fuse the enlightening and directing influence | Christ here distinctly asserts that he did of their happy condition to all around them. not come to destroy, or to abrogate the It seems to be to a house of a single apart- Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil them. ment that Christ alludes in this illustration Had such been his object, it would have -to the poor man's house--to show, per- afforded convincing proof that he was not haps, that even the poorest can fulfil the a teacher sent from God. The Law consists office which is here represented as belonging of two principal parts, the Ceremonial and to his disciples. All Christians, therefore, the Moral: the Saviour fulfilled the former, should let their light so shine-or shine in by submitting to its requirements, and reathe manner in which the candle shines—lizing in his own person and work all that that, or, in order that men may see their good works, and glorify their Father which is in heaven. But in what sense can unbelievers glorify God? Only in one-by submitting so that salvation which he hath ordained for the guilty. And it is not possible to calculate how many sinners have been brought to Jesus, by the attractive influence of a consistent exhibition of Christian character on the part of those who are his people. The apostle represents those who walk inconsistently as "the enemies of the cross of Christ," because, as far as they can, they prevent the diffusion of its triumphs in the world; and the Saviour has prayed that his people might be preserved, sanctified, and united in the bonds of unity and peace, "that the world may believe that the Father hath sent him." : was prefigured by the types and sacrifices which it described and enjoined, and thereby illustrated its utility and importance by showing that he himself was the very life and substance of all its arrangements. What the soul is to the body, or rather what the substance is to the shadow, such was Christ to the ceremonial law. The moral precepts of the law were also perfectly fulfilled by Christ, and the sanctions appended to them were also vindicated and honoured, in his having sustained in his own person the sufferings which they required on account of man's transgression. So far, then, from Christ having come to destroy the law, he was made under the law for the very purpose of fulfilling it. He was made man that he might obey the moral law, and he became a Jew that he might conform to the ceremonial law, and by fulfilling both, he so far proved himself to be the promised Saviour who should take away the sins of the world. We are not to do our good works to be seen of men as the ultimate end which we have in view this would be to seek our own glory; but we should look forward to Neither did Christ come to destroy the the glory of God as the grand aim of all Prophets, but to bring into visible accomour actions. We are to let our light shine plishment their predictions in reference to before men as the necessary means of lead- himself and his kingdom. To confirm all ing them to glorify our Father which is in this, he asserts in a solemn and emphatic heaven. manner that "till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass 17. Think not that I am come from the law, till all be fulfilled." This will 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. Christ here introduces a new subject, and proceeds to refute an objection against the character and design of his mission. One of the first charges alleged by the Jews against the Gospel was that it subverted the Law, so that in order to meet this, the smallest letter or point shall in no be better understood by rendering it thuswise pass away till all be fulfilled." The word rendered "jot" is the Greek ira, the smallest letter in the Alphabet; and which corresponds to the Hebrew Yodh, the word rendered "tittle," zegaía, denotes a very slight mark by which letters very nearly similar were distinguished from each other. The declaration of Christ in this verse supplies us with a principle which should always be attended to in the interpretation of the prophecies. The common method of expounding the prophecies is to take a cursory outline of the prediction, and to give to that outline a spiritual explana tion. This outline-view too often excludes | many precepts of the law in a manner which from consideration the "jots and tittles," or the minutiae and details, in the prophecies, which, if more closely attended to, would lead to a truer and more correct system of prophetical interpretation. 19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Here Christ refers to the precepts of the moral law, and teaches us that they shall continue obligatory on men under the Christian dispensation, for so the phrase "kingdom of heaven" may be understood, in this passsge, as referring, not to the Church, but to the dispensation of time which was then commencing. There is a reference here to the principles and doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees, who, in many instances, made the commandments of God of none effect by their traditions, Matth. xv. 3-6; xxiii. 23. We are not to suppose that any commandment of God is insignificant or unimportant. All the precepts of the law are based upon his authority, and no man has any right to repeal them. He that dishonours the law incurs the displeasure of the lawgiver. And the estimation in which a man is held, according to the principles of the Gospel, will always be in proportion to the zeal which he displays in asserting the honour, and seeking to promote the glory of God. There are two leading errors connected with the subject of the law which may be noticed here. The one is the error of those who expect to be justified in the sight of God by their own obedience to the precepts of the law, and the other is the error of those who teach that a justified sinner is not under the law in any sense. The Apostle Paul has decided the question connected with the former, by asserting that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God; for by the law is the knowledge of sin," Rom. iii. 20; and the latter is fully refuted by Christ himself in this very chapter, in which he repeats and explains shows that it is still binding on his believing followers as their rule of life, to which they are to render all the obedience in their power, under the influence of a grateful sense of the love of Christ in dying for their sins, John xiv. 15; 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 20. