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PLAIN COMMENTARY " 



ON 



THE FOUR HOLY GOSPELS, 



INTENDED CHIEFLY FOR DEVOTIONAL READING. 



IN TWO VOLS. 



ASK FOR THE OLD PATHS, WHKRK IS THE GOOD WAY, AND WALK THEREIN ; AND YE SHALL FIND 

BEST FOR YOUR SOULS. — Jeremiah vi. 16. 

GRANT, LORD, THAT IN READING THY WORD, I MAY NEVER PREFER MY^ OWN SENTIMENTS BE- 
FORE THOSE OF THE CHURCH IN THE PURELY ANCIENT TIMES OF CHRISTIANITY. — Bj>. WUSOII. 



VOLUME I. 
ST. MATTHEW— ST. MARK. y\ 

^- 



COMPLETE FROM THE LONDON EDITION. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED BY HERMAN HOOKER, 

S. W. CORNER CHESTNUT AND EIGHTH STREETS, 

1855. 



;:■*•• 






PRINTED BY HENHY B. ASHMEAD. 
Qoorgo Street above Eleventh. 



ADYEETISEMENT. 



It will suffice to state that this Commentary is not designed for controversial 
readers ; nor yet for those who approach Scripture chiefly in a critical spirit. "With- 
out by any means consciously avoiding real difficulties, or (as the writer hopes) over- 
looking the results of sacred criticism, his aim has been to produce within moderate 
limits a Commentary which, (like»the blessed Volume it professes to illustrate,) 
should address itself to readers of all classes. The writer wished that what he 
wrote might prove useful to unlearned and learned, alike ; old and young ; wise 
and simple ; the teacher and the taught. His Notes are designed for all who study 
the Gospel in a devotional frame of mind ; who read it in order to live by it ; and 
desire, while they read, to have their attention aroused, their heart informed, and 
their curiosity in some degree gratified. 

It is thought that, besides its use in the closet, such a Commentary as the pres- 
ent, especially if it be studied for a few minutes beforehand, might be made avail- 
able for reading aloud in the family. It is hoped that in parochial schools also, 
and for Sunday-school teachers, the work may be found useful. 

And this shall suffice. May He by whose Spirit the Gospel was given, bless 
the work, and forgive all its faults ! 



Blessed LORD, who hast caused all Holy Scriptlres to i;e written* fou 

OCR LEARNING ; GRANT THAT WE MAT IN SUCH WISE HEAR THEM, READ, MARK, LEARN, 
AND INWARDLY DIGEST TUEM, THAT BY PATIENCE, AND COMFORT OF TuY IIOLY WoRD, 
WE MAV EMURACC AND EVER HOLD FAST THE BLESSED HOPE OF EVERLASTING LiFE, 

wnicn Tuou hast given cs la our Saviour JESUS CHRIST. 

Amen. 



rUT OFF THY SHOES FROM OFF THY FEET : FOR THE PLACE WHEREON THOU 

STANDEST IS UOLY GROUND. 



A PLAIN COMMENTAEY 



ON 



THE FOUR HOLY GOSPELS. 



ST. MATTHEW, 



CHAPTER I. 



1. The genealogy of CuniST from Abraham to Joseph. 18. He was conceived hy the 
Holt Ghost, and horn of the Virgin Mary lohen she was espoused to Joseph. 
19. The Angel satisfieth the misdeeming thoughts of Joseph, and interpretetJi 
the names of GiiniST. 

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, 
the son of Abraham. 

The beginning of the New Testament is meant to remind us of the beginning of 
the Old. The resemblance in the language is intended to imply that there is a cer- 
tain relation or resemblance between the two Testaments also : so that the one is, in 
many respects, the very counterpart of the other. They have been compared to the 
two Cherubims of glory, which overshadowed the mercy-seat with their wings, and 
turned their faces one to another; — between which also God dwelt in brightness, (a) 
and from between which He communed with men. (6) Genesis v. is found to begin 
as follows, — " This is the book of the generations of Adam," Now Adam "is the 
figure of Him that was to come."(c) 

The man Christ Jesus is the second Adam,((^ in whom we behold the beginning 
of a new Creation. For, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old 
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."(e) 

Our Lord is here called " the Son of David, the son of Abraham," because the 
promise of the Messiah was especially given to those two great saints ; to Abraham, 
in Gen. xxii. 18 ; to David, in 2 Sam. vii. 12. And " the Son of David" comes 
before "the son of Abraham," in order that "the stone which the builders reject- 
ed" may be made " the head of the corner." 

How attentive should we be to the first tvords of the Gospel of Christ ! 

2, 3 Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob ; and his brethren ; 
and Judas begat Pharez and Zara of Thamar. 

Besides the Blessed Virgin Mary, only four female names are found in this 
genealogy, — Thamar, guilty of incest ; Rahab, the harlot ; Ruth, a Moabitess ; 
Bathsheba, an adulteress. Nothing is said of Sarah, and Rebekah, and Rachel, 
and the other holy matrons of whom we elsewhere read. Our Lord's descent from 

(a) Psalm Ixsx. 1. (h) Exod. xxv. 20, 22. (c) Rom. v. 14. 

(d) 1 Cor. XV. 45. (e) 2 Cor. v. 17. 



G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

those four jiorsonp, ((ill, proLaLly of Gcntilo oxtrnotitm.) may have licen recorded, 
partly in order to iutiniate the interes-t which the (jeutile world has in Cuiust; 
and to [ireparo men's minds for the ultimate call of the Church, — lUa Spouse, — 
from amuiij; the Heatlien : jiartly, in order to teaeh us that lie came into the world 
to bear our .shame. And we learn from what is here written, that the disgrace of 
the ancestor is no real blot upon the descendant ; who may yet be very holy, and 
reflect back his own bri;;litness on all who ever went before him. 

Concerning; Kahab and Kuth however, much is said in the way of actual com- 
mendation in Holy Scripture: see the two next notes. And Thanuir receives 
memorable notice in the IJook of lluth.(y) "She hath been more righteous than 
I," exclaimed the patriarch Judah concerning hcr.Qj) Indeed we should be very 
careful frnw we venture to F[ieak of persons whose history indeed, but not whose 
cliaracti r is set down in the IJuok of Life. 

The History mail mislead us, or rather, it may be mistaken by us. For example, 
few readers of Genesis would have suspected that Esau was in God's sight a "for- 
nicator," and " a profane person."(Zi) 

4, "> And rbarcs begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram ; and Aram 
begat Aminidab ; and Aminidab begat Naasson ; and Naasson begat 
Salmon ; and Salmon begat Booz of Kachab ; 

"The harlot Rahab" is one of the "cloud of Witnesses," whose Faith is noticed 
by St. Paul \{t) and whose works are appealed to by St. James, ii. 25. For her 
remarkalde history see Joshua ii. and vi. This is the only place in the Bible where 
her marriage is recorded. 

And Booz begat Obed of Rutb ; and Obed begat Jesse ; 

• 

For the lovely history of Ruth the Moabitess, see the Book in the Bible which 
bears her name. It was all in consequence of her faithfulncss(A) that she won for 
herself 80 glorious a place in the Book of Life. 

6 And Jesse begat David tbe king ; 

David was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons,(0 and "fed his father's sheep at 
Bethlehem. "(;/() Gou " took him from the sheepfolds . . . to feed Jacob His 
people, and Israel His inheritance. '(/() 

And David tbe king begat Solomon of bcr tluit had been the wife of 
Urias ; 

Instead of telling us that this was Batlislieha, the Spirit gives the name of her 
murdered husband; and thus reminds us of David's sin and Bathshcba's shame. 

7 And Solomon begat Roboam ; 

The names which follow, (with slight diversities in the spelling,) are the names 
of the kings of Judah, whose acts are recorded in the Books of Kings and Chroni- 
cles. 

8 And Roboam begat Abia ; and ALia begat Asa ; and Asa begat 
Josapbat ; and Josapbat begat Joram ; and Joram begat Ozias ; 

It is not meant that " Ozias," (that is, Uzziah,) was tltc son of "Joram" or Jcho- 
ram, but his grandson's graiiil.>un ; the names oftliree kings of Judah are therefore 
here left out ; namely, Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah. Tiiis reminds us that there 
are evil names which Gou will at last, assuredly, blot out of the Book of Life.((') 

Perhaps these three generations arc omitted because they were the result of the 
unholy marriage of Jehoram with Athaliah, the daughter of the wicked Ahab and 



(/; Kuth iv. 12. (7) Ocn. xsxviii. 26. (/,) ITd). xii. 10. 

Ii) llcl.. xi. .'51. ('/.) Kulh i. U— 17. (/) 1 t^nni. xvi. 10, 11. 

(m) 1 Hum. xvii. 15. {») Psalm Ixxviii. 70, 71. (-.) Exod. xxxii. 33. 



r.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 7 

idolatrous Jezebel.(p) Uzziah, who married Jeruslia, tlie daughter of Zadok the 
priest, (5) is the first name which becomes restored to tlie line of our Lord's ances- 
tors after the flesh. We are reminded by all this of the danger, and perhaps the 
guilt, of contracting marriage with an ungodly family. 

9, 10, 11 And Ozias begat Joatliam ; and Joatham begat Achaz ; and 
Achaz begat Ezekias ; and Ezeldas begat Manasses ; and Manasses 
begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias ; and Josias begat Jeclionias and 
his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon : 

This "Jeclionias" is called in the Old Testament JeJioiakim. Unless the Jecho- 
nias in this verse and the next are distinguished, it might be thought that the num- 
bers in ver. 17, do not correspond with the names which had gone before. 

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Sa- 
lathiel ; 

The king mentioned in verse 11, was the father of this " Jechonias ;" who is 
called in the Old Testament JeJioiacJiin, or Jeconiali, or Coniali. The curse of 
dying childless had been solemnly pronounced upon " Coniah, the son of Jehoia- 
kim," by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah. (r) Salathiel, here mentioned, must 
therefore have been only his adopted son. 

And Salathiel begat Zorobabel ; 

Zorobabel, (whose name means " He of the dispersion of Babylon,") was gov- 
ernor of Judah ; a famovis type as well as ancestor of our Lord. He it was who, 
with Jeshua the high-priest, rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem after the Captivity ;(5) 
being sustained in the task by the prophets Haggai and Zachariah.(/) For the 
sense in which Salathiel is here said to have hegoiten Zorobabel, see the note on 
St. Luke iii. 27. 

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud ; 

This only means that Abiud was descended remotely ivom. Zorobabel; he might 
be called his "son" in the same way as Joseph, in ver. 20, is called " so)i of David." 
For Zorobabel's immediate descendants, see 1 Chronicles iii. 19 — 24. The names 
which here follow, down to Joseph, are nowhere found in the Bible except in this 
place. 

14, 15, 16 And Abiud begat Eliakim ; and Eliakim begat Azor ; and 
Azor begat Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim begat Eliud ; 
and Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and Matthan 
begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom 
was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 



â– ^5 



This then is "the genealogy of Christ from Abraham to Joseph," as the heading 
of the chapter rightly informs us. But, since our blessed Lord was born of the 
Virgin Mary, — it may be asked. Why was not her genealogy given rather than 
Joseph's ? And, since Jos-eph was not our Lord's real Father, How does his de- 
scent from David show that our Lord also was "made of the seed of David accord- 
ing to the flesh ?"(i<) 

These questions cannot be fully answered in a few words. It must suffice to 
point out that it was necessary at first, to keep the mystery of the Birth of Christ 
hidden from the unbelieving eyes of men, and indeed from the Powers of Darkness 
also : and tliat was why it seemed good in the providence of God, that Joseph 
should not only become the Virgin's wedded husband, but be looked upon and be 
spoken of for a certain space of time as our Lord's Father likewise.(a;j Accord- 



{p) 2 Kings viii. 16—18, 26. (q) 2 Kings xv. 32, 33. (r) Jer. xxii. 24—30. 

(s) Ezra iii. 2; v. 2; Hag. i. 14. (<) See Ezra v. 1; Hag. i. 1, 12; ii. 2. (h) Rom. i. 3. 
\x) St. Matt. xiii. 55; St. Luke ii. 48; iii. 23; St. John vi. 42. 



8 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

ingly, Joseph's genealojry from David is licre ^iven. And next, observe that, in 
the eves of a Jew, Joseph's descent from David was (luite enoujrh to estalilish our 
Lono's lej;ul descent likewise from the same king, notwithstanding His niiruculous 
Birth ; because wlien Joseph married the lilessed Virgin her ll<dy Son was ac- 
counted to be uln'ctlt/ Juscph'ti son, and to be descended from tlie same line of 
ancestors as Joseph himself. 

But lastly, it is to be borne in mind that, from the very language of Scripture, 
there can be no doubt that the Ble.-sed Virgin was licrself uf tlic same family as 
Joseph. She camo to Bethlehem " to be taxed," as well as her husband ;(»/) there- 
fore she was of the house ar^d lineage of David, as well as he. Tlie angel promised 
that the hol^- Cliild which slioukl be born (jf her, should occupy "the throne of 7/w 
Father David ;"(:) therefore she must have lieen of David's line. And Zacharias, 
who knew the mystery of our Saviour's Birth, blessed God for having " raised up 
a liorn of Salvation in the house of Ilis servant David."{a) 

"\Vc must not be surprised to meet with some difficulties in a Revelation which 
comes from God: rather should it surjirise us that we meet with so few. Nor is it 
reasonable that beings like ourselves, who really know nothinj' more about God 
and Uis ways than He has been pleased to tell us, should sit in judgment, as it 
were, on llis llol}- Book. Humility is the fitting attitude for the mind which 
studies divine things; Adoration, the proper business of the heart ; and oh ! the 
peace and joy unspeakable which ihcy experience, who are content in such a tem- 
per to feed upon the Word of Life. Consider such texts as the following : Job 
xxlii. 12 ; Psabn i. 2 ; hi. 10 ; cxix. 72, 07, 103, 105, 140, 148, &c. 

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen 
generations ; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon arc 
fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto 
Cmii.ST are fourteen generations. 

In the Book of Wisdom(^) it is said, "Thou hast ordered all things in measure, 
number, and weight." 

Three fourteens arc 42 ; which is declarcd(r) to bo the number of the stations of 
the Israelites, on their way from Egypt into Canaan. Just so, there are found to 
be 42 resting places in this Genealogy, l)y which the Israel of Gon are conducted 
out of the bondage of the world into the promised land of the Gospel, — the glorious 
liberty of the kingdom of Christ. As a matter of fact, indeed, there were more 
than 42 stations, just as there were actuall}- more than 42 stops in the Genca- 
logy.(</) But the same inspiring SriRiT which instructed the Author of the Book 
of Numbers to exhibit the stations as six times seven, guided the hand of the bless- 
ed Evangelist St. Matthew likewise to a similar result. 

St. Matthew thus distinguishes three periods of time, from Abraham to CnniST ; 
as Moses had defined the limits of two earlier periods ;(<") and these five embrace 
the whole interval comprehended by the Old Testament. A sixth and last period, 
the Age of the Gospel, extending on from the Advent of our Lono to the end (jf the 
world, may 1)C considered to correspond with the vSixth Day of Creation, inasmuch 
as it proents us with the crowning work of Love, the 3Ian, Christ Jests, the 
Second Adam. There yet remains to bo revealed that eternal Sabbath :(/) of 
which tlie rest of the seventh day was but a faint type or image : and the whole 
will indeed be "finished." 

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 lIuLY GliOST. 

The history of this mighty wonder is given at greater length in St. Luke's Gos- 
pel. (/y) One Evangelist supplies what the other omits, in order to induce us to 
study all the four Gospels. 



(y'\ St. Luke ii. ."i. (:\ St. Luke i. .'(2. 

(/<) WiKcliiin xi. 20. (< ) Niiiiil)t'rs .xx.\iii. 

(c) tjon. V. and .\i. (/) llcb. iv. tf. 



(n) St. Luko i. 09. 

((/) Soonoto.i (in vcrecs 8 and 19. 

(<;) tiU Luko i. 26—28. 



I.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 9 

That the Saviour should be born of " a Virgin espoused to a man," as St. Luke 
speaks, (7t) was a part of the Divine contrivance. The secret of His birth -svas 
thereby effectually concealed. See the note on verse IG. Also on St. Luke i. 27. 

19 Then Joseph her husband, 

For, by the Jewish law, an " espoused" (or hetrothed) woman was reckoned as a 
wife. Consider the language of Deut. xxii. 23, 24. 

being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was 
minded to put her away privily. 

From this, we gather two things. First, that Joseph was a person of amazing 
forbearance and tenderness. Secondly, that the Blessed Virgin had kept the mira- 
cle of the Incarnation a profound secret even from Mm. She left to God the care 
of completing his own designs, and carrying out the wonderful work He had begun. 

Well would it be for us, if we also, after entire obedience, could be content to 
leave the issues of events in the hands of God ! We act as if we could not trust 
Him in the commonest matters for a single hour. 



"o*- 



20 But while he thought on these thinf!;s, behold the Ano;el of the 
Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, 
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife ; 

This was doubtless the Angel Gabriel, who had already conveyed wondrous tid- 
ings to Zacharias, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary.(i) Since the holy Angels take 
so great an interest in the concerns of men, as our Saviour Jesus Christ assures 
us that they do,(^) how must they have delighted in thus ministering to His chosen 
servants ; and rejoiced in every thing that tended to prepare the way for the coming 
of His Gospel ! 

for that which is conceived in her is of the Holt Ghost. 

God ended his doubts by sending an angel to reveal to him the innocence of 
Mary, and the Divinity of her Son, — who derived His birth from Heaven, and was 
heir of all the world. "And in all our doubts," says a pious Bishop, "we shall 
have a resolution from Heaven, or some of its ministers, if we have recourse thither 
for a guide ; and be not hasty in our discourses, or inconsiderate in our purposes, 
or rash in our judgment." 

21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name 
JESUS : for He shall save His people from their sins. 

Almost every name has a well-known meaning. The name Jesus means Saviour: 
that is why the Angel says, "for He shall save His people." 

" Jesus" is the Greek way of writing the Hebrew name Joshua. The famous 
typical personage who bore the latter name is therefore actually called " Jesus" in 
Acts vii. 45, and in Hebrews iv. 8. Other persons bore the name of Jesus besides 
our Lord: see, for example, Colossians iv. 11; but the name never belonged of right, 
to any one but Him. 

Notice, here, the intimation afforded by the Angel that the promised Deliverer 
was to become the Head of a spiritual kingdom: — "He shall save His people — 
from their sins." As for that expression, "His people," consider how "He saith 
also in Osee, I will call them My people which were not My people," (?) for the 
name belongs to as many as have been redeemed to God by the Blood of the Lamb 
" out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation :"(?«) and was not con- 
fined, as the Jews fondly supposed, to the natural descendants of Abraham. See 
the note on St. Matt. iii. 9. 

It was long before the most enlightened among them were able to realize this 
great truth. Thus the Apostles are found inquiring of our Blessed Lord, shortly 

ih) St. Luke i. 27. f St. Luke i. 19, 26, 27. {k) See St. Luke xv. 10. 

\l) Rom. ix. 25. \m) Rev. v. 9. 



10 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CUAP. 

before Hi -i Asuension into Ileaveu, "Lokd, wilt Thou at tliis time restore again 
the Kin;j;ili>ni to I-rael ?"(/') 

22 Now all this >vas done, that it mi<^ht be fulfilled >vliieh was 
spoken of the LoKD by the Prophet, 

liather ''spoken />// llie Loiiu, tlnuuijli," tliat \^, " hi/ the muiith i>f" "the])ro- 
pbct." Compare tlie laniriiajre of Acts i. 10. So iu ii. 15. More will be found on 
this subject in the note on til. Luke i. 70. 

23 saying. Behold, a Virgin shall he â– with child, and shall bring 
forth a Son, and they .>^hall call His name Emmanuel; which being in- 
terpreted, is, God with us. 

Isaiah is the projihot here s]i"ken of :((*) this is the first of the many nnciont 
propheeics which St. Matthew notices as fiiltilltd in the History of our Blessed 
LoRO. It hail been pronoiiiu-cd about 750 years before, and yields to none, in its 
wondrous precision and clearness. 

Einnntnu moans "with us," El means "God." Compare Isaiah viii. 10, whore 
tliis iuterjiretation of the Hebrew name is found. 

Nut that our Saviour renicetl the name "Emmanuel" from anyone; Init iu 
Hebrew, *' to be called" and " to be," are different ways of saying the same thing. 
CuRisT Jesi's therefore, because He was "very God of very God," is said to have 
been '^railed Eiiiniaiiucl," wluii lie "dwelt among us," (as St. John writes, i. 14.) 
because He was really and truly, God irilk ns. 

Let us never forget His parting promise to His Apostles, the last words of St. 
Matthew's Gospel, — " Lo I am u-ilh y<ju alway, even unto the end of the world !" 
"If God bo for us," asks St. Paul, "who can be against us?"(7)) 

24 Then Joscpli being raised from ^ecp did as the angel of the 
Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 

The A'irgin Mary became the wife of Joseph, to whom she had already been 
espoused. (7) One reason why it was ordained that by a wedded wife the Eternal 
So.v should be born into the world, has been already assigned in the note to ver. 
10. But by this precaution on the ]iart of the Most High we seem to be further 
taught that wc may not rest content with purity of purpose and innocence of in- 
tention ; but that wo must also " provide things honest in the sight of all men ;" 
leaving no room for scandal or suspicion, and throwing no unnecessary stumbling- 
block in the way of otiicrs. The most holy Virgin, as her title implies, remained 
n Virgin all her life. Our l^lesseil Lord, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, (/) — 
was her first-ljorn and her only Son. Yet, in respect of that mysterious Child- 
bearing also, did Mary remain a Virgin: bo that she has been compared to the 
Bush which burned with lire — and yet was not consumed. (a) 

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born Son : 

"Which does not, in the least degree, imply that she ever had aiwthcr : but only, 
that she had never had a scm before this. Every "first-born" was presented unto 
the Lord, — whence the special notice given to the lirst-born in the law of Moses, 
Exod. xiii, 2; xxii. 20; and x.\.\iv. 19; Numb. iii. 13; viii. 17; nnd xviii, 15: but 
this apj)elIation wa^ bestowe<l without any reference whatever to the children who 
might (or might not) hapjien to lonie after. 

Concerning the expression " /i// she hatl brought forth," consider the following 
places of Scrijiture: — Gen. xxviii. 15; Deut. xxxiv. 0; 1 Sam. xv. o5 ; 2 Sam. vi. 
23; Psalm cxii. 8, &c. ; and take notice that in none of those places is it by any 
means iniidi<d that, at (lie jicriod spoken of, the thing did hujipen which is spoken 
of as not lia\iiig happened until then. See by all means, in u Itilile witii references, 
the marginal note against Daniel i. 21. 

(»\ AclK i. 3. (o) Sec I.«niuh vii. II. (],) Koin. viii. .31. 

(<y) .Sto vor. 18, and nolo there, (r) Si. Joliu i. IJ, 18; iii. 10, Ifi. («) ExoJ. iii. 2. 



I.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 11 

and he called his name JESUS. 

As Joseph had been commanded hy the Angel in v. 21. The Blessed Virgin had 
received the same command before liim.(i;) From the special interference of God 
in the bestowal of names on certain occasions, (as in Genesis xvi. 11; xvii. 5, 15, 
19 ; xxxii. 28, and xxxv. 10 ; and St. Luke i. 13,) we learn that names ought not to 
be carelessly and thoughtlessly given, but that we should have a reason to assign 
for the name we bestow. 

The dignity of the very name of God. may be inferred from that petition in our 
daily prayer, — " Hallowed be Tliij name." In many places of the Bible the Name 
of God stands for God Himself; as in Psalm xxi. 1, 7 ; Proverbs xviii. 10, &c. 



PRAYERS. 

GOD, which maketh us glad with the yearly remembrance of the 
birth of Thy only Son Jesus Christ, grant that as we joyfully receive 
Him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold Him 
when He shall come to be our Judge ; who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

Collect for Christmas Bay, A. D. 1549. 



Almighty God, who hast given us Thy only-begotten Son to take 
our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin ; 
Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption 
and grace, may daily be renewed by Thy Holy Spirit ; through the 
same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and 
the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

(0 See St. Luke i, 31. 



12 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHATTER II 



1. The Wise Men out of the East are directed to Christ hi/ a Star. 11. TJtei/ tcor- 
ship Hint, and '«//t'r tlieir jirexent.s. 14. Joseph jUtth into Eiji/pt, trilh Jescs 
and His Motlui: 10. Herod slai/dh the childkn. 20. Hiiiisilf didh. 23. 
CuRiST is brouyld buck ayain to Galilee into Nazareth. 



1 Now when Je.-us was born in Bethlehem of Judi\}a in the days of 
?rod 
salem. 



Ilerod the khig, behukl, there came AVise Men from the east to Jeru 



These Persian sages arc thought to have been of royal, as well as of priestly 
race ; and in their jjcrsons may have been first fiiHillod those ghjrious anticipations 
of the proplict Isaiah: — "Kinys . . . shall bow down to Thee, with their face 
toward the earth, and lick up the dust of Thy feet."(rt) " The Gentiles shall come 
to Thy light, and Kinr/s to the brightness of Thy rising."(^) " Yea, all Kings 
shall bow down before IIim."(r) Sec also Psalm Ixviii. 2'J ; Ixxii. 10. 

2 Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews ? for we have 
seen His Star in the East, and are come to worship Ilim. 

" King of the Jews \" a title which attended our Blessed Lord from the cradle to 
the grave. ((7) 

Notwithstanding the humbleness of our Redeemer's birth, it should not escape 
our notice that the blessed event was carnllcd by Angels on Karth, and proclaimed 
by a .Star in I leaven. Curist was laid in a manger indeed ; but Wise -Men from 
the East did Ilim homage, and confessed that lie was " King of the Jews." The 
finger of Prophecy pointed him out to the eye of Faith, from first to last, as the 
Messiah, the »Saviour of the World. 

Men are apt to overlook the glories by which the Son of God was attended, even 
in the lowest dopth of His humiliation ; simply lieeause those glories were not of 
Earth, but of Heaven. 

3 When Herod the King had heard these tliincjs^ he was troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him. 

Herod was by birth an Iduuuoan, or Edomite; that is, a descendant of Esau. On 
this account, as well as because of his cruel and tyrannical conduct, he was far 
from popular with the Jewish peoide, (the descendants of Israel,) whom he gov- 
erned. Well may tidings of one that was "born Kin<j of the Jetcs," have " trou- 
bled" Ilcrod tliercforc ; inflaming his jealousy, and arousing all his fears ! 

4 And when he had gathered all the chief Priests and Scribes of tho 
people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 

Observe what important results followed ut once from tiie Wise Men's visit to 
Jerusalem. The cinef Priests and Scribes were made to bear witness to the clear 

(a) laaiiih xlix. 23. U] Il>. Ix. 3. 

(c) PsaUn Ixii. H. (</) Sec St. Matth. x.wii. 37, Ac. 



II.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 13 

voice of Prophecy ; and the attention of all who looked for redemption in Jeru- 
salem(e) was called to the actual advent of Christ. 

There were many holy men among the Jews who looked for Ilis coming ; as St. 
Andrew and St. John,(y) St. Philip((/) and others of the Apostles. Simeon is ex- 
pressly said to have "waited for the consolation of Israel."(7t) Joseph of Arimathea 
also "waited for the kingdom of God."(i) 

5 And tliey said unto liim, in BetMehem of Judoea : for thus it is 
written by the Prophet, 

The Jews knew very well (as we learn from St. John vii. 42) that Christ was to 
be horn in Bethlehem Ephratah, or, as it was commonly called, Bethlehem of 
Judaea, — to distinguish it from the other village of the same name in the tribe of 
Zabulon.(^) 

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 My people Israel. 

The chief Priests do not repeat the exact words of Micah v. 2, but they give the 
sense of the prophecy very fairly. It is because they cite that place of Scripture 
according to the interpretation then current among the Jews ; and which is still 
preserved in their " Chaldee paraphrase." 

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise Men, inquired 
of them diligently what time the Star appeared. 

He sent for them in private, pretending to take a friendly interest in the tidings 
they brought, and hoping thereby the better to frustrate the Divine Will which he 
had just heard declared out of ancient prophecy. lie had yet to learn that "the 
counsel of the Lord standeth for ever;" (Z) that "with Him is wisdom and strength: 
He hath counsel and understanding ;"(to) " He is in one mind, and who can turn 
Him V'{n) " Hath He said, and shall He not do it ?" 

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search dili- 
gently for the young Child ; and when ye have found Him.) bring me 
word again, that I may come and worship Him also. 

Thus he sent them forth with lying words on his tongue, and murderous thoughts 
in his heart: but "the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." (o) 
"There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord."(^) "He 
disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their 
enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." (g) 

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. 

The star which the Wise Men had seen when they were in the East, now ap- 
peared again; and went before them until, to their infinite joy and wonder, it rested 
and shone steadily above the dwelling of the Infant Saviour. 

This is enough to show that what they beheld was not one of the stars of 
Heaven, but some bright heavenly body, which shone like a star, and appeared for 
the especial purpose of guiding these men, the first-fruits of the Gentiles, to 
Christ. The prophecy of Balaam (r) had prepared mankind for such an appear- 
ance at the birth of Him who afterwards styled Himself in the Book of Revelation, 
" the bright and morning Star." (s) 



(e) St. Luke ii. 38. (/) St. John i. 35— 4L (.7) Unci. i. 45 

Ih) St. Luke ii. 25. \i) St. Mark. xv. 43. [k) Joshua xi 

(?) Psalm xxxii. 11. (m) Job xii. 13. ^h^ Ibid, xxii 

(o) Psalm ix. 16. (p) Prov. xxi. 30. ((j-) Job v. 12, 

(r) Numb. xxiv. 17. («) Numb. xxii. 16. Compare 2 Pet. i. 19. 



14 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

10 When they saw the Star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 

God couM have piiidcd the Wise Men all the Tvay from Persia to Bethlehem 
direct, luul IIo seen tit; but His ways arc imt like man's uays. He brin^rs about 
the ends of His Providence by an unexpected, and often unwelcome method; of 
which, however, when we look back, we can often discern the reason. For 
example, it may have been His Divine pleasure to try the faith of the Wise Men 
by making them repair to Jerusalem in the first instance; and certainly what 
they heard on rcachini; the eity, must have been an abundant contirmation of 
their faith. (0 Go» at last comforts His servants with the si-jht of the star again, 
for He is "the Father of mercies and the don of all comfort," (») and never leaves 
without f^idauco those who are humbly walking in the way of His Commandments. 

11 And wlion tliey were come into the house, they saw the young 
Cliihl with Mary His Mother, and fell down, and worshipped Ilim : 
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Uim 
gifts ; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 

Pious men have tried to discover the meaning of these three offerings: and that 
there w a meaning for every thing in Scripture is certain, thougli we cannot 
always find it out. The Gold is thought to have been an acknowledgment, as 
well as an emblem, of the lloyalty of Christ: the Frankincense, of His Divinity: 
the Myrrh, of His sutleriugs and Death. Fur Guld was given to Kings, (j) and 
Incense was offered with prayers, (y) and Myrrh was used to embalm mortality. (2) 

Hence it is that prayer and incen.sc came to be so often mentioned together, (a) 
"Gold"' is spoken of in connection with "Incense" in Isaiah Ix. G. For the use to 
which Myrrh was applied, see also St. Matthew xxvi. 7, 12, and the parallel places. 
The word there translated 'ointment,' is ^ myrrh' in the original. 

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return 
to Ilcrod, they departed into their own country another way. 

That is, they returned into Persia by a different way from that which had 
brought them to Jerusalem. Thus Herod will have pursued them in vain. 

Holy men, in ancient days, feeding upon God's Word, and delighting in it, and 
seeing instruction in every part of it, found a lesson in what is here stated. 
It reminded them that the heart which has been once brought to the knowledge 
of Christ, and has bowed down in His presence, and has offered Him of its best, 
when it goes forth into the world again, will return to its "own country — 
another way." 

13 And when they were departed, behold, the Angel of the Lord 
appearcth 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 Ilim. 

These last words remind us tliat (loi) sees the yet unformed purpose in tho 
heart. "Thou understandest my thoughts long before!" exclaims the Psalmist. (6) 

It is said in a certain place, "Tho Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them 
that fear Him, and dclivereth them."(() Holy Angels still guide the footsteps of 
tho just, and minister to them, although unseen. Notice wiiat is said in tho 
Collect for 'St. Michael and all Angels.' "Are they not all ministering Spirits, 
sent fortli to minister for them who sJiall be heirs of Jsalvation ?(</) 

14 When he arose, he took tho young Child and His Mother by 
night, and departed into Egypt. 

t) Pro n»«o tho note on vorso 4. f 11) 2 Corinthians 1. ?.. (..) Sco P^nhn l.xxii. 15. 

y)  Iiition viii. :!, t. (:) See St. John lix. 39. 

") ~ ' ••xlii. 3; tit. Luko i. 10. 11: Uuv. v. 8. (6) Psalm cxsxix. 1. 

c) Pialm xxxiv. 7. (d) Hobrown i. 14. 



II.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 15 

Thus then, from His earliest Infancy, was our Blessed Saviour exposed to hard- 
ship and suffering. Already might it have been said of Ilim, "The foxes have 
holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man hath not where to 
lay Ilis head." (e) 

Observe how silently, and how effectually God brings about His purposes. The 
Wise Men, moved by a dream, had already set out for the East. (/) Joseph, in 
the course of the same night probably, takes his journey in an o|jpositc direc- 
tion. Thus by day-break, there would remain in Bethlehem no trace of those 
against whom Herod will soon be "exceeding wroth." 

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be ful- 
filled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, 

On the expression, — "of the Lord by the prophet," see the note on i. 22. 

saying, Out of Egypt have I called My Son. 

This is quoted from Hosea xi. 1, — at first sight, a marvellous application of that 
prophecy, truly ! To understand it, we must bear in mind that CHRIST was the 
promised seed,(r7) in whom God's promises to Abraham had their real fulfilment. 
He alone could properly be called God's So7i: but it had been said of Abraham's 
descendants, when they were in Egypt, "Thus saith the Lord, Zsj-aeZ is My son, 
even My first-born." {h) What was typically spoken of the children of Israel was 
therefore actually fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. As the infancy of that 
nation was cradled in Egypt, so was it with His infancy. In both cases, God sent 
a Joscjj/i "to preserve life." (i) In both cases, "there arose up a new King;" (A;) 
and lo, in both cases, "the Lord" called His Son "out of Egypt." 

How, at every stage of our Blessed Lord's history, are we reminded that the 
Old Testament in its narratives, no less than in its prophecies, is full of Him! 
(Consider St. Luke xxiv. 27, 44, 45; St. John v. 46; Acts xxviii. 23.3 

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise Men, 
was exceeding Avroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that 
were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old 
and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of 
the Wise Men. 

The Infant Saviour has Infant Martyrs ! Thus children are held up to our 
admiration from the very first, — in their deaths as in their lives, a pattern to older 
Christians. (J) 

These Mothers of Bethlehem must have thought themselves supremely miserable ; 
the most afflicted of God's creatures: but they little knew their blessedness! Their 
murdered Innocents evermore lead the van in 'the Noble Army of Martyrs;' and 
are honored by the Church's yearly Festival which bears their name. Now, " what- 
soever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through 
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."(Hi) 

It is worth observing that when Herod persecuted our Lord, we behold the 
remote descendant of Esau, the elder brother, persecuting the remote descendant 
of Jacob, the younger. («) As once "Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing 
wherewith his father blessed him: and said, .... Then will I slay my brother 
Jacob ;"(o) — so was it now. The enmity of the brothers survived in the persons of 
their remote descendants. Consider the following texts: 1 Sam. xxi. 7; xxii. 9, 
18, 19, 22; Obadiah 9—14; St. Mark vi. 17, 27; St. Luke xxiii. 11; Acts xii. 
1—3, &c. 

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet, 
saying, 

(e) St. Matthew viii. 20. (/) St. Matthew ii. 12. {(j) Galatians iii. 16. 

\h) Exodus iv. 22. (t) Genesis xlv. 5. ik)^ Exodus i. 8. 

\l) St. Matthew xviii. 2. {m) Romans xv. 4. («) See note on verse 3. 

(o) Genesis xxvii. 41. 



16 A PLAIN COMMENTARY • [CHAP. 

18 In Rama there was a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and 
great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be 
comforted, because they are not. 

These words are found in Jeremiah xxxi. 15. The prophecy received an imme- 
diate fulfihnent when the descendants of Ivacliel, who were heinj; carried away cap- 
tive to Jiabylon, wore IimI past hor tunili.Q*) She whom Jacob had buried "in the 
way to Ephratli, which is IJethlehem,"(ry) was then, by a beautiful poetical figure, 
said to weep passionately for her offspring, because she bchehl them taken from 
her. The bereaved Muther sends up a ci-y of agony from the very chandler of 
Death! 

But this propliecy was far more strikingly fulfilled in the days of the Gospel, 
when the children of the same Mother were cut off, as it seemed, without any hope 
of return. 

Yet, consider the message of the Prophet;(r) and take note in what a far higher 
sense his words were fulfilled in the persons of the Holy Innocents. 

19, 20 But when Ilcrod was dead, behold, an Angel of the Lord 
appcareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. Saying, Arise, and take 
the young Child and Ilis Mother, and go into the land of Israel : they 
are dead Avhich sought the young Child's life. 

You will find that tlicse last words were also spoken t(5 Moses, who was a type 
of Christ. (.v) Holy Scripture often reminds us, in this manner, of types and fig- 
ures ; thus guiding us by the hand, as it were, to much of its hidden teaching. 
Compare for example Genesis xxviii. 12, with St. John i. 52; and see the note on 
St. Matthew i. 1, and ii. 4. 

During the lust few weeks of Herod's life, he had a horrildc disorder, of which 
he died in a dreadful manner, about the month of March, four years before the 
common account called Anno Domini, i. e. B. C. 4 ; at which time our Blessed 
Saviour may have been about a half year old. 

21 And he arose, and took the young Child and His Mother, and 
came into the land of Israel. 

Thus, at a Passover time, (fur it was just before a Passover that Herod died,) 
did He came up out of Egypt, of whom Israel was a type.(/) 

How arc we reminded by this complicated history, of tliat earlier page of the 
Bible which records (ion's no less marvellous dealings with His typical son, the 
children of Israel! Surely, no strangeness in the Divine method with respect to 
ourselves, should ever stagger us, after what llevelation has recorded concerning 
the histories of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, of Joseph and of David, even of 
the Incarnate So.v. 

22 But when he heard that Archclaus did reign in Judira in the 
room of his father Ilerod, he was afraid to go thither : notwithstanding, 
being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of 
Galilee : 

Judaea became the scene of tumults after the death of Ilcrod ; every part of the 
country was infested by lawless bands of armed men. .Josejih thercfurc trembled 
for ihe II(jly Child. But the Angel who had guided him into Egypt, and brought 
him tidings of Herod's death, now warns him in which direction to bend his footr 
stops. 

All these things happened for our example. " I will never leave tlicc nor forsake 
Mr/," says Con Ai.miuutv. He has never yet forsaken those who did not first for- 
sake Him. 

For a few words concerning Archelau.'*, sec the last note on St. Luke iii. 1, 2. 

{;>) Jcrcminh xl 1. (r/) Gcnosiajcx.w. 19. (r^ Jcrcminh x.x.xi. IC, 17. 

(•) E.\odus iv. lU. (r) Deuteronomy xvi. 1. 



II.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 17 

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets, He shall be called a 
Nazarene. 

No one particular place of Scripture is here referred to. This was spoken by 
" the Prophets." 

The Hebrew word Neser means " a branch ;" and from this word, the name of 
the town called Nazareth, (which should not be written with a z,) is derived. The 
Holy Spirit therefore here informs us, that when our Lord went to dwell at Naza- 
reth, and was called a Nazarene, all those prophecies found fulfillment which spoke 
of Him as the branch. For example, " There shall come forth a rod out of the 
stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his root."(it) Again, "Behold the 
man whose name is the Branch,^' (m) See also Zech. iii. 8 ; and Jeremiah xxiii. 
5 ; and xxxiii. 15. 

A NazariYe and a Nazarene are wholly different. John Baptist was a Naza- 
rite:(a:) which our Lord expressly says that He Himself was not.(v/) 

This may seem a strange explanation of the text, but it is the only true explana- 
tion of it. How wonderful then, is the mind of the SPIRIT, and in what unex- 
pected ways is God found to fulfill his words ! " How unsearchable are His judg- 
ments, and His ways past finding out." (2) 

THE PEAYERS. 

God, who by the leading of a Star didst manifest Thy Only-Be- 
gotten Son to the Gentiles ; mercifully grant that we which know Thee 
now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious 
Godhead, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Almighty God, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklings 
hast ordained strength, and madest Infants to glorify Thee by their 
deaths ; mortify and kill all vices in us, and so strengthen us by Thy 
grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith, 
even unto death, we may glorify Thy holy Name; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

(«) Isaiah xi. 1. («<) Zechariali vi. 12. (.r) See St. Matth. iii. 4. 

[rj] St. Matthew xi. 19. (2) Romans xi. 33. 



18 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER III. 



1 John preacheth : his office: life, and baptism. 7 He reprehendeth the Pharisees, 
13 and haptizeth Christ in Jordan. 

1 Ix those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilder- 
ness of Judea, 

The time here spoken of was about tliirty years after the birth of Curist. Jolm 
the Baptist, whose miraculous birth St. Luke describes, (u) was then sent to pre- 
pare the Saviolk's way. 

Consider how this man, — "a Prophet, yea and more than a Prophet ;"(t) nay, 
consider liow Christ Himself, "the latdiet of whose shoes" the Forerunner was 
" not worthy to stoop down and unloose ;(c) — appeared not in public, nor com- 
menced His Ministry, till He "began to be about thirty years of af!;e."((/) Surely, 
the consideration of these examples should act as a check and curb ; inspire mod- 
est}' and distrust, in those who are called to the Ministry of Christ's Church ; even 
where there may be no lack of ability and true piety ! " Good fruit may be 
plucked too green : which, let alone awhile to ripen, would prove much more pleas- 
ant and prolitable." 

Archbishop Leighton, (the author of the foregoing remark,) points out that, in 
the case of our Incarnate Lord and His Forerunner, — (if it be lawful thus to name 
the two together,) — their long lying hid, is so much the more remarkable, inasmuch 
as, besides their singular litness for appearing much sooner, they had so short a 
time allotted for their course : the Forerunner, about one year ; and our Lord 
Jesls Christ Himself, but about three years and a half. 

2 and saying, Repent ye : for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 



It appears from St. Matthew iv. 17, that this was the subject of our Lord's 
preaching also. The Forerunner's doctrine, (it has been said,) was to the sermons 
of .Iesls, as a jireface to a disf<jurse ; and his Baptism, was to the discipline of the 
Kingdom, as tlie Vigil to a Holiday, — of the same kind, in a less degree. 

The same as this of St. John Baptist, and of our S.vviouR, was the message of 
the Twelve Apostles likewise. (r) — It is only by Repentance that we can become fit 
to receive tiie message of the Kingdom. Self-denial is necessary to prepare us to 
receive the tirace of (Jod. 

For this is He that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, 
The voice of one crying in the wiklerncss, Prepare ye the way of the 
Lord, make His paths straight. 

In s\ich language had the jirophet Isaiah, more than TOO years before, foretold 
the Baptist's ottice.(y') So true is tliat saying of St. .James, — "Known unto UoD 
are all llis works from the beginning of the world V\f)) 

a) i. 5 to 25, and 57 to 80. (6) St. Matthew xi. 9. U) St. Mark i. 7. 

r/j St. Luke iii. 23. (e) SU Matthew x. 7. (/) Isaiah .\1. 3. 

<j) AlU IV. IS. 



TIL] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 19 



" This suits -well with the foregoing sum of the Baptist's preaching, and is in 
effect the same with it. ' Repent,' is, — ' Prepare the way of the Loku, make Ilis 
paths straight.' Repentance levels the heart to God ; makes it a plain for Christ 
to walk in ; casts down the Mountains of Pride ; and raises the soul from base, 
low, earthly ways and affections ; smooths the rugged passions, and straightens the 
crooked deceit of the heart ; makes it sincere and straight, both towards Gon and 
Man. And this is our business, — to be dealing with our hearts, leveling, smooth- 
ing, straightening them for our Lord ; that lie may take delight to dwell and walk 
in them, and refresh them with His presence. And certainly, the more holy dili- 
gence is used in suiting the heart to His holy will, the more of His sweet presence 
shall we enjoy." So far, pious Leighton. 

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leath- 
ern girdle about his loins ; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 

By this description of the Baptist's attire, we are reminded that he was the per- 
son whom the prophet Malachi foretold, iv. 5, 6 ; for Elijah is said to have worn 
the self-same dress. See 2 Kings i. 8; — where it is described in the self-same 
words : and read the note on St. Matthew ii. 20. 

The Old Testament, because it ends with that prophecy concerning .John the 
Baptist, has been said to expire with the Gospel on its lips. 

In his hard fare, and severe mode of living, (7«) the Baptist is a rebuke to the 
luxurious and self-indulgent. He tasted neither wine nor strong drink ;(?') but was 
a Nazarite from his mother's womb. (A:) God fed him with locusts; concerning 
which, see Leviticus xi. 22 : and satisfied him with "honey out of the stony rock," 
as it is said in Psalm Ixxxi. 16. His dwelling-place was the Wilderness •,[l) which 
means not a region where none abide : but a retired, and less peopled place. And 
this is " for the example of all the messengers of God ; to live, as much as may be, 
in their condition and station, disengaged from the world : not following the 
vain delights and ways of it ; not bathing in the solaces and pleasures of earth, 
and entangling themselves in the cares of it : but sober, and modest, and mortified 
in their way of living ; making it their main business not to please the flesh ; but 
to do service to their Lord, to walk in His ways ; and prepare His way for Him in 
the hearts of His people." The words are, once more, Leighton's. 

5, 6 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the 
region round about Jordan. And were baptized of him in Jordan, 
confessing their sins. 

How passing wonderful must have been the cause which could produce such a 
result as this ! — a result which is yet indicated, rather than described, by the Evan- 
gelist. Holy Scripture, by such brief statements, seems often to force 'us, as it 
were, to reflect on the majesty of all that it leaves unsaid. Consider St. Matthew 
xxvii. 54; xxviii. 4; St. Mark ix. 15; St. Luke ii. 13, 14 (where see the note); 
St. John xviii. G, &c. &c. &c. 

We must put together all the scattered hints we possess : — the miraculous birth, 
and the name bestowed by an Angel's lips;(TO) of which events some traditional 
knowledge may have got spread abroad: the thirty long years of hardship and 
privation, silence and seclusion from the world, suddenly brought to an end : the 
austere life, and stern aspect: the reputation of extraordinary personal sanctity: 
the summons to repentance and amendment of life ; of which, watei'-Baptism was 
the well-known type or emblem : the soul-stirring Voice, which all men might now 
hear crying in the wilderness : the rough garb, which recalled Elijah the prophet, 
— and the mortified exterior, which bespoke contempt of the world, its pomps, and 
its pleasures : the claim to occupy a place in the page of unfulfilled prophecy : — 
all this, joined to the national belief that Messiah was indeed shortly about to 
appear, and the Preacher's plain avowal that his own office was but to prepare 
Messiah's way before Him ;— all this, I say, may help us, in part, to understand 
why the wonderful results here described, should have followed, so speedily, on the 
Baptist's preaching. 

(^) See St. Matthew xi. 18. (i) St. Luke i. 15. (A-) Numbers vi. 2, 3. 

{I) St. Luke i. 80. (m) See the notes on St. Luke i. 13. 



20 A PLAIX COMMENTARY [CUAP. 

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and SadJucees come to 
his baptism, lie said unto them, generation of vipers, wlio hath 
•warned you to flee from the wrath to come V 

These were stern wonls to luMress to the I'liuriseus, who wore " tlie most 8trai;;Iit- 
est seet" of the Jewisli relij;ioii, as St. Paul ilechires in Acts xxvi. 5. But our 
Saviolr euiploved terms of even greater severity towards them; see St. Matthew 
xxiii. 13 — 3o. We are thereby reminded that "the Loud secth nut as man seeth; 
for man looketh on tin out ward apjicdninrv, but the Lokd looketh on f/ic /ictnL'\n) 

It is not to 1*0 doubted that amun;^ tlieir number were ao/hc sincere jiersons; but, 
as a body, tliey must liave Ijeen proud, uncliaritable, and self-righteous ; of a cha- 
racter, wholly unlike that which Gov approves. See St, Matthew v. 3 — 10: and 
the notes on St. Luke iii. 7. 

8 Bring forth fruits therefore meet for repentance : 

John's Baptism was a "Baptism of Jiepenfattce."Qj) lie therefore warns these 
men, who sou;;lit the blcssin;^ of his Baptism, that they must prove their repent- 
ance .si lid re by leading (/ i/iorc liulij lij'e. lie exhorts thorn to make their conduct 
answer to their profession. 

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 xVbraham. 

The Jews relied on their descent from Abraham, for favour and acceptance with 
God.(;>) It was only the more spiritually minded among them who understood 
that "Abraham's children" wore thoy who did the works of A1)raham:('y) and that 
"he is a Jew which is one imvaidli/." (r) "For," as St. Paul explained to the 
nation, "they are not all Israel, which are of Israel ;"(.s) but, "the Israel of Gou"(0 
are "such as arc of a clean heart." (?<) "Neither, because they are the seed of 
Abraham, are they all children ;"(x) but, as the same Apostle teaches in another 
place, "they which are of Faith, the same are the children of Abraham." (//) 

The Baptist, who was jireacliinij; in the rocky wilderness of the Jordan, reminds 
his hearers, that "of t/ie.ie stones, God could create for Himself a people at His 
will; and the lloi-v Si'iiUT, by tlie Baptist's preaching, solemnly warns its also not 
to rely on our privile;;os as a Church and Nation; but to bring forth fruits 
worthy of our hi</h cnUiinj. The heart is for ever prone thus to loan on external 
advautajjes. How singular a parallel is presented by the Christian Church, as it 
is now m the world, with the Jewish Church in the days of the Son of Man ! 
See the second note on St. Luke iii. 8. 

10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: there- 
fore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and 
cast into the fire. 

A woodman, before he begins to fell a tree, lays the sharp edge of his axe to the 
place where he means to aim his iirst blow; he gives warning, as it were, that he 
IS about to strike. .Just such a merciful warninj^ did the Baptist's jireaching 
convey to each of those who heard him. "A'wjr," said he, "the axe is laid." 
Our Blessed Loun uses the same figure. See vii. I'J ; and St. Luke xiii. — 0. 

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but He that 
Cometh after me is mightier tlian T, Who.sc shoes I am not Avorthv to 
bear: lie shall baptize you with the lluLY GliuST, and tvith fire : 

(ii) I Sitniufl xvi. 7. ('<) Vcri'c 11 ; .see alito ActJ) xiii. 21. 

(p) Pec St. .John viii. 3.1, 39. (7) St. Jolin viii. :W. Ir) Romnn.s ii. 28, 29. 

i») Uomanx i.\. fi. U) (inliitiniiH vi. 10. (ti) r.>>ahn ls.\iii. 1. 

x) Roinanx ix. 7. \y) (iahitians iii. 7, 9, 29. 



III.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 21 

Alluding chiefly (2) to what took place on the day of Pentecost, see Acts ii. 3 and 
4. But every Christian, at his Baptism, is "born of -water and of the Spirit ;(a') 
and in this, lay the great difference between John's Baptism and Christian Bap- 
tism. John's Baptism did not convey the gift of the Holy Ghost: Cukist's Bap- 
tism did. See the note on St. Luke iii. 16. 

Concerning the general meaning and intention of John's Baptism, see the second 
note on St. Mark i. 5. Next, observe how careful is the Forerunner found, on all 
occasions, to abase himself and to magnify his Master ! Lastly, compare the op- 
posite meanings of the concluding word in verses 11 and 12; and consider that 
"we must be either baptized in tJiis^vQ, or burned in that!" 

12 Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His 
floor, 

That is, — this is a sifting and a trying time. The unfruitful shall now be 
taken away ; cut down and given to destruction. Now also shall light hearts, and 
vain minds be winnowed out from among the just, and become as fuel for the fire. 
" Where the Gospel comes in greatest power, there is the most certain and the 
saddest weight of judgment on the unbelieving and impenitent, the formal and 
fruitless." 

Consider, in connection with this intimation of the searching character of our 
Lord's coming, the following places of Scripture : — Zechariah xiii. 9 ; Malachi iii. 
2 and 3 ; 1 Corinthians iii. 13; St. Luke ii. 35. And notice, that the same quality 
which is ascribed to the personal Advent of Christ, is ascribed also to His Written 
Word : — Jeremiah xxiii. 29 ; Hebrews iv. 12 : St. John xii. 48. Compare 1 Cor. 
xiv. 24, 25. 

and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the 
chaff with unquenchable fire. 

The Wheat, and the Chaff; the Good, and the Wicked; the Heavenly Garner, 
and the Fire unquenchable : no mention is any where made of a third class of 
persons ; no promise is any where found of a third place ! 

How mercifully has the Holy Spirit of God ordained that the commonest sights 
shall remind us of the things which concern our peace ! Henceforth, Fan, Flail, 
and Threshing-floor, become full of Christian teaching. Not, however, that there 
is any thing new in these images, as found in the pages of the New Testament. 
The Eternal Sox, by His Spirit, had taught His Servants, in every age, to discern 
the same solemn lessons in the same familiar objects. See Isaiah xli. 15, 16 ; 
Jeremiah Ii. 33 ; Job xxi. 18 ; Psalm i. 4, and xxxv. 5 ; Isaiah xvii. 13, and xxix. 
5 ; Hosea xiii. 3 ; also Malachi iv. 1. 

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to bo 
baptized of him. 

Christ comes to His servant, John the Baptist. The greater comes meekly to 
the less. Our Lord is a pattern to us in all things. See the note on St. Luke i. 44. 

In St. Mark's Gospel (6) we are told that it -was from Nazareth of Galilee, where 
He had been brought up, that our Lord came. 

14 But John forbad Him saying, I have need to be baptized of 
Thee, and comest Thou to me ? 

John sought to prevent our Lord, and spake the words here recorded, because 
he was well aware of the perfect holiness of our Saviour's character ; not because 
he yet knew for certain that his mighty Kinsman was the Son of God. He did not 
know that until after the Baptism, as we are told in another place, (c) 

{z) See Acts i. 5. (a) 1 John iii. 5. (6) i. 9. (e) St. John i. .31 and 33. 



22 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

l.j AikI Jesus answering; said unto liiiu, Suffer it to he su noAv; for 
thus it becoiueth us to fulfill all ri^'hteousness. 

Oiir Savkhk caino to fulfill tlic Law, as lie Illinsolf Siii(l,('/) and therefore lie 
conformoil Himself to all its renuiremeiits: setting us an examjtle, and teaching us 
the duty of oniifunnity and obedience. It was for our sake alone that lie was bap- 
tized in the river Jordan, — there])y for ever consecrating the nature of water to the 
mystical washing away of sin. lie did not recjuire " the IJaptisni of Repentance for 
the Remission of sins," because lie (and lie alime) was without sin: yet, inasmuch 
as He had taken our nature upon llim, it was fitting that lli> should perfectly ae- 
com|dish in His own person all that must afterwards be fulfilled in the person of 
each of His members. Hence it is that we shall behold Him, in the next chap- 
ter, tempted: afterwards, hungering and thirsting; ther!, taking our infirmities, 
and bearing our sicknesses ;(<-) lastly, submitting Himself to Death. Hence it was 
that He descended into Hell, rose again from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. 
It was for our sakes that He did all these things AVho had clothed Himself with our 
common Human Nature. 

Even tiie renewed unction of the Holy Ghost here recorded, was for our sakes 
likewise; for since our Lord was "conceived by the Holy Ghost," He had been 
sanctified therel)y since the time of His Incarnation. But it was to teach us that 
in Holy Baptism there must needs be the gift of the Hulv Simrit. 

The few words here spoken, are the only recorded words aiMrcsscd liy "the 
Bridegroom" to His "Friend." AVe knoAV "that the sound of that blessed voice, 
filled the Forerunner's heart with joy unspeakable. See St. John iii. 29. 

Then he suffered Ilim. 

Our Blessed Lonn's reply satisfied the scruples of the Baptist. To ourselves, — 
what page of Holy Writ does not seem to require an interpreter? 

He, — "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world ;"(/) lie, — the 
"Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness,"(y) — here humbles Ilinisclf to be 
baptized. On this, the pious writer already quoted, exclaims, — "Oh, that we who 
are baptized, had more of His likeness in this hum1)le reverence for Divine ordin- 
ances; looking on them as Jlis, in everj- warranted hand! AVhat though he that 
teaches be less knowing and less spiritual than thou that hearcst? one, that 
might rather learn of ///ce/ Yet, the appointment of God obliges thee to attend 
to liis ministr}- as humbly, and witb as much regard, as if he were an Angel." 

IG And Jesls, ^Yhcn lie "was baptized, went up straightway out of 
the water: and, lo, the heavens "were opened unto llim, and He saw 
the Spirit of Goi> descending like a dove, and lighting upon Iliiu : 

Such was the sign which had 1)cen promised to John, whereby he should know 
the Messiah. (/() .Iesis of Nazareth was thus declared to be the Christ, and 
pointed out to the world as by the linger of (ion.((') 

The Holy Simrit may have chosen to appear in the shape of a dove, not only 
because that liird is the emblem of meekness, gentleness, innocence, (A) attributes 
which were so conspicuous in our Divine Master ;(/) (pialities which, as we are 
hereby reminded, ought t-ver to <listiiiguisii the spiritual man also:(//i) but further, 
in order to recall the blessed office which the same Bird discharged in the days of 
Noah.(;i) It was a Dove which then, as now, l)rought to him who represented 
the Human Race, the comfortal)le pledge of restored mercies: annouiu-ed that God 
was reconciled to a guilty AVorM; and jirodaimed that "Old tilings liad )>assed 
away, behold all things were beccjmo new." Noah's Ark was the type of the Chrig- 
tian Church (as wo read in the Baptismal Service), and that Church was as yet in 
Christ. 

d) .St Mntthcw V. 17. Ic) St. Mnttlicw viii. 17. (/) St. John i. 29. 

</) Zctliiiriiili .\iii. 1. \h) Seu St. .lulin i. .3.3. 

i) ('..niimri- St. Mnltlicw xVi. 2S, mikI St. Luke xi. 20. (i) St. Mntthcw x. 10. 

/) Isninh xlii. 1— :t; l.\i. 1; St. Mntthcw xi. 29. 

m) 1 ThoKnuloninnH ii. 7; 2 Tiinolbjr ii. 24. 25; Titus iii. 2; St. Jnmo.i iii. 17: 2 Corinlhinus 
xiii. 11; Rijinaii.t xii. I.'*, <!kc. (m) Gcncsi:i viii. 11. Cuusidcr 1 I'utcr iii. 20, 21. 



III.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 23 

17 And lo a voice from Heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in 
Whom I am well pleased. 

This yisible display of Divine Power and Love is recorded to have occurred at 
our Saviour's Baptism, in order to teach us what happens, although unseen, at 
ours. The Holy Spirit then descends, and takes up Ilis abode with us. By 
adoption, we then become " children of God." 

In the former verse, mention was made of God the Holy Ghost. Here, God the 
Father proclaims the Eternal and Beloved Son. The chapter which contains this 
glorious manifestation of the ever Blessed Trinity is accordingly appointed to be 
the Second Lesson on Trinity Sunday. 

How marvelously do the Old and New Testament correspond ! There had been 
a manifestation resembling the present, "In the beginning." "The Spirit of 
God moved upon the face of the waters ; and God said. Let there be Light, and 
there was Light I" The first chapter of Genesis is, accordingly, another of the 
proper Lessons for Trinity Sunday. 

But our Saviour, "by Whom all things were made," often declared of Himself, 
"/ am the Light of the world;" "the true Liglit, which lighteneth every man:" 
and this was His Epiphany or Manifestation to the world. Here was a fresh " Be- 
ginning," therefore ; and "the Spirit of God" is found to have once more " moved 
upon the face of the waters."(o) 



THE PRAYER. 

Almighty God, by -whose Providence Thy Servant John Baptist 
was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of Thy Son our 
Saviour, by preaching of Repentance ; make us so to follow his doc- 
trine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preach- 
ing ; and after his example constantly speak the Truth, boldly rebuke 
Vice, and patiently suffer for the Truth's sake ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

(o) Genesis i. 2. 



24 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER IV. 



1 Christ fasfctJi, and if iemj^fccl. 11 The anr/els minister tinio Ilim. 13 lie dwell- 
eth in Capernaum, 17 heijinneth to preach, 18 calldh I'tter, and Andrew, 21 
James, and John, 23 and healeth all the diseased. 

The Temptation of our Blessed Lord, with wliich the fourth chapter of St. Mat- 
thew's Gospel commences, is an event of such unusual interest and of such over- 
whelming importance ; so astonishing in its details, and so tremendous in its con- 
sequences ; that the reader's attention must be invited to a few introductory re- 
marks, in order that he may study with more delight and profit what is to follow. 

It must be borne in mind, then, that the gracious object with which our Saviour 
Christ came into the World was to recover for the Human Race, in Ilis own per- 
son, that which it had lost in the persons of our first parents, at the Fall. For 
this purpose, He "was made Jlcsh, and dwelt among us:"(«) Uence, Jesus Christ 
is called "the second Adam," — being the beginning of a new Creation. lie came 
to restore our ruined Nature ; and, by undoing the ancient curse, to win back for 
mankind an entrance into Paradise. (6) The first step towards this blessed end 
was the effectual resistance of him to whose seductions Adam had yielded, — the 
conquest of Satan, who before had been conqueror.(c) For, "as by one man Sin 

entered into the world, and Death by Sin even so" was it ordained that 

"by the llighteousness of One, the free gift should come upon all men unto Justifi- 
cation of life :" that " as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so 
by the obedience of One should many be made righteous." (d) These remarks will 
sufficiently ex[)lain how it happens that the Temptation of Christ by Satan, stands 
on the very threshold of the Guspel History. 

The first hint contained in the Old Testament Scriptures of what was to fuUow, 
is found in Genesis iii. 15, — where it is darkly propliesied that the Seed of the 
Woman, — (that is, some one mysteriously born of one of Eve's descendants, witli- 
out a Imman Father,) should "bruise the Serpent's head." As time went on, that 
ancient jirophecy grew more an<l mm-e explicit ; as a reference to Isaiah vii. 14, 
will show. This Deliverer of the Human Kace, promised at first generally to our 
first Parents, — then, limited to the first descendants of Abraham, (r) — and Jafter- 
wards restricted to the posterity of .Judah; was at last confirmed with an oath to 
the line of David the King.(/) 

Meanwhile, the prophet Isaiah actually described the wondrous Being who was 
to prove tlie Saviour of Israel. (//) Daniel fixc<l the time of His coming, Ity defin- 
ing the interval " unto tiie Messiah, the Prince. "(/;) Each succeeding jiropliet, 
with astonishing minuteness, added some touches to the picture; — one, mentioning 
tho place of His Nativity, (j) — another, foreseeing the number of pieces of silver 
for whicli He should Ix; sold ;(/,) — another, discerning the Forerunner, who should 
como to prepare Jlis way:(/) until the fullness of time arrived, and mankind lie- 
camc aware that " the Desire of all nations" must bo very nigh, — even at the doors. 
Li:t it be observed, that while the whole Human llace was in expectation of such 
a Deliverer, the Devil, — "that old Serpent, "(//i) — cannot be supposed to have been 

ia) St. .Tolin i. U, on ivhich i)lacc sec the note. (/y) St. Luke xxiii. n. imd tlic note there, 
c) Sco 1 St. John iii. S. (rf ) Rom. v. 12, 18, 10. f, UJcn. xxii. 18. 

/) 2.'^nin. vii. 12: I'M. oxxxii. 11. (v) In. li. (A) Dnniol ix. 25. 

i) Mieah v. 2. (A) Zcch. xi. 12, 1:5. {I ) Malaclii iii. 1, iv. 5, 0. (»i) Uev. xii. 9. 



IV.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 25 



unconscious of men's hopes ; still less, to have heen unconcornod in their frustra- 
tion. He had acquired by usurpation, a wonderful dominion over the bodies, as 
•well as the souls of men, — as many a passage in the Gospel proves. Consider St. 
Luke xiii. 16, — the daughter of Aln-aham, loJiom Satan hud hound for eighteen 
years : and Acts x. 38, — where St. Peter describes our Lord as healing all those who 
were tyrannized over by the Devil. Consider also Acts xxvi. 18. Satan had Ijeen like 
" a strong man armed," " keeping his goods in peace," for 4000 years. lie had 
every thing to fear from the coming of " one stronger than he \"{n) And such an 
One the voice from Heaven, recorded in the last verse of the former chapter, had 
proclaimed. With mingled surprise and consternation, therefore, at the announce- 
ment that the Son of God stood on the banks of the Jordan, we may presume him 
to have hastened thither at once : to have followed the Holy Object of his fear and 
hate to the Wilderness ; and there to have availed himself of the hour of faintness 
and extremity, to commence his most fierce assault. See the note on St. Luke iv. 2. 

There must have been surprise, as well as consternation, on the part of the Ene- 
my of Mankind. The Messiah had been promised to the Royal House of David :(o) 
but the Royalty had long since departed from Judah. The Messiah was to have 
been born in Bethlehem : (jj ) but Christ had come to His baptism from Naza- 
reth, (g) having passed almost the whole of His previous life in that city.{r) Above 
all, a Virgin was to have been His Mother :(s) but Mary was married, (^) our Lord 
"being (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph."(M) The Arch-Fiend must therefore 
have been as confounded as he was terrified by the announcement which now 
brought him into the presence of the Son of Man ; and he came not by deputy, 
but in person, in order that he might the better make trial of His pretensions, and 
ascertain the strength of Him with whom he had to do. 

In what follows, therefore, we are permitted to witness the most wonderful scene, 
perhaps, in the whole Book of God's Revelation : — one, which nothing hut a Reve- 
lation from Him could have discovered to us. The Eternal Son, encompassed with 
all the infirmity of our Nature, is about to encounter face to face the Enemy of our 
Salvation. Guided therefore by the Holy Spirit, He withdraws into the Wilder- 
ness, for the special purpose of being tempted. 

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit 

" Then," — that is immediately after His Baptism :(?;) as if to remind us that this 
Life is from the very first a scene of Trial ; and also to teach us that, until strength 
has been given in the Blessed Sacrament of Baptism, the Christian soldier is not 
fit to encounter the seductions of the Devil, the World, and the Flesh. — See the 
notes on the last half of St. Mark i. 12 ; also the first note on the fourth chapter of 
St. Luke. 

" Then," — that is, immediately before He entered on His public Ministry. 
" Thus look to be assailed, when thou art about to engage in any special service. 
Each, according to his place, will find this. When he is upon some purpose of 
honoring God in any particular undertaking or course, and is nearest the perform- 
ance, then shall the strength of Hell be mustered up against him." 

into the wilderness, to be tempted of the Devil. 

" Into the wilderness — to he tempted." There are Temptations therefore in soli- 
tude and in the waste. Nay, we learn from this place that solitude is the fittest 
scene for Temptation. Yet men sometimes talk as if in crowded cities alone 
Temptations abounded. 

2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was af- 
terward an hungered. 

The Almighty Hand, which had till then sustained Him,— as It had before sus- 
tained Moses, on three several' occasions, (x) and Elijah, on one,(y)— was then sen- 

In) St. Luke xi. 21, 22. (o) See the references above, in note/. (^p) Mieali v. 2. 
\q) St. Mark i. 9. (;•) St. Matt. ii. 23. (») I^aiali vn. U. 

It) St. Matt. i. 24. («) St. Luke iii. 23. [v) Compare St. Mark i. 12, and St. Luke ly. 1. 
(x) Deuteronomy ix. 9 and 18; also x. 1 and 10, compared witli Exodus xxxiy. i. and 28, 

{y) 1 Kings xix. 8- 



26 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

sibl}' Avithdra'VTn ; and the So\ of God, who had assumed the reality of our human 
Nature, '' hauj^ered." This was necessary ; because, not by God as God, but by 
"T/it Man Curist Jescs,"{2) must Satau be overcome. 

3 And when the Tempter came to Ilim, 

Having probably first assumed the appearance of " an Angel of Light."(a) Ob- 
serve the malice of Satan, — reserving his most vigorous onset for the hour of faint- 
ing, and nature's greatest need ! 

We shall find that his lirst Temptation is directed against carnal appetite ; a cir- 
cumstance which may convince us of the quarter in which our Nature is most 
easily, as well as most successfully, assailed. "The Lust of the flesh" is deemed 
the readiest avenue of Temptation, — in the case of the second, as in the case of 
the first, Adam. 

he said, If Thou be the Sox of God, command that these stones be 
made bread. 

By those words, the Arch-Fiend seeks to inspire the same distrust in Gud, — the 
same impatient requiring of food,(6) — which the typical Israel displayed during 
their forty years of trial ; when, as it is said, " Lust came upon them in the wil- 
derness, and they tempted God in the desert."(r) 

The Tem|)tcr says, — If Thou be, in truth, what the Voice from Heaven lately 

f>roclaimed Thee to be, — namely, the promised Son of God and the Anointed De- 
iverer ; make proof of Thy Divine character by a display of Thy Almighty power. 
God humbles Thee in the wilderness, — as He " humbled "the people who foreshad- 
owed Thee of old; God suffers Thee to hunger now, as He "suffered" them.(c?) 
And yet, lie "rained down manna upon them for to eat, and gave them food from 

heaven. . . . He rained flesh upon them as thick as dust So they 

did eat and were well filled."(e) Thou art faint, and nigh unto death. AVhy 
shouldst TIkju, more than they, be disappointed of Thy lust?(y') If Thou he the 
So.v of God, command that these stones be made bread ! 

There seems nothing monstrous in this proposal. It might be thought also that 
it could not have been unlawful in Ilim who giveth food to all flesh ; — who, at 
Cana, commanded the water to be made wine ; — and who, on the Eastern shores of 
the Lake, supplied the necessities of the five, and of the four thousand : — by a 
similar exercise of Divine power, to relieve Himself. But the sinfulness of the act, 
in the present instance, would have consisted in compliance with Satan's sugges- 
tion. And how unlike would have been the circumstances, — how different would 
have been the object and the consequence, — (jf our Lord's compliance I A miracle 
performed, not in public, but in utter privacy: not intended for convincing men, 
but for gratifying the great Enemy of mankind: not calculated to create in others 
confidence in Goo, by supplying support which (in the words of a great writer) 
"might prove the symbol of better nourishment than Earth could give;" Init end- 
ing, where it began, — in self. The effect of such compliance on the part of^ our 
Lord, would have been only " to suspend and terminate an extraordinary act of 
devotion, tending to God's glory, and Ilis own perfection." 

4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by 
bread alone, but by every word that proceedcth out of the mouth of 
God. 

Our Lord's reply might have simply been, that compliance was not His Divine 
pleasure. Far different, however, was His ropl}-. He accepts (and thereby dis- 
covers to us) the Tempter's allusion to the History of God's chosen oeoiilc; but 
calmly appeals, at the same time, to the deep and divine less(m which the great 
Lawgiver (in Dmit. viii. '.>) iiud iiiinsclf t'rawn from tlie occasion when "Man did 
cat Angels' food."(^) The obji'ct of that supernatural supply, whereby the Israel- 
ites were fed so long, had been, — to train them to confidence in God as their solo 
support and satisfying portion ; — to rebuke their sensual spirit; — and to furnish a 

(«) 1 Tim. ii. 5. (a) 2 Cor. xi. 14. (/>) P.". Ixxviii. 10. (r) Ph. cvi. 14. 

(f/) Dfut. viii. .■]. (.) P«. Ixxviii. 25— 30. (/) Pt!. Ixxviii. 30. (3) Ps. Ixxviii. 25. 



IV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 27 

pledge of the security of all God's gracious promises, — an earnest of the blessings 
which were yet in store, and which awaited them when they should reach their 
typical Land of Kest. So that, if we may venture to represent so lofty a matter 
in language of our own, the reply of the Holy One amounted to a declaration that 
He had meat to eat which the Tempter knew not of, — even the Heavenly aid wliicii 
did not forsake Him, when all earthly means of sustenance had been withdrawn. 
His pure mind and will, needed not, like the grosser minds of the Hebrew Fathers, 
a sign from Heaven. For His spiritual support no sensible token was necessary: 
but, (as Himself said on another occasion), His meat was to do the Father's will, 
and to finish His work.(7<) 

See more on this subject, in the note to St. Luke iv. 4. 

5 Then the Devil taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth 
Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, 

The manner of this mysterious proceeding, is not revealed; but left for the 
exercise of a reverent curiosity. It seems most likely that a supernatural agency 
was employed in the second, as in the third Temptation; and that our Lord per- 
mitted Himself to be borne by the Adversary through the air. See the note on 
ver. 8. 

Here, then, the scene of conflict is changed. It is no longer the Wilderness, 
but Jerusalem ; and Jerusalem retains its name of " The Holy City," though its 
inhabitants are no longer holy. The appellation is found in Isaiah xlviii. 2, and 
Daniel ix. 24. It recurs in St. Matthew xxvii. 53. 

The "pinnacle," here mentioned, may well have been situated on the southern 
side of the Temple, — which, (according to -Josephus, the Jewish Historian,) tower- 
ing up to a wondrous height, overhung a valley which it was impossible to gaze 
down upon without giddiness, and risk of falling. 

6 and saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself 
down : 

Much comfort may be derived from the discovered limits of the power of the 
Evil One. " Cast Tliyself down," are his words. By which infernal suggestion, 
the Tempter exposed his weakness rather than proved his power. He has no 
power to injure, till one shall have first " Cast one' s-self doicii." He can persuade 
to*the act; but he has no power, himself, to achieve it. 

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. 

It is observable that "the Father of lies" can yet make appeal to Holy "Writ. He 
quotes Scripture but once; and then, with consummate craft. The quotation, 
however specious, is discovered, first, not to be in point; for although the 91st 
Psalm declares that God will give His Angels charge concerning Christ, (and all 
that are His,) — what encouragement is thereby furnished why He, or any of His 
servants, should rush headlong on destruction ? Moreover, the clause which im- 
plies the condition of such angelic guardianship, the Arch-fiend craftily omits, — 
namely, " in all Thy ways." It was none of Christ's ways to cast Himself down 
from the Temple ; nor will the Imitation of Christ ever lead His servants into 
such a perilous path. Lastly, Satan arrests his quotation just in time: for the 
very next words of the Psalm(i) foretell the victory of the Christian soldier over the 
Enemy of his Salvation, and over aU the Power of the Enemy. 

7 Jesus said unto him. It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt 
the Lord thy God. 

The quotation is from Deuteronomy vi. 16. It was not, of course, addressed by 
Christ to Satan, as if implying that He, the speaker, were "the Lord his God," — 

[h] St. John iv. 34 (0 Ps. xci. 13. 



28 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

(whicli ncvortliolcss would have liecn n most true application of the text :) but 
simply in jiroof tliat, a.v Man, He could not lawfully cuniply with the su;:<restion 
of His Ailvorsary. it is tliorcfcire such a reply as any one of ourselves. His mem- 
bers, might make at any time; whence its peculiar j^racinusness and value on the 
lips of our glorified Head, who hereby teaches us by His example how to en- 
counter temptation in our own jierson, and in what spirit to overcome the Tempter. 

The guilt, then, of tempting (Jul) is incurred as often as "we forsake the ordinary 
path of duty, without obligation or necessity; and thus, without the AVord or Pro- 
vidence of Gou invitin;r us, become involved in strange difficulties or imminent 
dangers. In this course," (to use the words of a great man), "no support is to 
be calculated on from that I'ower without which we can <lo n(»thing." 

