  rejecting  all  flattery, 
 all  conversation,  that  may  corrupt  the  heart ;  the  body,  all  deli- 
 cateness,  ease,  and  luxury,  by  bearing  all  inconveniences  of  life 
 for  the  love  of  God,  cold,  hunger,  restless  nights,  ill  health, 
 the  negligence  of  servants  and  friends,  contempt,  calumnies, 
 our  own  failings,  melancholy,  and  the  pain  we  feel  in  over- 
 coming the  corruptions  of  nature,  vii.  4 ;  1  Cor.  ix.  24 — 27  ; 
 XV.  31.     Bp.  Wilson.     (Maxims  of  piety.) 
 
 Bos  ego,  corpus  ager,  Crux  stiva,  colonus  Iesus  ; 
 Pro  !  quantos  fructus,  si  bona,  terra  feret ! 
 
 Haeftenus.     (Via  E,egia  Crucis.  L.  iii.  c.  3.) 
 
 25  Whosoever  will  save  his  life. — Contemn  riches,  and  thou  shalt 
 be  rich  ;  contemn  glory,  and  thou  shalt  be  glorious ;  contemn 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  25,  26. 
 
 301 
 
 injuries,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  conqueror ;  contemn  rest,  and  thou 
 shalt  gain  rest ;  contemn  earth,  and  thou  shalt  gain  heaven, 
 vi.  33 ;  2  Cor.  vi.  10.     S.  Chrysostom.     (In  Ep.  ad  Hebr.) 
 
 Dehcatus  es,  you  are  effeminate,  if  your  wish  is  to  rejoice  now 
 with  the  world,  and  afterwards  to  reign  with  Cheist.  2  Tim. 
 ii.  11 — 13.     S.  Jerome.     (Ep.  ad  Heliodorum.) 
 
 "We  cannot  have  this  world — and  Heaven  too.  Joshua  xxiv.  14, 
 15.     J.  F. 
 
 26  Nature  teaches  us  to  prize  our  lives  above  the  world  ;  and 
 Grace  teaches  us  to  prize  our  souls  above  our  lives.  Job  ii.  4 ; 
 Acts  XX.  24  ;  xxi.  13.     Caryl. 
 
 I  remember  Chrysostom,  speaking  of  the  loss  of  a  soul,  saith,  that 
 the  loss  of  a  member  of  the  body  is  nothing  to  it ;  for,  saith  he, 
 "  If  a  man  lose  an  eye,  ear,  hand,  or  foot,  there  is  another  to 
 supply  its  want."  Omnia  Deus  dedit  duplicia,  animam  verb 
 unam.  God  hath  not  given  us  two  souls  ;  that^  if  one  be  lost, 
 yet  the  other  may  be  saved,     xviii.  8,  9.     Flavel. 
 
 The  soul  of  man  derives  its  origin  from  the  breath  of  God.  It  is 
 immortal ;  corporeal  •}  has  a  figure ;  is  simple  in  substance, 
 possessing  within  itself  the  principle  of  intelligence,  operating 
 in  different  ways,  or  through  different  channels ;  endued  with 
 free  will ;  affected  by  external  circumstances,  and  thus  pro- 
 ducing that  infinite  variety  of  talent  and  disposition  observable 
 among  mankind  per  ingenia  mutabilem ;  rational;  capable  of 
 foreseeing,  and  of  providing  for,  the  future  ;  designed  to  rule 
 the  whole  man ;  derived  from  one  common  source,  the  soul  of 
 Adam,  divinatricem,  dominatricem,  ex  und  redundantem.  Tertul- 
 lian.     (De  anima,  c.  xxii.) 
 
 1.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  imaginary  and  fantastical ;  but 
 
 the  evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,  is  real  and  substantial. 
 
 2.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  narrow  and  particular  ;  but  the 
 
 evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,  is  large  and  universal. 
 
 3.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  convertible  into  evil;  but 
 
 the  evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,   ia  never  to  be  improved  into 
 good. 
 
 1  For  an  explanation  of  the  qualities 
 of  the  soul,  as  here  specified,  see  the 
 luminous   chapter  on   the  subject   in 
 
 Bp.  Kaye's   work  on  the  writings  of 
 Tertullian.     Ch.  3. 
 
303  S.  MATTHEW  XVI.  26,  27. 
 
 4.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  mixed  and  sophisticated ;  but 
 
 the  evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,  is  pure  and  unmingled. 
 
 5.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  full  of  intermissions ;  but  the 
 
 evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,  is  continual. 
 
 6.  The  good,  that  is  in  the  gain,  is  short  and   transitory  ;  but  the 
 
 evil,  that  is  in  the  loss,  is  eternal.  Job  xxxiii.  27  ;  Eom.  vi.  21. 
 Dr.  J.  Scott.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xvi.  26.) 
 
 Nourish  thy  soul  vpith  good  works.  Give  it  peace  in  solitude. 
 Get  it  strength  in  prayer.  Make  it  vrise  vpitli  reading.  En- 
 lighten it  by  meditation.  Make  it  tender  with  love.  Sweeten 
 it  with  humility.  Humble  it  with  patience.  Enliven  it  with 
 psalms  and  hymns ;  and  comfort  it  with  frequent  reflections 
 upon  future  glory.  Keep  it  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  teach 
 it  to  imitate  those  guardian  angels,  which,  though  they  attend 
 to  human  afiairs,  and  to  the  lowest  of  mankind,  yet  "  always 
 behold  the  f^ce  of  our  Father,  which  is  in  heaven."  1  Tim.  iv. 
 6  ;  1  Thess.  v.  16—23.     Wm.  Law.      (Serious  Call,  &c.,  ch.  5.) 
 
 27  As  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  Person  was  followed  immediately 
 by  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross,  so  to  this  succeeds  the  doctrine  of 
 Glory,     xxvi.  29  ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  11 ;  v.  1.     Bengel. 
 
 This  is  an  inexpressible  comfort  to  us,  that  our  Blessed  Saviour 
 thus  mingles  His  two  Kingdoms,  that  He  makes  the  Kingdom 
 of  grace  and  the  Kingdom  of  Glory  all  one,  the  Church  and 
 Heaven  all  one  ;  and  assures  us  that,  if  we  see  Him  in  hoc  spe- 
 cula, in  this  His  glass,  in  His  ordinance,  in  His  kingdom  of 
 grace,  we  have  already  begun  to  see  Him  facie  ad  faciem  face  to 
 face,  in  His  Kingdom  of  Glory ;  if  we  see  Him,  sicuti  munifes- 
 tatur,  as  He  looks  in  His  Word  and  Sacraments,  in  His  king- 
 dom of  grace,  we  have  begun  to  see  Him  sicuti  est,  as  He  is,  in 
 His  essence,  in  the  Kingdom  of  glory,  v.  8  ;  xxvi.  29  ;  Gen. 
 xxviii.  17 ;  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  11,  12 ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  12.  Dr.  Donne. 
 (Serm.  1  Thess.  iv.  17.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  1.  303 
 
 CHAPTER  XVII. 
 
 A  ND  after  six  days  Jesus  taketh  Peter,  James,  and 
 John  his  brother,  and  bringeth  them  up  into  an 
 high  mountain  apart, 
 
 2  And  was  transfigured  before  them :  and  His  face 
 did  shine  as  the  sun,  and  His  raiment  w^as  white  as  the 
 light. 
 
 3  And  behold,  there  appeared  unto  them  Moses  and 
 Elias,  talking  with  Him. 
 
 1  There  are,  that,  alluding  to  the  number  of  six,  ov  post  sex,  after 
 six,  say,  that,  as  after  six  days  in  the  Creation,  there  followed  a 
 day  of  rest ;  or,  as  the  people,  when  they  were  in  the  wilderness, 
 had  six  days  to  gather  manna,  but  on  the  Sabbath  they  gathered 
 it  not ;  so,  after  six  ages  of  the  world,  there  will  follow  a  long 
 Sabbath,  or  time  of  rest,  where  we  shall  not  need  to  gather 
 manna  any  more,  where  there  will  be  a  general  Transfiguration. 
 2  S.  Pet.  iii.  13.     Sutton.     (Disce  vivere,  ch.  17.) 
 
 Such  shall  He  appear  unto  them,  who  watch  for  Him,  after  the 
 six  days  of  the  week.     Isa.  xl.  31.     Origen. 
 
 It  sufi&ced  for  our  Lord  to  choose  three  witnesses,  because  this 
 number  was  required  in  the  Law  for  confirmation  of  a  truth, 
 xviii.  16.     Calvin. 
 
 The  Transfiguration  appears  to  have  been  a  typical  representation, 
 which  set  forth  by  anticipation  the  Eesurrection  and  Eegenera- 
 tion  of  the  flesh,  and  which  was  shown  in  our  Lord's  Glorified 
 Body,  as  "the  first-begotten  of  the  dead,"  "the  first-born 
 among  many  brethren."  Phil.  iii.  21.  Is.  Williams.  (On  the 
 Study  of  the  Grospels.     P.  i.  s.  5.) 
 
 The  Doctrine  of  His  Divine  Sonship  (xvi.  16),  and  also  that  of 
 His  decease,  or  suffering  at  Jerusalem  (xvi.  21 ;  S.  Luke  ix.  31), 
 was  confirmed  at  His  Transfiguration.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  16 — 18. 
 Bengel. 
 
304  S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  2—4. 
 
 2  The  Transfiguration  did  not  withdraw  His  countenance,  but 
 added  a  new  brilliancy  to  it.  He  retained  the  former  substance 
 and  shape  of  His  body.     2  Cor.  v.  4.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 3  Moses  and  Elias,  that  is,  the  Law  and  the  prophets,  what  avail 
 they,  except  they  converse  with  the  Lord  ?  Except  they  give 
 witness  to  the  Loed,  who  would  read  the  Law  and  the  prophets  ? 
 Mark  how  briefly  the  Apostle  expresses  this ;  "  For  by  the  Law 
 is  the  knowledge  of  sin ;  but  now  the  Righteousness  of  God 
 without  the  Law  is  manifested."  Behold  the  Sun,  being  wit- 
 nessed by  the  Law  and  the  prophets !  Behold  the  shining  of 
 the  Sun!     S.  Luke  xxiv.  27  ;  Acts  xxvi.  22,  23.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Let  the  shadows  depart.  Follow  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  The 
 Loed  had  witnesses  on  all  sides  ;  out  of  heaven,  the  voice  of 
 the  Fathee  ;  out  of  Paradise,  Elias  ;  Moses,  from  the  lower 
 regions ;  among  men,  the  Apostles ;  that  "  at  the  Name  of 
 Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things 
 in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth,  &c."  Phil.  ii.  10,  11 ; 
 1  Tim.  iii.  16.     Remigius. 
 
 4  Then  answered  Peter,  and  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord, 
 it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here ;  if  Thou  wilt,  let  us  make 
 here  three  tabernacles ;  one  for  Thee,  and  one  for 
 Moses,  and  one  for  Elias. 
 
 5  While  he  yet  spake,  behold,  a  bright  cloud  over- 
 shadowed them  :  and  behold,  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud, 
 which  said,  This  is  My  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
 well  pleased,  hear  ye  Him. 
 
 4  Hence  Peter  also  "  desired  to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ, 
 which  is  far  better."  (Phil.  i.  23.)  And  although  he  knew  not 
 what  he  said,  yet  he  engaged  to  perform  a  duty,  in  which  no  ill- 
 advised  intrusiveness,  but  a  prompt  spirit  of  devotion,  non  in- 
 consulta  petulantia  sed  prcBmatura  devotio,  made  him  fruitful 
 towards  God.  Eor  his  ignorance  resulted  from  his  position; 
 but  his  offer  of  service  was  the  effect  of  his  piety.  Gen.  xlix. 
 18 ;  Eev.  xxii.  20.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  4,  5,  305 
 
 If  the  sight  of  His  glorified  humanity  possessed  them  so,  how  shall 
 we  conceive  the  eifect  of  beholding  His  Divinity  ?    Emanuel  Sa. 
 
 "When  once  the  soul,  by  contemplation,  is  raised  to  any  right  ap- 
 prehension of  the  Divine  perfections  and  the  foretastes  of  celes- 
 tial bliss,  how  will  this  world  and  all,  that  is  in  it,  vanish  and 
 disappear  before  his  eyes  ?  With  what  holy  disdain  will  he  look 
 down  upon  things,  which  are  the  highest  objects  of  other  men's 
 ambitious  desires  ?  All  the  splendour  of  courts,  all  the  pageantry 
 of  greatness  will  no  more  dazzle  his  eyes,  than  the  faint  lustre 
 of  a  glow-worm  will  trouble  the  eagle,  after  it  hath  been  behold- 
 ing the  sun.  Exod.  xxxiv.  30 ;  Neh.  vi.  3 ;  S.  John  iv.  32. 
 Scougal.     (Serm.  Prov.  xii.  26.) 
 
 5  It  is  impossible  to  say,  whether  the  glory  of  God  appears  more 
 in  what  He  displays,  or  in  what  He  conceals,  of  His  operations 
 and  designs.  Were  He  to  conceal  everything  from  our  view, 
 it  would  be  impossible  that  any  glory  could  result  to  Him  from 
 the  sentiments  and  actions  of  His  creatures.  Prom  entire  igno- 
 ranee  nothing  could  arise ;  no  medium  of  intercourse  could  be 
 established  between  the  creature  and  the  Creator.  In  the  total 
 absence  of  the  knowledge  of  God,  religion  must  be  totally  ex- 
 cluded and  unknown.  But  it  is  by  a  partial  communication  of 
 Himself,  which  the  Divine  Being  might,  if  He  pleased,  in  vari- 
 ous degrees  extend  and  increase  beyond  the  present  measure, 
 that  He  has  in  the  highest  degree  consulted  His  honour  and 
 manifested  His  wisdom.  If  there  were  no  light,  we  should  sink 
 into  a  state  of  irreligious  doubt  and  despair ;  if  there  were  no 
 darkness,  we  should  be  in  danger  of  losing  that  reverential  sense 
 of  His  Infinite  Majesty,  so  essential  to  religion,  and  of  impiously 
 supposing  that  the  Almighty  is  "  such  an  one,  as  ourselves." 
 But  a  temperature  of  mingled  light  and  obscurity,  a  combination 
 of  discovery  and  concealment  is  calculated  to  produce  the  most 
 suitable  impressions  of  the  Divine  excellence  on  the  minds  of 
 fallen  creatures.  Exod.  xiv.  19,  20 ;  1  Kings  viii.  12  ;  Ps.  Ixxvii. 
 19,  20  ;  xcvii.  2.  R.  Hall.  (Serm.  Prov.  xxv.  2.) 
 Quam  crebro  dederat  discipulis  fidem, 
 Confirmare  modis  dum  studet  omnibus, 
 Tres  Secum  comites  mentis  in  ardui 
 Adsumpsit  Dominus  jugum. 
 
306  S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  5. 
 
 IlHc  frons  radiis  cincta  micantibus 
 Solaris  nituit  lampadis  in  modum ; 
 Turn,  qua  tectus  erat,  protinus  est  nivi 
 
 Vestis  reddita  concolor. 
 Cum  Christo  gemini  visi  etiam  senes, 
 Et  jussa  ad  populum  cui  dederat  Deus, 
 Et  qui  sidereas  notus  erat  domoa 
 
 Quadrigis  petere  igneis. 
 E  nubis  nitidse  quinetiam  sinu 
 Haec  dicta  Omnipotens  iutonuit  Pater — 
 "  Hie  est,  quern  eximie  diligo,  Eilius ; 
 Hujus  dicta  capessite  1" 
 Simplex  setherii  Numinia  Unitas, 
 Quae  distincta  eadem  est  veraque  Trinitaa, 
 ^ternis  vigeat  semper  honoribua 
 Et  terra  simul  et  polo ! 
 
 M.  Anton.  Muretus.  (Hymni  Sacri. 
 In  die  Transfigurationis.) 
 Despise  not  the  cloud  of  His  flesh.  This  Sun  is  enveloped  in  a 
 cloud,  that  His  brightness  may  be  tempered,  not  obscured. 
 1  S.  John  i.  18  ;  Deut.  v.  26,  27  ;  xviii.  15—19.  S.  Augustine. 
 It  was  not  without  meaning  that  the  Holt  Spirit  here  appeared 
 in  a  bright  cloud,  and  there  (at  Jordan),  iyi  the  form  of  a  dove ; 
 for  He,  who  preserves  in  simplicity  of  heart  the  faith,  once  re- 
 ceived, will  in  due  time  behold  it  in  the  visions  of  truth,  clear  and 
 undisguised,  vi.  22 ;  Hab.  ii.  2— 4;  Col.  ii.  6.  Bede. 
 "We  need  to  be  taught  over  and  over  again,  in  regard  even  to  fun- 
 damental truths.  Peter  and  the  Apostles  had  just  made  their 
 confession  of  Christ,  that  He  was  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
 Here  they  are  vouchsafed  an  audible  confirmation  of  that  great 
 verity,  as  an  evidence,  needful  to  their  establishment  in  it :  yet 
 at  this  time  they  had  no  understanding  of  the  disappearance  of 
 Moses  and  Elias,  the  abrogation  of  the  Law,  and  the  sealing  up 
 of  prophecy  in  Christ.  Erom  the  proposal  of  erecting  three 
 tabernacles,  or  temporary  stations,  Peter  seems  to  have  been 
 dreaming  of  an  earthly  kingdom,  in  which  the  Lawgiver  and  the 
 Prophet  were,  under  the  Messiah  King,  to  bear  their  several 
 parts.     S.  Luke  i.  4  ;  IS.  John  v.  13  ;  Acts  i.  6.     J.  F. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  5.  307 
 
 In  whom,  &;c. — I,  who  before  said,  "It  repeuteth  Me  that  I  have  made 
 man."   iii.  17  ;  xii.  18  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  22,  47  ;  Geu.  vi.  6.  Emanuel  Sh. 
 
 We  should  do  well,  upon  all  occasions,  to  remember  our  natural 
 condition,  and  the  general  state  of  mankind  ;  such,  as  it  was  be- 
 fore He  did  undertake,  such  as  it  would  have  continued  still, 
 had  He  not  undertaken  for  it ;  that  our  race  had  forfeited,  and 
 was  fallen  from,  God's  favour,  having  injured  Him  beyond  all 
 power  of  making  Him  any  reparation  or  satisfaction ;  that  thence 
 it  was  secluded  from  all  means  and  hopes  apparent  of  happiness, 
 was  exposed  and  tended  downright  unto  misery :  that  we  con- 
 sequently had  no  ground  to  hope,  that  God  (from  whom  no  less 
 in  mind  and  in  deed,  than  by  reason  of  our  guilt  and  state  of 
 condemnation  we  were  estranged)  would  in  kindness  bestow 
 any  good  upon  us,  or  from  us  accept  favourably  any  thing  we 
 should  do.  But  that,  by  our  Savioue's  performances,  the  case 
 is  altered.  He  by  His  entire  obedience  having  so  pleased  God, 
 by  His  patient  submission  to  God's  will  having  so  appeased 
 His  anger  and  satisfied  His  justice,  that  God  is  not  only  recon- 
 ciled, but  hath  an  especial  favour,  bears  an  earnest  good-will  to- 
 ward us :  that  now  the  good  things  we  possess  we  may  truly 
 esteem  as  blessings,  and  enjoy  them  with  real  comfort,  as  pro- 
 ceeding from  mercy  and  kindness ;  now  what  we  honestly  en- 
 deavour, we  may  hope  shall  please  God  ;  now  we  have  a  free 
 access  to  God,  and  may  cheerfully  present  our  sacrifices  of  duty 
 and  devotion,  with  a  full  persuasion  that  they  shall  be  accepted. 
 But  all  this  happiness,  all  these  favours  and  privileges,  we  must 
 always  remember  to  come  from  the  continued  procurement  and 
 mediation  of  the  Beloved,  so  as  ever  to  be  ready  to  acknowledge 
 it,  and  to  return  our  thanks  therefore.  Rom.  v.  1 — 6  ;  2  Cor.  v. 
 19—21 ;  Eph.  i.     Dr.  Barroio.     (Serm.  Col.  iii.  17.) 
 
 6  And  when  the  disciples  heard  it,  they  fell  on  their 
 face,  and  were  sore  afraid. 
 
 7  And  Jesus  came  and  touched  them,   and   said, 
 Arise,  and  be  not  afraid. 
 
 8  And  when  they  had  lifted  up  their  eyes,  they  saw 
 no  man,  save  Jesus  only. 
 
 X  2 
 
308  s.  MATTHEW  XVII.  6—9. 
 
 9  And  as  they  came  down  from  the  mountain, 
 Jesus  charged  them,  saying,  Tell  the  vision  to  no  man, 
 until  the  Son  of  man  be  risen  again  from  the  dead. 
 
 10  And  His  disciples  asked  Him,  saying,  Why  then 
 say  the  scribes  that  Elias  must  first  come  ? 
 
 1 1  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Elias 
 truly  shall  first  come,  and  restore  all  things. 
 
 12  But  I  say  unto  you,  That  Elias  is  come  already, 
 and  they  knew  him  not,  but  have  done  unto  him 
 whatsoever  they  listed.  Likewise  shall  also  the  Son 
 of  man  suffer  of  them. 
 
 13  Then  the  disciples  understood  that  He  spake 
 unto  them  of  John  the  Baptist. 
 
 6  The  Saints  fall  on  theiv  faces;  the  wicked  fall  backward.  S. 
 John  xviii.  6  ;  Eev.  xi.  16.     Remigius. 
 
 8  As  the  Apostles  at  first  saw  Moses  and  Elias,  talking  with  Jesus, 
 but  at  the  second  view,  when  the  cloud  was  withdrawn,  and  He 
 had  spoken  to  them,  saw  none,  but  Jesus  only  ;  so  such  passages, 
 as  I  am  speaking  of,  in  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Gospel, 
 at  first  survey  appear  very  distant  things  ;  but,  upon  a  second 
 inspection  and  the  access  of  more  light  from  an  attentive  col- 
 lation of  things,  they  do  all,  as  it  were,  vanish  into  Cheist. 
 ii.  9 ;  xxvi.  56  ;  S.  John  i.  29,  55  ;  Heb.  xii.  1,  2.  R.  Boyle. 
 (On  the  Style  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.) 
 
 9  We  must  observe  that  places  always  accord  with  the  actions, 
 done  there.  The  Lord  prays,  is  Transfigured,  discloses  the 
 deep  things  of  His  Majesty  to  His  disciples  on  a  mountain. 
 Descending  to  the  plain.  He  is  met  by  the  crowd  and  assailed 
 with  the  groans  of  the  wretched.  On  high.  He  opens  to  His 
 disciples  the  mysteries  of  His  kingdom ;  below,  He  reproves 
 the  people  for  the  sin  of  unbelief.  On  high,  He  discovers  to 
 those,  fitted  to  hear  it,  the  voice  of  His  Fathee  ;  below.  He 
 casts  out  evil  spirits  from  the  possessed.  The  same,  who  ascends 
 for  sake  of  those,  who  were  qualified  for  such  a  favour,  fails  not 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  12.  309 
 
 now  to  come  down  for  the  relief  of  others.  He  comforts, 
 teaches,  corrects  those,  who  are  still  mere  novices  in  the  flesh, 
 as  if  He  stooped  down  low  to  seek  them.  But,  as  for  the  more 
 advanced,  whose  "  conversation  is  in  heaven,"  them  He  glorifies 
 by  lifting  Himself  up  higher,  teaches  them  more  familiarly  hea- 
 venly things,  and  inculcates  truths,  such  as  the  multitudes  are 
 incapable  even  of  hearing.  1  Cor.  iii.  1 — 2 ;  2  Tim.  ii.  15. 
 Bede. 
 
 12  Done  unto  him,  ^c. — Such  are  the  wonderful  and  precious 
 works  of  GrOD ;  men  at  the  very  time,  when  they  oppose  His 
 will  and  commandment,  do  in  fact  accomplish  it.  Ps.  cxlviii,  8 ; 
 Acts  ii.  23  ;  iv.  27,  28.     /S.  Augustine.     (Enchir.  c.  100.) 
 
 God  fails  not  to  sow  blessings  in  the  furrows,  which  the  plowers 
 plow  upon  the  back  of  the  Church.  Ps.  cxxix.  3  ;  Acts  viii. 
 1—4.     Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 14  And  when  they  were  come  to  the  multitude, 
 there  came  to  Him  a  certain  man,  kneeling  down  to 
 Him,  and  saying, 
 
 15  Lord,  have  mercy  on  my  son  :  for  he  is  luna- 
 tic, and  sore  vexed  :  for  ofttimes  he  falleth  into  the 
 fire,  and  oft  into  the  water. 
 
 16  And  I  brought  him  to  Thy  disciples,  and  they 
 could  not  cure  him. 
 
 17  Then  Jesus  answered  and  said,  O  faithless  and 
 perverse  generation,  how  long  shall  I  be  with  you  ? 
 how  long  shall  I  suffer  you  ?  Bring  him  hither 
 to  Me. 
 
 18  And  Jesus  rebuked  the  devil ;  and  he  departed 
 out  of  him :  and  the  child  was  cured  from  that  very 
 hour. 
 
 19  Then  came  the  disciples  to  Jesus  apart,  and 
 said.  Why  could  not  we  cast  him  out  ? 
 
 20  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Because  of  your  un- 
 
310  S,  MATTHEW  XVII.  14—20, 
 
 belief:  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a 
 grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain, 
 Remove  hence  to  yonder  place  ;  and  it  shall  remove  ; 
 and  nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto  you. 
 
 2 1  Howbeit  this  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by  prayer 
 and  fasting. 
 
 14  The  lunatics  were  not  really  smitten  by  the  moon,  but  were 
 believed  to  be  so,  through  the  subtlety  of  the  daemons,  who  by 
 observing  the  seasons  of  the  moon  sought  to  bring  an  evil  re- 
 port against  the  creature,  that  it  might  redound  to  the  blas- 
 phemy of  tlie  Creator.     Gen.  i.  16 — 18.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 15  The  Jire  has  reference  to  the  passions  of  anger  ;  the  water  to 
 pleasures.     S.  Auguslme. 
 
 Passions  in  the  mind  are  like  a  running  gout.  It  is  the  same 
 morbific  matter  in  the  soul  (irregular  passions  and  unmortified 
 affections,)  that  shows  itself  sometimes  in  love,  sometimes  in 
 aversion,  then  in  envy,  then  in  ambition ;  sometimes  itjs  love 
 of  esteem,  sometimes  of  beauty,  sometimes  of  riches,  and  gran- 
 deur, and  abundance  of  like  variety.  Seldom  above  one  of  these 
 is  predominant  at  a  time  ;  they  come  and  go  by  fits  unaccounta- 
 bly :  but  while  the  root  of  the  matter  lives  in  us,  we  are  still 
 tinder  the  power  of  the  disease.  Isa.  i.  5,  6  ;  xv.  19 ;  S.  James 
 iv.  1—3.     Bonnell.     (Life,  p.  197.) 
 
 16  They  could  not  cure  him. — The  sound  of  our  speaking  strikes 
 the  outward  ear;  the  Master  teaches  within.  Acts  xvi.  14. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 When  second  causes  answer  our  expectations  and  desires,  we  are 
 seldom  wont  to  look  beyond  them.  We  never  regard  the  foun- 
 tain, till  the  cisterns  begin  to  fail.    S.  Mark  v.  26,27.    Scougal. 
 
 Those  three  pillars  were  not  with  them,  Peter,  James,  and  John, 
 xxvi.  37;  Gal.  ii.  8.     ^S".  Chrysostom. 
 
 17  That  spirit  in  man  is  most  noble,  which  rather  prefers  bearing 
 the  ills  of  life,  than  by  fleeing  to  avoid  them.  S.  Luke  ix.  51. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 20  If  ye  have  faith,  ^c. — Faith  in  full  force  and  stimulated  by 
 prayers  and  fasting.  .  .  .  The  evil  spirit  in  man  clings  more 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XVII.  20,  21.  311 
 
 closely  to  him,  tban  a  mountain  by  nature  does  to  its  root ;  and 
 yet  faith,  even  though  small,  is  more  powerful  than  the  resting- 
 place  of  a  mountain.  Mic.  vi.  2  ;  Ps.  xlvi.  1,  2 ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  2. 
 Bengel. 
 
 Te  have  heard  in  the  primitive  Church  of  a  grain  of  faith  remomng 
 mountains;  and,  believe  me,  all  miracles  are  not  yet  outdated. 
 The  work  of  Eegeneratiou,  the  bestowing  of  a  spiritual  life  on 
 one,  "  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,"  the  making  of  a  carcass 
 walk,  the  natural  old  man  to  spring  again  and  to  move  spiri- 
 tually, is  as  great  a  miracle,  as  that.  Job  xiv.  4 ;  Eph.  i.  19,  20. 
 Br.  Hammond.     (Serm.  on  Gal.  vi.  15.) 
 
 21  Fasting  directly  advances  towards  chastity,  &c. ;  but  then  it  is 
 not  the  fast  of  the  day,  that  can  do  this  ;  it  is  not  an  act,  but  a 
 state  of  fasting,  that  operates  to  mortification.  1  Cor.  ix.  24 — 
 27  ;  Col.  iii.  5.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 As  a  wise  and  religious  exercise  of  fastings  and  other  acts  of  se- 
 verity and  self-denial  are  the  best  remedies  against  all  sin,  so 
 they  more  especially  contribute  to  subdue  those  of  the  flesh,  (I 
 mean,  all  softness,  effeminacy,  and  self-indulgence,  as  well  as 
 unchaste  appetites,)  and  redundance  of  spirits,  which  ease  and 
 free  living  certainly  leave  behind.  They  cut  off  those  luxu- 
 riances of  nature,  take  away  the  matter,  which  the  tempter's 
 suggestions  work  upon,  and  put  us  in  a  better  condition  of 
 standing  our  ground,  and  gaining  the  fort  within,  by  starving 
 out  the  enemy's  forces,  that  lie  entrenched  there,  v.  27 — 30 ; 
 Ezek.  X.  49 ;  Eom.  viii.  13.  Bean  Stanhope.  (On  the  Epistle 
 for  the  Second  Sunday  in  Lent.) 
 
 22  And  while  they  abode  in  Galilee,  Jesus  said 
 unto  them,  The  Son  of  man  shall  be  betrayed  into  the 
 hands  of  men. 
 
 23  And  they  shall  kill  Him,  and  the  third  day  He 
 shall  be  raised  again.    And  they  were  exceeding  sorry. 
 
 24  And  when  they  were  come  to  Capernaum,  they 
 that  received  tribute  money  came  to  Peter,  and  said, 
 Doth  not  your  Master  pay  tribute  ? 
 
312  s.  MATTHEW  XVII.  24—27. 
 
 25  He  saith,  Yes.  And  when  he  was  come  into  the 
 house,  Jesus  prevented  him,  saying.  What  thinkest 
 thou,  Simon  ?  of  whom  do  the  kings  of  the  earth  take 
 custom  or  tribute  ?  of  their  own  children,  or  of 
 strangers  ? 
 
 26  Peter  saith  unto  Him,  Of  strangers.  Jesus  saith 
 unto  him,  Then  are  the  children  free. 
 
 27  Notwithstanding,  lest  we  should  offend  them,  go 
 thou  to  the  sea,  and  cast  an  hook,  and  take  up  the  fish 
 that  first  Cometh  up  ;  and  when  thou  hast  opened  his 
 mouth,  thou  shalt  find  a  piece  of  money  :  that  take, 
 and  give  unto  them  for  Me  and  thee. 
 
 24  Both  not  your  master,  ^c. — "We  do  a  great  deal  of  barm,  when 
 we  disappoint  the  expectations,  entertained  concerning  us  (S. 
 John  xi.  56).  Nothing  is  more  fatal  to  the  good  conduct  of 
 people  in  a  lower  station  than  the  suspicion,  which  they  some- 
 times entertain,  of  the  sincerity  of  those  above  them.  S.  John 
 vii.  12;  2  Cor.  vii.  11;  xii.  16.  Dr.  Arnold.  (Serm.  1  Cor. 
 X.  33.) 
 
 25  Jesus  prevented  him. — Before  Peter  could  make  his  statement, 
 the  Lord  proposes  His  question,  to  avoid  offence  being  taken  by 
 the  disciples  at  the  demand  of  tribute ;  since  now  they  must  see 
 that  He  well  knew  what  had  taken  place  in  His  absence,  xi.  6 ; 
 S.  John  xvi.  1 — 4.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 This  was  the  half-shekel  (Exod.  xxx.  11 — 16),  which  was  demanded 
 under  the  Law.  But  the  King's  son  was  not  subject  to  that 
 demand ;  only  strangers  were  so.  For  why  should  Cheist,  who 
 came  to  "  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world,"  need  to  ransom  Him- 
 self from  this  world  ?  Why  should  He  redeem  Himself  from 
 sin,  who  came  down  that  He  might  release  all  from  sin  ?  Why 
 should  He  redeem  Himself  from  death,  who  took  our  flesh,  that 
 by  dying  He  might  cause  all  to  rise  again  ?  1  Kings  ix.  21,  22  ; 
 1  Cor.  ix.  19.     S.  Ambrose.     (Ep.  7,  ad  Justum,  c.  12.) 
 
 27  Lest  we  should  offend  them. — When   there   is   any   question 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  27. 
 
 313 
 
 about  money,  worldly-minded  men  have  a  peculiar  facility  in 
 taking  oflence  at  the  conduct  of  the  godly.  Gen.  xxiii.  12 — 20 ; 
 1  Sam.  xii.  3  ;  S.  Luke  x.  4  ;  Acts  xx.  33  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  16—19  ; 
 1  Tim.  iii.  3.     Bengel. 
 
 The  zeal  of  our  Loed  was  wise,  temperate,  and  substantial ;  such, 
 as  did  not  spend  itself  in  a  furious  contention  for,  or  opposition 
 to,  things  of  an  indifferent  nature  ;  but  it  quietly  submitted  to 
 the  customs  of  His  country  and  of  the  Church,  in  which  He 
 was  born  and  educated  ;  and  all  His  invectives  were  against 
 hypocrisy  and  immorality,  which  were  the  only  things,  to  which 
 His  noble  and  generous  temper  could  never  be  reconciled,  xi. 
 29  ;  xii.  19  ;  xxi.  12.   Dr.  J.  Scott.    (Christian  Life,  P.  i.  Ch.  4.) 
 
 Tou  see  Caesar*  commands  Him  to  pay  tribute,  and  Christ  readily 
 obeys :  but  withal  He  commands  the  sea ;  and  Behold  !  the 
 fishes  hasten  to  Him  with  tribute  in  their  mouths.  As  He  did 
 express  His  humility,  that  He  might  not  offend  Caesar,  so  we 
 may  be  easily  persuaded  that  He  did  manifest  His  Glory,  that 
 He  might  not  offend  His  disciples,  iv.  11 ;  Jonah  i.  17  ;  1  King?, 
 xiii.  24  ;  xx.  36  ;  Amos  ix.  3.    Farindon.    (Serm.  Eom.  xiii.  4.) 
 
 That  the  poor  paid  as  much  as  the  rich  (towards  the  Temple  or 
 Church-rate),  and  the  rich  no  more  than  the  poor,  is  worth 
 noting.  It  was  a  personal  tribute,  imposed  to  testify  obedience 
 to  God  ;  and  therefore  equally  was  paid,  to  signify  that  God  is 
 "  no  respecter  of  persons".  .  .  .  Again,  here  you  may  think  what 
 an  acceptable  thing  to  God  it  is  to  preserve  the  Ministry  and 
 to  give  to  the  Church  ;  on  the  contrary  side,  how  odious  to  spoil 
 the  Ministry  and  to  take  from  the  Church  what  men  and  women, 
 of  better  hearts  than  we  have,  gave  to  the  Church.  You  see  how 
 this  was  not  posted  over  to  Princes  and  great  men  only  ;  but 
 even  private  men  also  must  join  in  this.  For,  if  a  man  be  born 
 to  inherit  heaven,  he  must  think  himself  born  to  maintain  the 
 means,  that  lead  us  into  heaven.  Our  sheep  and  cattle  we  pro- 
 vide for  ;  because  they  labour  for  us  and  feed  us :  what  hearts 
 then  should  we  have  to  see  them  comfortably  maintained,  that 
 labour  for  us,  in  a  far  higher  sort,  and  feed  us  with  a  much 
 
 *  Farindon,  in  this  passage,  con- 
 founds the  Tribute-money,  demanded 
 of  the  Jews  by  the  Roman  Emperor, 
 
 with  the  tribute  paid  to  the  Temple, 
 which  is  here  adverted  to.  (Conf.  Ch. 
 xxii.  15—22.) 
 
314  S.  MATTHEW  XVII.  27. 
 
 better  food  ?  They  draw  body  and  soul  out  of  the  pit  of  death 
 and  lead  them  both  to  eternal  comfort,  x.  10 ;  x.  41 ;  Exod. 
 xxxviii.  26;  S.  Luke  vii.  5  ;  xiii.  15  ;  Gal.  vi.  6.  Bp.  Babington. 
 (Comfortable  Notes  on  Exod.  xxx.  11,  12.) 
 
 Let  us  remember  that  a  conscientious  submission  to  the  Sovereign 
 powers  is  no  less  than  brotherly  love,  a  distinctive  badge  of 
 Cheist's  disciples.  Acts  xxiv.  12 ;  xxv.  8  ;  1  Tim.  ii.  1,  2  ;  Tit. 
 iii.  1.     Bp.  Horsley.     (Serm.  B-om.  xiii.  1.) 
 
 It  is  an  idle  and  unwarranted  multiplication  of  miracles,  to  as- 
 sume that  the  stater  was  created  for  the  occasion ;  and  it  is  in 
 fact  a  stepping  out  of  the  region  of  miracle  altogether  into  that 
 of  absolute  creation.  Eor  in  the  miracle,  as  distinguished  from 
 the  act  of  pure  creation,  there  is  always  a  nature-basis,  to  which 
 the  Divine  power,  which  works  the  wonder,  more  or  less  closely 
 links  itself.  That  Divine  power,  as  it  dwelt  in  Cheist,  restored, 
 as  in  the  case  of  the  sick  and  blind ;  it  multiplied,  as  the  bread 
 in  the  wilderness ;  it  ennobled,  as  the  water  at  Cana ;  it  revived, 
 as  Lazarus  and  others ;  it  brought  together  here,  by  wonderful 
 coincidences,  the  already  existing  :  but,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  it 
 formed  no  new  limbs,  it  made  no  bread  out  of  nothing,  it  cre- 
 ated no  new  men ;  it  did  not,  as  far  as  our  records  reach,  pass 
 over  on  any  one  occasion  into  the  region  of  absolute  creation. 
 B.  C.  Trench.     (On  the  Miracles.) 
 
 0  Grlorious  Master  of  peace  and  charity,  who,  though  indeed  the 
 King  of  Kings  and  Loed  of  Lords,  yet  wert  pleased  to  decline 
 the  claim  of  Thy  privilege,  and  rather  do  a  miracle  than  not 
 prevent  a  scandal ;  be  Thou  the  King  of  our  souls,  and  may  all, 
 we  have  and  are,  pay  tribute  to  Thy  Majesty  !  Make  us,  O 
 Loed,  not  only  for  fear  but  conscience  perform  our  duty  to  the 
 public  Magistrate ;  and  learn  to  wave  even  our  own  right,  for 
 love  of  peace  and  good  example  to  others.  Austin.  (Medit.  137.) 
 TJnicus  est  medicus  reliquorum  piscis  ;  et  istis, 
 
 Eas  quibus  est  medicum  tangere,  certa  salus.  (ix.  20.) 
 Hie  typus  est  Salvatoris  mirandus  lesu  ; 
 *Littera  mysterium  quselibet  hujus  habet. 
 
 *  l.''lr)a-odsJesus:  X.  Xpiarhs  Christus:  Q.QeovDei:  Y.  rlhsFilius:  2.  2«tV 
 Salvator. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  1.  315 
 
 Hunc  cupio,  hunc  capias,  boue  frater  aruudinis,  t'x^tV ; 
 
 Solvei'it  Hie  pro  me  debita  teque  Deo. 
 Piscis  Is  est  et  Piscator,  mihi  credito,  qualem 
 Vel  Piscatorem  piscis  amare  velifc. 
 
 Henri/  Bailey.   (Prefixed  to  I.  Walton's 
 Complete  Angler.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XVIII. 
 
 AT  the  same  time  came  the  disciples  unto  Jesus, 
 saying,  Who  is  the  greatest  in   the  kingdom  of 
 heaven  ? 
 
 2  And  Jesus  called  a  little  child  unto  Him,  and  set 
 him  in  the  midst  of  them, 
 
 3  And  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except  ye  be 
 converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not 
 enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 4  Whosoever  therefore  shall  humble  himself  as  this 
 little  child,  the  same  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
 heaven. 
 
 5  And  whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in 
 My  Name  receiveth  Me. 
 
 6  But  whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones 
 which  believe  in  Me,  it  were  better  for  him  that  a 
 millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that  he 
 were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea. 
 
 1  At  the  same  time — namely,  when  they  saw  that  the  same  tribute 
 was  paid  for  the  Loed  and  for  Peter.  S.  Luke  xxii.  24.  Isid. 
 Clarius. 
 
 Ambition  sleeps  even  in  the  breast  of  Apostles,  vii.  11.  S.  Cyprian. 
 
316  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  1—3. 
 
 Their  very  failings  are  above  us.  For  our  inquiry  is  not,  "  "Who  is 
 the  greatest  iu  the  Kingdom  oi  Heaven  ?"  but,  "  Who  is  the  great- 
 est in  the  kingdom  of  the  world  T^    Jer.  xlv.  5.    S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 It  is  a  common  error  amongst  men  to  judge  of  spiritual  things  by 
 carnal,  of  eternal  by  temporary.  Wheresoever  we  walk,  our 
 own  shadow  goes  before  us,  and  we  use  the  language  and  dialect 
 of  the  world  in  the  school  of  Christ.  We  talk  of  superiority, 
 and  power,  and  dominion,  in  that  Kingdom,  wherein  we  must 
 be  "  Priests,"  and  "  Kings"  too,  by  being  good,  not  great.  S. 
 John  iii.  4  ;  iv.  15  ;  Acts  viii.  18, 19  ;  2  Cor.  v.  16, 17.  Farindon. 
 (Serm.  S.  Matt.  viii.  1.) 
 
 2  Man  having  sinned  by  pride,  the  wisdom  of  God  humbles  him 
 at  the  very  root  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  ;  and  makes  him  deny 
 his  own  understanding  and  submit  to  faith,  or  else  for  ever  to 
 lose  his  desired  felicity.  Prov.  xvi.  18  ;  xv.  33  ;  S.  Luke  iii.  5  ; 
 S.  Matt.  V.  3.     Abp.  Laud.     (Conference  with  Fisher.) 
 
 3  Here  is  conversion  after  conversion,  being  a  solemn  turning  from 
 some  particular  sin  ;  in  relation  to  which,  it  is  not  absurd  to 
 say,  that  there  is  justification  after  justification  ;  the  latter,  as 
 following  in  time,  so  flowing  from  the  former.  Ps.  cxix.  25,  32, 
 40;  S.  Luke  xxii.  32  ;  S.  John  ii.  11 ;  iv.  53  ;  xx.  31 ;  Eev.  ii.  5. 
 Th.  Fuller.   (Cause  and  cure  of  a  wounded  conscience.  Dial,  vi.) 
 
 Christ  does  not  say,  "  Unless  you  convert  yourselves,  so  as  to  be 
 like  little  children ;"  but,  "  nisi  efficiamini,  unless  ye  be  made 
 like  unto  them,"     Lam.  v.  21.     Biez. 
 
 To  become  like  to  little  children  in  humbleness,  is  not  in  our 
 power;  it  is  the  work  of  God's  hand  and  help.  Yet  to  show 
 that  we  must,  as  we  may,  work  with  His  prevenient  grace, 
 Christ  adds,  "  Whosoever  humbleth  himself"  according  to  the 
 saying  of  S.  Gregory,  "  The  good,  which  a  man  doth,  is  both  the 
 work  of  God  and  the  work  of  man;  of  God,  as  being  the  Au- 
 thor, in  giving  grace  ;  of  man,  as  being  actor,  in  using  grace ; 
 yet  so,  that  he  co-operate  with  grace  by  grace."  xii.  13 ;  S. 
 John  vi.  27;  Acts  xxvi.  18,  20;  1  Cor.  xv.  10;  S.  Jude  21, 
 24.     Bean  Boys.     (On  the  'Festivals.    S.  Michael.) 
 
 That  action,  which  is  obedience  to  the  Moral  Law,  some  call  grace, 
 and  others  call  virtue  :  but  it  is  the  same.  As  it  proceeds  from 
 God,  working  in  us,  it  may  be  called  grace ;  as  it  proceeds  from 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  3,  6.  317 
 
 US,  concurring  with  God,  it  may  be  called  virtue.  Br.  Jeffery. 
 (Edition  of  Dr,  Whichcote's  Aphorisms.    Note  on  Aphor.  7.) 
 
 Enter. — So  far  from  being  the  greatest,  he  shall  not  even  enter. 
 
 6  Woe  to  those,  who  deaden  tenderness  of  conscience  in  children 
 by  their  bad  examples,  or  by  false  doctrines ;  which  tell  the  chil- 
 dren that  they  are  still  unregenerate,  children  of  the  devil,  not 
 yet  Christians  ;  and  who,  so,  put  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way 
 of  Cheist's  little  ones,  and  •'  do  despite  to  the  Spirit  of  grace," 
 by  which  they  are  "  sealed  to  the  Day  of  Redemption."  I  see 
 parents,  thinking  that  their  children  are  to  learn  the  deceitful- 
 ness  of  the  human  heart  from  themselves,  and  the  workings  of 
 God's  Spirit  from  their  parents:  but  I  often  think  that  the 
 teachers  ought  to  be  converted  indeed ;  that  is,  turned  right 
 round,  and  become  the  learners,  instead  of  the  teachers,  and 
 learn  the  workings  of  God's  Spirit  from  their  children,  and  the 
 deceitfulness  of  the  human  heart  from  themselves ;  if  at  least 
 the  Lord  Jesus's  words  have  any  force  or  meaning  at  all,  when 
 He  said  not,  "  Except  the  little  children  be  converted ;  but,  ex- 
 cept ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  one  of  these  little  children ;" 
 ye,  and  not  they,  "  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
 heaven."  xix.  14;  S.  James  ii.  6.  Kingsley.  (Serm.  Micah 
 vi.  5—8.) 
 
 The  Athenians  inquiring  at  the  oracle,  how  their  Commonwealth 
 might  become  happy,  were  told,  "  they  should  be  fortunate,  if 
 they  did  hang  their  most  precious  things  on  their  children's 
 ears  ;"  by  which  was  meant,  instructing  them  in  the  principles 
 of  piety  and  virtue ;  and  doubtless  the  counsel  is  very  proper  for 
 us  at  this  time.  Prov.  i.  9  ;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  6 — 9  ;  cxliv.  12 — 15. 
 Dean  Comber.     (A  brief  Discourse  upon  the  Catechism.) 
 
 How  do  infants  believe?  By  the  faith  of  the  parents.  If  by 
 the  parents'  sin  they  are  polluted,  by  the  parents'  faith  they 
 be  purged.  The  body  of  sin  in  the  first  parents  begat  them 
 sinners  ;  and  the  Spirit  of  life  in  their  latter  parent  did  re- 
 generate them  to  be  believers,  xix.  13 ;  1  Cor.  vii.  14.  S. 
 Augustine.     (Serm.  14.) 
 
 We  are  plainly  taught  of  God  that  the  seed  of  faithful  parentage 
 is  holy  from  the  very  birth.  Gen.  xvii.  7 — 15.  Hooker.  (Eccl. 
 Pol.  B.  V.  eh.  60.) 
 
318  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  6. 
 
 Infants  being  Baptized  and  dying  in  their  infancy,  are  by  the 
 Sacrifice  of  our  Loed's  death  washed  from  their  sins,  brought 
 to  God's  favour,  and  made  His  children  and  heirs  of  His  King- 
 dom of  heaven.     Homilies.     (On  the  Salvation  of  Mankind.) 
 
 7  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences  !  for  it 
 must  needs  be  that  offences  come  ;  but  woe  to  that 
 man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh  ! 
 
 8  Wherefore  if  thy  hand  or  thy  foot  offend  thee, 
 cut  them  off,  and  cast  them  from  thee  :  it  is  better  for 
 thee  to  enter  into  life  halt  or  maimed,  rather  than 
 having  two  hands  or  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  everlast- 
 ing fire. 
 
 9  And  if  thine  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and 
 cast  it  from  thee :  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into 
 life  with  one  eye,  rather  than  having  two  eyes  to  be 
 cast  into  hell  fire. 
 
 10  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these  little 
 ones ;  for  I  say  unto  you.  That  in  heaven  their  angels 
 do  always  behold  the  face  of  My  Father  which  is  in 
 heaven. 
 
 1 1  For  the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that  which 
 was  lost. 
 
 12  How  think  ye  ?  if  a  man  have  an  hundred  sheep, 
 and  one  of  them  be  gone  astray,  doth  he  not  leave  the 
 ninety  and  nine,  and  goeth  into  the  mountains,  and 
 seeketh  that  which  is  gone  astray  ? 
 
 13  And  if  so  be  that  he  find  it,  verily  I  say  unto 
 you,  he  rejoiceth  more  of  that  sheep,  than  of  the 
 ninety  and  nine  which  went  not  astray. 
 
 14  Even  so  it  is  not  the  will  of  your  Father  which 
 is  in  heaven,  that  one  of  these  little  ones  should  perish. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  8,  10.  319 
 
 8  Cut  them  off. — It  is  certainly  much  easier  wholly  to  decline  a 
 passion,  than  to  keep  it  within  just  bounds  and  measure  ;  and 
 that,  which  few  can  moderate,  almost  anybody  may  prevent. 
 V.  27 — 31 ;  Gen.  xxxix.  10.     Charron.     (Treatise  on  Wisdom.) 
 
 Use  sin,  as  it  will  use  you ;  spare  it  not,  for  it  will  not  spare  you  : 
 it  is  your  murderer  and  the  murderer  of  the  whole  world.  Use 
 it  therefore,  as  a  murderer  should  be  used ;  kill  it,  before  it  kill 
 you;  and,  though  it  bring  you  to  the  grave,  as  it  did  your 
 Head,  it  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  you  there.  You  love  not 
 death;  love  not  the  cause  of  death,  v.  29,  30;  Col.  iii.  5. 
 Baxter. 
 
 It  is  better  for  thee,  ^c. — If  you  do  a  good  action  with  trouble  to 
 yourself,  the  trouble  passes  away,  the  good  survives.  If  you 
 do  evil  with  pleasure  to  yourself,  the  pleasure  passes  away,  the 
 evil  survives.     Isa.  iii.  10,  11 ;  Eom.  viii.  18.     Musonius. 
 
 Momentaneum,  quod  delectat ;  ceternum,  quod  cruciat.  That,  which 
 delighteth  us,  is  but  for  a  moment ;  that,  which  tormenteth  us, 
 is  eternal,     v.  29,  30;  xxv.  41.     ^S*.  Gregory. 
 
 This  may  serve  to  expound  that  mystical  Arabian  proverb,  which 
 advises  us  to  "  shut  the  windows,  that  the  houses  may  be  light." 
 2  Cor.  vi.  9.     Flavel. 
 
 The  members  of  our  body,  in  proportion  as  we  have  mortified 
 them  on  earth,  will  shine  the  more  bright  in  glory,  xiii.  43  ; 
 1  Cor.  XV.  38—41.     Be7igel. 
 
 10  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not,  &c. — To  have  instructed  the  sons 
 of  Princes  has  been  accounted  an  honour  in  the  judgment  of  all 
 ages  and  nations.  How  great  glory  and  dignity  is  it  then  to 
 teach  the  sons  of  God  Himself!  Por  the  relation,  we  bear  to 
 God  through  Cheist,  truly  exalts  and  ennobles  our  kind ;  and 
 Pope  Leo  the  Great  had  good  right  to  exclaim,  "  Never  let  man 
 be  contemned  in  man's  sight ;  nor  let  that  nature  be  despised 
 in  any  person,  which  the  Maker  of  all  hath  taken,  as  His  own." 
 Therefore,  whatever  number  of  pupils  a  master  may  reckon  up 
 in  his  school,  let  him  regard  himself,  as  educating  so  many 
 Princes,  striplings  in  years,  but  mighty  in  worth.  Let  him  dis- 
 cern in  their  little  persons,  as  it  were  in  disguise,  the  ensample 
 of  a  Divine  original,  the  traces  of  a  Heavenly  kindred,  the 
 brethren  of  Chblst.     In  them  also  let  him  contemplate  the 
 
320  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  10,  11. 
 
 purchase  of  the  Cross,  the  claimants  of  a  Kingdom,  the  heirs  of 
 Eternity.  Then,  I  say  not  merely  how  cheerfully,  but  rather 
 with  what  ambitious  aspirations  would  he  not  ply  his  task,  aa 
 an  instructor  ?  Judg.  viii.  18  ;  Ex.  ii.  9  ;  Isa.  viii.  18.  Jouvency. 
 (De  ratione  discendi  et  docendi.) 
 
 "What  great  and  special  love  must  the  Father  bear  to  the  in- 
 nocent state  of  childhood,  and  what  tender  regard  to  its  help- 
 lessness and  inexperience,  since  their  Angels  keep  the  watch  in 
 His  nearest  Presence.  In  sweet  harmony  with  this  mystery, 
 our  Lord  commended,  first  of  all,  to  S.  Peter  "  the  Iambs  of  His 
 flock "  placing  them  before  the  sheep.  Children  should  be 
 taught  to  know  and  feel  their  Blessed  privilege,  that  they  may 
 preserve  undefiled  the  white  and  spotless  garment  of  their  Bap- 
 tism. They  should  be  early  taught  to  understand  what  that 
 meaneth,  "  I  heartily  thank  our  Heavenly  Pather  that  He  hath 
 called  me  to  this  state  of  Salvation  through  Jestjs  Christ  our 
 Saviour."  ii.  16 ;  xix.  14  ;  xxi.  15 ;  Acts  ii.  39  ;  2  Thess.  ii. 
 13,  14 ;  Col.  i.  12—14.     J.  F. 
 
 The  angels  always  behold  the  face  of  the  Father ;  and  yet  they 
 come  to  us.  For  by  a  spiritual  presence  they  come  forth  to  us  ; 
 and  yet,  by  internal  contemplation  keep  themselves  there,  whence 
 they  come  forth ;  for  they  come  not  so  forth  from  the  Divine 
 vision,  as  to  hinder  the  joys  of  inward  contemplation.  Ps.  civ. 
 4  ;  S.  Luke  i.  19.     Gregory.     (In  Job  c.  i.) 
 
 11  Is  come. —  Venit  ad  homines;  venit  in  homines;  venit  contra 
 homines.  He  comes  to  men,  saith  S.  Bernard  ;  that  is,  with  the 
 offer  of  His  salvation.  He  comes  into  men  ;  that  is,  by  His 
 Holt  Spirit  dwelling  in  the  hearts  of  those,  who  accept  His 
 salvation.  He  comes  against  men  ;  that  is,  to  punish  those, 
 who  will  not  "  have  Him  to  reign  over  them."  These  distinc- 
 tions would  also  apply  to  the  past,  to  the  present,  and  to  the 
 future.  He  came  once  in  the  flesh  ;  He  comes  now  in  the  Spirit ; 
 He  will  come  in  the  Visible  Glory  of  His  Eternal  and  Ever- 
 lasting Kingdom.  He  is  therefore  rightly  called,  o  ip^x^ofjievo^, 
 the  Comer.     (See  S.  John  i.  11.     Bp.  Patrick.')     J.  F. 
 
 The  parallel  passage  (S,  Luke  xv.)  would  seem  to  apply  to  the 
 adult ;  of  whom  it  is  therefore  required  that  they  repent ; 
 whereas  here  it  is  simply  said  of  the  little  ones,  that  they  are 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  11,  12.  321 
 
 gone  astray.  In  botli  cases,  our  Christian  Duty  towards  them 
 is  the  same ;  not  to  despise  them,  but  after  the  pattern  of  the 
 Angels,  yea,  of  the  Son  of  man  Himself,  to  "  seek  to  do  them 
 good."     Ps.  xxxiv.  11.     J.  F. 
 
 Lazy  traveller,  thou  wast  slow  to  enter  upon  the  way ;  •'  the 
 Way  "  therefore  comes  to  thee.  Infirm  traveller,  thou  wast 
 unable  to  get  into  the  way  by  any  works,  wealth,  or  weariness 
 of  your  own,  opibus,  operibus,  opera  ;  therefore  Christ  pre- 
 vents thee  and  finds  out  the  traveller,  who  was  lost.  Ezek. 
 xxxiv.  11 ;  Eom.  v.  6  ;  Titus  ii.  11.     (S.  Augustine. 
 
 12  Mir  a  queer  entis  Dei  dignatio !  magna  dignitas  hominis  sic  quce- 
 siti !  Oh,  the  wonderful  condescension  of  God  thus  to  seek ! 
 Oh,  the  exceeding  honour  of  man  to  be  thus  sought  for !  Gren. 
 iii.  8,  9 ;  Titus  ii.  11 ;  S.  Luke  xv.  S.  Bernard.  (Serm.  de 
 Advent,  i.) 
 
 If  the  old  Law  strictlj'^  commanded  not  to  neglect  the  ox  of  our 
 enemy,  when  he  is  found  strayed,  but  to  bring  him  back  to  his 
 master,  what  pardon  ought  he  to  expect,  who  neglects  and 
 abandons,  not  a  strayed  ox  of  his  enemy,  but  the  soul  of  his 
 brother  Christian,  lost  in  sin  ?  vi.  26  ;  Isa.  Iviii.  7  ;  1  Cor.  ix. 
 9 ;  S.  Jas.  v.  19,  20.     S.  Chrysostom.     (Horn.  4.     1  Cor.) 
 
 15  Moreover  if  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against 
 thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him 
 alone :  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy 
 brother. 
 
 16  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee 
 one  or  two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three 
 witnesses  every  word  may  be  established. 
 
 1 7  And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  them,  tell  it  unto 
 the  church  :  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let 
 him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican. 
 
 18  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind 
 on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven  :  and  whatsoever 
 ve  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven. 
 
322  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  15—17. 
 
 19  Again  I  say  unto  you,  that  if  two  of  you  shall 
 agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall 
 ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  My  Father  Which 
 is  in  heaven. 
 
 20  For  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in 
 My  Name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. 
 
 15  Christ  here  intimates  three  kinds  of  correction,  one  of  love 
 (v.  15),  one  of  fear  (v.  17),  one  of  shame  (v.  17.)  Ludolphus. 
 (Vita  Christi,  P.  ii.  c.  8.) 
 
 Between  thee  and  him  alone. — Eeproof  and  good  counsel  must  be 
 like  our  alms,  in  secret ;  so  as,  if  possible,  one  ear  or  hand  may 
 not  be  conscious  to  the  other.  It  is  the  best  remedy,  that  is 
 least  seen  and  most  felt.     Ps.  cxli.  5  ;  Prov.  xxv,  9.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 He,  that  rebukes  a  private  fault  openly,  betrays  it,  rather  than 
 reproves  it.     i.  19.     F.  Quarles.     (Enchir.  Cent.  iii.  52.) 
 
 Never  speak  of  any  one's  faults  to  others,  till  you  have  first  spoken 
 of  them  to  the  offender  himself,  vii.  12  ;  Gen.  iv.  6  ;  xii.  18. 
 P.  Henry.     (Life,  by  M.  Henry.) 
 
 Engage  not  hastily,  as  a  party,  in  a  difference  between  others ; 
 but  reserve  thyself  impartial  and  unengaged,  that  thou  mayest 
 moderate  between  them.  Eom.  xiv.  19.  Corbet.  (Notes  for 
 himself.) 
 
 16  That  in  the  mouth,  ^-c.  (Deut.  xix.  15.)  This  passage  shows 
 that  not  all  the  things,  which  were  prescribed  in  the  judicial 
 Law  of  Moses,  are  excluded  from  the  Church  of  Christ  and  its 
 polity,     xvii.  1 ;  1  Cor.  ix.  9 ;  Heb.  vi.  16.     Bengel. 
 
 17  The  true  Church  hath  three  marks,  or  notes,  whereby  it  is 
 known  ;  pure  and  sound  doctrines,  the  Sacraments  duly  ad- 
 ministered, according  to  Christ's  holy  institution,  and  the 
 right  use  of  Ecclesiastical  discipline.  This  description  of  the 
 Church  is  agreeable  both  to  the  Scriptures  of  God  and  also  to 
 the  doctrines  of  the  ancient  Fathers  ;  so  that  none  may  justly 
 find  fault  therewith.  Acts  ii.  46  ;  v.  11,  42.  Homilies.  (On 
 Whit  Sunday.) 
 
 The  mercy  of  the  Father,  the  slain  victim  of  the  Son,  and  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  17,  18.  323 
 
 sanctification  of  the  Holt  Ghost,  are  the  peculiar  property  of 
 the  Church.     Acts  ii.  47 ;  Eph.  iii.  10.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 It  is  necessary  to  believe  in  the  Church  of  Cheist,  which  is  but 
 One,  that,  being  in  it,  we  may  take  care  never  to  cast  ourselves, 
 or  to  be  ejected,  out  of  it  .  .  .  By  great  and  scandalous  offences, 
 by  incorrigible  misdemeanors,  we  may  incur  the  censure  of  the 
 Church  of  God  ;  and,  while  we  are  shut  out  by  them,  we  stand 
 excluded  out  of  heaven.  .  .  .  Again,  a  man  may  not  only  pas- 
 sively and  involuntarily  be  rejected  ;  but  also  may  by  an  act  of 
 his  own  cast  out,  or  reject  himself,  not  only  by  plain  and  com- 
 plete apostasy,  but  by  a  defection  from  the  unity  of  truth  fall- 
 ing into  some  damnable  heresy ;  or  by  an  active  separation,  de- 
 serting all,  which  are  in  communion  with  the  Catholic  Church, 
 and  falling  into  an  irrecoverable  schism.  S.  John  ii.  15  ;  xv.  6 ; 
 Acts  xxvii.  31.     Bp.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art.  IX.) 
 
 It  hath  ever  been  holden  good  Divinity,  that  the  Church  from 
 Christ  received  power  to  censure  and  separate  wilful  offenders, 
 both  with  the  heathen  man's  separation,  who  might  not  so  much 
 as  enter  into  the  Church-door,  (which  is  the  greater  censure, 
 Acts  xxi.  28,)  and  with  the  publican's  separation,  (which  is  the 
 less,  S.  Luke  xviii.  10,)  who  might  enter  and  pray  in  the  Temple, 
 but  was  avoided  in  common  conversation  and  in  the  fellowship 
 of  the  private  table,  and  therefore  much  more  of  the  Altar.  Of 
 which  twain,  the  former  the  Apostle  calleth  "cutting  off"  (Gal. 
 V.  12)  ;  the  latter,  "  abstaining  from."  (2  Thess.  iii.  6.)  The 
 Primitive  Church  calleth  the  former,  excommunicatos  ;  the  latter, 
 abstentos.     Bp.  Andrewes.     (Serm.  on  Acts  ii.  42.) 
 
 Excommunication  is  the  greatest  judgment  upon  earth,  being  that, 
 which  is  ratified  in  heaven,  and  being  a  precursory  or  prelusory 
 judgment  of  the  great  Judgment  of  Christ  in  the  end  of  the 
 world.     Lord  Bacon.     (Of  the  Pacification  of  the  Church.) 
 
 When  any  one  begins  to  esteem  his  brother,  as  a  publican,  he 
 "  binds  him  on  earth  :"  but  he  must  take  care  that  he  bind  him 
 justly  ;  7ia}n  injusta  vincula  disrumpit  justitia,  for  unjust  bonds 
 are  broken  by  the  Justice  of  God.  S.  Augustine.  (De  Verb. 
 Dom.  xvi.  c.  4.) 
 
 18  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  ^x.  (Conf.  xvi.  18.)  In  many  passages 
 of  the  Scriptures  Peter  appears,  as  the  representative  of  the 
 
 Y  2 
 
324  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  18,  19. 
 
 Church,  especially  in  that  place,  where  it  is  said,  "  I  will  give 
 unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Did  Peter  then 
 receive  these  keys,  and  Paul  not  receive  them  ?  Did  Peter  re- 
 ceive them,  and  John  and  James  not  receive  them,  and  the 
 rest  of  the  Apostles  ?  Or,  are  not  these  keys'  lodged  in  the 
 Church  ?  But,  since  Peter  represented  the  Church,  that,  which 
 was  given  to  him,  to  the  Church  it  was  given.  Acts  xv.  23  ; 
 1  Cor.  V.  4 ;  2  Cor.  ii.  10.  -S*.  Auffitstine.  (Serm.  149,  s.  7,  De 
 diversis.) 
 
 The  Church  of  the  city  of  Eome  is  not  to  be  regarded,  as  different 
 from  any  other  Church  in  the  world.  Nee  altera  Romance  urbis 
 Ecclesia,  altera  totius  orbis  estimanda  est.  .  .  .  Wherever  a 
 Bishop  may  be,  whether  at  Rome,  or  at  Eugubium,  or  at  Con- 
 stantinople, or  at  Ehegium,  or  at  Alexandria,  or  at  Tanum,  he 
 possesses  the  same  weight,  and  is  of  the  same  Priesthood.  Ejiis- 
 dem  meriti,  ejusdem  est  Sacerdotii.  A  Bishop  is  not  elevated  on 
 the  one  hand,  nor  degraded  on  the  other,  by  the  power  of  wealth, 
 or  by  the  lowliness  of  poverty.  Contrariwise,  all  are  successors 
 of  the  Apostles.  .  .  .  Gaul,  Britain,  Africa,  Persia,  the  East 
 India,  together  with  all  foreign  nations,  alike  adore  one  Cheist 
 and  adhere  to  one  and  the  same  Eule  of  faith.  S.  Jerome.  (Ep. 
 101,  alias  85,  ad  Evagrium.) 
 
 19  If  you  shall  agree. — 'Eaj^  avixcjiwvqawaiv.  Prayer  is  the  sweet 
 harmony  of  the  soul  in  God's  ears.  vi.  9;  Isa.  vi.  3.  Abp. 
 Leighton.     (Comment  1  S.  Pet.  iii.  7.) 
 
 As  in  music,  unless  the  voices  are  in  time,  there  is  no  pleasure  to 
 the  hearer;  so,  in  the  Church,  unless  they  are  united,  God  is 
 not  pleased  therein,  nor  does  He  hear  their  words.  Acts  ii.  1 ; 
 iv.  24;  Rom.  xv.  5,  6.     Origen.     (Comment,  in  loco.) 
 
 He  shows  the  Blessing  to  be  bestowed,  not  on  the  multitude  of 
 the  worshippers,  but  on  their  unanimity.  '*  If  two  of  you  shall 
 a^ree  on  earth."  He  placed  unanimity  first ;  He  prefixed  the 
 concord  of  peace.  But  how  can  there  be  agreement  between  two 
 or  three,  when  there  exists,  among  ^y,  disagreement  with  the 
 very  Body  of  the  Church  itself,  and  the  whole  company  of  be- 
 lievers ?  How  can  "  two  or  three  meet  together  in  His  Name," 
 who  are  evidently  cut  off  from  Cheisx  and  His  Gospel  ?  For 
 it  is  not  we,  who  have  departed  from  them ;  but  they  from  us. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  19,  20.  325 
 
 S  John  xvii.  21 ;  1  S.  John  ii.  19.  5.  Cyprian.  (Tr.  iii.  De 
 Simplicitate  Praelatorum.) 
 
 He,  that  considers,  will  find  that  particular  men  are  not  fit  to  be 
 entrusted  to  offer  prayer  in  public,  with  their  private  spirit  to 
 God  for  the  people  ;  in  such  solemnities,  in  matters  of  so  great 
 a  concernment,  where  the  honour  of  God,  the  benefit  of  the 
 people,  the  interest  of  kingdoms,  the  being  of  a  Church,  the 
 unity  of  minds,  the  conformity  of  practice,  the  truth  of  per- 
 suasion, and  the  salvation  of  souls,  are  so  much  concerned,  as 
 they  are  in  the  public  prayers  of  a  whole  national  Church.  An 
 unlearned  man  is  not  to  be  trusted ;  and  a  wise  man  dare  not 
 trust  himself.  He,  that  is  ignorant,  cannot ;  he,  that  is  know- 
 ing, will  not.  Eccles.  v.  1,  2.  Bp.  J.  Taijlo?'.  (An  Apology 
 for  authorized  and  set  forms  of  Liturgy,  s.  141.) 
 
 I  do  highly  approve,  that  there  should  be  a  certain  Form  of  Prayer 
 and  Ecclesiastical  rites — ut  certa  ilia  extet — from  which  no 
 Pastor  should  be  allowed  to  deviate  in  his  ministrations ;  as 
 well  to  make  provision  thereby  for  some  people's  ignorance  and 
 unskilfulness — simplicitati  etimperitice — as  to  make  the  consent 
 of  all  Churches  among  themselves  more  plainly  manifest ;  and, 
 moreover,  that  a  certain  step  may  be  taken  against  the  un- 
 settled levity  of  such,  as  delight  in  innovations.  S.  Luke  xi.  2 ; 
 1  Cor.  xiv.  33  ;  xi.  16.  Calvin.  (Epist.  to  the  Protector  So- 
 merset.) 
 
 20  When  two  are  assembled  to  study  the  Law,  then  the  Shechinah 
 
 »    is  present.     Jewish  Saying. 
 
 If  the  prayer  of  one  or  two  be  of  such  force,  how  much  more  pow- 
 erful shall  that  of  the  Bishop  and  of  the  whole  Church  be! 
 He  therefore,  that  does  not  come  together  (with  the  Church) 
 into  the  same  place,  is  proud  and  has  already  condemned  him- 
 self ;  for  it  is  written,  God  resisteth  the  proud.  Numb.  xvi.  12  ; 
 Acts  iv.  31 ;  xii.  5,  12  ;  2  Cor.  i.  11.  S.  Ignatius.  (Ep.  to  the 
 Ephes.  s.  5.) 
 
 He  says  not,  I  will  be  ;  for  He  is  ready  and  delays  not :  He  says, 
 "  I  am  there.  I  am  found  in  the  midst  of  them  by  the  exercise 
 of  a  special  grace  and  favour,  because  a  concord  of  this  kind  is 
 most  highly  pleasing  to  Me."     xxviii.  20.     Luke  of  Bruges. 
 
 The  holy  oil  for  the  Sanctuary  was  made  of  many  spices,  com- 
 
326  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  20. 
 
 pounded  by  the  art  of  the  perfumer;  to  note  unto  us  that 
 those  duties  are  sweetest,  which  are  made  up  in  a  Communion 
 of  Saints,  each  one  contributing  his  influence  and  furtherance 
 unto  them  ;  as  in  chains  and  jewels,  where  many  links  and 
 stones  are  joined  in  one,  they  are  richest.  Ex.  xxiii.  24,  25. 
 Bp.  Reynolds.  (Serm.  2,  on  Hos.  xiv.  2,  3.) 
 This  promise  was  no  doubt  given,  as  a  special  encouragement  to 
 the  promotion  of  Unity  and  peace  in  the  Church ;  and  yet,  in 
 the  hands  of  the  sectarian,  it  is  so  misapplied  and  so  perverted, 
 as  to  promote,  and  even  justify  in  his  conceit,  every  kind  and 
 degree  of  rehgious  discord.  The  promise  was  made  to  "  the 
 Twelve  :"  all  religionists  now  lay  claim  to  it.  It  was  made  to 
 Unity  in  faith  and  in  love  :  it  is  now  pleaded  by  sectarians  in 
 their  defence,  at  the  very  time,  when  they  separate  themselves 
 from  the  Apostolic  Communion  and  even  disagree  among  them- 
 selves. A  like  unhappy  fate  has  befallen  the  doctrine  of  Epis- 
 copacy. The  Bishop  was  ordained  to  be  the  centre  of  Unity, 
 the  guardian  of  sound  doctrine  and  salutary  discipline :  but  it  is 
 on  the  very  question  of  Episcopacy  that  thousands  take  oc- 
 casion to  bring  in  strife.  Oh !  that  these  things  were  more 
 deeply  and  more  calmly  considered !  Ps.  cxxii. ;  cxxiii. ;  Gal. 
 V.  15.     J.  F. 
 
 21  Then  came  Peter  to  Him,  and  said,  Lord,  how 
 oft  shall  my  brother  sin  against  me,  and  I  forgive  him  ? 
 till  seven  times  ? 
 
 22  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  I  say  not  unto  thee,  Until 
 seven  times :  but,  Until  seventy  times  seven. 
 
 23  Therefore  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  likened 
 unto  a  certain  king,  which  would  take  account  of  his 
 servants. 
 
 24  And  when  he  had  begun  to  reckon,  one  was 
 brought  unto  him,  which  owed  him  ten  thousand 
 talents. 
 
 25  But  forasmuch  as  he  had  not  to  pay,  his  lord 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  21—26.  327 
 
 commanded  him  to  be  sold,  and  his  wife,  and  children, 
 and  all  that  he  had,  and  payment  to  be  made. 
 
 26  The  servant  therefore  fell  down,  and  worshipped 
 him,  saying.  Lord,  have  patience  with  me,  and  I  will 
 pay  thee  all. 
 
 27  Then  the  Lord  of  that  servant  was  moved  with 
 compassion,  and  loosed  him,  and  forgave  him  the 
 debt. 
 
 21  Say  not,  I  have  sinned  too  often  to  be  forgiven.  Numerus  non 
 vincit  gratiam ;  the  number  of  our  sins  cannot  exceed  His 
 mercy.  If  we  have  sinned  a  thousand  times,  let  us  confess  as 
 oft ;  and  He,  that  hath  commanded  us  to  forgive  our  brother, 
 "  as  oft  as  he  shall  repent,"  will  certainly  forgive  us.  Ps.  xix. 
 12.     Bp.  Sparroiv.     (Serm.  S.  John  xx.  22,  23.) 
 
 A  self-searching  Christian  is  made  up  of  humility  and  meekness. 
 If  thou  wouldest  find  much  peace  and  favour  with  God  and 
 man,  be  very  low  in  thine  own  eyes.  Foi'give  thyself  little,  and 
 others  much.  1  Cor.  xi.  31.  Abp.  Leighton.  (Lectures  on  S. 
 Matt.  vii.  1—5.) 
 
 22  Seventy  times  seven. — Yicibus  innumerabiliter  innumerabilibus. 
 (S.  Augustine. 
 
 If  we  number  our  forgivenesses,  then  our  forgiveness  shall  be 
 delivered  by  taley  (tally)  ;  if  our  forgiveness  be  sine  fine  et 
 nume7'o,  then  our  sins  shall  be  forgiven  sine  nmnero.  Bp.  An- 
 dre wes. 
 
 26  I  will  jiay  thee  all. — One  of  the  most  natural  and  among  the 
 first  of  the  motives,  that  arise  in  the  mind  of  the  repentant 
 sinner,  is  that  of  propitiating  God.  The  marks  of  His  mercy  all 
 around  us  are  strong  enough  to  inspire  us  with  general  hope. 
 The  very  fact  that  He  still  continues  our  life,  and  has  not  at 
 once  cast  us  into  hell,  shows  that  He  is  waiting  awhile,  before 
 the  "wrath  comes  upon  us  to  the  uttermost."  Under  these 
 circumstances,  it  is  natural,  that  the  conscience-stricken  sinner 
 should  look  round  him  for  some  atonement,  with  which  to  meet 
 his  God.     And  this  in  fact  has  been  the  usual  course  of  reli- 
 
328  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  26,  27. 
 
 gion  in  all  ages.  Gen.  xxxii,  13 — 18 ;  xliii.  11,  12  ;  Mic.  vi. 
 6,  7 ;  S.  Luke  xv.  19.  J.  H.  Newman.  (Serm.  S.  Luke  xv. 
 18,  19.) 
 
 There  is  a  great  propenseness  in  us  to  doing,  rather  than  believing, 
 before  conversion  and  in  the  point  of  conversion.  S.  John  xv.  5. 
 Wm.  Bridge. 
 
 Men  do  not  consider  religion,  as  a  remedy,  which  the  mercy  of 
 God  provides  for  all  the  miseries  of  our  condition.  They  view 
 it,  not  as  His  manifestation  of  grace  and  goodwill  to  men,  but 
 rather  as  a  system  of  painful  duties,  which  He  requires  them  to 
 discharge,     xi.  30;  xx.  12;  xxv.  24;  S.  Luke  ii.  10.     /.  Venn. 
 
 It  is  good  to  observe  how  the  auswers  of  prayers  have  frequently 
 exceeded  the  desires  of  the  creature.  (Eph.  iv.  20.)  The 
 debtor  in  the  Gospel  desired  forbearance  only  for  a  little  time  ; 
 his  mvi^ter  forgave  him  the  debt.  The  spouse,  the  Church,  would 
 be  "  drawn  after  Christ  ;"  but  the  King  "  brought  her  into 
 His  chambers."  Gen.  xlviii.  11 ;  S.  John  iv.  52  ;  2  Chron.  i. 
 12  ;  S.  Mark  x.  13, 16  ;  Eph.  iii.  20. ;  Ps.  cxvii.  2.     Dr.  Manton. 
 
 27  Hath  any  wounded  thee  with  injuries  ?  Meet  them  with  pa- 
 tience. Hasty  words  rankle  the  wound  ;  soft  language  dresses 
 it ;  forgiveness  cures  it ;  and  oblivion  takes  away  the  scar.  (Ps. 
 cxli.  5.)  It  is  more  noble  by  silence  to  avoid  an  injury,  than 
 by  argument  to  overcome  it.  Prov.  xv.  1 ;  xxv.  15  ;  1  S.  Pet. 
 ii.  20.     F.  Quarles.     (Enchir.  Cent.  iii.  34.) 
 
 28  But  the  same  servant  went  out,  and  found  one 
 of  his  fellowservants,  which  owed  him  an  hundred 
 pence :  and  he  laid  hands  on  him,  and  took  him  by 
 the  throat,  saying,  Pay  me  that  thou  owest. 
 
 29  And  his  fellowservant  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and 
 besought  him,  saying,  Have  patience  with  me,  and  I 
 will  pay  thee  all. 
 
 30  And  he  would  not :  but  went  and  cast  him  into 
 prison,  till  he  should  pay  the  debt. 
 
 31  So  when  his  fellowservants  saw  what  was  done, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  28—32.  329 
 
 they  were  very  sorry,  and  came  and  told  unto  their 
 lord  all  that  was  done. 
 
 32  Then  his  lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him,  said 
 unto  him,  O  thou  wicked  servant,  1  forgave  thee  all 
 that  debt,  because  thou  desiredst  me : 
 
 33  Shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  compassion  on 
 thy  fellowservant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee  ? 
 
 34  And  his  lord  was  wroth,  and  delivered  him  to 
 the  tormentors,  till  he  should  pay  all  that  was  due 
 unto  him. 
 
 35  So  likewise  shall  My  heavenly  Father  do  also 
 unto  you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one 
 his  brother  their  trespasses. 
 
 28  Laid  hands  on  him,  8^c. — Let  every  one,  that  is  struck  with 
 horror  at  the  mention  of  a  man  void  of  pity  (v.  33),  that  feels 
 resentment  at  tlie  name  of  oppression  and  melts  with  sorrow  at 
 the  voice  of  misery,  remember  that  those,  who  have  now  lost  all 
 these  sentiments,  were  originally  formed  with  passions,  and  in- 
 stinct, and  reason,  like  his  own.  Let  him  reflect  that  he,  who 
 now  stands  most  firmly,  may  fall  by  negligence,  and  that  negli- 
 gence arises  from  security.  Let  him  therefore  observe  by  what 
 gradations  men  sink  into  perdition,  by  what  insensible  devia- 
 tions they  wander  from  the  paths  of  virtue,  till  they  are  at  length 
 scarce  able  to  return.  2  Sam.  xi.  1,  2 ;  Prov.  xix.  16  ;  2  Kings 
 viii.  13.     Br.  Johnson. 
 
 30  At  Zurich,  when  the  Gospel  was  first  preached  (by  the  Ee- 
 formers),  they  gave  liberty  to  their  captives  and  prisoners,  from 
 a  grateful  sense  of  their  own  deliverance  by  Christ,  xiii.  44. 
 Dr.  Manton, 
 
 32  After  that  he  had  called  him. — Dr.  Hammond  gave  this,  as  a 
 general  rule,  Never  to  reprove  in  anger,  or  the  least  appearance 
 of  it.  If  the  passion  was  real,  that  then  was  an  evident  fault, 
 and  the  guilty  person  most  uu6t  to  be  a  judge;  if  it  were^re- 
 semblance  only,  yet  even  that  would  be  so  like  to  guilt,  as  pro- 
 
330  S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  32—35. 
 
 bably  to  divert  the  offender  from  the  consideration  of  his  fail- 
 ance,  to  fasten  on  his  monitor  and  make  him  think  he  was  chid, 
 not  because  he  was  in  fault,  but  because  the  other  was  angry. 
 XX.  24,  25 ;  Lev.  xiii.  5,  6  ;  Gen.  iii.  8  ;  S.  Matt.  xx.  24,  25. 
 Br.  Fell.     (Life  of  Dr.  Hammond.) 
 
 To  admonish  a  man  in  the  height  of  his  passion,  is  to  call  a  soldier 
 to  council  in  the  midst,  in  the  heat,  of  a  battle.  Let  the  combat 
 slack ;  and  then  thou  mayest  expect  a  hearing.  All  passions 
 are  like  rapid  torrents  ;  they  swell  the  more  for  meeting  with  a 
 dam  in  their  violence  (Prov.  xvii.  14.)  He,  that  will  hear  no- 
 thing in  the  rage  and  roar  of  his  anger,  will,  after  a  pause,  in- 
 quire of  you.  Gen.  xxvii.  41 — 45  ;  Jonah  iv.  9.  O.  Feltham. 
 (Resolves,  Cent.  i.  8.) 
 
 Oh,  thou  loicked  servant. — He  was  not  called  wicked  on  account  of 
 his  debt :  neither  was  the  king,  in  the  first  instance,  angry. 
 Neh.  ix.  17.     Bengal. 
 
 33  An  injury  will  be  meekly  sustained  by  the  man,  who  seriously 
 calls  to  mind,  that  there  may  be  peradventure  matters  against 
 himself,  in  which  he  needs  the  forbearance  of  others.  1  Sam. 
 vi.  12  ;  2  Sam.  xvi.  10 ;  S.  John  viii.  7 ;  Eph.  iv.  32.  S. 
 Gregory. 
 
 It  is  infinitely  more  honourable  to  forgive  a  wrong,  than  to  revenge 
 it.  The  one  makes  thee  like  to  God  ;  the  other  makes  thee 
 like  to  the  devil.  It  is  the  chiefest  excellency,  by  which  God 
 delights  to  be  set  forth  (Isa.  xliii.  25  ;  Micah  vii.  18.)  And 
 certainly  men  can  never  so  much  triumph  over  thee  by  their 
 injuries,  as  thou  mayest  over  them  by  forgiveness.  Bp.  Hop- 
 kins.    (Serm.  on  the  Loed's  Prayer.) 
 
 34  By  this  is  shown  that  his  punishment  shall  be  increasing  and 
 everlasting,  and  that  he  shall  never  pay.  And,  however  irre- 
 vocable are  the  graces  and  callings  of  God,  yet  wickedness  has 
 that  force,  that  it  seems  to  break  even  this  law.  v.  26  ;  xxv.  41. 
 S.  Chrysostotn. 
 
 35  The  man,  who  does  not  start  up  quick  at  the  sound  of  such 
 thunder,  as  this,  is  not  asleep,  but  dead.  Zeph.  i.  14 — 16  ;  Eph. 
 V.  14.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 There  is  an  apprehension  and  presentiment,  natural  to  mankind, 
 that  we  ourselves  shall,  one  day  or  other,  be  dealt  with,  as  we 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVIII.  35.  331 
 
 deal  with  others ;  and  a  peculiar  acquiescence  in,  and  feeling  of, 
 the  equity  and  justice  of  this  equal  distribution.     S.  James  ii. 
 13.     Bp.  Butler.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  43,  44.) 
 Christ,  who,  as  hath  been  well  demonstrated,  estimated  virtues 
 by  their  solid  utility,  and  not  by  their  fashion  or  popularity, 
 prefers  this  of  the  forgiveness  of  injuries  to  every  other.     He 
 enjoins  it  oftener,  with  more  earnestness,  under  a  greater  va- 
 riety of  forms,  and  with  this  weighty  and  peculiar  circumstance, 
 that  the  forgiveness  of  others  is  the  condition,  upon  which  we 
 are  to  expect  and  ask  from  God  forgiveness  for  ourselves.    And 
 this  preference  is  justified  by  the  superior  importance  of  the 
 virtue  itself.    The  feuds  and  animosities  in  families  and  between 
 neighbours,  which   disturb  the  intercourse  of  human  life  and 
 collectively  compose  half  the  misery  of  it,  have  their  foundation 
 in  the  want  of  a  forgiving  temper ;  and  can  never  cease,  but  by 
 the  exercise  of  this  virtue  on  one  side,  or  on  both.     1  S.  John 
 iv.  7  ;  S.  James  iv.  1.     Paley.     (The  principles  of  Moral  and 
 Political  Philosophy,  B.  iii.  p.  ii.  ch.  8.) 
 My  dear  Satiour,  inspire  me  with  the  true  apprehension  of  Thy 
 infinite  Love  towards  me,  who  descendedst  from  the  top  of 
 Majesty  to  the  lowest  degree  of  servility,  didst  debase  Thyself 
 to  exalt  me,  cloathedst  Thyself  with  mortality  to  invest  me 
 with  immortality,  wert  poor  to  enrich  me,  enduredst  the  re- 
 proach of  Thine  enemies  to  reconcile  me  to  Thy  most  justly 
 incensed  Pathee.     Could   I   but  truly  conceive  any  part  of 
 this  immense  Love,  I  could  not  but  return  more  to  Thee,  to 
 Thine.     I  should  then  forget  injuries  from   my  weak  brethren, 
 love  my  most  malicious  enemies,  hate  none,  but  those  that  un- 
 dervalue this  great  goodness  ;  whereas  now  mine  afiections  are 
 guided  by  my  personal  interests.     Ps.  cxxxix.  21 ;  S.  John  xiii. 
 14  ;  XV.  12.    Lord  Capel.     (Contemplations,  29.) 
 Debita  laxari  qui  nobis  cuncta  rogamus, 
 Nos  quoque  laxemus  ;  proprii  nam  cautio  verbi 
 Spondentes  manifesta  tenet,  graviusque  soluti 
 Nectimur,  alterius  si  solvere  vincla  negemus. 
 Incipietque  pius,  decies  millena  talenta 
 Dimittens,  Dominus,  si  nos  aflligere  propter 
 .  Denarios  centum  conservum  senserit  ullum, 
 
332  S.  MATTHEW  XIX. 
 
 Tradere  confestim  tortoribus  ;  inque  feroci 
 Carcere  constrict!  non  permittemur  abire, 
 Donee  cuncta  brevem  reddamus  ad  usque  quadrantem. 
 
 Sedulius.     (Carm,  L.  ii.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XIX. 
 
 A  ND  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  Jesus  had  finished 
 these  sayings,  He  departed  from  GaUlee,  and  came 
 into  the  coasts  of  Judsea  beyond  Jordan. 
 
 2  And  great  multitudes  followed  Him ;  and  He 
 healed  them  there. 
 
 3  The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  Him,  tempting 
 Him,  and  saying  unto  Him,  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to 
 put  away  his  wife  for  every  cause  ? 
 
 4  And  He  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye 
 not  read,  that  He  which  made  them  at  the  beginning 
 made  them  male  and  female, 
 
 5  And  said.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father 
 and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife  :  and  they 
 twain  shall  be  one  flesh  ? 
 
 6  Wherefore  they  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh. 
 What  therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  not  man 
 put  asunder. 
 
 7  They  say  unto  Him,  Why  did  Moses  then  com- 
 mand to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement,  and  to  put  her 
 away  ? 
 
 8  He  saith  unto  them,  Moses  because  of  the  hard- 
 ness of  your  hearts  suffered  you  to  put  away  your 
 wives :  but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  2—4.  333 
 
 9  And  I  say  unto  you,  whosoever  shall  put  away 
 his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication,  and  shall  marry 
 another,  committeth  adultery :  and  whoso  marrieth 
 her  which  is  put  away  doth  commit  adultery. 
 
 2  He  heals  the  G-entiles  in  Judcea,  receiving  them,  as  it  were, 
 into  that  state  of  grace,  which  was  prepared  for  the  Jews. 
 Acts  xiii.  46  ;  Eom.  xi.  19.     Rabanus. 
 
 3  See  their  malice  ;  for  they  ask  their  question,  just  as  if  the 
 LoED  had  never  spoken  on  the  subject  (v.  31,  82  ;)  supposing, 
 forsooth,  that  He  had  forgotten  His  own  words.  S.  John  ix. 
 27.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 lit  quasi  cornuto  eum  teneant  syllogismo  ;  that  they  might  place 
 him  on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma  ;  for,  should  He  say  that  the 
 wife  might  be  dismissed  and  another  woman  married  in  her 
 stead,  then  this  preacher  of  chastity  would  seem  to  contradict 
 Himself  (v.  32  ;)  on  the  other  hand,  by  not  allowing  her  dis- 
 missal. He  would  seem  to  set  Himself  against  the  doctrine  of 
 Moses,     xxi.  25.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 4  At  the  beginning. — The  Scripture  has  divided  the  ages  of  the 
 world  into  three  grand  periods  ;  the  first  of  which  is  called  the 
 beginning,  whose  date  begins  at  the  Creation,  and  takes  in  all 
 the  generations  till  the  establishment  of  the  Law  of  Moses  ;  as 
 when  Christ  says.  From  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  The  second 
 is  called  the  old  time  (v.  20,)  or  the  time  of  the  Law,  when  the  peo- 
 ple of  God  were  "under  the  elements  of  the  world,"  and  "the 
 oldness  of  the  letter."  The  third  and  last  period  is  the  time  of  the 
 Messiah,  when  the  Law  was  fulfilled,  and  "all  things  became 
 new  ;"  and  this  period  from  its  first  commencement  to  its  con- 
 clusion is  meant  by  the  latter  days,  the  last  time,  8;c.  Heb.  ix. 
 26.  Bj).  Home.  (Memoirs  of  him,  &c.  by  Rev.  Wm.  Jones. 
 Appendix.) 
 
 Nothing  more  entirely  accords  with  the  constitution  of  man's 
 nature,  than  the  Christian  philosophy  ;  the  aim  of  which  almost 
 entirely  is  to  recover  our  fallen  nature  to  its  primitive  inno- 
 cence.  1  Cor.  XV.  22  ;  Eph.  iv.  22—24.  Erasmus.  (In  S.  Matt,  xi.) 
 
 A  monstro  non  disputatur  contra  naturam,  is  a  rule  in  moral  philo. 
 
834  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  4,  5. 
 
 sophy.  A  vicious  man  is  a  moral  monster.  "We  are  to  declare 
 the  nature  of  man,  not  from  what  it  is  by  defection  and  apos- 
 tasy, but  from  what  God  made  it,  what  it  was,  and  what  it 
 should  be.     Dr.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  iii.  228.) 
 
 Made  them  male  and  female. — Nee  illud  otiose;  at  random,  as 
 without  design ;  saith  S.  Ambrose,  (De  Paradiso,  c.  10.)  It  is 
 worth  our  marking  that  God  did  not  make  the  woman  of  the 
 same  earth,  whereof  He  made  the  man  ;  but  he  made  Eve  of 
 the  rib  of  Adam,  to  give  us  to  understand  that  there  is  but  one 
 body  in  them  both,  and  that  one  body  the  only  fountain  of 
 mankind.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  Mai.  ii.  15.) 
 
 5  And  said. — Scripture  records  these,  as  the  words  of  Adam 
 (Gen.  ii.  23).  We  here  understand  him  to  have  spoken,  as  a 
 prophet,  by  inspiration.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Two  things  of  Divine  Institution  are  here  implied  concerning 
 Marriage  :  first,  that  every  one  should  have  but  one  wife ;  and 
 that  is  to  type  out  the  Union  between  Christ  and  His  one 
 only  Church,  expressed  in  those  words.  They  two  shall  be  one 
 flesh,  against  promiscuous  conjunction  and  polygamy  :  secondly, 
 that  a  man  may  not  put  away  his  wife  for  any  cause  (except 
 that  of  fornication)  when  it  is  said.  They  shall  be  one  flesh,  to 
 type  out  the  inseparable  and  indissoluble  Union  between  the 
 Church  and  Christ,  against  divorce.  These  two,  polygamy 
 and  divorce,  are  not  in  themselves  absolutely  against  the  Law 
 of  nature  .  .  .  Our  Saviour  goes  about  to  show  them  to  be  un- 
 lawful, not  from  the  Law  of  nature,  but  from  primitive  positive 
 Institution  .  .  .  which  it  is  in  His  own  power  to  dispense  with, 
 more  or  less,  as  He  pleases.  Dr.  Cudworth.  (Tract  on  the 
 Union  of  Christ  and  His  Church.) 
 
 De  latere  sumpta,  non  discedat  h  latere.  Taken  from  his  side,  let 
 her  never  leave  it.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  bond  of  Wedlock  is  the  closest  of  all  bonds ;  it  excels  them, 
 but  dissolves  them  not.  The  Decalogue  is  younger  than  this  In- 
 stitution. Husband  and  wife  were  before  child  and  parent.  Sinai 
 must  yield  to  Paradise.    Dr.  Richd.  Gierke.    (Serm.  Gen.  ii.  14.) 
 
 Christ,  as  it  were,  left  His  Patheb,  when  He  descended  from 
 heaven  ;  and  left  His  mother,  when  He  departed  from  the  un- 
 believing synagogue  ;  and  He  cleaved  to   His  Wife,  the  Holy 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  6,  8.  335 
 
 Church :  and  these  twain  are  One  Body.  Eph.  v.  25 — 32. 
 Remigms. 
 
 6  Both  God  and  nature  did  present  the  woman  to  the  man,  as 
 the  fittest  and  noblest  object  of  Creation  for  him.  A  man  may- 
 love  a  friend,  as  a  brother,  as  an  alter  idem,  another  self;  but 
 be  should  love  his  vpife,  as  an  idem  idem,  a  very  same  self 
 Creation,  nature,  religion,  law,  and  policy,  make  them  undi- 
 videdly  one.     O.  Feltham.     (Something  upon  S.  Luke  xiv.  20.) 
 
 8  One  of  the  prophets  (Malachi  ii.  14 — 16)  had  given  a  clear  inti- 
 mation that  God  approved  not  the  permission  so  allowed ;  but 
 would  draw  the  domestic  charities  into  stricter  bonds  of  union 
 and  severity.     Davison.     (Discourses  on  Prophecy,  P.  iv.  6.) 
 
 Judceus,  tit  parvidiis,  congruum  accepit  mandatum  exiguce  Circumci- 
 sionis  ;  to  the  Jew  was  given  the  command,  so  well  suited  to 
 his  state,  as  a  child,  of  a  tiny  Circumcision  in  the  flesh  :  we 
 have  our  whole  bodies  Baptized,  because  in  us  there  must  be  a 
 complete  Circumcision  of  the  whole  man.  Eom.  vi.  3 — 7  ;  Col. 
 ii.  10—14.     .S.  Bernard. 
 
 From  the  beginning. — The  priests,  whose  office  it  is  to  preserve 
 the  Divine  Law,  should  refer,  si  in  aliquo  vacillaverit  Veritas, 
 whenever  truth  may  at  all  be  unsettled,  to  the  Divine  origin 
 in  the  Gospel  and  to  Apostolic  tradition.  1  Cor.  xi.  1,  2,  23  ; 
 XV.  3;  1  S.  John  ii.  7.     S.  Cyprian.     (Ep.  ad  Pomp.) 
 
 There  are  three  times,  if  times  they  may  be  called,  or  parts  of 
 Eternity ;  the  first,  the  time  before  beginnings,  when  the  God- 
 head was  only,  without  the  being  of  any  creature  ;  the  second, 
 the  time  of  the  mystery,  which  continueth  from  the  creation  to 
 the  dissolution  of  the  world  ;  and  the  third,  the  time  of  the  reve- 
 lation of  the  sons  of  God,  which  time  is  the  last,  and  is  everlast- 
 ing without  change.  Heb.  i.  2  ;  IS.  John  ii.  18.  Lord  Bacon. 
 (A  Confession  of  Eaith.) 
 
 10  His   disciples  say  unto  Him,  If  the  case  of  the 
 man  be  so  with  his  wife,  it  is  not  good  to  marry. 
 
 11  But  He  said  unto  them,  All  men  cannot  receive 
 this  saying,  save  they  to  whom  it  is  given. 
 
 12  For  there  are  some  eunuchs,  which  were  so  born 
 
336  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  11,  12. 
 
 from  their  mother's  womb  :  and  there  are  some  eu- 
 nuchs, which  were  made  eunuchs  of  men  :  and  there 
 be  eunuchs,  which  have  made  themselves  eunuchs  for 
 the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake.  He  that  is  able  to 
 receive  it,  let  him  receive  it. 
 
 11  It  is  given,  not  through  any  chance  or  destiny,  but  to  those, 
 who  have  desired  the  gift,  sought  it,  and  laboured  to  have  it 
 given  them.     Verse  29  ;  vii.  7,  8.     S.  Jerome.     (In  loco.) 
 
 Whence  does  continence  proceed?  from  two  things — man's  will, 
 and  God's  gift :  from  our  will,  disposing  us  to  be  continent, 
 and  to  undergo  the  discipline,  needful  to  its  attainment ;  from 
 God's  gift,  enabling  us  to  perform  what  we  will.  And,  as  a 
 goodwill  does  not  avail  without  the  gift,  so  neither  does  the 
 gift  without  the  goodwill.  1  Cor.  vii.  7 ;  ix.  26,  27  ;  Phil.  ii. 
 12,  13  ;  iv.  12,  13.     Tostatus.     (In  loco.) 
 
 12  Natural  virginity  is  not  a  state  more  holy  nor  more  accepta- 
 ble to  God,  than  the  married  life ;  but  that  it  is  a  freedom 
 from  cares,  an  opportunity  to  spend  more  time  in  spiritual  em- 
 ployments ;  it  is  not  allayed  with  businesses  and  attendances 
 upon  lower  affairs  ;  and,  if  it  be  a  chosen  condition  to  these 
 ends,  it  containeth  in  it  a  victory  over  lusts,  and  greater  desires 
 of  religion  and  self-denial ;  and  therefore  is  more  excellent  than 
 the  married  life,  in  that  degree,  in  which  it  hath  greater  re- 
 ligion, and  a  greater  mortification,  a  less  satisfaction  of  natural 
 desires,  and  a  greater  fulness  of  the  spiritual :  and  just  so  is  to 
 expect  that  little  coronet,  or  special  reward,  which  God  hath 
 prepared  (extraordinary,  and  besides  the  great  crown  of  all  faith- 
 ful souls,)  for  those,  who  "  have  not  defiled  themselves  with 
 women,"  but  "  follow  the  Virgin  Lamb  for  ever."  Isa.  Ivi.  45  ; 
 1  Cor.  vii.  32 ;  Rev.  xiv.  4.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Holy  Living,  ch. 
 ii.  s.  3.) 
 
 My  God,  in  every  state  make  me  learn  to  be  content,  since  in 
 every  state  I  may  save  my  soul.  Marriage  is  good,  and  single 
 life  is  better;  but  that,  which  is  fittest,  is  best  forme!  Oh, 
 make  me  wisely  choose  the  way  I  should  go  ;  and  then,  with- 
 out looking  back,  go  on,  till  I  come  to  Thee.     Let  me  not  seek 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XIX.  13,  14.  337 
 
 undue  redresses  of  the  troubles,  incident  to  my  condition,  nor 
 vaialy  amuse  myself  with  desire  of  change.  Marriage  is  nothing, 
 and  single  life  nothing,  but  as  they  furnish  means,  or  remove 
 impediments,  towards  attaining  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  vi. 
 33,  34< ;  Phil.  iv.  11—14,  and  iii.  13.     Austin.     (Medit.  187.) 
 
 13  Then  were  there  brought  unto  Him  little  chil- 
 dren, that  He  should  put  His  hands  on  them,  and 
 pray;  and  the  disciples  rebuked  them. 
 
 14  But  Jesus  said,  Suffer  little  children,  and  forbid 
 them  not,  to  come  unto  Me :  for  of  such  is  the  king- 
 dom of  heaven. 
 
 15  And  He  laid  Hz5  hands  on  them,  and  departed 
 thence. 
 
 13  Mother  Church,  accommodavit  illis,  has  contrived  for  infants 
 the  feet  of  others,  that  they  may  come  ;  the  hearts  of  others, 
 that  they  may  believe  ;  the  tongues  of  others,  that  they  may 
 confess  :  for,  as  they  are  oppressed  with  a  spiritual  sickness 
 through  the  sin  of  another,  so  their  cure  may  come  to  them  by 
 the  means  of  another,  confessing  for  them.  S.  Augustine.  (Serm. 
 X.  de  Verbis  Apost.) 
 
 14  Suffer  little  children,  ^'•e. — Christ  doth  not  forbid  them  to  be 
 Baptized,  which  are  not  taught ;  but  commands  them,  that  are 
 taught,  to  be  Baptized,  (xxviii.  19,  20.)  Children  of  the  faithful 
 must  be  Baptized  upon  another  ground.  They  are  not  increduli, 
 they  have  no  actual  unbelief;  neither  can  they  ponere  obicem, 
 resist  the  grace  of  the  Spirit,  or  make  themselves  uncapable 
 thereof  Secondly,  they  ave  foederati ;  they  are  in  God's  Cove- 
 nant by  means  of  their  parents,  whom,  when  God  received  into 
 the  Church,  He  received  them  with  this  promise,  IJro  Deus  tuns, 
 et  seminis  tui — "  I  will  be  a  God  to  thee  and  to  thy  seed.^^  Gen. 
 xvii.  7.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  S.  Matt,  xxviii.  18—20.) 
 
 Suffer  them  to  come  ?  "Why,  we  cannot  put  them  into  Christ's 
 arms,  where  He  sits  in  glory  ;  how  shall  they  come  unto  Him 
 then,  unless  we  present  them  in  the  Sacrament  ?  Besides,  what 
 follows  presseth  further,  Their' s  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  :  it  is 
 
 z 
 
338  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  14. 
 
 not  their's  by  such  right,  as  the  Angels  hold  their  place  in  hea- 
 ven ;  because  the  Angels  are  free  from  sin :  and  how  can  it  be 
 their' s,  since  they  are  dead  in  Adam,  unless  it  be  their's  by  the 
 seal  of  some  Covenant  ?  And  that  is  the  fountain  of  Eegenera- 
 tiou.  I  call  them  regenerate  in  that  Sacrament ;  for,  as  Christ 
 Blessed  them,  when  He  took  them  in  His  own  arms,  so  He 
 Blesseth  them  in  our  arms  ;  and,  if  they  be  Blest,  they  are  re- 
 generate.    Eph.  i.  3.    Bp.  Racket.    (Serra.  S.  Matt.  iii.  13.) 
 
 If  guileless  innoceucy  is  denied  access  to  Cubist,  who  of  us  shall 
 presume  to  approach  Him  ?     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 God  hath  ordained  Baptism  in  favour  of  mankind.  To  restrain 
 favours,  is  an  odious  thing  ;  to  enlarge  them,  acceptable  both  to 
 God  and  man.  v.  48  ;  xx.  81 ;  S.  Mark  ix.  38.  Hooker.  (Ec. 
 Pol.  B.  V.  S.  64.) 
 
 16  And,  behold,  one  came  and  said  unto  Him, 
 Good  Master,  what  good  thing  shall  I  do,  that  I  may 
 have  eternal  life  ? 
 
 17  And  He  said  unto  him.  Why  callest  Thou  Me 
 good  ?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God  ;  but  if 
 thou  wilt  enter  into  life  keep  the  commandments. 
 