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. How different is the judgment of God from that of man! it was said that "if but two men were to enter into the kingdom of heaven, the one would be a Scribe, and the other a Pharisee." Yet in the estimation of him who knew what was in man, their righteousness was seriously defective. It was hypocritical, for Christ compared them to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness, and declared that although they appeared righteous unto men, they were inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity, Matth. xxiii. 27, 28: It was partial, for whilst they paid attention to some of the less important ceremonial directions of the law, they neglected its weightier precepts of a moral nature, Matth. xxiii. 23: It proceeded from wrong principles, for they were influenced in all they did by a desire of human applause, Matth. vi. 2, 5; xxiii. 5. But the righteousness which Christ requires of his people must be different from this. It must be a righteousness that respects all the commandments of God without a single exception, verse 19; it must include the regulation of the thoughts and words as well as of the actions; it must spring from a right principle, even from the constraining influence of the love of Christ; and it must have for its end the glory of God, verse 16; 1 Cor. vi. 20; x. 31. Unless the righteousness of the Christian be of this kind, he shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven, for without holiness no man shall see the Lord, and whilst the work of Christ constitutes his meritorious title to glory, personal righteousness is an indispensable qualification for his admission into glory. This verse is the key to the right under sidered the actual murderer to be. And soever entertains unfounded anger against his brother, or against his fellow-creature, for all men are brethren, shall be guilty enough to be brought before the Judgment, or as guilty as the Scribes and Pharisees conwhosoever shall give vent to his contemptuous anger, by using words of ridicule and reproach, such as "Raca," which implies at senseless, despicable person, shall be guilty enough to be brought before the Sanhedrim; and whosoever shall say "Thou fool," shall be guilty enough to be punished as those were whose bodies were burned in the valley of Hinnom. We must here understand Christ as employing language borrowed from the judicial proceedings of the Jews, in the way of analogy, and for the purpose of conveying to the minds of his hearers a kind of sensible and tangible idea of the different degrees of guilt which are associated by God with the several offences here alluded to. The phrase here rendered "hell fire," nav rougós, refers to the valley of Hinnom, Here Christ proceeds to show that the precepts given by the Scribes and Pharisees, and which were popular amongst the Jews, fell very far short of prescribing that righ-called Gehenna. It was once a pleasant teousness which the laws of God required. The Scribes and Pharisees confined their definition of murder, for instance, to the outward act of killing, forgetting that this, as well as other sins, may be committed in three ways—in thought-in word—and in action. They endeavoured to defend their view of the law by appealing to the mere letter of the commandment, disregarding entirely its spirit; and to this a reference is clearly made in the words “ Ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time" for so this passage should be rendered, as if he had said "Ye have heard the Scribes and Pharisees telling you that it hath been said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill." The "Judgment" mentioned here was a Jewish tribunal consisting of twenty-three persons, which, before the Roman government was established in Judea, had the power of life and death. And the "Council" was the Sanhedrim or Senate, which consisted of seventy-two persons, which heard appeals from inferior tribunals and took cognizance of all offences against religion. In the 22d verse Christ illustrates the spirituality and extent of the divine law against murder, in a manner suggested by the representations of the Scribes and Pharisees upon the subject. The meaning of the passage appears to be this-that who valley near Jerusalem on the east. But the Jews devoted it to the idolatrous worship of Moloch, 2 Kings xvi. 3. The ancient Jewish writers inform us that the idol of Moloch, which was erected in this place, was made of brass, adorned with a royal crown, having the head of a calf, and his arms extended. When they offered children to him they heated the statue within by a great fire, and when it was burning hot, they put the child into his arms; and in order that its cries might not be heard they made a great noise with drums, and other instruments about the idol. These drums were called Toph, and hence the place was also called Tophet, Jer. vii. 31, 32. After the return of the Jews from captivity this place was held in such abhorrence, that by the example of Josiah, 2 Kings xxiii. 10, it was made the place where all dead carcases, and all the filth of the city, were thrown; and was not unfrequently the place of execution. It therefore became extremely offensive, and the name was used by the Jews as the designation of a future place of punishment. The word which is rendered in the 22d verse "without a cause," siz, is wanting in several manuscripts, and yet the sense of the passage appears to require it, unless we consider Christ as using the word "brother" in an emphatic sense, so as to find in its import some principle to qualify his meaning, in saying that whosoever shall be angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. Unquestionably there is a manifestation of anger under special circumstances which is not sinful. Christ himself, on one occasion, looked round about on his accusers with anger, Mark iii. 5. And the Apostle Paul, in Eph. iv. 26, "be says ye angry, and sin not." Anger, or rather a capacity of showing anger, was certainly implanted in man's nature, at his first creation, and was up not a sinful feeling. It was given by God to be a protection, or a kind of sentinel to the moral feelings, so that whenever the moral principles were assaulted by temptation, this sentinel might rise and keep off the attack. Thus our first parents should have manifested this feeling when Satan attacked them in the garden. But of all the feelings of our nature anger is that which most easily shows itself in a sinful form, so that the mind, by a kind of habit, almost invariably connects the idea of sinfulness with it. Hence the Apostle says "be ye angry, and sin not." He does not absolutely prohibit the manifestation of anger, but he prohibits the manifestation of it in that form in which we are so prone to display it. 