The Scripture (juoteil to Satan by our Saviour Chkist, is full of instruction, as 
thus applied by Him. Moses spoke the words in question with reference to the 
distrustful murmuring of the people, whereby they tempted God. But our 
S.wioru, liy His present application of them, reminds us that impetuous and un- 
warrantable presum])tion on the Divine protection, no less than impatient distrust 
of His I'ower, and Love, — is Unbelief; disguised under a more subtle, perhaps, 
but certainly not under a less dangerous, form. It may seent to be Reliance upon 
Gon; but, ill realifi/, it is Idolatry of Self. To Faith, must be added Pafintve, — 
the patient waiting fur tJun, — if we would escape the snare which Satan spread 
no less for the Holy One, when he had " set Him on a pinnacle of the Temple," 
than for the Israelites when they tempted God at Massah,(/i) And this is, jterhaps, 
the reason of the remarkable prominence given to the grace of I'dficiur, Ijoth Ijy 
our LoKi) and His A]iostlcs;(/) a circumstance, as it may be thought, which has 
not altogether attracted the attention which it deserves. 

8 Again, tlic Devil taketli Ilim up into an exceeding high mountain, 
and showeth llini all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory oi" them ; 

It is impossible to say tcliat ^Mountain was the scene of this, the Third Tempta- 
tion. But since there is no ^Mountain in the world which commands such a 
spectacle which is here indicated, (neither, indeed, can be.) we may rest well 
assured that it was liy some subtle device of him who is elsewhere styled "the 
Prince of the Power of the Air,"(w) that "all the kingdoms of the World, and the 
glory of them," were made to display themselves in dazzling order before the human 
eyes of the second Adam. This becomes plainer from St. Luke's account of the 
same transaction, — iv. 5; where see the note. 

9 and saith unto Ilim, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou 
\s\\t fall down and worship me. 

The remark which was made on ver. G, hero again presents itself. Notwith- 
standing this boastful spt-ech of the Enemy, it is evident that the .surrender of the 
will is needful before he can proceed a single step with his infernal purpose. The 
Devil cannot give riches to whom he will: but to those only who are willing to 
receive them ol him. 

Far higher consolation, however, is contained in this place of Scripture. Many 
holy men have been thrown into dismay and perplexity by the blasphemous 
thoughts with whicli they have been occasionally tormented. Let all such take 
comfort in the discovery that Satan here suggests foul blasphemy to tlicir Incar- 
nate LoitD. He knew him not, for certain, to be God, indeed; but he already sus- 
pected no less: and that he had to do with one of wondrous spiritual attainment, — 
a most holy person, — he had at least discovered. Yet did Satan dare to suggest 
to Jliin no less sin than devil-worshi]iI 

10 Then saith Jk.^US unto liim, Get thee hence Satan : for it is 

(k) Dttit. vi. If,, Ac. 

(/) .-^t. Luke xxi. 11). Horn. ii. 7; v. 3, t ; viii. 25 ; xii.'I2: xv. 4, 5; 2 Cor. vi. i ; xii. 12; 
ColoKfi. i. 11 ; 1 Tho.-M. i. :t; V. M; 2 TIichk. i. 4: iii. 5: 1 Tim. iii. .T : vi. 11 : 2 Tim. ii. 24; 
iii.lO; Tilii.s ii. 2; Hcbr. vi. 12 ; x. :ifi; xii. 1 : St. .Limp.>< i. :j. 4; v. 7, S, 10. H: 1 IVt. ii.20; 
2 IVIir i. C ; Ucv. i.O: ii. 2, n, HI; iii. 10: .\iii. 10: xiv. 12. (hi) Eiilic!-. ii. 2. 



IV.] 



ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 29 



written, Thou slialt worship the Lord thy God, and Ilim only shalt 
thou serve. 

The Captain of our Salvation is found to answer every suggestion of the Enemy 
by a single sentence of the Law, — as contained in the Book of Deuteronomy: viz., 
viii. 3 ; vi. 16 ; vi. 13. These were His " smooth stones out of the brook. "('0 He 
condescends not to His Adversary, — no, not even to point out the lioUowness of 
each proposal ; but pierces him at once with the " sharp two-edged sword which 
goeth out of His mouth, "(o) — ' the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of 
GoD.'(;j) 

11 Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold. Angels came and 
ministered unto Him. 

The Tempter, baffled in every endeavour, — withdraws in wonder : and, oh 
blessed contrast ! behold Angels are hastening to minister to the mysterious neces- 
sity of the Son of Man. 

Leighton says beautifully, — "This know, that our Lord is tender of us, and will 
inlay our painful conflicts with sweet comforts. iVnd these, in a high degree, 
usually follow hard encounters patiently and stoutly sustained. Our Lord had a 
cordial draught both before and after this conflict : before, in the last verse of chap, 
iii. — He was confirmed in the very point He was assaulted in : ' This is My Be- 
loved Son.' And as He was confirmed before, so was He comforted after : ' Angels 
came, and ministered unto Him.' Oh ! the sweet issue our Lord gives to many a 
sad battle of weak Christians, wherein they possibly thought once that all Avas 
lost, and that they never should hold out, and come through it ! But never think 
so. We shall come through all, and the day shall be ours." 

12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He 
departed into Galilee ; 

Between the last verse, (g) and the present, if you would know what happened, 
read St. John's Gospel from the 19th verse of chapter i. to the 43rd verse of 
chapter iv. 

The Imprisonment of .John is thus distinctly noticed by all the four Evangelists 
(St. Matt. iv. 12, — St. Mark i. 14,— St. Luke iv. 14, — St. -John iv. 43,) in order, with 
the greater clearness, to mark the beginning of our Lord's Ministry. He had 
already wrought miracles, and made disciples ; but it is from this event that His 
public career more especially dates. See ver. 17, and the note there. Notice also 
what St. Peter says, in Acts x. 37. 

Concerning the circumstances which led to John's imprisonment by Herod the 
Tetrarch, see the note on St. Mark vi. 17. The event itself is related by the 
present Evangelist, in chap. xiv. 3, 4. 

No remark, however, will be found, — either there or elsewhere, — on the ex- 
tremely short duration of the Baptist's Ministry ; to which, in the infinite Wisdom 
of God, the space of one year, at the utmost, was assigned. Noi-, indeed, is it the 
manner of the Spirit so to convey instruction. The facts are given; or the facts 
may, by careful study, be found out. To draw inferences from them, is almost 
ahvays left to indiviclual hearts. Let us not, from this place of Scripture, for 
instance, fail to derive two important lessons : first, — an intimation of the mighty 
result Avhich may be achieved in a very small space of time : next, — a liint that 
there is no knowing how soon God may have done with us; and that it is quite a 
mistake to covet for ourselves, or for others, a prolonged life, — on the supposition 
that we might thereby be able to serve God effectually for a longer time. He does 
not require our services, at all. He certainly does not take us out of the World, till 
He has no more work left for us to do in it. " Let all rather study for themselves, 
and wish unto others, that they may be diligent in their work while their day lasts, 
belt short or long; faithful and fruitful in their generation; and the shorter their 
day is like to be, work the faster. For, certainly, the good of life is not in the 
length of it; but in the use of it."— They are the words of Archbishop Leighton. 

(n) 1 Sam. xvii. 40. (o) Rev. i. 16 and xix. 15, 21. Compare 2 Thess. ii. 8 ; Rev. ii. 16. 

Ip) Ephes. vi. 17. Compare Hebrews iv. 12. (?) ver. 11. 



30 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum. 

When the Forerunner's luiprisonincnt was announced to our Lord, lie was stay- 
ing for two days at Syohar in Samaria. (/) Thereupon, He departed into Galilee, — 
taking; Xa/.aretli, "where he had been ljroujj;ht up, "(■•<■) in llis way. For the acnnint 
of what then occurred, see St. Luke's Gospel, — iv. 10 — 30. "Leaving Xazaretli," 
— " not being honoured in Ills own Country. So, commonness of things make 
them cheap with us, how excellent soever ;" — " lie came and dwelt in Capernaum." 

The town stood near the Nortii-Westeni extremity of the Lake of Tiberias, or (as 
it is oftcner called) the Sea of Galilee ; but there exist no remains of it, and its very 
site is uncertain. 

Our Saviour came to dwell l)y the sea-side, in order to fish for men. 

14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
prophet, 

Not till now, therefore, was the veil removed from this place of ancient Prophecy. 
Yet how mysterious Avas the fulfilment of what had been here foretold! A forlorn 
Stranger, — a houseless Wanderer, — a poor, persecuted Man: yet, f/iis v\as the 
"great Light!" T/itu was lie who was to "make glorious" the land of Zabulon 
and the land of Naphtali ! 

Such discoveries become lessons and warnings to ourselves. Not only with 
reference to unfulfilled ]»rophccy, are they in the highest degree suggestive : but 
they surely invite also to a more Avatchful study of incidents altogether private and 
personal. Promises of Divine Help, duly fulfilled, but fulfilled in a shape under 
which they foil to strike us; — offers of Mercy, — opportunities of Blessing, — the 
very presence of our Lord, — all dulv vouchsafed to us ; yet, it may be, all des- 
pised, neglected, over-looked: — and tliat, because we have not the ears to hear, or 
the hearts to discover, or the eyes to recognize Him vrhen we see Him ! 

• 

15, 16 saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nepthalim, bi/ 

the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 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. 

The finger of Prophecy had not failed to point out the spot where Messiah was 
to dwell so long, and work so many wonders. The place of Isaiah here quoted, is 
found in chap. i.x. 1 — 2. 

Divinely indeed diil it happen that, in " the borders of Zabulon and Xephtha- 
liin," — the spot, namely, where the territory respectively assigned to those patri- 
archs,(/) met, — the S.wiouR of His people should have come to dwell : for it was 
precisely the inhabitants of ihis district, who, first of all the Jews, were led into 
Captivity by 'J'iglatii Pileser, King of Assyria, it.c. 740; as related in the Second 
Book of Kings.((/) So that, as one of the ancients points f>ut, — "where the Law 
was first forgotten, f/ierc the (Jospel was first preached." The Region which had 
]»cen the first to suffer Captivity, was the first to enjoy the Light of that Truth 
which inaketh free."(j) 

The prophecy of Isaiah hen- quoted, contains a special allusion to the Assyrian 
Captivity; f<ir, — contrasting the fate of the region here spoken of, in tho days of 
Messiah, with its former desolate condition, — the Prophet is thought by learned 
men to have written sonicwhat as follows: — " Nevertheless, there shall not liere- 
nfter V)e <larkness in tli(! Laml wliicli was distressed. In the former time. He tic- 
based the land of Zabulon, and the land of Naj)htali ; l»ut in the latter time He 
hath nuido it glorious: even tho way of the Sea, beyond Jordan, (ialilee of the 
Nations." Ami then follows, — " The people which walked in darkness have seen 
tt great Light, "0/) «fcc. 

ir)St. .lolin iv. ,',1111(1 4:5. (») Sec St. Mntt. ii.2.T; St. Lukp iv. Ifinn.l St. Mnrk i. 9. 

l) .hMnia xix. 10 to Ifi; .12 to .19. (..) xv. 2!t: iiii.l .-^ii- 1 C'liroii. v. 26. 

J-) St. .loliii viii. :i2, ,'UV 
I/) ('<>iii|iiirc tlii.i witli tlio rendering of Isaiiili i.x. I, 2, in the authorized version of tho 
Engliah Bible. 



IV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 31 

The Northern part of Galilee was called " Galilee of the Gentiles^' because it bor- 
dered upon a heathen land, and was itself partly heathen. " Twenty cities" of 
Galilee had been given by Solomon to Iliram, king of Tyre. (2) Well, therefore, 
might such a people be said to sit in darkness;" as not knowing which way they 
should go. 

The constancy of the Imagery employed by the Holy Spirit, cannot fixil to 
strike evei-y one who is at all f;xmiliar with the Gospels. Consider, in connection 
with the appellation in the text, such places as the following : — St. John i 5 to 9 • 
iii. 19 to 21 ; viii. 12 ; ix. 5 ; xi. 9, 10 ; xii. 35, 36, and 46. 

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, 

That is to say, from the time that John was cast into prison, — which was the 
occasion of our Saviour's departure into Galilee, spoken of in ver. 12. 

and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 

This had been the Sermon of the Baptist, also. See chap. iii. 2, and the note 
there. " Not only the same sense, but the very same words. lie who needed to 
borrow from none, but gives all to all, yet disdains not to preach this over after 
John Baptist." 

" Oh, sweet invitation, — the offer of pardon to a repenting sinner ! But how 
much more that of a Kingdom ! He might have said, ' Repent, for the Prison of 
Hell is at hand,^ if ye do not : but He rather draws by the happiness and glory 
attending our return." So far, pious Leighton. 

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Gahlee, 

For some account of this Lake, see the note on St. Mark i. 16. 

saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, 
casting a net into the sea : 

To read this, no one Avould suppose that Simon and Andrew were well known 
to the Saviour, and had already become His Disciples : but it is the manner of the 
Evangelists when they mention a person or place for the first time, to introduce the 
name in this manner. Observe how Nazareth, — for thirty years' Christ's home, — 
is mentioned by St. Matthew, in chap. ii. 23. 

Very surprising indeed will the ensuing brief narrative appear, to one who reads 
it with the tirst chapter of St. John's Gospel («) fresh in his memory. The com- 
parison of the two histories leads to many an important inference concerning our 
Saviour's method with His Disciples. There was no constraint put upon their 
wills or affections. To " abide with Him,"(5) might, or might not, avail to draw 
the heart effectually to Him. The very witnessing of a Miracle, (like that per- 
formed at Cana of Galilee, (c) was not enough to produce, even in faithful men, the 
kind of conviction we are apt to suppose. God left them to themselves. The seed 
of His spoken Word fell, — as in the parable, — by the way-side, or upon stony 
places, or among thorns, or into good ground, and it met with a corresponding 
fate.(d) How nearly does owr position resemble theirs ! How closely does the recep- 
tion which Christ now meets with in the World, resemble that which awaited Him 
" all the time that He went in and out among" men !(e) 

These men, from being Disciples of John the Baptist, had transferred their obe- 
dience to Christ. The remarks just now offered are meant to explain hoAv it may 
have happened that when they beheld the Baptist thrown into prison, they re- 
sumed their former calling. 

for they were fishers. 

Let us pause for a moment on this short sentence; which declares, by the way, 
the temporal estate, and lowly calling of the first Apostles. 

{2) 1 Kings ix. 11. (a) ver. 35 to 42. (ij St. John i. 39. 

(c) St. John ii. 2. [d] St. Matthew xiii. 3 to 8. (e) Acts i. 21. 



32 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

It was the will of God to choose the luen by whoso means lie intonded to re- 
model the World, out of the humliler idass; tliat ho, no flesh iiiifrht ;rl"ry in His 
{)rescnce:(/) nor any pretend that human wit had a Hhare in the miraeulous 
eavening process which ensued. It was God, throughout; acting in, and through, 
most weak instruments. 

But it ean scarcely retjuire to be stated that no encouragement whatever is there- 
by given to the rashness of unlearned men of low degree, — thrusting themselves 
forward, in the vain pretence that they are as the Apostles were; and presuming 
to usurp the seat of the learned, because (forsooth) it pleased God once to "choose 
the foolish tilings of tiie World to confound tlie wise; and the weak things of the 
World to cuni'ounil the things which are niighty."(7) If the tishennen of Galilee 
taught all mysteries, it was, because in the place of mere Human wisdom, they 
enjoyed the extraordinary illumination of Gou's Holy Si'irit. They were miracu- 
lousiy enalileil to speak with new tongues; and, for the subject of their discourse, 
it was not //"'// wlio spoke, but the .Simiut, witiiin tiieni, wiiieh gave them utter- 
ance.(A) When God consents to become our Teacher, and to work Miracles in our 
behalf, human helps may be neglected ; but, not till then. 

In the mean time, let it be carefully noted that God made choice of ITis Holy 
Apostles l)y no irrespective decree, tireat indeed was the Faith, great the Zeal, 
marvellous must have been the Goodness to which those men had attained, who 
were destined hereafter to " sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
Israel."(i) They did not become Saints because they Avere Apostles. On the con- 
trary. Our Savioik i/iiide them Apostles, because they had become Saints. See 
the note on St. John i. 43, 44. In tlicir personal sanctity, let all seek to resemble 
and to rival them. Their ministerial rights and privileges, let those who have not 
been duly called, agree to behold from a distance, and to revere. 

And, liuinl)le as were the instruments which God emjdoyed for the Salvation of 
Mankind, so humlding was the Doctrine wliich He proposed to men's acceptance. 
See 1 Cor. i. 18, and 2U to 23. The result might have been expected ; namely, 
that "the poor in spirit," alone, — who, in this case, were also "the j)oor," as St. 
Paul expressly informs us, (A) — embraced the Kingdom. 

19 And He saitli unto tliem, Follow Me, and I will make you fish- 
ers of men. 

It was a Divine circumstance that these great Apostles should have been of the 
number ot" those who " go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in 
great waters :"(/) for, to cast the net of the Kingdom, (wi) — to lish for souls, — and 
to capture mighty draughts of men, — {"Casting the net in public preaching, and 
angling in private converse,") — became their wondrous calling. Yet, how little 
must thev have understood of tlie wondrous prophecy now delivered by Him, who 
"declareth the end from the beginning; and from ancient times, the things that 
are not yet donc!"(H) 

The I'salm just (juoted ^iroceeds, as if in a prophetic strain, — "These men see 
the works of the Loiu>, and His wonders in the deep." — A great "work,"' and a 
mighty " wonder," truly, had now been wrought: for, unlikely as it may sound, 
this piece of narrative is certainly the same with t/iut in St. Luke v. 1 to 11. The 
first Miraculous Draught of tishes, therefore, was the event which produced an 
abiding convicti(jn in tiie minds of thes(( four folU)wers of the Lamu: ])roved the 
occasion of that prevailing summons to follow Curist, wliieh drew after Him tiiose 
two wondrous pairs of brethren, — the sous of Jonas, and the sons of Zebedee. 

You will ol>serve that this miracle was, in effect, an apjieal to their Faith. They 
looked to capture A'>//('7////((/ in their nets: but their success far surpassed the ut- 
most limit of their hopes. 

20 And tliey straightway left their nets, and followed llim. 

St. Peter alluded to this iiour, \\\\ru Ik.- uskcl our i.oitn, long after, — "Behold, 
we have forsaken all, and followed Thee: what shall we have therefore?"(o) 

21 And going on from thence, lie saw other tAVO brethren, 

(/) 1 Cor. i. 2'J. ('/) 1 Cor. i. 27. (A) Act- ii. •«. (.') St. Miilt. xix. 28. 

(A) 1 Cor. i. 20. (V) Paahn cvii 2:1. (m) St. Mall. xiii. 47. (») Isaiah xlvi. 10. 

Co) St. Maltlicw xix. 27. 



IV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 33 

Observe how they are gathered, by two and two, into the fold : even as, by two 
and two, CnRiST will hereafter send them forth to preach. 

These are Brothers ; that so Nature may conspire witli Grace in securing a firm 
foundation in Love for the edifice which is to follow. As, anciently, God buildcd 
on Moses and Aaron •.(^) so, now, He builds on Peter and Andrew, — James and 
John. 

James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebe- 
dee their father, mending their nets : 

They were "mending" the nets which — as St. Luke(g) specially informs us, — 
had been " hrohen," by the multitude of the Fishes, which they had recently 
caught. 

and he called them. 

It will be perceived that, notwithstanding the conciseness of the narrative, men- 
tion has been made of the particular act in which the four Disciples were engaged 
at the time of their call : or rather, that this is the only thing which is mentioned. 
Two of them were casting a net into the sea,(r) — and two were occupied in the 
manner just now described. 

Consider how carefully, in the case of many other of God's chosen servants, we 
find their occupation recorded, at the moment when the Divine summons first found 
them out. " The Lord took me," says the prophet Amos, " as I followed the flock, 
and the Lord said unto me. Go, prophesy unto My people Israel." (s) Such was 
the occupation of Moses(<) and of David. (m) Gideon was threshing wheat -.(x) 
Saul, seeking the asses of his Fatherly) and Elisha, ploughing with twelve yoke 
of oxen.(z) — Nathaniel, beneath the fig-tree ;{a) St. Matthew sitting at the Receipt 
of custom; (5) and Saul, journeying to Damascus ;(c)— are examples of the same 
thing, in the New Testament : to which we may add the case of four other Apos- 
tles, — St. Peter and St. Andrew, St. James and St. John. 

IIow are we hereby reminded that Christ is ever to be met with, in the path of 
duty ! that no occupation is so secular, or so lowly, as to exclude us from the bless- 
ing of being found out, in the midst of it, by Him ! 

22 And they immediately left the ship and their Father, and fol- 
lowed Him. 

Simon and Andrew forsook property,— James and John overlooked earthly ties, 
—for Christ's sake, and the Gospel's. Absolutely, they may appear not to have 
forsaken much : but it was all theij possessed ; and therefore, it was much to them. 

Henceforth, the waves of this troublesome World, — the Ark of Christ's Church, 
— the net of the Gospel, — men's wandering wills ; — these became the objects to 
which these holy men transferred all their anxieties. 

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 diseases among the people. 

This is the description of our Lord's First great Ministerial Journey, during 
which He traversed all Gahlee. What a mighty narrative is here summed up in a 
few words! The laborious travel, and hardships, and weariness of many months ; 
—the splendor of many hundred discourses, both public and private ;— stupendous 
acts of Mercy,— countless miracles of Love :— all, are here despatched in fewer 
words than we should claim for the description of some of our most trivial actions. 

Another circuit of Galilee, like the present, will be found noticed, and almost in 
the same terms, in chap. ix. 35. On both occasions, spiritual infirmity and bodily 
ailment are spoken of in such close connection, that it is impossible not to per- 

(p) Exodus iv. 14, 15, and 27 to 32. {q) St. Luke v. 6. [r\ See above, ver. 18. 

») Amos Yii. 15. \t\ Exod. iii. 1. («) P^^alm Ixxvui /0-71 

\J) Judges vi. 11. [yS 1 Sam. ix. 3 to 20. U) 1 Kings xix 19. 

U St. John i. 48. (6)St.Matthewix. 9, &c. (c) Acts ix. 3, &c. 

3 



34 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

ccive the relation which is intimated as subsisting hetweon them : the hitter, a type 
or emblem uf the former; — the latter, no less than tlie former, a consequence of the 
Fall: both alike, symptoms of that great and general disorder, for the remedy of 
which the Son of Man had come into the world. Consider the language of St. 
Matthew viii. 10, 17. Moreover, the Miracles which lie wrouglit were a pledge of 
His power; and therefore a contirmation of the Doctrines which He came to 
deliver. 

24 And His fame â– went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto 
Ilim all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, 
and those which -were possessed with devils, and those ^vhich were 
lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. 

As might be expected, the fame of the Great Physician spreads far beyond the 
region actually traversed by Him. " Syria" denotes all the region situated to the 
North of the Country in which our Loko was at present preaching. 

25 And there followed Ilim great multitudes of people from Galilee, 
and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and/rojn 
beyond Jordan. 

So mighty a retinue was drawn after His blessed footsteps in consequence of His 
miraculous acts. "Decapolis," — a word denoting Ten Cities, (of which Gadara 
was one.) — was the name of the district East of the Sea of Galiloe.((r) The present 
enumeration therefore amounts to a statement that the Savioch, in the course of 
His iirst Ministerial Journey, was followed by multitudes from the Country on 
either side of the Jordan, as well as from the Capital City. 



THE PRAYER. 

LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; 
Give us grace to use such abstinence, that our flesh being subdued to 
the Spirit, Ave may ever obey Thy godly motions in righteousness and 
true holiness, to Thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with 
the Father and the IIoly Ghost, one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

(d) St. Luko viii. 26. 



v.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 35 



CHAPTER V. 



1 Christ beginneth His sermon in the mount : 3 declaring, wlio are blessed, 13 wlio 
are the salt of the earth, 14 the light of the loorld, the city on an hill, 15 the 
candle: 17 that He came to fulf I the laic. 21 What it is to kill, 27 to commit 
adultery, 33 tosioear: 38 exhorteth to suffer lorong, 44 to love even our enemies, 
48 and to labour after perfectness. 

1, 2 And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain : and 
when He was set, His disciples came unto Him : and He opened His 
mouth, and taught them, saying. 

The "Sermon on the Mount," — for by that name the first and the fullest of our 
Lord's public discourses is known, — begins at this place. As the Old Law, pro- 
mulgated by Moses, had been originally delivered on a mountain, (that is, Sinai;) 
so was it proper that on a mountain also, the New Law should be delivered by 
Christ. But the contrast of the circumstances is remarkable. The Law was 
given then, amid terrors ; noiv, amid calm. Then, God spake to His people by the 
hand of Moses ; now, face to face. 

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

It seems a beautiful circumstance, that whereas the volume of the Old Testament 
ends by threatening a Curse, the Gospel of the Kingdom should begin with the 
promise of « Blessing. 

Observe, that the first of these eight "Beatitudes," (as they are called,) is a bless- 
ing pronounced on Humility; on that state of heart which, conscious of inward, not 
outward, poverty and need, knows its own utter destitution. So that the promise 
runs parallel with that other promise of our Divine Master, " He that humbleth 
himself shall be exalted."(a) Our Lord points out Pride, — spiritual Pride, — as 
the root and source of all evil. For He speaks not here of a mere absence of this 
world's goods; but of that state of heart which worldly poverty is often found to 
maintain, or to produce. Hence, St. Luke was guided to record this first Beatitude 
in different language: — "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the Kingdom of God." 
See the note on St. Luke vi. 20. 

Observe, therefore, that what God regards is the inclination of the heart, — the 
disposition of the icill. A very beggar may yet be full of proud thoughts: or if, 
through misery, his soul be kept low, yet may he be for ever pining after that 
which, if obtained, would infallibly inflate him. Now, such an one comes not, 
cannot come, within the terms of the blessedness here promised. 

4 Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. 

The mourning here spoken of, is not, of course, mere worldly grief: (for " the 
sorrow of the world," as the Apostle declares, "worketh death :")(b) but it is that 
affliction, that "godly sorrow," which is sure, sooner or later, to overtake every 

(a) St. Matt, xxiii. 12 ; St. Luke xiv. 11, and xviii. 14. (6) 2 Cor. vii. 10. 



36 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

man -wlio faitlifully endeavours to walk in the way of Tion's eommandments. It is 
a sad, liiit !i true i>rii|ilK'oy, — "Yea, and all tliat will live j^ndly in Cukist Jesus, 
shall sutler persecution. "(c) Those who mourn after such a sort, have the promise 
of "the Odinl'orter, which is the IIolv (!ii()St."('0 

5 Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 

Our Saviour here quotes the words fif Psalm xxxvii . 11. That wondrous pro- 
mise seems to involve a contradiction : for surely, (we say,) the meek are apt 
rather to be thrust out, and driven away, from their possessions. Nevertheless, 
the thinp; which is here promised will inlallihly be found to come to pass; for He 
is faithful that ]>roiniseth. The meek shall possess the earth, even hi/ riijht; for it 
is said — " they shall inherit" it. 

Only, let those who earnestly desire this blessinji;, — as many as desire to possess 
the earth, — beware lest they Ijccome ^^ossc.ssaZ bi/ it. For, in its fullest sense, 
this promise doubtless has reference to those "nctc Heavens," and that "new 
Earth," of which St. Peter speaks,(f) and for which the Saints of God are ever 
lookinj^. 

6 Blessed arc they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : 
for they shall be filled. 

The keenness of bodily appetite, — of Ilunj^er and of Thirst, — was given us, in 
order that we might know how ardent should be the craving of our Souls after 
Holiness. This spiritual craving the Psalmist felt, when he cried. — " As the hart 
panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, Cion."( f) Now 
it is here promised, among many other things, that this deep longing of the Saints, 
— alluded to, rather than descril>ed, — shall be fully satisfied in Heaven. " They 

shall hunger no more," (as it is said.) " neither thirs't any more(//) For the 

Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed thoin, and shall load them 
unto living fountains of waters. And" (it is added) "God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes :"(/<) words which recall the form of the second and fourth of 
these Ec.atitudes, as St. Luke exhibits them: — "Blessed are vc thnt lumf/cr novf, 
for ye shall be tilled. Blessed are ye that icccji now, for ye shall laugh." (/) 

Not only, however, in the World to come, but in this World also, will the soul's 
desire be satisfied : fidli/ there ; here, only imperfectly and in part : — but the long- 
ings, with which it dilates itself Jicre, render it capable of the greater fullness Jiere- 
ajter. And wc know that the flesh lioing subdued to the Spirit, is apter for right- 
eousness and true holiness: (A) by which remark it is intended to connect these 
words of Scripture with the parallel place in St. Luke's Gospel, — vi. 21. 

7 Blessed arc the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

Thus, Gou pledges Himself to the bestowal of His Divine mercies, — which are 
eternal, and Ijeyond price; on the condition that we show mercy in human things, 
— which arc })rief and valueless. 

How often is this condition of future blessedness insisted upon in the Gospel ! 
Consider St. Matt. vi. 12, 14, 15 : xviii. 21 — 35, especially the last verse. St. Mark 
xi. 25, 2G, &c. 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall sec God. 

"The ])ure in heart:" for, bo that purity 1)0 there, the lips and the hands, — yea, 
the whole life, (like waters flowing from the fountain-head,) will'porforce be pure. 

The vision of Goo is ma<lc dependent in many places of Scripture besides this, 
on holiness of character; nr, as it is here said, on purity of heart. "Fcdiow peace 
with all men," says St. I'anl, "and holiness, «v7//o/(/ ic/iirh no man .shall .fee the 
LordJ'if) "Ho that hath clean hands, and a pure heart," shall hereafter "ascend 

c) 2 Tim. iii. 12, and compare Rf.Ji)lin xvi. .IS, Acts xiv. 22, <ko. 

(/) St Jdlui xiv. 2ti. Coiiiiiaro 2 Cor. i. 1; al.-") St. I.uki; xvi. 2.'>, nri'l Rev. vii. II. 

«^ 2 Pet. iii. 13. (/) pH.xlii. lit (</) Kcv. vii. 10. Cuinpiirp IniiiBh xlix. 10. 

h\ Rev. vii. 17. Cotnpnro Rev. xxi. 4. ami T-ainli xxv. 8. (i) St. Luke vi. 21. 

k) Seo tho Collect for the First Suuduy iu Lent. (/) Ueb. xii. 14. 



v.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 37 



into the hill of the Lord,"(;H) and like the highest order of the holy Angels,00> 
"see the King in His beauty."(^) 

But the beloved Disciple in a certain place,(p) even more strikingly says, — "We 
know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Ilini, for we sliall see Him as 
He is :" — thus making a restoration to the Divine image, (7) and the seeing of Cion, 
dependent notions. And so, without pretending to solve the hard (juestion of how 
this mysterious promise is to be fulfilled, (for wlao can tell what a glorious heritage 
of loftier powers may be reserved for the Spiritual Body?)(r) let us be sure that 
like every other divine prophecy, it tvill have its own wondrous fulfdlment, — par- 
tially, in this world ; more fully, in the next: here, "as through a glass darkly;" 
there, " face to face." (s) AVe may be certain, moreover, that this is a matter con- 
cerning which he who leads the holiest life, will know the most. 

It has been thought that there is something progressive in the blessings here 
enumerated, one rising above another: and doubtless they follow, (like the stars of 
Heaven,) |in a beautiful and wonderful order, though it may be difficult, always, to 
find it out. This Beatitude and the last stand together instructively. How lovely 
a character would his be, who should add to his "mercifulness," (not a very rare 
grace, it may be thought,) "purity of heart," — which is perhaps the very rarest 
grace of all ! 

9 Blessed are the peace-makers : for tliey sliall be called the 
children of God. 

" The peace-makers," — whether those who undertake the blessed office of recon- 
ciling brethren at enmity ; or those less conspicuous ones who are engaged in 
overcoming their own warring lusts and affections, — making peace in their own 
hearts, — and setting up the Kingdom of God within themselves. (0 The first work 
avails little without the second. 

You observe that this Sabbath of the Soul stands in the seventh place. 

To produce "on earth, Peace,"00 was the great office of the Gospel, - -whose 
Author is called " the Prince of Peace."(x) To peace-makers is here assigned as 
their peculiar blessedness, the likeness of God. 

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : 
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

" Persecuted— /or righteousness-' sake;" else, no prospect of blessedness is held 

out. 

The eighth Beatitude has the same promise attached to it as the first,— see ver. 3. 
The first and eighth Beatitudes, therefore, are like the corresponding clasps at the 
two extremities of a chain, — where every bead is a blessing. 

But, in truth, " the Kingdom of Heaven" is the one reward promised in every 
instance ; although under various names, according to the various Graces specified. 
Just as it is the character of the Just, — though viewed under different aspects,— 
to which the promises are all alike addressed. 

11, 12 Blessed are ye, when 7ncn shall revile you, and persecute ?/ow, 
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. 
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: 
for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you. 

" Revile you," to your face: " say all manner of evil against you," behind your 
back : " persecute you," in any way. But all this must be done falseli/—ixnd for 
Christ's sake, in order to bring us within the terms of the blessing. 

" The prophets which were before you ;"— by which saying, Christ associates 

(m) Ps xxiv 4 (n) St. Matt, xviii. 10. (o) Isaiah xxxiii. 17. 

(p) 1 St. John iii. 2. ('Z) See Genesis i. 26; and compare Psahn xvii. 15. 

\r) Consider the following texts, Job xix. 26, 27; 1 Cor. u. 9; (quoted from Isaiah Ixiv. 
4:) St. Matt. xxii. 30. / \ ci. t 1 •■ n 

(s) 1 Cor. xiii. 12. (0 St. Luke xvii. 21. (") St. Luke u. 14. 

(.r) Isaiah ix. 6. Compare Ephesians ii. 14. St. John xiv. 27, &c. 



38 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 

the humblest of Ilis sufforiniij servants whh that " goodly fellowship of the Pro- 
phets'' "of whom the "W'nrKl was nut wurtliy.''0/) 

13 Ye arc the salt of the earth : 

The Saints are declared to be that which keeps this old Earth of ours from cor- 
ruption. Their blessed office is to be to mankind " the savour of life untu life." (;) 
.... The transition is more obvious in St. Luke's Gospel. There, the preceding 
Beatitudes are addressed to the Disciples, " Blessed are ye:" whence it follows, in 
this place, " Ye are the salt of the earth." 

but if tlie 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. 

That is, — Beware lest you lose this property of sustaining the World's life ! 
"Fur it is impossible," (as the great Apostle declares,) "for those who were once 
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the 
lloLV (juost, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the World 
to come, if ///<7/ sliall fall away, to renew tlicm again to repentance." («) With 
what salt shall tlwi/ be salted, to whom was committed the World's salting? 

14, 15 Yc are the li^ht of the world. A citv that is set on an hill 
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a 
bushel, but on a candlestick; and it givcth light unto all that are in 
the house. 

As " salt," in ver. 13, was descriptive of the inward condition, so " light," in 
this place, has reference to the outward aspect. The Church of Ourist, — like the 
faithful witness in Heaven, (^') — shines with borrowed glory : glory derived from 
"the Sun of llighteousness,"(<') who styles Himself, "the Light of the World."((?) 
Being set on an hill, (the " holy Hill of Sion,") the Church neither can, nor should, 
escape observation. It is as absurd to suppose that a man would lirst light a 
candle, and then seek to smother its beams under a bushel, or to suppose that the 
Divine Author of our Faith should intend those whom He entrusts with the Light 
of his Gospel to sit down in the shadow of bodily case and self-indulgence, and 
thus to conceal the glory of their trust. 

IG Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

Tr/<y should men "see our good works ?" Not certainly in order to promote 
conceit, a!\d a spirit of self-righteousness, in order to glorify ?/.v; but only, in order 
that the sight <jf those Works may induce beholders to ylorifij our Father which is 
in Heaven. It is God who is glorified in His Saints. 

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I 
am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 

Our SavitMir fulfilh'd ///'- Law ^xhon He submitted to all its prcconts ;—//«• Pi-o- 
2)ht'ts, wiii'ii Ho either |)erfornicil or endured whatever things they had foretidd con- 
cerning Himself; W/t "the Law and the l*ro|ihets,'' by His life-long acts of Love.(<) 
But the present declaratit)n was true in another, and even a more striking sense; 
for we know that all things which, under the Law, iiad been imperfectly conveyed 
by typo or shadow, exhibited tln'ir true intent, and discovered their full meaning, 
onl}- under the Gospel dispeusiition. The very historv of tiou's ancient people, 
scon by the light of CiinisT's words, or those of His holy Apostles, is proved to bo 

(i/) IIi'hrcwH \\. .'?2— 38. (;) 2 Cot. ii. ]«. (n) Ilcbrcwfi vi. 1— C. 

(>.) P.-nlm l.xxxix. 'M- \r) Malnclii iv. 2. 

(d) St. John \iii 12; ix. 5; xii. 35, Ac. (c) St. Matt. vii. 12. 



v.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 39 

replete with unsuspected teaching ; and may be truly said to have been only then 
"fulfilled" when Curist came into the World. 

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. 

By this mention of " one jot or tittle," we are reminded of the dignity and impor- 
tance which attaches to the very least letter of God's written Law. So solemn a de- 
claration should convince the most reluctant heart, how utterly baseless must be 
the pretence that the teaching of the New Testament casts any slight whatever 
upon the teaching of the Old : or that Christianity is in any respect contradictory 
of the Jewish Religion. " Remember ye the Laio of Moses My servant," — are 
among the latest words of the Prophet Malachi, iv. 4: and yet the first words of the 
Gospel wore already on his lips.(j) But the veil which at first covered so much 
of Divine meaning, was afterwards lifted off and withdrawn. 

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command- 
ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the King- 
dom of Heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall 
be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

That is, — So far am I from annulling the ancient Law of My people, that I de- 
clare I will lightly esteem the man who assumes to himself the liberty of violating 
the least precept of that Law, — and so sets an example of disobedience. Whereas, 
the most strict obedience shall enjoy the most high reward. 

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. 

The same train of thought is continued: — For I say unto you that your righteous- 
ness, although resembling in kind that of the Scribes and Pharisees, unless it 
infinitely surpasses theirs in degree, will not avail to win for you even an entrance 
into My Kingdom. 

We are next, — in verses 21 to 2G, — ^presented with a specimen of Divine Inter- 
pretation of that Law which, in its true spirit and intention, our Saviour professes 
that He came "not to destroy." The Commandment first noticed, is the sixth; 
which. He who gave it so interprets as to show that in that negative precept, 
(" Thou shalt do no Murder,") is contained the Law of Love. And this, perhaps, 
is the reason why our Blessed Lord begins with that particular commandment; 
instead of the fifth, for example: for "Love is the fulfilling of the Law." (5') 

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. 

" Thou shalt not kill,"— which precept is found in Exod. xx. 13, and Deut. v. 
17, — is the whole of the actual quotation. The rest of the sentence may be inferred 
from what is said in Levit. xxiv. 21, and Numbers xxxv. 10, 17. 

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 
whosoever shall say. Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 

Moses,— proclaiming Christ's words "to them of old time,"— had forbidden 
Murder; and affixed a certain penalty to the crime. The "Prophet like unto 
Moses," republishing His ancient code, affixes that same penalty to what might 



li 



(/) See Malachi iv. 5, 6. Compare also iii. 1, and St. Mark i. 1, 2. 

Ig) See Romans xiii. 8—10. Compare also Galatians v. 14; St. Matt. vii. 12, and xxn. 39, 
40 ; 1 Timothy i. 5 ; Coloss. iii. 14; St. James ii. 8. 



40 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CEAP. 

seevi a far lower oflFcnce ; but which was, in the mind of the Lawgiver, a violation 
of the orip;inal command. . . . "I say unto you:" for lie taught them as One 
having autliority," — as it is expressly stated at the end of the present discourse. (/<) 

By simply human terms, three degrees of punishment, divine and future, are 
here described ; or rather, things heavenly and uiuitterable are here indicated by 
language with which our Lord's hearers were familiar. "The Judgment," and 
"the Council," were the names of two well-known Jewish courts. "Gehenna," 
or as it is here Englished, "hell-fire," denotes an extremity of suffering, by refer- 
ring to the hideous fate of dead corpses in the valley of IIinnom.((') In this way, 
our merciful Lord neither dazzled men with pictures of Heaven; nor distracted 
them liy descriptions of Ilell: but by the use of images either of delight or of des- 
pair, opened to His fullowers as much concerning the unseen world as it was need- 
ful fur them to know. 

Corresponding with the three punislmients already noticed, are three offences. 
First, causeless Anger which yet maintains silence: — next, the same Anger, allow- 
ing itself in rej)roachful speech : — lastly, the same Anger, when it proceeds to open 
insult and unmeasured provocation. 

It is remarkal)le to what trifles (as it might be thought) in behaviour, the pre- 
cepts of our Blessed Lord descend. See the note on St. Matt. vi. G. 

23, 24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there re- 
mcmbcrest that thy brother hath ouglit against thee ; leave there thy 
gift before the altar, and go thy May; first be reconciled to thy brother, 
and then come and offer thy gift. 

Not, observe, — "If thou hast aught against thy brother;" but, "If thy hroilier 
hath aught ayaiiist thee:" which certainly is a great guarantee that there shall be 
reconciliation. 

On the other hand, his "having somewhat against thee" is probably a sign that 
thou wert the ofl'cnder. Had he been the offender, there would be no need that 
thou shouUlest leave thy gift, and go thy way. A mere act of forgiveness would 
have been all that was required. Still, he may have been the author of the wrong, 
and the bearer of malice both. Any way, there must be reconciliation. 

Compare with this, the exhortation before Holy Communion, to be "in perfect 
charity with all men," — in order to be " meet partakers of those holy mysteries." 
For "we have an altar," (as St. Paul saySjX^") and thereto we bring our gift, — 
even as the Jews were taught to do. 

25, 26 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the 
way with hira ; 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. 
Verily I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till 
thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 

These arc two very difficult verses; but after what has gone before, their general 

Eurport is plain. It is still reconciliation, which is recommended ; still, the law of 
ove, whicli is enforced; and, as it seems, by a most awful threat: for how can 
"the uttermost farthing" ever bo paid? 

"Whiles thou art in tlie way with him," must denote the days of the years of 
our mortal jpilgriiuage. "The Judge," and "the Officer," and "Prison," — are 
terms, borrowed from the usage of human courts, which seem descriptive of what 
will be hcre:if'ter ; if death sliould find a man unreconciled to the adversary, who is 
prepared to jdead against liini before the .Judgment-seat of OoD. 

Our attention is directed, next, to the requirements of the Almiuutv in the 
seventh ('ommandment. 

27, 2H Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou 
shalt nut conmiit adultery: but 1 say unto you, Tiiat whosoever luukelh 
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already 
in his heart. 

(A) St. Miitt. vii. 29 (i) 2 Kings xxiii. 10; Jcr. vii. 31, xxxii. 35. (j) Ilcb. xiii. 10. 



v.l ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 41 

" As for God, His way is perfect." (/^) _ "Every -word of God is pure."(0 " The 
words of the Lord are pure words : as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified 
seven times."(??i) 

Rio;hteous also, assuredly, are His judgments. For it is not, of course, thealilitij, 
but the loill : not so much the act, as the desire, which He must regard. 

One of the ancients has well remarked on this place, that neither will she he held 
guiltless who so dresses and adorns herself as to attract men's eyes, in this sort, 
towards her. She mixes the poison, and offers the cup, even though none be found 
to drink it. 

But though it must be fully admitted, that even the random glances of an un- 
guarded eye are not without sin, — yet, it seems right to point out that it is not 
those which our Saviour is here condemning. It is the "looking — to lust:" that is, 
looking with the intention to gratify the impure thought ; with purpose to feed the 
unholy desire. 

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 per- 
ish, and not tJiat thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

" Thy right eye," — for that was the offending member. "Eyes full of adultery," 
— as the Spirit says in another place.(n) Whence holy Job declares of himself, 
with reference to this very matter, — " I made a covenant with mine eyes."(fi) 

" ThjrigJit eye." No attempt is made, either here or elsewhere, to diminish the 
greatness of the required sacrifice. Consider the language of Genesis xxii. 2.  

Our Lord certainly cannot mean that we are to mutilate our bodies, — which are 
temples of the Holy Ghost :(j)) but that the sense of sight must be mortified as 
effectually on such occasions, as if " the light of the body," (which is the eye,) 
were utterly, and for ever, extinguished. 

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 per- 
ish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

Having mentioned the " right Eye," (for the special reason noted above,) our 
Saviour adds the " right Hand," — probably because He would convey the lesson 
that, for His sake, and in order to save the whole body, we must be prepared to 
sacrifice the dearest and most precious thing we possess. His language conveys a 
lively notion of the uncompromising jealousy, the relentless severity, with which 
we must watch every avenue, and ciit off every occasion, of sin in ourselves. 

31 It hath been said. Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him 
give her a writing of divorcement : 

Alluding to Deut. xxiv. 1, — a permission which, as our Lord tells us in another 
place, (5) Moses gave the people " because of the hardness of their hearts." This 
permission had come to be monstrously abused in our Saviour's time ; so that, on 
any petty pretext, a man thought himself at liberty to put away his wife. 

32 But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, sav- 
ing for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and 
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

The solemn truth is implied, that the woman, so put away, continues to be the 
wife of him who put her away: for God once joined them together. "Wherefore 
they are no more twain, but one flesh."(j') 

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, 



{7.-) 2 Sam. xxii. 31; Psalm xviii. 30. (?) Proverbs xxx. 5. 

{m) Psalm xii. 6. See also Ps. cxix. 1-10. [n) 2 Pet.ii. 14. (o) Job xxx. 1. 

(p) 1 Cor. vi. 19, iii. 16. {q) St. Matt. xix. 8. (r) St. Matt. xix. 6. 



42 A PLAIN COMMENTARY . [CHAP. 

Thou slialt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine 
oaths : 

Our Lord proceeds to the eijrlith Conunandment. To " forswear," in this place, 
is to fail in the perforniaiuc of soinetliiug sworn. The very words do not occur in 
the Law of Moses; but the command is found in Deut. xxxiii. 21, and 23: Num- 
bers XXX. 2. 

34, 35, 36, 37. But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by 
Heaven : for it is God's throne : nor by the Earth ; for it is Ilis foot- 
stool : neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great King. 
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make 
one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea ; 
Nay, nay : for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 

Thoo words of our Saviour CiiniST arc very explicit, and Gou forbid that we 
should seek to weaken and explain them away ; or to evade their oVivious force and 
meaning, by a merely human gloss. Yet may it be humbly suggested concerning 
the preceding passage, and all that follows, down to ver. 42, that the blessed words 
are not to lie taken so much in their Lifter, as in their Spirit. By which, it is not 
meant that they are to be only admitted in part : but tliat their full height, and 
depth, and lircadth, — their entire scope, — their real meaning, — is to be sought for 
in the other revelations of the Stirit : to be illustrated by the other sayings, and 
by the actions, of our Loro and Ilis chiefest Saints. For as, wlien the same Divine 
Speaker commands us to call no man our Father on earth, (.«) He cannot be thought 
to forbid the ordinary language of our nature; bo here, lie cannot be supposed to 
forbid that in a Court of Law, (for example,) a man should take the oath pre- 
ecriljcd ]>y competent authority. Nay, on a certain occasion, lie took it to Ilim- 
self.(/) There are instances of Divine swearing, in Cienesis xxii. 10, (cdnipare He- 
brews vi. 13), the Psalms (ex. 4), and elsewhere. St. Paul again solemnly calls 
God to witness in more than one of his Epistles : for example, in Kom. i. 9 : 2 Cor, 
i. 23: xi. 31: Gal. i. 20: Pliilipp. i. 8 : 1 Tliess. ii. 5.— What is here forbidden, 
must be rasli, needless, and irreverent swearing, to which the Jews in the time of 
our Lord, (like the common people at the present day among ourselves,) must have 
been singularly addicted. 

To tliese words of Ciirlst, St. James refers in his Epistle (v. 12), when he says, 
— " But iibove all things, my brethren, swear not : ncitlier by Heaven, neitiier by 
the Eartii, neither by any other oath : but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; 
lest ye fall into condemnation." 

Anil this, they were not to do " at all." They were not to look upon some oaths 
as more binding than others ; but to learn that all causeless swearing was otlcnsivc 
in the eyes of llim with whom they had to do, — since everi/ oath alike is an invo- 
cation of God's presence. 

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, and a 
tooth for a tooth : 

Thesi; words iiri' fnniid in Exml. xxi, 24, Lev. xxiv. 20. and Deut. xix. 21. An 
injured man was tln-rcliy [icrmitted to inflict exactly as nuich injury as lie had re- 
ceived, — but no more. 

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil : 

Of old, as we liave seen, tlicrc liad been a i)rccept forbidding men to inflict une- 
qual retaliation : but our Lord (who eamc " to fulfill the Law") (») forbids men to 
retaliate at all: whereliy, certainly, the object of the ancient jirecept was most 
cft'ectually secured. Ilis jiruhiKition, (as an old writer observes,) " cuts oft' the 
beijiiniin'j.i of sin. 'I'lic Law corrected faults; — lut ilic Gospel removes /Ac vcca- 
aion of them." 

(») St. Mutt. .\.\iii. 0. (f) St. Mntt. .\.\iv. r,|. (i,) St. Matt. v. 17. 



v.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 43 

40, 41. but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to 
him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take 
thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel 
thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 

Concerning the spirit in which all these remarkable commands are to be taken, 
see the note on ver. 37. — The attentive reader of the Gospel will remember how 
the Saviour of the World, at difierent times, fulfilled every precept which He has 
here delivered ; thus enforcing His own words bj His own Divine example. But 
it should be well observed that it was in their spirit, not in their letter, that He 
fulfilled them. Thus, although " He gave His back to the smiters," (as the Pro- 
phet Isaiah had foretold of Him long before, (1. 6,) yet, instead of courting the 
malice of one of the officers, (for example,) when he struck Him with the palm of 
his hand, we find the language of mild remonstrance on our Saviour's lips : — " If I 
have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil ; but if well, why smitest thou Me ?"(•*'') 
Now, there can be no doubt, that the acts of the Redeemer are the best commen- 
tary on His spoken words. 

In like manner, when Ananias, the High-Priest, commanded that St. Paul should 
be smitten on the mouth, the Apostle simply denounced a fearful prophecy against 
him,(?/) — which moreover was strictly fulfilled. Now, it is obviously fair to pre- 
sume that the lives of our Lord's greatest Saints may be taken, in some degree, as 
a living commentary upon the precepts which they were commissioned to deliver. 

As regards Lawsuits, again, (see ver. 40,) it will be remembered that the Holy 
Spirit in another place expressly allows of them, so that they be conducted be- 
fore the Brethren. (z) And, as some one has piously remarked. Men who would 
injure their neighbors must be resisted, lest, by those very actions, they should 
prove the ruin of themselves. See the note on ver. 42. 

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow 
of thee turn not thou away. 

This must be because we are Stewards only, — not Lords, of the wealth we call 
ours. We are but the channels of God's bounties. Nothing can really belong to 
us, since roe belong to God. 

But neither will this precept, any more than the preceding ones, bear taking in 
its very letter ; or the foundations of Society would be overthrown, and we should 
be narrowing, not rising to, the largeness of the Divine requirement. Nor may 
the precept be interpreted exclusively of money ; or it would be addressed only to 
a section of mankind. See the note on ver. 37. 

The only certain saying of "the Lord Jesus" which has been preserved to us, 
not recorded in the Gospels, (a) may be called to memory in connection with ver. 42. 

By all these injunctions, then, the inner rather than the outer 7nan, is schooled to 
holiness and virtue. The blow may be warded off, — nay, it may be right to pun- 
ish the man that dealt it: yet may the injured person, inwardly, turn the other 
cheek to the oS"ender, and grieve but for his sake. The action at Law may be de- 
fended, in that spirit of Love which, while it sets the well-being of Society above 
its own private ease and quiet, would willingly, — if it dared, — withdraw its claim 
to the contested priize. The violent man may be resisted, if he oversteps his com- 
mission ; yet may the heart be unconscious, all the while, of strife. Lastly, — love 
may compel us to withhold many a gift, — to refuse many a prayer, — to be firm 
against many an appeal. . . . " And who is sufficient for these things ?" 

Consider in connection with these last remarks, the tears of Christ over Jerusa- 
lem, (6) — at the very time that His avenging sword was drawn against the city. 
And, to compare small things with great, Joseph's tears, — even while he hound 
Simeon, (c) 

But it may not be forgotten that this new spiritual code, — or rather, this spiritual 
exposition of the ancient Mosaic Law, — though popularly spoken of, as peculiar 
to the days of the Gospel,— is to be met with, in all its essential features, in the 

St. John xviii. 23. {y) Acts xxiii. 2, 3. («) 1 Cor. vi. 1—6. 

Acts XX. 35. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, " It is more blessed 
to give than to receive." 

(6) St. Luke xix. 41. (c) Grenesis xlii. 24. 



a 



44 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Scriptures of the Old Testament. Christ came, indeed, not to destroy the Law, 
but "to fulfill" it: and wo have seen, in verses 22, 28, 34, 39, 44, how the Law is 
to ho fiiitilled. But, to as many as had " ears to hoar," this, the true method of 
fultillin;^ " the letter" in " tlio spirit, "('/) liad boon tiliundantly pointed out "to 
them of old time." Tims, in Deut. x. 10, the ;;rcat Law;;ivor will be found to have 
already made Circumcision a spiritual ordinance. Consider also Deut. v. 21, vi. 
5; and viii. 3. Also Exodus xxiii. 4, 5 ; and Proverbs xxv. 21. And so, in a 
multitude of other places. 

43 Yc have heard tliat it hath been sakl, Thou shalt love thy neigh- 
bour, and hate thine enemy. 

The first half of this command is found in Levit. xix. 18 : — the latter clause be- 
ing tlie wicked addition of the Pharisees. This was indeed " teaching for doc- 
trines the commandments of men ;" and "making tiic cdmmandmont of God of 
none eBbct by their tradition." Matt. xv. 9, 0. Compare 3Iark vii. 1-1.>. 

In a certain sense, however, it may be thought, that to liate our Knemics, is a 

Sreecpt quite in accordance with the spirit of the Old Testament Scriptures.(e) 
ut then, it is only as directed against the Enemies of God, that such a sentiment 
can be alhjwablc: hatred therefore, not of Men, but of >S7/t in Men, — and to this, 
the Gospel itself is no stranger: see what is said of the loud cry of the soul under 
the Altar, in Revelation vi. 9. Between this sentiment, and words of tenderest 
love, (see the next verse,) there is no contradiction whatever. Thus, on one occa- 
sion, our Saviour was unsjioakably gracious to one wlm had " had five luisbands," 
— and was then living with one who was " not her husband. "(y) On another 
occasion. He spoke words of encouragement to a poor penitent, who had yet been 
a notorious " sinner."(^) The woman " taken in adultery, "(^0 '^^^ dealt with by 
the IIol}' One in this same spirit of compassionate love. There was no indifference 
to Sin, in any of these cases: God forbid! (" To destroy the icorhs of the Devil," 
was the special jntrpose for which the Son of God was manifested.) ((") But there 
was love, unbounded love, towards Man. There was the knowledge also, that the 
victory over Sin, and a renewal to Righteousness, would bo best achieved by adopt- 
ing the way of Mercy. See note on St. Luke xv. 3. 

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse 
. you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for thorn that despite- 

fully use you, and persecute you ; 

As was Ijofore remarked, (in the note on ver. 41,) our Saviour recommended to 
us all these lovely precepts by His own most holy example.(/v) Nay, it had been 
foreseen by the keen glance of Prophecy, long liefore, that He would do so. See 
the concluding words of tlie fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. David displayed towards 
Saul tlio temper lierc enjoined ;(/) — and the first Martyr, Saint Slephon, in like 
manner, prayed for his murderers. (/«) This seems to have the spirit of Moses, (h) 
and of the Apostle of the Gentiles. (o) 

45 That yc may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : 
for lie makcth His sun 

" 7//.V Sun !" — the Sun wliich. on "the fourth day," He created: — which His 
Almighty Hand.s clad with a mantle of Liglit ; — and wliich He stationed in the 
visible lieavens to be an emblem of Himself! Sec Psalm xix. 5, 0. 

to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendcth rain on the just and 
on the unjust. 

('/) 2 CVr. iii. c. 

(r) Sic Ikut. vii. 2—5; xxiii. B; xxv. 17—19; 1 ?m\\. .xv. 2, ?>. So nlso throughout tlio 
Book of INulinx : c. ^j. cxxxvii. 7 — 9. 
• (/) .<t. John iv. 10—18. (y) St Luke vii. 37, Ac. (A) Pf. John viii. .1—11. 

fi) I .-^t. .John iii. 8. (A) St. Luke .xxiii. .It. (/) 1 Hnniucl xxiv. 17, and xxvi. 21. 

i) Act.i vii. CO. (ri) Exod. xsxii. .'{2. (->) Uoui. ix. 3. 



m 



v.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 45 

It will he a new tliouglit to many, that the Rain and the Sunshine, — descending 
upon the fields of the just and the unjust alike, — arc an arj>;ument of God's lon^- 
sufFerinji; Patience, and unwearied Kindness and impartial Love. 

We have great need to be thus reminded of those common mercies which are 
poured out impartially upon all; and which fail to strike us, simply because they 
are common mercies. 

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye ? 

That is, — What reward can you hope to receive at the hands of your Father 
which is in Heaven? See St. Matthew vi. 1. 

Do not even the Publicans the same ? 

See the parallel place in St. Luke vi. 32, and the note on St. Mark il. 15. 

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? 
do not even the Publicans so? 

To return evil for good, is the act of devils, — the work of those who are lowest 
of all, in the scale. To return evil for evil, and good for good, (verses 38, 43, 46, 
47,) is but low morality, — the act of our fallen Human Nature. But to return 
good for evil, — or rather, to do good to all, — is Divine; and this is the course which 
our Blessed Lord here enjoins upon us. 

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven 
is perfect. 

A wondrous injunction, ti-uly; and one with which, at first sight, compliance is 
simply impossible: but it evidently amounts to a requirement that we should live 
up to the utmost " perfection" (^p) of which our renewed Nature is capable, — even 
as the Almighty hath existed, from all Eternity, in the perfection of His. And as 
we ever trace some resemblance to the Sire in the form and features of the Son, so 
may we well expect to recognize in the spiritual oifspring of GoD,(rji) the likeness 
of Him who begat them.(r) 

It is well that the division of the Chapter was made in this place; in order that 
the savour of so lofty a command might remain on the heart, and linger in the 
memory, of him who readeth. 



THE PRAYER. 

Almighty Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech 
Thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies in the 
ways of Thy Laws, and in the works of Thy Commandments; that 
through Thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be 
preserved in Body and Soul, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

(p) See Genesis vi. 9; xvii. 1 ; Job i. 1. {q) Acts xvii. 28. (r) St. James i. IS. 



40 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER VI. 



1 CuRiST continudh Jlis Seimon in the Mount, speaking of Alms. 5 Prayer. 14 
Forijicing our brethren. IG Fasting. 19 Where our treasure is to be laid up. 24 
Of serving God and Mammon. 25 Exhorieth not to be careful for ivorldlg things, 
33 hut to seek God's Kingdom. 

Hitherto, our Lord has been putting His OTvn Divine Interpretation on six 

cominauds of tlie Law, — " It teas said," " But / say:" ch. v. verses 21, 

27, 31, 33, 3H, 43. The "Sermon on the Mount" proceeds with certain directions 
concerning Ahnsgiving, (ver. 1 to 4). — Prayer, (ver. 5 to 15), — and Fasting, (ver. 
16 to 18): which are, respectively, the dedication of our Substance, — of our Souls, — 
and of our Bodies, to God. And it is observable that our Blessed Saviour, 
assuming each Duty as something known and admitted, dwells only on the manner 
in which each is to be performed. 

First, then, concerning Almsgiving: — 

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of 
them: 

It was commanded in the former chapter (v. 10), " Lot your light so shine be- 
fore men; that they may see your good icorks." But there is no contradiction 
between that jilace, and this: for what was there commanded, was, that Viy the 
shining of the light, our u-orks, not ourselves, should become conspicuous: and that 
men should be thereby led to glorify, not us, but our Father which is in Heaven. 
In like manner, what is here condemned, is, not that Alms should be done before 
men; but that launan observation should be the motive of such almsgiving: — " be- 
fore men, — to be seen of them." 

Yerily, the caution is needed, even b}' the best; for it is marvellous how prone 
we are to be influenced by unworthy motives, even though the glory of God may 
be the chirf object proposed to ourselves in all that we do. The love of Praise, 
moreover, is an instinct which we derive from God: and to desire the good (minion 
of our fellow men, — is in itself right. To these instincts our Savioir Christ 
more than once appeals: sec St. Luke xiv. 9, 10: also ver. 29. And all this, 
(which makes the greatness of our trial,) may in part explain why our Saviour 
dwells at so much length, (verses 1 to IS), on the duty of bestowing Alms, — of 
Praying, — and of Pasting, — with a single eye to "our Father wliich is in 
Heaven." 

otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in Heaven. 

That which is expressly stated in ver. 4, is here as plainly implied : namely, 
that he who acts in a contrary spirit, shall certainly reap a heavenly reward. (u) 

2 Therefore when thou doest thi7ie alms, do not sound a trumpet 

(a) St. Mutt. X. 42. Coinparo Provcrl)!) xix. 17 with St. Matt. xxv. 10. Seo also Proverbs 
xxviii. 27: Eccl«»ia»tc8 xi. : Hebrews vi. 10. 



VI.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 47 

before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, 
that they may have glory of men. 

The picture in this verse, — as Avell as in verses 5 and 16, — of what was common 
in our Lord's time, reveals in a very striking manner the degraded state of reli- 
gious feeling, — the moral blindness vrhich had befallen the Jewish people. Many 
similar hints are supplied in other places of the Gospel: as in St. Matthew xxiii. 2 
to 33: St. Mark vii. 6 to 13: St. Luke xi. 37 to 54: xviii. 10 to 12, &c. 

And yet, let us beware how we make such remarks in a spirit of self-congratula- 
tion: for, (as a good man observes of ourselves,) " When we do give, how much of 
self and how little of God is there in it! The left hand knows what is done: yea, 
it is done with the left hand, — done, that is, with sinister respects and intentions, — 
although the bodily right hand does it." 



^xx^^^^ix >,xxv. ^^^..j xxgjxx^ xxi.,.xvx ^^y.^ ^v. 

Yerily I say unto you, They have their reward. 



They who do such things, "have their reward;" that is, they have received 
already all the reward they ever tvill receive: namely, the observation of men. 
Compare, for the expression, St. Luke vi. 24. It recurs in verses 5 and 16. 

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know Avhat thy 
right hand doeth: 

To fulfill this precept in the letter, is obviously impossible; for " the left hand" 
must, perforce, know what is done by "the right hand." Yet, herein lies the very 
fitness and beauty of the image. It is equally impossible for a man to keep from 
himself the knowledge of his own deeds. 

By this expression, however, we are forcibly taught m what spirit all our best 
actions should be performed. We must not only shun the applause of others: we 
must shun even our own. To efiect this. He who " knew what was in man" knew 
that it would be needful to keep from us, if it were possible, the very consciousness 
of what we had ourselves been about. 

"An excellent word!" exclaims pious Leighton; " Eeflecfcnot on it as thy action, 
with self-pleasing: for that is the ' left hand' in view. But look on God's goodness 
to thee, in not having placed thee in the Receiver's room and he in thine: in making 
thee able to relieve another, which many are not; and, being able, making thee 
willing, which far fewer are. Take thy very giving to thy distressed brother, as a 
gift from God, and a further obligation on thee. Though He is pleased to become 
thy debtor, yet truly the thing itself is His gift, and a great one, — as David 
acknowledges excellently, concerning the offerings to the temple: — 'But who am I, 
and what is my people that we should be able to offer so loillingly, after this sort? 
For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.'(6) Not only 
the power, but the will, is from God:" and with respect to both, the King and his 
people had but given God of His oion. 

that thine alms may be in secret ; 

It can scarcely be necessary to add the remark, that the point of these directions 
concerning Almsgiving is not that it should " be in secret;" but that it should be 
done ^0 GOD' S glory, — with a single eye to His praise. Such Almsgiving will, 
doubtless, commonly be secret ; but it will not lose its character because it may 
happen to be done in the full light of day, and where it is sure to attract obser- 
vation. 

" When it must be public," says Leighton, " let thy intention be secret. Take 
no delight in having the eyes of men on thee; yea, rather count it a pain, — and 
still eye God alone, for He eyes thee." 

and thy Father which seeth in secret, 

" Remember," (continues the same holy man,) " even in public acts of charity, 
and other such like, He sees in secret. Though the action be no secret, the spring, 

(h) 1 Chron. xxix. 14. 



48 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

the source of it, is; and He still looks upon (Itai : He sees hy iclint iceir/hfs fhe 
wJicels (ju; views thy heart, the hidtlou beat and intention of it, which man cannot 
see. So then, though, in some cases, it is necessary to be seen in order to do, — 
yet, in no case, do, in order to be seen." 

Himself shall reward thee openly. 

Or, as it is elsowliere expressed, — " Thou shalt bo recompensed at the Resurrec- 
tion of the Just.'X') See the last note on ver. 1. 

A caution follows on the subject of Prayer: and in ver. G, certain directions con- 
cerning I'ricate Prayer. 

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. 

As before remarked, (see note on ver. 1), it is not the praying in the Synagogues, 
or in the streets, Avhich our Lord here condemns ; but the hypocrisy of so jiraying 
in order to " be seen of vien." Consider the behaviour of the Pharisee, in the 
Parable: (St. Luke xviii. 10 to 12,) also the language of our Lord, as recorded by 
St. JNIatthcw xxiii. 5. — Sec above, the notes on ver. 2. 

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou 
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Fatueii which is in secret; 

" When thou hast shut thy door." To such minuteness of detail does the Lord 
of Heaven and Earth condescend! "What shall we venture to call a trifle, if 
so small an act as this does not escape His notice, — nay, is put forward by Him, 
almost as the condition of prevailing Prayer? 

The door should be more than " shut." Our Lord says " locked." See the last 
words of the note on St. Luke xi. 7. 

and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
These words are found in ver. 4, (where, see the note ;) and will recur in ver. 18. 

7 But Avhcn ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: 
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

" Much Speaking," which our Saviovr here condomns, is not the same thing as 
much I'raijinif. This, He recommended to us by His ]irecept, when " He spake a 
Parable to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint:"{<7) and en- 
forced His own Divine example, when He "continued a// ?(////// in prayer to Gon. "(f) 
It is ratlier, the employment of many irreverent and useless words in our a]>proache8 
to the throne of Cj race. We have an example of the " heathen", jnactice in this 
respect, in 1 Kings xviii. 26 to 29; where it is related tiiat " the Priests of Baal 
called upon the name of IJaal fnmi moniing to noon, saying, Baal hear usl" 

Holy Scripture docs indeed contain examples of very lengthy ju-ayers, — as in 1 
Kings viii. and 2 Chronicles vi. : Nehcmiah ix.: Haniel ix. : St. .John xvii.: but 
these were offered up on extraordinary occasions. On the other hand, the Lord's 
Prayer, — "after which muuncr" we are instructed to pray, — is exceedingly brief. 
Briefer still, is the ]iattern of j)rovailiMg ]irayer in St. Luke xviii. 1.1: and such 
was the prayer of our Savioik Himself in the garden, — a prayer, moreover, which 
he repeated (nut "vainly") three times. (/") Consider, again, the character of those 
Prayers which were answered by disjdays of miraculous power: " Lord, if Thou 
wilt. Thou canst make nie clciin. "(.'/) — " Loitn, I :nn not worthy tliat Tlmu shouMest 
come un<ler my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. "(/') 

(r) .t^t. Luke xiv. M. ('0 St Luke xviii. \. fr| St. Luke vi 12. 

(/) St. Molt. xxvi. :{9, 12, 41. {<j) .St. Matthew viii. 2 (A) SU Matthew viii. 8. 



VI.] 



ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 49 



"Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!"(0 — " Lord, that I may receive 
my sight.'X^'^) — ^"tl the like. Such, too, are all the fragmentary portions which sur- 
vive, of the primitive services of the Church: and our Collects arc all constructed 
in the same spirit of severe brevity. The holy men by whom they were compiled 
must have been deeply impressed with the pious sentiment adopted by Hooker from 
the Book of Ecclesiastcs (v. 2): — " He is above, and we upon Earth; therefore it 
behooveth our words to be wary and few." 

One of the moderns has well remarked, — "If the heart is close to Hiin in ever 
so short a prayer, there is much said in a little. We usually speak many words, 
^ and say little." 

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth 
what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. 

We do not pray, in order to inform God of our needs ; but in order to entreat 
Him to supply them. See the Collect, beginning "Almighty God, the fountain of 
all Wisdom," — at the end of the Communion Service. 

But, (it may be thought,) If God " knows our necessities before we ask." — what 
can be the necessity of asking ? — We answer, first. That it is the Divine Will that 
we should Ask, in order that it may be Given, — Seek, in order that we may find, — 
Knock, in order that it may be Opened :(/) and this reply should be final. The 

Vessel must be brought to the Fountain in order that it may be filled But 

secondly, it should be remembered that the limit to the bestowal of God's mercies 
is created not by His unwillingness to bestow, but by our inability to receive. The 
miraculous supply of Oil " stayed" not, until that confession of the Widow's son, 
" There is not a vessel more."(?H) By Prayer, our hearts become enlarged for the 
reception of the Divine Gift. That turning of the Heart to God prepares and fits 
us for the Blessing which He is ever prepared to bestow, but which we are not 
always prepared to receive. 

9 After this manner therefore pray ye : 

Our Blessed Lord delivered to His Disciples the Prayer which follows, also on 
another occasion : in compliance, namely, with their request that He would " Teach 
them how to pray."(«) He prefaced it, then, by the injunction, — " when ye pray, 
say :" thereby bestowing His sanction, for ever, on set forms of Prayer. On this 
occasion, the Lord's Prayer is introduced by the words, — "After this manner pray 
ye." The Lord's Prayer is, accordingly, at once the most frequent of all our pray- 
ers ; and the pattern on which the others are constructed. See the end of the note 
on ver. 7. 

Our Father 

By " the Spirit of Adoption, "(o) " because we are sons,"(p) we address God as 
"Our Father:" for, to as many as believe, "giveth He power to become the sons 
of GoD."{q) "Of His own will begat He us," says St. James (i. 18); us men, 
" which are made after the similitude of GoD."(r) 

"Our:" although the prayer is to be said in the closet, privately. This must be, 
because " we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of 
another."(.s) 

which art in Heaven, 

For He alone is properly the Father of all, — as our Saviour hath expressly 
taught us: "One is your Father, which is in Heaven."(<) The compassionate 
Love which authorized us to draw near to such a presence with words inspiring 
confidence and affection, — it is impossible sufficiently to admire. 

(i) St. Luke xviii. 38. {k) St. Luke xviii. 41. (I) St. Matthew vii. 7, 8. 

(m) 2 Kings iv. 6. M St. Luke xi. 2. (o) Rom. viii. 15. 

{p) Gal. iv. 6. (q) St. John i. 12. 

r) St. James iii. 9, and compare 1 St. John iii. 1, 2, and Galatians iii. 26. 

s) Romans xii. 5. [t) St. Matthew xxiii. 9. 



50 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

But it is a relation which implies correspornlintr <luties on our side: — " If I then 
be a Fatlier," — saitli the Luru, by His prophet Malachi, — (i. G,) "where is Mine 
honour?" 

"AVhichart in JTfaren :" because it is especially //k>v that lie manifests His 

flory. But " behoUl, the Heaven, and tlie lleaven of Heavens, cannot contain" 
Iim.(») Consider Psalm cxiii. 6. 

Ilallowed be Thy Xame. 

This, since it is the first petition in the Lord's Prayer, expresses what should be 
the foremost anxiety of every Christian heart, — namely, the honor of God's Holy 
Name. By such lanji^ua^e, we stand pledged to hallow it ourselves; "not only 
with our lips, but in our lives." 

10 Thy Kingdom come. 

"The child of God," being also " an heir of the Kingdom of Heaven," is impa- 
tient for the coming of that Kingdom. "Beseeching Thee," (as it is said in the 
Burial Service,) "that it may please Thee, of Tliy gracious goodness, short Ij' tc 
accomplish the number of Thine elect, and to hasten Thy Kingdom." But "what 
manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, "(a) who 
say such words as these ? 

We pray here for the establishment of Christ's Kingdom ; and not only that we 
ourselves may have our place in it, but that the same Kingdom may have a place 
also in ourselves. (i/) 

Thy Will be done 

This entire petition may be understood as marking anxiety on the part of the 
Creature, to behold universal obedience to the Creator's Will : or rather, to Itehold 
the cimfurmity of all other wills to His. See the note on the same petition in St. 
Luke xi. 2. Jkit tiiis former clause is especially the language of personal submis- 
sion ; of humble and entire acquiescence in the decrees of a higher Power. See 
St. Luke xxii. 42, and Acts xxi. 14. 

It may be regarded, moreover, as a prayer for guidance: a prayer that God 
would " direct our steps according to Ilis Word ;"(2)— ami that " the words of our 
mouth, and the meditation of our heart may be alway acceptable in His sight," — 
who is "our Strength and our lledeemer."(a) 

in Earth, as it is in Heaven. 

This latter clause is applicable to each of the three petitions which go before. 
The Holy Name, — the Heavenly Kingdom, — tlie Divine Will ; — to be j>erfectly 
hallowed, — to have fully cunic, — to be entirely obeyed ; — every thing must be "in 
Earth, us it /.y in Heaven." The words themselves reveal, incidentullv, the order 
which must reign in the Courts above, — where, in all respects, as theSo.v here as- 
sures us, the Father's will is done As Hooker lay a-dying, one of his 

friends ini|uirc(l his present thoughts: towlmni he replied, — "That he was meditat- 
ing the number and nature of Angels, and their blessed obedience and order; without 
which peace could not be in Heaven : and, oh that it might be so on Earth I" 

11 Give us this day 

Whcreljy our Loud teaches us to " take no thought," — (that is, to repress in our- 
Bclves all undue anxiety,) — "for the morrow."(/<) The Christian's anxieties (as 
we have seen) are alroa<ly enlisted on behalf of the coming of Christ's Kingdom. 
Uow shall he then "make provision lor the llesh, to fultill the lust.s thereof ?"(r) 

our daily bread. 

{u\ 1 KinK» viii. 27. (x) 2 St. Pet. iii. 11. (y) St. Luke xvii. 21. 

(i) Pnalm cxix. 133. \<i) !».■.. six U. (6) St. Mntlh. vi. .SJ. 

(r) lluiuttiia xiii. 14. 



VI.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 51 



That is, — " Send us all things that be needful both for our Souls and Bodies :" 
as will be found more fully explained in the note on St. Luke iv. 4. But we are 
taught to pray only for the supply of our daily needs. Nature is satisfied with lit- 
tle, — says a good man: Grace, with less. "And, having food and raiment, let us 
be therewith content." (cZ) 

" Our daily Bread:" the simplest fare ! And no promise is ever held out to us 
of more. " Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and 
verily — thou shalt be fed." {e) 

For more than this, Agur prayed not, when he s^iid, — " Give me neither Poverty 
nor Riches ; feed me with food convenient for me : lest I be full, and deny Thee, 
and say. Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my 
God in vain."(y) 

Observe, however, that this is not only a prayer for food and raiment ; but also 
a prayer that our food and raiment may be of GOD' S giving, — that is, may be 
honestly and fairly earned. " For," as an old writer remarks, " to him God gives 
bread, who earns it by righteous means ; but to him who earns it by sin, the Devil 
it is who giveth." 