 18  He  saith  unto  Him,  Which?  Jesus  said.  Thou 
 shalt  do  no  murder,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery, 
 Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness. 
 
 19  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother:  and.  Thou 
 shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 
 
 20  The  young  man  saith  unto  Him,  All  these  things 
 have  I  kept  from  my  youth  up  :  what  lack  I  yet  ? 
 
 21  Jesus  said  unto  him,  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go 
 and  sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and 
 thou  shalt  have  treasure  in  heaven :  and  come  and 
 follow  Me. 
 
 22  But  when  the  young  man  heard  that  saying,  he 
 went  away  sorrowful :  for  he  had  great  possessions. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  16,  17.  339 
 
 16  Perhaps  he  had  heard  it  said,  that  childlike  souls  were  alone 
 worthy  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.     Verse  14.     Rabanus. 
 
 Why  caUest  thou  Me  good  ? — The  interpretation  of  sayings  is  to 
 be  gathered  from  the  causes  of  their  being  said  ;  because  the 
 matter  is  not  subject  to  the  words,  but  the  words  to  the  matter. 
 S.  John  X.  34—36.     /S-.  Hilary.     (Lib.  iv.  de  Trin.  c.  14.) 
 
 It  is  an  excellent  observation,  which  hath  been  made  upon  the 
 answers  of  our  Saviour  Christ  to  many  of  the  questions, 
 which  were  propounded  to  Him,  how  that  they  are  impertinent 
 to  the  state  of  the  question  demanded.  The  reason  whereof  is, 
 because,  not  being  like  man,  which  knows  man's  thoughts  by 
 his  words,  but  knowing  man's  thoughts  immediately,  He  never 
 answered  their  words,  but  their  thoughts  :  much  in  like  manner 
 it  is  with  the  Scriptures,  which,  being  written  to  the  thoughts 
 of  men  and  to  the  succession  of  all  ages,  with  a  foresight  of  all 
 heresies,  contradictions,  diftering  estates  of  the  Church,  yea,  and 
 particularly  of  the  Elect,  are  not  to  be  interpreted,  only  accord- 
 ing to  the  latitude  of  the  proper  sense  of  the  place,  and  respec- 
 tively towards  that  present  occasion,  whereupon  the  words  were 
 uttered  or  in  precise  congruity  or  contexture  with  the  words 
 before  or  after,  or  in  contemplation  of  the  principal  scope  of  the 
 place  ;  but  have  in  themselves,  not  only  totally  and  collectively, 
 but  distributively  in  clauses  and  words,  infinite  springs  and 
 streams  of  doctrine,  to  water  the  Church  in  every  part.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (Advancement  of  learning,  B.  ix.) 
 
 He  does  not  deny  that  He  is  a  good  master,  but  that  any  master 
 can  be  good,  except  God.     xx,  15.     Emanuel  Sh. 
 
 17  Bonum  Deum  novimus ;  solum  Optimum  h  Christo  Ejus  addisci- 
 mus.  We  knew  God  to  be  good ;  but  that  He  is  the  best,  or 
 the  Supremely  good,  we  learn  only  from  His  Christ.  S.  John 
 i.  18.     Tertidlian.     (Lib.  de  Eesur.  carnis.  c.  9.) 
 
 There  is  a  beauty  in  the  Name,  appropriated  by  the  Saxon  nations 
 to  the  Deity,  unequalled,  except  by  His  venerated  Hebrew  ap- 
 pellation. They  called  Him  "  God,"  which  is  literally  "  Good ;" 
 the  same  word  thus  signifying  the  Deity  and  His  most  endear- 
 ing quality.     Sharon  Turner. 
 
 Keep  the  commandments. — Christ  declared  that  the  Laws  of  God 
 be  the  very  way,  that  doth  lead  to  everlasting  life  ....  so  that 
 
 z2 
 
340  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  18—21. 
 
 this  is  to  be  taken  for  a  most  true  lesson,  taught  by  Cheist's 
 own  mouth,  that  the  works  of  the  Moral  commandments  of  God 
 be  the  very  true  works  of  faith,  which  lead  to  the  Blessed  life  to 
 come.  V.  17 — 21  ;  Eev.  xxii.  14.  Homilies.  (Of  good  works. 
 P.  2.) 
 
 18  Which  ? — The  young  man  was  not  ignorant  of  God's  Com- 
 mandments ;  but  he  conceived  that  something  was  necessary,  in 
 order  to  his  attaining  so  vast  a  benefit,  far  greater  than  any 
 thing,  which  Moses  had  prescribed ;  who  had  made  no  promise 
 of  Eternal  life  to  the  observers  of  his  Law.  Deut.  xi.  Isid. 
 Clarius. 
 
 All  the  Commandments  are  negative,  except  the  fourth  and  the 
 fifth  ;  which  may  easily  imply  that  we  are  fitter  to  be  weeded, 
 than  to  have  any  good  fruits  implanted  in  us.  Dean  Pierce. 
 (The  sinner  impleaded  in  his  own  Court.) 
 
 The  duties,  prescribed  in  the  Second  Table,  are  palpabiliora,  more 
 tangible.     1  Sam.  xii.  3  ;  Acts  xx.  33 — 35.     Bengel. 
 
 The  wisdom  of  the  Scriptures  teacheth  us  to  judge  and  denominate 
 men  religious,  according  to  the  works  of  the  Second  Table,  be- 
 cause those  of  the  first  are  often  counterfeit  and  practised  in 
 hypocrisy.     Rom.  ii.  21,  22  ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  4,  5.     Lord  Bacon. 
 
 19  If  thou  neglectest  thy  love  to  thy  neighbour,  in  vain  thou  pro- 
 fessest  thy  love  to  God  :  for  by  thy  love  to  God  thy  love  to  thy 
 neighbour  is  begotten ;  and  by  thy  love  to  thy  neighbour  thy 
 love  to  God  is  nourished.  1  S.  John  iv.  ^  S.  James  ii.  14 — 17. 
 F.  Quarles.     (Enchir.  Cent.  ii.  7.) 
 
 20  The  Devil  knows  how  to  tempt  some  people  with  continence, 
 and  others  with  lust.     S.  Luke  xv.  29.     Tertidlian. 
 
 The  wise  man  considers,  what  he  wants  ;  and  the  fool,  what  he 
 abounds  in.  Phil.  iii.  12  ;  Eev.  iii.  17.  Addison.  (Spectator, 
 No.  73.) 
 
 "We  have  special  cause  to  caution  our  people  against  two  very  pre- 
 valent and  fatal  obstacles  to  the  reception  of  the  Gospel ;  mere 
 feelings,  and  mere  morals.  Both  seem  to  be  exemplified  in  the 
 sad  case  of  this  young  Euler.  xiii.  20 ;  S.  Luke  xviii.  10 ;  (S. 
 Mark  x.  17,  running.)     J.  F. 
 
 21  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  8iC. — Long  experience  convinces  me  that 
 no  mistake  is  more  common,  or  fatal,  than  too  hastily  encou- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  21,  22.  341 
 
 raging  persous  under  serious  impressions  to  think  that  thej^  have 
 already  passed  a  saving  change,  and  that  all  is  now  well.  Our 
 compassion  for  persons  under  concern  for  their  salvation  often 
 operates  in  this  manner ;  but  a  skilful  surgeon  is  always  afraid 
 of  a  hasty  cure.  Jer.  vi.  14 ;  Ecclus.  iv.  16 — 19.  Th.  Scott. 
 (See  his  Life,  by  Eev.  John  Scott,  p.  244,  Ed.  1824.) 
 
 Sell  that  thou  hast. — We  make  this  a  praceptum  singidare,  a  par- 
 ticular precept  to  the  young  man  in  the  Gospel,  who,  like  the 
 sheep,  though  his  fleece  was  fair  and  white,  deceived  not 
 Cheist,  the  Great  Shepherd  of  the  flock  ;  but  He  quickly  espied 
 the  rottenness  of  his  heart,  and  with  this  command  made  a  window 
 in  his  breast,  that  all  might  see  it.  viii.  21,  22.  1  Sam.  ii. 
 3 — 5  ;  Prov.  xviii.  7.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Micah  v.  8,  P.  5.) 
 
 There  is  no  such  merchant,  as  the  charitable  man  ;  he  gives  trifles, 
 which  he  could  not  keep,  to  receive  treasure,  which  he  cannot 
 lose.     xiii.  46 ;  S.  Luke  xvi.  9  ;  Heb.  x.  34.     F.  Quarles. 
 
 22  When  Christ  hitteth  him  home  and  presseth  upon  his  par- 
 ticular corruption,  this  nippeth  him  in  the  head  and  struck  cold 
 to  his  heart.  He  went  away  sorrowful.  And  ever  mark  it,  in 
 something,  or  other,  the  hypocrite  betrayeth  himself,  what  he  is; 
 if  not  to  the  observation  of  others,  yet  at  least  sufficiently  to  the 
 conviction  of  his  own  heart,  if  he  would  not  be  wanting  to  him- 
 self in  the  due  search  and  trial  of  it.  xxiii.  24  ;  S.  Mark  vi.  20 ; 
 S.  Luke  xiii.  32.     Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 The  love  of  money  in  its  longing  desires  proves  far  more  harassing 
 to  the  mind,  than  a  source  of  pleasure ;  inasmuch  as  labour  ac- 
 companies the  acquisition  of  wealth,  fear  its  possession,  sorrow 
 its  loss.     xiii.  22  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  9,  10.     ^S".  Bernard. 
 
 Grief  and  discontent  have  generally  their  foundation  in  desire  ;  so 
 that  whosoever  can  obtain  the  sovereignty  over  his  desire  will 
 be  master  of  his  happiness,  xxvi.  39  ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  3.  C. 
 Howe. 
 
 O  !  mundi  grave  pondus  amor !  Coeluraque  Deumque 
 
 Perdere  quara  fluxas  maluit  orbis  opes. 
 Non  ita  quos  multo  conspergit  pulvere  Virtus, 
 
 Duravitque  suo  Coelicus  igne  puer: 
 Testis  Abram,  testis  Pharia  puer  erutus  undS, 
 Et  duodena  Deum  turma  secuta  ducem : 
 
342  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  23,  24, 
 
 Hie  solium,  ille  solum,  rem  spemque  rei  ista  reliquit ; 
 
 Hie  fuit  Isacidum  Legifer,  ille  Pater. 
 Ista  triumphatum  eircumtulit  arma  per  orbem, 
 
 Quaeque  dedit  terris  jura,  datura  polo  est  .  .  . 
 Projice,  dum  perdas  ;  vicit,  qui  perdidit  orbem  : 
 
 Plus  habet  hie  palmse,  qui  minus  orbis  babet. 
 
 Balthasar  Gall(Bus.    (Typus  mundi.  xxiv.) 
 
 23  Then  said  Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  Verily  I  say 
 unto  you,  That  a  rich  man  shall  hardly  enter  into  the 
 kingdom  of  heaven. 
 
 24  And  again  T  say  unto  you,  It  is  easier  for  a  camel 
 to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man 
 to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
 
 25  When  His  disciples  heard  it,  they  were  exceed- 
 ingly amazed,  saying,  Who  then  can  be  saved  ? 
 
 26  But  Jesus  beheld  them,  and  said  unto  them, 
 With  men  this  is  impossible ;  but  with  God  all  things 
 are  possible. 
 
 23  If  tbou  art  ricb,  strive  to  command  tby  money,  lest  sbe  com- 
 mand tbee.  If  tbou  know  how  to  use  her,  she  is  thy  servant ; 
 if  not,  thou  art  her  slave.  2  S.  Pet.  ii.  19.  F.  Quarles.  (En- 
 chir.  Cent.  ii.  55.) 
 
 24  Again  I  say  unto  you. — So  far  from  qualifying,  what  I  just  de- 
 clared, or  softening  it  down,  or  allowing  it  to  be  a  mere  figure 
 of  speech,  I  declare  it  to  be  true,  &c.  xviii.  19,  20.  Bp. 
 Medley.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Or,  as  some  read,  "  a  cable."  A  cable,  being  undone,  thread  by 
 thread,  may  go  through  a  needle's  eye  ;  so,  if  the  covetous  rich 
 man  untwine  his  wretched  thoughts,  and  become  rich  in  good 
 works,  he  may  possess  the  Kingdom  of  heaven.  S.  Luke  xvi. 
 9  ;  xviii.  22  ;  xix.  8—10  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  17—19.     Dean  Boys. 
 
 As  oft  as  God  tells  us  of  painful  ways  and  narrow  gates,  and  of 
 camels  and  needles,  all  that  is  done  to  sharpen  our  industry  in 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  25,  27.  343 
 
 all,  not  to  threaten  an  impossibility  to  any.  vii.  14;  Heb.  xii. 
 4.  Dr.  Donne. 
 25  Who  then  can  be  saved?  said  the  disciples  ;  for,  if  all  are  not 
 rich,  all  would  be ;  which  comes  to  very  near  the  same  thing. 
 Our  Savioue  answers,  With  men  this  is  impossible ;  but  with 
 God  all,  things  are  possible.  The  Salvation  of  any  man  is  a 
 miracle  ;  for  he  is  "saved,  as  by  fire"  (1  Cor.  iii.  15,)  and  only 
 as  "a  new  creature"  (Gal.  vi.  15,)  which  God  alone  can  make. 
 There  is  here  therefore  no  hyperbole.  A  man  must  be  made 
 very  little,  at  least  in  his  own  eyes,  before  he  can  "  enter  in  at 
 the  strait  gate."  Sin,  but  especially  pride,  swells  him  to  the 
 size  of  a  camel ;  and  none  but  the  Holt  Spirit  can  reduce  him 
 to  the  thickness  (?  thinness)  of  a  thread,  v.  1 ;  IS.  Pet.  iv. 
 17,  18  ;  Phil.  iv.  13.     P.  Skelton.     (Senilia,  37.) 
 
 27  Then  answered  Peter  and  said  unto  Him,  Be- 
 hold, we  have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  Thee  :  what 
 shall  we  have  therefore  ? 
 
 28  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto 
 you.  That  ye  which  have  followed  Me,  in  the  regenera- 
 tion when  the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  in  the  throne  of 
 His  glory,  ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judg- 
 ing the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
 
 29  And  every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or 
 brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or 
 children,  or  lands,  for  My  name's  sake,  shall  receive 
 an  hundredfold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life. 
 
 30  But  many  that  are  first  shall  be  last ;  and  the 
 last  shall  he  first. 
 
 27  What  was  this  all,  but  some  old  boat  and  a  few  rotten  torn 
 nets  ;  for  these  were  now  in  the  mending  (iv.  21.)  Was  this 
 that  all  ?  Yea,  S.  Peter  left  more  too  at  this  time  than  Alexan- 
 der the  Great  could  desire :  for  Peter  left  the  love  of  the  world 
 for  the  love  of  Chrisx,  which  was  more  and  of  more  worth 
 
344  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  27. 
 
 than  many  worlds.  The  Apostles  indeed,  saith  S.  Austin,  left 
 not  much :  but  yet,  look  what  they  were  willing  to  leave  for 
 the  love  of  Cheist,  and  we  shall  find  it  more  than  many  king- 
 doms. By  this  example  of  the  Apostles  we  learn  to  forsake 
 three  things  for  the  love  of  Christ  ;  by  their  nets,  the  plea- 
 sures of  the  flesh,  which  are  wont  to  take  men  and  snare  them  ; 
 by  the  ship,  the  riches  of  the  world,  which  doth  carry  us  away 
 from  the  haven  of  true  rest;  by  t\ie\v father  and  mother,  those 
 things,  that  are  nearest  and  dearest  to  us :  all  these  we  must 
 leave  for  the  love  of  Christ  ;  yea,  and  ourselves  also  :  but  how 
 can  this  be  ?  As  thus,  saith  S.  Grregory,  aliud sumus per  peccatum 
 facti,  aliud  per  gratiam  conditi ;  we  must  leave  ourselves,  as 
 sin  hath  made  us,  and  stick  unto  Him,  by  whom  we  are  made 
 by  grace,  vi.  24;  viii.  19 — 22  ;  2  Sam.  xxiv.  22,  23;  1  Kings 
 xix.  21.     Sutton.     (Disce  vivere,  ch,  23.) 
 
 The  little,  that  the  labouring  man  hath,  is  as  much  his  all,  as  his 
 millions  are  to  the  Satrap.  '  S.  Mark  xii.  42 — 44.     Bengel. 
 
 Though  I  have  not  been  rich,  I  am  not  on  that  account  less  re- 
 sponsible ;  for  neither  were  the  Apostles  rich,  who  forsook  their 
 all  before  me  :  but  that  man  renounces  the  world,  who  re- 
 nounces both  his  possessions  in  it  and  his  expectations  from 
 it.  XXV.  24 ;  S.  Luke  xix.  17.  S.  Augustine.  (Ep.  39,  ad 
 Hilar.) 
 
 He  renounces  much,  my  brethren,  he  renounces  much,  who  gives 
 up  not  only  all,  that  he  ever  had,  but  all,  that  he  desired  to  have. 
 For  who  is  so  poor,  as  never  to  raise  his  hopes  to  the  good 
 things  of  this  world  ?  Who  does  not  daily  long  to  make  his 
 little  more  ?  Here  even  that  desire  is  mortified.  1  Kings  xvii. 
 11,  12  ;  Acts  V.  1,  2 ;  2  Cor.  viii.  1 — 3.  S.  Augustine.  (In 
 Ps.  ciii.  17.) 
 
 What  shall  we  have  therefore  ? — No  people  have  more  reason  to 
 be  afraid  of  the  approaches  of  pride,  than  those,  who  have  made 
 some  advances  in  a  pious  life.  For  pride  can  grow  as  well 
 upon  our  virtues,  as  our  vices,  and  steals  upon  us  on  all  occa- 
 sions, vi.  1,  5  ;  XX.  22  ;  xxvi.  33 — 35  ;  S.  Luke  xv.  29.  Wm. 
 Law. 
 
 The  things  we  part  with  are  more  God's,  than  our's.  The  power 
 to  part  with  them,  at  God's  call,  is  a  greater  privilege,  than 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  28.  345 
 
 the  right  to  possess  them,  by  His  gi-ant.     1  Cor.  iv.  6,  7.     D}\ 
 Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  iii.  254.) 
 
 28  The  day  of  Judgment  is  the  day  of  Regeneration,  as  it  is  called 
 in  the  Gospel ;  quia  caro  nostra  ita  generabitiir  per  incorrup- 
 tionem,  sicut  anima  per  fidem,  because  our  body  shall  be  Re- 
 generated by  glory  there,  as  our  souls  are  by  faith  here.  There- 
 fore TertuUian  calls  the  Resurrection  exemplum  spei  nostrce,  the 
 original,  out  of  which  we  copy  our  hope.  Eom.  vi.  5;  viii.  11; 
 1  S.  Pet.  i.  3,  4.     Dr.  Donne.     (Serm.  Acts  ii.  36.) 
 
 The  Resurrection  will  indeed  be  a  Regeneration,  or  second  genera- 
 tion of  men  to  life,  after  that  life,  which  they  had  in  their  first 
 generation  was  extinguished  ;  which  second  generation,  or  pro- 
 duction of  men  to  life,  is  more  properly  the  woi'k  of  God,  as 
 being  efiected  solely  by  His  Divine  power,  without  the  concur- 
 rence of  any  second  causes  ;  whereas  in  our  first  generation 
 into  the  world  our  parents  were  instrumental.  (Ps.  ii.  7  ;  Acts 
 xiii.  32,  33 ;  S.  Luke  xx.  36.)  .  .  .  Though  every  Saint  shall  in 
 his  degree  (verse  29)  be  enthroned  in  the  heavenly  glory,  yet 
 there  are  twelve  thrones  of  Judication  and  pre-eminence,  an- 
 swering to  the  twelve  Apostles  ...  It  is  a  metaphorical  expres- 
 sion (as  Grotius  well  observes  on  the  place)  from  the  ancient 
 state  of  the  Kingdom  of  Israel,  in  which  the  Princes,  or  Heads 
 of  tribes,  came  nearest  in  dignity  to  the  King's  Majesty,  and 
 in  the  public  assemblies  sat  next  to  the  Eoyal  throne  in  chairs 
 of  state  made  of  ivory.  S.  Luke  xix.  16 — 19  ;  S.  John  xiv.  2. 
 Bp.  Bull.     (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  11.) 
 
 The  more  we  lose  here,  the  greater  joy  we  shall  have  there  ;  the 
 more  we  suffer,  the  greater  triumph.  For  corruptible  dross,  we 
 shall  find  incorruptible  treasures  ;  for  gold,  glory ;  for  silver, 
 solace  without  end  ;  for  earthly  houses,  eternal  palaces ;  mirth 
 without  measure,  pleasure  without  pain,  felicity  endless : — 
 summd,  we  shall  have  God  the  Fatheb,  the  Son,  and  the  Holt 
 Ghost,  xxvi.  8 — 13  ;  Heb.  x.  34 ;  xi.  26,  35.  John  Bradford. 
 (Letters  in  Prison.) 
 
 (Now  in  this  time,  S.  Mark  x.  30  ;  S.  Luke  xviii.  30.) — In  a  word 
 if  earth  and  heaven  combined  together  be  worth  considering, 
 the  possession  of  the  one,  and  reversion  of  the  other  ;  abun- 
 dance and  afliuence  here,  (vi.  33 ;  Prov.  iii.  9,  10,  19 ;  Mai.  iii. 
 
346  S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  30. 
 
 10  ;  S.  Luke  vi.  38  ;)  the  yearly  wages  of  almsgiving,  and  joys 
 and  eternity  hereafter,  the  final  reward  of  almsgiving  ;  a  pre- 
 sent coronet,  and  a  future  crown  ;  a  Canaan  below,  and  a  Jeru- 
 salem above — if  the  conjunction  of  these  two  may  have  so  much 
 influence  on  your  heai-ts,  as  in  contemplation  to  set  you  about 
 the  motion,  that  nature  itself  inclines  you  to,  and  neither  world, 
 nor  flesh,  have  any  manner  of  quarrel  to  feign  against  it : — then 
 may  I  hope  that  I  have  not  pi-eached  in  vain  ;  that  what  I  have 
 now  only,  as  a  Precentor,  begun  to  you,  the  whole  Chorus  will 
 answer  in  the  counter  part ;  what  hath  been  now  proclaimed  to 
 your  ears  be  echoed  back  again  by  your  hearts  and  lives ;  and 
 the  veriest  stone  in  the  Temple  take  up  its  part,  the  hardest, 
 impenetrablest,  unmercifullest  heart  join  in  the  'AjuoifiaTov,  or 
 the  Response.  Dr.  Hammond.  (Serm.  on  Dent.  xxvi.  12,  13.) 
 30  Observe  the  order  of  precepts  in  the  xixth  ch.  of  S.  Matthew  ; 
 that,  which  to  use  an  expressive  phrase,  adopted  by  Bp.  Taylor 
 and  others,  may  be  called  eminently  "  the  Chapter  of  the  Coun- 
 sels of  Perfection."  Pirst,  one  particular  kind  of  self-denial 
 for  Christ's  sake  is  commended  in  the  well-known  words.  He, 
 that  is  able  to  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it  :  then  little  children 
 are  brought  to  Him  and  welcomed  ;  and  their  temper,  the  tem- 
 per most  opposite  to  all  self-praise,  all  thought  of  one's  own 
 sacrifices,  is  declared  essential  to  a  place  in  the  Kingdom  of 
 heaven.  The  very  next  thing,  that  occurs,  is  the  case  of  the 
 rich  young  man,  to  whom  was  oftered  the  privilege  of  embrac- 
 ing voluntary  poverty,  and  whose  fearfulness  S.  Peter  contrasted 
 with  the  zeal  of  the  Apostles.  Upon  which  what  ensues  ?  First 
 a  parable,  the  point  of  which  is,  that  many,  that  are  first,  shall 
 he  last ;  and  the  last  first ;  and  then  a  conversation,  which  re- 
 sults in  the  solemn  saying,  whereby  we  know  what  sort  of  per- 
 son shall  eventually  be  first ;  Whosoever  will  he  greatest  among 
 you,  let  him  be  your  servant ;  even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not 
 to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister.  Considering  these  and 
 similar  instances  we  shall  perhaps  see  reason  to  apprehend,  that 
 the  temper  of  mind,  which  leads  men  to  what  appear  great 
 sacrifices  for  Christ's  sake,  noble  and  dutiful,  as  it  is,  in  many 
 respects,  has  its  peculiar  dangers,  and  that  its  remedy  and  safe- 
 guard is,  in  one  word,  childlike  humility,     xvi.  18,  24  ;  xvii.  4, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XIX.  30.  347 
 
 12;  S.  Luke  xvii.  10;  2  Cor.  xii.  1—7.  Keble.  (Serm.  S. 
 Luke  V.  11.) 
 
 In  this  spiritual  journey,  our  Savioue  noteth  it,  that  many  of  the 
 first,  that  outstripped  their  fellows,  shall  be  last,  when  the  last 
 shall  be  first.  How  far  was  Judas,  at  first,  before  Nicodemus  ? 
 Nicodemus  came  closely  and  by  stealth  to  Cheist,  and  was 
 only  a  night-professor ;  Judas  followed  Him  openly  in  the  day, 
 in  the  sight  of  all  men.  When  Nicodemus  was  but  a  slow 
 scholar,  scarce  capable  of  the  first  elements  of  Christianity,  as 
 namely,  of  the  doctrine  of  Regeneration,  Judas  was  a  forward 
 and  zealous  preacher.  And  yet,  at  last,  Nicodemus,  that  was 
 last,  became  first ;  and  Judas,  that  was  first,  became  last. 
 AVhen  Judas  did  treacherously  betray  Cheist  in  the  night,  he 
 did  faithfully  profess  Him  in  the  day  ;  and  when  Judas's  great 
 faith  was  turned  into  hellish  despair,  when  he  went  and  hung 
 himself,  then  did  Nicodemus's  little  faith  become  so  strong  and 
 bold,  that  he  durst  openly  beg,  and  honourably  bury  the  Body 
 of  Jesus.  He,  that  runs  over  eagerly  at  the  first  beginning  of 
 his  race,  quickly  runs  himself  out  of  breath,  and  cannot  possibly 
 hold  out.  xiii.  20,  21 ;  1  Kings  xx.  11 ;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  10  ;  S.  John 
 xix.  39.     Dr.  Dyke.     (The  mystery  of  self-deceiving,  ch.  5.) 
 
 Many,  placed  antithetically  to  every  one  (v.  29.)  Perhaps  it  may 
 be  intimated  here  that  that  very  young  man,  from  being  among 
 the  last,  might  reappear  among  the  first,     xxi.  29.     Bengel. 
 
 CHAPTER  XX. 
 
 T^OR  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that 
 is  an  householder,  which  went  out  early  in  the 
 morning  to  hire  labourers  into  his  vineyard. 
 
 2  And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  labourers  for  a 
 penny  a  day,  he  sent  them  into  his  vineyard. 
 
 3  And  he  went  out  about   the  third  hour,  and  saw 
 others  standing  idle  in  the  marketplace, 
 
348  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  1. 
 
 4  And  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vine- 
 yard, and  whatsoever  is  right  I  will  give  you.  And 
 they  went  their  way. 
 
 5  Again  he  went  out  about  the  sixth  and  ninth 
 hour,  and  did  likewise. 
 
 6  And  about  the  eleventh  hour  he  went  out,  and 
 found  others  standing  idle,  and  saith  unto  them,  Why 
 stand  ye  here  all  the  day  idle  ? 
 
 7  They  say  unto  him,  Because  no  man  hath  hired 
 us.  He  saith  unto  them,  Go  ye  also  into  the  vine- 
 yard ;  and  whatsoever  is  right,  that  shall  ye  receive. 
 
 1  GrOD  went  out  from  His  Majesty,  wliich  is  unknown,  unto  His 
 mercy,  which  is  manifested  in  all  His  works,  in  governing  the 
 Church  especially.     S.  John  xiii.  3.     Dean  Boys.     (On  the  Do- 
 minical Ep.  &c.     Septuagesima.) 
 In  the  morning. — 
 
 Ecce  jam  noctis  tenuatur  umbra, 
 Lux  et  aurorse  rutilans  coruscat ; 
 Supplices  rerum  Dominum  canorS, 
 Voce  precemur ; 
 Ut  reos  culpse  miseratus  omnem 
 Pellat  angorera,  tribuat  salutem, 
 Donet  et  nobis  bona  sempiternse 
 Munera  pacis. 
 Prsestat  hoc  nobis  Deltas  Beata 
 Patris,  ac  Nati,  pariterque  Sancti 
 Spiritus,  cujus  resonat  per  omnem 
 Gloria  raundum. 
 
 S.  Gregory. 
 Hise  in  the  morning  constanter,  celeriter,  devote.  Eise  determi- 
 nately,  without  making  excuses.  Our  bodies  are  lazy  servants, 
 too  apt  to  deceive  us  :  if  you  readily  listen  to  them,  you  are  fool- 
 ish. Eise  quickly,  without  delay.  The  reprobate  will  be  slow  to 
 quit  their  graves  at  the  sound  of  the  last  trumpet,  "  Arise,  ye 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  1—3.  349 
 
 dead  !"  The  Elect  will  spring  joyfully  from  their  graves.  Eise 
 religiouslij,  with  pious  ejaculations  at  intervals ;  it  is  thus,  that 
 the  birds  sing  unto  God.  So  begin  the  day,  as  if  it  were  the 
 first,  or  the  last,  of  your  life,  xxviii.  21 ;  Prov.  viii.  17  ;  Gen. 
 xxii.  3;  Ps.  cxix.  147.  Newmayrus.  (Methodus  vitae  Christianse.) 
 Mortify  your  sin  betimes ;  for  else  you  will  hardly  mortify  it  at  all. 
 Eemember  that  the  snail  outwent  the  eagle  and  won  the  goal, 
 because  she  set  out  betimes.  Prov.  i.  28  ;  S.  Mark  i.  35.  Bp. 
 J.  Taylor. 
 
 2  Israel  is  no  vast  desert,  no  wild  forest,  no  moorish  fen,  no  bar- 
 ren heath,  no  thorny  thicket ;  but  a  vineyard,  a  soil  of  use  and 
 fruit.  Look  where  you  will  in  God's  Book,  ye  shall  never  find 
 any  lively  member  of  God's  Church  compared  to  any,  but  a 
 fruitful  tree  ;  net  to  a  tall  cypress,  the  emble'.n  of  unprofitable 
 honour;  nor  to  a  smooth  ash,  the  emblem  of  unprofitable  pre- 
 lacy, that  doth  nothing,  but  bear  keys  ;  nor  to  a  double-coloured 
 poplar,  the  emblem  of  dissimulation  ;  nor  to  a  well-shaded  plane, 
 that  hath  nothing,  but  form  ;  nor  to  a  hollow  maple,  nor  to  a 
 trembling  asp,  nor  to  a  prickly  thorn ;  shortly,  not  to  any  plant 
 whatsoever,  whose  fruit  is  not  useful  and  beneficial.  Hear  this 
 then,  ye  goodly  cedars,  strong  elms,  fast-growing  willows,  sappy 
 sycamores,  and  all  tlie  rest  of  the  fruitless  trees  of  the  earth  ;  I 
 mean  all  fashionable  and  barren  professors  whatsoever :  ye  may 
 shoot  up  in  height,  ye  may  spread  far,  shade  well,  show  fair ; 
 but  what  are  ye  good  for  ?  Te  may  be  fit  for  the  forest,  ditches, 
 hedgerows  of  the  world  ;  ye  are  not  for  the  true  saving  soil  of 
 God's  Israel.  That  is  a  vineyard  :  there  is  place  for  none,  but 
 vines  :  and  true  vines  are  fruitful.  He  that  abideth  in  Me, 
 bring eth  forth  much  fruit,  saith  our  Satioitb.  xxvi.  29;  Judg. 
 ix.  13  ;  S.  John  xv.  5.     Bp.  Hall.     (Serm.  Isa.  v.  4,  5.) 
 
 3  Idleness  is  bad  anywhere,  but  worst  in  the  market,  where  so 
 many  are  at  work  before  thy  eyes,  whose  care  for  their  souls 
 both  adds  to  thy  sin,  and  will  another  day  be  thy  shame.  Acts 
 XX.  34,  45  ;  Heb.  xii.  1.  Gurnall.  (On  the  Christian's  Armour, 
 Ch.  8.) 
 
 Men  must  know  that,  in  this  Theatre  of  man's  life,  it  is  reserved 
 only  for  God  and  Angels  to  be  lookers-on.  Gen.  iii.  17 — 20  ; 
 Heb.  iv.  11 ;  vi.  11,  12.     Lord  Bacon. 
 
350  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  3—7. 
 
 God  has  three  houses ;  heaven  for  joy,  earth  for  labour,  and  hell 
 for  suffering.     Dean  Boys.     (On  the  Dom.  Ep.  Septuag.) 
 
 5  The  ninth  hour. — At  this  hour  did  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church 
 flow  from  the  side  of  our  Saviour  ;  the  Blood,  wherewith  we 
 were  Redeemed,  and  the  Water,  wherewith  we  are  Regenerate. 
 Jesus  "  yielded  up  the  ghost ;"  the  thief  was  admitted  into  Pa- 
 radise; the  labourers  sent  into  the  vineyard;  and  forgiveness  of 
 sins  promised  to  them,  that  repent  and  come  unto  Chbist,  even 
 at  the  last  hour.  Pray  we  therefore,  ^c.  Rupinus.  (De  offic. 
 Eccl.) 
 
 Did  those  labourers,  who  were  hired  to  work  in  the  vineyard, 
 when  the  householder  was  about  to  engage  those,  whom  he 
 found  at  the  third  hour,  say  to  him,  "  Wait ;  we  will  go  there  at 
 the  sixth  hour  ?"  Or  those,  whom  he  found  at  the  sixth  hour, 
 did  they  say,  "  We  will  not  go  till  the  ninth  ?.  .  .  .  For  he  in- 
 tends to  give  exactly  the  same  pay  to  all ;  why  then  should  we 
 toil  one  moment  longer  than  is  necessary  F"  It  rests  entirely 
 with  Him  both  what  He  will  give,  and  how  He  will  deal  with 
 you.  Only  do  you  come,  when  He  calls.  1  Sara.  iii.  9  ;  S.  John 
 xi.  28,  29.     S.  Augustine.     (Serm.  87,  c.  6.) 
 
 7  Because  no  man  hath  hired  tis. — There  is  no  man,  but  hath  a 
 soul ;  and,  if  he  will  carefully  attend  to  that,  he  need  not  com- 
 plain for  want  of  business.  S.  John  vii.  6 ;  Phil.  ii.  12.  Lord 
 Bacon. 
 
 There  is  some  virtue,  or  other,  to  be  always  exercised,  whatever 
 happens ;  either  patience  or  thanksgiving,  love  or  fear,  modera- 
 tion or  humility,  charity  or  contentedness.  S.  John  vii.  6  ;  2 
 S.  Pet.  i.  5—11.     Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Whosoever  labours  not  with  God  is  idle,  how  busy  soever  he  seems 
 to  be  in  the  world.  S.  John  xv.  5.  J.  Hales.  (Serm.  1  Tim. 
 iv.  8.) 
 
 Men  talk  of  their  killing  time.  Alas  !  it  is  time,  that  is  killing 
 them.     J.  F. 
 
 8  So  when  even  was  come,  the  lord  of  the  vineyard 
 saith  unto  his  steward,  Call  the  labourers,  and  give 
 them  their  hire,  beginning  from  the  last  unto  the  first. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  8.  351 
 
 9  And  when  they  came  that  were  hired  about  the 
 eleventh  hour,  they  received  every  man  a  penny. 
 
 10  But  when  the  first  came,  they  supposed  that 
 they  should  have  received  more :  and  they  likewise  re- 
 ceived every  man  a  penny. 
 
 1 1  And  when  they  had  received  it,  they  murmured 
 against  the  good  man  of  the  house, 
 
 12  Saying,  these  last  have  wrought  hut  one  hour, 
 and  thou  hast  made  them  equal  unto  us,  which  have 
 borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
 
 13  But  he  answered  one  of  them,  and  said.  Friend, 
 I  do  thee  no  wrong  :  didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for 
 a  penny  ? 
 
 14  Take  that  thine  is,  and  go  thy  way  :  I  will  give 
 unto  this  last,  even  as  unto  thee. 
 
 15  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with 
 mine  own  ?     Is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good  ? 
 
 16  So  the  last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last  :  for 
 many  be  called,  but  few  chosen. 
 
 8  When  even  was  come. — There  is  not  such  a  thing  in  religion,  as  a 
 saving  trade  of  godliness.  Some  men  in  their  worldly  trade  at 
 the  year's  end  can  say  they  have  neither  got  nor  lost  ;  but  thou 
 canst  not  say  thus  at  the  day's  end.  Thou  art  at  night  better, 
 or  worse,  than  thou  wast  in  the  morning.  Gurnall.  (On  the 
 Christian's  Armour,  Ch.  vi.  S.  2.) 
 
 Suppose  every  day  to  be  a  day  of  business ;  for  your  whole  life  is 
 a  race,  and  a  battle,  a  merchandize,  and  a  journey.  Every  day 
 propose  to  yourself  a  rosary,  or  a  chaplet  of  good  works,  to  pre- 
 sent to  God  at  night.  Ps.  xc.  12.  Bp,  J.  Taylor.  (The  Golden 
 Grove.     Agenda.) 
 
 Interpreters,  for  the  most  part,  agree,  that  by  the  husbandman  is 
 meant  God  Himself;  by  the  labourers  men  upon  earth  ;  by  the 
 vineyard  the  Church  of  God.     Some  of  the  Fathers,  as  Origen, 
 
352  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  9—12. 
 
 Chrysostom,  Jerome,  Austin,  and  Gregory,  say  that  by  the  Jive 
 hours  in  the  parable  are  noted  the  five  ages  of  man.    Edio.  Leigh. 
 
 9  On  the  penny  there  is  the  image  of  the  Prince,  with  his  inscrip- 
 tion and  the  round  figure.  And  Christ  is  the  "  Image  of  the 
 invisible  God  :"  His  being  too  is  for  ever  the  same ;  (Col.  i.  15 — 
 20.)  One,  that  has  "no  beginning  of  days,  nor  end  of  life." 
 (Heb.  vii.  3.)  His  duration  is  that  circle  of  Eternity,  which  is 
 still  revolving  into  itself  ....  Though  the  same  penny  be  given 
 to  every  labourer,  yet  we  are  not  from  thence  to  infer  that  the 
 rewards  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  are  all  alike.  God,  and 
 Cheist,  and  the  same  Eternal  life,  it  is  true,  shall  be  communi- 
 cated to  all,  that  enter  there.  But,  as  the  same  sun  is  more 
 clearly  beheld  by  the  eagle,  than  by  other  birds,  and  as  the  same 
 fire  more  warms  them,  that  are  near  it,  than  the  more  remote 
 from  it ;  so  it  is  here,  in  Eternal  life,  among  the  Blessed,  that 
 see  God  and  Cheist.  One  shall  more  clearly  see,  and  more 
 highly  and  delectably  rejoice,  than  another,  according  to  the 
 different  capacities  and  qualifications  of  the  several  recipients. 
 S.  John  xiv.  2 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  41,  42  ;  Eph.  i.  15—19.  Card.  Bel- 
 larmine.     (On  the  Saints'  Eternal  Happiness,  B.  v.  c.  3.) 
 
 10  All  our  merits  are  God's  gifts  to  us  ;  and  therefore,  for  this 
 very  reason,  man  is  rendered  more  a  debtor  to  God,  than  God 
 to  man.     Eph.  ii.  10  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  7 ;  xv.  10.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Hence  I  infer,  not  to  speak  of  Eternal  life  itself,  that  no  act  of 
 man,  however  vast  the  charity,  which  gave  it  birth,  can  deserve 
 at  the  hands  of  God  any  reward  in  this  life  or  in  the  next  de 
 condigno,  by  virtue  of  its  intrinsic  worth  ;  for  every  such  act  is 
 the  gift  of  God.     Isa.  xxvi.  12  ;  Eph.  ii.  9.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 11  All  our  discontents  about  what  we  want,  appear  to  me  to 
 spring  from  the  want  of  thankfulness  for  what  we  have.    De  Foe. 
 
 If  I  am  not  so  happy,  as  I  desire  ;  it  is  well  I  am  not  so  miserable, 
 as  I  deserve.  I  have  received  much  more  good,  than  ever  I  have 
 done ;  and  done  more  evil,  than  I  have  ever  suffered.  Micah  vii. 
 9;  Lam.  iii.  22;  Ps.  ciii.  10.     Palmer.     (Aphorisms.  267.) 
 
 12  Religion  pressed  heavily  upon  the  Jew^s,  because  they  were  un- 
 equal to  it,  (Verse  12,)  and  it  was  as  the  mid-day  heat,  over- 
 powering them  with  intensity,  because  they  had  no  protection 
 against  it.     This  was  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  to  have  a 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  12,  13.  353 
 
 perfect  Law  aud  an  unregeuerate  heart ;  the  thunders  of  Sinai, 
 yet  the  sovereignty  of  the  flesh  ;  Moses  with  the  Tables  of 
 Stone,  and  the  people  setting  up  the  golden  calf.  xi.  28 ;  Acts 
 XV.  10  ;  E.om.  vii.  24.     J.  H.  Newman.     (Serm.  Ps.  civ.  23.) 
 
 Their  religion  is  rather  a  prison,  or  piece  of  penance,  to  them,  than 
 any  voluntary  and  free  compliance  of  their  souls  with  the  Divine 
 will ;  and  yet,  because  they  bear  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day, 
 they  think,  when  the  evening  comes,  they  ought  to  be  more 
 liberally  rewarded  ;  such  slavish  spirits  being  ever  apt  inwardly 
 to  conceit  that  heaven  receives  some  emolument,  or  other,  by 
 their  hard  labours  and  so  becomes  indebted  to  them,  because 
 they  see  no  true  gain  and  comfort  accruing  from  them  to  their 
 own  souls.  And  so,  because  they  do  God's  work  and  not  their 
 own,  they  think  they  may  reasonably  expect  a  fair  compensation, 
 as  haviug  been  profitable  to  Him  ;  and  this,  I  doubt  not,  was  the 
 first  and  vulgar  foundation  of  merit,  though  now  the  world  is 
 ashamed  to  own  it.  xix.  27  ;  Job  xxii.  2,  3  ;  S,  Luke  xv.  29  ; 
 xvii.  10.  John  Smith.  (Select  Discourses,  Ch.  4,  on  the  Short- 
 ness of  a  Pharisaic  righteousness.) 
 
 18  I  do  thee  no  wrong. — Let  us  call  to  mind  the  labourers  in  the 
 vineyard.  The  bountifulness  of  the  householder  was  so  dis- 
 played towards  some,  that  there  was  no  act  of  injustice  com- 
 mitted against  the  other.  Gen.  xviii.  25.  S.  Augustine.  (De 
 bono  Persev.  c.  8.) 
 
 This  is  a  sure,  fixed,  and  certain  thing,  non  esse  iniquitatem  apud 
 Deum,  that  "  there  is  no  unrighteousness  in  God,"  however  His 
 equitable  dealings  humano  modulo  sint  impervestigabiles,  may  ex- 
 ceed the  measures  of  human  investigation.  Ps.  cxlv.  17  ;  Jer. 
 ix.  24 ;  Eom.  iii.  3 — 6.     S.  Augustine.     (Lib.  i.  ad  Simplic.) 
 
 S.  Bernard  makes  the  following  judicious  and  beautiful  remark  on 
 S.  Paul's  assured  expectation  of  receiving  "  a  crown  of  righteous- 
 ness "  from  "the  righteous  Judge"  (2  Tim.  iv.  8)  :  Est  ergo, 
 quam  Paulus  expectat,  corona  justitice ;  sed  justitice  Dei,  non  suce  : 
 justum  qvippe  est,  ut  reddat  quod  debet  ;  debet  autem  quod  pol- 
 licitus  est.  There  is  therefore  "  a  crown  of  righteousness,"  such 
 as  Paul  expects  ;  but  it  is  not  of  his  own  righteousness,  but  of 
 the  righteousness  of  God  ;  for  it  is  a  righteous  thing  to  pay 
 what  one  owes ;  aud  God  is  in  our  debt,  because  of  His  own 
 
 A  A 
 
354  s.  MATTHEW  XX.  14. 
 
 most  gracious  promise.  Gen.  xviii.  25 ;  IS.  John  i.  9 ;  Heb. 
 vi.  10.     J.  F. 
 
 14  /  will  give  unto  this  last,  ^c. — To  countervail  the  fault  of  delay, 
 there  are,  in  the  latest  repentance,  oftentimes  the  surest  tokens 
 of  sincere  dealing.  God  respecteth  not  so  much  what  time  is 
 spent,  as  what  truth  is  showed  in  repentance,  xxi.  31 ;  2  Chron. 
 xxxiii.  12,  13,  18,  19 ;  S.  Luke  xxiii.  43.     Hooker. 
 
 S.  Peter  and  Mary  Magdalene,  the  two  chief  sinners,  either  of 
 their  sex,  were  the  two,  whose  lots  came  forth  first,  in  sorte 
 sanctorum,  in  partaking  this  news,  (i.  e.,  of  Chbist's  Eesurrec- 
 tion.)  And  this  to  show,  that  chief  sinners,  if  they  carry  them- 
 selves, as  these  did,  shall  be  at  no  loss  by  their  fall ;  shall  not 
 only  be  pardoned,  but  honoured,  like  these,  with  stold  prima, 
 the  first  robe  in  all  the  wardrobe  (S.  Luke  xv.  22)  ;  and  stand 
 foremost  of  all.  The  sinner,  after  his  recovery,  for  the  most 
 part  seeketh  God  more  fervently.  .  .  .  And  with  God  it  is  a 
 rule.  Plus  valet  hora  fervens,  quhm  mensis  tejaens.  An  hour  of 
 fervour  is  more  worth,  than  a  month  of  tepour.  Wisd.  iv.  13. 
 £p.  Andrewes.     (Serm.  on  S.  Mark  xvi.  1 — 7.) 
 
 Grey  hairs  consist  not  in  the  multitude  of  years,  but  in  the  num- 
 ber and  variety  of  useful  observations,  that  are  made ;  nor  is 
 there  any  reason,  why  wisdom  should  be  peculiarly  ascribed  to 
 the  aged,  except  such  persons  by  having  lived  longer  in  the 
 world  and  having  had  the  opportunity  of  many  and  various  oc- 
 currences to  ripen  their  judgments  have  accordingly  improved 
 it :  for  it  matters  not  much  whether  a  man  makes  his  observa- 
 tions in  a  longer,  or  less  time,  provided  he  makes  them  well.  .  .  . 
 Many  persons,  who  consume  much  time  to  little  purpose,  may 
 be  said  rather  to  have  lasted  long,  than  lived  long.  ...  To  them 
 we  may  attribute  a  longer  time,  but  to  others  a  longer  life :  for 
 even  the  heathen  could  say,  Non  est  vivere,  sed  valere  vita  ;  and 
 within  bow  narrow  a  compass  soever  a  man's  life  be  confined, 
 if  he  have  lived  so  long,  as  before  he  comes  to  the  end  of  life,  to 
 Lave  reached  the  ends  of  living,  he  has  attained  that  measure 
 of  knowledge,  and  the  practice  of  those  graces  and  virtues,  that 
 fit  a  man  to  glorify  God  in  this  short  life,  and  to  be  glorified  by 
 Him  in  that,  which  shall  have  no  end.  Wisd.  iv.  9 ;  Ps.  cxix. 
 100.   JR.  Boyle.     (Occasional  Eeflections.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  15.  355 
 
 15  Tolle  invidiam  ;  et  tuum  est  quod  habet.  Take  away  envy,  aud 
 all,  that  he  hath,  is  thine ;  and  take  away  hardness  of  heart, 
 and  all,  that  thou  hast,  is  his.  Take  away  malice,  and  all  his 
 virtue  is  thine ;  and  take  away  pride,  and  all  thy  glories  are  his. 
 Art  thou  a  part  of  the  Church  ?  Thou  hast  a  part  in  every- 
 thing, and  every  part  hath  a  portion  in  thee.  vi.  11 ;  1  Cor. 
 xii.  12 — 27  ;  Eph.  iv.  16.  Farindon.  (Serm.  Micah  vi.  8. 
 p.  5.) 
 
 Self,  remember,  was  the  worst  seed  in  Adam's  apple.  Toward 
 God,  it  is  self-will,  which  is  rebellion ;  toward  man,  it  is  self- 
 love,  which  is  hard-heartedness.  It  was  to  root  out  this  evil 
 self  horn  us  and  to  put  love  in  its  room,  that  Christ  died  aud 
 the  Holt  Ghost  comes.  Let  not  that  death  and  that  coming 
 be  in  vain  for  you.  But  covet,  since  you  must  covet,  with  a 
 godly  covetousness ;  and  cease  not  to  complain,  cease  not  to  cry 
 out,  weary  the  ears  of  God  with  prayer,  until  He  frees  you 
 from  all  selfishness  and  from  that  worst  mark  of  it,  a  grudging 
 and  evil  eye.  Lev.  xix.  17,  18  ;  1  Sam.  xviii.  6 — 11 ;  2  Cor.  xii. 
 20;  S.  James  v.  9.     A.  W.  Hare.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 The  devil  labours  to  abuse  our  senses,  specially  our  eyes,  that  by 
 these  windows  death  may  enter  into  our  souls.  According  to 
 the  proverb,  "  He  comes  to  the  sea  by  the  river,  to  the  heart  by 
 the  eye."  Our  eyes  are  his  spokesmen  to  our  heart.  .  .  .  Plato 
 derives  ipav  from  6pav.  Lusting  and  looking  in  Greek  differ  but 
 by  one  vowel.  For  coveting,  witness  Achan,  in  seeing  the 
 Babylonish  garment ;  and  Ahab,  in  seeing  Naboth's  vineyard. 
 For  intemperance  of  appetite,  witness  Eve  ;  for  adultery,  David, 
 Potiphar's  wife,  and  innumerable  more ;  for  drunkenness,  that 
 of  Solomon,  (Prov.  xxiii.  31,)  "  Look  not  on  the  wine ;"  for 
 envy,  that  in  Matthew,  Is  thine  eye  evil,  because  I  am  good  ? 
 Hence  that  note,  that  God  hath  made  the  eye  the  sense  of  sor- 
 row, because  it  is  such  a  sense  of  sin.  v.  29 ;  Ps.  cxix.  37  ;  IS. 
 John  ii.  16;  2  S.  Pet.  ii.  14.  Dan.  Dyke.  (Michael  and  the 
 Dragon,  &c.) 
 
 I  am  good. — That  God  calls,  it  is  His  mercy  ;  that  thou  comest  at 
 His  call,  it  is  His  mercy ;  that  thou  dost  labour,  when  thou  art 
 come,  it  is  His  mercy  ;  that  thou  art  rewarded  for  thy  labour, 
 it  is  His  mercy.     S,  Jude  21 ;  Ps.  xxv.  9-;  Ixxxix.  1 ;  and  xxiii. 
 
 A   A   2 
 
356  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  16. 
 
 6  ;  2  Tim.  i.  16—18.  Bean  Boys.  (On  the  Dorain.  Ep.,  &c., 
 Septuages.) 
 
 16  Many  be  called,  but  few  chosen. — None  of  the  workmen  are  re- 
 jected ;  for  all  laboured.  The  meaning  of  this  Divine  aphorism, 
 as  spoken  in  connection  with  this  parable,  may  receive  some 
 light  from  S.  Luke  vi.  13:— "He  called  unto  Him  His  disci- 
 ples ;  and  of  them  He  chose  twelve,  whom  also  He  named  Apos- 
 tles." Some  are  called  to  the  place  of  ordinary  Christians ; 
 but  others,  for  their  peculiar  fitness,  as  well  as  by  the  peculiar 
 grace  of  God,  are  chosen  for  stations  of  higher  trust,  honour, 
 and  responsibility :  many  of  the  former  are  found,  few  of  the 
 latter,  in  the  Church  of  Chkist.  It  is  obvious  that  the  same 
 words  at  xxii.  14  will  not  bear  this  construction.  2  Sam.  xxiii. 
 19,  23  ;  1  Cor.  i.  26,  27.     J.  F. 
 
 Last,  in  their  time  of  coming ;  frst,  in  receiving  the  reward.  .  .  . 
 This  parable  is  no  whit  contradictory  to  those  passages,  ch.  xxv., 
 which  intimate  a  different  degree  of  glory  to  be  given  to  them, 
 that  have  different  degrees  of  grace,  upon  their  industrious  im- 
 provement. The  one  parable  shows,  that  men  shall  not  be  re- 
 warded differently  for  their  longer  or  shorter  continuance  in  the 
 work ;  but  that  those,  who  came  in  late,  and  yet  are  found  with 
 equal  holiness,  shall  be  rewarded  equally  with  the  first ;  and 
 more,  if  their  holiness  be  more,  which  the  second  parable  ex- 
 presseth.     Eom.  ii.  6.     Baxter.     (Now  or  never,  p.  93.) 
 
 Nothing  but  humility  can  either  keep  the  frst  in  grace  from  be- 
 coming last ;  or  draw  down  that  mercy  on  the  last,  which  shall 
 make  them  first.     Rom.  xi.  20,  21.     Quesnel. 
 
 Not  those,  who  have  the  hardest  posts,  but  who  have  behaved 
 themselves  in  the  posts  they  had,  whether  hard  or  easy,  shall  be 
 rewarded  by  God.     Eom.  xii.  3 — 8.     Bonnell.     (Life,  p.  122.) 
 
 Come,  let  us  all  to  work,  and  every  one  mind  his  own  business. 
 Let  us  not  lose  our  day  in  idleness,  nor  distract  our  diligence 
 with  repining  at  the  advantages  of  others.  God  is  our  abso- 
 lute LoBD  and  may  do  with  His  own,  as  He  pleases.  If  we 
 began  our  repentance  late,  let  us  quicken  our  diligence ;  if  we 
 had  the  happiness  to  be  called  early,  let  us  not  grow  remiss  in 
 His  service,  lest  we  be  outstript  by  the  others'  zeal,  and  shamed 
 in  our  slower  progress,  and  justify  God,  not  only  in  His  equal- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  16.  357 
 
 ling  them,  but  setting  them  before  us  ;  and,  instead  of  being 
 first,  be  made  last ;  Oh  !  that  it  be  not  quite  shut  out  of  the 
 Kingdom  of  God.  S.  Luke  xxii.  28 ;  Gal.  vi.  9.  Austin. 
 (Med.  195.) 
 
 17  And  Jesus  going  up  to  Jerusalem  took  the 
 twelve  disciples  apart  in  the  way,  and  said  unto  them, 
 
 18  Behold,  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem ;  and  the  Son  of 
 man  shall  be  betrayed  unto  the  chief  priests  and  unto 
 the  scribes,  and  they  shall  condemn  Him  to  death, 
 
 19  And  shall  deliver  Him  to  the  Gentiles  to  mock, 
 and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify  Him  :  and  the  third  day 
 He  shall  rise  again. 
 
 20  Then  came  to  Him  the  mother  of  Zebedee's 
 children  with  her  sons,  worshipping  Him,  and  desiring 
 a  certain  thing  of  Him. 
 
 21  And  He  said  unto  her,  What  wilt  thou?  She 
 saith  unto  Him,  Grant  that  these  my  two  sons  may  sit, 
 the  one  on  Thy  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  the  left, 
 in  Thy  kingdom. 
 
 22  But  Jesus  answered  and  said.  Ye  know  not 
 what  ye  ask.  Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I 
 shall  drink  of,  and  to  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
 that  I  am  baptized  with  ?  They  say  unto  Him,  We 
 are  able. 
 
 23  And  He  saith  unto  them,  Ye  shall  drink  indeed 
 of  My  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I 
 am  baptized  with  :  but  to  sit  on  My  right  hand,  and 
 on  My  left,  is  not  Mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be  given  to 
 them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  My  Father. 
 
 24  And  when  the  ten  heard  it,  they  were  moved 
 with  indignation  against  the  two  brethren. 
 
358  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  19,  20. 
 
 25  But  Jesus  called  them  unto  Him,  and  said,  Ye 
 know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  domi- 
 nion over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercise  autho- 
 rity upon  them. 
 
 26  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you:  but  who- 
 soever will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
 minister ; 
 
 27  And  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him 
 be  your  servant : 
 
 28  Even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  minis- 
 tered unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ran- 
 som for  many. 
 
 29  And  as  they  departed  from  Jericho,  a  great  mul- 
 titude followed  Him. 
 
 19  He  had  before,  once  and  again,  predicted  His  sufferings  in  a 
 general  way ;  now  He  speaks  of  scourgings,  mocJcings,  and  the 
 cross,     xxvi.  2.     Bengel. 
 
 Si  nondum  cervice  geris  manibusque  catenas, 
 
 Nee  lacerant  Sacrum  spinea  serta  caput. 
 Si  nondum  Tibi  velluntur  de  corpora  vestes, 
 
 Nee  perfusa  Tuo  sanguine  terra  rubet, 
 Nee  duris  graviora  sonant  convitia  flagris, 
 
 Nee  Te  pendentem  crux  subeunda  tenet, 
 At  Tibi  ssevitise  mens  non  ignara  futurse 
 
 HsBC  facit,  et  tanti  causa  doloris,  Amor. 
 Isa.  1.  5,  7  ;  S.  Luke  xii.  50  ;  xviii.  31,  32.    Sidronius  Hosschius. 
 (Elegise  de  Christo  patiente,  iii.) 
 
 20  She  had  heard  from  her  sons  that  the  Apostles  in  general  had 
 a  promise  of  a  more  eminent  dignity  in  Christ's  Kingdom, 
 like  that  of  the  Princes  or  Heads  of  the  Tribes  in  the  kingdom 
 of  Israel.  But  she  knew,  that,  even  among  the  Apostles  them- 
 selves, there  would  be  degrees  of  dignity  ;  as  in  the  ancient 
 kingdom  of  Israel  the  two  first  places  belonged  to  the  Princes 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  20-22.  359 
 
 of  the  Tribes  of  Judah  and  Joseph  :  these  two  places  therefore 
 she  asks  for  her  two  sons  in  the  kingdom  of  Chbist.  1  Kings 
 ii.  19.  Bp.  Bull.  (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  11.) 
 Our  Heavenly  Father  always  sends  His  children  the  things  they 
 ask,  or  better  things.  He  answers  their  petitions  in  kind,  or  in 
 kindness :  but,  while  we  think  only  of  ease,  He  consults  our 
 profit.  We  are  urgent  about  the  body  ;  He  is  about  the  soul : 
 we  call  for  present  comfort ;  He  considers  our  everlasting  rest : 
 and  therefore,  when  He  sends  not  the  very  things  we  ask.  He 
 hears  us  by  sending  greater,  than  we  can  ask,  or  think,  vii.  9 
 —12  ;  S.  John  ii.  10 ;  Heb.  xii.  9,  10.  R.  Cecil.  (A  friendly 
 visit  to  the  house  of  mourning.) 
 
 21  Chbist  is  theirs,  who  are  humble,  and  who  exalt  not  them- 
 selves over  His  flock.  The  sceptre  of  the  Majesty  of  God,  our 
 LoBD  Jesus  Chbist,  came  not  in  the  show  of  pride  and  arro- 
 gance, though  He  could  have  done  so  ;  but  with  humility,  as 
 the  Holt  Ghost  had  before  spoken  concerning  Him  (Isa.  liii.) 
 Ye  see,  beloved,  what  the  pattern  is,  that  has  been  given  unto 
 us.  Eor,  if  the  Lord  thus  humbled  Himself,  what  should  we 
 do,  who  are  brought  by  Him  under  the  yoke  of  His  grace  ? 
 Jer.  xlv.  5 ;  S.  John  xiii.  1,  14  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  9 ;  Phil.  ii.  3—8. 
 S.  Clemens  Rom.     (Ep.  Cor.  s.  16.) 
 
 Ask  yourself,  what  you  are  prepared  to  say  in  reply  to  Chbist, 
 the  Head  of  the  Universal  Church,  at  the  Judgment  Day ;  you, 
 who  are  endeavouring  to  subject  to  your  single  sway  all  the 
 members  of  His  Body,  under  the  title  of  Universal  Bishop  ? 
 Hab.  ii.  1 ;  1  S.  Pet.  v.  1—7  ;  3  S.  John  9.  .S".  Gregory.  (Ep. 
 ad  Patr.  Constantinop.) 
 
 As  there  is  one  Church,  divided  into  many  members,  spread  all 
 over  the  world,  item  Episcopatus  XJnus,  Episcoporum  multorum 
 concordi  numerositate  diffusus,  so  is  there  one  Episcopate,  spread 
 abroad  likewise,  of  which  divers  Bishops  severally  partake,  in 
 concord  with  each  other.  *S.  Cyprian.  (Ep.  45,  ad  Ante- 
 nianum.) 
 
 22  But  Jesus  answered. — Audit  ad  salutem,  nan  audit  ad  volunta- 
 tern.  God  does  not  always  hear  our  prayers,  according  to  our 
 desires ;  but,  according  as  the  thing  we  ask  shall  turn  to  our 
 salvation.     2  Cor.  viii.  9.     S.  Augustine. 
 
360  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  22,  23. 
 
 The  Clip.  The  Baptism. — The  mention  of  both  is  suitably  intro- 
 duced ;  for  they,  who  receive  the  Sacraments,  share  in  the  Bap- 
 tism and  in  the  cup  of  the  Lord.  The  Baptism  of  Christ,  and 
 our  Baptism,  and  the  Holy  Supper,  are  closely  allied  with  the 
 death  and  passion  both  of  Christ  and  of  ourselves.  1  Cor.  xii. 
 13 ;  Eom.  viii.  29  ;  Eph,  ii.  5,  6.     Bengel. 
 
 It  is  by  making  us  the  offer  of  this  cup  of  His  sufferings,  that  the 
 Lord  proves  our  faith.  It  was  by  this  cup  that  the  unsound- 
 ness of  the  stony-ground  hearers,  whose  first  religious  profes- 
 sions were  so  promising,  was  detected  and  exposed,  (xiii.  21.) 
 Now  in  this,  as  in  many  more  obvious  respects, — (the  parallel 
 is  abl}^  drawn  by  Pascal,  in  his  Chap,  on  Scripture  types  and 
 figures,) — might  not  Joseph  have  typified  our  Blessed  Lord  ? 
 for  Joseph  first  drank  of  the  cup  himself,  and  then  passed  it  on 
 for  the  trial  of  his  brethren  :  "  Is  not  this  it,  in  which  my  Lord 
 drinketh?  and  whereby  indeed  he  diviueth  ?"  {maketh  trial. 
 Marg.)  Consider  this  remark,  in  its  application  also  to  the 
 Lord's  Supper,  the  "  cup  of  Salvation."  Ps.  Ixxxi.  8 ;  G-en. 
 xxii.  1,  2  ;  xliv.  5  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  23—27.     /.  F. 
 
 O  mihi  cur  dextram,  mater,  cur,  oro,  sinistram 
 
 Poscis,  ab  oflicio,  mater  iniqua,  tuo  ? 
 Nolo  manum  Christi  dextram  mihi,  nolo  sinistram  : 
 Tam  procul  a  Sacro  non  libet  esse  sinu ! 
 
 S.  John  xiii.  23,  25.     R.  Crashaw. 
 
 (Epigram.  Sacra.) 
 
 The  country  Parson  is  generally  sad,  because  he  knows  nothing 
 but  the  cross  of  Christ,  his  mind  being  defixed  on  it  with  those 
 nails,  wherewith  his  Master  was :  or,  if  he  have  any  leisure  to 
 look  off  from  them,  he  meets  continually  with  two  sad  spectacles 
 — God  dishonoured  every  day,  and  man  afilicted.  Jer.  ix.  1  ; 
 Ps.  cxix.  36  ;  Gal.  i.  20  ;  vi.  14.  G.  Herbert.  (Priest  to  the 
 Temple,  ch.  27.) 
 
 23  It  is  made  a  question,  how  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  James  and 
 John,  did  drink  the  cup  of  martyrdom,  seeing  Scripture  relates 
 that  James  only  was  beheaded  by  Herod,  while  John  ended  his 
 life  by  a  peaceful  death.  But,  when  we  read  in  Ecclesiastical 
 history  that  John  himself  was  thrown  into  a  cauldron  of  boiling 
 oil,  with  intent  to  Martyr  him,  and  that  he  was  banished  to  the 
 
S.  MA.TTHEW  XX.  23—25.  361 
 
 isle  of  Patraos,  we  shall  see  tliat  he  lacked  not  the  will  for 
 Martyrdom,  and  that  John  had  drunk  the  cup  of  confession  ; 
 the  which  also  the  three  children  in  the  fiery  furnace  did  drink 
 of,  albeit  the  persecutor  did  not  shed  their  blood.  Acts  xii.  2  ; 
 S.  John  xi.  16 ;  xxi.  20 ;  Col.  iii.  5,  8,  12.     »S.  Jerome. 
 
 Is  not  Mine  to  give,  &c.  (Eev.  iii.  21.) — It  is  not  owing  to  a  de- 
 fect of  power  in  the  Trinity,  or  in  any  Person  of  it,  that  the 
 Divine  purpose  cannot  be  changed  ;  but,  because  it  is  impossi- 
 ble for  the  power  of  God  to  break  in  upon  the  order  of  His 
 distributive  justice.  And  it  is  upon  this  account  only,  that  we 
 read  of  Cheist,  (S.  Mark  vi.  5)  "  He  could  there  do  no  mighty 
 work."  (Gen.  xvii.  22.)  For  the  power  of  doing  a  miracle 
 was  always  present  with  Him  ;  but  the  place,  being  improper 
 because  of  their  unbelief,  made  the  thing  impossible,  vii.  6. 
 W.  Jones.     (On  the  Divinity  of  Chbist,  s.  32.) 
 
 The  kingdom  of  heaven  non  est  dantis  sed  accipientis,  is  not  so 
 much  of  Him,  that  giveth,  as  of  him,  that  receiveth.  Eor 
 "  there  is  no  respect  of  persons  with  God."  My  Fathee  hath 
 prepared  it  for  those,  who  conquer  and  triumph.  If  such  be 
 your  character,  you  will  obtain  it.  It  belongs  not  to  Me  to 
 give  it  to  the  proud.  Do  you  wish  to  receive  it,  be  dissatisfied 
 with  your  present  state  ;  nolite  quod  estis.  It  is  prepared  for 
 others  ;  et  vos  alii  estote,  et  vobis  paratmn  est ;  be  no  longer  like 
 your  former  selves,  and  it  is  prepared  for  you.  v.  2,  10,  11, 
 12;  S.  Jas.  ii.  5  ;  Eev.  xxi.  27.     Bede. 
 
 24  Moved  with  indignation. — The  former  were  ambitious,  these 
 were  envious  ;  yet  both  are  profitable  to  us  for  the  purpose  of 
 instruction.     S.  Jas.  iv.  5.     Anselm. 
 
 How  soon  did  they  forget  "  the  evil  eye,"  condemned  by  the 
 householder  in  the  last  spoken  parable  (v.  15.)  How  great  is 
 our  frailty  !  How  great  too  is  God's  forbearance  !  Surely  we 
 have  never  more  need  to  watch  and  to  pray,  than  after  we  have 
 heard  solemn  warnings,  though,  it  may  be,  addressed  to  others. 
 S.  John  xxi.  19,  20.     /.  F. 
 
 25  Jesus  called  them  unto  Him. — 'This  calling  of  them  indicates 
 deliberation  and  gentleness  in  the  difficult  business  of  reprov- 
 ing another's  sin.  To  express  the  same  dispositions  of  mind 
 the  same  terms  are  employed  (xviii.  32)  in  the  parable  of  the 
 
362  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  28. 
 
 unmerciful  servant ;  Then  his  Lord,  after  that  he  had  called  him. 
 "We  may  here  remember  that  it  was  "  in  the  cool  of  the  even- 
 ing," when  the  Almighty  summoned  before  Him  our  guilty 
 first  parents  ;  and  how  He  then  called  them,  before  He  re- 
 proved. Let  us  learn  then  to  be  "  slow  to  speak,  and  slow  to 
 wrath,"  in  this,  as  in  other  matters ;  for,  as  S.  Augustine  well 
 observes,  Quicquid  lacerato  animo  dixeris,  punientis  est  impetus, 
 non  corrigentis  charitas ;  whatever  you  say,  under  the  influence  of 
 excited  feelings,  is  rather  the  attack  of  one,  who  would  punish, 
 than  the  charity  of  one,  who  would  reclaim.  Lev.  xix.  17  ; 
 Prov.  XXV.  9—12  ;  Gal.  vi.  1.     J.  F. 
 
 28  To  minister. — Thus  He  has  "  exalted  the  humble,"  and  made 
 His  example  particularly  useful  to  the  poor.  He  did  not  ap- 
 pear in  the  character  of  a  rich  man,  of  a  conqueror,  of  a  states- 
 man, or  of  a  Monarch  ;  but  the  poor  man  sees  his  Savioue 
 perform  all  the  duties  of  his  own  situation  in  life,  and  may 
 learn  from  Him  humility,  patience,  and  resignation.  S.  Mark 
 vi.  3  ;  S.  Luke  ix.  58 ;  S.  John  xiii.  4,  5 ;  Bom.  xv.  2,  3. 
 Bowdler.     (Serm.  2  Cor.  viii.  9.) 
 
 "Why  should  we  so  eagerly  seek  and  pursue  the  empty  shadows  of 
 worldly  power  and  glory,  which,  if  we  catch  them,  we  in  effect 
 catch  nothing,  and,  whatever  it  is,  doth  presently  slip  out  of 
 our  hands  ?  "Why  do  we  please  ourselves  in  such  evanid 
 dreams  ?  Is  it  not  much  better  to  rest  quiet  and  content  in 
 any  station,  wherein  God  hath  placed  us,  than  to  trouble  our- 
 selves and  others  in  climbing  higher  to  a  precipice,  where  we 
 can  hardly  stand  upright,  and  whence  we  shall  certainly  tumble 
 into  the  grave  ?  iv.  8  ;  xviii.  1 ;  xxiii.  6,  7,  12  ;  Ps.  xlix.  16 ; 
 Ixxiii.  17—20.     Dr.  Barrow.     (Serm.  Ps.  xc.  12.) 
 
 30  And,  behold,  two  blind  men  sitting  by  the  way 
 side,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  passed  by,  cried 
 out,  saying,  Have  mercy  on  us,  O  Lord,  Thou  Son  of 
 David. 
 
 31  And  the  multitude  rebuked  them,  because  they 
 should  hold  their  peace:    but  they  cried  the   more, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XX.  31—33.  863 
 
 saying,  Have  mercy  on  us,  O    Lord,   Thou  Son  of 
 David. 
 
 32  And  Jesus  stood  still,  and  called  them,  and  said, 
 What  will  ye  that  I  shall  do  unto  you  ? 
 
 33  They  say  unto  Him,  Lord,  that  our  eyes  may 
 be  opened. 
 
 34  So  Jesus  had  compassion  on  them,  and  touched 
 their  eyes  :  and  immediately  their  eyes  received  sight, 
 and  they  followed  Him. 
 
 31  They  cried  the  more. — Observe  the  gradation  in  those  words 
 (vi.  7)  ;  ask,  but  you  must  not  stay  there ;  seeh,  nor  yet  must 
 you  rest  satisfied  there :  you  must  knock.  Tour  afl'ections 
 should  be  every  day  more  earnest ;  you  should  pray  more  fer- 
 vently, as  it  is  said  of  Christ,  "  He  prayed  more  earnestly." 
 vii.  7,  8  ;  xi.  12 ;  S.  Luke  xxii.  44.     Chr.  Love. 
 
 The  stronger  the  cry,  the  stronger  the  child.  Acts  vii.  60.  Chir- 
 nail. 
 
 32  Grant  a  courtesy,  if  you  intend  it  at  all,  willingly  and  speedily  ; 
 for  that  doubles  it.  To  keep  long  in  suspense  is  churlish  ;  for 
 by  long  expectation  the  passion  to  the  favour  dies.  S.  Mark  i. 
 40,  41.     Palmer.     (Aphorisms,  756.) 
 
 33  Let  us  not  ask  of  the  Loed  deceitful  riches,  nor  the  good 
 things  of  this  world,  nor  transitory  honours  ;  but  let  us  ask  for 
 Light ;  not  indeed  that  kind  of  light,  which  is  confined  to  place, 
 which  is  limited  to  time,  which  is  subject  to  the  interchange  of 
 darkness,  which  even  the  beasts  have  in  common  with  ourselves ; 
 but  that  Light,  I  mean,  let  us  seek,  which  we  shall  enjoy  in 
 common  with  the  Angels  only,  which  neither  dates  from  any 
 beginning,  nor  is  circumscribed  by  any  end.  Prov.  iii.  11 — 
 19  ;  Eph.  i.  15—23 ;  iii.  16—21.  S.  Gregory.  (Hom.  2,  in 
 Evang.)  *• 
 
 Da,  Pater,  augustam  menti  conscendere  sedem, 
 Da  fontem  lustrare  boni ;  da  Luce  repertd 
 In  Te  conspicuos  animi  defigere  visus. 
 Disjice  terrense  nebulas  et  pondera  molis. 
 
364  S.  MATTHEW  XX.  33. 
 
 Atque  Tuo  splendore  mica.     Tu  namque  serenum  ; 
 Tu  requies  tranquilla  piis  :  Te  cernere  finis, 
 Principiuin,  vector,  dux,  semita,  terminus  idem. 
 
 Boetius.  (Consol.  Phil.  Lib.  iii.  Metr.  9.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXI. 
 
 A  ND  when  they  drew  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  and  were 
 come  to  Bethphage,  unto  the  mount  of  Olives, 
 then  sent  Jesus  two  disciples, 
 
 2  Saying  unto  them,  Go  into  the  village  over  against 
 you,  and  straightway  ye  shall  find  an  ass  tied,  and  a 
 colt  with  her  :  loose  thenij  and  bring  them  unto  me. 
 
 3  And  if  any  man  say  ought  unto  you,  ye  shall  say, 
 The  Lord  hath  need  of  them  ;  and  straightway  he  will 
 send  them. 
 
 4  All  this  was  done,  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
 was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  saying, 
 
 5  Tell  ye  the  daughter  of  Sion,  Behold,  thy  King 
 Cometh  unto  thee,  meek,  and  sitting  upon  an  ass,  and 
 a  colt  the  foal  of  an  ass. 
 
 6  And  the  disciples  went,  and  did  as  Jesus  com- 
 manded them. 
 
 7  And  brought  the  ass,  and  the  colt,  and  put  on 
 them  their  clothes,  and  they  set  Him  thereon. 
 
 8  And  a  very  great  multitude  spread  their  garments 
 in  the  way ;  others  cut  down  branches  from  the  trees, 
 and  strawed  them  in  the  way. 
 
 9  And  the  multitudes  that  went  before,  and  that 
 followed,  cried,  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David : 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  5.  365 
 
 Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord  ; 
 Hosanna  in  the  highest. 
 
 10  And  when  He  was  come  into  Jerusalem,  all  the 
 city  was  moved,  saying.  Who  is  this  ? 
 
 11  And  the  multitude  said,  This  is  Jesus  the  pro- 
 phet of  Nazareth  of  Galilee. 
 
 5  Although  the  power  of  God  be  infinite,  yet  it  is  never  exerted, 
 but  under  the  direction  of  His  other  attributes.  A¥hen  He 
 goeth,  as  a  Judge,  to  His  tribunal,  "  mercy  and  Truth  go  before 
 His  face  ;"  they  are  represented,  as  preceding  Him,  to  give  no- 
 tice of  His  Advent,  and  to  prepare  His  way.  "All  the  ways," 
 or  dispensationo,  "  of  the  Lord,  are  Mercy  and  Truth."  Ps. 
 XXV.  10.  They  are  the  substance  of  all  His  revelations,  which 
 either  promise  salvation,  or  relate  to  the  performance  of  such 
 promises.  By  these  man  is  prepared  and  warned  for  "judg- 
 ment," which  is  to  be  the  last  and  the  finishing  scene.  And, 
 when  the  great  Judge  of  all  the  earth  shall  from  His  Throne 
 pronounce  the  irreversible  sentence,  not  a  creature  then  present 
 shall  be  able  to  accuse  that  sentence  of  injustice.  After  this 
 model  should  the  thrones  of  Princes,  and  the  tribunals  of  earthly 
 magistrates,  be  constituted  in  "justice  and  judgment,"  adorned 
 with  "Mercy  and  Truth."  Wisd.  xii.  16;  Ps.  Ixii.  11,  12; 
 Eom.  iii.  4,  19  ;  xiv.  10 — 13.   Bp.  Home.    (On  Ps.  Ixxxix.  14.) 
 
 He  Cometh. — Unto  thee,  if  thou  belie  vest ;  against  thee,  if  thou  be- 
 lievest  not.     S.  Luke  ii.  11 ;  2  Cor.  ii.  16.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 We  know  that  it  was  the  custom  of  their  judges  and  rulers  in 
 earlier  and  purer  times  of  the  Jewish  history  to  ride  on  asses  in 
 public  procession  (Judges  v.  10;  x.  4  ;  xii.  14.)  Grotius  informs 
 us  that  this  custom  fell  into  disuse  at  the  time  of  Solomon,  when 
 horses  were  imported  into  Judaea  from  Egypt.  (1  Kings  x.  28, 
 29.)  While  then  our  Lord  in  thus  riding  upon  an  ass,  certainly 
 intended  to  express  that  "  His  Kingdom  was  not  of  this  world," 
 is  it  quite  beyond  the  reach  of  probability  to  suppose  that  He 
 designed  also  to  show  the  approaching  restoration  of  Israel  to 
 primitive  simplicity  by  His  Church,  according  to  the  prophecy 
 of  Isaiah  (i.  20,  27),  "I  will  restore  thy  Judges,  as  at  the  first, 
 
366  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  5—9. 
 
 and  thy  counsellors,  as  at  the  beginning ;  afterwards,  thou  shalt 
 be  called  the  city  of  righteousness,  the  faithful  city?"  Deut. 
 xvii.  16  ;  Ps.  XX.  7 — 33  ;  Eccl.  x.  7 ;  Hos.  xiv.  3  ;  Isa.  xxxi.  1. 
 The  preceding  verse  in  the  prophet,  "  I  will  turn  My  hand  upon 
 thee,  and  purely  purge  away  thy  dross,  and  take  away  all  thy 
 tin,"  would  have  its  evident  fulfilment  in  Christ's  visit  to  the 
 Temple  and  in  His  removal  of  its  defilements.     J.  F. 
 
 It  had  been  needless  for  Christ  to  have  assumed  the  state  of  an 
 earthly  king,  for  the  illustration  of  His  Kingdom  of  holiness. 
 But  how  great,  how  excellent  did  He  appear  in  the  brightness 
 of  His  proper  order  !  .  .  .  Oh  !  with  what  illustrious  pomp,  with 
 what  transcendent  magnificence  did  He  come  attended,  to  such 
 as  beheld  Him  with  the  eyes  of  the  heart  and  with  those  faculties, 
 which  are  the  judges  and  discerners  of  true  wisdom.  Ps.  xlv. 
 1—8  ;  Zech.  ix.  9,  10 ;  S.  Matt.  xi.  28—30 ;  xii.  15—22.  Pascal. 
 (Thoughts,  &c.,  Ch.  14.) 
 
 O  glorious  King  of  Heaven  and  earth  !  How  dost  Thou  humble 
 Thyself,  even  in  the  day  of  Thy  triumph,  to  ride,  like  a  poor 
 mean  man,  on  an  ass,  a  beast  of  the  yoke  and  burden ;  and  that 
 too  none  of  His  own.  Blush  now,  my  soul,  at  thine  own  pride, 
 and  be  confounded  at  thy  vain  curiosity.  Thy  Lord  might  have 
 called  the  Cherubim  to  bear  Him  on  their  wings  and  dazzled  with 
 their  brightness  the  eyes  of  the  beholders  ;  but  He  chose  to 
 enter,  as  the  Prince  of  meekness  and  the  Sayiour  of  the  poor. 
 Hab.  iii.  4 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  7 ;  2  Cor.  viii.  9.   Austin.    (Medit.  209.) 
 
 8  Then  do  we  go  to  meet  Christ  with  boughs  of  olives,  when  we 
 exercise  the  works  of  mercy  and  of  charity  ;  and  with  the  branch 
 of  palm,  when  we  bear  away  the  victory  against  any  temptation  : 
 and  we  straw  our  garments  under  the  feet  of  Christ,  when  we 
 lay  down  our  lives  for  the  love  of  Christ  and  in  the  defence  of 
 His  holy  faith.  S.  Luke  x.  34  ;  Eev.  vii.  9.  (Life  by  Bonaven- 
 ture,  and  others,  Ch.  49.) 
 
 9  The  Prophets  and  the  Apostles,  those  darker  and  more  clear 
 Evangelists,  do  so  unanimously  and  assiduously  celebrate  the 
 Messiah,  that,  when  I  read  and  confer  them,  I  fancy  myself 
 sometimes  to  be  present  at  our  Saviour's  triumphant  entry  into 
 Jerusalem  ;  where  both  those,  that  went  before,  and  those,  that 
 followed  after  Him,  sung,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David."   Acts 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  9,  11.  367 
 
 iii.  24  ;  viii.  35  ;  Eom.  i.  1—3  ;  Eph.  ii.  20.  R.  Boyle.  (Con- 
 siderations on  the  Style  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  p.  233,  Edit. 
 1633.) 
 
 My  Hebrew  master,  Helias,  tells  me,  that  these  very  words  were 
 usually  recited  by  the  priests,  when  they  brought  the  victims  to 
 be  slain  ;  a  custom,  which  was  truly  fulfilled  at  the  immolation 
 of  Christ,  the  true  Sacrifice  for  sin.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 hi  Nomine  Domini  incipit  omne  malum,  said  Luther  ....  How 
 should  we  do  then  to  discern  the  right  in  Nomine  Domini,  when 
 he,  that  comes  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,  comes  truly  so  ?  Many 
 ways,  peradventure,  may  be  given  to  know  it  by ;  but  this  is  the 
 shortest :  if  the  multitudes  that  went  before,  and  that  followed 
 after,  cry  Hosanna  to  Him,  if  the  Saints  of  former  ages,  and 
 their  successors  approve  the  manner  of  His  coming,  if  it  be  in  a 
 way  the  Church  of  Cheist  has  from  its  beginning  allowed  to  be 
 Christian — that  is,  if  He  come  meek  and  lowly,  humbly  riding 
 upon  an  ass,  with  palms  and  olives,  the  ensigns  of  peace  and 
 love — then  He  comes  in  Nomine  Domini  right :  but  if  proud  and 
 scornful,  with  horse  and  chariot,  sword  and  spear,  instead  of 
 olive  boughs  and  branches,  with  a  sword  to  cut  in  sunder  the 
 bond  of  peace  and  unity,  and  a  spear  to  keep  off  charity,  let 
 him  cry  In  Nomine  Domini,  talk  of  the  LoBD  and  take  His 
 Name  into  his  mouth  never  so  much,  'tis  but  a  mere  in  nomitie, 
 and  no  more  ;  a  mere  pretence  and  name  ;  no  Domini,  nothing 
 in  it  really  of  God.  Nor  the  multitudes  before,  nor  the  multi- 
 tudes, that  follow,  nor  any  of  the  Primitive  Christians  ever  sung 
 Hosanna,  gave  any  blessing  or  approbation  to  such  comers,  on 
 their  coming.  1  Sam.  xvii.  45  ;  2  Kings  x.  16  ;  Acts  v.  36,  37  ; 
 2  S.  John  10,  11.     Dr.  Mark  Frank,     (Sermon  on  text.) 
 
 How  many  make  a  noise  with  the  voice,  but  are  silent  in  their 
 hearts;  how  many  say  not  a  word  with  their  lips  et  clamant 
 affectu,  but  cry  aloud  inwardly  in  their  desires  !  1  Sam.  i.  13 — 
 16.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 11  Alas  !  how  little  reliance  can  be  placed  upon  kind  hearts,  quick 
 sensibilities,  and  even  devotional  feelings,  if  there  is  no  religious 
 principle  to  guide,  direct,  and  strengthen  them.  xiii.  20,  21 ; 
 S.  John  v.  35;   Gal.  iv.  13—17.     Dr.  Southey. 
 
 We  must  not  spread  our  sails  of  profession  in  a  calm,  and  furl  them. 
 
368  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  11. 
 
 when  the  wind  riseth.     xxvi.  33 — 35  ;  Gal.  ii.  12,  13.    Gurnall. 
 (On  the  Christian's  Armour,  Ch.  4.) 
 
 O  Victor !  (nam  quo  potius  Te  nomine  dicam, 
 Magne,  triumphanti  sine  vi,  sine  milite,  mundi 
 Arbiter  ac  princeps  ?)  gravibus  non  pressa  catenis 
 Post  currus  it  turba  Tuos,  lachrymosaque  reges 
 Agmina  felicis  turbant  spectacula  pompae. 
 Non  Tibi  captivse  dejectis  moenibus  arces 
 Invidiam,  non  regnorum  fumantia  busta, 
 Conciliant,  tinguntque  Tuas  fuhgine  palmas. 
 Sed  Pietas  comes,  et  miti  dementia  vultu, 
 Atque  Fides,  atque  in  dubiis  certa  anchora  rebus 
 Spes  circum  duxere  chores.     Tibi  prsevia  late 
 Gratia  sternit  iter,  manibus  coelestia  plenis 
 Dona  ferens  ;  Tibi  certatim  plaudentibus  alis 
 Siderei  alludunt  juvenes  ;  Te  Eegia  coeli 
 Ambit,  Victorique  humeros  supponere  gaudet. 
 
 Joan.  Commirius.     (Idyll.  Sacra.) 
 
 12  And  Jesus  went  into  the  temple  of  God,  and  cast 
 out  all  them  that  sold  and  bought  in  the  temple,  and 
 overthrew  the  tables  of  the  money-changers,  and  the 
 seats  of  them  that  sold  doves, 
 
 13  And  said  unto  them,  It  is  written,  My  house 
 shall  be  called  the  house  of  prayer ;  but  ye  have  made 
 it  a  den  of  thieves. 
 
 14  And  the  blind  and  the  lame  came  to  Him  in  the 
 temple  ;  and  He  healed  them. 
 
 15  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw  the 
 wonderful  things  that  He  did,  and  the  children  crying 
 in  the  temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
 David  ;  they  were  sore  displeased, 
 
 16  And  said  unto  Him,  Hearest  Thou  what  these 
 say  ?    And  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Yea  ;  have  ye  never 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  12.  369 
 
 read,  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  Thou 
 hast  perfected  praise  ? 
 
 12  This  was  done,  but  a  few  days  before  our  Saviour  suffered,  to 
 wit,  when  He  came  to  His  last  Passover.  How  unseasonable 
 had  it  been  to  vindicate  the  violation  of  Legal  and  typical  sanc- 
 tity, which  within  so  few  days  after  He  was  utterly  to  abolish 
 by  His  cross ;  unless  He  had  meant  thereby,  to  leave  His 
 Church  a  lasting  lesson  what  reverence  and  respect  He  would 
 have  accounted  due  to  such  places,  as  this  was,  which  He  vin- 
 dicated !  Ps.  xxix.  9  ;  Ixxxix.  8  ;  xciii.  6  ;  J.  Mede.  (Serm.  S. 
 Mark  xi.  17.) 
 
 He  comes  "  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  fuller's  soap ;"  (Mai.  iii. 
 2  ;)  the  refiner's  fire  to  consume  the  dross,  not  destroy  the 
 metal ;  like  fuller's  soap,  to  fetch  out  the  stains,  but  not  to  eat 
 out  the  substance  and  make  spoil  of  all.  v.  17 ;  xv.  3 — 6.  Bp. 
 Brovonrig.     (Serm.  S.  John  ii.  19.) 
 
 Cast  out  all  them,  Sic. — Many  tliink  that  the  mightiest  sign,  in  at- 
 testation of  our  LoED,  was  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  or  that  the 
 man  born  blind  received  sight,  or  that  the  Voice  of  the  Fatuee 
 was  heard  at  Jordan,  or  that  Cheist,  Transfigured  on  the  mount, 
 appeared  in  the  glory  of  a  conqueror.  To  me,  however,  it  ap- 
 pears that,  amid  all  the  signs  of  our  Loed,  this  was  the  most 
 wonderful ;  that  one  single  man,  at  a  time  too,  when  He  was  an 
 object  of  scorn  aud  accounted  so  vile,  as  soon  after  to  have  been 
 crucified,  while  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  moreover  were  furi- 
 ously raging  against  Him,  on  account  of  the  loss  through  Him 
 of  their  worldly  gain,  should  nevertheless  have  succeeded  with  a 
 simple  scourge  of  small  cords  (S.  John  ii.  15)  in  driving  out  of 
 the  temple  so  vast  a  multitude,  overthrowing  the  tables  and  the 
 seats  and  doing  other  like  things,  which  scarcely  a  whole  troop 
 of  soldiers  could  have  accomplished.  Igneum  enim  quiddam  et 
 siderium  radiabat  ex  oculis  Ejus,  et  Divinitatis  Majestas  lucebat 
 in  facie ;  for  indeed  something  of  a  fiery  star-like  appearance 
 shone  from  His  eyes,  and  His  countenance  was  lighted  up  with 
 the  Majesty  of  the  Godhead.  Heb.  i.  2;  S.  John  xviii.  6;  Isa. 
 ii.  17—22 ;  Acts  xix.  23,  24  ;  Eev.  i.  14—16.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 B    Ii 
 
370  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  13. 
 
 13  Prayer  is  the  priacipal  and  most  noble  part  of  God's  worship, 
 and  is  to  be  preferred  before  preaching ;  nay  indeed,  to  speak 
 strictly  and  properly,  preaching  is  no  part  of  Divine  Worship  : 
 for  every  proper  act  of  Divine  Worship  must  have  God  for  its 
 immediate  object  and  God's  glory  for  its  immediate  end.  But 
 the  immediate  object  of  preaching  are  men,  to  whom  it  is  di- 
 rected, and  the  immediate  end  of  it  is  the  instruction  of  men  ; 
 though  it  is  true,  in  the  ultimate  end  of  it,  it  tends  to,  and  ends 
 in,  the  glory  of  God,  as  indeed  all  religious  actions  do,  and  all 
 our  other  actions  of  moment  should  do.  But  prayer  is  imme- 
 diately directed  to  God  Himself,  and  it  is  an  immediate  glorifi- 
 cation of  Him,  and  a  paying  of  Divine  worship  and  honour  to 
 Him.  In  a  word,  by  preaching  we  are  taught  how  to  worship 
 God;  but  prayer  is  itself  God's  Worship.  S.  Luke  xviii.  10; 
 Acts  vi.  4  ;  1  Tim.  ii.  1.     Bp.  Bull.     (Serm.  on  1  Tim.  ii.  1,  2.) 
 
 It  is  said,  Domus  Mea  domus  orationis  vocabitur ;  the  house  of 
 prayer,  not  the  house  of  preaching ;  and  whereas  the  Apostle 
 saith,  "  How  shall  men  call  upon  Him,  on  whom  they  have  not 
 believed  ?  And  how  shall  they  believe,  unless  they  hear  ?  And 
 how  shall  they  hear,  without  a  preacher  .^"  (E-ora.  x.  14.)  It 
 appeareth  that,  as  preaching  is  the  more  original,  so,  prayer  is 
 the  more  final ;  as  the  difference  is  between  the  seed  and  the 
 fruit;  for  the  keeping  of  God's  law  is  the  fruit  of  the  teaching 
 of  the  law ;  and  prayer,  or  invocation,  or  Divine  service,  or 
 Liturgy,  for  these  be  but  varieties  of  terras,  is  the  immediate 
 hallowing  of  the  Name  of  God,  and  the  principal  work  of  the 
 First  Table  and  of  the  great  Commandment  of  the  Love  of  God. 
 Acts  xvii.  23.     Lord  Bacon,     (Pacification  of  the  Church.) 
 
 Quod  Sanctum  est  Sancte  peragatur.  Holy  things  must  be  done 
 in  a  Holy  way.  1  Sam.  ii.  17  ;  Ps.  xcvi.  9 ;  Eom.  xv.  16 ;  1 
 Cor.  xiv.  40.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  Priest  stands  in  the  Holy  place,  ofiering  up  the  prayers  of 
 the  congregation :  but  you  at  the  same  time  fearlessly  laugh  ; 
 you  are  far  from  trembling ;  non  colligis  teipsum,  you  are  quite 
 at  your  ease.  When  you  enter  the  Eoyal  court,  you  arrange 
 to  the  best  advantage  your  dress,  your  look,  your  whole  deport- 
 ment :  but  coming  to  this  place,  the  palace  of  the  Heavenly 
 King,  you  smile,  you  chatter,  you  walk  about,  neyociaris,  you 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  15—18.  371 
 
 mind  your  worldly  affairs,     xxii.  11 — 14;  Isa.  i.  12  ;  Ps.  Ixxxix. 
 8.     S.  Chrysostom.     (Horn.  36  in  Cor.) 
 
 15  "  The  Hosannah  of  little  children  is  not  less  pleasing  to  Gob, 
 than  the  Hallelvjah  of  men."  I  find  this  aphorism  quoted  by 
 Bp.  Andrewes.  There  is  a  just  distinction  in  it ;  for,  while  the 
 young  should  prmj  for  mercy,  the  elder  should  praise  God  for 
 mercy  already  received.     J.  F. 
 
 16  The  whole  polity  and  commonwealth  of  devils  is  not  so  power- 
 ful as  one  child  of  light,  one  babe  in  Cheist  ;  they  are  not  all 
 able  to  quench  the  least  smoking  flax,  to  extinguish  one  spark 
 of  grace.  Darkness  is  not  able  to  make  resistance  against  light ; 
 but  ever,  as  it  comes,  flies  before  it.  Ps.  viii.  2 ;  1  Cor.  i.  25, 
 27.     E.  Cudworth.     (Serm.  1  S.  John  ii.  3,  4.) 
 
 17  And  He  left  them,  and  went  out  of  the  city  into 
 Bethany  ;  and  He  lodged  there. 
 
 18  Now  in  the  morning  as  He  returned  into  the 
 city,  He  hungered. 
 
 19  And  when  He  saw  a  fig  tree  in  the  way,  He 
 came  to  it,  and  found  nothing  thereon,  but  leaves  only, 
 and  said  unto  it,  Let  no  fruit  grow  on  thee  hencefor- 
 ward for  ever.  And  presently  the  fig  tree  withered  away. 
 
 20  And  when  the  disciples  saw  it,  they  marvelled, 
 saying.  How  soon  is  the  fig  tree  withered  away ! 
 
 21  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Verily  I 
 say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith,  and  doubt  not,  ye  shall 
 not  only  do  this  which  is  done  to  the  fig  tree,  but  also 
 if  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain.  Be  thou  removed, 
 and  be  thou  cast  into  the  sea ;  it  shall  be  done. 
 
 22  And  all  things,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer, 
 believing,  ye  shall  receive. 
 
 18  As  He  returned  into  the  city — 
 
 Ssepe  salutavit,  tunc  cum  veniebat  in  urbem, 
 Conscia  supplicii  tecta  futura  Sui. 
 
 B    B    2 
 
372  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  19—22. 
 
 Lustrat  et  interdum  quod  post  modo  ssepe  fatiscens 
 Sub  cruce  purpureum  sauguiue  fecit  iter. 
 
 Dumque  videt  montem,  vincendse  mortis  arenam, 
 Qua  metatn  poenis  et  Sibi  fixit  Amor, 
 
 Turn  vero  vultus  oculosque  ardere  videres, 
 Nee  fiammas  pectus  posse  tenere  Suas. 
 
 Sidronius  Hosschius.     (Eleg.  ii.) 
 
 19  Bonitas  ingenita,  severitas  accidens.  The  loving  kindness  of 
 the  Lord  is  an  essential  part  of  Himself,  His  severity  is  acci- 
 dental. One  belongs  to  Himself,  the  other  to  external  circum- 
 stances. Isa.  xxvi.  21 ;  Lam.  iii.  33 ;  Ezek.  xxxiii.  11.  Ter- 
 tullian. 
 
 Herein  we  find  proof  of  the  Lord's  goodness.  "When  He  was 
 minded  to  show  forth  an  instance  of  the  Salvation,  procured  by 
 His  means.  He  exerted  the  power  of  His  might  on  the  persons 
 of  men,  by  healing  their  sicknesses,  encouraging  them  to  hope 
 for  the  future,  and  to  look  for  the  healing  of  the  soul :  but  now, 
 when  He  would  exhibit  a  type  of  His  judgments  on  the  obsti- 
 nately rebellious,  He  represents  the  future  by  the  destruction 
 of  a  tree.     viii.  32  ;  Ezek.  iv.  4 — 8  ;  xii.  1 — 8.     >S'.  Hilary. 
 
 20  When  the  disciples  saw  it. — Ofttimes  God  haugs  up  some 
 eminent  sinners  in  chains,  as  spectacles  and  warnings  to  others. 
 Josh.  vii.  25,  26  ;  Acts  i.  18,  19  ;  v.  11 ;  1  Tim.  i.  20.      Flavel. 
 
 21  We  are  not  here  to  understand  TriaTiv  ho^fiaTwv,  as  Chrysos- 
 tom  calls  justifying  or  saving  faith  (for  that  was  a  common  gift, 
 to  which  all  Christians  had  an  equal  title  and  claim ;  but  TriaTiv 
 oTjfjbeiwv,  the  faith  of  miracles,  emphatically  so  called,  because  it 
 was  a  certain  supernatural  confidence  and  assurance,  wrought 
 by  the  Spirit  in  the  soul  of  a  man,  by  which  he  was  sure  he 
 could  do  such  or  such  miracles,  before  he  attempted  to  do  them. 
 By  this  supernatural  confidence,  or  impulse,  it  was,  that  men 
 knew,  as  by  a  sign,  when  they  could  work  wonders,  and  when 
 not ;  and  the  greatest  operator,  whether  Prophet  or  Apostle, 
 durst  never  undertake  to  do  a  miracle,  but  when  he  was  assured 
 by  the  Spirit  he  could  do  it.  xvii.  20  ;  S.  Luke  xvii.  5,  6  ; 
 Judg.  xiii.  25  ;  1  Cor.  xiii.  3.    Dr.  Hickes.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  xii.  4.) 
 
 22  Believing. — Anything  is  too  much  to  be  expected,  while  we  look 
 at  ourselves ;  nothing,  while  we  look  to  God  through  Christ. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  23,  24.  373 
 
 The  faitli  therefore  of  a  Christian  may  overlook  all  distinctions 
 and  rest  its  dependence  on  almighty  power,  on  infinite  good- 
 ness, on  immeasurable  love.  Rom.  v.  17 — 21 ;  Ps.  Ixxxi.  10 ; 
 2  Cor.  vi.  12  ;  Phil.  iv.  13.     J.  Venn. 
 
 23  And  when  He  was  come  into  the  temple,  the 
 chief  priests  and  tlie  elders  of  the  people  came  unto 
 Him,  as  He  was  teaching,  and  said,  By  what  authority 
 doest  Thou  these  things  ?  and  who  gave  Thee  this 
 authority  ? 
 
 24  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  also 
 will  ask  you  one  thing,  which  if  ye  tell  Me,  I  in  like 
 wise  will  tell  you  by  what  authority  I  do  these  things. 
 
 25  The  baptism  of  John,  whence  was  it  ?  from  hea- 
 ven, or  of  men  ?  And  they  reasoned  with  themselves, 
 saying,  If  we  shall  say,  From  heaven  ;  He  will  say 
 unto  us,  Why  did  ye  not  then  believe  him  ? 
 
 26  But  if  we  shall  say,  Of  men ;  we  fear  the  peo- 
 ple ;  for  all  hold  John  as  a  prophet. 
 
 27  And  they  answered  Jesus,  and  said,  We  cannot 
 tell.  And  He  said  unto  them.  Neither  tell  I  you  by 
 what  authority  I  do  these  things. 
 
 23  Accustomed  so  much  to  connect  the  Deity  with  symbols,  and 
 His  worship  with  times  and  places,  there  was  nothing  more 
 mortifying  to  their  pride,  or  more  irreconcilable  to  their  preju- 
 dices, than  that  doctrine,  which  inculcated  such  "worship  of 
 the  Fathee  in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  as  was  quite  independent 
 of  all  the  forms,  which  authority  had  sanctified  and  custom  had 
 familiarized ;  a  doctrine,  which  was  regarded,  as  a  kind  of 
 blasphemy  against  the  Temple,  by  lessening  its  importance  and 
 even  superseding  its  necessity.  Acts  vi.  13, 14.  White.  (Bampt, 
 Lect.  iii.) 
 
 24  There  are  two  reasons  why  the  knowledge  of  truth  should  be 
 
374  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  25. 
 
 kept  back  from  those,  who  ask  ;  either  when  he,  who  asks,  is 
 unfit  to  receive  ;  or,  from  his  hatred  and  contempt  of  the  truth 
 is  unworthy  to  have  that,  which  he  asks,  opened  to  him.  S. 
 John  xiii.  6,  7  ;  xviii.  38.     Rabanus. 
 
 25  The  baptism  of  John. — Per  he  alone  received  this  special  and 
 peculiar  gift,  that  it  should  be  called  his  baptism.  However,  it 
 only  "  prepared  the  way  of  the  Loed  "  and  possessed  no  power 
 of  inward  cleansing,     xi.  11.     S.  Augustine.    (Tr.  5,  super  Joan.) 
 
 I  conceive  it  was  called  John^s  Baptism,  because  it  began  with 
 John  ;  even  as  the  Law  of  God  is  called  Moses's  Law,  because 
 Moses  was  the  first  mediator  of  it.  Sacraments  (in  the  wide 
 sense  of  the  term)  are  of  three  sorts  ;  prcenunciativa  venturi 
 Messice;  some,  that  promised  a  Messias  to  come,  as  Circum- 
 cision and  the  Paschal  Lamb  ;  some,  that  promise  the  Messias 
 now  coming,  monstrativa  venientis,  as  the  Baptism  of  John ; 
 some,  that  promise  the  Messiah  is  come  already,  annunciativa 
 exhibiti,  Baptism  and  the  Loed's  Supper.  S.  Luke  xvi.  16 ; 
 Acts  X.  37.     Bp.  Hacket.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  iii.  13.) 
 
 Believe  him,  who  said,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh 
 awciy  the  sin  of  the  world,"  who  bare  witness  of  Me,  and  showed 
 the  power,  by  which  I  do  these  things.  S.  John  i.  29,  36. 
 Emanuel  Sh. 
 
 28  But  what  think  ye  ?  A  certain  man  had  two 
 sons :  and  he  came  to  the  first,  and  said,  Son,  go 
 work  to-day  in  my  vineyard. 
 
 29  He  answered  and  said,  I  will  not :  but  afterward 
 he  repented,  and  went. 
 
 30  And  he  came  to  the  second,  and  said  likewise. 
 And  he  answered  and  said,  I  go,  sir  :  and  went  not. 
 
 31  Whether  of  them  twain  did  the  will  of  his  father  ? 
 They  say  unto  Him,  The  first.  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
 Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  the  publicans  and  the  har- 
 lots go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you. 
 
 32  For  John  came  unto  you  in  the  way  of  righte- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  28—30.  375 
 
 ousness,  and  ye  believed  him  not :  but  the  publicans 
 and  the  harlots  believed  him :  and  ye,  when  ye  had 
 seen  it,  repented  not  afterward,  that  ye  might  believe 
 him. 
 
 28  A  certain  man  had  two  sons,  ^c. — It  seems  to  me,  that  the  wide 
 difference,  existing  among  families,  brought  up  under  the  same 
 religious  instruction,  is  in  a  very  main  degree  to  be  traced 
 to  some  being  trained  to  industrious  habits,  and  some  not. 
 Prov.  xxii.  6 — 15  ;  Eccles.  x.  18 ;  1  Tim.  v.  13.    W.  Richardson. 
 
 The  force  of  to-day  must  not  be  lost  sight  of,  as  reminding  us 
 of  the  urgent  immediate  claims  of  our  duty  to  God,  and  of  the 
 danger  of  "  delaying  the  time  to  keep  His  commandments." 
 Prov.  xxvii.  1 ;  S.  Luke  xix.  42  ;  Heb.  iv.  7.     /.  F. 
 