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. The Scribes required restitution in money matters, but considered that gifts and sacrifices would atone for all offences not cognizable by the judge. Christ here opposes this position, and demands a complete and heartfelt reconciliation. God accepteth no service from a man who is at enmity with his fellow-creatures, and the duty of reconciliation devolves upon him who has given the offence. There are many seasons in which it is our duty to examine ourselves, and to look carefully into our hearts, to ascertain if there be any evil passion lurking or reigning there, but at no time is this more important than when we are about to approach a throne of grace, and engage in the worship of God's house; for no outward attention to the ordinances of religion can ever exempt us from the necessity of cultivating holiness. In fact, the ordinances of worship are chiefly valuable as the means of enabling us to grow in grace. 25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adVersary 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. These verses have been employed by the advocates of the Church of Rome as a support for the doctrine of Purgatory, as if they implied that there was a prison into which the sinner should be cast by the justice of God, out of which he should be released after he had paid the uttermost farthing; which prison, they allege, cannot be hell, since the sufferings of hell are eternal, and must therefore be Purgatory. But this If these argument is totally inadmissible. verses refer to spiritual things, they must be explained in reference to God's justice finally apprehending the impenitent sinner in order to consign him to the eternal punishment of hell, for the words "thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing," are only an impressive mode of saying that the sinner once consigned to future punishment shall never be released, for every sinner is in the condition of the servant, who is said in Matthew xviii. 25 to have had nothing to pay, and who was cast into prison, as is said in verse 34, till he had paid the uttermost farthing, and who should consequently continue there for ever. But, in all probability, the Saviour did not intend these verses to have any spiritual reference whatsoever, but simply to convey useful advice in reference to temporal matters. Christians, as long as they possess property and remain in the world, are liable to be involved in law-suits; and there is no reason why the New Testament should not contain directions how to act in such, as well 7 ཟ ། as in other matters referring to personal con- | way in me, and lead me in the way everduct. In this light, these verses teach us to lasting." avoid litigation to bring law-suits to as speedy a termination as possible-and even to admit of encroachment upon our civil privileges rather than engage in perplexing disputes, and above all to acknowledge our error and seek for an adjustment of differences, if we should be in the wrong. The fact of Christ giving instruction upon such matters is a proof of his universal authority over us that he is invested with judicial power, and that there are no circumstances in which his people can be placed in which he has not a full right to rule and regulate their actions. He is as much their Lord and Master in a court of justice, as in the house of God. It might have been better to have rendered the latter part of the 28th verse thus — "hath committed an adultery with her already in his heart," a sin, the same in kind, though not in degree, with the outward act referred to. 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. From the manner in which the Scribes and Pharisees interpreted the law, we derive a clear proof that it requires not only the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey, but also the illumination of the Spirit to enable us to understand the commandments of God. 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. The commencement of these verses is to be explained in the same manner as the commencement of verse 21: it may be paraphrased thus" Ye have heard the Scribes The word here rendered "offend," signiand Pharisees alleging that God said to them fies "to cause to stumble ;" it is derived of old time thou shalt not commit adultery." from the Greek word oxavdáλz@gov, which In this statement of the commandment there was the name of that piece of wood in a appears to be no difference whatsoever from trap or pit for wild beasts, which when trodthe language in which the seventh command- den on by them caused them to fall into the ment itself is expressed, but when we examine trap or pit. There is here, also, an evident into the spirit of the commandment more reference to the case of a man employing a closely, we shall find a very important dif-surgeon to cut off a diseased limb, in order to ference. The Scribes and Pharisees confined the prohibition entirely to the outward act of sin, whereas God requires purity in the heart, and commands his people to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. The wish and desire is sinful in the sight of God, for God looketh into the heart; and many persons who are considered virtuous and upright by their fellow men, because they are not detected in any overt acts of iniquity, are guilty and impure in the eyes of the most High. How suitable to every one is the Psalmist's prayer-" -"Search me O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked preserve the rest of the body, and to retain life; and the instruction which the Saviour here gives is, that we should act upon a principle analogous to this in reference to the soul, manifesting a similar care and willingness to submit to any deprivation however distressing and painful, rather than endanger our eternal interests. The "right eye" and the "right hand" are therefore employed here to denote whatever may lead to iniquity-the eye is the inlet through which sin enters into the heart, and the hand is the instrument by which the guilty act is committed. The language employed in these verses is peculiarly emphatic, and conveys |