Indeed, the bread which is unfairly obtained, is not truly ours, but another 
man's. Neither can those supplies be fairly regarded as our o^vn, of which a share 
should be distributed to him that needeth.(^) 

The richer sort of persons find it hard to realize the belief that their daily food 
comes from God ; and so, may feel as if this petition were out of place on their 
lips. Such persons should be reminded, that, by saying, — " Give us this day ou7- 
daily bread," they do in effect say, — " Give Thou to us this day, the bread which 
belongs to us." As if their language were, — " Let the bread which is ours, come 
to us this day sanctified by Thy Almighty Hands I" 

But we must look for a yet deeper meaning in this petition, — as will be more 
fully shown in the note on St. Luke iv. 4. " Is not the life more than meat, and 
the body than raiment ?"(/i) Wherefore, in the woi-ds of our Saviour Christ, — 
" Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness ; and all these things," 
— that is, all that is required, for your temporal support and welfare, — " shall be 
added unto you."(t) 

12 And forgive us our debts, 

"Debts," in this place, is clearly equivalent to "trespasses" in ver. 14, — with 
which word we are more familiar. The expression informs us of the relation in 
which we stand to God : reminds us, that we are under an obligation to fulfill His 
commands. Hence the Parable which sets forth the duty of Forgiveness of Inju- 
ries, relates the History of two Creditors -.{j) and of kindred application is the 
Parable of "a certain Creditor which had two Debtors." [k) 

With the present place, the language of St. Luke xi. 4, should be compared ; 
and it will be seen that the word translated " sinners" in St. Luke xiii. 4, is ren- 
dered ^^ Debtors" in the margin. 

In this fifth petition, then, we pray for daily remission, daily cleansing, daily re- 
newal : admitting by this, our daily sacrifice of Prayer, the self-same thing which 
was anciently witnessed by the Daily Sacrifice of a victim by the High-priest, — 
" first for his own sins, and then for the people's."(Z) 

For "there is none that doeth good, no not one."(m) We fall into sin, daily; 
and the sum of those many little sins, makes a large amount in the end. " They 
are more in number than the hairs of my head," — as the Psalmist speaks ; " they 
have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up !"(«) 

as we forgive our debtors. 

The mercy we show towards others, is here proposed by ourselves as the measure 
of the mercy we desire to experience at God's Hands. So strictly do we stand 

(rf) 1 Tim. vi. 8. (e) Psalm xxxvii. 3. ( / ) Proverbs xxx 8, 9. 

(j/) Ephes. iv. 28. (/i) St. Matth. vi. 25. f St. Matth. vi. 33. 

\j ) St. Matth. xviii. 23 to 35. [k) St. Luke vii. 41. 
\l ) Hebrews vii. 27 : referring to Levit. xvi. 11 and 15. 

(m) Psalm xiv. 3, quoted in Romans iii. 10 and 12. (») Psalm xl. 13. 



52 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

bound, and i>ledgeil, to sliow for<;iveness to other men ! For, on this ooudilion 
onlv, do we iiresuiue to ask forgiveness for ourselves. 

l^his petition, tlien, becomes a terrible one on the lips of the implacable man, — 
for thereby he closes the Gate of Mercy against himself; and declares his own 
dread fill sentence. 

And here, \>y the wa}-, the plain and obvious meaning of the plea urged, is not 
to be lost sight of. Mercifulness with respect to iltUs of momy is, of course, to 
be understood, where the language of pecuniary obligation is so distinctly em- 
ployed. 

See the notes on verses 14 and 15. 

13 And load us nut into Temptation. 

This is not, of eourse, a prayer that God will not "tempt" us, by solicitations to 
sin; for in that sense "God temptetii no man," as St. James dechues.(/<) But it is 
a prayer tliat we may not " be led" intt» circumstances of Trial ; in whicli sense 
"Goi» temjited Abraham, "(/>) and indeed tempts all His Saints. The meaning of 
the petition therefore is, humbly to deprecate that trial should be made of our con- 
stancy : and this, because it but too commonly happens that for men to be tempted, 
is for men to fall. " Considering thyself, lest thou also — he tempted," writes the 
Apostle. (7) And so, our lilessed Saviour, on more than one occasion, said to His 
disciples, — " Watch and pray that ye enter not iido Teniptation.^i) 

But St. James says, " My brethren, count it all joij when ye fall into dijers 
temptations. "(.s) These passages, however, are easily reconciled. We may not seek 
Temptation. The weakness of the Flesh, as already remarked, should teach us 
even to dread it. But when, in the course of God's good Providence, and the pur- 
suit of our known duty, we find ourselves involved in circumstances of trial, then 
we are taugiit to " eount it all joy:" for then, it may be humbly hoped that the 
Tempter beholds in us that^ living principle of earnestness which it is the whole 
business of himself and his accursed emissaries to assail, and if possible to destroy. 
Persons so "led into Temptation," are " led by the SPHiIT.^\/) as we learn from 
the example of our gloritied Head; and, as memljers of His mystical Body, we may 
humbly hope to be continually supported by His Spirit through the conflict; as 
well as to be crowned with victory, after His glorious pattern, in the end. 

But deliver us from Evil: 

Whether from Avithin, or from without: — from the evil of our own hearts, (») or 
from the evil suggestions of the Enemy, (x) and his Angels. (//) It is in fact a 
prayer that "from all Evil, and Mischief: from Sin: from the crafts and assaults 
of the Devil: from God's wrath, and from Everlasting Damnation, from all Blind- 
ness of heart: from I'l-ide, Vain-glory, and Hypocrisy: from Envy, Hatred, and 
Malice, and all L'ncharitableness : from Eornication, and all other deadly sin: and 
from all the deceits of the AVorld, the Flesh, and the Devil, — the good Lord would 
del tier us." 

As, in the former j)etition, we prayed unto God that it would ])lcase Him "to 
save and defend us in all dangers, ghostly and bodily;" so, in this, we implore 
Him "to keep us from all sin and wickedness, and from our Ghostly Enemy, and 
from Everlasting Death." 

In this broad manner we aie c(jntent to take this great [petition: though learned 
men are of opinion that, in the strict letter, the words should be interpreted, — 
" Deliver u-s from the AV/7 One:"{z) and they are probably right. The Keader is 
referred to the note on St. Luke iv. C. 

See what has been remarked on this petition in the corresponding place of St. 
Luke's (iospel (ch. .\i. 4); and note, that those many expressions in the Psalms, 
which speak of Enemies, and pray for N'ictory or Delivcrance,((*) nuiy bo con- 
sidirred, in their spiritual meannig, to look in the direction of the present petition. 
On t'liristian lips, they convey a desire akin to that here expressed. 



(.) St. Jiuiic.'< i. 2. (0 St. Mnllluw iv. 1, 

(11) IloinnnH vii. 2.1. St. .liiiiie.M i. IJ. (.r) 2 C"r. ii. 1 1 : IS 

(y) K|)hc!t. vi. 12. (i) Tlio ."iiino romark iipiilipH to St. AJntt. v. :17, nnd to ] 



St. .Taiiic!' i. l.'l. ( /)) (Jci.t'.-iM .\xii. 1. (</) rmlnt. vi. 1. 

Miitthuw x.wi. 11. St I.uki' .xxii. JO and 10. 

Ac. 
t. PeUsr v. 8. 
nnd to 1 St. John V. 19. 
(«) Psuliii Hv. 5; lix. 1, 10: cxliii. 12, 4c., Ac. 



VI.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 53 



For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever. 

For the Kingdom we pray for, is Thine: — Thine, also, is the Power to bestow 
every blessing of which we stand ifi need:— and Thine, Thine only, be the Glory! 
.... The same language is found in 1 Chron. xxix. 11, — which see. 

Amen. 

By the word ' Amen,' we set our seal to every petition which has gone before. 
The word implies devout assent,(6) — or earnest desire,(c) — as in this place: hearty 
belief, — or solemn confirmation, (V?) — as at the end of the Creed. It is often trans- 
lated " Verily," — as in verses 2, 5, and 16, of the present chapter: and is personally 
applied to Christ Himself, in the Book of Revelation, — iii. I4. 

Such, then, is the Prayer which the Lord hath taught us ; and which He twice 
repeated, — as if in token that it is a perfect summary of all our actual needs ; an 
enumeration of all our lawful desires. Thus we are "tosay;"(e) or " after this 
manner."(/) No petition, therefore, should be offered up to the Majesty on High, 
which cannot be fairly brought under one of these seven heads. Indeed the very 
desires which fall not within the compass of one of these petitions, may be pro- 
nounced unlawful. 

14, 1.5 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Fa- 
ther will also forgive you : but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

It seems worth remarking that the petition, — " Forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive them that trespass against us," is the only portion of the Lord's Prayer for 
which no parallel has been traced out in the prayers of God's ancient People. For 
every other petition, some corresponding one has been discovered; which leads to 
the interesting belief, that, on this occasion, our Saviour did but put together ma- 
terials with which His hearers Avere, for the most part, familiar. But in respect 
of the petition which pleads for Mercy, by promising to be merciful in turn, He is 
found to have been " like unto a man that is a Householder; which bringeth forth 
out of his Treasure things neio," as well as " o\d."{g) And this may be the reason 
why it is the only petition to which the Blessed Speaker recurs: the one He singles 
out from the rest for the solemn yet simple comment, contained in these two verses. 

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad coun- 
tenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men 
to fast. Yerily I say unto you. They have their reward. 

Having considered the duty of Almsgiving, and Prayer, our Lord proceedsto the 
duty of Fasting: for a duty must that be which is spoken of, as Fasting is, in ver. 
17. — Compare verses 2 and 5, and the notes thereon. 

"Prayer" and "Fasting" are frequently joined together by the Spirit: as in 
the following places of Holy Scripture: — Psalm sxxv. 13: Daniel ix. 3: St. Mat- 
thew xvii. 21 (St. Mark ix. 29): St. Luke ii. 37: Acts xiv. 23: 1 Cor. vii. 5. 
" Prayers" and " Alms" are conjoined in Acts x. 4. 

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy 
face ; 

Our Lord alludes, specially, to the manners and fashion of His own time. But 
His words teach us that whatever of usual outward observance cannot be neglected 
without attracting undue notice, must continue to be practised, during seasons of 
Fasting;. 



a' 



18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father 

b) 1 Corinth, xiv. 16: Deut. xxvii. 15, &c. (c) Jeremiali xi. 5 xxiviii. 6. Nehemiah viii. 6. 
rf) 1 Kings i. 36. Numb. v. 22. (c) St. Luke xi. 2. (/) St. Matt. vi. 9. 

(jr) St. Matthew xiii 52. 



54 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

"\vhicli is in secret: and thy Father "which seeth in secret shall reward 
thee openly. 

With this verse, couiparo verses 4 and 0. Tlie precept concerning Fastinp, like 
those cuncerniug Almsgiving and Prayer, regards Purify of Intention : a caution 
the more necessary, inasnuicli as murtificatiuns and austerities teem to have no- 
thing to do vith Pride. But Pride may lurk in sackcloth; and it is more formi- 
dable, from tiiat very circumstance, than when it comes abroad arrayed in finery. 

It is obvious that, in many other ways besides this, " Fasting" may be " made 
of none ifl'i^ct:" — as, -when it is not attended with purity of life; when it is made 
to consist in a mere varying of food, — not an abridgment nf meat and drink; or 
when we practise simplicity at our tables, in order tliereliy to save the more, — not 
for Chkist's Poor, but for ourselves. But we may be sure that our Lord has here 
laid His finger on the most dangerous deceit of any: the snare which most eflFec- 
tually renders our good works worthless in His sight. 

On " seeing in secret," see above, the note on ver. 4. 

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon Earth. 

As our Lord recurred, at the end of His pattern-prayer (ver. 14), to one of the 
petitions which had gone before (ver. 12,) — so here does He recur, if not to Alms- 
giving, (of which he had spoken in verses 1 to 4,) at least to a topic close akin to 
it, — namely, the Vice to which it stands opposed. Indeed, He has been thought, 
in this and the following verses, to recommend Almsgicinij; and certainly there are 
parallel expressions in St. Luke's Gospel, which favour the opinion: sec St. Luke 
xii. 33, 34. Moreover, there can be no surer way of depositing one's goods in 
safety than by ])laoing thciii in the hand of Ilim who, (in the person of His poor,) 
stretches out His hand to receive them. " lie that hath pity upon the poor, h-ndetk 
unto the Ijord," said the wise man: " and that which he hath given, icill He pay 
Jiim cif/ain."[h) — "Give to the poor, and — thou shalt have treasure in IIeacen,'\i) 
was the language of our Lord Himself, on a certain occasion. But to interpret 
this passage of Almsgiving, only, is perhaps to take too narrow a view of our 
Saviour's wondrous words: which are rather a warning against Covetousness, — 
verses 19 to 24; and a caution against undue Anxiety about the things of this life, 
verses 25 to the end. 

It may be admitted, however, that the preceding verse, and those which follow, 
grow naturally out of the subject treated of at the beginning of the present Chap- 
ter, and stand in the closest connection with it: as though the object of the Blessed 
Speaker had been to remove the chief impediment to the free bestowal of our 
worldly goods, — namely, the lust to heap up a fortune. 

•where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through 
and steal : 

As though he said, — Why lay up thy treasure here, where thou thyself fleest as 
it were a shadow, and never continuest in one stay? where, even befipre thou thy- 
self dei)artest, till! thief may rob thee of it in a moment; where, though spared by 
him, the moth will destroy it; where, lastly, every thing thou lovest contains withiia 
itself the principles of decay? 

" They that trust in tlieir wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their 
riches," were of old reminded that they must "perish and leave their trtalthto 
olhers.'\k) " Surely," (it was said) " men arc distjuieted in vain. He hcapeth 
up riciies and knoiceth not who shall gather them."{t) But, more solemn, by far, 
is our Saviour's warning: more prevailing by far the motive which lie suggests. 
Compare the note on St. Matllicw vii. 1. 

20 But lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through 
nor steal. 

(h^ rrovcrhs six. 17. li) Ft. Mntt. six. 21 : St. Mnrk x. 21 : Pf. Luko xviii. 22. 

[k) I'salu xlix. C uuJ 10. (/) Ptiuliu x-xxix. C. Comparu Ecclu^iu:<tvs ii. IS. 



VI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 55 

wondrous Love, which would not deprive us even of these, His lower gifts: 
but would teach us to bestow them, where we may find them, after many days ! 
yet more wondrous skill, which can provide a means whereby the perishable things 
of earth may be conveyed away, and deposited in the eternal Mansions I 

That we ourselves have here no abiding city, we know : that we look for a House, 
eternal in the heavens,()«) we admit. Why are we so loath, then, to send our 
goods on before us, — our treasures, — whatsoever they may happen to be? He who 
is the Author and Giver of all good things, offers to become the Guardian and 
Keeper of them also. How does it happen that so few have the heart to trust 
Him ? What does He, in this place, but advise us to transfer our fruits to a higher 
floor; where they shall be in no danger of the fate which, here below, is inevitable? 
" For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly away as an Eagle." And 
wherefore should not their flight be, like the Eagle's, — towards Heaven ?"(n) 

21 For where your treasure is, there will your Heart be also. 

This, then, is the reason which our Saviour assigns for the precepts which go 
immediately before. He desires nothing less than that our hearts should be 
drawn upwards; that to Heaven, all our thoughts should point: and so, that our 
conversation should be in Heaven, (o) — " hid with Christ in GoD.'Xp) 

And since our " Treasure," — of whatever kind it may happen to be, — has this 
wondrous power of drawing the heart after it, and up to it ; ivho sees not that the 
foregoing precept is of vaster extent than might, at first, be expected ? Does it not 
address the mourner? — reminding him that he has lost nothing ; that he has but 
laid up his treasure in a place where he will find it after many days ; and that the 
withdrawal of that which was the delight of his eyes, is but a summons to him to 
" lift up his heart;" — a warning to him to " set his affection on things above, not 
on things on the earth ?"(^) 

22 The light of the body is the Eye : 

Eather — " The lamj) of the body." — Expressions strictly parallel to this verse 
and the next, are to be found in St. Luke xi. 34; but they will be perceived to 
stand in quite a different connection, and to have quite a different bearing. How 
are we thereby reminded of the breadth of application claimed by His words, who 
spake as never man spoke ! 

Sin enters at tJie eye: compare ch. v. 28, 29, — and the notes there. The organ 
which was meant to be the avenue of Light to the Body, thereby becomes the 
channel by which Pollution enters, and darkness abounds. How little are the blind 
aware of their blessedness ! 

if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 

Rather, — ^^ liberal;" for iJiat is the meaning of "single," in this place. The 
connection with what went before, is close and obvious. 

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. 

"Evil," in the sense of "illiberal,"— z.?, in St. Matth. xx. 15.— We are hereby 
assured that nothing so effectually blinds the eye, and thus blocks up the intended 
avenue of light, — darkening the whole inner man, — as Covetousness. 

Consider, in connection with this saying of our Lord, the character and conduct 
of Judas Iscariot. 

If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that 
darkness ! 

That is, — " How great" must " the darkness" be, which is thus deprived of the 
means of illumination ! 

(m) 2 Cor. v. 1. (ji) Prov. xxiii. 5. (o) Philip, ill. 20. 

{p) Coloss. iii. 3. (j) Coloss. iii. 2. 



56 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

24 No man can serve two masters : 

These, and the following words, will be found repeated in St. Luke's Gospel, — 
xvi. 13 : but, as before, (?•) in quite a diflerent connection. 

for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he "will 
hold to the one, and despise the other. 

Our Lord puts two cases, — the one the converse of the other. And observe the 
exquisite aceuracy of the langua}i;e employed : — For either, (He says,) a man must 
hate Satan, and love God: or else he must "hold to" Satan, — (who cannot become 
the ol)jeot of human love;) and "despise" God, — (who cannot become the object 
of human hati). Now, //e "holds" or "attaches himself, to" Satan, who seeks 
Satan's rewards : and what does he do, who disregards God's threats and promises, 
but " despise" Ilim ? 

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. 

" Mammon" is the Syi-iac title for " the god of this world :"(.s') but, in this place, 
the name stands for Lucre, generally. The deep meaning concealed in the expres- 
sion, appears from another place of Scripture; where the Apostle, speaking of 
" Covetousness," immediately adds, — " whic-li is I(lohitri/."{t) 

Some persons may be disposed to fancy that an undue space is given to some 
Sins, — to Cnvetousness for example, — in the Sermon on the Mount. Any one so 
thinking, should be reminded that we are, and can only ])e, teaniers, here. He 
may be referred, also, to the concluding note on chapter vii. Touching the ])ar- 
ticular sin of Covetousness, let the History of Balaam, of Achan, and of Gehazi, 
in the Old Testament; of Judas, of Ananias, and of Sapphira, in the New, — be to 
us a sufficient warning of our danger. How can a warning against tJic sin of Judas, 
by po-ssibilit}-, occupy too conspicuous a place in the Gospel of Christ? 

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. 

" Take no tliouylit," — does not mean that wo arc to make no provision. Very 
far from this, indeed, is implied by the whole tenor of Scripture. St. Paul declares 
that "if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own luiuse, he 
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. "(») The " bag" which con- 
tained the conunon fund, whereby the daily need of the Son of Man and His fol- 
lowers was supplied, (x) showed tkoujht. 

Nor yet is labou» forbidden. St. Paul wrought with his own hands ;(//) and 
commanded " that if any would not work, neither should he eat." (:) " Go to the 
Ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise," saith the Spirit: "which 
having no guide, overseer, or ruler, pn.videth her !Meat in the Summer, and gath- 
creth her food in the harvest." («) The Divine Injunction docs but prohibit (Z/s- 
tracting anxiety — orer-carefuJness about the things of this life. 

"But if it is fiirbiddon that concerning necessary things, — as meat, and drink, 
and clothing, — we should feel anxiety; how oflfens'ive to Almighty God must en- 
grossing scYiomes of Ambition, and of Pleasure, — solicitude about Luxuries, or 
about Trifles — be ! 

Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ? 

Shall not, therefore, He who so curiously built the Body, — and so wondrously 
endowed it with Life, — provide l>oth for the covering ofthcuiio, and the sujiport of 
the other? Is not the bestowal of the greater gift, an assurance and a jiledge that 
the lesser will not bo withheld cither ? 



r) Sco tho first nolo, above, ou vcr. 22 (•) 2 C»r. iv. 4. Coinpnro St. L) 

<) fV.lo,-... iii. U. h\ 1 Tim. v. S. 

j) St. .Tohn .\ii. C and xiii. 29. (y) 2 Thf.'M. iii. S, 9; Acts xviii. 

[i) 2 ThcsB. iii. 10. (.i) Proverbs vi. C— 8. 



VI.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 57 

26 Beliold the Fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they 
reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. 

Verily, "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His 
works !"(6) The concern of Almighty God for these His lower creatures is appa- 
rent from many parts of Scripture. Consider the following places -. — Deuteronomy 
xxii. 6, 7 ; Leviticus xxii. 28 ; Exodus xxiii. 19 (repeated, in xxxiv. 20, and Deut- 
eronomy xiv. 21) ; Deuteronomy xxv. 4 ; Exodus xxiii. 5, &c. 

Are ye not much better than they ? 

Every hint concerning that great mystery, — the brute Creation, — when it comes 
from the mouth of the Creator Himself, is precious. Compare with this place, 
St. Matthew xii. 12. 

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his 
stature ? < 

Rather, " unto his term of life." The space traversed in a man's earthly course; 
length of days, — not altitude of stature, — is the object of solicitude here specified. 

28 And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the Lilies of 
the field, how they grow ; 

The Author of Creation turns to another class of His works. He could^eive 
instanced the gorgeous plumage of birds, — the lovely colours, and the wonderful 
texture of their clothing: but He prefers to descend a step in the scale of Being, 
and appeal to the world of Flowers. 

Hither He invites our attention also. The injunction stands for evermore — 
" Consider the lilies of the field I" 

they toil not, neither do they spin : 

Neither " toil," — as men, for the materials of clothing; nor " spin," — as women, 
whose office it is to give shape to those materials, and make them fit for use. 
Consolation is intended for either sex. 

29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was 
not arrayed like one of these. 

No Jewish Monarch ever attained to such worldly magnificence as Solomon; who 
"made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones ;"(c) " it was nothing 
accounted of in the days of Solomon. "(c?) His fame brought the Queen of Sheba 
to his court: and when she "had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he 
had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the at- 
tendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cup-bearers, and his ascent by 
which he went up unto the House of the Lord, — there was no more spirit in her. 
And she said to the King, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land ; 
and behold, the half was not told me."(e) 

The Creator here declares that the streaked and freckled flower, blooming un- 
seen or uncared for, is more beautifully arrayed than "even Solomon, in all his 
glory." And we need only " consider," in order to convince owselves that so it 
is. Truth is not more widely removed from Falsehood, than are the natural hues 
of flowers from the dyed garments of men. 

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day 
is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, 

He ranks " the lilies" with " the grass of the field," and notices their ordinary 

(h) Psalm cxlv. 9. (c) 2 Cliron. i. 15. 

(d) 1 Kings X. 21. (e) 1 Kings x. 4 to 7. 



58 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 

fate: both in order-to show us huw little they arc worth, and to remind us of the 
reason why. 

shall He not mucli more dothc you, ye of little fiiitli ? 

If, then, God hatli, in such matchless splenduur, clad these His meaner works, — 
how much more shall lie provide for the covering of .¥««; wlmm He created in 
Ifi.t ntni iiu(t;/c, and onduwed with a reasonable Soul ; " for whom," also, " Curist 
died," and so glorious a destiny is reserved in store ! 

31 Therefore take no tliought, sayln;^, "Wliat shall we eat? or, TVhat 
shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 

Verily, "To the poor" the Gospel was preached ;( /") — its words of warning, no 
less than its words of promise! For, are not Meat, — brink, — Clothing, — suhjectsof 
anxiety rather witli fhe j)oor, than with the rich ? Let that class, then, whicli hath 
so many glurious consolations in God's Word, take the present as a solemn caution 
addressed to themselves. 

Our Lord's words do, indeed, convey a lesson to rich and poor alike; for dainti- 
nes.f in Meat, Drink, Clothing, — " What," and "wheretvithal ;" anxiety, therefore, 
about the kind of thing, rather than about the thing itself, — is here specially for- 
bidden. Moreover, just as the petition for " Daily Bread," was found to be a 
prayer that " God would send us all things that be needful botli for our souls and 
bodies," — so, doubtless, is every temporal object of personal anxiety included in 
the present mention of Food and Raiment. But then, the words must be allowed 
to have tlieir own special, and proper sense; and that is never to be overlooked in 
expositions of Scripture. Poverty has wondrous privileges, mighty blessings, 
splendid promises ; (as well it may ! for it is a most heavy and bitter portion): but, 
doubtless, it has its own peculiar dangers and warnings, likewise: and ihi^ is one 
of them. 

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your 
Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 

Compare ver. 8, and see the note there. Observe also, that our Lord, while lie 
declares the Divine Knowledge, admits also the human "need, of all these things." 

The Blessed speaker dues not say "GOD knoweth ;" but, " Voitr JIatrenli/ 
Father knoweth." And the reason is plain. That comfortable appellation is the. 
foundation of all our Hope. If He be our Father, then are we Jilt Children: and 
it cannot be that lie will overlook us, in our need. Consider those words of 
Isaiah, — " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have com- 
passion on the son of her womb ? Yea, thei/ may forget, — yd icill I not forget 
thee !" (g) 

33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, 

"Ilia righteousness:" for all Bightcousness is of Jfim, and all our good deeds 
arc Jfis. Sec the following places of Scripture: — 1 Corinthians xv. 10; 2 Corin- 
thians iii. 5 ; Galat. ii. 8 ; Eph. iii. 7 ; Philippians ii. 13 ; St. John xv. 4. 

and all these things shall be added unto you. 

That is, — Make itj-our chief concern to please God, and to serve Ilim ; to do as 
lie has commanded, and thus, to hasten the coming of His Kingdom; — (an in- 
junction which, we may be s\ire, our Savkhr here delivered not without special 
rofcrciicc to the subject whii'h innnediatcly ]irecedes;) — and then, all these other 
things will ])o found to follow. "(Jodlincss," as St. Paul in a certain place de- 

•  •   " ■'  • •' well 

4 
arc 



*•■■••'-''■ ; '■ '■'••"VI "^ .WW,,. x.wv».,..v„,.,, ...T Kj,.. ....... ... .. x,^... — ,..,.^v V. 

clares, is profitable unto all things ; having promise of the life that now i.s," as w( 
as " of tliut wiiicii is to come."(/<) Conij)aro the language of Psalm xxxvii. 3, 
and 2.') ; xli. 1, 2; all cxii. (to which, the words juat quoted from St Paul, a 



(/) St. Mutt. .\i. 5, and St. Luko iv. 18. (y) Inainh xlix. 15. (/i) 1 Tim. iv. 8. 



VI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 59 

actually prefixed, as a heading), Prov. xi. 24, 25; xix. 17 ; xxvili, 27. See espe- 
cially St. Mark x. 29, 30._ 

" Almsgiving, or Mercifulness, was never the wasting or lessening of any man's 
estate, to himself or his posterity; but rather, the increasing of it." So said the 
pious and most charitable Dr. Hammond, once, in a sermon at St. Paul's Cross. (i) 
A Church dignitary, whose charities were so remarkable and profuse as to provoke 
the inquiry, How he contrived, having so large a family, not only to subsist, but 
even to grow rich ? — made answer that, several years before, he happened to be 
present at a Sermon at St, Paul's Cross, where the Preacher, recommending the 
Duty of Almsgiving, assured his auditory that that was the most certain way to 
acquire Riches. He had accordingly resolved to try the experiment .... When 
this story was told to Dr. Hammond, he admitted that he had himself preached 
the Sermon which had borne such blessed fruit. 

34 Take therefore no thougbt for the morrow : for the morrow shall 
take thought for the things of itself. 

He speaks of to-morrow, as if it were a person ; and one, sufficiently alive to 
his own interests; — sufficiently beset with his own anxieties, also, — to render any 
solicitude for him, on our part, quite superfluous, as well as unreasonable. 

Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

"Evil," is here opposed to Good, generally: not to the good of Virtue, but to 
the good of Ease, and freedom from Care. 

"To-day," — like "to-morrow," just above, — comes forward as a person. He 
bends beneath his own proper burden, and asks why he is to be further oppressed 
by the weight of To-morrow's cares, — with which he has no concern ? 

" Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Christ hath spoken it. With 
such words let us be content to resign the future to His keeping, who surveys the 
Future, as He does the Past and the Present, — at a glance : who shapes it, as He 
pleases ; and who will enable us to bear whatever His Providence shall see fit 
therein to order for us. 



THE PRAYER. 

GOD, who declarest Thy Almighty Power most chiefly in showing 
Mercy and Pity; mercifully grant unto us such a measure of Thy 
Grace, that we, running the way of Thy Commandments, may obtain 
Thy gracious Promises, and be made partakers of Thy Heavenly trea- 
sure ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

(i) Called The Poor Man's Tithing, preached in 1640. 



60 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER VII. 



1 Christ c ml imj His sermon in the Mount, 7-eproveth rasJi judf/ment. Forhiddcth to 
ca.st //"/// tliimjs to dogs. 7 Exhorteth to Prayer. 13 To enter in at the strait f/ote. 
15 To beware of false Prophets. 21 Xot to be Jiearers, but doers (f the Word. 
24 Like houses builded on a rock, 20 and not on the sand. 

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

Are we, tlicn, not to use that critical fiiculty, which God has implanted in every 
one of us, whereby we are enabled to judjie of actions, and of those who perform 
them? The very suiijiosition is alisurd. Some men have a com}ni.ssioti jriven them 
to jud;;e, — whether in thin;;s spiritual or in things temporal. Of all it is required 
that they shall "have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (a) 
But what our Lord here condemns is, rash censure; a severe passing of sentence 
on doubtful actions; an uncharitable Judgment based on insulBcient evidence. 
Charity " thinketh no evil ; . . . . bclievcth all things, hopeth all things ;''(^) but 
such is not the spirit which prevails amongst mankind. IIow heavily does this 
precept of our Lord bear on one of the fashionable vices of what is called 
" society !" 

" Who art thou that judgcst another man's servant?" asks the Apostle : " to his 
own master he standeth or fallcth."(c) That is, For his conduct is no affair of 
thine. — "Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy 
brother ?" he presently asks : " For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of 
CuKisT."('0 That is. For thou wilt have to give an account hereafter for thyself 
also. — "Judge nothing before the time,"(') ^says the same Apostle in another 
place. That is. For the great and terrible Day shall reveal the truth of the 
matter. — St. .James says, — " Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that 
speaketh evil of his brother, and fudgeth his brother, spcaketh evil of the Law, 
and judgcth the Law." That is, Judge not, for it is a monstrous and unseemly 
proceeding in such an one as thou art. — But our Blessed Lord's precept is 
oricfer and stronger. "Judge not," lie says, "that ye lie not judged :" a most 
weighty reason, and prevailing motive, truly, for withholding or suspending cen- 
sure. The Divine Speaker proceeds to explain it : 

2 For vi'ith. what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged : and with 
Avhat measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

Which reminds us of the plea we daily urge for forgiveness, in the Lord's 
Prayer. " For," — as St. James speaks, — " ho shall have Judgment without 
Mercy, tliat hath showed no Mercy." (/â– ) 

But, is the Retribution hinted at in'these two verses. Divine or Human? Doubt- 
less tjoth are implied; though the Euijlish of the corresnonding verses in St. liuke's 
(lospel, (vi. .''.7, o8,) as well as vcr. 12 of the present ciiaptcr, might be thought to 
show tliat it was this World's Judgment to which the Divine Speaker chiefly 
alluded. 

('0 TT.li V. 1 1. (/,) 1 Cor. viii. 5 and 7. ('•) Rnninns .\iv. A. 

\il) Romans xiv. 10. (<) 1 Cor. iv. 5. (/) J^t. Jiuncs ii. 13. 



VII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 61 

The connection between this verse and the next, (wherein our Lord makes use 
of a well-known Jewish proverb,) is suggested by that saying of the Great 
Apostle, — "It we -would Judge ourselves, we should not be judged. "(y) 

3 And why beholclest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, 
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? 

Some remarks on these words will be found in the notes on St. Luke's Gospel, 

vi. 41. 

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 ? 

This verse is not a mere echo of the last. There, Censure was spoken of, and 
the person addressed was a Judge: here, the reference is to Admonition, and the 
person addressed is a Guide. Refer to St. Matthew xv. 14; and observe that a 
parallel to that verse is found in the place which corresponds with the present, in 
St. Luke's Gospel, — vi. 39: "Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both 
fall into the ditch ?" 

5 Thou hypocrite. 

Reminding us of — "Thou wicked Servant!" in St. Matt, xviii. 25. 

first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; 

Leighton says, — "If thou wouldst find much favour and peace with Goo and 
man, be very low in thine own eyes. Forgive thyself little, and others much." 
So, also, says Bishop Sanderson. 

and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy 
brother's eye. 

So that a man is theri fit to admonish others, when he has first laboured to cor- 
rect himself, and thereby sharpened his own power of spiritual discernment. 

It is highly instructive to notice on how many occasions our Lord directs men to 
turn from the study of their neighbours' failings to the discovery of their own : as 
in St. .John viii. 7 ; St. Luke xiii. 1 to 5, &c. Of kindred interest, is the i^ractical 
turn which the same Divine Speaker gave to all merely speculative inquiries. As, 
St. Luke xiii. 23, 24 ; St. John xxi. 21, 22, &c. 

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, 

Compare St. Matthew xv. 26. See also Deut. xxiii. 18 ; Phil. iii. 2 ; Rev. xxii. 
15. Dogs and Swine — the latter, an unclean (/i) animal — are found connected in 
2 St. Peter ii. 22. 

neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them 
under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 

Our Lord seems to be still addressing Himself to those who are called to be 
Guides and Teachers, — the Dispensers of His Word and Sacraments. In this 
place, He requires them to make proof of that faculty of spiritual discernment, for 
the attainment of which He gave directions in the preceding verse. 

The subject, therefore, is here changed ; but the connection of thought is pre- 
served, or rather pursued. Not only the mysteries of the Faith, but even Admon- 
ition and Reproof, are to be dispensed with a due regard to men's ability to receive 
them ; lest the Religion of Christ (the Pearl of great price) be brought into con- 
tempt, and its professors exposed to insult and outrage. 

And, generally, a warning is here given, (very needful, it may be thought, in 

{g) 1 Cor. xi. 31. (A) Leviticus xi. 8, and Deut. xiv. 8; Isaiah Ixvi. 17. 



62 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

these time.*,) apainst irreverence in regard of lidly tliing;s; which may not be dis- 
coursed of in all companies, — without respect had to circumstances of time and 
place. 

In what follows there seems to be a change of subject. 

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you. 

Verse 7 to ver. 11, inclusive, will be found to recur, almost word for word, in 
St. Luke xi. 9 to liJ. Tlic allusion is, clearly, to Prayer; as the Cliurch teaches us 
in the beginning of her iJaptisnial Service: and earnestness, or rather impartunifi/, 
in Praver, is the Duty here enforced. By a reference to the place in St. Luke's 
Gospof, it will be perceived tliat these injunctions are there preceded by the 
Paral4e of the Friend at Mi<hiight, who hears another "knock," and "ask" for the 
bread which he is "seeking." 'fhat paraljle, again, is immediately preceded by 
the Loui/s I'rayer; — a circumstance which teaches us to connect the ]>resent place 
with the Lord's Prayer in chap. vi. 

How great is our need of these exhortations to earnestness in our approaches to 
God I "NV'ho shall tell the amount of blessedness from which we are excluded, — 
from which we exclude ourselves? 

Men " say their prayers;" but they do not always j^ray. And this formal service 
grows up(jn Christians who are unwary and slothful. " ^Lany that pray," (to use 
the words of a good man.) "know little of this Divine art of Prayer; this wrest- 
ling with God; this resolving not to let llim go until lie bless them, — as Jacob 
did."(0 

8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; 
and to him that knockcth, it shall be opened. 

So strictly does God stand pledged to answer Prayer! Compare also such 
places as the following,— St. Matt. xxi. 22 ; St. Mark xi. 24 ; St. Luke xi. 5 to 13 ; 
St. John xiv. 13, 14; xv. 7, 10 ; xvi. 23 ; 1 St. John iii. 22; St. James i. 5, &c. 

If any complain that they have "asked," "sought," "knocked" in vain, let them 
be reminded, Istly, That Prayer is 7iof alwai/s answered immediately : see, for 
instance, St. Matt. xv. 22 to 28; St. Luke i. 13 ; St. Luke xviii. 1 to 7, &c. And 
the reason why God sometimes delays His gifts may be, (as a great niau has 
pointed out,) because i/iat which is long looked for is sweeter when obtained; but 
that is held cheap which comes at once. 2ndly, That it is often an act of the 
truest Love to withhold a favour, however earnestly prayed for ; as when God 
would not suflcr St. Paul's " tliorn in the tlesh" to depart from him, (A) — thereby 
regarding the highest good of His Servant: namely, his spiritual perfection. A 
petition is sometimes granted in wrath, and as a punishment ; as when God 

favc Hesh to His people in the wilderness,(/) and afterwards granted them a 
Ling.(7«) " I gav(? tliem a King," He says, '' in Mine an(jcr?\n') Consider the 
petition of the devils wliicii St, Matthew relates, togetlier with its consequences, — 
viii. 31, 152. Consider further the petition of the Gergesenes, immediately after: 
witli which, also, our Loud coini)lied. But, 3dly, Take note that Prayer, though 
sometimes actually refused (for merciful reasons,) at the time, is sometinies, ({ler- 
haps always,) eventually answered in a different, (and far higher,) sense than was 
expected or intende<l : compare, for instance, Deut. iii. 23 to 27, with St. Luke ix. 
28 to 31 ; St. .Mark x. 30 to 4(», with St. Matthew xix. 27 and 28; St. John ii. 3, 4, 
with what foUows; and consider the sense in which the promises made to Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob were fultilied. 

But the j)romise is far oftener fulfilled, in the strict letter, and at once. God 
comnioiily answers I'rayer iiiiniediately, ami in tlie very sense intended by the sup- 
plicant. Consider the following texts: tien. xviii. 23 to 33; xx. 17; xxiv. 12 to 
15, — (where observe that llebekali came out " before Eliezer had done speakiny,^^ 
ver. 15); Numli. xi. 2; Joshua x. 12 to 14; 1 Samuel xii. 17, 18; I Kings xiii. 4 
to G ; 2 Kings iv. 32 to 35 ; xix. 15 to 20, and 35 ; xx. 1 to G, (where observe that 
the "NVord of the Lcjkd came to Isaiah, " afore he tca^ yoncout into t/ie middle court,'''' 



(i) Ocnc«i8 xxxii. 26. (k) 2 Cor. xii. 7 to 9. U) Pciihii Ixxviii. 

(m) 1 Soinufl viii. G to 0, und 19 to 22. ('i) llosca xiii. 11, 



18 to 31. 



VII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 63 

ver. 4.) See also verses 8 to 11 ; Daniel ix. 3, 20, and following verses : (taking 
note, that "wliiJc [the prophet] ivas speaJdng in prayer" (ver. 20, 21,) the Angel 
Gabriel brought an answer to his prayer, and informed him that " at the beginning 
of his supplication the Commandment came forth" (ver. 23) ; and, that ''from the 
first day that he did set his heart to understand, and to chasten himself before his 
'God, his words were heard'' (Dan. x. 12.) ; St. Matthew viii. 1, 2, 3 ; ix. 27, 29 ; 
St. Mark x. 51, 52 ; St. Luke xvii. 13, 14 ; xxiii. 42, 43 (the case of the Malefactor 
on the Cross) ; St. John iv. 49 to 53 ; Acts ix. 11 (the case of " Saul of Tarsus," to 
whom Ananias was sent, " for behold, — he pirayeth'''') ; x. 1 to 4 (the case of Cor- 
nelius) ; xii. 5 to 10 (the case of St. Peter in prison) ; St. James v. 16 to 18, &c. &c. 
But, because Faith is the great support, the very life of Prayer,(o) our Lord 
next proceeds, — by an argument, the very force of which all must admit, — to per- 
suade us that we shall assuredly be heard, and receive the things we pray for. 

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask Bread will he 
give him a Stone ? 

Rather, " "Which of you, though he be but a man,'''' — though merely a human 
being. See a remark on the first word of St. Matthew xii. 29. 

10 Or if he ask a Fish, will he give him a Serpent ? 

Take notice that it was with " Bread" and " Fish" that our Saviour Christ — 
" our Father which is in Heaven," (see verse 11), — on three several occasions sup- 
plied the earthly needs of His children : — twice on the eastern side of the Lake, 
when He fed (1st) the five thousand — St. Matt. xiv. 17 to 21 ; and (2nd) the four 
thousand — St. Matt. xv. 34 to 38 ; (3rd) after His Resurrection, when He showed 
Himself to the seven Disciples at the " Sea of Tiberias" — St. John xxi. 9 to 13. 

11 If ye then, being evil, 

That is, — notwithstanding the evil which dwells in all of you. This, then, is one 
of the many places whore the corruption of Man's nature, (the doctrine of Original ' 
Sin as it is called,) is clearly laid down. 

know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more 
shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that 
ask Him ! 

Compare with this, the Parable of the Unjust Judge, — St. Luke xviii. especially 
verses 6 and 7. 

Take notice, also, that in the parallel place of St. Luke's Gospel,( jj) instead of 
" good things," there is a promise that our Heavenly Father will give " the Holy 
Spirit to them that ask Him." That, then, is the good thing we ought to pray 
for ; and which we do pray for, on " Christmas Day," — on the " Sunday called 
Quinquagesima," — on the " Sunday after Ascension Day," — on " Whit-Sunday," — 
and on the " Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity." 

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
you, do ye even so to them : 

This golden precept reminds us of the two first verses of the present chapter ; 
as will appear more clearly by comparing them with the corresponding place in 
St. Luke's Gospel, — vi. 37, 38. Compare also St. Luke vi. 31. 

for this is the Law and the Prophets. 

As it is elsewhere said, — " Love is the fulfilling of the Law:"(5) and again, — 
" All the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, ' Thou shalt love thy neighbour 

(o) St. James i. 5, 6, 7. {p) St. Luke xi. 13. {q) Romans xiii. 10. 



64 A PLAIN COMMENTAUY [CUAP. 

as thyself.' "(') Compare St. Matt. xxii. 37 to 40. The meaning is, that the teach- 
ing of Mose.s and the Prophets with respect to our Duty tuNvards our Neighbour, 
may bo reduced to this. , 

Tlie cuimectidn of ver. 12 with wliat goes before is nut very obvious. But as our 
Louu, at the end of His prayer in tlie vi. Chapter,(.v) enforced the duty of a For- 
giving Temper towards others, as the necessary condition of our obtaining for- 
giveness at God's hands, — so, here, lie teaches us liow we must act towards others 
in order to secure a favourable hearing for ourselves when we come "asking," — 
" seeking," — " knocking," — at the Heavenly Gate. 

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate : 

However strait and narrow the Gate by which we enter may be, — however rug- 
ged and painful the Way beyond it may prove, — the Christian Pilgrim should re- 
member that there is no lack of rooni,(/) of pleasure and enjoyment, (») lieyond. 
The ease and delight to be experienced thax, will abundantly make up for all 
trouble and hardship by the way. 

for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that Icadeth to Destruc- 
tion, and many there be which go in thereat : 

Mention is made not only of the strait and the wide {/ate, but of the narrow and 
the broad «•'///, — in order to remind us that as no one falls into the hands of Satan, 
unless he walks " in the way of sinners, "(j) so can no one hope to enter into Life, 
but by walkiiii/, first, in *' t/ie way of God's Commandments, "(}/) and trcadinij "Ihc 
jtath of Life.'XO 

Take notice that as we read of but two ways, — and of hco gates, — so are we told 
of but two conditions hereafter: namely, Lifr, and Destnirllnn. No mention is 
made of a third course in this world, or of a third place in the next! Every man, 
therefore, is travelling along one of those two roads; and is daily drawing nearer 
either to Eternal Happiness, or to Eternal Misery. See the note on the last part 
of St. Matth. iii. 12. 

14 Because strait is tlie gate, and narrow is the way, which Icadcth 
unto Life, and few there be that find it. 

Observe, that the strait gate and the uarroAv way, require to he found. The 
other nee<ls no search : t/iey tind it who go astray. " Yet, so much pains is there 
taken tojind it," says Sanderson, "that I verily liclieve half the pains many a man 
taketli to go to Hell, would have brought him to Heaven." 

Observe also, that under the figure of " a gate," our first entrance on a religious 
life is here discoursed of: and that by calling it "strait," our Lord teaches us to 
expect to find the first beginnings of iieligion, our first steps in Holiness, difficult. 
Evil haliits to 1)0 broken off, — old companions to lie ]>arteil with, — eonstitute a 
severe trial. But, theiicelbrward begins that Peace which the AVorld can neither 
give nor take away; and St. Paul has told us what should be the conduct of him 
who runs in a race, with so glorious a pri/.c in view. See Phili]>pians iii. 13, 14. 

Not that " the gate" is " strait," or " the way" " narrow" in tlu'niselves. It is 
the loftiness of Pride, and the swelling thoughts of the heart, which makes the gate 
seem "strait:" the encumbrance of Wealth, and the allurements of Pleasure, 
which make the way seem " narrow." " Learn of Me," is the gracious exhortation 
of our Savioik Cuuist: "for I am meek and lowly in lieart, and ye shall find rest 
unto your souls. "(«) " J am the Dour. By Mo if any unin enter in, ho siiall be 
saved. "(/j) "/ am the Way No man comoth luito the Fatuer but by 

Me."0) 

Very solemn and affecting is the prediction with which this verse concludes. We 
are disposed to inquire with that " one," who.so question, but not whose mime, has 
been recorded ; — " Lokd, arc there few that be saved ?"(</) Most instructive is the 

(r) (lal. V. 1 1,— quoting Lcvit. xix. 18. («) St. Mutt. vi. H, 15. (r) St. John xiv. 2. 
(ii) pKiiliii xvi. 11 : .wii. 16: xxxvi. 8. — iMiiiiih Ixiv. 4 (({u<ito<l 1 Cor. ii. 9.) — ]liiiiinn.-< viii. 
18._Ktv. xxi. 10 to 2:j. 

(x) Pciilin i. 1. (y) Ps. cxix. .32. (:) l'.'<. xvi. 11. (.1) St. Matthew xi. 29. 

(6) St. John X. 9. (r) St. John xiv. 6. (</) St. Luko xiii. Ti. 



VII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 65 

answer he received, — which, we may be sure, is addressed by CnRiST to His 
Church, for ever, — " Strive ye earnestly to enter in at the strait gate." The curious 
questioning is repressed, — the hearty endeavour is encouraged, — in that, and every 
other place of Scripture. See above, on verse 5. 

The next verse contains a warning against false Teachers, — Guides who may not 
be trusted by those who desire to find the strait Gate. 

15 Beware of false Prophets, 

" False Prophets" are generally false Teachers. They who taught, with a special 
and direct commission from God, were often mii'aculously endowed by Ilim with 
the power of foretelling future events ; but they were not called Prophets for that 
reason ; nor was that, by any means, the only, or even the chief, part of their 
office. They were called Frojyhets because they declared the mind of God, on 
GOD'S behalf; — whether respecting things past, present, or to come. See St. 
Matt. xiv. 5 : xxi. 11. St. Luke vii. 16 : xxiv. 19. St. John ix. 17, &c. 

The " Man of God" was not mindful of the present precept, when he accepted 
the invitation of the " Old Prophet," — as related in 1 Kings xiii. 11 to 32. How 
interesting is the coincidence of that chapter, (which is appointed for the first les- 
son on the Eighth Sunday after Trinity,) with the words before us, — which are the 
first words of the Gospel for the same Day ! 

wliich come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are raven- 
ing wolves. 

Since Christians are called " sheep," " sheep's clothing" will signify the outward 
appearances of Eeligion. St. Paul probably alluded to these words of our Lord, 
and to St. John x. 12, when he said to the elders of the Church of Ephesus, — " I 
know that after my departing shall grievous loolves enter in among you, not sparing 
the flock."(e) Compare Ezekiel xxii. 27. 

Consider, also, 2 Corinthians xi. 13 to 15. 

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. 

These words supply the connection of thought in all that follows, to the end of 
the chapter. Men's ivorks are henceforward spoken of; and first, under the simili- 
tude oi fruit ; according to the frequent practice of Holy Scripture. See, for in- 
stance, St. Luke iii. 8. Presently, (namely, in ver. 21), the Divine Speaker will 
proceed to say that it is ivorks not ivorcls which He requires : the fruits of Faith, — 
not mere protestations, which, like leaves, often give false promise.(/) Lastly, 
(namely, in ver. 24), He will contrast the fate- of those who hear His sayings, and 
do them, with that of those (in ver. 26) who hear, yet do them not. 

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? 

Does not St. James, — iii. 12, — allude to these words of his Lord; or to the paral- 
lel verse in St. Luke's Gospel, — vi. 44 ? 

17, 18 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a 
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth 
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

Take note, that our Lord, — speaking of men and their actions under the figure 
of trees and their fruits, — does not say that a good tree cannot become corrupt ; or, 
that a corrupt tree cannot become good ; — but only, that while a Tree contijiues good 
or evil, its fruits must be strictly corresponding. To become good, the wild olive 
must be grafted into the Good Olive-tree: the branches must abide in the Vine: 
then only do men experience renewal, when they are made partakers of the nature 
of Christ: they are fruitful only so long as they " abide in Him." See St. John 
XV. 2, 4, 5, 6, &c Refer to the note on St. Matt. xiii. 23. 

(e) Acts XX. 29. (/) See St. Mark xi. 13, 

5 



66 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

19 Every tree that bringetli not forth good fruit is hewn down, and 
cast into the fire. 

INIessiaii here employs tlie very lanjijuagc which Ilis Forerunner had used hefore 
Him, — as recorded by St. Matthew iii. 10. 
See the second note on St. Matthew iv. 17. 

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

The Divine Speaker, before passing on to another branch of His subject, here 
recalls the words with which lie bcpin. See the first word.s of ver. IG. 

A test is hereby .suiiplied us, — doubtless the most safe of any, — whereby to judge 
of those who come to us with claims on our suljuiission, and Belief. Are they 
jealous f(ir tlie true honour of Almichty God, — llis Holy Name, His Holy Word, 
and His IIolv Day? Are they obedient to authority, — loving, — pure, — honest, — 
truthful? Of charitable speech and contented tempers? If not, "by their fruits 
ye shall know them" to be other than what they pretend to be. 

Let those who have left the Church of their Fathers, and lost her Spirit, " hear," 
if yet they have " ears to hear." 

21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, 

Compare St. Matthew xxiii. 7. 

shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven ; but He- that doeth the Will 
of My Fatiiek which is in Heaven. 

It is not enough therefore to profess Christianity, — to use the prayers of the 
Church, — and to call upon the Name of Ciikist; — but to this must be added dili- 
gence in doing His known "Will. Many there are, who, in the words of the Apostle, 
"j)rofess that they know God, but in icorka deny nim."(,y) 

For the connection of thought between this verse and what precedes, see the 
note on ver. IG. 

Obedience is made the condition of acceptance, and the test of Love, throughout 
the Bible: — consider 1 Samuel xv. 22: Hosea vi. G: St. John xiv. 15, 21, 23: xv. 
10, 14: 1 St. John v. o, &c. 

22 Many will say to Me in that Day, 

" Say unto Me :" — olt.scrvc how the Divine Speaker hero secretly brings in the 
mention of Himself, as tiie judge of all tiesh ! 

" i;t that Day,'''' — the great and terrible Day of Curist, when He shall come "in 
the glory of His Fatiiek with the holy Angels. "(/() The Day of Judgment is fre- 
quently so spoken of by our Lokd and His Apostles, — as if always occupying so 
conspicuous a j)lacc in tiie sphere of their mental vision as to make further descrip- 
tion superfluous:— see St. Luke x. 12: 2 Thess. i. 10: 2 Tim. i. 12 and 18: iv. 
8, &c. 

Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy 
Name have cast out devils? and in thy Name done many wonderful 
TN'orks ? 

'* In Thy Name," — that is, liy Thv authority. Compare St. Matthew xviii. 20: 
St. Mark ix. 38, 3'J: St. Luke x. 17,"&c. 

Tiiis may be literally done, by evil men: — as when Pharaoh's Magicians for a 
while contended with Moses, — fcxodus vii. 11, 12. 22: viii. 7. See also Acts xix. 
13 to 1'), itc. ; and consider the ease of Balaam, of Saul, of Judas, and of Cainphas. 

"NVe learn, hence, that lowly graces are more to be coveted tlian mighty gifts: 
Bincc iliese arc sure to win for their possessor a share of the Divine favour, whereas 
those often prove the severest trial. Whence the Apostle could truly say to the 

{<]) Titus i. 16. (A) St. Mark viii. 38. 



VII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 6T 

Corinthian Church, after revie\vin<; their wondrous spiritual endowments, — " And 
yet show I unto jou a more excellent wa>/:{i.) proceeding, forthwith, to discourse 
to them of " that most excellent gift of Charity, — the very bond of Peace and of 
all Virtues." 

"Gifts are as gold, which adorns the Temple," says Burkitt: "but Grace is 
like the Temple that sanctifies the gold." 

It is remarkable how many parts of the Sermon on the Mount have reference to 
those who are Guides or Teachers. See verses 4, 5, and 6, of the present chapter. 
The warning in ver. 22 seems especially addressed to those who are in the Ministry. 

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: 

That is, — Openly declare that I never acknowledged you as ]Mine. God is said 
to Icnoxo those only of whom He approves. See Ps, i. 6. St. Matthew xxv. 12. 
St. Luke xiii. 25. 1 Cor. viii. 3, &c. 

depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. 

What a miserable picture is discovered to us here ! But the startling circum- 
stance in all this, is, the manifest self-delusion of those who will be so addressed. 
This is, surely, very much to be noted. " Many will say to Me, in that day," — is 
the prophecy of Him to whom the Future, like the Present and the Past, is fully 
known. Men could not address such words to their Judge, unless they believed 
them true, also. 

And yet, this declaration as to what will be hereafter, should create no astonish- 
ment. Death separates the soul from the body, but it does not change the heart 
or the mind. If, then, men live and die in a state of self-delusion, — as we see men 
daily doing, — should it surprise us to be told that they will at last wake up, in the 
same state in which they fall asleep ? 

24 Therefore -whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doetli 
them, 

" If ye Icnoro these things," says our Lord in a certain place, " happy are ye if 
ye do them." (A;) And such is the constant language of Holy Scripture, — as in 
St. Luke xi. 28: St. John ix. 31 : Eomans ii. 13 : St. James i. 22 to 25, &c. The 
connection of this verse with the preceding, has been pointed out in the note on 
verse 10. 

In what follows, the end of those who are " doers of the Word," and of those who 
are "hearers only," is set forth: and it is worth remarking that both classes of 
persons, alike, are represented as building for themselves a House. But only to 
one class does that House prove a place of refuge and shelter ; to the other, it 
proves the very chamber of Death. 

I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his House upon a Rock : 

See the note on St. Luke vi. 48. 

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. 

"And that Rock was Christ,"(Z) — as it is said in another place: "for other 
foundation can no man lay." " Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, 
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ; every man's work shall be made mani- 
fest : for the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire ; and the fire 
shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he 
hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward."(m) — So constant is the imagery 
of the Spirit ! 

(i) 1 Cor. xii. 31. {h) St. John xiii. 17. (J) 1 Cor. x. 4. (/«) 1 Cor. iii. 11 to 14. 



68 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Paviil, in like manner, speaks of Christ as "the Ruck of Salvation. '"(") ^''>m- 
pare also what is said bv tlie jirojdiet Isaiah, — (as he is interpreted by St. Paul,(o) 
and St. Peter,) (;>) — of /^/f iAcA laid in Sion ; — on ^Yhonl " uhosocvcr believcth . . . 
shall not be aslianied."('/) 

This refcrenco, however, to one of His own titles, was not the jn-litinri/ meaning 
of our S.vvioLii's words, — althouj^h it was doubtless comprehended in them. And 
indeed those words of His have a yet deeper meaning, which it shall suffice to 
allude to, brieHy. For irfio is the " AV'ise ]NIan" spoken of in the text, but Christ 
Himself, — wliu'is sometimes called "Wisdom ?(/) And wliat is the "House" in- 
tended but His Church, which He hath so builded on a rock(.v) that it shall never 
fall ; and concerning: which it had been said, long before, by the Spirit of Pro- 

{ihecy, "WisiioM hatli builded her House?"(0 . . . The Church of Christ is the 
louse of Chiust; for He iiath " luiilded the House," and is "as a Son over His 
own House; whose House are Ave:"(») — "God's building,"(a-) as the Apostle 
speaks; against whom neither "rain" nor "floods," nor "winds," — no, nor the 
very gates of Hell itself shall ]>revail ; "if we hold fast the confidence, and the 
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."(//) 

26, 27 And every one tli;it liciiretli tliese sayinr^.s of iNIine, and doctli 
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his House 
upon the sand : and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and beat upon that House ; and it fell : and great was the 
f\ill of it. 

Some remarks on these words, the Picader will find in the notes on St. Luke 
vi. 49. 

a ni tch en do " the rain" — "the floods" — and " the winds," conspire to try the 
stability of the structure here described? In part, doul)tless, in the Day of Adver- 
sity. T/icn is the building put sorely to the proof. But the Great and Terrible 
Day of the Lord it is, which will bring with it the severest trial. The miserable 
man Avho has rested, all his life long, in a jjarrcn, formal assent to the Doctrines of 
the Gospel, will then be found to have built his House on the sand: while those 
blessed ones who have been rather faithful doers, than frequent Iiearcrs of God's 
Word, will then be "clothed upon" with "a building of God, an House not made 
with hands, eternal in the Heavens." (2) 

"Oh! take heed," says pious Leighton, "of founding your Innise in the sand. 
Though ever so statel}' and fair built, and showing fine, yet that IVtundation will be 
its ruin. Tliere is no safe building but on the rock, — t/iat Ilock of Salvation avIio 
here taught this doctrine. Then, come storms as they will, there can be no fear. 
"He that l)uildc?th on Him shall not l)e ashamed."((f) No matter what houses or 
lands yo liave /icre, wiicther any or none, — (He Himself had none hero ;) — provided 
you build on Him, as the Fountain of eternal blessedness ! Oh, that men would 
think of this ; and amidst all their ensuring of things still unsure, would mind the 
making of this sure, which may be made so sure for ever as not to be moved !" 



Thus ends the " Sermon on the Mount," — the fullest connected specimen of our 
S.\viour's teaching which the IIoi.v Spirit has seen fit to set on record. "We can- 
not surely survey it too (artfully, or study it in too humble and teachable a tem- 
per. Perhaps it will Ik; well to consider it ])artly as a maj), — wherein tiie broad 
outlines of Ciiristian duty are dearly laid down: jiartly as a mirror, — in which we 
bch(dd ourselves, that is, our fallen Nature, faithfully reflected. 

Considered as a Map of Ciiristian Duty, — we are reminded tiiat some of the low- 
liest graces iue the most highlv pri/.cd in (bin's sight: Humility, Meekness. Mer- 
cifulness, (chap. V. 1 to i'2.) N'e.Kt, that under the Veil of the Law, were hid the 

ln'\ Vf. Ix.xxi.x. 2fi: .xcv. 1. Sco also Px. xix. It: x.xviii. 1 : .xlii. 9, Ac. 
l») Uoiniins ix. :VA. {)>) 1 St. Peter ii. 6. 

(</) iHiiiali xxviii. 10. — Note, that »/i<ii;ic will bo tUo portion of tho oiniur, in the last dny. 
Boc l)uni(;l xii. :;. Ucvcl. vi. 15 to 17, Ac. 

(r) Namely, tlirouglioul the Hook of Proverb!". (») St. Malt. xvi. 18. 

u) Pn.veri),H ix. 1. (11) llebrcw.M iii. .". nnil 0. (.1) 1 Cur. iii. 9. C<«ni|inre 2 Pam. vii. 13. 

(y) Hebrews iii. 0. (a) 2 Cur. v. 1. (>i) 1 St. Peter ii. 6. 



VII.] 



OjST ST. Matthew's gospel. 69 



features of the Gospel: (verses 17 to 20) the Law of Love, under the Sixth Com- 
mandment, — the Law of Purity, under the Seventh, — and the like. (Verses 21 
to 48.) 

Considering the Sermon on the jMount as a Mirror, — and therefore as intended 
to teach us something about ourselves, — how startling is it to discover, (it would 
he more becoming, perhaps, to say, — How startling is it, to he reminded,) that our 
chief danger, whether we give Alms, (vi. 1 to 4,) — Pray, (ver. 5 to 15) — or Fast, 
(ver, 16 to 18,) is on the side of Vain-glory ! arises out of our desire of human 
praise! See chap. vi. 1, 5, 16 ; and the notes thereon. 

Surprising, also, seems the assurance in chap. vi. 14, 15, that we require so very 
special a dissuasive against cherishing an laiforgiving temper! 

The largo space occupied by the warning against Covetousness, (ver. 19 to 24) 
and Worldhj Anxiety, (ver. 25 to 34,) is surely a most instructive circumstance. 
This has been already remarked upon in the last note on chap. vi. ver. 24. 

In the way of Precept, the last of these three Chapters (chap, vii.) is chiefly re- 
markable for the golden rule of Duty which is laid down in verses 1, 2, and 12. It 
contains also a weighty exhortation to Earnestness, — first, in Prayer, (ver. 7 to 11, 
which is to be taken in connection with the great Pattern of Prayer in chap. vi. 9 
to 13 :) next, in working out our own Salvation (ver. 13, 14.) The Mirror is again 
held up to Human Nature by the warning against Hypocrisy, Deceit, and Self- 
Delusion ; whether in ourselves (ver. 3 to 5 : ver. 21 to 27 :) or in others, (ver. 15 
to 20.) 

The Discourse ends by contrasting the condition of the Righteous and the Wick- 
ed ; and by describing what will be their fate in the great and terrible Day. And 
whereas it is sometimes said that a Sermon should always end Avith cheerful words 
of Hope and Encouragement, it is observable that in this specimen of Divine Teach- 
ing the last place has been reserved for the miserable fate of him who "hears" the 
words of Christ, without "doing them." 

28, 29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had 'ended these sayings, 
the people were astonished at His Doctrine : for He taught them as 
One having authority, and not as the Scribes. 

This may, doubtless, refer to the form in which our Lord delivered several of the 
foregoing precepts ; see chap. v. verses 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44, &c. ; and to the lan- 
guage of authority adopted by the Divine Speaker throughout the entire discourse. 
Moses and "the Prophets had said, — "Thus saith the Lord:" but our Saviour's 
Word was "J say unto you." " Being the Master of Law, He uttered things which 
were above the Law ; changing the Letter to the Truth, and the figures to the spir- 
itual meaning." More than that, however, seems to be implied by this statement 
of the Evangelist concerning the effect which our Saviour's teaching produced on 
the multitude who listened. It is a hint, — one of the many hints scattered up and 
down the Gospels, — that, (as might have been expected,) there was something in 
the manner of our Saviour Christ which awed and impressed beholders to a re- 
markable extent. Consider the following places : — St. Mark i. 22, (where the self- 
same words recur, and where see the note :) xi. 18 ; St. Luke iv. 15, and 20 to 22, 
and ver. 32 ; xix. 47, 48 ; St. John vii. 43 to 46 ; sviii. 6, &c. 



THE PRAYER. 

Stir up, we beseech Thee, Lord, the wills of Thy faithful people ; 
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of 
Thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



70 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

2 CuRiST ciraiisii/i tlie Icjh)-, 5 ItcaUth the Ceniitrion's sfrvanf, 14 Pcfrr^s moOtcr- 
in-l(iw, IG (iiul many other diseased : IH sJionrth how lie is to he Jolloiced : 23 
sfilleth the Tempest on the Sea: 28 driveth the devils out of two men possessed, 31 
and suj)eveth them to (jo into the swine. 

As the thirteenth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel is The Treasury of Parables, 
so is this Chapter and the next (the 8th and yth.) TJce Treasury of Miracles. 
Throughout the three lant Chapters, we have been listening to the wondrous Words 
ofCniusT; — in tliosc two, some of Ilis mightiest Works are set before us. The 
Works were for a Confirmation of the Word. See St. Mark xvi. 20 : St. John iii. 
2: V. 3G: x. 25, 38, &c. Hebrews ii. 3, 4, &c. 

1 "When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes 
followed Ilim. 

We shall find that this concourse of persons, — the same which had been listening 
to the Sermon on the Blount, — followed our Lord into Capernaum: compare verses 
5 and 10. On the day after, they followed Him to "a city called Nain." See St. 
Luke vii. 11. 

2 And, behold, there came a leper 

It would appear, — from a comparison of verse 5 with St. Luke vii. 1, 2, — that 
the Historical order of events has been disregarded by St. Matthew, ic this place. 
The lIoiA' .SriiuT has set the cure of one afflicted with leprosy before that of the 
Centurion's Servant who was "sick of the palsy," (ver. 0.) 

Doubtless, this was done with a deep motive. And when it is remembered that 
Leprosy, in Scripture, is the type of /SV», — it will perhaps seem a reasonable sup- 
osition tliat the Divine intention, in thus giving the foremost ]ilace to a case of 
eprosv, may have been, thereby to imply the purpose witli which our Saviour 
came mto the World: (namely, to heal tliat more terrible malady which infected 
the wluile Human Race, and which the disease of leprosy represented :) as well as 
to teach us that the Ijoilily diseases which tlio Great Pliysician went about with 
purpose to cure, are all to be regarded as typical of the disorders of the soul. Sec 
the note on the last part of St. Luke v. 13 : also the note on St. Mark ii. 3 : also 
below, on ver. 17. 

The miramilous cleansing of the leper, which follows, is recorded in three Gos- 
pels, being found also in St. Mark i. 40 to 45 ; and St. J^uke v. 12 to 15. 

and worshipped Ilim, saying, Lord, if Thou Avllt, Thou canst m;ikc me 
clean. 

Sec tlic note on St. Mark i. 40. 

Tliis man " worshi|)]>od" Christ; as the Wise Men had done,(fl) and as so many 
otlicrs did: which merely means that they fell down, or knelt before Him.(/>) Did 



r. 



M St. Mai 
\lt) Coin|iur 



Malt. ii. 2. 

irr \\\\^ plnoc witii St. Jliirk i. 10, nnd Pt. Luke v. 12. — Coni]inro nls>. Pt. Mntt. ix. 
IS, wit!) St. Murk v. 22, and St. Luko viii. 11. — Aguiu, cuuiiiaro St. Mutt. .\v. 2j nith St. 
Mark vii. 25. 



VIII.] 



ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 71 



he know Him to be the Son of Gob? In the full sense of the term, it is quite in- 
credible that he should have done so ; but his offering, the Faith he brought, — 
whatever it may have been, — our Saviour graciously accepted. "We arc com- 
monly not satisfied with anything that comes not up to our own height ;" (says a 
good man:) "but our meek Redeemer accepts of what he finds, even in the very 
least, and extols it to the highest pitch it is capable of." 

3 And Jesus put fortli His hand, and touclied him, 

How precious is every hint of tliis kind, — ^which sets the Saviour, as it were, 
before our eyes! 

But hoAV far more precious is the consolation which this act of our Saviour af- 
fords : in proving that nothing is too loathsome to obtain cleansing from Him! 

Sometimes, our Lord cured by a touch, — as in St. Mark viii. 22 to 25. Some- 
times, by a word, — as in St. John v. 8. Sometimes, by neither word nor touch, — 
as in St. John iv. 50. On this occasion, he employs hotli instruments. See the 
note on St. Luke v. 13 : also the first note on St. Mark i. 41. But observe that it 
was neither the Saviour's touch, nor the Saviour's word, — ^but the Saviour's Will 
which wrought miracles. The outward signs were but for the sake of the by- 
standers. Consider however, whether, besides every other reason for toiicMng this 
Leper, there may not have been the merciful wish thereby to comfort the miserable 
sufferer. 

saying, I will ; be thou clean. 

Take notice, here, that our Saviour not only strictly granted the man his implied 
petition ; but, by repeating the very words He had just before used, reminds us 
that the largeness of His mercies often corresponds exactly with the extent of our 
Faith. See below, the last note on ver. 13. 

Leighton says, — "And thus, in His Word, He speaks to Sinners; where He 
hath revealed His Will together with His Poioer: and, that we may doubt it not, 
we may read it in His blood streaming forth for our cleansing. Yet, if any one 
out of a deep sense of his vileness, think, ' I know that He can cleanse me, but 
will He look upon such an one ? Or, if He look, Avill He not straight turn away ? 
Will He vouchsafe to touch my filthy sores, and apply His own precious blood for 

my cleansing and healing?' Yes, He 'will.' If He be not changed from 

what He was, He 'will' pity thee, and thou shalt find it." 

And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 

Or, as it is added in St. Mark, — " as soon as He had spo7cen:"(c) for, (in the lan- 
guage of an Eastern Bishop) "even this word 'immediately^ is too slow to express 
the speed with which the deed was done." Such, then, is the answer which God 
grants to Prayer ! See the notes on St. Matthew vii. 8. 

4 And Jesus said unto him, see thou tell no man ; 

This is a difficult command to explain with certainty. It was delivered, probably, 
because the knowledge of this miracle, instead of proving a benefit to certain of 
those whom the Leper would have "told," was likely to prove a curse ; — either by 
Blasphemy or Unbelief: or by exciting them to some act of malice. And thus our 
Lord, by His own practice, exemplified the precept which he delivered in the fore- 
going chapter, — namely, that we may not " cast our pearls before swine." (vii. 6.) 
The injunction will be found further explained in the concluding note on the first 
chapter of St. Mark's Gospel. 

but go thy way, show thyself to the Priest. 

This is sometimes perverted, so as to make it appear by analogy that, in the case 
of the Christian Priesthood, it is needful in order to the cure of spiritual Leprosy, 

(c) St. Mark i. 42. 



72 A PLAIN COMMENTARY . [CHAP. 

— that is, of Sin, — that thou "show thyself to the Priest." "NVhorcas, it is manifest 
tliat as the cure of Diseases, in real'ity, rests with God; (and Leprosy, in par- 
ticuhxr, was known to be incuraljle by luunan skill;) so none can forgive Sins but 
God only ; and the jjlain fact is that the oltjeet with which the afflicted person 
showed himself to the priest under the Law, was not his cure; but only in order to 
have his state pronounced upon, — to be "bound" or "loosed" by atithority. For 
thus we read in Leviticus, — " lie shall be brought unto the priest: and the priest 
shall go forth out of the Camp, and .... look ; and, behold, if the plague of 
leprosy be healed in the leper, then shall the priest .... 2)ruiiounce}iiin dean;" — 
â– with many significant ceremonies, for which sec Leviticus xiv. 2 to 7, and following 
verses. 

Compare with the present place St. Luke svii. 14 

and oflfcr tlie gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

"The gift" will be found described in Leviticus xiv. 10. Take notice how true 
•was that saying of our Lord, — "I am not come to destroy" the Law and the Pro- 
phets, "but to fulfill:"('^0 so scrupulous was He, at all times, to require conformity 
and obedience, and to set an example of it. Indeed, it is easy to see that until t/ie 
Great Sacrifice was offered on the Cross, it was proper that the sacrifices ordained 
in the Law should contiime to be offered. 

On the last words of this verse, see the note on St. Luke v. 14. 

5 And when Jesus vras entered into Capernaum, there came unto 
Ilim a Centurion, beseeching Ilim, 

This person (the first-fruits of the Gentiles !) was a Roman Soldier, — the com- 
mander of a company ; — who had become a proselyte, or convert to the Jewish 
Religion, and was probably stationed at Capernaum. From St. Luke we learn that 
his zeal had induced him to build a Synagogue in the City where he dwelt, for 
the use of the Nation whose purer faith he had adopted. 

6 and saying, Lord, my servant licth at home, sick of the palsy, 
grievously tormented. 

Notice here the man's kindness, — the humanity which brought him thus a sup- 
pliant to the great Physician, in behalf of the Slave, "who," (as St. Luke says) 
"was dear unto him." 

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 

"Who is like unto the Lord our God," exclaims the Psalmist; "that hath Ilis 
dwelling so high, and ^-et humljlcth Himself to behold the things that are in Heaven 
and Earth ?"(') Yea, He humbled Himself yet more, — if possiltle : for He made 
the lowliest, and the meanest, and the weakest, the oljjects of His largest bounty, 
occasions for the chief display of His Almighty Power and Love. 

8 The Centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that 
Thou shouldest come under my roof: 

While he counted himself unworthy that CnniST should come under his roof, 
(says an ancient Bishop,) he was counted worthy that Cukist should enter into his 
heart: and this was a greater boon, and a higher ble.-scdness. "Ho that humblcth 
himself shall bo exalted," — saith the SriRiT.(y) 

but speak the word only, and my servant shall he healed. 

lie knew that it was not necessary that our Lord should enter his dwelling in 
order to work the euro of his servant. He may have had in mind the miraculous 
cure which our Lord by His mere word, had wrought some time before, on the 

(./ ) St. Mutlhow V. 17. (' ) P.-lam cxiii. 6. (/) St. Luke .\iv. 11. 



VIII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 73 



Nobleman's son, in the same City ; being Himself at Cana, all the while. See St. 
John iv. 46 to 53 ; and the note on St. Luke vii. 7. 

Tlie Humility of the speaker, no less than his Faith, shines out in this speech. 
He was ashamed to think that by the tei'ms of his first message, (for which see St. 
Luke vii. 3,) he had solicited one whom he knew to be God, to come beneath the 
shadow of his roof. He therefore hastens forth to prevent the gracious intention of 
the Saviour. 

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. 

That is, — " For I am a man not supreme in command ; but under the authority 
of a superior officer ; and in turn, having soldiers under me : and yet, even I say to 
my soldiers and servants. Come, and Go, and am immediately obeyed. How much 
more must Thou be able, who art without superior, or even equal, — Thou to whom 
all creatures in Heaven and Earth do bow down and obey ; — how much more must 
it be in TJnj power to say 'Begone !' to this palsy, which is after all but a servant 
of thine !" 

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, 

The stupendous miracle which He was about to work, showed Him to be "perfect 
God :" — the feeling of wonder, here noticed, showed him to be "perfect Man,"" like- 
wise ; "of a reasonable soul and human flesh." See the first note on St. John i. 14. 
See also the first note on St. Luke viii. 23. Observe, however, that for our sakes 
this act of our Saviour Christ is recorded ; in order that we may know at what 
we ought to marvel : namely, less at Wisdom, Wealth, and Grandeur, than at the 
fruits of Faith. And observe, that He who is here said to have "marvelled," did 
but admire the work of His own Almighty Hands ; and confess that it was "very 
good." Faith, like every other Grace, is GOD' S ^ih. 

and said to them that followed. 

See the note on St. Luke vii. 9. 

Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in 
Israel. 

That is, among the descendants of Abraham, — notwithstanding all their vaunted 
claims and real privileges, — our Saviour had not met with such Faith as was 
exhibited by this Roman soldier; by birth, "an alien from the commonwealth of 
Israel, and stranger from the covenants of promise," — as it is said in Ephesians 
ii. 12. 