 29  But  afterward,  ^c. — Man  is  so  wretched  a  being,  that  the  very 
 fickleness,  with  which  he  abandons  his  projects,  is  in  a  certain 
 sense  his  highest  virtue  ;  inasmuch  as  in  so  doing  he  bears  wit- 
 ness to  some  remains  of  a  noble  nature,  still  existing  within 
 him  and  making  him  distaste  objects,  which  are  quite  unworthy 
 of  his  esteem  and  love.     Eccl.  ii. ;  and  vii.  29.     Nicole. 
 
 Good  resolutions  will  cool  again,  when  they  are  off  from  the  fire 
 of  a  present  good  mood,  if  they  be  not  speedily  put  in  execu- 
 tion.    V.  29,  30;  Eccl.  ix.  10  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  11.     Simon  Ford. 
 
 Sometimes,  we  are  more  than  men  ;  otherwhile,  less  than  children  : 
 one  while,  melancholy  and  wholly  at  a  loss,  as  if  we  could  do 
 nothing ;  another  while,  intoxicated  with  pride  and  fond  opinion, 
 as  if  we  could  do  all  things.  Of  the  multitude  of  thoughts, 
 which  come  in  our  minds,  how  few  come  to  anything !  That  is 
 nothing  to  us  by  and  by,  which  a  little  before  was  one  of  the 
 greatest  things  in  the  world,  xi.  17;  xxvii.  22  ;  Gal.  iv.  14,  15. 
 Dr.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  xii.  1126.) 
 
 30  I  go,  Sir  :  and  went  not. 
 
 O  !  quam  ssepe  meo  sensi  hsec  discrimina  damno ! 
 
 ]N"ec  tamen  est  damni  mens  revocata  metu. 
 Nempe  trahor  vario  studia  in  diversa  duello, 
 
 Ut  ratis  ambiguis  jam  pila  facta  Notis. 
 Et  trahit  hinc  (vitii  quae  lena  comesque)  voluptas  ; 
 
 Quique  subit  vitium,  retrahit  inde  dolor. 
 
376  s.  MATTHEW  XXI.  31,  32, 
 
 Ssepiiis  ilia  tamen  redit  e  certamine  victrix, 
 
 Assiduus  vitio  sit  licet  ille  comes  : 
 Sic  habet  alternos  virtus  vitiumque  triumphos  ; 
 
 Et  meus  seterno  vertitur  orbe  labor. 
 
 Eom.  vii.    Herm.  Hugo.  (Pia  Desideria.  Lib.  i.  p.  4.) 
 
 31  A  life  of  repentance  of  past  sins,  inflamed  with  love  towards 
 God,  is  more  pleasing  to  Him,  than  a  state  of  innocence,  be- 
 numbed under  the  feeling  of  self-security,  xx.  14 ;  Amos  vi.  1. 
 S.  Gregory. 
 
 Pcenitentia  7i%imquam  sera,  si  seria ;  sed  sera  rarb  vera.  Kepent- 
 ance  never  comes  too  late,  if  it  comes  from  the  heart ;  but  late 
 repentance  is  seldom  true,     xx,  9 ;  xxv,  11,  12,     S.  Augustine. 
 
 God  seems  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross  to  design  the  destruction 
 of  man's  pride.  Even  the  murderer  and  the  adulterer  some- 
 times become  subjects  of  the  grace  of  the  Gospel,  because  the 
 murderer  and  adulterer  are  more  easily  convinced  and  hum- 
 bled ;  but  the  man  of  virtue  is  seldom  reached,  because  the 
 man  of  virtue  disdains  to  descend.  Remember  me,  saved  a 
 dying  malefactor :  God,  I  thank  Thee,  condemned  a  proud  Pha- 
 risee,    xi,  25  ;  E-om,  x,  1 — 4.     R.  Cecil,     (E,emains.) 
 
 32  Repented  not  afterward. — If  thou  be  not  a  Prometheus  to  ad- 
 vise, before  thou  dost,  be  an  ^jtmetheus  to  examine,  when  thou 
 hast  done.  When  the  want  of  advice  hath  brought  forth  an 
 improvident  act,  the  act  of  examination  may  produce  a  profit- 
 able repentance,  Ezek.  xviii,  27,  28  ;  Ps,  cxix.  59,  F.  Quarles 
 (Enchir.  Cent.  iii.  25.) 
 
 Nothing  shall  be  of  greater  confusion  to  sinners,  than  to  behold 
 those,  who  have  committed  equal  and  greater  sins  than  them- 
 selves, to  be  raised  to  glory  ;  because  they  made  use  of  the  time 
 of  repentance,  which  they  despised  and  rejected.  i?/j,  Taylor. 
 (Contemplations,  Ch,  xi.) 
 
 33  Hear  another  parable :  There  was  a  certain 
 householder,  which  planted  a  vineyard,  and  hedged  it 
 round  about,  and  digged  a  winepress  in  it,  and  built  a 
 tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen,  and  went  into  a 
 far  country : 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  377 
 
 34  And  when  the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near,  he 
 sent  his  servants  to  the  husbandmen,  that  they  might 
 receive  the  fruits  of  it. 
 
 35  And  the  husbandmen  took  his  servants,  and  beat 
 one,  and  killed  another,  and  stoned  another. 
 
 36  Again,  he  sent  other  servants  more  than  the 
 first :  and  they  did  unto  them  likewise. 
 
 37  But  last  of  all  he  sent  unto  them  his  son,  saying, 
 They  will  reverence  my  son. 
 
 38  But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son,  they 
 said  among  themselves,  This  is  the  heir  ;  come,  let  us 
 kill  him,  and  let  us  seize  on  his  inheritance. 
 
 39  And  they  caught  him,  and  cast  him  out  of  the 
 vineyard,  and  slew  him. 
 
 40  When  the  lord  therefore  of  the  vineyard  cometh, 
 what  will  he  do  unto  those  husbandmen  ? 
 
 41  They  say  unto  Him,  He  will  miserably  destroy 
 those  wicked  men,  and  will  let  out  his  vineyard  unto 
 other  husbandmen,  which  shall  render  him  the  fruits 
 in  their  seasons. 
 
 42  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Did  ye  never  read  in  the 
 scriptures,  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the 
 same  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner :  this  is  the 
 Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes  ? 
 
 43  Therefore  say  I  unto  you.  The  kingdom  of  God 
 shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing 
 forth  the  fruits  thereof. 
 
 44  And  whosoever  shall  fall  on  this  stone  shall  be 
 broken  :  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  grind 
 him  to  powder. 
 
 45  And  when  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  had 
 
378  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  33,  37. 
 
 heard  His  parables,  they  perceived  that  He  spake  of 
 them. 
 
 46  But  when  they  sought  to  lay  hands  on  Him, 
 they  feared  the  multitude,  because  they  took  Him  for 
 a  prophet. 
 
 33  By  the  Householder  is  meant  God,  who  for  His  loving  kind- 
 ness and  mercy  is  likened  unto  a  man.  The  vine  is  the  Jewish 
 people,  planted  by  God  in  the  land  of  promise.  The  hedge 
 around  them  is  the  Law,  separating  them  from  the  G-entiles ; 
 or  the  Divine  protection,  like  a  wall  of  fire  around  them.  The 
 tower  is  the  temple.  The  winepress  is  the  altar.  The  husband- 
 men, the  teachers  of  the  people,  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees. 
 The  householder's  going  into  a  far  country  is  God's  withdraw- 
 ing Himself,  His  manifest  immediate  miraculous  Presence,  or 
 His  long  sufferance.  Por  God  seems,  as  it  were,  to  sleep,  or 
 absent  Himself,  while  He  is  long  suffering,  and  doth  not  imme- 
 diately punish  the  sins  of  men.  Ps.  1.  3  ;  Acts  svii.  30.  Theo- 
 phylact. 
 
 37  They  will  reverence  my  son. — God  often  seems  to  speak  in 
 doubt,  that  a  place  may  be  left  to  man's  free  will.  Let  us  here 
 put  a  question  to  Arius  and  Eunomius.  Behold  !  the  Father 
 Himself  is  said  not  to  know,  and  sententiam  temperat,  qualifies 
 His  words  in  this  way  ;  and  indeed  is  found  to  be  mentitus,  to 
 utter  an  untruth  here,  in  regard  to  human  agency.  Whatever 
 answer  they  may  make  in  defence  of  the  Patheb,  let  them  use 
 the  same  in  favour  of  the  Son,  when  He  declares  that  He  knows 
 not  the  last  Day.  S.  Mark  xiii.  32  ;  Gen.  xviii.  20,  21 ;  Exod. 
 xxxiii.  5.     Bede. 
 
 The  heathen  may  plead  against  the  Jews,  that  the  law  of  nature 
 was  not  so  clear  in  its  precepts,  nor  yet  so  cogent  in  its  motives, 
 as  the  Law  of  Moses.  The  Jew  may  plead  against  us,  Chris- 
 tians, that  their  law  of  Moses  was  neither  so  express  in  its  pre- 
 cepts, nor  yet  so  intelligible  in  its  best  and  most  powerful  mo- 
 tives, as  our  Gospel.  But,  as  for  us,  Christians,  we  have  nothing 
 to  plead  ;  but  by  our  own  obstinacy  against  the  clearest  disco- 
 veries of  our  duty  do  stand  condemned  to  everlasting  silence. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  38,  41.  379 
 
 So  that  when  it  shall  appear  at  the  dread  tribunal  of  God  that 
 we  have  persisted  in  our  wickedness,  notwithstanding  all  these 
 advantages,  we  must  expect  to  be  reproached  by  all  the  reason- 
 able world,  to  be  exploded  and  hissed  at,  not  only  by  Saints 
 and  Angels,  but  by  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  and  the  Devils  them- 
 selves, who  will  all  conspire  with  our  consciences  to  second  our 
 woeful  doom  with  the  loud  acclamation,  "  Just  and  righteous 
 art  Thou,  0  Lord,  in  all  Thy  ways."  Deut.  xviii.  19 ;  Isa.  v. 
 1—7  ;  Amos  iii.  2 ;  Prov.  i.  24—33 ;  Heb.  ii.  1—4.  Dr.  J. 
 Scott.     (Christian  Life,  P.  ii.,  Ch.  i.) 
 
 38  The  story  of  Naboth  is  become  old  ;  yet  it  is  of  daily  practice. 
 Non  unus  Achab  natus  est ;  Ahab  was  not  born  an  isolated  indi- 
 vidual :  but,  a  far  worse  thing,  Ahab  is  born  among  us  every 
 day,  and  in  this  world  he  never  ceases  to  exist.  Eccl.  i.  9 ; 
 Gal.  iv.  29  ;  S.  James  iv.  1 — 6.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 Let  us  seize  on  his  inheritance. — We  ought  not  to  pursue  through 
 every  particular  the  circumstances  of  a  parable,  but  enter  into 
 its  general  scope  and  seek  nothing  further,  xxv.  9,  10,  27.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 41  Such  is  the  blindness  of  self-love.  Weeasily  judge  aright,  while 
 we  think  the  case  is  another's ;  but  instantly  change  our  votes, 
 when  we  see  it  concerns  ourselves,  vii.  3 — 5,  12  ;  Gen.  xxviii. 
 24  ;  S.  Luke  xx.  16.     Austin.     (Med.  223.) 
 
 Every  man  naturally  feels  an  indignation  upon  seeing  instances  of 
 villany  and  baseness  ;  and  therefore  cannot  commit  the  same 
 without  being  self-condemned.  2  Sam.  xii.  6  ;  2  Kings  viii.  13. 
 Bp.  Butler.     (Serm.  i.  on  S.  Matt.  v.  43,  44.) 
 
 Little  did  they  think  what  a  dreadful  sentence  they  passed  upon 
 themselves  and  their  own  nation  in  these  words ;  little  did  they 
 think  that  they  hereby  condemned  their  temple  to  be  burnt, 
 their  city  to  be  destroyed,  their  country  to  be  ruined,  their  na- 
 tion to  be  vagabonds  over  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  little  did  they 
 think  that  they  hereby  justified  God  in  all  the  miseries,  which 
 they  suffered  afterwards  ;  for  in  their  words  they  vindicate  God 
 and  condemn  themselves,  (xxvii.  25.)  .  .  .  The  greatest  judg- 
 ment, which  can  ever  befall  a  people,  is  the  taking  away  the 
 Kingdom  of  God  from  them ;  the  greatest  mercy,  which  can 
 ever  be  vouchsafed  to  a  nation,  is  God's  giving  His  Kingdom  to 
 
380  S.  MATTHEW  XXI.  41—45. 
 
 it.  Deut.  xxxiii.  26 — 29  ;  Ps.  xxxiii.  12  ;  Eev,  xi.  15.  Bp. 
 Stillingjleet.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 He  will  miserably  destroy,  ^c. — If  God  wished  to  punisli  us,  He 
 would  not  so  many  ages  bacli  have  warned  us.  He  must  to  a 
 certain  extent  punish  us  against  His  own  will,  who  points  out 
 to  us,  so  long  before,  the  way,  in  which  we  may  escape.  Non 
 enim  te  vult  ferire,  qui  clamat,  "  Observa^  That  person  can 
 have  no  real  wish  to  strike  you,  who  cries  out  to  you,  "  Be- 
 ware." Micah  V.  6;  Lam.  iii.  33;  Jer.  xxxi.  18 — 21;  Eev.  ii. 
 5,  16,  21.     S.  Augustine.     (Serm.  38,  De  Sanctis.) 
 
 44  This  stone  is  stumbled  against,  as  it  lies  on  the  earth ;  but  it 
 vfiXlfall  on  him,  when  He  shall  come  from  on  high  to  judge  the 
 quick  and  the  dead.  "Woe  to  the  Jews ;  for  that,  when  Cheist 
 lay  low  on  the  ground  in  His  humility,  they  stumbled  against 
 Him.  xxvii.  40  ;  S.  John  ix.  16 ;  2  Thess.  i.  6 — 11 ;  E,ev.  xx. 
 11 — 15.     S.  Augustine.     (Serm.  72.     In  JSTov.  Test.  s.  2.) 
 
 45  They  perceived,  8sc. — Moral  philosophers,  finding  that  they  had 
 not  strength  to  remove  the  flattering  passion  of  self-love,  which 
 blocked  up  all  the  passages  of  the  heart,  endeavoured  by  stra- 
 tagem to  get  beyond  it  and  by  a  skilful  address,  if  possible,  to 
 deceive  it.  This  gave  rise  to  the  early  manner  of  conveying 
 their  instruction  in  parables,  fables,  and  such  sort  of  indirect 
 applications  ;  which,  though  they  could  not  conquer  this  prin- 
 ciple of  self-love,  yet  often  laid  it  in  a  sleep,  or  at  least  over- 
 reached it  for  a  few  moments,  till  a  just  judgment  could  be  pro- 
 cured.    Judg.  ix.  7 — 16.     Sterne.     (Serm.  on  2  Sam.  xii.  6.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXII. 
 
 A  ND  Jesus  answered  and  spake  unto  them  again  by- 
 parables  and  said, 
 2  The  kingdom   of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain 
 king,  which  made  a  marriage  for  his  son, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  2,  3.  381 
 
 3  And  sent  forth  his  servants  to  call  them  that 
 were  bidden  to  the  wedding :  and  they  would  not 
 come. 
 
 4  Again,  he  sent  forth  other  servants,  saying,  Tell 
 them  which  are  bidden,  Behold,  I  have  prepared  my 
 dinner :  my  oxen  and  my  fatlings  are  killed,  and  all 
 things  are  ready :  come  unto  the  marriage. 
 
 5  But  they  made  Hght  of  it,  and  went  their  ways, 
 one  to  his  farm,  another  to  his  merchandise : 
 
 6  And  the  remnant  took  his  servants,  and  entreated 
 them  spitefully,  and  slew  them. 
 
 7  But  when  the  king  heard  thereof,  he  was  wroth  : 
 and  he  sent  forth  his  armies,  and  destroyed  those  mur- 
 derers, and  burned  up  their  city. 
 
 8  Then  saith  he  to  his  servants,  The  wedding  is 
 ready,  but  they  which  were  bidden  were  not  worthy. 
 
 9  Go  ye  therefore  into  the  highways,  and  as  many 
 as  ye  shall  find,  bid  to  the  marriage. 
 
 10  So  those  servants  went  out  into  the  highways, 
 and  gathered  together  all  as  many  as  they  found,  both 
 bad  and  good :  and  the  wedding  was  furnished  with 
 guests. 
 
 2  The  Kingdom  of  heaven. — Through  the  gate  of  the  Church  we 
 enter  the  gate  of  Paradise.     Acts  ii.  47.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 God  rules  iu  heaven,  by  His  Glory ;  on  the  earth,  by  His  Grace ; 
 and  in  hell,  by  His  Justice.     Ps.  cxxxv.  6. 
 
 3  They  would  not. — There  are  two  things  quite  incomprehensible. 
 God  desires  to  be  loved  by  men,  although  He  needs  them  not ; 
 and  men  refuse  to  love  God,  though  they  need  Him  in  an  in- 
 finite degree.  Oh,  exclaim  then.  Love  is  not  loved  !  Ps.  cix. 
 4;  2  Cor.  xii.  15.     Plaintes  du  Sauveiir. 
 
 (S.  Luke  xiv.  18:  T/ieg  all  with  one  consent  made  excuse.) — Poor 
 
382  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  3,  4. 
 
 men  think  that  rich  men  may  well  mind  religion,  and  rich  men 
 think  that  poor  men  had  need  to  do  it.  Prosperity  thinks  that 
 it  hath  better  things  to  mind,  than  a  God  ;  and  adversity  knows 
 that  it  hath  worse  things,  but  it  must  mind  them.  Plenty  is 
 too  full  to  entertain  Him  ;  and  poverty  hath  enough  to  do  to 
 bear  up  under  its  own  burden.  Learning  knows  how,  but  will  . 
 not.  Ignorance  says  it  would,  but  knows  not  how.  Prov.  x.i. 
 22;  S.  Matt.  vii.  13;  Heb.  iii.  12;  Eom.  x.  21.  Sam.  Shaw. 
 ("Welcome  to  the  plague.) 
 
 Ah  !  whence  is  it  ?  What  can  be  the  cause,  why  we  entertain 
 temporal  benefits  with  so  much  joy  and  satisfaction,  that  we 
 are  even  ravished  with  the  sense  of  the  power  and  transported 
 into  thanks  and  praise ;  and  yet  so  cold  and  unmoved,  so  stupid 
 and  insensible,  with  respect  to  those,  that  are  spiritual,  hea- 
 venly, eternal  ?  .  .  .  Have  we  no  sense  of  our  own  misery,  of  the 
 love  of  God,  of  the  sufferings  of  Jesfs  ?  Have  we  no  thirst 
 after  the  Communion  of  the  Spirit  ?  No  desire  of  heaven  ? 
 No  value  for  the  peace  of  our  minds  ?  Have  we  no  ingenuity  ? 
 No  gratitude  ?  No  sense  of  either  duty  or  interest  ?  "Who 
 would  not  stand  amazed  at  this  hardness  of  heart  ?  Ah. !  with 
 what  words  may  our  Sayioue  justly  reproach  us  ?  Have  I 
 forsook  Heaven  and  the  bosom  of  My  Father  for  you  ?  And 
 do  you  prefer  your  farms  and  yoke  of  oxen,  or  something  less 
 considerable  and  less  necessary  before  Me  ?  Have  I  prayed, 
 and  watched, and  travelled,  and  hungered, and  thirsted  for  you? 
 And  do  you  prefer  your  ease,  and  your  pleasure,  and  your  diver- 
 sions before  Me  ?  Have  I  suffered  buffeting,  and  spitting, 
 scourges,  and  thorns,  and  agonies  for  you  ?  And  are  you  hunt- 
 ing after  the  honours  and  the  interests,  the  profits  and  the  sen- 
 sualities of  the  world,  when  I  demand  of  you  an  easy  instance 
 of  your  love  and  gratitude  ?  How  fervently  have  I  loved  you  ! 
 What  Blessedness  have  I  obtained  for  you !  But  you  refuse 
 Me  your  love  and  obedience,  when  I  require  the  easiest,  the 
 most  beneficial,  and  the  most  delightful  expression  of  them.  xxi. 
 37,  38 ;  Isa.  i.  1—4. ;  v.  1—4  ;  Acts  ii.  40 ;  2  Cor.  xii.  15.  Br. 
 Lucas.     (Serm.  Ps.  xxvi.  6.) 
 
 4  By  faith  we  come  to  the  wedding-feast ;  by  charity,  which  is 
 the  life,  and  by  good  works,  which  are  the  fruit  of  faith,  we  are 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  4—7.  383 
 
 qualified  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Lamb  and  to  receive  nourish- 
 ment from  it.  V.  23,  24  ;  S.  John  vi.  35,  Quesnel. 
 Faith  says  to  me  generally,  "  Vast  and  unspeakable  Blessings  are 
 prepared  by  God  for  His  faithful  servants."  Hope  says, 
 "  These  Blessings  are  prepared  for  me.^'  Charity  says,  "  I  will 
 therefore  run  to  receive  them."  Ps.  xxiii.  1 ;  Phil.  ii.  20.  S. 
 John  XX.  4.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 5  What  if  we  understand  by  those,  who  went  to  their  merchandize, 
 persons  to  be  meant,  who  are  eagerly  engaged  in  the  acquisition 
 of  riches  ?  And  again,  by  those,  who  we7it  to  the  farm,  persons, 
 living  in  the  unsanctified  enjoyment  of  riches  already  acquired  ? 
 Gerhard.     (Harm.  Evang.) 
 
 The  love  of  this  world  hath  the  bewitching  power  to  make  our 
 minute  Eternity,  and  Eternity  nothing,  and  the  day  of  our  death 
 as  hard  and  difficult  to  our  faith,  as  our  resurrection.  Ps.  xlix. 
 11;  S.  Luke  xii.  19;  S.  Jas.  iv.  13 — 16.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 Ps.  cxix.  19.) 
 
 Perimus  Ileitis. — We  perish  by  things  lawful.  Prov.  iv.  23 — 27; 
 S.  Luke  xvi.  25.     Sir  M.  Hale.     (Contemplations,  p.  2.) 
 
 Our  souls  may  receive  an  infinite  hurt  and  be  rendered  incapable 
 of  all  virtue,  merely  by  the  use  of  innocent  and  lawful  things. 
 Gross  sins  are  plainly  seen  and  easily  avoided  by  persons,  who 
 profess  religion  ;  but  the  indiscreet  and  dangerous  use  of  inno- 
 cent and  lawful  things,  as  it  does  not  shock  and  offend  our  con- 
 sciences, so  it  is  difficult  to  make  people  at  all  sensible  of  the 
 danger  of  it.  xxiv.  38,  39;  1  Cor.  vii.  29—32.  Wm.  Law. 
 (Serious  Call,  ch.  7.) 
 
 6  To  the  three  calls  to  the  feast  He  places,  in  contrast,  the  three 
 kinds  of  persons,  who  refused  the  call  and  came  not  to  the  nup- 
 tial banquet — nolentes,  negligentes,  persequentes.  The  first  class 
 comprehends  the  unwilling;  the  second  the  indifierent;  the 
 third  the  opposed.     Gerhard.     (Harm.  Evang.) 
 
 Thus  in  the  parable  of  the  sower  there  are  three  kinds  of  unpro- 
 fitable soil.     xiii.  4 — 7  ;  vii.  14.     J.  F. 
 
 7  It  is  diligently  to  be  observed  that  the  afiront,  offered  to  the 
 King's  Son  by  these  persons  in  refusing  to  honour  His  nup- 
 tials, is  received  and  punished  by  the  King,  as  an  injury  and 
 affront,  done  to  Himself.     And  so  all  neglect  and  contempt  of 
 
384  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  8—11. 
 
 Christ,  the  Everlasting  Son,  will  be  received  and  punished  by 
 the  Pathee,  as  against  His  own  Person ;  for  he,  that  "  honour- 
 eth  not  the  Son,  honoureth  not  the  Fathee."  Ps,  ii,  6 — 12  ; 
 S.  Luke  X.  10  ;  S.  John  v.  23.  Dr.  Dodd.  (On  the  Parables.) 
 8  At  the  great  Day,  one  question  only  will  be  asked,  which  will 
 silence  every  objector ;  namely,  "  Were  you  not  bidden  ?'"  There 
 is  nothing,  but  unbelief,  that  shuts  a  man  out  of  heaven.  Our 
 Savioue  says  not,  ye  coidd  not,  but  ye  would  not  come  unto 
 Me,  that  ye  might  have  life,  S.  John  iii.  18  ;  xv.  22  ;  Eom.  x. 
 18  ;  S.  Luke  xiv.  24.     R.  Cecil.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xxii.  1—5.) 
 
 10  Went  out  into  the  highioays. — The  meanest  and  most  contemp- 
 tible person,  whom  we  behold,  is  the  offspring  of  Heaven,  one 
 of  the  children  of  the  Most  High  ;  and,  however  unworthy  he 
 might  behave  himself  to  that  relation,  so  long  as  God  hath  not 
 abdicated  and  disowned  him  by  a  final  sentence,  He  will  have 
 us  to  acknowledge  Him,  as  one  of  His,  and,  as  such,  to  embrace 
 with  a  sincere  and  cordial  affection,  xiii.  28 — 30  ;  Neh.  v.  5 ; 
 Isa.  Iviii.  7  ;  Acts  xvii.  26,  28  ;  Titus  iii.  2  ;  1  S.  Pet.  ii.  17. 
 Scougal.     (Life  of  God,  &c.     Discourse  i.  s.  48.) 
 
 1 1  And  when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests, 
 he  saw  there  a  man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding  gar- 
 ment : 
 
 12  And  he  saith  unto  him,  Friend,  how  camest 
 thou  in  hither  not  having  a  wedding  garment  ?  And 
 he  was  speechless. 
 
 13  Then  said  the  king  to  the  servants.  Bind  him 
 hand  and  foot,  and  take  him  away,  and  cast  him  into 
 outer  darkness  ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing 
 of  teeth. 
 
 14  For  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 
 
 11  A  man,  ^c. — In  so  vast  a  concourse  of  persons  a  most  minute 
 discrimination  is  observed  ;  for,  since  God  contemplates  them  all 
 in  such  a  way,  as  to  mark  each  sigillatim,  individually,  so  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  11.  385 
 
 cognizance,  taken  of  one  man  alone,  is  mentioned,     xxv.  35  ; 
 XX vi.  22  ;  B,om.  xiv.  12.     Card.  Caietan. 
 
 God,  though  He  be  free  of  His  entertainments,  yet  is  curious  of 
 His  guests.     Isa.  i.  12.     Bp.  Hall.     (Select  thoughts,  79.) 
 
 It  was  the  custom  at  Royal  marriages  to  provide  suitable  garments 
 for  the  guests,  invited  to  the  feast ;  and  in  such  a  dress,  fur- 
 nished by  the  keeper  of  the  robes,  they  were  naturally  expected 
 to  make  their  appearance.  This  question  therefore  well  ex- 
 presses the  great  surprise,  the  just  indignation  of  the  King,  at 
 the  insult  here  offered  him  ;  and  means,  as  Dr.  Donne  (Serm. 
 on  2  Cor.  v.  20)  observes,  not  only,  "  How  didst  thou,  but  how 
 durst  thou  come  in,  not  having  a  loedding  garmentV^  So  shall  it 
 be  at  the  last  great  Day.  That  clothing  of  the  soul,  which  must 
 cover  the  nakedness  of  our  sins  and  fit  us  for  the  Presence  of  the 
 Most  Holy — those  garments  of  Salvation,  which  are  dyed  in  the 
 Redeemer's  Blood,  and  made  clean  and  white  by  His  Spirit,  are 
 freely  provided  for  us  in  the  Church,  "without  money  and  with- 
 out price."  They  may  be  had  on  the  easy  terms  of  our  asking 
 for  them.  (Rom.  x.  13.)  Not  to  ask  for  them,  and  then  dare  to 
 present  ourselves  before  the  King  of  kings  without  them,  is  an 
 act  of  the  most  monstrous  ingratitude,  combined  with  the  most 
 inexcusable  folly ;  it  is  such  an  insult,  as  frustrates  all  His  mer- 
 cies towards  us  and  provokes  Him  to  "  swear  in  His  wrath,  that 
 we  shall  not  enter  into  His  rest,"  and  that  we  shall  not  '•  taste  of 
 His  Supper."  Isa.  Ixiii.  1 — 4;Rev.  iii.  5 — 18 ;  S.  John  v.  40.  J.F. 
 
 A  wedding  garment. — Methiuks  the  disputation,  whether  should 
 have  the  precedency,  faith  or  good  works,  whether  is  the  better 
 piece  to  put  into  a  garment,  is  uncharitable  and  unnecessary. 
 Why  should  I  question  which  is  the  best  piece,  when  the  want 
 of  either  spoils  the  garment  ?  Where  both  reflect  upon  each 
 other  by  a  mutual  dependence,  wliat  talk  we  then  of  priority  ? 
 Heat  furthers  motion,  and  motion  increases  heat.  Faith  begins 
 good  works,  and  good  works  elevate,  quicken,  and  exalt  our  faith. 
 Faith  is  the  mother  of  good  works,  and  good  works  the  nurse  of 
 faith.  Can  you  separate  light  from  a  burning  taper,  or  bright- 
 ness from  the  flame  ?  Then  may  you  divide  faith  and  charity, 
 xix.  6  ;  Gal.  v.  6 ;  S.  James  ii.  14,  26 ;  1  S.  John  iii.  23. 
 Farindon, 
 
 0  c 
 
386  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  11—13. 
 
 The  Church,  in  her  Comnumion  Sei'vice,  regards  Holiness,  as  being 
 the  Marriage  garment  required  by  God  in  Holy  Scripture.  The 
 second  exhortation  to  be  read  by  the  Minister,  "  when  he  shall 
 see  the  people  negligent  to  come  to  the  Holy  Communion,"  con- 
 tains a  simple,  but  most  powerful  and  affecting  exposition  of 
 the  Parable  before  us,  particularly  as  the  Parable  is  recorded  by 
 S.  Luke.  The  Homily  of  the  Church  more  fully  instructs  us 
 on  this  great  duty.  "  There  be  three  things  requisite  in  him, 
 which  would  seemly,  as  becometh  such  high  mysteries,  resort  to 
 the  Loed's  Table  :  that  is,  first,  a  right  and  worthy  estimation 
 and  understanding  of  this  mystery  ;  secondly,  to  come  in  sure 
 faith ;  and,  thirdly,  to  have  newness  and  pureness  of  life  to  suc- 
 ceed the  receiving  of  the  same."  Isa.  Ixi.  10;  B-om.  xiii.  14; 
 Col.  iii.  12—15 ;  Eev.  xix.  7—10.     J.  F. 
 
 12  If  we  come  to  a  Marriage  Teast,  we  must  not  come  without  a 
 wedding  garment ;  that  is  a  frame  of  heart  and  a  disposition  of 
 soul,  agreeable  to  the  solemnity,  conforming  to  the  nature  and 
 answering  the  intentions  of  the  Grospel,  as  it  is  exhibited  to  us 
 in  this  Sacrament.  "  Holy  garments"  and  "  garments  of  praise" 
 are  the  wedding  garments  :  "put  on  Cheist,"  put  on  "the  new 
 man,"  these  are  the  wedding  garments.  In  these,  we  must  with 
 our  lamps  in  our  hands,  as  the  wise  virgins,  go  forth  with  all 
 due  observance  to  attend  the  Eoyal  Bridegroom.  Isa.  Ixi.  3 ; 
 Eph.  V.  26;  Eev.  xix.  7.  M.  Henry.  (The  Communicant's 
 Companion,  Ch.  i.) 
 
 Speechless. — He  would  rather  endure  the  pain  of  hell,  than  stand  up 
 before  such  an  opponent,  as  God.    Mai.  ii.  2,  5.    S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 That  sense  of  shame,  which  the  wicked  shall  never  be  able  to  get 
 rid  of,  will  be  far  more  horrible,  than  the  flame  of  hell.  Dan. 
 xii.  2  ;  1  S.  John  ii.  28.     S.  Basil. 
 
 Under  the  teaching  of  Satan  men  invert  God's  order.  For  God 
 has  attached  a  sense  of  shame  to  sin  and  given  confidence 
 to  the  confession  of  sin ;  but  the  devil  attaches  confidence  to 
 sin,  and  to  confession  shame.  Isa.  v.  20;  Phil.  iii.  19;  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 13  Then  said,  ^c. — The  Loed  sent  Noah  to  preach,  before  He  sent 
 the  flood  to  destroy  the  world.  He  ai'gued  with  Adam,  before  He 
 thrust  him  out  of  Paradise.     The  Voice  goeth  ever  before  the 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  13,  14.  387 
 
 rod,  "  Hear  ye  the  rod."  (Micah  vi.  9.)  This  course  our  Sa- 
 viour observed  towards  hira,  who  had  not  the  wedding  garment : 
 first,  he  convinced  him,  till  he  was  speechless  ;  and  then,  "  cast 
 him  into  outer  darkness."  Eor  He  will  have  the  consciences  of 
 men  to  subscribe  and  acknowledge  the  justice  of  His  proceed- 
 ings and  to  condemn  themselves  by  their  own  witness,  xviii. 
 32—31;  XXV.  26—30,  41—46;  Isa.  v.  3,  4 ;  Amos  ii.  11;  iii. 
 7  ;  Rom.  iii.  19.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Expos,  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 Bind  his  feet,  which  have  so  daringly  intruded ;  bind  his  hands, 
 which  were  not  skilled  to  robe  him  in  the  bright  garment ;  and 
 cast  him  into  outer  darkness  ;  for  he  is  unworthy  of  the  wedding 
 torches.  Thou  hast  seen  how  he  fared ;  take  heed  to  thyself. 
 Acts  V.  11  ;  1  Cor.  X.  6,  11.     S.  Cyril. 
 
 Consider  the  binding  of  the  hands  and  feet,  the  weeping  of  the 
 eyes,  and  the  gnashing  of  the  teeth,  as  setting  forth  the  truth 
 of  the  Resurrection  of  the  body.     E-ev.  xvi.  10.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 14  Few  are  chosen. — If  my  religion  is  only  a  formal  compliance  with 
 those  modes  of  worship,  that  are  in  fashion,  where  I  live;  if  it  costs 
 me  no  pains  and  trouble,  if  it  lays  me  under  no  rules  and  re- 
 straints, if  I  have  no  careful  thoughts  and  sober  reflections  about 
 it,  is  it  not  a  great  weakness  to  think  that  I  am  "  striving  to 
 enter  in  at  the  strait  gate."  vii.  13,  14.  If  there  is  nothing 
 different  in  my  life  and  conversation,  that  shows  me  to  be  diffe- 
 rent from  a  Jew  or  a  heathen,  if  I  use  the  world  and  worldly 
 amusements,  as  the  generality  of  people  now  do  and  in  all  ages 
 have  done,  why  should  I  think  I  am  among  those  few,  who  walk 
 in  the  "narrow  way"  to  heaven?  v.  46,  47;  Titus  ii.  14; 
 Eom.  xii.  1 — 4.     Wm.  Law.     (Serious  Call,  &c.,  Ch.  3.) 
 
 15  Then  went  the  Pharisees,  and  took  counsel  how 
 they  might  entangle  Him  in  His  talk. 
 
 16  And  they  sent  out  unto  Him  their  disciples  with 
 the  Herodians,  saying,  Master,  we  know  that  Thou  art 
 true,  and  teachest  the  way  of  God  in  truth,  neither 
 carest  Thou  for  any  man  ;  for  Thou  regardest  not  the 
 person  of  men. 
 
 c  c  2 
 
388  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  16,  17. 
 
 17  Tell  US  therefore,  What  thinkest  Thou?  Is  it 
 lawful  to  give  tribute  unto  Caesar,  or  not  ? 
 
 18  But  Jesus  perceived  their  wickedness,  and  said, 
 Why  tempt  ye  Me,  ye  hypocrites  ? 
 
 19  Show  Me  the  tribute  money.  And  they  brought 
 unto  Him  a  penny. 
 
 20  And  He  saith  unto  them,  Whose  is  this  image 
 and  superscription  ? 
 
 21  They  say  unto  Him,  Caesar's.  Then  saith  He 
 unto  them,  Render  therefore  unto  Csesar,  the  things 
 which  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
 God's. 
 
 22  When  they  had  heard  these  words,  they  mar- 
 velled, and  left  Him,  and  went  their  way. 
 
 16  Master,  ^c. — The  enemy  of  our  happiness  is  busy  around  us. 
 every  where  laying  his  snares,  with  a  "  Well  done !  Well  done  !" 
 in  order  that  while  we  greedily  pick  up  the  seed,  he  may  catch  us 
 by  surprise  ....  Habet  Diabolus  suos  mansuetos.  The  devil  has 
 his  gentle  spirits  to  employ  in  his  service.  E-om.  xvi.  17,  18 ; 
 Ps.  xxviii.  3  ;  Iv.  22  ;  Prov.  xxvii.  21.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Next  to  hypocrisy  in  religion,  there  is  nothing  worse,  than  hypo- 
 crisy in  friendship,  xxvi.  49  ;  Job  viii.  13 — 15  ;  xx.  5 — 29. 
 Bp.  Ball. 
 
 Truth  cannot  put  on  those  various  modes  and  shapes,  that  please 
 the  levity  of  human  affections.  Truth  cannot  start  anything 
 strange  to  take  the  multitude,  which  admires  nothing,  so  much 
 as  monsters.  Truth  can  make  no  room  for  the  pleasure  of 
 singularity,  none  for  the  itch  of  contradicting,  none  for  the 
 glory  of  heading,  or  the  interest  of  siding  with,  a  party,  v.  37  ; 
 1  Cor.  ii.  1—4 ;  2  Cor.  i.  12  ;  Eom.  xvi.  18 ;  1  Thess.  ii.  4. 
 Dean  Young.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  v.  3.) 
 
 17  Some  affect  by  seeming  forward  to  an  outward  reformation  of 
 religion  to  be  thought  zealous,  hoping  to  cover  those  irreligious 
 deformities,  of  which  they  are  conscious,  by  a  severity  of  cen- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  17—20.  389 
 
 suring   other  men's   opinions,    or   actions.     S.  Luke  vii.  39 ; 
 
 S.  John  ix.  16.     Eikon  Basilike. 
 
 If  the  question  be,  whether  mere  opinions  are  to  be  persecuted,  it 
 
 is  certainly  true  they  ought  not.     But,  if  it  be  considered  how 
 
 by  opinions  men  rifle  the  affairs  of  kingdoms,  it  is  also  as  certain 
 
 they  ought  not  to  be  public  and  permitted.    Acts  xx.  30 ;  Titus 
 
 i.  10,  11.    Bp.  J.  Taylor.    (Disc,  on  the  Liberty  of  Prophesying.) 
 
 ]8  With  men  the  heart  is  known  by  our  words;  but  with  GrOD 
 
 our  words  are  weighed  by  our  hearts,    viii.  21,  22 ;  xix.  17.    S. 
 
 Bernard. 
 
 He  paid  not  attention  to  their  smooth  words,  but  to  their  wicked 
 
 hearts.  Ezek.  xiv.  1 — 4.  Jacob  de  Voragine. 
 Like  the  crocodile,  thine  enemy  slimes  thy  way  to  make  thee  fall ; 
 and,  when  thou  art  down,  he  insidiates  thy  entrapped  life  ;  and 
 with  the  warmest  blood  of  thy  life  fattens  his  insulting  envy  .  .  , 
 Certainly,  it  is  a  misery  to  have  any  enemy,  either  very  power- 
 ful, or  very  malicious.  Ps.  x. ;  xliii.  O.  Feltham.  (Eesolves. 
 Cent.  i.  21.) 
 
 Si  forsan  populus  frequentiori 
 Pama  te  vehet,  audiasque  passim 
 Sanctus  et  pius  !     Heu,  cave  barathrum  : 
 Hie  anguis  latet ;  has,  velut  venenum, 
 Voces  neglige  (si  sapis)  dolosas  ; 
 Et  constantior  usque  et  usque  perge, 
 Per  vestigia  trita  perge  Christi, 
 Quem  tu  Prototypon  sequare  ad  unguem. 
 
 Haeftenus.     (Eegia  via  crucis, 
 Argumentum,  Lib.  2.) 
 20  Tlie  Magistrate  is  sealed,  and  that,  Divind  manu  with  the  very 
 finger  of  God.   The  King's  broad  seal,  what  is  it  ?    The  matter 
 is  wax ;  but,  having  the  image  and  superscription  of  my  Prince,  it 
 is  either  my  pardon,  or  my  liberty,  or  my  charter,  or  my  posses- 
 sions.   Prov.  viii.  15,  16  ;  Hom.  xiii.  1.    Farindon.    (Serm.  Rom. 
 xiii.  4.) 
 In  like  manner,  as  Caesar  demands  of  us  the  stamp  of  his  likeness, 
 so  does  God  also.     And,  as  we  render  money  to  the  one,  so  we 
 give  our  souls  to  the  other,  our  souls  enlightened  and  sealed  with 
 the  light  of  His  countenance.   Eom.  viii.  29 ;  2  Cor.  iii.  18.    Bede. 
 
390  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  21. 
 
 21  You  have  asked  Me,  whether  it  be  lawful  to  give  tribute  to 
 Csesar ;  I  say  not,  give,  the  expression  you  wished  to  hunt  out  of 
 Me  (verse  15);  but  I  say,  ^^  Render  unto  Csesar  the  things 
 which  are  Caesar's;  and  unto  God  the  things  which  are  God's." 
 Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 Though  the  stater  was  not  due,  yet  to  avoid  the  offence  of  refusing 
 to  pay  to  Csesar,  Conditor  Ccesaris  censum  solvit  Ccesari.  Seeing 
 then  Csesar's  Creator  paid  Csesar  his  due,  will  any  deny  to  do 
 it  ?  Especially,  seeing  He  paid  Csesar  his  due,  yea,  even  then, 
 when  Csesar  did  not  render  to  God  His  due,  but  to  idols :  and 
 what  colour  then  can  we  have  to  deny  it  ?  Csesar  and  God  will 
 stand  together ;  yea,  Tiberius  Csesar  and  God.  To  these,  so 
 standing,  there  are  certain  things  due,  of  duty  belonging. 
 These  things  so  due  are  to  be  rendered ;  not  given,  as  gratuities  ; 
 but  rendered,  as  debts  (Rom.  xiii.  7)  ;  and,  again,  with  good-will 
 to  be  rendered,  not  delivered  by  force ;  and,  as  willingly,  so, 
 wisely  ;  Csesar  to  have  his,  God  His ;  in  distinction,  not  confu- 
 sion ;  but  each  his  own.  S.  Luke  ii.  6  ;  Heb.  vii.  9 — 10.  Bp. 
 Andrewes.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 God,  for  the  better  settling  of  piety  and  honesty  among  men  and 
 the  repressing  of  profaneness  and  other  vices,  hath  established 
 two  distinct  powers  upon  earth  ;  the  one,  of  the  Keys,  commit- 
 ted to  the  Church,  the  other,  of  the  Sword,  committed  to  the 
 Civil  Magistrate.  That  of  the  Keys  is  ordained  to  work  upon 
 the  inner  man,  having  immediate  relation  to  the  remitting  or  re- 
 taining of  sins  :  that  of  the  Sword  is  appointed  to  work  upon  the 
 outward  man,  yielding  protection  to  the  obedient  and  inflicting 
 external  punishment  upon  the  rebellious  and  disobedient.  By 
 the  former,  the  spiritual  ofiicers  of  the  Church  of  Cheist  are 
 enabled  to  "govern  well,"  to  "speak,  and  exhort,  and  rebuke 
 with  all  authority,"  to  loose  such,  as  are  penitent,  to  commit 
 others  into  the  Lord's  prison  until  their  amendment,  or  to  bind 
 them  over  to  the  great  Day,  if  they  persist  in  wilfulness  and 
 obstinacy.  By  the  other  (the  Sword),  Princes  have  an  impe- 
 rious power  assigned  by  God  to  them,  for  the  defence  of  such, 
 that  do  well,  whether  by  death,  or  banishment,  or  confiscation 
 of  goods,  or  imprisonment.  Let  this  then  be  our  conclusion, 
 that  the  power  of  the  Sword  and  of  the  Keys  are  two  distinct  Or- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  21,  23,  391 
 
 clinances  of  God  ;  and  that  the  Prince  hath  no  more  authority 
 to  enter  upon  the  execution  of  any  part  of  the  Priest's  functions, 
 than  the  Priest  hath  to  intrude  upon  any  part  of  the  office  of  the 
 Prince,  xvi.  19  ;  Eom.  xiii.  4  ;  1  S.  Pet.  ii.  13—18.  Abp. 
 Usher.  (Speech  before  the  Privy  Council,  Dublin,  1622.) 
 Next  to  the  "  fear  of  God,"  the  Apostle  commands  (1  S.  Pet.  ii. 
 17)  "honour  to  the  King ;"  which,  if  not  the  sum  of  the  second 
 Table,  as  the  other  is  of  the  first,  it  cannot  be  denied  to  be  the 
 principal  and  main  pillar  thereof  And,  let  me  tell  you,  if  thou 
 dost  "  honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother,"  thou  canst  neither 
 be  rebel  nor  schismatic,  disloyal  to  the  Sovereign  power,  or 
 disobedient  to  the  Church,  xviii.  17 ;  Ps.  Ixxxii.  6.  William, 
 Earl  of  Bedford.     (Advice  to  his  sons.) 
 
 23  The  same  day  came  to  Him  the  Sadducees,  which 
 say  that  there  is  no  resurrection,  and  asked  Him, 
 
 24  Saying,  Master,  Moses  said,  If  a  man  die,  having 
 no  children,  his  brother  shall  marry  his  wife,  and  raise 
 up  seed  unto  his  brother. 
 
 25  Now  there  were  with  us  seven  brethren  :  and  the 
 first,  when  he  had  married  a  wife,  deceased,  and,  having 
 no  issue,  left  his  wife  unto  his  brother. 
 
 26  Likewise  the  second  also,  and  the  third,  unto 
 the  seventh. 
 
 27  And  last  of  all  the  woman  died  also. 
 
 28  Therefore  in  the  resurrection  whose  wife  shall 
 she  be  of  the  seven  ?  for  they  all  had  her. 
 
 23  Which  say  there  is  no  resurrection  (and  take  occasion  thence  to 
 indulge  in  sin).  By  Heresy,  I  do  not  mean  barely  a  false  opinion 
 in  our  religion,  whether  it  be  of  greater,  or  lesser  moment ;  for 
 I  doubt  not,  but  the  same  error  may  be  an  innocent  mistake  in 
 one  man  and  a  damnable  heresy  in  another  ;  that  in  the  one  it 
 may  be  the  effect  of  a  weak  understanding,  but  in  the  other  of 
 a  perverse  and  obstinate  will :  and  when  the  understanding  mis- 
 
392  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  23,  25. 
 
 leads  the  will,  it  is  weakness ;  but,  when  the  will  misleads  the 
 understanding,  it  is  wickedness.  For  simple  error  is  only  a  de- 
 fect of  understanding,  which  in  a  fallible  creature  is  every  whit 
 as  inculpable,  as  sickness  in  a  mortal  one  ;  but  heresy  is  a  fault 
 of  the  will,  which  is  the  only  subject  of  virtue  and  vice.  When 
 therefore  by  the  wicked  prejudice  of  our  corrupt  wills  against 
 the  purity  of  Christianity,  our  understanding  is  betrayed  into 
 loose  and  erroneous  principles ;  when  we  understand  by  our 
 vicious  affections,  and  adapt  our  opinions  to  the  interests  of  our 
 lusts ;  when  we  believe  for  the  sake  of  any  darling  vice,  and 
 suffer  our  own  factious,  covetous,  and  extravagant  passions  either 
 to  tempt  us  to  profess  those  erroneous  opinions,  which  we  do 
 not  believe,  or  to  prejudice  us  into  a  belief  of  them  ;  then  is  our 
 error  no  longer  to  be  attributed  to  the  weakness  of  our  under- 
 standing, but  to  the  wickedness  of  our  walls,  which  improves  our 
 error  into  a  damnable  Heresy.  S.  John  iii.  19  ;  Gal.  v.  19 — 22  ; 
 S.  Jude  4  ;  1  Tim.  i.  19,  20.  Dr.  J.  Scott.  (Serm.  on  S.  Matt, 
 xvi.  26.) 
 
 "We  live  in  an  age,  when  men  are  fond  of  learning,  almost  to  the 
 loss  of  Religion.  Nothing  will  pass  with  our  men  of  wit  and 
 sense,  but  what  is  agreeable  with  the  nicest  reason ;  and  every 
 man's  reason  is  his  own  understanding.  These  mighty  pre- 
 tenders have  no  truer  ground  to  go  upon,  than  other  men.  They 
 plead  for  right  reason ;  but  they  mean  their  own  reason.  In  the 
 meantime  they  take  from  us  our  surest  guide;  and  Religion 
 suffers  by  their  contentions  about  it.  Ps.  xii.  4  ;  Dan.  xii.  4  ; 
 Isa.  xxix.  21 ;  Acts  xviii.  15,  16  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  23.     Baker. 
 
 25  Now  there  were  seven  brethren. — This  far-fetched  hypothetical 
 case,  put  by  the  Sadducees,  which  at  the  first  view  seems  so  im- 
 probable, may  have  been  suggested  by  the  history  of  Sara,  the 
 daughter  of  Raguel  (Tobit  iii).  If  so,  we  have  here  another 
 instance  of  the  abuse  of  Sacred  words,  their  perversion  to  the 
 worst  of  purposes  ;  for  we  may  suppose  the  Sadducees,  as  hereby 
 endeavouring  to  procure  some  credit  to  their  crafty  supposition, 
 when  they  clothed  it,  if  not  in  express  Canonical  Scripture,  yet, 
 in  Sacred  garb.   iv.  6  ;  S.  John  viii.  4,  5  ;  IS.  John  iv.  1.  J.F. 
 
 I  am  persuaded  that  some  men  take  more  pains  to  furnish  them- 
 selves with  arguments  to  defend  some  one  error  they  have  taken 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  25,  27.  393 
 
 up,  than  they  do  for  the  most  saving  Truths  of  the  Bible :  yea, 
 they  could  sooner  die  at  the  stake  to  defend  one  error  they  hold, 
 than  all  the  truths  they  profess.  Austin  said  of  himself,  when 
 he  was  a  Manichsean,  Non  Tu  eras,  sed  error  mens  erat  Dens 
 mens.  Not  Thou,  but  my  own  error  was  my  God.  Jer  vii.  4; 
 Acts  xix.  28,  34.   Gurnall.   (On  the  Christian's  Armour,  Ch.  2.) 
 
 Left  his  loife  unto  his  brother. — Nature  will  look  as  gay,  on  the  day 
 of  our  death,  as  ever  it  did  ;  the  business  of  the  world  will  go  on 
 as  briskly,  as  before  ;  our  habitations  will  make  our  successors 
 as  welcome,  as  they  made  us  ;  and  even  our  names  in  a  few  years 
 shall  perish,  as  if  we  had  never  been,  xxvii.  4,  5  ;  Ps.  xxxvii. 
 10,  37;  Eecl.  i.  4.     Walker. 
 
 27  Deceased.  Died  also. — Thou  must  die,  though  thou  be  loath. 
 Fortasse,  says  S.  Augustine,  (that  word  of  contingency,  of  casu- 
 alty, perchance)  hath  room  in  all  human  actions,  excepting  death. 
 Quotidie  morimur,  says  S.  Jerome,  et  tamen  nos  esse  <^ternos  pu- 
 tamus.  We  die  every  day,  and  we  die  all  the  day  long ;  and,  be- 
 cause we  are  not  absolutely  dead,  we  call  that  an  eternity,  an 
 eternity  of  dying.  And  is  there  comfort  in  that  state  ?  Why, 
 that  is  the  state  of  hell  itself;  eternal  dying,  and  not  dead.  Ps, 
 xxxix. ;  xc. ;  Rev.  ix.  6.     Dr.  Donne.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  xv.  26.) 
 
 It  is  reported  of  one,  that  hearing  the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis 
 read ;  so  long  lives,  and  yet  the  burden  still,  Theij  died. — Seth 
 lived  912  years,  and  he  died  ;  Enos  lived  905  years,  and  he  died  ; 
 Methuselah  969  years,  and  he  died — he  took  so  deeply  the 
 thought  of  death  and  eternity,  that  it  changed  his  whole  frame, 
 and  turned  him  from  a  voluptuous  to  a  most  strict  and  pious 
 course  of  life.  How  small  a  word  will  do  much,  when  God  sets 
 it  to  the  heart !    Abp.  Leighton,     (Comment.  1  S.  Peter  iv.  8.) 
 
 I  had  lately  some  views  of  death,  and  it  appeared  to  me  in  the 
 most  brilliant  colours.  What  is  to  die,  but  to  open  our  eyes 
 after  the  disagreeable  dream  of  this  life,  after  the  black  sleep,  in 
 which  we  are  buried  on  this  earth  ?  It  is  to  break  the  prison  of 
 corruptible  flesh  and  blood,  into  which  sin  hath  cast  us  ;  to 
 draw  aside  tlie  curtain,  to  cast  off  the  material  veil,  which  pre- 
 vents us  from  seeing  Supreme  Beauty  and  Goodness  "face  to 
 face."  It  is  to  quit  our  polluted  and  tattered  raiment,  to  be  in- 
 vested with  robes  of  honour  and  glory,  and  to  behold  the  Sun  of 
 
394  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  27.  29, 
 
 Eighteousness  in  brightness,  without  an  interposing  cloud.    Oh, 
 my  dear  friend,  how  lovely  is  death,  when  we  look  at  it  in  Jesus 
 Cheist  !     To  die  is  one  of  the  greatest  privileges  of  the  Chris- 
 tian.    Gen.  xlix.  18 ;    Phil.  i.  23 ;  Rev.  xxii.  20.    Rev.  J.  W. 
 Fletcher,  of  Madely.     (Life  by  Dr.  Benson,  p.  122,  Ed.  1806.) 
 Hei  mihi !     Lege  rata  sol  occidit  atque  resurgit, 
 Lunaque  mutatse  reparat  dispendia  formse, 
 Astraque,  purpurei  telis  extincta  diei, 
 Eursus  nocte  vigent.     Humiles  telluris  alumni 
 Graminis  herba  virens,  et  florum  picta  propago, 
 Quos  crudelis  hyems  lethali  tabe  peredit. 
 Cum  Zephyri  vox  blanda  vocat,  rediitque  sereni 
 Temperies  anni,  foecundo  h  cespite  surgunt. 
 Nos,  Domini  rerum,  nos  magna  et  pulchra  minati, 
 Cum  breve  ver  vitse  robustaque  transiit  setas, 
 Deficimus  ;  nee  nos  ordo  revolubilis  auras 
 Eeddit  in  sethereas,  tumuli  neque  claustra  revolvit. 
 
 Br.  Jortin.     (See  Hayley's  Life  of  W.  Cowper. 
 Part  iv.  Letters  91,  92.) 
 
 29  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err, 
 not  knowing  the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God. 
 
 30  For  in  the  resurrection  they  neither  marry,  nor 
 are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of  God  in 
 heaven. 
 
 31  But  as  touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
 have  ye  not  read  that  which  was  spoken  unto  you  by 
 God,  saying, 
 
 32  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac, 
 and  the  God  of  Jacob  ?  God  is  not  the  God  of  the 
 dead,  but  of  the  living. 
 
 33  And  when  the  multitude  heard  this,  they  were 
 astonished  at  His  doctrine. 
 
 29  Ye  know  not  the  Scriptures. — Heresy  arises  from  a  false  inter- 
 pretation, and  not  from  the  Scripture  itself.     Mains  sensus,  non 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  29,  30,  395 
 
 sermo,fit  crimen.  It  is  not  the  Word  of  Gob,  which  is  to  blame, 
 but  our  wrong  construction.  S.  Luke  xxiv.  27 — 45  ;  1  Cor.  xv, 
 12  ;  1  Tim.  i.  7  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  18.    >S.  Hilary.    (De  Trin.  lib.  ii.) 
 
 Scriptura  non  fallit,  si  se  homo  non  fallat.  The  Scripture  will 
 never  deceive  us,  if  we  don't  deceive  ourselves.  Obad.  3  ; 
 2  Tim.  iii.  13.     S.  Augustine.     (De  urbis  excidio.) 
 
 Malo  in  Scripturis forte  minus  sapere,  quam  contra.  I  would  sooner 
 know  a  little  less  of  the  Scriptures,  than  know  them  in  a  wrong 
 sense.     Prov.  xv.  16.     Tertullian.     (De  pudicitia.  Ch.  ix.) 
 
 Our  Loud  here  teaches  us  a  very  important  truth,  which  is  this  ; 
 that  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  is  only  to  be  found  in  their 
 true  interpretation.  To  fail  in  ascertaining  their  proper  mean- 
 ing is  to  be  ignorant  of  them  and  to  remain  in  darkness.  It  is 
 the  spirit,  that  quickeneth  ;  the  letter  only  may  help  to  blind 
 and  to  destroy.  This  conviction,  if  duly  weighed,  would  make 
 us  more  careful  in  speaking  of  the  diffusion  around  us  of  Bibli- 
 cal knowledge,  and,  especially,  more  humble,  in  regard  to  our 
 own  progress  in  the  study  of  the  Word  of  life.  Job  xxviii.  28  ; 
 Ps.  cxix.  33—40  ;  S.  John  xx.  9  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  3,  4 ;  1  Cor.  viii.  2 ; 
 Acts  viii.  27—35.     J.  F. 
 
 The  power  of  God. — If  man  can  by  art  make,  of  ashes,  the  curious 
 workmanship  of  glass,  why  cannot  an  Omnipotent  God,  of  dust 
 and  ashes,  make  glorified  bodies,  as  fair  as  crystal  ?  If  in  things, 
 that  are  mixed,  the  mixture  can  be  removed,  and  they  can  be 
 brought  to  a  perfect  state — as  thus,  a  refiner  may  have  a  lump 
 before  him  of  four  kinds  of  metal,  of  gold,  silver,  iron,  and  tin, 
 all  in  one  lump,  and  all  mixed  together,  as  one  piece  ;  now,  if  the 
 refiner  can  by  the  use  of  art  put  every  one  of  these  metals  apart, 
 and  bring  the  gold  by  itself,  and  the  silver  by  itself,  if  he  can 
 bring  the  things,  thus  mixed,  each  one  into  its  proper  order  and 
 station — cannot  an  Omnipotent  God  do  this  ?  Though  man's 
 flesh  be  mixed  among  a  thousand  worms,  cannot  a  powerful  God 
 bring  the  flesh  again  by  His  power,  and  we,  with  this  flesh  of 
 ours,  be  in  Glory  with  Him  in  Heaven  ?  Deut.  xxix.  3,  4 ;  Isa. 
 xxvi.  19;  Phil.  iii.  21.     Chr.  Love.     (Serm.  Col.  iii.  4.) 
 
 30  Are  as  the  Angels  in  Heaven. — Coelibatus,  quasi  coelo  Beatus. 
 xviii.  10  ;  Rev.  xiv.  4.     Isidore  of  Seville. 
 
 As  our  souls  are  now  like  the  Angels,  yea,  Angels  in  the  flesh,  so 
 
396  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  30—32, 
 
 then  our  bodies,  as  to  this  spiritual  quality,  shall  be  raised  like 
 our  souls.  (1  Cor.  xv.  20.)  ....  Oh,  my  soul,  shall  thy  body  at 
 that  great  change  and  resurrection  of  the  just  be  raised  heavenly 
 and  spiritual,  like  the  Body  of  our  Loed,  be  pure  as  the  essence 
 of  Angels,  as  speedy  and  quick,  as  to  motion,  as  the  lightning, 
 and  fitted  to  inhabit  heaven  ?  .  .  .  .  Labour  then  to  be  as  mucli 
 like  Christ  in  holiness  and  righteousness,  as  thou  hopest  and 
 desirest  to  be  like  Him  in  glory.  Acts  vi.  15  ;  Col.  iii.  1 — 3  ; 
 1  S.  John  iii.  3.    Sir  J.  Harinffton.  (Divine  Meditat.  on  Faith.) 
 
 Since  God  can  do  all  things,  why  did  He  not  at  once  make  us 
 equal  to  the  Angels  in  glory  ?  because  He  designed  our  present 
 more  lowly  condition  to  be  the  means  of  humbling  us,  lest,  like 
 the  seduced  and  seducing  Angels,  we  should  become  proud,  and 
 so  stumble  and  perish,  v.  3 ;  S.  James  iv.  10.  Card.  Bona- 
 venture.     (De  perfect.  Eel.  L.  i.  c.  53.) 
 
 Oh,  Blessed  answer !  Thou  hast  opened  the  door  of  heaven  and 
 given  us  a  glimpse  of  that  glorious  state.  Thou  hast  taught  us 
 more  in  one  short  word,  than  all  the  learning  of  the  world  could 
 reach.  We  shall  hereafter  be  as  Angels ;  perfectly  know,  and 
 fervently  love,  and  possess  the  object  of  that  knowledge  and  love 
 for  ever.  Here,  while  immersed  in  flesh,  our  thoughts  are  low, 
 and  our  discourse  dull,  and  our  joys  restrained  to  a  few  and 
 petty  instances.  Our  comfort  is,  that  in  a  little  while  we  shall 
 think,  and  discourse,  and  love,  as  the  Angels  in  Heaven  !  Isa, 
 XXV,  6—10  ;  XXXV.  10.     Austin.     (Medit.  226.) 
 
 31  Nam  qualis  esset  ilia  felicitas,si  ex  parte  periremus  ?  For  what 
 sort  of  happiness  would  that  prove,  if  in  part  we  perished  ?  Ps. 
 xvi.  9-12  ;  Job  xix.  25—27  ;  1  Thess.  v.  23.    Tertullian. 
 
 32  If  it  be  asked,  why  God  is  named  three  times  here,  the  God  of 
 Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  we  may  piously 
 answer,  it  is  partly  to  intimate  the  great  mystery  of  the  Trinity, 
 in  whose  Triune  Name  our  holy  Covenant  of  grace  and  mercy 
 is  made,  ratified,  and  confirmed :  partly,  to  denote  the  special 
 Providence  of  God,  so  signally  auspicious  towards  each  of  these 
 Patriarchs  in  their  respective  times ;  as  also  to  point  out  the 
 distinguishing  example  of  every  one  of  them  for  some  singular 
 grace  and  virtue — Abraham,  as  eminent  for  his  faith  and  obedi- 
 ence ;  Isaac,  for  purity  of  mind  and  innocence  ;  and  Jacob,  for 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  32.  397 
 
 patience  and  constancy  :  and,  if  in  these  graces  we  imitate  them, 
 we  shall  have  their  God  for  our  God.  xxviii.  19.  Wogan.  (On 
 the  Lessons.  5th  S.  in  Lent.) 
 
 As  a  future  eternal  state  is  not  made  the  sanction  of  the  Law  of 
 Moses,  so  neither  is  the  doctrine  of  it  made  an  explicit  revelation 
 either  in  the  Law,  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  Pentateuch.  The 
 text  cannot  be  produced,  which  simply  declares  it ;  and  that 
 none  such  exists  is  evinced  or  confirmed  by  the  discourse  of  our 
 Saviour,  in  His  refutation  of  the  Sadducees.  We  must  suppose 
 that  our  Loed  here  selected  this  text,  as  one  of  the  most  forcible 
 and  clearest  of  the  book  of  the  Law,  capable  of  imparting  the 
 knowledge  of  a  resurrection  and  of  a  future  state.  But,  since 
 He  deduced  that  knowledge  from  them  by  an  implication,  is  it 
 not  a  certain  sign^  that  the  doctrine  was  not  to  be  found  there 
 expressed  ?  2  Tim.  i.  10 ;  Titus  i.  1 — 3.  Davison.  (Discourses 
 on  Prophecy.  P.  ii.  -1.) 
 
 These  words  must  be  understood  with  supply  of  that  they  have 
 reference  unto ;  which  is  the  Covenant,  that  the  Lobd  made 
 with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  respect  whereof  He  calls 
 Himself  "  their  God."  This  Covenant  was  "  to  give  unto  them 
 and  to  their  seed  the  land  wherein  they  were  strangers:"  mark 
 it,  not  "  to  their  seed"  or  offspring  only,  but  to  themselves :  [to 
 Abraham,  Gen.  xiii.  15  ;  xv.  7  ;  and  xvii.  8  ;  to  Isaac,  xxvi.  3  ; 
 to  Jacob,  XXXV.  12 :  to  all  three,  Exod.  vi.  4,  8 ;  Deut.  v.  8  ;  xi. 
 21 ;  XXX.  20.]  If  God  then  make  good  to  Abraham,  Isaac, 
 and  Jacob  this,  His  Covenant,  whereby  He  undertook  to  be 
 "their  God" — then  must  they  needs  one  day  live  again  to  in- 
 herit the  promised  land ;  which  hitherto  they  have  not  done. 
 For  the  God,  that  thus  covenanted  with  them,  covenanted  not 
 to  make  His  promise  good  to  them  dead,  but  living.  This  is  the 
 strength  of  the  Divine  argument,  and  irrefragable  ;  which  other- 
 wise would  not  infer  any  such  conclusion.  Hab.  xi.  8 — 10,  13 — 
 16.     J.  Mede.     (Letters.     Answer  to  Dr.  Twiss.) 
 
 Every  Scripture  does  affirm,  command,  or  threaten  not  only  that, 
 which  is  expressed  in  it  ;  but  likewise  all  that,  which  is  rightly 
 deducible  from  it,  though  by  mediate  consequences.  Ps.  cxix. 
 9G.  Bp.  Wilkins.  (Ecclesiastes,  or  the  gift  of  Preaching, 
 S.  2.) 
 
398  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  33,  34. 
 
 33  For  GrOD  to  be  one's  God  necessarily  implies  a  present  rela- 
 tion, that  God  hath  to  him ;  and  no  relation  can  continue, 
 when  either  of  the  relations  cease,  and  is  taken  away  ;  whence 
 it  clearly  follows,  that  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  were  alive, 
 and  did  subsist  (that  is  in  their  spirits),  when  God  spake  these 
 words  to  Moses,  that  is,  many  ages  after  the  death  of  their 
 bodies  ....  Certainly,  if  our  Saviour's  reasoning  had  been  so 
 subtle,  intricate,  and  elaborate,  as  some  expositors  have  made  it, 
 it  had  been  impossible  for  the  common  people  to  have  understood 
 the  force  of  it  ...  .  but  the  multitude  themselves  presently  ap- 
 prehended it,  and  wondered  at  His  convincing  way  of  arguing. 
 Verse  46.     vii.  28,  29.     Bp.  Bull.     (Serm.  Acts  i.  25.) 
 
 34  But  when  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  He  had 
 pat  the  Sadducees  to  silence,  they  were  gathered  to- 
 gether. 
 
 35  Then  one  of  them,  which  was  a  lawyer,  asked 
 Him  a  question,  tempting  Him,  and  saying, 
 
 36  Master,  which  is  the  great  commandment  in  the 
 law? 
 
 37  Jesus  said  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
 thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
 with  all  thy  mind. 
 
 38  This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment. 
 
 39  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it.  Thou  shalt  love 
 thy  neighbour  as  thyself. 
 
 40  On  these  two  commandments  hang  all  the  law 
 and  the  prophets. 
 
 34  TVhen  they  heard,  8^c. — A  strange  thing;  for  what  was  that, 
 which  they  heard  ?  Was  it  not  the  making  good  their  tenet 
 against  the  Sadducees  ?  the  proving  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
 dead  ?  A  man  would  expect  that  they  would  congratulate 
 Christ's  victory  and  rejoice  in  the  refutation  of  the  Sadducees. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  34—37.  399 
 
 (Acts  iv.  2.)  Haply  they  would  have  done  so,  if  there  had  been 
 nothing  else  :  but  Christ  got  credit  by  the  Sadducees'  silence ; 
 the  people  wondered  at  it  (v.  33)  :  this  was  a  corrosive  to  the 
 Pharisees.  They  were  jealous  that  what  Cheist  gained  they 
 lost.  Therefore  they  maligned  His  success  ;  and  malice  hath 
 no  eyes  to  see  good  turns,  or  be  moved  by  them.  Nay,  see  ; 
 Cheist  was  taking  their  part  against  the  Sadducees,  and  they 
 revenge  the  Sadducees'  quarrel  upon  Cheist.  Malice  doth  not 
 only  not  see  good  turns ;  but  it  can  forget  also  ill  turns,  to  do  a 
 mischief  unto  those,  that  are  good.  Prov.  xxvii.  4  ;  Acts  xxiii. 
 6 — 9.  Bp.Lake.  (Serra.  on  text.) 
 Put  to  silence. — The  Greek  word  here  is  remarkable,  icpifiwae.  He 
 bridled  their  mouths,  indicating  His  complete  mastery  over 
 them.  He  muzzled  them,  so  that  henceforth  "  no  one  durst  from 
 that  day  forth  ask  Him  any  more  questions."  (v.  46.)  The  same 
 expressive  term  is  used  to  describe  His  silencing  the  unclean 
 spirit  (S.  Mark  i.  25  ;  S.  Luke  iv.  35),  and  stilling  that  tempest, 
 which  very  probably  was  raised  by  the  power  of  the  evil  one. 
 Ps.  viii.  6  ;  S.  Mark  iv.  39.     /.  F. 
 
 35  Asked  Him  a  question. — The  Serpent  creeps  into  the  Paradise 
 of  the  Church  by  degrees.  At  2  Cor.  xi.  3,  his  plot  is  to  cor- 
 rupt people's  minds  "  from  the  simplicity,  that  is  in  Christ." 
 First,  he  will  puzzle  them  with  a  question,  as  he  did  Eve  ;  put  a 
 command  of  God,  a  known  truth,  to  be  disputed  :  then  help  them 
 to  mint  some  distinctions  (which  are  not  always  so  happy  in 
 Divinity,  as  in  Philosophy),  thereby  to  relieve,  and  help  in,  an 
 error.  Eph.  iv.  14  ;  vi.  11 ;  Col.  ii.  4,  8  ;  1  Tim.  i.  4 — 8  ;  vi.  3 
 4  ;  S.  Jude  4.  Thomas  Hill.  (Serm.  Prov.  xiii.  23,  before  Pari. 
 1642.) 
 
 36  A  question  is  asked  respecting  "  the  great  Commandment,"  by 
 one,  who  had  not  performed  the  least.  Let  those  rather,  who 
 have  been  careful  to  observe  the  lower  degrees  of  righteousness, 
 make  inquiries  about  such  degrees,  as  are  higher,  v.  19  ;  xix. 
 16—21;  Ps.  cxi.  10.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 37  When  he  says.  With  all  your  heart,  with  all  your  soul,  and  with 
 all  your  mind.  He  leaves  no  part  of  our  life  disengaged,  so  as  to 
 admit  the  enjoyment  of  aught  else :  but  whatever  incentive  to 
 our  love  may  arito,  illuc  rapiatur,  quo  totius  dilectionis  impetus 
 
400  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  37,  38. 
 
 currit,  let  it  quickly  be  carried  into  that  channel,  where  the  main 
 torrent  of  all  our  aflfectiou  is  swept  along.    Ps.  Ixxiii.  24  ;  2  Cor. 
 V.  14.     S.  Augustine.     (De  Doct.  Christ,  lib.  i.  c.  22.) 
 Valde  velle  amari,  id  ab  ingenti  amove  projiciscitur.    A  strong  desire 
 to  be  loved  of  others  springs  from  the  great  love  we  bear  them. 
 
 1  S.  John  iv.  19.     *S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Thy  God. — In  the  creation  of  the  world  God  gave  the  water  to  the 
 fish,  earth  unto  the  beast,  air  unto  the  fowl,  heaven  unto  the 
 glorious  Angels  :  and  then,  after  all  these  goodly  seats  were  be- 
 stowed. He  made  man  "  in  His  own  Image,"  that  man  might 
 say  with  the  Prophet  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  25),  "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven 
 but  Thee  ?"&c.  Deut.  x.  14— 16.  Picus  of  Mirandula.  (Hec- 
 taplus,  or  treatise  of  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  Creation.) 
 
 As  the  Israelites  were  forbidden  to  have  any  God  except  Jehovah, 
 who  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  so  Christians  must 
 not  seek  for  happiness  in  any  but  Him,  to  whom  they  stand  in- 
 debted for  redemption  from  eternal  death  and  sanctification  to 
 eternal  life.  This  First  Commandment  tlien  is  a  warning,  not 
 only  against  open  infidelity,  but  also  against  that  more  subtle 
 apostasy,  which  would  substitute  another  notion  of  God  for  the 
 Jehovah  of  the  Bible,  Pather,  Son,  and  Holt  Ghost,  the 
 Holt  Tbinitt  in  the  Adorable  Unity,    xxviii.  19 ;  Eph.  ii.  18  ; 
 
 2  S.  John  8—12.     Keble.     (Serm.  1  Thess.  v.  19,  20.) 
 
 38  All  the  precepts  are  comprised  in  Love  alone.  Eom.  xiii.  10. 
 S.  Gregory.     (Hom.  27,  in  Evang.) 
 
 Add  charity,  every  thing  profits ;  take  away  charity,  what  remains 
 profits  nothing,  xxv.  40,  45.  S.  Augustine.  (Serm.  x.  de  Verbis 
 Domini.) 
 
 The  great  Commandment. — It  is  the  greatest  in  its  object,  its  obli- 
 gation, its  dignity,  its  duration,  its  ultimate  end.  Phil.  i.  9  ;  2 
 Thess.  iii.  5.     Aretius. 
 
 This  Commandment  is  great  in  the  matter  of  it,  being  of  the 
 weighty  and  most  concerning  importance  to  the  final  happiness 
 of  man ;  great  in  the  obligation  of  it,  which  is  absolutely  indis- 
 pensable, it  being  not  possible  that  God  should  create  any  one 
 spirit,  without  obliging  him  to  love  Him,  or  that  He  should 
 ever  discharge  him  from  that  obligation ;  great  in  the  equity  and 
 reason  of  it ;  it  being  highly  reasonable,  that  we  should  love 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  38,  39.  401 
 
 God,  who  is  so  infinitely  amiable,  so  altogether  lovely  ;  great  iu 
 the  power  and  virtue  of  it,  as  being  the  most  fruitful  and  pro- 
 lific seed  of  all  excellency  and  perfection.  S.  John  v.  42  ;  1  S. 
 John  V.  3  ;  Rom,  viii.  28.  Norris.  (Letters,  Philosophical  and 
 Divine.) 
 
 I  fear  that  many  of  us  little  think,  how  great  it  is.  We  little  re- 
 flect on  the  one  hand  how  great  our  obligation  is  to  love  our 
 God  ;  and  on  the  other  side  how  great  the  advantages  are,  which 
 cannot  fail  to  attend  this  love.  We  little  consider  how  great 
 our  ingratitude  is,  if  we  omit  our  greatest  duty  ;  how  great  our 
 folly  is,  if  we  omit  our  greatest  good.  Deut.  x.  12,  13  ;  S.  John 
 V.  42.     A  Contrite  heart.     (P.  i.  S.  1.) 
 
 89  S.  Augustine  asks  the  question,  "  Why  in  the  Scripture  we  are 
 commanded  to  love  God  and  our  neighbour ;  but  we  find  no 
 commandment  to  love  ourselves  .^"  And  he  gives  this  answer  to 
 the  question ;  that  in  the  command  of  loving  God  is  necessarily 
 implied  a  command  to  love  ourselves.  Fingi  non  potest  major 
 dilectio  siii,  quam  dilectio  Dei.  How  can  we  better  love  ourselves, 
 than  by  loving  Him,  who  is  the  Beatifical  Good,  who  can  make 
 us  Blessed,  the  knowing  and  loving  of  whom  is  Eternal  life  ? 
 Ps.  xci.  14 — 16.     Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  1  S.  John  iv.  10.) 
 
 Holy  Scripture  forbids  but  one  thing,  which  is  covetousness  and 
 the  love  of  the  creature ;  and  it  commands  but  one  thing,  which 
 is  charity  and  the  love  of  God.  Upon  this  double  rule  is  esta- 
 blished all  Christian  morality.*     S.  Augustine. 
 
 All  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. — To  secure  our  minds  from  false 
 apprehensions  of  God,  it  is  necessary  that  in  consulting  the 
 Scriptures  concerning  Him  we  should  follow  the  plain  and  ge- 
 neral drift  of  it,  and  not  entertain  any  opinion  of  Him  upon  the 
 credit  of  a  few  or  obscure  texts,  which  more  or  plainer  ones 
 seemingly  contradict  ....  For  in  that  case  the  opinion  must  be 
 
 *  One  of  the  Jewish  Rabbins,  She- 
 lomoh  by  name,  made  a  very  curious 
 reduction  of  the  Divine  precepts  of  the 
 Law ;  supposing  that  David  in  his 
 Psalm  XV.  abridged  them  all  to  eleven  ; 
 Isaiah  to  six  in  his  Ch.  xxxiii.  15,  and 
 even  to  two  only  in  Ivi.  1. ;  Micah  to 
 
 three  in  his  vi.  8  ;  and  Habakkuk  to 
 one,  "  The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith;" 
 ii.  4.  The  greater  simpUcity  of  the 
 last  seems  to  announce  the  nearer  ap- 
 proach of  the  Gospel,  and  the  inward 
 life,  by  the  Spirit,  of  the  believer  in 
 Christ. 
 
 D   D 
 
402 
 
 S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  39. 
 
 false ;  or  there  is  no  relyiug  upon  Scripture  ....  He,  wbo  em- 
 braces any  opinion,  that  hath  more  and  plainer  texts  against  it, 
 than  for  it,  embraces  it  for  its  own  sake,  and  not  for  the  Scrip- 
 tures. 1  Cor.  ii.  13 ;  Eom.  xii.  6  ;  2  S.  Pet.  i.  20.  Br.  J.  Scott. 
 (Christian  Life,  P.  2,  Ch.  6.) 
 Shall  we  then  censure  and  despise  the  Jewish  Law,  as  a  system  of 
 mere  external  and  useless  ceremonies,  when  it  evidently  places 
 the  great  summary  of  Moral  duty  at  the  head  of  all  its  institu- 
 tions, and  iu  the  very  mode  of  its  promulgation  stamps  it  with 
 a  Sacredness  and  authority,  suited  to  its  natural  pre-eminence  ? 
 Exod.  XV,  26;  Deut.  x.  12;  Josh.  xxii.  5;  Hosea  vi.  6;  Ps.  1. 
 1 — 17  ;  Jer.  vii.  22,  23.  Dean  Graves.  (Lectures  on  the  four 
 last  Books  of  the  Pentateuch,  P,  ii.     Lect.  2.) 
 
 Has  Patris  Eterni  bis  quinas  Dextera  Leges 
 
 Insculpsit  saxis  :  tu  vero  inscribito  cordi. 
 
 Nullum  aliud  tibi  Numen  erit ;  nee  quem  Mihi  debes 
 
 Cultum,  Divinumque  alii  prsestabis  bonorem. 
 
 Ne  statuas  unquam  simulacraque  mortua  fingas  ; 
 
 Neve  tui  Domini  lingua  tere  Nomen  inani. 
 
 Sabbata  legitima  tibi  sunt  servanda  quiete  ; 
 
 Felix,  si  merito  cultu  venerere  parentes. 
 
 Ne  quenquam  occidas.     Alieni  fsedera  lecti 
 
 Ne  violes.     Nee  te  constringas  crimine  furti ; 
 
 Neve  aliquem  testis  mendacibus  opprime  verbis  ; 
 
 Nee  cupidis  oculis  aliorum  commoda  lima.* 
 
 (S.  Greff.  Nazianz.     (Carmina  varia,  xxxv.) 
 
 41  While  the  Pharisees  were  gathered  together,  Je- 
 sus asked  them, 
 
 *  These  verses  ought  properly  to 
 be  ascribed  to  the  learned  Abbot  of  S. 
 Michael's,  Jaques  Billi,  who  made  an 
 admirable  translation  into  Latin  verse 
 of  the  voluminous  Greek  poems  of  S. 
 Gregory  of  Nazianzum.  This  transla- 
 tion was  published  at  Paris,  in  two 
 Vols,   folio,   in  1609    and   1630.      It 
 
 is  the  same  Billius,  from  whose  beau- 
 tiful "  Anthologia  Sacra"  many  extracts 
 have  been  introduced  in  these  Illustra- 
 tions. For  a  most  interesting  reference 
 to  the  life  and  poetry  of  this  S,  Gre- 
 gory, see  Bp.  Ken's  Dedication,  pre- 
 fixed to  his  own  four  volumes  of  Sacred 
 Songs.     Edit.  1721. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  42—45.  403 
 
 42  Saying,  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ;  whose  Son  is 
 He  ?     They  say  unto  Him,  The  Son  of  David. 
 
 43  He  saith  unto  them,  How  then  doth  David  in 
 spirit  call  Him  Lord,  saying, 
 
 44  The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  Thou  on  My 
 right  hand,  till  I  make  Thine  enemies  Thy  footstool  ? 
 
 45  If  David  then  call  Him  Lord,  how  is  He  his  Son  ? 
 
 46  And  no  man  was  able  to  answer  Him  a  word, 
 neither  durst  any  man  from  that  day  forth  ask  Him 
 any  more  questions. 
 
 42  WTiat  think  ye  of  Christ  ? — The  grand  error  and  mistake  of  the 
 world  is  in  the  manner  of  receiving  Christ.  S.  Luke  ii.  49  ;  vi. 
 47,  48  ;  Col.  ii.  6,  9—15.     Farindon.     (Serm.  Col.  ii.  6.) 
 
 44  The  110th  Psalm  is  one  of  the  clearest  and  most  compendious 
 prophecies  of  the  Person  and  offices  of  Christ  in  the  whole  Old 
 Testament,  and  so  full  of  fundamental  truths,  that  I  shall  not 
 scruple  to  call  it,  Symbolum  Davidicum,  "  the  Prophet  David's 
 Creed."  And  indeed  there  are  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  Articles 
 of  that  Creed,  which  we  all  generally  profess,  which  are  not 
 either  plainly  expressed,  or  by  most  evident  implication  couched, 
 in  this  little  model.  Acts  ii.  29—37  ;  xiii.  32—37.  Bp.  Rey- 
 nolds.    (Expos,  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 Almost  all  the  Psalms  represent  the  Person  of  Christ.  .  .  .  They 
 represent  the  Son's  address  to  the  Father  ;  that  is,  Christ 
 speaking  to  God.  (See  S.  Luke  xi.  52,  Bp.  Taylor.)  Tertullian. 
 (Apol.  adv.  Ethn.) 
 
 David  is  our  Simonides,  Pindar,  Alcseus,  Horace,  Catullus,  and 
 Serenus.  Christum  lyrd  personal ;  he  playeth  Christ  on  his 
 harp,  and  on  a  ten-stringed  psalter  he  raiseth  Hira  up,  rising 
 from  the  dead.  Acts  i.  25—28,  34.  S.  Jerome.  (Ep.  ad  Pau- 
 linum.) 
 
 45  It  is  the  circumstance  and  collation  of  Scripture,  that  makes  it 
 plain.     Eom.  xii.  6 ;  1  Cor.  ii.  13.     Bp.  Latimer. 
 
 The  untying  of  this  knot  dependeth  upon  the  right  understanding 
 of  the  wonderful  conjunction  of  the  Divine  and  Human  nature 
 
 D  D   2 
 
404  S.  MATTHEW  XXII.  45,  46. 
 
 in  the  Unity  of  the  Person  of  our  Eedeemer.  For,  by  reason  of 
 the  strictness  of  this  Personal  Union,  whatsoever  may  be  veri- 
 fied of  either  of  the  natures,  the  same  may  be  truly  spoken  of 
 the  whole  Person,  from  whethersoever  of  the  natures  it  is  deno- 
 minated. S.  John  iii.  13  ;  Acts  iii.  15  ;  xx.  28 ;  Col.  ii.  9  ;  Eev. 
 xxii.  16.     Abp.  Usher.     (Serm.  S.  John  i,  14.) 
 
 Heason  must  be  employed  only,  as  an  handmaid  to  faith,  and  learn 
 to  know  her  distance ;  conferre  et  inferre,  those  are  her  proper 
 tasks  ;  to  confer  one  Scripture  with  another,  and  to  infer  con- 
 clusions, and  induce  instructions  thence  by  clear  logical  dis- 
 course. Let  her  keep  within  these  bounds  ;  and  she  may  do 
 very  good  service :  but  we  mar  all,  if  we  suffer  the  handmaid  to 
 have  too  great  sway,  to  grow  petulant,  and  to  perk  above  the 
 Mistress.    Gen.  xvi.  5.    Bp.  Sanderson.    (Serm.  1  Tim.  iii.  16.) 
 
 46  Por  contradiction  to  his  reason,  a  man  is  challenged  now  (S. 
 Luke  xii.  57),  and  will  be  condemned  at  the  great  day  of  Judg- 
 ment. It  is  the  reason  of  things  and  of  our  minds,  not  the 
 power  of  God  only,  which  condemns.  Fear  thyself.  For  thou 
 art  in  more  danger  of  being  condemned  by  the  reason  of  thy 
 mind,  than  of  any  power  whatsoever  of  God  or  man.  Yerse  11 ; 
 xviii.  32,  33.     Br.  Whichcote.     (Aphor.  Cent.  ii.  129.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXIII. 
 
 'THEN  spake  Jesus  to  the  multitude,  and  to  His 
 disciples, 
 
 2  Saying,  The  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees  sit  in 
 Moses'  seat : 
 
 3  All  therefore  whatsoever  they  bid  you  observe, 
 that  observe  and  do ;  but  do  not  ye  after  their  works : 
 for  they  say,  and  do  not. 
 
 4  For  they  bind  heavy  burdens  and  grievous  to  be 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  2.  405 
 
 borne,  and  lay  them  on  men's  shoulders  ;  but  they  them- 
 selves will  not  move  them  with  one  of  their  fingers. 
 
 5  But  all  their  works  they  do  for  to  be  seen  of  men  : 
 they  make  broad  their  phylacteries,  and  enlarge  the 
 borders  of  their  garments. 
 
 6  And  love  the  uppermost  rooms  at  feasts,  and  the 
 chief  seats  in  the  synagogues, 
 
 7  And  greetings  in  the  markets,  and  to  be  called  of 
 men,  Rabbi,  Rabbi. 
 
 8  But  be  not  ye  called  Rabbi :  for  one  is  your 
 Master,  even  Christ;  and  all  ye  are  brethren. 
 
 9  And  call  no  man  your  father  upon  the  earth  :  for 
 one  is  vour  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 
 
 10  Neither  be  ye  called  masters  :  for  one  is  your 
 Master,  even  Christ. 
 
 1 1  But  he  that  is  greatest  among  you  shall  be  your 
 servant. 
 
 12  And  whosoever  shall  exalt  himself  shall  be 
 abased ;  and  he  that  shall  humble  himself  shall  be 
 exalted. 
 
 2  The  employment  of  the  Pharisees  was  expounding  the  Law  and 
 urging  Traditions  ....  So  did  the  Scribes  too ;  but  the  diffe- 
 I'enee  was  that  the  Scribes  were  more  textual,  the  Pharisees 
 more  traditional :  therefore  observe  that  the  Scribe  finds  fault 
 with  the  suspicion  of  blasphemy  ;  the  Pharisee  with  unwashen 
 hands.  The  Scribes,  their  doctoi's,  excelled  for  learning ;  the 
 Pharisees  for  piety.  Their  attire  was  the  same  and  their 
 fashions  ;  but  the  Pharisees  had  more  sway,  and  were  more 
 strict  and  Capuchin-like,  professed  more  years'  continency,  and, 
 in  a  word,  took  more  pains  to  go  to  hell.  These  did  so  carry 
 away  the  hearts  of  the  Jews  that  there  was  no  holy  man,  which 
 was  not  termed  a  Pharisee :  and  therefore  among  the  seven 
 kinds  of  Pharisees  in  their  Talmud  they  make  Abraham  a  Pha- 
 
406  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  2,  3. 
 
 risee  of  love,  Job  a  Pharisee  of  fear.  Isa.  Ixv.  5  ;  S.  Joliu  vii. 
 48;  Acts  xxvi.  5;  1  Cor.  i.  20.  Bp.  Hall.  (Serm.  S.  Matt. 
 V.  20.) 
 
 We  may  be  assured  that  the  Apostolical  traditions  are  taken  from 
 the  Old  Testament,  inasmuch  as  the  Bishops,  Priests,  and  dea- 
 cons claim,  as  their  right,  the  same  position  in  the  Church, 
 which  Aaron,  his  sons,  and  the  Levites  occupied  in  the  Temple. 
 (S.  Jerome.     (Ep.  ad  Evagrium.) 
 
 3  Observe  and  do. — This  injunction  is  qualified  by  our  Lobd's 
 warning  (xvi.  12),  where  He  tells  His  disciples  to  "  beware  of 
 the  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees."  Their  doctrine  then  was  to  be 
 observed  and  followed,  only  so  long  as  they  adhered  to  the  esta- 
 blished Jewish  Creed,  to  "  the  Law  and  the  testimony."  Isa. 
 viii.  20 ;  Prov.  xix.  27  ;  1  Thess.  v.  20,  21.     J.  F. 
 
 Tour  sins  (as  Ministers)  have  more  hypocrisy  in  them  than  other 
 men's,  by  how  much  the  more  you  have  spoken  against  them. 
 Oh,  bear  not  that  badge  of  a  miserable  Pharisee,  Thei/  say,  but 
 do  not !     vii.  26,  27.     Baxter.     (Gildas  Salvianus,  Ch.  i.  S.  14.) 
 
 A  Priest  is  more  watched  over  and  observed,  than  all  others. 
 Very  good  men  will,  even  to  a  censure,  be  jealous  of  him  ;  very 
 bad  men  will  "wait  for  his  halting,"  and  insult  upon  it;  and  all 
 sorts  of  persons  will  be  willing  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
 authority  of  his  doctrine  and  admonitions  by  this — "  He  says, 
 but  does  not."  And,  though  our  Satioub,  charged  His  disci- 
 ples and  followers  to  hear  those,  who  sat  in  Moses'  chair,  ^c,  the 
 world  will  reverse  this  quite,  and  consider  rather  how  a  Clerk 
 lives,  than  what  he  says.  They  see  the  one,  and  from  it  con- 
 clude what  he  himself  thinks  of  the  other ;  and  so  will  believe 
 themselves  not  a  little  justified,  if  they  can  say,  that  they  did  no 
 worse,  than  as  they  saw  their  Minister  to  do  before  them.  v.  13, 
 16;  1  Sam.  ii.  17,  24;  Jer.  xx.  10;  Eom.  ii.  17—24.  Bp. 
 Burnet.     (Pastoral  care,  C.  8.) 
 
 An  unworthy  Minister  preaches.  Gather  the  grape,  growing  on 
 the  hedge  ....  Gather  it  however  cautiously,  lest,  in  trying  to 
 get  the  grape,  you  wound  your  hand  with  the  thorn  .  ...  Si 
 maU  vivat,  suum  est;  si  bene  dicat,  tuum  est.  His  bad  life;  that 
 concerns  himself:  his  good  instruction  ;  that  concerns  you.  S. 
 Augustine. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  3,  4.  407 
 
 Thus  it  was,  when  the  wise  men  asked  the  Doctors,  where  Cheist 
 should  be  born.  They  told  them  right :  but  the  wise  men  went 
 to  Chkist  and  found  Him ;  but  the  Doctors  sat  still  and  went 
 not.  ii.  4 — 11.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Serm.  i.  on  the  Ministerial 
 Duty,  &c.) 
 Christians  should  entertain  such  a  hatred  of  schism,  as  always  to 
 shun  it,  where  they  can  do  so.  And  such  should  be  our  reve- 
 rence for  the  Sacred  Ministry  and  Sacraments,  that,  wherever 
 we  find  these  to  exist,  there  we  recognize  the  Church.  "What- 
 ever then  be  the  character  of  those,  by  whom  the  Lord  permits 
 a  Church  to  be  administered,  it  were  better  not  to  decline  com- 
 munion with  it,  if  we  only  find  there  the  marks  of  the  Church. 
 Nor  does  it  alter  the  case,  should  some  false  doctriue  be  taught 
 therein  ;  for  there  is  scarcely  a  Church,  which  does  not  retain 
 some  vestiges  of  ignorance.  It  is  quite  enough  for  us,  if  the 
 Doctrine,  on  which  Chbist  established  His  Church,  be  found 
 there  and  be  maintained,  ii.  4;  viii.  4 ;  Deut.  xvii.  8 — 13; 
 Numb.  xvi.  ;  Heb.  xiii.  7.  Calvin.  (Ep.  ad  Farellum.  Edit. 
 Geneva,  1575,  p.  11.) 
 
 4  Theij  hind  heavxj  burdens. — Christ  abolished  the  Ceremonial 
 Law,  but  not  all  ceremonies.  We  consist  of  a  soul  and  a  body ; 
 and  God  doth  convey  grace  unto  the  soul  by  the  body,  which 
 cannot  be  done  without  ceremony.  But  our's  were  fewer  in 
 number,  than  were  the  Jews',  though  they  are  not  inferior  in 
 power :  yea,  they  are  much  more  commodious,  though  they  are 
 less  burdensome.  Our  charge  being  easier  and  our  comfort 
 greater,  our  sin  is  less  excusable  and  our  neglect  more  chal- 
 lengeable, if  we  do  not  practise  such  easy  means  to  compass  so 
 great  a  benefit,  xi.  30  ;  Heb.  viii.  11.  Bp.  Lake.  (Serm.  S. 
 Matt.  xxvi.  26—28.) 
 
 Every  Minister,  in  taking  account  of  his  life,  must  judge  of  his 
 duty  by  more  strict  and  severer  measures,  than  he  does  of  his 
 people.  And  he,  that  ties  heavy  burdens  upon  others,  ought 
 himself  to  carry  the  heaviest  end ;  and  many  things  may  be 
 lawful  in  them,  which  he  must  not  sufler  in  himself.  Wisd.  vi. 
 1—6;  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  17;  S.  James  iii.  1.  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 (Advice  to  the  Clergy,  s.  i.) 
 
 Whilst  the  Bishops  and  Governors  of  the  Church  continue  full  of 
 
408  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  5. 
 
 knowledge  and  good  works,  whilst  they  feed  the  flock  indeed, 
 whilst  they  deal  with  the  secular  States  in  all  liberty  and  reso- 
 lution, according  to  the  Majesty  of  their  calling,  and  the 
 precious  care  of  souls  imposed  upon  them,  so  long  the  Church 
 is  situated,  as  it  were,  upon  a  hill ;  no  man  maketh  question  of 
 it,  or  seeketh  to  depart  from  it.  But,  when  these  virtues  in  the 
 fathers  and  leaders  of  the  Church  have  lost  their  light,  and  that 
 they  wax  worldly,  lovers  of  themselves,  and  pleasers  of  men, 
 then  men  begin  to  grope  for  the  Church,  as  in  the  dark  ;  they 
 are  in  doubt,  whether  they  be  the  successors  of  the  Apostles,  or 
 of  the  Pharisees ;  yea,  howsoever  they  sit  in  Moses"  chair,  yet 
 they  can  never  speak,  tanquam  auctoritatem  habentes,  as  having 
 authority,  because  they  have  lost  their  reputation,  in  the  con- 
 sciences of  men,  by  declining  their  steps  from  the  way,  which 
 they  trace  out  to  others ;  so,  as  men  had  need  continually 
 have  sounding  in  their  ears  this  same  Nolite  exire.  Go  not  out  ; 
 ,  so  ready  are  they  to  depart  from  the  Church  upon  every  voice. 
 v.  13—16 ;  vii.  29  ;  S.  Luke  xvii.  23 ;  xxi.  8  ;  Eom.  ii.  17—24  ; 
 1  Tim.  iv.  16;  Titus  ii.  15.  Lord  Bacon.  (Of  Church  contro- 
 versies.) 
 
 5  To  be  seen  of  men. — Because  a  man  fasts,  or  gives  to  the  poor, 
 he  does  not  therefore  forthwith  make  GrOD  his  debtor.  Vices 
 border  on  virtues.  Difficile  est  Deo  tantum  judice  esse  con- 
 tentum.  How  hard  it  is  to  rest  content  with  having  God  only, 
 as  our  Judge,   vi.  1 — 6  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  4  ;  1  Thess.  ii.  6.  S.  Jerome. 
 
 Virtue  dwells  not  upon  the  tongue,  nor  consists  in  the  due  motion 
 of  the  hands  and  feet,  but  in  the  action  of  the  soul ;  and  there 
 it  resides.  Whatsoever  we  behold  of  it  in  the  external  be- 
 haviour of  men  is  but  the  manifestation,  not  the  being,  of 
 virtue ;  as  the  action  of  the  body  is  not  the  principle,  but  only 
 the  discovery  of  life.  They  are  inward  secret  wheels,  that  set 
 the  outward  and  the  visible  at  work.  ...  A  man  may  act  like  a 
 saint  before  men,  and  like  a  devil  before  God  ;  and,  on  the 
 contrary,  appear  but  mean  outwardly,  and  yet  be  all-glorious 
 within.  Otherwise,  virtue  would  be  but  an  outside,  and  sit  but 
 as  a  varnish  upon  the  forehead :  and  he,  that  looked  upon  the 
 body,  would  be  as  competent  a  judge  of  it,  as  he  that  searched 
 the  heart.     But  colour  is  not  health.     He,  that  looks  pale,  may 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  5—8.  409 
 
 be  sound  and  vigorous ;  and  he,  that  wears  the  rose  upon 
 his  cheeks,  may  have  rottenness  in  his  bones,  .  .  .  These  men 
 have  not  goodness  enough  to  be  religious ;  yet  they  have 
 pride  enough  to  appear  so.  Prov.  xxiv.  23 ;  S.  John  vii.  24 ; 
 S.  Luke  xvii.  20;  S.  James  ii.  26.  Dr.  South.  (Serm.  i.  on 
 Text.) 
 
 Is  there  no  serving  God  without  all  this  ?  Must  the  garb  of 
 religion  be  extended  so  wide,  to  the  danger  of  its  rending  ? 
 Yes,  truly  ;  or  it  will  not  hide  the  secret.  And  what  is  that  ? 
 — that  the  Saint  has  no  religion  at  all.  2  Cor.  xi.  14,  15. 
 Sterne.     (Serm.  2  Kings  xx.  15.) 
 
 Satan  is  transformed  into  an  Angel  of  light,  saith  the  Apostle  :  not, 
 he  was  ;  but  he  is  :  so  transformed,  that  he  never  did,  never 
 will  put  off  the  counterfeit ;  and,  as  all  his  imps  are  partakers  of 
 the  Satanical  nature,  so  in  every  hypocrite  there  is  both  the 
 Angel  and  the  devil ;  the  seeming  Angel  is  the  form  of  godli- 
 ness ;  the  real  devil  is  the  denial  of  the  power  of  godliness. 
 XXV.  41 ;  S.  John  viii.  44  ;  1  Tim.  iv.  2.  Bp.  Hall.  (Serm. 
 2  Tim.  iii.  5.) 
 
 6  Though  these  things  may  appear  trifles  to  us,  they  have  given 
 occasion  to  the  greatest  evils.  Hence  cities  and  churches  have 
 been  laid  prostrate.  It  is  on  this  account  that  I  cannot  refrain 
 from  tears,  when  I  hear  mention  made  of  chief  seats  and 
 greetings,  when  I  trace  in  them  the  origin  of  so  many  disasters. 
 S.  Luke  xiv.  9,  10 ;  S.  Jas.  ii.  2—6 ;  3  S.  John  9 ;  1  S.  Pet. 
 V.  3.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 7  Christ  is  not  in  the  markets,  nor  in  the  streets.  For  Christ 
 is  Peace,  in  the  markets  are  strifes  ;  Christ  is  Justice,  in  the 
 market  is  iniquity  ;  Christ  is  a  labourer,  in  the  market  is  idle- 
 ness ;  Christ  is  Charity,  in  the  market  is  slander;  Christ  is 
 Paith,  in  the  market  is  fraud.  Let  us  not  therefore  seek 
 Christ,  where  we  cannot  find  Christ,  xii.  19  ;  xx.  3 ;  S. 
 Mark  xiv.  49 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  45,  46  ;  S.  John  xiv.  8.  (S.  Ambrose. 
 (Lib.  iii.  de  Virg.) 
 
 8  The  second  occasion  of  controversies  is  the  nature  and  humour 
 of  some  men.  The  Church  never  wanteth  a  kind  of  persons, 
 which  love  the  salutation  of  Rabbi,  Master;  not  in  ceremony 
 or  compliment,  but  in  an  inward  authority,  which  they  seek 
 
410  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  8—12. 
 
 over  men's  minds,  in  drawing  them  to  depend  upon  their 
 opinions  and  to  seek  knowledge  at  their  lips.  These  men  are 
 the  true  successors  of  Diotrephes,  the  lover  of  pre-eminence 
 (3  S.  John  9).  Such  spirits  do  light  upon  another  sort  of 
 natures,  which  do  adhere  to  these  men ;  quorum  gloria  in 
 obsequio  ;  stiff  followers  and  such  as  zeal  marvellously  for  those, 
 whom  they  have  chosen  for  their  masters.  This  latter  sort  for 
 the  most  part  are  men  of  young  years  and  superficial  under- 
 standing, carried  about  with  partial  respect  of  persons,  or  with 
 the  enticing  appearance  of  godly  names  and  pretences.  Pauci 
 res  ipsas  sequuntur  ;  plures  nomina  rerum  ;  pluritni  nomina  magis- 
 trorum  :  few  follow  the  things  themselves  ;  more  the  names  of 
 the  things ;  and  most  the  names  of  their  masters.  Judg.  xii. 
 6 ;  Ps.  xii.  4  ;  S.  John  iii.  25,  26  ;  vii.  48 ;  1  Cor.  iii.  4.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (Of  Church  controversies.) 
 
 When  Almighty  God  places  over  us  any  teacher,  He  appoints 
 him,  not  as  an  individual,  but  an  officer  and  delegate  in  His 
 Church  ;  and  only  as  an  officer  of  the  Church  does  he  possess 
 an  external  authority  over  us.  Almighty  GtOd  commands  us  to 
 have  faith ;  but  it  is  faith  in  Himself  and  in  His  Church,  not  in 
 aMj  father  on  earth.  He  commands  us  to  love  and  honour  our 
 teachers,  in  the  Lord ;  but  to  honour  and  love  them,  as  men, 
 who  bear  a  light  from  heaven  in  a  vessel  of  clay.  1  Cor.  iv.  7  ; 
 2  Cor.  ii.  10 ;  iv.  7  ;  1  Thess.  v.  13.     W.  Sewell. 
 
 9  Who  is  it,  that  calls  no  man  father  upon  earth  ?  He,  who  in 
 every  action,  as  done  before  Gon,  says,  "  Our  Father,  which  art 
 in  heaven^''     Ps.  Ixxiii.  25,  26.     Origen. 
 
 One  is  your  Father. — None  is  so  much  a  Pathee,  none  so  tenderly 
 affected  towards  you.  He  zealously  asserts  the  name  of  a 
 Father,  rather  than  of  a  Loed  and  Master.  S.  Matt.  vi. ;  Eom. 
 viii.  15  ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  17.     Tertullian. 
 
 11  With  men,  we  are  so  accounted  of,  as  we  account  ourselves. 
 He  shall  be  sure  to  be  accounted  vile  in  the  sight  of  others, 
 who  is  vile  in  bis  own.  With  God,  nothing  is  got  by  vain 
 ostentations ;  nothing  is  lost  by  abasement.  Ps.  xlix.  18 ; 
 1  Sam.  ii.  1 — 11 ;  Isa.  Ixvi.  1,  2.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 12  See,  my  brethren,  this  wondrous  miracle.  God  is  High.  Lift 
 up  thyself  towards  Him,  and  He  flies  from  thee.     Humble  thy- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  12.  411 
 
 self  beneath  Him,  and  He  comes  down  to  thee.     Ps.  cxxxviii. 
 "6  ;  Isa.  Ivii.  15  ;  S.  John  v.  4.    S.  Augustine . 
 
