Mr. Wakefield is pleased to call the reading of x instead of Teλavas an unimportant variation: for my own part, though by no means inclined to dogmatise in these matters, I cordially agree with S. Chrysostom in thinking, that, however minute, the variations of phraseology in Sacred Scripture are rarely, if ever, unimportant; that, frequently, the addition even of a single letter may introduce a vast body of conceptions: πολλακις και ένας σοιχείου προσθηκη ὁλοκληρον νοηματων εισήγαγε δυναμιν. Oper. tom. iii. p. 172. edit. Bened. S. Chrysostom, it must be observed, was no cabalist. Among all the Fathers of the church, he may be fairly styled the father of rational and manly interpretation. δευτε προς με, παντες οι κοπιώντες και πεφορτισμένοι, αρατε τον ζυγον μου εφ' ύμας, και μαθετε απ' εμου· και ευρησετε αναπαυσιν ταις ψυχαίς ύμων· ὁ γαρ ζυγος μου χρηςος, και το φορτίον μου ελαφρον εςι. Come unto me, all ye who labour, and are burthened; And I will give you rest: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; For I am meek, and lowly in heart; And ye shall find rest unto your souls: For my yoke is easy, and my burthen light. S. Matt. xi. 28-30. The parallelisms here marked, will, it is presumed, appear both unquestionable and intentional, when the related lines are brought into contact with each other; thus: Come unto me, all ye who labour, and are burthened; For my yoke is easy, and my burthen light: And I will give you rest; And ye shall find rest unto your souls: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; For I am meek, and lowly in heart. These three parallel couplets I now propose sepa rately to analyse. Come unto me all ye who labour, and are burthened; The expressions "to labour," and "to be bur thened," comprehend, in their literal sense, all the modes in which working animals are commonly employed; they either draw, or carry; in the former case, they wear a yoke, in the latter case, they bear a burthen: which two ideas are accordingly repeated, each with an appropriate softening, in the latter of these lines: an " easy yoke;" a "light burthen." The moral meaning of this figurative language, is abundantly clear. To labour, is to pursue the work of sin and the world, as an operative agent; it includes all the activities of evil: to be burthened, is to endure the inflictions imposed by sin and the world, as a passive recipient; it comprehends all the pains and penalties of evil. To this miserable course of action and endurance, are opposed the blessed activities, and not less blessed sufferings, of the Christian life: my yoke is easy; it is "a service of perfect freedom :" my burthen is light; for, though "the Christian has his sorrows, his sorrow is sweeter than this world's joy." P The happy result implied in this cheerful contrast, is emphatically promised in the second line, and the promise not less emphatically repeated in the fifth line: here, for the sake of clearness, again brought together: And I will give you rest; And ye shall find rest unto your souls: Rest; rest unto the soul: rest external; and rest internal rest from a laborious course of evil action; rest from an oppressive weight of mental suffering: the former given, on coming to Christ, that is, taking him for our Master instead of the world; the latter found, by perseverance in the course recommended in the central couplet; this, as it occupies the midmost place, so it is the mainspring of the whole encouragement and exhortation : Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, that is; 1. 66 Take my yoke upon you, for I am meek; Engage actively in my service, and you "will find me an easy master; for I am meek: I "will impose no galling yoke; and, instead of the "toilsome servitude of sin, you shall be employed only in labours of love. 66 2. "Follow my example in passive fortitude, "and you shall be exempt from all oppressive "burthens; for I am lowly in heart and lowli"ness of heart is the grand specific, for converting pains into pleasures, and sorrow into joy." In order, however, to feel properly the beauty of this passage, we must advert to another, of a very opposite description: δεσμεύουσι γαρ φορτια βαρεα και δυσβάστακτα, For they bind burthens heavy, and hard to be borne ; Our Lord is here speaking of the Scribes and Pharisees the contrast is very remarkable: they bind together several grievous and insupportable burthens; our Lord's burthen is but one, is easy, and is light they impose their burthens by force; our Lord graciously invites his followers to take up his burthen, at their own election: they will not so much as touch their burthens with a single finger; HE bare our infirmities, and carried our griefs. I shall close my remarks on this example, with a pithy sentence of S. Bernard: "Pulcre Dominus : "Tollite ait jugum meum super vos: ac si diceret, "non impono invitis, sed vos tollite si vultis. "Alioquin, non requiem sed laborem invenietis "animabus vestris." Ep. xi. tom. i. p. 31. ed. Bened. 212 SECTION XII. Ir frequently happens, that more than six parallel lines are so connected, by unity of subject, or by mutual relationship, as to form a distinct stanza. Examples of this kind of distribution shall be given in the present section. μη θησαυρίζετε ύμιν θησαυρους επι της γης, όπου σης και βρωσις αφανίζει, και όπου κλεπται διορύσσουσι και κλεπτουσι : θησαυρίζετε δε ύμιν θησαυρούς εν ουρανω· όπου ούτε σης ουτε βρωσις αφανίζει, και όπου κλεπται ου διορύσσουσιν ούτε κλεπτουσιν : όπου γαρ εςιν ὁ θησαυρος ύμων, εχει εςαι και ἡ καρδια ύμων. Treasure not for yourselves treasures on the earth; And where thieves dig through and steal: And where thieves do not dig through and steal: For wheresoever your treasure is, There will also be your hearts. S. Matt. vi. 19-21. The term to dig through is very expressive: eastern houses were commonly built of mud, or clay, with very thick walls. See Harmer's Observations, vol. i. p. 286. The phrase may, however, mean, to dig through the earth, to the place where treasures have been buried; and in this sense the clause is explained, in the paraphrase of Erasmus. |