The wondrous vigour of this man's Faith may be perceived from what has been 
remarked above, in the note on ver. 9 ; but it is further worth observing that, by 
saying, "Speak the word only," and not requesting the actual presence of Christ, 
he surpassed the Nobleman, (who had said "Sir, come doion ere my child Aic,:"){g) 
and Jairus, (who, anxious for his little daughter, had said " Come and lay Thy 
hands on her :"Xh) and Martha and Mary, (who had said "Lord, if Thou hadst 
been here my brother had not died:")(/) and many others. lie seems to have had 
the fullest sense that he was addressing the Almighty. 

Note, therefore, that not only did the degraded Nazareth, besides nursing the 
Saviour of the World, nourish a Joseph and a Mary ; — not only did Bethsaida, on 
which our Lord pronounced such a tremendous doom,(^) produce an Andrew, a 
Simon, and a Philip ;(/) — but Capernaum also, (which, for being more unbelieving 
than Sodom, was to be hereafter "thrust down to Hell,"(m) and therefore must have 
been filled with surpassing wickedness,) contained this _ pattern of Humility, of 
Love, and above all of Faith. See the note on St. Luke vii. 5. 

(<?) St. John iv. 49. (/*) St. Mark v. 23. (/) St. John xi. 21 and 32. 

{k) St. Matt. xi. 21, 22 (l ) St. John i. 44. {m) St. Matt. xi. 23, 24. 



74 A PLAIN COMMEXTARY [CUAP. 

The reader is referred to the note on St. Jolrn i. 44, for the obvious remark which 
facts like these su<;gest. Will men dare, in the foce of such a history, to pass 
sweeping censures on large masses of persons? on the inhabitants of a 'whole vil- 
lage? Shall not these instances of transcendent goodness among a degraded people, 
rather induce a suspicion that kv also may be living among unsuspected Saints? 
that Angels may be dwelling, unawares,(/r) at our very doors? 

11 And I say unto you that many shall come from the east and west, 
and shall sit do^Yn with Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom 
of Ileavtu: 

"Sit down," — because the joys of the Life to come are likened by our Lord to a 
Feast :(«) where the hungry are filled, and the thirst of parched and weary souls is 
quenched, (;/) and where all joys abound. (7) A Coronation banquet, — where all are 
crowned kings :(>) while without, is Darkness, — "outer Darkness," as it is said in 
the next verse. But the comparison of Heavenly joy to an Earthly Feast, is but 
"a dark shadow of that bright glory." . . . "Oh, were the things of Eternity, the 
Misery and the Blessedness to come, indeed believed, how much would our thoughts 
be in them! and how little room would they leave for the trifles and vanities which 
our hearts are taken up with." 

12 But the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out into outer 
darkness : 

" Darkness," — because removed from the presence of God, who is Li(/7it. As the 
beloved Apostle speaks, — " God is Light, and in Him is no Darkness at all."(A) It 
seems- a fitting retribution, that those who, when Liuht came into the world, loved 
Darkness rather than Light becaiiae their deeds were evil,"{t) — should hereafter sufifer 
the penalty of a "Darkxiess which may be felt."(») 

there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

The Blessed Speaker here prophecies the abundant gathering in of the Gentiles 
into the Kingdom of Heaven, — and contrasts it with the final exclusion of many of 
the Jewish nation, by reason of their impenitence and unbelief. The same con- 
trast will be found in St. Luke xiii. 28, 2'.), — with Avhich last verse, Genesis xxviii. 
14 should bo compared. — The Jews were heirs of the promises made to Abraham, 
— and "Children of the kingdom," as our Lono here calls them ; — and accordingly, 
to them were the first offers of Mercy and Salvation made. It came even to tlieir 
very doors ; liut they put it from them. The wedding was ready, but they Avliich 
were bidden w^ere not worthy :(j) "and this near miss of Happiness" (as one hath 
well remarked,) " is the greatest misery." 

" It was necessary that the Word of Con should first have been spoken to >/ou," 
said Paul and Barnabas, at .i\jitioch in Pisidia, to their blaspheming Countrymen : 
"but seeing ye put it from you, and judge ^'ourselves \nnvorthy of everlasting 
Life, — lo, we turn to the Gentiles ; for so hath the Lord commanded us."(//) And 
to the same effect, St. Paul spoke to the unbelieving Jews at Rome : — " Be it known 
therefore unto you, that the Salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles: ami" — he 
added a menioralile jmjidiecy, — " Ihcy will hear it.'\z) Our Lord had said tlio like, 
— in St. Matthew xxi. 4'o. 

But, woo to us if we rise froi.i the study of such passages a.s these, with a dry 
lifeless remark on tlie purely hislorical meaning of the words einploved, as thev re- 
gard Jew and Gentile. Tlii-y reacli nuicli further tluin the destrui'tion of the Holy 
City, and the subsequent destiny of the Nation wliich Christ came to save. The 



(») Ilobr 
(<.)St. iM 



Ilobrcws xlil. 2. 

Matt. xxii. 4, 4c. St. Luko xiv. lf>, Ac. xxii. ;iO. Rev. xix. 0. Compare also St, 
Luku XV. l>:i. 

(y/) I.-ai.ih iv. 1 anil Ixv. 1.1: St. JIutt. v. 0: St. Luke vi. 21: Rev. vii. 16, quoted from Is. 
xlix. 10. Ac. 

iiA Soo tlie firHt note on St Matt. vii. 1.'!. 
r\ (.'oiii|.iiro llev. i. 0, and 2 Tim. iv. S. .^t. .Inino!< i. 12. Rev. ii. 10 . iii. II, Ac. 
«) 1 St. .John i. 5. h) St. John iii. 19. f«J Kxodus x. 21. 

x) See St. Malt. xxii. 8. (y) Acts xiii. 40,4". \:) Acts xxviii. 28. 



VIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 75 

" Children of the Kingdom" are ive, — ^as many of us as have the Gospel In-ought to 
our very doors ; and that " outer darkness " will be ours, if, with splendid opportu- 
nities, abundant knowledge, and spiritual advantages of the very highest order, 
" we neglect so great Salvation."(^') 

The place of Suffering, — which is reserved for the wicked and Impenitent, — is 
described in terms descriptive of the bitterest bodily anguish. Repentance, which 
comes too late, draws unavailing tears: and Despair, which shall have no end, causes 
the teeth to clench with agony. And take notice that such language cannot be called 
figurative ; since " they that have done evil " will go icith their bodies " into ever- 
lasting fire." 

13 And Jesus said unto tlie Centurion, Go tliy way ; and as thou 
hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in 
the self-same hour. 

Showing that his Faith was perfect. Our Lord's words on this occasion are like 
those which He spoke to the two blind men, m St. Matt. ix. 29. The entire 
case resembles that of the " Nobleman," and should be compared with it. See 
St. John iv. 50 and 53. 

But did the Centurion " Go his way?" Not so. He remained with Christ, — in 
perfect confidence that the object of his anxiety, whom he had left "ready to 
die,"(y) was perfectly restored. See St. Luke vii. 10, and the note there. 

"As thou hast believed — so be it done unto thee." The measure of Faith is 
ever made the measure of Blessedness. See above, on the words " I will ; be thou 
clean," — in verse 3. 

14 And when Jesijs was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's 
mother laid, and sick of a fever. 



'J 



We learn from this verse, incidentally, several facts concerning St. Peter. He 
was a citizen of Bethsaida,(2) but his dwelling-place was Capernaum ; for see ver. 
5. The House belonged to himself and his brother Andrew: (a) and the Apostle 
proves to have been a married man. St. Paul states the fact plainly : " Have we 
not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other Apostles, and as the breth- 
ren of the Lord, and Cephas ?"(Z*) — Avhich was the name bestowed by our Saviour 
on Simon, when first the fisherman of Galilee was brought into His presence, (c) 

15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her : and she arose, 
and ministered unto them. 

This short but instructive miracle is related more particularly by St. Mark, i. 29 
to 31, and St. Luke iv. 38, 39, — where see the notes; especially those on St. Mark's 
narrative. 

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 : 

See the note on St. Mark i. 32. What a cluster of marvels is recorded in this 
place ! 

"All that were sick !" We read of none that were disappointed, — none that were 
sent away unhealed. Now, "whatsoever things were written aforetime were writ- 
ten for our learning ; that we, through patience and comfort of the Scripture, 
might have hope." (cr) 

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, 
saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. 

But the words of Isaiah are—" Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our 

(,.•) Heh. ii. 3. (.y) St. Luke vii. 2. [z] St. John i. 44. 

(a) Compare St. Mark i. 29. (/,) 1 Cor. ix. 5. (c) St. John i. 42. 

{(l) Rom. XV. 4. 



76 A PLAIN COMMEXTARY [CHAP. 

sorrotrs :" {e) and they clearly refer to the .<tins of mankind rather than to their 
sifknos>;es. St. Peter so (|ucite< tlie Propliet, at the end of the second chapter of 
his First Epistle : " who His own self idie our .siii^i.'Xj'] This, then, is an example 
o{ Diriiw iiifi'rpre(a(ion ; — one of the places where the Simrit has condescended to 
be Ilis own Interpreter, 

It is roasouablo and hccoming, here, to point ont the close connection between 
sin and sickness; and to call to mind liow nearly linked are moral evil and bodily 
ailment: but we must not presume, l)y such remarks, to explain, and as it were to 
dcfviul the wondrous aiijdioatinn of this text by the Kvan;relist. No one without 
the express warrant nf (Ion's Word to tliat effect, wouM liavc ever supposed, — or 
been warranted in sujiposin;;, — that Isaiah liii. 4 was fullilled wlien our Saviour 
cast out tlie Spirits from them that were possessed, and healed the sick. This ap- 
plication of the Scripture " /v the LOI'D'S doinij, and it is marvellous in our 
eyes."((/) See the notes on St. Mark ii. 5. 

18 Xow wlicn Jesus saw great multltiules about Ilim, lie gave com- 
maiidincnt to depart unto the other side. 

To cross the Lake, — from tlic "Western to the Eastern shore. 

10 And a certain Scribe came, and said unto Ilim, Master, I will 
follow Thee â– whithersoever Thou goest. 

Conoornin;^ the Scribes, see the note on St. IMark iii. 22. 

The attentive reader of the (iospel turns anxiously to the Note or Comment on 
all such passages as the present (ver. 19, 20,) and that which immediately follows, 
(ver. 21.) — in hopes of Ijeing informed who this Scribo, and vhn tliat Disciple, 
were? It is with a sense of disappointment that the reader finds his guide silent, 
and as much at a loss as himself, in the very place where information was wanted 
most. 

He will be tempted to make the remark, that such passages of Scripture cannot 
have been written in vain. The two incidents before us were set on record for our 
learning, — and certainly Avith some higher purpose than merelv to inflame our 
curiosity. He will call to mind an occurrence described in St. Mark's Gospel, — 
xiv. 51, 52 : — and be disposed to maintain that he who pretends to comment on the 
Gospels ought to be prepared with an explanaticjn of all such passages as tliese. 

The plain truth is, that he who reads the Gospels most attentively, finds in them 
most to wt^nder at : for they are full of difficulties ; not only obvious ones, (like the 
present,) but unexpected difficulties also. Now, a Commentary may well be re- 
quired to be more or less satisfactory in discussing hard jiassages which inv(dvc 
Doclrine; because, in the statement of Doctrine, liul}' Men have spoken plainly 
in all ages ; and the TrmUlioa of the Church, (as it is called,) has been uniform 
from the very beginning. Difficult idioms ought also to l)e explained; and the 
reader (if he be curious in such matters has further a right to refjuire infor- 
mation in matters of History, Chronology, and Geography ; since a little learu- 
\n<^ of the most ordinary kind, will, for the most part, supply all the help re- 
quired. Above all, docs it seem to be the Inisiness of Notes to call attention 
to precious sayings which might else escape notice: and to gather lessons of Di- 
vine Wisdom I'roiii tiie less prominent facts and allusions of the Si'iuix: fur by 
this means the AVord of God liecomes the Bread of Life, — the very food and suj)- 
port of the soul. IJut llnrc tlio skill of the Commentator ends. No one so curious 
as Ac to have the hidden tilings of the (Jospcl explained to him: but he finds a 
thick curtain spread over many of them, which no one yet has been enabled to 
remove. 

That many things yet remain to bo discovered in Ibdy Scripture, ho firmly 
believes. That grounds of great jirobability can be ofTered for a guess, even at 
such places as the present, he knows. lUit after he has said this, he is glad to con- 
fess his own great ignorance. 

Ho would iain be permitted, however, to ;idd, — that there are things far better 
worth kiKJwing than the present, which will be revealed to readers of Scripture 

(<â– ) Isaiuli liii. 4. (/) 1 St. Pet. ii. 21. {>j) P.-. cwiii. 23. 



VIII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 77 



with no reading and little ivit; vrho yet study the Book of Life ^Yith pure hearts, 
supremely desirous of discerning God in His Word. 

And lastly, let it be stated that we should read the Gospels rather in order to 
feed upon their clear statements than to perplex ourselves with their dark places. 
It is a great snare of Satan to make men wonder and cavil where they ought to 
believe and obey. " While others disimte," (says the great Father of the Western 
Church,) "be it mine to adore." 

20 And Jesus saith unto Him, The Foxes have holes, and the Bh'ds 
of the air leave nests ; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His 
head. 

Words which we have read, and heard repeated, till they have perhaps ceased to 
move us: yet, inexpressibly affecting they surely are, on the lips of the Eternal 
Son, — the Word "made flesh !'^ . . . . What a history do they discover, of weary 
days, and shelterless nights : — of houseless wanderings, and scanty supplies of 
food ! The Chief Shepherd might have said with far more truth than Jacob, (who 
was but a feeble type of Hun,) — " In the day the drought consumed me, and the 
frost by night : and my sleep departed from mine eyes." (A) 

The title " Son of Man" is applied to our Lord by Himself in the Gospels, fre- 
quently ; by His Apostles, never. He who was in the highest sense the Sox of God, — 
and became the Son of Man only " for us men and for our Salvation," — seems to 
have called Himself by this name in order to give His hearers to understand that 
it was He of whom the prophet Daniel spoke, in Daniel vii. 13. That the Jews 
understood the title, as denoting the Messiah, appears from St. John xii. 34, — 
where our Lord's words at the Feast of Tabernacles(i) are alluded to. He is 
found to have applied to Himself the prophecy of Daniel, just quoted, on two occa- 
sions : namely, in St. Matthew xxiv. 30, and xxvi. 64. See the second note on St. 
John V. 27. 

21 And another of His Disciples said unto Him, Lord, suffer me 
first to go and bury my Father. 

Here was a Disciple who drew back ; and we shall find, in the next verse, that 
our Saviour urged him forward. We have just witnessed a contrary spectacle : 

one who was for pressing forward, but whom our Lord kept back He has 

different ways of dealing with us, according to our different dispositions. The 
timid need reproof and encouragement, — the impetuous must be made to count the 
cost. 

22 But Jesus said unto him. Follow Me ; and let the dead bury 
their dead. 

There is some uncertainty as to the exact meaning of this saying, and others 
like it, in the Gospels ; and so long as that is the case, it is safer to gather the gen- 
eral lesson which they embody, — the teaching which they were certainly intended 
to convey to ourselves, — than to dispute about their precise meaning in the ears of 
the Disciples who heard them. That those who are living in a state of Sin, are 
dead in God's sight, we know from such passages as St. John v. 25. Rom. v. 14: 
vi. 11, 13 : Ephes. ii. 1, 5. Colossians ii. 13. 1 Timothy v. 6. Rev. iii. 1, &c. It 
may therefore be, that this Disciple understood our Lord's words to signify, "Let 
those who are spiritually dead so excuse, — so employ themselves." But be this as 
it may, it is clear that Christ reproved the man for inventing delays, — when he 
should have simply foUovred the footsteps of the Saviour. And this is ever the 
way with all of us. We profess love, and willingness, and good intentions : but 
there is aWajs something which we thiuk must be done/? rs/. We stand equally 
in need, therefore, of the reproof here recorded : and that may be the chief reason 
why it is recorded. 

23 And when He was entered into a ship, His Disciples followed 
Him. 

{h) Gen. xxxi. 40. (i) St. John viii. 28. 



78 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Let us ho well persuadeil tJmt that ship, and it^ little company, — with their Lord 
in tlie mi'lst of them, — exhiltits a lively type or oniblom (if the Christian Church: 
vexed with many storms, — yet safe, because blessed with the presence of Curist. 

24 And, behold, there arose :x creat Tempest in the Sea, insomuch 
that the Shij) was covered with the waves ; 

That which happens to the bo<ly, befalls each of the members likewise. "Peep 
callcth unto deep," saith tlie Psalmist. " All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone 
tiver me."(A-) " Thy wrath lietli hard upon me, and Thou hast attiicted me with 
all Thy waves."(0 But to be tost by the billows is no proof of desertion, or even 
of danger. 

but lie vras asleep. 

The ship, — covered u-illi waves ; and Christ in the ship, — asleep! How 

true a picture of the Church's fortunes 1 How true a picture of the Church at 

this, — at ((// times ! Is lie therefore unconscious of the danger, because 

He is motionless? Is He therefore unaware of the storm, because lie is asleep? — 
"I sleep," He saith; "hut My heart wakeih :'X»i) yea, rather, "He that keepeth 
Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."(//) 

25 And His Disciples came to Ilim, and awoke Ilim, saying, Lord, 
save us : we perish. 

As if the ship coidd perish which carried Citrist! And yet this faithless con- 
duct of the Disciples is ours at all times ! Unless we can see signs and wonders 
we will not believe. (o) The language of the Disciples is that of the Church in the 
hour of danger, — slow of heart to believe Gon's promises,(;y) and impatient of the 
storm. "Awake, why sleepest Thou, Lord? Arise, cast us not oil' for ever. 
Wherefore hidest Thou Thy f\vce?" {q) 

26 And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, ye of little faith ? 
Then, lie arose, and rebuked the AVinds and the Sea ; 

Observe, that He first rebuked them, — afterwards the sea. With His head yet 
reclining "on the ])illow,"(/-) lie reproached them f()r their "little faith." "Then 
He arose." .... The storm which was raging in their hearts, — the confusion and 
excitement which He discovered there, — endangered their safety far more than the 
heaving billows of the Lake. 

and there was a great calm. 

*' And so, in the soul, when all within is full of confusion and noise, — the heart 
working like a troubled sea, and finding no rest, cither from its own persuasions 
or the most skillful speeches of others; but, amidst all, likely to be swallowed up 
or split in pieces: then, one word from Christ's mouth quiets all presently, ami 
makes the soul calmer and smoother than the stillest water in the fairest day." 
The words arc Leighton's. 

" A great calm!" — If the Miracles of our Lord have a typical and prophetic 
character, (as many of tiicm doubtless have,) how full of uecp and mysterious 
meaning, how full of comfort to troubled hearts, — arc these few words ! That 
ship ami its little company, (among whom Christ was,) proves the emblem of the 
Ark of Christ's Church ; — ibe stormy waters set forth the vexations of our jircsent 
rcstli'ss and uncjuiet life. AN'liat then is this mention of " a groat calm," but a 
pro|iin>cy of what will be hereafter; when "the waves of this troublesome world' 
shall liave Ijccu exclianged for " a sea of glass, like unto crystal ;''(") and tlie pre- 
Bcnt shifting scene, for tliat better Laud >vhere " the wicked cease from troubling, 
and . . . tiic weary be at rcst?"(/) 

Ik) Ph. xlii. 7. (/) Pfl. l.xxxviii. 7. (»») Solomon's Sonff, v. 2. 

») P.-.. cxxi. i. (o) St. John iv. JS. ( ;,) Isuinli liv. 17. St. Matt, x.wiii. 20. Ac. 

v)P»ului xliv. 23, 21. (r) St. Murk iv. as. (») Rev. iv. 6. (0 Job iii. 17. 



VIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 79 

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, 
that even the winds and the sea obey Him ! 

" Man" should be in italics, — for the word does not occur in the original. 
" Who V " What manner of [being] V is the question in all the three Gospels. 

Not that they doubted who He was, or questioned His Divinity ; but because so 
stupendous an act of power took them quite by surprise. They had seen Him cast 
out devils and cure diseases ; they had even known the elements, in silent subjec- 
tion to His sway, change their very nature ; as when the water, at Cana's feast, 
became wine. But it was something quite strange and new to see the mad winds 
chained up at his rebuke ; and the waves, — which, a moment before threatened to 
cover them, — stand motionless at His word. 

28 And when He was come to the other side, into the country of 
the Gergesenes, 

Our Lord had now crossed the Lake, and set foot on the Easteni Coast. The 
Country of the Gergesenes was so called from the city of Gergesa, which lay there. 
Hard by, was the city of Gadara. Hence, the same district is called " the Country 
of the Gadarenes" by St. Mark (v. 1), and St. Luke (viii. 26). See the last note 
on St. Matthew iv. 

A wondrous narrative follows, — extending to the end of the present chapter. St. 
Mark and St. Luke have delivered the incident so much more fully than St. Mat- 
thew, that the reader is referred to the notes on those Gospels, — namely, St. Mark 
V. 1 to 20, and St. Luke viii. 26 to 40, — for many remarks on the entire miracle 
which cannot be introduced with equal fitness in this place. 

there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, 
exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 

Take notice that these unclean spirits loved to haunt the tombs, — places which 
it was accounted pollution even to touch. See Numbers xix. 16 ; and consider St. 
Matthew xxiii. 27. To " remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments," 
and " eat swine's flesh,"(?i) — had been, long before, pointed out by the Prophet, 
as marks of a people hateful in God's sight. The "tombs" spoken of resembled 
our vaults rather than ordinary graves : being recesses in the rock, whether natural 
or artificial; large enough to contain many persons. 

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying. What have we to do with 
Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ? 

Here was a full confession of our Saviour's Goohead. " The devils also believe, 
and tremble. But wilt thou know, vain man, that Faith tvithout Works is 
dead?"{x) 

Observe, that ever after the Temptation, the Devils Jcneiu Christ. Compare St. 
Luke iv. 34 and 41, and see the note on the former place. 

Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time ? 

Compare St. Luke iv. 34. See also, the note on St. Luke viii. 31. How awful, 
and how terrible are these glimpses at the unseen World, and the history of the 
devils ! The Human Race had been for so long a time expecting Salvation, — the 
evil angels Punishment, (y) And the very sight of the Holy One is torture to them, — 
the anticipation of their sentence ! 

For there will come a day, " a time," as these words remind us, when our Saviour 
Christ, putting "all enemies under His feet,"(2) shall bring to judgment the evil 
angels also. (a) They already know their sentence ; and see, by anticipation, " the 
smoke of their torment ascending up for ever and ever." (6) 

(if) Isaiah Ixv. 4. (x) St. James ii. 19, 20. (y) 2 St. Peter ii. 4. St. Jude, ver. 6. 

(z) 1 Cor. XV. 25. (o) Compare 1 Cor. vi. 3. (6) Rev. xiv. 11. 



80 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine 
feeding. 

St. Mark informs us that there were about two thousand. (c) Take note that, 
accuriliiij; to the Law, thi->e trouturcs were unclean. See Leviticus xi. 8, compared 
with l)eut. xiv. 8. Also Lsaiah Ixvi. 17. 

31 So the devils besought Ilim, saying, If Thou cast us out, suffer 
us to go away into the herd of swine. 

See what is said on St. Mark v. 12 : and take nritice that the devils promised 
themselves a j^ratifuation most nearly resembling; that which thoy had till now 
enjoyed, by being permitted to take up their abode in the bodies of the most filthy 
of animals ! 

32 And He said unto them. Go. 

Observe, that our Lord does not send the devils into the swine. lie does but 
permit them to enter the herd of unclean creatures. 

And Avhen they were come out, they went into the herd of swine : 
and, hchokl, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place 
into the sea, and perished in the waters. 

Whether this was the intention of the devils, or not, does not appear. It may 
very well have been that the herd, — frenzied by the strann;c poAver which siuMonly 
possessed them, — rushed over the cliff'; unconscious that they were thereby defeat- 
ing the object of their invaders. But see the second note on St. Mark v. 13. 

If so it were, we should be reminded by this incident of the many occasions 
when the most bitter malice, and the most exceeding cunning, are found to have 
outwitted and over-reached themselves. Consider St. Matthew ii. 7, 8, itc. 

33, 34 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the 
city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of 
the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : and 
when they saw Ilim, they besought Ilim that He would depart out of 
their coasts. 

So true was that saying of the prophet, — " ]Ylien wc sliall see Him, there is no 
beauty that we should desire Ilim !"('0 

"What a jdcturc is here presented to us! The inhabitants of a whole city im- 
ploring the Saviolk of the AVorld to "depart out of their coasts!" Yet had lie 
come among them as a Benefaitor ; and delivered them from a terrible pest, — 
namely, the presence of a wliole logionfc) of devils ; whose violence was such, tiiat 
" no man might imss that way," (ver. 28.) Thus lie, whose baliv-limbs were laid 
in a Manger, because tlicre was no room for Him in the Inn:(y") — whose Infancy 
was nursed in Kgypt, liecauso the savage King of .jud;ea songiit His Liro:(y) — 
who was forced to save Himself by flight, from the murderous hands of His own 
fellow-townsmen, f/() — and many a time was olili;;ed to go from place to place in 
order to escape tlie violence of the very nation He came to save:(i') — who was at 
last betrayed by His Friend. — mofk(>(l, scourg('(l, smitten, crowned with thorns, 
spitted on and Crucitied: He, in tlie ordinary events of His every-tlay Life, exj)e- 
rienced nothing but neglect, unkindness, and ingratitude. He walked the cartli's 
surface without a ]ila<(« " wIhto to lay His licad."(/i) Men, — "ir/un they saw Him, 
— besougiil Him that He would depart out of their coasts." 

(r) St. Murk V. i:!. (rOIsninli I'ii. 2. (. ) Pt. Mark v. 0. 

m iSt. Luke ii. 7. (</) SI. Miitlii. ii. i:;, I I. (A) St. Luko iv. 2;^ .10. 

(»■) St John viii. 59: x. 31 and 3U : xi. 53, bi, Ac. (/.) Sco above ver. 20. 



vm.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 81 



THE PRAYER. 

Grant, Lord, -we beseecli Thee, that the course of this "World 
may be so peaceably ordered by Thy governance, that Thy Church 
may joyfully serve Thee in all godly quietness ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



6 



82 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER IX. 



2 CnRisT curing one sick of the pahy. 9 Calleth Matthew from the receipt of cus- 
tom. 10 Eateth irifh I'tihlicans and Sinners. 14 Defendeth His Disciples fur 
not fasfinff. 20 Cnreth the bloody issue. 23 Raiseth from death Jainis^ dauyh- 
ter, 27 Oiveth siyht to tico blind men. 32 Healeth a dumb man possessed of a 
devil. 36 And hath comjjassion of the multitude. 

1 And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His 
own Citj. 

Our Blessed Lord, having \Trought the great miracle in the country of the Gerge- 
senes, (descri)jcd in the former chapter,) entered again into the ship, and crossed 
over to the Western shore of the Lake. 

"He who measures the waters in the hollow of His hand, and commands 
them/'C^*) •'*iiys Leighton, " is ferried over in some boat or small vessel!" 

" His own Country" was Xazareth :(6) "His own City" was Capernaum. See 
St. Mark ii. 1. — One of the ancients remarks beautifully, — " The Creator of all 
things, the Lord of the World, when He had, for our sakes, straitened Himself in 
the bonds of our flesh, — began to have His own country, as a man ; began to be a 
citizen of Judaea, and to have Parents, (though Himself be Parent of all!) in order 
that Affection might attach to Him those whom Fear had separated." 

A most interesting narrative follows, — the cure of tlic Paralytic, borne of four. 
St. Matthew, however, relates tliis miracle so concisely', that his narrative would 
be scarcely intelligible without the help of the next two Evangelists. The reader 
is accordingly referred to St. Mark's Gospel, — chap. ii. 1 to 12 ; and to St. Luke v. 
17 to 20, and to the notes on both places, for further information concerning this 
miracle. 

2 And, behold, they brought to Ilim a man sick of the palsy. 
The reader is referred to a long note on St. Mark ii. 3. 

lying on a bed. 

But St. Mark(r) and St Lnke(rf) furnish many more particulars; as, that "they 
sought meiins t<j luring him in. and lay him lioforo Him. Ami when they could not 
find |jy what way they niiglit bring him in, Ijccause of the multitude, they went 
upon the housetop, antl uncovered the roof where He was: and when they had 
broken it up, they let him down through the tiling, with his coiich. into the midst 
Vjcfore Jesus." This was indeed a surprising act: wherefore the Evangelist pro- 
ceeds, — 

And Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy ; Son, 
be of good cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee. 

Ui) S't. Mnlthtw viii. 20. U>) Compnrc Ft. Luke iv. 10 and 23, 21. 

(c) 8t. Murk ii. 1. \d) St Luke v. 19. 



IX.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 83 



The reader Is referred to the notes on St. Mark ii. 5. 

" It is needless," says Leighton, " to dispute whether one may be benefited by 
another's Faith. Surely, much may be done by it. Thus, it may bring, and pre- 
sent a person ; may recommend, may pray for him ; and may be respected in the 
grant of Mercy, — not only in things temporal, but in spiritual matters also. 
And yet ' The Just' lives only by Ins ow7i Faitli,{e) — which Faith, no doubt, this 
poor man had. For the word ' their' excludes not, but rather includes, the sick 
man's, — who, no doubt, consented to the course they were pursuing, and shared 
their confidence." 

3 And, behold, certain of the Scribes said ^Yithin themselves. This 
man blasphemeth. 

St. Matthew tells us not %oliat Scribes these were. To understand the Evangel- 
ist's meaning, see St. Mark ii. 6 : but St. Luke it is, — v. 17, — who makes the mat- 
ter clearest of all. 

" It is good," says Leighton, " to be in believing people's company.(y*) Another 
person, a city, a society, may fare the better for the faith of an Individual. (r/) 
Often, one who prays in a family, averts judgments, and draws down blessings 
upon the whole."(/i) 

See the notes on St. Mark ii. 5, 6, and 7. 

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil 
in your hearts ? 

"This," says Leighton, "without anything further, was enough to prove His 
Divine power. Oh, that this truth were ever before us, that all our thoughts are 
under Ilis eye ! If we knew that they were under the ej'e of some grave, wise 
man, — how wary and choice should we be of them ! And shall we have less regard 
to our holiest and wisest Lord, — to whom they are all naked and open?" 

" Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts ?" — " There was no reason in the thing ; 
but the truth was, — their hearts were evil ; and so was everything which came out 
of them. An evil heart is an incessant forge of evil thoughts .... Hence, that 
excellent advice of Solomon, ' Keep thy heart with all diligence.'(/) To amend 
some evil customs, without the renewing of the heart, is but to lop the branches 
that will grow again. But a holy heart meditates on holy things ; is still in 
Heaven ; is all reverence towards God, — all meekness and Charity towards man." 

See the notes on St. Mark ii. 8. 

5 For whether is easier to say. Thy sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, 
Arise, and walk ? 

That Is, — Which of the two Is the safer thing to say ? Which claim Is more 
easily set up ; — the power to forgive Sin, — or the power to restore yonder palsied 
body to strength and motion ? 

6 But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on Earth 
to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up 
thy bed, and go unto thine house. 

" Power on Earth," as opposed to " Power in Heaven." See the note on St. 
Mark ii. 10. 

Thereby our Saviour proved the reality of His Miracle, taking away from His 
enemies all pretence that it was any illusion. He also thereby showed them that 
He had not only healed this poor sufferer, but had given him strength as well. But 
the deepest truth He showed, and that which It most concerns us to observe, was, 
that He hath power not only to turn away souls from sin ; but to give them strength 

(e) Habakkuk ii. 4, — quoted liy St. Paul three times: Piom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11; Heb. x. 38. 
(/) Compare Genesis xviii. 32. [rj) See the notes on the first part of St. Luke v. 6. 

[h) See St. James v. 16— and the places referred to in the margin of a reference Bible, 
(i) Prov. iv. 23. {_k) Psalm cxix. 32. 



84 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

afterwards to walk in tho way of His Law. " I will run the way of Thy Com- 
manduients," says the Psulmi-st, — " whoa Thou hast set my heart at liberty. '\k) 

7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 

Our Loud proves what is invisible by what is visible. So he ever doth I lie ex- 
plains what is hard indeed, by what is comparatively easy. And yet, His enemies, 
in their foUv, think that He is doing the very contrary of this. — See the note on 
St. Mark iiAK 

8 But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled, and glorified GOD, 
"which had given such power unto men. 

Tho Reader is referred to tho notes on St. Mark ii. 11, 13. 

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named 
Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom : 

"lie staid no long time upon Earth, but lie lost no part of that time. Every step, 
to us is a wonder of Goodness ! And here is a cure which tlie Evangelist relates 
as done upon himself, wliich was not less, if not more wonderful than that per- 
formed upon the paralytic man : done as easily and quickly, and by the same 
means, — a word spoken !" 

" A man named Matthew." IIow humble and simple a way of speaking of him- 
self! . . . Take notice, that the other Evangelists(/) call him Levi, — as the more 
honorable appellation, by which he was known to his brethren of the common- 
wealth of Israel. Observe also, that He who " saw .... Simon called Peter, and 
Andrew his brother ;" " and, going on from thence, saw other two brethren ;"('") — 
whu also "saw" Nathaniel sitting under the fig-tree,(/i) now " saiv a man named 
Matthew;" and called him. "He spies us out," says a good man, "when we 
think of nothing less." Notice the language of St. Luke xxi. 2. 

and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Ilim. 

So simply does St. Matthew relate his own call to Apostleship ! He has reserved 
the account till now, in order that he may relate it in connection with tho Feast 
which he made to his Divine Master; but, in reality, it happened lung befure. 
The Twelve had all been called before the Sermon on the Mount, — as apjiears from 
St. Luke vi. 15, compared with ver. 20 of the same chapter. 

Concerning the call of St. Matthew, see more in the note on St. !Mark ii. 14. 

The reader is further referred to a note on the latter part of St. Matthew iv. 21. 

Tho ancients are fond of reminding us that the Apostle and Evangelist was 
called from the receipt of custom to be entrusted with a more precious " pound," 
and ten more precious " talents." 

10 And it came to pass as Jesus sat at meat in the house, 

" In t?ie house :" — that is, St. Matthew's house ; " the house" so well known to 
himself! It is tlius that men ever speak of what is their own. Comjiarc St. Mark 
i. 1 1, and sec the note there. 

Uut St. Mark, fearing lest tho Evangelist's moaning miglit not be understood, 
says, — " as Jesus sat at meat in his house ;"(jj) and St. Luke, to put the matter out 
of all doubt, says, — " in his own \io\ise."(ji) 

behold, many Publicans and sinners came and sat down with Ilim 
and His Disciples. 

Concerning " publicans and sinners," — see tho note on St. Mark ii. 15. To cat 
with sucli persons, was deemed a pollution; whence it follows, — 



k) PHBhn rxix. .'?2. (/) St. .Mark ii. M, and St. Luko v. 27. 

Hi) St. Mnlllicw iv. 18, 21. (») St. .Ti.lm i. IS. 

o) St. Murk ii. 15. {}>) St. Luko v. 29. 



IX.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 85 



11, 12 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His Disciples, 
Why eateth your Master with Publicans and Sinners ? But when Jesus 
heard that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a Physi- 
cian, but they that are sick. 

The Reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark ii. 16, 17, for some remarks on 
these words. 

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have Mercy, and 
not Sacrifice : 

St. Matthew, addressing his Gospel especially to readers of his own nation, brings 
forward many more citations of the Old Testament Scriptures than the other Evan- 
gelists. Consider chap. i. 23 : ii. 15, 23 : iv. 15, 16 : viii. 17, &c. — The place here 
quoted from Hosea vi. 6, is quoted again in chap. xii. 7 ; and is clearly not in- 
tended to disparage Sacrifice ; but only to exalt Mercy above it. It runs as fol- 
lows,—" I desired Mercy and not Sacrifice ; and the knowledge of God more than 
burnt ofi"erings,"(9) — where the latter clause of the sentence explains the former. 
For (in the words of an old English Archbishop,) — " God does not condemn Sacri- 
fice, but Sacrifice ivithout Mercy" .... This is one of the many places where 
the Law contains a foretaste of the Gospel. Such are also 1 Samuel xv. 22. Isaiah 
i. 11 to 17 : Iviii. 4 to 7. Micah vi. 6 to 8, &c. 

Concerning the precept here convej^ed, it has been well remarked by a good man, 
that — " multiplying external sacrifices is no proof of progress in holiness ; but 
proficiency in Mercy, is always so." 

for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

" Art thou an eminent sinner?" asks Leighton, "then come to Him, for He 
came to thee. It is such that lie comes to seek. They are the very objects of His 
Grace. He had nothing else to do in the World, but to save such. He came on 
purpose for their sakes. His very Name tells it : ' He shall be called Jesus, for 
He shall save His people from their sins.'(r) Were it not strange if one should 
say, I am sick, very sick, therefore I will not address the Physician ? And to say, 
I am a sinner, and a great one, therefore I dare not go to the Saviour of sinners, — 
would be equally strange." 

"Not the righteous, but sinners:" and so, just before, "Not Sacrifice, tmt 
Mercy." Compare Proverbs viii. 10. Joel ii. 13. St. Mark is. 37. St. Luke x. 
20. St. John iii. 17 : v. 30 : vi. 27 : vii. 16 : ix. 3 : xii. 44, 47 : xiv. 24. Acts v. 
4. Romans ii. 13. 1 Cor. vii. 10. 1 St. John iii. 18. — In all these places, the 
meaning seems to be Not so much the one, as the other : Ratlier the one, than, the 
other : Not only the one, hut also the other. 

14 Then came to Him the Disciples of John, saying. Why do we 
and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy Disciples 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 Bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they 
fast. 

Take notice that our Lord here utters a great prophecy, — and makes one of the 
earliest allusions to His own approaching Death. 

See the notes on St. Mark ii. 18, 19, 20 ; also on St. Luke v. 35, for several re- 
marks on the preceding verses. 

16, 17 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. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles : 

{q) Hosea vi. 6. {r) St. Matthew i. 21, 



8C A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CUAP. 

else the Lotties brculc, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: 
but they put ne^y wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. 

The reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark ii. 121, 22. Consider also St. Luke 
V. 39, and the note there. 

18 "While He spake these things unto them, behold there came a 
cetain liulor, 

St. MattliL'w relates the raising of Jairus' daughter more concisely, by far, than 
cither St. Mark or St. Luke. For example, he tells us neither tlie name of the 
Father, — nor what kind of " Ruler" he was. He describes also, in the very briefest 
manner, tht' wondrous miracle which our Saviour performed by the wa}', on the 
"Woman with the issue of blood, — verses 20 to 22, 

The Reader is therefore referred to the notes on St. Mark v. 22 to 43, for the re- 
marks which would be less couvcuieutly offered here. See also the notes on St. 
Luke viii. 41 to 50. 

and worshipped Him, saying. My Daughter is even now dead : but 
come and lay Thy Hand upon her, and she shall live. 

Rather, — " My Daughter is l)y this time, dead ;" — " must be dead by this time." 
The Father had left his child in the very agony of death, — as the words of St. 
Mark v. 23, and the subsequent course of the Ilistory, (St. Mark v. 35,) clearly 
prove. 

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did His Disciples. 

20 And, behold, a woman, Avhich was diseased with an issue of blood 
twelve years, came behind Ilo/t, and touched the hem of His garment: 

"What is here called a " hem," (and is translated " border," in St. Luke viii. 44,) 
is called a "J'ringe" in Numbers xv. 38 and 39 ; — wliere the divine command is 
recorded, in virtue whereof this ornament was worn by members of the Jewish 
nation. See tlie place. It is pi'obable that this afflicted creature laid her hand on 
the " ribband of blue" which edged the outer garment of the Saviour of the World, 
as considering that it possessed a peculiar sanctity. 

See the note on St. Matt, xxiii. 5. 

Observe, tliat the touch of such an one brought defilement ;(s) which may, partly, 
have ))e(n the cause of her timid approach. Rut see the notes on St. Mark i. 41, 
and on the last half of St. Luke v. l3. 

21 for she said within herself. If I may but touch His garment, I 
shall be whole. 

She believed with her heart: she confessed with her lips :(/) she touched with 
her iiand. IJy Faith, — Word, — and Deed, Salvation is obtained. St. Mark relates 
how immediate was her cure : — v. 29 to 32. 

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. 

Wiiicli means not the iiour when " Jf.sus turned Him about," — but the hour, or 
ratlier tlie instant, in which tlie afllicted woman touched His garment. 

The entiri! incident is related with !^iir]>rising conciseness by the ju-esont Evan- 
gelist. 'J'he Header lias been already relerred to the (.Jospels of St. Mark, — v. 22 
to 43 ; and St. Luke, — viii. 41 to 5G. 

(•) Leviticus XV. 27 to 29. (0 Rom. x. 9 and 10. 



IX.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 87 

23 And wlien Jesus came into the Ruler's house, and saw the min- 
strels and the people making a noise, 

The house was full of hired mourners,(M) and pipers, who, according to the 
Jewish custom played mournful music, — as an expression of sorrow for the de- 
parted. There is an allusion to this in Jeremiah xlviii. 36. 

24 He said unto them, Give place : for the maid is not dead, but 
sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn. 

Our Saviour Christ thereby disarms Death of its terrors, reminding us that He 
is " the God of the living ; for all live unto Him,"(a-') 

See the note on St. Mark v. 39 ; and consider the following texts : 1 Thess. iv. 
13, 14, 15. 1 Cor. XV. 6, 51. 

25 But when the people were put forth, He went in, and took her 
by the hand, and the maid arose. 

By His three miraculous acts of raising the dead, our Blessed Lord displayed 
before men's eyes the Doctrine of the Resurrection : teaching at the same time, 
that Himself is " the Resurrection and the Life."(;y) 

It has been also supposed that He thereby mystically set forth the purpose of 
His coming ; which was, to raise up those who were dead in sins to a life of Right- 
eousness. And such, indeed, is the frequent language of the Spirit ; as when it 
is said, — " God, who is rich in Mercy, . . . when we were dead in sins, hath quick- 
ened us, . . . and raised us up."(2) And again, — " Awake thou that sleepest, and 
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."(«) Consider also such texts 
as the following, St. Matt. viii. 22. St. Luke xv. 24, 32. 1 Tim. v. 6. Coloss. ii. 

13. Rev. Hi. 1, &c. 

It has been further pointed out, and with remarkable truth, that the three cases 
of raising the dead, recorded In the Gospels, aptly set forth three different condi- 
tions of the human soul, from which it may be raised by the quickening voice of 
Christ. It has either just sunk into Sin, — of which the present miracle would be 
tyoical : or its restoration may seem the more hopeless, from its having been 
already some time in that case, — of which the Widow of Nam's Son, on his way 
to burial, would be a lively figure ; — or it may be, to all appearance, hopelessly 
lost,— of which Lazarus, who had lain four days in the grave, would be the sad 
type. Consider St. John v. 24, 25 ; and the note on the latter verse. 

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. 

We are next presented with two mighty miracles, — Indicative, alike, of the days 
of the 'jrospel ; concerning which, it has been said, — " Then the eyes of the blind 
shall be opened, .... and the tongue of the dumb shall sing."(^) — the former of 
these t-Ro miracles, — (whereby our Lord restored to sight two blind men in the 
House, — is peculiar to the present Gospel : and seems to have immediately fol- 
lowed the transaction last related. It is the first miracle performed on the blind, 
described in the Gospels ; — the others will be found in St. Matthew xll. 22 : xx. 30 
to 34 : St. Mark viii. 22 to 26 ; and St. John ix. 1 to 7. See also St. Matthew xxi. 

14. Aid take notice, that all such acts were but symbolical of the far higher pur- 
pose wi-,h which our Saviour came into the World, — namely, to open the eyes of 
them wlom Sin had blinded; and who, in a far deeper sense, are described in 
Scripture as walking in darkness, — sitting In the very shadow of Death. Consider 
the following texts: — Isaiah ix. 2: xlii. 7: xlix. 9. St. John ix. 39 (o 41, &c. 

Ephes. -v, 8, 14. Rev. ill. 17, 18 How fitting then, was It, that He who 

opened the eyes of the blind, should have been called — " The Light of the 
World !"0) 



\u 



See the note on St. Mark v. 38. {x) St. Luke xx. 38. 

y^ St. Johi xi. 25. {z) Ephes. ii. 4, 5, 6. (a) Ephes. v. 14. 

h) Isaiah x;xy. 5, 6. (c) St. John viii. 12, &c. 



88 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Ilim, 
crying, and saying, TJiou Son of David have mercy on us. 

A cry which wo make our own, daily, in the suffrages at the end of the Litany! 

The same appeUation is found on the lips of the Woman of Canaan, in chap. xv. 
22; and it is heard from tlie two other Mind men, at Jericho, iu chap. xx. 30, 31: 
— a sufficient nroof of tlie poj)ular belief that "Christ cometh of the seed of Da- 
vid ;"('0 ''I'* '"'cll as of the conviction of these afflicted persons, that Jesus of Naza- 
reth was He. Compare chap. xii. 23: xxi, 9 and 15. Also i. 1. 

It seems, then, that these two persons followed our Saviour, with loud cries ; 
hut that our Lord pursued His way to the House, as if regardless of their need. 
Compare with this our Lord's treatment of the woman of Canaan. (t) 

28 And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to 
Him: 

That is, they followed our Blessed Saviour into the house which he inhabited at 
Capernaum: mentioned in chap. xiii. 1, 3G, &c.: probably, Simon Peter's. Our 
Saviour wrought His miracles in all places, — in the street, and in the house ; amid 
festivity and beside the grave ; in crowds and before few persons ; in the Synagogue, 
and in the private chamber, — as if to remind us that we are in every place alike 
objects of His Love ; and may every where become the objects of His Mercy. 

Take notice, that these men had believed, htj hearin'j only : for the Voice of 
Christ, and the report of Him, was all that could have reached them. They had 
seen no wonder wrought by His Hands, nor, as yet, beheld the Majesty of His 

Person. Their case, therefore, in some respects, resembles our own But 

"Blessed are they iliat Jtuve not seen, and yet have believed. "(./") And how severe 
a reproof was administered by their Faith to the stiff-necked people who had so 
long beheld the Miracles of Christ in vain! 

and Jesus saith unto them. Believe ye that I am able to do this ? 
They said unto Ilim, Yea, Lord. 

Not that our Lord required this assurance. "He needed not that any should 
testify of men : for he knew what was in Man."(^) But he asked the question, in 
order to draw from the lilind men a confession of their Faith ; "for with the heart, 
man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth, confession is made unto 
Salvati<m."(/0 Perhaps, also, this may have been done for the sake of some who 
were present. Sec the note on St. Mark v. 9 ; and on the latter part of ver. 30. 

20 Then touched He their eyes, saying. According to your faith be 
it unto you. 

The result proved their faith to he perfectly earnest and sincere. And let it here 
once more lie noted tliat the measure of Faith is ever the measure of Ble«sednes.s. 
Strange to say, it is this only which prescribes a limit to Divine Love! Compare 
St. Matthew xiii. 5S, witli St. Mark vi. 5 ; and consider Acts xiv. 9. See alio the 
first note on the last part of St. Matth. viii. 3. 

Our Lord's action on this occasion, was repeated in the case of the tw« blind 
men at Jericho ;(/") while His words closely resemble those which Ho addrfssed to 
the Centurion at Capernaum, — chap. viii. 13; where see the note. 

30 And their eyes were opened ; 

"1 will give Thee," saith Ai.mkjutv CJod, "to open the blind eyes; to Vring out 
the prisoners from the prison; and them that sit in darkness, out of tic prison- 
liouse."(/i) Compare the last words of Jsuiah Ixi. 1, with the last words of St. 
Luke iv. 18. 

Ul) St. John vii. 42. (c) Sf. Miittlicw xv. 22, 23, compared with St. IVnrk vii. 24 

(/) St. John XX. 29. (-;) St. John ii. 23. (A) Uomatf x. \C 

(i) St. Maltbcw xs. 31. (k) Isaiah ilii. 7. 



IX.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 89 

And Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 

With the injunction which our Lord proceeded to deliver, compare what He said 
to the Leper, in St. Mark i. 44: and to the deaf man with an impediment in his 
speech, in St. Mark vii. 36. See also the first note on St. Matthew viii. 4 ; and the 
notes on St. Mark i. 44, 45. 

Holy Scripture is wondrous brief at all times. To fill up the sketch is ever left 
for ourselves. Do but think of the wondrous scene which must have followed an 
incident like this! The men, — rewarded for their Faith to the utmost extent of 
their desires, — suddenly find themselves face to face with their Benefactor. What 
must have been their surprise, their joy, their gratitude, their awe! "I have heard 
of Thee" (say they) "with the hearing of the ear; but now, — mine eye seeth 
Thee !"(0 

The rapture of prisoners set free from a gloomy prison-house, must have been 
theirs : and it seems to have been excessive, — for see the next verse, and the note 
upon it. 

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in 
all that country. 

There had been perfect Faith, therefore; but there was not perfect Obedience. 
The consequence here described is found to have also ensued upon all occasions 
referred to in the foregoing note : and yet, from the remarkable word which the 
Evangelist uses, (and which we translate "straitly charged,") it would appear that 
these men were violating a most earnest, emphatic command. The word recurs in 
St. Mark xiv. 5, and St. John xi. 33, 38. 

It had been foretold by the Prophet, that, in the days of Messiah, not only should 
"the eyes of the blind be opened," but "the tongue of the dumb should sing."(?7i) 
A miracle performed on a dumb person comes next. 

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Ilim a dumb man 
possessed with a devil. 

Observe how closely this miracle follows on the heels of the other. A bloody 
issue, — Death, — blind eyes, — and dumb lips : what an assemblage of marvels, in 
close succession, does one short chapter contain! 

The present appears to have been a very extraordinary display of Almighty 
Power: but it is recorded with singular brevity. Observe that the sufferer was 
"brought" to Christ. He was possessed by what is called in St. Mark ix. 17, "a 
dwnh spirit.''^ 

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake : and the mul- 
titude marvelled, saying. It was never so seen in Israel. 

It would appear, from this mention of the multitudes, that our Saviour did not 
work this miracle, like the preceding, privately, and in the House. 

We read here of no questioning on the part of our Lord: no act of Faith on the 
part of the suflFerer. The Great Physician simply heals the afflicted person whom 
another brings. And it is because the man was the sport of an evil spirit's 
malice, — who had bound up his will, and left him scarcely, (if at all,) responsible 
for his actions. — The same course was pursued by our Lord on all similar occasions. 

34 But the Pharisees said. He casteth out devils through the Prince 
of devils. 

We shall find the same blasphemous charge brought against our Lord, and by 
the same persons, in chap. xii. 24, — on the occasion of His casting out the devil 
from the man possessed, blind and dumb. See the note on St. Mark iii. 22. 

Observe the last resource of unbelief. As long as the Pharisees can deni/ our 
Lord's miracles, they do so. See St. John ix. 18. When denial is simply impos- 

{l) Job xlii. 5. (m) Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6. 



90 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

sible, they set about explaining them away. And do we not witness the same thing 
at the present day among ourselves ? 

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teacliing in their 
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing 
every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Thus In-ielly, once mure, does the Evangelist desoribo our Lord's second prcat 
Ministerial Journey! — lie repeats almost the very words wliicli he had used to 
describe the former one,— in chap. iv. 23 ; whither the reader is referred. 

The Shepherd and Bishop of Souls thus went after "the lost sheep of the House 
of Israel." A warning to us, that tre also must "go about," — go aj'kr that which 
has gone astray, and seek to recover that wliioh is lost. 

St. Peter, summing up in a single sentence the History of our Saviour's Life, 
uses words admirably descriptive of what is intimated in this place: namely, — 
"How Hoi) anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with Power: 
who went about doing good, and healing uU that were oppressed of the Devil ; for 
God was with Him."(») 

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 Shepherd. 

Marvellous is the constancy of Holy Scripture. This image will be found to 
recur in Numbers xxvii. 17: 1 Kings xxii. 17: .Jeremiah xxiii. 1 to 4, and 1. G: 
Ezckiel xxxiv. 5, G, &c. . . These poor sheep, who had followed our Blessed Lord 
on the occasion mcntiimed in the last verse, were still hanging on the Divine foot- 
steps of their Benefactor ; exhausted in body, and scattered from their homes. 

37 Then saith lie unto His Disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, 
but the labourers are few ; 

Compare St. John iv. 35, and the note there. 

38 pray yc therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send 
forth labourers into His Harvest. 

This, in effect, we do daily, when we say "Thy Kingdom come." — Compare St. 
Matthew xiii. 30. 

Aerscs 37, 3>S of this Gospel, — which describe what our Lord said, on sending 
forth His Twelve Apostles to preach, — recur, word for word, in St. Luke x. 2 ; and 
arc found to have been spoken also at the sending out of the Seventy Disciples. 



THE PRAYER. 

ALMIGHTY God, we beseech Thee graciously to behold this Thy 
Family, for which our LoRD Jesus Christ was contented to be 
betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer 
death upon the Cross; who now liveth and reigneth with Thee and tho 
Holy Ghost, ever one God, World without end. Amen. 

(m) Acta. X. 38. 



X.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 91 



CHAPTER X. 



1 Christ sendeth out His ticelve Apostles, enabling them with power to do miracles. 
5 Giveth them their Charge, teachetJi them. 16 Comforteth them against persecutions. 
40 And promiseth a blessing to those that receive them. 

1 And -when He had called unto Him His twelve Disciples, He gave 
them power against unclean Spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all 
manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

The concluding verses of the precedmg chapter(a) prepare the Reader for this 
famous incident, — namely, the first sending forth of the Twelve Apostles, armed 
with miraculous powers which had been immediately delegated to them by their 
Lord. St. Matthew, because he had not yet given their names, proceeds to recount 
them. The Reader is requested to refer to what has been already remarked on this 
subject in the note on St. Mark iii. 14, 15. 

2, 3, 4 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; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, 
and Matthew the publican ; James, the son of Alphseus, and Lebb^us, 
whose surname was Thaddseus ; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Isca- 
riot, who also betrayed Him. 

It seems needless to add anything in this place, to what has been already offered 
at some length, concerning these Twelve great names, in the notes upon St. Mark's 
Gospel, — chap. iii. 16 to 19. No attentive reader can fail to be struck by the pre- 
ference which St. Matthew here gives to his brother- Apostle St. Thomas, (whom he 
names before himself;) or the humility which led him to attach to his own name a 
record of the reproachful calling which he had once pursued, — "Matthew the Pub- 
lican." Concerning the three names of chief diflSculty, LebbcBus or Thaddaeus, 
(who was Jude, our Saviour's cousin,) — James the son of Alphseus, — and Simon 
the Cananite, (incorrectly written "the Canaanite,") it must suffice to refer to 
another part of this Commentary. (6) 

St. Mark relates that the Twelve were sent forth "by two and two."(0 S*- 
Matthew accordingly will be found to enumerate the Apostles in pairs. Does he 
perchance thereby inform us which of them were companions? It seems probable; 
for the brothers are mentioned together; and Philip's name is linked with that of 
his beloved Nathanael. Simon the Zealot, be it observed, is the companion of one 
to whom his own warm spirit failed to communicate life and heat, and for whom it 
would have been good if he had never been born.(d) 

5, 6 These twelve, Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 
Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samari- 



\ 



a) St. Matthew ix. 36 to 38. (6) See St. Mark iii. 16 to 19. 

c) St. Mark vi. 7. W St. Matthew xxvi. 24. 



92 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

tans enter ye not : but go rather to tlie lost sheep of the house of 
Israel. 

So begins our Lord's first Charge to the Twelve ; which St. Mattlicw here gives 
far more fully than either St. Mark(f) or St. Luke.(y) The oiler of Salvation was 
to he made first to ///<• Jews. To them alone had our Lord hecn sent; as Ho Ilim- 
Belf declared in laii;,'uage which strungly recalls the j>resent, when a Woman of 
Canaan implored His Mercy. (y) If tiometimes those who were aliens from the 
Commonwealth of Israel pressed forward, and, — like the "Woman just noticed, or 
like the Centurion of Capernaum. — in reward of their Faith, succeeded in carrying 
away a blessing, such cases form a rare exception to the rule which God's Provi- 
dence had laid down ; and in conformity with which the Disciples are found to 
have acted even after our Lord's Ascension. The notices of their practice in this 
respect arc froiiucnt and interesting. (//) 'Then, however, their Commission was, — 
"Go, teach all Nations r[i) 

Samaria, though lying in the very heart of Palestine, is yet reckoned with "the 
Gentiles ;" having been peopled chiefly by the " strange nations" of the East whom 
the Assyrian King Slialmaneser transplanted into the country, after the carrying 
awav of the Ten Tribes. (A) Its inhabitants were acc(ndingly termed " Strangers. "(/) 
Shortly after our Lord's Ascension, however, it "received the Word of God" by 
the preaching of Philip the Deacon ; whereupon " the Apostles which were at 
Jerusalem sent unto them Peter and Jolin."(w) " Ye shall be witnesses unto Me," 
(said CuuiST to Ilis Apostles, after His Iicsurrection.) " both in Jerusalem, and in 
all Judiea, utid in Saiuariu, and unto the uttermost part of the carth."(y() 

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 

Take notice that this, which had been the Baptist's message, (o) and our Sa- 
viour's also, (7;) became now, in turn, the message of the Twelve. IIow secretly 
and silently,— how suddenly too, and in what an unlookcd for manner, — did this 
offer of the Kingdom come to all ! IIow entirely was the appeal made to the ear 
of Faith, when those six pair of Holy Brotliren, — armed with supernatural powers 
indeed, yet rude of speech, and poorly clad, — niaile their first circuit of the Towns 
of Galilee! They carried no promises, either of present Glory or of future Con- 
quest; — held out no soothing hopes, either of earthly Pros])erity, or of temporal 
Abundance ; but preached Kojientance and Amendment of Life, — and the actual 
Advent of Messiah ; — told of a cross to be borne, and a crown to be won ; but 
pointed for the fulfillment of all God's promises to a period yet future ; with trem- 
bling hands, guided the eyes which would sec the King in Ilis Beauty, to the Land 
which is very far off.(7) 

In the mean time, it is discovered that their Lord, in His Wisdom, had im- 

Sarted to His Disciples as yet but a very partial view of the nature of that King- 
om which lie sent them forth to proclann. Nay, at a much later period, we tind 
Him deliv(!riiig a parable "because they thought that the Kingdom of God should 
immediat(;ly appeiir."(/) Tlu-y clung tu the notion of a glorious temporal King- 
dom, and to the Keign of Messi.\ii here on Earth, to the very last.(.s) This ex- 
pectation lay at the root of the question which four of their number put to our 
Savioik on the Mount of Olives ;(/) and even after the Lesurrection, they arc 
fouml to inquire, — "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to 

Israel ?"(») 

From all which, it is phiin that these great Saints enjoyed, at first, no supernatu- 
ral light ; were endued with no extraordinary powers of spiritual vision. GoD 
dealt with them as He d(;als witli ourscilvcs. Their advantages were even, (in a 
manner,) less than our own ; f )r they had to accustom themselves by slow degrees 
to the glories of the Gospel. As men who have lived long in darkness cannot at 

r) St. Murk vi. 8 to 11. (/) St. Luko i.x. 3 U^ 5. (7) St. Mallhew xv. 24. 

\k) \<-t!f ii. 39: xi. 19: xiii. 40: xviii. 0. (1) St, Mntlhow xxviii. 19. 

(it) 2 KiiiKH xvii. 6, 24; concuruin;; tlic Siiiniirilnn.H, hoc more in llic nulc' on St. John iv. 

f /) St. \Aikc xvii. 16, 18. (m) Acln viii. '. iiiul 14. (tA Av\x i. 8. 

hi) St. .Maltiiew iii. 2. (/>) St. Matllnw iv. 17. (75 Ii-iiiiili .\x.\iii. 17. 

fr) Si. Luke xix. 11. (») Sec St. .Maltbcw XX. 21: St. Murk x. a7. 

(() St. Matthew xxiv. 3. (u) AcIjj i. 6. 



X.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 93 



once distinguish objects Avhen they are brought into the Light, even so it seems to 
have fared with them. With such a limited conception of their Divine Master's 
meaning, then, did the Tvi'clve receive Ilis command to " preach, saying, The King- 
dom of Heaven is at hand." 

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : 
freelj ye have received, freely give. 

God had always armed those whom He sent forth on such a service, with miracu- 
lous powers, — as a token and witness of their Divine Commission. The Eternal 
Son proves those powers to be inherent in Himself, as God, by communicating 
them to whom He will: to the Twelve Apostles, in this place ; to the Seventy Dis- 
ciples, in another.(a;) The gifts of healing which He delegated to the Twelve were 
symbolical of their spiritual function ; in the exercise of which, He here warns 
them against the seductions of covetousness.(;y) As they had received from Him, 
" without money and without price," so Avere they commanded to impart to others 
without stint, and without fee. And Judas was one of those on whose ears the 
words of this caution fell ! 

9, 10 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor 
scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves : 
for the workman is worthy of his meat. 

Instead of shoes they were to wear sandals. (s) A single staff they might bear 
in their hands,(a) — but another might not be carried in reserve. In which direc- 
tions, wlio sees not that there is something of deep and mysterious import ? A pro- 
vision of bread in the scrip, or wallet, was likewise forbidden, — " for" (says our 
Lord,) " the Workman is worthy of his meat." Nor might any provision of mo- 
ney be carried in the purse ; and thereby He ordained (as St. Paul assures us,) 
"that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel."(6) 

This last sanction, the Church holds to be of abiding weight and efBcacy. Shall 
then the former precepts be regarded as abrogated in their spirit, as well as in their 
letter? Doubtless our Saviour's Charge to the first Preachers of His Gospel, — 
over and above its literal and symbolical teaching to the men of that generation, 
and the individuals to whom it was originally addressed, — must be understood to 
convey to so many as shall ever enter His service, a perpetual warning against 
Covetousness, Luxury, and Worldly Anxiety. 

11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in 
it is worthy : and there abide till ye go thence. 

Which proves that the miraculous powers with which they were endowed, were 
limited. They cannot discern *who is worthy, by any spiritual faculty of their 
own ; but must make inquiry, as ordinary travellers do. 

12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 

Probably, with the salutation, — " Peace be to this house !" as in St. Luke x. 5 ; 
which explains the meaning of the words which follow : — 

13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it : but 
if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

Take notice how those words of Christian salutation are spoken of as carrying 
with them a reality of blessedness. The word must inosper in the thing whereto 
it is sent ; or, (like the dove sent forth too soon from the Ark,) must return — 
void.(c) 

(x) St. Luke X. 19. (y) Compare Exodus xviii. 21. [z) St. Mark vi 9. 

(«) St. Mark vi. 8. (6) 1 Cor. ix. 14. 

(c) Isaiah Iv. 11; compare for the expression, Psalm xxxv. 13. 



94 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

14, 15 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. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of 
Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment, than for that City. 

We find St. Paul and Barnabas fulfiHing this command, at Antioch in Pisidia,((/) 
when the people of that city expelled them out of their coasts. To " shake off tlic 
dust of the feet" seems clearly an emblematic act; showing that God would, 
in like manner, reject the persons who did such things. And the dust was " a 

witness of the toil of the juurncy which the preachers had sustained." 

" Doubtless," says one, " the higher a people rise, under the means of grace, the 
lower they fall if they miscarry." 

From this place, to the end of the chapter, is one continuous prophecy of the 
dVu^-crs and hardships to which the first preachers of the Gospel were to be exposed; 
mingled, however, with words of unearthly counsel, and comfort, — with wondrous 
promises uf support, and most precious assurances of Love. By foretellinfj the 
evils which were to befixll them, their Divine Master both convinced them of Uis 
knowledge of the future, and prepared them to encounter it with fortitude, as well 
as to meet it without surprise. It is observable, however, (from the tenor of verses 
17, 18, 23, &c.) that our Lord's prediction, in this place, of what was to befall Ilis 
Disciples, looks forward many years. Compare verses 17 to 22, and verse 30, with 
St. Luke xxi. 12 to 17. and verse 18: take note that the latter passage has refer- 
ence to events subsecjuent to the Ascension ; and then consider how the words of 
the Divine Speaker even seem to stretch out beyond the present, to embrace the 
remote future in their wondrous span ! 

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye 
therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 

Sheep and Wolves, — the Serpent and the Dove : these are constant types in Holy 
Scripture of meekness and rapacity, (0 — of sul)tlety(y) and innocence !(^'/) But 
it concerns us most to notice how pointed is the command, in this place, that Chris- 
tian men should combine a cautious and wary course of action, with perfect inno- 
cence of life and manner : for " here," (as a good man has written,) " are the two 
arras defensive of a Christian : Prudence against the evils of men. — Innocence 
against the arts of the Devil, and all that relates to his Kingdom." Christian Pru- 
dence, therefore, and Christian Simplicity, are to be the weapons of our warfiire. 

" When you can avoid it, suffer not men to ride over your heads, or trample you 
under foot: that is the wisdom of Serpents. And so must we; that is, by all just 
compliances, and toleration of indifferent changes in which a dut}- is not destroyed, 
and in which we are not active, so preserve ourselves, that we might be permitted 
to live, and serve God, and to do advantages to religion; so, purchasing time to do 
good in ... . And this is the direct meaning of St. Paul, — ' See thou that j-c 
walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days 
are evil -.'{li) that is, purchase as much respite as you can ; buy or 'redeem the time,' 
by all hoiH'st arts."(i) St. Paul himself practised what he here recommends, when 
he divided liis judges, (who wore partly Sadducccs, piirtly Phnrisoes.) by ])ro( luim- 
ing himself to belong to the latter sect:(/i) also, when he appealed unto Car><ar.(/) 
Bisiiop Taylor, whose words have been just now (juoted, has left five sermons on 
this text: in the first three of which he enumerates the several points of Christian 
Prudence ; in the last three, of Christian Simplicity. 

17, 18 But beware of men : for they will deliver you up to the coun- 
cils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues ; and ye shall be 

(<l) Acta xiii. 51. 

(«) I-uinh xi. fi: Ixv. 25. St. Mattlicw vii. 1'). St. John x. 12. Acts x.\. 29. 
r/) (uMicHm iii. 1. (7) St. Luke iii. 22. 

(A) KphcH. V. 15, 10; with which con)|inrc hy nil incans Coloss. iv. 5: "Wnlk wi trimlom to- 
wnnl tlicm tliat nro \Yilliuut, rcdccmiurf tlir linn." 

(.) Dishoji Taylor. (i) Acta xxiii. 6. (/) Acts xxv. 11, 



X.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 95 

brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against 
them and the Gentiles. 

Rather, " in order that you may bear testimony before them." 

19, 20 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. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father 
which speaketh in you. 

It is easy to imagine the fame which -words like these must have acquired in the 
early ages of the Church: how precious they must have been to every one who 
went forth to preach the Gospel of Christ, and with what jealousy they must have 
been regarded by as many as opposed themselves to the Divine message. St. Paul 
has left us a striking confirmation of this remark in his Epistle to the Corinthians, 
who, (he informs us,) " souglit a proof of CHRIST speaking in him.{m) "His 
letters," they said, " are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, 
and his speech contemptible."(?i) 

21 And the Brother shall deliver up the Brother to death, and the 
Father the Child : and the Children shall rise up against tlieir Parents, 
and cause them to be put to death. 

" Wrongs which we suffer from strangers," (says a very old writer,) " pain us 
less than those we suffer from men on whose affections we had counted ; for be- 
sides the bodily affliction, there is then the pain of lost affection." " This," (adds 
anotlier,) " we often see in persecutions; nor is there any true affection between 
those whose faith is different." 

22 And ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake : but he 
that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

" For Virtue is not to begin, but to complete :" " and the reward is not for those 

that begin, but for those that bring to an end." So far, two ancient writers. The 

importance attached in Holy Scripture to perfect works, — perseverance till " it is 

finished," — to endurance to the end, — is far greater than might be supposed by 

those who have never attended to the circumstance. 

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. 

In conformity with this precept, we find St. Paul escaping from Damascus to 
Jerusalem ;(o) and again flying from Iconium to Lystra.(2>) Our Blessed Lord 
illustrated His precept by His example when He retired from Nazareth to Caper- 
naum ;(^) and from one village of Samaria to another ;(r) and again, when He 
withdrew to a city called Ephraun, bordering on the wilderness. (s) Consider also 
St. John viii. 59, and x. 39, 40. 

The concluding words of the present verse are somewhat more difBcult. Let it 
be observed, however, that it is safest always to interpret the " Coming of the Son 
of Man" of the Final Advent of Christ to Judgment -.(f) and then, it will appear 
that our Lord's words in this place amount to a prophecy that after the Gospel has 
been preached to the Gentiles, and before the ancient people of God have been en- 
tirely reclaimed to the Gospel, the end of the World will arrive. 

24, 25 The Disciple is not above Ms Master, nor the Servant above 



(ni) 2 Cor. xiii. 3. (n) 2 Cor. s. 10. (o) Acts ix. 25, {p) Acts. xiv. 6 

(q) St. Luke iv. 28 to 31. (r) St. Luke ix. 51 to 56. («) St. John xi. 53, 54. 

[t) As in St. Matthew xvi. 27 : xxiv. 27: xxvi. 64. See however the notes on St. Matthew 



90 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

his Lord. It is enough for the Disciple that he he 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 ! 

It will be rcmemlicred that "The Master of the House" was thus blasphemously 
addressed iu St. Matthew xii. 24 : also in St. Matthew ix. 34.(h) One, at least, of 
His household is knuwu from the sacred record to have shared his Master's re- 
proach; namely, St. John Bajitist. See St. Luke vii. 3.'5, and the note there. 

The next eight verses are found to recur in quite a diflerent connection in St. 
Luke's Gospel, — xii. 2 to 9: affording one of the many striking proofs which the 
Gospels contain that the same sayings were for ever heard from the lips of our 
S.vvioL'R. Here, tlioy are addressed to the Twelve Apostles ; there, they arc clearly 
addressed to a multitude: and it should not escape our notice that even in the first 
instance, the mode of expression is such that it is equally applicable to all Believ- 
ers, — may be made the common property of all ranks of men, alike. 

26 Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing covered, that shall 
not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 

This seems to be a proverbial saying ; which conveys, (and is doubtless meant 
to convey,) many meanings. As it stands, it most likely implies the same thing 
which the P.salmist expresses in a certain place : " Commit thy way unto the Lord ; 
trust also in Ilim ; and He shall bring it to pass. And lie shall bring forth thy 
Righteousness as the Light, and thy judgment as the noon-day ."(-r) St. Paul, if 
he does not actually allude to the words of our Saviour, seems to supply an admi- 
rable commentary upon them, when, (after declaring himself and Apullos to be 
"Ministers of Christ, and Stewards of the mysteries of God,") he warns the Co- 
rinthians against judging him " before the time, until the Lord come, — icho both 
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, andicill make manifest the counsels 
of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. "(j/) 

27 "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and what 
ye hear in the car, that preach ye upon the housetops. 

This is said with obvious reference to the st3'lc of building in Judaea, where "the 
housetop" afforded a convenient place for such an act as our Lord describes :(?) 
and there may be an allusion to the practice of the Jewish Teachers, who are said 
to have dictated softly in the ear what an Interpreter immediately after delivered 
aloud. But the general teaching of the place seems to be, that whatsoever the 
Apostles had conveyed to themselves under a figure, that they were without a figure 
to preach to all : what they had been taught secretly, that they were openly to 
proclaim: what tliey had hoard iu a Corner of Judasa, tli-at they were to make 
known all over the world. 

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul : 

" lie doe.s not hold out to them deliverance from death," (says an ancient Arch- 
bishop,) "but oiicourag<'S thorn to <lespisc it; which is a much greater thing than 
to bo rescued from death. Thus did this discourse of our Lord aid in fixing in 
their minds the doctrine of Immortality." 

but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in 
Hell. 

"This cannot be," (as an ancient Father remarks,) "before the soul is so joined 
to the body, tliat nothing may sever tl.em. Yet is it riglitly called the deatii of 
the soul, because it then does not live of God: and the death of the body, because 
though man does not cease to feel, yet because this his feeling has neither pleasure, 



(li) Sco ul.io St. John vii. 20 : viii. -18, 52 : x. 20. {..) 
(y) 1 Cor. iv. 6. (.-) 



Pcnlni x.xxvii. 5, C. 

Sco tho nolo on SU Luke v. 19. 



X.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 97 

nor health, but is a pain and a punishment, it is loetter named death than life." 
Take notice, however, that at the end of the verse, a different word is employed 
from that which was used in the beginning of it. In Hell, the body is not "â– killed." 
Our Lord speaks of "the second death" (a) as a continued desti-ouiiu/ of the body 
and the soul. It is "everlasting destruction ;"(6) — as St. Paul, in a certain place, 
speaks. See the note on St. Mark ix. 48. 

The statement which follows proclaims a truth unsuspected by the heathen 
world. 

29, 30 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of tliem 
shall not fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs 
of your head are all numbered. 

Our ears, — our lips, it may be, — are familiar with these wondrous declarations 
of our Saviour respecting the minuteness of His Providence ; yet may it well be 
suspected that very few are at the pains to realize His words in their daily lives. 
Strange, that a statement which invests every minute event with dignity and im- 
portance should afiect men so little ! It has been truly observed by a living writer, 
that — "not till belief in these declarations, in their most literal sense, becomes the 
calm and settled habit of the soul, is Life ever redeemed from drudgery and dreary 
emptiness ; and made full of interest, meaning, and Divine significance." 

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many spar- 
rows. 

Should not our hearts assume the posture of reverent attention, as often as the 
Author of Creation is pleased to make any revelation, — to present us with any 
comment, — on the mysterious beings which surround us ; those irrational creatures 
of Ills, concerning which so little is known, because so little has been revealed? 
Compare this place with St. Matthew vi. 26, and xii. 12. 

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I con- 
fess also before My Father which is in Heaven. 

Whereon a famous Bishop remarks, — "True indeed it is that the great promises 
of the Gospel are made unto Faith ; and glorious things are spoken of it. But the 
same promises are made to the Confession of Faith together with it."(c) For it is 
"with the mouth that confession is made unto salvation."((i) 

Nor must men confess Him with their lips only, but in their lives ; in deed as 
well as in word. The Apostle, speaking of some in his days, remarks — " they pro- 
fess that they know God ; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and 
disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate :"(e) and our Lord has spoken 
most clearly and solemnly concerning the fate of those who do such things. (/") 
They, on the contrary, who confess Christ as plainly to show that they firmly be- 
lieve in Ilim as their Saviour, their Mediator, and their Advocate, enjoy the benefit 
of that Intercession which He is declared to be eternally making for those who 
come unto God by Him.(^) He confesses them before the Father, — confesses that 
they belong to Him; and, (as He has Himself solemnly spoken,) — "■! pray for 
them."{}i) 

33 But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny 
before My Father which is in Heaven. 

To which words of our Saviour Christ, St. Paul clearly refers in his second 
Epistle to Timothy : " If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him ; if we deny Him, 
He also will deny us."(J) 

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on Earth: I came not 
to send peace, but a sword. 



1^! 



Rev. xsi. 8. (6) 2 Thess. i. 9. (c) Bp. Pearson. 

Romans x. 10. \e) Titus i. 16. (/) St. Matt. vii. 21 to 23. 

Ig) Hebrews vii. 25. (A) St. John xvii. 9. (i) 2 Tim. ii. 12. 



98 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CUAP. 

Our Lord spoaks not of //te jWt'/j//t//j with which He tame into the world; for, 
"on Eaitli Peace" was the song of the Anj^els on the Xi^ht of His Nativity: nay, 
the Apustlcs, (••shod with the iJi-cparatiuu of the (.iuj^jiel of Peace,") (A) were in- 
structed, as we have just seen, to enter every house of their sojourn with a message 
of Peace. But the sad result of Ciiuist's cominj; (uwinj; to the corruption of Man's 
fallen Nature,) was to be strife and division ; " a tword," as it is here declared. 