 13  But  woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
 crites !  for  ye  shut  up  the  kingdom  of  heaven  against 
 men  :  for  ye  neither  go  in  yourselves,  neither  suffer  ye 
 them  that  are  entering  to  go  in. 
 
 14  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
 for  ye  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pretence  make 
 long  prayer :  therefore  ye  shall  receive  the  greater 
 damnation. 
 
 15  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
 for  ye  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte, 
 and  when  he  is  made,  ye  make  him  two-fold  more  the 
 child  of  hell  than  yourselves. 
 
 16  Woe  unto  you,  3/e  blind  guides,  which  say.  Who- 
 soever shall  swear  by  the  temple,  it  is  nothing  ;  but 
 whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  temple,  he  is 
 a  debtor ! 
 
 \7  Ye  fools  and  blind:  for  whether  is  greater,  the 
 gold,  or  the  temple  that  sanctifieth  the  gold  ? 
 
 18  And,  Whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  it  is 
 nothing  ;  but  whosoever  sweareth  by  the  gift  that  is 
 upon  it,  he  is  guilty. 
 
 19  Ye  fools  and  blind  :  for  whether  is  greater,  the 
 gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift  ? 
 
 20  Whoso  therefore  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  sweareth 
 by  it,  and  by  all  things  thereon. 
 
 21  And  whoso  shall  swear  by  the  temple,  sweareth 
 by  it,  and  by  Him  that  dwelleth  therein. 
 
 22  And  he  that  shall  swear  by  heaven,  sweareth  by 
 the  throne  of  God,  and  by  Him  that  sitteth  thereon. 
 
412  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  13—15. 
 
 13  Ye  shut  up  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  ^c. — Intellectual  attain- 
 ments and  habits  are  no  security  for  good  conduct,  unless  they 
 are  supported  by  religious  principles.  "Without  religion  the 
 highest  endowments  of  intellect  can  only  render  the  possessor 
 more  dangerous,  if  he  be  ill-disposed  ;  if  well-disposed,  only 
 more  unhappy.     Gen.  iii.  1  ;  Ps.  cxi.  10.     Dr.  Souther/. 
 
 14  Widows'  houses. — When  theft,  or  oppression,  or  perjury,  or 
 sacrilege,  have  laid  the  foundation  and  reared  the  house,  then 
 the  curse  of  God  creepeth  in  between  the  walls  and  ceilings  and 
 lurketh  close  between  the  stones  and  timber  ;  and,  as  a  fretting 
 moth  or  canker,  insensibly  gnaweth  asunder  the  pins  and  joints 
 of  the  building,  till  it  have  unframed  it  and  resolved  it  into 
 a  ruinous  heap ;  from  which  mischief  there  is  no  remedy,  no 
 preservation  from  it  but  one ;  and  that  is  free  and  speedy  resti- 
 tution. Isa.  i.  17,  23  ;  Micah  vi.  10;  Mai.  iii.  5  ;  Hab.  ii.  5 — 
 14 ;  S.  Luke  xix.  8.     Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 For  a  pretence  make  long  prayer. — All  the  boasting  of  hypocrites 
 is  concerning  the  works  of  the  first  Table  of  the  Law,  which 
 treats  of  the  duties  we  owe  to  God.  There  are  two  reasons 
 for  this  ;  because  all  such  works  have,  pompam  Sanctitatis,  a 
 greater  show  of  Sanctity ;  and  because  they  are  least  opposite 
 to  our  natural  lusts.  The  true  refutation  therefore  of  hypo- 
 crites will  be  found  in  our  turning  them  away  from  works  of 
 sacrifice  to  works  of  mercy.  1  Sara.  xii.  3 ;  Eom.  ii.  21,  22  ; 
 S.  James  i.  27 ;  1  S.  John  iv.  20.  Lord  Bacon.  (Medit. 
 Sacrse.) 
 
 You  dress  up  your  covetousness  in  the  colour  of  religion  and  use 
 God's  arms  in  the  devil's  service ;  that  iniquity  may  be  loved, 
 while  it  is  thought  to  be  piety,  2  Sam.  xv.  3,  7  ;  1  Kings  xxi. 
 9,  10;  S.  John  xviii.  28.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Simidata  eqxdtas  est  duplex  iniquitas.  Counterfeited  uprightness 
 is  double  iniquity.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 There  is  no  grace,  that  the  spirit  of  self  can  counterfeit  with  more 
 success,  than  a  religious  zeal.  2  Kings  x.  1(5 ;  Acts  xix,  27,  28, 
 34  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  13.     Cowper.     (Letters.) 
 
 A  restless  activity  is  to  some  men  an  easy  task,  the  excitement 
 affording  the  motive.     Bp.  Wilberforce. 
 
 15  Te  compass  sea  and  land. — Men  go  far  to  observe  the  summits 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  16—22.  413 
 
 of  mountains,  the  waters  of  the  sea,  tlie  beginnings  of  the 
 courses  of  rivers,  the  immeusity  of  the  ocean ;  but  they  neglect 
 themselves,     xi.  7  ;  Acts  i.  11.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 16  Men  expose  themselves  to  this  danger  of  swearing  to  no  pur- 
 pose. Tor  common  swearing,  if  it  have  any  serious  meaning  at 
 all,  argues  in  a  man  a  perpetual  distrust  of  his  own  reputation  ; 
 and  is  an  acknowledgment  that  he  thinks  his  bare  word  not  to 
 be  worthy  of  credit,  xxvi.  74.  Abp.  Tillotson.  (Serm.  Heb. 
 vi.  16.) 
 
 17  Ye  fools  and  blind. — Mildness  does  but  soothe  a  hypocrite  in 
 his  error,    (verse  33.)    Acts  viii.  20 — 24  ;  xiii.  10.  Bi'.  Manton. 
 
 The  world  hates  hypocrites,  because  they  seem  good.  God  hates 
 them,  because  they  only  seem  good.    1  Sara.  xvi.  7.   F.  Quarles. 
 
 18  By  the  gift,  ^c. — The  self-righteousness,  operariorum,  of  those, 
 who  depend  on  their  works,  is  the  source  of  error.  They  made 
 more  of  their  own  offerings,  than  of  God's  Institution.  Hab. 
 i.  16.     Bengel. 
 
 22  By  this  it  appeareth  that  the  Jewish  Doctors,  by  their  corrupt 
 gloss,  thought  it  less  matter  to  swear  by  some  creature,  or  other, 
 than  by  the  Creator  ;  and  that  it  was  less  to  swear  by  one  thing 
 made,  than  by  another  ;  and  that  in  less  matters  they  might 
 swear  by  something  less  excellent ;  as  they  thought  they  might 
 swear  by  the  temple,  and  yet  not  be  bound  to  perform  their 
 oath,  as  also  that  they  might  swear  by  the  altar,  and  that  oath 
 did  not  bind  them ;  but,  if  they  did  swear  by  the  gift  on  the 
 altar,  they  were  bound  to  perform  what  they  sware  ;  otherwise 
 they  were  guilty,  as  concerning  promissory  oaths.  And  the 
 like  false  gloss  they  put  on  declaratory  oaths,  about  speaking 
 the  truth.  Now  our  Savioue  tells  them,  that  to  swear  either 
 by  the  temple  or  by  heaven,  is  consequently  to  swear  by  God 
 Himself,  which  they  ought  never  to  do  on  any  light,  or  trivial 
 occasion,  v.  33 — 38  ;  S.  James  v.  12  ;  Gen.  xxiv.  3  ;  Jer.  iv. 
 2.     G.  Keith.     (Answer  to  Barclay,  Prop,  xv.) 
 
 23  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypo- 
 crites !  for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin, 
 and  have  omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law, 
 
414  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  23. 
 
 judgment,  mercy,  and  faith :  these  ought  ye  to  have 
 done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone. 
 
 24  Ye  bUnd  guides,  which  strain  at  a  gnat,  and 
 swallow  a  camel. 
 
 25  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  1 
 for  ye  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the 
 platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and 
 excess. 
 
 26  Thou  blind  Pharisee,  cleanse  first  that  vjhich  is 
 within  the  cup  and  platter,  that  the  outside  of  them 
 may  be  clean  also. 
 
 23  The  morals  of  religion  exceed   the  positives   in   weight  and 
 
 moment,  as  much  as  a  camel  does  a  gnat  in  bulk But 
 
 then  we  are  to  consider  that  the  proper  use  of  all  these  positive 
 duties  is  to  improve  and  perfect  us  in  moral  goodness  ;  and, 
 unless  we  use  them  to  this  effect,  we  shall  render  them  alto- 
 gether void  and  insignificant.  Wherefore,  let  us  take  care  to 
 extend  them  to  their  utmost  design,  to  improve  our  sacrifice  to 
 obedience,  our  Sacraments  to  gratitude  and  love,  our  hearing  to 
 practice,  our  praying  to  devotion,  and  our  fasting  to  humility 
 and  repentance.  For,  if  we  rest  in  these  duties  and  go  no 
 further,  thinking  by  such  short  payments  to  compound  with 
 God  for  all  those  debts,  we  owe  to  the  eternal  laws  of  morality, 
 we  miserably  cheat  and  befool  our  souls,  vii.  21 — 27  ;  1  Sam. 
 XV.  22,  23  ;  Ecclus.  xxxv.  1—8.  Dr.  J.  Scott.  (Christian  Life, 
 P.  2,  Ch.  i.) 
 
 The  habit  of  attending  to  trifles  and  occupying  and  distracting 
 the  mind  about  them  is  even  far  more  pernicious  and  dangerous, 
 than  that  of  attaching  oneself  to  some  matter  of  consequence : 
 first,  because  it  renders  the  soul,  if  we  may  say  so,  more  con- 
 tracted, and  little,  and  less  capable  of  raising  itself  to  God  ; 
 secondly,  because  trifles  are  so  numerous  on  every  side ;  and 
 hence  the  soul  has  no  sooner  got  free  from  one,  than  it  is  again 
 entangled  with  another,  vi.  31 ;  S.  Luke  x.  41,  42  ;  1  Cor.  vii. 
 33.     (S.  Mark  vii.  4,  8,  13  ;  jnanij.)     B.  Overherg. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  23,  24.  415 
 
 There  is  a  superstition  iu  avoiding  a  superstition,  when  men  think 
 to  do  best,  if  they  go  furthest  from  the  superstition  commonly 
 received  ;  therefore,  care  should  be  had  that  (as  it  fareth  with 
 ill  purgings),  the  good  be  not  taken  away  with  the  bad  ;  which 
 commonly  is  done,  when  the  people  is  the  reformer,  v.  17 — 
 20  ;  xiii.  28,  29.     Lord  Bacon.     (Essays,  16.) 
 
 Look  well,  my  soul,  into  thy  own  breast  and  see  how  much  of  the 
 Pharisee  thou  findest  there.  Why  dost  thou  value  thy  fair 
 appearances  in  the  .eyes  of  others,  before  the  real  substance  of 
 virtue  in  thyself  ?  Why  art  thou  more  affected  at  some  petty 
 observances,  than  the  fundamental  laws  of  justice  and  charity, 
 or  thiukest  to  atone  to  God  for  greater  indulgences  by  a 
 scrupulous  strictness  in  easy  duties  ?  Remember  thy  Loed's 
 severe  reproofs,  and  faithfully  examine  thy  own  conscience. 
 Dost  thou  not  know  that  great  things  we  ought  to  do,  and  not 
 to  leave  the  lesser  undone  ?  1  Sam.  xv.  22,  23  ;  Ps.  1.  7,  8,  14, 
 15.     Austin.     (Medit.  164.) 
 
 24  A  Pharisee  is  very  precise  in  tithing  mint  and  cummin  ;  but 
 hoikeih.  justice  and  mercy.  One  "  straineth  at  a  gnat  and  swal- 
 loweth  a  camel  f  maketh  conscience  of  some  petty  sins,  neg- 
 lectiug  greater.  (S.  John  xviii.  28.)  Another  casteth  out  a 
 beam,  but  feeleth  not  a  mote ;  maketh  conscience  of  some 
 greater  sins,  neglecteth  smaller.  Shame  of  the  world  and  the 
 cry  of  people  maketh  him  forbear  some  sins  ;  an  eye,  had  to  his 
 own  private  and  secret  ends,  other  some  ;  fear  of  temporal 
 punishment,  or,  it  may  be,  Eternal,  other  some  ;  hope  of  some 
 advantage  another  way,  as  in  his  credit,  profit,  &c.,  other  some  ; 
 the  terrors  of  an  affrighted  conscience,  other  some.  But  if  in 
 the  mean  time  there  be  no  care,  nor  scruple,  nor  forbearance  of 
 other  sins,  where  there  appeareth  no  hindrance  from  these,  or 
 from  the  like  respects,  all  is  naught,  all  is  counterfeit  and 
 damnable  hypocrisy.  The  rule  never  faileth,  Quidquid  propter 
 Deumjit  cequaliter  Jit.  True  obedience,  as  it  disputeth  not  the 
 command,  but  obeyeth  cheerfully,  so  neither  doth  it  divide  the 
 commandment,  but  obeyeth  equally,  xxviii.  24  ;  Ps.  cxix.  6, 
 80,  128  ;  Job  xxvii.  10  ;  S.  Luke  i.  6  ;  Acts  xii.  3  ;  xxiv.  27  ; 
 XXV.  9.     Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 Gnat-strainers  are  often  camel-swallowers  :  and  the  Pharisaical 
 
416  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  25,  26. 
 
 mantle  of  superstitious  austerity  is  very  frequently  a  cover  for 
 a  cloven  foot.     Col.  ii.  20—23 ;  1  Tim.  iv.  1—5.     Toplady. 
 
 25  The  apostasy  of  the  Jews  from  the  spirit,  and  love,  of  the 
 Moral  law,  was  mainly  the  principle  of  their  preposterous  infi- 
 delity and  wickedness.     Rom.  ii.     Davison. 
 
 The  Pharisees  minded  what  God  spake,  but  not  what  He  in- 
 tended. .  .  .  They  were  busy  in  the  outward  work  of  the  hand, 
 but  incurious  of  the  affections  and  choice  of  the  heart.  Their 
 error  was  plainly  this :  they  never  distiiJguished  duties  natural 
 from  duties  relative  ;  that  is,  whether  it  were  commanded  of 
 itself,  or  in  order  to  something,  that  was  better ;  whether  it 
 were  a  principal  grace,  or  an  instrumental  action.  So  God  was 
 served  in  the  letter,  they  did  not  much  inquire  into  His  pur- 
 pose ;  and  therefore  they  were  curious  to  wash  their  hands,  but 
 cared  not  to  purify  their  hearts.  S.  John  iv.  23,  24  ;  Rom. 
 vii.  6.     Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Serm.  i.  on  S.  Matt.  v.  20.) 
 
 26  Bended  knees,  whilst  you  are  clothed  with  pride  ;  Heavenly 
 petitions,  whilst  you  are  hoarding  up  treasures  upon  earth  ; 
 Holy  devotions,  while  you  live  in  the  follies  of  the  world  ; 
 prayers  of  meekness  and  charity,  while  your  heart  is  the  seat  of 
 spite  and  resentment ;  hours  of  prayer,  while  you  give  up  days 
 and  years  to  idle  diversions,  impertinent  visits,  and  foolish 
 pleasures — these  are  as  absurd  and  unacceptable  a  service  to 
 God,  as  forms  of  thanksgiving  from  a  person,  who  lives  in 
 repinings  and  in  discontent.  Prov.  xv.  8  ;  S.  Jas.  iv.  8.  Wm. 
 Law.     (Serious  Call,  &c.,  ch.  10.) 
 
 27  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
 for  ye  are  Hke  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed 
 appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead 
 men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness. 
 
 28  Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appear  righteous  unto 
 men,  but  within  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity. 
 
 29  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  ! 
 because  ye  build  the  tombs  of  the  prophets,  and  gar- 
 nish the  sepulchres  of  the  righteous, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  27,  29.  417 
 
 30  And  say,  If  we  had  been  in  the  days  of  our 
 fathers,  we  would  not  have  been  partakers  with  them 
 in  the  blood  of  the  prophets. 
 
 31  Wherefore  ye  be  witnesses  unto  yourselves,  that 
 ye  are  the  children  of  them  which  killed  the  prophets. 
 
 32  Fill  ye  up  then  the  measure  of  your  fathers. 
 
 33  Ye  serpents,  ye  generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye 
 escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ? 
 
 27  Some  persons,  instead  of  "  putting  off  the  old  man,"  dress  him 
 up  in  a  new  shape.  Hos.  vii.  8  ;  2  Cor.  v.  17.  S.  Bernard. 
 (De  Div.  Serm.  37.) 
 
 S.  Basil  compares  those,  who  preach  only  by  their  words,  to  paint- 
 ers ;  who,  though  they  may  be  ugly  themselves,  yet  fail  not  to 
 make  and  paint  very  beautiful  pictures.  So  these,  says  he,  paint 
 humility  in  its  true  shape  and  colours,  but  they  themselves  are 
 filled  with  vanity  and  pride  :  they  make  beautiful  pictures  of 
 patience ;  but  impatience  and  anger  transport  them  every  mo- 
 ment :  lastly,  they  make  beautiful  pictures  of  modest}'-,  recollec- 
 tion, and  silence;  but  they  are  continually  dissipated  and 
 distracted  by  a  thousand  frivolous  objects.  2  S.  Peter  ii.  19. 
 A.  Rodriguez.     (On  Perfection,  iii.  Ch.  8.) 
 
 No  natural  face  has  so  clear  a  white  and  red,  as  the  painted.  Bp. 
 Hall. 
 
 29  It  is  the  living  Christian,  and  lively  worship,  and  serious  spi- 
 ritual religion,  that  they  hate :  kill  it,  and  they  can  bear  it.  .  .  . 
 Let  living  Christians  be  once  dead,  and  dead-hearted  hypocrites 
 themselves  will  honour  them,  especially  at  a  sufficient  distance. 
 They  will  destroy  the  living  Saints,  and  keep  Holy  Days  for  the 
 dead  ones.     xiv.  1 — 5.     Baxter.     (Now  or  never,  p.  52.) 
 
 The  pearl  needs  no  art :  it  is  beautiful  enough  in  its  own  lustre. 
 It  is  not  painting  the  prophet's  sepulchre,  1  intend,  but  describing 
 the  prophet  himself,  that  you  may  know  you  had  in  him  a 
 "  prophet  of  the  Lord"  among  you  ;  and  neither  the  dust  of  his 
 feet,  while  alive,  nor  the  dust  of  his  grave,  while  dead,  may  be 
 used  as  a  testimony  against  you  unawares.   S.  John  v.  32 — 35  ; 
 
 E    E 
 
418  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  30,  32. 
 
 Heb.  xiii.  7.  B.  Riveley.  (Serm.  preached  at  the  Funeral  of 
 Bp.  E-eynolds.) 
 30  If  we  had  been,  8(c. — Do  not  please  yourself  with  thinking,  how 
 piously  you  would  act  and  submit  to  God,  in  a  plague,  a  famine, 
 a  persecution  ;  but  be  intent  upon  the  perfection  of  the  present 
 day  :  and  be  assured  that  the  best  way  of  showing  a  true  zeal  is 
 to  make  little  things  the  occasions  of  great  piety.  Eccl.  ix.  10 ; 
 S.  Mark  vii.  37  ;  S.  Luke  xis.  17.  Wm.Law.  (Serious  call,  &c., 
 Ch.  22.) 
 
 81  Sanctorum  in  tumulis  quid  vult  labor  ille  colendis  ? 
 Sanctorum  mortem  non  sinit  ilia  mori. 
 Vana  Prophetarum  quot  ponis  saxa  sepulchris : 
 Tot  testes  lapidum,  queis  periere,  facis. 
 
 R.  Crashaw.  (Epigram.  Sacra.) 
 32  When  God  gives  a  man  over,  sin  will  not  long  he  filling  up. 
 When  lusts  break  forth  and  throng  together ;  when  from  con- 
 cupiscence Sin  goes  on  to  conception  and  delight,  to  formation 
 and  contrivance,  to  birth  and  execution,  to  education  and  cus- 
 tom, to  maintenance  and  defence,  to  glory  and  boasting,  to  in- 
 sensibility, hardness,  and  a  reprobate  sense ;  then  there  is  such  a 
 fulness  in  sin,  as  is  "nigh  unto  cursing."  The  very  next  step  is 
 Hell.  viii.  32  ;  xii.  45  ;  Gen.  xv.  16  ;  S.  John  xiii.  27,  30  ;  S. 
 James  i.  14,  15  ;  Heb.  iii.  13.  Bp.  Reynolds.  (Expos,  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 Fill  ye  up,  S(c. — • 
 
 Omnia  cum  medicus  frustra  tentavit  in  segro, 
 
 Plusque  valere  suei  perspicit  arte  malum, 
 Omnes  segroto  turn  denique  laxat  habenas, 
 
 Ac  sinit  arbitrio  vivat  ut  ipse  suo. 
 Sic  sceleri  infixum  Deus  addictumque  relinquit 
 
 Infrenem,  atque  suo  vivere  more  sinit. 
 Non  igitur  sese  tum  censeat  esse  beatum  ; 
 Noxa  etenim  psenas  gignit  inulta  graves. 
 Isa.  i.  4 — 6 ;  Hos.  iv.  17.     Billius. 
 
 (Anthol.  Sacra.  81.) 
 
 The  damnation  of  Hell. — It  is  observable  that  neither  the  Apostles, 
 
 nor  all  the  Evangelists,  preached  so  much  of  hell,  as  Jesus 
 
 Cheisx  did.     He  hath  seven  particular  texts  of  hell  and  the 
 
 torments  of  the  damned,  which  the  Apostles  never  had.     Chry- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  32.  419 
 
 sostom  notes  that  in  all  the  Old  Testament  the  word  damnation 
 was  never  used,  but  is  used  thirteen  times  in  the  New.  There- 
 fore it  is  clear  to  every  eye  that  the  Gospel  is  more  backed  with 
 terror  and  the  doctrines  of  hell  and  damnation,  than  ever  the 
 Law  was.  The  preaching  of  the  Law  hath  only  Anathema  ;  but 
 the  Gospel  hath  Maranatha  also.  xxiv.  51 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  34  ;  iii. 
 7—9 ;  Kom.  i.  18  ;  Heb.  ii.  1—4 ;  2  Cor.  iv.  3.  Chr.  Love. 
 (Serm.  S.  Matt.  x.  28.) 
 
 We  have  in  the  Sacred  writers  several  instances  of  strong  style, 
 sharpened  with  a  just  severity  against  bold  blasphemers  and 
 enemies  to  our  Saviour's  cross.  Whence  we  learn  that  'tis  a 
 vain  pretence  that  only  gentle  and  soft  expressions  are  to  be 
 applied  to  people,  that  renounce  good  principles  and  corrupt  the 
 Gospel  ....  Some  persons  are  of  a  slavish  temper,  and  are  not 
 to  be  reclaimed  or  worked  upon  without  a  charitable  eagerness 
 or  vehemence.  Some  are  so  stupid  and  secure,  as  not  to  be  con- 
 vinced or  awakened  without  exposing,  and  inveighing  against, 
 their  guilt,  and  expressing  their  danger  in  all  the  terrors  and 
 loudest  thunders  of  eloquence,  iii.  7  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  3  ;  Titus  i.  13  ; 
 Acts  xiii.  10.  A.  Blackwall.  (The  Sacred  Classics  defended 
 and  illustrated,  Ch.  5.) 
 
 Let  us  not  be  so  reluctant  to  hear  hell  spoken  of;  for  by  hearing 
 we  shall  escape  it.  Isa.  xxx.  8 — 13 ;  Ezek.  xviii.  31,  32.  S. 
 Gregory. 
 
 We  should  not  curiously  seek  to  know,  where  the  fire  of  hell  is 
 situated  ;  but  should  rather  ask,  by  what  means  it  may  be 
 escaped.     S.  Luke  xiii.  23,  24.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 34  Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets  and 
 wise  men,  and  scribes  :  and  some  of  them  ye  shall  kill 
 and  crucify ;  and  some  of  them  shall  ye  scourge  in 
 your  synagogues,  and  persecute  them  from  city  to  city  : 
 
 35  That  upon  you  may  come  all  the  righteous  blood 
 shed  upon  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of  righteous  Abel 
 unto  the  blood  of  Zacharias  son  of  Barachias,  whom  ye 
 slew  between  the  temple  and  the  altar. 
 
 E   E    2 
 
420  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  35,  37. 
 
 36  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  All  these  things  shall 
 come  upon  this  generation. 
 
 37  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the 
 prophets,  and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee, 
 how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  toge- 
 ther, even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her 
 wings,  and  ye  would  not ! 
 
 38  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you  desolate. 
 
 39  For  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  shall  not  see  Me  hence- 
 forth, till  ye  shall  say.  Blessed  is  He  that  cometh  in 
 the  Name  of  the  Lord. 
 
 35  Zacharias  was  the  last  of  the  martyrs  of  the  Synagogue. 
 S.  Jerome. 
 
 37  How  often  would  I,  ^c. — Amongst  all  other  prejudices  and 
 misconceits,  that  our  fancy  can  entertain  of  God,  I  conceive 
 not  any  so  frequent,  or  injurious  to  His  attributes,  as  to  ima- 
 gine Him  to  deal  double  with  mankind  in  His  word  ;  seriously  to 
 will  one  thing,  and  to  make  show  of  another,  to  deliver  Himself 
 in  one  phrase,  and  to  reserve  Himself  in  another.  Isa.  xlviii. 
 17—19  ;  Numb,  xxiii.  19,  20 ;  Ezek.  xviii.  23  ;  S.  John  xiv.  2 ; 
 1  Tim.  ii.  4  ;  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  9.  Br.  Hammond.  (Serm.  Ezek. 
 xviii.  31.) 
 
 To  punish  sinners  is  a  work  altogether  strange  to  Him,  who  comes 
 to  be  a  Sayioub.  i.  21 ;  Isa.  xxviii.  21 ;  S.  Luke  iv.  18,  19. 
 jS.  Jerome. 
 
 As  the  bee  laboureth  busily  all  the  day  long  and  seeketh  to  every 
 flower  and  to  every  weed  for  honey,  but  stingeth  not  once,  ex- 
 cept he  be  ill  provoked ;  so  God  bestirreth  Himself  and  His 
 bowels  yearn  within  Him  to  show  compassion,  xxvi.  40,  43, 45  ; 
 Heb.  i.  1.    Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 Under  the  old  dispensation,  Jehotah  was  unto  His  people,  as  an 
 eagle.  (Deut.  xxxii.  11.)  In  the  Gospel,  He  seems  to  come 
 down  and  draw  near  to  us,  even  about  our  path  and  our  dwell- 
 ings, under  the  more  familiar  and  domestic  similitude  of  a  hen. 
 Of  this  bird  S.  Augustine  (Tr,  xv.  in  Joan.)  reports.  Nulla  avis 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  37,  38.  421 
 
 ita  agnoscitur  mater,  ut  gallina  ;  nulla  ita  cum  suis  pullulis  in- 
 firmatur,  alis  detnissis,  plumis  hispidis,  voce  raucd :  sic  Christus 
 injirmiis  f actus  est  propter  nos.  No  bird  shows  such  a  truly 
 maternal  disposition,  as  does  the  hen  ;  no  bird  sympathizes  with 
 ita  offspring,  as  we  see  in  her  drooping  wings,  her  feathers 
 standing  on  end,  and  her  shrill  voice.  So  Christ  is  made  weak 
 for  us.     xxvi.  38  ;  Isa.  Ixiii.  9 ;  Heb.  iv.  15,     J.  F. 
 
 Ye  would  not. — What  does  God  hate,  or  what  does  He  punish, 
 save  and  except  man's  free-will?  Cesset propria  voluntas ;  et 
 Infernus  non  erit.  Do  away  with  free-will ;  and  there  will  be  no 
 longer  any  Hell.  Eor  against  what  will  that  fire  rage,  save  self- 
 will  ?  S.  Luke  xix.  14—27  ;  S.  John  iii.  18—21.  S.  Bernard. 
 (Serm.  iii.  de  Eesur.) 
 
 How  is  it  that  Christ  says.  Ye  would  tiot,  as  if  the  will  of  God 
 was  vanquished  by  the  will  of  man  ?  By  a  certain  wonderful 
 and  unspeakable  manner,  that,  which  happens  against  His  will, 
 non  Jit  prcBter  Ejus  voluntatem,  happens  not  altogether  con- 
 trary to  His  will ;  for  it  would  not  happen,  except  by  His  per- 
 mission :  He  permits  it,  neither  willingly,  nor  yet  unwillingly. 
 Nee  sineret  Bonus  fieri  mala,  nisi  Omnipotens  etiam  de  malo  facere 
 posset  be7id.  Nor  indeed  would  a  Merciful  God  suffer  evil  to 
 exist  unless,  as  an  Omnipotent  God,  He  was  able  from  evil  to 
 extract  good.  Eom.  v.  12 — 21;  ix,  17 — 22.  S.  Augustine. 
 (Enchir.  c.  47.) 
 
 38  Your  house. — Elsewhere  He  called  it  the  "  House  of  God." 
 So,  in  speaking  to  Moses,  "  thg  people."  Exod.  xxxii.  7.  Bengel. 
 
 If  the  Jews  yet  live  and  are  known,  all  the  great  wonders  of  old 
 live  in  them :  and  then,  who  can  deny  the  stretched-out  arm  of 
 a  mighty  God  ?  Especially,  since  it  may  be  a  just  doubt,  whe- 
 ther, considering  the  stubbornness  of  the  nation,  their  living 
 then  in  this  country  under  so  many  miracles,  were  a  stranger 
 thing,  than  this  present  exile,  and  disability  to  live  in  their 
 country.  And  it  is  observable,  that  this  very  thing  was  intended 
 by  God  that  the  Jews  should  be  His  proof,  and  "  witnesses,"  as 
 He  calls  them.  Isa.  xliii.  12  :  and  their  dispersion  in  all  lands 
 was  intended,  not  only  for  a  punishment  to  them,  but  for  an 
 exciting  of  others  by  their  sight  to  an  acknowledgment  of  God 
 and  of  His  power.  (Ps.  lix.  11.)  "Slay  them  not,  &c:"  and 
 
422  S.  MATTHEW  XXIII.  38,  39. 
 
 therefore  thia  kind  of  punishment  was  chosen,  rather  than  any- 
 other.  Exod.  ix.  16.  (See  at  S.  Mark  xiii.  14.)  G.  Herbert. 
 (Priest  to  the  Temple,  Ch.  34.) 
 
 Mercy,  sweet  Jesu,  Mercy !  How  often  hast  Thou  called  us,  and 
 we  resisted  Thy  voice  !  How  often  hast  Thou  spread  forth  Thy 
 wings,  and  we  neglected  Thy  charity  !  Pardon,  O  dear  Re- 
 deemer, our  strange  ingratitude  and  leave  us  not  desolate,  to  be 
 ruined  by  our  follies.  Deliver  us  from  the  dismal  state  of  those, 
 who  so  long  inure  themselves  to  sin,  that  at  last  they  have  no 
 sense  of  sinning ;  but  one  enormity  is  the  punishment  of  another. 
 Oh,  save  us  from  ourselves,  that  our  folly  may  not  be  our  ruin ! 
 Austm.     (Medit.  178.) 
 
 39  Think  not  that  you  shall  turn  to  God,  when  you  will ;  if  you 
 will  not,  when  you  may.  Isa.  Ixv.  6,  7  ;  Acts  xxiv.  25.  Bp. 
 Babington.     (Expos,  of  the  Lord's  Prayer.) 
 
 Blessed  is  he,  ^c. — Cantus  conversionis,  the  song  of  their  recovery. 
 At  this  verse  our  Lord's  public  discourse  with  the  Jews  termi- 
 nates :  from  this  verse  their  repentance  will  take  its  beginning. 
 Deut.  XXX.  1 — 5  ;  E-om.  xi.  26.     Bengel. 
 
 [May  we]  be  qualified  to  bear  our  part,  in  the  most  exalted  sense 
 of  these  hymns  and  acclamations;  and  in  that  Day  of  Salva- 
 tion shout  forth  with  gladness  and  thanksgiving  unspeakable, 
 "Blessed  be  the  King  that  cometh  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord T' 
 (xxi.  9.)  Tea,  Blessed  be  He,  that  cometh,  not  to  suifer,  but  to 
 reign ;  not  to  redeem,  but  to  recompense  !  Hosanna  to  the 
 meek  Son  of  David  !  Hosanna  to  the  glorious  Majesty  of  the 
 Son  of  God  !  Blessed  be  the  Kingdom,  which  is  come  to  rule 
 our  hearts  by  Grace !  Blessed  be  the  Kingdom,  that  cometh 
 to  reward  our  obedience  with  glory !  Blessed  be  our  Peace, 
 who  "died  unto  sin  once!"  Blessed  be  our  Righteousness, 
 who  "liveth  for  ever  unto  God  !"  Hosanna  to  Him,  who  came 
 to  Jerusalem,  to  be  judged  in  great  humility  !  Hosanna  to  Him, 
 who  cometh  with  terrible  pomp  to  judge  both  tlie  quick  and 
 dead!  Hosanna  in  the  Highest!  Ps.  xviii.  68  ;  "Isa.  xxv.  9; 
 Bev.  xxii.  20.  Dean  Stanhope.  (Ep.  for  1st  Sunday  in  Ad- 
 vent.) 
 
 Plange  sacerdotes  perituros,  plange  Ministros, 
 Et  populum,  Judaea,  tuum  pro  talibus  ausis ! 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  1.  423 
 
 Non  tuba,  non  uuctus,  non  jam  tua  victima  grata  est. 
 Qusenam  bella  tibi  clanget  tuba,  Rege  perempto  ? 
 Quis  tuus  unctus  erit,  quae  verum  araiseris  Unctum  ? 
 Victima  quse  dabitur,  cum  victima  Pastor  babetur  ? 
 Discedat  Synagoga  suo  fuscata  colore ; 
 Ecclesiam  pulchro  Christus  Sibi  junxit  amore. 
 
 Sedulius.     (Carm.  Lib.  v.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXIV. 
 
 A  ND  Jesus  went  out,  and  departed  from  the  temple : 
 and  His  disciples  came  to  Him  for  to  shew  Him 
 the  buildings  of  the  temple. 
 
 2  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  See  ye  not  all  these 
 things  ?  verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  shall  not  be  left 
 here  one  stone  upon  another,  that  shall  not  be  thrown 
 down. 
 
 1  On  our  Lord's  departing  from  the  Temple,  the  whole  edifice  of 
 the  Law  and  the  system  of  the  Commandments  is  so  laid  waste, 
 that  nothing  was  left  to  be  filled  up  by  the  Jews.  The  Head 
 once  gone,  all  the  members  are  at  strife  with  each  other,  xv. 
 14;  xxiii.  38  ;  xxvii.  51 ;  Col.  i.  17.     Bede. 
 
 We  may  believe  that  Jesus  never  took  particular  notice  of  the 
 exterior  part  of  the  Temple.  He  examined  what  was  going  on 
 within;  and  with  good  cause,  xxi.  12,  13;  S.  Mark  xi.  11; 
 Eom.  ii.  28,  29.     Bengel. 
 
 We  admire  commonly  those  things,  that  are  oldest  and  greatest. 
 Old  monuments  and  high  buildings  do  aflTect  us  beyond  measure. 
 And  what  is  the  reason  ?  Because  what  is  oldest  cometh  near- 
 est to  God  for  antiquity  ;  and  what  is  greatest  cometh  nearest 
 His  works  in  spaciousness  and  magnitude.  Ps.  xc.  1,  2 ;  2 
 Chron.  vi.  18.     Bp.  Corbet. 
 
424  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  1,  2. 
 
 0  !  qui  sidereas  duels,  fortissime,  turmas, 
 
 Cui  cingunt  decies  millia  mille  Jatus, 
 Quam  Tua  Eegifico  radiant  Prsetoria  luxu ! 
 
 Mens  stupet  et  tantae  languet  amore  domus. 
 O  !  qui  sidereas  habitas,  Rex  maxime,  sedes, 
 Quam  Tua  prse  terris  invidiosa  domus ! 
 Ps.  Ixxxiv.  2  ;  Eev.  xxi.     Herm.  Hugo.  (Pia  desid.  Lib.  iii.) 
 2  Verily  I  say  unto  you. — If  you  would  act  your  faith  aright, 
 whatsoever  God  hath  said  in  His  Holy  Word,  you  must  not 
 doubt  in  the  least  of  it,  but  be  fully  persuaded  in  your  minds, 
 that  it  is  as  infallibly  true  and  certain,  as  you  are  or  can  be  of 
 anything  you  see,  or  hear,  or  understand ;  and  more  so  too ; 
 forasmuch  as  you  have  the  Word  of  God  for  that,  which  is  in- 
 finitely more  than  you  have  for  anything,  that  you  perceive 
 only  by  your  senses,  or  reason.     2  S.  Pet.  i.  19.     Bp.  Beveridge. 
 (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  5—7.) 
 
 3  And  as  He  sat  upon  the  mount  of  Olives,  the 
 disciples  came  unto  Him  privately,  saying,  Tell  us, 
 when  shall  these  things  be  ?  and  what  shall  he  the  sign 
 of  Thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ? 
 
 4  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Take 
 heed  that  no  man  deceive  you. 
 
 5  For  many  shall  come  in  My  Name,  saying,  I  am 
 Christ;  and  shall  deceive  many. 
 
 6  And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumours  of  wars : 
 see  that  ye  be  not  troubled  :  for  all  these  things  must 
 come  to  pass,  but  the  end  is  not  yet. 
 
 7  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation,  and  kingdom 
 against  kingdom :  and  there  shall  be  famines,  and  pes- 
 tilences, and  earthquakes,  in  divers  places. 
 
 8  All  these  are  the  beginning  of  sorrows. 
 
 9  Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted, 
 and  shall  kill  you :  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations 
 for  My  Name's  sake. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  3,  6.  425 
 
 10  And  then  shall  many  be  offended,  and  shall  be- 
 tray one  another,  and  shall  hate  one  another, 
 
 1 1  And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  shall 
 deceive  many. 
 
 12  And  because  iniquity  shall  abound,  the  love  of 
 many  shall  wax  cold. 
 
 13  But  he  that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same 
 shall  be  saved. 
 
 14  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached 
 in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations ;  and 
 then  shall  the  end  come. 
 
 3  Upon  the  mount  of  Olives. — From  which  quarter  there  was  a 
 view  of  the  Temple,  and  where  the  future  siege  of  the  city 
 would  begin.     S.  Luke  xxiv.  50,  51 ;  Zech.  xiv.  4.     Bengel. 
 
 They  thought  the  Temple  should  stand  as  long,  as  the  world 
 stood  ;  therefore,  as  soon  as  Christ  said  the  Temple  should  be 
 destroyed,  they  presently  thought  with  themselves  of  the  end 
 of  the  world.     Acts  vi.  13,  14.     Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 6  See  that  ye  be  not  troubled. — The  strength  of  hope  and  the 
 mighty  power  of  faith  prevails  among  us  ;  and  even  while  the 
 world  is  tumbling  to  pieces,  our  minds  are  fixed  above,  and  our 
 courage  is  immoveable,  and  our  souls  repose  full  confidence  in 
 Gob.     Ps.  xlvi.  ;  Eom.  viii.  35 — 39.     S.  Cyprian. 
 
 We  must  believe  that  God's  Providence  over  states  and  king- 
 doms, times  and  seasons,  is  all  for  the  best ;  that  the  revolutions 
 of  states  and  changes  of  empire,  the  rise  and  fall  of  monarchies, 
 persecution,  wars,  famines,  and  plagues  are  all  permitted  and 
 conducted  by  God's  Providence  to  the  general  good  of  mankind 
 in  this  state  of  trial.  This  is  a  noble  magnificence  of  thought, 
 a  true  religious  greatness  of  mind,  to  be  thus  afiected  with 
 God's  general  Providence,  admiring  and  magnifying  His  wisdom 
 in  all  things ;  never  murmuring  at  the  course  of  the  world,  or 
 the  state  of  things ;  but  looking  upon  all  around,  at  heaven  and 
 earth,  as  a  pleased  spectator,  and  adoring  that  invisible  hand, 
 which  gives  laws  to  all  motions  and  overrules  all  events  to  ends, 
 
426  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  8—12. 
 
 suitable  to  the  highest  wisdom  and  goodness.  Exod.  ix.  16  ;  2 
 Kings  xix.  25—32  ;  Dan.  ii.  19—24 ;  vi.  25—28  ;  Eom.  xi.  33 
 —36.     Wm.  Law.     (Serious  Call,  &c.,  ch.  22.) 
 
 8  The  beginning  of  sorrows. — When  a  storm  arises,  first,  slight 
 waves  and  afterwards  greater  billows  are  stirred  up  ;  finally,  the 
 waves  lift  themselves  up  on  high,  and  by  their  very  height  over- 
 turn all  them,  that  are  at  sea.  Even  thus  surely  does  that  last 
 tempest  of  souls  hasten,  that  it  may  overwhelm  the  whole  world. 
 For  now  it  shows  us  its  beginning  by  wars  and  havocs,  as  by  a 
 kind  of  waves  ;  and  in  proportion  as  we  are  daily  made  nearer 
 to  the  end,  we  see  heavier  billows  of  tribulations,  rushing  in 
 upon  us.  But,  at  the  last,  all  the  elements  being  in  commo- 
 tion, the  Judge  from  above,  when  He  comes,  bringeth  "  the 
 end  of  all  things  ;"  because  at  that  time  surely  the  tempest 
 lifts  the  waves  to  the  heavens.  Whence  too  it  is  said,  "  yet  a 
 little  while,  and  I  will  shake,  not  only  the  earth,  but  heaven 
 also  :"  which  same  tempest,  because  holy  men  regard  with  lively 
 attention,  they,  as  it  were,  dread  the  waves  swelling  over  them 
 day  by  day ;  and  by  these  tribulations,  which  strike  the  world, 
 they  forecast  what  things  may  follow,  xvi.  3  ;  Gren.  vii.  47 ; 
 Ps.  xlii.  9  ;  Isa.  ii.  21 ;  Heb.  x.  25.  S.  Gregory.  (Morals  on 
 the  Book  of  Job.     Ch.  xxxi.  28.) 
 
 9  My  beloved,  I  account  him  not  worthy  of  the  name  of  a  Mi- 
 nister of  Christ,  who  cannot  patiently  suffer  injury,  contempt, 
 and  envy.  S.  John  xv.  20  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  1 — 14.  Scougal.  (Serm. 
 2  Cor.  ii.  16.) 
 
 10  Many  shall  be  offended. — From  the  beginning  of  fears  Christ 
 dates  the  beginning  of  apostasy.  When  troubles  and  dangers 
 come  to  a  height,  then  fears  begin  to  work  at  a  height  too  : 
 and  then  is  the  critical  hour.  Fears  are  high,  and  faith  is  low ; 
 temptations  strong,  and  resistance  weak.  Satan  knocks  at  the 
 door  ;  then  fear  opens  it  and  yields  up  the  soul  to  him.  x.  28 ; 
 xxvi.  74 ;  Rev.  xxi.  8.     Flavel. 
 
 12  It  is  hardly  possible  to  explain  this  chapter  of  S.  Matthew 
 consistently,  without  considering  it  as  a  general  description  of 
 the  latter  times,  or  days  of  the  Messiah ;  i.  e.,  of  the  whole 
 period  of  time  from  the  first  promulgation  of  Christianity  to  the 
 end  of  the  world.     The  destruction  of  the  city  and  temple  of 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  12,  14.  437 
 
 Jerusalem,  the  first  great  event  of  the  New  Dispensation,  is 
 brought  prominently  forward,  to  be,  as  it  were,  a  voucher  for 
 the  correctness  of  the  whole  representation  to  such,  as  lived  in 
 those  times.  And  therefore  it  is  given  with  more  of  detail,  than 
 any  other  part  of  the  prophecy  ....  The  Apostles  seem  to 
 have  imagined,  not  unnaturally,  that,  when  once  the  Jewish 
 city  and  temple  were  destroyed,  the  old  things  passed  away, 
 and  the  days  of  the  Messiah  begun,  all  would  be  peace,  righteous- 
 ness, and  mercy ;  and  the  sin  and  miseries  of  mankind  would 
 cease  for  ever.  Jestjs  Christ  therefore  is  careful  to  explain 
 to  them,  on  this,  as  on  many  other  occasions,  that,  although 
 they  judged  quite  rightly  of  the  natural  and  essential  tendencies 
 of  the  Gospel,  they  are  greatly  mistaken,  as  to  its  real  results 
 in  this  world,  x.  34;  Jer.  xv.  10.  Keble.  (Serm.  S.  Matt, 
 xxiv.  12.) 
 
 Si  stellcB  cadunt,  venti  sequentur.  If  the  stars  fall,  we  must  needs 
 look  for  tempests  to  ensue  ;  if  the  salt  be  infatuated,  we  cannot 
 look  that  anything  should  be  long  preserved  ;  if  Christians  live, 
 as  if  they  had  no  Gospel,  or  as  if  they  had  "  another  Gospel," 
 (Gal.  i.  6,  7,)  what  can  we  expect,  but  that  God  should  either 
 plague  us  or  forsake  us, — either  send  His  judgments,  or  curse 
 His  blessings  ?  Gen.  xv.  16  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  35  ;  Heb.  vi.  7,  8  ; 
 Jer.  xiii.  15 — 20.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Expos,  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 14  In  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations. — It  is  necessary 
 that  the  Church  should  extend  herself  to  those  nations,  where 
 at  present  she  is  not  found ;  not  in  order  that  all  persons  there 
 may  believe,  (for  all  the  nations  are  promised  to  Christ,  not  all 
 the  persons,  belonging  to  all  nations ;  for  faith  is  not  the  pro- 
 perty of  all.)  Every  nation,  therefore,  is  said  to  believe  in 
 those,  who  are  "  Elect  before  the  foundation  of  the  world ;"  in 
 regard  to  the  rest,  7ion  credit,  et  credent es  odit,  the  nation  be- 
 lieves not,  and  even  hates  those,  who  do.  S.  John  xi.  51,  52 ; 
 Acts  XV.  14 ;  Eom.  xi.  5  ;  ix.  24.     S.  Augustine.     (Ep.  199.) 
 
 The  Gospel,  preached  throughout  the  whole  world,  is  the  sign  of 
 the  Lord's  coming,  so  that  none  may  have  an  excuse,  xxviii. 
 19,  20  ;  Eev.  xiv.  6—20.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 For  a  witness  unto  them — for  an  evidence  of  their  duty,  and  an 
 admonition  to  perform  it  ...  .  The  visible  constitution  and 
 
428  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  14. 
 
 course  of  nature,  the  moral  law  written  in  our  hearts,  the  posi- 
 tive institutions  of  religion,  and  even  any  memorial  of  it,  are 
 all  spoken  of  in  Scripture,  under  this  or  the  like  denomina- 
 tion :  so  are  the  Prophets,  the  Apostles,  and  our  Loed  Him- 
 self. They  are  all  witnesses,  for  the  most  part  unregarded  wit- 
 nesses, in  behalf  of  God,  to  mankind.  They  inform  us  of  His 
 Being  and  Providence,  and  of  the  particular  dispensation  of 
 religion,  we  are  under,  and  continually  remind  us  of  them. 
 And  they  are  equally  witnesses  of  these  things,  whether  we 
 regard  them,  or  not.  v.  14  ;  Ezek.  ii.  5,  6 ;  S.  Luke  x.  11 ; 
 Heb.  ii.  3,  4;  Acts  v.  32.     Bp.  Butlei'.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 15  When  ye  therefore  shall  see  the  abomination  of 
 desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand  in 
 the  holy  place,  (whoso  readeth,  let  him  understand  :) 
 
 16  Then  let  them  which  be  in  Judaea  flee  into  the 
 mountains : 
 
 17  Let  him  which  is  on  the  housetop  not  come 
 down  to  take  anything  out  of  his  house : 
 
 18  Neither  let  him  which  is  in  the  field  return  back 
 to  take  his  clothes. 
 
 19  And  woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to 
 them  that  give  suck  in  those  days  ! 
 
 20  But  pray  ye  that  your  flight  be  not  in  the 
 winter,  neither  on  the  sabbath  day  : 
 
 21  For  then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  was 
 not  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no, 
 nor  ever  shall  be. 
 
 22  And  except  those  days  should  be  shortened, 
 there  should  no  flesh  be  saved :  but  for  the  elect's 
 sake  those  days  shall  be  shortened. 
 
 23  Then  if  any  man  shall  say  unto  you,  Lo,  here  is 
 Christ,  or  there  ]  believe  it  not. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  16—20.  429 
 
 24  For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false  pro- 
 phets, and  shall  shew  great  signs  and  wonders ;  inso- 
 much that,  if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the 
 very  elect. 
 
 25  Behold,  I  have  told  you  before. 
 
 26  Wherefore  if  they  shall  say  unto  you.  Behold, 
 He  is  in  the  desert ;  go  not  forth  :  behold,  He  is  in  the 
 secret  chambers  ;  believe  it  not, 
 
 27  For  as  the  lightning  cometh  out  of  the  east,  and 
 shineth  even  unto  the  west ;  so  shall  also  the  coming 
 of  the  Son  of  Man  be. 
 
 28  For  wheresoever  the  carcase  is,  there  will  the 
 eagles  be  gathered  together. 
 
 16  I  beseech  you,  my  brother,  and  I  warn  you  with  true  paternal 
 affection,  as  one  come  out  of  Sodom  and  "  escaping  to  the 
 mountain  "  (Gen.  xix.  17),  look  not  behind  you  ;  lest  at  any 
 time  you  let  slip  the  handle  of  the  plough,  or  the  hem  of  the 
 Savioue's  garment,  which  you  have  grasped,  ix.  20;  S.  Luke 
 ix.  62  ;  Acts  iii.  11.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 God  never  denounceth  judgments  against  the  wicked,  but  He 
 maketh  some  proviso  for  His  children  ;  as  it  were  for  some  cer- 
 tain privileged  persons.  Ps.  cv.  15  ;  Eev.  vii.  1 — 3  ;  2  Thess. 
 ii.  11—14.     Hooker.     (Serm.  ii.  on  S.  Jude  17—19.) 
 
 17  It  is,  I  think,  a  mark  of  right  understanding  in  the  language 
 of  prophecy  and  in  the  design  of  prophecy  too,  to  keep  to  what 
 appears  the  design  and  the  meaning  of  the  prophecy  in  general, 
 and  to  what  the  whole  of  it,  when  laid  together,  points  out  to 
 us  ;  and  not  to  suffer  a  warm  imagination  to  mislead  us  from 
 the  real  intention  of  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  by  following  uncer- 
 tain applications  of  the  part  of  it.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  20,  21.  Lawman. 
 (Preface  to  his  Commentary  on  the  Revelation.) 
 
 20  That  so,  neither  religious  obligation,  nor,  in  winter,  the  badness 
 of  the  roads  and  the  shortness  of  the  days,  may  stay  and 
 impede  your  flight.     Calvin. 
 
430  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  20—23. 
 
 Christ  bids  you  pray  that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter;  that 
 your  transmigration  out  of  this  world  be  not  in  the  cold  days 
 of  indevotion,  nor  in  the  short  days  of  a  late  repentance. 
 Judg.  V.  31 ;  S.  John  xii.  35,  36.     Dr.  Donne. 
 
 Happy  is  the  man,  that  is  not  found,  when  he  leaves  this  world, 
 leading  a  fruitless,  nor  yet  an  idle  life.  The  winter  is  the 
 barren  time  of  the  year ;  and  the  Sabbath  was  a  time,  not  of 
 labour,  but  of  rest.     xx.  6,  7;  Eccl.  iii.  1 — 11.     Theophylact. 
 
 21  Great  blessings,  great  sins,  great  punishments.  These  all  go 
 together.  Amos  iii.  2 ;  IS.  Pet.  iv.  17,  18.  Magdeburg. 
 (Epist.) 
 
 Great  tribulation. — As  I  think  no  city  ever  suffered  such  things, 
 so  no  nation  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  did  ever  so 
 abound  in  all  manner  of  wickedness  and  impiety.  O  miserable 
 city,  what  didst  thou  suffer  from  the  Romans,  though  at  last 
 they  set  thee  on  fire  to  purge  thee  from  thy  sins,  that  can 
 be  compared  with  those  miseries,  which  thou  hast  brought  upon 
 thyself?  Ps.  v.  10;  xciv.  23 ;  1  Sam.  xv.  23  ;  Jer.  ii.  17  ;  Hos. 
 vii.  2.     Josephus.     (Antiq.  B.  vi.  ch.  11 ;  and  viii.  ch.  11.) 
 
 Living  in  an  age  of  extraordinary  events  and  revolutions,  I  have 
 learnt  from  thence  the  truth,  which  I  desire  might  thus  be 
 communicated  to  posterity  ;  that  all  is  vanity,  which  is  not 
 honest,  and  that  there  is  no  solid  wisdom,  but  in  real  piety. 
 Job  xxviii.  28 ;  Eccl.  xii.  13,  14.  Evelyn.  (His  Epitaph,  by 
 himself.) 
 
 23  Lo  !  here  is  Christ,  or  there. — In  this  He  shews  that  His 
 Second  coming  shall  not  be  in  lowliness,  like  the  first,  but  in 
 Griory ;  and  therefore  it  is  folly  to  seek  in  little  and  obscure 
 places  for  Him,  who  is  "  the  Light  of  the  whole  world."  Verse 
 27.     Acts  i.  11.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 How  natural  it  is  for  people  in  distress  to  listen  to  any,  that  pre- 
 tend to  be  their  deliverer,  and  to  sell  their  souls  for  their  bodily 
 safety.  Thou,  0  Loed,  only  art  the  Christ,  and  we  know  and 
 own  no  deliverer,  but  Thee  !  Let  them  call  upon  us  to  cry  to 
 this  Saint,  or  to  that  Angel,  to  run  to  shrines  in  the  wilderness, 
 or  to  relics  in  the  cloisters.  Oh,  preserve  Thy  Elect,  of  what- 
 ever communion  they  are,  from  trusting  in  those  delusions. 
 For  Thou  only,  0  Loed,  art  "  the  Cheist."     Thou  only  canst 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  23—25.  431 
 
 save  us  from  the  terrors  of  Thy  judgment  here  and  of  Thy 
 Fathee's  wrath  hereafter !  Job  v.  1 ;  S.  John  vi.  68,  69. 
 Bonnel.     (Eeformed  Edit,  of  Wm.  Austin's  Medit.  236.) 
 
 Believe  it  not. — As,  in  the  world  of  nature,  shadows  are  coupled 
 with  light,  as  in  the  Church  the  evil  is  mingled  with  the  good, 
 as  in  the  daily  walks  of  life  falsehood  sits  side  by  side  with 
 truth,  hypocrisy  with  sincerity,  wisdom  with  the  pretence  of 
 wisdom,  while  in  discerning  them  lies  our  chief  trial ;  so  it  is  in 
 the  world  of  our  own  hearts.  There  is  a  true  conscience  and  a 
 false  ;  one,  which  speaks  to  us  from  heaven,  and  many,  which 
 speak  like,  yet  take  their  rise  from  a  very  different  source. 
 Ps.  V.  8 ;  Acts  xxvi.  9  ;  Gal.  v.  8.     W.  Seioell. 
 
 God  had  enjoined  a  general  silence  throughout  the  land — (alluding 
 to  the  remarkable  absence  of  inspired  prophets  and  canonical 
 writers  from  the  time  of  the  return  from  the  Babylonish  Cap- 
 tivity)— that  all  might  hearken  more  attentively  unto  the 
 Crier's  voice,  appointed  to  "prepare  the  ways  of  the  Loed  :" 
 after  whose  message  once  fully  accomplished,  as  it  had  been 
 after  the  ringing  of  a  market-bell,  every  mountebank  through- 
 out their  coasts  sets  to  sale  the  dreams  and  fancies  of  his  own 
 brain  for  Divine  Prophecies.  Hab.  ii.  20  ;  Acts  viii.  9,  19. 
 Dean  Jackson.     (Works,  B.  i.  ch.  17,  s.  2.) 
 
 Conti'a  mirabiliai'ios  cautum  me  fecit  Dominus  mens.  My  Loed 
 has  made  me  cautious  about  dealers  in  miracles.  Ezek.  vii.  26  ; 
 2  Thess.  ii.  9,  10.     S.  Augustine.     (Tract.  13  in  Joan.) 
 
 24  If  it  were  possible. — Ista  Dominici  sermonis  dubitatio  trepi- 
 dationem  mentis  in  Electis  relinquit.  This  doubtfulness  in 
 Cheist's  speech  makes  the  very  Elect  stand  in  fear  of  falling  in 
 the  midst  of  such  temptations.     1  Thess.  i.  4,  5,  6.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 25  Behold,  I  have  told  you  before. — God  has  made  a  double  pro- 
 vision for  the  moral  growth  of  man.  Eirst,  He  has  given  us 
 instructions  in  our  duty  in  the  Bible ;  and  secondly.  He  has 
 given  us  opportunities  to  practise  it  in  the  duties  and  difficulties 
 of  life.  The  Bible  is  full  and  complete,  as  a  book  of  direction ; 
 human  life  is  full  and  complete,  as  a  field  of  exercise.  Isa.  xxx. 
 20,  21 ;  1  Tim.  iii.  16,  17.     Abbott. 
 
 I  may  describe  the  conditions,  which  would  confer  this  cogency  of 
 evidence   on   single   examples   of  prophecy,   in   the  following 
 
433  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  26,  27. 
 
 manner.  First,  the  known  promulgation  of  tlie  prophecy,  prior 
 to  the  event.  Secondly,  the  clear  and  palpable  fulfilment  of  it. 
 Lastly,  the  nature  of  the  event  itself ;  if,  when  the  prediction 
 of  it  was  given,  it  lay  remote  from  human  view,  and  was  such, 
 as  could  not  be  foreseen  by  any  supposable  effort  of  reason,  or 
 be  deduced  upon  principles  of  calculation,  derived  from  proba- 
 bility or  experience.  2  S.  Pet.  i.  19 — 21.  Davison.  (On 
 Prophecy,  P.  iv.  Disc.  8.) 
 
 26  Nothing  doth  so  much  drive  men  out  of  the  Church  as  breach 
 of  Unity  ;  and  therefore  whensoever  it  cometh  to  pass  that  one 
 saith,  Ecce  in  deserto,  and  another  saith,  Ecce  in  penetralibus  ; 
 that  is,  when  some  men  seek  Christ  in  the  conventicles  of  here- 
 tics, and  others  in  the  outward  face  of  a  Church,  that  voice  had 
 need  continually  to  sound  in  men's  ears,  NoUte  exire,  Go  not 
 out.     Acts  XX.  30.     Lord  Bacon.     (Essays,  3.) 
 
 It  is  wittily  taken  of  Chrysostom,  when  our  Saviotje  said,  Ne 
 exeatis  in  eremum,  that  He  says  not,  "  Go  not  forth  into  the 
 desert,  and  see ;  yet  believe  not ;"  but  gives  an  absolute  pro- 
 hibition of  going  forth  at  all,  that  they  might  be  out  of  danger 
 of  misbelief,  iv.  5—7 ;  xi.  7  ;  Eph.  v.  11 ;  2  Cor.  v.  14—18. 
 Bp.  Hall.     {Quo  vadis  ? — A  censure  of  travel.     Sect.  13.) 
 
 27  Not  even  miracles,  therefore,  outward  and  visible  ones,  will 
 be  any  sufficient  sign  of  the  true  Church.  Neither  again  will 
 her  abode  be  strange  or  obscure ;  in  the  desert,  or  in  the  secret 
 chambers.  But  her  great  note  will  be,  to  be  conspicuous  and 
 manifest  unto  all  men.  As  the  lightnitig  cometh  out  of  the  east, 
 and  shineth  even  unto  the  west,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son 
 of  Man  be.  We  translate  it  coming  ;  but  the  word  is  Trapovaia, 
 and  is  understood  by  old  expositors  to  relate  not  only  to  the  final 
 approach  of  our  Loed  to  judge  the  world  in  the  last  Day,  but 
 also  to  His  continual  manifestation  of  Himself  in  His  Kingdom. 
 His  invisible  Presence  therefore  in  His  mystical  body  may  be 
 as  clearly  discerned  by  those,  who  watch  and  wait  for  it,  as  a 
 flash  of  lightning  by  a  person,  whose  eyes  are  opened  and 
 turned  towards  that  quarter  of  the  heavens.  .  .  .  That  Presence 
 is  in  the  Visible  Church  by  her  Creeds,  her  Scriptures,  her 
 Succession,  and  her  Sacraments,  xviii.  20 ;  xxviii.  20 ;  1  Cor. 
 xiv.  25 ;  Eev.  i.  12,  13.     Keble.     (Serm.  Jer.  xlv.  4,  5.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  28,  29.  433 
 
 28  Eagles. — Eaveuous  birds  and  the  standards  of  the  Roman 
 army,  ready  to  devour  a  people,  reprobated  and  given  up,  as  a 
 dead  carcase,  by  Providence.     P.  Skelton.     (Senilia,  40.) 
 
 29  Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days 
 shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give 
 her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from  heaven,  and  the 
 powers  of  the  heaven  shall  be  shaken : 
 
 30  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of 
 Man  in  heaven :  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the 
 earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man 
 coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  with  power  and  great 
 glory. 
 
 31  And  He  shall  send  His  angels  with  a  great  sound 
 of  a  trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  His  elect 
 from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the 
 other. 
 
 32  Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree ;  When  his 
 branch  is  yet  tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye  know 
 that  summer  is  nigh  : 
 
 33  So  likewise  ye,  when  ye  shall  see  all  these  things, 
 know  that  it  is  near,  even  at  the  doors. 
 
 34  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  This  generation  shall  not 
 pass  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled. 
 
 35  Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  My  words 
 shall  not  pass  away. 
 
 29  Immediately  after  the  tribulation. — At  this  verse,  we  find  the 
 clasp,  which  unites  the  two  parts  of  this  comprehensive  pro- 
 phecy ;  (the  first  part,  relating  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ; 
 the  latter,  to  the  end,  when  "  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  shall 
 mourn;")  both  tlius  corresponding  with  the  two  distinct  ques- 
 tions, proposed  by  the  Apostles  to  our  Loed.     The  tribulation, 
 
 Y    F 
 
434  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  30. 
 
 consequent  upon  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the  dispersion  of  the 
 Jews,  has  not  yet  ceased.  It  will  cease,  when  "  the  times  of 
 the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled  :"  and  then  will  be  the  Loed's 
 Second  Advent ;  then  will  be  the  end  of  the  ivorld.  S.  Mark 
 and  S.  Luke  clearly  notice  the  same  distinction  in  this  won- 
 derful prophecy.  S.  JVIark  xiii.  24;  S.  Luke  xxi.  24;  Eom. 
 xi.  J.  F. 
 30  All  the  tribes  of  the  earth. — All  those,  whose  hearts  are  always 
 fixed  upon  the  earth,  upon  the  honours,  and  riches,  and  plea- 
 sures of  the  earth,  they  shall  all  mourn.  And  not  without  suffi- 
 cient reason.  For  first,  they  shall  see  the  fatal  end  of  all  their 
 transitory  happiness  ;  (Eev.  xii.  12  ;)  and  secondly,  they  shall 
 see  the  sad  beginning  of  all  their  everlasting  misery.  Verse  8. 
 A  Contrite  Heart.  (P.  i.  s.  1,  &c.) 
 Very  many  learned  men,  both  ancient  and  modern,  do  by  the  sign 
 of  the  Son  of  ma?i  understand  the  Cross.  S.  Jerome,  S.  Chry- 
 sostom,  and  Venerable  Bede  upon  this  place,  affirm  this  sign  to 
 be  no  other,  than  the  sign  of  the  Cross.  The  Ethiopian  Church 
 is  so  peremptory  in  this  matter,  that  it  is  put  into  the  Articles 
 of  their  Creed,  as  the  learned  Grrotius  informs  us.  There  is 
 hardly  anything  the  ancient  Fathers  are  more  unanimous  in, 
 than  this.  What  indeed  can  be  more  honourable  to  our  Lord 
 and  Saviour,  or  more  full  of  terror  to  His  enemies,  than  that 
 the  Cross  of  Christ,  which  they  accounted  "  foolishness,"  and, 
 more  than  so,  esteemed  the  greatest  reproach  of  the  Christian 
 faith,  should  at  that  Day  be  made  the  herald  to  proclaim  His 
 coming,  and  to  call  all  nations  of  the  world  to  appear  before 
 Him  ?  1  Cor.  i.  21—26 ;  Wisd.  v.  1—7.  March.  (Serm.  on 
 text.) 
 
 E-ecordare  Sanctse  Crucis, 
 
 Qui  perfectam  viam  ducis, 
 Delectare  jugiter, 
 
 Sanctse  Crucis  recordare, 
 
 Et  in  ipsa  meditare 
 Insatiabiliter. 
 
 Quum  quiescas,  aut  laboras, 
 
 Quando  rides,  quando  ploras, 
 Doles  sive  gaudeas, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV,  30,  31.  435 
 
 Quando  vadis,  quando  venis, 
 In  solatiis,  in  poenis, 
 Crucem  corde  teneas. 
 
 Card.  Bonaventura. 
 
 When  He  descends  from  heaven  to  judge  the  world,  it  shall  be 
 with  this  Glorified  body  (xvii.  2),  this  body  of  pure  and  immacu- 
 late splendour,  with  its  hair  shining  like  threads  of  light,  its 
 eyes  sparkling  with  beams  of  Majesty,  and  its  face  displaying  a 
 most  beautiful  lustre,  and  its  whole  substance  shedding  forth 
 from  every  part  a  dazzling  Glory  round  about  it ;  and  this,  I 
 conceive,  is  that  which  He  Himself  calls  His  own  Glory.  (S. 
 Luke  ix,  36.)  Besides  which  bright  and  luminous  robe,  in 
 which,  like  a  meridian  sun.  He  shall  visibly  shine  over  all  the 
 world,  the  afore-cited  text  tells  us,  that  He  shall  also  come  in 
 the  Glory  of  His  Father ;  by  which  I  conceive  is  meant  that, 
 which  the  Hebrews  call  the  Shechinah,  and  the  Scripture  The 
 Glory  of  the  Lord,  viz.,  a  body  of  bright  shining  fire,  in  which 
 the  LoKD  was  especially  present.  And  this  Glory,  being  added 
 to  the  natural  brightness  and  splendour  of  His  Glorified  body, 
 will  cause  Him  to  outshine  the  sun  and  drown  all  the  lights  of 
 heaven  in  the  conquering  brightness  of  His  appearance.  So 
 that,  when  He  comes  forth  from  His  gethereal  palace  and  ap- 
 pears upon  the  eastern  heaven,  that  immense  sphere  of  visible 
 Glory,  which  will  then  surround  Him,  will  in  the  twinkling  of 
 an  eye  spread  and  diffuse  itself  over  all  the  creation  and  cause 
 both  the  heavens  and  the  earth  to  glitter,  like  a  flaming  fire. 
 Ex.  xix.  18 ;  xxiv.  17  ;  2  Chron,  vii.  1 ;  Ps.  civ.  2  ;  Eev.  i.  13 
 —16.     Br.  J.  Scott.     (Christian  Life,  Part  ii.  c.  7.) 
 
 31  We  must  look  unto  heaven,  to  the  very  throne,  the  Royal 
 throne  ;  for  there  sits  the  "  first-fruit "  of  mankind.  He  will 
 certainly  come  again,  leading  all  His  hosts  along  with  Him, 
 the  legions  of  Angels,  the  several  squadrons  of  Archangels,  the 
 societies  of  the  martyrs,  the  quires  of  the  righteous,  the  tribes 
 of  the  prophets  and  Apostles  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  these  imma- 
 terial camps,  the  King  Himself  will  appear  in  a  certain  unut- 
 terable and  inexpressible  Glory,  xxv.  31 ;  2  Thess.  i.  8;  2  S. 
 Pet.  iii.  12.     S.  Chrysostom.     (Orat.  i.  in  Pentecost.) 
 
 O !  dark  house,  or  cave  of  earth,  how  willingly  would  I  leave  thee, 
 
 F  !•  2 
 
436  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  31, 
 
 if  I  might  be  transported,  to  meet  our  Blessed  Loed,  thus 
 Royally  encamped  iu  the  air.  (1  Thess.  iv.  17,  18.)  O  poor 
 world  !  How  come  I  so  far  to  value  thee,  as  to  suffer  thee  to 
 captivate  this  heart  ?  How  glad  should  I  be  rather  to  see  thee 
 no  more,  if  I  might  but  behold  Him  appear,  whom  my  soul 
 loveth  p  Nay,  it  ought  not  to  grieve  me  to  see  this  earth  and 
 all  things  in  it  in  a  flame,  if  that  Celestial  Glory  would  but 
 show  itself.  Arise,  shine  forth,  O,  Thou  Sun  of  Eighteousness, 
 and  make  us  Blessed  with  a  sight  of  Thy  Glory !  vi.  10,  19, 
 20;  2  Tim.  iv.  8  ;  2  Cor.  v.  1—3  ;  Eev.  xxii.  20.  Bp.  Patrick. 
 (The  glorious  Epiphany,  ch.  vi.) 
 
 36  But  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no, 
 not  the  angels  of  heaven,  but  My  Father  only. 
 
 37  But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the 
 coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be. 
 
 38  For  as  in  the  days  that  were  before  the  flood 
 they  were  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving 
 in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the 
 ark, 
 
 39  And  knew  not  until  the  flood  came,  and  took 
 them  all  away  ;  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
 Man  be. 
 
 40  Then  shall  two  be  in  the  field  ;  the  one  shall  be 
 taken,  and  the  other  left. 
 
 41  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill;  the 
 one  shall  be  taken,  and  the  other  left. 
 
 42  Watch  therefore  :  for  ye  know  not  what  hour 
 your  Lord  doth  come. 
 
 43  But  know  this,  that  if  the  good  man  of  the  house 
 had  known  in  what  watch  the  thief  would  come,  he 
 would  have  watched,  and  would  not  have  suflfered  his 
 house  to  be  broken  up. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  36.  437 
 
 44  Therefore  be  ye  also  ready :  for  in  such  an  hour 
 as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  Man  cometh. 
 
 36  Christ  knew  when  the  day  of  Judgment  would  be,  but  He 
 was  unwilling  to  declare  it  in  the  Gospel  ;  so  that  His  disci- 
 ples should  know  it :  for,  whereas  the  same  Lord  said  by  the 
 prophet,  "  The  Day  of  vengeance  is  in  My  heart,  and  the  year 
 of  My  E-edeemed  is  come,"  (Isa.  Ixiii.  4,)  He  thereby  inti- 
 mated that  He  knew,  but  was  unwilling  to  reveal.  Isidore  of 
 Seville.     (Sent.  B.  iii.  c.  30.) 
 
 That  He  says,  that  the  Father  knoweth,  implies  that  in  the  Father 
 the  Son  also  knows.  For  what  can  there  be  iu  time,  which  was 
 not  made  by  the  Word  ?  The  Son  is  said  not  to  know,  because 
 He  does  not  make  men  to  know.  xi.  27  ;  Gen.  xviii.  21,  26. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 
 Though,  as  God,  He  could  not  be  ignorant  of  any  thing,  yet  His 
 human  understanding  did  not  know  it.  And  it  is  not  unrea- 
 sonable to  suppose,  that  the  Divine  Wisdom,  which  dwelt  in  our 
 Saviour,  did  communicate  itself  to  His  human  soul,  according 
 to  His  pleasure  :  and  so  His  human  nature  might  at  some  times 
 not  know  some  things.  And,  if  this  be  not  admitted,  how  can 
 we  understand  that  passage  concerning  our  Saviour,  S.  Luke  ii. 
 52,  that  Jesus  grew  in  wisdom  and  stature  ;  or,  as  the  word  i/XiKta 
 may  more  fitly  be  translated,  in  age,  and  in  favour  with  God  and 
 man  ?  For,  if  the  humau  nature  of  Christ  did  necessarily 
 know  all  things  by  virtue  of  its  union  with  the  Divinity,  He 
 could  not  then,  as  man,  be  said  to  gi'ow  in  wisdom.  S.  John  xv. 
 15  ;  xvii.  8.     Abp.  Tillotson.     (Serm.  S.  Mark  xiii.  31.) 
 
 The  one  and  the  same  Christ  in  the  truth  of  His  human  nature 
 has  qu(B  sunt  humana  all,  that  belongs  to  that  nature,  as  in  the 
 truth  of  His  Divine  nature  He  possesses  the  distinguishing  pro- 
 perties of  the  Godhead.  Nee  Personam  dividunt  in  Christo  natu- 
 varum  propria  ;  nee  Unitas  Personce  propria  confundere  potest. 
 What  beloTigs  to  each  distinct  nature  divides  not  the  Person  of 
 Christ  ;  nor  can  the  Unity  of  His  Person  confound  what  be- 
 longs to  each  nature  respectively.  S.  John  iii.  13  ;  Acts  xx. 
 2.     Fulgentius.     (Ad  Thrasimundum,  Lib.  iii.) 
 
 Our  Saviour  here  sufficiently  intimates  the  Angels  of  heaven  to  be 
 
438  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  39. 
 
 endued  with  excellent  knowledge  superior  to  that  of  men  :  and 
 that  perhaps  may  be  one  reason,  why  the  Scripture  styles  them 
 "Angels  of  Light."  2  Sam.  xiv.  20;  1  Cor.  xiii.  1.  R. 
 Boyle.  (Tract  on  "  The  high  veneration  man's  intellect  owes 
 to  God,  peculiarly  for  His  wisdom  and  power."  P.  49.  Lon- 
 don, 1711.) 
 39  Knew  not. — For,  as  a  person  fails  to  discover  in  a  dirty  mirror 
 his  real  expression  of  countenance,  so,  w^hen  loaded  with  glut- 
 tony and  drunkenness,  we  take  ourselves  to  be  quite  different 
 characters  from  what  we  are.  Hos.  vii.  9  ;  S.  Jas.  ii.  23,  24. 
 S.  Augustine. 
 Generally,  when  the  fulness  of  any  national  iniquity  is  come 
 (wherein  their  decrepit  age  consisteth,)  they  grow  more  and 
 more  incredulous,  so  as  to  verify  the  Latin  proverb  concerning 
 old  men ;  Nidlus  senex  veneratur  Jcfbem.  Ps.  Ixviii.  21.  Bean 
 Jackson. 
 As  those  vapours,  which  rise  from  the  earth,  overspread  the  hea- 
 vens, and  intercept  the  light  of  the  sun,  so  do  gluttony  and 
 drunkenness  excite  in  men  such  fumes  of  darkness,  as  obscure 
 the  brightness  of  human  reason,  and  overcast  the  Light  of  the 
 Divine  Spirit  within  us.  vi.  22,  23  ;  Eph.  iv.  18, 19.  S.  Basil. 
 (Sermo  de  Jejunio.) 
 Pew  things  are  more  wonderful,  than  the  facility,  with  which  the 
 human  mind  accommodates  itself  to  any  circumstances,  however 
 strange  and  dreadful.     Cowper.     (Letters.) 
 
 O  !  nullis  adtracte  bonis,  nullisque  repressa 
 Legibus,  antique  tanttim  submissa  draconi 
 Effera  gens  hominum,  ducto  corruptior  sevo. 
 Non  Evam  cecidisse  sat  est ;  transcenditur  omni 
 Inventor  lethi  lapsu  ;  nee  sufficit  illud, 
 Vicit  inexpertum  quod  serpens  pristinus  Adam. 
 ISTon  contenta  suo  fsedari  vita  parente 
 Affectat  mortem  propria  virtute  mereri. 
 Expectasse  diu  non  profuit.     Insuper  omne 
 Concessum  venise  rapuerunt  crimiua  tempus : 
 Jam  nimium  longas  patientia  presserit  iras : 
 Vindictse  jam  tempus  adest. 
 
 Alcimus  Avitus.     (Poem.  L.  iv.     De  diluvio  mundi.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  41—43.  439 
 
 41  The  two  in  a  bed  (S.  Luke  xvii.  34)  may  represent  those,  who, 
 removed  from  the  busy  stir  of  life,  seem  to  spend  their  days  at 
 ease  in  idleness ;  the  two  at  the  mill  may  be  they,  who  are 
 carried  round  and  round  with  the  affairs  of  this  world ;  the  two 
 in  the  field  persons,  engaged  in  the  ministry  of  the  Church  ; 
 some  of  whom  are  faithful  and  others  unfaithful  in  times  of 
 adversity.     Isidore  of  Seville.     (Allegories  of  the  New  Test.) 
 
 42  Watch  therefore. — Consider,  not  only  what  He  threateneth, 
 but  consider  withal,  why  He  threateneth.  It  is,  that  you  may 
 repent ;  and  withal  how  He  threateneth,  it  is,  unless  you  repent. 
 (Rev.  ii.  5;  Ps.  vii.  12,  13.)  He  threateneth  to  cast  down  in- 
 deed, but  into  humiliation,  not  into  despair.  "  He  shooteth 
 out  His  arrows,  even  bitter  words;"  but,  as  Jonathan's  arrows, 
 for  warning,  not  for  destruction.  1  Sam.  sx.  21 ;  Micah  vi.  9. 
 Bp.  Sanderson.     (Serm.  1  Kings  xxi.  29.) 
 
 Thine  audit,  at  the  last  day,  is  both  sure  and  uncertain  -.  sure, 
 that  it  will  come ;  uncertain,  when  it  will  come.  Bp.  Hall. 
 (Balm  of  Gilead,  ch,  xvi.  s.  1.) 
 
 43  It  hath  troubled  some  that  our  Savioub  should  compare  His 
 coming  and  a  thief's  togetlier :  but  it  is  not  comparatio  personce 
 ad  personam,  or  negotii  ad  neyotium,  but  temporis  ad  tempus  ;  not 
 the  comparison  of  person  with  person,  or  business  with  business, 
 but  of  time  with  time.     1  Thess.  v.  2.     Edw.  Leigh. 
 
 What  hour  the  thief  would  come. — Improbitati  occasio  nunquam 
 defuit.  Never  is  wickedness  at  a  loss  to  find  its  fit  occasion. 
 Our  Lord  was  tempted,  when  He  was  hungry.  The  devil  and 
 his  instruments  are  wise  to  take  their  time  for  evil ;  as  in  speak- 
 ing to  Princes  and  great  personages  we  wait  our  fittest  oppor- 
 tunities. "  The  adulterer  waits  for  the  twilight,"  says  Job 
 (xxiv.  15.)  So  Herodias,  when  Herod  was  in  the  good  vein, 
 took  her  opportunity  for  John's  head.  So  Potiphar's  wife  for 
 Joseph,  when  her  husband  was  absent,  and  when  Joseph  was 
 alone.  (Gen.  xxxix.  11 ;  Prov.  vii.  19.)  When  David  was  idle 
 and  out  of  his  calling,  then  shot  he  the  dart  of  lust  at  him.  (2 
 Sam.  xi.  1,2.)  When  he  was  in  distress  pursued  by  Saul,  then 
 he  shot  the  dart  of  distrust  at  him  and  made  him  say,  "  One 
 day  shall  I  be  caught  by  the  hand  of  Saul."  (1  Sam.  xxvii.  1.) 
 This  therefore  must  teach  us  at  such  times  specially  to  look  to 
 
440  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  44, 
 
 ourselves,     xii.  44 ;  Job  ii.  9  ;  2  Cor.  ii.   11 ;  1  S.  Pet.  v.  8. 
 
 Ban.  Dyke.     (Michael  and  the  Dragon,  &c.) 
 44  If  thou  expect  death,  as  a  friend  (S.  John  xix.  41,)  prepare  to 
 
 entertain  him  ;  if  as  an  enemy,  prepare  to  overcome  him  (1  Cor. 
 
 XV.  26,  55 — 58 :)  death  hath  no  advantage  over  us,  but  when 
 
 he  comes,  as  a  stranger.    S.  Luke  xii.  20.    F.  Quarles.    (Enchir. 
 
 Cent.  iv.  37.) 
 "Whomsoever  the  last  day  of  his  own  life  finds  unprepared,  this  last 
 
 Day  will  find  unprepared  also.    Eccl.  xi.  3  ;  ix.  10.    S.  Augustine. 
 
 (Ep.  80.) 
 
 Omnes  prsecipiti  mors  messuit  improba  falce, 
 Et  tulit  in  cineres,  nullius  territa  mole. 
 Curnam  igitur  falsas  et  inanes  diligis  auras  ? 
 Cur  te  letifera  mundus  dulcedine  ludit  ? 
 Nonne  vides  nostrse  quam  parvula  tempora  vitae, 
 Et  misera  in  quantis  versetur  vita  periclis  ? 
 Eja  age,  letiferas  jam  mundi  despue  pompas, 
 Pelle  Theoninse*  tristissima  criraina  linguae, 
 Linque  venenatse  mortalia  gaudia  carnis, 
 Sperne  voluptatem,  fastumque  atque  otia  frange, 
 Eespue  serpentis  virus,  dirosque  susurros, 
 Concilia,  et  luxus  quicunque  in  Tartara  trudunt. 
 Sis  memor  ipse  tui  fati  jam  jam  properantis ; 
 Nee  pro  te  passi  capiant  te  oblivia  Christi, 
 Efi'uge  terribiles  Erebi  sine  fine  dolores, 
 Perpetuam  quserens  coeli  in  regione  salutem. 
 
 Apud  T.  Kempis.     (Speculum  peccatoris,  &c.  c.  10.) 
 
 45  Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom 
 his  lord  hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give 
 them  meat  in  due  season  ? 
 
 46  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom  his  lord  when 
 he  Cometh  shall  find  so  doing. 
 
 47  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  he  shall  make  him 
 ruler  over  all  his  goods. 
 
 *  Theon,  an  unprincipled  and  scandalous  satirical  poet.     See  Horace,  Ep. 
 Lib.  I.  xviii.  82. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  45,  46,  441 
 
 48  But  and  if  that  evil  servant  shall  say  in  his 
 heart,  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming ; 
 
 49  And  shall  begin  to  smite  his  fellowservants,  and 
 to  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken ; 
 
 50  The  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day 
 when  he  looketh  not  for  him,  and  in  an  hour  that  he 
 is  not  aware  of, 
 
 51  And  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  him  his 
 portion  with  the  hypocrites :  there  shall  be  weeping 
 and  gnashing  of  teeth. 
 
 45  (Conf.  S.  Luke  xii.  42.)  The  steward  is  not  faithful,  if  he  does 
 not  give  the  due  portion  to  each ;  not  putting  them  off  with  half 
 a  meal.  He  is  not  faithful,  if  he  regards  the  quantity,  but  pays 
 no  attention  to  the  quality  :  it  must  be  their  portion  of  meat ; 
 it  must  be  that,  which  will  support  and  nourish  them.  A  steward 
 needs  also  to  be  not  only  faithful,  but  wise  ;  that  he  may  be  able 
 to  discern  both  the  portion  of  meat  and  the  due  season  for  de- 
 livering it.  He  must  be  wise  to  mark  the  wants,  complaints, 
 and  infirmities  of  the  household ;  and  he  must  be  wise  to  dis- 
 criminate and  patiently  to  bear  the  false  charges  and  unkind  re- 
 marks, which  he  often  hears,  while  he  acts  thus  faithfully  and 
 wisely,  xii.  42 ;  1  Cor.  iv.  1—3 ;  Acts  xx.  18—21 ;  1  Thess. 
 ii.  6—12.     R.  Cecil.     (Serm.  on  S.  Luke  xii.  42.) 
 
 In  a  man  of  affairs,  these  things  are  required  ;  honesty,  not  to  wish 
 or  desire  any  thing,  but  what  is  just;  sound  judgment,  to  dis- 
 cern what  is  profitable,  what  inconvenient ;  dexterity,  to  use 
 opportunities,  that  result  in  all  affairs  ;  a  friend,  (to  advise  with) 
 that  is  secret,  who  may  confirm  him  in  a  well-chosen  course, 
 and  inform  him,  if  he  mistake  ;  constancy,  to  proceed  in  what 
 he  hath  undertaken  upon  good  grounds  ;  lastly,  patience,  to  en- 
 dure all  the  mishaps,  that  could  not  be  foreseen,  nor  human 
 wisdom  prevent.     Loi-d  Capel.     (Contemplations,  251.) 
 
 46  Cheist  drawing  towards  the  end  of  His  life  and  His  death 
 and  passion  being  near  at  band,  laboured  much  more  diligently 
 in  preaching,  teaching,  and  other  good  works,  than  He  was  wont 
 
442  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  46,  48. 
 
 before  to  do ;  to  instruct  all  persons  thereby,  of  what  state 
 soever  they  be,  that,  how  virtuously  soever  they  have  lived  in 
 the  time  of  their  health,  yet  that,  death  approaching,  they  have 
 greater  need  extraordinarily  to  exercise  themselves  in  the  works 
 of  piety  and  of  penitence :  for  Blessed  is  that  servant,  whom, 
 when  his  Loed  cometb.  He  shall  find  watchful  in  well  doing, 
 Heb.  X.  25  ;  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  7.  (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bonaventure 
 and  others,  ch.  51.) 
 
 One  of  the  last  things,  the  Venerable  Bede  did,  was  the  trans- 
 lating of  the  Gospel  of  S.  John  into  English.  When  death 
 seized  on  him,  one  of  his  devout  scholars,  whom  he  used  for  his 
 secretary,  or  amanuensis,  complained ;  "  My  beloved  master, 
 there  remains  one  sentence  yet  unwritten."  "  Write  it  then 
 quickly,"  replied  Bede  ;  and  summoning  all  his  spirits  together 
 (like  the  last  blaze  of  a  candle  going  out)  he  indited  it,  and  ex- 
 pired. (See  at  S.  John  vii.  30.)  Fuller.  (Ch.  History,  Cent, 
 viii.  B.  ii.  s.  18.) 
 
 Why  do  we  trouble  ourselves  with  things  afar  off,  that  concern 
 not  our  case  ?  Why  puzzle  we  our  thoughts  with  mere  curiosi- 
 ties, that  no  ways  conduce  to  our  improvement  ?  Go  not  after 
 these,  my  soul,  but  look  to  thyself  and  thy  duty.  Have  we  not 
 business  enough  to  provide  for  the  coming  of  our  Loed,  but  we 
 must  lose  our  time  in  inquiring,  when  He  will  come  ?  Have 
 we  not  certainty  enough  in  the  solid  arguments  of  faith,  but 
 we  long  to  hearken  after  new  revelations  ?  Go  not  after  these, 
 my  soul ;  but  look  to  thyself  and  thy  duty.  Eccl.  xi.  4 ;  xii. 
 13,  14  ;  Acts  i.  11 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  58.     Austin.     (Medit.  233.) 
 
 48  Jf  that  evil  servant  shall  say,  ^'c. — There  is  nothing  between 
 us  and  heaven,  or  hell,  but  life,  of  all  things  the  most  fragile 
 and  uncertain.  All  this  is  as  real,  as  it  is  terrible  :  brave  it  as 
 we  will,  this,  and  this  only,  is  the  end  of  life.  Eternity  is  not 
 annihilated,  because  we  turn  away  our  thoughts  from  it.  It 
 subsists,  it  advances ;  and  death  will  give  a  dreadful  solution  to 
 every  doubt  of  its  reality.  Heb.  ix.  27  ;  Isa.  xlvii.  7 — 15  ;  and 
 xxviii.  14,  15,  18.     Pascal.     (Thoughts,  s.  1.) 
 
 It  is  foolish,  and  even  dangerous,  to  indulge  in  curious  and  un- 
 fruitful speculations  respecting  the  exact  time  and  circum- 
 stances of  our  Loed's  Second  Advent,  (v.  3  ;)  but  it  is  worse 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  49,  51.  443 
 
 tliau  foolish,  it  is  decidedly  ruinous  to  the  soul  to  act,  under 
 the  supposition  of  the  Lord's  delaying  His  coming,  as  if  He 
 would  never  come  at  all ;  to  act,  as  if  there  were  no  Judge  and 
 no  awful  consequences  of  Judgment.  How  finely  is  such  infi- 
 delity treated  at  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  1—5  ;  Eom.  ii.  1—10.     J,  F. 
 
 49  A  good  man  should  not  be  very  willing,  when  his  Lord  comes, 
 to  be  found  so  doing,  and,  as  it  were,  beating  his  fellow-servants. 
 And  all  controversy,  as  it  is  usually  managed,  is  little  better. 
 A  good  man  would  be  loth  to  be  taken  out  of  the  world,  reek- 
 ing hot  from  a  sharp  contention  with  a  perverse  adversary,  and 
 not  a  little  out  of  countenance  to  find  himself,  in  this  temper, 
 translated  into  the  calm  and  peaceable  regions  of  the  Blessed, 
 where  nothing  but  perfect  charity  and  good-will  reign  for  ever. 
 V.  5,  7  ;  sxii.  12  ;  1  Cor.  iii.  3  ;  Gal.  v.  15  ;  Eph.  iv.  1—4.  Abp. 
 Tillotson.     (Preface  to  Serm.  Josh.  sxiv.  15.) 
 
 The  arms,  with  which  the  ill  dispositions  of  the  world  are  to  be 
 combated  are  moderation,  gentleness,  a  little  indulgence  of 
 others,  and  a  great  distrust  of  ourselves.  These  are  not  quali- 
 ties of  a  mean  spirit,  as  some  may  possibly  think  them,  but 
 virtues  of  a  great  and  noble  kind,  such  as  dignify  our  nature,  as 
 much  as  they  contribute  to  our  repose  and  fortune.  Por 
 nothing  can  be  so  unworthy  of  a  well  composed  soul,  as  to  pass 
 away  life  in  bickerings  and  litigations,  in  snarling  and  scufiling 
 with  every  one  around  us.  Prov.  xvii.  14  ;  Ex.  iv.  25,  26 ; 
 Numb.  XX.  14—21 ;  1  Sam.  xvii.  28,  29  ;  S.  Luke  xxi.  19;  S. 
 John  xviii.  11.     Burke.     (Letter  to  Barry.     Life  by  Prior.) 
 
 Brink  loith  the  drunken. — What  shall  hinder  man  or  woman  under 
 the  influence  of  so  powerful  an  opiate  to  their  understanding, 
 as  strong  drink,  from  proceeding  to  any  crime  ?  Nothing  on 
 their  own  part ;  for  they  have  drunk  themselves  into  the  con- 
 dition to  be  their  own  tempters ;  shame,  fear,  prudence,  and 
 reason,  being  all  laid  asleep.  Prov.  xxiii.  29 — 35  ;  Eom.  xiii. 
 11—14.     Bp.  Chandler. 
 
 Drunkenness  is  a  blandus  dcemon,  a  flattering  devil,  a  sweet  poison, 
 a  pleasant  sin ;  whosoever  hath  it,  hath  not  himself.  Whoso- 
 ever commits  it,  commits  not  sin  ;  sed  ipse  est  peccatum,  but  he 
 is  altogether  sin  himself.     S.  Luke  xv.  17.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 51  Hypocrites  are  as  the  freeholders  of  hell.     Other  sinners  are 
 
444  S.  MATTHEW  XXIV.  51. 
 
 but  as  inmates,  and  have  but  a  portion  of  their  misery,  xxiii. 
 29,  33.     Caryl. 
 
 Hell  is  Truth  seen  too  late,  xxvii.  3,  5  ;  Wisd.  v.  1 — 17  ;  S. 
 Luke  xvi.  27,  28.     Adam.     (Private  Thoughts,  ch.  16.) 
 
 Most  true  was  that,  which  Luther  spake  on  this  point,  "  If  a  man 
 could  perfectly  see  his  own  evils,  the  sight  thereof  would  be  a 
 perfect  hell  to  hira."  And  to  this  God  will  bring  wicked  men. 
 "  Reprove  them,  and  set  their  sins  in  order  before  them."  (Ps.  1. 
 21.)  Make  them  take  a  view  of  their  own  hearts  and  lives, 
 fuller  of  sins,  than  the  firmament  is  of  stars,  or  a  furnace  of 
 sparks.  "  Oh  !  consider  this,  ye,  that  forget  Me,"  saith  the 
 LoED  ;  "  lest  I  tear  you  in  pieces,  and  there  be  none  to  de- 
 liver you!"  Psalm  xc.  8.  -Bp.  Reynolds.  (Serm.  i.  on  Hos. 
 xiv.  2.) 
 
 Ssepius  haec  tecum  tacito  sub  pectore  volve  ; 
 Quique  manet  sontes  rigidum  cruciatus  ad  Orcum, 
 Moerentes  inter  tenebras  et  mortis  in  umbra  ; 
 Quam  sit  atrox  illic  stridor,  quam  sit  ferus  horror. 
 Quem  non  hsec  gelido  quatiaut  audita  pavore  ? 
 Quis  scit,  an  exorto  surgenti  mane  videre 
 Lucem  possimus,  mare  cum  subit  occiduus  Sol  ? 
 Ultima  mortales  citius  seu  serius  hora 
 Opprimit,  interitum  aut  Vitam  latura  perennem  ! 
 
 Card.  Barberini. 
 
 CHAPTER  XXV. 
 
 'THEN  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
 ten  virgins,  which  took  their  lamps,  and  went 
 forth  to  meet  the  bridegroom. 
 
 2  And  five  of  them  were  wise,  and  five  were  foolish. 
 
 3  They  that  were  foolish  took  their  lamps,  and  took 
 no  oil  with  them  : 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.   1.  445 
 
 4  But  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their 
 lamps. 
 
 5  While  the  bridegroom  tarried,  they  all  slumbered 
 and  slept, 
 
 6  And  at  midnight  there  was  a  cry  made,  Behold, 
 the  bridegroom  cometh  ;  go  ye  out  to  meet  him. 
 
 7  Then  all  those  virgins  arose,  and  trimmed  their 
 lamps. 
 
 8  And  the  foolish  said  unto  the  wise.  Give  us  of 
 your  oil ;  for  our  lamps  are  gone  out. 
 
 9  But  the  wise  answered,  saying,  Not  so ;  lest  there 
 be  not  enough  for  us  and  you  :  but  go  ye  rather  to 
 them  that  sell  and  buy  for  yourselves. 
 
 1  The  Parable  of  the  virgins  teaches  us,  in  a  more  especial  manner, 
 the  primary  necessity  of  our  having  the  grace  of  God  in  our 
 hearts,  without  which  we  can  do  nothing.  That  of  the  labourers 
 leads  us  to  the  practical  improvement  of  the  same  Grace,  with 
 which  we  must  co-operate  in  our  lives.  Lastly,  the  account  of 
 the  proceedings  of  the  great  Judgment  Day  shows  us  one 
 particular  method  of  this  improvement  aud  co-operation, 
 namely  by  such  works  of  mercifulness,  as  are  most  pleasing  to 
 God,  and  the  surest  evidences  of  our  faith  and  love,  and  our 
 best  preparatives  for  His  heavenly  kingdom.  It  is  to  be  well 
 observed,  that  all  the  accounts,  which  our  Blessed  Loed  has 
 given  us  of  the  awful  decisions  of  this  last  great  Assize,  relate 
 exclusively  to  the  professing  Christian  Church ;  that  is,  they 
 relate  to  ourselves.  So  little  ground  is  there  for  that  pride  and 
 uncharitableness  in  man,  which  has  presumed  to  pass  its  final 
 sentence  of  condemnation  on  those,  upon  whom  the  light  of 
 the  Gospel  has  never  shined.  vii.  21 — 23  ;  xii.  41,  42  ;  xiii. 
 17 ;  S.  Luke  xiii.  3,  5,  23,  24 ;  S.  John  xxi.  22 ;  1  Cor.  v.  12  ; 
 Eev.  XX.  11—13.     J.  F. 
 
 In  the  marriages  of  this  world,  some  only  attend  the  nuptials ; 
 aud  it  is  another  person  who  is  married  ;  in  the  Church,  all,  who 
 
446  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  3—6. 
 
 attend,  provided  they  come  in  a  proper  spirit,  become  the  bride. 
 S.  John  iii.  29 ;  1  Cor.  x.  24.  S.  Augustine. 
 3  The  fire  of  the  lamps  represents  the  gracious  light,  warmth,  and 
 purification,  which  we  passively  receive  from  the  Spirit  of  G-od  ; 
 but  the  oil  is  what  must  be  obtained  by  diligent  prayer,  and  in 
 faithful  obedience,  in  the  way  of  nourishing  and  increasing  this 
 light,  warmth,  and  purification.  The  same  is  expressed  without 
 a  parable  in  2  S.  Peter  i.  3 — 6.  Here,  in  the  3rd  and  4th 
 verses,  we  see  what  corresponds  to  the  fire  of  the  lamps;  and, 
 in  the  5th  and  Gth  verses,  what  the  recipient  of  that  preventing 
 grace  is  expected  to  "  add  "  to  it.  S.  John  vi.  27  ;  1  Cor.  xv. 
 10;2Tim.  i.  6.  Bengel.  (Principles  of  Exegesis.  See  Life  by 
 Biirk,  p.  380.) 
 
 5  The  five  foolish  and  the  five  wise  virgins  all  alike  slept ;  that  is, 
 they  all  died  :  for  death  is  called  in  Scripture  a  sleep,  as  a 
 Yigil,  in  reference  to  the  Eesurrection.  1  Thess.  iv.  14 ; 
 S.  John  xi.  12.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 True,  we  all  die  ;  but  it  is  of  the  utmost  consequence  to  us.  Quo 
 quis  apparatu  se  huic  somno  tradat,  with  what  preparation  of 
 mind  a  man  commits  himself  to  this  sleep.  Eccl.  xi.  3.  Isid. 
 Clarius. 
 
 6  At  midnight,  ^c. — It  was  a  Jewish  tradition  that  Christ  would 
 come  at  midnight,  as  in  the  time  of  Egypt's  visitation,  when 
 the  Passover  was  instituted  :  whence  I  suppose  the  Apostolical 
 tradition  was  also  derived,  that  it  was  wrong  to  dismiss  tlie 
 congregations  on  Easter  Eve  until  midnight,  that  they  might 
 be  ready  for  the  advent  of  Chrisx.  Exod.  xii.  29,  30.  S. 
 Jerome. 
 
 Go  ye  out  to  meet  him. — 0  my  soul,  detach  thyself  from  all  things. 
 What  hast  thou  to  do  with  these  creatures  of  change  ?  Be 
 intent  on  this  one  thing,  the  expectation  of  the  Bridegroom, 
 who  is  the  author  of  every  creature.  Let  Him,  whenever  it 
 pleases  Him  to  visit  thee,  find  thee  free  from  distractions  and 
 ready  to  welcome  Him.     2  S.  Pet.  iii.  10 — 15.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 Most  men  never  come  to  treat  with  religion,  to  look  after,  to 
 consider  any  such  thing,  till  the  cry  comes,  that  the  Bridegroom 
 is  ready  to  enter,  that  judgment  is  at  the  door  :  and  then  there 
 is  such  running  about  for  oil,  as  if  'twere  for  extreme  unction  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  6,  9.  447 
 
 that  a  Sacrament  to  confer  all  grace  ex  opere  operato  on  the  man, 
 that  hath  scarce  life  enough  to  discern,  that  he  receiveth  it. 
 The  soul  sleeps  in  its  tenement,  as  long  as  its  lease  lasteth  ; 
 and,  when  'tis  expired,  then  it  rouseth  and  wakes,  as  if  it  would 
 get  to  work.  The  Christian  thinks  not  of  action,  of  duty,  of 
 good  works,  of  anything,  whilst  life  and  health  lasts  ;  but  then 
 the  summons  of  death  wakes  him ;  and  the  prayers,  which  he 
 can  repeat,  while  his  clothes  are  putting  off,  shall  charm  him, 
 like  opium,  for  a  quiet  sleep.  .  .  .  This  is  the  greatest  wound  to 
 duty,  that  it  ever  yet  met  with  among  Christians.  Eccl.  ix.  10  ; 
 Isa.  Iv.  6 ;  Deut.  xxxii.  26  ;  Ps.  ex.  12.  Dr.  Hainmond.  (Serm. 
 Deut.  xxvi.  12,  13.) 
 
 I  think  it  so  wild  and  unadvisable  a  thing  to  put  off  the  beginning 
 to  provide  all  graces  to  a  death-bed,  that  I  think  it  uneasy 
 enough  so  much  as  to  exercise  then  those,  that  were  acquired 
 before  ;  men  being,  in  that  state,  commonly  unable  so  much  as 
 to  reap  the  consolation  they  have  been  sowing  all  along  a  pious 
 life.  S.  John  xii.  35,  3G.  R.  Boyle.  (Occasional  Eeflections, 
 S.  ii.  Med.  13.) 
 
 Take  heed,  life  be  not  done,  before  we  think  of  living,  or  dying, 
 as  we  should  and  would ;  lest  our  candle  be  out,  or  a  feeble 
 snuff  in  the  socket,  before  we  set  to  work,  Eemember  Ab  hoc 
 momento  pendet  Eternitas,  upon  this  moment  depends  Eternity  ; 
 nor  is  the  accurate  work  of  our  Salvation,  which  must  last  to 
 Eternity  and  be  seen  in  Heaven,  to  be  done  by  a  dim,  foul 
 light.  S.  John  xii.  35,  36 ;  2  Cor.  vi.  2.  Br.  Gauden.  (Serm. 
 preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Bp.  Brownrig.) 
 
 9  Not  so,  ^c. — In  this  particular,  as  in  other  matters,  they  show 
 their  wisdom.     Bengel. 
 
 If  a  man  shall  go  to  buy  oil,  when  the  Bridegroom  comes,  if  his 
 lamp  be  not  first  furnished  and  then  trimmed — that  in  this  life  ; 
 this  upon  his  death-bed — his  station  shall  be  without-doors,  his 
 portion  with  unbelievers.  .  .  .  His  extreme  unction  is  only  then 
 of  use,  when  it  is  made  by  the  oil,  that  burned  in  his  lamp  in 
 all  the  day  of  his  expectation  and  waiting  for  the  coming  of  the 
 Bridegroom. 
 
 Huic  neque  defungi  visum  est,  nee  vivere  pulchrutQ : 
 Cura  fuit  lecte  vivere,  sicque  mori. 
 
448  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  9,  10. 
 
 Gen.  xlix.  18  ;  Job  xiv.  14.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (The  Eule  and 
 Exercise  of  Holy  Dying.  Dedication.) 
 "  "We  have  decided,"  writes  S.  Cyprian  (Ep.  2  ad  Antonian.)  "  that 
 persons  should  be  excluded  from  all  hope  of  receiving  the  Holy 
 Communion  and  the  benefit  of  Absolution,  prohibendos  a  spe 
 Communicationis  et  Pads,  vihen  it  is  in  the  hour  of  sickness  and 
 of  danger,  that  they  first  begin  to  ask  for  it ;  because  it  is  not 
 repentance  for  their  sins,  but  the  alarm  of  approaching  death, 
 which  compels  them  to  make  the  request."  I  know  very  well 
 that  S.  Cyprian  erred  in  this  decision;  because  it  is  just  pos- 
 sible that  a  sinner  of  this  description,  even  on  his  death-bed, 
 may  heartily  repent :  but,  at  the  same  time,  when  a  holy  man 
 of  so  much  learning,  of  so  much  wisdom,  and  of  so  much  expe- 
 rience, came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  thing  is  not  possible, 
 surely  we  must  at  least  take  it  to  be  not  quite  so  easy,  as  you 
 suppose.  Jer.  xxii.  24,  27  ;  Acts  xxiv.  25.  Segneri.  (Quare- 
 simale,  Pred.  xi.  s.  4.) 
 
 10  And  while  they  went  to  buy,  the  bridegroom 
 came  ;  and  they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to 
 the  marriage :  and  the  door  was  shut. 
 
 1 1  Afterward  came  also  the  other  virgins,  saying, 
 Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us. 
 
 12  But  he  answered  and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
 I  know  you  not. 
 
 13  Watch  therefore,  for  ye  know  neither  the  day 
 nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  Man  cometh. 
 