The cause of such enmity in households seems glanced at in what follows : 

35, 36 For I am come to set a man at variance against his Father, 
and the daughter against her Mother, and the Daughter-in-hiw against 
her Mother-in-hiw. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house- 
hold. 

Our Saviol'r here quotes from one of Ilis ancient prophets, — namely, Micah vii. 
G. One of tlie Fathers, remarking; on the circumstances, observes justl}', — "AVe 
should always take Tinto when a passage is cited out of the Old Testament ; wliethcr 
the sense only, or the very Avords are given." In this place, the exactness of the 
quotation is remarkable. 

37, 38 He that loveth Father or Mother more than Me is not wor- 
thy of Me : and he that loveth Son or Daughter more than Me is not 
worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after 
Me, is not worthy of Me. 

By such savings, uttered long before the time of His Passion, did our Saviour 
not obscurely intimate by what death He was Himself to die. The allusion is to 
the practice of compelling malefactors to bear the cross whereon they were destined 
to sufier. 

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life 
for My sake shall find it. 

A few words must here be supplied; and a clause in the latter part of the verse 
sufficiently indicates what they are. The blessed Speaker declares that the man 
who by denying his Master, and refusing to bear any part of His heavy burden, 
obtains the enjoyment of this present life, — will lose his inheritance in that which 
is to come: whereas he who, for Christ's sake, disregards this present life, shall 

win Life Eternal Almost the self-same sayings as are contained in the two 

last verses, will be found to recur further on, in chap. xvi. 24, 25. See also St. 
John xii. 25. 

Our Lord concludes with lofty promises, and words of glorious encouragement : 

40 He that receiveth you receiveth oNIc, and he that receiveth Me 
recciveth Him that sent Me. 

A marvellous saying, truly ! It is found repeated, with slight variations, and on 
no less than three distinct occasions Ijesides the jiresent : namely, in St. Mark ix. 
37; St. Luke x. IG ; and St. .John xiii. 20. — Surely the sayings of our LoRn which 
arc found to have been frecjucntly on His lips, (and there are many such,) deserve 
to be most attentively considered ! 

41 He that recciveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall re- 
ceive 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. 

" In the name of a prophet," and "of a righteous man," denotes the absence of 
any other motive or eonsidi.-ratioii, save that he /.v a prophet, (that is, a divinely 
commissioned teacher;) is a rigiitc<nis man. 

And his "reward," probably signifies a recompense not unlike that which the 

{*) Ephcs. vi. 15. 



X.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 99 

Preacher and the Saint -svill himself receive aji God's hand. For it had been an- 
ciently decreed in Israel, — "As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall 
his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike."(?) 

42 And -whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a 
Clip of cold ivaUr only in the name of a Disciple, verily I say unto you, 
he shall in no wise lose his reward. 

Our Saviour repeated this saying on a different occasion, — namely, in St. Mark 
is. 41 ; the entire context of Tvhich it will be found highly instructive to compare 
with the present place. He was then embracing " a little child" in His arms ; but 
He reserves the mention of "little ones" for the present occasion, — as if to remind 
us that the weak, and the guileless, and the simple, and the pure, and the young, 
are all as " Babes" (?w) in His sight. 

And oh, the marvel of the promise thus twice recorded ! "A cup of cold water," 
in Time, to find its reward — (" a sea of pleasure," as Bishop Andrewes speaks,) — 
throughout the ages of Eternity ! It may be, that our merciful Lord thus men- 
tioned the simplest offering of any, and one which is within the reach of the poor- 
est, in order to indicate that no one who desires to show his love towards Christ 
need suppose himself debarred of the means of doing so. 

(?) 1 Samuel xxx. 24. (m) See St. Matt. xi. 25. 



THE PRAYER. 

God, who hast prepared for them that love Thee such good things 
as pass man's understanding ; pour into our heai'ts such love toward 
Thee, that we, loving Thee above all things, may obtain Thy promises, 
which exceed all that we can desire ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



100 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 



CHAPTER XI 



2 Jolm semldh liis disciples io CnnisT. 7 Christ's testimony concerning John. 18 
The opinion of the people, both concerning John ««(7CnRi.ST. 20 Christ xiphraid- 
eth (he nntltankfnlness and itnrepentanceof Cliorazin, Bethaaida, and Capernaum. 
25 And praising Jli.s Father's Wisdom in revealing the Gospel to the simjAe, 28 
He calleth to Him all such as feel the burden of their sins. 

1 And it came to pass, -when Jesus had made an end of command- 
ing His Twelve Disciples, lie departed thence to teach and to preach 
in their cities. 

Tho former Chapter described the sending forth of the Twelve ; and contained 
the solemn char;^e Avliich their Lord and ours delivered to them on that occasion. 
AVe learu from the present verse that, after He had sent them forth, our Saviour 
took His third great ministerial Journey through Galilee, alone: and the Reader 
should take notice in how exceedingly slight a manner that mighty event is here 
recorded. 

He is further rcfiucsted to believe that the allusicjii in tlie ensuing verse is not to 
" the works" which were Avrought on the occasion of the Journey just noticed: but 
to the cure of the Centurion's Servant, and the raising of the'Widow's Son. A 
reference to St. Luke vii. 17, 18, is almost enougli to establish this foct. It may 
be also here suggested, that when our Lord, (in verse 5.) sav's, — " the Dead are 
raised up ;" it is to the miracle performed on the Widow of Na'in's Son that He is 
alluding. The messengers of Jolin iiad not seen this, indeed, but they received an 
account of the transaction from tliose who had been eye-witnesses of it ; and that 
is pcrliaps the reason Avhy <iur Lord (in ver. -1) liids tlie men Go and show John 
again those things whicii they "heard," as well as "saw." 

2, 3 Now when John had heard in tlie prison the works of Christ, 
he sent two of his Disciples and said unto Ilim, Art Thou He that 
should come, or do we look for another? 

St. John tlie Baptist was at this time imprisoned in the castle of Macluvrus, — a 
fortress belonging to Ilerod Antipae, but on the very confines of his dominions ; as 
will be found exjiiainod more at length in tlic notes ou St. Mark vi. 17 to 20. The 
rumor of certiiin of our Savioir's miracles, is found to have been conveyed to the 
Baptist's ears, by the Disciples of Jolin.(*() "Whereupon, he sends two of them to 
Christ, with tlie iinpiiry recorded in the text: — "Art Thou He that should come?" 
That is, "Art Tliou the CiiitisT ?"(/>) For, " He thai shmdd come," or "is to come," 
was one of the titles by wliicli Mfssiaii was designated in prophecy. Sec Tlabak- 
kuk ii. .'5, as it is quoted in Jlcbiews x. 157 : and consider Genesis xlix. !(•: Lxodus 
iv. 13: Isaiah xxxv. 4: Kzekiel xxi. 27 : Zeeh. ix. U: — in the Old Testament. St. 
Matthew iii. 11: xxi. 9: xxiii. 3'J. St. John iii. 11: v. 43: vi. 14, — in tlie New. 

But wiiat was the motive of tiie Baptist in making this inquiry? A\'as it in eon- 
pe(|ueii(e of any ;*rr.so/(«/ sense of doiilit y Had lie begun to waver in his belief? 
CerUiin it is, that he had been permitted to c.\erci.se his Ministry for the space of 

(a) St. Luke vii. 18. (i) Compare St. Luke iii. 15, 16. 



XI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 101 

only ca few months; and he seems to have been blessed with but slender intercourse 
with his Lord. May he then, — (as some have thought,) — have become perplexed 
and staggered, at the end of more than a year's imprisonment ? Or, are we, (with 
our Fathers in the Faith,) simply to behold in this transaction the expedient of 
the Baptist to convince his disciples that He to whom they ought to transfer their 
allegiance, had indeed appeared ? 

Either alternative is extremely improbable: and the first is even monstrous. 
That the disciples of John were incredulous with respect to our Lord's Sacred 
Office, cannot indeed well be doubted; but that their incredulity was shared by 
their Master, is an opinion which can scarcely be entertained by any one who con- 
siders such places as, — St. John i. 20 to 34 : iii. 27 to 30. On the other hand, that 
the Baptist also desired for himself the confirmation of Ms own Faith, — the com- 
fortable corroboration from the lips of Christ, of his own deep-rooted, and well- 
grounded convictions respecting Messiah, — seems an abundantly probable circum- 
stance. This view suits the context very well ; and rather derives support from 
the discourse which follows, — in verses 7, 8, &c. Indirectly, therefore, the Bap- 
tist may be regarded as an Ambassador in bonds ; effectually discharging the pur- 
pose of his mission, even in the dungeon of Machcsrus; for "the Word of God 
is not bound."(c) 

St. Luke relates that our Lord performed many miracles of healing in reply to 
the inquiry of John's disciples -.(t?) whereupon, — 

4, 5 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again 
those things which ye do hear and see : 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. 

As if our Lord had added, — and John will be abundantly satisfied ; John, whom 
ye are willing to believe, will be able easily to convince you, that Messiah must 
indeed be come at last : that these are the days of which it was foretold by Isaiah, — 
" Then the eyes of the Blind shall be opened, and the ears of the Deaf shall be un- 
stopped. Then shall the Lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the Dumb 
sing."(e) "For the Works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same 
works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me."(y) 

Yet more, — the Dead are now raised ; (for Goo's performance ever exceeds God's 
promise) : and, as a crowning act of Love, the Mysteries of the Gospel, — unlike 
the Wisdom which the Jewish Doctors impart to those alone who can afi'ord to pay 
largely for it, — are freely conveyed to the poorest sort of all : as was also specially 
foretold by Isaiah. ((/) — See more in the note on St. Luke vii. 22. 

Take notice how differently God deals with different applicants. The woman of 
Samaria asked no question, but was expressly informed by our Lord that He was 
the Messiah. (7i) Here, men come from far to make the inquiry ; and instead of 
ivords, they are presented with a sign. Turn to the note on St. Luke viii. 39 : also 
on St. Mark v. 19. Refer also to what was said on St. John i. 47. 

6 And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me, 

Here, then, is another " Beatitude."(0 The words, it has been thought, were 
aimed at, as well as addressed to, the two disciples of John, They mean, — Blessed 
is he whose Faith shall not fail Iwm ; who, (in the language of Scripture,) shall 
not stumble, at anything he beholds, or shall hereafter behold in Me : My lowly 
Birth and Condition, (at which our Lord's countrymen were " offended," — see St. 
Matthew xiii. 57 :) — My hard sayings, and lofty Teaching, (at which many of His 
Disciples were " offended," — see St. John vi. 60, 61, 60 :) My Cross and Passion, 
(at which the Twelve were "oQ"ended," — see St. MatthcAV xxvi. 31.) .... Con- 
sider by all means Isaiah viii. 14 : Romans ix. 33 : 1 Cor. i. 23 : 1 St. Peter ii. 
6 to 8. 



fc^ 2 Tim. ii. 9. {d) St. Luke vii. 21. 

(e) Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6. — Compare also Isaiah xxix. 18: xxxii. 3, 4: xlii. 7 : Ixi. 1. Also Ps. 
cslvi. 8. f/) St. John v. 36. 

(gr) Isaiah Ixi. 1, — as interpreted by St. Luke iv. 18. {h) St. John iv. 25, 26. 

i) See St. Matthew v. 3, <tc. and the note there. 






102 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

The prccciling inquiry seems to have been made, and an^wcreil, in the presence 
of a vast multitude of persons: and it would appear that the impression which it 
produced upon their minds was disparaging to tJie Baptist. Whence, it follows, — 

7 And as they dopartccl, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes 
concerning John, "What went ye out into the Wilderness to see ? A 
reed shaken ^ith the wind ? 

As if, (perhajts,) the Divine Speaker had said: — Ye are suspecting My Fore- 
runner ufa wavering Faiili ; but, by the evidence of your uwn actions, I will con- 
vict you of your unreasonableness. Ye went out in large nurabers(A) into tlie 
Wilderness, drawn by the fame of John's preaching, to behold the man of whom 
such wondrous things were related. Was it the character of one easily shaken 
from his steadfastness, — a nature tickle and unsteady as that of the reeds which 
grow in the Waste, — which drew you forth ? Or, did ye go to behold one who had 
Bet his face like a Hint to deliver his stern message ? and who stood up, stable as a 
rock, while he proclaimed God's Anger against a stubborn and a sinful generation? 

8 But what went ye out for to see ? A man clothed in soft raiment ? 
behold, they that wear soft clothing are in King's houses. 

The Divine Speaker continues to bear testimony, in turn, to him who had once 
borne such fearless testimony to Himself. lie is reminding the people of the days 
when they trooped forth in such crowds, to see and hear the Baptist. Certainly it 
was not a mere nothing, — a quivering reed, — which had ]irovokcd their curiosity: 
nor was it the report of one living luxuriously, which had drawn them forth. But 
it was the fame of a great Prophet, who professed to have been sent by the living 
God: and to be preparing Ilis way before Ilim. It may also be that, with our 
Lord's present auditory, the Baptist's protracted imprisonment constituted another 
ground of offence, and suspicion. " The hardships of a dungeon, (the multitude 
nia}' have thought,) have crushed his spirit, and occasioned this timid inquiry. 
And if Jo// ?t can speak thus, in whom may not doubts be excusable?" But our 
Lord reminds them what manner of man the Baptist had shown himself. AVas it 
a person of luxurious life whom they had gone out into the Wilderness to see? 
Or was it one of austere manners ? clad in a garment of skin ; who fed on insects, 
and on honey out of the stony rock ? whose dwelling was the Waste ; and who had 
been nursed in Solitude, — amid hardships, sufl'crings, and privations? 

Then, — as if to meet the suspicion that the Baptist may, after all, have borne a 
fallacious testimony concerning Christ, his Divine Apologist proceeds, — 

9 But what went ye out for to see ? A Prophet ? yea, I say unto 
you, and more than a Prophet. 

" .Von: than a Prophet ;" iirst, — because he was himself the subject of Prophecy : 
secondly, — because, whereas other Prophets had merely J'orctold the coming of 
Christ, St. John Ba])tist was Ilis actual jircciirsor : "the Prophet of the Iligli- 
cst," as it is said in St. Luke i. 70: going before Ilim, not only in thought, and in 
word; but in jierson, and in deed: pointing Him out, not only with Ilis lips, but 
even with hia linger. Consider St. Luke i. 70. As it follows, — 

10 For this is he, of whom it is written. Behold, I send My Messen- 
ger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 

Which words arc a quotation from Malachi ili. 1 : Init there, it is said, — " ^f^/ 
Messenger .... shall prepare th(> way l)efore JA-." Christ, by whose S|iirit all 
Prophecy was spoken, (/) taking liack these words of His latest Prophet into His 
lips, an<f uttering them afresh, is found here, and wherever else they recur,(jH) to 
deliver thi'iii otlwTwise: namely, thus, — " 3Av ^lessen ger . . before Thi/ Face, . . 
shall prepare Thy way before Thee." Such (quotations are nothing less than iiiicr- 

(k) St. Miitlliew iii. .1, 0: niul Ft. Liiko iii. 7. (/) 1 St. Peter i. 2. 

(;;i) Nuiuul^', iu ijt. Mark i. 2 ami St. Luko vii. 27. Cuinimre !?t. Luko i. 70. 



XL] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 103 



2)retafions of Scripture. The present one not only declares Christ to be God ; but 
reveals the Divine UniUj. 

" Having first delivered the Prophet's testimony in praise of John," (says an 
ancient Archbishop,) " He rested not there, but added His own decision respectin"* 
him :" setting him above all the Saints of the Old Testament, when He said, — 

11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women 
there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : 

On which, one of the Ancients remarks, — " I suppose that all the Saints, tried 
by the keenness of the Divine judgment, rank in a fixed order ; some lower, some 
before other. Whence we understand that he who hath none greater than himself, 
is greatest of all." Take notice that the " greatness" of John had been already 
the subject of Angelic comment; as St. Luke relates. (h) Our Lord, having thus 
brought His praise of the Baptist to a climax, proceeds to establish more clearly 
the Dignity of the Christian Dispensation : the surpassing Blessedness of that Gos- 
pel which He Himself came to deliver; and for Avhich, the preaching of John only 
prepared the way. 

notwithstanding, he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater 
than he. 

A marvellous saying truly, and one which may be easily misunderstood ; yet one 
which it is not difficult to understand aright. John was doubtless incomparably 
superior in holiness to any among ourselves, who are actual inheritors of that 
Kingdom of which Christ hei*e speaks. But what our Lord implies, is, that what- 
ever Holiness attached to His great Forerunner, as well as to the other Saints of 
the elder Covenant, was derived to them not from the Lav:, (under which they 
lived,) but from tTie Gospel, which as yet was not. For, " not having received the 
promises, but having [only] seen them afar off,"(o) their Blessedness arose out of 
their participation, by Faith, in that Kingdom concerning which our Lord de- 
clares such glorious things : and since it was the " the Kingdom of Heaven," dart- 
ing forward a ray of its own future glory, which made those elders supremely 
great, — it is manifest that every little one who, by Baptism into Christ's Death, is 
made a " member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of 
Heaven," — is in a true sense " greater than he" who, naturally an alien, becomes, 
only by special grace and favour, a partaker in the Blessedness to come. 

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom 
of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 

The Apostles were sent "rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel:"(|j) 
but it was the Publicans and Sinners(g) who profited by their preaching. The 
Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, when these last " pressed into it,"(?') is said to have 
" sutfered violence," and to have been " taken by force ;" for the birth-right and 
the blessing of Israel, forfeited by them, was snatched away and firmly held, by 
the Gentiles. This had been typically foreshown by Jacob when he supplanted 
Esau ;(.s') and indeed, throughout the Old Testament, the minds of faithful men had 
been prepared for such an issue, by the preference generally enjoyed by ihe younger 
son. See the third note on St. Luke xv. 32. 

This verse and the next will be found in quite a different connection in St. Luke's 
Gospel, — chap. xvi. 16. 

13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 

The Baptist was the connecting link between the Law and the Gospel ; as will 
be found explained in the note on St. Jolm i. 28. With liim, was " The hegiiining 
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," — as St. Mark declares ;(0 and St. Peter implies 
DO less, in the first chapter of the Acts, — ver. 22. See the note on St. Luke i. 22. 

(h) St. Luke i. 15 (o) Hebrews xi. 13. {p) St. Matthew x. 6. 

(q) See St. Luke vii. 39 (r) St. Luke xvi. 16. (s) Genesis xxvii. 36. 

(t) St. Mark i. 1. 



104 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

14 And if ye will receive it^ this is Elias, which was for to come. 

•• If ye tcill receive it:" — for God coiigtrains not the "NVill.C?/) but leaves men free 
to act as they choose ; John Baptist therefore was the " Elijah," promised l)y the 
prophet Malachi at the very end of the Canon of the Old Testament -.(x) and this 
our Lord repeated on another occasion, — viz. in St. Mattlio-\v xvii. lU to 13. Not 
Elijah himstlf, — which the carnal minded Jews supposed possible ; as appears from 
the inquiry recorded in St. John i. 21,(//) — where tee the note: but one who came 
'■ in the Spirit and I'ower of Elias." {ii) Hence, it follows, — 

15 lie that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

Concerninj^ which words, see the note on St. Mark iv. 9. The Reader should 
also here refer to the 2'Jth and 30th verses of 7th chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, — 
where the eflect which our Lord's words produced on llis auditory, is noticed. 

IG But whereunto shall I liken this generation ? 

"With such a phrase, the same Divine Speaker prefaced Ilis Parable of the Grain 
of Mustard Seed ;(/;) and of the Leaven. (c) lie proceeds to derive Ilis illustration 
from the sports of Children : hut ichat particular sport is not exactly known. An 
ancient Eastern Bishop relates that "a company of boys used to assemble in the 
market place ; and, mocking the sudden changes in the affairs of this life, some of 
them sang, — some mourned. But the mourners did not rejoice Avilli those that re- 
joiced ; nor did those who rejoiced attend to those who wept. They then rebuked 
each other, in turn, for their want of sympathy." Doubtless it must have been 
something of this kind which is here alluded to, by our Saviolu. 

17 It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto 
their fellows, and saying. We have piped unto you, and ye have not 
danced ; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 

"As concerning the flesh,"(fZ) our Saviour Christ, as well as the Baptist, were 
of the same stock as the rest of the Jewish nation. As with children, therefore, 
in the market place, complaining that their music had not made "their fellows" 
dance, neither had their lamentation made "their fellows" mourn; so had it ftxred, 
(says our Lord,) with Himself and His Forerunner. / have set before you the 
pattern of social virtue, — the graces of a most perfect Charity, — and ye have 
scorned My teaching: .John has practised a hard life, — has fasted and displayed 
the graces of the largest self-denial, — and yc have blasphemed against him. As it 
follows, — 

18, 19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 
He hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they 
say. Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans 
and sinners. But Wisdom is justified of Her Children. 

In these words, our Lord draws the picture of a perverse nation ; who, neither 
by austerities, nor )»y iii<lulgonce, were to be won over. Christ's Forerunner had 
pleaded with them in vain: Curist Himself had been equally unsucrcssful. 

But, take note, (fir it tiiruws light on a difficult passage,) that in St. Luke's Gos- 
pel it is here added,— "And all the people that heard Him, and the publicans Jus- 
tified GOD, being baotized with the Bajtfisni of John."(r) Accordingly it seems 
to lie implied, with reference to those more faithful mies, that iKitwitlistaiiding the 
perversity of the wicked, vet was thc^re a remnant left: and that, by her own true 
children, the ways of Wisdom were abundantly justified. The same Kighteousness 
was taught by John Baptist, and liy the Son nf Man, though it was to be attained 

(lA .«rr. th,. tliir.l note on St. Miitilicw iv. IS. (..) Miiliidii iv. 5, 6. 

(v) With wliich coinimrc St. Miittlicw xvi. 1-1, (")''^'- '-"lii' •• 17. 

(/;) St. Murk iv. •:.[)■ and St. Luke xiii. 18. (r) St. Luke .\iii. 20, 

((/) Uoiuiiiix ix. r.. (r) St. Luke vii. 29. 



XI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 105 

by different paths. The Disciples of either were therefore the children of One; 
and by those, His children, Christ would be abundantly justified in all His deal- 
ings with mankind : confessed to be a God of surpassing Goodness, of wondrous 
Patience, of most perfect Love. 

The awful censure, which has hitherto been general, now becomes particular. 
Our Lord specifies certain towns which were especially guilty: 

20, 21 Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His 
mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, 
Chorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! 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. 

Truly, a most striking statement, on two accounts. First, because it informs us 
that "most of His mighty works" were done in two cities, — one of which, (Chora- 
zin,) is nowhere else even named in the Gospels : while no single miracle is related 
as having been performed in either City.(/) And how does this suggest the im- 
mensity and the number of the operations of His hands, — concerning which St. 
John said that "if they should be vsritten every one," he supposed " that even the 
World itself could not contain the books that should be written !" {g) 

And next, — these words of our Lord are remarkable as revealing the extent of 
the Divine Omniscience. God knows not only what toill he; but (which seems 
stranger,) what ivould have been. If Tyre and Sidon had seen the miracles which 
the streets of Chorazin and Bethsaida had witnessed, the inhabitants of those two 

famous cities would have repented The same knowledge is declared in 1 

Samuel sxiii. 11 and 12; where God tells David that the men of Keilah will deliver 
him into the hand of Saul, if he remains within the city. And the like is obser- 
vable in other places. 

Lastly, be it observed that St. Peter, St. Andrew, and St. Philip, — were all of 
Bethsaida. There are great saints therefore in the very worst cities. Even filthy 
Sodom harbors "just Lot." 

22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Si- 
don at the Day of Judgment, than for you. 

Such words remind us that sinners are but reserved for punishment : that al- 
though, to us, Tyre and Sidon seem gone by, and the Old World has become but a 
History, — to the Almighty, it is all far otherwise. With Him, Tyre and Sidon 
are a living reality, — a breathing multitude; which simply icaiYs for the Day of 
Judgment to receive its final doom ! 



"o"- 



23, 24 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto Heaven, shalt 
be brought down to Hell : for if the mighty works, which have been 
done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until 
this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the 
land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee. 

Some of the remarks already offered on verses 21 and 22, here suggest them- 
selves afresh. 

Capernaum, — " exalted unto Heaven," (that is, raised to the very highest pitch 
of greatness,) {Ji) by the habitual presence, by the frequent discourses, and by the 
mighty miracles of the Lord of Heaven and Earth, — was to experience a tremen- 
dous fall : and the denunciation has taken strict effect ; since the name of the City 
has long since perished, and its very site is only conjecturally known. Travellers 
describe the spot on which Capernaum must have stood, as a tract of marshy 
ground close to the Lake ; overgrown with shrubs, and overspread with masses of 

(/) This Bethsaida is to be distinguished from that other Bethsaida, East of the Lake, near 
which the five thousand were fed, — St. Luke ix. 10 ; and where the blind man was restored to 
sight, — St. Mark viii. 22. 

((/) St. John xxi. 25. (A) Compare the expression with St. Luke x. 18. 



lOG A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

stone and marble, — the foundations and Pub-structures of the ancient edifices. 
"The utter desolation of the place," (Avrites a friend, already quoted,) (i") "is most 
striking. Plants of a wild tliurny nature, mingled -with oleander, and uther kinds, 
form a covering to the shore, quite down to the water's edge ; so thick and tangled 
that it is with great difficulty you can make your way through it. Almost liiddeu 
by this rank vegetation, lie broken columns, large hewn stones of costly workman- 
ship, beautiful capitals, »S:c. in the greatest confusion, and in almost incredible 
numbers. Large snakes and venomous reptiles abound among the brush-wood; 
and add not a little to the desolate and ruined character of the ])lace." 

C'horazin, Bctlisuida and Capernaum have all three entirely disappeared. There 
can be no doubt, however, that they stood about two miles distant one from the 
other, on the Western side of the Lake, towards its Northern extremity. The terms 
in which their future destiny is mentioned clearly prove that there are diiferent 
degrees of misery in IIcll. 

In connection with the last note, above, on verse 21, the reader is requested to 
refer to some remarks which are strictly applicable to the present place, in the con- 
cluding note on St. Matthew viii. 10. — lie will also discover from St. Luke's Gos- 
pel, — X. 12 to 15, — that our Blessed Lord delivered almost the self-same words as 
those contained in the last five verses, (verses 20 to 24.) on quite a distinct occasion. 

25 At tlmt time Jesus answered and said, I thank Thee, Father, 
Lord of Heaven and Eartli, because Thou hast hid these things from 
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto Babes. 

Our Loud says not, — "And hast revealed them unto f lie fool isJi;" but, "Unto 
Babes:" which must evidently mean, — the humble and meek; ]iersons of childlike 
dispositions. And this proves tliat by "wise and prudent," lie only means men 
"wise ui their oica conceits," — as St. Paul expresses it: (A) condemns — not, "Wisdom 
and Understanding, but — Pride. "Woe unto them," (says the prophet Isaiah,) 
"who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own si</ht.'\l) 

Our Lord here "thanks" the Father, — that is, "praises," and "adores" Ilim ; 
"gives llim glory," — not for having hid the saving Doctrines of the Gospel from 
''the wise .... the Scril)e .... the Disputer of this World ;'.'(/«) but for hav- 
ing revealed those blessed Truths to the lowly and meek ; Ilis " little ones," as lie 
elsewhere calls them. Compare the form of exjircssion of Komans vi. 17. 

Our Blessed Lord's sayings in the present and next two verses, will be found to 
recur in quite a different conucction in St. Luke's Gospel, — x. 21, 22. 

26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight. 

Whereby we learn that it is in conformity with God's Eternal decree, that the 
meek are exalted ; and tiie proud in the imaginations of their hearts, scattered: 
"the hungry" "filled with good things ;"(«) and "the rich" "sent empty away." 
And Holy Scripture is full of this, from one end to the other. "Surely, lie scorn- 
cth the scorners ; but He givcth grace unto the lowly,"(o) — says the wise King: 
and his words are repeated both l)y St. James, (/>) and by St. rctcr.((/) This doc- 
trine is the very key-note of the Mu/jnijiral, or Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
" For .Judgment I am come into tliis World," said our Blessed Lord; "tliat they 
which see not might see ; and that thev which see might be made blind." Con- 
sider Romans i. 21, 22. 1 Cor. i. 18 to*31. 

27 All things are delivered unto Me of My Father : 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. 

By the mutual knowledge, proclaiming that the Fatmek and the Son are of ono 
substance. 

fi) Sec tho notes on St. Luke vii. 11, ami St. John ii. 1. 

H\ Romun.s xi. 2.5: xii. Ifi. (/) Ihiiinli v. 21. (i/i) 1 Cor. i. 20. 

In) Coiii|mrc! .<t. Miitth. vii. 11, with St. Luki- xi. 1.'!. 

(o) Proverbs iii. .'{J. { p) St. Juuie» iv. C. (7) 1 St. Peter v. 5. 



XL] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 107 



It is the Divine office of the Son to reveal the Father. Tlie Father declares 
Himself by Ilis Word. See the notes on St. John i. 1. — And not only " no man" 
knowoth the Father ; but no being whatever. The only access to the Father is 
through the Son. 

" To vrhomsoever the Son will reveal Him," — should rather bo, — "iMay determine 
to reveal Him: for express mention is made of the counsel of His Will.()-) 

Hear, next, what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly 
turn to Him. 

28 Come unto Me, all 9/e that labour and are heavy laden, and I 
"will give you rest. 

Compare, by all means, the similar Invitation in St. John vii. 37: " If any man 
thirst, let him cotne unto Me, and drink." " He that cometh to Me, shall never hun- 
ger ; and he that believeth in Me shall never thirst."(s) To "come" to Christ, is 
to believe in Him : to " draw near with Faith." And the present invitation is uni- 
versal ; for the Flesh itself is a burden, — as the Church admits in her Burial ser- 
vice ; and as many of us as "are in this Tabernacle do groan, — being burdened." (f) 
Consider, further, whether those "heavy burdens and grievous to be borne,"(ii) which 
the Scribes and Pharisees bound, and laid on the shoulders of our Saviour's audi- 
tory, may not have been also alluded to. For take notice that in ver. 30 the Bles- 
sed Speaker Himself proposes a " burden ;" with the gracious intimation, however, 
that it shall be "light." 

And yet the persons chiefly addressed, — those who " labour" most, and are most 
" heavy laden," — are doubtless such as have been in bondage to the Devil, and are 
servants of Sin: such as are "grieved and wearied with the burden of their 
sins:(x) such as feel them to be a burden, — as it is said in the heading of the pre- 
sent Chapter. In support of which view, see the concluding note. 

29 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. 

In which words we have an allusion to Zechariah ix. 9, and a quotation from 
Jeremiah vi. 16. Would it not seem as if our Lord loved to re-syllable the words 
of His ancient Prophets ? 

Learn of Me, — " not, to create a World, or to do Miracles in that World: but, — 
Learn meekness and holiness of heart." So writes a famous Bishop of the West: 
and he proceeds, — " Wouldest thou build up a mighty fabric of greatness? Lay 
first the foundation of Humility: for the loftier the structure any one seeks to 
raise, the deeper must he dig for his foundation." 

" Take IMy yoke upon you :" that is, Believe My Doctrine, Submit to My Disci- 
pline. " This yoke is twofold, — a yoke of Instruction, and a yoke of Affliction. 
And Christ calls it His yoke; because He, as a Lord, lays it upon our necks; and, 
as a Servant, bore it upon His own neck first, before He laid it upon ours. Ob- 
serve, further, that the way and manner how to bear Christ's yoke must be learned 
of Christ Himself." Take notice how persuasively He recommends it: — 

30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 

The word here translated " easy," rather signifies " sweet,"—" pleasant," — 
" gracious," — " profitable," or the like : and the meaning of the Blessed Speaker 
seems to be that He invites men to no morose or melancholy course : but that His 
statutes will be found to be " sweeter than honey, and the honey-comb ;(^) His 
testimonies, the very "rejoicing of the heart :"(2) that in His presence is "full- 
ness of joy ; at His right hand, pleasures for evermore."(;a) For " His command- 
ments are not grievous," as St. John declares. (Z^) This announcement therefore 
agrees with that which is found in another j^lace: namely, that Wisdom's " ways" 
(that is, Christ's ways,) " are ways of Pleasatitness, and all her paths are 



(r) Ephes. i. 11. (s) St. John vi. 35. (<) 2 Cor. v. 4. 

(u) St. Matthew xxiii. 4. Compare Acts xv. 28. 

Communion Service. Compare Ps. xxxviii. 4. 

Psalm xix. 10. {z) Ps. cxix. 111. (a) Ps. xvi. 11. ' (I) 1 St. John v. 3. 



Si 



108 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Peace."(0 • • • • Not every one, it may be thought, is aware of the extent to 
which Jul/, as (nio tpf the graces of the Cliristian Life, is recommended in Scrij>- 
ture.('^ And can there bo any doubt that ample provision has been made fur it, 
likewise? 

AVhat effect then did this gracious invitation produce upon those who heard? From 
the course of the narrative in tlie present (lospel, jou cannot tell; but by a refer- 
ence to St. Luke's account — (vii. :24 to 35,) — of the preceding discourse, it will be 
discovered that, at the end of it, a "Woman of the City, which was a sinner, — one, 
therefore, who " laljoured and was heavy laden," — moved by the loving promise of 
a sweet yoke, and a light burden, and withal rest unto her soul, — followed our 
Lord into the House of the I'luuisce where lie went to eat bread; there washed 
His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. "Wherefore 
her sins, Avhich were many, were iorgiven ! 

!p) Prov. iii. 17. Compare Wisdom viii. 1. 
(/) Sfc the folldwinj; i.liicos:— St. Matth. xiii. 20, 44. vSt. John xv. 11 : xvi. 20. 22, 24. 
Romans v. 2: xii. 12: xiv. 17: xv. 13. 2 Cor. vi. 10. Galat. v. 22. Philipp. i. 25: iii. 1: 
iv. 4. 1 Thess. i. 6 : v. 16. 1 St. Potor i. C, 8. 



THE PRAYER. 

Grant, wc beseech Thee, merciful Lord, to Thy faitliful people par- 
don and peace ; that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and 
serve Thee with a quiet mind: through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



XII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 109 



CHAPTER XII. 



1 Christ reproveiJi the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the breach of tJie Sab- 
bath, 3 by Scriptures, 9 by Reason, 13 and by a Miracle. 22 He healeth the man 
possessed, that teas blind and dumb, 31 Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost 
shall never be forgiven. 36 Account shall be made of idle loords. 38 He rebuketh 
the unfaithful, who seek after a sign. 49 And showeth ivho is His brother, sister, 
and mother. 

1, 2, 3, 4 At 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. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto 
Him, Behold, Thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the 
Sabbath day. But He said unto them, Have ye not read what David 
did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him ; how he 
entered into the House of God, and did eat the show-bread, which was 
not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but 
only for the Priests? 

It is admirably said in the heading of the present Chapter, — " Christ reproveth 
the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the breach of the Sabbath, by Scrip- 
tures, — by Reason, — and by a ^Miracle." One of the Scriptures cited by Him, — 
(1 Samuel xxi. 1 to 6,) — has been already sufficiently commented on, in the notes 
to St. Mark ii. 23 to 26, — which see. The Blessed Speaker is found to have added 
a further reference to Scripture on this occasion. 

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 ? 

That is, — Break the letter of the Commandment which declares that no manner 
of work shall be done on the Sabbath : for the Law required, " on the Sabbath day, 
two lambs" for a burnt-offering ; " beside the continual burnt-offering, and his 
drink-offering."(a) 

The Pharisees may have been disposed to reply that the Temple sanctified that 
labour, but that here there was no Temple : wherefore our Lord proceeds, 

6 But I say unto you, that in this place is One greater than the 
Temple. 

" Greater," — inasmuch as it was " His Temple ;"(6) a House made glorious, yea, 
and made holy too, by His presence, — who was the true Shekinah, (or Glory,) 
foretold by the Prophet Haggai.(c) The reader is referred to the notes on the 
words " dwelt among us," in St. John i. 14. 

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have Mercy, and 
not Sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 

(a) Numbers xxviii. 9, 10. (6) See Malachi iii. 1. (c) See Haggai ii. 7 and 9, 



110 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Thus, for the second time, our Savkur quotes ITosca vi. C. Sec St. Matthew ix. 
13, and the note there. The Header will perceive, from the allusion totJie " Priests 
in the Temple," in ver. 5, tha'w our LouD'sarf^ument is, — If then ihose My Servants, 
â– who servo My Tenijih' only, po unhlamed, although their acts are of a purely cere- 
monial kind, — shall hlame attach to //une My Servants who wait on Mc, fur the per- 
furmance of an act of Mercy, — involving the very support of human life? My 
Disciples are "guiltless," that is, "free from blame," (says our Lord). — 

8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. 

It was He who had originally " blessed the Seventh Day, and hallowed it," and 
commandetl men to observe it. He therefore had jiower, and lie o)tIi/, to dispense 
with its t)})servaiice. See the note on St. Mark ii. 8. 

The incident which follows, happened on "another Sabbath," — St. Luke vi. G. 

0, 10 And when He was departed thence, lie went into their syna- 
gogue: and, behold, there was a man which had Jtis hand withered. 
And they asked Ilim, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days ? 
that they might accuse Ilim. 

The Reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark iii. 1 and 2. 

11 And lie 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 ? 

The self-same striking reasoning is found to recur in St. Luke, xiv. 5, — when our 
Blessed Lord was about to heal "a certain man which had the dropsy." Close 
akin to it, is what we meet with in St. Luke xiii. 15. Consider also the reasoning 
in St. John vii. 22, 23, — which is quite similar. 

12 IIow much then is a man better than a sheep ! 

He does not allude, as He might have done, to their real motive. He knew that 
it was not from humanity to the sheep, but from rcgtird to their own interests, that 
they performed the act described in verse 11. But, as the Author of Creation, He 
sets the value of one of Ilis creatures against the other ; and the argument is com- 
plete. He contrasts a sheep with a man: and leaves f/win to contrast the work of 
Covetousuess with the work of Love. Compare St. Matthew vi. 26. 

Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. 

Our Lord Himself answers the question He had Himself already asked : see St. 
Mark iii. 4. 

" Thus, in the everlasting rest," says an ancient, beautifully, — " we shall rest 
only from evil, and not from good." 

13 Then saith He to the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he 
stretched if forth ; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 

14, 15, IG Then the Pharisees went out, and held a counsel against 
Ilim, how they might destroy Ilim. But when Jesus knew it, lie 
withdrew Himself from thence : 

The Reader is referred to St. Mark iii. 3, 4, 5, G, and 7 ; and to the notes which 
he will liiid upon these words in that place. 

and great multitudes followed Ilim, and lie healed them all ; 

" Him whom the I'harisccs with one consent plotted against to destroy, the un- 
taught multitude with one consent lo\o and follow. "Whence they received the 
fultillmcnt of their desires." 



XII.] ox ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. Ill 

and charged tliem that they should not make Ilim known. 

See the first note on St. Matthew viii. 4, and the notes on St. Mark i. 44, 45. 
The Evangelist proceeds to quote from Isaiah xlii. 1 to 4. 

17. 18 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the 
Propiict, saying, Behold My servant, whom I have chosen ; 

For Christ "took upon Ilim the form of a Servant "{d) — seeing that lie, being 
God, assumed our Human Nature. Among His Disciples, moreover, He was " as 
he that servctli ." (e) It is only in respect of His Incarnation, that our Lord Jesus 
Christ is called the Servant of Almighty God. 

My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased : 

The very words of St. Matthew iii. 17, and xvii. 5. 

I will put My Spirit upon Him ; 

Consider St. Luke i. 35 : iii. 22 : iv. 18, — quoting Isaiah Ixi. 1. 

and He shall show judgment to the Gentiles. 

That is, — He shall out of the Law bring forth, and display before all nations, 
the pure Doctrines of the Gospel. 

19 He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man hear His 
voice in the streets. 

" For such was the carefulness of the Prophets," says one of the ancients, "that 
they had not omitted even this ; but had noted all His ways and movements." 
Consider the instances of this which our Lord has just given, verses 14 to 16 : and 
which seems to have suggested the quotation from Isaiah. See the note on St. 
Mark iii. 7. Consider also such places as the following : St. John i. 39 : ii. 9 : iii. 
2, &c. : iv. 6, 7, &c.: v. 6 to 8, 12, 13, 14, &c.: vi. 15 : vii, 10, 11 : viii. 2 and 59: 
ix. 6, 7, 12 : s. 23, 24, 39, &c., &c. 

20 A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He 
not quench. 

In the words of an excellent living writer, this may mean, — " He shall move so 
gently, that His tread shall not break a bruised reed ; nor extinguish the glimmer- 
ino- spark in the smoking flax." — " He that holds not out his hand to a sinner, nor 
bears his brother's burthen," remarks an ancient, " breaks a bruised reed ; and he 
who despises a weak spark of Faith in a little one, quenches smoking flax." — 
Consider the following places, — St. Mark xvi. 7 and 9. St. Luke vii. 48. St. 
John iv. 26 : viii. 11. 

It is implied hereby, that He who is "Mighty to save"(/) could have broken 
the Jewish nation, as a man breaks " a bruised reed ;" could have quenched the 
spark of Faith, had He willed it: but He spared the smoking flax, in His Love and 
Mercy. 

till He send forth judgment unto victory. 

21 And in His Name shall the Gentiles trust. 

" Till," (in the words of the writer last quoted,) "by this mild and quiet course, 
He makes the just and holy cause of the Gospel to triumph in the World." Con- 
sider Isaiah ii. 10. St. Matthew xxviii. 19. St. Luke xxiv. 47. The Evangelist 

d ) Phil. ii. 7. 

e) St. Luke xxii. 27 : with which compare St. Matthew xx. 28, and St. John xiii. 14. 
/) Isaiah Ixiii. 1. 



112 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

has been quoting; from Isaiali xlii. 1 to 4. The Hebrew of this last verse reads, 
"And the isles shall wait for His Law." 

22 Then was brought unto Ilim one possessed with a devil, Mind, 
and dumb : and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb 
both spake and saw, 

" <S/>rtAe and saw:" not " saw and spake." Tliat is, ])ccausc the thinj; which 
made tlie people wonder most was, that " when the devil was gone out, the dumb 
spake:" as it is said in St. Luke xi. 14. 

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son 
of David ? 

Tliat is, — tlio promised ^Iessiah ; of whom it liad been specially foretold by the 
Prophet, tliat Ho should restore sight to the blind, and speech to the duml). In 
His days, said Isaiah, "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the tongue of 
the dumlj shall sing."(^) See the note on St. Matthew ix. 27. 

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not 
cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the Prince of the devils. 

Concerning "Beelzebub," see the note on St. Matthew x. 25. These men mean, 
— "His power over the demons is obtained by a compact with the Prince of Dark- 
ness." Already have we hoard this blasphemous charge brought against Him:(7/) 
by Avhich His enemies admitted i/ic rcalilji of what tliey saw. More will be found 
on this subject in the notes on St. Mark iii. 22, — to which the Reader is referred. 

The words in the text must have been now said privately however, or it was only 
the secret thought of their heart ; for the Evangelist proceeds: 

25, 26 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 : and if Satan cast out 
Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his Kingdom 
stand ? 

It will be perceived that our Lord meets the blaspliemy of His enemies by two 
arguments. One precedes, and is the plain statement of a most important prin- 
ciple: which convicted tliom of having advanced an unrcasonalile ac<'usati(in. See 
the note on St. Mark iii. 2G. Then follows another argument, which is of a per- 
sonal kind, — verses 27 and 28, In the last place, — verse 29, — our LoRoestablislies 
the very contrary of what His enemies had advanced; for whereas they said that 
He must 1)(! in league with Satan, our Savioik proves that He must needs, on the 
contrary, liave vanquished him, before He could perform these miracles. 

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children 
cast them out ? therefore they shall be your judges. 



from 
the 
exe 
b 



To (juotc the words of a great living writer, — " He appeals also to those sprung 
jm themselves, who, by the use of well-known forms oi exorcism, in tlie name of 
[le Goii of Abraham, and Isaac, and .Jacob, succeeded, (through the power of Ciod 
xerted for His ancient servant's sake.) in the expulsion of evil sjurits from the 
uodies of men : and He declares that tiiese should Ite witnesses against them in 
the Judgment, if they dared imjiiously to ascribe to the Prince of I'arkness won- 
ders elicited with more signal success bv tlic immediate connnand of Christ." 
Compare St. Matt. vii. 22. St. Luke ix. I'.l, and Acts xix. l.'^, 14. 

Having silenced the Pharisees, liy this jjcrsonal argument, our Saviour presents 
them with the solemn alternative. 

{<j) Isaiah xxxv. 5, 6. {h) Sco chnp. i.x. 34, 



XII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 113 

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom 
of God is come unto you. 

"The fact of demons being thus expelled, was a sufficient proof that the promised 
Messiah was come: the Kingdom of Ilim whom the Spirit of God was to anoint 
for these precise works of healing deliverance, and for proclaiming the acceptable 
year of the Lord to Israel."(t) 

The argument therefore takes the form of a dileimna. " If I, in order to cast 
out Satan, am in league with Satan, — then must you allow that your children are 
so likewise; but if I by the Spirit of God work these wonders, — then you must 
admit that the Kingdom of Heaven has overtaken you," — "come before you were 
aware." 

Compare the last words of verse 28, with St. Luke xi. 20, — and see the note there. 

29 Or else, 

This word only calls attention, gives earnestness, to a question that is asked. It 
recurs in chap. vii. 9: xx. 15; and may be Englished, — "Pray," — "Come," — or 
" Consider." 

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. 

The Strong Man has indeed been bound by One stronger than he ; that is, his 
power to harm our race has been broken. " Yet ought we not therefore to be care- 
less," said an ancient; "for here, the Conqueror Himself pronounces him to be 
strong.''' 

The Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark iii. 27, and all the references there. 

30 He that is not with Me is^against Me; and He that gathereth 
not with Me scattereth abroad. 

The connection of this verse with what precedes, requires supplying ; but it is 
always a perilous matter to supply what lie who "spake as never man spake," has 
left unrecorded. It is humbly suggested however, that it is as if our Lord had 
said: — I have shown you that because I am, (as my actions prove,) against Satan, 
I cannot be connected ivith him : he also, because He is not with Me, is against Me. 
So likewise are all who partake his spirit. Whosoever is not with Me is against 
Me : nay, to My spiritual harvest, if any one contributes not his labour, he doth 
but scatter to the winds. Whosoever expects to reap a harvest of divine benefit, 
otherwise than through faith in Me, will find his hopes and his labour vain. It is 
only by acting "with Me," that any amount of victory against the strong man I 
speak of, has ever been obtained, or can hereafter be hoped for. 

Our Saviour proceeds to remark on the guilt which may be incurred by such a 
charge as His enemies had just now brought against Himself. The mention of 
"the Spirit" (in verse 31) sems to have reference to what was said in verse 28. 

31, 32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy 
shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the HOL Y 
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 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 forgiven him, neither 
in this world, neither in the world to come. 

It is not of course meant that the Son is less than the Holt Ghost. (God for- 
bid!) But as "made flesh,"— as the Son of Man,— as one of us, He might be 
rejected; and yet the sin incurred might be not unpardonable. 

(i) Isaiah Ixi. 1, 2, quoted in St. Luke iv. 18. 

8 



114 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

The very solemn statement which follows, and is twice repeated, was not written 
that weak believers should perplex and torture themselves with it; neither is 
it one wliich otvj may presume to overlook. If Impenitence persevered in to the 
end is common, then "nuiy it l)e feared that the sin a;^ainst the Holy GnosT is not 
unconnnon either. Thc'lloador is referred to the notes on St. Mark iii. 28, 20, and 
30, — where a few remarks will he found on this mysterious subject. 

33 Either make the tree good, and liis fruit good ; or else make the 
tree corrupt, uiul his fruit corrupt: for the tree is kuoAvu by hin fruit. 

It is often difficult to trace the exact connection of one verse with another ; 
because a iar^o portion of our Loud's Discourse is often omitted. Compare for in- 
stance St. Luke xi. 23 and 24, with St. ^latthow xii. 3(1, 43, — where observe, seven 
verses are suj)plied by one Evangelist which are omitted by the other. 

Our Saviol'k is thou<;ht here to refer to what went before, lie perhaps bids His 
enemies either admit that He is God, since they see that Ilis acts are so good and 
gracious: — or else, if they will call Iliia Bcelzeliul), lot them declare His actions 
to be devilish likewise; for the tree is known by his fruit: — "Goo cannot do evil 
works, nor the Devil good works." 

But from what follows (in verses 34, 35,) — and from a comparison of such places 
as St. ]\I;itlhew vii. IG to l!S, and St. Luke vi. 43 to 45, — it seems rather to be a 
warning, similar to that of the Prophet, — "0 Jerusalem, wash (ki/ie heart from 
wickedness . . . IIuw long shall Thy vain tliouglits lodge within thee ?"(A) "The 
man nmst be changed first, that his works may be changed : for if he remains in 
that wherein he is evil, he cannot have good Avorks. If he remains in that wherein 
he is good, he cannot have evil works." Tiie liuman heart (mentioned in verse 35) 
seems to be the " tree " here spoken of; and the " fruit " is the fndt of the Up.s.(J) 
Consider St. James iii. 10, 11, 12 ; and observe that the toiu/ue is clearly referred 
to above, by the language of verse 32 ; and below, in verses 34, 3G, 37. 

When, from the individual Ijcaring of these words, Ave proceed to inquire into 
their national application, Ave are reminded of the many places of the Old and Ncav 
Testament Avhere the Jewish nation, or r,*ither the Jewish Church, is spoken of 
under the figure of a Tree: as in Ps. Ixxx. 8, etc. (Avith Avhich compare St. John xv. 
1 to 8.) Isaiah v. 1 to 7. St. 3Iatthow xxi. 33, 34. St. Mark xi. 12 to 14. St. 
Luke xiii. to 9. Especially are Ave reminded of St. Luke iii. 7, 8; a place Avhich 
the Header Avill probably think conclusive as to the meaning of the present passage. 

34 generation of vipers, 

"Offspring of vipers," — as St. John Baptist had also styled them, see St. Luke 
iii. 7 ; and the first note on the latter half of St. Luke iii. 8. The best commentary 
on this appellatiim is contained in St. IMatthcAV xxiii.; Avhere, in verses 30, 31, 32, 
our Louo reminds them of the actions of their Fathers: couples the children Avith 
the Parents; and ends Avith the most Avithering rebuke, in vcr. 33. 

Take notice tliat it Avas their favourite ])oast of being Abrahain's seed,(»() Avhich 
gives sucli amazing point to these denunciations of our Lord and of His Fore- 
runner. («) 01)serve also that it is thereliy imjdiod tliat they Avere of "their Father, 
the Devil," — " that Old ^erpeuty^o) Koad, liy all means, fc>t. John viii. from verso 
33 to verso 44. 

35 how can ye, ])eing evil, speak good things? fa* out of the 
abundance of the lieart the moutli speaketli. 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. 

This recurs in St. Luke vi. 45, whcro see the note. 

(i) .Icrcniiiili iv. 1 1. (/) llcb. xiii. 1.5. (m) PI. Miitt. iii. 9. 8t. John viii. 33, .'59. 

fnj Pt. Miitthcw iii. 7: xxiii. 33. ft. Liiko iii. 7. 

\it) Rev. xii. 9: xx. 2: iu connection with >vhith, consider St. Murk xvi. IS, and St. Luke 
X. 19. 



XII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 115 

36, 37 But I say unto you that every idle -word that men shall 
speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For 
by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be 
condemned. 

A most solemn warning, truly. We are reminded of the prominent place given 
to the sins of that "little member," (the tongue), in St. James' Epistle. "If any 
man oifend not i)i ivord,'^ he says, "the same is a perfect man !"(/>) Consider St. 
James i. 26: iii. 2 to 12: also Psalm xxxiv. 12, 13, (quoted in 1 St. Peter iii. 10): 
xvii. 3: xsxix. 1: cxli. 3, &c. The most thoughtful and profound of English 
Bishops made hi?, first sei-mon — "On the Government of the Tongue."" 

The argument in the former verse is, — Not only for the "evil things" vrhich they 
utter, (that is, their blasphemous words,) shall men hereafter be called to judgment; 
but even of their inconsiderate and unreal words, shall they have to give account. 
"Idle," (literally "object-less," "useless,") seems to mean something more than 
"unprofitable," and less than "mischievous." 

38 Then certain of the Scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 
Master, we would see a sign from Thee. 

What they asked for, was, "a sign from Heaven." See St. Luke xi. 16, and the 
note there. Such signs Moses, (g) Joshua,(/-) Samuel, (.s) and Elijah,(0 had shown. 
The same request is made by the same persons in St. Matthew xvi. 1, and obtains 
the same reply, — in verse 4. Compare St. John ii. 18 : (where see the note) : and 
vi. 30. Consider also, 1 Cor. i. 22. 

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 : 

He calls them "adulterous," because God had styled Himself the Husband of the 
Jewish Church,(ii) had wedded that nation to Himself ;(x) and yet they had turned 
away from Him, and gone after other gods(,y) .... Now, he who loves most, is 
most jealous ; hence, such language as is held in Zechariah i. 14: viii. 2, &c. 

40 for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly: 

Take notice that it is our LORD who tells us that it was "a tohale" which swal- 
lowed His Prophet, (A whale : the only creature besides Man, whose creation is 
specially recorded!)(s) In the History itself, we read only of "a great fis]i.'\a) 

SO shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart 
of the earth. 

Thus our Saviour gave them a marvellous sign ; not " in the height above," but 
"in the depth ;"(&) declaring the Prophet Jonah, "in the heart of the seas,"(c) to 
have exhibited a type of His own descent into the Grave; and of His Resurrection: 
for as Jonah "was restored alive unto the dry land again, so should the Messiah, 
after three days, be taken out of the jaws of Death, and restored unto the land of 
the living." Our Lord proceeds, — 

41, 42 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this genera- 
tion, and shall condemn it : because they repented at the preaching of 
Jonas: and behold, a Greater than Jonas is here. The Queen of the 



p) St. James iii. 2. [q) Exodus xvi. 4, 15, referred to in St. John vi. 30 to 32. 

(•) Joshua X. 12, 13. (s) 1 Samuel xii. 16 to 18. («) 2 Kings i. 10 to 12. 

u\ Isaiah liv. 5. Jeremiah xxxi. 32. 
X) Jeremiah iii. 14. Compare 2 Cor. xi. 2. Ephes. v. 23, &e. Rev. xix. 7: xxi. 2. 

Jeremiah iii. 2, 8, 9. Ezekiel xxiii. 11, &c. (2) See Genesis i. 21. 

Jonah i. 17. (6) Isaiah vii. 11. (c) see the margin of Jonah ii. 3. 



a 



116 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

South shall rise up in Judgment ^Yith this generation, and shall con- 
demn 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. 

The men of sinful and idolatrous Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of 
Jun:ih;(t/) and the (i>uecn of Slieba, who oamc from far, althouf^h a heathen, to 
hear the wisdom of Solomon, (<) — wore the models of the converted and penitent 
Gentile world. But behold, One greater than either Jonah or the Queen of the 
Situth was here; and yet, lie won no credit at the hands of the very nation whom 
lie came to save. In the day of Judpnent, Nineveh and Saba would therefore 
prove the condemnation <»f tlie Jewish people. And what must be feared for that 
nation when tlieir only Saviouk had been finally renounced? He proceeds Him- 
self to describe the fate which awaited tliem : delivering on this occasion one of 
the most extraordinary of all His recorded sayings. 

43 When the unclean Spirit is gone out of a man, 

Take notice that this is said of "a man" At the end of verse 45, the warning 
is applied to the Jewish Nation: "Even so shall it be o/w unto this wicked genera- 
tion." It may be, that, whatever is true of communities, applies, in a manner, to 
individuals also. Mercifully, however, did the Divine Speaker so frame Ilis Dis- 
cour.se, that the warning which he was about to deliver to the Jewish People, sliould 
first take an altogether prirate and personal form. Every baptized Christian, 
therefore, finds here a picture of his danger. 

And the first thing to be noticed is, that a real cxjmlsion of the evil Spirit is here 
spoken of. He is " gone out," because he is " cast out."( /") The Grace of Baptism 
also is real. There has been "a Death unto Sin, and a new Birth," — (that is, lie- 
generation,) — " unto Righteousness." Henceforth, our prayer is that tlie baptized 
person may " continue CnRisx's," and " lead the rest of his life according to this 
beginning." 

Observe that when God " did safely lead the children of Israel through the Red 
Sea, figuring thereby His Hohj Bap(isms,"(jj) — it is expresslj' related that "Israel 
saw the Egyptians," their enemies, "dead upon the sea .sltore." [li) 

But our attention is invited to the behaviour of an unclean Spirit when it has 
been driven out of a man. 

he walkcth through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 

Here is a wonderful statement ! Behold, the veil is rent away, even by the Hand 
of the Creator Himself, from tlie unseen ))art of Creation: and we learn the beha- 
viour of a fallen Angel, — an unclean Spirit, who had taken up his abode in a hu- 
man body, but had been driven out from thence 1 

\h\ is restless. " Rest" and " (2uietness,"(0— " sitting still, "(/.) " patient abid- 
ij^K'"!') — is the portion of the good: but " the wricked are like the troubled sea, 
when it cannot rest . , . There is no peace, saith my (Ion, to the wicked. "(/») . . . 
The unclean Spirit "goes to and fro in the Kartli. — walks up and down in it, "(h) — 
restless and miserable. He seekctli rest, — but findeth none. Consider the beha- 
viour of the Demoniac, as described by St. Mark v. 2 to 5 : and by St. Luke 
viii. 2'J. 

But wliat are "dry," (or, as it is here, " valcrlcss) places?" We gratefully ac- 
cept the Nuggesti(jn of a great writer: — " j)rol.iably, the barren wilds of lleatiion- 
ism, on which tiio dews of Grace have not descended ; and where there are no 
shoots of Divine planting to corrupt or destroy. (o) Then it is that he bethinks 
himself of trying to regain his ancient iialiitation." 

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 garuished. 



f f/ J .roniili iii. ^ to 10. (<) I Kirifjs x. 1, Ao., ninl 2 Clirdii. ix. 1, kc. 

(/) Sec nbovc, vcrscs 24, 26, 27, 2S. (y) Sec Iho first praj'or in tlio 1t:i|>tisiiiul jserv 



rvico. 



fA) KxoiluH xiv. 30. {>') Ifaiuli xxx. 15. (X-) I.-iiiinh x.xx. 7. 

[/) P.HiiIrn ix. 18. Compare 1 St. I'clcr iii. 4, uuU pDahn xxxvii. K. 

ni) I.oiiinh Ivii. 21. Compiiro xlviii. 22. 

II ) Job i. 7, uml ii. 2. Coiuimro 1 St. Pet. v. 8. (o) Consider St. Luke viii. 6. 



XII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 117 

So " empty, swept, and garnished" with all spiritual graces, did Satan find the 
Temple of the Lord's Body, after His Baptism, — when he made that fierce assault 
upon Ilim to which we give the name of "the Temptation." Not that there had 
been any expulsion of Evil in tlmt case. God forbid! The very thought were 
blasphemous. But see the note on St. Luke iv. 1. 

" Empty, swept, and garnished," doubtless, and in no ordinary manner, did the 
same accursed Spirit find Judas Iscariot ; when for three whole years He had fol- 
lowed the footsteps of the Holy One.(jj) Yea, he had just received from his Divine 
Master's Hand the Bread of Life, and the Cup of Salvation, when, (as for the second 
time we read,) "Satan entered into liimJ\q) How solemn a warning for ourselves! 
See the note on St. John xiii. 27. 

45 Then goeth he, and taketli with himself seven other spirits more 
wicked than himself, 

Strange things are discovered to us here, at every step. We learn that there are 
degrees of wickedness in the evil Spirits ; and these maintain possession with pro- 
portionate power; see St. Matthew svii. 21. "We learn too that there is no small 
amount of plan and design on the part of the Devil and his evil agents, in order to 
achieve their accursed purposes. Thus, to regain possession of one miserable man, 
from whom Christ's power had expelled him, (without adding the injunction — 
"and enter no more into Mm,") (?•) we find an unclean Spirit making a league with 
"seven other spirits more wicked than himself." Compare St. Luke viii. 2. Con- 
sider also St. Luke viii. 30, and see the note there. The Reader will find some 
additional remarks on the present words in the note on St. Luke xi. 26. 

Here the description ends ; and we must supply the rest of the picture for our- 
selves. Evil suggestions, adapted to the age and sex, the peculiar character, hab- 
its, temper, pursuits, condition ; — trials, multiplied, and varying, and various : — in 
some such form, doubt not that the attack was conducted. Then came the yield- 
ing : at first, in thought only ; but this was all the Enemy desired. He did but 
want a small advantage : a breach in the wall, through which to effect an entrance. 
At last, in an unguarded hour, he achieved his wicked purpose. The band of evil 
Spirits have overcome the man, — 

and they enter in, and dwell there : 

"Had that house been guarded by Watchfulness and Prayer, this sad result had 
been impossible. The good man watching against the thief's approach, would not 
have suffered his house to be broken through :(s) and the Devil, resisted by the 
prayer of Faith, would have fled away."(0 The soul, aware of its weak points, 
and those parts of its nature against which old sins might most easily direct their 
attacks, should have kept a vigilant guard. But in the case before us there had 
been no watchfulness : no earnest cry to God, who, for Christ's sake, gives the aid 
of His Holy Spirit to all who ask Him. (it) And we behold the fearful consequence. 

and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 

" For," (as St. Peter declares,) " if after they have escaped the pollutions of the 
World, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are 
again entangled therein, and overcome, — the latter end is worse with them than 
the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of 
Righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy command- 
ment delivered unto them."(a;) 

Such is the fearful commentary of the Spirit on a state of relapse into Sin. God 
of His Mercy preserve us from it ! See more in the note on the last half of St. 
Luke xi. 26. Our Lord proceeds to show the purpose with which He had delivered 
these memorable words ; applying His remarks to the case of the Jewish Nation. 



Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 

jj) St. Luke xxii. 3. (^) St. John xiii. 27. (r) St. Mark ix. 25. 

j) St. Luke xii. 39. («) St. James iv. 7. 

{u) St. Luke xi. 13. Compare St. James i. 5, 6, 7 : and the places in the margin, 
(cc) See 2 St. Peter ii. 20, 21, and following verses. 



[ 



118 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Like to the case of the individual just described, our Lord says would be the 
case of that " wicked generation." See the beginning of the first note on verse 43. 
The Kingdom of Heaven had come very nigh to them indeed. (//) The Enemy had 
been forcibly expelled fnmi their borders. Fearful in proportion must be the re- 
lapse. Tiie end of the matter was, that " the unclean spirits rushed in with seven- 
fold vigour and malignity, and made of Jerusalem Ijefnro its fall a hell, of confusion 
and misery, to which the Gentile world has no parallel." 

46, 47 While He yet talked to tlie people, behold, His Mother and 
His Brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him. Then one 
said unto Iliui, Behold, Thy Mother and Thy Brethren stand without, 
desiring to speak with Thee. 

These were our Blessed Lord's cousins. See the note on St. Matthew xiii. 55. 
Not only cousins, — but uncles and nephews, (z) and indeed all near kinsmen, were 
accounted " brethren." A wise Bishop has bid us observe that, " although His 
Mother and His Brethren be named together, yet they arc never called the sons of 
His Mother ; and the question is not whether Curist had any brethren, but whether 
His Mother brought forth any more children." 

48, 49, 50 But He answered and said unto him that told Him, "Who 
is My Mother ? and who are My Brethren ? And He stretched forth 
His hand towards His Disciples, and said. Behold ]My Mother and My 
Brethren ! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in 
Heaven, the same is My Brother, and Sister, and Mother. 

See the concluding note on the third chapter of St. Mark's Gospel. The Header 
is also referred to a few words on St. Luke viii. 21, — where our Lord is found to 
have repeated either the saying, or the sentiment, which lie delivered on the pre- 
sent occasion. It cannot be necessary to point out that He thereby neither dis- 
claimed the Mother who bore Ilim; nor spoke slightingly of the most precious of 
earthly ties. He does not disparage Kelationship; but he elevates Obedience. In 
the words of wise Bishop Pearson, — "since He came not to do His own will, but 
the will of Him that sent Him, He admits no brotherhood but with such as do 
the same." 

!v) See nliove, ver. 28. 
i) Genesis xiii. S: xiv. IG : xxix. 12, 15. Lev. xxv. 48, 49. 



THE PRAYER. 

Almioiitt God, who hast knit together Thine elect in one com- 
munion and fellowship, in the mystical Body of Thy SoN CiiiUST our 
Loud; (^Irant us grace so to follow Thy blessed Saints in all virtuous 
and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which 
Thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love Thee : through 
Jesus Christ our Loud. Amen. 



XIII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 119 



CHAPTER XIII. 



3 The parable of the Sower and the seed : 1^ the exposition of it. 24 The parable 
of the Tares, 31 of the Mustard seed, 33 of the Leaven, 44 ofthehidden Treasure, 
45 of the Pearl, 47 of the Draiunet cast into the sea: 53 and hoio Christ is con- 
temned of His own countri/nien. 

This Chapter is the very Treasury of parahles. Seven Parables are here found 
together. So rich a cluster, — "so many and so costly pearls," — are nowhere else 
in the Gospels to be seen " strung upon a single thread." 

1, 2 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea 
side. 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. 

The " Great multitudes" on the shore were doubtless the cause v\'hy our Saviour 
" went into a Ship :" they must have thronged and crowded Him. Moreover, no 
position more convenient for His Divine purpose can be conceived, than the posi- 
tion which He chose. Yet, doubt not but what the act was full of mysterious sig- 
nificance as well ; for not our Lord's sayings only, but His acts were parables also. 
That Ship offers a perpetual type of the Church, — in which Christ is; and where, 
"without a parable" He may be said not to speak. But hereafter all will be made 
plain, — as was the case then also. See St. Mark iv. 34. Consider also St. Mark 
iv. 11. 

3 And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 

Our Lord proceeded "to open His Mouth in parables, — to utter things which 
had been kept secret from the foundation of the world." See ver. 35, and the note 
there. That is, He now delivered Divine Instruction under the form of Compari- 
sons drawn from natural objects. This method was not unusual in the East. Three 
famous specimens are supplied in the Old Testament, by Jotham's parable of the 
Trees, (a) (though that is rather a Fable than a Parable,) — Nathan's parable of the 
Ewe-lamb, (6) — and the woman of Tekoah's parable. (c) It is not asserted, indeed, 
that the Blessed Speaker had never spoken a parable before ; (for we know that 
He had;) yet is the present clearly set before us as the beginning of parables in a 
certain sense. In other words, our Lord commenced from this time the practice of 
teaching in parables ; and, as the inquiry of the Disciples in ver. 10, suggests, it 
was a new thing with Him to deliver Instruction in this form. 

The parable of " the Sower," therefore, with which the Divine Speaker com- 
mences, is entitled to very unusual attention. Its exceeding importance, its depth 
and fullness of wonder, may not for an instant be doubted: nor is it hard to per- 
ceive many of its claims thus to lie at the foundation of "all parables:" — see St. 
Mark iv. 13. It treats of the main thing of all, — God's Holy Word ; and the re- 
ception which it meets with among mankind. A mirror is thus held up to us, in 
which we behold ourselves, and the dangers which surround us : at the same time, 
by the illustration which our Blessed Lord employs, we are taught what manner 
of persons we ought to be. 

(a) Judges ix. 7 to 15. (6) 2 Samuer'xii. 1 to 4. (c) 2 Samuel xiv. 5 to 7, 



120 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

On the present parable, only a few remarks are offered in this place. Fuller 
notes will be found in the Commentary on St. Murk'.s 14th chapter, — verses 3 to 9, 
and 14 to 20: and the Header is referred, once for all, to what in there written; as 
well as to the notes on St. Luke viii. 4 to 8, and 11 to 15. 

Behold, a Sower went forth to sow; 

""Went forth," — as did our Loud from "the bosom of the Father," at His In- 
carnation. See the note on St. Mark iv. 3. 

4 and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls 
came and devoured them up : 

Observe, it is not said that the Sower sowed the seed — ^Ijy the way, on the rock, 
among thorns, and into pood ground: but that it "Jell" there. The Sower sowed 
well. It was the soil which was evil. 

5, G Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth : 
and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth. 
And when the sun was up, they were scorched ; and because they had 
no root, they withered away. 

See the notes on St. Mark iv. 4 and G. 

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and 
choked them : 

" So then, this is not all, — to have the "Word, and to hear it ; as if that would 
serve our turn and save us, as we commonly f\incy. Multitudes under the contin- 
ual sound of the Wurd, yet remain lifeless and fruitless, and die in their sins." — 
See the note on St. Mark iv. 7. 

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an 
hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. 

Consider what is implied thereby: namely, /Zie abitndant fruitx of Faith, — the 
mighty harresi of good works, — which the "Word of God is expected to produce in 
all of us, who hear ! And this is, doubtless, the view of the question which con- 
cerns us most. 

But those whose office it is to teach, will do well further to reflect, that the three 
degrees of success enumerated, are, severally, the rewards, — (let us never be so 
presumptuous as to call them the results,) — of different degrees of care bestowed 
upon tlie soil by the Husbandman. Great pains and care are requisite to procure 
even the lowest rate of increase : — for more toil must l)e expended, if he would 
earn a double blessing. But, (in the language of the Farm,) it must be Spade- 
irushamlri/, — nay more, there must 1)C pains bestowed on each individual plant, — 
if the Spiritual Husbandman would secure the increase which attended Isaac's 
sowing. See Genesis xxvi. 12. 

See more, in the note on St. Mark iv. 8. 

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

In the success which the Seed met with, there had been great variety, wo see ; 
yet only one Seed, — only on<; Sower ! " In licaring of the Word," (as a pious writer 
has remarked,) " men look usually too much upon men; and forget from what 
spring the Word hath its power. Thoy observe too narrowly the different hands of 
tne sowers, and too little depend on ifis hand, who is Lonn of l)otIi Seed-time and 
Harvest." In otlier words, they think not enough of God: and they attend not 
enough to thnnsrlres. 

Let tlicse and tiie like reflections be ours, as often as wo read the parables of our 
Saviour Christ. So shall we best show ourselves mindful of the mrmorablo 
warning of the Spirit, in vcr. 9 : concerning which, sec the note on St. Mark iv. 9. 



XIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 121 

10 And tlie Disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou 
unto them in parables ? 

This took place afterwards,— iu the House. See St. Mark iv. 10, and the note 
there. 

11 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. 

What St. Matthew, throughout his Gospel, calls " the Kingdom of Heaven," — 
that, the other Evangelists call " the Kingdom of GOD." — The phrase is used with 
different shades of meaning ; but it generally denotes the Gospel Dispensation, — 
of which the Christian Church is the greatest material feature. 

" The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven," — denotes all those particulars re- 
specting the nature and history of the Gospel Dispensation, which has been for so 
many ages kept secret, but which were now at last about to be revealed. Consider 
the following texts,— Romans svi. 25, 26. 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8. Ephes. iii. 9, 10. Coloss. 
i. 26. — Take notice, however, that it was through no partiality on the part of Al- 
MicnTY God, — no arbitrary and blind decree, — that the Apostles were given to 
know those " Mysteries." Be sure of that. The reason of this favour shown them 
by our Lord, follows in the next verse: and see the note on ver. 13. 

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. 

So that, in reward of what the Disciples " had," — call it Faith, or Love, or Use 
of Opportunities, or Improvement of Privileges, — more and more Blessings are 
promised. The opposite state is denoted by the expression, " hath not." Something, 
indeed, even the wicked man hath, perforce ; yet is it a mere unreality, — a thing, 
which deserves not the name of a possession. Scarcely indeed can he l)e said to 
"have" it. He but "seemeth to have," — as it is said in St, Luke viii. 18. What- 
ever it may be, it " shall be taken away" from him. 

A most precious promise, — a most solemn and emphatic warning also, truly ; 
which are found to have been uttered by our Lord on at least three different occa- 
sions. Compare the language of St. Luke viii. 18 ; and see the note on St. Mark 
iv. 25. 

The Jewish nation, as a body, heard our Lord's Discourses indeed, but closed 
their hearts against the Heavenly Doctrine which they contained. They beheld 
His Humanity, but refused to discern therein His Divinity. 

13 Therefore speak I to them in Parables ; because they seeing see 
not ; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 

It is here declared, therefore, that those who — ^blessed, as these men had been, 
with the sight and hearing of "things kept secret from the foundation of the 
world, "(fO — would neither see nor hear the things which concerned their peace, 
should be punished, by having the mysteries of the Gospel henceforth exhibited to 
them under a veil and darkly. As St. Mark expresses it, — " that seeing they may 
see, and not perceive ; and hearing they may hear, and not understand."(e) In 
other words, they were threatened with what is called judicial blindness. Thus, 
after Pharaoh, (a great example of Sin in the Old Testament,) had hardened his 
own heart five times in succession, in resistance to the ALMiGnTy,(/) — ^we are ex- 
pressly told that, next, God hardened his heart.{g) 

Thus, then, our Lord explains his adoption oJF Parables as a means of Instruc- 
tion. In reply to which, it will perhaps be thought that, in point of fact, His 
Parables were yet (in a manner) plain and clear ;— that they often set forth His 

(rf) See below ver. .35, and the note there. (e) St. Mark iv. 12. 

if) Exodus vii. 22 : viii. 15, 19, 32: ix. 7. 

((/) Exodus ix. 12, (compare iv. 21; vii. 3,) 35 : x. 20, 27: xi. 10. 



122 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 

Divine meaning with greater point and force than could have been attained liy any 
other mothud. Xor is this denied. But a th)ctrine, or a precept, or a future event, 
shadowed forth under the veil of a Parahle, i.-s yet a hidden thing, — revealed only 
to thnse who have "ears to hear." And in this sijinholic maimer, as it eeeuis, did 
our Divine Lono set forth prophetically the course of His future treatment of the 
Jewish nation; — as well as explain to mankind how lie deals with individual 
hearts. In iUustratiun of what has been said, it may lie pointed out that the pro- 
phecy in Malaclii iii. 1, — which, in a certain sense, doubtless, is yet future, was 
fulfilled, in a degree, by the incident recorded in St. Matthew xxi. 12: and yet 
more faintly, but no less truly, in that more noiseless, yet eiiuallv sudden coming, 
described by St. iaikc — ii. 21.'. In the same manner, our Lvrd'sJuhI Advent was 
symbolical of His second. 

14, 15 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: for this people's heart is waxed gross, 
and their ears are dull 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. 

Tlie quotation is from Isaiah vi. 9, 10 : and surely the declaration is a very re- 
markalde one, that these words, — spoken originall}- of the Jewish people by Isaiah 
the projdiet, — should have had so perfect an a]i]di(.ation to the same nation in the 
days of Messiah, that the prophecy could be said to have been then fiilfilhd. St. 
John and St. Paul, on two memorable occasions, so applied the words of the 
Evangelical Prophet. (//) 

Well worthy of notice are those words, — " Their ej/cs ihcij have closed." The 
Spirit thus speaks because the human Will is free. If men sin, it is because they 
prefer Darkness to Light. 

" Lest they should be converted and I should heal them :" — which proves that 
Conversion, (that is. Repentance,) was possible for them ; and that Salvation would 
have followed on their Kepentance. Compare the last words of St. Mark iv. 12. 

16, 17 But blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and your ears, for 
they hear. For verily I say unto you. That many prophets and 
righteous men have desired to see those tilings Avhich ye see, and have 
not seen them; and to hear tliose things wliich ye hear, and have not 
heard than. 



A wondrous statement on the liiis of Ilim who had been " the Desire of all Na- 




18 Hear yc therefore the Parable of the Sower. 

Notice, by the way, that our Loud here supplies us with the title of a Parable. 
His Disciples furnish us with the title of another in ver. 3G. 

II' "When any one hcarcth the Word of the Kingdom, and under- 
standelh it not, 

These words are peculiar to the present Gospel. They describe a heart which 

(h) .Sec St. .John xii. .TJ, tO: nn<l Act.s .\xviii. 2J to 27. {>) !^t. J'-lin viii. hO. 

{k) See 1 St. Peter i. 10 to 12, (/) llcbrews xi. 13. 



XIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 123 

opens not to receive the heavenly seed; but presents an obdurate surface. See be- 
low ver. 23 : also the note on St. Mark iv. 15. 

Observe, that the explanation of the parable begins some-what differently in St. 
Mark's Gospel, — iv, 14 ; where see the note. 

then cometli the Wicked One,, and catcheth away that which was 
sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 

See the note on St. Mark iv. 15. 

20, 21 But he that received the seed into stony phaces, the same is 
he that heareth the Word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 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. 

See the note on St. Mark iv. 16. 

" Anon; loWi joy receiveth it." Let us dwell for a moment on this picture. 
Happy they, who have not experienced its truth, in a degree, in their own persons ! 
No wonder, if the " Word of the Kingdom," especially if skillfully and sensibly 
delivered, pleases. It hath a ravishing beauty and sweetness of its own, which 
cannot fail to please. " Let it be but a fancy," says Leighton, "yet it is a fine 
pleasant one .... The Description of the New Jerusalem,(TO) suppose it to be 
but a dream, or one of the Visions of the Night, yet, it is passing fine ; it must 
needs please a mind that heeds what is said of it." As the Lord declared to Eze- 
kiel. His prophet, — "Lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath 
a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. "(") 

But it is there added, — " They hear thy words, but they do them not." And 
so here, it is heard " with joy," and springs up presently. Men commend it, and, 
it may be, repeat some passages ; yea, possibly, desire to be like it, — to have such 
and such graces as are recommended, — and straightway think they have them. 
And to all appearance, some change is wrought ; but it is not deep enough." Con- 
sider Balaam's wish, in Numbers xxiii. 10, and compare it with Balaam's end. 

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth 
the Word ; and the care of this World, and the deceitfulness of Riches, 
choke the Word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

" Cares" and "Riches," — ^these, then, are the "thorns and briars" which prove 
so fatal to the growth of the spiritual life! "Break up your fallow ground," 
spake the Lord by His prophet, to the men of Judah and Jerusalem ; " and sow 
not among t]iorns."[o) 

" The deceitfulness of Riches :" — tJiat must be because " They that will be rich, 
fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
drown men in destruction and perdition, (j?) 

See the note on St. Mark iv. 19. 

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth 
the Word, and understandeth it ; which also heareth fruit, and bringeth 
forth, some an hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty. 

Take notice, that this last is the case of one "that heareth the "Word and under- 
standet7i it :" — the opposite case, therefore, to that mentioned in ver. 19. 

And further let it be remarked, before we pass on, that there is no reason why 
the three evil states before described, should not in the end, by God's Grace, be 
brought to resemble this : even by the influence upon them of that very Word 
whose fruitfulness they, at first, prevented. " He that plougheth should p/ow^r/i in 
hope,'\q) — is expressly said of the Ministerial Labourer. The barren highway 
may therefore yet become the yielding furrow. And why may not the rock be 

M Rev. xxi. („) Ezekiel sxxiii. 32. (o) Jeremiah iv. 3. 

[p) 1 Tim. vi. 9. (q) 1 Cor. ix. 10. 



124 A PLAIN COMMEXTARY [CHAP. 

crushed,— the thorns yet given to the burning? "Is not My "Word like a Jire? 
Baitli tlie LoKD ; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ?" (j) 
See the note un St. Mark iv. 20. 

24, 25 Another Parable put He forth unto them, saying, 

_ The parable of " the Tares" fullows ; in -which, a very instructive and striking 
circumstance is lost si<;ht of, in oonseciuenee of the word here employed bv our 
Translators. Tares are easily distinguished from AVhcat: but the plant which 
grows among the corn so abundantly in Palestine, — (here called " Tares," because 
that is the nearest word whicli our language supplies,) is so so like Wheat in ap- 
pearance that a careless eye would hardly detect the ditierence. When closely ex- 
amined, huwever, tlie plant is found to have no corns in the ear: it is a mere barren 
bearded husk. IIow apt a type is thereby furnished of the wicked, — growing up 
among the just, and, outwardly at least, not to be distinguished from them! 

But the beauty of the Divine image is yet more striking. Wheat and Tares are 
plants of a different kind: but the plant which our Lord speaks of, (here called 
Tares,) is only a degenerate kind of Wheat. Let it not be said therefore that some 
are created for the burning ; while others are destined for the Heavenly Garner, — 
" elect" from their Birth. For the present parable gives no countenance to so 
monstrous an opinion; which is, in fact, refuted by almost every page of Scripture. 

The Kinp;(lom of Heaven is likened unto a Man 'which sowed good 
seed in his field : 

We shall be told in vcr. 37, that the " man" here described is " the Son of 
Man ;" and tliat " the field is the World." He is called an " Uuuscholder" in ver. 
27. And that is because, though all the Field is God's, yet hath He a Ilouse within 
it, in which He chiefly delights to dwell. « 

but while men slept, His Enemy came and sowed Tares among the 
Wheat, and Avent his way. 

"While men slept!" We are warned thereby against sloth and supineness, 
which give the Enemy occasion, — both in respect of others and of ourselves. 

" Sowed Tares." Take notice that this was no chance growth, — the result of 
careless Husbandry ; as when Tares infest our corn-fields. (" What could have 
been done more .... that I have not done?"(.v) — may the Divine Husliandman 
well ask.) But the plant described above, in the first note on ver. 24, was the 
result of active mischief on the part of the Enemy. Such wickedness is said to 
be practised to this day, in some parts of the world. 

Here, then, is a prophecy of the speedy growth of error, (" all things that offend," 
— as it is said in ver. 41,) after the sowing of the good seed: — and since error can- 
not exist apart from erring men; nor sin, apart from sinners; it amounts to a 
declaration that " they which do iniquity " would soon be found in the Church, 
mixed up, an<l growing side by side, with the i-ightcous. "The Children of the 
Wicked One," as it is said in vcr. 38, mixed up witli "the Children of tlie King- 
dom." — It is further declared that the Enemy, who should be the author of all this 
evil, " is the Devil." He did the mischief and departed. 

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then 
appeared the Tares also. 

Observe, that the Tares are discovered by the fruitfulnesa of the Wheat! 

Thus, then, it is prophesied tliat tlic hypocrites, and tlio openly wicked, shall be 
seen standing side by side witli tliosc who liring fortli much Iruit. And this mixed 
aspect which the Church presented from tlie very beginning, — has presented in all 
ages, — presents at this time, — and will cutinuo to present to tlic end of the World, 
is much to Ijc noted as one of the things wliich our Lord distinctly foretold; and of 
which he hero forewarns us. It was set forth in type, — by Noah's Ark, which 
contained alike clean and unclean beasts: in vision, — i)y the great sheet which St. 

(r) Jeremiah xxiii. 29. (») Isaiah v. -1. 



XIII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 125 



Peter saw let down from Heaven, wherein were all manner of beasts: in compari- 
son, — by the threshing-floor, whereon is laid wheat and chaff: and by the great 
House, in which there are not only vessels of Gold and silver, but also of wood and 
of earth ; and some to honour some to dishonour :(f) in parable, — by the sheep and 
the goats; the net which contained fish of every kind; the tares which grew among 
the wheat. 

We may not separate from the Church, therefore, on pretence of belonging to 
some hoiier society within it. This is Schism. We thereby, in eifect, put ourselves 
out of the Church, and endanger our own Salvation. We are guilty of great pre- 
sumption, and self-conceit. We pretend to know the secrets of other men's hearts; 
whereas a little reflection might convince us that we know not the secrets of our 
own. The Lord "searcheth all hearts ;"(?<) and "The Lord — knoiveth them that are 
His.'Xx) Let this thought sufiice us. 

True indeed it is that " the King's Daughter is all glorious within:"(y) but this 
glory of the Church is hidden from men's eyes. The Church Catholic, (that is the 
Church ttniversal,) is also " Hohj," — as we assert in the Apostles' Creed; but this 
means not that every one, visibly in communion with her, is holy also. True more- 
over it is, that into "the Holy Jerusalem," "there shall in no wise enter anything 
that defileth :" but only "they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."(z) 
All this, however, will be hereafter and not now. The " Holy City, New_ Jerusa- 
lem,"(a) the "glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing,"(&) 
is the Church, — not "militant," as it is "here in Earth;" but triumphant, as it will 
hereafter be, in Heaven. 

See more in the note on ver. 38. 

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 ? 

"The Servants of the Householder" are not the same with "the Reapers," — for 
the two are distinguished in ver. 30. These last are declared to be "the Angels,'' 
— to whom the care of all the field is entrusted. Compare Zechariah vi. 4 to 7 : 
Daniel x. 13, 21: xii. 1, &c. But the Servants, inhabiting the House,(c) — will be 
such as " Simon Peter, a Servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ ;"(cZ) and 
"James, a Servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ ;"(e) and " Paul, a Ser- 
vant of Jesus Christ :"(/") with their successors to the end of the world. " The 
Servants of the Householder," are in fact, the faithful, generally. And take note 
that the sight of wickedness, or rather, the origin of Evil, fills these with perplexity. 
"Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From lohence then hath it tares?'' 
— words, which are a prophecy of the disquiet which ensued at the Church's dis- 
covery of error within her pale ; and which, in fact, nearly rent her in sunder. 

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 ? 

So zealous for God's Honour are Plis faithful Servants! 

Compare the language of " the sons of Thunder," — in St. Luke ix. 54. Consider, 
again, the remonstrance of the Prophet Jeremiah, — xiii. 1 to 4: — the complaint of 
the Psalmist, — Ixxiii. 12 to 14: — and, earlier yet, the inquiry of holy Job, — xxi. 7 
to 15.. Take notice, further, that these "Servants of the Householder," had the 
present fate of the wicked been left to them, would assuredly have "gone and 
gathered up the Tares," forthwith. — " Up, Lord, and let not man have the upper 
hand !"(l/) Such has been the impatient language of God's Saints in all ages. The 
very souls beneath the altar, "of them that were slain for the Word of God, and 
for the Testimony which they held," are found to cry, with a loud voice, — "How 
long, Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them 
that dwell on the £arth?"(/t) Contrast this with the voice of Angels, — Zech. i. 12 

(t) 2 Tim. ii. 20. (») 1 Chron. xsviii. 9. (r) 2 Tim. ii. 19. 

{y) Psalm xlv. 13. {z) Rev. xxi. 10, 27. (") Rev. xsi. 2. 

(^;) Ephes. V. 27. (c) See the last note on ver. 24. (r/) 2 St. Peter i. 1. 

(e) St. James i. 1. (/) Romans i. 1. (jr) Psalms ix. 19. 

\h) Rev. vi. 9, 10. 



126 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP, 

29 But he said, Xay ; lest while ye gather up the Tares, ye root up 
also the Wheat with thein. 

Partly, because there is a risk of even mistaking the one for the other ; partly, 
(and chiefly,) because there is such entanglement between the good and the wicked, 
— tlio one are so entwined with the other, — that to cfl'ect a severance, without 
fatally disturbing tlio former, wuuld be next to impossible. 

Consider how this same doctrine is set forth by the comparison of the evil and 
the just to chatl" and wheat; which cuiinof, in fact, be severed till "the Harvest." 
They grow on one and the same stem. In a certain sense, they make part of each 
other ; and are essential, the one to the other. 

This reply of "the Householder," therefore, recommends the Grace of Patience; 
concerning which, see the end of the note on St. Matthew iv. 7, and the references 
there. — It further suggests that a great and admitted evil must sometimes be en- 
dured, rather than the safety of that which is certainly good, should be endangered. 

30 Lot 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. 

Now, "the Harvest is the end of the World," — as we read in ver. 39 : "and the 
Reapers are the Angels." — the interpretation of this verse is found below, from 
verse 40 to verse 43. 

Note here, the long-suffering goodness of God: " Let both grow together." Let 
both, for the present, share the same rain, and dew, and sunshine; "for He niaketh 
His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and scndeth rain on the just and i>n the 
unjust.'XO But does this proceed from indi[f'erencc on His part? God forbid? 
From some defect in the Divine contrivance, then, which makes interference impos- 
sible? Far from it. The reason of the delay is expressly given by St. Paul, in 
Komans ii. 4: — and St. Peter alludes to that passage in his "beloved brother's" 
Epistle, in 2 St. Peter iii. 1) and 15. — All this is 1)ut for a time, however. "He 
hath ap{iointed a Day, in tlie which He will judge the "World in righteousness. "(^•) 

"Into bundles.'" Does this perhaps denote the diflerent classes of offenders? — 
Concerning the "Barn," see the latter part of St. Matthew iii. \'2, and the note 
there. 

31 Another Parable put lie fortli unto them, saying, The Kingdom 
of Heaven is like to a grain of Mustard seed, which a man took, and 
sowed in Ilis field : 

Seed is again made the instrument of Heavenly teaching. The same "man" also 
again comes before us, — and we are again reminded of the "Field" which was liis. 
See above, the latter ]iart of verse 24, and the note there. This Parable, liowever, is 
entirely given by St. Mark, — iv. 30 to 32; and has been so fully remarked ujion in 
the notes there, that it becomes unnecessary to say anything concerning it, in this 
place. For its connection with what goes before, see the concluding note on the 
present Chapter. 

32 which indeed is the least of all seeds: but wlien it is grown, it is 
the greatest among herl>s, and beconielh a tree, so that the birds of the 
air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 

Sec the notes on St. Mark iv. 31, 32. 

A paralile follows, which, like tlio rest, also relates to the Kingdom of Heaven. 
It is found to recur, like the jireceding parable, in the thirteenth chapter of St. 
Luke. See the note on St. Luke \iii. 21. 

(i) St. Matthew V. 45. (A) Acta xvii. 31. 



/ 



XIII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 127 



33 Another parable spake He unto them : The Kingdom of Heaven 
is like unto Leaven : which a woman took, and hid in three measures 
of meal, till the whole was leavened. 

Our Lord speaks of Himself under the image of a Woman, also in the parable 
of the Lost piece of Silver, St. Luke xv. 8. And as if to glorify all lowly occu- 
pations, on this occasion, as on that, it is a woman engaged in a poor domestic task. 
There, — she sweeps the House: here, — she mixes leaven with meal! 

Take notice, then, that she "hides" the leaven in the meal: which reminds us of 
the relation of the Church with respect to the World. At first, it was a thing 
wholly hidden; and even now, the Great Reality is wondrously obscured, — in large 
Cities especially. Notice the language of verse 44. 

Yet, what follows? "till theivhole loas leavened." Here, then, is a prophecy of 
what will be hereafter; and which has already come to pass, in a degree. It is 
implied that, by virtue of the law of its nature, the Church of Christ must spread 
and make its way. As Leaven, when hid in meal, secretly and silently pervades 
the whole lump, even so does it fare with the Gospel. It possesses moreover a 
transforming poioer : so acting upon the thing it encounters, that, in the end, "the 
whole is leavened ;" becomes changed, and partakes of another nature. 

The property of Leaven, our Lord alluded to on another occasion, — when He 
warned His Disciples against "the Doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."(0 

But why is it said, "Three measures of meal?" May it be because the great 
divisions of the Earth were anciently looked upon as so many? Or is it because 
the individual Man is made up of "Spirit, and Soul, and Body?" — as we are so 
often reminded ? Or is it only because the threefold division is so favourite an one 
with the Spirit — containing, as it does, a perpetual reference to the mystery of the 
Blessed Trinity? . . . Traces of it may be found in every part of Scripture, — from 
Genesis to Revelation. 

Lastly, it is right, in considering a parable, to notice its private and personal 
teaching, — as well as its general and national application. The parable of the 
Leaven reminds us of our need of that "daily renewal " by God's Holy Spirit, 
which we pray for in the Collect for Christmas-Day. It is not enough to have 
received the Heavenly Gift in Holy Baptism. Its influence must be continual upon 
the heart and life; until the Christian has undergone that Transfiguration into the 
likeness of his Lord, of which the Great Apostle speaks, — in 2 Corinthians iii. 18. 

34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitudes in Parables ; 
and without a Parable spake he not unto them : 

St. Mark, — iv. 33, — adds, that " ivith many such parables spake He the Word 
unto them, as they were able to bear it." 

35 that it might befulfilled 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. 

Surely, a most surprising statement! To read Psalm Ixxviii. 2, icho would sup- 
pose that the scope of the Writer reached on, so fir? .... Yet is this no solitary 
example of the unexpected fulfillment of prophetic sayings. See the notes on St. 
Matthew iv. 14: St. Luke i. 27, and ii. 38 , and on St. Matthew xxvii. 9, 10. 

Take notice that "the Prophet" here spoken of was "Asaph the Seer,"(?H) a Le- 
vite, who lived in the time of David the King."(ft) 

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house. 

St. Mark here adds, — "and when they were alone, He expounded all things to 
His Disciples."(o) One specimen of Divine Exposition has been already given, — 
ver. 10 to 23. Another follows. It is probable that the Disciples obtained from 
our Saviour an explanation of each of His parables. 

(I) St. Matthew xvi. 6, 11, 12. {m) 2 Chron. xxix. 30. 

(«) 1 Chron. xv. 17, 19, &c. (o) St. Mark iv. 34. 



128 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

37 And nis Disciples came unto Ilim, saying, Declare unto us the 
parable of the Tares of the field. lie answered and said unto them, 
lie that sowcth the good seed is the Son of Man : 

It seems iuinosslblc to over-estimate tlie preciousness of what follovi-s. ITow 
perplexed should we for ever liave Itcen, — and how uncertain as to the actual inten- 
tion of our Lord's parables, — had lie not thus graciously explained two, at such 
length, Himself! 

38, 39, 40 The field is the World : 

The Field, then, (it may he said by some one who reads the note on verse 25,) 
is not the Church, but flic World! What becomes therefore of the teaching drawn 
from tliis parable in the note just referred to? The objection is almost as ancient 
as the parable. 

But the answer is almost as obvious as the objection, and quite as ancient. Of 
course it was the World, — not the Church, but the World, — where the seed was 
sown : but the seed was no sooner sown, than the foundations of the Church, (the 
" Kingd(jra of Heaven," as it is called in ver. 24,) were laid ; and when the blade 
was sprung up, since it covered the Field, there began to be a " Holy Church uni- 
versal throujhont the World." Then it was that the Tares began to show them- 
selves ; — so closely resembling the wheat, and so entangled with it, that it waa 
impossible to separate them. How could the admixture of evil with good, in the 
visilde Church, nave been more aptly set forth ? The parable testifies to the great 
Truth tliat all within the Church are not of it: it admits, or rather asserts, that 
many who profess and call themselves Christians, do not deserve the name : but it 
contains a no less solemn warning against those who would separate themselves 
from the Church, on the plea that it is not all Holj-. It removes all ground of sur- 
prise at the sad spectacle we daily witness ; for it is nothing less than a Prophecy 
that so it would be. 

the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom ; but the Tares are 
the Children of the Wicked One ; 

To be " the children of the Kingdom," &c., means those who will inherit the 
Kingdom ; that is, the Just. Consider the following texts, St. Matthew xxiii. 15. 
St. Luke X. G : xvi. 8 : xx. 30. 1 Thess. v. 5. 

the Enemy that sowed them is the Devil : 

He means not that their life or faculties, — but all by which they are wicked, and 
fitted for Kternal punishinont, is the work of the Evil Spirit: "while everything 
that is good in any, and aflocts their growth to everlasting Salvation," is from tlie 
Father of Lights; bestowed on them in, and through His Sox, — who is the Cre- 
ator of all things. 

the Harvest is the end of the World ; and the reapers are the Angels, 
s therefore tlie Tares are f 
be in the end of this world. 

Compare what is said in St. Matthew xv. 13. 

41, 42 The Son of Man shall send forth Ilis Angels, and they shall 
gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do 
iniquity ; 

" TWinjrH thtit ofi.nd," — ("scandals" ns it is said in the margin,) — arc all hin- 
drances to Salvation, literally .stuiiihliny-lilocks, whidi are thrown in tlic way of 
Believers. He that tempts another to sin, is, in the language of Scripture, a 
stuuil>liiii/-lilftr/i in his way. Hence our Lord's awful rebuke to Simon I'eter. — in 
St. Matthew xvi. 23 ; where the same word occurs which our Lord employs in 
this place. 



As therefore the Tares are gathered and burned in the fire ; so shall it 



XIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 129 

42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire ; there shall be -wail- 
ing and gnashing of teeth. 

An ancient Archbishop, who spoke so eloquently that he was styled " John of 
the Golden Mouth," has a beautiful remark on this. " Behold," he says, " the 
unspeakable Love of God towards men ! He is quick to show Mercy — slow to 
punish. When He sows, [ — see above, ver. 37, — ] He sows Himself; when He 
punishes, He punishes hy others, — sending His Angels to do that!" 

See the note on St. Matthew viii. 12. 

43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom 
of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

"As the Sun:" for that is the brightest object in Creation. They will " shine 
out;" as the sun does, when the clouds have rolled away. The future condition of 
the glorified body is always spoken of as exceeding bright and glorious. Consider 
the following striking passages : — St. Matthew xvii. 2, with which compare Eev. 
i. 16, and Acts xxvi. 13. — Daniel xii. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 41. 

The parable of " the Hid Treasure" follows ; and then the parable of " the 
Pearl." Take notice, that they were delivered in the Souse, — unlike those which 
go before. The Disciples, alone, therefore, hear them. And it is worth observing 
that they are, so to say, of a private and personal kind. They set forth how men 
ought individually to feel towards the Gospel ; and stimulate the affections rather 
than inform the mind. 

44 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Treasure hid in a 
field; 

" Treasure :" — consider Psalm xix. 10 : cxix. 72, 127. Proverbs viii. 10, 11, 19. 
Compare Colossians ii. 3. 

" Treasure hid:" — see the note on ver. 33. "In ajield:" — see verses 24 and 
31, and the note on the former place. 

the which when a man hath found. 

Every word here is precious. " Which when a man hath found:" but it is he 
that seeketh, yfho findeth.{p) " Yea, if thou criest after Knowledge, and liftest up 
thy voice for Understanding ; if thou seekest her as Silver, and searchest for her, 
as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the Fear of the Lord, and find 
the Knowledge of GoD."(g) In the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom is the name of 
Christ : so that the Wise King, (like the great Apostle) here speaks of " winning 
Christ. "(j-) Compare Job iii. 21. 

he hideth ; 

Mark the conduct of the sincere Believer. He doth not talk much about his 
Faith and Hope. He rather " hideth" the matter in his heart. Compare Psalm 
cxix. 11. Our inner life is " Jiid with Christ in God."(.s) It is " the hidden man 
of the heart." (0 

Not, of course, that it is the nature of true Faith to keep the knowledge of 
Christ, a secret. God forbid ! " AniheYT findeth his brother Simon :" and " Philip 
findeth Nathaniel :"(«) and the woman of Samaria leaveth her water-pot, and goeth 
her way into the City, " and saith to the men, Come, see."{x) It is ever thus. But 
it is one thing to burn for the Salvation of others, and to have a mighty zeal for 
Christ ; quite another thing to relate "experiences," and to wear one's Religion 
on one's lip, — rather than in one's heart. It should be hid, — only that it may no 
be lost. 

{p) St. Mattliew vii. 8. (q) Proverbs ii. 3 to 5. {r) Phil. iii. 8. 

(«) Coloss. iii. 3. h) 1 St. Peter iii. 4. («) St. John i. 41, 45, 

\x) St. John iv. 28, 29. 

9 



130 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

ami fur joy thereof, goelL and sellcth all that he hath, and buyeth 
that field. 

Godliness hath " promise of the life that now is," as well as " of that which is 
to come."(j/) The man in the Parable wanted to obtain the Treasure ; he obtained 
the field, (that is the World,) as well. " Seek ye first tlie Kin<:dom of Gou," — 
(the very thing tliis man was seeking!) — "and His liighteousness ; and all these 
thimja snuU be luhleil unto you. "(2) 

Take notice, however, that it was the Treasure, — and the Treasure only, — which 
the man in the Parable wanted. Tlie field he regarded as an incumbrance, — a joy- 
less barren waste. He would have possessed himself of the Treasure by itself, if 
he could ; but he could not. Nor let us fail to observe the great truth thus set 
before us, that the two cannot be separated. We may not, on this side of Eternity, 
possess the Treasure apart from the Field, (that is, the world,) wherein it is hid. 

Observe the tcui|icr of mind in which the man in the parable divests himself of 
all his goods, lie h Joyous. So then, "Joy" is another attribute of the true Be- 
liever. Consider the following texts: — Romans xii. 12 : xiv. 17 : xv. 3. 2 Cor. vi. 
10. Galat. V. 22. Phil. i. 4: iii. 1 : iv. 4. 1 Thess. i. G : v. IG. 1 St. Peter i. 8 : 
iv. 13, &c. 

Lastly, observe what is here implied. The man must part with everything else 
which he possesses, in order that he may become possessed of this one chief Trea- 
sure : and he knows that he must. The parable assumes this fact, and implies this 
knowledge, lie waits for no summons :(</) he ])re|iares to do his jiart at once, with 
Joy.(b) "What things were gain to me," says the Apostle, " those I counted loss 
for Christ: yea, doubtless, and 1 count all things but loss for the excellency of 
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my LoRD."(f) 

But, (some one will say,) was this an honourable and a conunendable course, on 
the part of him who nuidc so singular a discovery ? Was it honest to buy a 
" Field," knowing all the while that it contained a " Treasure," which made it 
worth so much more ? Doubtless it was not: neither does our Lord say that it 
was. But the morality of the man's conduct forms no part of the teaching of the 
Parable. The point of the matter is the man's eagerness to become possessed of 
the Treasure : or rather, the greatness of the Treasure of which he became pos- 
sessed. If the man's conduct is to be further scrutinized, surely it becomes an 
instructive example of the great truth which our Lord delivered on another occa- 
sion : namely, that "the Children of this World are in their generation iriscr than 
the Children of Li(/hf."{d) Nor should it escape notice that this Man pretended 
not to buy the Field for any fixed sum which might represent its value, lie went 
and sold all that he had, — and the field became his. 

The parable of " The Pearl" follows. 

45 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, 
seeking goodly pearls : 

It is po.ssible that a contrast may be intended between him -who found in the last 
parable, — and him who seehs, in this. If so, we are here reminded that while 
some persons are brought suddenly and unexpectedly to tiie knowledge of the 
things which concern their peace, — there ai'c others, (like the Mercbantnian,) who 
find, at last, the thing of which they had been a long time in search ; the only 
thing which can satisfy their needs, and apjiease their cravings. 

This Merchantman was seeking for many ]tearls: but it was only because he 
little expected to meet with anr wliiili would make all future search for more un- 
necessary. Tiiey were " f/oW/// pearls" besought; and this it was which made 
him so eager to scrurc " the pearl of great price" when at last he found it. lie 
saw its beauty, and he knew its worth, in a moment. 

4G who when he had fuinid one Pearl of great price, went and sold 
all that he had, and bouglit it. 

fy) 1 Tim. iv. S. (:) St. .Mntlhew vi. ."i.?. (n) Sco St Matthew xix. 21. 

(t) Compare St. Mullbcw iv. L'd, 22 : i.x. l» : xi.x. 27, Ac. (<•) Pliilip. iii. 7, 8. 

(</) Si. Luke xvi. 8. 



XIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 131 

"When he hath found ;" — for, once more, "he that seeketh, findeth."(e) 

" One pearl;" for God, and Truth, and the Faith,(/) and the Church are 
one:{g) undivided and indivisible. 

A ''pearl;" — for the pearl was, by the ancients, accounted the most costly of all 
jewels. There is, however, this further difference between the present resemblance 
and that which precedes : that whereas, before, attention was invited simply to 
the value of the prize, — here, the outioard s])lendo%ir of Christ's Kingdom, "the 
Beauty of Holiness," is set forth as well. The pearl is for ornament. 

" Of great jjince ;" for " the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of 
silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. "(7i) 

In the present pai-able, as in the former one, he that would win this greatest of 
Treasures is represented as selling all that he hath, — in order that he may obtain 
it. See the last note on ver. 44. Whereas, however, before, the result of his sacri- 
fice was the possession of a field wherein was hid a Treasure, — here, he wins a 
single small object, which yet contains, collected within itself, the value dispersed 
before, not only throughout the Field, but throughout the several pieces of the 
Treasure also. " And as one who is possessed of a pearl," says an ancient Father, 
" himself indeed knows of his wealth, but is not knovm to others, — oftentimes 
concealing it in his hand, by reason of its small bulk, — so is it in respect of the 
Gospel. They who possess it, know that they are rich : the unbelievers know no- 
thing of their treasure." 

Lastly, — what is to " buy" the pearl here spoken of? It is, to make a huge 
sacrifice for it. It is, to give in exchange for it, anything which the owner may 
choose to demand, or be disposed to accept. With men, this is rnoney. But what 
is God's requirement ? " My son, — Give Me thy ?ieart!"{i) 

Next comes the Parable of " the Draw-net ;" which, in one respect, closely re- 
sembles the Parable of the Tares. But the two are broadly distinguished. The 
one is a prophecy of the present : the other, of the future. The one dwells upon 
the mixed aspect of the Church as it is in the World: the other describes the final 
issue, — dwells only on ivhat ivill he in the end of the World. 

47 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Net, that was 
cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind : 

How lively an appeal was this concluding parable ! How must this resemblance 
of the Kingdom to fishes and a net have kindled the imagination of the simple 
Fishermen who heard ! How must their very life and calling have seemed to them- 
selves, (as indeed it was,) all a parable! 

Christ Himself was the Great Fisherman, — who cast the net of the Gospel even 
while He spake. It " gathered of every kind ;" for in the visible Church all classes 
of men are included. And not only all ranks, all classes ; but also, good and had 
persons alike are contained within the Church's net. See ver. 48 : and compare 
St. Matthew xsii. 10. The same lesson which was conveyed by the parable of the 
Tares, is therefore conveyed by this concluding parable. See above, a long note 
on ver. 26 ; and another, on the first part of ver. 38. 

The " net" here spoken of is one of that very large kind with which Fishermen 
capture at once a mighty shoal, — sweeping sometimes the waters of an entire bay. 

48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and 
gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 

" When it vrasftdl;" — for it is not till God hath " accomplished the number of 
His elect," that the end cometh. — " The shore ;" for it is not till they have " passed 
the waves of this troublesome world" that men " come to the land of Everlasting 
Life." And " now, the net holds good and bad mingled together ; but the Shore 
shall discover what the net of the Church has brought to land." — The Angels "sit 
down ;" — for the work here ascribed to them will be done with exceeding vigilance 
and care. Moreover, — sitting denotes Authority : (Consider Dan. vii. 9. Joel iii. 
12. Mai. iii. 3): andi^esi; (Consider Micali iv. 4. Zech. i. 11. Psalm xcix. 1. 

(e) St. Matthew vii. 8. (/) Ephes. iv. 5. (g) Song of Solomon vi. 9. 

\h) Proverbs iii. 14; and see the following verses. ( j) Proverbs xsiii. 26 



132 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

St. Mark xvi. 10. Ephes. ii. C. Rov. iii. 21 : iv. 4, &c.)— They " gather the good 
into vessels ;" — for, in God's " House, tljere are many uiansion8."(A) 

It is added that " the l)ad" shall be " cast away." This might seem a Blender 
penalty; Init their fate is more fully disi'lo.»ied in ver. 50. — And doubtless it is im- 
plied that this casting away shall take ]dace/?rA7; as was expressly declared in 
ver. 30 : fur observe what is said in tiie next verse. 

40 So shall it be at the end of the "World : the Angels shall come 
forth, and sever the -wicked from among the just, 

Tliis corrospiinds exactly with what was said in the parable of " the Tares." 
Compare it with ver. 41 : and see the note on ver. 42. 

" So shall it be at the end of the World:" — our Loud Himself guides us to the 
point uf this parable, which is a prophecy of what Avill be hereafter. 

50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall be wail- 
ing and gnashing of teeth. 

This is a repetition, word for word, of ver. 42, — where reference is made to the 
note on St. Matthew viii. 12. But, as an ancient Bishop well remarks, — " to fear 
becomes us rather Wxvin. to expound." And he adds, — "The torments of sinners 
are pronounced in plain terms, that none might plead his ignorance ; which would 
have been possible, had eternal punishment been threatened in obscure sayings." 

51, 52 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things ? 
They say unto Ilim, Yea, Lokd. 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 trea- 
sure things new and old. 

This seems to mean, — Ye say that ye have understood all these sayings of Mine, 
by wliich ye have been instructed concerning my future earthly Kingdom ; its Ob- 
stacles, — Defilements, — Growth, — Increase, — Might, — Dignity, — Splendour, — and 
End. Be ye therefore, henceforth, like to the Householder ; who brings forth, now, 
from his old stores, — now, from his new. Ye are Scribes, taught not only the 
learning of the Ancient Law ; but the mysteries of the Gos])cl likewise: bring 
forth, tliorcfore, henceforth, as occasion may require, now, an old truth, — now, a 
new one, — for the edification of "the Household of Faith. ''(0 • • • • But the say- 
ing remains obscure and difficult. 

53, 54 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these 
Parables, lie departed thence. And when He was come into His own 
country, lie taught tlicin in their synagogue, insomuch that they were 
astonished, and said. Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and tluse 
mighty Avorks? 

" His own Country" means the city of Nazareth. Concerning the surprise ex- 
cited by our Lord's Discourse, see the last note on St. Mattliew vii. The " mighty 
works" are again alluded to in ver. 68. Compare St. Mark vi. 2. 

'J'ake notice, that this was a second visit to Nazaretli, — distinct from t/iat recorded 
in St. Luke iv. 10 to 30. 

55 Is not this the Carpenter's son? is not His Mother called Mary? 
and Ilis Brethren, James, and doses, and Simon, and Judas ? 

"No wonder that they were mistaken in His Brethren," says an ancient writer, 
"if tlu'v were mistaken in His Fath'r.'^ .lusepb was jirobably now dead : and the 
" brctiiren" here mentioned were most likely tiio cousins ol' our LoKD, after the 

(k) i^t. .Jolin xiv. 2. Cumimrc (ho iiicnlion uf " buiuUeH," iibovc, in vur. 30. 
({} (iiibiiiuiis vu 10. 



XIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 133 

flesh : sons of another Mary, who was Wife of Cleophas, and Sister of the Blessed 
Virgin. Nothing is more certain than that our Lord Jesus Christ was the First- 
born, and only Son of His Virgin Mother. 

The "James" liere mentioned, was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, (?k) and the 
author of the Epistle; hut probably not an Apostle. Simon succeeded him. Their 
Brother "Judas" is "Jude . . . the brother of James:" author of the Epistle, 
and one of the Twelve. See the note on St. Matthew xii. 47. 

56, 57 And His Sisters, are tliey not all with us ? Whence then 
hath this Man all these things ? 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. 

How nearly was this the very proverb which the same Divine Speaker had al- 
ready addressed to His unbelieving countrymen, — and in the very same place ! 
See St. Luke iv. 24. The humble connections of our Blessed Lord's Mother, and 
reputed Father, proved a stumhUng-block in the way of their Faith : as it is here 
expressed, it " offended" them. 

58 And He did not many mighty works there, because of their un- 
belief. 

The "mighty works" which He did, are mentioned by St. Mark vi. 5 : who adds, 
— "And He marvelled because of their unbelief!" 



The eight Parables which our Lord is declared to have delivered on the present 
occasion, all relate to the Kingdom of Christ, — that is, to His Church. The first 
parable, (that of "the Sower,") foretells the obstacles which it would meet with; — 
and which continue, to this day, to oppose its growth and progress. The next, — 
the Parable of "the Tares," is a prophecy of the appearance which the Visible 
Church would present to the eyes of men ; — a melancholy prophecy, attested and 
confirmed by every day's experience. These two parables are fully explained by 
our Lord. The gradation between them is obvious. One, describes how it would 
fare with the first planting of the Kingdom: the other, how it would fare with that 
Kingdom in its growth and increase. 

So far, then, it had been shown that only a fourth part of the seed might be ex- 
pected to prosper ; while tJiat fourth part would spring up mixed with tares : a 
dreary picture truly, for those labourers whom the Lord of the Harvest was about 
to send forth into His Harvest !(«) Another side of the truth is therefore next dis- 
played for their encouragement. Our Saviour proceeds to deliver three briefer 
Parables ; the first of which, — (peculiar to St. Mark's Gospel,) (o) — describes the 
secret and gradual growth of the Church ; the next, its mighty increase ; the third, 
its transforming power. _ Its victory over all the powers of evil is thus set forth, 
together with its final triumph. 

It is suflaciently remarkable that the growth of seeds should supply the materials 
for four out of these five parables. 

Three parables yet remain to be noticed. The first two set forth the great pre- 
ciousness of Christ's Kingdom : but while one, (the parable of " the hid Treas- 
ure,") chiefly reminds us that in the World, the Church is liidclen, — the other, {that 
of "the Pearl,") sets forth chiefly, its singular Beauty and surpassing Worth. 

The Obstacles, and the mixed aspect of the Church having been thus prophetic- 
ally shadowed forth : its secret growth, — its mighty increase, — and its transform- 
ing power : its hidden character, and its outward Beauty : — last comes a prophecy 
of its wide embrace; and a sketch of what will "be at the end of the World." 
The parable of "the Drag-net," (which is the eighth and last,) discloses the con- 
cluding scene of the Church's History : the severance of " the wicked from among 
the just," at the Last Day. 

(m) Acts XV. 13, and xxi. 18. {n) St. Matthew is. 33. (o) St. Mark iv. 26 to 29. 



134 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



THE TRAYER. 

Lord Jesus Crrtst, who at Thy first coming didst send Thy 
Messenger to prepare Thy way before Thee; Grant that the ministers 
and stewards of Thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready 
Thy way, by tm-ning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of 
the just, that at Thy second coming to judge the "World, we may be 
found an acceptable people in Thy sight, who livest and reignest with 
the Father and the Holy Sriiiix, ever one God, "World without cud. 
Amen. 



XIV.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 135 



CHAPTER XIV. 



1 Herod's opinion of Christ. 3 Wherefore Jolin Baptist was beheaded. 13 Jesus 
departeth into a desert place : 15 where He feedeth five thousand men with five 
loaves and two fishes: 22 He ivalketh on the sea to His Disciples: 34 and landing 
at Gennesaret, healeth the sick hij the touch of the hem of His garment. 

1, 2 At that time Herod tlie tetrarcli heard of the fame of Jesus, 
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. 

At the " time" alluded to, our Saviour was performing His third great Ministe- 
rial Circuit of Galilee ; and the fame of His Miracles is found to have reached the 
ears of the Tetrarch. Herod had very recently been guilty of the murder of St. 
John Baptist, — under circumstances which the Evangelist proceeds to relate, but 
which will be found more fully given in St. Mark's Gospel, chap. vi. 17 to 29. 
That one who professed to disbelieve in the Resurrection, and the wonders of the 
unseen World, (a) should have been suddenly betrayed into the opinion here re- 
corded, will be felt to be a most remarkable and instructive circumstance. Herod 
confesses even that the body which is "sown in weakness" is to be "raised in 
poiver ;'" [U) for John Baptist, who in his life-time did no miracles, (c) is yet sup- 
posed by him to be the author of all "the mighty works" which Christ Himself 
performed. 

3, 4 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him 
in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said 
unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 

Elias rebukes Herod and Herodias with the same authority which he had for- 
merly exerted over Ahab and Jezebel.(d) St. Mark relates that Herodias "had a 
quarrel" against John Baptist in consequence, and would have slain him ; but that 
her paramour protected the stern preacher, and preserved his life.(e) It would 
seem from what follows that there came a day when he would have complied with 
her wishes had he dared; but was deterred from doing so by prudential considera- 
tions. 

5, 6 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the mul- 
titude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birth- 
day was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased 
Herod : 

" Before them:" — that Is, before Herod's " lords, high Captains, and chief estates 
of Galilee," to whom the Tetrarch had "made a Supper," — as St. Mark relates.(/) 
To dance before such a company was an vmmaidenly act ; and must have been re- 
garded by all present as immodest, — even as immoral. 

A very ancient English Writer, after pointing out that only two such celebra- 
tions of a birthday are recorded In Scripture, (that namely, of Pharaoh, and the 

la) Herod was a Sadducee. Compare St. Matth. xvi. 6, with St. Mark viii. 15. 
(6) 1 Cor. XV. 43. (c) St. John s. 41. ('/) 1 Kings xxi. 

(e) St. Mark vi. 20.— where see the note. (/) St. Mark vi. 21. 



136 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

present instance,) and further, that either was made an occasion of bloodshed, (;/) — 
suggests tliat inon ouglit rather to ubserve the day of their Birth with chaste and 
sober joy, than with feasting and luxury. 

7, 8 whereupon he proniiscd witli an oiitli to szlve her whatsoever she 
â– wouhl ask. And she, bein^^ before instructed of her mother, said. Give 
me here John Baptist's head in a charger. 

This does not mean that Salome (the daughter,) had been instructed heforcliand by 
Ilerodias; for that wicked woman cannot have foreseen the infatuation of her para- 
mour. Tlie Evangelist does but intend to say that before the maiden exacted of 
the King thi- fullilnient of his promise, " she Avent forth, and said unto her Mother, 
What shall I ask ?" — as St. IMark,(//) writing afterwards, will lie found in tliis place 
to explain. Tlie Reader is requested to refer to the note on the passage of St. Mark 
last cited, where some remarks are offered on the conduct of Ilerodias, which can- 
not be here repeated. 

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. 

See the note on St. Mark vi,26. 

10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 

This then was the end of the greatest who had ever been born of a woman ! Im- 
prisoned at the end of a Ministry of a single year's duration, in order to gratify the 
malice of a lustful woman: murdered, after two years of confinement, at the bid- 
ding of a dancing girl! Such are the instruments by which Almigutv Gon does 
not disdain to work out the wondrous ends of His Providence ! An old writer re- 
marks, — " Let each infer from this what thry shall suffer, whom He rejects ; if He 
allows such a fate to befoU those whom He loves." 

11, 12 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the 
damsel : and she brought it to her mother. And His disciples came, 
and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 

They found Him at Capernaum. He had, in fact, now returned from one of His 
great Ministerial Journej's: His Apostles also, from theirs, — the first which they 
had taken alone. At Capernaum they all met. It was the Spring of the year, — 
just twelve months before the Crucifixion. (/) 

The Header is referred to the notes on St. Mark vi. 28, 29, 30, for several addi- 
tional remarks. 

13 When Jesus heard of it, He departed thence by ship into a desert 
place apart : and wlien the people had heard thereof, they folloAved Him 
on foot out of the cities. 

St. Matthew seems to connect our Lord's crossing the Lake with the dismal 
tidings brouglvt Him l)y the Disciples of John. The two later Gospels convey a 
somewhat different notion of the transaction. See St. ]Mark vi. 30, 31, 32, and the 
notes there: also, St. Luke ix. 10. The little vessel had now reached the Western 
side of the Sea of Galilee: 

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved 
with compassion toward them, and lie healed their sick. 

The Reader is again referred to the later Gospel. In the note on St. Mark vi. 34 
some remarks will be found on the glorious picture of Ministerial zeal here exhibited. 

<fj) (}cne«iji .xl. 20 to 22. (h) Clinii. vi. 2 I. 

[{) iSco St. Ji)lm vi. 1, and tlic note tlicrc. 



XIV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S aOSPEL. 137 

15, 16, 17 And when it was evening. His Disciples came to Him, 
saying. This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the mul- 
titude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves 
victuals. But Jesus said unto them. They need not depart: give ye 
them to eat. And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, 
and two fishes. 

All this will be found exhibited, with many beautiful differences, in St. John's 
Gospel, — chap. vi. 5 to 9 ; where the Reader is requested to read the notes .... 
Consider how magnificently many of the events recorded concerning our Blessed 
Saviour cast their shadows far back into the past! Fifteen hundred years before 
the present transaction, Moses had said, — "The people, among whom I am, are six 
hundred thousand footmen ; and Thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they 
may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to sufiice 
them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them?" (A;) .... 
Seven centuries more elapse, and Elisha delivers a similar injunction to his 
Servitor, — "Give unto the people, that they may eat." To which, the other makes 
answer, — "AVhat, should I set this," (meaning twenty loaves of barley, )before an 
hundred men?"(/) 

For some observations on the 15th and 16th verses, the Reader is referred to the 
Commentary on St. Mark's Gospel, — chap. vi. 36, 37, 38. The Beloved Disciple 
proceeds, — "And Jesus said. Make the men sit down."(??i) From the present Gos- 
pel we learn that He prefaced that command by another: 

18 He said, Bring them hither to Me. 

This command was preliminary to an act concerning which a few words will be 
found offered in the notes on St. Luke ix. 16. 

19 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, 

"On the green grass," says St. Mark; [li) and St. John observes that "there was 
much grass in the place." (o) 

St. Mark(2^) and St. Luke(g) relate that they were distributed about "by compa- 
nies," — as the several Churches of the World are: yet, all one great company; — 
partakers all, of one and the same heavenly food, — all ministered to by the same 
Apostles, — all bound by the same tie to the same Divine Master! 

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. 

Impressed by the Hands of the Creator with a new property of growth and 
increase, the five barley loaves and two small fishes, when restored to the appointed 
instruments and channels of the Divine Bounty, were found to grow in their hands 
in exact proportion to the necessities of the multitude. (?•) A portion of the bread 
was no sooner broken off for distribution, than it became instantly replaced by a 
marvellous increase in the same part; and this went on, till the needs of all that 
vast assembly had been supplied. As it follows, — 

20 And they did all eat, and were filled : and they took up of the 
fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 

"And of the fishes," — as St. Mark adds, (chap. vi. 43, where see the note.) .... 
So that the quantity of bread which remained after the meal, far exceeded the origi- 
nal supply! "An apt symbol, this," (says a living Writer,) "of the Love which 

{k) 2 Numbers xi. 21, 22. {I) 2 Kings iv. 42, 43. {m) St. John vi. 10. 

(n) St. Mark vi. 39 : where sec the note. (o) St. John vi. 10. 

ij>) St. Mark vi. 39. {q) Luke ix. 14. 

{r) See the latter part of the note on St. John vi. 11. 



138 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

exhausts not itself by loving; hut, after all its outgoings upon others, itself abides 
far riclicr than it would liavo done but for these. Such a uuiltiiilying thero over is 
in a true dispcusiug." — IJishop Sanderson has a remark to the same effect, — ijuutcd 
in the note upon St. Mark vi. lo: and Archbislmp Sandys says, — "So it is with all 
thegrai-es and gifts of Gud. Tliey grow in the hands of him that spendeth; and in 
the coffers of him that eaveth, they waste." 

Several additional suggestions on this mj'sterious transaction, (for it is doubtless 
as full of mystery as of marvel.) will Ijo found in the note on St. John vi. 13. The 
Keader is also referred to the Oouuuentary on St. Luke's (Josjjel for some observa- 
tions on the present verse, which is almost repeated by St. Luke in chap. ix. 17. 

21 And they that bad eaten were about five thousand men, besides 
women and children. 

So that the number of those who partook of Ilis Royal Bounty will have 
amounted, in all, nearer to ien thousand than to Jive. Sec more in the note on St. 
John vi. 10; as well as on St. Mark vi. 44. 

22 And straightway Jesus constrained His Disciples to get into a 
ship, and to go before Ilim unto the other side, while He sent the mul- 
titudes away. 

To "send the multitudes away" was evidently more than a mere dismissal, as 
our Lord conducted it. There ajipcars to liave l)oen some solemnity attaching to 
the act, — whoth(M- in the way of Prayer or Benediction. The Discii»les arc found to 
have been unwilling to leave their Divine Master on this occasion, as will be found 
remarked elsewherc.(7) One reason why He constrained them to depart is supplied 
by the history of the present transaction, as given by St. John; from whose account 
it is gathere<l that our Lord must have already detected a growing disposition (m 
the part of the multitude '7o make Uim a Kia(/."{r) Very unequal to such atrial 
of their meekness and humility must the ardent followers of ^Messiah, at this time, 
have proved: tilled as they are known to have been, till a much later period, with 
hopes of an earthly Kingdom and a temporal Prince. 

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a 
mountain apart to pray : and when the evening was come, lie was there 
alone. 

The Keader is referred to some remarks wbicli have been already offered on this 
place of Scripture, in the notes on St. Mark vi. 40, 47. 

24 T5ut the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: 
for the wind was contrary. 

The ]a«t time (Jidt little vessel had been similarly endangered, its inmates had 
been IjIosslmI by the visible presence of tlicir J^okd. Thus had he trained them for 
the severer trial wliich now awaited them. 

And here it would be wrong to overlook the rare example of strenuous obodionco 
set us by these Imly men. Neither the fruitlessness of the task in whicli tliey were 
cngage<l, (for they liad Occ-u all ni;;lit rowing four or five milcs:)(.v) nor the terrors 
of the storm, (which were evidently great:) nor the severe labor in which they were 
actually engaged, (for "lie saw them loiliiif/ in rowing;") it) nor j'et tlieir strong 
desire to be with Christ, (for He had "constraineil His Disciples to get into the 
ship,") — noun of these things induced them to disobey His order that they should 
"go before Him unto the other aide." 

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, 
walkin;; on the sea. 



a 



(7) Soc the nolo on SL Murk vi. 45. Ir) St. .Tclin vi. 15. 

(») St. John vi. 19. (t) St. Murk vi. 48 



XIV.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 139 

It was now between three and six o'clock in the morning. Thus had our Lord 
by distress and danger inspired His Apostles with a more eager desire for His pre- 
sence ; while doubtless the events of the past day were brought before their memory 
in the liveliest manner by their sense of desertion, and consciousness of present 
need. "He cometh unto them," (St. Mark says,) "walking upon the sea; and 
would liave passed ly them." See St. Mark vi. 48, and the notes there. 

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. 

For it is ever thus. The trial increases, when it is about to be altogether 
removed: the conflict grows hotter, as it draws towards a close: the Night is 
darkest immediately before the dawn. When Calamity seems to have reached the 

lowest ebb, then is Relief ever most near at hand Consider, that it was 

not till "Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son,"{u) 
that "the Angel of the Lord called unto him out of Heaven." Then, and not 
before, was the ram discovered, "caught in a thicket by his horns;" — not till then 
did God, "because He could swear by no greater, swear by Himself, saying, Surely 
blessing I will bless thee!"(x-) .... "The water was spent in the bottle," — the 
child had been cast "under one of the shrubs," — Hagar had sat down expecting 
the death of the child, — had lifted up her voice and wept:(?/) all this had happened, 
ere the reprieve came forth from God .... Consider, above all, the history which 
is recalled by such passages as the following: — St. John xx. 11 to 17: St. Luke 
xxiv. 36 to 43. 

The Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark i. 14, for a remark which applies 
equally to the present occasion. 

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying. Be of good 
cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid. 

And so, doubtless. He speaks to all whom He visits with affliction, and severe 
trials of their Faith. Under bereavement, and every other calamity, — "It is I," 
He says: " be not afraid." 

The miracle which follows is peculiar to the present Gospel. St. Mark passes it 
over in silence, (z) for a reason already suggested in the note prefixed to his Gospel. 

28 And Peter answered Him and said. Lord, if it be Thou, bid me 
come unto Thee on the water. 

This was, virtually, a glorious acknowledgment of our Lord's Divine Power and 
Gonhead. He knew that Christ could, if He pleased, suspend the Laws of Nature, 
and make the unsteady waves stable as a rock beneath his feet. Accordingly, he 
claimed such a confirmation of the words, "It is I," as only Christ could furnish. 
Yet was the request made in no vain-glorious spirit, but in love. His request is not 
that He may be enabled to walk upon the waves: his prayer to Christ is, "Bid me 
come unto Thee^ 

And such a desire to he loith Christ, St. Peter often displayed. He professed his 
readiness to go with Him, "both into prison, and to death."(«) He followed Him 
into the High-Priest's Palace. (5) Into the Sepulchre he hastened, while St. John 
reverently halted at the entrance :(c) and he cast himself into the sea, to come to 
his Lord, when he beheld Him standing on the shore of the Lake, after His Resur- 
rection, (d) 

29 And He said, Come. 

" If Thou be the Son of God," (said the Tempter,) "command that these stones 
be made bread !"(e) "If Thou be the Son of God," (exclaimed the blaspheming 

{u\ Gen. xxii. 10. [x) Compare Hebrews vi. 13, with Gen, xxii. 16, 17. 

ly\ Gen. xxi. 15 to 17. {z) St. Mark vi. 50, 51. (a) St. Luke xxii. 33. 

\b\ St. Matt. xxvi. 58: St. Mark xiv. 54: St. Luke xxii. 54: St. John xviii. 16. 
(c) St. John XX. 6, &c. {d) St. John xxi. 7. (e) St. Matthew iv. 3. 



140 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP, 

Jews,) "como dovrn from the cross !"(/) "If Thou be CnnisT," (cried the male- 
fiictor Avhu \A-a.s oriicificd with Him,) ".save Thyself ami usl"(,'/) "Lord, if it be 
Thou," (answered Peter,) "bid me come unto Thee." All four required a sij^n : all 
four chose what the sign should be: but the first three, asked in Unbelief, — the last, 
asked in Faith. The words were similar in every instance: but the spirit in which 
thov were spoken was wholly ditlV-rent: whence it happened that silence or a rebuke 
followed in the case of those, — a gracious invitation, in the case of St. Peter. 
And this recalls a remark which was ofi'ered on St. Luke i. 20. 

Anil when Pctor was come down out of the ship, he walked on the 
water, to go to Jksus. 

Marvel 1 the first and the last of mortal men who was ever permitted to do the 
like! lie descended the ship's side in perfect faith. He planted his foot on the 
reelinfi; billow as if it had been a rock, — and it sustained him I So literally true 
proved those words of our Saviour Christ, — "He that bclieveth on Mc, the works 
that I do shall he do also!"(//) 

The ancients often remind us of the importance of miracles like this, not only 
"for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction,"((') to the early Church, 
but for confirming the Faith of the Apostles themselves. If Peter, — one of their 
number, — may walk upon the water at Gou's bidding, they need entertain no doubt 
that Christ Himself is "ver^ man," because they see Uim crossing the Lake as if 
it had been "a sea of glass like unto crystal. "(A) 

30 But when he saw the winds boisterous, he was afraid : and begin- 
ning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 

Compare the forwardness of the same Peter, at a subsequent period, to profess 
readiness to follow Christ ; yet failing and falling away in the hour of severest 
trial. (/) Then, it was by a look that Christ saved lum.(wi) On this occasion, we 
find that lie sustained Ilis Disciple with Ilis Hand. 

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught 
him, and said unto him, thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
doubt ? 

Observe, that our Saviour rebukes not the waves, nor the wind, — but him: and 
yet, not Itiin fir "coming," — but for "(Jotihtin;/." Moreover, the doubt is now 
passed: (""Wherefore didat thou douljt?") Already does Peter stand firmly upon 
the water! 

The act, and the occasion of it, find a striking parallel in what occurred with 
respect to tlic Storm on the Lake. See St. Matthew viii. 2G, and the note there. 
As long as Peter had Faith, he was secure: Avhon he began to doubt, he began to 
sink; — and but for the out-stretched Hand, and sustaining Arm of Christ, he 
would have iierished. Hence the Church bids us pray evermore that in all the 
"dangers and adversities" which may befall v.s while passing "the waves of this 
troublesome world," the Almighty and Fverlasting One would "s/rdch forth His 
Jiif/ht Hand to help and defend tis"{n) 

"But," (remarks an ancient Archbishop.) "as the Mother bears on her wings, 
and brings back to the nest her chick which has loft the nest before its time, and 
has fallen, so did CiiuisT." .... "When I said. My loot slippeth; Thy mercy, 
Lord, held nic upl"(") 

32 And when tlicy were come into the i^hip tlio wind ceased. 

"The IT/hJ,"— whicii had so terrified St. Peter, (see verse ^ I, ) as to cause his 
faith to fail. This time, instead of silencing the storm, our S.vvioiR taught St. 

( /■) .«t. Miitthcw xxvii. '10. (-7) St. Luko .\,\iii. .^9. (h) St. .Tolin xiv. 12. 

(I) 2 TiTii. iii. 10. (*•) Ruv. iv. 0. 

(/) .^t. I.tiko xxii. .^.^: St. .T.)lin xiii. r57. ('") S(, Luko xxii. f.l. 

(II) Collect for the Third Huuday nftcr Eiiiplinny. Couiimro the Collect for tin- Tliinl Sunday 
in Lent. (o) Ps. xciv. 18. 



XIV.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 141 



Peter, — and therehy, the rest of the Apostles, — that their safety depended upon 
being ivith Him. Till He had re-entered the ship, the storm ceased not. 

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, say- 
ing, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God. 

They seem to have had a faint perception of the Divine Nature of Him -with 
whom they had to do ;(jj) — "who treadeth upon the waves." (g) "Thou art the 
Son of God!" — for "Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and 
thy footsteps are not known."(}-) 

The ancient writers abound in beautiful remarks on this miracle. "In St. Peter," 
(says one,) "are figured both the strong and the weak: the strong, in that he walked 
upon the water: the weak, in that he doubted. Dost thou love Uod? Thou walkest 
on the sea. Dost thou love the world? It swallows thee up."(.s-) 

"We need not wonder," (remarks another,) "that the wind ceased when the Lord 
had entered into the boat ; for, in whatsoever heart the Lord is present by grace, 
there all wars cease."(0 — -^ third says, — "By this entrance of Christ into the boat, 
and the calm of the wind and the sea thereupon, is pointed out the eternal peace of 
the Church ; and that rest which shall be, after His future return in glory. Rightly 
do the Disciples cry out in wonder, "Truly Thou art the Son of (ion;" for then 
shall lie be confessed openly by all, in whom, now, some do not believe."(w) — "It 
is here conveyed to us,'^ (writes the Great Father of the West,) "that His Glory 
will then be made manifest ; seeing that now, they who walk by faith, see it only 
in a figure." 

34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gen- 
nesaret. 

This was the name of the district west of the Lake, where Capernaum, — in the 
direction of which city our Lord had directed His Apostles to proceed, (a,) — stood. 

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: 

St. Mark says, that 'â– 'â– they ran through that whole region round about; and beo-an 
to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard He was." "Afilic- 
tions," (remarks an English bishop,) "like goads in our sides, troublesome as they 
are, yet serve to quicken us in our work, and make us mend our pace to Heaven,"(//) 
— The Evangelist proceeds, "and whithersoever He entered, into villages, or cities, 
or country, tney laid the sick in the streets: "(2) 

36 and besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His 
garment : and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. 

Doubt not that the people of those parts had learned from the Woman who had 
been afilicted with a bloody issue, that healing virtue flowed abundantly from the 
very robes of Christ! 

But a higher subject for meditation is supplied by a comparison of this place with 
what is prophetically said of Christ's garments, in the 8th verse of 45th Psalm. 
In explanation of which passage. Bishop Horslcy remarks, — "The High-priest of 
the Jews was not sprinkled with a few scanty drops of the perfume of the Sanc- 
tuary ; but his person was so bedewed with it, that it literally ran down from his 
beard to the skirts of' his garments.^a) The High-priest of the Jews, in his robes of 
office, was in this, and in every circumstance, the living type of our Great High- 
Priest? .... the perfumed garments being typical, — first, of the graces and 

[p) For the difference between this Confession of Faith, and that other famous Confession 
recorded of St. Peter, see the note on St. Matt. xvi. 16. (</) Job ix. 8. 

(r) Ps. Ixxvii. 19. (s) Augustine. (t) Rabanus. («) Hilary. 

[x) St. Mark vi. 45: St. John vi. 17. See also ver. '/2, [y) Up. Hopkins, 

(z) St. Mark vi. 55, 56. (a) Ps. csxxiii. 2. 



142 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

virtues of the Redeemer Himself in His liuman character ; secondly, of whatever 
is refreshing:, cncuuraginj^, ounsnlinj; and chcorin<; in the external ministration of 
the Word, and thirdly, of the internal comforts of the lIoLV Spirit." 



THE PRAYER. 

ALMKIIITY and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infir- 
mities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth Thj right 
hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Curist our Loud. Amen. 



XV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 143 



CHAPTER XV. 



3 Christ reproveth the Scribes and Pharisees for transgressing God's Commandments 
through their men Traditions: 11 teacheth how that which goeth into tlie mouth doth 
not defile a man. 21 He healeth the Daughter of tlie Woman of Canaan, 30 and 
other great imdtitudes: 32 and ivith seven loaves atid a few little fishes feedeth four 
thousand men, beside women and children. 

1, 2 Theint came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees, -whicli were of 
Jerusalem, saying. Why do Thy Disciples transgress the Tradition of 
the Elders ? for they Wash not their hands when they eat bread. 

These two verses should be compared with the first eight of St. Mark vii. — where 
they will be found expanded in a very interesting manner. 

"The fame of Jesus had now become so great as to attract the particular notice 
of the most learned men of the nation, the Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem ; 
who appear to have thought it worth while to come down from thence into Galilee, 
to watch His proceedings." Take notice that in reply to the inquiry of these Hypo- 
crites why the Disciples transgressed the Traditioti of the Elders, — our Lord demands 
of them why, by that very Tradition of theirs, themselves transgressed the Com- 
mandment of GOD; guarded as it was by that awful injunction, — "Ye shall not 
add unto the Word which I conunand you, neither shall ye diminish aught from 
it."(«) As it follows, — 

3, 4 But He answered and said unto them, Why do ye also trans- 
gress the Commandment of God by your Tradition? For God com- 
manded, saying, Honour thy Father and Mother : and, He that curseth 
Father or Mother, let him die the death. 

The former of these two places of Scripture will be found in Exodus xs 12 and 
Dent. V. 16: the latter, in Exodus xxi. 17 and Levit xx. 9. 

5, 6 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to Ms Father or Ms Mother, 
It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me : and honour 
not his Father or his Mother, he shall he free. Thus have ye made the 
Commandment of God of none effect by your Tradition. 

Kather, — "But ye say. If any one says to his Father or to his Mother, the thing 
whereby I might have benefited you is an Ofi"ering [dedicated to God, — he is bound 
to keep his vow:] and need not honour his Father or his Mother." For an explana- 
tion of this, the reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark vii. 13. 

7, 8, 9 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying. This 
people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with 
their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do wor- 
ship Me, teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men. 

(a) Deut. iv. 2: with which compare Deut. xii. 32; and see Rev. xxii. 18. 



144 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

The quotation is from Isaiah xxix. 13: and the surprisinji; discovery is made that 
these -words, spoken more than seven hundred years V)efore, had a prupliotii-al appli- 
cation to the Jews of our Saviolk's l>ay, no less than to the men who lived in the 
time of the Prophet. As it is said in verse 7, — "Well did Esaiaa prophesy of you." 

10 And He called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and 
understand : 

He turns away from the stifT-necked Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem, whom 
lie had put to silence; and calls the multitude to Ilim, — arousinp; their attention to 
the Diictrine which lie was about to deliver, with the words, — "Hear and 
understand:" — 

11 Not that which gocth into the mouth defileth a man ; but that 
"which Cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 

The truth which He here so briefly delivered, will be found expanded in verses 
17 to 20: concerning which, see the notes on St. Mark vii. IG. 

12 Then came His Disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest Thou 
that the Pharisees "were oflfended, after they heard this saying ? 

Consider the note on verse 10. — For the "offence" which our Lord's words were 
to the Pharisees, see what has been said on St. Matth. xi. G. 

13 But He ans"\vered and said. Every plant, "fthich My heavenly 
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 

The reference is to Doctrine, — which is often spoken of in Scripture under a simi- 
lar image: as in the Parable of the Sower. "What He intends, then, by a plant 
not planted of Ilis Father," says an ancient Archbishop, "is, that Tradition of 
men, under cover of which the Law luul been transgressed." 

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the 
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 

15 Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this 
Parable. 

IG, 17, 18, 19 And Jesus said. Are ye also yet without under- 
standing ? Do not ye yet understand that whatsoever cntcreth in at 
the mouth gocth into the belly, and is cast out into the drauglit ? But 
those things "which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; 
and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, 
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies : 

Which enumeration will be perceived, in at least five particulars, to follow the 
order of the Conimandments of the Second Talde. Some remarks will be found in 
the note on St. Mark vii. 21 and 22, on tiiis instructive passage. 

20 these are tJie thiui/swKidi defile a man: but to eat with unwashen 
hands defileth not a man. 

This weighty Discourse ended, an incident of the most affecting beauty and in- 
terest follows : — 

21, 22, 23 Then Jr:srs "went thence, and departed into the coasts of 
Tyre antl ISidon. And, beliold, a woman of Canaan came out of the 
same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, LoRD, 
Thou Son of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 
But he answered her not a word. 



XV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 145 

"A woman of Canaan!" — so that there were even yet lingering in the land, 
Q'The Land of Canaan,")(h) traces of its occupants in the days of Abraham. (c) 
This woman was also living within the territory of the ancient people; for "the 
border of the Canaanites was from Sidon,"(fZ) — which City was mentioned in ver. 
21; and she "came out of the same coasts." It had been commanded the Isra- 
elites, in the days of Moses, indeed, — " Of the Cities of these people, which the 
Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that 
breatheth ;"(e) — but they disobeyed God.(/) "And it came to pass, when Israel 
was strong, they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly ' drive them 
out. . . . Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of . . . Zidon; . . . but the 
Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the Land, for they did not 
drive them out."((/) — In St. Mark's Gospel, (/?) this woman is called " a Greek, a 
Syrophenician by nation." Her passionate cry to the Soti of David, by the way, 
is not there recorded, but only what took place in the House ; whether our Saviour 
betook Himself, partly, as it would seem, in order to escape this Woman's impor- 
tunity. 

Take notice how the Mother, asking Health for her Child, feels that she is asking 
a favour for hei-self: — "Have mercy," she says, " on me.'" And so, lower down, 
in verse 25. With which saying of hers, compare the language of the Father of 
the lunatic child, in St. Mark ix. 22. 

"Strange!" (remarks a good man,) "that a miserable suppliant should cry and 
sue, while the God of Mercy is speechless. What! Is the fountain of Mercy dried 
up? We have often found cause to wonder at the Saviour's words ; but never till 
now at His silence." 

And his Disciples came and besought Him, saying, Send her away ; 
for she crieth after us. 

What they meant by " Send her away," — was " Grant her her petition:" whence 
it follows, — 

24 But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep 
of the House of Israel. 

In strict conformity with which declaration. He had commanded the Twelve, — 
" Go not into the way of the Gentiles ; . . . but go rather to the lost slieep of the 
Souse of I$rael."(J') Our Lord had probably not overstepped the confines of the 
Holy Land, but had come into "the coasts," or "borders," of Tyre and Sidon; 
and this Woman had come "out of the same coasts," to the place where He was. 

Concerning delayed answers to Prayer, the Reader is referred to what has been 
written on St. Matthew vii. 8. The line of conduct pursued by our Lord towards 
this poor supplicant is doubtless meant to be full of Heavenly teaching to ourselves. 
Take notice, then, how He is pleased to try her Faith ; and, for a season, to "make 
as though He heard not !"(/»;) 

25 Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, help me. 

The scene, as already hinted (at the end of the note on verse 22,) — and as more 
fully explained in the note on St. Mark vii. 26, — is no longer the road-side; but is 
here changed to the interior of the House whither our Lord had withdrawn. Take 
notice how this pious creature perseveres in the language of her former petition : 
"Lord, help me." It is, (says an ancient Writer,) "because the afiiiction of the 
Daughter is the affliction of the Mother." 

26 But He answered and said. It is not meet to take the children's 
bread, and to cast it to dogs. 

Noiv, He answers: for "He speaks to us when we worship," — silent till then, as 
though He heard not. 

So, she cries loudly after Him, (ver. 22,) and He^makes no reply. The Disciples 

(5) Numbers xxxiv. 2. (c) See Genesis xii. 6, and xiii. 7. {d) Gen. x. 19. 

e) Deut. XX. 16. (/) See Psalm cvi. 34 to 41. 

g'] Judges i. 28, .31, 32. Compare Joshua xvii. 12, 13 : also xvi. 10. 
h) St. Mark vii. 26, — where see the note. (i) St. Matthew x. 6. (fc) Ps. xxviii. 1. 

10 



4G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

intercedo for her, (ver. 24,) and they are refused. She petitions fur herself, 
(ver. 25,) and sho meets with a repulse. Yet, in spite of all, she perseveres! As 
it follows, — 

27 And she said, Truth, Lord : yet the dogs eat of the crumbs 
which fall from their Master's table. 

Her reply is as bold as it is beautiful. She retorts upon her Lord ; — wielding 
against llini, in her loving earnestness, the very wea])on which was to have over- 
come her: entangling Ilini in His own language, by proving that the image which 
He had employed, made unansweralily in favour of her suit. Siie seems to say, 
with the patriarch of old, — " I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me!"(Z) And 
forget not tliat she wrestled ici/h the aclf-samc Person; even with the eternal Son: 
that Jacob, no less than the "Woman of Canaan, "wept and made supplication unto 
Uiin:\,H) 

See more in the note on St. Mark vii. 28. "Learn also, hence, that Cuuist puts 
the strongest Faith of His own children upon the severest trials. The Trial had 
never been so sharp, if her Faith had not been so strong. Usually, whore God 
gives much grace, lie tries grace much." .... "For," (as it is written,) "unto 
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required : and to whom men have 
committed much, of him they will ask the more."(«) 

28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, -woman, great in tliy 
Faith : 

"Great is thy Importunity," — some would have said: others, — "Great is thy 
Humility." But our Saviour says, "Great in i\\y Faltk.'" He sees the root: we 
the branches. The Header is referred to the last note on St. Luke vii. 

A pious writer points out that she does as our Saviour Christ did, when He 
wrought out our Salvation with "prayers and supplications with strong crying and 
tears :"(c) "and now, beholding Himself, as it Avcre, in this woman, and seeing 
though not the same, yet like the fervour and perseverance as His, He approves it, 
as a piece of His own coin, and sets His impress upon it. 

be it unto thee even as thou â– wilt. And her Daughter was made 
whole from that very hour. 

" Learn hence, that nothing is so pleasing unto CnniST, as to see His people fol- 
lowing Him with Faith and Importunity, when he seems to withdraw from tlicm." 

"We may observe that we have three ascending degrees of Faith, manifesting 
itself in the breaking through of hinderances, which would keep from Cuuist : in 
the Paralytic, (p) — the Blind men at Joricho,(7) — and this "\V\iman of Canaan. The 
Paralytic broke through the outward hinderance of things merely external: blind 
Bartinuvus througli tlie hinderance opposed by his fellow men: and this woman, 
mure licroically than all, tlirough ap[iarent hinderance even from Chiust lliinsclf. 
These, in their seeming weakness, were the three mighty ones, not of David, but of 
David's Sou ; wiio broke through the hosts of the enemy, until they could di"aw 
living water from the Well of Salvation.''(r) So far Mr. Treiich. 

Such tlien, is tlic Alniightincss of Faith, — (wliich, as we know, can move Moun- 
tains ;)(.v) and, sucli tlie Abniglitiness of Prayer! For, (as our Loru Himself has 
declared,) "Lvery one that askcth, rcccivdh ; and he that secketh,y//i(/c//i / and to 
him that knocketh, it shall be opeiicd.^Xf) Bclai/, on the part of Gon, is no token of 
Denial. He will liave us iinjmrtunatc; and hath delivered more tlian one ])arablo 
" to tills end, — that men o\iglit always to pray, and not to faint. ''(") See what has 
already been written on this subject, in the notes on St. Matthew vii. 7 and 8. 

(/) (icnusis xxxii. 20: eoncorning which luyutorious wrestling take notice of what is said by 
the |in>|iiict ]Iii.sca xii. .3, 4. 

(i/i) Honcii xii. â– !. For it in nihiiittcd l<y Divinoa tliat in the form of a created An;;cl, it was 
none oilier than the Second Person iu the l!le.'<.'<ed Titisirv who aiipcarcd to Aliraliaiii, Jacob, 
Mo«o.i, MiiniiMir.s wife, Ac. (») i^t. Luke xii. -18. [<i\ Hclircw!* v. 7. 

{ ],) St. Murk ii. 4. ('/) St. Mark x. 48. (r) 2 Sam. xxiii. 10. 

(») 1 Cor. xiii. 2; where St. Paul allinlcH to the wordH of CuuiST recorded in 6t. Matthew 
xvii. 211. (0 St. Matthew vii. 8. 

(u) St. Luke xviii. 1 to 8, and xi. 5 to 10. 



XV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 147 

For a few further remarks, see the note on St. Mark vii. 29 : and observe how 
this idolatrous "woman of Canaan," and the Gentile Centurion, become patterns 
of Faith to the Children of the Kingdom !(x) Yet should it be observed that even 
her exceeding Faith procured for her no exemption from fleshly trials. The heaviest 
of afflictions is therefore no proof of the Divine displeasure. Rather let us learn 
what is the true office of Divine chastisement from the present History ; duly noting 
how it may be made to " work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
Glory."(^) 

29 And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the Sea of 
Galilee ; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 

Our Saviour is found to have been at this time on the Eastern side of the Lake; 
for St. Mark says that, "departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, He 
came through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis."(2) 

30, 31 And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those 
that ivere lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them 
down at Jesus' feet ; and He healed them : insomuch that the multi- 
tude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be 
whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see : and they glorified the 
God of Israel. 

One case of .Healing which happened at this time is specified by St. Mark ; the 
miraculovis cure, namely, which was performed on "one that was deaf, and had an 
impediment in his speech." (a) The unmeasured astonishment of the people at these 
wondrous displays of supernatural power is also noticed by the second Evangelist. 

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 nothing to eat : 

" After two days He will revive us : in the third day He will raise us up, and 
we shall live in His sight," — says the prophet.(6) Take notice that it is " Com- 
passion" which He feels towards the multitude ; the same sentiment which, in the 
ancient Scriptures also, is so affectingly ascribed to God : as in Isaiah xlix. 15 : 
Jeremiah xii. 15 : Micah vii. 19. This is what He felt towards the untended sheep 
of His pasture, (c) — towards those who brought their sick to Him for cure,(fZ) — 
towards the Leper, (e) — towards the blind men at Jericho, (/) — towards the Demo- 
niac of Gadara(j/) — and towards the widow of Nain.(7i) " Compassion" is ascribed 
also, in certain of the parables, to those who represent Christ, — as in St. Matth. 
xviii. 33 : in St. Luke s. 33 _; and in sv. 20. Whence it happens that St. Peter, 
exhorting Christians to the imitation of Christ, says, — " Be ye all of one mind, 
having compassion one of another. (z) 

and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 

Doubtless, both miracles of feeding, — {that performed for the relief of the Five 
Thousand, and this for the relief of the Four,) — were typical of the Sacramental 
Feast, in which the True Bread is given to souls famishing in tliis World's Wilder- 
ness, " lest they faint in theicayl" — See more in the notes on St. John vi. 4. 

33 And His Disciples say unto Him, Whence should we have so 
much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude ? 

On reading this, we are ready enough, — too ready, it may be, — to exclaim at the 
slowness of heart which could so soon forget how the same Lord had so recently 
" spread a table for them" in the same Wilderness. But are we not hereby re- 

(x) Compare St. Matthew viii. 10, with the present place. 