 10  The  door  was  shut. — All  things  in  the  world  do  take  their 
 time ;  the  bird  to  build  his  nest  and  the  husbandman  to  sow  his 
 seed,  the  mariner  to  go  to  sea,  the  gardener  to  set  his  trees,  the 
 sick  patient  to  take  physic,  the  cook  to  season  meats,  and 
 the  dresser  of  the  vineyard  to  gather  his  fruit.  It  will  be  too 
 late  to  build  in  summer,  to  sow  in  harvest,  to  go  to  sea,  when 
 the  ship  is  launched  ;  to  transplant  trees,  when  they  are  old  ; 
 to  take  physic,  when  we  are  dying ;  to  season  meats,  when  they 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  11—13.  449 
 
 are  unsavoury ;   and,   when   winter  is  come,  to  gather  fruit. 
 Eccl.  iii.  1 ;  Prov.  vi.  6—8  ;  i.  24—33.     Robert  Hill. 
 
 11  Open  to  us. — Hell  is  like  to  be  full  of  good  wishes,  but  heaven 
 full  of  good  works.     S.  Luke  xvi.  24,  27.     Guevara. 
 
 With  respect  to  my  soul,  I  find  it  good  for  me  to  be  in  the  ba- 
 lance, awfully  weighed  every  day  for  life  or  for  death  .  .  .  Death 
 has  lost  its  sting  ;  and,  I  thank  God,  I  know  not  what  hurry  of 
 spirit  is,  or  unbelieving  fears,  under  my  most  terrifying  symptoms. 
 (See  S.  Luke  xii.  36.  J.  H.  Newman.)  Rev.  J.  W.  Fletcher 
 of  Madeley,  during  a  severe  illness.  (See  Life  by  Benson,  p. 
 226,  Ed.  1806.) 
 
 12  Let  us  suppose  the  existence  of  a  thousand  hells  ;  yet  there  is 
 nothing  like  this  saying  of  the  Lord — to  be  banished  from  His 
 Glory  and  His  Blessedness  !  To  be  accursed  in  His  sight,  and 
 to  hear  from  His  lips,  I  know  yon  not  I  2  Thess.  i.  9.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Then  will  sin  be  sin  indeed,  and  grace  will  be  grace  indeed.    Eom. 
 
 ii.  2  ;  Eph.  v.  13.     R.  Baxter.     (The  Saints'  Eest,  P.  1,  ch.  v. 
 
 s.  3.) 
 Poenitentia,  quce  ah  infirmo  petitur,  infirma  est ;  the  repentance, 
 
 sought  by  the  feeble  sick  man,  is  itself  feeble  ;  poenitentia,  quce 
 
 h  moriente   tantuin  petitiir,  timeo,  ne  et  ipsa  moriatur.     A  mere 
 
 deathbed  repentance  is,  I   fear,  likely  itself  also  to  die.     S. 
 
 Auffustine.     (Serm.  de  Temp.) 
 God  hath  made  no  Death-bed  covenant.     Rj).  J.  Taylor.     (The 
 
 Eule  and  exercise  of  Holy  Dying.     Dedication.) 
 
 13  There  is  no  oil  to  be  bought  by  the  foolish  virgins,  when  the 
 Bridegroom  is  come.  Noah  entered  the  ark,  before  the  flood 
 came  ;  Lot  went  out  of  Sodom,  before  it  rained  fire  and  brim- 
 stone ;  the  children  of  Israel  sprinkled  the  blood  of  the  Paschal 
 lamb  on  their  doors,  before  the  destroying  Angel  slew  all  the 
 first-born  in  Egypt ;  in  Ezekiel,  in  the  Revelation,  the  servants 
 of  God  are  marked  and  sealed,  before  God's  wrath  is  executed. 
 All  these  are  but  types,  signifying  that,  if  we  mean  to  escape, 
 we  must  take  advantage  of  the  time,  "  agree  with  our  adversary 
 in  the  way,  lest  he  pass  us  over  to  the  judge,  the  judge  to  the 
 sergeant,  the  sergeant  to  the  gaoler."  .  .  .  Wherefore  provide 
 physic,  before  thou  art  sick;  and  righteousness,  before  judgment. 
 
 a  a 
 
450  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  13. 
 
 Ecclus.  xviii.  19,  &e. ;  2  Cor.  vi.  1 — 3.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.   S. 
 Luke  iii.  7.) 
 
 When  you  read  the  Scriptures,  you  see  a  religion,  that  is  all  life, 
 and  spirit,  and  joy  in  God,  that  supposes  our  souls  risen  from 
 earthly  desires  and  bodily  indulgences,  to  prepare  for  another 
 body,  another  world,  and  other  enjoyments.  You  see  Chris- 
 tians represented,  as  "  Temples  of  the  Holt  Ghost,"  as  candi- 
 dates for  an  Eternal  crown,  as  watchful  virgins,  that  have  their 
 lamps  always  burning,  always  in  expectation  of  the  Bridegroom. 
 But  can  he  be  thought  to  have  this  joy  in  God,  this  care  of 
 eternity,  this  watchful  spirit,  who  has  not  zeal  enough  to  rise 
 to  his  prayers  ?  When  you  look  into  the  writings  and  lives  of 
 the  first  Christians,  you  see  the  same  spirit,  that  you  see  in  the 
 Scriptures.  All  is  reality,  life,  and  action.  Watching  and 
 prayers,  self-denial  and  mortification,  was  the  common  business 
 of  their  lives,  xxvi.  40 ;  Job  xv.  4  ;  Eph.  vi.  13 — 18.  W.  Law. 
 (Serious  call,  &c.  ch.  14.) 
 
 Tuha  ante  tubam.  This  call  to  watchfulness  is  the  trumpet,  before 
 the  trumpet,     xxiv.  31 ;  1  Cor.  xv.  52.     Tertullian. 
 
 Nothing  withdraws  men  so  much  from  the  service  of  sin,  as  the 
 thought  of  impending  death.  Eccl.  xi.  9  ;  xii.  13,14.  S.Augustine. 
 
 1 4  For  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  as  a  man  travelling 
 into  a  far  country,  who  called  his  own  servants,  and 
 delivered  unto  them  his  goods. 
 
 15  And  unto  one  he  gave  five  talents,  to  another 
 two,  and  to  another  one ;  to  every  man  according  to 
 his  several  ability ;  and  straightway  took  his  journey. 
 
 16  Then  he  that  had  received  the  five  talents  went 
 and  traded  with  the  same,  and  made  them  other  five 
 talents. 
 
 17  And  likewise  he  that  had  received  two,  he  also 
 gained  other  two. 
 
 18  But  he  that  had  received  one  went  and  digged 
 in  the  earth,  and  hid  his  lord's  money. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  15.  451 
 
 19  After  a  long  time  the  lord  of  those  servants 
 Cometh,  and  reckoneth  with  them. 
 
 20  And  so  he  that  had  received  five  talents  came 
 and  brought  other  five  talents,  saying,  Lord,  thou  de- 
 liveredst  unto  me  five  talents  :  behold,  I  have  gained 
 beside  them  five  talents  more. 
 
 21  His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  thou  good 
 and  faithful  servant :  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a 
 few  things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things : 
 enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 
 
 22  He  also  that  had  received  two  talents  came  and 
 said.  Lord,  thou  deliveredst  unto  me  two  talents  :  be- 
 hold, I  have  gained  two  other  talents  beside  them. 
 
 23  His  lord  said  unto  him.  Well  done,  good  and 
 faithful  servant ;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
 things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things  :  enter 
 thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord. 
 
 15  In  the  parable  of  the  Talents  the  sums,  committed  to  the  ser- 
 vants, were  different;  but  their  improvement  of  them  was  equal 
 (each  having  doubled  his  deposit :)  and  therefore  their  reward 
 was  equal  also.  But  in  the  parable  of  the  Pounds  (S.  Luke 
 xix.  17 — 19,)  all  the  servants  had  an  equal  sum,  committed  to 
 them ;  but  they  made  a  different  improvement  of  them  and 
 were  therefore  differently  rewarded.  Marsh.  (On  Prophecy. 
 Letter  5.) 
 
 One. — Let  us  adore  the  ever-blessed  Spirit,  who  worketh  all  our 
 works  in  us,  and  distributes  His  manifold  gifts  to  the  Church 
 and  to  all  her  faithful  children,  according  to  His  own  most  holy 
 will  and  pleasure.  Let  us  reverence  these  His  gifts  in  others, 
 and  be  contented  with  our  own  portion,  though  never  so  small. 
 It  is  often  a  great  gift  to  be  without  those  gifts,  by  which  others 
 are  distinguished.  To  be  sensible  of  our  own  spiritual  poverty 
 and  want  is  often  the  best  and  safest  gift  of  all.     1  Cor.  xii. 
 
 G  a  2 
 
452  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  16—20. 
 
 1 — 11 ;  Ps.  cxxxi.  3  ;  Rom.  xii,  3 — 8,  10  ;  Jer.  xl.  5.     Wogan. 
 (On  the  Lessons.     Monday  in  Whitsun  week.) 
 
 16  The  measures  of  our  proficiency  in  goodness  seem  to  depend 
 entirely  upon  those  of  our  own  diligence  ;  and  God  requires  as 
 much  diligence,  as  if  He  gave  no  grace  at  all.  1  Cor.  iii.  8  ;  2 
 S.  Pet.  i.  5—11.     Dean  Toung.     (Serm.  2  Tim.  i,  6.) 
 
 17  Christian  perfection  in  outward  conduct  consists  not  in  doing 
 extraordinary  things,  but  in  doing  ordinary  things  extraor- 
 dinarily well.     S.  Mark  vii.  37  ;  1  Cor.  vii.  24.     Port  Royal. 
 
 18  This  talent  is  not  to  be  set  aside  in  a  napkin,  that  is,  to  be 
 treated  in  an  effeminate  and  slothful  manner  :  nor  is  it  to  lie 
 buried  in  the  earth  ;  I  mean,  to  be  overlaid  with  the  busy  cares 
 of  this  world.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 It  may  be  writ  on  the  grave  of  every  sinner,  who  lives  and  dies  in 
 that  state  ;  "  Here  lies  the  man,  that  never  did  God  an  hour's 
 work  in  all  his  life!"  S.  Luke  xiii.  17.  Gurnall.  (On  the 
 Christian's  armour,  ch.  v.  s.  3.) 
 
 19  Beckoneth. — God  never  gives  graces,  without  an  intent  of 
 their  exercise.     Phil.  ii.  12,  13.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 20  No  man  need  blow  a  trumpet  in  his  own  praise.  What  we  do 
 well,  the  LoKD  will  report  it  to  all  the  world.  Verse  35 ;  vi. 
 2  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  5.     Caryl. 
 
 It  is  asked,  whether  a  reward  is  promised  to  works,  as  signs  of 
 faith  ?  Now  we  conceive  that  they  say  too  much,  who  suppose 
 it  promised  to  works,  as  deserving  it ;  and  that  they  say  too 
 little,  who  think  it  promised  to  them,  only  as  signs  of  faith. 
 Por  there  are  many  passages  of  Scripture,  by  which  it  is  shown 
 that  our  works  in  the  business  of  salvation  are  regarded  as  in- 
 dispensably necessary,  or  as  a  primary  condition,  with  which 
 the  reward  of  eternal  life  is  inseparably  connected,  v.  18  ;  viii. 
 24;  Eom.  ii.  6,  7.     Vossius. 
 
 God  is  to  be  loved,  without  any  regard  on  our  part  to  a  re- 
 ward, although  in  loving  Him  we  cannot  go  unrewarded.  Por 
 it  is  impossible  that  true  love  should  fail  of  its  reward ;  but  it 
 is  not  mercenary  :  for  it  "  seeketh  not  its  own."  Affectns  est, 
 non  contractus;  nee  acquiritur  pacto,  nee  acquirit.  Sponte 
 afficit,  et  spontaneum  facit.  True  love  is  satisfied  with  itself. 
 Its  reward  is  found  in  the  very  object  it  rests  on.     Whatsoever 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  21.  453 
 
 we  seem  to  love  for  some  other  object,  there  our  love  is  cen- 
 tred, where  it  finally  tends,  and  not  per  quod  tendit,  in  the  act 
 itself  of  loving.  Paul  does  not  preach  the  Grospel,  that  he  may 
 eat ;  but  he  eats,  that  he  may  preach  ;  for  his  love  rests  not  on 
 bis  food,  but  on  the  Gospel.  True  love  is  not  mercenary :  it 
 has  its  reward  ;  but  is  far  from  demanding  it.  The  reward  is 
 proposed  to  those,  who,  as  yet,  love  not ;  it  is  due  to  the  lov- 
 ing; it  is  given  to  the  persevering  in  love.  Nehem.  xiii.  22; 
 S.  Luke  xvii.  10.     S.  Bernard.     (De  dilig.  Deo.) 
 
 21  Honour,  profit,  and  pleasure,  are  distinct  goods  upon  earth, 
 and  are  seldom  found  together  ...  It  is  not  so  in  Eternal  goods, 
 in  which  to  be  honest  is  to  be  pi'ofitable,  and  to  be  profitable 
 delectable.  Eternal  honours  are  accompanied  with  immense 
 riches,  and  they  are  both  attended  with  pleasures  without  end. 
 All  this  is  signified  by  the  Lord,  when  He  received  the  faithful 
 servant  into  glory  :  first.  He  honours  him,  commending  him  for 
 a  good  and  faithful  servant ;  then  He  enriches  him,  delivering 
 many  things  into  his  hands ;  and  so  admits  him  into  the  joy 
 and  pleasure  of  his  Lord  ;  thereby  signifying  the  greatness 
 of  this  joy ;  not  saying,  that  this  joy  should  enter  into  him, 
 but  that  he  should  enter  into  joy,  and  into  no  other  joy,  but 
 that  of  his  Lord :  so  great  is  the  joy  of  that  celestial  Paradise, 
 that  it  wholly  fills  and  embraces  the  Blessed  souls,  which  enter 
 into  heaven,  as  into  an  immense  sea  of  pleasure  and  delight. 
 The  joys  of  the  earth  enter  into  the  hearts  of  those,  who  pos- 
 sess them,  but  fill  them  not ;  because  the  capacity  of  man's 
 heart  is  greater  than  they  can  satisfy :  but  the  joys  of  heaven 
 in  the  Blessed  enter  into  themselves,  and  fill  and  overflow  them 
 in  all  parts.  Ps.  xvii.  16  ;  Ixxxi.  11  ;  S.  Luke  xv.  22,  23  ;  1  Cor. 
 ii.  9 ;  Eph.  i.  23  ;  iii.  19.   Bp.  Taylor.    (Contemplations,  ch.  4.) 
 
 The  saying,  Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord,  instead  of  "  Let 
 the  joy  of  the  Lord  enter  into  thee,"  is  a  proof  that  this  joy  is  so 
 vast,  as  to  exceed  our  powers  of  containing  it.  1  Cor.  ii.  9.  Card. 
 Bellarmine.     (On  the  Saints'  Eternal  Happiness,  B.  v.  ch.  4.) 
 
 0  my  soul,  when  I  contemplate  the  joy,  that  shall  be,  I  am  quite 
 unable  to  speak.  My  soul  faints  almost  with  holy  surprise  ;  for 
 this  joy  will  be  within  and  without,  beneath  and  above,  around 
 and  beyond.     Ps.  xxxii.  7,  8.     Card.  Bonaventura.  (Sol.  c.  4.) 
 
454  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  21—23. 
 
 They  will  have  joy  from  above  them,  in  the  beatific  vision  of  God  ; 
 joy  from  beneath  them,  in  their  deliverance  from  hell ;  joy  from 
 within  them,  in  their  peace  of  conscience  ;  joy  from  around 
 them,  in  the  society  of  Saints  and  Angels.  Ps.  xvi.  11.  S. 
 Augustine. 
 
 22  He,  who  saves  his  neighbour's  soul,  as  well  as  his  own,  is  the 
 person,  who  doubles  his  talent,  xviii.  15  ;  S.  John  i.  41,  45  ; 
 S.  James  v.  19,  20.     Quarles. 
 
 23  Over  a  few  things  .  .  .  many  things. — One  reason  against  all 
 merit  in  our  good  works  is  this ;  there  is  no  just  proportion  be- 
 tween our  works  of  righteousness  and  the  reward  of  them.  Our 
 good  works  are  but  a  few  seeds  ;  but  the  reward  is  a  harvest. 
 S.  Luke  xvii.  10  ;  Eom.  viii.  18.     Bp.  Bull.     (Harmonia  Apost.) 
 
 Oh,  what  will  that  joy  be,  when  the  soul  being  perfectly  prepared 
 for  joy,  and  joy  prepared  by  Christ  for  the  soul,  it  shall  be  our 
 work,  our  business,  Eternally  to  rejoice  !  And,  it  seems,  the 
 Saints'  joy  will  be  greater  than  the  torment  of  the  damned :  for 
 their  torment  is  the  torment  of  creatures,  "  prepared  for  the 
 devil  and  his  angels :"  but  our  joy  is  the  joy  of  the  Lord  ;  even 
 our  Lord's  own  joy  we  shall  enter  into.  Isa.  li.  11 ;  Zeph.  iii. 
 17 ;  S.  John  xvii.  22.     Baxter.     (Saints'  Eest,  P.  i.  s.  9.) 
 
 24  Then  he  which  had  received  the  one  talent  came 
 and  said,  Lord,  I  knew  thee  that  thou  art  an  hard 
 man,  reaping  where  thou  hast  not  sown,  and  gathering 
 where  thou  hast  not  strawed : 
 
 25  And  I  was  afraid,  and  went  and  hid  thy  talent 
 in  the  eartli :  lo,  there  thou  hast  that  is  thine. 
 
 26  His  lord  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Thou 
 wicked  and  slothful  servant,  thou  knewest  that  I  reap 
 where  I  sowed  not,  and  gather  where  I  have  not 
 strawed  : 
 
 27  Thou  oughtest  therefore  to  have  put  my  money 
 to  the  exchangers,  and  then  at  my  coming  I  should 
 have  received  mine  own  with  usury. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  24.  455 
 
 28  Take  therefore  the  talent  from  him,  and  give 
 it  unto  him  which  hath  ten  talents. 
 
 29  For  unto  every  one  that  hath  shall  be  given, 
 and  he  shall  have  abundance :  but  from  him  that  hath 
 not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that  which  he  hath. 
 
 30  And  cast  ye  the  unprofitable  servant  into  outer 
 darkness:  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of 
 teeth. 
 
 24  The  work  can  never  be  hard,  that  hath  Heaven  for  its  wages. 
 vi.  21 ;  Heb.  xii.  2.     Dr.  J.  Scott.     (Disc,  on  1  S.  John  v.  3.) 
 
 No  one  runs  into  greater  danger  by  his  sin,  than  he,  who  attempts 
 to  defend  it.  Gren.  iii.  12,  13  ;  Mai.  iii.  13  ;  Jonah  iv.  9. 
 Primasius. 
 
 The  idle  man  is  more  perplexed,  what  to  do,  than  the  laborious  in 
 doing,  what  he  ought.  Gen.  xliii.  10 ;  Prov.  xiii.  4  ;  xv.  19  ; 
 xxvi.  13 — 16,     Lord  Capel.     (Contemplations,  75.) 
 
 A  dull,  uneasy,  complaining  spirit  is,  of  all  tempers,  surely  most 
 contrary  to  religion  :  it  disowns  that  God,  whom  it  pretends  to 
 adore.  For  he  sufficiently  disowns  God,  who  does  not  adore 
 Him,  as  a  being  of  infinite  goodness.  E-om.  xii.  11 ;  Col.  iii. 
 23.     Wm.  Law.     (Serious  Call,  &c.,  eh.  15.) 
 
 There  is  but  one  solid  pleasure  in  life,  and  that  is  our  duty. 
 How  miserable  then,  how  unwise,  how  unpardonable  are  they, 
 who  make  that  one  a  pain  !  xi.  29,  30  ;  Gen.  xxv.  32.  Bean 
 Young. 
 
 That  man  makes  a  vain  boast  of  his  having  conquered  sin,  who 
 only  abstains  from  sinning  from  the  fear  of  its  punishment ; 
 because,  although  we  do  not  actually  accomplish  the  desires  of 
 our  corrupt  will,  yet  that  corrupt  will  is  still  an  enemy,  that 
 lives  within  us.  .  ,  .  He,  whose  only  motive  is  fear,  is  an  enemy 
 to  righteousness,  xxi.  4G;  S.Luke  i.  74;  Eom.  viii.  15.  S, 
 Augustine. 
 
 There  thou  hast  that  is  thine. — Nothing  can  exceed  the  emphatic 
 beauty  of  the  original,  nor  more  strongly  express  the  morose, 
 surly  brevity  of  the  slothful  servant :  the  very  words  sound  the 
 thing,  and  are  a  lively  picture  of  the  man's  mind ;  no  transla- 
 
456  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  26,  27. 
 
 tion  can  come  up  to  tbem — e"xe<s  t6  <toV.     Br.  Bodd.     (On  the 
 Parables.) 
 
 26  The  epithets  are  well  coupled,  the  first  grounded  on  the 
 second ;  he  being  therefore  wicked,  because  he  had  been  sloth- 
 ful. Ezek.  xvi.  49  ;  1  Tim.  v.  3.  (Conf.  S.  Luke  i.  6.  Bp. 
 Beveridge.)     Br.  Barrow.     (Serm.  Eccl,  ix.  10.) 
 
 Nihil  agendo  male  agere  disces.  "  By  doing  nothing  you  will  learn 
 to  do  what  is  bad  "—the  oracular  sentence  of  Cato,  than  which 
 nothing  is  more  true.  1  Tim.  v,  13  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  10 — 12. 
 Columella. 
 
 Either  exercise  thy  graces,  or  Satan  will  exercise  thy  corruptions, 
 xxvi,  1,  2 ;  2  Sam.  xi.  1,  2.     Gurnall. 
 
 27  Thou  oughtest  therefore,  ^c. — He  means  by  this,  that,  if  the 
 man  lacked  courage  to  employ  the  gift  of  God  in  any  adven- 
 turous undertaking,  yet,  at  least,  he  might  have  employed  it  in 
 some  undertaking,  ensuring  an  interest  without  much  risk. 
 Card.  Caietan. 
 
 At  my  coining. — The  day  of  payment,  'tis  a  long  day  ;  'tis  not,  till 
 the  Eesurrection.  A  thrifty  labourer  asks  but  meat  and  drink 
 for  the  present ;  let  his  wages  stay,  till  his  work  be  done.  So 
 saith  a  good  Christian,  "  Lord,  supply  me  with  necessaries  here, 
 but  reward  me  hereafter."  As  Chrysostom  saith,  "They,  that 
 put  out  their  money  to  use,  are  sorry  to  have  it  paid  too  soon  ; 
 the  longer  it  is  lent,  the  more  profit  it  brings.  Thou,  that 
 wouldest  have  thy  reward  here,  what  wilt  thou  do  at  that  great 
 day  of  payment  ?  When  other  men's  hands  shall  be  full, 
 thine  shall  be  empty."  vi.  2  ;  S.  Luke  xvii.  25 ;  Heb.  xi.  35. 
 Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  on  1  Cor.  xv.  58.) 
 
 Thou,  my  GrOD,  lovest,  without  the  transports  of  passion  ;  art 
 jealous,  without  the  pains  of  anxiety ;  repentest,  yet  art  free 
 from  sorrow  ;  art  angry,  yet  serene  ;  changest  Thy  works,  yet 
 without  changing  Thy  purpose ;  receivest  again  what  Thou 
 findest,  yet  didst  never  lose ;  never  in  want,  yet  delighting  in 
 gains  ;  never  covetous,  yet  exacting  usury,  supererogatur  Tibi, 
 Thou  receivest  over  and  above,  that  Tbou  mayest  owe  :  and 
 who  hath  anything,  that  is  not  Thine  ?  Thou  payest  debts, 
 while  owing  nothing:  Thou  remittest  debts,  while  losing 
 nothing.     And  what  do  my  words  amount  to,  oh !  Thou,  my 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  28—30.  457 
 
 God,  my  Life,  my  holy  joy  ?  Or,  what  can  man  say,  when  he 
 speaks  of  Thee  ?  Yet,  woe  to  him,  that  speaketh  not  of  Thee  ; 
 since  even  the  most  eloquent  in  Thy  praise  are,  but  dumb. 
 
 1  Sam.  XV.  29 ;  Isa.  Iv.  8,  9.  /S.  Augustine.  (Confessions, 
 B.  i.  ch.  4.) 
 
 28  Multa  talenta  aliis,  mihi  drachmula  contigit  una  : 
 
 Hanc  ut  ritfe  locem,  da,  bone  Christe,  mihi ! 
 
 Gerrhard. 
 
 29  Deus  donando  debet.  God,  in  giving,  makes  Himself  a  debtor 
 to  give  more.     xiii.  12  ;  Gen.  xxii.  16 — 18.     S.  Cyprian. 
 
 Every  mercy  from  so  good  a  Pather  comes  forth  twins  ;  a  gift  and 
 a  bond  together  ;  a  present  payment,  and  a  future  pawn  ;  a  sum 
 paid  down,  and  an  annuity  made  over  ;  the  having  bestowed 
 favours  being  His  greatest  obligation  to  continue  them.  Ps.  cxv. 
 14  ;  cxvii.  2  ;  Eph.  iii.  20.  Br.  Hammond.  (Practical  Cate- 
 chism, B.  iii.  s.  5.) 
 
 There  is  a  further  growth  in  grace,  attainable  in  this  life,  than 
 what  is  just  necessary  to  salvation.  ...  Our  serious  endeavours 
 after  the  highest  degree  of  grace  will  be  an  excellent  means  to 
 preserve  that  saving  growth  in  grace,  the  pious  Christian  has 
 already  attained  to.  It  will  also  give  him  a  more  comfortable 
 assurance  of  eternal  happiness,  and  advance  him  hereafter  to 
 higher  degrees  of  glory  in  heaven,     xix.  21 ;  Heb.  vi.  11,  12  ; 
 
 2  S.  Pet.  i.  5—12.     March.     (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  28.) 
 Nothing  lies  heavier  upon  me,  than  the  misimprovement  of  time. 
 
 XX.  3  ;  Rev.  ii.  21.     D.  Brainerd.     (Diary.) 
 
 30  There  shall  be  weeping. — You  can  call  down  no  heavier  curse 
 on  a  man,  quam  ut  seipsum  habeat  iratum,  than  that  he  should 
 be  angry  with  himself,     xxvii.  3,  5.     Seneca. 
 
 31  When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  m  His  glory, 
 and  all  the  holy  angels  with  Him,  then  shall  He  sit 
 upon  the  throne  of  His  glory. 
 
 32  And  before  Him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations : 
 and  He  shall  separate  them  one  from  another,  as  a 
 shepherd  divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats  : 
 
458  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  31, 
 
 33  And  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand, 
 but  the  goats  on  the  left. 
 
 31  Do  we  admire  the  calm  simple  grandeur,  with  which  that 
 mighty  event,  the  beginning  the  creation  of  the  world,  is  re- 
 corded in  Genesis  ?  Let  us  turn  our  eyes  to  the  picture  now 
 before  us  of  the  end  of  that  creation,  at  the  second  coming  of 
 the  LoED.  Is  it  less  calm,  less  simply  grand,  than  the  other  ? 
 Trace  we  not  in  both  the  hand  of  the  same  Spirit  ?  Is  there 
 not  here  the  same  Divine  original  ?  The  most  awful  event,  to 
 be  transacted  on  the  stage  of  an  assembled  Universe,  and  in- 
 volving Eternity  in  its  consequences,  is  set  forth  in  language, 
 that  a  child  may  understand,  and  illustrated  by  the  common, 
 every-day  similitude  of  a  mixed  flock  of  sheep  and  goats,  feeding 
 together  during  the  day,  divided  and  separated,  as  the  Eastern 
 custom  was,  when  the  night  cometh.  He,  who  spake  as  never 
 man  spake,  saying,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light !" 
 said  also,  When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  ^c. 
 
 Whose  story  none  can  tell, 
 
 But  He,  whose  every  word's  a  miracle.* 
 
 J.  F. 
 
 If  the  story  of  Cheist,  coming  to  Judgment,  set  down  in  the 
 25th  of  S.  Matthew,  had  ever  entered  through  the  door  of  our 
 ears  into  the  inward  closet  of  our  hearts,  'tis  impossible,  but  we 
 should  observe  and  practise  that  one  single  duty  there  required 
 of  us.  Cheist  there,  as  a  Judge,  exacts  and  calls  us  to  an 
 account  for  nothing  in  the  world,  but  only  works  of  mercy ; 
 and,  according  to  the  satisfaction,  which  we  are  able  to  give 
 Him  in  that  one  point,  He  either  entertains  or  repels  us ;  and 
 therefore  our  care  and  negligence  in  this  one  business  will 
 prove  us  either  Christians  or  infidels.  Ps.  cxii.  9  ;  x.  8,  13,  14. 
 D?'.  Hammond.     (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  3.) 
 
 Thus  appeareth  Cheist's  Majesty,  by  sitting  on  the  throne ;  His 
 authority,  by  convening  all  before  Him  ;  His  knowledge  and 
 wisdom,  by  opening  all  secrets,  revealing  all  actions,  discerning 
 
 *  Bp.  J.  Tar/lor.     (A  Hymn  for  Christmas  Day.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  31—33.  459 
 
 all  inclinations  ;  His  justice,  in  condemning  sinners ;  His  mercy, 
 in  absolving  believers  ;  His  power,  in  His  execution  of  the  sen- 
 tence. S.  Luke  xvii.  30  ;  Eom.  ii.  5  ;  1  S.  Pet.  i.  13  ;  2  Thess. 
 i.  10.     Bp.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art.  6.) 
 
 With  what  glory  then  will  our  Lord  appear,  when  He  comes  to 
 judgment  ?  If  '*  the  righteous  shall  shine  forth  like  the  sun," 
 how  bright  will  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  Himself  be  ?  If 
 mere  creatures  shall  appear  so  glorious,  what  will  the  glory  of 
 an  Incarnate  God  be  ?  For  He  will  not  then  appear,  as  a 
 glorious  creature,  but  as  a  Visible  God.  His  Godhead  will 
 shine  through  the  Glorified  humanity,  as  visible  as  our  souls  do 
 through  our  bodies.  And  how  glorious  must  that  Body  be,  in 
 which  the  Deity  appears  !  A  glory,  which  distinguishes  a  God 
 from  the  most  glorious  creatures  !  xvi.  28  ;  xxvi.  64  ;  Dan.  vii. 
 13  ;  Eev.  i.  7.  Bean  Sherlock.  (Discourse  on  a  Future  Judg- 
 ment, c.  4.) 
 
 How  shall  we  bear  the  blaze  of  the  real  and  actual  Presence  of 
 Cheist — that  blaze,  which  either  glorifies  the  soul  with  its 
 light,  or  scorches  and  withers  it  for  all  Eternity  ?  Mai.  iii.  2  ; 
 Zech.  xii.  10 ;  Eev.  xx.  11.      W.  Archer  Butler. 
 
 32  All  nations. — The  bodies  of  the  wicked  shall  be  raised  again 
 from  the  grave :  but  that  will  be  no  redemption  from  prison, 
 (Eom.  viii.  23 ;)  but  a  bringing  forward  to  execution.  We 
 never  read  of  a  wicked  man  raised  from  the  dead  in  Scripture, 
 though  there  be  many  examples  of  resurrection  in  both  Testa- 
 ments. S.  Mark  v.  39—41 ;  Dan.  xii.  2,  3.  Whitefoot.  (Serm. 
 preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Bp,  Hall.) 
 
 "  All  the  Angels !"  "  All  nations  !"  Quanta  celebritas !  What  a 
 display !     Bengel. 
 
 33  Their  doom  is  already  ominously  foreshown  in  the  places, 
 which  they  occupy,  on  the  right  or  on  the  left ;  good  by  a 
 natural  afiinity  having  gathered  to  good,  and  evil  to  evil.  And 
 thus  He,  to  whom  mercy  is  welcome,  as  judgment  is  a  strange 
 work,  addresses  Himself  first  to  those,  wh6  are  the  objects  of 
 His  mercy,  as  others  had  been  the  object  of  theirs.  .  .  .  Men 
 are  divided  and  doomed  according  to  a  single  law,  as  they  were 
 merciful  or  unmerciful ;  according  as  their  faith  wrought  in 
 active  deeds  of  love  to  their  brethren,  or  testified  that  it  was  no 
 
460  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  33. 
 
 faith,  in  that  it  was  barren  and  unfruitful  of  these.     Gal.  v.  6  ; 
 1  S.  John  iii.  23.     B.  C.  Trench.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xxv.  40.) 
 
 Quantus  tremor  est  futurua,  Quid  sum  miser  tunc  dicturus  ? 
 
 Quando  Judex  est  venturus,  Quern  patronum  rogaturus, 
 
 Cuncta  strict^  discussurus  !  Cum  vix  Justus  sit  securus  ? 
 
 Tuba,  mirum  spargens  sonum  Eecordare,  Jesu  pie. 
 
 Per  sepulchra  regionum,  Quod  sum  causa  Tuse  viaa ; 
 
 Coget  omnes  ante  Thronum.  Ne  me  perdas  ilia  die.  .  .  . 
 
 Mors  stupebit  et  natura,  Inter  oves  locum  prsesta, 
 
 Cum  resurget  creatura  Et  ab  haedis  me  sequestra, 
 
 Judicanti  responsura.  .  .  .  Statuens  in  parte  dextra ! 
 MisscB  pro  defunctis.     (Missale  Eomanura.) 
 
 34  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  His  right 
 hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  inherit  the 
 kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
 world  : 
 
 35  For  I  was  an  hungred,  and  ye  gave  Me  meat :  I 
 was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  Me  drink :  I  was  a  stranger, 
 and  ye  took  Me  in  : 
 
 36  Naked,  and  ye  clothed  Me  :  I  was  sick,  and  ye 
 visited  Me ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  Me. 
 
 37  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  Him,  saying, 
 Lord,  when  saw  we  Thee  an  hungred,  and  fed  Thee  ?  or 
 thirsty,  and  gave  Thee  drink  ? 
 
 38  When  saw  we  Thee  a  stranger,  and  took  Thee 
 in  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed  Thee  ? 
 
 39  Or  when  saw  we  Thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and 
 came  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 40  And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them. 
 Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
 unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  My  brethren,  ye  have 
 done  it  unto  Me. 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XXV.  34.  461 
 
 34  Cheist,  the  King,  addresses  the  righteous  first,  in  the  hearing 
 of  the  wicked ;  but  the  wicked  shall  depart  from  His  presence 
 first,  before  the  eyes  of  the  righteous,  xiii.  49  ;  Ps.  i.  4,  5.  In 
 this  manner,  the  damned  shall  see  nothing  of  eternal  life  ;  while 
 on  them  the  righteous  shall  behold  the  infliction  of  God's  ven- 
 geance.    Ps.  xxxvii.  35  ;  xci.  9.     Bengel. 
 
 It  is  the  answer,  made  by  an  ancient  father,  why  Cheist  should 
 speak  at  the  latter  day  to  those  upon  His  right  hand,  before 
 those  upon  His  left  hand ;  even  because  His  sweet  disposition 
 is  more  prone  to  mercy  and  favour,  than  to  wrath  and  anger ; 
 more  to  the  sentence,  that  giveth  joy,  than  to  that,  which 
 worketh  so  bitter  woe  ;  a  comfortable  consideration  for  our 
 fearing  souls,  if  we  often  think  of  it.  S.  Luke  i.  11 ;  xxiii.  33, 
 43  ;  S.  John  iii.  16—20  ;  Eom.  ii.  6 — 9.     Bp.  Babington. 
 
 Come,  ye  ^c. — He  speaks  not  to  some  few  Saints,  that  had 
 great  estates  to  bestow  on  charitable  uses  ;  but  to  all  His 
 Saints,  poor  as  well  as  rich  :  "  Je,"  that  is,  all  such,  as  had 
 bread,  ye  gave  it :  ye,  that  had  not  bread  or  money  to  give, 
 when  you  could  not  draw  out  your  purse,  you  "  drew  out  your 
 souls  to  the  hungry."  (Isa.  Ixii.  10.)  .  .  .  David's  good-will  in 
 desiring  to  build  the  Temple  was  as  much  in  God's  account, 
 as  if  he  had  done  it.  Many  shall  be  at  the  last  Day  rewarded 
 by  Cheist,  for  clothing  and  feeding  the  poor,  who,  when  on 
 earth,  had  neither  clothes  nor  food  to  give  ;  yet,  having  had  a 
 heart  to  give,  shall  be  reckoned  among  the  greatest  benefactors 
 to  the  poor.  S.  Mark  xii.  43,  44 ;  2  Cor.  viii.  12,  Gurnall. 
 (Christian  Armour,  ch.  xviii.  s.  4.) 
 
 What  can  be  uttered  more  sweetly,  than  "  Come  ?"  What  can 
 be  conceived  more  lamentable  and  more  awful,  than  "  Depart  ?" 
 These  are  two  such  words,  as  exceed,  the  one  in  Blessedness, 
 the  other  in  horror  all,  that  we  can  ever  hear.  Deut.  xxx.  15 — 
 20.     S.  Augustine.     (Soliloq.  c.  3.) 
 
 "He,  that  receiveth  a  prophet,  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward." 
 Therefore  too  he,  that  receiveth  Cheist,  shall  receive  the 
 reward  of  him,  who  has  Cheist  for  his  guest.  ..."  Thou  re- 
 ceivedst  Me,"  He  saith,  "into  thy  lodging  ;  I  will  receive  thee 
 into  the  kingdom  of  My  Patuee.  Thou  tookest  away  My 
 hunger  ;  I  take  away  thy  sins.     Thou  sawest  Me  bound  ;  I  see 
 
462  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  35—37. 
 
 thee  loosed.  Thou  sawest  Me  a  stranger;  I  make  thee  a 
 citizen  of  heaven.  Thou  gavest  Me  bread  ;  I  give  thee  an 
 entire  kingdom,  that  thou  mayest  inherit  and  possess  it !"  He 
 saith  not,  "  receive,"  but  inherit — the  word,  which  is  spoken 
 of  those,  who  have  possession  by  right  of  ownership.  ...  Of 
 thine  acts  indeed  I  say,  that  they  were  of  free  gift ;  but  Mine 
 are  of  debt.  x.  41 ;  Ps.  cxvii.  2  ;  Prov.  xix.  17  ;  Heb.  vi.  10. 
 S.  Chrysostom.     (Hom.  45  in  Acts  xxi.  1 — 17.) 
 
 35  For  I  was  an  hungred. — That  Abel  suffered,  that  Noah  saved 
 the  world,  that  Abraham  embraced  the  faith,  that  Moses  re- 
 ceived the  Law,  that  Peter  ascended  the  cross  with  his  head  to 
 the  ground  ;  all  this  GoD  passes  by  in  silence.  And  this,  this 
 alone  He  proclaims  aloud, — Quod  comedit  pauper  ! — that  "  the 
 poor  man  has  been  fed."  In  coelo  prima  est  esurientis  annona  ; 
 prima  stipendia  pauperis  tractantur  in  ccelo  ;  erogatio  pauperis 
 prima  Divinis  scribitur  in  diurnis.  In  heaven  the  hungry  man's 
 provision  stands  first  to  be  mentioned ;  in  heaven  the  contribu- 
 tions, made  to  the  poor  man,  are  the  first  to  be  settled ;  money, 
 laid  out  upon  the  poor  man,  is  the  first  item  in  the  Divine 
 register.  Blessed  is  he,  whose  name  is  read  over,  whensoever 
 the  account,  kept  of  the  poor  man,  is  audited  in  heaven  !  xix. 
 21 ;  S.  Luke  xiv.  14  ;  Prov.  xix.  17  ;  Ps.  cxii.  9.  Pet.  Ch-yso- 
 logus.     (Serm.  14.) 
 
 36  Probably  S.  Paul  had  an  eye  to  this  word  of  Chbist,  when, 
 upon  the  mention  of  the  kind  visits,  which  Onesiphorus  had 
 made  to  him  in  his  bonds  at  Rome,  he  prayed,  "  The  Loed 
 grant  unto  him,  that  he  may  find  mercy  of  the  Lord  in  that 
 Day  "  (2  Tim.  i.  18),  that  Day,  when  such  visits  shall  be  re- 
 membered, and  abundantly  recompensed  and  accounted  as  visits, 
 made  to  Cheist  Himself.     M.  Henry.     (Serm.  Acts  xv.  36.) 
 
 37  As  God  sees  such  sins  in  you,  as  you  cannot  see,  so  He  sees 
 such  graces  in  you,  as  you  cannot  perceive,  viii.  8 — 11 ;  xv.  26 
 — 29.     Bp.  J.  Taylor.     (Christian  Consolations,  ch.  i.) 
 
 Whoever  endeavours  to  do  all  the  good  he  can,  will  probably  do 
 much  more  than  he  imagines,  or  will  ever  know,  till  the  Day  of 
 Judgment,  when  "  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  shall  be  made  mani- 
 fest."    vi.  3,  4.     Bowdler. 
 
 Although  a  good  man  may  have  a  good  conscience,  whence  knoweth 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  37,  40.  463 
 
 he,  what  judgment  he  will  receive  from  Him,  whom  nought  can 
 deceive  ?  From  his  heart,  he  has  given  his  bread  to  the  hungry  ; 
 from  his  heart,  he  has  clothed  the  naked  ;  de  oleo  interiore,  from 
 an  inward  principle  of  goodness,  he  has  done  good  works  ;  et  in 
 isto  Judicio  trepidat  bona  conscientia,  and  yet  before  the  Tri- 
 bunal of  God,  his  conscience,  however  self-approving,  must 
 needs  take  the  alarm.  Job  xxiii.  15  ;  iv.  18  ;  Hab.  i.  13  ;  Prov. 
 xvi.  2  ;  Eom.  xiv.  1,  2  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  4,     S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  Christian's  worship  and  works  are  acts  of  faith  and  avail  to 
 his  salvation,  because  he  does  not  do  them,  as  availing.  Neh. 
 xiii.  14 — 22  ;  Ps.  Ixii.  12.     J.  H.  Newman. 
 
 40  In  our  own  body  the  head  is  above,  the  feet  are  upon  the 
 earth.  Tet,  in  any  throng  of  men,  when  any  one  treads  on 
 your  foot,  does  not  the  head  say,  "  Tou  are  treading  upon  me  .*"' 
 No  one  has  trodden  on  your  head,  nor  on  your  tongue ;  so 
 Cheist  the  Head,  which  no  one  treadeth  on,  saith,  7  was  an 
 hungred,  ^-c.    Acts  ix.  4 ;  vii.  55  ;  Heb.  xiii.  2.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 As  often  as  you  stretch  forth  your  hand  to  give  alms,  cogita 
 Christian,  think  of  Chkist.     x.  42  ;  Col.  iii.  17.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Oh !  who  would  not  be  a  giver,  when  God  is  the  receiver  ?  2  Cor. 
 V.  14,  15 ;  Heb.  vi.  10.     Bp.  Medley. 
 
 The  kingdom  of  heaven,  tantum  valet  quantum  hahueris,  is  tanta- 
 mount in  value  to  what  you  possess.  What  deed  so  common, 
 what  so  earthly,  as  to  break  bread  to  the  hungry  ?  Just  so 
 much  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  worth ;  for  it  is  written,  "  In- 
 herit the  kingdom,  &c."  The  widow  bought  it  for  two  mites. 
 Peter  bought  it  with  the  abandonment  of  his  nets.  Zacchseus 
 bought  it  by  giving  away  half  of  his  patrimony.  S.  Luke  xix. 
 8.     S.  Augustine.     (In  Ps.  xlix.) 
 
 Cum  tuba  magna  sonum  dederit,  cum  venerit  hora 
 
 Judicii,  inter  oves  da  mihi,  Christe,  locum. 
 Sis  mihi  sis  Jesus,  ne  me  nialedictio  tangat ; 
 Dulcis  in  ore  sonet  vox,  "  Benedicte,  veni .'" 
 
 Bietericus.     (ii.  581.) 
 
 41  Then  shall  He  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left 
 hand,  Depart  from  Me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire, 
 prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels : 
 
464  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  41. 
 
 42  For  I  was  an  hungred,  and  ye  gave  Me  no  meat : 
 I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  Me  no  drink : 
 
 43  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  Me  not  in :  naked, 
 and  ye  clothed  Me  not :  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye 
 visited  Me  not. 
 
 44  Then  shall  they  also  answer  Him,  saying,  Lord, 
 when  saw  we  Thee  an  hungred,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger, 
 or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did  not  minister 
 unto  Thee  ? 
 
 45  Then  shall  He  answer  them,  saying.  Verily  I 
 say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of 
 the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  Me. 
 
 46  And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
 ment :   but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal. 
 
 41  Then  shall  He  say,  ^c. — And  then,  straightway,  from  the  word 
 addressed  to  them,  Venite  regaliter,  "  Come,  as  kings,"  the  just 
 shall  sit  in  judgment  on  the  accursed,  xix.  28  ;  1  Cor.  vi.  3. 
 Bengel. 
 
 Now  if  the  fa-e  be  everlasting,  by  which  God  punisheth  the  re- 
 probates, if  the  punishment  inflicted  be  also  everlasting,  then 
 must  the  reprobates  everlastingly  subsist  to  endure  that  pun- 
 ishment ;  otherwise,  there  would  be  a  punishment  inflicted,  and 
 none  endured,  which  is  a  contradiction.  Nay,  the  life  eternal 
 may  as  well  be  aflBrmed  to  have  an  end,  as  the  everlasting  pun- 
 ishment, because  they  are  both  delivered  in  the  same  expression 
 (alwvio^).  iii.  12 ;  x.  28 ;  xiii.  30 ;  xviii.  34.  Bp.  Pearson. 
 (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art.  7.) 
 
 In  uno  igne  peccatores  omnia  supplicia  sentiunt  in  inferno.  Hell 
 fire  comprises  all  the  sinner's  final  suffering.  S.  Luke  xvi.  24. 
 S.  Jerome.     (1  Ep.  ad  Pamraachum.) 
 
 By  these  words  are  denoted  the  separation  from  God,  the  curse  of 
 God,  fire  and  eternity.  Behold  in  four  words  what  Hell  is ; — 
 to  be  separated  from  God,  to  be  accursed  of  God,  to  be  con- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  41,  42.  465 
 
 demned  to  fire,  and  that  for  ever.  Dr.  Gobinet.  (Instruction 
 of  Youth,  &c..  Vol.  ii.  P.  ii.  Ch.  8.) 
 
 Go,  ambitious  souls,  and  leave  your  honourable  titles  all  behind 
 you  ;  go,  and  seek  the  best  preferment,  you  can  find,  "  among 
 the  devil  and  his  angels,"  Go,  insatiable  misers,  go,  and  take 
 possession  of  that  misery,  which  you  have  purchased  with  the 
 loss  of  your  beloved  treasure.  Go,  voluptuous  wretches,  you 
 who  have  formerly  wished  your  flames  might  ever  burn  ;  go 
 now,  and  burn  for  ever  in  the  everlasting  flames  of  hell.  v.  28 
 —30 ;  xvi.  26.     A  Contrite  heart.     (P.  iii.  s.  2.) 
 
 It  wearies  us,  do  we  only  hear  of  the  doctrine  of  "  taking  up  the 
 cross ;"  but  the  weight  of  this  Sentence  of  Christ  !  How 
 shall  we  bear  it  ?     Jer.  xii.  5.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 4i2  If  he  is  cast  into  the  flames,  who  refused  to  give  bread  to  the 
 hungry  man,  where  will  his  portion  be,  who  took  it,  and  ap- 
 propriated it  to  himself?  1  Cor.  vi.  8;  S.  James  v.  1 — 6.  S. 
 Augustine.     (Serm.  de  Sanctis,  38.) 
 
 43  In  order  to  our  final  doom  and  sentence,  there  needs  but  this 
 one  inquiry,  whether  we  were  charitable  or  uncharitable  ?  Por 
 a  man,  who  is  possessed  with  a  true  Divine  Charity,  has  all 
 Christian  graces.  A  man,  who  has  not  this  Divine  principle, 
 has  no  good  in  him ;  and  that  is  enough  to  condemn  him,  with- 
 out inquiring  what  evil  he  has  done.  Kom.  xiii.lO;  1  S.  John 
 iii.  17 — 22.     Dean  Sherlock.     (On  a  future  judgment,  ch.  6.) 
 
 How  could  our  Saviour  command  this  particular  Law  of  the 
 Christian  Religion,  which  binds  this  duty  upon  you,  more  ex- 
 pressly, than  by  giving  you  to  understand,  that  we  shall  cer- 
 tainly perish,  if  we  neglect  it  ?  How  could  He  command  it 
 with  greater  force,  than  by  enjoining  it  upon  the  greatest 
 penalty  ;  which  is  eternal  misery  ?  He  doth  not  content  Him- 
 self to  say,  in  general  terms,  that  we  ought  to  relieve  the  poor ; 
 but  He  descends  to  the  particulars  of  their  wants,  which  we  are 
 obliged  to  consider.  And,  to  take  from  us  all  hope  of  im- 
 punity, He  hath  enacted  the  Law  by  the  Porm  of  a  Sentence ; 
 to  make  us  comprehend,  that  to  contradict  (disobey)  it  and  to 
 be  condemned  for  it  was  the  same  thing,  xxvi.  11 ;  S.  Luke 
 xvi.  20,  21,  23  ;  S.  James  ii.  6.  It.  Nelson.  (Eeflectious  upon 
 the  necessity  and  excellency  of  Christian  beneficence.) 
 
466  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  44—46. 
 
 44  They  did  not  think  that  Cheist  had  been  shut  in  prison  with 
 John  the  Baptist ;  or,  that  He  had  begged  in  Lazarus.  (See  S. 
 Luke  vii.  46.     /.  F.)     Farindon.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  ii.  25.) 
 
 Many  accustom  themselves  to  think  that  they  shall  be  judged, 
 simply  by  what  they  on  the  whole  become,  not  by  all  the  several 
 actions  of  their  lives,  xii.  36  ;  xviii.  33  ;  Ps.  1.  21 ;  Eccl.  xii. 
 14.     Dr.  Pusey. 
 
 Without  doubt,  the  particular  actions  of  our  life  will  then  be 
 brought  forward.     Obad.  10 — 15.     Bengel. 
 
 45  They  are  not  charged  with  injustice,  but  for  want  of  mercy. 
 "Not  for  oppressing,"  saith  S.  Basil,  "  but  for  not  relieving, 
 tbey  are  judged  and  condemned."  And,  non  quia  casti,  aut 
 justi,  sed  quia  misericordes,  saith  S.  Chrysostom  ;  'tis  the  virtue 
 of  pity,  that  is  mainly  required,  v.  7  ;  2  Sam.  xxii.  26  ;  Ps.  xii. 
 1.     Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm,  xvi.  33.) 
 
 I  believe  that  the  punishment,  which  shall  be  inflicted  on  them, 
 shall  be  proportionate  to  their  sins,  as  a  recompense  of  their 
 demerits,  so  that  no  man  shall  suffer  more,  than  he  hath  de- 
 served ;  that  they  shall  be  tormented  with  a  pain  of  loss,  the 
 loss  from  God,  from  whose  Presence  they  are  cast  out;  the 
 pain  from  themselves,  in  a  despair  of  enjoying  Him,  and  regret 
 for  losing  Him  ;  that  they,  farther,  shall  be  tormented  with  the 
 pain  of  sense,  inflicted  on  them  by  the  wrath  of  God,  which 
 abideth  upon  them,  represented  unto  us  by  a  lake  of  fire  ;  that 
 their  persons  shall  continue  for  ever  in  this  remediless  con- 
 dition, under  an  everlasting  pain  of  loss,  because  there  is  no 
 hope  of  heaven  ;  under  an  eternal  pain  of  sense,  because  there 
 is  no  means  to  appease  the  wrath  of  God,  which  abideth  on 
 them.  S.  John  iii.  36  ;  Heb.  x.  26—31 ;  Eev.  xxi.  8  ;  xxii.  15. 
 Bp.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of  the  Creed,  Art,  7.) 
 
 46  Isa.  xxxiii.  14  ;  Dan.  xii.  2  ;  S.  Matt,  xviii.  8  ;  S.  Mark  iii.  29  ; 
 Heb.  vi.  2  ;  S,  Jude  13,  Were  these  expressions  thrown  out 
 only  to  frighten  us  into  our  duty  with  false  terrors  ?  Doth 
 God,  who  forbids  us  to  "  do  evil,  that  good  may  come  of  it," 
 use  equivocal  words  and  pious  frauds,  in  order  to  make  us 
 honest  men,  and  lovers  of  truth  ?  .  .  .  Who  expects  eternal  hap- 
 piness on  any  other  footing,  than  God's  promise  ?  And  hath 
 he  not  the  menaces  of  God  to  fill  him  with  the  dread  of  eternal 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  46.  467 
 
 punishment,  couched  in  the  same  terms,  as  to  its  duration  ? 
 V.  18 ;  Eom.  vi.  23.     Skelton.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 If  you  look  at  the  ways  of  the  world,  you  would  hardly  think  that 
 Christians  had  ever  read  this  part  of  Scripture.  1  Cor.  xv.  32. 
 Win.  Law.     (Serious  call,  ch.  6.) 
 
 I  believe  that  they,  who  have  their  part  in  this  E-esurrection,  shall 
 *'  meet  the  Loed  in  the  air,"  and,  when  the  Blessed  sentence 
 is  pronounced  upon  them,  they  shall  for  "  ever  be  with  the 
 Lord,"  in  joys  "  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  Gob  shall 
 "  wipe  all  tears  from  their  eyes,"  there  shall  be  no  fear  of  sor- 
 row, no  mourning  or  death  ;  a  friend  shall  never  go  away  from 
 thence,  and  an  enemy  shall  never  enter  ;  there  shall  be  fulness 
 without  want ;  light  eternal,  brighter  than  the  sun  ;  day  and  no 
 night ;  joy  and  no  weeping ;  difference  in  degree,  and  yet  all 
 full :  there  shall  be  love  without  dissimulation,  excellency  with- 
 out envy,  multitudes  without  confusion,  music  without  discord: 
 there  the  understandings  are  rich,  the  will  is  satisfied,  the  affec- 
 tions are  all  love  and  all  joy  :  and  they  shall  reign  with  God 
 and  Cheist  for  ever  and  ever.  Eev.  vii.  14 — 17  ;  xxi.  1 — 5  ; 
 22—27 ;  xxii.  1—6,  14,  16,  17.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (The  Golden 
 Grove,  Credenda.) 
 
 Everlasting.  Eternal. — As,  in  the  original,  one  term  is  employed 
 to  express  the  same  thing,  the  Endless  duration  of  time,  it  is  diffi- 
 cult to  account  for  the  introduction  into  the  translation  of  a 
 second  word  seemingly  injurious  to  the  simplicity  of  the  text ; 
 unless  it  is  meant  to  convey  a  distinction  here  on  this  most 
 solemn  and  awful  subject.  And  the  distinction  may  be  this ; 
 that  Eternal  has  a  retrospective  sense,  as  applying  to  some- 
 thing, which  has  always  existed;  whereas  Everlasting  points 
 only  to  an  endless  duration  of  time  for  the  future.  According 
 to  this  view,  the  expression  in  Ps.  xciii.  8  has  been  pointed  out, 
 as  not  strictly  correct,  "Thou  axtfrom  everlasting."  In  a  doc- 
 trinal sense,  the  distinction  is  certainly  important.  The  joys 
 of  the  righteous  have  been  prepared  from  Eternity,  from  the 
 foundation  of  the  world  ;  whereas  the  punishments  of  the  wicked 
 had  their  beginning  in  time,  being  the  effect  of  man's  sin.  The 
 latter  are  not  properly  Eternal,  but  everlasting.  (Eefer.  xix. 
 8.     Lord  Bacon.)     J.  F. 
 
 u   H   2 
 
468  S.  MATTHEW  XXV.  46. 
 
 O  merciful  Jestj,  how  desirous  art  Thou  that  we  should  be  happy 
 in  loving  Thee,  when  Thou  hast  created  Hell  on  purpose  to 
 deter  us  from  hating  Thee,  and  Heaven  to  compel  us  to  love 
 Thee :  and  therefore  all  love,  all  glory  be  to  Thee !  .  .  .  O  Thou 
 great  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  do  Thou  daily  increase 
 my  faith  and  heighten  my  love!  0  grant  that,  in  the  holy 
 ardours  of  love  to  Love  crucified,  my  love  may  at  last  ascend  to 
 the  region  of  Love,  that  I  may  have  nothing  to  do,  to  all 
 eternity,  but  to  praise  and  love  Thee.  Amen.  0  Infinite  Love  ! 
 Amen,  Amen.  Bp.  Ken.  (Expos,  of  the  Church  Catechism.) 
 Felices  animae,  quas  fratrura  flexit  egestas. 
 
 Pauperies  totum  fenerat  ilia  Deum. 
 Quae  sitiens  quondam  petiit  Sibi  pocula  Christus, 
 
 Prsebuit  ilia  libeus  pocula  vester  amor. 
 Praabuit  ille  dapes,  nudosque  investiit  artus, 
 
 Primaque  laus  segris  condoluisse  fuit. 
 Nunc  vos  turba  domes  Superum  sedesque  beatas, 
 
 Scandite,  et  Angelicis  vivite  mixta  choris  .  . 
 At  vos  immites,  agrestia  pectora,  turbse. 
 
 Qui  miserum  surda  spernitis  aure  preces, 
 Ite  procul :  vos  Tartarei  domus  atra  profundi, 
 
 Yos  manet  inferni  tristior  aula  dei. 
 Sic  fuit,  et  totus  meritis  discernitur  orbis, 
 Quosque  capit  fines,  hos  sine  fine  capit. 
 
 BarlcEus.     (Eleg.  Lib.  i.  21.) 
 
 A 
 
 CHAPTER  XXVI. 
 
 ND  it  came  to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  finished  all 
 these  sayings.  He  said  unto  His  disciples, 
 
 2  Ye  know  that  after  two  days  is  the  feast  of  the 
 passover,  and  the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed  to  be  cru- 
 cified. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  1,  7, 
 
 469 
 
 3  Then  assembled  together  the  chief  priests,  and 
 the  scribes,  and  the  elders  of  the  people,  unto  the 
 palace  of  tlie  high  priest,  who  was  called  Caiaphas. 
 
 4  And  consulted  that  they  might  take  Jesus  by 
 subtilty,  and  kill  Him. 
 
 5  But  they  said,  Not  on  the  feast  day,  lest  there 
 be  an  uproar  among  the  people. 
 
 6  Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the  house 
 of  Simon  the  leper, 
 
 7  There  came  unto  Him  a  woman  having  an  ala- 
 baster box  of  very  precious  ointment,  and  poured  it 
 on  His  head,  as  He  sat  at  meat. 
 
 8  But  when  His  disciples  saw  it,  they  had  indigna- 
 tion, saying,  To  what  purpose  is  this  waste  ? 
 
 9  For  this  ointment  might  have  been  sold  for  much, 
 and  given  to  the  poor. 
 
 1  When  Jesus  had  finished,  &c. — After  the  discourse  of  Hia  coming 
 
 again  in  glory.  He  reminds  them  of  His  approaching  sufferings. 
 
 that  they  might  trace  the  connection  between  the  mystery  of 
 
 the  Cross  and  the  glories  of  Eternity,     xvii.  1,  2,  12  ;  S.  Luke 
 
 xxiv.  26  ;  IS.  Pet.  v.  1,  6.     S.  Hilars/. 
 7  In  my  opinion   there  were   three    women   (who  anointed  the 
 
 Loed),  one,   of  whom   Matthew   and   Mark  speak;    another, 
 
 mentioned  by  Luke ;   a  third,  by  John.     S.  Mark  xiv.  3  ;   S. 
 
 Luke  vii.  37  ;  S.  John  xi.  2  ;  xii.  3.     Origen. 
 It  is  the  same  woman,  of  whom  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke  write  ; 
 
 but  she,  of  whom  John  speaks,  was  the  sister  of  Lazarus.     S. 
 
 Chrr/sostom. 
 She,  who  poured  the  ointment  on  His  feet,  is  a  different  person 
 
 from  her,  who  anointed  His  head,*     S.  Jerome. 
 
 *  For  an  able  consideration  of  these 
 difficulties,  and  also  a  complete  vindi- 
 cation  of  the  character  of  S.  Mary 
 
 Magdalene  from  the  common  but 
 groundless  charge  of  her  having  been 
 "the    sinner,"     the   meretrix,    who 
 
470  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  7,  8. 
 
 The  great  uncertainty,  attending  the  endeavours  of  the  learned 
 to  identify  this  woman,  may  at  least  teach  us  this  useful  les- 
 son; not  to  have  "men's  persons  in  admiration"  (S.  Jude  16,) 
 but  rather  to  withdraw  our  eyes  from  the  creature,  and  to 
 "  look  unto  Jesus  :"  (atpopwv,  Heb.  xii.  1)  for  here  all  is  sure. 
 Let  our  thoughts  too  be  fixed,  not  so  much  on  the  particular 
 person,  as  on  her  one  object  of  dutiful  and  earnest  affection  ; 
 on  the  costly  act  of  her  faith  and  love  ;  on  its  acceptance  and 
 blessed  reward.  Her  name  is  little  to  us ;  her  deed  is  every- 
 thing. She  is  "  unknown,  and  yet  well  known."  The  durable 
 monument  of  her  piety  stands  before  the  Church  in  all  ages,  as 
 a  living  example,  teaching  us  to  sympathize  with  the  Loud  in 
 His  sufferings,  and  openly  to  honour  Him,  what  time  He  is 
 "  rejected  of  men  ;"  to  anoint  with  our  good  works  Cheist's 
 representatives,  the  poor,  whom  we  have  always  with  us  ;  and  to 
 cause  the  sweet  savour  of  our  faith  and  love  so  to  be  diffused 
 around  us,  that  others  may  go  and  do  likewise,  "  to  the  praise 
 and  glory  of  God."  v.  16;  xxv.  40,  41 ;  Prov.  xxxi.  30,  31 ; 
 Acts  ix.  48.     J.  F. 
 
 On  His  head. — Interstitii  mora  inter  pedes  et  caput  esse  debet. 
 Some  pause,  or  interval,  should  be  observed  between  the  ap- 
 proach to  His  feet,  (S.  Luke  vii.  38,)  and  thence  to  His  head ; 
 because  h  vestigiis  ad  verticem  transvolare,  to  soar  at  once,  from 
 the  traces  of  the  Lord's  feet  to  His  crowning  height,  would  be 
 a  bound  most  diflBcult  and  even  presumptuous.  Mary  anointed 
 the  sacred  Head  of  the  Loed,  as  one,  in  truth,  who  was  now 
 chosen,  and,  jam  familiaris,  admitted  into  terms  of  favour.  S. 
 John  viii.  31,  32  ;  S.  Luke  xxii.  28,  29 ;  Hos.  vi.  3.  S.  Ber- 
 nard. 
 
 8  They  had  indignation,  8^c. — Never,  O  Loed,  let  us  murmur  at 
 what's  bestowed  on  Thee  by  others  ;  nor  be  discouraged,  when 
 they  censure  us  for  what  we  bestow  on  Thee  ourselves.     Thou 
 
 anointed  our  Blessed  Saviour's  feet  if  the  word  '*  sinner  "  means  a  prosti- 
 
 in  the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  tute,  there  is  no  reason,  but  such  as  is 
 
 and  again,  as   some  suppose,  here  in  grounded  on  legend  and  tradition,  to 
 
 the  house  of    Simon   the    leper,  the  1   consider  it,  as  belonging  to  S.  Mary 
 
 reader  is  referred  to  the  Life  of  Bp.  Magdalene. 
 
 Heber,  by  his  widow,  ch.  14.     Even  ' 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  8—10. 
 
 471 
 
 gavest  us  all  we  have  ;  'tis  fit  we  restore  Thee  some  part  of 
 Thine  own.  Never  let  us  envy  the  good  works  of  others,  nor 
 seek  pretences  to  undervalue  their  merit.  Let  us  not  use  re- 
 ligion, as  a  cloak  of  iniquity  ;  nor  oifer  our  God  "  that,  which 
 costs  us  nothing."  Thou  gavest  us  all  we  have  ;  'tis  fit  we 
 restore  Thee  some  part  of  Thine  own.  S.  Luke  xv.  28  ;  1  Cor. 
 iv.  7.  Aiistin.  (Medit.  207.) 
 Every  thing  we  have  is  too  good  for  us,  if  we  think  anything  we 
 have  too  good  for  Hira.     xiii.  44,  46.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 9  Judas  tells  us,  it  would  do  better  for  the  poor.  But,  had  he 
 had  the  selling  of  the  ointment  then,  or  when  some  of  his  dis- 
 ciples had  the  selling  of  it  since,  were  the  poor  ever  the  better 
 for  it?  "Were  not  thousands  sent  a  begging  by  it?*  Surely 
 be,  that  can  be  content  to  see  the  Church  in  ruins,  will  not 
 much  pass  to  see  the  poor  in  rags.  He,  that  envies  the  Church- 
 man's wealth,  will  never  pity  the  poor  man's  want ;  and  he, 
 that  one  time  sells  the  Church,  will  next  sell  the  poor,  if  he 
 can  get  by  him.     Dr.  Mark  Frank.     (Serm.  Nehem.  xiii.  14.) 
 
 10  When  Jesus  understood  it,  He  said  unto  them, 
 Why  trouble  ye  the  woman  ?  for  she  hath  wrought  a 
 good  work  upon  Me. 
 
 1 1  For  ye  have  the  poor  always  with  you ;  but  Me 
 ye  have  not  always. 
 
 12  For  in  that  she  hath  poured  this  ointment  on 
 My  body,  she  did  it  for  My  burial. 
 
 13  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Wheresoever  this  gospel 
 shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  there  shall  also 
 this,  that  this  woman  hath  done,  be  told  for  a  memo- 
 rial of  her. 
 
 10  A  good  work,  in  general,  is  a  holy  or  gracious  action,  to  the 
 making  up  of  which  these  four  things  are  necessary :  1.  The 
 
 *  All  allusion  probably  to  the  sale 
 of  religious  Houses  at  the  time  of  the 
 Reformation,  and  to   the  sacrilegious 
 
 violence  done  to  our  Churches  by  the 
 Puritans. 
 
472  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  11, 
 
 principle  must  be  good,  from  which  it  proceeds  ;  it  must  be  from 
 an  honest  and  upright  heart,  from  a  pure  conscience,  from  faith 
 unfeigned.  2.  The  matter  must  be  good.  3.  It  must  be  well 
 done.  4.  It  must  be  done  to  the  glory  of  God.  S.  Mark  vii. 
 37  ;  Eom.  xiv.  16  ;  Eev.  iii.  2.  Sir  M.  Hale.  (Find.  Pietatis.) 
 11  Te  have  the  poor  always  with  you. — Though  we  assert  not  an 
 equality  of  worldly  riches  from  any  decree,  either  of  God  or 
 nature,  find  not  any  statute  of  TravTo.  Koiva,  any  law  of  com- 
 munity, but  those  in  Plato's  institutions,  and  those  never  com- 
 mitted to  practice  in  any  one  city  in  the  world  ....  Yet  I  may 
 suppose  it  for  a  granted  maxim,  that  the  extreme  inequality,  that 
 is  now  so  illustriously  visible  in  the  world,  is  not  any  act  of 
 nature's  primary  intention,  or  God's  first  and  general  Provi- 
 dence ....  Satan  and  covetousness  brought  it  into  the  world  ; 
 and  then,  God  finding  it  there,  (whose  glorious  attribute  it  is 
 to  extract  good  out  of  evil,  as  He  did  once  a  aunrjp  out  of  an 
 aTToWvwv,)  by  His  particular  Providence,  ordered  and  continued 
 this  eff"ect  of  some  men's  covetousness,  to  become  matter  of 
 others'  bounty  ....  and  so  ex  his  lapidibus,  out  of  these  stones, 
 out  of  the  extreme  want  and  necessity  of  our  brethren,  to  raise 
 trophies  and  monuments  of  virtue  to  us  ....  So  that  now  we 
 may  define  it  an  act  of  God's  infinite  Goodness  to  permit, 
 thouo-h  before  we  could  not  allow  it  to  be  reconcilable  with  His 
 infinite  Justice  to  decree,  the  extreme  inequality  of  earthly  por- 
 tions ....  that  thou,  by  thy  wealth,  mayest  be  that  Elijah,  sent 
 from  heaven  to  the  famishing  forlorn  widow  ;  that  GoD-like 
 man,  dropt  out  of  the  clouds  to  her  relief.  ....  Admirable, 
 therefore,  was  that  contrivance  of  God's  mercy  and  wisdom, 
 mentioned  to  the  Jews,  not  as  a  threatening,  but  a  promise  of 
 grace,  one  of  the  privileges  and  blessings  of  Canaan ;  The  poor 
 shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land  (Deut.  xv.  11),  that  thou  mayest 
 always  have  something  to  do  with  thy  wealth,  some  sluice  to 
 exhaust  thy  plenty,  some  hungry  leech  to  open  a  vein  and  pre- 
 vent the  access  of  thy  fever You  see  then  the  pedigree 
 
 and  genealogy  of  almsgiving,  how  it  came  into  the  world. 
 Covetousness,  and  oppression,  and  rapine,  brought  in  empti- 
 ness, beggary,  and  want :  then  God's  Providence  and  goodness, 
 finding  it  in  the  world,  resolves  to  continue  it  there,  to  employ 
 
S,  MATTHEW  XXVI.  11—13.  473 
 
 the  treasures  and  exercise  the  charity  of  others.  Prov.  xiii.  31 ; 
 xxii.  2 ;  S.  Mark  vii.  37.  Dr.  Hammond.  (Serm.  Deut.  xxvi. 
 12,13.) 
 There  is  no  contradiction  between  our  Loed's  declaration  here 
 and  at  xxviii.  20.  As  we  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
 Christ  is  "with  us  always,"  to  Bless  His  own  Ordinances  to 
 the  good  of  our  souls  ;  but,  in  our  private  walk  and  experience, 
 as  Christians,  the  Bridegroom  at  times  seems  to  be  taken  away 
 from  us.  Nevertheless,  the  "poor  are  always  with  us.  Whatever 
 be  our  religious  feelings,  the  plain  practical  duties  of  life,  espe- 
 cially the  works  of  charity  and  mercifulness,  may  and  must  be 
 alway  attended  to.  (See  a  like  lesson  taught,  S.  John  ii.  4,  5.) 
 J.F. 
 
 12  The  end  of  funeral  duties  is  to  show  that  love  towards  the 
 party  deceased,  which  nature  requireth ;  then  to  do  him  that 
 honour,  which  is  fit  both  generally  for  man,  and  particularly  for 
 the  quality  of  his  person ;  last  of  all,  to  testify  the  care,  which 
 the  Church  hath  to  comfort  the  living,  and  the  hope,  which  we 
 all  have,  concerning  the  Resurrection  from  the  dead.  2  Sam. 
 XV.  80 ;  S.  Luke  vii.  12 ;  S.  John  xi.  38  ;  xiv.  12  ;  Jer.  xvi.  7 ; 
 Gen.  xxiii.     Hooker.     (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  v.  s.  75.) 
 
 She  did  it  for  My  burial. — If  we  were  to  send  a  son,  or  a  friend, 
 to  take  possession  of  any  place  in  court,  or  foreign  parts,  we 
 would  send  him  out  in  best  equipage.  Let  us  not  grudge  to 
 set  down  our  friends  in  the  antechamber  of  heaven,  the  grave, 
 in  as  good  a  manner,  as  without  vain-gloriousuess  and  wasteful- 
 ness we  may.     Dr.  Donne.     (Serm.  S.  John  xi.  21.) 
 
 It  is  no  wonder  so  holy  a  life  should  have  so  happy  an  end.  "Mark 
 the  perfect  man  and  behold  the  upright :  for  the  end  of  that 
 man  is  peace."  This  precious  Saint  had  made  her  bed,  before 
 she  was  to  lie  down  on  it.  Long  had  she  been  gathering  these 
 spices  (graces,  I  mean)  for  her  dying  rest,  in  the  sweet  odours 
 of  which  she  at  last  so  holily  and  peaceably  breathed  forth  her 
 gracious  soul  into  the  arms  of  her  beloved  Satioite.  Job  xiv. 
 14  ;  Amos  iv.  12  ;  Acts  ix.  39  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  31.  Gurnall.  (Dedica- 
 tion to  the  Sermon  preached  at  the  Funeral  of  Lady  Mary  Vere.) 
 
 13  Wheresoever,  8(c. — An  argument  this  for  the  truth  of  Christia- 
 nity.  No  king  can  purchase,  with  all  his  wealth,  immortality  to 
 
474  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  13,  15. 
 
 any  one  action  of  his  life.     Ps.  xlix.  10 — 13  ;  cxii.  6  ;  Gen.  xi. 
 
 4  ;  Deut.  vi.  20 ;  S.  Luke  i.  48.     Bengel. 
 XJngentes  ungentur.    None  shall  seek  ever  to  anoint  the  Loed,  but 
 
 they  shall  be  anointed  by  Him  again,  one  way,  or  other,     v.  7  ; 
 
 1  Sam.  ii.  30 ;  lleb.  vi.  10.     Bp.  Andrewes.     (Serm.  S.  Mark 
 
 xvi.  1—7.) 
 If  the  acts  of  duty  and  care,  which  we  perform  towards  the  bodies 
 
 of  the  dead,  are  not  forgotten  before  God,  how  great  must  be 
 
 the  reward  of  our  alms,  when  done  to  the  living  ?    xxv.  34 — 40. 
 
 S.  Augustine.     (De  Civit.  Lib.  i.  S.  13.) 
 
 14  Then  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Judas  Iscariot, 
 went  unto  the  chief  priests, 
 
 15  And  said  unto  them.  What  will  ye  give  me,  and 
 I  will  deliver  Him  unto  you  ?  And  they  covenanted 
 with  him  for  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 
 
 16  And  from  that  time  he  sought  opportunity  to 
 betray  Him. 
 
 17  Now  the  first  day  of  the  feast  of  unleavened 
 bread  the  disciples  came  to  Jesus,  saying  unto  Him, 
 Where  wilt  Thou  that  we  prepare  for  Thee  to  eat  the 
 passover  ? 
 
 18  And  He  said,  Go  into  the  city  to  such  a  man,  and 
 say  unto  him,  The  Master  saith.  My  time  is  at  hand  :  I 
 will  keep  the  passover  at  thy  house  with  My  disciples. 
 
 19  And  the  disciples  did  as  Jesus  had  appointed 
 them  ;  and  they  made  ready  the  passover. 
 
 15  O  miserable  merchant,  who  prizest  Him  at  thirty  pence,  who 
 cannot  be  prized !  Him,  I  say,  in  comparison  of  whom  all  pre- 
 cious things  in  the  whole  world  are  of  no  price  at  all.  O  Holy 
 Mother  of  God,  come  thou  to  tl)is  sale  of  thy  Blessed  Son,  and 
 let  them  buy  Him  of  thee  ;  because  thine  He  is,  and  not  this 
 false  thief's,  who  selleth  that,  which  is  none  of  his.  Then  would 
 it  soon  appear  how  much  thou  wouldest  add  unto  the  price,  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  15—17.  475 
 
 how  much  thine  estimation  of  this  inestimable  Jewel  difFereth 
 from  that  of  their's.  And  thou,  unhappy  Judas,  if  covetousness 
 of  money  doth  cause  thee  thus  to  sell  Cheist,  why  dost  thou 
 sell  Him  to  His  enemies,  since  His  friends  would  buy  Him  of 
 thee  at  a  far  dearer  rate  ?  Eor  how  much,  thinkest  thou,  that 
 Lazarus  would  give  thee,  rather  than  thou  shouldest  sell  Him 
 to  His  enemies  ?  How  much  Martha  ?  How  much  Magdalen  ? 
 But  how  much  more  His  blessed  Mother  than  they  all,  desolate 
 by  this  means  of  all  comfort,  and  whom  the  loss  concerneth 
 most  ?  xiii.  44 ;  Ps.  Ixxiii.  25  ;  S.  Luke  ii.  35 ;  Phil.  iii.  8,  9. 
 (Life  of  Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and  others,  Ch.  51.) 
 Profit  and  commodity  is  a  lure,  that  calls  the  greatest  part  of  the 
 world  after  it.  Most  of  the  bargains,  which  the  world  makes, 
 are  copied  out,  according  to  that  pattern,  which  Judas  gave  at 
 the  betraying  of  Cheist.  This  question,  What  will  ye  give  me  ? 
 is  the  preface  and  way  into  all  our  actions.  Judg.  xvi.  5  ;  Phil, 
 ii.  21 ;  1  Tim.  vi.  5.     J.  Hales.     (Serm.  i.  on  1  Tim.  iv.  8.) 
 
 16  From  that  time. — Oh,  stay,  my  soul,  at  the  first  step  down- 
 wards ;  else  every  pace  will  increase  thy  speed,  till  thou  comest 
 to  the  bottom.  Oh,  stay,  my  soul,  at  the  first  step  in  sin ;  for 
 thou  knowest  not,  where  the  second  will  lead  thee.  Verses  70, 
 74  ;  S.  Luke  iii.  19  ;  2  Tim.  iii.  13.     Austin,     (Medit.  242.) 
 
 He  sought  cpportunity . — How  many  instances  there  are,  in  which 
 persons  manifestly  go  through  more  pain,  and  self-denial  to 
 gratify  a  vicious  passion,  than  would  have  been  necessary  to  the 
 conquest  of  it.  To  this  it  is  to  be  added,  that,  when  virtue  is 
 become  habitual,  when  the  temper  of  it  is  acquired,  what  was 
 before  confinement  ceases  to  be  so,  by  becoming  choice  and  de- 
 light.    Isa.  V.  18  ;  Wisd.  v.  7 ;  Prov,  ii.  10.     Bp.  Butler. 
 
 17  Where  wilt  Thou,  ^c. — How  significant  the  juxtaposition ! 
 How  striking  the  contrast !  Light  and  darkness,  life  and  death, 
 are  here  set  before  us !  The  heart  of  the  true  Christian  is  in 
 Cheist  and  in  the  Ordinances  of  His  Church  ;  Where  wilt  Thou 
 that  we  prepare  for  Thee  to  eat  the  Passover  ?  The  heart  of  the 
 false  disciple  is  in  himself  and  in  his  covetousness ;  What  will 
 ye  give  me,  and  I  will  deliver  Him  unto  you  P  Which  of  these  two 
 is  the  question  of  our  hearts  ?  Jer.  xxii.  17  ;  Ps.  cxix.  36;  S. 
 John  vi.  68,  69  :  Eom.  xiv.  7—9.     J.  F. 
 
476  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  17,  20. 
 
 Prepare  for  Thee. — Jesus  is  like  a  householder,  in  the  midst  of 
 the  family  of  His  disciples.  S.  John  xvii.  12  ;  x.  3,  4.  Bengel. 
 This  then  is  the  right  preparation  for  Passion  Week ;  to  think 
 seriously  of  our  sins,  which  were  the  cause  of  Cheist's  suffer- 
 ings, to  sorrow  over  them,  and  to  repent  of  them.  And  there- 
 fore Lent  is  appointed  by  the  Church  to  be  a  season  of  humilia- 
 tion, and  mortification,  and  penance  ;  that  by  passing  through 
 this  "strait  gate"  we  may  be  prepared  to  receive  the  pardon  of 
 the  sins,  of  which  we  have  repented,  declared  to  us  from  the 
 Cross  of  Chkist.  Isa.  xxvi.  20;  Zech.  xii.  10 — 14;  1  S.  Pet. 
 V.  6.     A.  W.  Hare.     (Serm.  Eom.  vii.  23.) 
 
 O !  terque  quaterque 
 Pelices,  quos  Pestarum  clangore  tubarum 
 Ad  Tua  Sacra  vocas  ;  quos  Sacri  lumine  vultus 
 Illustras,  hilaresque  Tui  sub  Nominis  umbra 
 Custodis  :  bonitate  Tua  super  sethera  vectis 
 Das  vires,  decus,  imperium ! 
 
 Buchanan.     (Ps.  Ixxxix.) 
 
 20  Now  when  the  even  was  come,  He  sat  down 
 with  the  twelve. 
 
 21  And  as  they  did  eat,  He  said,  Verily  I  say  unto 
 you,  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  Me. 
 
 22  And  they  were  exceeding  sorrowful,  and  began 
 every  one  of  them  to  say  unto  Him,  Lord,  is  it  I  ? 
 
 23  And  He  answered  and  said,  He  that  dippeth  his 
 hand  with  Me  in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray  Me. 
 
 24  The  Son  of  Man  goeth  as  it  is  written  of  Him  ; 
 but  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom  the  Son  of  Man  is 
 betrayed  !  it  had  been  good  for  that  man  if  he  had  not 
 been  born. 
 
 25  Then  Judas,  which  betrayed  Him,  answered  and 
 said,  Master,  is  it  I  ?  He  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast 
 said. 
 
 20  Even  was  come  ....  sate  down — when  the  true  Sun  was  has- 
 
S.  M4TTHEW  XXVI.  20—22.  477 
 
 tening  to  his  decline.     For  then  was  He  procuring  for  His 
 Apostles  an  Eternal  rest ;  and  through  them  the  same  rest  to 
 others.     S.  John  xiv.  3  ;  xvii.  20 — 25  ;  Heb.  iv.  9.    Rabanus. 
 O  Lux  beata  Trinitas 
 Et  principalis  Unitas ! 
 Jam  sol  recedit  igneus, 
 Infunde  lumen  cordibus. 
 
 Te  mane  laudum  carmine, 
 Te  deprecamur  vespere, 
 Te  nostra  supplex  gloria 
 Per  cuncta  laudet  ssecula. 
 
 iS.  Ambrose.     (Hymni.  xi.) 
 
 21  One  of  you  shall  betray  Me. — The  Church  has  sometimes  been 
 allowed  a  little  tranquillity  by  the  Pagans ;  but  seldom,  or 
 never,  by  her  own  children.  Acts  xx.  30  ;  Gal.  v.  15 ;  2  Thess. 
 ii.  3 — 9  ;  Eev.  ii.  2.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 The  Church  will  never  fall  from  without ;  if  she  falls,  she  falls  from 
 within,     xii.  25  ;  xxiv.  12  ;  Isa.  liv.  17.     Bp.  Beveridge. 
 
 22  Exceeding  sorrowful. — A  loose  erroneous  professor  doth  the  devil 
 more  service,  than  a  whole  troop  of  such,  as  pretend  to  no  reli- 
 gion ....  Oh,  how  Christians  hang  down  their  heads  upon  the 
 scandal  of  any  of  their  company  ;  as  all  the  Patriarchs  were 
 troubled,  when  the  cup  was  found  in  one  of  their  sacks.  Gen. 
 xliv.  12,  13 ;  2  Cor.  vii.  8—16.  Gurnall.  (On  the  Christian's 
 Armour,  Ch.  5.) 
 
 Learn  thyself,  and  fear  thyself.  The  disciples  could  say,  "  Lord,  is 
 it  I,  that  shall  betray  Thee  ?"  Peter  did  not  ask,  "  Master,  is 
 it  John  ?"  nor  John,  '*  Master,  is  it  Thomas  ?"  But  every  one, 
 "  Is  it  I .'"'  True  indeed  I  have  a  deceitful  flesh,  a  revolting 
 heart,  a  traitor  in  my  bosom ;  it  may  as  soon  be  I,  as  another 
 person,  v.  35;  2  Kings  viii.  13  ;  Phil.  ii.  3;  Gal.  vi.  1.  Bp. 
 Reynolds. 
 
 God  hath  set  up  a  Court  in  man's  heart,  wherein  the  con- 
 science hath  the  office  both  of  informer,  accuser,  witness,  and 
 Judge.  And,  if  matters  were  well  carried  within  ourselves, 
 this  prejudging  would  be  a  preventing  of  future  judgment. 
 xiv.  2;  S.  John  viii.  9;  1  Cor.  xi.  31;  Titus  iii.  11.  Dr. 
 Sibbes. 
 
478  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  22—24. 
 
 The  best  men  know  that  they  are  very  far  from  what  they  ought 
 to  be ;  and  the  very  worst  think  that,  if  they  were  a  very  little 
 better,  they  should  be,  as  good,  as  they  need  be.     Froude. 
 
 The  humble,  in  proportion  as  he  grows  in  grace,  becomes  ever 
 continually  more  humble ;  and  the  more  he  approaches  to  be  a 
 Saint,  the  more  he  appx'ehends  himself  to  be  a  sinner.  Gren. 
 xviii.  27;  Ps.  xix.  12;  xlix.  18;  Dan.  ix.  1—10.  J.  H.  New- 
 man. 
 
 The  fearing  man  is  the  safest.  Prov.  xxiii.  17.  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 (Holy  Dying,  ch.  v.  s.  5.) 
 
 23  Judas  went  in  and  out  with  the  other  eleven  disciples,  just 
 like  one  of  them.  He,  as  they  did,  received  the  very  Supper  of 
 the  Lord.  Peter  and  Judas  ate  of  the  same  Bread.  What 
 therefore  is  our  Loed's  warning  to  His  Church,  in  thus  willing 
 that  among  the  Twelve  one  man  should  be  lost  ?  It  is  none 
 other,  than  that  we  should  tolerate  the  wicked,  so  as  never  to 
 rend  the  Body  of  Cheist  ?  Por,  though  Judas  could  associate 
 with  them,  yet  could  he  not  defile  them  by  his  company,  xiii. 
 24 — 31 ;  Acts  vi.  5  ;  Rev.  ii.  6,  15.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 24  No  sin,  ever  committed  by  man,  is  such,  as  any  other  man 
 may  not  also  commit,  si  Creator  desit,  if  the  Creator,  by  whom 
 man  was  made,  should  leave  him  to  himself.  Gen.  xx.  6 ;  1  Sam. 
 XXV.  26  ;  Ps.  xxvii.  11.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  unhappiness  of  that  man,  who  does 
 not  pursue  and  attain  that  end,  for  which  God  originally 
 created  him.  For  all  other  creatures,  whether  brutes,  or  plants, 
 or  inanimate  beings,  if  they  do  not  arrive  at  that  perfection, 
 which  by  the  law  of  nature  they  might  have  attained  to,  yet 
 suffer  no  punishment  thereby  upon  the  dissolution  of  their 
 beings.  But  man,  who  was  formed  for  the  highest  happiness, 
 inferior  only  in  degree  to  the  happiness  of  God  Himself,  if  He 
 deviates  from  his  chief  and  ultimate  end,  does  not  cease  to 
 exist;  but  lives  in  a  life  much  more  intolerable,  than  death 
 itself;  inasmuch  as  it  is  far  better  not  to  be  at  all,  than  to  be 
 wretched  for  ever.  The  consequence  is  undeniable ;  that  it  is 
 the  highest  instance  of  folly  for  any  man  not  to  prosecute  his 
 chief  happiness  ;  since  this  is  the  great  Dilemma  of  every  man 
 living,  either  to  be  eternally  happy  or   miserable,     xxv.   46 ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  24—26.  479 
 
 Deut.  xi.  26  ;  Ecclus.  vii.  36.     Card.  Bellarmine.     (The  Art  of 
 
 dying  well,  B.  ii.  ch.  12.) 
 Woe  unto  that  man,  8sc. — The  Divine  foresight  has  not  the  effect 
 
 of  rendering  the  conduct  of  the  traitor  less  criminal.     Acts  ii. 
 
 23.     Be7igeL 
 Deus  non  est  autor,  cujus  est  ultor.     God  is  not  the  author  of  that, 
 
 of  which  He  is  the  Avenger.     S.  John  iii.  16 — 19.     Fulyentius. 
 
 25  0  unhappy  Gehazi  (2  Kings  v.  20),  the  more  unlucky,  because 
 once  most  happy !  Who  among  the  sons  of  lapsed  Israel, 
 though  free-born,  were  blessed,  like  thee  ?  A  servant,  yea,  a 
 fellow-servant  with  Kings  and  Angels !  What  eye,  in  that 
 infancy  and  twilight  of  the  Church,  was  glutted  with  so  many 
 miracles,  like  thine  ?  What  ear  entertained  and  devoured  so 
 many  Heavenly  sermons  ?  Nay,  what  soul  had  its  wings  strong- 
 lier  impt  by  Holy  instructions,  better  advantaged  in  its  rise  to 
 take  a  flight  from  earth  to  Heaven  from  Holy  example,  than 
 thine  ?  0  unworthy  proficient !  Thy  master  unyoked  himself 
 from  his  oxen,  for  God's  service  ;  and  wilt  thou  forsake  thy 
 LoKD,  for  the  yoke  of  covetousness  ?  xi.  23 ;  Isa.  xiv.  13 ; 
 1  Kings  xix.  19 ;  Phil.  ii.  6 — 8.  Sir  J.  Harington.  (Divine 
 Medit.  on  Faith.) 
 
 Then  Judas,  ^~c. — He,  that  was  last  in  the  suspicion,  was  first  in 
 
 the  transgression.     Prov.  xvi.  18  ;  Ps.  xxxvi.  2. 
 Master. — We  nowhere  read  that  Judas  ever  addressed  Jesus,  as 
 
 "  the  Lord"     Acts  ix.  6,  10  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  3.     Bengel. 
 
 26  And  as  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread,  and 
 blessed  it,  and  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  the  disciples, 
 and  said.  Take,  eat ;  this  is  My  body. 
 
 27  And  he  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and 
 gave  it  to  them,  saying,  Drink  ye  all  of  it ; 
 
 28  For  this  is  My  blood  of  the  new  testament, 
 which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
 
 26  As  they  were  eating. — The  properest  season  we  can  conceive  for 
 the  Institution  of  the   Last  Supper  was  the  instant  of  time 
 
480  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  26. 
 
 between  the  celebration  of  the  type  and  the  offering  of  the  ante- 
 type.  This  time  likewise  corresponded  with  Christ's  usual 
 practice,  who  was  wont  to  deliver  His  instructions  by  actions 
 and  expressions,  bearing  allusion  to  what  passed  before  His 
 eyes,  or  presented  itself,  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  to  His 
 observation.  2  Tim.  iv.  2  ;  S.  Luke  xiii.  1,  2 ;  S.  John  iv.  35. 
 Bp.  Warburton.     (Div.  Leg.  vol.  vi.  p.  173.) 
 
 He  ought  to  be  admired  in  the  humility  of  His  ordinance,  who 
 hath  not  given  us  rich  viands  and  full  cups,  but  made  the  feast 
 out  of  the  fragments  of  the  meanest  creatures.  Let  them,  that 
 will  make  themselves  fit  to  be  His  guests,  bring  a  preparation 
 of  humility,  suitable  to  the  exility  of  those  oblations,  xi.  25  ; 
 Ps.  xxii.  26  ;  Zech.  xi.  7  ;  S.  Luke  ii.  7,  8.     Bp.  Racket. 
 
 Whereas  there  are  three  things  in  bread  and  wine,  1.  the  name,  2. 
 the  use,  and  8.  the  substance  ;  we  confess  a  change  in  the  two 
 first ;  but  deny  it  in  the  third.  First,  we  confess  a  change  in 
 the  name,  directed  by  S.  Augustine's  rule  (ad  Bonifac.  Ep.  23)  ; 
 "  Because  of  a  similitude.  Sacraments  commonly  bear  the 
 names  of  the  things  themselves  ;  the  Sacrament  of  Cheist's 
 Body  is,  after  a  sort,  the  Body  of  Cheist  ;  and  the  Sacrament 
 of  Cheist's  Blood  is,  after  a  sort,  the  Blood  of  Cheist."  (So 
 the  Bread  is  called  Christ's  Body.') — Secondly,  we  acknowledge 
 a  change  in  the  use  of  the  element.  This  we  learn  of  S.  Cyprian 
 (De  unctione  Chrismatis),  "  To  the  elements,  once  sanctified 
 (by  consecration),  not  now  their  own  nature  giveth  the  effect ; 
 but  the  Divine  virtue  worketh  in  them  more  mightily.  The 
 truth  is  present  with  the  sign,  and  the  Spirit  with  the  Sacra- 
 ment :  so  that  the  worthiness  of  the  grace  appeareth  by  the 
 efficiency  of  the  thing."  Thus  far  we  go  in  acknowledging  a 
 change  of  the  elements  by  consecration ;  farther  we  go  not. 
 We  acknowledge  no  change  in  the  substance  of  the  nature  of 
 the  elements  ;  and  herein  we  are  guided  by  the  Fathers  also. 
 Thus  S.  Ambrose  (De  Sacram.  lib.  iv.  c.  3.)  "  Thou  earnest  to 
 the  Altar,  and  sawest  the  Sacraments  thereon,  and  wonderedst 
 at  the  very  creature  ;  and  yet  it  is  a  solemn  and  a  known  crea- 
 ture." So  S.  Cyprian  (De  Coena  Dom.)  "  After  consecration 
 the  element  is  delivered  from  the  name  of  bread,  and  reputed 
 worthy  to  be  called  The  Body  of  the  Loed  :  notwithstanding 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  26,  27.  481 
 
 the  nature  of  the  bread  still  remains."     x.  16 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  29  ; 
 Titus  iii.  5.     Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 These  expressions,  "  This  is  My  Body,^'  and  "  This  is  My  Blood ;" 
 that  is,  symbolical  and  Sacramental  signs,  seals,  and  representa- 
 tions of  His  Body,  and  Blood,  and  Passion,  are  most  agreeable 
 to  the  common  dialect  and  idiotisms  of  the  Jews,  to  the  genius 
 and  language  of  their  country,  and  the  place  where,  and  per- 
 sons with  whom,  our  Saviour  lived ;  as  is  manifest  by  several 
 phrases  and  parallel  expressions  of  the  Holt  Ghost.  (Gen. 
 xli.  26  ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  11 ;  Dan.  ii.  38  ;  1  Cor.  x.  4 ;  Gal.  iv. 
 24 ;  Eev.  xvii.  9.)  .  .  .  .  The  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ  may 
 be  said  to  he  present  in  the  Eucharist,  I'espectu  causati  et  effec- 
 tus  producti ;  when  Christ's  Body  (though  comprehended  in 
 heaven),  that  is,  the  gracious  effect  of  His  death  and  passion, 
 goeth  along  with  the  Sacred  symbols,  and  is  really  present  to 
 the  believing  receiver.  This  is  a  virtual,  yet  real  Presence. 
 Bp.  Barlow.     (Genuine  Eemains,  pp.  110,  112.) 
 
 He,  which  said  of  the  one  Sacrament,  "  Wash  and  be  clean,"  said 
 concerning  the  other  likewise,  "Eat  and  live."  This  bread 
 hath  in  it  more  than  the  substance,  which  our  eyes  behold  : 
 this  cup,  hallowed  with  solemn  benediction,  availeth  to  the  end- 
 less life  and  welfare  both  of  soul  and  body  ;  in  that  it  serveth, 
 as  well  for  a  medicine  to  heal  our  infirmities  and  purge  our  sins, 
 as  for  a  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving :  with  touching  (ix.  21)  it 
 sanctifieth ;  it  enlighteneth  with  belief;  it  truly  conformeth  us 
 unto  the  Image  of  Jesus  Christ.  What  these  elements  are 
 in  themselves  it  skilleth  not.  It  is  enough  to  me,  who  take 
 them,  they  are  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ.  His  promise 
 in  witness  hereof  sufficeth.  His  word  He  knoweth  which  way 
 to  accomplish.  Why  should  any  cogitation  possess  the  mind  of 
 a  faithful  communicant  but  this,  O  my  God,  Thou  art  true  ! 
 O  my  soul,  thou  art  happy  ?  S.  John  iii.  9 ;  vi.  52 ;  Cant.  ii. 
 4  ;  Ps.  ciii.  1—5.     Hooker.     (Eccl.  Pol.  B.  v.  s.  53.) 
 
 27  Gave  thanks. — It  is  observable,  that,  however  those  ancient 
 Liturgies  have  been  altered  and  corrupted  in  after  times  by- 
 many  additions  and  interpolations,  yet  there  are  in  all  of  them 
 still  remaining  many  excellent  and  Divine  Forms  of  prayer  and 
 thanksgiving,  wherein  they  do  all  perfectly  agree,  and  which 
 
 I  I 
 
482  s,  MATTHEW  XXVI.  27,  28. 
 
 therefore  cannot  reasonably  be  thought  to  have  any  other,  than 
 Apostolical  order  and  appointment,  delivered  to  the  several 
 nations  and  people,  together  vrith  the  first  preaching  and  plan- 
 tation of  Christianity  among  them.  Such,  for  example,  is  the 
 Sursitm  corda,  in  the  office  of  the  Communion  ;  the  priest  say- 
 ing, Lift  up  your  hearts,  and  the  people  answering,  JVe  lift  them 
 up  unto  the  Lord.  There  is  no  Liturgy  in  any  Church  of 
 Chbist  to  this  day,  but  hath  this  Porm.  Such  is  the  excellent 
 Form  of  thanksgiving  in  the  same  office  of  the  Communion,  to 
 be  performed  by  the  priest  and  people  ;  the  priest  saying.  Let 
 us  give  thanks  unto  our  Lord  God ;  and  the  people  ansvrering, 
 It  is  meet  and  right  so  to  do.  Ps.  cxlv.  7  ;  Heb.  xiii.  15,  16. 
 Bp.  Bidl.     (Serm.  1  Tim.  ii.  1.) 
 
 All  of  it. — Are  vre  worthy  to  be  Christians,  and  not  worthy  to  be 
 Communicants?  Heb.  x.  19 — 26.  Farindon.  (Serm.  1  Cor.  ii.  25.) 
 
 All  of  it. — There  are  many  passages  of  the  Bible,  which  will  not 
 be  found  useful  these  many  ages,  being  possibly  reserved  by  the 
 prophetic  Spirit,  that  indited  them  (and  whose  omniscience 
 comprises  and  unites  in  one  prospect  all  times  and  all  events,) 
 to  quell  some  future  foreseen  heresy  ;  which  will  not  perhaps 
 be  born,  till  we  be  dead ;  or  resolve  some  yet  unformed  doubt ; 
 or  confound  some  error,  that  hath  not  yet  a  name :  so  that  all 
 the  parts  of  Scripture  are  useful  in  some  ages,  and  some  in  all. 
 .  .  Here,  upon  the  exhibition  of  the  Bread,  the  particle  all  is 
 omitted.  This  difierence,  'tis  like  the  primitive  Christians  mar- 
 velled at ;  and  discerning  no  reason  for  it,  might  be  tempted  to 
 think  the  passage  useless  or  superfluous  ;  but  we,  that  live  in 
 an  age,  wherein  the  Cup  is  denied  to  much  the  greater  part  of 
 the  Communicants,  are  invited,  not  only  to  absolve  the  record- 
 ing of  this  particularity,  but  to  admire  it.  Acts  xv.  18  ;  S. 
 John  xiii.  19  ;  xiv.  29  ;  xvi.  4.  R.  Boyle.  (On  the  style  of  the 
 Scriptures.) 
 
 28  It  is  the  New  Testament.  The  everlasting  Gospel  is  Christ's 
 last  will,  by  which  He  hath  given  and  bequeathed  a  great  estate 
 to  His  family  on  earth,  with  certain  provisions  and  injunctions, 
 and  under  certain  provisos  and  limitations.  This  will  is  become 
 of  force  by  "  the  death  of  the  Testator"  (Heb.  ix.  16,  17  ;)  and 
 is  now  unalterable.     It  is  proved  in  the  Court  of  Heaven,  and 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  28.  483 
 
 administration  given  to  the  Blessed  Spijbit,  who  is  the  exe- 
 cutor of  the  Will ;  for  of  Him  the  Testator  said,  "  He  shall  re- 
 ceive of  Mine,  and  show  it  unto  you."  (S.  John  xvi.  14.)  .  .  . 
 All  those,  who  can  prove  themselves  akin  to  Christ  by  their 
 being  "born  from  above"  (S.  John  iii.  3),  their  partaking  of  a 
 Divine  nature  (2  S.  Pet.  i.  4),  and  their  "Doing  the  will  of 
 God,"  may  claim  the  estate  by  virtue  of  this  Will,  and  shall 
 be  sure  of  a  present  maintenance  and  a  future  inheritance  out 
 of  it.  xii.  50 ;  xxv.  34,  35 ;  Eom.  viii.  16,  17.  M.  Henry. 
 (The  Communicant's  Companion,  ch.  2.) 
 
 Which  is  shed. — This  epulemur  here  refers  to  immolatus  ;  to  Chbist, 
 not  every  way  considered,  but  as  when  He  was  offered — 
 Chkist's  Body,  that  now  is :  true ;  but  not  Cheist's  Body, 
 as  now  it  is ;  but  as  it  then  was,  when  it  was  offered,  rent,  and 
 slain,  and  sacrificed  for  us.  Not,  as  now  He  is  glorified :  for 
 so,  He  is  not,  so  He  cannot  be  immolatus  ;  for  He  is  immortal, 
 and  impassible  :  but,  as  then  He  was,  when  He  suffered  death, 
 that  is,  passible  and  mortal.  Then,  in  His  passible  estate,  did 
 He  institute  this  of  our's  to  be  a  memorial  of  His  passibile  and 
 passio,  both.  And  we  are,  in  this  action,  not  only  carried  up 
 to  Cheist  {Sursum  corda,)  but  we  are  also  carried  back  to 
 Cheist,  as  He  was  at  the  very  instant  and  in  the  very  act  of 
 His  offering.  So,  and  no  otherwise,  do  we  "represent"  Him. 
 By  the  incomprehensible  power  of  His  Eternal  Spirit,  not  He 
 alone,  but  He,  as  at  the  very  act  of  His  offering,  is  made  pre- 
 sent to  us,  and  we  incorporate  into  His  Death  and  invested  in 
 the  benefi.ts  of  it  .  .  To  the  serpent  lift  up,  thither  we  must  re- 
 pair, even  ad  cadaver.  S.  John  iii.  14  ;  S.  Luke  xvii.  37  ;  1  Cor. 
 xi.  26.     Bp.  Andrewes.     (Serm.  1  Cor.  v.  7,  8.) 
 
 Is  shed. — Such  is  the  Divine  efficacy  in  the  Holy  Supper,  as  if,  at 
 the  same  moment  of  time,  the  Body  of  Jesus  was  ever  being 
 crucified  and  His  Blood  being  shed.    Eev.  v.  6  ;  xiii.  8.    Bengel. 
 
 For  the  remission  of  sins. — Thus  much  we  must  be  sure  to  hold, 
 that  in  the  Supper  of  the  Loed  there  is  no  vain  ceremony,  no 
 bare  sign,  no  untrue  figure  of  a  thing  absent ;  but,  as  the  Scrip- 
 ture saith,  the  Communion  of  the  Body  and  Blood,  (1  Cor.  x.  16,) 
 in  a  marvellous  incorporation,  which,  by  the  operation  of  the 
 Holy  Ghost  (the  very  bond  of  our  conjunction  with  Cheist) 
 
 I  I  2 
 
484  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  28,  29. 
 
 is  througli  faith  wrought  in  the  souls  of  the  faithful ;  whereby 
 not  only  their  souls  live  to  Eternal  life,  but  they  surely  trust  to 
 win  to  their  bodies  a  resurrection  of  immortality.  The  true 
 understanding  of  this  fruition  and  union,  which  is  betwixt  the 
 body  and  the  Head,  betwixt  the  true  believer  and  Christ,  the 
 ancient  Catholic  Fathers  both  perceiving  themselves  and  com- 
 mending to  their  people,  were  not  afraid  to  call  this  Supper, 
 some  of  them,  the  salve  of  immortality  and  sovereign  preserva- 
 tive against  death  ;  other,  a  Deifical  Communion  ;  other,  the 
 sweet  dainties  of  our  Satiotje  ;  the  pledge  of  Eternal  health ; 
 the  defence  of  faith,  the  hope  of  the  Resurrection  ;  other,  the 
 food  of  immortality,  the  healthful  grace,  and  the  conservatory 
 to  everlasting  life.  All  which  sayings,  both  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
 ture and  godly  men,  truly  attributed  to  this  celestial  banquet 
 and  feast,  if  we  would  often  call  to  mind.  Oh  !  how  would  they 
 inflame  our  hearts  to  desire  the  participation  of  these  mys- 
 teries, and  oftentimes  to  covet  after  this  Bread,  continually  to 
 thirst  for  this  food  !  Cant.  ii.  4  ;  Ps.  Ixxxi.  17  ;  S.  John  vi. 
 34.  Homilies.  (On  the  Sacrament  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
 Cheist.  p.  i.) 
 Art  thou  Adam's  son  ?  Oh,  here  behold  a  tree  of  Life,  whose  root 
 is  only  transplanted  from  Paradise  to  Heaven,  that  so  the  fruit 
 may  hang  down  to  earth.  Here  is  now  no  prohibition  to  re- 
 strain thy  ambition,  but  a  commission  to  warrant  thy  affection ; 
 Take  and  eat.  Oh,  take  it,  even  Christ  in  His  Word  and  Sacra- 
 ments, not  carnally,  as  Adam,  but  spiritually,  with  the  hand  of 
 thy  soul,  which  is  a  saving  and  applying  faith  ;  next  relish  it  by 
 meditation,  and  digest  it  by  prayer.  S.  John  v.  4  ;  Horn,  x. 
 13  ;  Eev.  xxii.  2, 17.     Sir  J.  Harington.     (Div.  Med.  on  Paith.) 
 