{y) 2 Cor. iv. 17. Iz) St. Mark vii. 31. (a) St. Mark vii. 32. 

"  ' C) St. " -.---- 



h) Hosea vi. 2. (c) St. Matth. ix. 36. {d) St. Matthew xiv. 14. 

e) St. Mark i. 41. (/) St. Matthew xx. 34. {g) St. Mark v. 19. 

h) St. Luke vii. 13. (i) 1 St. Peter iii. 8. 



148 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

mindcil of our own conduct in every frc.«h case of doubt, difficulty, and danp;cr? 
Arc not tlio furnier niercit's fi)r<;ut : and the Providence and Power, uf wliieli we 
have experienced so many iiroofs, alt<if;ethcr overlooked and mistrusted? It liath 
ever been, it will ever be, thus. " He smote the stony Rock indeed, that the water 
gushed out, and the streams flowed withal : but can lie give bread also, or provide 
flesli fur His people ?"(A) 

In the meantime, two typical passages in Old Testament History may not here 
be overlooked. The first will be found in Numbers xi. 22, — where Moses replies 
to the Ai,MKiHTY much in the spirit of the Apostles on the present occasion. The 
second occurs in 2 Kings iv. 43, where Elisha's servitor expresses perplexity at 
having to feed an hundred men with twenty barley loaves. 

34 And Jesus saitli unto them, How many loaves have ye ? And 
they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 

The purpose of this questioning was doubtless to awaken in the Disciples a 
thorough sense of their need, and to call their attention to the Miracle which 
He was about to perform. 

"Bread" and " Fish !" — the materials of the former Miracle of feeding; and the 
food mentioned in St. Matthew vii. 9, and 10: St. Luke xi. 11. It was with such 
fiire also that Ciiiust received tlie Seven Apostles, after His Resurrection, — as St. 
John records in the 'Jth verse of his last chapter. 

35, 36, 37, 38 And lie commanded tlic multitude to sit down on 
the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave 
thanks, and brake the77i, and gave to His Disciples, and the Disciples 
to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took 
up of the broken 7}ie(it that was left, seven baskets full. And they that 
did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. 

Most of the remarks which the present wondrous narrative suggests, have been 
already (jflfercd in connection with the miraculous feeding of the Five Thousand ; 
to which the foregoing History bears so striking and singular a resemblance. The 
Reader is therefore referred to tiic notes on St. Matthew xiv. 15 to 21 : St. Mark vi. 
35 to 44: St. Luke ix. 12 to 17 : and St. John vi. 3 to 14. 

Concerning the present Miracle, several additional remarks will be found in the 
notes on St. Mark viii. 1 to 9. 

39 And He sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into 
the coasts of Magdala. 

Or, as it is in St. Mark's Gospel, "the parts of Dalmanutha,''(0 — the district, 
namely, to the South of Capernaum, and tJiercforc on the Western shore of the 
Lake. 

The great Father of the West has an admirable remark on all that has gone be- 
fore : — " Surely," he says, " it will not be out of place to suggest upon this Mira- 
cle, that if any of the Evangelists who had not given the IMiracle of the Five 
Loaves had related this of the Seven Loaves, he Avould have been supposed to have 
contradicte<l the rest. But because those who have related the one, nave also re- 
lated the other, no one is puzzled; but it is understood at once that they were two 
separate Miracles. This wi' have pointed out, in order that whenever any thing is 
found done l)y the Loun, wherein the acL-ounts of any two Evangelists seem irrecon- 
cileable, we may understanil them as two distinct occurrences; of which one is 
related by one Evangelist, and vnc by another." 

(A) Psalm Ixxviii. 21. (1) St. Mark viii. 10. 



XVI.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 149 



CHAPTER XVI, 



1 The Pharisees require a sign. 6 Jesus warneth His Disciples of the leaven of 

the Pharisees and Sadducees. 13 TJie people's opinion of Christ. 16 And Pe- 

ter^s confession of Him. 21 Jesus foreslioiveth His Death, 23 reproving Peter 

for dissuading Him from it. 24 And admonishing those that will follow Him, to 
hear the Cross. 

1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting, de- 
sired Him that He would show them a sign from Heaven. 

The Pharisees and ScrHbes had already made the same demand of our LoRD.(a) 
Here we find the former sect conspiring with their rivals, the Sadducees, to ensnare 
the Holy One. Take notice what readiness is found in those who are opposed to 
each other(6) in every thing else, to combine for an unholy purpose,— to unite in 
their common hostility against the Truth. Herod and Pontius Pilate are "made 
friends," when the Lord of Glory is to be Crucified.(c) The Stoics and Epicureans 
can unite in order to encounter St. Paul.(r?) Something similar is witnessed at 
the present day in the unholy alliance which is ever and anon formed against the 
Church of these Realms by the various sects, whether of home or foreign growth, 
which are (wisely) tolerated among us. Even the unbeliever is hailed as a wel- 
come ally, when the Church of Christ is the object of active enmity. 

Concerning the " sign from Heaven" required by these evil men, the Reader is 
referred to the notes on St. Matthew xii. 38, and St. Mark viii. 11. They desired 
to see Manna descend,(e) or the Sun stand still, (/) or thunder and rain appear, (</) 
or fire come down from Heaven ;(/0 or again, that the shadow should return back- 
ward ten degrees. (t) But, — 

2, 3 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, 
It will be fair weather ; for the sky is red :_ and in the morning, It ivill 
he foul weather to-day ; for the sky is red and lowering. ye hypo- 
vvites, ye can discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern the 
aigns of the times ? 

It is well remarked by a living writer, — " Our Lord calls them ' Hypocrites,' 
because they pretended a desire to be satisfied as to His being the Christ, while 
they were really determined not to acknowledge Him as such." See what has been 
said on this subject in the note on the last part of St. Mark viii. 11 ; and on St. 
Mark viii. 15. 

" The signs of the times," or rather, " of the Seasons,"— clearly _ denote those 
many indications which a watchful and attentive spirit might have discovered that 
" the fullness of Time" had arrived, and that the Reign of Messiah was, at last, 
actually at hand. The preaching of the Baptist, (the promised Elijah,)— His own 
Miracles,— and the unexpected fulfillment in Himself of so many dark places of 

(a) St. Matthew xii. 38. (&) Consider Acts xxiii. 6 to 10. 

(c) St. Luke xxiii. 12.— 1 Cot. ii. 8. {d) Acts xvii. 18. (e) Exodus xvi. 4. 15. 

t/) Joshua X. 12, 1.3. (^) 1 Sam. xii. 16 to 18. (/;) 2 Kings i. 10, 12. 
[i) 2 Kings xx. 10, 11. 



150 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Prophecy,— were perhaps the chief things to •which the Blessed Speaker may be 
thought to have alluded. He proceeds, — 

4 A wicked and adulterous generation secketh after a sign; and 
there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonas. 

•' This saying, St. Matthew lias already given ;(/.) whence we may store up for 
our inlurnia'tion that the Lonn spoke the same thing many times. Where there 
are contradictions, therefore, which cannot he explained, it may be understood that 
the same sayings were uttered on two different occasions." So far, an ancient 
Father. See tlie note on St. Mark viii. 12. — Strange, that the sign of Ilis Resur- 
rection oftcnest insisted upon by our Blessed Lord, — the only one to wliich lie 
condescended to appeal, — had been exhibited by the first of the Prophets! 

St. Mark introduces these sayings of our Lord, "(which, however, he gives far 
more briefly,) with the statement that " lie sighed deeply in His Spirit. "(0 ^^ith 
the deepest sorrow, we may be sure, were the words spoken. After which, it is 
solemnly added, — 

And He left them, and departed. 

That is, He embarked with His Disciples ; and crossing the Northern part of 
the Sea of dalilec, repaired to the Eastern shore, — the scene of his two recent 
miracles of feeding. See the notes on St. Mark viii. 13 and 14, concerning this 
and the next verse. 

5 And when Ilis Disciples were come to the other side, they had 
forgotten to take bread. 

In which statement, (remarks an ancient writer.) " it should lie observed how 
far the Disciples were from any longing for luxuries, when they took so small care 
even for the very necessaries of life." 

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven 
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 

His Human Soul was yet filled with heavy thoughts concerning the hard-hearted 
persons with whom He had so recently had to do. Not so the Disciples. Their 
hearts soared not, like His. The mention of " leaven" suggested to them nothing 
bcv(md the notion of bodily food, and anxiety concerning the scanty supply of 
bread witli Avhich they had set out from home. 

Full of deep meaning, we may be sure, Avas this caution concerning " leaven" 
on our Saviolu's lips. Consider how it had been threatened in the ancient Law, 
that whosoever of the people ate leavened bread at certain seasons, " that soul 
should be cut off from Israel. "(»') And was it not the true Israel, — the Israel of 
God, — to whom the language of the text was addressed ? . . . See more in the note 
to St. Mark viii. 15, 

7, 8 And they reasoned among themselves, saying. It is because we 
have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, He said unto 
them, 

Ilather, — " And Jesus, knowing it, said to them,"(n)— 

ye of little faith, why reason yc among yourselves, because yc 
have brought no bread V 

" They were perplexed about the meaningof their Master's saying, and imagined 
that He intended by it to caution thorn against supplying their present want with 
such leavened bread as had been made by any Pliarisee or Saddueee. Wc are told 
that the Jews had religious f-cniiles about tlie jiersons from wlxun they got their 
leaven ; and in particular that they would not take it from a lioathen, or even a 
Samaritan. This may account for the mistake of the Disciples. It appears further 



i 



;•) St. Mntth. xii. 39. (0 St. Mnrk viii. 12. (hi) Exodus xii. 15. 

n) ConctTiiijig which words sec the note on St. Mark ii. 8. 



XVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 151 

that -while they thought they were cautioned against procuring bread made with 
the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they were at the same time troubled 
as to what they should do for the want of bread •/' having brought with them only 
only one loaf.(r>) So far an excellent modern Commentary(jj) .... Our Lord 
proceeds, — 

9, 10 Do ye not yet understanci, neither remember the five loaves of 
the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? neither the 
seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up ? 

From St. Mark's Gospel, we discover that the Blessed Speaker paused at the 
end of each inquiry, and obtained from the lips of His Disciples an admission that 
the number of the baskets was on one occasion " Twelve," on the other " Seven."(2) 
The difference in the kind of basket which was employed to contain the super- 
fluities of either meal, is marked with great exactness in the original Greek. Our 
Saviour proceeds, — 

11 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 ? 

He required at their hands that they should " understand" the deep spiritual 
meaning which attached to His Divine words : reproved them for taking literally 
the words which He had spoken in a mystical sense. See the note on St. Mark 
viii. 21. One of the ancients remarks, — " that you may learn what force Christ's 
reproof had upon His Disciples, and how it roused their sluggish spirit, hear 
what says the Evangelist:" 

12 Then understood they how that He bade tJiem not beware of the 
leaven of bread, but of the Doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sad- 
ducees. 

" Yet He had not interpreted this to them," proceeds the same rather.(r) " This 
instruction of our Lord, therefore, drew them away from Jewish observances, and 
made them attentive instead of careless, and raised them out of their little faith ; 
that whenever they should seem to have but small provision of bread, they might 
have no fear about food, but might despise all such things." 

Concerning the use of the term " Leaven" in this place, and the reason of it, 
enough has been said in the note on St. Mark viii. 15. The spreading and trans- 
forming influence of a little leaven, gives a lively notion of the importance of 
attending anxiously to the beginnings, whether of good or evil, in ourselves. Men 
have often traced the altered complexion of a whole life to a single conversation, — 
sometimes to a single saying. " A little leaven," (as the great Apostle hath tivice 
remarked,) " leaveneth the whole lump."(*) The Enemy knows this well, and 
therefore plies us with suggestions to commit little sins. 

Our Blessed Lord, having wrought a wondrous miracle at Bethsaida Julias, (a 
different town from the Bethsaida commonly mentioned,) (?)— which miracle, St. 
Mark alone of all the Evangelists describes, («) — proceeded in a Northerly direc- 
tion, still keeping on to the East of the River Jordan, until we find him arriving 
among "the towns," or, as St. Matthew expresses it, "the parts," (here rendered 
" the coasts,") of CfBsarea Philippi.(x) Hard by was Dan, which the proverbial 
expression " from Dan to Beersheba" indicates as the most northerly point of the 
Holy Land. The Reader will find more on this subject in the note on St. Mark 
viii. 27. 

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Csesarea Philippi, 

— "it came to pass, as He was alone, praying. His Disciples were with Him; 
and,"(y)- 

(o) St. Mark viii. 14. (^3) By Archdeacon Hale and Bishop Lonsdale. 

(2) St. Mark viii. 19, 20, where see the note. ('â– ) Chrysostom. 

( s) 1 Cor. V. 6, and Gal. v. 9. (0 See the note on St. Mark viii. 21. 

hi) St. Mark viii. 22 to 26. 

[x) Concerning Csesarea Philippi, seo the note on St. Mark viii. 27. (»/) St. Luke ix. 18. 



152 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

He asked His Disciples, saying, "Whom do men say that I, the Son 
of Man, am ? 

Concernino; the title which our Blessed Lord here, and on so many other occasions 
as.'<uuied to lliiiisclf, the Header is referred to -wliat has been written in the note on 
St. Matthew viii. 20. . . . " Thou, — the Sun of ^lau, and therefore A'ery Man," — 
(it seems to be implied by the confession which folluwed,) "art the Sox of tue 
LIVING God, and tlierefore Very God:" wliich was a full recognition of the Incar- 
nate Jehovah, — the Great Mystery of the Gospel. . . . In the meantime the Apos- 
tles proceed to answer the question of their Lord : — 

14 And they said, Some sai/ that Thou art John the Baptist : some, 
Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the Prophets. 

The Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark viii. 28, concerning this reply. 

15 lie saith unto them. But whom say ye that I am ? 

Rather, — " But ye, whom say ye that I am ?".... From which two questions 
of our Lord, (observes an excellent writer,) (2) " it is evident tliat neither to the mul- 
titude, nor to the Disciples, had lie declared Himself to be the Christ ; and like- 
wise, that the Faith which lie would elicit from the Disciples was different from 
that held by the multitude around. lie had not told them, save by that Voice of 
God which speaks within; and 'by the cords of a man,'((0 by which Ilo drew 
them on to this, the very consummation and crown of all. It was for this, lie had 
been with them thus long. It was (or this, that lie had chosen them: for this, 
that lie had ordained them. For fftis, lie had made tlicm witnesses of so many 
Miracles: liad explained to them His Paralilcs: had rejiroved their slowness of 
understanding ; that they might come to the knowledge of the Sox of God. For 
' this is Life Eternal, — that they might know Thee, the Only True God, and Jesus 
Christ, whom Thou hast sent.' "(//) 

Take notice, that this inquiry is addressed to them all : the whole Apostolic body 
is questioned ; and St. Peter, in making reply, answers in behalf of the rest, as he 
had already done, once before. (r) The Fathers point out that he speaks as the 
mouthpiece of the Apostles, — as their leader, {"first, Simon," it is said in a certain 
place,) ('0 — fis the most ardent and forward of the Twelve. 

IG And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the CnniST, the 
Son of the living God. 

There must certainly have been something in this Confession which implied a 
truer recognition of the Divine Nature of Christ than was contained in any of 
those other confessions, — glorious and adequate as they may at lirst appear, — 
•which arc found in ditferent parts of the Gospel : else could it never have called 
forth such words of si)ccial commendation. Strange to say, however, St. Peter had 
already (at Capernaum) professed tlic common Faith of himself and his fellow-Disci- 
ples in the self-same 1'onn of words which he liere employs: — ""NVe believe and are sure 
that Tliou art tlie C'URIST, the SOX of the Liciny GOV."{c) The words may be 
the same, however, and yet the intention of the speaker may be very different, ut 
different times ;( /) and it is impossible not to suspect that it was so licro. AVhen 
tlieform of Cunfessiuu diilers, it is obvious to suspect a difference of intention. 
Natlianael's words, for instance, — " Thou art the Sox of God ; Thou art the King 
of Israel :"(^) the s])eech of the Discij.les in the .ship,— " Of a truth, Tiioii art the 
Sox of God :"(/<) the profesnion of Martiia,— " I believe that Thou art the Christ, 
the Sox of God, whicli should come into the world :"(i) all tliose may well be 
thouglit to be only iioldor methods of expressing what the woman of Canaan, and 
th«! two blind men of Jericiio intended, when they cried to our Saviour, saying, 
"Have mercy on us, O Lord, Tliou Son of David ;"(A) language which did indeed 
imply that Jesus of Nazaretli was, in thi; speakfr's opinion, tlie promised Messiah; 
but which was yet consistent with the belief that lie was but an Earthly Deliverer, and 

iz) Rev. T«iiac Willianig, Ut) Iloocn xi. 1. [h) Pt. John xvii. ?>. 

r) St. John vi. C'J. id) St. Miitlhcw x. 2. (A St. Jchn vi. 6$>. 

/) Siu tlic iii>te on St. Luke i. 20. (./) St. John i. Vi. (A) St. Mullb. xiv. 33. 

»■) St. John xi. 27. (A) St. Matthew xv. 22; and xx. 31. 



XVI.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 153 



a Temporal Prince. In this recognition of Christ as " the Son of the living God," 
however, it seems to be implied that He was the Only-Begotten of Ilim with whom 
is "the Well of Life:"(Z) concerning Whom it is empliatically declared that He 
"lweth;"(m) and therefore, (as it is said in the Creed,) that He was "God of God, 
Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten not made, being of one substance 
witk the FATHER," .... Accordingly it follows,— 

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art tliou, Simon 
Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My 
Father which is in Heaven. 

That is, " Simon son of Jona ;" as it is said in St. John i. 42 : by which name 
also our Lord thrice addressed the same Apostle after His Resurrection. (?() It has 
been well remarked by one of the Ancients that there would be little meaning in 
this mode of address on the present occasion, unless we suppose that the Divine 
Speaker thereby intended to show that Christ is as naturally the Son of God, as 
Simon was the Son of Jonas ; that is, of the same substance as He that begat Him. 

St. Peter, like St. Paul, had " not conferred -with, fiesh and hlood:"{o) that is, hu- 
man lips had not been his instructors in the great mystery of the Gospel ; neither had 
the suggestions of Natural Reason guided him to the discovery of so great a truth. 
But he had derived his teaching directly from God Himself: and in this consisted 
his " blessedness." — Our Lord proceeds, 

18 And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will 
build My Church : 

" Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the World."(l>) The 
present hour had been accordingly foreseen by our Saviour at His first interview 
with this. His highly favoured servant; for when Jesus first "beheld him. He said, 
Thou art Simon the son of Jona : thou shalt be called Cephas;'\q) — which, (as St. 
John explains,) signifies " a stone," or "Bock." In a similar way, Jacob is found 
to have tioice received from God the new name of " Israel."(7) 

But this memorable promise must have ran far more pointedly in the original 
language, than when it is translated into our own tongue. " Thou art a Rock 
{Cepha;) and upon this Rock (^Cepha) I will build My Church." — One of the an- 
cients (s) paraphrases the place thus: — Thou hast said to Me, "Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God :" therefore I say unto thee, — (and for Me to 
speak is to make it so,) — "Thou art a Rock" .... For as from Christ proceeded 
that Light to the Apostles whereby they were called " the Light of the World,"(^) 
so upon Simon, who believed in Christ the Rock,(i() was bestowed the name of 
Rock. — Some of the Fathers thought that Christ, not St. Peter, is " the Rock" 
here spoken of; and some, that not St. Peter, but his Confession, was the Rock on 
which Christ was to build His Church : but such meanings are forced and unnatu- 
ral. The obvious interpretation of the place is the true one : namely, " Upon thee, 
as upon a sure foundation, I will build My spiritual House." (a;) Not that we would 
altogether exchide other meanings. We know that, in a certain sense, " other foun- 
dation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus CnRisT."(?/) We know, 
too, that, it was the firmness of the Apostle's Faith, — his rock-like Confession, 
therefore, — on which our Saviour Christ, " as a wise master-builder," (2) proceeded 
to build. But all this is somewhat foreign to the question. The primary meaning 

of our Lord's words is the thing to be considered Let none be afraid of the 

consequences of such an interpretation. It might be thought to make something, 
indeed, for the Church of Jerusalem: but for the Church of i?ome, it makes nothing, 
— ^nor can make. 

Concerning the fulfilment of this great prophecy, we shall find no more trust- 
worthy guide than our learned Bishop Pearson. " The only way" (he says,) "to 
attain unto the knowledge of the true notion of tJie Church, is to search the New 

(l) Psalm xxxvi. 9. 

(m) 2 Sam. xxii. 47; or Ps. xviii. 46. Job xlx. 25. Jer. iv. 2 : v. 2 : xii. 16: xvi. 14, 15 : 

xliv. 26, &o. See also Deut. v. 26. Joshua iii. 10. 1 Sam. xvii. 26, 36. Jeremiah x. 10, &c. 

(«J St. John xxi. 15, 16, 17. (o) Gal. i. 16. (i:i) Acts xv. 18. 

(q) St. John i. 42. [A Gen. xxxii. 28 and xxxv. 10. 

Is) Jerome. (f) St. Matt. v. 14. {«) 1 Cor. x. 4. 

(x) Consider 1 Tim. iii, 15. {y) 1 Cor. iii. 11. (z) 1 Cor. iii. 10. 



154 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Testament, find from the places there Tvhich mention it, to conclude -what is the 
nature of it. To which jturpnse it will be necessary to take notice, that our Saviolr 
first speakin}^ of it, mentioneth it as that which then was not, Vjut afterwards tras 
to be; as â– when lie spake unto the great Apostle, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this 
Rock I will huild My Ciiuroh :' hut when He had ascended into Heaven, and the 
HoLV GirosT had come down, when Peter" by his Sermon on tlie Day of Pente- 
cost (a) "had converted three thousand ao»/*-,(6) which were added to the hundred 
and twenty Disciples," of which we heard before,(r) " then there was a Church ; 
and that, built upon I'eter, according to our Saviovk's promise; for afterwards, we 
read, 'the Lnuu added to the Cliurcli daily such as should be saved.'" In short, 
on the first Cliristian Pentecost, ten days after the Ascension, " St. Peter took upon 
himself to build the Church ; which he then performed when he preached the Gos- 
pel by which the Church was first gathered." Nor was it members of the JcirisJi 
nation only which he thus first wrought, like living stones, into the spiritual fabric 
of Christ's Church; but he was sent, by special revelation from Heaven, to preach 
the Gospel to Cornelius and his family also, — who were the first Gentile believ- 
ers. (^^7) .... Thus was there " laid in Sion" that precious " Corner-stone," of 
whicli Prophecy is so full :(') for in Sion was the first Ciuirch Iniilt. That Church 
of Jerusalem was the Mother of all Churches : for to that Church " all others since 
have been in a manner added, and conjoined ;"(/") making up together that one 
" Holy Catholic Church" in which we profess to believe, and for the good estate of 
which we pray. A gracious promise follows : — 

and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 

The " gates of Hell" is a remarkable, and, at first sight, a pei*plexing expression; 
but "the gates of the Grave,"(^) and "the Gates of I)eath,"(A) are found in other 
parts of Scripture. The phrase, as our Lord here employs it, most likely denotes 
"the Infernal Powers," — "the Enmity of the Unseen World," — "the arts and de- 
vices of Satan ;" — and He here promises that these shall not finally prevail against 
His Church. For "though the Providence of Goo doth suffer many particular 
Churches to cease," (as five out of those seven mentioned in the second and third 
chapters of the Book of Revelation,) "yet the promise of the same God will never 

f)ermit, that all of them at once shall perish. When Christ first spake particu- 
arly to St. Peter, He sealed His speech with a powerful promise of perpetuity, 
saying, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build M}- Church; and the 
gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.' When Ho spake generally to all the 
rest of the Apostles to the same purpose, (' Go and teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the Name of the Fatuer, and of the Sox, and of the Holy Guost,') (j") 
He added a promise to the same effect, — ' and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
the end of the World.'(A) The first of these promises assures us of the continu- 
ance the Church, because it is built upon a Rock ;" (in conformity with what our 
Lord had said at the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount, about the manner in 
which the Wise Man built his House :) (/) " the latter of these promises giveth not 
only an assurance of the continuance of the Church, but also the cause of that 
continuance, which is the j)rcsence of CJIIlIST."(m) , . Still adtlressing St. Peter, 
our Lord continues, — 

19 And I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven : 
and wliatsocver thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven : 
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven. 

As, in the ordination of Priests, the bishop delivers the Bible to every one, saying, 
"Take thou authoril;/ to jirauli (he Word <>f GOD," &c., so lierc our L<ini>, when lie 

fromiscs to St. Peter that He will hereafter give him the Keys of the Kingdom of 
leaven, promises that Mo will give him mithnrittj to bind and to loonc. 

And the power of "l)inding and loosing" in "the Kingdom of Heaven, (that is, 
in the Church of CJlIiIST,) cb-arly refers to the exercise of that power which be- 
longs of necessity to Rulers: a power, it should be well observed, which was aftcr- 



f"^ A(t.« ii. M to 39. (t) Acts ii. 11. f-J .Acti' i. 15. 

hi J ActH X. Note carefully Acta xv. 7. (< ) Isuinh x.\viii. IC. 

r/) IJj). Pciirson. ('A Inniali xxxviii. 10. (A) Ps. ix. 13. 

h) St. Miitthuw xxviii. 19. (A) St. Matlli. xxviii. 20. 

{l) Sec the note on St. Mutthcw vii. 25. (m) Bp. Pearson. 



XVI.] 



ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 155 



•wards conveyed to the whole Apostolic body, and in the self-same words :(h) whence 
an ancient Father remarks, " All we Bishops have in St. Peter received the Keys 
of the Kingdom of Heaven." (o) "When the Jewish teachers disallowed anything 
as being unlawful," (says an excellent modern Writer,) " they were said to ' bind ' 
it: and when they allowed anything as lawful, they were said to 'loose' it. Our 
Lord therefore here assures Peter, that whatever rules he should lay down, or what- 
ever judgment he should pass, in the exercise of his Apostolical authority, for the 
well ordering of the Church on Earth, should be ratified and confirmed in IIeaven."(p) 
The solemn assurance conveyed at the Ordination of Priests, was of course espe- 
cially implied and intended; namely, "Whose sins thou dost forgive they are for- 
given ; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained."(f/) But, (as the great 
Father of the West observes,) "not Peter alone, but the whole Church, bindeth and 
looseth sins." Doubtless, only so is this power given that " the power of Antliority 
rests with God alone, — who o.peneth by the pouring forth of His grace: the power 
of BUjnity, with Christ, — ^who openeth through the merits of His Passion. The 
power of Stewardship, it is which rests with the Kulers of the Church, — who open 
through ministration of the sacraments." 

Let none, therefore, suppose from this promise (observes a Latin Father,) " that 
the innocent maybe condemned, or the guilty absolved;" for "what will be inquired 
into before the Lord will be, not the sentence of the priests, but the life of him that 
is judged. We read in Leviticus that the lepers were commanded to show them- 
selves to the Priests ; and if they had the leprosy, then they were made unclean by 
the Priest. Not tlie Finest makes them leprous and unclean, but, having knowledge 
of what is Leprosy, and what is not, he can discern who is clean, and who is un- 
clean. In the same way then, as the priest makes the leper unclean, the Bishop or 
Presbyter binds or looses, — not those who are without sin or guilt ; but, in the dis- 
charge of his function, when he has heard the varieties of their sins, he knows who 
is to be bound and who loosed." Thus far, Jerome. 

A more remarkable question, however, here awaits us, and requires a few words. 
Strange as it may appear, and monstrous as the pretension obviously is, the Church 
of PbOme, (which certainly was not founded by St. Peter,) rests no small portion of 
her claims to supremacy, and authority over the other Churches of Christendom, 
on these few words addressed by Christ to His highly-favoured Apostle. Without 
eno-aging in a conti'oversial discussion, (which would be out of place in these pages,) 
it shall suffice to point out, first, that although upon St. Peter, the Rock, Christ 
declared that He would found His Church, it does not by any means follow there- 
from that St. Peter was to become the Supreme Governor of that Church ; still less 
does it follow that the Bishops of Rome have derived from him the same right of 
supremacy. But, in fact, the Apostles themselves, (who must needs have been the 
best judges of the meaning of our Lord's words,) discovered in them no such grant 
or promise of superior authority as is pretended: why else did they, more than 
once, dispute "which of themselves was the greatest ?"(r) Why are "James, 
Cephas, and John"(s) mentioned as "pillars " of the Church, without any notice of 
inequality between them? Why did St. Paul "withstand St. Peter to the face, be- 
cause he was to be blamed?"(?!) and St. James, not St. Peter, give sentence at the 
first Council ?(!() Precedence in Rank implies no degreee of superior Authority. — 
Touching the first building of the Church, (as one of the oldest of the Fathers(rc) 
inquires,) — "If you think the whole Church was built on Peter alone, what will 
you say concerning John, the son of Thunder, and concerning each of the rest of 
the Apostles?" — "You say," (remarks another) "that the Church is founded on 
Peter ; but the Church is elsewhere declared to be founded on all the Apostles,"(?/) 
alluding to that well-known place in the Epistle to the Ephesians, " Ye are built 
upon the foundation of the Apostles and the Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being 
the chief corner-stone."(2) 

But, in the next place, let it be observed that even if "the Keys of the Kingdom 
of Heaven" had conferred superior authority and dominion over all the rest of 
Christendom ; and if those Keys had been committed by our Saviour to St. Peter 
exclusively ; — and if St. Peter had really been the first Bishop of Rome : — under all 

(h1 St. Matthew xviii. 18. (o) Ambrose. {p) Archdeacon Hale aucl Bp. Lonsdale. 

Iq) The Form and Manner of Ordering Priests, in the Book of Common Prayer. 
{r) St. Luke sxii. 2i. St. Mark ix. 24. (s) Gal. ii. 9. (<) Gal. ii. 11. 

(m) Acts XV. 13. (a-) Origen. {y) Jerome. 

(2) Ephes. ii. 20. Compare Eev. xxi. 14. 



15G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

these comljincd suppositions, the Bishops of Rome in perpetuity -would find it im- 
possible to make out even a probability that the like awful prerogative which they 
claim for the groat Apostle, hath descended to themselves. But, in truth, these 
assumptions are found to lie fallacious, at every stcji. For, first, the Kej's cannot, 
of course, 1)0 supposed to have conferred ujion St. Peter any other powers of bind- 
ing and loosing than were conferred upon the rest of the Apostles; and next, those 
powers rcere conveyed to the whole Apostolic body, even in the self-same words with 
which the Keys are here committed to St. Peter, — as may be seen by a reference to 
St. Matthew xviii. IS. Lastly, it is quite certain that St. Peter was never a Bishop 
of Rome at all. He is reckcmed indeed by a very ancient Church writer as the 
Bishop of that See; but the very same writer reclcons him as tlw first Bishop of 
Antioch also. Now, he cannot have been both. Irenivus, writing much earlier, (A. 
D. 177.) calls LInxs the first Bishop. In fact, (as we have elsewhere pointed out,)(«) 
it is one of the marks of distinction between an Apostle and a Bishop, that the 
former was unicersull// charged, — that is, had a general commission in all places, 
towards all persons :(/y) the latter, had « several &f.'— Tiiis entire fiction of the 
Romanists is, in a word, the namstruus invontiou of a lato and ambitious age. 
Nay; so far from admitting her vain and boastful pretensions, many will Le found 
to inquire hoAva Church so corrupt and idolatrous as tho Romish continues to exist 
at all? The ansAver to this question will be, — "Because she 3ot holds (God be 
praised for it!) a right Faith in respect of tho great dootrino which St. Peter con- 
fessed: wherefore, oven against her have not the Gates of Hell prevailed." 

20 Then charged He His Disciples that they should tell no man that 
He -was Jesus the Christ. 

After all that may be said in the way of explanation, this must be confessed to 
remain a very dark, and very mysterious statement. It is found that '"as He had 
been so solicitous that the manifestation of His Divine Power should not be pub- 
lished by those He healed; as He had commanded the Evil Spirits not to make 
known His Gouhead; and as, for this Confessiem, He had retired with His Apostles 
to a place so distant: so now, on their return, this great truth on wliicli the Salva- 
tion of Mankind depended, is to be as the Treasure hid in a field ;(t) or as the seed 
buried in the Earth ;"('0 "^J" '^^ ^^^^ Leaven hid in three measures of meal.(() 

By the words which follow, our Lord seems to have intended to banish any am- 
bitious notions which may have sprung up in the minds of llis followers at the 
mention of a Church to be shortly built, and a Kingdom soon to come. Expecta- 
tions of worldly grandeur may well have arisen at such a time, which could not be 
more effectually opposed than liy thus unfolding the prospect of His approaching 
Sufl'erings and Death. Accordingly, — 

21 From that time forth began Jesus to show unto llis Disciples, 
how that lie must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the 
EMers and Chief Priests and Scribes, and be killed, and be raised again 
tho third day. 

Thus did He lay before them the whole mystery of what was to l>e hereafter:^ a 
course of events for which they wore little ])reparcd, as the aflcctionalc, yet mis- 
taken remonstrance of St. Peter, w hich follows sufiicicutly shows. 

22 Then Peter took Ilim, and began to rebuke Ilim, saying, Be it 
far from Thee, Lord : this bhall not be unto Thee. 

The Apostle, in his warmth, — his mingled love and terror, — seems to have laid 
his hands upon tho sacred person of Chkist, while he spoke these words . . . "Ob- 
serve how entirely he is at a loss concerning those things which had not been 
revealed to him \" remarks one of tho Fathers. For it is said of our S.wiouii, — 

23 But He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee bohliid Me, Satan: 
thou art an offence unto Me: for tliou savourest nut the things that be 
of God, but those that be of men. 

St. Luko vi. 13. (/.) 2 Cor. xi. 2S. (- ) St. Matt. xiii. U. 



(«) Sec tlic nolo on St. Luko vi. 13. (/-) 2 Cor. xi. 2S. 

((/) St. Mutt. xiii. 31. (e) St. Mutt. xiii. 33. 



XVI.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 157 

See how sternly Christ puts him away! "the intention," (as Bishop Sanderson 
points out) "be it granted never so good, is insufficient to warrant an action good, 
so long as it faileth either in the object, or manner, or any requisite circumstance 
whatever." May not the practical lesson to be derived from this incident be, that 
men should reject with indignation, refuse even to listen to, the suggestions of mis- 
taken Friendship which would dissuade them from treading the pathway of Duty, 
if it threatens also to prove a pathway of pain? 

Concernino- the three foregoing verses, the Reader is requested to read what has 
been offered further on St. Mark viii. 31, 32, and 33. Satan, availing himself of 
the Apostle's ignorance, had impelled him to utter a saying, the tendency of which 
was to throw a stumbling-block in the way of the Son of Man. The Death and 
Passion of Christ which were to follow, — terrible, doubtless even in the remote 
anticipation, as they are known to have proved in the near prospect,(/) — were not 
to be objected against by the immediate Followers, and chosen Disciples of the 
Lamb, as unworthy of Him: or such an insinuation must be repelled, as originating 
with none other than the Father of Lies. To "savour the things of men," here 
means to have the affections set on worldly things. 

How striking is it to discover that the very man who, only a moment before was 
named a Rock, — had become already a stone of offence in the Saviour's way! 
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall!"(^) "It is 
evident that the Temptations of the Devil are most strong after God's people have 
discharged some extraordinary duties to God, or have received most help from God. 
You find that immediately after the Lord's Supper, the Devil desired to winnow the 
Disciples; and he entered into one. After Christ had fasted forty days and forty 
nights, He was tempted of the Devil. No sooner, (as Bishop Hall observes,) was He 
out of the Water of Baptism, but He was in the Fire of Temptation." 

24 Then said Jesus unto His Disciples, 

Or, as it is in St. Mark, — "When He had called the people unto Him, with His 
Disciples also, He said unto them," — (Ji) 

If any 7nan will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up 
his Cross, and follow Me. 

One of the ancients observes, — "Because, after the Cross, we require a new 
strength. He adds 'and follow Me.'" "And this," (remarks another Father,) "is 
because it may happen that a man may suffer, and yet not follow Christ ; that is, 
when he does not suffer for Christ's sake." 

In St. Luke's Gospel, it is '* take up his Cross daily ."{i) Bishop Wilson recom- 
mends that men should every day, in some small matter, practise self-denial: per- 
form some one act, which may conform them more and more to the image of their 
Lord .... See the note on St. Mark viii. 34. 

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will 
lose his life for My sake shall find it. 

A few remarks on the sayings contained In verses 24 and 25, will be found in 
the notes on St. Matthew x. 38 and 39, — to which the Reader is referred. 

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 ? 

"Having thus called upon His Disciples to deny themselves, and take up their 
Cross," (says an old Writer,) " He filled them with terror. These severe tidings 
are therefore followed by more joyful:" 

27 For the Son of Man shall come in the Olory of His Father with 
His Angels ; and then He shall reward every man according to his 
works. 

By which words, our Lord seems to convey the blessed assurance that "He will 

(/) St. Matt. xxvi. 39. 42. ig) 1 Cor. x. 12. 

\h) St. Mark viii. 34. (0 St. Luke ix. 23. 



158 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

come hereafter Trith glory to recompense men aljuuJantly for the sacrifices which 
He now calls upon tliem to make for His sake." — He says "the Glory of the 
Father," because " the Fatoer hath given Him authority to execute judf;ment. "(A) 
It is to be observed moreover that tliis Discuurse is so adjusted as tu cunvey to 
the minds of the Apostles as near a view of the Truth as they were able as yet to 
receive. The'mention of "a Church," and "the kin<;dom of Heaven," had awakenetl 
proud thouj^hts and lofty hopes : it had been accordingly followed by an outline of 
the Mystery of the Atonement, the circumstances of Pain and Humiliation which 
must tirst be, as the condition of Future Glory. Strangely jierplexiiig was the pic- 
ture thus presented to the eyes of the Disciples. Our Lord therefore reconciles 
them to it by sjjcaking of that future coming ni Glory, which they had ever Ijeen 
accustomed to connect in their minds with the Advent of ^Messiah. And to support 
them in tlieir expectation of this event, yet so distant, He promises, (in the next 
verse,) an immediate, sensible manifestation, as an earnest of that glorious Coming 
which might not take place till the end of the "World. As it follows, — 

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 Ilis Kingdom. 

This announcement will bo found in the three first Gospels ;(/) and on each occa- 
sion it is introduced in exactly the same way. From the close connection in which 
it stands with the History of the Transfiguration, which immediately follows on all 
three occasions, it is impossible to resist the conviction that the words themselves 
refer to that great event. It is here described as the " Son of Man coming in His 
Kingdom." St. Mark's words are — " Till they have seen the Kingdom of Gor> 
come with power." St. Luke says simply — "till they see the Kingdc^m of Gon." 
The meaning must be, that the great Hispensation which would then only be 
fulfilled when Christ should come to judge the World at the last Day, — ^was about 
at once to begin. A glorious foretaste of that His final coming, was about to be 
at once revealed. In the words of a learned Latin Father, — "As was His appear- 
ance on the Mount of Transfiguration, such will it be at the Day of Judgment." 

(A-) St. John V. 27. (O.See St. Mark ix. 1, and St. Luke ix. 27. 



XVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 159 



CHAPTER XVII. 



1 The Transfiguration of Christ. 14 He liealeth the lunatic. 22 Foretelleth His 

own Passion, 24 and payeth tribute. 

It will be remembered that the preceding Chapter ended with the following re- 
markable prophecy: — "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." 
As already explained, these words cannot be referred to any recorded event so rea- 
sonably as to the Transfiguration of Christ, which is next brought before us : but 
the Reader must be referred on this head to what has been already offered in the 
notes on St. Matthew xvi. 28, and St. Luke ix. 27. _ 

The chief events which go before mvist be borne distinctly in mind by him who 
would profit by what is to follow. It should be remembered that during the recent 
sojourn of our Saviour and His Twelve Apostles in "the towns of Ciesarea 
Philippi,"('"') St. Peter's splendid confession of the Divinity of the Son of Man had 
occurred: whereupon followed the splendid promise which was discussed at so much 
length in the last Chapter. Then came some remarkable predictions ; and closely 
connected with these, (as we believe,) stands our Lord's Transfiguration. For, as 
He had been preparing the minds of His Followers for His own coming Humilia- 
tion, and their's also,(6) so had He supported them by an allusion to that final 
Advent in Glory, when He will reward the just, and in the sight of Men and Angels 
confess them to be His own. Yet more completely to build up His Apostles, and 
support their Faith, the Almighty One proceeds to give them an immediate earnest 
of His future glorious Advent :(c) by revealing Himself to three of their number as 
He is. "He took with Him three," (says an ancient Writer,) "that in the mouths 
of two or three witnesses every word might be established." St. Peter, and the two 
sons of Zebedee, (the only Disciples on whom He had bestowed a new name,) are 
accordingly admitted to a sight of His Glory, and to a foretaste of the brightness of 
His Kingdom. As it follows, — 

1 And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his 
brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 

If the "high mountain" which was the scene of this mysterious transaction was 
Mount Tabor, (as tradition relates,) the Blessed Company will have crossed the 
Jordan since the concluding events of the former Chaptei", and travelled into 
Galilee. But there is no reason for supposing that they did so : rather the reverse.((i) 
This event may very well have taken place on some eminence East of the Jordan, 
concerning which all Tradition has perished. It is quite the manner of the Holy 
Spirit to draw a veil over places and persons, — doubtless because the carnal heart 
is so prone to spend itself on these, instead of looking up to Him who is above all : 
and accordingly, when St. Peter, in his Second Epistle, would describe what 
occurred on the Mount of Transfiguration, it will be observed that he simply calls 
it "the Holy Mount."(e) .... Perhaps it is better that we should not know which 
the place was. Surely it would be too much to visit such a locality ! Only three 
of the Apostles were deemed fit to behold the Transfiguration. AVhich of ourselves 
can be thought worthy to behold even the spot where it took place ? 

For some remarks on the highly favoured witnesses of the great transaction which 

la'\ St. Mark viii. 27. Compare St. Matth. xvi. 13. (i) St. Matthew xvi. 21 to 25. 

f c) Surely St. Peter alludes to the Transfiguration in this very point of view, — 1 St. Peter v. 1. 

(rf) See St. Mark ix. 30. (e)2 St. Peter i. 18. 



160 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

follows, the Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark ix. 2. — Jesus, then, bringeth 
His three Disciples " into an high Mountain apart," — 

2 and -was transfif^ured before them : and His Face did sliine as the 
Sun, and Ilis raiment was white as the Light." 

The nature of the change which jjassed over His I>ivinc Person, it is more easy 
to imagine than to descrihe : more easy to describe than to exphiin. The very same 
Being whom tliey had all along known, — yet marvellously altered from what He 
had ever seemed, — every feature, e\ery part of His IJody, had become invested with 
glory, and shune witli dazzling lustre, which His raiment was unaljle to eclipse or 
even to obscure. St. Matthew's words in this place, recall tiie appearance vouch- 
safed by Revelation to St. John the Divine: — "His Head and His Ilairs were wliite 
like wool, as white as 8now;(y^ and His Eyes as a flame of lire : and His Feet like 
unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; . . . and His countenance was t/.v ///e 
Sun f</iinc(h in /lis s(rc>ii/(h.'"Q/) "His raiment was white as the Light;" fnr this 
was He "who covereth Himself with Light as with a Garment."(A) "His Bright- 
ness," (says the Prophet,) " was as the Light. "(j) 

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking 
with llim. 

"Who appeared in Glory," (St. Luke says,) "and spake of His decease which He 
should accomplish at Jcrusalem."(/i) Concerning tliese mighty personages, the 
Reader is requested to refer to the notes on St. Luke ix. 31 and St. Mark ix. 4. As 
their converse confirmed what our S.wiovR had lately predicted, concerning His 
own future sufferings, so did the Voice from Heaven which followed, confirm the 
great truth which St. Peter had lately proclaimed in his glorious Confession. 
Christ brings forth Moses and Elias, (remarks an ancie9.t Father,) "that He may 
show tfie glory of His Cross, and thus soothe Peter and the other Disciples who 
were fearing His Death; for they "spake of Ilis decease whicii He should accom- 
plish at Jerusalem." AVherefore He brings forward those who had exposed them- 
selves to death for God's pleasure, — Moses, ^n resisting Pharaoh ; EHas, in resisting 
Ahab. But it may be thought that the chief reason why these two great Saints 
ajtpeared was because they respectively set forth the Law and the Prophets. — ifiat 
elder dispensation which now "waxedold," and was "ready to vanish away ;"(/) being 
fulhlled in the person of Christ. For both tlie Law and the Prophets "projilie- 
sied" of Him, as He Himself declares. (/») Of these two great Saints alone, it is 
recorded tliat they sustained a miraculuus Fast of fort)' days, (/<) like ///«< of Christ: 
and it seems worth noticing tliat a wonderful privilege seems to have been conferred, 
in the case of cither, on their mortal bodies. Elijali was translated, and never saw 
Death. Moses died indeed. (';) and was })uried byGoD;(7*) but Michael the Archan- 
gel is known to have had his liody in special keeping: so that it may be thought to 
have never seen corruption.(r/) 

"But Peter and tliey tliat wore with liim were heavy with sleep;" for it was 
probably the dead of night. "And when they were awake, they saw Ilis Glory, and 
the two men tliat stootl witli Hiiii."('') As for how they can have hiiown the men 
M'ho talked with our Louu to be Closes and Elias, whom they had never seen, one 
of the Ancients suggests, "that it was through the Majesty wliich came over them; 
whereby it is intimated that in the future glory, men will not only know one 
another, but those also wiiom tiiey never before have seen." 

4 Then answcrcil Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us 
to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make lierc three tabernacles; one for 
Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 

(/) f'ompnrc Dan. vii. 9, (f/) Ucv. i. 1 1 t<. 10. (h) Ps. civ. 2. 

i) Iliiliakkiik iii. 4. (/I) Si. Luko ix. ^1. (/) Jlcb. viii. 13. 

Ill) St. Miitth. xi. l.'J. Compare St. .JipIui i. -15. 

»i) MofiM fuwtuil llirco tiinos for forty iliiy.-' : iiiiincly, Dout. ix. 9, IS, nnd Exod. xxxiv. 1,2, 28. 
f.) Joshua i. 2. { />) Dciil. xxxiv. (I. 

<y) Consider St. Judo'a Epistle, — vorso 9; and coiuporo that place with Uobrows ii. 11. 
r) SU Luko ix. 32. 



XVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 161 

"Not knowing what he said :"(.?) or, as St. Mark expresses it, — "for he wist not 
what to say: for they were sore afraid."(0 

And yet, the question arises, What should have induced the Apostle to propose 
such a measure ? One of the best of expositors (?() says that "seeing in this place 
great quietness and solitude, Peter thought that it would be a fit spot to take up 
their abode in ; saying, 'Master, it is good for us to be here.' And he proposed to 
build tabernacles;" (that is, temporary dwelling-places,) "for he concluded that if 
he did this, Jesus would not go up to Jerusalem, and suffer." . . . Take notice 
that a wish to detain the heavenly guests seems to have been St. Peter's motive in 
speaking: for it is noticed particularly that he spoke as Moses and Elias " de- 
parted.' (x) This falls in very well with the supposition of those who have thought 
that "Peter was so delighted at this view of the Majesty of the Lord, that forget- 
ting everything else in the World, he would have abode there forever." ... It 
seems certain that this great Apostle, notwithstanding his late Confession, notwith- 
standing our Lord's many hints concerning the nature of His coming Kingdom, yet 
dreamed of Earthly splendour. He still thought that the Kingdom of the Elect was 
to be set up here on earth. 

5. 6 While He yet spake, behold, a Bright Cloud overshadowed 
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. And when 
the Disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 

For some remarks on these two verses, the Reader is referred to the notes on St. 
Luke ix. 34, 35, 36. St. Matthew alone mentions that this was "a hright cloud:" 
in which announcement, the contrast between the Law and the Gospel is to be dis- 
cerned; for when the laio was given, the Mountain burned with fire, "with dark- 
ness, clouds, and thick darkness."(7/) .... Moses learns here more than he had 
foretold concerning the " Prophet like unto himself," whom God was to raise up 
hereafter to Israel, (z) — In the meantime, the Disciples have fallen to the ground ; 
blinded by the excess of Light, and overcome by the awful spectacle and sound 
which they had witnessed. 

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not 
afraid. 

This tender act of encouragement is noticed only by St. Matthew. How does it 
recall what happened in the case of the " man greatly beloved !" — " I . . , saw this 
great vision, and there remained no strength in me. . . . Yet heard I the voice of 
His words : and when I heard the voice of His words, then was I in a deep sleep 
on my face, and my face toward the ground. And behold, an hand touched me, 
which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And He said unto 
me, Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, 
and stand upright."(a) . . . Consider also how it fared with the beloved Disciple, 
when, by Revelation, he found himself in the same awful presence : "When I saw 
Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right Hand upon me, saying unto 
me, Fear not."(6) 

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save 
Jesus only. 

Such a Voice from Heaven is three times recorded to have- been heard: at the 
Baptism of our Lord,(c) at the close of His Ministry,(fZ) and on the present occa- 
sion. — The saying itself has been thought to contain a reference to those words of 
Moses, — " The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet . . . like unto me ; 
unto Him ye sJiall hearken : {e) words which we know were fulfilled in the person of 
Christ.(/) But the drift of the Heavenly message seems to be somewhat as fol- 

(s) St. Luke ix. 33. (t) St. Mark ix. 6. 

(u) Chrysostom. [x) St. Luke ix. 33. (y) Deut. iv. 11. 

(z) Deut. xviii. 15, 18, 19. Compare Acts iii. 22. 

(a) Dan. x. 8, 9, 10, 11. See also viii. 18: ix. 21 : x. J8. 

(5) Kevel. i. 17. (c) St. Matt. iii. 17. (c?) St. John xii. 28. 

(e) Deut. xviii. 15. (/) See Acts iii. 22, and vii. 37. 

11 



162 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

lows : — You have looked upon the great Lawj^ivcr of My people ; together vrith 
that ancient Prophet whom I must highly hunuureil of all. But you behold those 
Mil Sirnuit.'i no longer. Je:>i's, who l>riiigs you the Gospel, is found alone. Learn 
from this tiuit the ty|»es of the Law and the predictions of the Prophets are in ilim 
fultilled, and have, in a manner, ceased; that from henceforth a new dispensation 
IS about to begin. This is .]/y Beloved SOX: from hencefurth listen to His voice, 
and olicy His Teaching I 

Some hours are here passed over in silence. It was now day, — 

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. 

Thus does lie, for the second time, at the end of a week, repeat the warning-note 
of Sorrows to come which lie had already uttered in the presence of all His Dis- 
ciples, when He was in the neighbourhood of Coesarca Philippi.(y) 

10, 11 And His Disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the 
Scribes that Elias must first come ? And Jesus answered and said 
unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things : 

Elijah had appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, and was already departed. 
Next morning, therefore, as they were coming down from the mountain, the three 
Apostles break the solemn silence by inquiring how this was to be reconciled with 
the well-known interpretation of Malachi iv. 5, 6? a prophecy, whicli, (as appears 
from St. .John i. 21,)(//) the .Jews explained vi l/ie jxrsonul adccnt of the Tishbite. 
Our Saviour spake freely of His own approaching Death and Resurrection. How 
then was Elias firs"., to "come, and restore all things?" Listen to Him, by whose 
Spirit the Prophets spakejC*") expounding the language of His ancient servant : — 

12, 13 but I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they 
knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Like- 
wise shall also the Son of Man sufi'er of them. Then the Disciples un- 
derstood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist. 

Thej' may have remembered the Baptist's attirc,(A) which exactly resembled that 
of Elijah ; as well as other particulars which clearly pointed him out to the eye of 
Faith as the promised Elijah. Our Lord's mournful allusion to the fate of His 
Forennmor, may have also helped to convince them that it was none other than 
John Baptist of whom He spake. Or they may have remembered His express as- 
sertion, tin a former occasion, that this was he of whom Malachi wrote ; and that, 
if they would receive it, this was Elias, "which was for to come.''(/) 

Nutwitlistanding, however, this express language of Christ, (on two distinct oc- 
casions,) and the words of Gabriel,(»() it was very generally believed by the ancient 
Church that the Tishbite icill rjel apjicar in person, lieforc Christ's final Advent. 

Our attention is next invited to a circumstance of a wholly different nature. — The 
blessed Company, on descending the IMouiit of Transfiguration, find a multitude of 
persons assembled about the nine Apostles who had been left behind, (probably on 
the previous evening,) at the foot of the ISIountain. 

14, 15, IG And when they were come to the nmltitude, there came 
to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying, Loiti», have 
mercy on my Son: lur he is a lunatic, and sore ve.xed ; fur ofttimes 
he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to 
Thy Disciples, and they could not cure him. 

A " lunatic" means properly one whose mental malady is affected by the period- 
ical changes of the Moon. Such, at least, is the meaning of the word. But Wilc- 



ox 



(7) Rco St. Matth. xvi. i;i. {h) Fee nljo Ecclesin.oticufi xlviii. 10. 

f'l^ 1 .'<l. I'l-Ur i. 11. (/.) Si-i- 11. .10 ou St. Mallh. iii. 1. 

Co til. Miillh. xi. 10, (iiiioting Mnliicbi iii. 1,) nud 11. {m) Jjl. Luke i. 17. 



XVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 163 

ther St. Matthe^v intended to imply more than the Father spoke of his Child, in 
the ordinary language of ancient and modern times, as one afflicted with madness, 
may perhaps be questioned. All this, however, is recorded far more in detail by 
St. Mark,(?i) whose Gospel should be carefully consulted in this place by him who 
desires fully to understand the sacred narrative. The Reader is referred to the 
remarks which have been already offered on this subject in the notes on St. Mark 
ix. 14 to 18. — It will be discovered that it was reserved for the second Evangelist 
to record many points of the very highest interest in connection with the present 
Miracle. 

17 Then Jesus answered and said, faithless and perverse genera- 
tion, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you ? bring 
him hither to Me. 

See the note on St. Mark ix. 19 : and take notice that our Sayiour here applies 
to the Jews the very language which Moses had applied to them so long before. (o) 
It follows, in St. Mark's Gospel, " And they brought him unto Him : and when he 
saw Him, straightway the Spirit tare him ; and he fell on the ground, and wal- 
lowed foaming." ( J)) 

18 And Jesus rebuked the Devil ; and he departed out of him : and 
the child was cured from that very hour. 

But St. Mark relates the dialogue which our Saviour held with the father of the 
child on this occasion ; and the very remarkable form of words in which our Bless- 
ed Lord cast out this evil spirit; as well as the Devil's violence on being ejected; 
and how nearly he thereby deprived the boy of life. (5) By saying that " the Child 
was cured from that very hour," St. Matthew here implies that the Saviour's com- 
mand to the unclean spirit " never more to enter into him," (which St. Mark no- 
tices,) was strictly obeyed. 

It is quite absurd for the shallow professor of this world's wisdom to set aside 
this great miracle, or to turn away from it, with a remark that this Boy was evi- 
dently afflicted with the disease called Epilepsy. The Holy Spirit declares that 
he was possessed with a "deaf and dumb, unclean spirit." Either, therefore, his 
was not a case of (what men call) "Epilepsy;" or, what man would in his case 
have rightly called by the name of "Epilepsy," was, in point of fact, the possess- 
ion of an evil spirit. And Men are quite welcome to choose between these alter- 
natives. 

19 Then came the Disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could 
not we cast him out ? 

Not only "apart," or "privately," (as the word is translated in St. Mark's ac- 
count of the same transaction,) (/â– ) but, (as we there also read,) "when He was 
come into the House." The nature of this inquiry of the nine Apostles has been 
already explained in the note on St. Mark ix. 28, 

20 And Jesus said unto them. Because of your unbelief: 

The same cause which made St. Peter begin to sink,(s) — and the blind man of 
Bethsaida recover his sight hy clegrees;{t) — the same cause which endangered the 
Restoration from Death of Jairus' daughter,(i() and the Healing of the Lunatic 
Child ;(x') — Unbelief it was, which made the Apostles, (like Samson shorn,) "be- 
come weak, and like any other man."(_y) ... It may be thought that the tempo- 
rary absence of their Lord, joined with the violence of His enemies, by whom they 
were surrounded, occasioned this declension of their faith. And if this could hap- 
pen in the case of Apostles, how terrible is the warning which is here conveyed to 
every one of us, when left to ourselves ; forsaken, even for an instant, by Him, 
" without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy !" 

(n) St. Mark ix. 14 to 29. lo) Deut. xxxii. 20. {p) St. Mark ix. 20. 

iq) St. Mark ix. 25 to 27. (>•) St. Mark ix. 28. U) St. Matth. xiv. 30, 31. 

\t) St. Mark viii. 23 to 25. ( u) St. Mark v. 35, 36, [x] St. Mark ix. 22 to 24. 

{y) Judges xvi. 17. 



164 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

for verily I say unto you, If yc have Faith as a grain of mustard 
seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, 

(pointing to tlie Mount of TranHtigunition, — the " high mountain," at the foot of 
wliich this miruelf was porforined ; ju.st us lie may bo itrcsuiuod to have pointed to 
the Mount of Olives, on the .subseiiueut oeca!^ion, when He employed the same 
words :) (2) 

Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing 
shall be impossible unto you. 

To whieh wonderful words, St. Paul will lio found to refer in his Chapter de- 
scriptive of the graee of Charity: "and thouj^h I have all Faith, so that I could re- 
move })iou>ifaiii.s-.'XiO — A manifest contrast is here intended between a grain of mus- 
tard-seed, "which indeed is the least of all seeds, "(i) — and a mighty mountain, 
which is the very emblem of immense bulk.(t) It is implied, moreover, that "the 
least spiritual power shall be mighty for the overthrow, of powers the most formi- 
dable, which are merely of this w(»rld:"(ri') as well as for the removal of those lofty 
imaginations, those proud swelling things of the heart, which are discoursed of as 
" mountains" in the prophecy which relates to St. John Baptist.(t') Our Saviour 
adds, — 

21 Ilowbeit this kind gocth not out but by prayer and fasting. 

Thereby teaching us that there are certain kinds of possession against which 
these are weapons of yicculiar efficacy : that against certain of num's spiritual ene- 
mies, he may prevail only by Abstinence in respect of meat and drink, and by 
Prayer.(/') For more, see the note on St. Mark ix. 21). 

22, 23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto thcni, The 
Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men : and they shall 
kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again. 

This is that prophetic allusion to His future Passion, Death, and Resurrection, 
which the Angels referred to in addressing the women who visited the Sepulchre : 
"Remember how lie spake unto you when He was j-et in Cialilee. ''(//) For, (as 
we are told in the preceding chapter, — " from that time forth," (namely, from the 
time of St. Peter's Confession.) " began Jesus to show unto Ilis I>isciples, how that 
lie must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things. "(/<) 

Take notice tliat on t/iis occasion, neither Simon Peter, nor any of the rest, 
" took llim, and began to rebuke IIim.(/') It is simply added, 

And they were exceeding sorry. 

St. Mark relates concerning our S.wiour's journey through Galilee, alluded to 
in verse 22, — " and lie would not that any man siiould know it." The reason 
moreover is added, — "for lie taught His Disciples" concerning His coming Death 
and Passion : (A-) that is. He desired to devote the opportunities afforded by tliis 
prolonged tour to jireparing their minds for the terrible trial of their faitli and con- 
stancy which was soon to follow, at Jerusalem. It is hard indeed for us, familiar 
as we have become with the Doctrine of the Atonement, to realize the greatness of 
their trial. A crucified King I — a jiorsccuted S.wioiu ! — nay more, One wliom they 
knew to l)e "the So.\ of the living (ioi),"(/) yet liable to Dcatli and Hcsurrectinn ! 
— this may well have perplexed them ; may well have rendered their i)iviue Mas- 
ter's patient teaching in ])rivate, a most necessary measure. 

24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received 

[z) St. Mutt. xxi. 21, 22. St. Murk xi. 22, 2.^.— Take notioo thnt our LoiiD i." found to liavo 
uHu<i iihiidnt tlicMiime liinguago on 11 thinl, iiml wholly (lift'LTunt occasion : viz. in St. Luke .wii. 0. 
(<() I Cor. xiii. 2. UA St. Matthew xi"ii. :i2. (<•) U. \\. \ : xli. 15, Ac. 

Id) Kov. R. C. Trench. (< ) I.-'aiah ,\1. \ : ([uoted in St. Luke  ' 

(/) On " I'raycr ami Easting," see tho note on St. Matthew vi. 10. 



il) Kov. R. C. Trench. (< ) I.-'aiah ,\1. ■» : ([uoted in St. Luke iii. 5. 

/) On " I'ruycr ami Easting," see tho note on St. Ma 
(7) St. Luke .\.\iv. 6. (/i) St. Matth. xvi. I 

(/.) St. Mark ix. 31. (/) St. Matthew xvL 



Luke .\.\iv. 6. (Il) St. Matth. xvi. 21. (.) St. Matth. xvi. 22. 
 16. 



XVII.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 165 



tribute money came to Peter, and said, Dotli not your Master pay 
tribute ? 

Having reached Capernaum, the tax of half a shekel, (ahout fifteen pence of our 
money,) which was yearly demanded of every faithful Israelite for the support of 
the Temple at Jerusalem, (??z) was claimed of the Son of Man. Concerning this 
payment, it had been enacted that the rich should not give more, and the poor 
should not give less than half a shekel ■.(ii) — a remarkable regulation, " as contain- 
ing the mystery that the same price of Redemption must be paid for all ; for this 
it represented. It was for each ' an atonement,' ' a ransom,' for his soul unto 
the LoRD."(o) " They that received tribute money" applied accordingly to Simon 
Peter, — whose precedence in rank {though not in authority) may have been the 
cause why these men spoke to him rather than to any other of the Apostles. The 
question asked, sounds like a respectful inquiry addressed to all, as to what was 
the practice and pleasure of " their Master" in this respect: and there is no need 
of supposing a sinister intention, as on the memorable occasion when the Phari- 
sees and Herodians inquired whether it was " lawful to give tribute unto Csesar, 
ornot?"(7j) 

The two inquiries seem in fact to have been wholly distinct in their object, as 
well as in their character. That was a Civil demand ; this a Religious one. On 
both occasions indeed, "tribute" is spoken of; but perhaps on neither occasion is 
" tribute" strictly meant. A payment levied by tlie State, and due to the Emiieror, 
(answering in nature somewhat to our Taxes,) was the subject of discussion then. 
A payment levied by the officers of the Temple, and due to God, (answering rather 
to our Church-Rates,) was the matter of inquiry now. 

These payments were further distinguished in respect of the absolute manner in 
which Coisar's tribute was exacted of the Jews by their Roman masters ; while 
the half-shekel, which was due to God, and which could not be legally enforced, 
was simply applied for, by officers of their own nation. Let it be recorded to the 
honour of the Jews, whether those of Palestine or those of the Dispersion,(5) that 
however poor they may have been, however far removed from their native land, 
they gladly and faithfully paid the yearly sum which they regarded as due to their 
God. " In almost every city, even those beyond the limits of the Roman Empire, 
there was a sacred Treasury for the collection of these dues ; and then, at certain 
times, there were messengers selected from among the worthiest, to carry the col- 
lected money to Jerusalem."(r) 

To return however to the subject more immediately before us ; — It may be that 
our Lord on His way to the House, walking in advance of His Disciples, (as His 
custom was,) had in His Divine Wisdom, passed by the well-known officials who 
stood ready to receive the Temple-tax from every willing Israelite. Appealing to 
Simon, they seem to say, — "How then? Doth not your Master pay the half- 
shekel?" 

25 He saith, Yes. 

It cannot escape notice how promptly St. Peter, answered " Yes" to this inquiry. 
Nor is it hard to draw the obvious inference from the Apostle's answer. He knew 
that he was answering for One who never cavilled at demands such as these ; who 
" lived peaceably with all men ;"(s-) who rendered " to all their dues : tribute to 
whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honour to 
whom honour."(^) How should such an One refuse to pay what was usual towards 
the support of the Temple of God ? 

Wherefore, leaving the men, he entered the house, (Jiis oicn probably,) where 
Jesus was, either in order to ascertain whether he had answered rightly, — or, 
(which seems more likely,) to convey to his Lord the tidings of what had taken 
place. 

And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, 



(m) On the authority of Exodus xxx. 13. This payment is alluded to in 2 Kings xii. 4, and 
2 Chron. xxiv. 5, 6, 9. 

5sodiis xxx. 15. (o) Rev. I. Williams. (/>) St. Matthew xxii. 17. 

Addressed by St. Peter in his First Epistle, — i. 1. ('■) Trench on the Parables. 

Romans xii. 18. (t) Romans xiii. 7- 



unron. : 
(h) Exc 
\q) Adc 
(s) Ron 



1G6 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

What tliiiikcst thou, Simon ? of Avhom do the Kings of the earth take 
custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of strangers ? 

How must it have astonished the Apostle to find himself thus in the presence of 
Ilini wlio knuweth all thiuj^s! Simon Peter had uut opened his lips to speak, ere 
his Master, liy the questiuii lie asked, convinced him that lie was privy to what 
had been passinj^ outside the House. 

26 Peter saith unto Ilim, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, 
Then are the Children free. 

The high argument of our Blessed Lord on this occasion may not be overlooked. 
Ho roasons with His favoured Apostle thus: — These men have sent thee to ask 
Me for the money which is claimed of the people of the Land, towards the support 
of God's Temple ; thereby implying that / am as one of them. But thiHi well 
knowest that even ilic Kings of the EarfJi^n') take no custom or tribute from their 
own sons. Consider therefore with thyself whether I am not justly free from this 
payment which is levied in the name of the King of Heaven; since the Temple is 
none other than the House of the Living God, — whose own Son thou hast already 
confessed Me to be. Hath He not "appointed" Me "heir of all things ?"(-v) am I 
not " as a Son" over Mine " own House ?"(/y) . . . It may be added, — How shall 
" One greater than the Temple,"(2) contribute towards the Temple's support? How 
shall He, who is to be the ransom for every other soul, give the money which Moses 
commanded, as " a ransom" for His owa?{a) — Here then, we have a distinct asser- 
tion of tlic Gouhoad of C'ukist. But a direct proof {o\\o\is: 

27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, 

Let the whole course of the Divine Reasoning be duly noticed. Here was a mis- 
taken and an unfair demand, — one which might have been reasonably resisted, and 
safely set aside. Nevertheless what says our Groat Example? Lest I should bo 
casting a stumbling-block in their way by declaring the awful reality whereby I 
am properly exempt from this payment: lest, again, by refusing their demand, I 
should seem to be casting a slight on Religion, should awaken augrj"^ feelings and 
uncharitable suspicions, — unftmnded indeed and untrue, yet injurious alike to Me 
and to them ; — " lest wo should offend them," 

go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the Fish that first 
comctli 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. 

IIow obvious is the practical lesson here convoyed to him who desires to follow 
in his Loicn's footsteps, — tliat a claim which may not only bo disputed, but even 
proved unjust, should yet be discharged, to avoid offence! 

With these words then, the Evangelist concludes his Divine narration. lie does 
not tell us what followed: nor is it needful that he should. Simon Peter, followed 
l)y the Eleven Apostles, proceeded to the edge of the Lake ; and, nothing doubt- 
ing, " cast an hook." As anciently a whale, so now one of the lesser creatures 
which " pass through the paths of the seas,"(6) is prompt to obey the bidding of 
the Creatok. Tlic liook is no sooner cast, than tlic fish rises to the surface, and 
is captured instantly: aiul in his mouth is found a piece of money called a 
"stater," in value about thirty pence, with which St. Peter pays jointly for himself 
and his Lord. 

" Give unto them [as a ransoni] for Mc and thee." — " Here comes out the deeper 
moaning of the Loud not paying for Himself only, but for Peter, who represents 
all the faithful. He came under tiie same lyoke with men, that they might enter 
into the same freedom wiiicli was His. "(c) 

Another oxcellont writer, already <iunted, (dt.serves, — "As tlio Virgin iMother 
madi' tlio olTering of the turtle-tloves, though she needed \w Purification from tiuit 
Birtii ; as Curist submitted to Circumcision, though Ho needed not mortification, — 

(m) Compare Pa. ii. 2. (.') Hcl). i. 2. (lA Ihl). iii. 0. 

(zj St. Matthew xii. 6. (n) See ExoJua xxx. 12. (6) Ps. viii. S. 

(c) Trench. A 



XVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 167 

and to Baptism, though lie needed not Trashing : so now does He pay the token of 
Kedemption," who came to redeem Mankind. 

Take notice that this Miracle, — (which is found only in .St. Matthew's Gospel ; 
St. Mark ever omitting the transactions which redound most to St. Peter's 
honour,) (d) — is one of the three in which the second Adam asserts His " dominion 
over the fish of the sea." Was not that dominion given Him "in the beginning?" 
" the fish of the Sea," being mentioned hefoi-e either " the fowl of the air," or " the 
cattle." (e) 

It is still more worthy of notice how sublime an assertion of " His eternal power 
and GoDhead,"(/) was tJie manner in which our Blessed Saviour satisfied the de- 
mand recorded in the text : as well as how splendidly the Miracle by which He 
paid the tax, compensated for the injury oifered to His Divine Majesty, by its ex- 
action. How convincing a proof was it, of that Divine SoNship which Simon Peter 
had already confessed, (<7) and which our Saviour had been just now declaring to 
Simon Peter !(/<) And it is ever thus, in the History of our Lord's Life. Some 
token of Heaven is ever found to appear, when He seems most " despised and re- 
jected," most "acquainted with grief,"(0 "a worm and no man."(A') Did not 
Angels and a Star herald His Birth in a Manger ? and the quaking Earth and 
darkened Sun give tidings that He was expiring on the Cross ? 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



1 Christ warneth His Disciples to he Inmible and harmless. 7 To avoid offences, 
and not to despise the little ones. 15 Tcaclietli hoio we are to deal with our Breth- 
ren, when they offend us. 21 And hoio oft to forgive them. 23 Which He set- 
teth forth by a parable of the King, that took account of his servants, 32 and 
punished Mm who showed no mercy to his fellow. 

1 At the same time came the Disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is 
the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven ? 

The " time" spoken of, will be discovered by a reference to the close of the fore- 
going chapter. It was the occasion of our Lord's return to Capernaum, after a 
prolonged absence with His Disciples. It was the Autumn of the third and last 
year of His Ministry, shortly before the Feast of Tabernacles. — When the honour 
which had recently befallen three of the Apostles, (Z) and one of their number in 
particular, (Hi) is remembered, it will perhaps be less a matter of surprise that, 
about this time, " by the way, they had disputed among themselves who should be 
the greatest"(n) in that Kingdom of which they had lately heard so much:"(o) and 
to an actual view of the glories of which, three of their number had been recently 
admitted. If, after the Resurrection, the Disciples could ask Him, saying, " Lord, 
wilt Thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel,"(j;) shall we wonder if they 
held wrong notions on the subject at the time spoken of in the text? 

It is worth observing that though they had been disputing among themselves 
which of the three was greatest, that is not the form which the inquiry they ad- 
dressed to our Lord assumed. He indeed asked them, " What was it that you dis- 

(cZ) See the note prefixed to St. Mark i. (c) See Genesis i. 26, 28. 

(f) Rom. i. 20. [g) St. Matthew xvi. 20. \li) See above, ver. 25, 26. 

U) Isaiah liii. 3. (/.•) Ps. xxii. 6. 

h) St. Matth. xvii. 1. (m) St. Matth. xvi. 17 to 19 : xvii. 27. («) St. Mark ix. 34. 

(o) St. Matt. xvi. 19, 28. (jij) Acts i. 6. Consider St. Luke xxii. 29, 30. 



168 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

puted among yourselves by tho way ?"(/) Conscience-stricken however, in the 
presence of One whom they knew to be so meek and lowly, they met Ilis 
question by another. " Who" (they ask) " is the greatest in the Kingdom of 
Heaven ?", 

.St. Mark says tliat, in reply to this question, — " He sat down, and called the 
Twelve, and saith unto thoni. If any man desire to be first, the same shall bo last 
of all, and servant of all :"C'/) ^vords which our Lord is found to have almost re- 
peated on two other occasions. (//) 

2 And Jesus called a little cliild unto Ilim, and set him in the 
midst of them, 

The tlirice-happy object of the S.wioin's words on this occasion must have been 
more tlian an infant: since Christ is said to have "called him unto lliui, and set 
him ill the midst :" unlike that other occasion when He is merely related to have 
graciously taken the children " up in His arms."(0 

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, 

It requires but moderate acquaintance with little Children to perceive hoAV lofty 
a model our Saviour Christ here sets before us. So truthful, guileless, and sim- 
ple ; so obedient and docile; so trustful and believing ; so pure and loving; so for- 
getful of injuries, and grateful for kindness, — would lie have all His l)iscinles to 
be. And those who exhibit no resemblance to this picture, " shall not [even] enier 
into the Kingdom of Heaven ;" much less, occupy the place of the " greatest" in it. 

But it is clear from the context, that the special attriltute of Children which our 
Saviour here recommends to the imitation of His Church, is tlieir freedom from 
anj'tliing like Pride, and the desire of being preferred before others. Ambition is 
a passion which finds no place in their bosoms. Wherefore, little children are set 
before us evermore as patterns of Humility: and those who have allowed them- 
selves in aspiring hopes, and vain thoughts, and proud wislies, are directed by their 
Master, who "took upon Him the form of a servant, ''(A') and was "meek and 
lowly in heart,"(/) to " become as little children," if they would enter into Bliss. 
They must convert, and turn themselves, — or rather, yielding to the influence of 
the Holy Stirit, must "be converted," and turned — from the temper which is so 
hateful in Cod's sight, if they Mould be highly esteemed in Christ's Everlasting 
Kingdom. As it follows : 



'tn^ 



4, 5, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, 
the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And â– whoso shall re- 
ceive one such little child in My Name receiveth Me. 

A few words will be found on tliis subject in the note on St. Mark ix. 37. 

G, 7 But whoso shall ofiend one of these little ones â– which believe in 
Me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his 
neck, and th<if ho â– wore drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto 
the World because of ofTcnces ! fur it must needs be that ofTenccs come ; 
but woe to that man by -svliom the ofloncc cometh ! 

These two verses are also found connected, but in an inverted order, in a different 
part of St. Luke's Ciospcl.(w) With such solemn language does tiie Lord "make 
a licdgo about"(/() the lowly, tii(^ ]ioor, the nu'ok, tlie righteous, and the Y<'un"! 
He wIkj "otl'cntls tliem," — that is, causes them to stumble or fall, — iloes it at his 
peril. Death by drowning were a far better portion than the bitter end which will 

DO Z(W.(o) 

/) Sco St. Mark ix. ?,?,. (-/) St. Murk i.x. 35. (//) St. Miitlh. xx. 2C, 27, ontl xxiii. 11. 

'/) St. Mnrk X. ir.. (I;\ IMiil. ii. 7. f/i St. Mult. xi. 29. 

m) St. Luko xvii. 1, 2. (ii) Job i. 10. (o) Soo noto on St. Mark ix. "12. 



XVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 169 

It cannot fail, in this sinful world, but that "offences," (hinderances to Faith and 
Obedience,) should come. Woe to that man, however, by whom the hinderance 
cometh ! 

8, 9 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 ever- 
lasting fire. 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. 

This is given even more solemnly in St. Mark's Gospel, where several remarks 
have been oifered on the subject, — to which the Reader is referred.(|j) 

10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; 

"Not one!" so minute is God's Providence. 

for I say unto you, that in Heaven their Angels do always behold the 
Face of My Father which is in Heaven. 