 29  But  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  not  drink  henceforth 
 of  this  fruit  of  the  vine,  until  that  day  when  I  drink  it 
 new  with  you  in  My  Father's  kingdom. 
 
 30  And  when  they  had  sung  an  hymn,  they  went 
 out  into  the  mount  of  Olives. 
 
 29  /  will  not  drink,  ^c. — The  first  Sacramental  ceremonies  are 
 taken  away,  and  others  are  now  instituted ;  greater  in  power, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  29,  30.  485 
 
 better  in  their  spiritual  effects,  more  simple  in  their  perform- 
 ance, in  their  number  more  few.  S.  Augustine.  (Contra  Paust. 
 lib.  19,  c.  13.) 
 
 The  Supper  of  the  Lord  superseded  the  Jewish  Passover.  Hea- 
 venly Mysteries,  still  far  beyond,  will  succeed  to  the  Supper  of 
 the  Lord.     S.  John  i.  50,  51 ;  v.  20  ;  xiv.  12  ;  vi.  62.     Beiiffel. 
 
 And  of  all  fruits,  what  is  comparable  to  that  of  the  vine  ?  Let 
 the  vine  itself  speak  in  Jotham's  parable  (Judges  ix.  13,) 
 "  Should  I  leave  my  wine,  which  cheereth  God  and  man  ?" 
 How  is  this  H  God  cheered  with  wine  ?  It  is  a  high  hyper- 
 bole ;  yet  seconded  by  the  God  of  truth  ;  "  I  will  drink  no  more 
 of  the  fruit  of  the  vine,  till  I  drink  it  new  with  you  in  My  Fa- 
 ther''s  Kinydom."  It  must  needs  be  an  excellent  liquor,  whicli 
 is  used  to  resemble  the  joys  of  heaven.  Tea,  the  Blood  of  the 
 Son  of  God,  that  celestial  nectar,  which  cheers  our  souls,  is  it 
 otherwise  resembled,  than  by  the  blood  of  the  grape  ?  He  is 
 Fitis  vera,  the  true  vine:  this  is  His  juice.  Gen,  xlix.  11;  Ps. 
 xxiii.  5 ;  Isa.  xxv.  6.     Bjt.  Hall.     (Serm.  Isa.  iv.  5.) 
 
 30  It  hath  been  traditionally  received  and  recommended  by  good 
 authors,  that  that  hymn,  which  Cheist  and  His  Apostles  are 
 said  to  have  sung,  after  the  institution  and  celebration  of  the 
 Sacrament,  was  a  hymn,  composed  of  those  six  Psalms,  which  we 
 call  the  "  Hallelujah  Psalms  "  immediately  preceding  the  119th. 
 (Ps.  cxiii.  to  cxviii.  inclusive.)     Br.  Donne.     (Serm.  Ps.  Ixii.  9.) 
 
 This  is  it,  which  we  read  in  the  Psalms,  "  The  poor  shall  eat  and 
 be  satisfied  ;  and  they,  that  seek  the  Lord,  shall  praise  Him." 
 Isa.  xli.  17  ;  Ps.  xxii.  26 ;  xxxiii.  1.     Bede. 
 
 When  we  say  or  sing  the  angelical  hymn,  "  Glory  be  to  God  on 
 high,  &c."  at  the  Holy  Communion,  the  Ecclesiastical  Hier- 
 archy does  admirably  imitate  the  Heavenly,  singing  that  at  the 
 Sacrament  of  His  Body,  which  the  Angels  did  at  its  Birth. 
 And  as  good  reason  there  is  to  sing  this  for  Christ's  being 
 made  "one  with  us"  in  the  Sacrament,  as  for  His  ever  being 
 "one  of  us  "  at  His  Birth  :  and  if  ever  we  be  fit  to  sing  this 
 Angels'  song,  it  is  then,  when  we  draw  nearest  to  the  estate  of 
 Angels,  namely  at  the  receiving  of  the  Sacrament  .  ,  .  The 
 ancients  did  express  their  joy,  after  receiving  it,  in  the  highest 
 manner,  that  they  could.     Some  were  so  ravished  with  joy,  that 
 
486  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI,  30. 
 
 they  immediately  offered  themselves  to  martyrdom,  impatient 
 of  being  longer  absent  from  their  so  gracious  Loed,  unable  to 
 keep  themselves  from  expressing  their  love  to  Cheist  by  dying 
 for  Him,  the  highest  expression  of  love.  All  men  then  counted 
 it  a  sin  to  sully  the  day  with  any  sorrow  or  fasting  :  these  days 
 they  called  days  of  mirth,  days  of  remission,  days  of  immunity, 
 Solemn  days,  Festival  days.  Ps.  civ.  15 ;  cxviii.  24 ;  Isa.  xxv. 
 6  ;  Eev.  i.  5  ;  V.  9.  Bp.  Sparrow.  (Eationale.  On  the  Eucharist.) 
 It  were  well  for  us,  if,  in  seasons  of  trouble,  we  betook  ourselves 
 to  praise,  and  not  only  to  prayer  ...  So  far  from  being  unsuited 
 to  circumstances  of  perplexity  and  danger,  the  song  of  praise 
 should  at  least  mingle  with  the  cry  of  prayer.  If  you  would 
 arm  yourselves  for  trouble  and  duty,  you  should  recount  the 
 marvellous  acts  of  the  Lord,  as  well  as  supplicate  the  commu- 
 nications of  His  grace.  This  is  too  much  overlooked  and  neg- 
 lected by  Christians.  They  are  more  familiar  with  the  earnest 
 petition,  than  the  grateful  anthem  .  .  .  Before  they  departed — • 
 the  Redeemer  to  the  terrible  Agony,  the  disciples  to  the  dreaded 
 separation — the  last  thing,  that  they  did,  was  to  join  in  the 
 chanting  of  thankful  psalms.  It  was  not  until  they  had  sung 
 an  hymn,  but  then  it  was,  that  they  went  out  into  the  mount  of 
 Olives.  Ps.  xlvi.  1—7 ;  Neb.  viii.  10  ;  Acts  v.  14 ;  Heb.  xii.  2. 
 H.  Melvill.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 31  Then  saith  Jesus  unto  them,  All  ye  shall  be 
 offended  because  of  Me  this  night :  for  it  is  written,  I 
 will  smite  the  Shepherd,  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock 
 shall  be  scattered  abroad. 
 
 32  But  after  I  am  risen  again,  I  will  go  before  you 
 into  Galilee. 
 
 33  Peter  answered  and  said  unto  Him,  Though  all 
 men  shall  be  offended  because  of  Thee,  yet  will  I  never 
 be  offended. 
 
 34  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Verily  I  say  unto  thee, 
 That  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny 
 Me  thrice. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  33,  35.  487 
 
 35  Peter  said  unto  Him,  Tiiough  I  should  die  with 
 Thee,  yet  will  I  not  deny  Thee.  Likewise  also  said  all 
 the  disciples. 
 
 33  In  proportion  as  Peter  trusted  in  himself,  he  practically  re- 
 nounced the  grace,  which  is  to  help  us  in  every  time  of  need. 
 Ps.  1.  15  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  9 ;  S.  John  xv.  1—9  ;  Heb.  iv.  6.  R. 
 Cecil. 
 
 This  is  the  only  place  in  Scripture,  where  S.  Peter  assumes  a  sort 
 of  Infallibility,  or  assurance,  that  he  should  not,  or  could  not, 
 deny  the  Faith;  also  a  Supremacy  over  all  the  rest  in  this,  that, 
 though  all  the  rest  should  deny  Cheist,  yet  he  would  not :  and 
 yet  we  know  by  the  event  that  he  was  the  only  disciple,  who  by 
 his  fall  forfeited  his  apostleship,  to  which  he  was  restored  by 
 Cheist  (S.  John  xx.)  after  his  repentance  :  in  which  perhaps 
 there  may  be  something  prophetical  of  the  presumptuous  and 
 antichristian  spirit,  that  should  manifest  itself  in  his  pretended 
 successors.  (Refer  to  Verse  27,  R.  Boyle.)  Mrs.  Burnet.*  (A 
 method  of  Devotion,  p.  54,  Edit.  1713.) 
 
 Perfectiones,  sibi  relictce,  sunt  pondera  ad  ruinam.  Our  very  vir- 
 tues, left  to  themselves,  bear  us  down,  like  weights,  to  destruc- 
 tion.    S.  Luke  XV.  28,  29.     Gerson. 
 
 35  Likewise  also  said  all  the  disciples. — S.  Cyprian  beareth  witness, 
 in  his  Treatise  on  the  lapsed,  that  even  in  the  Primitive  Church 
 at  a  time,  when  the  ardour  of  charity  was  much  greater  than  it 
 is  now,  for  a  few  martyrs  there  were  many  deserters ;  persons, 
 who  preferred  a  worldly  heritage  and  their  own  lives  to  the 
 love  of  God,  as  indeed  Eusebius  records  in  his  Ecclesiastical 
 History.  Euth  i.  14,  15  ;  S.  John  vi.  68,  69 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  16. 
 Card.  Bellarmine.  (On  the  Saints'  Eternal  Happiness,  B.  iii. 
 Ch.  8.) 
 
 "  Eia,  age,  si  ferro  vel  stat  cruce,  Christe,  perire, 
 Stat  mihi  Te  ferro  vel  cruce,  Christe,  sequi !" 
 Non  Petrus  haee,  sed  Amor  loquitur  ;  quae  deinde  negavit 
 "Vox  Christum,  haud  ejus,  sed  tua,  Petre,  fuit. 
 
 xvi.  17,  23.    Bern.  Bahusius.    (Epigram.  L.  i.) 
 
 *  The  pious  and  exemplary  wife  of  Bp.  Burnet. 
 
488  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  36,  37. 
 
 36  Then  cometh  Jesus  with  them  unto  a  place 
 called  Gethsemane,  and  saith  unto  the  disciples,  Sit  ye 
 here,  while  I  go  and  pray  yonder. 
 
 37  And  He  took  with  Him  Peter  and  the  two  sons 
 of  Zebedee,  and  began  to  be  sorrowful  and  very  heavy. 
 
 38  Then  saith  He  unto  them,  My  soul  is  exceeding 
 sorrowful,  even  unto  death :  tarry  ye  here,  and  watch 
 with  Me. 
 
 39  And  He  went  a  little  farther,  and  fell  on  His 
 face,  and  prayed,  saying,  O  My  Father,  if  it  be  pos- 
 sible, let  this  cup  pass  from  Me  :  nevertheless,  not  as 
 I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt. 
 
 40  And  He  cometh  unto  the  disciples,  and  findeth 
 them  asleep,  and  saith  unto  Peter,  What,  could  ye  not 
 watch  with  Me  one  hour  ? 
 
 41  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  tempta- 
 tion :  the  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak. 
 
 36  Sit  ye  here,  while  I,  ^c. — It  is  a  sign  that  we  are  not  yet  ma- 
 ture for  sufferings,  when  we  are  allowed  to  stand  at  a  distance 
 and  view  the  sufferings  of  others.  A  Christian  should  consider 
 his  exemption  from  the  cross,  not  so  much  a  sign  of  God's 
 particular  favour,  as  of  his  own  weakness.  Gen.  xxii.  5 ;  1 
 Kings  xix.  3 ;  Acts  ix.  16 ;  S.  John  xv.  2  ;  Heb.  xii.  5 — 9 ; 
 Phil.  i.  29,  30.     Rambach. 
 
 37  He  took  with  Him. — We  cannot  arrive  at  any  portion  of  hea- 
 venly bliss,  without  in  some  measure  imitating  Christ.  And 
 they  arrive  at  the  largest  measure  of  heavenly  bliss,  who  imitate 
 the  most  difficult  parts  of  Christ's  character  and,  bowed  down 
 and  crushed  under  His  feet,  cry,  in  fulness  of  faith,  *'  Fathee, 
 Thy  will  be  doue !"  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  1 ;  v.  1,  10.  S.  T.  Coleridge. 
 (Letter  to  an  afflicted  friend.) 
 
 He  began. — All  His  former  sufferings  were  nothing,  in  comparison 
 of  His  last.    'Tis  therefore  said,  that  at  the  bare  apprehension  of 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  38,  39.  489 
 
 them,  He  "  began  to  be  sorrowful,"  as  if  He  had  never  felt  any 
 grief,  till  then.  His  former  afflictions  were  like  scattered  drops 
 of  rain  :  but,  as  in  the  deluge,  all  the  fountains  beneath  and  all 
 the  windows  of  heaven  above  were  opened,  so,  in  our  Sayioue's 
 last  sufferings,  the  anger  of  God,  the  cruelty  of  men,  the  fury  of 
 devils  broke  out  together  against  Him.  xi.  20 ;  Ps.  xlii.  9  ; 
 Ixxxviii.  6  ;  S.  Luke  xxii.  44.     Br.  Bates. 
 
 38  Christ,  being  to  die,  grew  very  heavy  and  full  of  sorrow  even 
 unto  death;  that  is  to  say,  His  sorrow  was  so  exceeding  great, 
 as  was  able  of  itself  to  procure  His  death  :  to  teach  His  mar- 
 tyrs not  to  despair,  if  sorrow  oppress  them  in  the  time  of  their 
 passion,  which  yet  by  His  help  they  shall  overcome,  viii.  25, 
 26 ;  Ps.  xviii.  3 — 6  ;  Isa.  xliii.  2.  (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bona- 
 venture  and  others,  Ch.  54.) 
 
 If  eternal  death  be  insufferable,  if  every  sin  deserve  eternal  death, 
 what  was  it  for  Thy  soul,  in  this  short  time  of  Thy  bitter  Pas- 
 sion, to  answer  those  millions  of  eternal  deaths,  which  all  the 
 sins  of  all  mankind  had  deserved  from  the  just  hand  of  Thy 
 Godhead  ?     Isa.  xxxiii.  14  ;  liii.  6  ;  Lam.  i.  12.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 His  soul  was  crucified  more  than  His  body.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 Eom.  viii.  32.) 
 
 It  is  to  my  mind  a  most  gracious  instance  of  our  Lord's  exceeding 
 love  to  us,  that  He  Himself  drank  the  cup  of  human  suffering 
 to  the  very  bottom  ;  that  no  servant  of  Christ  can  fear  his 
 death  so  painfully,  or  feel  himself  so  forsaken  and  miserable, 
 whilst  actually  undergoing  it,  as  his  Master  did  before  him. 
 Heb.  ii.  14 — 18  ;  xii.  1 — 4.     Br.  Arnold.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 God,  my  protector,  look  not  on  me ;  but  first  look  upon  Thine 
 only  Son.  Place  between  me  and  Thee  His  Cross,  His  Blood, 
 His  Passion,  His  Merit ;  that  so  Thy  Justice,  through  His 
 Blood,  when  it  cometh  at  the  last  to  me,  may  be  gentle  and  full 
 of  mercy !  Ps.  Ixxxiv.  9 ;  Eom.  iii.  23—27  ;  Eph.  i.  7  ;  S.  Jude 
 2L     Fr.  Stella. 
 
 39  Things  are  possible  either  to  God's  power,  or  to  His  will.  To 
 His  power  "  all  things  are  possible,"  that  are  not  contrary  to 
 His  nature ;  but  by  His  will  many  things  are  impossible,  which 
 otherwise  may  be  done  by  His  power.  So  that  possible  and  im- 
 possible must  be  understood  in  respect  of  God's  will ;   and 
 
490  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  39.  40. 
 
 therefore  doth  S.  Luke,  instead  of  If  it  he  possible,  put  in,  If 
 Thou  wilt ;  so  that  Cheist  doth  not  desire  to  speed,  if  there  be 
 any  impediment  in  God's  will.  xiii.  58  ;  xxiv.  36;  Eph.  i.  11. 
 Bp.  Lake.     (Serm.  S.  Mark  xiv.  35,  36.) 
 
 Behold,  see  a  picture  of  thyself  in  Me.  Thou  canst  choose  one 
 thing,  when  God  wishes  the  contrary.  It  is  conceded  to  the 
 frailty  of  man,  aliquid  p?'opnum  velle,  that  he  should  have  some 
 will  of  his  own.  It  is  a  hard  matter  for  thee  to  be  without  one. 
 But  then  at  the  same  time  acknowledge  Him  who  is  Supreme, 
 that  He  is  over  thee  and  thou  beneath  Him ;  that  He  is  the 
 Creator  and  thou  the  creature ;  that  He  is  the  Master  and  thou 
 the  servant ;  that  He  is  Omnipotent  and  thou  art  weak :  and  so 
 correcting  thyself  submit  to  Him,  saying.  Not  my  will,  8{c. 
 Heb.  xii.  9,  10  ;  S.  John  xxi.  18  ;  IS.  John  v.  14 ;  Heb.  xiii, 
 5.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 All  our  repinings,  and  murmurings,  and  discontents,  arise  from 
 this ;  that  we  cannot  say,  Thy  will  be  done  !  S.  James  iv.  2,  3. 
 Farindon.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  vi.  10.) 
 
 40  Eaith  is  apt  to  sleep  ;  and  then,  sin  awakes.  S.  Mark  xiv.  67. 
 Bp.  Home. 
 
 'Tis  the  short  reproof,  that  stays,  like  a  stab,  in  the  memory ;  and 
 many  times  three  words  do  more  good,  than  an  idle  discourse 
 of  many  hours.  2  Sam.  xii.  7 ;  Acts  is.  4.  O.  Feltham.  (Re- 
 solves, Cent.  i.  93.) 
 
 An  hour  of  solitude,  passed  in  sincere  and  earnest  prayer,  or  the 
 conflict  with,  and  the  conquest  over,  a  single  passion,  or  subtle 
 bosom  sin,  will  teach  us  more  of  thought,  will  more  effectually 
 awaken  the  faculty  and  form  the  habit  of  reflection,  than  a 
 year's  study  in  the  schools  without  them.  Ps.  1.  23  ;  cxix.  99, 
 100 ;  S.  John  vii.  17.     S.  T.  Coleridge. 
 
 One  hour. — Quid  crucis  abscindis  pondus  tolerabile  ?     Crux  est 
 Quae  gravis,  ilia  brevis  ;  quae  diuturna,  levis. 
 
 Haeftenus.     (Eegia  Via  crucis,  L.  ii.  c.  7.) 
 
 42  He  went  away  again  the  second  time,  and  prayed, 
 saying,  O  My  Father,  if  this  cup  may  not  pass  away 
 from  Me,  except  I  drink  it,  Thy  will  be  done. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  41,  42.  491 
 
 43  And  He  came  and  found  them  asleep  again  :  for 
 their  eyes  were  heavy. 
 
 44  And  He  left  them,  and  went  away  again,  and 
 prayed  the  third  time,  saying  the  same  words. 
 
 45  Then  cometh  He  to  His  disciples,  and  saith  unto 
 them.  Sleep  on  now,  and  take  your  rest :  behold,  the 
 hour  is  at  hand,  and  the  Son  of  Man  is  betrayed  into 
 the  hands  of  sinners. 
 
 46  Rise,  let  us  be  going :  behold,  he  is  at  hand  that 
 doth  betray  Me. 
 
 41  Watch  and  pray. — Like  a  Commander's  order  to  bis  soldiers. 
 Deut.  xxxi.  6,  8,  23  ;  Neh.  iv.  14;  1  Cor.  xvi,  13.  S.  Augus- 
 tine. 
 
 42  Videas  potentiam  regi,  sapientiam  instrui  (S.  Luke  ii.  46,  51,) 
 virtutem  sustentari.  Tou  may  see  Him,  that  had  all  rule  in 
 heaven  and  in  earth,  obey  and  be  governed  ;  the  wisdom  of  God 
 (Col.  ii.  3)  taught  and  instructed :  that  virtue,  which  sustains 
 all  things  (Heb.  i.  3),  itself  supported.  Videas  pavere  Jiduciam, 
 salutempati,  vitam  mori,fortitudinem  injirmari.  That,  which  gives 
 us  confidence  itself  did  fear ;  safety  itself  did  sufier ;  strength 
 was  weak  ;  and  He,  who  had  life  in  Himself,  did  die.  ii.  13  ; 
 XX.  28  ;  Acts  iii.  15  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  8.     S.  Bernard.     (Serm.  2.) 
 
 Could  that  heart,  all  burning,  with  zeal  for  God  and  charity  to 
 men,  admit  the  least  thought,  or  motion,  of  averseness  from 
 drinking  that  cup,  which  was  the  sovereign  medicine,  adminis- 
 tered by  Divine  wisdom  for  the  recovery  of  God's  creation  ? 
 No  ;  had  He  spoken  with  such  intent,  legions  of  angels  (ver.  53) 
 bad  flown  to  His  rescue.  That  Word,  which  framed  the  world, 
 which  stilled  the  tempest,  which  ejected  Devils,  would  imme- 
 diately have  scattered  His  enemies,  and  dashed  all  their  pro- 
 jects against  Him  :  wherefore  those  words  did  not  proceed  from 
 intention,  but  as  from  instinct,  and  for  instruction ;  importing, 
 that  what  our  human  frailty  was  apt  to  suggest,  that  His  Divine 
 Virtue  was  more  ready  to  smother  :  neither  did  He  vent  the 
 former,  but  that  He  might  express  the  latter.     Verse  50.     S. 
 
492  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  42—44. 
 
 Luke  xxii.  15  ;  S.  John  xviii.  11.  Dr.  Barrow.  (Serm.  S.  Luke 
 xxii.  42.) 
 
 Martyrs,  who  die  for  God's  sake,  are  secure  of  their  success ;  they 
 are  sure  not  to  suflfer  ia  vain  ;  they  are  certain  to  possess  all, 
 that  they  desire  and  to  enjoy  eternally  their  God,  to  whom 
 they  sacrifice  their  lives.  (Phil.  i.  21 — 23.)  This  is  the  reason, 
 why  our  martyrs  look  death  boldly  in  the  face.  .  .  .  But,  Alas ! 
 it  is  not  so,  when  Jesus  dies  for  man.  He  dies  to  gain  his 
 love,  and  at  the  same  time  knows  that  many  will  prove  ungrate- 
 ful. (Lam.  i.  12.)  He  dies  to  enjoy  him  in  heaven,  and  fore- 
 sees that  many  will  be  damned  to  all  eternity.  Father,  if  it  be 
 possible,  8(C.  "  Dispense,  at  least,  with  this  part  of  Thy  sen- 
 tence. Let  Me  die  ;  but  let  Me  not  die  in  vain  !"  xxiii.  37, 
 38  ;  Deut.  xxxii.  29  ;  Ps.  Ixxxi.  14.  A  Contrite  heart.  (P.  iii. 
 S.  2.) 
 
 From  the  very  variety  of  opinions,  expressed  as  to  the  meaning  of 
 this  prayer,  we  may  see  the  force  of  the  term,  by  which  our 
 Lord's  Agony  is  described  in  the  ancient  Greek  Liturgies,  as 
 u<yvu3(na  TraO'^ju^ara,  or  His  unknoivn  sufferings.  Is.  Williams.  (On 
 our  Lord's  Passion,  P.  i.  S.  i.) 
 
 43  Their  notions  were  like  the  feeble  efforts  of  persons,  struggling 
 to  awake  out  of  sleep.     S.  Luke  ix.  32.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Tell  me,  with  what  confidence  canst  thou  lie  down  to  sleep  and 
 pass  away  the  black  darkness  of  the  night  ?  With  what  fear- 
 ful and  ugly  dreams  shall  thy  soul,  thinkest  thou,  be  troubled, 
 unless  thou  shalt  first  arm  thyself  against  such  delusions  and 
 fears  by  strong  and  devout  prayers  ?  Let  the  wicked  spirits 
 find  thee  without  such  a  guard,  and  presently  thou  becomest  a 
 prey  to  them.  Let  them  spy  thee  at  thy  prayers  and  pre- 
 sently, like  frightened  thieves,  they  run  away.  Gen.  xv.  11  ; 
 Ps.  cxi.  5,  6 ;  cxxi.  1 — 4.  S.  Chrysostom.  (De  orando  Deum, 
 Lib.  i.) 
 
 44  How  consoling  is  it,  though  He  left  them,  He  did  not  cast 
 them  away !     Isa.  liv.  7,  8  ;  S.  John  xvi.  5,  22.     Rambach. 
 
 Why  did  Christ  pray  three  times,  rather  than  twice,  or  only  once, 
 or  four  times  ?  Li  order  to  show  us,  not  only  that  our  prayer 
 should  be  addressed  to  the  Three  Persons,  the  Father,  the 
 Son,  and  the  Holt  Ghost  ;   but,  moreover,  that  we   might 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  45,  48.  493 
 
 learn  hence  perseveringly  to  implore  the  pardon  of  the  past, 
 deliverance  from  our  present  troubles,  and  a  defence  against 
 dangers  to  come.  vii.  7  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  8.  T.  Aquinas. 
 45  These  three  disciples  had  before  fallen  asleep  on  Mount  Ta- 
 bor. Alas !  is  it  not  lamentable,  that  we  should  be  so  unfeeling 
 and  so  addicted  to  sloth,  that  neither  the  mercies  of  God,  nor 
 His  corrections,  can  rouse  us.  Ps.  Ixxiii.  22 ;  Jer,  xxii.  21 ; 
 Zeph.  iii.  2.     Rambaeh. 
 
 47  And  while  He  yet  spake,  lo,  Judas,  one  of  the 
 twelve,  came,  and  with  hini  a  great  multitude  with 
 swords  and  staves,  from  the  chief  priests  and  elders  of 
 the  people. 
 
 48  Now  he  that  betrayed  Him  gave  them  a  sign, 
 saying,  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is  He : 
 hold  Him  fast. 
 
 49  And  forthwith  he  came  to  Jesus,  and  said.  Hail, 
 Master,  and  kissed  Him. 
 
 50  And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Friend,  wherefore  art 
 thou  come  ?  Then  came  they,  and  laid  hands  on 
 Jesus,  and  took  Him. 
 
 48  The  same  sign  doth  the  world  give  the  devil ;  "  Whomsoever  I 
 shall  caress  and  favour,  whomsoever  I  shall  heap  honour  and 
 riches  on,  whomsoever  I  shall  embrace  and  kiss,  that  same  is 
 he:  hold  him  fast."  Such  a  darling  of  the  world  is  too  often 
 fast  bound  in  the  silken  bands  of  voluptuousness  and  consigned 
 over  to  be  bound  in  chains  of  massy  darkness.  S.  Luke  xi.  21  ; 
 Ps.  Ixxiii.  3—12;  Eom.  vi.  16;  2  Tim.  ii.  26.  Bp.  Hopkins. 
 (Serm.  Eccl.  i.  2.) 
 
 As  if  he  had  said,  "  All  my  business  is  to  deliver  Him  up  to  you. 
 If  you  suffer  Him  to  escape,  the  blame  must  lie  at  your  door. 
 I  have  done  my  part  and  cannot  in  any  event  be  expected  to 
 return  any  of  the  money,  which  I  have  so  well  deserved."  Thus 
 he  might  probably  think  he  had  managed  matters  with  great 
 sagacity  ;  that  the  disciples  would  not  know  that  this  salutation 
 
494         V  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  49,  50. 
 
 was  intended  to  betray  Him  (for  a  kiss  was  the  common  sign  of 
 love  among  friends,  and  also  of  reverence  and  esteem,  as  be- 
 tween a  scholar  and  his  teacher)  ;  and  that,  as  to  his  Master,  He 
 would  find  means  to  make  His  escape  and  to  pass  through  the 
 midst  of  His  enemies,  as  He  had  done  more  than  once  before. 
 In  the  mean  time,  Judas  hoped  he  might  safely  appropriate  to 
 his  own  use  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  2  Sam.  xx.  9,  10 ;  Ps. 
 xxi.  11 ;  xxxvi.  1 — 5  ;  Heb.  iv.  12,  13.     Rambach. 
 
 49  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  custom  of  our  Loed  Jesus,  when 
 He  sent  forth  any  of  His  disciples,  to  receive  them  with  a  kiss 
 on  their  return.  Therefore  it  was,  that  the  traitor,  for  a  sign 
 to  them,  betrayed  Jesus  with  a  kiss,  and  coming  before  the 
 rest  with  a  kiss  joined  Him  ;  as  though  he  had  said,  "  I  am  not 
 connected  with  this  armed  multitude ;  I  return  only,  as  is  our 
 habit,  and  kiss  Thee,  saying,  Hail,  Master .'"  vii.  15 ;  Ps. 
 xxviii.  3  ;  xli.  9  ;  cix.  3  ;  Prov.  xxvii.  6  ;  1  S.  Pet.  v.  14.  Card. 
 Bonaventura.     (Life  of  Chbist,  ch.  58.) 
 
 The  universal  treachery  of  the  human  heart  is  exempHfied  iu  the 
 kiss  of  Judas.  Christ  was  thus  to  expiate  the  deceit,  practised 
 by  man  in  Paradise,  when  he  broke  his  allegiance  to  his  Creator. 
 Jer.  xvii.  9.     Rambach. 
 
 50  Ps.  Iv.  15.  "  We  walked  in  the  House  of  God,  as  friends." 
 Our  Savioue,  to  notify  this  prophecy  to  be  exactly  fulfilled  by 
 Judas,  saluteth  him  in  the  name  of  a  friend,  while  he  comes  to 
 betray  Him.  (Thus  conf.  verse  23  of  this  ch.  with  Ps.  xli.  9.) 
 Bean  Jackson.     (Works,  B.  viii.  sect.  iv.  ch.  xxiii.  1.) 
 
 It  is  none  of  God's  least  mercies  that  He  permits  enmities 
 amongst  men ;  that  animosities  and  peevishness  may  reprove 
 more  sharply  and  correct  with  more  severity  and  simplicity, 
 than  the  gentle  hand  of  friends,  who  are  apter  to  bind  up  our 
 wounds,  than  to  discover  them  and  make  them  smart ;  but  they 
 are  to  us  an  excellent  probation,  how  friends  may  best  do  the 
 offices  of  friends,  if  they  would  take  the  plainness  of  enemies  in 
 accusing,  and  still  mingle  it  with  the  tenderness  and  good  af- 
 fection of  friends.  But  our  Blessed  Loed  called  Judas /nVw^?, 
 as  being  the  instrument  of  bringing  Him  to  glory,  and  all  the 
 world  to  pardon,  if  they  would,  xi.  19 ;  xx.  13 ;  xxii.  12  ;  Ps. 
 cxli.  5.     Bp.  Taylor.     (Life  of  Cheist  in  loco.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  50,  495 
 
 Had  Judas  apprehended  this  word  friend  out  of  the  mouth 
 of  Cheist,  as  Benhadad  did  the  word  "Brother"  from  the 
 mouth  of  Ahab  (1  Kings  xx.  32,  33,  34),  doubtless  he  would 
 have  found  the  God  of  Israel  more  merciful,  than  Benhadad 
 found  the  King  of  Israel.  But  God  was  more  displeased  with 
 Cain  for  despairing  of  His  mercy,  than  for  murdering  his  bro- 
 ther ;  and  with  Judas  for  hanging  himself,  than  for  betraying 
 his  Master ;  in  that  they  would  make  the  sins  of  mortal  man 
 greater  than  the  Infinite  mercy  of  the  Eternal  God  ;  or,  as  if 
 they  could  be  more  sinful,  than  God  was  merciful:  whereas  the 
 least  drop  of  Christ's  Blood  is  of  more  merit  to  procure  God's 
 mercy  for  our  Salvation,  than  all  the  sins,  that  thou  hast  com- 
 mitted can  be  of  force  to  provoke  His  wrath  to  thy  damnation. 
 XX.  13  ;  xxii.  12  ;  Ezek.  xviii.  23.  i?p.  Baily.  (Practice  of 
 piety,  8.  34.) 
 
 Si  honoras,  0  !  dulcis  Domine, 
 Inimicum  amid  nomine, 
 Quales  erunt,  amoris  carmine 
 Qui  Te  canunt  et  modulamine  ? 
 
 V.  45.     Hondemius.     (De  Passione.) 
 
 Blessed  be  Thy  Name,  0  Holy  Jesus,  who  hast  sanctified  to  us 
 all  our  natural  infirmities  and  passions  by  vouchsafing  to  be  in 
 fear,  and  trembling,  and  sore  amazement ;  by  being  bound  and 
 imprisoned,  by  being  harassed  and  dragged  with  cords  of  vio- 
 lence and  rude  hands ;  by  being  drenched  "  in  the  brook  in  the 
 way"  (Ps.  ex.  7,)  by  being  sought  after,  like  a  thief,  and  used, 
 like  a  sinner,  who  art  the  most  Holy  and  most  innocent,  cleaner 
 than  an  Angel  and  brighter  than  the  morning  star!  Rom.  xv. 
 1 — 3  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  9.  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Prayers  for  several  oc- 
 casions.    Holy  Living,  ch.  iv.  s.  6.) 
 
 51  And,  behold,  one  of  them  which  were  with 
 Jesus  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  drew  his  sword, 
 and  struck  a  servant  of  the  high  priest's,  and  smote 
 off  his  ear, 
 
 52  Then  said  Jesus  unto  him,  Put  up  again  thy 
 
496  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  51,  52. 
 
 sword  into  his  place  :  for  all  they  that  take  the  sword 
 shall  perish  with  the  sword. 
 
 53  Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  now  pray  to  My 
 Father,  and  He  shall  presently  give  Me  more  than 
 twelve  legions  of  angels  ? 
 
 54  But  how  then  shall  the  Scriptures  be  fulfilled, 
 that  thus  it  must  be  ? 
 
 55  In  that  same  hour  said  Jesus  to  the  multitudes. 
 Are  ye  come  out  as  against  a  thief  with  swords  and 
 staves,  for  to  take  me  ?  I  sat  daily  with  you  teaching 
 in  the  temple,  and  ye  laid  no  hold  on  Me. 
 
 56  But  all  this  was  done,  that  the  Scriptures  of  the 
 prophets  might  be  fulfilled.  Then  all  the  disciples 
 forsook  Him,  and  fled. 
 
 51  Smote  q^^  his  ear. — S.  Basil  observes,  that  amongst  those  many 
 seeming  contradictions  in  Scripture,  one  is  of  a  fact,  or  work 
 done,  to  the  precept.  The  command  is,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill." 
 Sampson  killed  himself;  Phinehas  with  his  spear  nails  the 
 adulterous  couple  to  the  earth :  but  every  man  hath  not  Samp- 
 son's spirit,  nor  Phinehas'  commission.  The  fathers'  rule  is 
 the  rule  of  wisdom  itself.  When  we  read  in  Scripture  a  fact 
 commended  (i.e.  by  the  example  of  a  Saint)  which  falls  cross 
 with  the  precept,  we  must  leave  the  fact,  and  cleave  to  the  pre- 
 cept ;  for  examples  are  not  rules  of  life,  but  provocations  to  good 
 works,  v.  39  ;  Rom.  xii.  19 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  Farindon.  (Serm. 
 Col.  ii.  6.) 
 
 52  S.  Peter's  zeal,  that  they  say  made  him  chief  of  the  Apostles, 
 as  it  made  him  promptest  to  confess  the  Lord,  so  did  it  heat 
 him  to  be  readiest  to  defend  Him  ;  as  fiery  to  use  his  sword,  as 
 his  tongue  for  his  master.  But  His  master  will  not  let  a  sword 
 be  drawn  in  His  own  cause.  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  his 
 place.  The  God  of  our  religion  will  not  be  defended  by  trea- 
 son and  from  murder  by  the  wounding  of  another  :  nor  will 
 His  religion  suffer  a  sword  out  of  the  sheath  against  the  power 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  52.  497 
 
 of  the  Magistrate;  no,  not  in  behalf  of  Christ  Himself;  but 
 goes  beyond  its  proper  bounds  to  threaten  things,  that  are  not 
 Gospel  punishments,  even  excision  in  this  life,  in  them,  that  do 
 attempt  it — They,  that  take  the  sword,  shall  perish  with  the 
 sword.  Here  the  G-ospel  becomes  Law,  and  turns  zealot  for  the 
 Magistrate,  though  persecuting  Cheist  Himself,  Therefore, 
 afterwards  none  was  more  forward  than  S.  Peter  to  press  sub- 
 jection to  the  Magistrate,  though  most  unjustly  persecuting  for 
 religion,  v.  39  ;  x.  10,  16 ;  1  S.  Pet,  ii.  12—18  ;  iv.  12—16. 
 Dr.  Allestry.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  ix.  45.) 
 
 Put  up  again. — What  is  here  said  to  Peter  does  indeed  prohibit 
 the  use  of  the  sword,  but  not  in  a  cause  of  self-defence.  Por 
 here  there  was  no  necessity  for  Peter's  defending  himself,  since 
 Cheist  had  said  "  Let  these  go  their  way,  that  the  saying  might 
 be  fulfilled,  which  He  spake,  of  them  which  Thou  gavest  Me  I 
 have  lost  none,"  (S.  John  xviii.  8,  9)  ;  nor  for  his  defending 
 Christ,  who  was  unwilling  to  be  defended,  (v.  54.)  Peter 
 therefore,  being  a  man  of  an  irascible  temper,  was  urged  on  here 
 with  a  mind  of  revenging,  not  of  defending  his  Master.  To  this 
 we  may  add  the  circumstance  of  his  taking  up  arms  against 
 those,  who  approached  him  under  the  sanction  of  public  au- 
 thority. Moreover,  in  these  words  of  Christ  seems  to  be  con- 
 tained a  prophecy  of  the  revenge,  that  was  to  be  executed  upon 
 the  bloody  Jews  by  the  sword  of  the  E-omans.  v.  38 — 43. 
 Grotius.     (De  jure  belli  et  pacis,  P.  i.  s.  36.) 
 
 0  Lord,  why  dost  Thou  bid  me  take  the  sword,  when  Thou  dost 
 forbid  my  smiting  the  blow  ?  Why  dost  Thou  order  me  to 
 have  what  I  must  not  use,  unless  it  be,  that  I  am  to  be  pre- 
 pared to  defend,  but  not  to  avenge  myself?  Eom.  xii.  17,  19  ; 
 Eev.  xiii.  10.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 They  that  take  the  sword,  &c. — Death  is  ordered  to  be  punished 
 by  death,  not  because  one  is  equivalent  to  the  other ;  for  that 
 would  be  expiation  and  not  punishment :  nor  is  death  always 
 an  equivalent  for  death :  the  execution  of  a  needy  decrepit  as- 
 sassin is  a  poor  satisfaction  for  the  murder  of  a  Nobleman,  in 
 the  bloom  of  his  youth  and  full  enjoyment  of  his  friends,  his 
 honours,  and  his  fortune.  But  the  reason,  upon  which  this 
 sentence  is  grounded,  seems  to  be,  that  this  is   the  highest 
 
 K    K 
 
498  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  52.  53. 
 
 penalty,  that  man  can  inflict,  and  tends  most  to  the  security 
 of  mankind  by  removing  one  murderer  from  the  earth,  and  set- 
 ting a  dreadful  example  to  deter  others  ;  so  that  even  this  grand 
 instance  proceeds  from  other  principles,  than  those  of  retalia- 
 tion. Gen.  ix.  6 ;  Eom.  xiii.  1 — 8  ;  Acts  xxv.  11.  Judge  Black- 
 stone.     (Book  iv.  ch.  1.) 
 
 "He,  that  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed," 
 saith  the  Loed  of  life  and  death.  Por  this  crime,  and  this  alone, 
 the  God  of  mercy  appears  inexorable.  He,  who  with  regard  to 
 all  other  trespasses,  which  we  commit  against  one  another,  re- 
 commends to  us  mutual  forbearance  and  forgiveness,  shuts  up 
 both  the  doors  of  mercy,  the  human  and  Divine.  For  the  irre- 
 missible  sentence  of  offering  up  to  Eternal  justice  the  blood  of 
 the  murderer  is  both  a  direction  for  human  judicatories,  and  a 
 declaration  of  His  own  pursuing  vengeance — (in  this  life) — 
 whereby  He  engages  Himself  so  to  direct  the  course  of  His 
 Providence,  that  second  causes  shall  perform  the  office  of  the 
 fabled  Furies  to  hunt  the  ofifender  through  the  world,  till  they 
 have  brought  him  to  the  bar  of  civil  justice ;  when,  if  he  escape, 
 the  same  avengers  shall  still  dog  his  footsteps,  till  the  torments 
 of  a  distracted  conscience,  or  another  murderer,  like  himself, 
 have  rendered  him  up  to  the  tribunal  of  heaven.  Gen.  iv.  11 — 
 15,  23,  24  ;  2  Sam.  iii.  27—29,  34.  Bp.  Warburton.  (Sermon 
 on  duelling.     S.  James  iv.  1.) 
 
 53  Armies  of  Heavenly  soldiers  with  the  chariots  of  fire  and  the 
 horses  of  fire,  any  one  of  them  powerful  enough  to  destroy  a 
 world.  Ps.  Ixviii.  17;  Heb.  i.  7.  A.  W.  Hare.  (Serm.  1 
 Tim.  i.  15.) 
 
 The  passage  will  supply  a  fine  parallel  to  2  Kings  vi.  17.  Christ 
 will  by  His  word  open  the  spiritual  eye  of  His  troubled  disci- 
 ple and  show  Him  the  Mount  of  God,  full  of  "  chariots  and 
 horses  of  fire ;"  armies  of  Heaven,  which  are  encamping  round 
 Him,  and  whom  a  beck  from  Him  would  bring  forth  to  the 
 utter  discomfiture  of  His  enemies,  xxv.  31 ;  Ps.  xxxv.  5  ;  2 
 Thess.  i.  7—9.     R.  C.  Trench.     (On  the  Miracles.) 
 
 In  regard  to  the  distinctions,  subsisting  among  Angels,  we  poor 
 pilgrims  of  the  earth  are  permitted  to  know  little  more,  than 
 their  names.     For  we  know  that  some  are  called  "  Seraphim," 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  55,  56.  499 
 
 from  the  vision  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  ;  others  "  Cherubim," 
 from  the  prophecy  of  Ezekiel ;  others  "  thrones ;"  others  "  domi- 
 nions," others  "principalities,"  others  "powers,"  from  the 
 Epistle  to  the  Colossians;  also  others  are  named  "powers," 
 from  the  same  Apostle  to  theEphesians  ;  others  "  Archangels," 
 from  the  same  Apostle,  and  from  the  Epistle  of  the  Apostle 
 Jude  :  others,  lastly,  are  named  "  Angels,"  the  most  commonly 
 mentioned  in  all  the  Books  of  Scripture.  The  invariable  opinion 
 of  learned  men  has  been  gathered  from  these  nine  appellations, 
 that  there  exist  nine  distinct  orders  of  Angels,  each  order  com- 
 prehending many  thousands  of  angelic  beings,  as  Daniel  re- 
 ports (vii.  10),  "Thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  Him, 
 and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  Him  ;"  and 
 as  Job  agrees  in  saying,  "  Is  there  any  number  of  His  Hosts  ?" 
 Gen.  xxviii.  12  ;  Col.  ii.  18.  Card.  Bellarmine.  (On  the  Saints' 
 Eternal  Happiness,  B.  i.  ch.  2.) 
 
 55  /  sat  daily,  ^c. — To  quicken  people  to  diligence  and  liveli- 
 ness in  the  worship  of  God,  he  {Philip  Henry)  would  some- 
 times observe  that  the  Temple  was  built  upon  a  threshiny- 
 fioor,  a  place  of  labour.     2  Sam.  xxiv.  21  ;  Col.  iv.  12.     Life, 
 
 by  M.  Henry. 
 
 56  Then  all  the  disciples,  ^c. — v.  35. — Impartial  biography  is  to  be 
 found  only  in  the  Scriptures,  xvi.  22,  23  ;  xx.  21,  24  ;  xxviii.  17. 
 R.  Cecil. 
 
 These  were  stars  fixed  in  their  orb,  though  clouded  and  overspread 
 for  a  time.  This  was  but  a  mist,  or  fog,  which  overspreads  the 
 earth  in  the  morning,  till  the  sun  be  risen,  and  then  it  clears  up 
 and  proves  a  fine  day.     Ps.  xxxvii.  24  ;  li.  12.     Flavel. 
 
 57  And  they  that  had  laid  hold  on  Jesus  led  Him 
 away  to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest,  where  the  scribes 
 and  the  elders  were  assembled. 
 
 58  But  Peter  followed  Him  afar  off  unto  the  high 
 priest's  palace,  and  went  in,  and  sat  with  the  servants, 
 to  see  the  end. 
 
 59  Now  the  chief  priests,  and  elders,  and  all  the 
 
 kk2 
 
500  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  57-61. 
 
 council,  sought  false  witness   against   Jesus,  to  put 
 Him  to  death ; 
 
 60  But  found  none :  yea,  though  many  false  wit- 
 nesses came,  yet  found  they  none.  At  the  last  came 
 two  false  witnesses, 
 
 61  And  said,  This  fellow  said,  I  am  able  to  destroy 
 the  temple  of  God,  and  to  build  it  in  three  days. 
 
 57  It  "was  not  without  the  Divine  decree  that  the  Son  of  God  was 
 now  brought  before  this  Judicature.  Shiloh  was  to  make  His 
 appearance,  while  a  Lawgiver  was  still  among  the  Jews.  Ac- 
 cordingly, He  who  was  made  under  the  Law,  was  now  brought 
 before  Judges  sitting  in  Moses'  chair,  xxiii.  2 ;  Gen.  xlix.  10. 
 Rambach. 
 
 58  It  is  not  amiss  to  remember  what  the  Holt  Ghost  hath  ob- 
 served for  our  instruction  in  S.  Peter,  that,  soon  after  he  drew 
 back  and  followed  at  a  distance,  he  forsook  and  forsware  his 
 LoED.  Prom  which  we  may  certainly  conclude,  that  we  shall 
 never  stand  stedfast  in  the  doctrine  and  faith  of  our  Lobd,  un- 
 less we  endeavour  to  harden  our  faces  and  strengthen  our  fore- 
 heads against  all  such  fear  of  the  looks  or  tongues  of  men.  x. 
 26,  28,  31 ;  Ezek.  iii.  8,  9  ;  S.  Luke  ix.  51 ;  Gal.  ii.  11 ;  vi.  12. 
 Bp.  Sparrow.     (Serm.  1  Thess.  iii.  8.) 
 
 Venturing  on  the  borders  of  danger  is  much  akin  to  presump- 
 tuous carelessness.  A  man  goes  on  pretty  well,  till  he  ventures 
 within  the  atmosphere  of  danger  ;  but  the  atmosphere  of  danger 
 infatuates  him.  The  ship  is  got  within  the  influence  of  the  vor- 
 tex and  will  not  obey  the  helm.  David  was  sitting  in  this 
 atmosphere  on  the  house-top,  and  was  ensnared  and  fell.  vi.  13  ; 
 xxvi.  41 ;  S.  James  i.  13 — 16.  R.  Cecil.  (Serm.  on  the  fall  of 
 S.  Peter.) 
 
 61  They  did  not  doubt  that,  if  they  might  make  men  to  believe 
 that  He  said  any  thing  against  the  honour  and  majesty  of  the 
 Temple,  He  should  seem  to  all  men,  most  worthy  of  death, 
 xxiv.  1,2;  IS.  John  iv.  20 ;  Acts  vi.  13  ;  xxi.  28,  29.  Homilies. 
 (Of  the  right  use  of  the  Church,  P.  2.) 
 
 Was  it  likely,  or  could  it  once  be  imagined,  He  meant  to  destroy 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  61.  501 
 
 their  Temple?  It  was  Gob's  house;  and  the  "zeal  of  God's 
 house"  but  even  a  verse  before  (S.  John  ii.  17),  "  consumed 
 Him."  And  doth  His  zeal  now,  like  the  zeal  of  our  times,  con- 
 sume God's  house  ?  What !  and  that  so  quickly  1  But  a  verse 
 between  ?  But  even  very  now  (S.  John  ii.  14 — 16  ;  S.  Matt. 
 xxi.  12)  He  "purged"  it.  And  did  He  purge  it,  to  have  it 
 pulled  down  ?  That  were  preposterous  ....  He,  that  would 
 not  see  it  abused,  would  never  endure  to  have  it  destroyed  ; 
 specially  not,  when  He  had  reformed  the  abuses.  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 (Serm.  S.  John  ii.  19.) 
 
 Christ  is  called  Sanctus  sanctorum,  the  Holy  of  Holies  ;  and 
 in  this  Sacred  place  was  contained  the  golden  censer,  the  Ark 
 of  the  Covenant,  the  golden  pot,  that  contained  Manna,  the  rod 
 of  Aaron,  that  being  dead  budded  again,  the  wings  of  the  Che- 
 rubins,  overshadowing  the  mercy-seat.  So  in  Cheist  is  con- 
 tained the  Ark  of  Covenant  between  God  and  man  ;  with  the 
 censer,  the  acceptation  of  the  prayers  of  the  Saints ;  with  the 
 golden  pot,  that  contained  Manna,  the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  with 
 Aaron's  dead  rod,  that  budded  again,  the  hope  of  the  Resurrec- 
 tion ;  the  two  Cherubins,  that  looked  face  to  face,  the  two  Tes- 
 taments, both  looking  to  one  Mercy-seat;  to  wit,  Christ,  whom 
 Isaiah  calleth  "  The  Prince  of  Righteousness ;"  Haggai,  "  the 
 desire  of  the  nations  ;"  Malachi,  "  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  ;" 
 the  Angel,  "  Jesus,  who  shall  save  His  people  from  their  sins." 
 V.  17  ;  S.  John  ii.  21 ;  Heb.  ix.  3.    Sutton.    (Disce  vivere,  c.  4.) 
 
 The  Tabernacle  preceded  the  Temple  ;  so  did  our  Blessed  Lord 
 pass  from  His  Tabernacle  of  Human  suffering  to  His  Temple, 
 wherein  He  was  glorified.  The  Tabernacle  was  "  in  the  wilder- 
 ness ;"  the  Temple  in  "  the  city  of  the  great  King  :"  so  did 
 Christ  suffer  on  earth,  to  be  exalted  afterwards  to  the  riglit 
 hand  of  God.  (Conf  S.  John  i.  14,  "  dwelt,"  or  tabernacled, 
 with  ii.  19.)     Ps.  cxxxii. ;  Heb.  ix.  11, 12.     J.  F. 
 
 62  And  the  high  priest  arose,  and  said  unto  Him, 
 Answerest  Thou  nothing  ?  what  is  it  which  these  wit- 
 ness against  Thee  ? 
 
 63  But  Jesus  held  His  peace.    And  the  high  priest 
 
503  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  63. 
 
 answered  and  said  unto  Him,  I  adjure  Thee  by  the 
 living  God,  that  Thou  tell  us  whether  Thou  be  the 
 Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
 
 64  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Thou  hast  said  :  neverthe- 
 less I  say  unto  you,  Hereafter  shall  ye  see  the  Son  of 
 Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming 
 in  the  clouds  of  heaven. 
 
 65  Then  the  high  priest  rent  his  clothes,  saying.  He 
 hath  spoken  blasphemy ;  what  further  need  have  we  of 
 witnesses'?  behold,  now  ye  have  heard  His  blasphemy. 
 
 66  What  think  ye  ?  They  answered  and  said,  He  is 
 guilty  of  death. 
 
 67  Then  did  they  spit  in  His  face,  and  buffeted  Him  ; 
 and  others  smote  Him  with  the  palms  of  their  hands. 
 
 68  Saying,  Prophesy  unto  us,  Thou  Christ,  Who 
 is  he  that  smote  Thee  ? 
 
 63  Under  false  accusations,  be  silent,  and  leave  your  actions  to 
 shame  your  adversaries.  Isa.  liii.  7  ;  2  Kings  xviii.  36.  Bp. 
 Medleij. 
 
 There  is  a  dignity  in  silence,  which,  though  we  must  not  assume 
 it  for  our  own  sakes,  we  may  prudently  preserve  for  our  cause's 
 sake.  And  let  me  add,  that  there  is  scarcely  any  more  salutary 
 exercise  of  self-denial,  than  to  suppress  that  very  thing,  which  on 
 ground  of  feeling  we  should  be  eager  to  send  abroad.  Prov.  xii. 
 23 ;  xiv.  33  ;  IS.  Pet.  ii.  15,  23.     A.  Knox. 
 
 The  Christ,  the  Son  of  God. — Caiaphas  and  the  Jews  did  not  enter- 
 tain an  opinion  of  the  Messiah  of  a  nature  altogether  political 
 and  secular,     ii.  6  ;  S.  John  xii.  34.     Bengal. 
 
 I  adjure  Thee,  &c. — We  hold  in  Divinity,  that  jurare,  to  swear,  of 
 and  by  itself  considered,  is  an  act  forbidden,  no  less  than  occi- 
 dere,  to  kill  (v.  34,  21)  ;  and  that,  as  it  is  an  absolute  counter- 
 mand, "  Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  and  yet  the  magistrate,  by  due 
 course  of  justice  executing  a  malefactor,  is  commended ;  so  it  is 
 likewise  nonjurabis,  "  Thou  shalt  not  swear ;"  and  yet,  being,  as 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  64.  503 
 
 we  term  it,  vestitum,  debitis  circumstantiis,  done  in  a  proper  aud 
 lawful  manner  (Jer.  iv.  2),  "  AH  they  that  swear  by  Him  shall 
 be  commended"  (Ps.  Ixiii.  12),  as  King  David  saith.  There  is 
 also  a  bar  in  the  word  jurare.  For,  GrOD  in  His  law  ever  putting 
 it  passively,  that  is,  rather.  Thou  shalt  be  sworn,  or  called  to  an 
 oath,  than,  thou  shalt  swear,  actively  ;  our  Saviour  Christ 
 here  (S.  Matt.  v.  34)  utterly  condemueth  the  active  voluntary 
 swearing  of  men,  of  their  own  heads,  (v,  72.)  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 (Serm.  on  Jer.  iv.  2.) 
 
 64  Thou  hast  said. — This  phrase  describes  assent  and  amounts  to 
 a  modest  reply.     Beza. 
 
 It  seems  very  probable  that  the  great  offence,  which  the  High 
 Priest  took  at  our  Saviotjr's  saying,  that  they  should  hereafter 
 see  Him  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  was  this  ;  that  it  was  a 
 tradition  among  them,  that  the  Messiah  should  so  come,  and 
 that  therefore  he  looked  upon  that  saying  of  our  Saviour  as  a 
 blasphemous  pretence  to  His  being  the  Messiah ;  as  much,  as  if 
 He  should  have  said,  "  Though  I  have  done  enough  already  to 
 convince  you  that  I  am  the  Messiah,  yet  you  shall  hereafter  see 
 that  very  sign  of  My  being  the  Messiah,  upon  which  you  so 
 much  depend  and  without  which  you  will  not  believe,  viz.  My 
 coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven^  xxiv.  30;  Ex.  xvi.  10;  Dan. 
 vii.  13,  14.     Dr.  J.  Scott.     (Christian  Life,  P.  ii.  Ch.  7) 
 
 How  will  all  things,  at  the  last  Day,  look  with  another  face !  How 
 the  humble  self-denying  Christian,  that  is  now  the  hissing  and 
 off-scouring  of  the  world,  will  then  be  exalted  above  all  heavens 
 and  seated  in  the  same  throne  with  the  Son  of  God  !  And  how- 
 all  those  mighty  nothings,  that  scorn  and  laugh  now  at  the  re- 
 ligious soul,  will  tremble  in  that  day,  like  an  aspen-leaf,  and  wish 
 that  they  had  considered  the  things,  which  belonged  to  their 
 everlasting  peace,  while  "  the  candle  of  the  Lord  shined  over 
 their  heads"  and  God  caressed  them  to  their  happiness !  xi.  24  ; 
 xii.  41;  xix.  30;  Ps.  cxii.  9,  10;  Wisd.  v.  Dr.  Horneck. 
 (Happy  Ascetic,  Exercise  3.) 
 
 Detrahe  quin  oculos,  spectator,  et  ora  nitentem 
 Si  poterint  perferre  diem,  medium  inspice  murum. 
 Qua  sedet  orta  Deo  proles,  Deus  Ipse,  sereno 
 Lumine  perfusus,  radiisque  inspersus  acutis. 
 
504  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  65,  67. 
 
 Circum  tranquillae  fuuduntur  tempora  flaramse  ; 
 Regius  ore  vigor  spirat ;  nitet  ignis  ocellis, 
 Plurimaque  efFulget  Majestas  Numine  toto. 
 Quantum  dissimilis,  quantum  O  !  rautatus  ab  lUo, 
 Qui  peccata  luit  cruciatus  non  Sua,  vitam 
 Quando  luctantem  cunctata  morte  trahebat ! 
 
 Addison.     (Resurrectio  delineata 
 
 ad  altare  Coll.  Magd.  Oxon) 
 65  The  Law  supposes  that  the  Judge  is  the  advocate  for  the 
 prisoner  and  will  suggest  such  defences,  as  are  lawful.  Acts 
 xix.  37,  Dr.  Whichcote.  (Aplior.  Cent.  xii.  1193.) 
 How  wondrous  is  the  grace  of  the  Gospel !  The  contrivances  of 
 God's  mercy  in  saving  us  far  exceed  all,  that  we  can  conceive 
 and  think !  In  the  prospect  of  our  own  appearance  before  the 
 Divine  Tribunal,  laden,  as  we  are,  with  our  sins,  we  can  yet 
 look  for  help  to  that  very  quarter,  to  which  Jesus  looked  in 
 vain.  We  can  look  to  the  person  of  our  Judge  ;  to  one,  who  is 
 not  our  enemy,  as  Caiaphas  was  His,  but  to  one,  who  is  the 
 friend  of  all  those,  who  "  truly  repent  and  unfeignedly  believe 
 His  holy  Gospel."  For  this  cause,  He  is  "  the  Son  of  Man,"  to 
 whom  "all  judgment  is  committed,"  that  He  might  deal  com- 
 passionately with  His  brethren  on  that  Day,  and  not  "  reward 
 us  after  our  deservings."  "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  His  unspeak- 
 able gift !"  S.  John  XV.  14 ;  Rom.  viii.  34 ;  2  Cor.  v.  21.  J.  F. 
 He  hath  spoken  blasphemy. — Men  will  sanctify  the  worst  cause 
 with  the  specious  pretext  of  zeal  for  the  furtherance  of  the  best. 
 Gen.  xxxiv.  13 — 17 ;  1  Kings  xxi.  9,  10.  Cowper.  (Letters.) 
 Rent  his  clothes. — This  was  done  in  a  deep  mystery,  that  the  Jew- 
 ish High  Priest  at  the  time  of  our  Lokd's  Passion  should  him- 
 self rend  his  clothes,  when  the  coat  of  our  Loed  could  not  be 
 rent,  even  by  the  soldiers,  who  crucified  Him.  For  the  entire- 
 ness  of  the  Holy  Church  Universal,  which  is  usually  called  the 
 robe  of  her  Redeemer,  can  never  be  broken  asunder,  xvi.  18 ; 
 xxvii.  51 ;  S.  John  xix.  24.  Bede. 
 What  men  want  of  reason  in  their  opinions  they  generally  supply 
 and  make  up  with  rage.  Verse  74.  Acts  vii.  54,  57.  Abp. 
 Tillotson. 
 67  Then  did  they  spit,  &,c. — In  time  of  prosperity,  hypocrisy  lies 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  67.  505 
 
 hid  in  the  heart,  like  a  nest  in  the  green  leaves.  But  when  the 
 winter  of  adversity  has  blown  away  the  leaves,  every  one  may 
 see  it  without  searching.  Prov.  xvii.  17 ;  S.  Luke  ii.  35 ; 
 xxii.  28.     Flavel. 
 
 Heu  mihi  quantis 
 Impedior  lachrymis  rabidum  memorare  tumultum  ! 
 Sacrilegas  movisse  manus,  non  denique  passim 
 Vel  colaphis  pulsare  caput,  vel  csedere  paltnis, 
 Aut  spuere  in  faciem  plebs  execranda  quievit 
 Ille  tameu  patiens  subjecto  corpore  totura 
 Sustiuuit,  nostrseque  dedit  Sua  membra  saluti. 
 Namque  per  hos  colaphos  caput  est  sanabile  nostrum. 
 Sputa  haee  per  Dominum  nostram  lavere  figuram. 
 His  alapis*  nobis  libertas  maxima  plausit ! 
 
 Sedulius.  (Carm.  Lib.  v.) 
 What  measure  can  be  too  hard  for  Him,  that  is  denounced  worthy 
 of  death  ?  Now  those  foul  mouths  defile  Thy  Blessed  face  with 
 their  impure  spittle,  the  venomous  froth  of  their  malice.  Now 
 those  cruel  hands  are  lifted  up  to  buffet  Thy  Sacred  cheeks. 
 Now  scorn  and  insult  triumph  over  Thine  humble  patience ; 
 Prophesy  unto  us,  O  Christ,  who  is  he,  that  smote  Thee  ?  0  ! 
 dear  Jesus,  what  a  beginning  is  here  of  a  Passion !  Thou  there 
 standest  bound,  condemned,  spat  upon,  buffeted,  derided,  by 
 malicious  sinners.  Thou  art  bound,  who  camest  to  "  loose  the 
 bands  of  death."  Thou  art  condemned,  whose  sentence  must 
 acquit  the  world.  Thou  art  spat  upon,  that  art  "  fairer  than 
 the  sons  of  men."  Thou  art  buffeted,  "  in  whose  mouth  was  no 
 guile."  Thou  art  derided,  who  art  "  clothed  with  gloiy  and 
 majesty  !"     Bp.  Hall.     (Contemplations,  B.  iv.  30.) 
 
 69  Now  Peter  sat  without  in  the  palace :  and  a 
 damsel  came  unto  him,  saying,  Thou  also  wast  with 
 Jesus  of  Gahlee. 
 
 70  But  he  denied  before  them  all,  saying,  I  know 
 not  what  thou  sayest. 
 
 *  Casaubon  tells  us  that  these  alapce  were  blows,  given  to  liberated  slaves. 
 
506  s.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  69. 
 
 71  And  when  he  was  gone  out  into  the  porch, 
 another  maid  saw  him,  and  said  unto  them  that  were 
 there,  This  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
 
 72  And  again  he  denied  wdth  an  oath,  I  do  not 
 know  the  man. 
 
 73  And  after  a  while  came  unto  him  they  that  stood 
 by,  and  said  to  Peter,  Surely  thou  also  art  one  of 
 them,  for  thy  speech  bewray eth  thee. 
 
 74  Then  began  he  to  curse  and  to  swear,  saying,  I 
 know  not  the  man.     And  immediately  the  cock  crew. 
 
 69  Sat  without  in  the  palace. — God  doth  not  usually  keep  them 
 from  the  commission  of  sin,  who  do  not  keep  themselves  from 
 the  occasions  and  appearances  of  sin.  Gen.  xxxiv.  1 ;  S.  Jude 
 21,  24.     Bp.  Hopkins.     (Serm.  1  Thess.  v.  22.) 
 
 The  working  monk  is  assaulted  by  a  single  devil ;  but  the  idle  one 
 is  overcome  by  devils  without  number.  Ecclus.  xxxiii.  27 ; 
 Nehem.  vi.  3.     Cassianus.     (De  instit,  x.  23.) 
 
 How  came  it  to  pass,  when  those  holy  men,  David  and  Joseph, 
 were  tempted  to  the  commission  of  the  same  crime,  that  one 
 resisted,  and  that  the  other  yielded ;  nay,  that  the  older  Saint 
 yielded,  and  that  the  younger  maintained  his  innocency  ?  How 
 was  this  ?  The  difference  seems  to  have  arisen  from  the  dif- 
 ference of  their  positions,  severally,  at  the  critical  time  of 
 Satan's  attack  on  each  of  them.  The  tempter  found  David 
 idling  away  his  time  at  home,  when  he  ought  to  have  been 
 fighting  the  battles  of  the  Lobd.  (2  Sam.  xi.  1.)  He  found 
 him  "  at  ease  in  Zion  ;"  whereas  he  found  Joseph  "  going  about 
 his  business  "  (Gen.  xxxix.  11,)  engaged  in  the  diligent  per- 
 formance of  his  domestic  duty.  In  one  case,  the  fiery  dart  of 
 the  enemy  fell,  as  it  were,  upon  tinder ;  in  the  other  case,  it 
 fell  upon  a  rock,  A  like  instructive  contrast  may  be  drawn  be- 
 tween Judith  and  Dinah  the  daughter  of  Jacob.  The  former, 
 because  she  exposed  herself  on  a  call  of  duty  to  all  the  perils  of 
 the  Assyrian  camp,  was  preserved  in  the  midst  of  them  without 
 harm.    (Judith  x.)     The   latter,  because  she  left  ber  father's 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  69,  72.  507 
 
 tent  from  a  motive  of  idle  curiosity,  "  to  see  the  daughters  of 
 the  laud,"  was  suffered  to  fall  into  the  fatal  snare,  obtaining  no 
 help  whatever  from  God.  Let  us  then  be  "  in  the  fear  of  the 
 LoED  "  all  the  day  long,  lest  "  Satan  have  the  advantage  over 
 us."     J.  F. 
 
 Grerminat  tellus  inarata  vepres  ; 
 
 Qui  caret  motu  vitiatur  aer  ; 
 
 Mens  nocet  terpens,  velut  unda  tetro 
 
 Putrida  coeno. 
 Cui  labor  frontem  decoravit  auro 
 Testis  est  David,  solitus  leonem 
 Dextera,  et  durae  silicis  gigantem 
 
 Sternere  jactu. 
 Mox  enim  segnem  requiem  secutus 
 Jus  maritalis  violans  cubilis, 
 Ut  notam  probri  tegat,  iunocenti 
 
 Sanguine  foedat. 
 Inclytum  virtus  opus  est  laboris  ; 
 Hujus  impulsu  petit  astra.     Mores 
 Besides  vita  ;  fuge  delicatae 
 
 Otia  vitse. 
 
 Card.  Barberini, 
 72  He  denied  with  an  oath. — Peter,  who  would  needs  be  fighting 
 for  his  Master  (xxvi.  51),  in  a  few  hours,  with  most  cursed  impre- 
 cations forswears  Him.  Irregular  illegal  violences  for  religion 
 usually  flame  out  into  direct  opposition  to  that,  they  are  so 
 zealous  for,  and  fly  in  the  face  of  that  religion,  they  pretend  to 
 strive  for.  v.  51.  Di'.  Allestry.  (Serm.  S.  Luke  ix.  55.) 
 Is  this  Jacob  ?  Is  this  Israel  "  without  guile  ?"  "  Let  him,  that 
 thinketh  he  standeth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  Good  men  have 
 sometimes  failed  in  the  exercise  of  those  graces,  for  which  they 
 have  been  most  eminent.  Conf.  verse  51.  Numb.  xii.  3;  xx. 
 10.  M.  Henry.  (Commentary.  Note  on  Gen.  xxvii.  24,  25.) 
 The  stars  have  fallen  from  heaven.  What  then  can  I,  dust  of  the 
 earth,  expect  ?  They,  whose  works  seemed  praiseworthy,  have 
 fallen  as  low,  as  man  can  fall ;  and  I  have  seen  some,  who  were 
 fed  with  Angels'  food,  delight  themselves  with  the  husks  of 
 swine.     There  is  then,  O  !  Loud,  no  holiness,  if  Thou  with- 
 
508  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  72. 
 
 draw  Thine  hand  ;  no  chastity  is  secure,  if  Thou  defend  it  not ; 
 no  vigilance  can  avail  us,  if  Thou  fail  to  watch  over  us.  For, 
 if  we  be  left  by  Tbee,  we  sink  and  perish.  Come  to  us ;  and 
 we  arise  and  live.  We  totter ;  but  Thou  strengthenest  us  :  we 
 are  lukewarm,  but  Thou  kindlest  us.  Oh,  what  humble  and 
 lowly  thoughts  should  I  not  entertain  of  myself!  How  little 
 should  I  esteem  that,  which  seems  good  in  me !  How  deeply 
 should  I  abase  myself.  Oh  Loed,  before  Thy  unfathomable  judg- 
 ment, wherein  I  find  myself  to  be  nothingness,  mere  nothing- 
 ness !  Oh  immensity  of  weight !  Oh,  sea  without  a  shore, 
 where  self  cannot  exist,  but  disappears,  as  nothingness,  in  the 
 centre  of  Infinity.  Where  then  shall  pride  hide  itself?  Where 
 self-complacency  ?  O  my  God,  all  vanity  is  swallowed  up  in 
 the  depth  of  Thy  judgments  !  xi.  23  ;  Ps.  civ.  27—31.  Th.  h 
 Kempis.  (De  Imit.  L.  iii.  c.  14.) 
 Cheist,  in  this  crow  of  the  cock,  hath  given  Peter  as  well  an  ex- 
 ample to  follow,  as  an  occasion  to  repent ;  as  well  taught  him 
 in  the  execution  of  his  Apostleship,  as  converted  him  from  the 
 estate  of  a  backslider.  (Isa.  Iviii.  1 ;  2  Tim.  iv.  5.)  A  true 
 minister,  that  loves  Cheist  and  His  sheep,  must  have  the  wings 
 of  a  cock,  to  rouse  up  first  himself  from  security  ;  and  then, 
 *'  being  converted,"  powerfully  to  awaken  and  "  strengthen  " 
 others  (S.  Luke  xxii.  32 ;)  and  he  must  have  the  watchfulness 
 of  a  cock,  to  be  ever  ready  to  discover  and  forewarn  danger 
 (Ezek.  xxxiii.  3  ;)  and  the  voice  of  a  cock,  to  "  cry  aloud  "  and 
 tell  Israel  of  their  sins  (Isa.  Iviii.  1)  and  terrify  '*  the  roaring 
 lion,"  that  seeks  to  devour  them  ;  and,  lastly,  the  hours  of  a 
 cock,  to  ''  preach,  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  the  glad  tidings 
 of  salvation.  Bja.  Reynolds.  (Medit.  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  S. 
 Peter,  s.  21.) 
 
 Ales,  diei  nuncius,  Quae  vis  sit  hujus  alitis 
 
 Lucem  propinquam  prsecinit  :  Salvator  ostendit  Petro. 
 
 Nos  excitator  mentium  Ter  ante,  quam  gallus  canet, 
 
 Jam  Christus  ad  vitam  vocat :         Sese  negandum  praedicans. 
 
 "Auferte,"  clamat,  "lectulos  Tu,  Christe,  somnum  disjice, 
 
 ^gros,  sopores  desides ;  Tu  rumpe  noctis  vincula, 
 
 Castique,  recti,  ac  sobrii  Tu  solve  peccatum  vetus, 
 
 Vigilate.    Jam  sum  proximus  !"      Novumque  lumen  ingere  ! 
 
 Prudentius.     (Cathemerinou,  Hymn.  1.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.  74,  75.  509 
 
 74  Then  began  he,  &c. — That  sin,  which  is  not  immediately  done 
 away  by  repentance,  often  by  its  own  weight  impels  us  to  the 
 commission  of  another.  Verse  16  ;  S.  Luke  iii.  20  ;  Acts  xii. 
 2,  3  ;  xxiv.  25,  26 ;  2  Tim.  iii.  13.     S.  Gregory. 
 
 75  And  Peter  remembered  the  word  of  Jesus,  which 
 said  unto  him,  Before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny 
 Me  thrice.     And  he  went  out  and  wept  bitterly. 
 
 75  The  strength  of  his  faith  concussum,  sed  non  excussum,  was 
 shaken,  but  not  shaken  away ;  his  faith  was  moved,  but  not 
 removed  ;  it  began  to  dry,  but  it  did  not  dry  up.  Ore  Deum 
 negavit,  sed  corde  tenuit ;  he  denied  God  with  his  lips,  but 
 still  held  Him  fast  with  his  heart.  Ps.  Ixxiii.  1 ;  xciv.  18. 
 Tertullian. 
 
 He,  who  before  had  taught  me  by  his  good  life  how  I  should  stand, 
 so  as  not  to  fall,  hath  now  taught  me  by  his  repentance  how,  in 
 the  case  of  my  falling,  I  should  rise  again.    Ps.  li.  13.    S.  Jerome. 
 
 I  boldly  assert  that  it  is  a  useful  thing  for  the  proud  and  self- 
 righteous  sometimes  to  fall  into  an  open  and  apparent  sin,  wide 
 sihi  salubriter  postea  displiceant,  qui  sibi  placendo  ceciderant, 
 by  means  of  which  they,  who  were  supplanted  by  an  overgreat 
 liking  of  themselves,  may  be  brought  to  a  salutary  self-abhor- 
 rence ;  just  as  Peter  was  more  benefited  by  his  self-condemna- 
 tion, when  he  wept  bitterly,  than  by  his  self-complacency,  when 
 he  presumed.  Job  xlii.  5,  6.  S.  Augustine.  (De  Civ.  Dei. 
 Lib.  ii.  c.  14.) 
 
 Ask  the  very  soul  of  Peter,  and  it  shall  undoubtedly  make  you 
 itself  this  answer;  "My  eager  protestations,  made  in  the  glory 
 of  my  ghostly  strength,  I  am  ashamed  of;  but  those  crystal 
 tears,  wherewith  my  sin  and  weakness  was  bewailed,  have  pro- 
 cured my  endless  joy :  my  strength  hath  been  my  ruin,  and  my 
 fall  my  stay."     Ps.  Ixxviii,  10.     Hooker.     (Serm.  Hab.  ii.  4.) 
 
 He  went  out. — It  is  not  enough  to  break  with  sin,  unless  you 
 break  with  sinners  too.  Ps.  cxix.  115 ;  Gren.  xxxv.  4.  Sam. 
 Lavington.     (Serm.  S.  Luke  xiii.  8.) 
 
 More  happily  did  Peter  fall,  than  others  stand  upright.  The  very 
 miscarriages  of  holy  men  are  useful.  I  was  nothing  hurt  by 
 Peter's  denial ;  I  am  much  the  better  for  his  repentance.     It 
 
510  S.  MATTHEW  XXVI.   75;  XXVII.   1. 
 
 has  taught  me  to  avoid  bad  company.     Gen.  xlix.  6 ;  1  Cor.  xv. 
 33  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  14—18.     S.  Ambrose. 
 Peter  denied  Christ  once,  and  wept  for  ever  after  it.     We  often 
 deny  Him,  and  never  weep  for  it  at  all.     Ps.  li.  3  ;  xxv.  G  ; 
 1  Cor.  V.  2.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Nocte  unjl  Petrus  Dominum  colit,  ense  tuetur, 
 Ter  negat,  admissi  pcenitet,  atque  dolet. 
 
 F.  Kilvert.     (Nugfe  superioris  arguraenti.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXVII. 
 
 T17HEN  the  morning  was  come,  all  the  chief  priests 
 and   elders  of  the  people  took  counsel   against 
 Jesus  to  put  Him  to  death  : 
 
 2  And  when  they  had  bound  Him,  they  led  Him 
 away,  and  deUvered  Him  to  Pontius  Pilate  the  go- 
 vernor. 
 
 3  Then  Judas,  which  had  betrayed  Him,  when  he 
 saw  that  He  was  condemned,  repented  himself,  and 
 brought  again  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief 
 priests  and  elders, 
 
 4  Saying,  I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the 
 innocent  blood.  And  they  said,  What  is  that  to  us? 
 see  thou  to  that. 
 
 5  And  he  cast  down  the  pieces  of  silver  in  the 
 temple,  and  departed,  and  went  and  hanged  himself. 
 
 1  How  many  are  quite  unworthy  to  see  the  light !  and  yet  the  day 
 dawns,     v.  45  ;  Ps.  xxxvi.  1 — 6  ;  Eccl.  xi.  7.     Seneca. 
 
 Our  Satioue,  who  appeared  so  early  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
 the  Jews,  has  obtained  for  us  the  privilege  of  early  appearing 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  1—4.  511 
 
 before  the  Throne  of  grace.  Are  the  slaves  of  Satan  so  early 
 abroad  for  the  execution  of  their  wicked  designs,  which  they 
 will  not  delay?  And  shall  not  "the  children  of  light"  avail 
 themselves  of  the  morning  hours,  when  the  mind  is  calm,  and 
 serene,  and  best  disposed  for  spiritual  prayer,  meditation,  and 
 devout  exercises  ?  Micah  ii.  1 ;  Ps.  xxxvi.  4 ;  Ixiii.  1 — 7  ;  Prov. 
 iv.  16  ;  XX.  1 ;  xxviii.  1.  Rambach. 
 Jam  lucis  orto  sidere,  Carnis  terat  superbiam 
 
 Deum  precemur  supplices,  Potus  cibique  parcitas. 
 
 Ut  in  diurnis  actibus  -g^  ^^^  ^.^^  abscesserit 
 
 Noc  servet  a  nocentibus.  Noctemque  sors  reduxerit, 
 
 Linguam  refraenans  temperet,      Mundi  per  abstinentiam 
 Ne  litis  horror  insonet ;  Ipsi  canamus  gloriam. 
 
 Visum  foveudo  contegat,  j^^^^  ^^^1  sit  Gloria, 
 
 Ne  vamtates  hauriat.  q^-  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^  ^.^^.^^^ 
 
 Sint  pura  cordis  intima,  Cum  Patre  et  almo  Spiritu, 
 
 Absistat  et  vecordia  ;  In  sempiterna  ssecula  ! 
 
 S.  Amb?'ose. 
 
 3  The  thh'ty  pieces  of  silver. — One  of  the  Fathers  has  truly  and 
 beautifully  observed,  that  "  Judas  remembered  the  price,  for 
 which  he  sold  his  Loed  ;  but  he  did  not  know  the  price,  which 
 his  Loed  paid  for  him."    1  S.  Peter  i.  18.     /.  F. 
 
 When  he  saw. — When  sin  is  fully  accomplished,  then  we  discover 
 its  enormity.  Gen.  xlii.  21 ;  Prov.  v.  3 — 5  ;  and  xxiii.  31,  32  ; 
 S.  Matt.  xiv.  9.     Tacitus. 
 
 Repented  himself. — Ascendit  homo  adversum  se  tribunal  mentis  suce. 
 Man  enters  the  court  of  his  own  conscience,  to  sit  in  judgment 
 against  himself.  Prov.  v.  11 — 14  ;  Wisd.  v.  1 — 10  ;  S.  Matt.  xiv. 
 1,  2.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 In  the  repentance  of  Judas  we  find  the  three  parts  of  repentance  ; 
 the  contrition  of  the  heart,  the  confession  of  the  mouth,  and  the 
 satisfaction  of  the  work.  In  outward  appearance  it  did  far  ex- 
 ceed and  pass  the  repentance  of  Peter But  Judas  wanted 
 
 faith,  whereby  he  did  despair  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of 
 God.     Horn.  iii.  25.     Homilies.     (Of  Eepentance.     P.  2.) 
 
 4  A  free  confession,  not  as  Pharaoh's,  extracted  from  the  wrack, 
 nor  like  that  of  Judas,  squeezed  out  with  anguish  and  horror, 
 
512  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  4,  5. 
 
 but  ingenuous  and  penitent,  coming  from  the  heart,  like  water 
 from  a  spring,  with  a  voluntary  freeness ;  not  like  water  out  of 
 a  still,  which  is  forced  with  fire.  1  Sam.  i.  15  ;  Ps.  xxxi.  1 — 7  ; 
 and  Ixii.  8.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Serm.  Hos.  xiv.  2.) 
 
 I  am  persuaded  that  if  Judas,  Judas,  who  betrayed  Cueist,  had 
 said  unto  Cheist  what  he  said  to  the  High  Priest,  I  have  sinned, 
 in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood,  he  might  have  been 
 saved.  Acts  iii.  15,  19;  Eom.  x.  11 — 13.  S.  Ambrose,  (on 
 Repentance.     B.  ii.) 
 
 The  sin  of  Judas  is  a  betraying.  This  sin  is  the  subject  of  Judas' 
 confession;  "I  have  sinned  in  betraying;"  a  sin,  that  fits  his 
 second  name,  as  confession  did  his  first — Judas,  a  co/i/e*sor; 
 
 Iscarioth,  a  betrayer See  how  the  works  of  darkness  will 
 
 needs  come  to  light.  God  will  have  sinners  to  be  avTOKaTtjrjopoi, 
 their  own  detectors.  The  inward  evidence  of  guilty  conscience 
 shall  not  suffice  ;  their  tongue  shall  tell  it  out ;  and  ex  ore  tuo, 
 their  own  mouths  shall  sentence  them.  Pilate  arraigns  him 
 not ;  the  people  accuse  him  not ;  saith  S.  Ambrose.  He  is 
 avTOKaTUKpiTos,  his  own  condemner.  (Titus  iii.  11.)  The 
 mouth,  which  served  before  to  betray  Cheist,  must  serve  now 
 to  betray  Judas.  S.  John  viii.  9  ;  S.  Mark  vi.  16  ;  S.  Luke 
 xix.  22 ;  IS.  John  iii.  20.  Dr.  Richard  Gierke.  (Serm.  S.  Matt. 
 xxvii.4.) 
 
 What  is  that  to  us  ?  See  thou  to  that. — This  will  express  the  diffe- 
 rence at  all  times  of  the  fellow  feeling  between  the  unbeliever 
 and  the  faithful.  No  burden,  that  our  brother  can  bear,  is 
 nothing  to  us ;  his  burden  is  our  burden,  as  our  burden  is  the 
 burden  of  his  and  our  merciful  Saviotje  ;  how  much  more, 
 when  it  is  under  the  weight  of  our  own  common  guilt,  that  he 
 labours.  Gen.  iv.  9  ;  2  Sam.  xviii.  33  ;  Phil.  ii.  21 ;  Gal.  vi.  2. 
 /*.  Williams,     (on  our  Loed's  Passion.     P.  ii.  b.  1.) 
 
 See  thou  to  that. — The  wicked,  accomplices  in  the  act  of  the 
 same  sin,  after  the  act  avoid  each  other.  The  righteous,  not 
 accomplices  in  the  act,  afterwards  heal  the  erring  brother, 
 xviii.  15  ;  Gal.  vi.  1.     Bengel. 
 
 5  The  worldling  promiseth  himself  much  content  in  his  dishonest 
 gain,  in  fraud,  oppression,  circumvention,  and  violence.  "  Popu- 
 lus  me  sibilat ;  at  mihi  plaudo  ipse  domi^^     "I  shall   have  a 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  5.  513 
 
 brave  vineyard,"  says  Ahab.  "  I  shall  have  sheep  and  oxen," 
 says  Gehazi ;  "  I  shall  never  want  friends,  nor  content :  money 
 answers  to  all — O  !  nummi,  vos  estis  fratres  !" — But  what 
 says  God  ?  "  Thou  fool,  this  night  shall  they  take  thy  soul 
 from  thee !  Thy  vineyard,  O  Ahab,  shall  bring  forth  grapes 
 of  gall.  Thy  talents,  O  Gehazi,  shall  purchase  thee  and  thine 
 heirs  a  leprosy.  Thy  wedge  of  gold,  O  Achan,  shall  cleave 
 thy  soul  from  thy  body.  Thy  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  O  Judas, 
 shall  be  the  price  of  thine  own  bowels,  as  well  as  of  thy  Master's 
 blood."  Treasures  of  wickedness,  "  shall  not  profit  in  the  day 
 of  wrath."  Numb,  xxxii.  23  ;  Obad.  4  ;  Micah  vi.  10 ;  Rom. 
 vi.  21.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  xvi.  26.) 
 
 Many  hold  the  world,  'till  it  is  too  hot  for  their  hands.  2  Cor. 
 vii.  10 ;  1  Tim.  vi.  9,  10.    T.  Jones. 
 
 Sense  of  an  irretrievable  error  in  life,  fastening  upon  the  mind,  is 
 a  foretaste  of  hell.    Wisd.  v.    Adam.    (Private  thoughts,  ch.  4.) 
 
 A  sad  thought  it  is,  that  an  immortal  soul,  born  for  Eternity,  Re- 
 deemed by  the  precious  Blood  of  Christ,  more  precious  than  all 
 the  money  in  the  world,  more  precious  than  the  world  itself, 
 more  precious  than  a  thousand  such  worlds  as  ours,  should 
 throw  itself  away  on  mere  dust  and  trash.  Lam.  iv.  1,  2.  Bp. 
 Medley.     (Serm.  S.  Matt.  vi.  21.) 
 
 Let  them,  who  are  tempted  to  despair  of  their  salvation,  consider 
 how  much  Cheist  suffered  to  redeem  us  from  sin  and  its 
 eternal  punishment.  He  that  considers  this,  must  needs  believe, 
 that  the  desires,  which  God  had  to  save  us,  were  not  less  than 
 Infinite  ;  and  therefore  not  easily  to  be  satisfied  without  it.  Let 
 no  man  despair  of  God's  mercies  to  forgive  him,  unless  he  be 
 sure  that  his  sins  be  greater  than  God's  mercies.  .  .  Remember, 
 that  despair  belongs  only  to  passionate  fools,  or  villains  (such  as 
 were  Ahithophel  and  Judas)  or  else  to  devils  and  damned  per- 
 sons :  and  as  the  hope  of  salvation  is  a  good  disposition  to- 
 wards it,  so  is  despair  a  certain  consignation  to  eternal  ruin.  A 
 man  may  be  damned  for  despairing  to  be  saved.  Despair  is  tlie 
 proper  passion  of  damnation.  Jonah  iii.  8,  9  ;  S.  John  iii.  18  ; 
 vi.  37.     Bp.  Taylor.     (Holy  living,  ch.  iv.  s.  2.) 
 
 Judas  more  offended  the  Lord  by  hanging  himself,  than  by  be- 
 traying his  Master.    S.  John  v.  41,  42.    S.  Jerome,    (in  Ps.  108.) 
 
 L    L 
 
514  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  5,  6. 
 
 Damnatum  vit  denique  Christum 
 Aspicit,  et  duris  religatum  bracbia  vinclis, 
 Judicis  Ausonii  sseva  ad  Prsetoria  duci ; 
 Nee  sese,  ut  quondam,  manibus  jam  velle  tenentum 
 Eripere,  aut  immaturae  subducere  morti ; 
 -^stuat  infelix,  et  tanti  funditus  omnem 
 Desperat  sceleris  veuiam.     "Nam  quae  mibi  tandem 
 Spes  misero  superest  ?     Si  tam  festina  cruoris 
 Intacti  proceres  rapiat  sitis,  ullane  justas 
 Criminis  infandi  tardet  dementia  poenas  ? 
 Hei  mibi !    Damnato  lux  bsec  suprema  Magistro  est : 
 Et  sperem  superesse  ?     Quid  impendentia  vecors 
 Fulmina,  et  ultricem  cunctando  demoror  urnam  ? 
 Reddite  crudeles,  emptum  mibi  reddite  Cbristum  ; 
 Et  nummos  scelerique  meo  data  prsemia  reddo  .  .  . 
 Infelix  !  tunc  bsBC  animo  versare  decebat 
 Cum  mentem  lucri  sitia  expugnabat  avaram  ; 
 Cum  me  Divina  prostratum  voce  Magister 
 Sub  facinus  mir^  in  melius  pietate  trahebat." 
 
 R.  Clarke.     (Christiados,  Lib.  vii.) 
 
 6  And  the  chief  priests  took  the  silver  pieces,  and 
 said,  It  is  not  lawful  for  to  put  them  into  the  treasury, 
 because  it  is  the  price  of  blood. 
 
 7  And  they  took  counsel,  and  bought  with  them 
 the  potter's  field,  to  bury  strangers  in. 
 
 8  Wherefore  that  field  was  called.  The  field  of 
 blood,  unto  this  day. 
 
 9  Then  was  fulfilled  that  which  was  spoken  by 
 Jeremy  the  prophet,  saying.  And  they  took  the  thirty 
 pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  him  that  was  valued,  whom 
 they  of  the  children  of  Israel  did  value ; 
 
 10  And  gave  them  for  the  potter's  field,  as  the 
 Lord  appointed  me. 
 
 6  And  the  chief  priests  took,   ^c. — Think  how  many  poor  souls 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  6.  515 
 
 lost  heaven  and  now  lie  expecting  a  miserable  eternity,  for  tbeir 
 services  and  homage  to  a  world,  that  thinks  itself  every  whit 
 as  well  without  them,  and  is  just  as  merry,  as  it  was,  when  they 
 were  in  it.  Is  it  therefoi'e  worth  your  while  to  lose  the  smallest 
 degree  of  virtue,  for  the  sake  of  pleasing  so  bad  a  master,  and 
 so  false  a  friend,  as  the  world  is  ?  Is  it  worth  your  while  to 
 bow  your  knee  to  such  an  idol,  as  this,  that  will  so  soon  have 
 neither  eyes,  nor  ears,  nor  a  heart  to  regard  you— instead  of 
 serving  that  great,  and  holy,  and  mighty  God,  that  will  make 
 all  His  servants  partakers  of  His  own  Eternity  ?  Gen.  xl.  23  ; 
 Ex.  xxxii.  1.     Wm.  Law.     (Serious  call.     Ch.  17.) 
 
 It  is  not  lawful,  ^'c. — Bp.  Eeynolds  (Serm.  i,  on  Hosea  xiv.  2,) 
 observes  that,  "  though  they  were  afraid  to  defile  their  chests, 
 they  were  not  afraid  to  defile  their  consciences."  To  this  re- 
 mark we  may  add,  that,  though  they  now  scrupled  to  put 
 this  particular  money  into  the  treasury,  yet  shortly  after  they 
 scrupled  not  to  employ  other  money  to  the  basest  of  all  imagin- 
 able purposes,  to  furthering  the  work  of  the  devil,  by  buying 
 up,  as  it  were,  the  truth  of  Christ's  Resurrection ;  so  as  to 
 defeat,  as  far  as  in  them  lay,  the  glorious  end,  for  which  He 
 suffered,     xxiii.  24—30  ;  xxviii.  12,  13.     J.  F. 
 
 It  is  observable  from  the  ancient  Constitutions,  that  'twas  a 
 punishment  for  some  men,  used  in  the  Church,  not  to  receive 
 them  to  the  Oflfertory  ;  who  yet  were  not  so  great  malefactors, 
 as  to  be  kept  from  some  other  privileges  of  Christians.  This 
 was  called  koivmviu  xw/jJ?  7rpo(T(popa9,  Communicating  without 
 the  Offertory  .  .  .  The  oblation  .  .  .  was  not  received,  was  not 
 suffered  to  come  into  the  Corban,  no  more  than  the  thirty  pieces 
 of  silver,  that  Judas  took  to  betray  Cheist:  an  excellent  con- 
 sideration for  us  to  meditate  upon ;  that  the  being  excluded  from 
 the  Offertory,  being  denied  the  privilege  of  thus  giving  alms,  or 
 being  bountiful  to  the  poor,  went  for  a  very  great  punishment. 
 And  so  sure  is  the  duty  a  special  part  of  piety  and  public  service 
 of  God.  Lev.  x.  3  ;  Ps.  xvi.  4,  5  ;  Isa.  i.  10 — 16.  Dr.  Ham- 
 mond.    (Serm.  on  Deut.  xxvi,  12,  13.) 
 
 He,  that  purchases  a  manor,  will  think  to  have  an  exact  survey  of 
 the  land.  But  who  thinks  of  taking  so  exact  a  survey  of  his 
 conscience,  how  that  money  was  got,  that  purchased  the  manor  ? 
 
 L  L  2 
 
516  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  7,  9. 
 
 "We  call  that  a  man's  means,  which  he  hath ;  but  that  is  truly 
 his  means,  what  way  he  came  by  it.  Jer.  iv.  22 ;  Acts  i.  18. 
 D?-.  Donne.  (Serm.  S.  John  xi.  21.) 
 7  If  the  money  had  been  cast  into  the  treasury,  the  circumstance 
 of  the  betrayal  would  not  have  been  so  notorious ;  but  by  the 
 purchase  of  the  field  they  perpetuated  its  memory  to  posterity, 
 and  fulfilled  the  prophecy.  And  this  they  did  with  deliberation, 
 having  called  a  council ;  and  so  they  bear  public  testimony 
 against  themselves.  Gen.  xxiii.  20.  S.  Chrtjsostom. 
 To  bury  strangers  in. — Therefore  is  the  burial-place  of  Christ 
 assigned  to  strangers ;  in  order  that  he,  who,  as  a  pilgrim  and 
 stranger,  has  kept  himself  from  carnal  defilements  may  find  his 
 resting-place  in  Christ.  Ps.  cxix.  19  ;  Heb.  xi.  13  ;  IS.  Pet. 
 ii.  11.  S.  Ambrose. 
 If  it  was  Thy  will  that  the  price  of  Thy  Blood  should  be  laid  out 
 in  the  purchase  of  the  potter'' s  field,  as  a  place  for  the  burial  of 
 strangers,  shall  not  a  peaceful  burial-place  be  thus  provided, 
 through  the  merits  of  Thy  Blood,  for  my  heart,  hitherto  Alas ! 
 so  estranged  from  Thee  ?  S.  Luke  xv.  13  ;  Eph.  iv.  18.  Haef- 
 tenus.     (Schola  cordis.  L.  iv.,  Lect.  16.) 
 
 Quamvis  pro  toto  (nee  enim  sine  crimine  quisquain  est) 
 
 Sancta  Dei  soboles  pertulit  orbe  necem  ; 
 Jus  tamen  est  nuUis,  peregrinos  prseter,  in  ilium, 
 Qui  caro  est  Domini  sanguine  partus,  agrum. 
 Ergo  in  eo  certum  tibi  si  jus  esse  sepulchri 
 
 Expetis,  hic  civis  vivere  more  cave ; 
 At  potius  moerens,  veluti  ]}eregriniis  et  exul, 
 Ad  patriam  celeri  qui  pede  tendit  humum. 
 
 Billius.  (Anthol.  Sacra.  Q7.) 
 9  Zachariah  represented  Christ  both  by  personal  office  and  by 
 matter  of  fact.  Zachariah  demanded  faith  and  hearty  piety 
 of  his  flock  for  his  prophetical  pains  amongst  them  ;  and  they 
 tender  him  a  base  reward,  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  So  Christ 
 required  of  the  Jews  for  His  Evangelical  function  amongst  them 
 only  this,  that  they  would  believe  Him  and  that  they  would 
 worship  God  ;  but  they  valued  Him  at  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 
 Again,  as  the  Prophet  indignantly  rejected  both  the  base  sti- 
 pend, that  was  offered   him,  and  the  flock,  which  did  tender  it ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  9.  517 
 
 SO  Christ  cast  off  the  Jews,  which  had  thus  disesteemed  Him, 
 and  delivered  them  over  to  be  destroyed  by  the  Romans. 
 Castnts.  (Comment,  in  Zach.  xi.) 
 No  Christian  need  to  be  afraid  to  say,  that  Judas  was  moved  or 
 appointed  of  the  Lord,  as  Zachariah  was,  to  cast  down  the 
 thirty  pieces  of  silver  in  the  Temple,  to  the  end  that  his  pro- 
 phecy and  his  facts  might  be  exactly  fulfilled.  Their  forefathers, 
 in  offering  unto  Zachariah  thirty  pieces  of  silver  for  his  hire, 
 did  fore-picture,  that  their  ungracious  progeny  would  set  as  low 
 a  price  upon  the  Lord  Himself.  And  those  words  of  the  Lord 
 unto  the  Prophet,  "a  goodly  price  that  I  was  prized  at,"  have 
 the  same  sense  and  importance  with  the  like  words,  said  to 
 Samuel,  "  They  have  not  cast  thee  off  from  being  King,  but 
 Me."  (1  Sam.  viii.  7.)  If  we  consider  verse  13  of  Zachariah  xi. 
 with  verse  12,  and  consider  the  alteration  of  the  persons  speak- 
 ing, they  will  bear  this  sense  or  importance,  or  rather  require 
 this  construction  :  "  Be  content  to  forego  thy  stipend  :  for  they 
 have  not  undervalued  thee  and  thy  ministerial  pains,  but  they 
 have  undervalued  Me.  Por,  as  this  present  generation  hath 
 done  by  thee,  so  and  much  worse  will  their  ungracious  posterity 
 deal  with  Me."  Esod.  xvi.  8  ;  Acts  v.  4.  Dr.  Jackson.  (Works. 
 B.  viii.  Sect.  iv.  ch.  28,  1.) 
 
 1 1  And  Jesus  stood  before  the  governor :  and  the 
 governor  asked  Him,  saying,  Art  Thou  the  King  of 
 the  Jews  ?     And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou  sayest. 
 
 12  And  when  He  was  accused  of  the  chief  priests 
 and  elders,  He  answered  nothing. 
 
 13  Then  said  Pilate  unto  Him,  Hearest  Thou  not 
 how  many  things  they  witness  against  Thee  ? 
 
 14  And  He  answered  him  to  never  a  word;  inso- 
 much that  the  governor  marvelled  greatly. 
 
 1.5  Now  at  that  feast  the  governor  was  wont  to 
 release  unto  the  people  a  prisoner,  whom  they  would. 
 
 16  And  they  had  then  a  notable  prisoner,  called 
 Barabbas. 
 
518  s.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  12—18. 
 
 17  Therefore  when  they  were  gathered  together, 
 Pilate  said  unto  them,  Whom  will  ye  that  I  release 
 unto  you  ?  Barabbas,  or  Jesus  which  is  called  Christ  ? 
 
 18  For  he  knew  that  for  envy  they  had  delivered 
 Him. 
 
 19  When  he  was  set  down  on  the  judgment  seat, 
 his  wife  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Have  thou  nothing  to 
 do  with  that  Just  Man :  for  I  have  suffered  many 
 things  this  day  in  a  dream  because  of  Him. 
 
 20  But  the  chief  priests  and  elders  persuaded  the 
 multitude  that  they  should  ask  Barabbas,  and  destroy 
 Jesus. 
 
 12  Cheist's  silence  expiated  the  guilt  of  Adam's  prevarication. 
 Gen.  iii.  12,  15.     Tertullian. 
 
 Nil  ait.     0  Sanctse  pretiosa  silentia  linguae  ! 
 
 Pondei'is  0  quanti  res  tauien  illud  erat ! 
 Ille  olim  verbo  qui  dixit  et  omnia  fecit, 
 Verbum  non  dicens  omnia  nunc  reficit. 
 
 R.  Crashaw.     (Epigr.  Sacra.) 
 
 15  The  release  of  a  prisoner  at  the  Passover  intimated  man's 
 release  from  the  punishment  of  sin,  through  the  Atonement  of 
 CnEiST,  the  true  Paschal  offering.     E.  C.  Harington. 
 
 18  Envy  cast  an  Angel  out  of  heaven.  It  banished  man  from 
 Paradise.  It  was  envy,  that  first  tainted  this  earth  with  a 
 brother's  blood,  that  induced  the  brethren  to  sell  their  brother ; 
 (G-en.  xxxvii.  11 ;  Acta  vii.  9  ;)  that  drove  Moses  out  of  Egypt, 
 (Acts  vii.  27  ;)  that  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  Aaron  against 
 his  brother,  and  covered  Miriam  with  the  shame  of  leprosy. 
 Numb.  xii.  2 ;  Ps.  cvi.  16  ;  Deut.  ix.  20.)  To  speak  briefly, 
 a  thing,  which  the  mind  shudders  at,  which  the  sight  shrinks 
 from  in  dismay,  and  which  the  ear  cannot  sustain,  envy  stretched 
 itself  so  far,  as  to  compass  the  death  of  Cheist.  Gal.  v.  19 — ■ 
 22 ;  S.  James  iv.  5  ;  2  S.  Peter  ii.  1,  2.  Pet.  Chrysologus. 
 (Serm.  48.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIl.   18,  19.  519 
 
 A  man,  that  hath  no  virtue  in  himself,  ever  envieth  virtue  in 
 others  ;  for  men's  minds  will  either  feed  upon  their  own  good, 
 or  upon  others'  evil :  and,  who  wanteth  the  one  will  prey  upon 
 the  other;  and  whoso  is  out  of  hope  to  attain  to  another's 
 virtue  will  seek  to  come  at  even- hand  by  depressing  another's 
 fortune.  S.  John  vii.  12 ;  Prov.  xxvii.  4 ;  3  S.  John  10.  Lord 
 Bacon.     (Essays,  9.) 
 
 Pessima  res  livor ;  sed  habet  laudabile  quiddam  : 
 Liventi  quod  cor  exedit  atque  oculos. 
 
 Grotius.     (Epigrammata.) 
 
 19  Have  thou  nothing,  ^c. — A  special  favour  was  thus  vouchsafed 
 to  the  Governor  by  this  timely  warning,  beyond  what  was 
 shown  to  the  Jews,  who  indeed  had  been  amply  warned  in  other 
 ways.     Job  xxxiii.  14  ;  Isa.  i.  5  ;  Prov.  sxix.  1.     Bengel. 
 
 In  the  Epistle,  ascribed  to  Ignatius  the  Martyr  and  directed  to 
 the  Philippians,  it  is  observed,  that  the  Devil,  whilst  he  was  at 
 a  pretty  distance,  hastened  the  structure  of  Chkist's  cross,  as 
 much  as  he  could,  set  Judas  and  all  the  artificers  of  hell  about 
 the  work ;  but,  when  all  was  even  ready,  Cheist  for  the  cross  and 
 the  cross  for  Christ,  then  he  began  to  put  in  demurs,  shows 
 Judas  an  halter,  frights  Pilate's  wife  in  a  dream  ;  she  could  not 
 sleep  in  quiet  for  him,  and,  in  sum,  uses  all  means  possible  to 
 prevent  Chbist's  crucifixion:  yet  this,  saith  Ignatius,  not  out 
 of  any  repentance,  or  regret  of  conscience,  but  only  being 
 startled  with  the  foresight  of  his  own  ruin  by  the  means ; 
 Christ's  suffering  being,  in  effect,  the  destruction  of  his  king- 
 dom. His  death  our  triumph  over  hell,  and  His  cross  our 
 trophy.  Esther  vi.  4  ;  vii.  9  ;  Ps.  ix.  16  ;  Ivii.  7.  Dr.  Hammond. 
 (Serm.  Ezek.  xviii.  31.) 
 
 It  is  remarkable,  that  no  woman  is  mentioned  throughout,  as 
 speaking  against  Christ  in  His  life,  or  having  a  share  in  His 
 death.  On  the  contrary,  He  is  anointed  by  a  woman  for  His 
 burial ;  women  are  the  last  at  His  grave,  the  first  at  His  Resur- 
 rection ;  to  a  woman  He  first  appeared  ;  women  ministered  to 
 His  wants  at  Galilee  ;  women  bewailed  and  lamented  Him  ;  a 
 heathen  woman  interceded  for  His  life  with  her  husband  the 
 governor  ;  and  above  all,  He  was  "  born  of  a  woman :"  so  that, 
 as  a  woman  is  the  most  conspicuous  in  the  first  transgression 
 
520  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  20,  21. 
 
 and  doomed  to  subjection  aud  pain  of  childbirth,  so  she  is  not 
 conspicuous  in  the  second  great  crime  of  the  children  of  Adam. 
 Gen.  iii.  15 ;  1  Tim.  ii.  14.  Is.  Williams.  (On  our  Lord's 
 Passion,  P.  i.  s.  3.) 
 
 20  At  the  exhortation  of  the  priests,  the  people  chose  Barabbas, 
 which  is  by  interpretation,  "  the  son  of  a  father;"  in  which  is 
 set  forth  the  secret  of  their  infidelity  in  preferring  Antichrist, 
 the  son  of  sin,  to  Christ.  S.  John  viii.  44  ;  Acts  iii.  14,  15 ; 
 2  Thess.  ii.  3.     S.  Hilary. 
 
 21  The  governor  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
 Whether  of  the  twain  will  ye  that  I  release  unto  you  ? 
 They  said,  Barabbas. 
 
 22  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  What  shall  I  do  then 
 with  Jesus  which  is  called  Christ?  They  all  say  unto 
 him,  Let  Him  be  crucified. 
 
 23  And  the  governor  said,  Why,  what  evil  hath  He 
 done  ?  But  they  cried  out  the  more,  saying.  Let  Him 
 be  crucified. 
 
 24  When  Pilate  saw  that  he  could  prevail  nothing, 
 but  that  rather  a  tumult  was  made,  he  took  water,  and 
 washed  his  hands  before  the  multitude,  saying,  I  am 
 innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  just  person  :  see  ye  to  it. 
 
 25  Then  answered  all  the  people,  and  said,  His 
 blood  he  on  us,  and  on  our  children. 
 
 21  They  preferred  a  murderer  and  a  rebel  before  Him ;  for  them- 
 selves, being  rebels  against  the  King  of  heaven,  loved  to  acquit 
 persons  criminal  in  the  same  kind  of  sin,  rather  than  their 
 LoEB ;  against  whom  they  took  up  all  the  arms,  which  they 
 could  receive  from  violence  and  perfect  malice,  desiring  to  have 
 "  Him  crucified,  who  raised  the  dead,  and  to  have  the  other 
 released,  who  destroyed  the  living."  Hab.  i.  4.  (S.  Augustine, 
 tr.  in  Joan,  xv.)  Bp.  J.  Taylor.  (Life  of  Cheist,  S.  xv.  Dis- 
 course 19.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  23,  24.  521 
 
 23  Then  were  fulfilled  the  words  of  Isaiah  (v.  7),  "  He  looked 
 for  judgment,  but  behold,  oppression ;  for  righteousness,  but 
 behold,  a  cryT     S.  Jerome. 
 
 24  We  detest  for  the  present  the  wicked  course  of  our  past  life, 
 and  we  return  again  to  the  same.  We  forswear  the  sins,  which 
 we  formerly  committed,  and  again  the  same  day  we  commit  the 
 same.  So  with  the  same  tongue  we  proclaim  Cheist  innocent 
 and  "  crucify  Him  afresh  ;"  as  if  we  were  the  true  brothers  of 
 Pontius  Pilate,  who  with  one  and  the  same  mouth  did  both 
 absolve  Him  and  condemn  Him  ;  confessing  that  "  He  found 
 no  cause  of  death  in  Him  "  and  yet  adjudging  Him  to  be  cruci- 
 fied. We  are  very  fickle  and  inconstant ;  but  in  nothing  more 
 constant,  than  in  the  repetition  of  a  vicious  course  of  life. 
 vi.  24;  xxi.  30;  Eom.  vi.  16;  vii.  15.  Drexelius.  (On  Eternity. 
 Consideration  iii.  c.  2.) 
 
 Innocence  is  no  protection  against  tyrannical  power:  for  accusing 
 is  proving,  where  malice  and  force  are  joined  in  the  prosecution. 
 Force  governs  the  world,  and  success  consecrates  the  cause. 
 What  avails  it  the  lamb  to  have  the  better  cause,  if  the  wolf 
 have  the  stronger  teeth  ?  It  is  to  no  purpose  to  stand  reason- 
 ing, where  the  adversary  is  both  party  and  Judge.  1  Kings 
 xxi.  7 — 14 ;  Ps.  X.  24.     Palmer.     (Aphorisms.     1280.) 
 
 The  proud  Pharisee  seemed  to  have  a  pure  life ;  but  he  had  a 
 polluted  heart.  The  hand  is  but  the  servant  to  execute  that, 
 which  the  heart  hath  devised.  It  was  folly  in  Pilate  to  wash 
 his  hands,  in  token  of  his  purity,  when  his  heart  had  consented 
 to  shed  the  blood  of  the  innocent,  xv.  19  ;  S.  Luke  xi.  34 ; 
 xviii.  11.     Abp.  Sandys.     (Serm.  S.  James  iv.  8 — 10.) 
 
 Qui  nan  2^rohibet  peccare,  cum  possit,jubet. — He,  who  fails  to  pre- 
 vent a  sin,  having  the  power  to  do  so,  sanctions  its  commission. 
 1  Sam.  iii.  13  ;  1  Tim.  v.  22.     Seneca. 
 
 A  magistrate  has  sometimes  need  to  sharpen  the  sword  of  Justice 
 with  the  file  of  resolution.  He  must  resolve  to  be  the  champion 
 of  Justice,  while  he  can ;  and,  when  he  can  no  longer  be  so,  he 
 must  become  her  martyr.  Fiat  justitia,  mat  caelum.  At  all 
 hazards  let  Justice  be  done.  Exod.  xviii.  21.  Simon  Ford. 
 (Assize  Serm.  Ps.  Ixxv.  4 — 7.) 
 
 Strange  infatuation  forsooth,  amentes  plane  !  for  people  to  think 
 
522  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  24,  25. 
 
 themselves  exculpated  by  the  guilt  of  the  originators  of  a  crime, 
 rather  than  as  being  implicated  in  it.  Gen.  iii.  12,  13.  S. 
 Amb7'ose. 
 
 See  ye  to  it. — They  already  reap  the  fruits  of  their  abominable  sin, 
 getting  the  same  unfeeling  and,  at  the  same  time,  ominous 
 answer  from  Pilate,  which  they  themselves  had  just  given  to 
 Judas,  Wliat  is  that  to  us  ?     See  thou  to  that.     v.  4.     J.  F. 
 
 25  Our  God  in  the  miracles  of  His  grace,  does  "  exceeding  abun- 
 dantly above  all  we  ask  or  think."  These  men  imprecate  a  curse 
 on  themselves  and  on  their  children,  but  some  among  them 
 receive,  instead,  the  offer  and  promise  of  a  Blessing.  The  Blood 
 of  .Jesus,  not  crying  for  vengeance,  like  that  of  Abel,  speaketh 
 pardon  and  peace  to  the  penitent.  His  Blood  is  on  them,  and  on 
 their  children,  by  a  mystery  of  grace.  The  Gospel  is  first 
 preached  at  Jerusalem  ;  and  its  language  seems  a  very  counter- 
 part to  the  terms  of  this  imprecation — The  Promise  is  unto  you, 
 and  to  your  children  !  Gen.  xxvii.  13  ;  S.  Luke  xxiv.  47  ;  Acts 
 ii.  38,  39,  41 ;  Eom.  ix.  24;  xi.  1,  2.     /.  F. 
 
 We  have  only  to  look  at  the  Jew,  under  the  signs  of  his  long  and 
 remarkable  visitation,  to  judge  of  the  veracity  of  other  articles 
 of  Revelation,  less  subjected  to  the  test  and  cognizance  of  a 
 present  experience.  Deut.  xxviii. ;  S.  Luke  xxi.  24.  Davison. 
 (Discourses  on  Prophecy,  P.  ii.  5.) 
 
 Reasons  of  government  in  God's  Moral  kingdom  may  make  it 
 expedient  and  even  necessary,  that  the  progeny  of  any  eminent 
 delinquent  should  for  many  generations,  perhaps  for  a  whole 
 period  of  their  existence  upon  earth,  as  a  distinct  family,  be  the 
 worse  for  the  crimes  of  their  progenitor.  God  therefore  may, 
 and  He  certainly  does,  "  visit  the  sins  of  the  fathers  upon  the 
 children,"  collectively  for  many  generations.  .  .  .  But  these  visi- 
 tations are,  in  truth,  acts  of  mercy  and,  rightly  understood, 
 they  are  the  signs  of  favour  to  the  persons  visited.  They  are 
 intended,  not  only  for  the  general  admonition  of  mankind,  but 
 for  the  particular  benefit  of  those,  on  whom  the  evil  is  inflicted, 
 who  are  taught  by  it  to  abhor  and  dread  the  crime,  which  hath 
 been  the  source  of  their  calamity.  Gen,  ix.  25  ;  Deut.  xxiii.  3  ; 
 1  Sam.  ii.  32  ;  2  Kings  xv.  29,  30  ;  Ezek.  xviii. ;  S.  Matt.  xv.  22. 
 Bp.  Horsley.     (Serm.  S.  Mark  vii.  26.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  26,  28.  523 
 
 26  Then  released  he  Barabbas  unto  them  :  and 
 when  he  had  scourged  Jesus,  he  delivered  Him  to  be 
 crucified. 
 
 27  Then  the  soldiers  of  the  governor  took  Jesus 
 into  the  common  hall,  and  gathered  unto  Him  the 
 whole  band  of  soldiers. 
 
 28  And  they  stripped  Him,  and  put  on  Him  a 
 scarlet  robe. 
 
 29  And  when  they  had  platted  a  crown  of  thorns, 
 they  put  it  upon  His  head,  and  a  reed  in  His  right 
 hand :  and  they  bowed  the  knee  before  Him,  and 
 mocked  Him,  saying.  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  ! 
 
 30  And  they  spit  upon  Him,  and  took  the  reed, 
 and  smote  Him  on  the  head. 
 
 31  And  after  that  they  had  mocked  Him,  they  took 
 the  robe  off  from  Him,  and  put  His  own  raiment  on 
 Him,  and  led  Him  away  to  crucify  Him. 
 
 26  TFhen  he  had  scourged  Him. — O  my  Beloved !  How  shall  I 
 obtain  the  privilege  of  being  bound  vritli  Thee  to  the  same 
 pillar,  of  embracing  Thee  there,  and  by  such  bonds  of  being 
 rendered  far  more  strong,  than  I  was  when  at  liberty  ?  For  does 
 not  the  vine,  clinging  with  its  tendrils  to  the  stake,  to  which  it 
 is  bound,  thence  derive  its  support  ?  Ps.  xxvii.  26  ;  Phil.  iv. 
 13.     Haeftenus.     (Schola  cordis,  L.  iv.  Lect.  3.) 
 
 To  bind  Roman  citizens,  'tis  a  thing  unlawful ;  to  scourge  them, 
 'tis  a  great  crime  ;  to  put  them  to  death,  'tis  almost  a  parricide : 
 but  what  shall  T.  say  of  crucifying  them  ?  Verbo  quidem  satis 
 digno  tarn  nefaria  res  appellari  mdlo  niodo  potest.  It  is  utterly 
 impossible  to  find  any  word  of  suflScient  weight  and  significancy, 
 so  as  to  express  a  thing  so  abominable.  Deut.  xxi.  23  ;  Heb.  xii, 
 2;  Phil.  ii.  8.  Cicero.  (Orat.  in  Verrem.) 
 28  Ecce  tremens  astat,  rapto  spoliatus  amictu, 
 
 Jamque  pudor  plus  quaiu  poena  doloris  habet." 
 
524  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  29,  31. 
 
 Sol,  raox  quod  facies,  radios  nunc  subtrahe  terris, 
 
 Auctoremque  tuum,  teque,  diemque  tege. 
 All !  faceres !  sed  quern  tenebris  involvere  velles 
 
 Officio  uon  vult  Ipse  latere  tuo. 
 Non  minui  cupit  Ipse  Suas,  sed  crescere  poeuas ; 
 Pars  bona  te  lucem  dempta  negante  foret. 
 
 Sidronius  Hosschius.  (Eleg.  vi.) 
 29  They  pierce  Him  with  thorns,  yet  it  is  to  crown  Him.  Though 
 it  is  in  mockery,  yet  they  worship.  Though  in  the  heart  they 
 believe  not ;  yet  Him,  they  are  killing,  they  confess.  They 
 were  without  the  motive  of  a  good  deed ;  yet  God  was  not  with- 
 out His  honour.  He  is  saluted,  as  a  King  ;  He  is  crowned,  as 
 a  Conqueror ;  as  God  and  Loed,  He  is  adored,  ii.  2,  8,  16. 
 S,  Ambrose. 
 He,  that  came  at  first  to  save  us,  must,  it  seems,  come  at  last  to 
 judge  us :  and  it  is  but  just  that  He,  who  before  carried  the 
 reed  in  His  hand  and  was  derided  by  His  enemies,  should  here- 
 after sway  a  sceptre  of  righteousness  and  break  His  enemies  in 
 pieces  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Ps.  ii.  9 ;  Phil.  ii.  8,  9  ;  Eev.  i. 
 16,  March.  (Serm.  S.  Mark  xxiv.  30.) 
 Every  one  of  our  sins  is  a  thorn,  and  nail,  and  spear  to  Him. 
 While  thou  pourest  down  thy  drunken  carouses,  thou  givest  thy 
 Saviour  a  portion  of  gall ;  while  thou  despisest  His  poor  ser- 
 vants, thou  spittest  in  His  face ;  while  thou  puttest  on  thy 
 proud  dresses  and  liftest  up  thy  vain  heart  with  high  conceits, 
 thou  settest  a  crown  of  thorns  on  His  head  ;  while  thou  wringest 
 and  oppressest  His  poor  children,  thou  whippest  Him  and  draw- 
 est  blood  from  His  hands  and  feet.  xxv.  45  ;  Acts  ix.  4 ;  Heb. 
 vi.  6.  Bp.  Hall.  (Serm.  S.  John  xix.  30.) 
 Let  us  love  the  Bridegroom :  for,  the  more  disfigured  He  appears 
 to  us,  the  more  He  is  worthy  of  the  afiection  and  tenderness  of 
 the  Bride.     S.  Augustine.     (Cant.  i.  5.) 
 
 Ecce  !  stat  innocuus  spinis  redimitus  acutis, 
 
 ^mula  sunt  cujus  bella  labella  rosis  : 
 Et  vero,  Judaee,  illudis  arundine  Eegi  ? — 
 
 Irapie,  sed  uescis  te  mala  quanta  manent ! 
 (Inscription  under  an  etching  by  Vandyke  on  the  subject?) 
 31  Led  Him  away. — Here  Abel  is  led  forth  into  the  field,  to  be 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  31.  525 
 
 Blain  by  his  brother.  Here  Isaac  is  present  with  the  wood,  and 
 Abraham  with  the  ram,  adhering  to  the  thorns :  here  is  also 
 Joseph  with  the  sheaf,  seen  in  his  dream,  and  the  coat  down  to 
 the  seam  smeared  with  blood.  Here  is  Moses  with  the  rod  and 
 the  serpent,  suspended  on  the  wood :  here  is  the  vine-branch, 
 borne  on  the  wood  ;  (Numb.  xiii.  23  ;)  here  is  Elisha  with  the 
 wood,  seeking  for  the  axe,  that  had  sunk  to  the  bottom  and 
 swum  to  the  wood ;  that  is,  the  race  of  mankind,  which  through 
 the  forbidden  tree  fell  down  to  hell,  and  through  the  wood  of 
 the  Cross  of  Christ  and  the  Baptism  of  water  hath  swum  to 
 Paradise.  Here  is  Jonas  from  the  wood  (or  ship)  cast  into  the 
 sea  and  the  belly  of  the  whale  three  days.     S.  Jerome. 
 
 Another  advantage  of  this  kind  of  suffering  was,  that  by  it  the 
 nature  of  that  Kingdom,  which  He  did  intend  to  erect,  was  evi- 
 dently signified ;  that  it  was  not  such,  as  the  carnal  people 
 did  expect,  an  external,  earthly,  temporal  kingdom,  consisting 
 in  domination  over  the  bodies  and  estates  of  men,  dignified  by 
 outward  wealth  and  splendour,  managed  by  worldly  power  and 
 policy,  promoted  by  forcible  compulsion  and  terror  of  arms, 
 affording  the  advantages  of  safety,  quiet  and  prosperity  here ; 
 but  a  Kingdom  purely  Spiritual,  Celestial,  Eternal ;  consisting 
 in  the  governance  of  men's  hearts  and  minds,  adorned  with  en- 
 dowments of  wisdom  and  virtue,  administered  by  the  conduct 
 and  grace  of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  upheld  and  propagated  by 
 meek  instruction,  by  virtuous  example,  by  hearty  devotion,  and 
 humble  patience,  rewarding  its  loyal  subjects  with  spiritual  joys 
 and  consolations  now,  with  heavenly  rest  and  bliss  hereafter. 
 No  other  Kingdom  could  He  presume  to  design,  who  submitted 
 to  this  dolorous  and  disgraceful  way  of  suffering :  no  other  ex- 
 ploits could  He  intend  to  achieve,  by  expiring  on  a  Cross  :  no 
 other  way  could  He  rule,  who  gave  Himself  to  be  managed  by 
 the  will  of  His  adversaries  :  no  other  benefits  would  this  forlorn 
 case  allow  Him  to  dispense.  So  that  well  might  He  then  assert, 
 "  My  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world"  (S.  John  xviii.  36),  when 
 He  was  going,  in  this  signal  way,  to  demonstrate  its  important 
 truth.  Jer.  ix.  23,  24  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  4—11 ;  x.  8—5.  Dr.  Barrow. 
 (Serm.  Phil.  ii.  8.) 
 
 What  became  of  our  Saviour's  7'eed  and  of  His  robe,  we  find  in 
 
526  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  32. 
 
 Holy  Scripture  ;  they  were  taken  from  Him  by  the  soldiers ; 
 but  it  is  not  written,  whether  any  man  took  up  the  crown  of 
 thorns,  as  if  that  were  our  share,  or  any  man's  else,  who  is 
 goaded  with  true  compunction.  And,  to  say  truth,  all  the  sius, 
 which  we  do  commit,  let  us  make  the  best  of  them,  are  but 
 thorns  and  briars ;  but,  if  we  confess  them  in  humility,  and  ask 
 pardon  in  tears  and  contrition,  then  they  are  corona  spinea,  a 
 crown  of  thorns.  Gen.  iii.  18;  2  Tim.  ii.  11,  12;  1  S.  Pet,  iv. 
 13.     Bp.  Hacket.     (Serm.  S.  Matt,  xxvii.  24.) 
 
 32  And  as  they  came  out,  they  found  a  man  of 
 Cyrene,  Simon  by  name :  him  they  compelled  to  bear 
 His  cross. 
 
 33  And  when  they  were  come  unto  a  place,  called 
 Golgotha,  that  is  to  say,  a  place  of  a  skull, 
 
 34  They  gave  Him  vinegar  to  drink  mingled  with 
 gall:  and  when  He  had  tasted  thereof,  He  would  not 
 drink. 
 
 35  And  they  crucified  Him,  and  parted  His  gar- 
 ments, casting  lots :  that  it  might  be  fulfilled  which 
 was  spoken  by  the  prophet,  They  parted  My  garments 
 among  them,  and  upon  My  vesture  did  they  cast  lots. 
 
 32  His  cross  was  borne  by  Simon,  a  man,  that  the  truth  might  evi- 
 dently appear  of  the  Loed's  undergoing  the  pains  of  death,  not 
 for  Himself,  but  for  us.  Isa.  liii.  S.  Athanasius.  (Serm.  de  Pass.) 
 
 Cheist  first  carried  His  cross  Himself,  and  after  gave  it  unto 
 Simon.  So  they,  which  govern  others,  ought  first  themselves  to 
 bear  the  Cross  of  Cheist,  which  having  learnt  well  to  do  then 
 may  they  lay  the  same  upon  the  shoulders  of  their  subjects. 
 But  some  there  be,  and  that  in  religion,  who  bear  the  cross  of 
 Christ,  as  Simon  did  ;  but  die  not  thereon.  Such  are  those, 
 who  punish  and  make  dead,  as  it  were,  their  bodies  with  morti- 
 fications ;  but  do  the  same  to  please  their  own  spiritual  gust,  or 
 for  vain-glory's  sake.  These  indeed  bear  the  cross,  as  Simon 
 did ;  but  do  not  truly  die  thereon,  as  Christ  did.     xxiii.  4 ; 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIl.  32—35.  527 
 
 Acts  XX.  22,  34,  35  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  1 ;  Col.  ii.  20,  23.  Life  of 
 Cheist,  by  Bonaventure  and  others.  (Ch.  58.) 
 The  Christian's  great  conquest  over  the  world  is  all  contained  in 
 the  mystery  of  Cheist  upon  the  Cross.  It  was  there  and  from 
 thence  that  He  taught  all  Christians  how  they  were  to  come 
 out  of,  and  conquer,  the  world,  and  what  they  were  to  do,  in  order 
 to  be  His  disciples.  And  all  the  Doctrines,  Sacraments,  and 
 Institutions  of  the  Gospel  are  only  so  many  explications  of  the 
 meaning  and  applications  of  the  benefit  of  this  great  mystery. 
 And  the  state  of  Christianity  implieth  nothing  else,  but  an  en- 
 tire absolute  conformity  to  that  spirit,  which  Cheist  showed  in 
 the  mysterious  Sacrifice  of  Himself  upon  the  Cross.  1  Cor.  ii. 
 2  ;  Gal.  vi.  14  ;  1  S.  Pet.  iv.  1,  2 ;  Heb.  xii.  2.  Wm.  Law. 
 (Serious  Call,  &c.,  Ch.  17.) 
 
 33  Quae  pars  ab  urbe  frigidis  Borese  patet 
 Projecta  flabris,  cognitum  bellis  iter 
 Et  certa  semper  cladibus  nostris  via, 
 Hsec  ipsa  dirum  Golgothce  tollit  jugum. 
 Nou  flore  collem  pingit  herbescens  humus, 
 Non  Iseta  obumbrat  arbor  ;  albens  ossibus 
 Taboque  sordens  squallet  humano  solum. 
 Jacent  nocentum  non  sepultse  corporum 
 Putres  reliquiae:  quisquis  aut  ferro  impius 
 Jugulum  parentis  hausit,  aut  matri  sues 
 Foetus  regessit,  quisquis  in  fratris  necem 
 Legit  venena,  quisquis  ignotum  hospitem 
 In  nemore  solo  pabulum  posuit  feris, 
 Hanc  morte  sedem  meruit:  agnoscunt  suos 
 Tot  scelera  manes, 
 
 H.  Grotius.  (Christus  Patiens,  Tragoedia,  Act.  iv.) 
 34  Oh,  the  inhuman  returns  for  such  matchless  condescend- 
 ing Love !  Oh,  ingratitude  excessive  and  inexpressible  for 
 such  overflowings  of  bounty !  My  Savioite  was  whipped  with 
 scourges,  was  crowned  with  thorns,  was  fastened  with  nails  to 
 the  Cross ;  He  was  wounded  to  cure  me ;  He  was  bruised  to  heal 
 the  maladies  of  my  sinful  soul :  and  yet  I  still  go  on  to  increase 
 His  sufferings  !  He  expresses  to  me,  as  He  hangs  naked  upon 
 the  Cross,  what  an  ardent  thirst  He  has  for  my  Salvation  ;  and 
 
528  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  35. 
 
 I,  in  return,  worse  than  the  Jews  of  old,  give  Him  gall  and  vine- 
 gar to  drink  !  Ps.  xxxv.  12 — 15  ;  Isa,  i.  1 — 3.  Card.  Bellarmine. 
 (On  the  Art  of  Dying  well.     B.  i.  Ch.  11.) 
 
 If  thou  delight  in  that  intemperance,  which  filled  His  deadly  cup, 
 which  vomited  gall  into  it,  can  He  delight  in  thee  ?  That  cup 
 which  made  Him  fall  upon  His  face  to  deprecate,  will  He  now 
 partake  in,  as  the  pledge  of  mutual  love  ?  1  Cor.  x.  21 ;  2  Cor. 
 V.  14,  15.     Br.  Jllestry.     (Serm.  S.  John  xiv.  15.) 
 
 He  would  not  drink. — 
 
 Respue,  quae  Judae  genus  ofFert,  pocula  fellis ; 
 Compuncti  cordis  sed  bibe,  Sponse,  merum. 
 
 Cant.  viii.  2.     Haeftenus.     (Schola  cordis. 
 Lib.  iv.  Leet,  7.) 
 
 35  The  Cross  was  the  most  dolorous  death,  that  ever  can  be 
 endured.  We  scarce  know  what  crucifying  is.  The  Christian 
 Emperors  in  honour  of  our  Saviour  banished  that  kind  of  suf- 
 fering ....  The  manner  of  it  was  thus.  First,  there  was  a 
 long  beam,  on  which  the  party  was  to  be  stretched,  and  there 
 was  a  cross  beam,  on  which  the  hands  were  to  be  stretched. 
 They  pulled  them  up  upon  the  cross,  before  they  fastened  them  ; 
 they  pulled  him  to  his  utmost  length.  And  this  is  what  the 
 Psalmist  speaks  of.  (Ps.  xxii.  17.)  "I  may  tell  all  My  bones." 
 His  ribs  were  so  stretched,  as  that  they  even  pierced  the  flesh. 
 ....  Being  thus  stretched  upon  the  Cross  to  his  full  length, 
 
 the  hands  and  feet  were  fastened  and  nailed  to  the  wood 
 
 The  lower  part  of  the  hands,  where  the  veins  and  sinews  all 
 meet  together,  is  a  place  full  of  sense.  Consider  withal  the 
 bigness  of  the  nails.  (Ps.  xxii.  16.)  "  They  have  digged  My 
 hands  ;"  to  show  the  bigness  of  the  spikes ;  for  the  original 
 bears  it:  "They  digged  Him."  ....  There  w^ere  two  nails 
 through  His  hands,  and  two  through  His  feet :  and,  that  you 
 may  better  comprehend  it,  you  must  know  that  toward  the  lower 
 part  of  the  Cross  there  went  along  a  ledge,  or  threshold,  whereto 
 His  feet  were  nailed ;  otherwise  the  flesh  would  have  rent  by 
 reason  of  the  nails,  if  He  had  hung  by  His  hands  alone.  Then 
 comes  the  lifting  up ;  "  as  the  serpent  was  lifted  up,"  so  must 
 Cheist  be  lift.  (S.  John  iii.  14.)  As  when  a  man  is  stretched 
 to  the  full  length  and  should  be  with  a  jerk  put  up  ;  it  is  like  a 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  35,  36. 
 
 529 
 
 strapado,  as  it  were,  the  unjoiuting  of  a  man.  And  this  is  that, 
 the  Psalmist  speaks  of,  "  All  My  bones  are  out  of  joint."  Con- 
 sider withal  the  time,  how  long  it  was.  It  was  six  long  hours. 
 And  it  was  not  with  Him,  as  with  other  men,  in  whom  extre- 
 mity of  pains  disannuls  sense  and  blunts  pains  ;  but  Christ 
 was  in  His  perfect  sense  all  the  while.  All  the  Jews  could  do 
 could  not  take  away  His  life  from  Him,  till  He  would  Himself. 
 ....  Never  was  Christ  stronger,  nor  ever  cried  louder,  than 
 when  "  He  gave  up  the  ghost."  (S.  Mark  xv.  39.)  He  was  as 
 strong  at  the  last,  as  at  the  first.  These  matters  seriously 
 weighed,  oh,  how  do  they  aggravate  the  depth  of  His  humilia- 
 tion !  Seriously  weigh  them.  They  are  miserable  and  lamenta- 
 ble matters  :  yet  in  these  lies  our  comfort !  Abp.  Usher.  (Serm. 
 Phil.  ii.  8.) 
 Those  impious  soldiers,  who  in  derision  unclothed  Him  in  the  city 
 (v.  28),  excited  by  covetousness,  again  disrobe  Him  in  the  field 
 ....  O  gracious  Savioue,  thus  didst  Thou  suffer  Thyself  to  be 
 divested  of  Thy  raiment,  that  we  might  be  invested  with  Thy 
 merit ;  willingly  putting  off  the  covering  of  this  body,  that  Thou 
 mightest  put  on  the  covering  of  our  souls,  which  invisibly  did 
 enclose  and  overwhelm  Thy  whole  man,  benighting  for  a  time 
 Thy  apprehension,  and  clothing  both  Thee  and  the  whole  world 
 with  a  hideous  darkness.  Well  might  the  world's  great  eye 
 close  itself,  as  being  ashamed  to  carry  light  to  such  impiety  ! 
 And  no  marvel,  if  the  sun  of  God's  favour  was  not  perspicuous 
 to  the  Son  of  His  love,  whilst  the  little  world,  man,  interposed 
 its  dark  shadow  of  sin  betwixt  Thee  and  Thy  Patheb's  rays. 
 Job  iii.  4 — 6.     Sir  J.  Harington.      (Divine  Medit.  on  Faith.) 
 
 36  And  sitting  down  they  watched  Him  there ; 
 
 37  And  set  up  over  His  head  H  is  accusation  written, 
 THIS  IS  JESUS  THE  KING  OF  THE  JEWS. 
 
 38  Then  were  there  two  thieves  crucified  with  Him, 
 one  on  the  right  hand,  and  another  on  the  left. 
 
 36  And  sittinff  down,  ^c. — Loed,  pardon  my  cursory  and  preserve 
 me  from  sedentary  sins.  To  shed  blood  in  cool  blood  is  blood  with 
 a  witness.  Ps.  i.  1 ;  1.  20.  T.  Fuller.  (Scripture  Observ.  p.  ii.  10.) 
 
530  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  37,  38. 
 
 37  Here  is  a  title  expressing  uo  crime  at  all  and  so  vindicating 
 Christ's  innocency.  As  there  was  never  such  a  person,  cruci- 
 fied before,  so  there  was  never  such  a  title,  aflBxed  to  the  Cross 
 before.     S.  John  xix.  21,  22.     Flavel. 
 
 There  was  a  necessity  that  Cheist  should  die,  in  reference  of  His 
 Eegal  Office.  "  Oh  King,  live  for  ever,"  is  either  the  loyal  or 
 the  flattering  vote  for  temporal  princes,  either  the  expression  of 
 our  desires,  or  the  suggestion  of  their  own  ;  whereas  our  Cheist 
 never  showed  more  Sovereign  power,  than  in  His  Death.  It 
 was  not  for  nothing  that  Pilate  suddenly  wrote  and  resolutely 
 maintained  what  he  had  written,  "  This  is  the  King  of  the  Jews  .'" 
 That  title  on  the  Cross  did  signify  no  less  than  that  His  Eegal 
 power  was  active  even  then  :  for  "  having  spoiled  principalities 
 and  powers  He  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing  over 
 them  in  it ;"  and  "  through  His  Death  destroyed  him,  that  had 
 the  power  of  death,  that  is  the  devil."  Gen.  xlii.  15, 16;  Dan. 
 iii.  9 ;  V.  10 ;  Ps.  ex.  7  ;  Phil.  ii.  8,  9  ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  11 ;  S.  John 
 xii.  32.     Bp.  Pearson.     (Exposition  of  the  Creed.     Art.  iv.) 
 
 38  How  adorable  is  the  wisdom  of  G-od,  who  has  thus  instructed 
 us,  and,  by  setting  the  examples  of  His  justice  and  mercy  so 
 near  together,  has  taught  us  to  fear  without  despair,  and  to  hope 
 without  presumption!  Who  would  not  tremble  for  himself, 
 when  he  sees  the  man  perish  in  his  sins,  who  died  by  his  Sa- 
 vioue's  side  ;  within  reach  of  that  Blood,  which  was  poured  out 
 for  his  Redemption,  but  wanting  faith  to  stretch  out  his  hand 
 and  be  saved  ?  What  would  the  dying  sinner  give  to  have  his 
 Sayioue  so  near  him  in  his  last  moments,  that  he  might  pour 
 out  his  soul  before  Him,  and  seize  by  violence  the  hand,  which 
 is  alone  able  to  save  ?  Yet  he,  who  had  all  these  advantages, 
 enjoyed  none  of  them,  but  died  in  his  sins,  void  of  hope  and 
 comfort.  Must  the  sinner  then  despair  ?  And  has  God  forgot 
 to  be  merciful  ?  No  :  cast  your  eyes  on  the  other  side  of  the 
 Cross ;  and  there  you  may  see  the  mercy  of  God  displayed  in 
 the  brightest  colours.  There  hangs  the  penitent,  surrounded 
 with  all  the  terrors  of  approaching  death  ;  yet,  in  the  midst  of 
 all,  calm  and  serene,  confessing  his  sins,  glorifying  the  justice  of 
 God  in  his  own  punishment,  rebuking  the  blasphemy  of  his 
 companion,  justifying  the  innocence  of  his  Savioue,  and  adoring 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  38,  39.  531 
 
 Him  even  in  the  lowest  state  of  misery,  and  at  last  receiving  the 
 certain  promise  of  a  Blessed  Immortality,  xxv.  31 — 33  ;  Deut. 
 XXX.  19.  Bp.  Sherlock.  (Serm.  on  text.) 
 The  penitent  thief  was  raptor  in  vita,  he  is  now  raptor  in  cruce  ; 
 "  a  robber  in  his  life,  he  is  now  a  kind  of  robber  at  his  death," 
 saith  Athanasius.  Robbers  seize  on  men  suddenly,  will  be 
 served  instantly.  "  The  kingdom  of  Heaven  suffereth  violence." 
 He  is  rap)tor  Paradisi,  seizes  on  his  salvation,  hath  heaven  at  a 
 snatch.  That's  that  father's  conceit :  but  he  says  that  of  the 
 thief,  which  belongs  rather  to  Christ.  Cheist  is  raptor  la- 
 tronis.  Phil.  iii.  12.  Br.  Richard  Gierke.  (Serm.  S.  Luke 
 xxiii.  43.) 
 
 39  And  they  that  passed  by  reviled  Him,  wagging 
 their  heads, 
 
 40  And  saying.  Thou  that  destroyest  the  temple, 
 and  buildest  it  in  three  days,  save  Thyself.  If  Thou 
 be  the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  Cross. 
 
 41  Likewise  also  the  chief  priests  mocking  Him, 
 with  the  scribes  and  elders,  said, 
 
 42  He  saved  others ;  Himself  He  cannot  save.  If 
 He  be  the  King  of  Israel,  let  Him  now  come  down 
 from  the  Cross,  and  we  will  believe  Him. 
 
 43  He  trusted  in  God  ;  let  Him  deliver  Him  now, 
 if  He  will  have  Him :  for  He  said,  I  am  the  Son  of 
 God. 
 
 44  The  thieves  also,  which  were  crucified  with  Him, 
 cast  the  same  in  His  teeth. 
 
 39  That  passed  by. — Many  did  not  even  condescend  to  stop  at  the 
 place.     Lam.  i.  12  ;  S.  Luke  x.  31 ;  Acts  xviii.  17.     Bengel. 
 
 Wagging  their  heads. — The  man,  who  has  once  given  himself  this 
 licence  of  laughing  at  and  deriding  religion,  seldom  ever  re- 
 covers himself  to  a  sober  countenance  ;  like  men,  whose  cus- 
 tom of  scoflSng  hath   made  wry-mouthed,    he   lives,  and   con- 
 
 M  M  2 
 
532  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  39—42. 
 
 tinues,  aud  for  the  most  part  dies  scoffing.  He  comes,  as  it 
 were,  laughing  into  hell,  and  seldom  forsakes  this  habit  of  pro- 
 faneuess,  till  horror  hath  put  smiling  out  of  date.  There  is 
 not  a  sin  in  the  world,  that  sits  closer  to  him,  which  hath 
 once  entertained  it ;  and  he,  that  is  once  a  merry  atheist, 
 seldom  becomes  a  sober  Christian.  Isa.  Ivii.  4  ;  Prov.  i.  26 ; 
 Gal.  vi.  7.     Dr.  Hammond.     (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  3.) 
 
 Josephus  tells  us,  that,  in  the  last  dreadful  ruin  of  his  unhappy- 
 countrymen,  it  was  familiar  with  them  "  to  make  a  jest  of 
 Divine  things,  and  to  deride,  as  so  many  senseless  tales  and 
 juggling  impostures,  the  Sacred  Oracles  of  their  Prophets ;" 
 though  they  were  even  then  fulfilling  before  their  eyes  and  even 
 upon  themselves.  Bp.  Home.  (Appendix  to  his  Life  by  Bev. 
 W.  Jones.) 
 
 It  will  appear  that  blasphemy  and  profaneness,  I  mean  in  regard 
 to  Christianity,  are  absolutely  without  excuse.  For  there  is  no 
 temptation  to  it,  but  from  the  wantonness  of  vanity  or  mirth  ; 
 aud  these,  considering  the  infinite  importance  of  the  subject, 
 are  no  such  temptations,  as  to  aff'ord  any  excuse  for  it.  If  this 
 be  a  just  account  of  things,  and  yet  men  can  go  on  to  vilify,  or 
 disregard  Christianity,  which  is  to  talk  and  act,  as  if  they  had  a 
 demonstration  of  its  falsehood,  there  is  no  reason  to  think  they 
 would  alter  their  behaviour  to  any  purpose,  though  there  were 
 a  demonstration  of  its  truth.  Eoitk  i.  32 ;  Isa.  xxviii.  14,  15, 
 18 ;  S.  Luke  xvi.  31 ;  2  S.  Pet.  ii.  12,  13.  Bp.  Butler.  (Ana- 
 logy. P.  2.     Conclusion.) 
 
 40  Being  "  the  children  of  the  devil,"  how  do  they  imitate  the 
 very  words  of  their  father ;  for  the  devil  said,  If  Thou  lie  the 
 Son  of  God,  cast  Thyself  down.  iv.  6 ;  S.  John  viii.  44.  S. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 42  Himself  He  cannot  save. — In  this  speech  the  bitterest  part  of 
 the  scofi"  was  the  reason,  there  used,  plausible  enough  among 
 ignorant  Jews ;  that  surely,  if  He  had  any  power,  He  would 
 make  use  of  it  for  Himself.  Ps.  1.  21 ;  Job  ii.  4  ;  Phil.  ii.  4,  21 ; 
 Eom.  xiv.  7.     T)r.  Hammond.     (Serm.  2  S.  Pet.  iii.  3.) 
 
 A  King,  which  the  world  admires,  is  one  of  extensive  power,  &c. 
 
 &c Here  was  the  reverse  to  all  this,  for  a  crown  of  gold, 
 
 a  crown  of  thorns ;  for  a  sceptre,  a  reed  put  into  His  hand  in 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  42,  43.  533 
 
 derision  :  for  a  throne,  a  cross  ;  instead  of  palaces,  not  a  place 
 to  lay  His  head  in  ;  instead  of  sumptuous  feasts  to  others,  oft- 
 times  hungry  and  thirsty  Himself;  instead  of  great  attendants, 
 a  company  of  poor  fishermen  ;  instead  of  treasures  to  give  them, 
 not  money  enougli  to  pay  tribute  without  working  a  miracle  : 
 and  the  preferment  oifered  them  was  to  give  each  his  cross  to 
 bear.  In  all  things  the  reverse  of  worldly  greatness  from  first 
 to  last ;  a  manger  for  a  cradle  at  His  birth,  not  a  place  to  lay 
 His  head  sometimes  in  this  life,  nor  a  grave  of  His  own  at  His 
 death.  Here  unbelief  frets,  and  murmurs,  and  asks,  "  Where 
 is  all  the  glory,  that  is  so  much  extolled?" — For  discovering 
 this,  Faith  need  only  look  through  this  thin  veil  of  flesh,  and 
 under  that  low  disguise  appears  the  King  of  Glory,  the  King  of 
 Kings,  "  the  Lobb  of  Hosts,  strong  and  mighty  (Ps.  xxiv.  8),  the 
 LoBB  mighty  in  battle  ;"  the  heavens  His  throne,  the  earth 
 His  footstool,  the  light  His  garment,  the  clouds  His  chariot,  the 
 thunder  His  voice.  His  strength  omnipotence,  His  riches  all- 
 sufficiency.  His  glory  infinite.  His  retinue  the  host  of  heaven 
 and  the  excellent  ones  of  the  earth,  on  whom  He  bestows  riches 
 unsearchable,  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  banquets  of  ever- 
 lasting joys,  and  preferments  of  immortal  honour,  making  them 
 "Kings  and  Priests  unto  God,"  "conquerors,  yea,  and  more 
 than  conquerors,"  "children  of  God,"  and  mystically  "one 
 with  Himself."  xxi.  42;  1  Sam.  xvi.  7;  1  Cor.  i.  18— 31 ; 
 2  Cor.  xiii.  4 ;  Gal.  vi.  14 ;  S.  James  ii.  1 — 5,  Maclaurin. 
 (Serm.  Gal.  vi.  14.) 
 
 Let  Him  now  come  down. — God  never  wrought  a  miracle  to  con- 
 vince atheism ;  because  His  ordinary  works  convince  it.  Ps. 
 xix.  1 ;  Rom.  i.     Lord  Bacon.     (Essays,  16.) 
 
 For  this  very  reason  we  believe ;  because  Christ  did  tiot  straight- 
 way come  down  from  the  Cross,  but  finished  there  His  work, 
 iv.  6.     Bengel. 
 
 Plus  fuit  de  sepulchre  surgere.  To  come  forth  from  the  grave  was 
 a  still  mightier  deed.     E-om.  viii.  34.     8.  Chrysostom. 
 
 43  Things  are  not  to  be  altered  by  our  laughing  at  them,  and, 
 how  merry  soever  we  may  make  ourselves  with  the  belief  and 
 notion  of  a  Deity,  we  shall  one  day  find  in  earnest,  that  He  is 
 not  to  be  jested  out  of  His  Being  .  .  .  Alas  !  what  a  desperate 
 
534  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  44. 
 
 piece  of  folly  is  this,  for  men  thus  to  sport  and  dally  witli  the 
 Almighty,  whose  vengeance  they  can  neither  withstand  nor 
 endure ;  to  point,  and  make  mouths  at  Him  to  His  face,  and  to 
 set  Him  up,  as  the  finger-butt  of  their  scorn  and  derision !  .  .  . 
 Thus  to  dally  with  their  own  fate,  to  venture  to  be  damned, 
 that  they  may  be  thought  to  be  witty,  and  expose  themselves 
 to  endless  wailing  and  woe,  only  to  raise  a  present  fit  of  laugh- 
 ter, is  doubtless  a  far  more  desperate  attempt,  than  it  would  be 
 to  play  at  the  mouth  of  cannons,  while  they  are  spitting  fire,  or 
 to  lay  hold  on  a  thunderbolt,  as  it  comes  roaring  down  from  the 
 clouds.  2  Kings ii.  23—25  ;  2  Chron.  xviii.  24  ;  Gal.  vi.  7.  Di: 
 J.  Scott.     (Christian  Life,  P.  ii.  Ch.  3.) 
 
 44  At  first  both  the  malefactors  railed  on  Jesus  ;  afterwards  one 
 of  them,  on  further  consideration,  confessed  that  Jesus  was 
 Chbist  the  King.  Thus  were  signified  two  classes  of  man- 
 kind ;  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile.  Acts  xiii.  42,  43 ;  xvii.  18, 
 32—34  ;  Eom.  iii.  9  ;  ix.  30—33.     Theophylact. 
 
 Sin,  like  the  thief  upon  the  cross,  when  it  is  fast  nailed  and  kept 
 from  its  old  tyranny,  yet  will,  as  much  as  it  can,  revile  and  spit 
 out  venom  against  Chbist  :  and  therefore  give  it  not  over,  break 
 the  legs  of  it  (S.  John  xix.  32,)  crucify  it  clean,  until  it  be  quite 
 dead.  v.  29,  30 ;  Eom.  vi.  6 ;  Heb.  xii.  4.  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 (Serm.  Hos.  xiv.  1,  2.) 
 
 45  Now  from  the  sixth  hour  there  was  darkness 
 over  all  the  land  unto  the  ninth  hour. 
 
 46  And  about  the  ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a 
 loud  voice,  saying,  Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani  ?  that  is 
 to  say.  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken 
 Me? 
 
 47  Some  of  them  that  stood  there,  when  they  heard 
 that,  said,  This  man  calleth  for  Elias. 
 
 48  And  straightway  one  of  them  ran,  and  took  a 
 spunge,  and  filled  it  with  vinegar,  and  put  it  on  a  reed, 
 and  gave  Him  to  drink. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  45.  535 
 
 49  The  rest  said,  Let  be,  let  us  see  whether  Elias 
 will  come  to  save  Him. 
 
 45  From  the  sixth  unto  the  ninth  hour. — Three  hours  measure  out 
 this  last  act  of  our  Savioub's  sufferings.  That  mass  and  full 
 measure  of  sin,  which  many  thousands  of  years  had  treasured 
 up,  must  not  be  abolished,  or  annihilated  in  an  instant.  Why 
 was  not  the  infinite  suffering  of  man  Deified,  though  dated  but 
 for  one  minute,  of  more  rate,  price,  and  estimation,  tlian  the 
 offences  of  man  mortal  ?  Yea,  surely.  Wherefore  then  this 
 overplus  ? — Oh,  it  is  the  overflowing  of  this  fountain  of  Love  ! 
 Zech.  xiii.  1 ;  Eph.  iii.  18, 19  ;  Eom.  xi.  33.  Sir  J.  Harington. 
 (Div.  Medit.  on  Faith.) 
 
 To  these  senseless  and  blasphemous  speeches  of  your's  all  the 
 elements  give  answer  and  pass  one  and  the  same  verdict  upon 
 you.  The  heavens,  the  earth,  the  sun,  and  the  stars,  by  their 
 fearful  heaviugs,  or  their  extraordinary  defections,  pronounce 
 you  to  be  unworthy  of  their  good  offices  and  display  before  the 
 world  the  density  of  your  blindness.  Ps.  xix.  1 ;  Judges  v.  20 ; 
 Isa.  i.  2  ;  Micah  vi.  1 — 3.     Leo. 
 
 The  Jews  were  unwilling  to  come  to  the  light:  darkness  ^u^qv- 
 venes  ;  if  by  any  means  they  might  trace  a  resemblance  between 
 it  and  themselves,  simile  a  simili  aynosceretur ;  so  that,  even 
 after  the  perpetration  of  their  crime,  they  might  yet  be  saved. 
 Wisd.  xi.  16  ;  xviii.  4.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 Apollophanes  beholding  this  strange  eclipse  cried  out  to  Diony- 
 sius,  that  these  were  changes  and  revolutions  of  some  great 
 affairs ;  to  whom  the  other  replied,  that  "  either  God  suffered, 
 or  at  least  sympathized  and  bore  part  with  Him,  that  did  !"* 
 This  remarkable  passage,  if  true,  (as  we  have  not  much  reason 
 to  doubt  of  its  truth)  is  an  admirable  prophetic  speech,  mysteri- 
 ously conveyed  by  the  Spirit  of  God  into  the  mouth  of  a  hea- 
 then, who  knew  little  of  God  and  nothing  of  Christ  :  and  this 
 miraculous  proof  of  our  Blessed  Saviour's  Divinity  is  worthy 
 of  note.  Acts  xvii.  34,  Dr.  Cave.  (Lives  of  the  Fathers.  S. 
 Dionysius.) 
 
 *  See  Hooker ;  Eccl.  Pol.  B.  i.,  ch.  3,  s.  4  :  with  Mr.  Keble's  note. 
 
536  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  45,  46. 
 
 We  are  all  ready  enough  to  cry  out  upon  the  cowardice  of  all  our 
 Satioue's  Apostles  and  the  treachery  of  one;  upon  the  malice 
 of  His  accusers,  the  iniquity  of  His  judge,  the  cruelty  of  His 
 executioners.  But  we  do  not  consider  that  in  all  this  we  con- 
 demn ourselves.  What  danger  dare  we  face,  what  man  of  power, 
 what  faction  have  we  the  boldness  to  oppose,  for  Christ  and 
 His  religion  ?  How  small  must  that  sum  of  money  be,  or  that 
 worldly  interest,  that  cannot  bribe  us  to  betray  the  cause  of 
 Chbist  and  His  Church,  the  cause  of  truth  and  virtue,  which 
 was  dearer  to  Him  than  His  life  ?  And  how  little  of  Judas's 
 remorse  do  we  feel  for  it,  when  done  ?  .  .  .  How  do  we  mock 
 Him  with  our  hypocritical  professions  ?  How  buffet  Him  with 
 our  bitter  disputes  ?  How  spit  in  His  face,  how  mangle  His 
 flesh,  how  deluge  His  Blood,  how  crucify,  how  murder  Him  with 
 our  crimes  ?  How  we  act  over  again  the  dreadful  tragedy  of 
 this  day  !  How  the  light  sickens  !  How  darkness  spreads  it- 
 self over  the  whole  earth  !  Oh,  return,  return,  Thou  Eternal 
 Light,  into  our  understanding !  Oh,  return,  return,  Thou 
 warmth  of  the  soul,  into  our  hearts !  Show  us  our  vileness ; 
 revive  our  piety.  With  Thee  let  us  die  to  this  world ;  with 
 Thee  let  us  arise  to  a  new  life  ;  and  to  Thee,  with  the  Father 
 and  the  Holt  Spirit,  shall  be  ascribed  all  might,  majesty, 
 dignity,  and  dominion,  now  and  for  evermore  !  Hom.  ii.  1 — 3, 
 21,  22.     P.  Skelton.     (Serm.  Acts  xvii.  3.) 
 
 46  On  this  account  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  that  it  might  be 
 show^n,  that  it  was  according  to  His  own  power :  for  by  this 
 circumstance  He  most  openly  showed  Himself  to  be  the  true 
 God  :  for  men,  when  they  die,  are  scarcely  able  to  send  forth 
 even  a  slight  voice.     Ps.  xxix.  4 ;  Rev.  i.  15.     S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Ps.  xxii.  1. — No  tongue  of  men  or  angels  can  convey  a  higher  idea 
 of  any  work,  (the  Book  of  Psalms,)  and  of  their  felicity,  who 
 use  it  right.     J)r.  Hammond. 
 
 Our  Saviour,  at  the  point  of  His  dereliction,  cried  out,  not  "  Je- 
 HOTAH,  Jehovah  !"  but  Eli,  Eii !  My  God,  My  God  !  as  not 
 presuming  at  that  time  and  in  that  capacity  to  call  God  by  His 
 titles  of  Paternal  love  and  endearment ;  but,  aa  naming  the 
 Judge  of  the  world,  doing  the  extremest  right  upon  His  own 
 Son,  "  treading  the  wine-press  alone,"  in  the  person  of  all  man- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  46—50.  537 
 
 kind.  Ps.  xxii.  4 — 7  ;  Exod.  xxxiv.  5 — 7.  Norris.  (Serai,  ou 
 S.  Matt.  V.  7.) 
 
 The  expression,  My  God,  My  Gob,  seems  to  intimate,  that  the 
 indwelling  Presence  of  the  Deity  was  not  withdrawn  ;  while, 
 forsaken,  would  imply  the  loss  of  its  comforting  influence  on 
 the  soul  of  the  man  Jesus.  All  antiquity,  Bp.  Andrewes  ob- 
 serves, (Serra.  Lam.  i.  12)  allows  the  truth  of  that  saying  of 
 Leo ;  Non  solvit  Unionem,  sed  subtraxit  visionem.  S.  John  i. 
 18  ;  iii.  13  ;  x.  30.     J.  F. 
 
 This  was  a  penal  desertion  ;  and  so  this  cry,  (as  one  observes,) 
 was  like  the  perpetual  shriek  of  them,  that  are  cast  away  for 
 ever.     Flavel. 
 
 His  Fathek  had  forsaken  Him,  inasmuch  as  He  had  left  His 
 senses  all  alone  with  their  natural  forces;  not  dealing  with 
 Him,  as  He  doth  with  the  holy  martyrs,  whom  He  assisteth 
 with  marvellous  consolation  in  their  torments.  O  sweet  Loed 
 Jesus,  how  pleasing  were  those  words  of  plaints  unto  Thine 
 enemies !  And  what  discomfort  were  they  unto  Thy  friends  ! 
 Surely,  as  may  seem,  there  were  never  any  words  spoken  by 
 Him  in  all  His  life,  which  gave  so  great  encouragement  to  His 
 enemies  and  so  great  discomfort  to  His  friends.  But  this  He 
 did  to  show  how  great  this  dereliction  was,  which  was  such,  as 
 even  caused  Him  to  complain  thereof,  iv.  11 ;  S.  Luke  xxii. 
 43  ;  Dan.  iii.  25  ;  Ps.  Ixxi.  9  ;  Heb.  xi.  35.  Life  of  Cheist,  by 
 Bouaventure  and  others.     (Ch.  60.) 
 
 48  Dr.  Buchanan  in  his  Christian  Eesearches  in  Asia  tells  us, 
 that  Hil  or  Hila,  is  Syriac  for  vinegar.  Hence,  supposing  our 
 Loed  to  call  for  vinegar-water,  the  common  drink  of  the  sol- 
 diers present,  they  immediately  brought  it  to  Him.  But  Isi- 
 dore Clarius  observes,  in  his  excellent  Commentary,  that  some 
 forbade  the  vinegar  being  given  to  Him,  as  it  would  have  had 
 the  effect  of  hastening  His  death  ;  and  they  rather  wished  to 
 see,  whether  Elias  would  come  to  save  Him.     J.  F. 
 
 50  Jesus,  when  He  had  cried  again  with  a  loud 
 voice,  yielded  up  the  ghost. 
 
 50  This  great  Voice  did  great  things.    S.  John  v.  25 — 30.    Origen. 
 
538  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  50. 
 
 He  yielded  up  the  ghost — {a(p7jice  to  Trvevfia.  He  let  go  His  spirit.) 
 To  make  both  a  true  and  perfect  expiatory  Sacrifice,  there  are  five 
 things,  indispensably  necessary.  1.  That,  in  being  sacrificed, 
 it  should  be  substituted  in  the  room  of  an  offender  to  be  pun- 
 ished for  him,  in  order  to  his  being  released  from  his  own  personal 
 obligation  to  punishment.  (Lev.  xvii.  11.)  2.  That  the  sacri- 
 fice should  be  pure,  sound,  and  unblemished.  (Ex.  xii.  5  ;  Lev. 
 xxii.  20, 21.)  3.  That  it  should  be  of  such  intrinsic  worth  and 
 value,  as  tliat  its  death  may  be  in  some  measure  an  equivalent 
 commutation  for  the  punishment,  which  the  offender  deserves. 
 (Heb.  X.  4.)  4.  That  it  should  be  free  and  unforced  on  the 
 part  of  the  offerer.  (Lev.  i.  3.)  5.  That  it  should  be  admitted 
 and  accepted  by  God,  in  the  room  and  stead  of  the  punishment, 
 which  is  due  to  Him  from  the  ofiender  himself.  (Lev.  xvii.  11.) 
 All  these  necessary  conditions  of  a  real  and  perfect  expiatory 
 Sacrifice  do  fully  concentre  in  the  Death  and  Sacrifice  of  Cheist. 
 2  Cor.  V.  21 ;  1  S.  Pet.  i.  19  ;  Heb.  ix.  18—15  ;  S.  John  x.  18 ; 
 Acts  ii.  24.     Dr.  J.  Scott.     (Christian  Life,  P.  ii.  ch.  7.) 
 
 See,  that,  while  life  remains  in  thee,  thou  repose  thy  confidence 
 only  in  the  Death  of  Cheist  ;  trust  in  nothing  else ;  commit 
 thyself  wholly  {te  totum  committe)  to  this  Death ;  cover  thyself 
 wholly  with  this  alone  ....  And,  if  the  Lord  will  judge  thee, 
 say,  "  LoED,  I  cast  the  Death  of  my  Loed  Jesus  Cheist  be- 
 tween me  and  Thy  judgment :  otherwise  I  will  not  engage  in 
 judgment  with  Thee."  And,  if  He  shall  say  to  thee,  that  thou 
 art  a  sinner,  say,  "I  place  the  Death  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Cheist 
 between  me  and  my  sins."  If  He  shall  say  to  thee,  that  thou 
 hast  deserved  damnation,  say,  "  I  cast  the  death  of  my  Loed 
 Jesus  Cheist  between  me  and  my  evil  deserts,  and  I  offer  His 
 merits  for  that  merit,  which  I  ought  to  have  and  have  not."  If 
 He  shall  say,  that  He  is  angry  with  thee,  say,  "  Loed,  I  cast  the 
 Death  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  between  me  and  Thy  displea- 
 sure." Ps.  xxxviii.  15;  Eom.  viii.  31 — 34;  1  Tim.  ii.  5,  6. 
 Anselm.     (De  visit,  infirmorum.) 
 
 We  must  apprehend  the  merits  of  Christ's  death  and  passion,  by 
 Faith.  And  that,  with  a  strong  and  stedfast  faith  ;  nothing 
 doubting,  but  that  Christ  by  His  one  oblation  and  offering  of 
 Himself  upon  the  Cross  hath  taken  away  our  sins  and  hath  re- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIl.  50,  51.  539 
 
 stored  us  again  unto  God's  favour  so  fully  and  perfectly,  that 
 no  other  sacrifice  for  sin  shall  hereafter  be  requisite  or  needful 
 in  all  the  world  ....  Let  us  steadfastly  behold  Cheist  cruci- 
 fied with  the  eyes  of  our  heart.  Let  us  only  trust  to  be  saved 
 by  His  death  and  passion,  and  to  have  our  sins  clean  washed 
 away  in  His  most  precious  Blood ;  that  in  the  end  of  the  world 
 ....  He  may  receive  us  into  His  Heavenly  Kingdom  ....  there 
 to  be  partakers  of  that  everlasting  life,  which  He  hath  pur- 
 chased unto  us  by  virtue  of  His  bloody  wounds.  Acts  xvi.  31  ; 
 Eom.  iii.  25  ;  Eph.  ii.  8.  Homilies.  (Of  the  Passion,  for  Good 
 Friday.) 
 
 Anima  Christi,  sanctifica  me.  Ne  permittas  me  separari  a  Te. 
 
 Corpus  Christi,  salva  me.  Ab  hoste  maligno  defende  me. 
 
 Sanguis  Christi,  iuebria  me.  In  hora  mortis  meae  voca  me. 
 
 Aqua  lateris  Christi,  lava  me.         Et  jube  me  venire  ad  Te. 
 
 Passio  Christi,  eonforta  me.  Ut  cum  Sanctis  Tuis  laudem  Te, 
 
 O  bone  Jesu,  exaudi  me.  In  ssecula  seculorum  !     Amen. 
 
 Intra  vulnera  Tua  absconde  me. 
 
 Medit.  'pro  Exereitiis,  &c.  (ad  calcem.  Mechlinise,  1780.) 
 
 51  And,  behold,  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in 
 twain  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  ;  and  the  earth  did 
 quake,  and  the  rocks  rent ; 
 
 52  And  the  graves  were  opened ;  and  many  bodies 
 of  the  saints  which  slept  arose, 
 
 53  And  came  out  of  the  graves  after  His  resurrection, 
 and  went  into  the  holy  city,  and  appeared  unto  many. 
 
 54  Now  when  the  centurion,  and  they  that  were 
 with  him,  watching  Jesus,  saw  the  earthquake,  and 
 those  things  that  were  done,  they  feared  greatly,  say- 
 ing, Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God. 
 
 51  "Whence  it  appears  that  it  was  rent  at  the  very  point  of  time, 
 when  Cheist  delivered  up  the  ghost,     xxvi.  65.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 As  the  Jews  were  wont  to  rend  their  garments,  when  they  heard 
 blasphemy,  so  the  Temple,  not  enduring  the  execrable  blasphe- 
 
540  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  51—53. 
 
 mies  against  the  Son  of  GtOD,  tore  his  veil  in  pieces.  2  Kings 
 xviii.  37.  Theophylact. 
 The  dead,  the  very  rocks,  hear  Thy  dying  cry,  0  Saviour  of  sonls ! 
 The  sun  hides  his  face  from  Thy  death,  who  gave  him  being. 
 Hell  now  feels  the  stroke  of  that  death,  which  destroys  "  him, 
 that  had  the  power  of  death,"  and  rousing  her  infernal  fires 
 throws  the  upper  world  into  convulsions.  S.  Luke  six.  40. 
 P.  Skelton.     (Serm.  Acts  xvii.  3.) 
 
 52  He  raises  the  daughter  of  Jairus  from  her  bed,  the  widow's  son 
 from  his  coffin,  Lazarus  from  his  grave,  the  dead  saints  at  Jeru- 
 salem from  their  rottenness  ;  that  it  might  appear,  no  degree  of 
 death  can  hinder  the  efficacy  of  His  overruling  command.  He, 
 that  keeps  the  keys  of  death,  cannot  only  make  way  for  Himself 
 through  the  commonest  hall  and  outer  rooms,  but  through  the 
 iuwardest  and  most  reserved  closets  of  darkness.  Ps.  xxiii.  4  ; 
 cxxxix.  8 ;  Eev.  i.  18  ;  Heb.  ii.  14,  15.     Bp.  Hall. 
 
 53  Oh,  the  breasts  of  Jews,  more  hard  than  the  stones !  The 
 rocks  are  rent ;  but  their  hearts  are  hardened.  The  judge  en- 
 treats, his  officer  believes,  the  traitor  by  his  death  condemns  his 
 crimes,  the  elements  flee,  the  earth  is  shaken,  the  tombs  are 
 opened  :  yet  the  obduracy  of  the  Jews  remains  unmoved,  while 
 the  earth  is  moved.  S.  Luke  xvi.  31 ;  xix.  40 ;  Acts  vii.  51 ; 
 Rom.  xi.  8.     S.  Ambrose. 
 
 Heu  caput  indiguum  spinis,  venerandaque  coelo, 
 Et  toties  clara  stellarum  implexa  corona, 
 Csesaries  !  Heu  pectus  hians,  convulsaque  dira 
 Barba  manu,  tunsique  artus,  et  frigida  membra ! 
 Vosne,  pedes,  coelum  premere  et  vaga  sidera  sueti, 
 Fulgentesque  domes  Superum,  sublimia  tecta, 
 Tam  saevae  im manes  perpessi  cuspidis  ictus, 
 Et  terram  et  duras  sparsistis  sanguine  cautes  ? 
 Nee  trepidat  mens  cseca  hominum  ?  Quae  tanta  tenaci 
 Durities  in  corde  riget  ?     Num  nigra  videtis 
 Tartara,  tot  claris  hominum  viduata  trophaeis, 
 Desertasque  in  nocte  domes,  et  tristia  regna, 
 Eelicesque  animas,  laetum  Paeana  canentes. 
 Pone  sequi  Eegem  et  coelo  insedisse  sereno  ? 
 
 Sannazarius.     (Lament,  de  Morte  Christi.) 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  54.  54L 
 
 54  This  Man  .  .  .  The  Son  of  God.  (S.  Mark  xv.  39.)  By  His  life 
 and  death  He  merited  so  much  for  us,  because  the  same  person, 
 that  so  lived  and  died,  was  God,  as  well  as  man ;  and  every 
 action,  that  He  did,  and  every  passion,  that  He  suffered,  was 
 done  and  suffered  by  Him,  that  was  God,  as  well  as  man.  And 
 hence  it  is  that  Cheist,  of  all  the  persons  in  the  world,  is  so  fit, 
 yea,  only  fit  to  be  my  Redeemer,  Mediator,  and  Surety ;  because 
 He  alone  is  both  God  and  man  in  one  Person.  If  He  was  not 
 man,  He  could  not  undertake  that  ofiice ;  if  He  was  not  God,  He 
 could  not  perform  it.  If  He  was  not  man,  He  could  not  be 
 capable  of  being  bound  for  me  ;  if  He  was  not  God,  He  would 
 not  be  able  to  pay  my  debt.  It  was  man,  by  whom  the  CoTe- 
 nant  was  broken  ;  and  therefore  man  must  have  suitable  punish- 
 ment laid  upon  him :  it  was  God,  with  whom  it  was  broken, 
 and  therefore  God  must  have  sufficient  satisfaction  made  unto 
 Him  :  and,  as  for  that  satisfaction,  it  was  man,  that  had  offended, 
 and  therefore  man  alone  could  make  it  suitable ;  it  was  God, 
 that  was  offended,  and  therefore  God  alone  could  make  it  suffi- 
 cient. The  sum  of  all  is  this.  Man  can  suffer,  but  he  cannot 
 satisfy ;  God  can  satisfy,  but  He  cannot  suffer :  but  Christ, 
 being  both  God  and  man,  can  both  suffer  and  satisfy  too  ;  and 
 so,  is  perfectly  fit  both  to  suffer  for  man  and  to  make  satisfac- 
 tion unto  God,  to  reconcile  God  to  man  and  man  to  God. 
 And  thus  Chbist,  having  assumed  my  nature  into  His  Person 
 and  so  satisfied  Divine  Justice  for  my  sins,  I  am  received  into 
 grace  and  favour  again  with  the  Most  High  God.  Isa.  vii.  14  ; 
 Jer.  xxiii.  5,  6  ;  Zech.  xiii.  7  ;  2  Cor.  v.  18 — 21 ;  Eev.  xxii.  16. 
 Bp.  Bevei-idge.     (Private  thouglits  on  Religion,  Art.  5.) 
 
 Divine  Glory  shone  in  that  face  on  the  Mount,  but  not  so  brightly 
 as  on  Mount  Calvary.  This  was  the  more  glorious  Transfiguration 
 of  the  two.  Though  all  the  light  in  the  world,  in  the  sun,  and 
 stars  were  collected  together  into  one  stupendous  mass  of  light, 
 it  would  be,  but  darkness,  to  the  glory  of  this  seemingly  dark 
 and  melancholy  object.  Here  shines  spotless  Justice,  incom- 
 prehensible Wisdom,  and  infinite  Love,  all  at  once.  None  of 
 them  darkens,  or  eclipses  the  other  ;  every  one  of  them  gives  a 
 lustre  to  the  rest.  They  mingle  their  beams  and  shine  with 
 united  eternal  splendour ;  the  just  Judge,  the  merciful  Fathee, 
 
542  s.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  54. 
 
 aud  the  wise  Governor.  No  other  object  gives  such  a  display 
 of  these  perfections ;  yea,  all  the  objects,  we  know,  give  not 
 such  a  display  of  any  one  of  them.  No  where  does  Justice 
 appear  so  awful,  Mercy  so  amiable,  or  Wisdom  so  profound. 
 Ps.  xix.  1—7  ;  S.  John  i.  18  ;  xiv.  9 ;  2  Cor,  iii.  18  ;  Heb.  i.  3. 
 Madaurin.  (Serm.  Gal.  vi.  14.) 
 Place  now  thyself,  my  soul,  among  the  throng,  and  hear  what  they 
 say,  and  see  what  they  do,  and  imagine  what  they  think.  And, 
 when  thou  art  amazed  with  wonder  at  their  perverseness  and 
 thy  Sayioue's  patience,  turn  thine  eye  to  His  Cross  ;  and  all, 
 that  their  malice  said  in  scorn  of  Him,  let  thy  pity  repeat  to 
 His  honour.  Thou  art,  O  Jesf,  the  chosen  of  God,  and  Son  of 
 the  Eternal  Pathee.  Thou  art  the  Christ,  whom  the  world 
 expected,  and  by  Thy  sufferings  our  souls  were  to  be  redeemed ! 
 Thou  couldst  have  easily  come  down  from  the  Cross  and  saved 
 Thyself.  But  how  then  should  Thy  love  have  triumphed? 
 How  should  we  have  been  saved  ?  xi.  19 ;  Rom.  iii.  4.  Austin. 
 (Medit.  201.) 
 
 55  And  many  women  were  there  beholding  afar  off, 
 which  followed  Jesus  from  Galilee,  ministering  unto 
 Him: 
 
 56  Among  which  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mary 
 the  mother  of  James  and  Joses,  and  the  mother  of 
 Zebedee's  children. 
 
 57  When  the  even  was  come,  there  came  a  rich 
 man  of  Arimathsea,  named  Joseph,  who  also  Himself 
 was  Jesus'  disciple : 
 
 58  He  went  to  Pilate,  and  begged  the  body  of  Jesus. 
 Then  Pilate  commanded  the  body  to  be  delivered. 
 
 59  And  when  Joseph  had  taken  the  body,  he 
 wrapped  it  in  a  clean  linen  cloth, 
 
 60  And  laid  it  in  his  own  new  tomb,  which  he  had 
 hewn  out  in  the  rock  :  and  he  rolled  a  great  stone  to 
 the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  and  departed. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  55.  543 
 
 61  And  there  was  Mary  Magdalene,  and  the  other 
 Mary,  sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre. 
 
 55  "  Many  women  were  there  beholding,^''  &c. — On  Friday,  we 
 may  cast  our  eyes  upon  the  Passion  and  Death  of  Cheist  ;  how 
 He  was  mocked,  derided,  crowned  with  thorns,  and  crucified, 
 to  purchase  an  Eternal  E.edemption  for  us  ;  what  a  wonderful 
 Love  it  was  to  suffer  all  this  for  enemies,  that  they  might  be 
 reconciled  to  God  and  become  His  friends  ;  what  a  dreadful 
 spectacle  it  was  to  see  Infi.nite  Majesty  annihilated,  Infinite 
 beauty  defaced,  Infinite  happiness  tormented,  and  Eternity 
 dying  and  dropping  into  the  grave  ;  what  patience,  what  meek- 
 ness, what  submission,  what  gentleness  He  expressed  under  all 
 those  injuries,  to  show  us  an  example,  and  to  oblige  us  to  follow 
 His  steps ;  how  heavy  the  burden  of  our  sins  was,  that  could 
 make  the  Son  of  God  cry  out,  "  My  God,  My  God,  why  hast 
 Thou  forsaken  Me  ?"  what  a  mighty  argument  that  Love  is  to 
 love  Him  fervently ;  how  inexcusable  that  man  makes  himself, 
 that  believes  this  love,  and  yet  will  not  be  persuaded  by  it  to 
 obey  and  conform  himself  to  His  will ;  how  mysterious  this 
 Love  is,  that  the  sinner  should  transgress  and  the  Highteous 
 be  punished  for  him,  that  the  innocent  should  suffer  for  the 
 nocent,  the  Judge  for  the  malefactor,  the  Master  for  the  servant, 
 God  for  man  ;  what  ingratitude  it  must  be  to  trample  on  the 
 Blood  of  Cheist,  or  to  put  Him  to  an  open  shame  again,  or  to 
 make  light  of  salvation,  when  God  hath  purchased  it  at  so  dear 
 a  rate  ;  how,  by  His  death  we  live,  by  His  stripes  we  are  healed, 
 by  His  wounds  we  are  cured,  by  His  reproaches  we  are  advanced 
 to  glory,  and  by  His  being  made  a  curse  for  us  we  escape  the 
 curse  of  the  Law  ;  how,  after  so  much  Charity  we  have  all  the 
 reason  in  the  world  to  prize  Him  and  to  count  all  things  dross 
 and  dung  in  comparison  of  Him ;  to  delight  in  Him,  to  love 
 Him,  to  prefer  Him  before  the  world,  and  to  "  follow  the  Lamb, 
 whithersoever  He  goeth."  Gal.  iii.  1 ;  Deut.  iv.  9,  34 ;  2  Cor. 
 ix.  15;  Heb.  xii.  2;  S.  John  iv.  9,  10.  Dr.  Ilorneck.  (The 
 Happy  Ascetick.     Exercise  3.) 
 
 Afar  off. — The  day  must  come,  when  each  person,  who  reads  this, 
 
544  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  57,  60. 
 
 must  be  forsaken  of  all  the  world,  when  relations,  friends,  and 
 acquaintances,  shall  all  retire,  unable  to  afford  him  any  help  and 
 assistance.  In  the  solitary  and  awful  hour  of  our  departure 
 hence,  let  us  remember  to  think  on  the  Desertion,  the  Death, 
 the  Burial,  the  Resurrection  of  our  Redeemer,  xxvi.  56.  Bp. 
 Home.     (Comment.  Ps.  Iviii.  8.) 
 
 57  Habent  diviticB  suos  pauperes.  Wealth  too  can  produce  its 
 poor.     V.  3  ;  Isa.  Ixvi.  2. 
 
 Wisely  hath  Augustine  remarked,  that,  "  The  reason  why  poor 
 Lazarus  was  carried  into  the  bosom  of  rich  Abraham,  w^as  to 
 show  us,  that  riches  exclude  no  man  from  the  Kingdom  of  hea- 
 ven ;"  the  gate  of  which  is  open  alike  to  all,  who  either  make  a 
 discreet  use  of  riches,  or  bear  the  want  of  them  with  patience. 
 Calvin.     (On  S.  Luke  xvi.  ver.  25.) 
 
 These  were  disciples  before,  but  secretly.  Now  they  appear 
 openly.  So  great  was  the  virtue  of  His  Passion,  xiv.  2  ;  S. 
 John  xix.  38—40.     J.  Ellis. 
 
 Can  we  imagine  that  He,  who  endured  not  an  unclean  grave  or 
 shroud,  will  enter  into  a  sinful  and  unprepared  heart  ?  xxvi.  7, 
 18  ;  S.  John  xiii.  5.  Bp.  Reynolds.  (Meditations  on  the  Holy 
 Sacrament,  &c.,  ch.  18.) 
 
 To  two  Josephs  our  Loed  commended  His  own  person  :  to  one, 
 at  the  beginning  of  His  life,  that  he  might  govern  Him  ;  to  the 
 other,  at  the  end  of  His  life,  that  he  might  bury  Him.  Joseph 
 is  interpreted,  growing  and  profiting  ;  to  give  us  to  understand 
 that  Christ  doth  not  communicate  Himself  to  those,  who 
 stand  still  in  the  spiritual  way,  or  else  go  back,  but  to  those,  who 
 daily  grow  and  profit  in  virtue,  xxv.  14,  15,  30 ;  1  Cor.  xii.  7. 
 (Life  of  Christ,  by  Bonaventura  and  others,  ch.  62.) 
 
 60  In  that  it  was  a  new  tomb,  we  are  given  to  understand,  that 
 we  are  all  renewed  by  Christ's  Death,  and  that  death  and 
 corruption  are  destroyed.  Observe  the  abundance  of  that 
 poverty,  which  He  had  taken  upon  Himself  for  us.  For  He, 
 who  in  life  had  no  home,  after  death  also  is  laid  up  in  the 
 sepulchre  of  another,  and  being  naked  is  clothed  by  Joseph. 
 S.  Luke  ii.  7  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  9.     Theophylact. 
 
 The  Saviour  was  laid  in  a  tomb  belonging  to  another  man,  be- 
 cause He  died  for  the  salvation  of  others.     For  why  should  He, 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  61,  545 
 
 who  in  Himself  had  no  death,  have  been  laid  in  His  own  tomb  ? 
 Or  He,  whose  place  was  reserved  for  Him  in  heaven,  have  had 
 a  monument  upon  earth  ?  He  remained  but  three  days'  space 
 in  the  tomb,  not  as  dead,  but  as  resting  on  His  bed.  A  tomb 
 is  the  necessary  abode  of  death.  Christ  then  who  is  our  Life, 
 could  not  have  an  abode  of  death.  He,  that  ever  liveth,  had  no 
 need  of  the  dwelling  of  the  departed.  S.  John  v.  26  ;  Acts  x. 
 42  ;  xvii.  31.     T.  Aquinas.     (Aurea  catena.) 
 
 61  The  description  of  the  persons,  who  interred  Cheist,  and  the 
 enumeration  of  their  virtues,  and  the  everlasting  commendation 
 of  her,  who  brake  the  box  of  precious  ointment  for  His  burial, 
 have  been  thought  sufl&cient  grounds  and  encouragement  for 
 the  careful  and  decent  sepulture  of  Christians  .  .  .  whose  bodies 
 are  not  to  be  neglected  after  death  ;  but  carefully  to  be  laid  up 
 in  the  wardrobe  of  the  grave  with  due  respect,  as  might  become 
 the  honour  of  the  dead  and  the  comfort  of  the  living.  Gen.  1. 
 1—6,  25,  26 ;  Acts  vii.  16  ;  viii.  2.  Bp,  Pearson.  (Expos,  of 
 the  Creed,  Art.  5.) 
 
 Sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre. — I  believe,  O  crucified  Love, 
 that  Thou  wast  really  dead,  and  that  there  was  a  separation  of 
 Thy  body  and  soul ;  .  .  .  and  that  Thy  Sacred  body  was  buried, 
 to  assure  us  of  Thy  death.  All  love,  all  glory,  be  to  Thee  !  By 
 the  love  of  Thy  cross,  dear  Jesu,  I  live  :  in  that  I  will  only 
 glory :  that,  above  all  things,  will  I  study :  that,  before  all 
 things,  will  I  value.  And,  if  my  love  calls  me  to  it,  I  will  suffer 
 on  the  cross  for  Thee,  as  Thou  hast  done  for  me,  compassionate 
 Jestj  !     Bp.  Ken.     (Expos,  of  the  Church  Catechism.) 
 
 62  Now  the  next  day,  that  followed  the  day  of  the 
 preparation,  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  came  to- 
 gether unto  Pilate, 
 
 63  Saying,  Sir,  we  remember  that  that  deceiver  said, 
 while  He  was  yet  alive,  After  three  days  I  will  rise  again. 
 
 64  Command  therefore  that  the  sepulchre  be  made 
 sure  until  the  third  day,  lest  His  disciples  come  by 
 night,  and  steal  Him  away,  and  say  unto  the  people, 
 
546  S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  G3,  64. 
 
 He  is  risen  from  tlie  dead :  so  the  last  error  shall  be 
 worse  than  the  first. 
 
 65  Pilate   said  unto  them,  Ye  have  a  watch :  go 
 your  way,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can. 
 
 66  So  they  went,    and  made  the   sepulchre   sure, 
 sealing  the  stone,  and  setting  a  watch. 
 
 63  That  deceiver. — ('O  7r\ai/os.)  It  was  you  yourselves,  who  made 
 choice  of  certain  leading  men  among  you  and  despatched  them 
 on  a  mission  throughout  the  world,  to  proclaim  that  there  had 
 arisen  a  certain  impious  sect,  hostile  to  all  law,  whose  author 
 was  one  Jesus  of  Galilee,  a  deceiver,  circulator,  a  strolling  fel- 
 low and  impostor,  whom  after  you  had  crucified  His  followers 
 stole  away  by  night  from  the  tomb,  wherein  when  taken  down 
 from  the  cross  He  had  been  laid ;  and  that  thereby  they  de- 
 ceived mankind,  giving  out  that  He  had  risen  again  from  the 
 dead  and  ascended  into  heaven.   Justin  M.  (Dial,  with  Trypho.) 
 
 While  He  was  yet  alive. — I  think  that  fame,  after  death,  is  an  in- 
 difiierent  thing  for  a  Christian  to  trouble  himself  about.  The 
 heathens  indeed  were  fond  of  it,  because  they  found  within 
 themselves  an  impetuous  desire  of  immortality  and  could  not 
 see  any  other  way  to  effect  it,  but  only  by  this  :  but  for  us, 
 Christians,  to  despise  the  joys  of  Paradise  for  the  clattering  of 
 people's  tongues,  is  an  unpardonable  affront,  offered  to  our  re- 
 ligion. Gen.  iv.  17  ;  xi.  4 ;  Job  iii.  14 ;  Isa.  xlvii.  7 ;  Ps.  xlix. 
 Palmer.     (Aphorisms,  1214.) 
 
 Both  the  natures  in  the  Person  of  Christ  join  with  their  several 
 concurrence  in  the  same  work ;  as  to  "  walk  on  the  waters,"  to 
 "  rise  out  of  the  grave,  &c."  By  which  communication  of  pro- 
 perties, virtue  is  derived  from  the  Altar  to  the  Sacrifice,  inas- 
 much as  it  was  "  the  Loed  of  Glory,"  who  was  crucified.  So, 
 that  His  passions  were,  in  regard  to  the  Person,  who  bare  them, 
 QeavhpiKoi,  both  human  and  Divine;  because  the  Person  was 
 QeavOpwTTos,  GoD  and  man.  S.  John  iii.  13  ;  vi.  62 ;  Acts  iii. 
 15  ;  XX.  28  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  8.     Bp.  Reynolds.     (Expos,  of  Ps.  ex.) 
 
 64  The  fear,  lest  His  body  should  be  stolen,  the  guarding  and  the 
 sealing  of  the  sepulchre  bespake  both  their  folly  and  their  in- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVII.  64,  66.  547 
 
 fidelity ;  inasmuch  as  they  were  found  capable  of  sealing  the 
 tomb  of  that  person,  at  whose  command  they  had  seen  with 
 their  own  eyes  the  dead,  raised  up  from  the  grave.  Isa.  vi.  9, 
 10  ;  Ezek.  xii.  2.     S.  Hilary. 
 
 These  people  could  believe  that  John  was  "  risen  from  the  dead," 
 (S.  Mark  vi.  14,)  though  "  John  did  no  miracle,"  and  though 
 none  bare  witness  of  his  resurrection :  and  yet  they  could  not 
 bring  their  minds  to  believe  that  Jesus  was  risen  again,  but 
 said  that  He  had  been  secretly  carried  off,  though  Jesus  was 
 "  approved  of  God  by  many  miracles,  wonders,  and  signs," 
 though  at  His  death  the  elements  trembled,  and  though  Angels, 
 Apostles,  men,  and  women,  vied  with  each  other  in  announcing 
 His  resurrection  and  ascension.     S.  John  iii.  18 — 22.     Bede. 
 
 66  Deliver  us,  0  Loed,  from  the  spirit  of  malice  and  detraction, 
 and  from  contriving  plots  to  oppress  the  innocent,  and  from 
 trusting  in  our  little  arts,  in  defiance  of  the  God  of  heaven, 
 whose  wisdom  disappoints  the  craft  of  the  wicked  and  makes 
 their  subtilest  follies  serve  His  ends.  They  seal  the  sepulchre ; 
 and  that  confirms  our  faith.  They  watch  it  with  a  guard  ;  and 
 that  proves  He  was  not  stolen  away.  They  conspire  in  a  gross 
 and  palpable  falsehood  ;  and  that  demonstrates  the  truth  of  His 
 resurrection.  Willing  or  unwilling,  man,  O  Loed,  will  serve 
 Thy  ends.  Ps.  ix.  15 ;  xxxv.  7,  8  ;  Isa.  xlv.  9 ;  1  Cor.  iii.  19, 20. 
 Austin.     (Medit.  298.) 
 
 CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
 
 TN  the  end  of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  to- 
 ward the  first  day  of  the  week,  came  Mary  Mag- 
 dalene and  the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepulchre. 
 
 2  And,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earthquake :  for 
 the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven,  and 
 came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat 
 upon  it. 
 
 N  N   2 
 
548  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  1. 
 
 3  His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  His  rai- 
 ment white  as  snow : 
 
 4  And  for  fear  of  Him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and 
 became  as  dead  men. 
 
 1  As  it  began  to  dawn. — Here  you  see,  as  on  many  other  occa- 
 sions, the  natural  works  of  GtOd  bearing  testimony  to  His 
 spiritual  works  for  the  Salvation  of  man.  At  the  crucifixion  of 
 Cheist,  the  sun  was  darkened ;  the  natural  sun  (by  an  eclipse) 
 failing  in  its  light,  so  long  as  "  the  Sun  of  righteousness,"  who 
 is  the  true  Light  of  man,  was  suffering  upon  the  cross.  So,  at 
 His  Resurrection,  the  Sun  of  grace  and  the  sun  of  nature  rise 
 together  .  .  .  From  whence  we  learn  that,  as  nature  rises  with 
 the  sun,  so  doth  the  world  rise  (to  a  new  day)  with  Jesus 
 Cheist,  and  receive  "  life  and  immortality  "  from  His  Eesur- 
 rection  .  .  .  The  rising  of  the  sun  is  a  glorious  sight ;  but  it  is 
 only  the  pattern  of  a  more  excellent  Glory,  and,  as  such,  a  Chris- 
 tian should  daily  consider  it.  S.  John  i.  9  ;  Eccl.  xi.  7  ;  2  Tim. 
 i.  10  ;  2  Cor.  iii.  9 — 11.     Wm.  Jones.     (Serm.  on  text.) 
 
 Our  LoED  chose  that  time  to  die,  when  the  Passover  was  slain, 
 that  time,  wherein  Adam  was  created ;  the  sixth  day  of  the 
 week  at  evening.  He  chose  that  time  for  His  body  to  rest  in 
 the  grave,  and  for  His  soul  to  rest  in  Paradise,  wherein  His 
 Pathee  rested  from  all  the  great  work  of  the  Creation,  the 
 seventh  day  of  the  week :  and  He  chose  that  day  to  rise  again, 
 which  His  Pathee  chose  to  begin  the  Creation,  the  first  day  of 
 the  week  ;  that  the  same  day  might  bear  the  inscription  of  the 
 creation  and  of  the  restitution  of  the  world ;  and  that,  as  in 
 that  day  the  Loed  Gtod  brought  light  out  of  darkness,  so  this 
 light,  the  light  that  "  enlighteneth  every  man  that  cometh  into 
 the  world,"  should  arise  from  the  land  of  darkness,  the  grave. 
 Ps.  cxviii.  24  ;  Col.  iii.  1 — 4.  Sir  M.  Hale.  (Of  the  knowledge 
 of  Cheist  Crucified.) 
 
 In  these  pious  women  we  observe,  that  the  first  step  towards  a 
 happy  participation  in  our  Loed's  Eesurrection  is  to  come  to 
 His  Sepulchre,  to  seek  Him  in  His  death  ;  that  is,  to  come  to 
 His  Sacraments,  which  are  the  symbols  of  His  Passion.     If  in 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  1,  2.  549 
 
 Baptism  we  are  buried  with  Him,  at  His  Supper  we  shall  rise 
 and  feast  with  Him.  But  then  we  must  still  imitate  these  good 
 women  ;  bring  "  the  spices  we  have  prepared,"  (S.  Luke  xxiv. 
 13,)  that  is,  those  graces  and  good  works,  which  are  of  a  sweet 
 savour  acceptable  to  the  Loed.  We  must  also  come  early ; 
 that  is,  not  only  in  the  prime  and  morning  of  life,  but  with 
 diligence  and  earnestness,  ardent  love,  and  holy  zeal.  All  sloth 
 must  be  shaken  off,  when  we  come  to  seek  Cheist  ;  especially 
 on  the  First  Day  of  the  week,  the  standing  memorial  of  His 
 Resurrection,  the  Hay,  which  He  the  Loed  hath  made  and 
 called  by  His  own  most  Holy  ISTame  :  and  we  shall  then  be 
 sure  to  find  Him.  Wogan.  (On  the  Lessons.  Tuesday  in 
 Easter  week.) 
 
 To  see  the  sepulchre. — Anima  magis  est  uhi  amat,  quam  ubi  animat. 
 The  soul  lives  out  of  itself  in  the  object  of  its  affection ;  and  it 
 is  there  chiefly  to  be  found.  Acts  vii.  55  ;  Col.  iii.  1 — 3.  S. 
 Augustine. 
 
 2  He  was  a  lamb  in  His  death  ;  but  a  lion  in  His  resurrection. 
 Isa.  Ixiii.  1 — 7 ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  4.     S.  Bernard. 
 
 The  Cherubim  were  at  the  east  of  the  garden  of  Eden  with  the 
 flaming  sword,  keeping  the  way  of  the  Tree  of  Life.  But  this 
 Angel  hath  no  more  the  flaming  sword :  for  Cheist  hath 
 opened  Paradise  to  all  believers,  having  found  access  there 
 already  with  the  penitent  thief  (S.  Luke  xxiii.  43  ;)  and  He  in- 
 vites all  to  the  Tree  of  Life.  And  the  Angel  sits  down  :  for 
 the  work  of  the  Cherubim  is  done ;  and  man  may  "  eat  and  live 
 for  ever."  .  .  .  Here  again,  as  at  the  Nativity,  and  the  Baptism, 
 and  in  all  things  appertaining  to  Cheist,  great  things  and 
 small,  Divinity  and  manhood.  Majesty  and  humility  are  com- 
 bined ;  and  "  strength  is  perfected  in  weakness."  Soldiers  are 
 guarding,  and  women  are  weeping  at  a  tomb,  as  at  the  grave  of 
 a  helpless  man  and  a  criminal :  but  Angels  are  attending,  and 
 the  earth  is  shaking,  as  at  the  tomb  of  God.  S.  John  x.  10; 
 Eev.  xxii.  1,  2  ;  Ps.  Ixxxv.  1 — 3.  /.  Williams.  (On  the  nar- 
 rative of  our  Loed's  Resurrection,  &c.  P.  1,  C.  23.) 
 
 If  the  earth  so  trembled,  when  the  Loed  rose  for  the  justification 
 of  His  people,  how  will  it  quake,  when  He  shall  rise  up  for  the 
 punishment  of  the  wicked  ?     For  the  Prophet  declares  (Ps. 
 
550  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  2,  3. 
 
 Ixxvi.  8,)  "  The  earth  feared  and  was  still,  when  God  arose  to 
 judgment."  And  if  the  earth  could  by  no  means  brook  the 
 coming  of  an  Angel,  a  servant  of  God,  like  itself,  how  will  it 
 abide  the  coming  of  God,  as  a  Judge  ?  Jer.  xii.  5  ;  Mai.  iii. 
 1 — 3  ;  S.  Luke  xxiii.  31.     Pet.  Chrysologus.     (Serm.  77.) 
 
 As  the  women  came  to  the  grave  in  different  companies  during 
 this  eventful  morning,  so  we  may  observe  a  diversity  in  the 
 attendance  of  the  Angelic  host.  The  Angel  of  the  Loed  here 
 is  the  Angel  of  fear,  smiting  and  bringing  low  to  the  ground 
 the  enemies  of  the  Loed  ;  the  Angel,  described  by  S.  Mark,  is 
 the  Angel  of  joy  and  peace,  suitably  represented  by  "  a  young 
 man,  sitting  on  the  right  side  of  the  sepulchre,  clothed  in  a 
 long  white  garment,"  and,  not  so  much  guarding  the  tomb,  as 
 inviting  the  seekers  of  the  Loed  to  "  Behold  the  place,"  where 
 He  was  laid.  In  the  two,  we  have  prcBludium  nostrce  Resur- 
 rectionis,  a  rehearsal,  as  it  were,  of  what  will  take  place  at  the 
 general  Eesurrection  ;  when  the  Angelic  host  will  be,  as  "  the 
 pillar  of  the  cloud  between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the 
 camp  of  Israel ;  a  cloud  and  darkness  to  them,  but  a  light  to 
 these;"  an  executioner  of  wrath  upon  the  wicked,  a  Ministry  of 
 Salvation  to  the  just.  xiii.  41  ;  Exod.  xiv.  20  ;  Ps.  i.  6,  7 ;  2 
 Cor.  ii.  16.     J.  F. 
 
 3  Raiment  was  white. — The  Heavenly  messengers  are  nowhere 
 described,  as  appearing,  before  now,  thus  habited ;  they  did  so 
 appear  afterwards.     Acts  i.  10  ;  Eev.  iii.  4.     Bengel. 
 
 5  And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  the  women, 
 Fear  not  ye :  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which 
 was  crucified. 
 
 6  He  is  not  here :  for  He  is  risen,  as  Fie  said.  Come, 
 see  the  place  where  the  Lord  lay. 
 
 7  And  go  quickly,  and  tell  His  disciples  that  He  is 
 risen  from  the  dead  ;  and,  behold,  He  goeth  before 
 you  into  Galilee  ;  there  shall  ye  see  Him :  lo,  I  have 
 told  you. 
 
 8  And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  5,  6.  551 
 
 with  fear  and  great  joy;  and  did  run  to  bring  His 
 disciples  word. 
 
 5  "  Let  those  fear,  who  love  not  tlie  appearing  of  these  citizens 
 of  heaven.  Let  those  tremble  and  quake,  who  laden  with  car- 
 nal desires  despair  of  ever  attaining  to  their  company.  But 
 why  should  you  tremble,  who  see  in  them  your  own  fellow- 
 citizens  ?"  i.  20;  2  Thess.  i.  5,  6 ;  Rev.  viii.  13  ;  xii.  12.  S. 
 Gi'egory. 
 
 "  Tou  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  hath  been  crucified^  (S. 
 Mark  xvi.  6.)  Nazareth  might  keep  you  back,  the  meanness  of 
 His  birth  ;  and  Crucified  more,  the  reproach  of  His  death.  In- 
 asmuch as  these  cannot  let  you,  but  ye  seek  Him,  are  ashamed 
 neither  of  His  poor  birth,  nor  of  His  shameful  death,  but  seek 
 Him ;  and  seek  Him  not  as  some  did,  when  He  was  alive,  when 
 good  was  to  be  done  by  Him,  but  even  now,  dead,  when  nothing 
 was  to  be  gotten  .  .  .fear  not  you  :  nor  let  any  fear,  that  so 
 seek  Him.  Prov.  i.  33  ;  Zeph.  ii.  1 — 3.  Bp.Andrewes.  (Serm. 
 on  Eesur.  iii.) 
 
 Which  was  crucified. — See  how  the  Angels  are  the  very  first  not 
 to  be  ashamed  of  the  mention  of  the  Cross  ;  so  that  we  may  be 
 less  surprised  at  Paul's  glorying  so  proudly  in  it.  Acts  ii. 
 23 ;  Gal.  vi.  14;  Ex.  xxv.  20;  IS.  Pet.  i.  12.     Isid.  Clarius. 
 
 6  He  is  not  here. — Christ  departed,  by  that  He  was  man,  and 
 abode,  by  that  He  was  God  :  He  departed,  by  that  He  was  in 
 one  place ;  and  abode,  by  that,  that  is  in  all  places  .  .  .  He  de- 
 parted not  from  whence  He  originally  came.  Nor  should  it 
 therefore  appear  incredible  to  us ;  since  coming  into  the  world 
 He  so  departed  from  the  PiLTHER,  as  not  to  leave  Him  ;  and, 
 again,  returning  to  the  Father,  He  so  departed  from  the 
 world,  as  not  to  leave  it.  Por  He  came  forth  of  the  Father, 
 as  being  of  the  Father  ;  He  came  into  the  world,  as  exhibit- 
 ing to  mortal  eye  the  body,  which  He  took  of  the  Virgin  :  He 
 left  the  world  by  a  bodily  removal  from  it :  He  went  to  the 
 Father,  ascending  as  a  man  ;  yet  He  did  not  leave  the  world 
 Prcesentiee gubernatione,  being  still  present  in  it,  as  its  Governor. 
 S.  John  iii.  13  ;  xiii.  3 ;  xvi.  28 ;  Acts  iii.  21.  S.  Augustine. 
 (Tr.  in  Joan.  78,  102.) 
 
553  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  6,  8. 
 
 He  is  risen. — It  is  evident  that  He  had  left  the  sepulchre,  before 
 it  was  opened.  An  Angel  indeed  was  sent  to  roll  away  the 
 stone ;  but  this  was  not  to  let  the  Loed  out,  but  to  let  the 
 women  in  .  .  .  The  huge  stone,  which  would  have  barred  their 
 entrance,  had  been  no  bar  to  His  escape.  Ps.  xxix.  4 ;  Isa. 
 xlv.  1 — 3 ;  Ixiii.  1,  2.     Bp.  Horsley.     (Serm.  on  Eesur.  iv.) 
 
 "Whom  an  Angel  calls  "  Lord,^''  He  must  be  God.  Men  are  "  lords 
 many  ;"  but  only  over  men  :  but  Cheist  is  "  Loed  of  Angels  " 
 also.  Construe  one  Angel's  meaning  by  another.  Gabriel 
 said,  Cheist  should  be  called  "  the  Son  of  God."  Heb.  i.  5, 
 6  ;  Eph.  ii.  10 ;  Eev.  v.  11—14.  Br.  Bichd.  Gierke.  (Serm. 
 S.  Luke  v.  8.) 
 
 8  It  is  no  wonder,  if  we  find  the  women  here  more  earnest,  than 
 the  Apostles,  in  their  grief  and  in  regard  to  the  death,  the 
 burial,  and  in  the  embalming  of  the  Loed's  body.  The  woman 
 is  the  first  in  the  expression  of  her  grief;  for  she  was  the  first 
 in  hastening  to  the  fall :  she  goes  before  to  the  tomb,  who  was 
 the  precursor  to  corruption  :  she  brings  the  tidings  of  the  Re- 
 surrection, who  had  been  the  herald  of  death  :  she,  who  had 
 conveyed  to  the  man  the  message  of  so  dreadful  a  destruc- 
 tion, herself  conveys  to  men  the  sounds  of  a  great  Salvation  ; 
 that  the  loss,  which  she  occasioned  by  her  suggestion  to  un- 
 belief, she  might  now  compensate  for  by  the  tidings  of  faith. 
 Gen.  iii.  6,  12 ;  1  Tim.  ii.  14,  15.  Pet.  Chrysologus.  (Serm. 
 79.) 
 
 Great  joy. — This  Day  (Easter)  is  a  day  of  rejoicing  on  earth  and 
 it  is  a  Festival  also  in  heaven.  Eor,  if  the  conversion  of  one 
 sinner  gives  the  Angels  joy,  how  much  more  must  the  rejoicing 
 be,  when  the  whole  world  is  rescued  from  the  tyranny  of  the 
 devil  ?  S.  Luke  xv. ;  Isa.  ix.  3  ;  Rom.  xi.  12  ;  Rev.  xiv.  1 — 5. 
 S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 0  most  comfortable  word  ever  to  be  borne  in  remembrance  !  He 
 died,  saith  S.  Paul,  "  to  put  away  sin ;  He  rose  again  to  endow 
 us  with  righteousness."  His  death  took  away  sin  and  male- 
 diction ;  His  death  was  the  ransom  of  them  both ;  His  death 
 destroyed  death  and  overcame  the  devil,  which  had  the  power 
 of  death  in  his  subjection  ;  His  death  destroyed  hell  with  all 
 the  damnation  thereof.     Thus  is  death  swallowed  up  of  Cheist's 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  8.  553 
 
 victory ;  thus  is  hell  spoiled  for  ever.  If  any  man  doubt  of  this 
 victory,  let  Cheist's  glorious  Eesurrection  declare  Him  the 
 thing.  If  death  could  not  keep  Cheist  under  his  dominion 
 and  power,  but  that  He  rose  again,  it  is  manifest  that  his  power 
 was  overcome.  If  death  be  conquered,  then  must  it  follow  that 
 sin,  wherefore  death  was  appointed  as  the  wages,  must  be  also 
 destroyed.  If  death  and  sin  be  vanished  away,  then  is  the 
 devil's  tyranny  vanished,  which  had  the  power  of  death  and  was 
 the  author  and  brewer  of  sin  and  the  ruler  of  hell.  If  Cheist 
 had  the  victory  of  them  all  by  the  power  of  His  death  and 
 openly  proved  it  by  His  most  victorious  and  valiant  Resurrec- 
 tion, (as  it  was  not  possible  for  His  great  might  to  be  subdued 
 of  them)  .  .  .  ,  why  may  not  we,  that  be  His  members  by  true 
 faith,  rejoice  and  boldly  say  with  the  Prophet  Hosea  and  the 
 Apostle  Paul,  "  Where  is  thy  dart,  O  death  ?  where  is  thy  vic- 
 tory, O  hell  ?"  "  Thanks  be  unto  God,"  say  they,  "  which  hath 
 given  us  the  victory  by  our  Loed  Jesus  Cheist."  Acts  ii.  31 
 — 33;  Eom.  i.  4;  iv.  25  ;  Eev.  i.  18.  Homilies.  (The  Eesur- 
 rection, for  Easter  Day.) 
 On  Sunday,  or  the  Lorcfs  Bay  rather,  we  may  let  our  hearts  dwell 
 on  the  everlasting  Kingdom  of  heaven,  and  the  vast  Glory  of 
 the  world  to  come  ;  who  they  are,  that  shall  enjoy  it,  on  what 
 terms  that  crown  may  be  purchased  ;  the  transcendency  of  that 
 felicity  above  all,  that  the  w^orld  can  call  rich,  and  beautiful,  and 
 glorious  ;  how  pleasant  that  life  will  be,  how  free  from  hunger, 
 and  thirst,  and  cold,  and  nakedness,  from  all  possibility  of  sin 
 and  danger,  from  death  and  sorrow,  from  sadness,  from  anxiety, 
 corruption,  perturbation,  from  changes,  and  sickness,  and  weak- 
 ness, and  infirmities,  from  fear,  and  storms,  and  tempests  ;  from 
 the  assaults  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ;  how  full  of 
 love,  and  delight,  and  ravishment  it  will  be ;  how  sweetly  the 
 weary  soul  will  rest  in  the  bosom  of  everlasting  mercy ;  how 
 glorious  a  sight  the  new  Jerusalem  will  be  ;  how  reviving  a  spec- 
 tacle to  behold  the  guard-royal  of  Angels,  shining  in  robes  of 
 light ;  the  noble  army  of  Martyrs,  the  goodly  fellowship  of  Patri- 
 archs and  Prophets,  and,  what  is  more,  Cheist,  as  man.  Glori- 
 fied with  His  Pathee's  Glory,  shining,  like  the  sun,  in  His 
 meridian  lustre.     Ps.  xxxi.  19  ;  Isa.  Iviii.  13,  14 ;  Cant.  ii.  10— r 
 
554  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  8,  9. 
 
 15 ;   Eev.  xxi.  xxii.     Dr.  HornecJt.     (The  Happy  Ascetick,  Ex- 
 ercise iii.) 
 
 Extruete  aerates  obices,  advolvite  rupes, 
 Improba  gens ;  cingat  captos  custodia  manes, 
 Sollicitusque  pavor ;  circum  stet  fulgidus  sere 
 Miles,  et  armato  jaceat  custode  sepultus  .  . 
 Vo3  testes  estote,  nurus,  paribusque  sorores 
 Vocibus,  et  quotquot  portatum  balsama  matres 
 Venistis,  myrrhamque  piis  aspergere  membris. 
 Yos  fractos  tetigisse  obices,  semotaque  saxa, 
 Et  vacuum  stupuisse  locum,  sine  corpore  sedem, 
 Credimus,  et  tanti  faraam  vexisse  laboris. 
 Per  vos  exanimi  rursiim  data  gaudia  mundo 
 Et  solamen  habent  populi  .  .  Vos  Coelica  primaB 
 Nuncia,  et  ^thereo  reparatam  Yindice  cladem 
 Diditis  in  terras  ;  vestri  dispendia  sexus 
 Sensimus,  et  peccans  fatalia  tempora  mater 
 Prima  tulit,  tetricosque  dies  ;  nunc  munere  vestro 
 In  melius  gaudent  iteriim  se  vertere  fata ; 
 Fseminaque  ut  mortis,  sic  altera  nuntia  Yitse  est. 
 
 C.  Barlceus.     (Hymn,  in  Christum.) 
 
 9  And  as  they  went  to  tell  His  disciples,  behold, 
 Jesus  met  them,  saying,  All  hail.  And  they  came 
 and  held  Him  by  the  feet  and  worshipped  Him. 
 
 10  Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  Be  not  afraid  :  go 
 tell  My  brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee,  and  there 
 shall  they  see  Me. 
 
 9  They  were  first  permitted  to  see  and  to  know  Him,  who  loved 
 Him  with  the  greatest  ardour,  who  sought  Him  with  the  great- 
 est zeal.  xi.  12  ;  Cant.  ii.  14  ;  Ps.  xci.  14 — 16 ;  cv.  4.  S. 
 Cyprian. 
 
 The  endeavours  of  these  holy  women  may  all  be  reduced  (as  Cheist 
 reduced  them  in  Mary  Magdalene)  to  Dilexit  multum,  their 
 great  Love;  of  which  these  four  be  demonstrations:  1,  that 
 they  went  to  the  sepulchre ;  Love  to  one  dead.  (S.  John  xi.  34 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  9,  10.  555 
 
 — 36.)  2.  that  they  brought  precious  odours  ;  Love,  that  is  at 
 charges.  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  24.)  3.  that  they  went  early,  before 
 break  of  day ;  Love  that  will  take  pains.  (Gen.  xxii.  3.)  4. 
 that,  for  all  the  stone,  still  they  went  on ;  Love,  that  will  wrestle 
 with  impediments.  (S.  Mark  ii.  3,  4.)  The  first  is  constant,  as 
 to  the  dead  :  the  second  bounteous,  as  to  expense  ;  the  third 
 diligent,  as  up  betimes  ;  the  last  resolute,  be  the  stone  never  so 
 great.  According  to  which  four,  are  the  four  denominations  of 
 Love.  Amor,  d,  morte,  when  it  surviveth  death :  when  it  buyeth 
 dearly,  it  is  charitas :  when  it  showeth  all  diligence,  it  is  di- 
 lectio :  when  it  goeth  per  saxa,  when  stones  cannot  stay  it,  it  is 
 zelus,  which  is  specially  seen  in  encountering  difficulties.  It 
 shall  not  be  amiss  to  touch  them  severally  ;  it  will  serve  to  touch 
 our  Love,  whether  ours  be  of  the  same  assay.  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15  ; 
 Gal.  V.  6;  1  Thess.  i.  3.     Bp.  Andrewes.      (Serm.  on  Resur.  3.) 
 
 He  rose,  when  the  sepulchre  was  closed,  to  show  that  that  body, 
 which  had  been  shut  up  therein  dead,  was  now  become  im- 
 mortal. He  now  offers  His  feet  to  be  held  by  the  women,  to 
 show  that  He  had  real  flesh,  which  can  be  touched  by  mortal 
 creatures.     1  S.  John  i.  1 — 5  ;  2  S.  John  7.     Rabanus. 
 
 10  Be  not  afraid. — He  might  have  told  His  disciples,  when  He 
 met  them  afterwards  in  Galilee,  as  the  Eoman  soldier  told  his 
 General,  when  he  refused  his  petition,  after  the  war  was  ended, 
 "  I  did  not  serve  you  so,  at  the  battle  of  Actium."  xxvi.  35, 
 86;  Ps.  ciii.  9—12  ;  Eom.  xii.  21.     Flavel. 
 
 Go  tell  My  brethren. — The  Angels  had  said  the  same  before  (S. 
 Mark  xvi.  7).  Our  Loed  agrees  with  them.  But  with  what 
 a  different  accent  of  love  and  tenderness !  "  Go  tell  His  dis- 
 ciples,'' were  their  words — "  Go,  tell  My  brethren''  Blessed 
 Loed,  were  Thine !  Thou  hast  not  called  the  Angels  brethren  ; 
 but  men  Thou  art  pleased  to  call  so.  O  most  gracious  Savioub, 
 this  word,  that  proceeds  out  of  Thy  Blessed  lips.  Go  tell  My 
 brethren,  how  harmonious  it  is  to  my  ears !  .  .  .  .  Speak  it, 
 Loed,  to  my  heart !  .  .  .  .  that  I  may  attain  to  such  a  resem- 
 blance of  life,  as  this  most  dear  and  near  relation  requires,  xii. 
 49,  50 ;  Heb.  ii.  11.     Austin.     (Medit.  303.) 
 
 He  sends  them  no  harsh  and  upbraiding  message,  (for  their  base 
 desertion  of  Him,)  but  speaks  comfortably  and  lovingly  to  them, 
 
556  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  10. 
 
 in  terms  of  tenderness  and  dearest  affection.  Thus,  Joseph- 
 like, He  comforts  them,  "I  am  your  brother  Joseph.:"  (Gen. 
 xlv.  4.)  They  sold  Joseph ;  these  forsook  C heist  :  yet  still, 
 "  I  am  your  brother ;"  and  He  asks  them  not,  as  Joseph  did 
 them,  "  Doth  my  father  live  ?"  but  assures  them  that  His  Fa- 
 ther lives  and  is  a  Tathee  unto  them  also.  (S.  John  xx.  17.) 
 Nay,  He  exceeds  Joseph  in  compassion.  Joseph  acted  a  part 
 of  strangeness  and  severity  for  a  time  :  Cheist,  His  first  mes- 
 sage to  them  is  love.  Thus,  like  the  good  father  in  the  Gospel, 
 He  receives  His  returning  prodigal,  neither  checks  him,  nor 
 expostulates  with  him  ;  but  runs,  and  meets,  and  kisses,  and 
 embraces  him  vrith  all  loving  affection.  Hovsr  loving  will  He  be 
 to  those,  that  never  forsake  Him,  that  is  thus  sweet  and  gra- 
 cious to  them,  that  fled  from  Him  and  durst  not  even  own  Him  ! 
 S.  James  i.  5 ;  S.  Luke  xv.  20 ;  Heb.  ii.  11,  12 ;  2  S.  Pet.  i.  11. 
 Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  on  S.  John  xx.  17.) 
 
 "  There  shall  they  see  Me." — And  yet  this  best  of  Saviours  showed 
 Himself  to  them  before.    Dan.  ix.  21 ;  S.  Luke  xv.  20.    Bengel. 
 
 Of  purpose  doth  the  Angel  point  to  that  apparition,  which  was 
 the  most  famous  and  public  of  all  the  ten.  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 (Serm.  on  Eesur.  3.) 
 
 It  is  the  opinion  of  many  able  and  learned  theologians  that  this 
 was  the  appearance  of  our  Lobd  after  His  Resurrection,  to 
 which  S.  Paul  adverts  (1  Cor.  xv.  6,)  when  he  says  that  "  Cheist 
 was  seen  of  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once."  All  His 
 other  appearances  seem  to  have  been  of  a  private  character ; 
 this  was  public.  Neither  was  this  a  sudden  appearance  (S. 
 Luke  xxiv.  31,)  for  the  time  and  the  scene  of  it  were  fixed  upon 
 and  known  before  ;  nor  was  it  in  a  secret  chamber,  in  the  even- 
 ing (S.  John  XX.  19,)  but  in  the  broad  open  day-light.  Bp. 
 Horsley  grounds  on  these  facts  this  sagacious  remark.  "  An 
 appearance  in  Galilee,  the  province,  where  the  family  of  the 
 real  Jesus  lived,  where  the  whole  of  His  own  life  had  been 
 passed,  before  the  commencement  of  His  Ministry  and  the 
 greater  part  of  it  afterwards ;  where  He  performed  His  first 
 miracles  and  delivered  His  first  discourses  ;  a  public  appearance 
 in  this  part  of  the  country  at  a  set  time  and  place  was  a  step, 
 on  which  an  impostor  would  hardly  have  risked   his  credit. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  12,  13.  557 
 
 Exod.  iii.  10 ;  S.  Matt.  ii.  23  ;  xi.  20;  S.  John  ii.  11 ;  Acts  iii. 
 16  ;  iv.  14  ;  xxvi.  26.     J.  F. 
 
 1 1  Now  when  they  were  going,  behold,  some  of  the 
 watch  came  into  the  city,  and  showed  unto  the  chief 
 priests  all  the  things  that  were  done. 
 
 1 2  And  when  they  were  assembled  with  the  elders, 
 and  had  taken  counsel,  they  gave  large  money  unto 
 the  soldiers, 
 
 1 3  Saying,  Say  ye.  His  disciples  came  by  night,  and 
 stole  Him  away  while  we  slept. 
 
 14  And  if  this  come  to  the  governor's  ears,  we  will 
 persuade  him,  and  secure  you. 
 
 1 5  So  they  took  the  money,  and  did  as  they  were 
 taught :  and  this  saying  is  commonly  reported  among 
 the  Jews  until  this  day. 
 
 12,  13  As  the  followers  and  friends  of  Christ,  so  the  cruel  ene- 
 mies and  foes  of  Christ  became  preachers  of  His  glorious  Ee- 
 surrection,  as  Calvin  truly,  vel  tacendo,  vel  mentiendo.  Some, 
 by  silence,  did  seem  to  confess  it ;  other,  by  reporting  an  in- 
 credible tale,  did  more  strongly  confirm  it.  xxvi.  59  ;  Acts  xvi. 
 26,  27  ;  S.  Mark  xvi.  56,  59.  Bean  Boys.  (On  the  Dominical 
 Ep.  Easter  Day.) 
 
 O  ye  wretches !  O  ye  worst  of  men !  You  were  either  on  the 
 watch,  and  so  should  have  guarded  Him  ;  or,  you  were  fast 
 asleep,  and  so  were  quite  unconscious  of  what  happened.  Ps. 
 xii.  3,  4  ;  S.  Luke  xix.  22.     S.  Augustine. 
 
 Like  those,  who  to  conceal  a  lesser  crime  incur  a  greater ;  as  David 
 had  recourse  to  murder  to  hide  his  adultery,  so  these,  rather 
 than  own  their  former  error,  plunge  themselves  further  into 
 guilt,  xxvi.  74 ;  Gen.  xxxix.  12 — 19 ;  Acts  v.  8.  Trebeck. 
 (Serm.  on  the  Eesurrection.) 
 
 Mistakes  in  religion,  though  lightly  spoken  of,  as  things  only  of 
 a  speculative  concern,  make  people  more  wicked,  more  false. 
 
558  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  13,  15. 
 
 cruel,  and  malicious  in  their  actions,  than  any  sensual  affection 
 .  .  .  "When  proud  men  fail  of  argument,  they  have  nothing  to 
 depend  upon  but  lying  ;  and  one  lie  produces  another,  till  they 
 are  involved  and  embarrassed  past  all  recovery.  S.  John  xvi. 
 2  ;  Acts  vi.  11,  12  ;  vii.  54.  Wm.  Jones.  (Sermon  S.  Matt, 
 xxviii.  6.) 
 
 The  more  the  sun  shineth,  the  more  the  wicked  are  blinded.  Ex. 
 xiv.  20  ;  Acts  xiii.  40,  41.     JBeza. 
 
 Ne  miles  velit  ista  loqui,  tu  munera  donas  ? 
 Donas,  quod  possit,  cum  tacet  ipse,  loqui. 
 Quae  facis  a  quoquam,  pretio  suadente,  taceri, 
 Clarius  et  dici  turpius  ista  facis. 
 
 B.  Crashaw.     (Epigr.  Sacra.) 
 
 15  We  will  persuade  him. — Be  very  careful  to  speak  truth  and 
 beware  of  lying.  (Prov.  vi.  16,  17 ;  Hos.  iv.  1 ;  Eev.  xxi.  8, 
 27.)  As  lying  is  displeasing  to  GrOD,  so  it  is  offensive  to  man 
 and  always  at  the  latter  end  returns  to  the  disadvantage  and 
 reproach  of  him,  that  useth  it.  It  is  the  evidence  of  a  weak 
 and  unmanly  mind.  (Prov.  xiv.  15.)  Be  careful  that  you  be- 
 lieve not  hastily  strange  news  and  strange  stories,  (Acts  xxi. 
 38  ;  xxviii.  22  ;)  and  be  much  more  careful  that  you  do  not  re- 
 peat them,  though  at  the  second  hand.  Eor,  if  it  prove  an  un- 
 truth (as  commonly  strange  stories  prove  so,)  it  brings  an  im- 
 putation of  levity  upon  him,  that  reports  it,  and  possibly  some 
 disadvantage  to  others.  Prov.  xviii.  8  ;  Ps.  xv.  1,  2.  Sir  M. 
 Hale.     (Counsels  of  a  father,  &c.) 
 
 Commonly  reported  among  the  Jews. — Among  the  Jews,  but  surely 
 not  among  Christians  ?  0  !  Jew,  that,  which  thou  didst  so 
 carefully  smother  with  thy  money  in  Judsea,  hath  shone  forth 
 conspicuously  by  faith  throughout  the  whole  world.  The  dis- 
 ciples received  the  Loed  ;  they  stole  Him  not.  Thou  hast 
 bought  thine  own  unbelief ;  but  thou  hast  not  deprived  us  of 
 the  truth.  O  Jew,  Christ  is  Risen !  Thy  money  thou  hast 
 lost.  "  Let  His  Blood  be  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  children !" 
 O  Jew,  Christ  Liveth.  Thou  hast  both  ruined  thyself,  and 
 thy  children !  Ps.  ix.  15 ;  Prov.  xi.  8  ;  Dan.  vi.  23.  Pet. 
 Chrysologus.     (Serm.  76.) 
 
 Deliver  us,  O  Lord,  from  envying  the  prosperity  of  any,  or  plot- 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  15.  559 
 
 ting  maliciously  to  suppress  the  truth.  Deliver  us  from  per- 
 sisting in  any  known  sin,  or  tempting  others  to  conspire  with 
 us  in  our  wickedness.  Whatever  we  do  will  certainly  come  to 
 Thy  ears,  O  Thou  great  Governor  of  the  world  !  And  nothing 
 but  Thy  mercy  can  persuade  Thee,  or  secure  us.  Deliver  us,  O 
 LoBD,  from  being  tempted  by  others  and  engaging  our  consent 
 to  their  sinful  enticements.  Deliver  us  from  acting  wickedly, 
 when  we  consented  weakly  :  especially  deliver  us  from  those  in- 
 fectious sins,  which  spread  far,  and  corrupt  more — (beyond) — 
 the  present  age.  Gen.  xlix.  6  ;  Ps.  xxvi.  5  ;  1  Kings  xiii.  34  ; 
 2  Tim,  iv.  18.     Austin.     (Medit.  304.) 
 
 Fare,  improbe  custos  ; 
 Eesponde,  scelerata  cohors ;  si  Christus,  ut  audea 
 Dicere,  concluso  furtim  productus  ab  antro 
 Sopitos  latuit,  cujus  jacet  intus  amictus  ? 
 Cujus  ad  exuvias  sedet  Angelus  ?  Anne  Beati 
 Corporis  ablator  velocius  esse  putavit 
 Solvere  contectum,  quara  devectare  ligatum  ? 
 Ctitn  mora  sit  furtis  contraria,  cautius  ergo 
 Cum  Domino  potuere  magis  Sua  lintea  tolli. 
 Mentita  est  vox  vana  sibi :  tamen  ista  figuram 
 Res  habet  egregiam  ;  Judaeis  constat  ademptum, 
 Quern  nos  devoto  portamus  corpore  Christum. 
 S.  John  xix.  40 ;  xx.  5 — 7.     Sedulius. 
 
 (Carm.  lib.  5.) 
 The  credibility  of  evidence,  in  all  cases,  arises  from  the  number, 
 the  information,  and  the  veracity  of  the  witnesses.  The  member 
 of  the  witnesses  in  the  present  case,  if  we  reckon  only  the 
 eleven  Apostles,  (and  many  more  might  be  reckoned,)  was  far 
 greater,  than  has  ever  been  deemed  sufficient  to  establish  a  fact 
 in  a  court  of  justice,  in  the  most  intricate  and  weighty  causes. 
 Their  information  upon  the  general  point  in  question,  that  our 
 LoED  was  seen  alive  after  His  crucifixion,  was  the  most  com- 
 plete that  can  be  imagined.  They  could  not  be  mistaken  in 
 His  person,  who  had  so  long  and  so  constantly  attended  Him. 
 The  veracity  of  a  witness  is  to  be  measured,  not  simply  by  the 
 probity  of  his  disposition  and  his  habits  of  sincerity,  but  by  the 
 motives,  which  circumstances  may  present  to  him  to  adhere  to 
 
560  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  16,  17. 
 
 the  truth,  or  to  deviate  from  it.     Bp.  Horsley.     (Serm.  on  the 
 Eesurrection.) 
 
 16  Then  the  eleven  disciples  went  away  into  Galilee, 
 into  a  mountain  where  Jesus  had  appointed  them. 
 
 17  And  when  they  saw  Him,  they  worshipped  Him  : 
 but  some  doubted. 
 
 16  Galilee  is  the  place  appointed.  'Twas  locus  tutus.  He  gra- 
 ciously provides  for  His  disciples'  safety.  He  calls  them  out  of 
 Jerusalem,  the  place  of  persecution,  makes  them  withdraw 
 themselves  from  that  bloody  generation,  where  they  were  beset 
 with  dangers,  leads  them  into  a  place  of  safety,  where  with 
 greater  freedom  they  might  converse  with  Him.  Thus  GrOD 
 speaks  to  His  people.  (Isa.  xxvi.  20.)  Indeed,  when  they 
 were  "  endued  with  strength  from  above,"  then  He  bids  them 
 fill  Jerusalem  with  their  preaching :  now  in  their  fears  He 
 mercifully  tenders  them.  Here's  our  comfort  in  all  our  dangers. 
 He  will  either  shelter  our  weakness,  that  we  may  avoid  them  ; 
 or  endue  us  with  strength,  that  we  may  undergo  them.  S.  Luke 
 xiii.  33  ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  25  ;  Ps.  ix.  10  ;  Isa.  xxvi.  1 — 4  ;  Phil.  iv. 
 6,  7.     Bp.  Brownrig.     (Serm.  on  S.  Mark  xvi.  7.) 
 
 17  They  doubted  greatly,  that  we  should  not  doubt  at  all.  Leo. 
 Nil  tarn  cerium,  quam  quod  ex  dubio  fit.  No  conclusions  are  so 
 sure,  as  those  we  arrive  at  after  doubting.  S.  John  xx.  28 ; 
 Acts  X.  14,  17,  20,  34  ;  xxvi.  9 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  19. 
 
 18  And  Jesus  came  and  spake  unto  them,  saying, 
 All  power  is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  in  earth. 
 
 18  The  granting  a  Commission  manifestly  implies,  that  none,  but 
 those,  to  whom  it  has  been  delivered,  have  authority  to  act  in 
 that  business,  for  which  the  commission  has  been  granted  ;  other- 
 wise, the  commission  would  be  a  useless  form.  Christ  there- 
 fore by  making  choice  only  of  Eleven,  out  of  the  whole  number 
 of  His  disciples,  intended,  it  is  presumed,  that  the  business, 
 which  He  authorized  them  to  do,  should  not  be  performed  by 
 every  one,  that  might  think  proper  to  "take  upon  himself"  to 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.   18.  561 
 
 execute  it.     It  is  to  be  reraarked  further,  that  the  tenour  of  the 
 commission,  delivered  to  the  Apostles   (S.  Luke  xxii.  29  ;    S. 
 John  XX.  21),  seems  purposely  calculated  to  provide  agaiust,  and 
 thereby  render  unnecessary,  all  self-constituted  authority  in  the 
 Church.     X.  1,  5  ;  xvi.  18,  19;  xviii.  18;    Heb.  v.  4;    2  Tim.  ii. 
 2.     E.  C.  Ilarinyton.     (Two  Ordination  Sermons.     Serra.  i.) 
 As  we  have  observed  two  natures,  united  in  the  Person  of  Chetst, 
 so  we  must  also  consider  two  kinds  of  dominion,  belonging  re- 
 spectively to  those  natures ;  one,  inherent  in  His  Divinity,  the 
 other,  bestowed  upon  His  humanity ;  one,  as  He  is  the  Lord 
 and  Maker  of  all  things,  the  other,  as  He  is  made  Lord  of  all 
 things.       (S.   John  i.   1 — 3.)   ....  Tliere  was  some  kind   of 
 Lordship,  given  or  bestowed  on  Christ,  whose  very  unction 
 proves  no  less,  than  an  imparted  dominion ;  as  Peter  tells  us, 
 that  He  was  "  made  both   Loed  and  Christ."     (Acts  ii.  36 ; 
 Heb.  ii.  7,  8.)  ...  .  Now  a  dominion,  thus  imparted,  given, 
 derived,  or  bestowed,   cannot  be  that,  which   belongeth  unto 
 God,  as  God,  founded  in  the  Divine  Nature;  because  whatso- 
 ever is  such    is  absolute  and  independent.      Wherefore,  this 
 Lordship,  thus  imparted  or  acquired,  appertaineth  to  the  human 
 nature  and  belongeth  to  our  Saviottr,  as  the  Son  of  man  .... 
 This  dominion  was  a  direct  and  plenary  power  over  all  things  ; 
 but  was  not  actually  given  Him  at  once,  but  part  while  He  lived 
 on  earth,  part  after  His  death  and  resurrection.     S.  John  xiii. 
 3  ;    Eom.  xiv.  9  ;    1  Cor.  xv.  27,  28.     B^j.  Pearson.     (Expos,  of 
 the  Creed.     Art.  6.) 
 Before,  like  David,  He  reigned  only  in  Hebron.     Now,  that  He  is 
 risen  again.  He  rules  over  all  Israel.     2  Sam.  v. ;  Ps.  ii.  6 — 12. 
 B2i-  Brownrig. 
 Before   He   had  power  on  earth    (ix.  G)  ;    now  He  has   power  in 
 heaven  also  (Phil.  ii.  9 — 11).     And  how  does  He  employ   His 
 power  ?     Not  in  judgment,  but  in  mercy.     "  He  is  Head  over  all 
 things  to  the  Church."    Eph.  i.  22.     Go  ye  and  teach,  ^c.     J.  F. 
 Tu  Leo  promissus  magni  de  semine  Judse 
 Nasceris  ille,  malisque  venis  occurrere  nostris. 
 Vincis,  lo  !  et  magna,  vi  viucula  nostra  refriugis, 
 Vincula,  quels  sibi  nos  addictos  hostis  habebat, 
 Atque  triumpliatum  compcscis  viribus  Orcum. 
 o   0 
 
562  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  19, 
 
 Quique  inod6  informi  leto  sine  honore  jacebas, 
 Jam  pulcher  visu,  jam  formosissiraus  ore, 
 Pristina  Divina?  prse  te  fers  signa  decoris, 
 Atque  agis  iusignem  repetens  supera  alta  triumplium. 
 Tu  Lapis,  informi  prirao  quern  mole  jacentem 
 Projecere  viri,  neque  eum  inter  laavia  saxa 
 Miscuerint  operi,  mox  ipsa  in  fronte  locatus 
 JEdibus,  in  summis,  qua  prominet  angulus  extra, 
 Parieti  utrique  datus  validis  compagibus  omne 
 Nectis  opus,  totaque  nites  spectabilis  arce ! 
 
 M.  H.  Fida.     (Hymn.  Deo  Eilio.) 
 
 19  Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
 them  in  the  Name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
 of  the  Holy  Ghost: 
 
 19  Go  ye  therefore^  ^c. — "When  the  Christian  Church  comes  to  re- 
 cognize more  truly  the  obligation,  imposed  upon  it  by  the  original 
 command  of  its  Founder,  Go  teach  all  nations,  a  command,  which 
 having  never  been  recalled  or  abrogated  can  never  be  obsolete, 
 will  awaken  another  energy  of  its  Apostolic  office  and  character, 
 than  has  been  witnessed  in  many  later  ages,  in  this  most  noble 
 work  of  piety  and  charity  combined  :  and  thereby  begin  to  dis- 
 charge an  inalienable  duty,  in  furthering  the  clear  design  of  the 
 Gospel  and  perhaps  also  the  consummation  of  prophecy.  Whe- 
 ther belief  shall  be  universal  we  know  not :  but,  as  to  the  duty 
 of  making  an  universal  tender  and  communication  of  the  Chris- 
 tian Faith,  it  is  too  clear  to  be  denied  and  too  sacred  to  be  in- 
 nocently neglected.  S.  Luke  ii.  31,  32  ;  Acts  xiii.  46,  47  ;  Eev. 
 xiv.  6,  7 ;  XV.  3,  4.  Davison.  (On  Prophecy.  Disc,  on  Isaiah. 
 Ix.  3.) 
 
 By  Name  is  meant,  either  an  authority,  derived  to  the  Apostles,  in 
 the  virtue  of  which  all  nations  were  to  be  Baptized ;  or,  that  the 
 persons,  so  Baptized,  are  dedicated  to  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
 the  Holy  Ghost.  Either  of  these  senses,  as  it  proves  them  all 
 to  be  Persons,  so  it  sets  them  in  an  equality,  in  a  thing,  that 
 can  only  belong  to  the  Divine  Nature.  Baptism  is  the  receiv- 
 ing men  from  a  state  of  sin  and  wrath  into  a  state  of  favour. 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.   19.  563 
 
 and  into  the  rights  of  the  sons  of  God,  and  the  hopes  of  eternal 
 happiness ;  and  a  calling  them  by  the  Name  of  God.  These 
 are  things,  that  can  only  be  offered  and  assured  to  men  in  the 
 Name  of  the  Great  and  Eternal  God.  And  therefore,  since 
 without  any  distinction  or  note  of  inequality,  they  are  all  Three 
 set  together,  as  Persons,  in  whose  Name  this  is  to  be  done, 
 they  must  all  Three  be  the  true  God  ....  The  plainness  of 
 this  charge  and  the  great  occasion,  on  which  it  was  given,  makes 
 this  an  argument  of  such  force  and  evidence,  that  it  may  justly 
 determine  the  whole  matter — (the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.) 
 Isa.  vi.  3,  8  ;  1  Cor.  i.  2,  13—16;  1  S.  John  v.  7  ;  2  Cor.  xiii. 
 14.  (Eefer  to  iii.  16.  Bp.  Beveridye.)  Bp.  Burnet.  (Expos. 
 of  the  Articles.     Art.  1.) 
 
 All  Christians  are  Baptized  in,  or  into,  the  Name  of  the  Father, 
 and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  is,  into  the  faith, 
 service,  and  worship  of  the  Holy  Trinity ;  and  so  from  their 
 very  Baptism  are  obliged  to  render  and  give  to  each  Person 
 Divine  worship  and  adoration.  Indeed,  this  is  the  main  differ- 
 ence between  the  worship  of  Christians  and  Jews.  The  Jews 
 worship  God,  as  one  single  Person,  acknowledging  neitlier  Son 
 nor  Personal  Holt  Ghost,  subsisting  in  the  Divine  Nature : 
 but  we  Christians  worship  God  in  a  Trinity  of  Persons  and 
 Unity  of  Essence  ;  God,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ; 
 Three  Persons  and  One  God.  Ex.  iii.  13^ — 15  ;  Eph.  ii.  18  ;  Eev. 
 i.  4 ;  iv.  8.     Bp.  Bidl.     (Serm.  1  Tim.  ii.  1,  2.) 
 
 These  words  were  the  ground  and  foundation  of  those  Apostolical 
 Creeds  and  Forms  of  Confession,  related  by  the  ancients  ;  and, 
 in  particular,  by  Irenseus  and  Tertullian  ....  Our  Saviouk's 
 rule  of  doctrine,  concerning  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
 Ghost,  with  the  three  glorious  works  of  Creation,  Redemption, 
 and  Sanctification,  is  a  Divine  and  wonderful  abridgment  of  all 
 the  doctrine  of  the  Scripture,  especially  of  that,  which  is  neces- 
 sary to  Salvation,     Lawson.     (Theo-politica,  ch.  iii.) 
 
 This  distinct  mention  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
 Holy  Ghost,  is  not  made  without  a  reason ;  for  otherwise  the 
 full  virtue  of  Baptism  could  scarcely  be  understood  by  us.  It 
 is  as  much  as  to  say  that  Baptism  commences  in  the  unmerited 
 mercy  of  the  Father,  who  reconciles  us  to  Himself  through  His 
 
 o  o  2 
 
564  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  20. 
 
 only-begotten  Son  :  then  Cheist  intervenes,  as  Mediator,  with 
 the  Sacrifice  of  His  Death ;  lastly,  the  Holy  Spirit  adds  His 
 part,  by  whom  He  (Cheist)  cleanses,  and  regenerates,  and  in 
 the  end  makes  us  partakers  of  all  His  benefits.  Thus  we  sec 
 that  there  can  be  no  true  knowledge  of  God,  unless  our  Faith 
 clearly  conceives  of  Him,  as  Three  Persons  in  One  Essence ; 
 and  that  the  fruit  and  efficacy  of  Baptism  proceeds  from  hence, 
 that  God  the  Fathee  adopts  us  in  His  Son,  and  creates  us 
 anew  by  His  Spirit  unto  righteousness,  having  first  cleansed  us 
 from  the  defilements  of  our  flesh.  Eph.  i.  1 — 15.  Calvin,  (in 
 loco.) 
 
 20  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things,  whatsoever 
 I  have  commanded  you  :  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
 even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.     Amen. 
 
 20  Teaching  them  to  observe,  ^c. — Question  not,  my  soul,  why  God 
 doth  not  by  His  supreme  and  omnipotent  power,  in  one  and 
 the  same  instant,  call,  justify,  sanctify,  and  glorify  His  Elect ; 
 since,  as  He  did  not  condemn  us,  so  He  will  not  save  us  without 
 ourselves.  He  saves  without  our  merits  indeed ;  not  without 
 our  work.  He  hath  therefore  in  His  infinite  wisdom  annexed 
 conditions  to  His  Covenant,  and  ordained  faith,  repentance,  and 
 all  other  good  works  to  be,  as  so  many  degrees  in  our  ascent  to 
 happiness :  that  so,  earth  might  be  our  school  to  fit  us  for 
 heaven,  and  the  life  of  grace,  which  is  imperfect  glory,  might 
 prepare  us  for  the  life  of  glory,  which  is  grace  in  perfection. 
 Eom.  viii.  29  ;  IS.  Pet.  i.  2  ;  S.  John  xv.  16.  Sir  J.  Harington, 
 (Divine  Medit.  on  Faith.) 
 
 Behold  I  am  with  you,  8fC. — "  It  is  My  Spirit,  My  Wisdom,  My 
 Grace,  that  produceth  these  heavenly  effects.  I  do  you  the 
 honour  to  make  you  My  instruments :  but  I  will  be  the  prin- 
 cipal Agent.  Eegard  not  your  weakness,  but  My  power ;  and 
 doubt  not  that  I  will  do  by  you,  whatsoever  I  shall  give  you  in 
 charge."  Let  this  be  our  encouragement.  Cheist  would  never 
 send  us  to  Baptize  with  water  ;  but  He  meaneth  to  Baptise  with 
 the  Holy  Ghost.  He  will  never  send  us  to  dispense  bread  and 
 wine ;  but  He  will  be  present  to  give  unto  believers  His  Body 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XVUI.  20.  565 
 
 and  Blood.  If  He  sends  us  "  to  bind  and  loose  on  earth,"  Him- 
 selt'  will  bind  and  loose  in  heaven.  Finally,  "  the  foolishness  of 
 preaching,  which  He  uttereth  by  our  raouths,  Himself  doth  ac- 
 company with  a  demonstration  of  His  Spirit.  Ex.  iii.  11,  12; 
 Josh.  i.  5  ;  X.  19,  20  ;  1  Cor.  iii.  5—9 ;  2  Cor.  iii.  1—6 ;  1 
 Thess.  i.  5.  Bj).  Lake.  (Ordination.  Serm.  on  S.  Matt,  xxviii. 
 20.) 
 
 The  express  promise  of  our  Loud,  assuring  us  of  the  perpetuity 
 of  His  Church,  is  embodied  in  His  Holy  Supper,  Por  He  com- 
 mands that  His  Death  should  be  "shown  forth"  and  this  Supper 
 be  administered,  "  until  He  come."    1  Tim.  vi.  14.   Melancthon. 
 
 With  you. — Instead  of  the  Apostles,  Bishops  were  constituted. 
 Think  not  therefore  that  thou — (he  is  addressing  the  Church) — 
 art  deserted,  because  thou  seest  not  Peter,  because  thou  seest 
 not  Paul,  because  thou  seest  not  those,  through  whom  thou  hast 
 been  born.  Thy  ancestry  hath  grown  up  to  thee,  from  among 
 thine  own  offspring.     S.  Augustine.     (In  Ps.  xliv.) 
 
 The  Apostles  were  thy  Fathers,  O  Church  !  because  they  begat 
 thee.  Eut  uow%  since  they  have  departed  out  of  this  world, 
 thou  hast  in  their  stead,  the  Bishops  filios,  qui  a  te  creati 
 sunt,  an  offspring  of  your  own  raising.  For  these  are  thy  Fa- 
 thers, since  by  them  thou  art  governed.  S.  Jerome.  (In  Ps. 
 xlv.  IG.) 
 
 The  truth  appears  to  be,  in  all  reverence  we  speak  it,  that  God 
 has  given  His  Holy  Ordinance,  the  Church,  of  which  the  trans- 
 mission of  the  authority  of  the  Apostles  is  the  pervading  prin- 
 ciple, as  a  powerful  instrument  of  man's  probation  ;  to  test  and 
 improve  his  faith,  his  docility,  his  humbleness  of  heart,  his 
 readiness  to  surrender  all  high  imaginations  and  to  cast  himself 
 wholly  upon  God.  This  is  the  mind,  which  is  in  all,  who  truly 
 are  in  Cheist  Jesus  :  and  this  blessed  end,  the  very  weakness 
 of  these  human  ministers,  to  w  horn  He  has  entrusted  the  charge 
 of  communicating  Plis  means  of  Grace — and  still  more,  the  very 
 want,  or  uncertainty  of  their  personal  holiness — are  made,  by 
 His  wisdom,  to  promote.  Gal.  iv.  13 — 15  ;  3  S.  John  9;  1  Cor. 
 iv.  1.     Bj).  Phil/potts.     (Ordination  Serm.  S.  Matt.  x.  16.) 
 
 Man,  being  as  he  is,  must  have  a  Church.  Christianity  without 
 order  and  authority  is  a  dream,  an  euthusiasm,  a  desolation. 
 
566  S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  20. 
 
 Acts  ii.  47;  Eph.  vi.  11— IG  ;  Ps.  kxx.  13.  Bp.  D.  Wilson. 
 (Charge,  Calcutta,  1842,  43.) 
 Always. — S.  Chrysostom  speaks  elegantly.  "  The  Catholic  Church 
 may  be  assaulted,  but  not  defeated  ;  it  may  be  distressed,  but 
 not  destroyed ;  it  may  be  wounded,  but  it  shall  not  fall ;  it  may 
 be  tossed,  but  not  wrecked  ;  it  may,  and  shall  be,  militant,  but 
 yet  never  be  overcome."  But,  though  the  Catholic  or  Uni- 
 versal Church  be  thus  stable  and  perpetual,  yet  the  Church  of 
 any  particular  place  and  nation  may  fail.  Though  God  will  not 
 remove  His  candlestick  quite  out  of  the  world,  but  will  always 
 have  a  Church  in  some  place,  or  other ;  yet  it  is  not  certain  it 
 shall  be  in  this  or  that  nation.  This  should  make  particular 
 Churches  study  their  preservation  and  use  such  means,  as  may 
 be  effectual  to  that  purpose.  If  the  professors  of  Christianity 
 in  any  nation  shall  become  vain  in  their  imaginations,  exchanging 
 plain  and  wholesome  truth  for  fond  speculations  and  opinions  ; 
 if  they  shall  turn  ftictious  and  schismatical,  neglecting  their 
 spiritual  guides  and  pastors ;  if  they  be  dissolute  in  their 
 manners  and  confute  their  religion  by  their  lives ;  they  will 
 provoke  God  to  remove  His  candlestick  and  bring  confusion 
 upon  them.  Christ  is  so  far  from  promising  safety  and  protec- 
 tion to  any  particular  Church  and  people,  who  neglect  their 
 own  safety,  that  He  threatens  ruin  and  destruction  to  them. 
 (Rev.  ii.  5.)  How  careful  then  should  we  be,  of  this  nation,  to 
 preserve  the  Gospel  among  us,  lest  God  carry  it  away  from  us 
 unto  a  people,  that  will  better  "  bring  forth  the  fruit  thereof?" 
 xiii.  12;  xvi.  18,  19;  xxi.  43;  Eom.  xi.  19—23;  Isa.  liv.  17; 
 2  S.  John  2 ;  Eev.  ii.  3.     March.     (Serm.  on  Rev.  ii.  5.) 
 
 "  Nunc  morte  fugata 
 Vivo  iterum,  et  magni  dono  Genitoris  habenas 
 Terrigenum  Superumque  Meo  sub  Numine  flecto. 
 Quare  agite,  0  comites,  quos  haec  in  munera  legi ; 
 Ite  per  Eoi  radiis  obnoxia  solis, 
 Ite  per  Occidui  spumantia  littora  ponti, 
 Quaque  furit  gelidis  Aquilo  intractabilis  alis, 
 Quaque  pluit  madidus  glomeratis  imbribus  Auster  : 
 Jguavos  veri  errorum  caligine  mersos 
 Prodigiis  monitisque  animos  in  verba  Magistri 
 
S.  MATTHEW  XXVIII.  20.  507 
 
 Cogite ;  Tartareis  exsolvite  colla  catenis  ; 
 Et  Patris,  Natique,  et  Sancti  Plarainis  uno 
 Nomine  lustratos  scelera  abstergentibus  undis 
 Instruite ;  ut  memores  accept!  lumiuis  ultro 
 Acciugant  operi  sese  ac  maudata  capessant. 
 Pellite  corde  metum  ;  domiti  contemnite  Ditls 
 Insidias  homiuumque  minas.     Ego  poscor  Olympo, 
 Ut  reserata  Meo  conscendam  sanguine  regna  : 
 Nusquam  abero  tamen.     En !  vobis  per  ssecla  futura 
 Mundi  adsura,  prsesens  et  non  mutabile  Numen!" 
 
 Rob.  Clarke.    (Christiados.  Lib.  xvi.  leviter  immutatum.) 
 
 Amen. — Da,  Dotnine,  quod  jubes  ;  et  jube  quod  vis.     Loed,  give  us 
 
 strengtli  to  do,  what  Thou  dost  command :  and  then  command 
 
 whatsoever  pleaseth  Thee.     Exod.  xxxiii.  15  ;  Ps.  cxix.  32.     S. 
 
 Augustine.     (Confess,  x.  c.  29.) 
 
 THE    END    OF    THE    GOSPEL 
 ACCORDING    TO 
 S.     MATTHEW. 
 
INDEX  I. 
 
 Affliction. — A  Blessing  in  various  ways.  65,  Dr.  Manton.  72,  281,  Farin- 
 don.  160,  Bonaventura.  282,  S.  Shaw.  298,  Abp.  Bramhall.  310, 
 Scougal.     488,  Rambach. 
 
 Its  different  ends.     161,  Bj).  Sanderson. 
 
 Consoling  thoughts  under  it.     ZO,  Bp.  Huntingford.     dQ,  Homilies.     179, 
 G.  Herbert.    249,  Calvin. 
 
 The  test  of  the  soul.     238,  /.  Bradford. 
 
 Sometimes  the  reward  of  good  conduct.     185,  W.  Bridge. 
 
 Tries  men's  feelings  towards  us.     197,  0.  Felthani.     505,  Flavel. 
 
 Looking  unto  Jesus  under  it.     172,  Bp.  liei/nolds. 
 
 A  time  for  praise  as  well  as  prayer.     486,  H.  Melvill. 
 
 Motives  for  choosing  it.     73,  Austin. 
 Almsgiving. — A  great  Christian  privilege.     515,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Must  be  prompt.     146,  Dr.  Donne. 
 
 Must  be  discriminating.     94,  Bp.  Butler,  &c. 
 
 In  connection  with  the  final  judgment.     458,  Dr.  Hammond,  &c.     459, 
 Trench.     462,  Pet.  Chrysol. 
 
 Motives  to  it.     G9,  Dr.  Horneck.     463,  S.  Jerome. 
 Ambition. — Its  bad  moral  effects.     29,  Dr.  M.  Frank. 
 Amen. — Its  force  at  the  close  of  prayer.     110,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 Amusements. — Wise    counsel   concerning   them.      201,  Addison,  &c.      26], 
 
 Bp.  Jebb. 
 Angels. — Their  superior  nature.     32,  Bp.  Hall.     438,  R.  Boyle. 
 
 Their  different  orders.     499,  Card.  Bellarmine. 
 
 Their  ministration.     55,  Melvill.     320,  S.  Gregory. 
 
 Their  testimony  to  Christ.     552,  Dr.  Richd.  Gierke. 
 
 Their  oflSce  at  His  tomb.     549,  /.  Williams.     550,  /.  F. 
 
 The  sight  of  them  why  fearful  to  us.     242,  Bp.  Medley, 
 
 And  why  delightful.     55,  S,  Bernard. 
 Apostles. — Their  dignified  titles.     174,  Flaxel. 
 
 Their  equality  among  themselves.     294,^.  Cyprian,  &lc.     '^24,  S.  Jerome. 
 
 Their  successors.     565,  S'.  Augustine. 
 
570  INDEX  I. 
 
 Apostles— continued. 
 
 Called  in  pairs.     59,  Dr.  Donne. 
 
 Weak  instruments  for  great  ends.     58,  Baxter,  &c. 
 Baptism. — Its  importance.     41,    Abp.  Usher,  &c.     44,  Bp.  Lake.     45,  Bp. 
 Hacket.     360,  Bede. 
 
 Three  especial  kinds  of  it.     37,  Wm.  Austin. 
 
 A  complete  Circumcision.     335,  S.  Bernard. 
 
 In  reference  to  infants.     317,  337,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 Its  form  of  administration  a  proof  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.     563,  Bp. 
 Burnet,  &c. 
 Baptist,  The. — His  peculiar  position.     198,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 A  crying  Voice  both  before  his  birth  and  after  his  death.     259,  W.  Austin. 
 Beatitudes. — Their  one  grand  scope.     63,  Dean  Jackson. 
 
 Exemplified  in  Christ.     141,  Bonaventura. 
 Blasphemy. — Committed  in  three  ways.     160,  Ludolpfius. 
 Charity. — An  universal  grace.     193,  Bp.  Bull. 
 
 Test  of  our  love  to  God.     340,  Quarles. 
 
 Its  connection  with  faith  and  hope.     383,  S.  Bernard. 
 
 Defective  views  of  the  heathen  philosophers  about  it.     95,  /.  F.,  &c. 
 
 Sympathising.     512,  /.  Williams. 
 
 Does  not  judge  others  harshly.     125,  Dr.  Southey.     21  A,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Does  not  exclude  all  judging  of  others.     127,  /.  F. 
 
 Not  liable  to  the  danger  of  excess.     97,  Lord  Bacon. 
 
 Gives  us  a  share  in  other  men's  blessings.     355,  Farindon. 
 
 Chiefly  seen  in  prayer  for  our  enemies.     96,  Scougal. 
 Christ,  our  Lord  Jesus. — The  Blessedness  of  His  Name.     12,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 His  genealogical  mystic  names.     6,  Reniigius,  &c. 
 
 One  with  the  Father,     139,  S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 His  Divinity  and  Personality.     198,  W.  Jones. 
 
 His  Incarnation.    15,  Bp.  Ken.    541,  Bp.  Beveridge.   235,  Abp.  Leighton. 
 
 The  Union  of  the  two  Natures  in  His  Person.  4,  S.  Cyril,  16,  Lac- 
 tantius.  293,  Rambach.  404,  Abp.  Usher.  437,  Fulgentius.  491, 
 S'.  Bernard.     537,  Norris,  &c.     551,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Communication  of  properties  in  His  two  natures.     546,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 His  Humanity  compared  to  a  pearl.     251,  Card,  Bellarmine, 
 
 His  human  nature,  as  affected  by  His  Divine.  437,  Abp.  Tillotson.  491, 
 Dr.  Barrow. 
 
 The  Son  of  Man.     \Q1,  Bp.  Patrick. 
 
 The  Son  of  Abraham  and  the  Son  of  David.     7,  Bp.  Hacket. 
 
 The  East.     12,,  foot-note.     23,  Bp.  Cosin. 
 
 The  Comer.     320,  J.  F, 
 
 The  Way.     321,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 A  Prince  of  Peace.     92,  Isidore. 
 
 His  militant  character  in  David.     53,  J.  F. 
 
 The  conquering  Galilsean.     256,  Sozomen. 
 
INDEX  I.  571 
 
 Christ,  our  Lord  Jesus — continued. 
 
 A  threefold  perfect  light  in  us.     56,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 Seen  by  faith  under  various  aspects.     206,  A.  Butler.     231,  Salmeron. 
 
 Seen  alternately  in  power  and  in  weakness.  256,  Bp.  Brownrig.  362, 
 Bowdler.     'i^'d,  J.  F.     b33,  b4],  Maclaurin.     biO,  I.  Williams. 
 
 How  typified  in  the  Old  Testament.  360,  /.  F.  501,  Sutton.  525,  S. 
 Jerome.     556,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 The  three  kinds  of  union  effected  at  His  Birth.     10,  Pancal. 
 
 His  body-guard  at  His  Birth.     30,  Bp.  Home. 
 
 His  Nativity  our  soul's  birth-day.     23,  Leo. 
 
 The  spiritual  application  of  His  state  of  infancy.     17,  De  Rcnty. 
 
 Why  He  was  baptized.  42,  Ludolphus.  47,  Farindon.  41,  J.  F.,  foot- 
 note. 
 
 His  early  sufferings  for  us.     33,  Calvin. 
 
 Why  He  fasted.     47,  Sutton. 
 
 In  what  particulars  He  was  tempted.     54,  /.  F. 
 
 The  means  by  which  He  vanquishes  Satan.     190,  Bp.  Horsley.     217,  Ad- 
 
 Picture  of  Him,  when  preaching.     62,  Norris. 
 
 Preached  to  men's  hearts.     64,  A.  Knox.     339,  Lord  Bacon.     341,  Fa- 
 
 rindon. 
 The  peculiar  terrors  of  His  preaching.     419,  Love. 
 The  wise  temperature  of  His  zeal.     313,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 Avoids  giving  offence  to  His  disciples.     313,  Farindon. 
 Did  not  side  with  a  party.     276,  White, 
 Nor  seek  popular  applause.     231,  /.  F.,  &c. 
 His  special  grace  towards  the  Jews.     522,  /.  F. 
 His  kind  condescension  to  the  weak  in  faith.     195,  /.  F.     215,  S.  Jerome. 
 
 271,  -S".  Chrysostom. 
 His  authority  in  preaching.     87,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 In  what  sense  He  referred  to  the  Scriptures.     282,  J.  Clarius. 
 His  choice  of  suitable  places  for  different  actions.     309,  Bede. 
 His  miracles,  their  merciful  character.     157,  /.  F.     272,  S.  Hilary. 
 Their  number.     172,  Dr.  Bates.     195,  Bp.  Pearson.     203,  j'  F. 
 Wrought  on  matter  already  existing.     314,  R.  C.  Trench. 
 The  mightiest  sign  among  them.     369,  S.  Jerome. 
 His  true  nature  vindicated  by  one  of  them.     144,  Ludolphus. 
 His  power  in  raising  the  dead.     540,  Bp.  Hall. 
 His  Transfiguration.     303,  /.  Williams,  Sec. 
 The  low  price  paid  for  Him.     475,  Bonaventura. 
 His  sufferings.     489,  Dr.  Bates,  &c.     505,  Bp.  Hall. 
 His  human  aversion  to  suffering.     492,  Dr.  Barrow. 
 His  manner  of  death  described.     529,  Al/p.  Usher. 
 His  death  a  true  Legal  Sacrifice.     538,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 His  extra  sufferings.     535,  Sir  J.  Harinyton. 
 
572  INDEX  I. 
 
 Christ,  our  Lord  Jesus — continued. 
 
 Made  a  particular  atonement  for  particular  sins.     280,  Woyan. 
 
 A  special  cause  of  His  agony.     492,  A  Contrite  heart. 
 
 His  Regal  office  manifested  in  His  death.     530,  Bp.  Peamon. 
 
 His  Death  set  forth  the  mercy  and  justice  of  Gon.     531 ,  Bp.  Sherlock. 
 
 His  Death  our  life.     544,  Theophylact.     307,  Dr.  Barrow. 
 
 His  shame  our  glory.     33,  /.  F. 
 
 His  Death  our  only  ground  of  faith  and  hope.     538,  Anselm. 
 
 Our  ingratitude  in  regard  to  His  sufferings.     527,  Card.  Bellarmine. 
 
 A  Friday  meditation  on  them.     543,  Dr.  Homeck. 
 
 Union  of  His  Death  and  Resurrection.     553,  Homilies. 
 
 His  Resurrection  might  have  been  immediate.     225,  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 
 Made  King  over  the  Gentile  world  on  His  Ascension.     178,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 Nature  of  His  kingdom.     525,  Dr.  Barrow.     56J,  Bp.  Pearson. 
 
 Comfort  arising  from  the  union  of  His  two  kingdoms.     302,  Dr.  Donne. 
 
 His  Second  Coming  no  speculation.     443,  458,  /.  F. 
 
 Its  Glory.     435,  503.     Dr.  J.  Scott.     459,  Dean  Sherlock. 
 
 Its  terrors.     550,  Pet.  Chrysoloytis. 
 
 His  compassion  for  souls.    \1?>,  J.  F.    287,  Farindon.    256,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 His  pleading  with  sinners.     382,  Dr.  Lucas. 
 
 Love  to  His  Church.     421,  /.  F.     555,  Austin.     560,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 One  in  sympathy  with  His  people.     463,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 How  present  in  His  mystical  body,  the  Church.     409,  S.  Ambrose.     432, 
 Keble. 
 
 How  present  and  how  absent  in  His  connection  with  us.     473,  /.  F. 
 
 His  humility.     57,  Abp.  Leighton.     76,  /■  F.     141,  146,  366,  Bonaven- 
 tura.     170,  Segneri.     208,  Rodriguez.     288,  S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 His  self-denial.     150,  /.  F. 
 
 His  authority  as  a  Prophet.     142,  Bji.  Pearson. 
 
 His  power  over  men  and  devils.     399,  /.  F. 
 
 His  various  witnesses.     304,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 How  He  keeps  us  humble.     300,  Keble. 
 
 How  He  fulfilled  the  Law.     76,  Bp.  Hacket,  &c. 
 
 All  our  works  to  be  begun  and  ended  in  Him.     5,  Dr.  M.  Frank. 
 
 What  we  are  to  renounce  for  Him.     344,  Sutton,  &c. 
 
 Our  only  refuge  in  trouble.     431,  Bonnell. 
 
 To  be  considered  in  our  aiBictions.     172,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 His  sign  of  the  Cross.     434,  March. 
 
 Glorying  in  His  Cross.     545,  Bp.  Ken.     551,  Bp.  Andrewes,  &c. 
 
 To  be  daily  borne.     300,  /.  Bradford,  &c. 
 
 Not  to  be  laid  down.     191,  Gurnall. 
 
 What  to  bear  it,  and  what  to  die  on  it.     527,  Bonaventura. 
 Christianity. — The  only  certain  religion.     245,  Hooker., 
 
 The  final  dispensation.     23,  Dr.  H.  Smith. 
 
 Its  accordance  with  man's  constitution.     200,  Dr.  South. 
 
INDEX  I.  573 
 
 Christianity — continued. 
 
 Nature  and  philosophy  its  handmaids.     21,  Th.  Hill. 
 
 Addresses  both  our  faith  and  reason.     206,  Pascal. 
 
 Its  mark  and  aim.      124,  Cassian.     333,  Erasmus. 
 
 Preparation  for  its  introduction.     431,  Dean  Jackson. 
 
 Its  ofTers  and  blessings.     340,  Dr.  Hammond,     433,  Bp.  J.  Taylor, 
 
 A  reality.     450,  W.  Law. 
 
 A  state  of  crucifixion.     527,  W.  Law. 
 
 Its  moral,  as  distinguished  from  its  positive  precepts.     212,  Bp.  Butler. 
 
 Essentially  practical.     137,  Dr.  Hammond,  Sec.     140,  Dr.  J.  Scott,  &c. 
 
 Its  highest  point  in  practice.     99,  Dr.  Allestry. 
 
 Must  be  viewed  in  its  natural  tendencies.     231,  Bp.  Butler. 
 
 Its  ceremonies.     407,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Its  triumphs  by  vreak  means.     8,  Dr.  Pusey. 
 
 One  of  its  triumphs  over  heathenism.     97,  Tertullian. 
 
 Its  progress  figured  by  parables.     243,72.  C.  Trench.     253,^.  Knox. 
 
 Why  disliked  in  the  world.     142,  Farindon. 
 
 Not  to  be  defended  with  carnal  weapons.     497,  Dr.  Allestry. 
 Christians. — A  peculiar  meaning  in  the  title.     208,  Farindon. 
 
 A  peculiar  people.     98,  Hare.     387,  W.  Law.     75,  Dr.  Goodman. 
 
 What  makes  us.     159,  Dr.  Donne, 
 
 How  to  be  known.     260,  Bp,  Medley. 
 
 Should  be  consistent.     312,  Dr.  Arnold, 
 
 Compared  to  sheep  and  doves.     183,  Bp.  Brownrig.     207,  0.  Fellham. 
 
 Must  not  fear  man.     500,  Bp,  Sparroiv. 
 
 The  strength  of  the  weakest.     371,  R.  Cudworth. 
 
 Should  be  cheerful  in  society.     114,  Dodwell,  &a     455,  W.  Law. 
 
 Their  difTerent  modes  of  confessing  Christ.     189,  D.  Willet. 
 
 How  they  receive  Christ  amiss.     237,  Dr.  Hammond, 
 
 Three  kinds  of  false  professors.     133,  Gurnall. 
 Church,  The. — Man's  nature  requires  one.     566,  Bp.  D.  Wilson. 
 
 Definition  of  it.     60,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 Its  three  marks.     322,  Homilies. 
 
 Its  spiritual  property.     323,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Known  by  the  attestation  of  the  Scriptures.     21,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  candlestick  of  Christ.     74,  Bede. 
 
 Its  ordinances  the  garments  of  Christ.     272,  Dr.  Donne. 
 
 Its  perpetuity.     566,  S.  Chrysostom,  &.c. 
 
 Its  distinction  from  the  State.     391,  Abp.  Usher. 
 
 A  test  of  men's  faith  and  humility.     565,  Bp.  Phillpotts. 
 
 Its  Episcopate.     294,  359,  S.  Cyprian.     406,  S.  Jerome.      565,  S.  Au- 
 gustine. 
 Strict  attention  to  its  order  necessary.     145,  iS.  Clem.  Romanus. 
 Its  mixed  character.  478,  S.  Augustine.   407,  Calvin.    42\,  Bp.  T/iomas,&c. 
 Its  maintenance  an  universal  Christian  duty.     314,  Bp.  Babington. 
 
574  INDEX  I. 
 
 Church — continued. 
 
 Its  cause,  that  of  the  poor,     471,  Dr.  M.  Frank. 
 
 Its  authority  in  commending  to  us  the  Scriptures.     1 ,  Hooker. 
 
 Its  unanimous  interpretation  of  them.     2,  Bp.  Selwyn. 
 
 Its  Sacraments.     374,  Bp.  Hacket.     485,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Whence  the  virtue  of  its  Ordinances.     58,  Bj).  Hall. 
 
 Its  power  of  Absolution.     297,  Dean  Comber. 
 
 Reverence  due  to  its  holy  places  and  seasons.  369,  /.  Mede.   371,  S.  Chry- 
 sostom.     48,  Addison. 
 
 Essentially  expansive.     244,  Bp.  Pearson.     245,  Bp.  Thirlwall,  &c. 
 
 Its  missionary  office.     562,  Davison. 
 
 Its  care  for  infants.     337,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Built  on  a  principle  of  fraternity.     59,  176,  Dr.  Donne,  &c. 
 
 Allows  progress,  but  not  change.     244,  V.  Lerin. 
 
 How  dangerous  'tis  to  leave  it.     220,  S.  Cyjjrian. 
 
 Care  of  its  Unity,     106,  432,  Lord  Bacon. 
 
 A  distinction,  as  to  the  preservation  of  its  Unity.     220,  Lord  Bacon. 
 
 Its  sifting.     41,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Cause  of  its  trials.     291,  Hooker. 
 
 Endangered  from  within.     477,  S.  Bernard. 
 
 Its  strength  wasted  by  internal  divisions.     219,  Newman,  &c. 
 
 Whence  abuses  in  it  arise.     410,  Lord  Bacon. 
 Conscience. — God's  appointment.     477,  Dr.  Sibbes. 
 
 Difference  between  tender  and  scrupulous.     274,  Cecil. 
 
 True  and  false.     43,  Sewell. 
 
 A  self-accuser.     156,  Calvin,  &c.     258,  S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 At  its  first  awakening  puts  us  upon  propitiating  God.     328,  Newman. 
 Contentment. — To  be  learned  of  Christ.     151,  Bp.  Hall. 
 Contentions. — A  curse  on  the  authors  of  them.     71,  Tyndale. 
 CovETOusNESs. — A  sourcc  of  pain.     341,  S.  Bernard. 
 Day,  The  Lord's. — Its  obligation.     211,  Homilies,  &c. 
 
 An  acceptable  time.     215,  /.  F. 
 
 Why  the  first  day  chosen.     548,  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 
 A  Sunday  meditation.     554,  Dr.  Horneck. 
 Death. — The  portion  of  man.     393,  Dr.  Donne,  &c. 
 
 How  armed  against  the  young  and  the  old.     168,  Segneri. 
 
 The  Christian's  privilege.     394,  Fletcher.     263,  Macarius,  &c. 
 
 That  of  our  friends.     264,  Bp.  Hall. 
 
 When  it  comes,  as  a  friend.     440,  F.  Quarles.     442,  Fuller,  &c,      449, 
 Fletcher. 
 
 Consolation  under  it.  27 1 ,  Bp.  Hall.  489,  Dr.  Arnold.  495,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Preparation  for  it.       443,  Abp.  Tillotson.      446,  S.  Bernard,  &c.      473, 
 Gurnall. 
 
 What  to  the  wicked  and  to  the  mighty.     32,  Dean  Young ;  Davies. 
 
 Not  affected  by  our  inconsideration.     182,  Pascal. 
 
INDEX  I.  575 
 
 Death — continued- 
 
 Consolation  under  loss  of  children.     31,  Evelyn,  &c. 
 
 And  of  ministers.     264,  /.  F. 
 
 Fame  after  death.     546,  Palmer. 
 Detraction.— No  escape  from  it.     219,  Bp.  Hall. 
 
 How  it  is  irremediable.     201,  Segneri. 
 
 Harms  ourselves.     171,  Abp,  Tillotson. 
 Drunkenness. — Reproved.     443,  Bp,  Chandler,  &c. 
 Education. —  Its  importance.     375,  Richardson. 
 
 The  means  of  national  prosperity.     317,  Dean  Cumber. 
 
 What  an  honour  to  be  engaged  in  it.     320,  Jouvency. 
 
 Sanctity  required  in  the  teacher.     137,  Jouvency. 
 Envy. — Its  evil  deeds.     518,  P.  Chrysologus. 
 
 Evangelists,  The  Four. — Their  several  figurative  characteristics.    3,  Isidore. 
 Evidences. — Why  not  amounting  to  a  demonstration.     291,  Pascal. 
 
 From  Christ's  Resurrection.      547,  Austin.      557,  /.  F.,  Sec.      560,   Tip. 
 Horsley. 
 
 From  the  existence  and  dispersion  of  the  Jews.     422,  G.  Herbert. 
 
 From  the  prediction  of  persecutions.     \M,  Origen.     \?>^,  Addison. 
 
 From  the  impartiality  of  Scripture.     499,  Cecil. 
 
 From  the  stability  of  Christ's  Church  in  the  world.     296,  Pascal. 
 
 Force  of  moral  internal  application.     234,  Davison.     247,  S.  Cyprian. 
 
 Comparison  between  our  Lord  and  Mahomet.     218,  Bp.  Sherlock. 
 
 What  objections  are  to  be  listened  to.     202,  Bp.  Butler. 
 Eternity. — Divisible  into  three  parts.     335,  Lord  Bacon. 
 Excommunication. — Kinds  of.     323,  Bp.  Pearson,  &c.     325,  S.  Cyprian. 
 
 As  connected  with  Baptism.     297,  Bp.  Wilson. 
 Faith. — The  chief  grace  in  us  commended  by  Christ.     148,  Bengel. 
 
 The  Christian's  defined.     140,  Homilies. 
 
 A  mixed  act  of  the  will  and  understanding.     205,  Abp.  Laud.     234,  Da- 
 vison, &c. 
 
 The  instniment   whereby   we   apprehend   the  merits    of  Christ,      539, 
 Homilies. 
 
 The  soul's  venture.     270,  W.  Bridge. 
 
 A  necessary  part  of  repentance.     511,  Homilies.     36,  Gurnall. 
 
 Justifying,  has  four  parts.     285,  E.  Leigh. 
 
 When  lively,  has  three  notable  effects.     169,  Dean  Boys. 
 
 How  distinguished  from  hope.     383,  S.  Bernard. 
 
 How  and  when  to  be  exercised.     13,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 Worketh  by  love.     159,  Austin. 
 
 Its  union  with  works.     340,  Homilies.     385,  Farindon. 
 
 Its  power,  even  when  small,     311,  Bengel,  &c. 
 
 Must  be  unwavering.     424,  Bp.  Beveridge. 
 
 How  God  tries  it.     283,  Hales.     284,  Bp.  Horsley,  &c.     285,  R.  C.  Trench. 
 
 Needs  no  signs  and  wonders.     225,  Newman. 
 
576  INDEX  I. 
 
 Faith — continued. 
 
 That  of  miracles.     372,  Dr.  Hickes.  ♦ 
 
 The  creed  of  David.     403,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 Fasting.— Its  three  ends.     113,  Homilies. 
 
 To  be  regarded  as  a  duty.     115,  Card.  Bellarmine. 
 
 Its  benefits.     311,  Dean  Stanhope. 
 
 Caution  required  before  we  engage  in  it.     167,  /.  F. 
 Funeral  Duties.— 473,  Hooker,  &c.     545,  Bp.  Pearson. 
 
 The  best  burial  place.     516,  Haeftenus,  &c. 
 
 Grounds  of  capital  punishment.     498,  Blackstone,  &c. 
 Genealogies. — How  preserved  entire  among  the  Jews.     9,  Bp.  Home. 
 Gentile,  The. — Figured  by  the  woman  with  a  bloody  flux.     169,  E.  Sa. 
 God.— How  named  diversely  in  the  Two  Testaments.     12,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 To  be  worshipped  in  the  Holy  Trinity.     400,  Keble. 
 
 What  kind  of  revelation  of  Him  is  most  advantageous  to  us.     305,  R.  Hall. 
 
 Seen  by  men  in  different  ways.     70,  Bp.  Horsley. 
 
 The  Governor  of  the  Universe.     291 ,  Sir  J.  Newton. 
 
 His  universal  presence  in  His  creatures.     49,  Homilies,     122,  Bp.  Hall,  &c. 
 
 His  overruling  Providence.     426,  W.  Law. 
 
 His  Providence  to  be  honoured  in  all  things.     90,  Law. 
 
 How  consoling  the  thought  of  His  Providence.     124,  Addison, 
 
 His  extraordinary  Providence,  when  only  to  be  expected.    26,  Segneri. 
 
 His  Providence  does  not  supersede  our  exertions.     108,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 Our  Father.     106,  S,  Ambrose,  &c. 
 
 His  quality  of  goodness.     339,  372,  TertulUan,  &c. 
 
 His  mercifulness.     461,  Bp.  Babington.      465,  Dean  Sherlock,  &c.     468, 
 Bp.  Ken.     474,  S.  Augustine.     495,  Bp,  Baily. 
 
 His  love  towards  us.     420,  Bp,  Sanderson. 
 
 His  ever  increasing  bounty  towards  us.     234,  Farindon. 
 
 The  mercy  of  His  threatenings.     380,  S.  Augustine,     439,  Bp.  Sanderson, 
 450,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 His  ordinary  benefits  to  be  thankfully  acknowledged.     266,  Dr.  Barrow, 
 
 His  holiness  seen  in  Christ's  mediation  before  all  worlds.     43,  Lord  Bacon. 
 
 His  power  exercised  in  combination  with   His  other  attributes.     365,  Bp. 
 Home. 
 
 Not  to  be  superstitiously  feared.     269,  Bp.  Home. 
 
 In  what  sense  His  attributes  are  communicable  to  man.     99,  Dr.  Evans. 
 
 How  He  makes  use  of  His  enemies.     28,  Hon.  R,  Boyle, 
 
 Why  He  permits  evil.     421,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 His  witnesses  to  mankind.     428,  Bp.  Butler, 
 Gospel. — Its  light  outshines  nature.     96,  Lord  Bacon, 
 
 In  what  sense  preached  to  the  poor.     195,  /.  F, 
 
 A  talent  entrusted  to  us.     75,  Bp.  Butler,  &c. 
 
 Two  obstacles  to  its  reception.     340,  J,  F,     374 ,  Rabanus. 
 
 How  made  the  instrument  of  sin.     1 90,  B2J,  Hacket, 
 
INDEX  I.  577 
 
 Grace. — Distinguished  from  virtue.     317,  Dr.  Jeffery. 
 
 Not  opposed  to  works  under  the  Gospel.     77,  Newman. 
 Goes  with  the  commandment.     567,  5".  Augustine. 
 
 Our   dependance  upon  it.     508,    T.  Kempis.     509,  S.   Augustine.     523, 
 Haeftenus. 
 
 Does  not   supersede  our  co-operation.      35,  Dr.  Hammond.      214,  Bj>. 
 Reynolds,  &c.     316,  Dean  Boys.     351,  Gurnall. 
 
 Danger  of  unprofitableness  under  means  of.     479,  Sir  J.  Harington. 
 
 Its  degrees.     452,  Wogan. 
 ■  Its  effects.     446,  Bengel.     447,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Its  tendency  to  perfection.     292,  Bede.     302,  Dr.  Donne.     306,  Bede. 
 
 Its  silent  progress  in  the  heart.     216,  Hare. 
 
 Its  progressive  leadings.     26,  Bp.  Sumner.  "■ 
 
 Weak  through  our  weakness.     298,  Gurnall. 
 
 Extraordinary,  now  still  at  times  necessary.     184,  Dr.  South. 
 
 Illustrated  by  nature.     548,  W.  Jones. 
 Heathens. — Morally  better  than  many  Christians.     225,  Dr.  Hammond,  &c. 
 
 Not  to  be  viewed,  as  finally  lost.     236,  0.  Feltham. 
 Heaven. — Viewed  under  two  different  aspects.     70,  Dr.  Whichcoie. 
 
 Its  exceeding  joy.     453,  467,  Bp.  J.  Taylor,  &c.     396,  Austin. 
 
 Its  joy  exceeds  the  torments  of  hell.     454,  Baxter. 
 
 Its  gains  proportioned  to  our  losses  here.     345,  J.  Bradford. 
 
 Degrees  of  happiness.     352,  Card.  Bellarmine.     356,  Baxter. 
 
 Not  merited  by  works.     352,  S.  Gregory.     356,  Dean  Boys. 
 
 Open  to  the  rich,  as  well  as  the  poor.     544,  Calvin. 
 
 To  be  purchased.     463,  iS.  Augustine. 
 
 All  below  to  be  referred  to  it.     118,  Bp.  Medley. 
 Hell. — A  barren  place.     226,  Gurnall. 
 
 Its  probable  situation.     148,  Milton. 
 
 Chief  ingredients  of  its  punishment.     444,  Adam,  &c.    449,  S.  Chrysostom. 
 465,  Gobinet. 
 
 Universality  of  its  punishments.     87,  Love. 
 
 Eternity  of  its  punishments.     464,  466,  Bp.  Pearson,  &c.     467,  /.  F. 
 Heresy. — In  the  will  rather  than  the  understanding.     392,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 Character  of  its  teachers.     135,  V.  Lirin.  &c. 
 Humility. — Its  nature  and  excellency.     40,  43,  S.  Augustine.     65,  Bowdler. 
 67,  Mede. 
 
 Blessed.     410,  Bp.  Hall,  &c. 
 
 Leads  to  the  Saviour.     24,  BonnelL 
 
 Ground  of  comfort  attending  it.     147,  -S.  Augustine,  See. 
 
 Seen  in  self-suspicion.     477,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 The  safeguard  of  the  advanced  Christian.     270,  Bonaventure. 
 
 Far  better  than  fine  exalted    feelings.     237,  Dr.  Brainerd.     250,   Card. 
 Bellarmine,  &c. 
 
 How  attained.     65,  Dr.  Homeck.     69,  A  Contrite  heart. 
 
 P   V 
 
578  INDEX  I. 
 
 H  UMi  LiTY — continued. 
 
 We  must  learn  it  from  children.     317,  Kingsley. 
 Hypocrisy. — Described.     101,  S.Basil. 
 
 Under  the  form  of  godliness,     275,  Farindon.     279,  Dr.  Horneck.     409, 
 
 Bp.  Hall.     412,  S.  Chrt/sostom.     416,  W.  Law.     417,  Rodriguez. 
 Seen  in  partial  good  actions.     515,  J.  F. 
 Vanity  of  mere  external  observances.     521,  Abp.  Sandys. 
 Quotes  Scripture.     392,  /.  F. 
 Betrays  itself.     341,  Bp.  Sanderson. 
 Idleness. — Gives  the  tempter  an  advantage.     506,  Cassianus,  &c. 
 When  worst.     349,  Gurnall. 
 Its  inscription  on  a  sinner's  grave.     452,  Gurnall. 
 Inconsideration. — Reproved.     442,  Pascal. 
 
 Injuries. — Stress  laid  by  Christ  on  their  forgiveness.     331,  Paley. 
 Patience  under  them.     328,  Quarles. 
 Consolation.     187,  Bp.  Burnet. 
 Jew,  The. — Figured  by  Jairus.     169,  E.  Sa. 
 Jonah. — A  typical  prophet.     291,  Davison. 
 
 Judgment,  The  Day  of. — The  final  appeal  and  separation.     242,  P.  C/iryso- 
 logus.     247,  Calvin, 
 A  scrutiny  of  particular  actions.     466,  Dr.  Pusey. 
 Why  represented  as  a  harvest.     247,  Bp.  Medley. 
 Revealed  in  reference  to  Christians.     445,  J.  F. 
 Ordered  in  special  mercy  towards  good  Christians.     404,  /.  F. 
 Several  positions  of  the  heathen,  Jew,  and  Christian.     379,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 384,  Dr.  Dodd. 
 The  special  shame  of  the  Christian  at  the  last  Day.    225,  Dr.  Hammond,  &c. 
 
 235,  Wogan.     236,  Dean  Young.     255,  Bp.  Hurd. 
 By  what  measure  we  shall  be  tried.     99,  Dr.  Donne. 
 Ground  of  our  condemnation.     404,  Dr.  Whichcote. 
 The  change  it  will  make  in  persons'  mutual  relations.     503,  Dr.  Horneck. 
 How  conscience  anticipates  its  equitable  rule.     331,  Bp.  Butler. 
 Fearful  to  the  best  of  men.     463,  S.  Augustine. 
 Comforting  to  the  afflicted.     249,  Calvin. 
 How  to  be  prevented.     477,  Dr.  Slbbes. 
 
 Its  preparatory  signs   and  warnings.     426,   S.   Gregory,  &c.     387,    Bp. 
 Reynolds. 
 Knowledge. — Its  danger,  when  separate    from  practice  and  from  religion. 
 204,  Dr.  Pusey.     412,  Dr.  Southey. 
 Should  rise  above  the  creature  to  God.     122,  Bp.  Butler. 
 Laity. — Embarked  in  the  same  ship  with  Clergy.     278,  S.  Augustine. 
 Law,  The. — Viewed  as  a  Covenant  and  a  Rule.     77,  Bp.  Sanderson. 
 Spiritual.     80,  Bp.  Lake,  &c. 
 Summaries  of  it.     iQ\,  foot-note. 
 Its  stress  on  moral  duty.     402,  Dean  Graves.     414,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
INDEX  I.  579 
 
 Law,  The — continued. 
 
 The  golden  rule  of  the  Second  Table.     131,  /.  Blair. 
 
 Adopted  by  Christ.     138,  Bp.  Bull. 
 
 Its  commandments.     340,  Dean  Pierce,  &c. 
 
 Position  of  the  fifth  commandment  and  its  latitude.     274,  fip.  Hopkins. 
 
 276,  Bp.  Bull. 
 Pressed  heavy  on  the  Jew.     353,  /.  H.  Newman. 
 Our  adversary.     83,  -S".  Augustine. 
 
 Had  no  promise  of  Eternal  Life.     340,  Clarius.     397,  Davison. 
 Its  completion  in  the  Gospel.     213,  S".  Augustine. 
 Mode  of  interpreting  it.     81,  Perkins. 
 Lent. — Its  duties.     476,  A.  W.  Hare. 
 Life. — Its  vanity.     60,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 Its  value  not  to  be  estimated  by  its  duration.     354,  R.  Boyle. 
 Advantages  of  a  short  one.     168,  0.  Feltham. 
 Litigation. — To  be  avoided.     92,  0.  Feltham. 
 How  to  be  engaged  in.     93,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 Love  to  God. — The  Great  Commandment.     401,  Norris,  &c. 
 Some  characteristics  of.     555,  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 Disinterested.     453,  S.  Bernard. 
 Magistrates. — Their  sacred  authority.     389,  Farindon,  &c. 
 
 Must  be  firm.     521,  Simon  Ford. 
 Man. — His  pre-eminence  among  the  creatures.     121,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 Why  now  not  like  the  angels.     396,  Card.  Bonaventure. 
 In  his  most  degraded  state  to  be  honoured.     384,  Scotigal. 
 His  chief  happiness,  as  he  differs  from  the  brute  beasts.     479,  Card.  Bel- 
 
 larmine. 
 His  fall  opens  to  us  the  mysteries  of  Scripture.     13,  Pascal. 
 Marriage. — What  results  from  its  Divine  primitive  Institution.    334,  Dr.  Ctid- 
 worth,  &c. 
 Its  sanctity  and  indissolubleness.     88,  Bp.  J.  Taylor,  &c. 
 In  what  respect  inferior  to  a  state  of  virginity.     336,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 Prayer  in  reference  to  it.     337,  Austin. 
 Martyrdom. — Precious  in  the  sight  of  God.     263,  P.  Chrysologus. 
 
 Not  to  hastily  be  sought.     186,  Lord  Capel. 
 Mary,  The  Blessed. — In  what  most  Blessed.     229,  Bp.  Bull. 
 Matthew,  S. — Some  account  of  him  and  his  Gospel.     3,  S.  Irenceus,  &c. 
 
 A  matter-of-fact  writer.     6\,  A.  Knox. 
 Meekness. — What  comprehended  under  the  term.     67,  Mede. 
 
 Its  double  reward.     67,  Dr.  Hammond,  &c. 
 Merit. — Origin  of  the  notion  of.     353,  /.  Smith. 
 
 Disowned  in  God's  service.     69,  Dr.  Horneck.     72,  Dean  Boys. 
 Ministry,  The  Christian. — Its  root  and  succession.     175,  Morinus.     174 
 Bp.  Pearson. 
 What  is  implied  in  its  Commission.     561,  B.  C.  Harington. 
 P  p2 
 
580  INDEX  1. 
 
 Ministry,  The  Christian — continued. 
 
 How  Ordination  and  Mission  differ  from  each  other.     177,  Sikes,  &c. 
 
 Subjection  to  the  Bishop.     182,  jS.  Ignatius. 
 
 Its  transcendent  power.     297,  Hooker. 
 
 Effectual  through  the  Spirit.     58,  Bp.  Hall.     185,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Its  faithful  stewardship.     441,  Cecil. 
 
 Its  power  exercised  through  human  agents.     565,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Not  to  be  hastily  undertaken.     59,  /.  Hales.     246,  Farindon. 
 
 Requires  a  special  preparation.     58,  Dean  Boys. 
 
 The  strictness  it  demands.    406,  Baxter,  &c.     408,  Lord  Bacon.     407,  Bp. 
 J.  Taylor. 
 
 Suffers  from  the  miscarriages  of  ministers.     143,  Dr.  South. 
 
 Not  defeated  by  the  unworthiness  of  its  agents.    193,  /.  F.,  &c.    265,  Dean 
 Lowe.     406,  S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 To  be  honoured  by  men.     192,  Bp.  Wilson. 
 
 Its  teaching  how  in  a  sense  dangerous.     232,  G.  Herbert. 
 
 To  be  recommended  by  acts  of  kindness.     179,  T.  Scott,  &c. 
 
 Does  not  demand  celibacy.     150,  Bp.  Jewel. 
 Ministers. — Their  work  metaphorically  described.     210,  Bonaventure. 
 
 Their  superiority  to  those  under  the  Law.     199,  Tracts  for  the  times. 
 
 Must  be  holy  men.     73,  Bp.  Bull.     74,  Baxter. 
 
 Must  be  humble.     359,  5".  Clem.  Rom.  &c. 
 
 Must  walk  circumspectly.     180,  Bp.  Sumner,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 Must  learn  from  the  crowing  of  the  cock.    508,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 Must  be  well  stocked  with  knowledge.     254,  Dr.  South,  &c. 
 
 Must  be  both  active  and  contemplative.     267,  /S.  Gregory. 
 
 Should  know  how  to  comfort  souls.     179,  G.  Herbert. 
 
 Must  catechize.     2.37,  Dean  Comber. 
 
 Must  beware  of  a  hasty  cure,     341,  T.  Scott. 
 
 Must  despair  of  none.     40,  J.  F. 
 
 Their  peculiar  danger.     79,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 Whyfgenerally  sad.     360,  G.  Herbert. 
 
 Cannot  labour  in  vain.     ^81,  J.  F. 
 
 To  be  maintained  by  the  people.     180,  Reading,  &c. 
 
 How  far  to  be  implicitly  credited.     406,  /.  F.     410,  W.  Sewell. 
 
 On  their  removal  by  death.     264,  J.  F, 
 Oaths. — In  what  sense  prohibited.     89,  /.  F.,  &c.     503,  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 
 When  unlawful  not  binding.     262,  Bp.  Andrewes,  &c. 
 Obedience. — The  force  of  the  original  command  of  God.     274,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Resolved  into  three  heads.     100,  T.  Aquinas.     25,  Bp.  J.  Taylor* 
 
 Allies  us  to  God.     229,  S.  Chrysostom,  &c. 
 
 No  substitute  for  it.     275,  Keble. 
 
 "What  necessary  to  its  acceptance.     82,  Bp.  J.   Taylor.      455,   490,   /S. 
 
 In  essentials,  not  in  trifles.     414,  Overberg. 
 
INDEX  I.  581 
 
 Obedience — continued. 
 
 In  minor  things.     418,  W.  Law. 
 
 Tested.     409,  Dr.  South.     412,  Lord  Bacon.     415,  Austin,  &c. 
 
 Early  in  the  morning.     .349,  Ne%vmayrus.     351,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Must  be  unreserved.     152,  Dr.  M.  Frank. 
 
 Must  not  be  over-hasty  at  first.     347,  Dr.  Dyke.     350,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Must  be  prompt.     375,  /.  F. 
 
 In  the  desire.     461,  Gurnall. 
 
 Grounded  on  the  hope  of  a  reward.     115,  Bp.  Bull. 
 
 How  much  better  than  the  service  of  sin.     319,  Musonius,  &c. 
 
 Why  so  difficult.     133,  Dr.  Whichcote. 
 Parables. — Their  origin.     380,  Sterne. 
 
 Their  two-fold  end.     234,  J.  F. 
 Perfection. — How  to  be  attained  at  little  cost.     36,  Rodriguez. 
 
 In  what  it  consists.     C8,  Bp.  Horsley.     452,  P.  Royal. 
 Perseverance. — How  seen  in  Christ.     442,  Bonaventure. 
 
 Exhortation  to.     429,  S.  Jerome. 
 Peter,  S. — The  nature  of  his  priority  and  primacy.     176,  Dr.  Barrow. 
 
 His  representing  the  Churcli.     324,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 His  confession  of  Christ.     293,  S.  Chrysostom,  &i3. 
 
 Erred  in  claiming  to  himself  a  personal  infallibility.     487,  Burnet. 
 
 Character  of.     416,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 Pharisees. — How  they  differed  from  the  Scribes.     406,  Bp.  Hall. 
 
 Their  righteousness.    164,  Bede,  &c.    79,  Bp.  J.  Taylor.   85,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 To  be  guarded  against.     183,  Farindon. 
 Prayer. — Defined.     154,  H.  More. 
 
 An  assault  upon  God.     199,  Tertullian. 
 
 Ranks  before  preaching.     370,  Bp.  Bull. 
 
 A  consequence  of  preaching.     370,  Lord  Bacon. 
 
 God's  willingness  to  hear  it.     129,  /S.  Augustine,  &c. 
 
 How  always  answered.     359,  R.  Cecil. 
 
 Obtains  often  more  than  it  asks.     328,  Dr.  Manton. 
 
 The  advantage  of  a  slow  answer  to  it.     283,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 Its  strengthening  effects.     2G8,  Bonaventure. 
 
 Some  rules  concerning  it.     129,  Dr.  Littleton,  &c. 
 
 Our  preparation  for  it.     102,  S.  Bernard,  &c.     1 13,  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 
 Must  be  offered  in  a  forgiving  spirit.     109,  Hare.     131,  J.  F. 
 
 With  one  accord.     324,  Abp.  Leighton,  &c.     326,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 When  it  is  Catholic.     106,  Farindon. 
 
 Furnishes  a  test  of  character.     265,  W.  Law, 
 
 Requires  diligence.     499,  M.  Henry. 
 
 Must  be  importunate.     363,  C.  Love. 
 
 Reasons  for  a  set  form.      325,  Bp.  J.  Taylor,  &c. 
 
 Repetitions  not  absolutely  to  be  condemned.    \()A,J.F.    493,  T.Aquinas. 
 
 In  the  Morning  and  Evening.     268,  0.  Feltham. 
 
582  INDEX  I. 
 
 Prayer — continued. 
 
 On  retiring  to  rest.     492,  ^\  Chrysostom. 
 
 Before  and  after  the  Sermon.     239,  Abp.  Leighton. 
 
 On  Marriage.     337,  Austin. 
 Prayer,  The  Lord's. — Commended.    105,  Dr.  Barrow,  &c. 
 
 Paraphrased  as  a  prayer,  in  special,  for  Church  Union.     112,  Keble. 
 Predestination. — To  be  traced  in  our  hearts  and  lives.     39,  Dp.  Lake. 
 
 No  rule  of  conduct.     27,  Bp.  Babington. 
 Preaching. — Its  excellency.     56,  Hooker. 
 
 Prejudice. — Its  injurious  effects  in  matters  of  religion.     190,  Farindon. 
 Pride.— Must  be  mortified.     362,  Dr.  Barrow.     376,  R.  Cecil. 
 
 Goeth  before  a  fall.     509,  Hooker. 
 Prophecy. — Rule  of  interpretation.     429,  Lowman. 
 
 How  its  truth  is  tested.     432,  Davison. 
 Psalms. — How  they  speak  of  Christ.     403,  Tertullian,  &c. 
 
 Their  highest  praise.     536,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 Religion. — Our  chiefest  inquiry.     199,  R.  Boyle. 
 
 Carelessness  about  it  something  astounding.     203,  Pascal. 
 
 Why  slighted  by  all  classes.     382,  S.  Shaw. 
 
 A  plain  everywhere  Lesson.     232,  W.  Law. 
 
 AfTects  the  whole  man.     245,  Dr.  Whichcote. 
 
 Ever  opens  to  us  new  wonders.     230,  P.  Ganganelli. 
 
 The  rule  of  a  family.     146,  Bp.  Wilson. 
 
 How  its  difficulties  are  best  overcome.     207,  Sir  T.  Browne. 
 
 Delusive  feelings  respecting  it.     238,  Abp.  Leighton. 
 
 Corrected  by  sound  judgment.     238,  J.  Miller. 
 
 Variety  among  its  hearers.     232,  Jewish  Proverb.     237,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 How  it  suffers  by  man's  reasonings.     392,  Baker. 
 Repentance. — Its  excellency  and  nature.    57,  Bp.  Latimer.   37,  S.  Augustine. 
 34,  Bp.  Brownrig,  &c.     39,  Scougal. 
 
 Its  requirements.     203,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 True  nature  of  confession  of  sins.     512,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 Its  joy.    251,  S.  Augustine.     66,  Scougal, 
 
 When  true,  bears  probing.     259,  Thornton. 
 
 Accepted,  though  late,  and  why.     354,  Hooker,  &c.    376,  S.  Gregory,  &(;. 
 
 Danger  of  death-bed.     447,  Dr.  Hammond,  &c. 
 
 None  after  death.     84,  S*.  Cyprian. 
 Reproof. — To  be  managed  with  great  care.     230,  Dr.  Hammond.     322,  Bp, 
 Hall.     362,  /.  F.     494,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 When  to  be  public  or  private.     11,  0.  Feltham. 
 Restitution. — Its  obligation.     412,  Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 In  regard  to  defamation  of  character.     201,  Segneri. 
 Resurrection. — Concluded  from  God's  promise  to  Abraham.     397,  /.  Mede. 
 
 A  regeneration.     345,  Dr.  Donne,  &c. 
 
 How  it  will  alfect  glorified  bodies.     249,  Sir  J.  Harington. 
 
INDEX  I.  583 
 
 Resurrection — continued. 
 
 Illustrated  by  the  effect  of  art  on  nature.     395,  Love. 
 Retirement. — Commended  by  Christ's  example.     216,  Bp.  J.  Taylor, 
 
 Its  advantages.     103,  Suckling,  &c. 
 
 Its  teaching.     490,  S.  T.  Coleridge. 
 
 Nearness  to  God.     265,  S,  Jerome. 
 Riches. — Their  proper  use.     473,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Great  danger  of.     54,  Bp.  Hopkins. 
 
 Attended  with  sorrow,  vanity,  and  spiritual  danger.     239,   Ludolphus,  &c. 
 341 ,  S.  Bernard. 
 Righteousness. — The  term  in  its  Gospel  sense  doctrinally  explained.     248, 
 
 Hooker. 
 Salvation. — Due  to  us  because  of  God's  promise.     354,  J.  F. 
 
 A  strait  gate.     343,  Skelton. 
 
 Not  without  ourselves.     564,  Sir  J.  Harington. 
 Sanctification. — Three  helps  towards  it.     92,  S,  Bernard. 
 Satan. — His  Scripture  names.     110,  Bj).  Reynolds. 
 
 His  knowledge  of  Christ.     48,  J.  F. 
 
 Nature  of  demoniacal  possession.     60,  Bp.  Stillingfleet,  &c. 
 
 Imitates  God.     241,  Farindon. 
 
 Inverts  God's  order.     386,  S.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Wrests  the  Holy  Scriptures,     51,  /.  F.,  &c. 
 
 How  he  demurred  before  the  Crucifixion.     519,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Some  of  his  chief  temptations.  109,  Love.  270,  A  contrite  heart.  355, 
 Dyke.     166,  Scougal.     338,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 How  he  leads  us  into  error.     48,  Gurnall.     399,  /.  Hill. 
 
 Can  only  go  the  length  of  his  chain.     156,  Is.  Clarius,  &c. 
 
 Cannot  force  us.     50,  S.  Chrysostom,  &c.     227,  Bp.  Cosin. 
 
 Would  have  us  die,  as  well  as  live  to  him.     299,  Dyke. 
 Schism. — To  be  avoided.     407,  Calvin.     408,  Lord  Bacon. 
 Scriptures,  The  Holy. — Their  manifold  uses  and  benefits.     2,  Bp.  Smith. 
 49,  G.  Herbert.     239,  Homilies. 
 
 Commended  under  different  names.     252,  Bp.  Jewell. 
 
 Their  combined  witness  to  Christ.     308,  367,  R.  Boyle.     305,  R.  Hall. 
 
 As  connected  with  the  business  of  life.    43 1 ,  Abbott. 
 
 Their  honest  dealing  with  us.     420,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Their  right  interpretation.  2,  Bp.  Selwyn.  52,  Bp.  Sanderson.  245,  T. 
 Aquinas.  339,  S.  Hilary,  Sac.  379,  S.  Chrysostom.  395,  S.  Hilary, 
 &c.     397,  Bp.  Wilkins.     403,  Bp.  Latimer.     496,  Farindon. 
 
 How  unworthily  treated.     59,  /.  Hales. 
 
 Their  perversions  by  those,  who  break  the  Unity  of  the  Church.    326,  /.  F. 
 
 Must  be  taken  as  a  whole.     51,  J.  F.,  &c. 
 
 To  be  read  practically.     19,  Cecil. 
 
 Hidden  from  the  wicked.     165,  Bp.  Home. 
 
 Reasons  for  their  severity  of  language.     419,  Blackmail. 
 
584  INDEX  1. 
 
 Scriptures — continued.  • 
 
 Remedies  against  their  hard  places.     255,  Homilies. 
 Sin. — The  corruption  of  the  heart.     279,  Adam.     280,  Hare. 
 
 Our  own  free  act.     227,  Bp.  Cosin. 
 
 Idolatry.     53,  Rupert,  S.  Jerome.     211 ,  Abp.  Leighton. 
 
 Spiritual  adultery.     224,  Dean  Young. 
 
 A  spiritual  disease.    310,  Bonne II, 
 
 Selfishness.     355,  A.  W.  Hare. 
 
 Like  a  storm  at  sea.     154,  0.  Feltham. 
 
 The  best  of  men  exposed  to  it.     130,  S.  Augustine.     344,  W.  Law.     346, 
 Keble. 
 
 In  what  sense  a  two-fold  evil.     1 10,  Bp.  Sanderson. 
 
 A  laborious  service.     138,  Arnold.     475,  Bp.  Butler. 
 
 Often  committed  in  Nomine  Domini.     367,  Dr.  M.  Frank. 
 
 Its  entrance  by  the  eyes.     86,  Bp.  Gauden,  &c.     355,  Dyke. 
 
 Its  curse  on  succeeding  generations.    38,  Bp.  Sanderson.    522,  Bp.  Horsley. 
 
 Its  guilt.   *81,  Bp.  Pearson. 
 
 Crucifies  Christ.     524,  Bp.  Hall.     527,  Dr.  Allestry.     536,  Skelton. 
 
 Plucks  on  sin.     475,  Austin.     509,  S.  Gregory. 
 
 Fights  against  Christ  to  the  last.     534,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 Always  finds  its  time.     440,  D.  Dyke. 
 
 Shown  in  things  lawful.     383,  Sir  M.  Hale,  &c. 
 
 Shown  in  our  inconstancy,  as  to  duty.     521,  Drexelius. 
 
 As  it  springs  from  human  affections  in  themselves  indefinite.     117,  Dean 
 Jackson. 
 
 Aggravated,  when  committed  against  God's  love.     204,  Jortin. 
 
 Its  growth  in  the  soul.     84,  Bp.  Hopkins,  &c.     219,  (S.  Augustine.     227, 
 R.  Baxter.     235,  Origen.     260,  Austin. 
 
 Its  fulness.     418,  Bp.  Reynolds. 
 
 Darkens  the  understanding.     438,  /S.  Augustine,  &c.     443,  Bp.  Chandler. 
 
 Self-accusing.     20,  Bp.  Hall.     512,  Dr.  R.  Gierke. 
 
 A  crown  of  thorns  to  us,  when  we  repent.     526,  Bp.  Hacket. 
 
 Its  forgiveness  our  daily  want.     108,  Dyke. 
 
 The  special  condition  of  its  forgiveness.     112,  S.  Augustine. 
 
 The  internal  witness  of  its  forgiveness.     161,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Despair  of  pardon  its  worst  effect.     513,  Bp.  J.  Taylor. 
 
 Its  pardon  must  never  be  despaired  of.     327,  Bp.  Sparrow. 
 
 With  difficulty  got  rid  of.     133,  Bp.  Hall. 
 
 Its  occasions  to  be  avoided.     52,  R.  Gierke.     500,  Cecil.     506,  Bp.  Hop- 
 kins, &c. 
 
 To  be  repressed  in  the  first  thought.     53,  86,  Quarles.     280,  S.  Bernard. 
 319,  Baxter. 
 
 Not  destroyed  by  any  single  act.     50,  ^.  Augustine. 
 
 On  the  sight  of  it  in  others.     329,  Dr.  Johnson. 
 Soul,  The.— Definition  of  it.     301.     Terttillian. 
 
INDEX  I. 
 
 585 
 
 Soul — continued. 
 
 Its  value.     120,  301,  Flavel. 
 
 Mainspring  of  conduct.     279,  Norris. 
 
 Its  preciousness,  learnt  by  its  loss.     513,  Bp.  Medley. 
 
 How  set  at  stake.     52,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Its  nourishment.     302,  W.  Law. 
 Speech. — Care  in  speaking  about  God.     62,  Farindon.     128,  Abp.  Leiyhton. 
 
 In  regard  to  the  absent.     273,  Segneri. 
 
 State  of  swearers  and  scoffers.     413,  Abp.  Tillotson.     532,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 534,  Dr.  J.  Scott. 
 
 How  it  affects  a  man's  reputation.     261 ,  Lord  Capel. 
 
 What  is  meant  by  idle  words.     222,  /.  F. 
 
 Danger  of  them.     223,  0.  Feltham,  &c. 
 
 Attention  to  truth  in  speaking.     558,  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 Spirit,  The  Holy. — His  inspiration  of  the  sacred  writers.     1,  Bp.  Blomfield. 
 
 The  Father  of  all  spiritual  actions.     11 ,  Dr.  Hammond. 
 
 Effectual  in  the  Ministry.     58,  Bp.  Hall.     565,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 His  power  in  a  successive  regular  Ministry.     1 74,  Bp.  Pearson. 
 
 How  He  acts  in  believers.     185,  A  Contrite  heart. 
 
 Will  not  dwell  in  the  unclean.     181 ,  Gurnall.    228,  Bp.  Brownrig. 
 
 Blasphemy  against.     221,  /.  Clarius,  &c. 
 Supper  of  the  Lord. — Time  of  its  institution.     480,  Bp.  Warburton. 
 
 His  last  Testament.     483,  M.  Henry. 
 
 Apostolical  order  of  its  administration.     482,  Bp.  Bull.     485,  Dr.  Donne. 
 
 To  be  authoritatively  administered.     265,  S.  Ignatius. 
 
 Christ  the  gift  offered  to  Goo.     83,  Mede. 
 
 Represents  our  Lord  in  His  suffering  body.     483,  Bp.  Andrewes. 
 
 Effect  of  Consecration,  on  the  elements.     481,  Bp.  Lake. 
 
 Our  Lord's  real,  not  corporal  Presence.     481,  Bp.  Barlow. 
 
 Blessed  effects.     481,  Hooker.     484,  Homilies.     485,  Bp.  Hall. 
 
 Pledge  of  the  Church's  perpetuity.     565,  Melanchthon. 
 
 Preparation  for  it.     386,  /.  P.,  &c.     549,  Wogan. 
 
 How  to  be  received.     484,  Sir  J.  Harington. 
 
 The  Mammonist  no  fit  partaker  of  it.     22,  S'.  Chrysostom. 
 
 Set  forth  in  the  miracle  of  feeding  the  people.     288,  /.  F. 
 
 Denial  of  the  cup  to  the  laity.     482,  R.  Boyle. 
 Trinity,  The  Holy. — Manifested  at  Christ's  Baptism.     44,  -S.  Jerome,  Sec. 
 
 How  proved  in  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism.     563,  Bp.  Burnet. 
 
 The  Persons  in  it  inseparable.     206,  Card.  Caietan. 
 Truth. — Its  iramoveableness.     277,  Dr.  Temple. 
 Woman. — In  reference  to  the  sin  and  redemption  of  mankind.     552,  P.  Chry- 
 
 sologut.     520,  /.  Williams. 
 Works. — When  good.     472,  Sir  M.  Hale. 
 
 Not  meritorious.     454,  Bp.  Bull.     463,  Newman. 
 
 Their  proper  position  in  the  Christian  system.     452,  Vossius. 
 
586 
 
 INDEX   II. 
 
 WoKLD,  The. — The  three  Scriptural  ages.     333,  Bp.  Home. 
 Its  seventh-day  Sabbath.     303,  Sutton. 
 Exposure  of  its  vanities.     116,  Dr.  Sibbes. 
 Contrasted  with  Christ's  religion.     207,  A.  Knox,  &c. 
 God  endures  not  its  rivalry.     120,  Abp.  Leighton. 
 How  it  flatters   its  votaries.     261,    Cowper.     513,   Bp.  Reynolds.      515, 
 
 W.  Law. 
 Its  Judas-like  kiss.     493,  B]».  Hopkins. 
 Its  imitators  of  Judas.     475,  J.  Hales,  J.  F. 
 How  fatal  the  love  of  it.     385,  Gerhard.     316,  S,  Chrysostom. 
 Injurious  effects  of  its  bad  example.     98,  Law. 
 Its  final  lamentation.     434,  465,  A  contrite  heart. 
 In  what  sense  to  be  renounced.     163,  J.  F.,  &c. 
 Reward  of  despising  it.     301,  S.  Chrysostom.     302,   Dr.  J.  Scott.     305, 
 
 Scougal. 
 A  call  from  its  cares.     59,  Farindon. 
 Its  business  how  best  managed,     441,  Lord  Capel. 
 Its  hostility  how  best  avoided.     443,  Burke. 
 
 INDEX  II. 
 
 OF  THE   LATIN  VERSES. 
 
 Affliction. — Its  benefits.     282,  S.  Shaw. 
 
 Almsgiving. — Who  the  proper  objects  of  it-     95,  Kilvert. 
 
 Baptist,  The. — His  martyrdom.     263,  J.  Commirius. 
 
 Bribery. — In   suppressing   the  truth   of  Christ's  Resurrection.     558,   Cra- 
 
 shaw. 
 Christ,  The  Lord  Jesus. — The  suavity  of  His  Name.     16,  S.  Bernard. 
 
 His  oneness  with  humanity.     151,  Prudentius. 
 
 The  lion  of  Judah  and  the  chief  corner-stone.     562,  Vida. 
 
 A  spiritual  conqueror.     368,  /.  Commirius. 
 
 The  Ixdvs.     315,  H.  Bailey. 
 
 On  His  Birth      19,  Milton.     22,  Meyerus. 
 
 His  Baptism.     46,  J.  Commirius. 
 
 His  visiting  Egypt.     28,  Becanus. 
 
 The  offering  of  the  Magi.     25,  Juvencus. 
 
INDEX  II.  587 
 
 Christ,  The  Lord  Jesus — continued. 
 
 His  coming  with  a  forerunner.     36,  Barleeus. 
 
 His  Sermon  on  the  Mount.     66,  Nicols. 
 
 His  easy  yoke  and  light  burden.     209,  Billius. 
 
 His  Miracles.     172,  Claudianus.     196,  S.  Capicius. 
 
 His  Transfiguration.     306,  Muretus. 
 
 His  foretaste  of  tlie  Cross.     358,  372,  S.  Hosschius. 
 
 His  silence  before  Pontius  Pilate.     518,  Crashaw. 
 
 His  last  sufferings.     540,   Sannazarius.     505,    Sedulius,     524,    (S.    Hos- 
 schius, &c. 
 
 His  glorious  appearance,  when  risen.     504,  Addison, 
 
 His  final  charge  to  the  Eleven.     566,  R.  Clarke. 
 
 All  to  be  forsaken  for  Him.     53,  Card.  Barberini. 
 Christians. — Their  exceeding  privileges.     97,  Billius. 
 
 Their  view  of  life  and  death.     447,  Anonymous. 
 
 Why  compared  to  doves  and  serpents.     188,  Bauhusius. 
 Cross,  The. — To  be  had  in  remembrance.     435,  Card.  Bonaventura.     490, 
 Haeftenus, 
 
 The  fruit  of  bearing  it.     300,  Haeftenus. 
 
 The  rudder  of  the  ship.     155,  Paulinus. 
 Church. — A  call  to  its  Festivals.     476,  Buchanan. 
 
 Its  essential  fruitfulness.     349,  Bp.  Hall. 
 Commandments,  The  Ten.     402,  S.  Greg.  Nazianzen. 
 Death. — An  impartial  leveller.     32,  Boetius. 
 
 Its  consequences.     444,  Card.  Barberini. 
 
 The  best  burial  place.     516,  Billius. 
 Envy. — Something  good  about  it.     519,  Grotius. 
 Evangelists,  The. — Their  several  mystical  symbols.     3,  Sedulius. 
 Evidences. — From  Christ's  Resurrection.     559,  Sedulius. 
 Fasting. — A  prayer  for  its  acceptance.     116,  Prudentius. 
 Flattery. — A  caution  against.     389,  Haeftenus. 
 Heaven. — Aspiration  after  it.     424,  Herm.  Hugo. 
 Humility. — Seeks  not  observation  and  praise.     216,  C.  Sarbievtus. 
 
 The  absence  of  it  spoils  our  best  services.     1 02,  S.  Prosjier. 
 Idleness. — Its  bad  effects.     507,  Card.  Barberini. 
 Injuries. — To  be  forgiven.     332,  Sedulius. 
 Jerusalem. — Left  desolate.     423,  Sedulius. 
 S.  John. — His  place  in  Jesus'  bosom.     360,  R.  Crashaw. 
 Judas  Iscariot. — His  final  despair.     514,  R.  Clarke. 
 Judgment,  Day  of. — Its  terrors-     460,  Misscepro  defunctis. 
 
 Prayer  in  the  prospect  of  it.     463,  Dietericus. 
 
 The  sheep  and  the  goats.     468,  Barlaus. 
 Law,  The. — Its  end.     77,  Paulinus. 
 
 Martyrdom. — The  triumphant  defiance  of  tyrants.     188,  Prudentius. 
 Of  the  holy  Innocents.     30,  Prudentius. 
 
588  INDEX   II. 
 
 Mother,  The  Stro-Ph(enician.     285,  Sedulius. 
 
 Obedience, — Ours  to  God  secures  that  of  our  lusts  to  ourselves.     147,  Billius. 
 
 Persecution. — An  honour.     72,  Haeftenus. 
 
 Peter,  S.,  called  to  be  a  fisherman.     57,  Arator. 
 
 His  denial  of  Christ.    487,  B.  Bauhusius. 
 Prayer. — At  morning.    511,  S.  Ambrose.   348,  S.  Gregory.   509,  Prudentius. 
 
 At  evening.     268,  S.  Macrinus.    477,  S.  Ambrose. 
 
 For  Divine  illumination.     364,  Boetius. 
 
 And  guidance.     24,  H.  Hugo. 
 
 To  Christ  on  His  Cross.     539,  Anonymous. 
 
 A  mercy  in  its  delayed  answer.     284,  R.  Crashaw. 
 Resurrection. — To  be  waited  for.     394,  Dr.  Jortin. 
 Satan. — His  temptation  artful,  but  ineffectual.     48,  S.  Greg.  Nazianzen. 
 Scriptures. — They  contain  the  pearl,  which  is  Christ.     251,  Anonymous. 
 
 Claimed  by  all  religionists.     51,  Epigram. 
 Sin. — Original  and  actual.     438,  A.  Avitus.     370,  Herm.  Hugo. 
 
 How  it  terrifies  the  conscience.     259,  H.  Hugo. 
 
 The  abandonment  of  the  reprobate.     418,  Billius. 
 
 Its  reprover  must  be  himself  innocent.     127,  Billius. 
 Woman. — In  reference  to  the  fall  and  redemption  of  mankind.      554,  Barleeus. 
 World,  The — Exposure  of  its  vanities.     123,  Card.  Barberini. 
 
 To  be  renounced  from  the  prospect  of  death.     440,  T.  Kempis. 
 
 Encouragement  in  our  warfare  with  it.     342,  Gallceus. 
 
 JOSEPH  MASTERS   AND  CO.,    PlilNTERS,    ALDERSG4TE   STREET,   LONDON. 
 
By  the  same  Author. 
 
 THE  GOSPELS  ACCORDING  TO  S.  MARK,  S.  LUKE,  AND 
 S.    JOHN,    AND     THE    ACTS     OF    THE    APOSTLES, 
 
 illustrated,  chiefly  in   the  doctrinal   and   moral   sense,  from  ancient  and 
 modern  Authors. 
 
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 PAOLO  SEGNERI.     Translated  from  the  original  Italian ;  with  a  Pre- 
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 wondrous  Song,  at  once  so  exalted  and  so  practical,  might  (under  the  aid  of  the  Hoi.y 
 Spirit)  aid  in  fostering  the  habit  of  praise  both  with  our  lips  and  in  our  lives." — Pre/ace. 
 
 A  COMMENTARY  ON   THE   CANTICLES  USED  IN  THE 
 
 PRAYER  BOOK.     By  the  Bishop  of  Brechin.     Royal  32mo.,    2s.; 
 cheap  edition,  Is. 
 
 Viz.  Venite,  Benedicite,  Benedictus,  Jubilate,  Magnificat,  Cantate  Domino,  Nunc 
 Dimittis,  Deus  Misereatur. 
 
 "  Intended  to  exhibit  their  Evangelical  sense,  and  to  show  how  fully  words  which  are 
 day  by  day  in  our  mouths  do  actually  refer  to  Christ.  In  the  Spirit  they  speak  to  us  of 
 the  highest  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  of  aU  the  blessed  consequences  of  the 
 Incarnation."— Pre/ace. 
 
 A  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  WORDS  OF  THE  HYMNAL 
 NOTED.     By  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Neale.     18mo.,  6d. 
 
 These  Hymns,  which  have  consoled  thousands  of  God's  servants  in  all  circumstances 
 from  the  earliest  days  to  our  own,  and  many  written  by  great  saints,  must  have  great 
 depth  and  fulness  of  meaning,  which  the  author  has  here  endeavoured  briefly  to  set  forth. 
 
 A  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  PSALMS.  From  the  Fathers  and 
 Mediaeval  writers,  as  well  as  from  the  Office  Books  of  the  Greek,  Syriac, 
 Roman,  Ambrosian,  and  Mozarabic  rites.  By  the  Rev.  .1.  M.  Neale,  M.A. 
 In  the  Press. 
 
BS2575  .F699 
 
 The  Gospel  of  S.  Matthew  :  illustrated 
 
 Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 
 
 1    1012  00221    1029 
 
 DATE  DUE 
 
 GAYLORD  i^^^ r 
 
 #3523P|       Printed  in  USA