Surely, the most wonderful revelation of any which our Saviour hath made to 
us concerning the dignity of Little Children ! " Take heed that you oifend them 
not; for their Angels," &c. : as if implying that the danger of incurring the dis- 
pleasure of the Angels is, in itself, a terrible thing. 

" Their Angels," can only mean that little children have Guardian- Angels, and 
are under the constant care of those glorious Beings whom God created upright; 
who have "kept their first estate,"(5') and are ever in Heaven, where God is. 

But the words which follow prove that even more than this is implied. When it 
is said "their Angels do always behold the face of the FATHER,'" — it is clearly 
taught that the "little ones" of whom Christ speaks, are committed to the care of 
the highest order of the Angelic Host: to those who (like Gabriel) continually 
" stand in the presence of GoD,"(r) and gather glory from beholding the Light of 
His Countenance. The phrase seems to be taken from the Courts of Earthly Sove- 
reigns, where the Counsellors of highest rank were said "to behold the face of the 
King:''(.s) and recalls our Lord's declaration to Nathanael concerning that free in- 
tercourse between Heaven and Earth which was about to be established : when 
Heaven should be open; and the Angels of God should freely "ascend and descend" 
between Earth and Heaven. (^) 

The question — Whether all have their Guardian Angel ? is, in part, answered by 
the text; for the guardianship of the just will not surely cease because the age of 
Childhood is past. The phrase "little ones," on our Lord's lips, denotes as many 
as have childlike hearts ; that is, the lowly, the guileless, and the pure, whatever 
their age may happen to be. And the Apostle's well-known exclamation concern- 
ing the office of the Holy Angels, — "Are they not all ministering Spirits, sent forth 
to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation V\u) must be allowed to estab- 
lish the same doctrine, beyond all controversy. But whether each individual has 
his own several Guardian Spirit, — a Guardian Angel to himself, — as it is no where 
laid down in Scripture, and only once hinted at as a matter of Jewish belief, (x) so 
can it only be maintained as a matter of pious opinion. Enough, surely, of a very 
surprising kind, has been revealed to us on this mysterious subject ;(y) and the 
Apostle hath left us a solemn warning, in connection' with the Angelic order of 
beings, against "intruding into those things which we have not seen."(z) 

" He gives yet another reason, weightier than the foregoing, why the little ones 
are not to be despised:" (a) 

11 For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost. 

(p) See the notes on St. Mark ix. 43 to 48. 

Iq) St. Jude, ver. 6. (r) St. Luke i. 19. 

(.s) 1 Kings X. 8. 2 Kings xxv, 19: (See the margin.) Esther i. 14. 

M St. John i. 51. (m) Heb. i. 14. {x) Acts xii. 15. 

\y) See Ps. xxxiv. 7: xci. 11. St. Luke xv. 7, 10,— where see note. 

(z) CoL ii. 18. (a) Chrysostom. 



170 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

As mucli as to say, See that ye despise not one of these accepted little ones ; for 
I have einiitiod Mvsolf of MyVllory, — "made Myself of no reputation, and taken 
upuu Mo the fui-m of a Sorvaut,"(6) — in order to t<n\c a "World, ruined and undone. 
The saying recurs in St. Luke xix. 20. And to this reasoning, lie adds a parable, 
the intent of which is to show the Heavenly Shepherd's concern for the very least 
of Ilis tloek which has gone astray. 

12 How think ye 't if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them 
he gone astray, dulh ho not leave the ninety and nine, and gocth into 
the mountains, 

Rather, " Doth he not leave the ninety and nine upon the mountains," (c) (for 
" the mountains" were grassy, and well adapted for the pasturing of sheep) " and 
goeth,"— 

13 and secketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he 
find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheej), than of 
the ninety and nine which went not astray. 

The Parahle of The Lost Sheep was twice delivered by our Lord. St. Luke 
relates it in his lath chapter :((/) St. Matthew in this place. And it is observable 
that the same great point is brought out on bu(h occasions, — namely, the excessive 
joi/ felt by the Good Shepherd on recovering the single sheep wliich He had lost: a 
subject which will be found sufficiently remarked upon in anotlicr place. (c) _ 

The points of dilicrence are few, but interesting. Here, the Shepherd is seen 
tending His flock upon the Mountains: there, upon the Waste. There, the sheep 
was simply said to be lost: here, it is declared to have "gone astray;" and either 
statement is Ucire repeated. There, a successful pursuit was assumed; for the 
Sheplienl found His sheep, — laid it on His slioulders, — came honie, — and called His 
neighbours to rejoice with Him: here, a doubt as to the result is thrown out. AVe 
are told how the* Shepherd will feel towards His sheep — "if so be that He find it^ 

There seems moreover to have been a slight difference of intention on the part of 
the Blessed Speaker, on the two occasions when Ho delivered this Parable. _ Here, 
Christ's care for each individual little one, seems to be the point to which our 
attention is chiefly directed. 

14 Even ?o it is not the will of your Fatuer which is in Heaven, that 
one of these little ones should perish. 

He has described the conduct of an earthly shepherd: "Even so," (he adds,) "is 
your Heavenly Father supremely careful for the safety of the least lamb of His 
flock." And this concludes the train of thought wliicii began at verse 11 : for it is 
implied tliat men may well "take heed that they occasion not the fall of one of these 
little ones;" to seek and to save whom, the Son of Man came into the World, — ^yea, 
for whom He died.(y") 

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. 

" By wliich, it is made plain," (says one of the Fathers,) "that enmities are a loss 
to both sides: for Christ saith not 'Thy Brother hath saved himself:' Init,— 'Thou 
hast gained thy Brother;' wliich shows that both t)f you had suffered loss by your 
disagreement. "(.'/) "In saving another, Salvation is gaincil for ourselves also." 

A "Brother" in the Failli, is here intcnile<l ; and it is clearly some heinous offence 
which our Loru alludes to, since He jn-esently directs that it shalt be brought, (if 
need bo,) Ijeforo the authorities of the Church. 

IG J3ut if he will not hear ^//<'.', tlu'ti take with thee one or two 

(//) Phil. ii. 7. ('•) Compare Iho Inngungc of Pt. Luke xv. 4. 

(./) St. Liiko .XV. .'{ to 7. (' ) See the nolo on St. Luke xv. 1 

(/) So St. Paul argues: Rom. xiv. 15, and 1 Cur. viii. II. (</) Clirysostom. 



XVIII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 171 

more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be 
established. 

Rather "z^/ie whole matter may be established." It was to be proved by the testi- 
mony of two or three witnesses, according to the provision of the Law:(7<) and it is 
evident from what follows that these witnesses were to assist in bringing the oifen- 
der to a sense of his duty. 

17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church : 

This is that rebuke " before all" of which St. Paul speaks in his First Epistle to 
Timothy.(0 

but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an 
heathen man and a publican. 

By which words, our Lord is clearly giving rules for conduct among Christians. 
He alludes to wrongs sustained loithia His Church; and speaks of that Church as 
armed with powers of her own, — powers which are accordingly found in full opera- 
tion in St. Paul's time!(A;) 

The consequence of "neglect to hear the Church," (as this saying of our Lord 
clearly implies,) can be none other than exclusion from Church-membership ; being 
cut off from the body of the faithful. Not that a man becomes thereby excluded 
from the Church's sympathy; but by becoming like "an heathen man," — (one of 
those for whose Repentance and Conversion the Church toils night and day,) — he 
loses every privilege to which Baptism entitled him. And let none suppose that 
Excommunication is a vain decree, — for, (the Lord of Heaven and Earth has 
spoken it,) — 

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall 
be bound in Heaven : and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth shall be 
loosed in Heaven. 

Whomsoever the Church regards as "a heathen man and a publican," she hinds; 
but she looses him who, when reproved, neglects not to hear her admonition. . . . 
These memorable words will be recognized as having been addressed on a former 
occasion to Simon Peter.(/) They contain "an allusion very intelligible to the 
Apostles, as it was a power already exercised by the Jewish synagogue ; and taken 
from them, and conferred by Curist Himself on His Church, which is to be 
to the end."(m) 

"There is a power within the Church," (observes Bishop Pearson,) "to cast those 
out who do belong to it ; for ' if any neglect to hear the Church,' saitli our Saviour, 
'let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.' By great and scandalous 
offences we may incur the censure of the Church of God ; and while we are shut 
out by them, we stand excluded out of Heaven. For our Saviour said to His Apos- 
tles, upon whom He built His Church, 'Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are re- 
mitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.'" 

Not only will such sentences, passed by high and competent authority, be found 
to prevail with God ; but the requests of two or three believers gathered together 
in His name, shall be granted. As it follows, — 

19 Again I say unto you. That if two of you shall agree on Earth 
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of 
My Father which is in Heaven. 

But it concerns all Christian men rightly to understand so gracious a promise. 
Let it be observed therefore, (1st.) that, in order to prevailing Prayer, they who 
thus unite, must be righteous : for " we know that God heareth not sinners."(n) 
Next, (2nd.) that the gifts demanded of God must be in themselves good: for God 

(h) Deut. xix 15. St. Paul lias the same quotation: 2 Cor. xiii. 1. 

(t) 1 Tim. V. 20. (7i) 1 Cor. V. 1 to 5, Ac; vi. 1 to 6. 1 Tim. i. 20, &c. 

[l] St. Mattli. xvi. 19. (m) Williams. 

(w) St. John ix. 31, Compare 1 St. John iii. 21, 22. 



172 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

is pleilgod only to "give good tlnnfjs to them that ask l\\m."ip') Then, (Srd.) that 
Prayer inu<;t he faithful, earnest, and perseverin<^: fur "men ought always to pray, 
and not to faint. "(i') Lastly, (4th.) that the end proposed must be just and holy: 
for St. James notes it as the special rcasun why men "ask and receive not," because 
they "ask amiss, that they may consume it upon their lusts."(9) 

20 For -where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there 
am I in the midst of them. 

Take notice that this promise is made to such only as meet in CHRIST'S Xame: 
that is, to such as pathcr toj^ether in the manner which lie has directed, and for a 
purpose whicli lie will approve. These two verses arc accordingly made the plea 
of Christ's Church, day by day, at the conclusion both of Morning and Evening 
Prayer. (;•) 

The I'ivine Discourse having been thus concluded, St. Peter comes forward to ask 
a question, — seemingly with reference to what our Lokd had said in verse lo: for, in 
substance, what precedes might evidentl}' be expressed in the language which is 
found on our Saviour's lips on a subsequent occasion: " If thy Brother trespass 
against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him."(,v) 

21, 22 Then came Peter to Ilim, and said. Lord, how oft shall my 
Brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? jE>rs 
saith unto him, I say not unto thee. Until seven times: but, Until 
seventy times seven. 

St. Peter perhaps thought that he was proposing a truly Evangelical mea.«ure of 
Forgiveness ; but his Lokd taught him that Forgiveness should know no bounds. 
For Christ does not here limit a number; but signifies something without limit. (Q 
"Be ye kind one to another," (says the Apostle,) "tender-hearted, forgiving one 
another, even as God for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."(») And it is observable 
that the self-same example of forgiveness which St. Paul thus proposes, is set be- 
fore us by our Saviour Christ in the Parable which follows. Its purpose is " to 
make clear that when God calls on man to forgive, lie does not call on him to re- 
nounce a right; but that man has in fact no right to exercise in the matter:" and 
it is difficult to imagine liow this could have been more forcibly shown, than in the 
Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. 

23 Therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened unto a certain King, 
which would take account of his servants. 

It is needless to point out who arc represented by the "certain King," and by 
"the Ser\-ants" in this Parable. The "King of Kings "(.r) "takes account" of us, 
as often as by illness or misfortune, by conscience, by llis Scriptures, or in any 
other way, lie brings our sins home to our remembrance; alarms the soul, and 
awakfiis the sinner to a sense of his great danger. Tlie Psahnist was thus dealt 
witli, when lie exclaimed, — "Mine iniquities have taken liold ujion me, so that 1 am 
not able to look up: they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart 
fuileth me."(//) 

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, 
which owed him ten thousand talents. 



e 
leso 



A very enormous sum; and wliicli will seem to show that this person must hav 
been one of the King's diiof oflicors. Tlicre is no need of supposing that tiies„ 
wore talents oj' t/old: l)Ut ton tliousand talents of silver even, would have been 
equivalent to about two millions of Englisli money. It was perhaps the tribute 
duo from many cities for several years, or the revenue of an entire Province, in 
respect of which he proved a defaulter. Tliough mention is made of "a servant," 

(o) St. Matt. vii. 11. f /.) St. Luko .wiii. 1. St. Jiiiiie!i i. 5, f>, " 

('/) St. Jiiincs iv. 3. \r) See the Priiyor of Sf. Chrysostom. 

M St. Luke xvii. 3. Compare also the next Verne St. Miilt. .xviii. 22, with St. Luke 
M f'oinpnre tScn. iv. 24. (") KplicM. iv. 32. Compare Col. iii. 1.'? 

[j-} Rev. xix. 10. ly) Vi. xl. 12. 



th St. Luke .wii. 1. 



XVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 173 

therefore, it is plain that the warning of the Parable is derived from the conduct of 
one who belonged to the highest rank of Society. 

" Since the Law is set forth in ten precepts," (says the great Father of the West,) 
"let us consider that the ^ien thousand talents' which this man owed, denote all 
things which can be done under the Law." — Language derived from worldly obli- 
gation, and especially terms which are in strictness applicable only to debts of 
money, are constantly employed by our Saviour to illustrate the position in which 
we stand towards God. Consider the very language of the Lord's Prayer, as it is 
found set down in St. Matthew's Gospel: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors." (z) And observe that we stand indebted to Goo for all Ilis gifts "of na- 
ture, of grace, or of fortune. All opportunities of good in thought, word, and 
deed; duties to ourselves, to our neighbours, and to God; time, abilities, and 
spheres of influence ; education, examples, relationships ; these all are talents to 
be accounted for I" (a) The World is so well aware of this, that it has learned 
(from Scripture) to call a man's abilities, his talents. 

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to 
be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment 
to be made. 

Neither Type nor Parable is always capable of being pressed in its minuter de- 
tails. Followed out beyond a certain point, the most obvious Type, the very plainest 
Parable, conducts us into the regions of Fancy; where wild conjecture must supply 
the place of rational criticism. In the present instance it may fairly be doubted if 
any allegorical meaning is to be sought for in this mention of the Servant's "wife 
and children ;" especially when it is remembered that the hardship which the man 
was about to incur, was the established penalty under the Jewish Law, of a Debtor 
who had not wherewith to pay. The Creditor, in such case, took his family as 
bondsmen. (6) The heavy penalty of Sin is therefore here indicated, — namely, to 
be "sold into the hands of the Enemy." (c) "Which of My creditors is it to whom 
I have sold you?" (asks the Lord by His Prophet:) "Behold, for your iniquities 
have ye sold yourselves."(cZ) 

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, 
Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

To fall down with the face to the earth, before a person high in authority, is in 
the East an usual act of homage, — or, as it is here termed, of "worship" ... In 
his terror, the servant promises to " pay all," if he may but have his sentence re- 
mitted : but the defaulter in such a sum cannot pay all. " He must let that alone 
for ever."(e) 

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and 
loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

The command that he should be sold, therefore, ("and his wife, and children, 
and all that he had,") "issued not of cruelty, but of unspeakable tenderness. For 
by these terrors, his lord sought to bring him to plead that he might not be sold,"(/) 
which actually happened, and with the blessed result which has l)een just now 
laid before us. Nay : the largeness of the creditor's Love is the thing which here 
most strikes us. The servant asked only for a short respite, and engaged to pay 
the whole of the debt in the end. But his lord grants him more than he even 
dared to ask: for he freely cancels the entire obligation, and forgives him all. 

" The severity of God only endures till the Sinner is brought to recognize his 
guilt. It is indeed only Love in disguise. Having done its work, having brought 
Man to the acknowledgment of his guilt and misery, it re-appears as grace again ; 
granting more than had either been asked or hoped ; loosing the bands of sin, and 
letting the prisoner go free." 

And yet "he did not remit the debt till he had 'taken account:' because he de- 
sired that the other might be made aware how great a debt he was forgiven ; and 
might thereby become the more merciful towards his fellow- servants." 



(s] St. Matt. vi. 12. r«) Rev. I. "Williams. 

(b) Levit. XXV. 39, 41: compare 2 Kings iv. 1. (c) Consider Judges ii. 14: iii. 8: iv. 2: 

(d) Isaiah 1. 1. Consider Ps. xliv. 12. (e) Ps. slix. 8. {/) Chrysostom. 



174 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-ser- 
vants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, 
and took liun by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 

There hud been no such peremptory hxiif^uage used towards liiuiself, by his lord, 
in the first instance: nuicli loss liad he sustained any sucli sava;;c treatment. This 
stern demand, it was reserved for Jiim to make of his fellovr-t-ervant, ou going out 
from the presence of his lord! 

Observe, that by "fellow-servant" is here meant one who, like himself, was a 
servant in respect of the "Kinj^" mentioned in verse 23. "An hundred pence" 
are to "ten thousand talents" (speaking roughly) as one to a million: and this sets 
fortli, as far as numbers reasonably may, the disproportion between the trespasses 
committed against us by our fellow-men, and which tre are called upon to forgive ; 
and thiise wliich Ai.muihty Gou hath "frankly forgiven" us, "forasmuch as we 
had not to pay." Tliere is, in truth, scarcely any relation ])etween the respective 
amounts. It is as a drop of water in comparison of the boundless ocean. 

29 And his felloAV-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, 
saying. Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

The plea was the self-same which he had lately urged so successfully liimself. But 
neither the recollection of his lord's kindness, nor his own recent misery, nor the 
sight of one poor as himself in trouble, — made any impression on that hard heart. 
" Ue does not even respect the very words which had saved himself: for it follows," — 

30 And he would not : but went and cast him into prison, till he 
should pay the debt. 

He not only foiled to forgive him, but he would not even "\xti\q patience." " 'He 
went' the way of Cain, from natural piety, and brotherly aflFection, — went and cast 
him into prison."(y) % 

31 So when their fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very 
sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 

Rather, "declared fully" to their lord. 

"Wrath" against Sin is the proper attribute of God.(7i') "Sorrow" is for men. 
The '•fellow-servants"(i') tell their Lord all that is done, — "crying day and night 
unto him."(A) 

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, 

" Called him," (as it has been remarked with obvious truth,) " by the sentence 
of Death, and bade him ])ass out of this World." The Lord, at the Judgment 
day, will say unto such an one, — 

thou wicked servant. 

Observe, that the lord did not chide his servant for owing him ten thousand t^xl- 
enta. He neither called him "wicked," nor even reproached him: but simidy was 
about to sull'cr him to incur the known penalty of the Law, — which is "holy : and 
the Commandment holy, and just, and good."(0 ^^ '** ^"â– '* cruel treatnuMit nf his 
fellow-servant which draws forth the language of reproach: "U thou wicked ser- 
vant," — 

1 forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me : shouldcst not 
thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had 
pity on thee V 

"Thou vicTi for giten: shouldcst thou not at least have had compassion?" {m) 
"Observe that the guilt laid to his charge is not that needing mercy, ho refused to 
show it; but that havimj rccdced mercy, he remains unmercirul."(/i) 



(</) Rev. I. Williams. {h\ Sco below, the note on ver. 34. 

U\ Rov. vi. 11. (A) St. Luke xviii. 7. 

(/) Rom. vii. 12. {in) Sco above, the m-to on vcr. 30. (h) Trench. 



XVIII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 175 

"We are directed to say daily, " Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them 
that trespass against us." But this parable reminds us of the obligation under 
which we lie, so to " forgive them that trespass against us ;" namely, because we 
have already been forgiven. 

Take notice, that no answer of the unmerciful Servant is recorded. He seems 
to have been " speechless. "(o) By which, says an ancient Writer, "it is shown 
that in the Day of Judgment, all excusing of ourselves will be impossible." We 
shall be, and we shall knoiu ourselves to be, without excuse before God. 

And so, "because kindness had not mended him, it remains that he be corrected 
by punishment. As it follows," — 

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till 
he should pay all that was due unto him. 

Not merely " delivered him," but " loas angry," — which was not said before. As 
a debtor, he incurred a penalty: but as one who "had no v'i^J,"{x>) he deserved a 
heavy punishment: for, it is written, "He shall have judgment without mercy 
that hath showed no mQrcj."{q) And " when God takes vengeance on Sinners, 
then He is said to be " wroth." 

"The tormentors" must be those evil Spirits who inhabit the "place of tor- 
ment,"(i-) "the Devil and his angels, "(?) as it is elsewhere said. The term is bor- 
rowed from a usage in respect of debt, to which our Law is an utter stranger. — 
And for how long was the condemned Servant delivered over to that accursed bond- 
age? " Till he should pay a?Z ^7«aif was c?«<e." But could this erer be ? JVeye;-, cer- 
tainly; for "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the 
grave."(/) The Sinner on whom God denounces that awful sentence, — "Verily I 
say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the ut- 
termost farthing,"(<() — must be condemned to everlasting torment. In this place, 
therefore, "till" has the well-known meaning, already explained, (a') and which it 
has in so many parts of Scripture, (y) It does not indicate the time when punish- 
ment ivill cease: but the time up to which punishment loill continue. 

" God says, ' Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. '(s) I first forgave you; there- 
fore do ye ' Forgive.' But if you forgive not, I will call you back and require 
again the whole sum which before I had forgiven." So far an ancient Father ;(a) 
in allusion to the obvious, and very remarkable circumstance, that the Servant was 
not imprisoned, after all, for his cruelty ; but for the very debt which, in the first 
instance he had been forgiven. This certainly opens a difficult question, in respect 
of the forgiveness of sins. The true way to meet it seems to be to point out that 
though the gifts of God are without repentance,(6) yet that when Man, by heinous 
Sin, breaks his Baptismal Covenant, and cuts himself ofi" from Communion with 
Christ, he thereby cancels the deed which assured him of Pardon ; falls back into 
a state of Nature : and thus incurs the penalty of the old sins which were actually 
forgiven him. In this case, it is not God who revokes His gift ; but Man who re- 
fuses to accept it. 

35 So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye 
from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 

Our Divine Master will have no pretended reconciliation. The forgiveness which 
He requires must he, from the heart ; or He will not allow it to be any forgiveness 
at all. — How surprising are the many injunctions we meet with in the Gospel con- 
cerning Forgiveness of Injuries ! It would seem that an unforgiving temper must 
be one of the greatest snares to which our fallen nature is exposed. The same ob- 
servation has been already forced upon us ; namely, when we were taking a review 
of our Blessed Lord's Teaching, as contained in the Sermon on the Mount. (c) 



(o) St. Matthew xxii. 12. (^j) 2 Samuel sii. 6. (-7) St. James ii. 13. 

Ir) St. '   -- ..---- .._.... 

«)St. ^_., , ... 

\v) See besides St. Matth. v. 26: xxviii. 20. Ezra iv. 5, &c. 



Luke xvi. 28. (s) St. Matth. xxv. 41. (0 EccL ix.lO. 

St. Matth. v._26. (.r) See the note on St, Matth. i. 25. 



:i 



St. Luke vi. 37. (a) Augustine. (6) Rom. xi. 29. 

See the note on St. Matt. vii. 27, p. 69. 



17G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHATTER XIX. 



2 Christ healcih the sick. 3 Anstcereih the Pharisees concci-ning divorcement. 10 
Shoicdli iclun Marriuye is necessary. 13 Receiveth little Children. IG Instnictcth 
the Ymtnij Man hoto to attain Eternal Life. 20 And hoiP to be perfect. 23 Tclleth 
Ilis Disciples how hard it is for a Rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of God. 
27 And promiseth reicard to those that forsake any thing to follow Ilim. 

1, 2 And it came to pass, tltat when Jesus had finished these say- 
ings, He departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea 
beyond Jordan ; 

And thus our Lord in the course of Ilis Ministry will be found to have traversed 
every part of the IInl}' Land, and for a time to have made Ilis abode in oaoh great 
division of the Country. Often in Galilee, and once as far as Tyre and Sidou, we 
have lately seen Him on the Eastern side of the Jordan also, as far northward as 
the ancient Dan. lie traversed Samaria, and abode at Sychar.(«) In Juda?a, and 
at Jerusalem, (at Bethany also,) He is often heard of: here, He is found in "the 
coasts of Judaea," whither He had proceeded "by the farther side of Jordan. "(^) 
That is. He had come through Peraja, and was now in that part of Judaea Avhich 
lay on the Eastern side of the river. 

and great multitudes followed Him ; and He healed them there. 

"And, as He was wont," (adds St. Mark,) "He taught them again :"(t) for He 

was the Physician of souls, — by His Works confirming His Words It seems 

to be well known where lie was : for it follows, — 

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? 

These were doubtless envoys from Jerusalem, sent by the Sanhedrin, (the chief 
Council of the nation,) with the accursed object of molesting the Holy One. Their 
present inquiry seems to have been intended to betray Him into some statement 
which might be thought contrary cither to the laws of Chastit}', or to the Law uf 
Moses. IJut it can scarce be doubted that it was so contrived as to make the Di- 
vine Teacher obnoxious to a powerful section of their body; for it concerned a 
question which is known to have been much disputed in the Jewish Schools, and 
which had divided them into parties. Some of the llabbis taught tiuit on any jire- 
text, however frivolous, wicked, or absurd, Divorce was allowable, — provided only 
it were effected in due form. 

4 And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that 
lie which made tlwm at the beginning made them Male and Female ; 

Our LoKi) refers to what is written in Genesis i. 27, and v. 2. A learned Father 
remarks upon it, that by this text alone, our Lord convinceil them of their error: 
" for He said not ' nuilc ami females,' (which was what was sought bj- the putting 
away of the first;) but, ' male and jtmalc,' implying one tic in wedlock. ''(fO 

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? 

(a) St. John iv. 5 and 43. {b) St. Mark x. 1. (c) St. Mark x. 1. (</) Jerome. 



XIX.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 177 

These words therefore are to be regarded as the utterance of God ; though, as 
they stand in the Book of Genesis, (e) they seem to have been actually spoken by 
Adam.(/) Doubtless, (as St. Polycarp is thought to have remarked,) our first 
Father spake prophetically, — the Spirit of God moving him to deliver words the 
full import of which would not be seen for four thousand years. — Our Satiour here 
republishes the Law of Nature ; and sets God's earlier decree, against the permis- 
sion which was afterwards given in consequence of the hardness of men's hearts. 
Concerning the form of the expression, the Keader is referred to the note on St. 
Mark x. 7. 

" AVhen He had thus brought forward the words and facts of the old Law, He 
then interprets with authority, and lays down a Law, saying," — 

6 -wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore 
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 

"He brings in God yet again ; showing that it is both against Nature and God's 
Law to put away a wife : against Nature, — because ' one flesh' is therein divided : 
against Law, — because God hath joined and forbidden to sunder th.em."(g) 

7 They say unto Him, Why did Moses then command to give a writ- 
ing of divorcement, and to put her away ? 

Referring to the precept found in Deuteronomy xxiv. 1, 2. — Our Lord explains 
that this was only in consequence of "that stubborn disposition which made them 
incapable of obeying a purer and more perfect law." 

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts 
suffered you to put away your Wives : but from the beginning it was 
not so. 

Such was the excuse made by Christ, in His unspeakable Wisdom, for His an- 
cient Servant. "By this. He clears Moses from their charge, and retorts it all upon 
their own head." To protect a despised Wife from the cruelty of an unfaithful 
Husband, Moses had "suffered" (j\.oi "commanded,") that she should be "put 
away:" "but from the beginning, it was not so." 

9 And I say unto you. Whosoever shall put away his Wife, except 
it he for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery : 

Whereby He not only repeals the permission given by Moses, but delivers a new 
Law with the authority of a Lawgiver: "/ say unto you," — as in the Sermon on 
the Mount.(/^) The circumstance was remarkable-; and accordingly obtains special 
notice from the Apostle, when he is treating of such matters.((') — "It is fornication 
alone which destroys the relationship of the Wife ; for when she has divided one 
flesh into two, and has separated herself by fornication from her Husband, she is 
not to be retained." (A:) 

and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. 

" He says this to the terror of him that would take her to wife ; for the Adulter- 
ess would have no fear of disgrace." Doubtless this entire sentence concerning 
Divorce was peculiarly unpalatable to the unholy men who came "tempting Him." 
Consider St. Luke xvi. 14 and 18. 

10 His Disciples say unto Him, If the case of the Man be so with 
his Wife, it is not good to marry. 

A very strange rejoinder, surely ! Had then the Jewish heart become so de- 
praved and hardened that the thought of Marriage without the privilege of Divorce, 
was intolerable ! Truly, the Disciples herein showed that they partook of the gen- 
eral blindness which had befallen their nation. 

ie) Gen. ii. 23, 24. (/) Consider Acts xxviii. 25. Heb. i. 8 : iv. 4, <fec. 

Ig) Chrysostom. \h^ See St. Matthew vii. 29, and the note there, 

(i) See 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. ( k) Jerome. 

12 



178 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

11 But lie said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save 
tJieT/ to whom it is given. 

That is, — To remain unmarried, is a precept wliich cannot be acted upon by all; 
" but only by those to whom the power of abstainin;^ from marriage is given." 
"Every man," (says the Apustlo.) "hath his pr(»por gift of God, — one after this 
manner, and another after ihut."[i) 

Our LoKu proceeds to mention three different ways ]>j which men might have tho 
power before alluded to, — namely, by nature ; or by violence ; or by choice. 

12 For there arc some eunuchs, which were so born from their moth- 
er's womb : ami there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of 
men : and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for 
the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. 

That is, "Which have denied themselves the liberty of marriage, in order to be 
enabled thereby to denote themselves more entirely to the service of God."(;h) — 
Then, with reference to " the saying" spoken of in verse 11, our Saviour adds, — 

He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. 

"The meaning is, Whosoever hath the power, however given him, of living with- 
out marriage, let him use that power if it seem good to him. These are words of 
permission, not of command."('0 According to the heading of the chapter, — our 
Lord " showcth when Marriage is necessary." 

The narrative proceeds with what seems like a beautiful continuation of the same 
subject. 

13 Then were there brought unto Ilim little Cliildrcn, that He 
should put His Hands on them, and pray : and the Disciples rebuked 
them. 

The desire that our Lord would "put His Hands on them, and pray," (that is, 
that lie would bless them,) (o) may have arisen out of his commcudatiou of little 
Children recorded in the former chapter.(j>) 

14, 15 But Jesus said. Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to 
come unto Me : for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. And He laid 
His Hands on them, and departed thence. 

The Reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark x. 13 to 10, for several remarks 
on this incident. — Curist had now " gone forth into the "way."((/) 

IG And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what 
good thing shall I do, that I may have Eternal Life ? 

St. Mark says he " came running." But he addressed our Lord as if lie were 
a mere man. Christ therefore answers him as if He were indeed no more. 

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 
Oommandrncnts. 

That is, " If thou desirest to enter into Life." 

18 He saith unto Him, Which ? 

The young Ruler evidently supposed that our Saviour spoke of some great and 
strange tiling, when Ho ]):\<w him "keep the Commandments." And so, indeed, 
He did ; though the other had not the eyes to sec it. 

il) 1 Cor. vii. 7. Sco nlpo what follow?. 
Ill) Ariliclciipon IIiilc niul ]$[). Lon-dnlo, — referring to 1 Cor. vii. 32 to 35. 
n) Sfu 1 Cor. vii. 7. — Tho (luotntion is from tlio ."oiircc Inst rcforrc! to. 
o) C'in."iikT St. Murk X. 10. — Thi.- wnn ilonc with Imposition of Han da. Sco Ocn. xlviii. 
13, II, 17, 1». (;))6co SU Matlhowxviii. 2 to6. (j) St. Mark x. 17. 



XIX.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 179 

19 Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adul- 
tery. Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour 
thy Father and thy Mother : and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 
thyself. 

Our Lord alluded to nothing new. He reminds him of the sixth, seventh, eighth, 
ninth, and fifth; omitting only the tenth. "And if there be any other Command- 
ment," (writes the Apostle,) "it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (r) 

But lohy did our Lord omit the tenth Commandment? Was it not because Covet- 
ousness was the one thing which was keeping this young Ruler from Christ ; and 
which virtually prevented him from obeying the invitation in verse 21 ? 

20, 21 The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept 
from my youth up : what lack I yet ? Jesus said unto him, 

How kindly the words which follow were spoken, may be inferred from St, 
Mark's statement that Jestjs " beholding him, loved liim."{s) It is to be supposed 
from this very circumstance that there was much of good in this young man ; but 
the reply we have just heard from his lips recalls painfully the remonstrance of the 
elder son in the parable, — " Neither transgressed I at any time Thy Command- 
ments."(0 He even adds, "What lack I yet?" and "knows not that he is 
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."(M) . . . "Jesus" 
therefore 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. 

But how was this to make him " perfect?" " Perhaps it may be that such an 
effort of Faith, capable of overcoming the great besetting sin, would carry him 
through all lesser temptations. Add to which, that our Lord's words must be 
taken in connection. ' Give to the poor,' He says ; and ' Follow Me.' This is 
surely Evangelical Perfection. The first is the love of Man ; the second is the love 
of God with all the heart. And in this, is the true and spiritual fulfillment of all 
the Commandments." 

Nor must it be forgotten that " when Christ calls it 'perfection^ to sell all and give 
to the poor, He speaks according to the idiom of the Jewish nation, which thought 
it so : and He does but try whether this rich man, boasting of his exact perform- 
ance of the Law, would aspire to that 'perfection' which his countrymen so 
praised."(x) 

22 But when the Young Man heard that saying, he went away sor- 
rowful : for he had great possessions. 

Our Lord had laid His finger on the one weak point in this young man's charac- 
ter. He was loving and chaste, honest and true, dutiful also to parents ; yet had 
he made an idol of his great Wealth. He was a servant of Mammon, and there- 
fore could not serve God.(?/) How docs the great Apostle seem to vsrite of such as 
he, where he says, — " The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some 
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with 
many sorrows. (z) On all that precedes, see also the notes on St. Mark x. 17 to 22. 

23 Then said Jesus unto His Disciples, Verily I say unto you, That 
a Rich Man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

It follows in St. Mark's Gospel, — " And the Disciples were astonished at His 
words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them. Children, how hard is it 
for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God !''(«) It is nearly 
one and the same thing therefore, to have riches, and to trust in them. Which 

(r) Romans xiii. 10,— quoting Levit. xix. 18. («) St. Mark x. 21: where see the note. 

h) St. Luke XV. 29. (m) Rev. iii. 17. (») Lightfoot. 

\y) St. Matth. vi. 24; and the notes on St. Mark x. 24. 
(a) 1 Tim, vi. 10. (a) St. Mark x. 24. 



180 A PLAIX COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

startling assertion, so far from revoking, or even Boftcning down, our Lord delivers 
" again," and in yet stronger language : — 

24 And again I say unto you, It is oasici* for a camel to go through 
the eye of a needle, than for a Rich Man to enter into the Kingdom 
of God. 

This is a strong provorljial expression, denoting something which is impossible. 
Consider below, verse 26. " Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way," in the 
case of all : but to the rich man it becomes so strnitonod, so narrowed, as to be- 
come like the eye of a needle. He also moves slowly, (like the camel,) for he car- 
ries an unwieldy burthen. 

25, 20 AVhen His Disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, 
saying, "Who then can be saved ? But Jesus beheld thou, and said 
unto tliem, "With men this is impossible ; but Avith Goi) all things arc 
possible. 

Our Lord looked earnestly upon his Apostles as He said this ; and if Judas did 
not feel the power of Ills look, it must have been because he turned away his eyes 
to avoid it. 

Their question showed how deeply they had entered into the meaning of their 
Lord's words. They understood tliat the " rich" of whom He spake were not 
merely the i-ich in possessions, but the I'ich in desires, the lovers of rieltcs, — whether 
they had them, or had them not. Thus then, out of a deeply painful sense of the 
difficultv of being really poor, thoy asked with amazement, " Who then can be 

saved ?"(/') 

On all that precedes, see the notes on St. Mark x. 17 to 27 ; and on St. Luke 

xviii. 27. 

27 Then answered Peter and said unto Ilim, Behold, wc have for- 
saken all, and followed Thee; what shall we have therefore? 

Simon, seeing the young Ruler depart, " very sorrowful : for he was very rich, "(c) 
asked this question, — surely not one which the maturer Saint would have approved ! 
Yet, note the gracious answer : 

28 And Jesus said unto them, '\^erily I say unto you, that yo which 
have followed Me, in the Regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit 
in the Throne of His Glory, ya also shall sit upon Twelve Thrones, 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

He says not "Ye twelve;" but "Ye whicJi Jiave folloiced Me,"{iT) — thereby ex- 
cluding Judas. The " sitting uimn thrones" denotes that the Apostles slioul<l reign 
with Christ, and share His glory: and it is promised that they should "judge the 
twelve tribes of Israel," because they, the twelve heads of the spiritual Israel, 
would, 1)y their Faitli in Messiah, condemn the unbelief of the nation which had 
formally rejecte<l Him. 

All tills is to 1)0 " in the Regeneration :" that is, at the end of the AVorld, — when 
" the Heavens, being on lire siiall be dissolved, and the elenionts shall molt Avith 
fervent heat ;" " the Earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned 
up ;"(c) and Goi> will create " new Heavens and a new Earth. "(/") 

Nay, wo ourselves, at the sound of the Archangol's trump, sliall bo raised incor- 
ruptible, and be c/i(tni/ed. It will be l/ic Jiei/eneralion thoroi'ore; the birth-pangs of 
Kature will have lioen folt,(//) and forgotten :(/<) "old things will have jiassed 
away ; behold all i/iinr/s will have become nexL\"[i) 

Into HO awful a sul)joot as .ludLnncnt to oonu', it is safest not to pry curiously. 
W(! know nothin;^ more than hath boon rovoalod, n<jr can knciw. Tiie nui^rniliocut 



'o' 



/-) AiiKUHliiip, rcferrcil to liy Tronch. (<•) St. Lnki> xviii. 2.^. 

-/) An.l .«cc St. Luke xxii. 28. (< ) 2 St. Totur iii. 10, 12, 13. 

/) Compare Ixiiiah l.xv. 17 : I.wi. 22. Rev. xxi. ), 27. 
(y) St. Miiltli. xxiv. 8, (where ace the nolo) : Kom. viii. 22. 
(h) at. John xvi. 21 (i) 2 Cor. v. 17. 



XIX.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 181 



outlines traced in such passages as the present by the Hand of Christ Himself 
(" the Judge of all") (A) may well content us. It shall suffice further to remind 
ourselves of that exclamation, — "Know ye not that we shall judge Angels ?"(0 
to point out that it proceeded from one who, though not numbered with the Twelve, 
was not behind the very chiefest Apostles ;"{7n) and to suggest, with the greatest 
of the Fathers, that " in the number of Judges, therefore, are included as many as 
have left their all to follow CnRiST."(u) 

29 And every one that liatli forsaken Houses, or Brethren, or Sis- 
ters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands, for My 
Name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit Ever- 
lasting Life. 

See on St. Mark x. 30, and on St. Luke xviii. 30. 

30 But many that are first shall be last ; and the last shall be first. 

Our Blessed Lord may be considered to have used this saying three times ; 
namely, in St. Luke xiii. 30, — here(o) — and in the 16th verse of the ensuing chap- 
ter. For though, at first sight, these two latter instances might be considered to 
reckon as only one, — occurring as they do, the one at the beginning, the other at 
the end, of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, — yet, on closer examina- 
tion, it will be perhaps found that they are by no means to be certainly so regarded. 
On cither occasion, the proverl> seems to have a distinct meaning ; and we are re- 
minded here, (as so often elsewhere,) that our Lord's words are like those precious 
stones which possess the singular property of presenting a different colour accord- 
ing to the different position in which they are displayed. The saying in question, 
which is very nearly repeated in chap. xx. 16, must doubtless be viewed on either 
occasion by the light of the sayings which go before it ; and these are, (at least 
they seem to be,) very different. 

When the proverb occurs in the next chapter, it seems to mean that the last hired 
shall fare like the first, and the first hired like the last.( j?) But in this place it 
seems unmistakably to have a somewhat different application. It sounds like a 
note of solemn warning. The proverb here, seems, in fact, to fulfill the same ofiice 
which it fulfills in St. Luke xiii. 30 : namely, to convey a cai\tion, (jnucli needed, 
no doubt, bf/ us aU,) against supposing that the estimation in which men are now 
held will of course prevail hereafter. Was Judas Iscariot the only one who from 
being "first" became " last?" or was Lazarus (in the parable) the only one who, 
from being last, became first? — It seems scarcely a bold suggestion that, after St. 
Peter's inquiry, — " What shall we," (that is, we Twelve Apostles,) " have there- 
fore ?"(<2) and the promise about the twelve thrones, which follows, — our Lord 
should have added this word of warning with a special eye to the Traitor Judas, — 
being " one of the Twelve."(r) 

The saying in question therefore, may perhaps be thus paraphrased : — 

But beware how ye, who were the first to be hired into Mj Vineyard, presume 
thereupon ; as if entitled to a higher reward, from having endured a greater share 
of heat and fatigue. As many as I shall call, to the end of the World, are destined 
to enter into one and the same state of Bliss. Nay, beware how ye build your 
hopes of future Happiness, at all, on your present privileges ; and let as many as 
shall come after you, beware also. My promises are wholly conditional. When I 
come in the Evening of the World to reckon with My Servants, many of those who 
were first called, and occupied the first place in this Life, will find themselves 
thrust down into the lowest room ; while those who were called latest, and regarded 
as least, will be exalted to the highest honors. {*) 

Then follows a Parable, which seems to have special reference to the time when 
men are sent into the Lord's Vineyard. See the note on verse 10 of the ensuing 
chapter. 



(k) Heb. xii. 23. {I) 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. (to) 2 Cor. xi. 5. 

fn) Augustine. (o) Parallel to St. Mark x. 31. 

(p) See the note on St. Matt. xx. 16. (q) St.Matt. xix. 27. 

(;•) St. Matthew xxvi. 47. St. Mark xi. 10, &o. See above the note on ver. 26 : also on St. 
Matthew xxii. 12. (s) See the note on the last part of St. Luke xviii. 14. 



182 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER XX, 



1 Christ, by the similitude of the Labourers in the Vineyard, shotceth that God is 
debtor unto no man. 17 Fortelleth His Passion. 20 By answering the Mother of 
Zetjedee's Children, tcachcth His Disciples to be lowly: '60 and f/ivethiico blind men 
their sijht. 

The parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard, â– with which this chapter begins, 
seems at first sight one of the easiest of the parables; yet, on examination, it proves 
to be one of the hardest, if not the very hardest of aU. The truth is, tliat while the 
narrative is of the simplest kind, ^75 application is by no means obvious; even with 
the help which our Blessed Lord has Uimself suppbed in the short proverbial sen- 
tence with which it concludes. 

Nearly the same saying goes immediately before the parable, if it was not actu- 
ally meant to preface and introduce it; and the circumstance is far too remarkable 
to be overlooked. It is "as if it were intended that, by the Moral of it being thus 
given twice, at its beginning and again at its end, all who read or hear it should be 
sure of seeing and understanding the lesson which Christ meant that it should 
teach."(<^) By the light of that saying, then ("a lamp shining in a dark place,"(i) 
as St. Peter speaks,) let us study the parable. The words alluded to, and which 
conclude St. Matthew's 19th chapter, are these: "Many that are first shall be last; 
and the last shall be first." 

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Man tJiat is an house- 
holder, which -went out early in the morning to hire labourers into His 
Vineyard. 

"Who the Householder was, who, "as soon as it was day," went out to hire 
labourers into His Vineyard, scarcely requires telling. But the remark so often 
brought before us, is again recalled, — that God loves under the image of an Hus- 
bandman to speak of Himself in His dealings with mankind.(') The "Vineyard" is 
the Cimrch, — as our Lord Himself hath shown by more than one parable.((/) His 
Disciples were familiar with this image from the writings of their ancient 
Prophets. (c) 

2 And when He had agreed with the laboui'ers for a penny a day, 
He sent them into His Vineyard. 

The Roman Denarius is spoken of, being in value about cightpencc of our money. 
" Everlasting Life" (f) doubtless intended thcrebj', — the common reward of all 
who have wrought in the Vineyard; of all, that is, who have served God faithfully 
in their generation. 

3 And He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing 
idle in the market-place. 

That is, the place of general concourse and public resort. As contrasted with 
the Vineyard, which represents the Church, the Market-place must stand for the 

World. 

ri) Rov. W. Jacobson, D. D. (I>) 2 St. Pctrr i. 19. 



Sco the note on St. Luko iii. 17. (</) See St. Mutth. xxi. 33 to 43. 

Ih. v. 1 to 7. Jcr. xii. 10. I's. Ixxx. S to 15. 
If) at. Matth, lijt. 2'J: St. Mark x. 30: St. Luke xviiL 30. 



SX.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 183 

4, 5 And said unto them ; Go ye also into the Vineyard, and what- 
soever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again He 
went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 

He entered into covenant with those whom He hired at six in the morning. The 
labourers whom He hired at 9, at 12, and at 3, left Him to decide what their reward 
should be ; and verily they found, at evening, that they had been serving a most 
bounteous Master, — It wanted only one hour to sunset when He went forth for the 
last time: — 

6, 7 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 ? 
They say unto Him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto 
them. Go ye also into the Vineyard ; and whatsoever is right, that shall 
ye receive. 

From this part of the Transaction, the " eleventh hour" has passed into the ordi- 
nary language of mankind! It seems to have been generally assumed that the 
parable is of individual application; and that the close of a man's life, is the 
"eleventh hour" of which Christ speaks. 

But since the Parable teaches that they who were hired at the eleventh hour re- 
ceived exactly the same reward as those who sustained the whole burden and heat 
of the day, — the further belief has arisen that provided a man does but bestir him- 
self, at however late a period of his life, he will prove equally blessed in the end, 
with the most faithful of God's servants. — It may seem scarcely worth while to 
advert gravely to a notion like this, — vaguely held, at best, and maintained seriously 
by none but the very weak or the very wicked: yet it is to be feared that such 
notions are more widely spread, have taken deeper root, and are wont to influence 
conduct more fatally than is generally believed. 

Let itbe pointed out therefore, that whatever truth there may be in the proposed 
application of the Parable, the condition of bestowing the penny at the close of the 
day, must never be lost sight of. The excuse of those who were found standing 
idle at the eleventh hour, was, that No man had hired them. They were doing 
nothing, only because they had nothing to do. Let none therefore who begin to 
labour at the eleventh hour, presume to look for the reivard of the labourers in the 
Parable, unless they are able to offer their excuse also. And how can that excuse 
find a place on the lips oi. any living in a Christian land? .... But to return: — 

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. 

"Last" and " first:" — those words evidently supply the key-note of the entire dis- 
course. So in verses 10, 12, and 14. — Christ is "the Steward" set over God's 
Household. 

The labourers are paid at evening, according to the law that "the wages of him 
that is hired should not abide" with his employer "all night until the morning."(^) 
And judgment will come in like manner, at the end of the "World. 

9, 10 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, 
they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they sup- 
posed that they should have received more ; and they likewise received 
every man a penny. 

_ The first hired seem to have approached the Steward with thoughts like those of 
Simon Peter in ver. 27 of the preceding chapter, — "Behold, ice have done such and 
such things: what shall we have therefore?" But there the resemblance ceases. 
"The labourers received every man a penny." 

11, 12 And when they had received it, they murmured against the 

(jf) Levit. xix. 13. Compare Deut. xxiv. 15, and Job. vii. 2. 



184 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP, 

goodraan of the house, saying, These last have wrought hut one hour, 
and thou hast made them et|ual unto us, which have borne the burden 
and heat of the day. 

The very terms of their compUiint reveal their unworthiness. They are dis- 
pleased at finding "these last" "made equal"' unto themselves: they majrnify their 
toil: they even "murmur ajjainst the Goodman of the House." Their conduct 
recalls the licliaviour of the elder son in the parable of "the Prodij^al." Indeed 
the two parables present some strikinj; points of resemblance. "What foUoAvs is not 
unlike the Father's reply to the elder Son's remonstrance: — 

13, 14, 15 But He answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do 
thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with Mo for a penny? Take that 
thine is, and go tliy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 
Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye 
evil, because I am good? 

That 19, Dost thou look upon mc -with a jealous and an evil eye, because I am 
bountiful to others, and just to thyself? — Wliereby, as the heading of this chapter 
states, — "Christ shovrcth that God is debtor unto no man." 

The parable liaving thus been brought to a close, the Divine Speaker is graciously 
pleased to sultjoin a sentence which declares the drift of Ilis mysterious teaching: 
on which, see St. Matthew xix. 30. 

16 So the last shall be first, and the first last : for many be called, 
but few chosen. 

And yet, when tlve parable is considered, no such inference as this readily 
presents itself. "The first" and "the last" have not exchanged places, — as the 
proverb seems to imply, and it is probably actually intended to imply on the other 
two occasions when our Lord employs it. Still less have any that were "called" 
not been "chosen;" for all have been rewarded, and all have been rewarded alike. 
We are compelled thercf<H-e to add a few words in order to remind ourselves of what 
seems actually to have been His precious meaning: namely, — that, in respect of 
Everlasting Life, the last shall be [rewarded like tlio] first, and the first [like the] 
last. Or, yet more brielly, that "The last shall be [as the] first, and the first [as 
the] last." For, — (according to that saying, "Many be called, but few chosen,") — 
the result shall falsify the expectation. Many who deem themselves favored with a 
special call, will find in the end that they arc not chosen to the exalted privilege 
which they promised themselves. 

Out of this, however, arise many hard questions. We are tempted to inquire, 
Did our Lord then deliver the paraljlc simply to teach t/iat/ What bearing can 
such a lesson be supposed to have on the Discourse whicli preceded? Above all. 
Is it then really so, that the same reward will 1)0 to all alike? Will Abraham and 
Moses, will St. John and St. Peter, drink no fuller cup than he who was assured of 
pardon on the cross, (at "the eleventh hour," as avo say,) or any other accepted 
sinner mentioned in tlie Gospel? It is said elsewhere that "one star diffcixth from 
another star in glory. "(//) 

Further dillicultiiis also present themselves. Is the parable of national, or 
of individual api>licati(in? What is meant by the several liours of the day? And 
how does it happen that all the labourers arc rewarded? 

Satisfactorily to solve so many difficulties is evidently a hopeless task: but most 
of them admit of a sulFicicnt answer. The Parable nuist be taken in connection 
with the four concluding verses of the former chanter; and, (as already explained 
in the note on St. Matthew xix. 30,) it seems to have been designed, in the first 
instance, to repress any i)roud thoughts which the ))romise of "twelve thrones" 
might have excited in the Apostles: sliowing that the last hired shall be as the first; 
and the first as the last. Tiie reward is ijIic. 

IJut a reward, though one and the same in itself, is not therefore one and the same 
to those ir/io receive it. Meat and drink arc a great gift to the hungrv and thirsty: 
to those who ncitlicr hunger nor thirst, meat and drink afford small gratification. 

(;.)1 Cor. XV 11 



XX.] 



ON ST. MATTHEAV'S GOSPEL. 185 



"Truly the Light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the 
Sun:"(/) but only if they be in a healthy state. The Light is torture to an eye 
diseased. Every pleasure, in short, is greater or less according to a man's capacity 
for enjoying it: and "if the vision of God constitute the blessedness of Heaven, 
then, they whose spiritual eye is most enlightened will drink in most of His Glory." 
In the meantime, "what the Lord said to Abraham, Ho says to all — 'I am thy 
exceeding great reward;' and He has no other reward to impart to any save this, 
namely Himself ."" (k) 

Concerning the application of the Parable, it seems safer to suppose that it may 
have at once a national and an individual bearing. Viewed in the former aspect, 
the Jews will be "the first;" those, namely, with whom a covenant was made, who 
were hired "early in the morning," and sent into the Vineyard :(Z) and the dispo- 
sition shown in verses 11 and 12, (where see the note,) well accords with what we 
know of the temper of that remarkable people. (?») The Parable would therefore 
set forth the same general lesson which is conveyed by the preference so often given 
to the younger son over the elder.(n) The ultimate acceptance of the Gentiles, and 
their admission to equal privileges with Israel, is here prophetically shown. 

Considered as of personal and private application, it may be thought that the 
divisions of the Day alluded to, are periods of Human Life: in which case, 
Timothy, — who "from a child knew the Holy Scriptures,"(o) and had been nursed 
in the Faith of the Gospel,(_2:») — would be an example of one hired early; while the 
Repentant Malefactor is the best example which presents itself of one hired "at the 
eleventh hour." And the blessed assurance will then be conveyed that a converted 
and baptized Heathen, however advanced in years, if he does but faithfully perform 
His Master's work while yet it is day, cherishes a well grounded hope of entering 
hereafter into perfect Bliss. Remember however what was said above, on verse 7. 

But a more obvious individual bearing of the Parable is suggested by the con- 
text. The object seems to have been rather to discourage presumptuous hopes in 
the Apostles. They had been hired early; but they were not therefore to presume. 
The same everlasting portion awaited all who should ever be hired into the Vine- 
yard of their Lord, even to the end of the World. And this, if we may humbly 
offer an opinion, seems to be the true scope and intention of the Parable. 

Lastly, — as for all the Labourers obtaining a reward, — it really need not create 
perplexity. The present Parable evidently differs from those which contrast the 
end of the wicked and of the righteous. Labourers entitled to reward are supposed 
throughout. We must beware of inventing difficulties ; or even going out of our 
way to discover them, when they are foreign to the main scope of our Lord's Dis- 
course. Thus, the murmuring of those hired early, is a featvire of the narrative 
which probably ought not to be pressed. It cannot be thought to exhibit a feeling 
which finds place in Heaven. Rather is it a lively way of expressing the anticipa- 
tions of living men with respect to the Life to come. And finally, since so little is 
said about those who were hired at the third, the sixth, and the ninth hour, neither 
surely need loe make much of them either. Our attention is specially invited only 
to "the first" hired and "the last;" and a short sentence both at the beginning and 
the end of the Parable, conveys a warning respecting these, which, as it concerned 
the Apostles, so doubtless will it concern the Church of Christ to keep steadily in 
view, to the end of Time. 

17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem. 

For the last time during His earthly Ministry, — 

18, 19 took the Twelve Disciples apart in the way, and said unto 
them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and the Son of Man shall be be- 
trayed unto the Chief Priests and unto the Scribes, and they shall con- 
demn Him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and 
to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again. 

The "spiteful entreatment," — the very "spitting on," — is mentioned in the other 
Gospels.(2) See on this subject the note on St. Mark s. 34. 

{i\ Eccl. xi. 7. (Jo) Trench on the Parables. 

[l] Consider St. Matth. xxi. 28 to 31, &c. im) Consider Acts xxii. 21, 22, &c. 

In) See the note on St. Luke xv. 32. (o) 2 Tim. iii. 15. 

p) 2 Tim. i. 5. (5) See St. Mark x. 34, and St. Luke xviii. 32. 



186 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

20 Then came to Ilim the Mother of Zcbcdec's children with her 
Son's, worshipping Him, and desiring a certain thing of llim. 

Our Lord's recent allusion to the Thrones which the Twelve were destined here- 
after to occujiyCr) propably led to this remarkable incident ; which shows with Avhat 
ambitious thoughts Ilis Ibllowers were tilled at this time.(.s) Salome,(0 — whuse 
husband Zebedee was probably now dead, (since she is culled " the Mother of the 
sons of Zebedee,") — brought her two sons James and John to CniusT. 

21 And lie said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto Illm, 
Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy Right Hand, 
and the other on the Left, in Thy Kingdom. 

Her sons urged the same petition; whence our Lord addresses His reply to them: 

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? 

Implying that the place of highest honour is reserved for those who have been 
"made conformable to His Death."(?/) Hence St. Paul declares it to be "a faith- 
ful saying," — "If we suffer, we shall also rei</n with Him."(^") "'The Cup' and 
'the Baptism' are said with reference to the Two Sacraments by which we are, 
through His Passion, made one with Cuuist."Q/) 

They say unto him, We are able. 

"When the Mother stood with her sons beholding Christ on the Cross, she better 
understood what it would be to be on Ilis Kight Hand, and on His Left, in His 
Kingdom," — says a pious writer. 

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 ^ly 
Right Hand, and on My Left, is not Minejto give, but it shall be given 
to them for whom it is prepared of My Father. 

Rather — "Not Mine to give, save [to them] for whom it is prepared." . . . But 
what a wonderful statement is that which goes before; namely, that St. Jolin and 
St. .James were to drink indeed of Christ's Cup of Suffering, and to share His Bap- 
tism of Blood! It might have been expected from this, tiiat a bloody martyrdom 
awaited both Brothers; yet are their histories, on the contrary, remarkably con- 
trasted. St. .James fell at once l)y the sword, (2) — the tirst of the Apostolic Body to 
Bufi'er, or indeed, to die. St. John survived all the Apostles, and died a natural 
death, (it is thought,) in extreme old age. This declaration of our Saviour proves 
therefore, (as St. Pulycarp is thought to have remarked long since.) that the 
Martyr's crown may Ije earned l)y those who liave been Martyrs in will thougli not 
indeed: by those who have suffered long, and silently; who have distributed the 
bitterness of tlieir Master's cup over years of banishment, persecution, and distress ; 
and wiiom He has caused to share Ilis Baptism of Blood, by methods known only 
to Himself — and them. 

24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation 
against the two Brethren. 

"For the ambition of one creates envy in others who partake of the same feeling." 

25, 2G But .Jesus called them nnto ITim, and said, Ye know that the 
princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and tliey that are 
great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: 

(r) Sco St. M.itth. xix. 2S. (») Consiilcr St. Matth. xix. 27. St. Murk ix. 33, 3J. 

(/) Citinpiiro St. Mutth. xxvii. 50, nn<l St. Mark xv. 40. (li) I'liil. iii. 10. 

(x) 2 Tiui. ij. 12. {1/) Williamif. (e) Acta ,\ii. 2. 



XX.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 187 

"That is, not content to rule over their subjects, they are severe and oppressive. 
But among you, who are mine, these things shall not so be."(a) 

2T, 28 but Tvliosoever mil be great among you, let him be your minis- 
ter ; and -whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant : 
even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minis- 
ter, and to give His life a ransom for many. 

"Men become masters in this world, that they may reduce their inferiors to sla- 
very, and emply them for their own profit and glory. But men become governors 
in the Church, that they may serve those who are under them; minister to them 
whatever they have received of Christ; and not refuse even to die for their 
sake,"(6) if need so require. 

The Reader will find the saying in verses 26, 27, repeated in chap, xsiii. 11. The 
sentiment has already been met with in St. Mark ix. 35, — where see the note. 
"How much soever you humble yourself," (says Chrysostom,) "you cannot descend 
so far as did your Lord.'' 

29, 30 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude fol- 
lowed Him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when 
they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying. Have mercy on us, 
Lord, Thou Son of David. 

St. Mark mentions only one of them, — ^whose name was Bartim£eus,(c) and who 
was doubtless the more conspicuous of the two. Somewhat remarkable it may be 
thought that, on a previons occasion also, two blind men followed our Saviour with 
the same cry, and were healed in the same manner as now, — namely, by a touch.((Q 
We make their petition our own, as often as we repeat the sufii-ages at the end of 
the Litany.(e) 

31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their 
peace : but they cried the more, saying. Have mercy on us, Lord, 
Thou Son of David. 

Such are the hinderances which will be sometimes thrown in the way of those 
who desire to come to Christ. See on St. Luke xviii. 39, 40. 

32, 33 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will 
ye that I shall do unto you ? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes 
may be opened. 

"Jesus, therefore, (the same who said 'To him that knocketh it shall be opened,') 
stands still, touches them, and gives them sight." As it follows, 

34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes : and 
immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. 

" They followed Him;" perhaps all the way to Jerusalem, — and there availed 
themselves of their recovered powers to behold the most wondrous spectacle which 
ever Men or Angels looked upon. 

Concerning this miracle, the Reader may think it worth while to refer to what 
has been offered in the places referred to at the foot of the page.(/) 



(a) Origen. (6) Pseudo Chrysostom. (c) St. Mark x. 46 

(d) St. Matth. ix. 27. 29. (e) The Reader is referr ' ' "' " 

(/) On St. Mark x. 46 to 52, and St. Luke xviii. 35 to 43 



188 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHATTER XXI. 



1 CuRiST riddh into Jerusalem vpon an axs. 12 DrivetJi ihe but/ers and sellers out of 
the Temple. 17 Curseth the Fif/-tree. 23 Putteth to silence the Priests and Elders. 28 
And rebnketh them hij the similitude of the tico Sons. 35 And the Husbandmen, who 
sleic such as were sent unto them. 

Ol'r Loud, having journeyed alonrr the wild mountain road(rt) which conducts 
from Jericho to Jerusalem, — followed by a large nuiltitude of persons, among whom 
was "blind Bartimtcus," whom lie had so lately restored to sight, — at last reaches 
the district, east of Jerusalem, to which tlio name of Bethphage and Bethany was 
assigned. The Mount of Olives begins at that place. Accordingly, it is said, — 

1, 2 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to 
Bctliphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two Disciples, 
saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway 
ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her : loose thou, and bring 
t?ie)n unto Me. 

Everything begins to teem with mysterious import. Not without a reason, be 
sure, docs St. Matthew, (addressing his Gospel especially to the Jews, lay stress 
upon the Ass, as well as her Colt, which our Saviour now required. lie was about 
to enter Ilis Capital; and lie saw fit to do so, "meek, and sitting upon an ass, and 
a colt the foal of an ass ;"('') the former, representing the Jewish Nation, which had 
long borne a yoke: the latter, the Gentiles, — wild as yet and unbroken, "whereon 
never man 6at."(c) "For the Jewish nation is spiritually the Mother of the 
Gentiles."((Z) 

The sending of the Apostles is, in itself, a significant circumstance. Christ 
called the Gentiles by the ministration of His servants, — who h'ouf/Jd them to Him. 
He proceeds, in this place, to give the two Disciples their commission. 

3 And if any man say aught unto j'ou, ye shall say, The Lord hath 
need of them ; and straightway he will send them. 

Not " Our Lord," or " Your Lord," but " The Lord :" — He who is supreme over 
all Creation, to whom all things belong, and whom all things serve; He "hath need 
of them." 

4, 5 All this was done, that it might ho fulfilled which was spoken 
hy the Prophet, saying, 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. 

The Prophet hero quoted is Zechariah — ix. ; Imt the first six words arc from 
Isaiah Ixii. 11. In Zochariah, tlio passa;;o bei:;ins, "l^ojoicc greatly. Daughter 
of Sion; shout, O Daughter or.Iorusalein:" whicii jubilant words cannot have been 
changed for others by the Si'irit, without a profound reason, — whether imparted 
to the Evangelist or not. 

It has bf-en beautifully remarked, (r) that " as our Lord is now coming as King, 

(n'\ Rco flio niifo prefixed to St. Murk xi. (6) Sco below, vcr. .5. 

(c) St. Murk xi. 2, and St. Luke xix. 30. (</) Jerome, (i) By Williams. 



XXI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 189 

and to claim His Kingdom, that one of His attributes is selected from Prophecy, to 
wliich alone of the Beatitudes the promise of an earthly inheritance is attached: 
" Thy King cometh unto thee, meekP His subjects are they to whom He has said, 
"Learn of Me, for I am meek :'''{/) and these shall reign with Him; for it is writ- 
ten, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth."'(^) 

Here then was an act which, while it fulfilled prophecy, was in itself prophetical. 
Chrysostom observes, "It is not merely on account of the mystery," however, 
"that our Lord rode on the ass; but in order to afford us a lesson of Humility." 

6, 7 And the Disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 
and brought the ass, and the colt, 

The ass and her colt came together. It was on the colt, (not on the ass,) that 
Christ rode, (for it was the Gentiles who were now about to submit to the easy 
yoke and light burden of Christ;) but the disciples brought both the ass and her 
colt; as both ships were needed at the second miraculous draught of fishes. (7i) 

8 and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon. And a 
very great multitude spread their garments in the way ; others cut down 
branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. 

Some remarks on these verses will be found in the notes on St. Mark si. 7 and 
8. The people are found to receive Christ coming to the Feast of the Passover, 
with a solemnity which belonged to the Feast of Tabernacles. 

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, 
saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ; blessed is he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord ; Hosanna in the highest. 

It is St, Matthew who alone mentions that the people shouted "Hosanna" (that 
is, "Save now") "to the Son of David;" as he is the Evangelist who specially 
records our Lord's descent from that Monarch. In the fulness of their rapture, they 
poured forth a sentence from the 118th Psalm, verses 25 and 20. All the latter 
part of that Psalm, in fact, seems descriptive of our Lord's coming. See what is 
written on this subject in the notes on St. Mark. 

"Hosanna in the highest," is explained by the language of the 148th Psalm: — 
" Praise Him in the heights : praise ye Him, all His Angels; praise ye Him, all 
His hosts." With which may be compared the language of the Angelic Hymn, — 
" Glory to God in the 7iighest."{i) Indeed, St. Luke says that the multitude, on this 
very occasion, cried (as the Angels did on the Night of the Nativity,) " Glory in 
the highest." [k] 

10 And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the City was moved, 
saying. Who is this ? 

"Who is this King of Glory?" is also the cry of wonder when He enters the 
Heavenly Jerusalem. So remarks an ancient Father, (Z) alluding to the language 
of one of the Psalms used on Ascension-Day."(wO 

11 And the multitude said. This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth 
of Galilee. 

So effectually did the prophecy that He should "be called a Nazarene" find ful- 
fillment. It has been already pointed out that the name of His Mother's City 
followed Him from the cradle to the grave, (n) 

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, 

"Among all the miracles vrrought by our Lord," (says an ancient Father,) "this 

(/) St. Matth. xi. 29. (^) St. Matth. v. 5. (A) St. Luke v. 7. 

(i) St. Luke ii. 14. (k) St. Luke xix. 38. [l) Origen. 

(wi) Psalm xxiv. 8, 10. (») See the note on St. John i. 45. 



190 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

seems to me the most wonderful ; that one man, bo humble in His worldly estate, 
and while the Scribes and Pharisees were exasperated against Ilim by seeing; their 
gains thus cut off, was able to cast out such a multitude. Surely a flame darted 
frum His eyes, and the majesty of the Goohead was radiant in Ilis countenance !"(o) 

It will be remembered, that this was the accond cleansing of the Temple 

effected by our Lord. The lirst, marked the beginning of His Ministry :(j;) the 
present occasion marks its close. By the recurrence of bo striking and significant 
a transaction we are reminded that, (like " the dream which was doubled unto Pha- 
raoh twice,") "the tiling was csdibliahed by GOi)."{<j) Besides its mystical import, 
elsewhere noticed,(r) the act was symbolic of one purpose of Christ's coming ; 
namely, to purge away ini<iuity from His Church and people. He came " suddenly 
to His Temple," as had been foretold ; and by tlie alarm He inspired, set forth in 
type the terrors of that Second Advent to which the Church directs the eyes of her 
cluldren, and concerning which the prophet had written, — " But who may abide 
the Day of His Coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth ?"(*•) . . . The 
Reader will find more on this great subject in the note on St. John iii. 15, to which 
he is referred. 

St. Mark adds here, that Christ "would not suffer that any man should carry 
any vessel through the Temple:"(^) 

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. 

Concerning these quotations from the ancient prophets,(«) the Eeadcr is referred 
to the notes on St. Mark xi. IC. 

14 And the Blind and the Lame came to Ilim in the Temple ; and 
He healed them. 

Most significant, truly, is this exquisite record. These were indeed the days of 
Messiah, of which it had been written — " Then the eyes of the Blind shall be 
opened: then shall the Lame man leap as an hart."(x-) The eyes were opened "in 
the Temple," (that is, in t/ie CInirch,) "to ace the way ;"(?/) and there, also, were 
the feet made strong that they might xi^alk therein. " Open Thou mine eyes, that 
I may see the wondrous things of Thy Law."(2) " Show me Thy ways, Lord ; 
teach me Thy paths :"(«) " cause me to know the way wherein I should walk."(i) 
" 1 will run the way of Thy Commandments when Thou hast set my heart at lib- 
erty. "(c) . . . By such symbolic language did the Law anticipate the Gospel : and 
by such symbolic acts does the Gospel interpret the Law! 

Consider how many acts of Divine Power arc hinted at, not described, in this 
short verso. 

15, IG And when the Chief Priests and Scribes saw the wonderful 
things that lie did, and the Children crying in the Temple, and say- 
ing, Ilosanna to the Son of David ; they ^yerc sore displeased, and 
said unto Ilim, Ilearest Thou what these say ? 

These Children, who had perhaps caught up the sound of the acclamations they 
had already heard, (J) "were regardless of the frown of the Pharisees: for their 
simplicity of heart gave them a courage which many weak believers, more ad- 
vanced in age, had nf)t ; and inspired them to do what otliers would not have 
dared." Thus were little Children at first, His martyrs ;(c) next, the pattern which 
He set before His Church ;(/) and now, at last, they are heard singing Ilis praises 
in the Temple. " His own Priests arc silent, or only break sihMice to Idaspliemo 
His Name ; but little children cry ' Ilosanna to tho Son of David !' Over His own 

(o) Jerome, — who Bocms to be recollecting what ho had read in Origcn. 

(/<) Kl'o St. Jcihn ii. II, l.^; nml tho notes there. (7) (Jcnosis xli. 32. 

(r) Sec tho note on St. Mark xi. 16. («) Malnchi iii. 2. 

m St. Mark xi. 16. (n) Isniiih Ivi. 7, and Jcrcininli vii. 11. 

(J-) Iciiiiih XXXV. 5, 6. (.'/j Acts ix. 2 (sec tho margin): xix. 9, 2.3, Ac. 

) P.-. cxix. IH. L,\ I'.J. XXV. 4. (h) Ph. cxliii. 8. 

) P«. cxix. :52. ((/) Sec above, verso 9. (r) SU Matlh, ii. 16. 

J ) First in St. Matth. xviii. 1 to 4. Next in St. Mark x. 13 to 16. 



XXI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 191 

people He weeps, but with these babes He rejoices. Even the â– women, He bids to 
'lament for themselves;' but He encourages the little Children to rejoice."(</) 

And Jesus saith unto them, Yea ; have ye never read, Out of the 
mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise ? 

"I suppose," (says an ancient Writer,) "that they who praised, knew not what 
they praised; but the Spirit, who suddenly inspired them, poured forth the words 
of Truth." This seems indeed to have been the case. Consider St. Matthew xi. 
25. The quotation is from Psalm viii. 2 ; by adducing which, our Lord seems to 
say, " Be it so. It is it My fault that these cry thus. But is it my fault that, a 
thousand years ago, the Prophet foretold that so it should be V'{h) Take notice that 
in directing the attention of His enemies to that beautiful Psalm, the Holy One 
referred them to one of the most glorious declarations in Prophecy, of His own 
entire dominion over all created beings in Heaven and Earth, (i) 

17 And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany ; and 
He lodged there. 

" Seeking, surely, to rest His Body where His Spirit also found repose. For so 
it is with all holy men : they love to be, not where sumptuous banquets are, but 
where Holiness abounds."(A;) 

To retire to Bethany seems to have been the practice of our Divine Lord on every 
Evening during the Holy Week.(Z) The blessed Company may have withdrawn 
first, to the garden of Gethsemane,(??i) which lay at the foot of the Mount of Olives: 
and thence proceeded to the village of Bethany, which lay, at the distance of about 
half an hour, on the other side of the Mount. (?i) 

An ancient writer says, — "It is to be understood that our Lord was in so great 
poverty, and so far from having courted any one, that He had found in all Jerusa- 
lem neither entertainer nor abode ; but He made His home at Bethany, in the 
house of Lazarus and his sisters."(o) 

18, 19 Now in the morning as He returned into the City, He hun- 
gered. And when He saw a Fig tree in the way, He came to it, and 
found nothing thereon, but leaves only ; and He said unto it, Let no 
fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the Fig tree 
withered away. 

The Evangelist is relating an incident which Tiad happened on the previous morn- 
ing, — Monday. What follows, belongs to the History of Tuesday. 

Concerning the highly symbolic character of this Transaction, no doubt can be 
entertained. It has been elsewhere shown to relate to the fortunes of the Jewish 
nation ; with whom Christ found leaves only, — the tokens of fruit, which yet was 
wholly wanting, — and whose Day of Grace had now hopelessly passed away. The 
Reader is referred to the notes on St. Mark xi. 12 to 14, for some remarks on this 
subject. 

20 And when the Disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon 
is the Fig tree withered away ! 

This exclamation, then, the Apostles uttered on the next morning, when they 
beheld the fulfillment of the sentence pronounced the day before on the Fig tree. 
Or rather, it is a question. They ask inquiringly, — " How is it that the Fig tree 
has immediately withered away?" 

The Reader who is struck with the strangeness of the turn which the present 
transaction takes in the ensuing verses, is referred to a remark on the subject, in 
the note on St. Mark xi. 23. 

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If 

(g) Williams. (AJ Pseudo Chrysostom. (i) Consider Hebrews ii. 6 to 8. 

{k) Pseudo Chrysostom. \l) St. Matth. xxi. 17; St. Mark xi. 11, &c. 

(to) St. John xviii. 2. Compare St. Luke xxi. 37, and xxii. 39. 
{n) St. John xi. 18. (o) Jerome. 



192 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

ye have faitli, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to 
the Fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto tliis mountain. Be thou re- 
moved, 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. 

This must be a weif^hty savins;, for ^YC have already met with it in St. Matthew's 
Gospel ;{})) and, (with a sli;;ht difference,) in St. Luke's also.((^) When our Lord 
said " this Mountain," Ho may be supposed to have pointed to tlie Mount of Olives, 
along the side of which He was proceeding. It has been remarked tiiat, from these 
verses, " we learn that Prayer, as well as Faith, was necessary even for the Apos- 
tles, in order to the full c.Kcrcise of their miraculous powers. Consider St. Matthew 
svii. 19 to 2L"(0 

23, 24, 25 And when He was come into the Temple, and the Chief 
Priests and the Elders of the people came unto Ilim as He was teach- 
ing, and said. By what authority doest Thou these things ? and who 
gave Thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto tlicni, 
I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell iNIe, I in likewise will tell 
you by what authority I do these things. The Baptism of John, whence 
was it ? from heaven, or of men ? 

Some remarks on what precedes will be found in the notes on St. Mark xi. 28 
and 30. 

26, 27 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, 
From Heaven ; He will say unto us. Why did ye not believe him ; but 
if we shall say. Of men ; we fear the people : for all hold John as a 
prophet. 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. 

Take notice that they could tell, but ivotild not. Our Lord puts His answer into 
the shape which theirs W'Ould have assumed, had they spoken the Truth. 

lie proceeds to deliver three parables in succession, — the first and third of which 
are peculiar to the present Gospel. The two last are highly prophetical ; but all 
three contain a solemn warning. It will bo observed that the first is closed with a 
short question, to wliich it was impossible for the enemies of Christ to rctui'u 
the answer, " We cannot tell." 

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. 

We are evidently hearing of the same Father whose sons' conduct forms the sub- 
ject of the paraljle related in St. Luke xv.(.v) His "Vineyard" wo have also heard 
of before, — as in the preceding chaptcr,(/) and in St. Luke xiii. 0: and it receives 
conspicuous mention lower down, in verse 33. It is liere explained to mean " the 
Kingdom of Heaven, '"(») as t/ial Kingdom Ijegins here on Earth. 

"To 'work in the Vineyard' is to do Ilighteousncss. To cultivate the whole 
thereof, no man is sufficient." (a) 



20, 30 He answered and said, I will not : but afterward he repented, 
and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he 
answered and said, I (jo, Sir : and went not. 

Observe the contrast between the very etylc of their answers. " 1 will not," — is 
not only undutiful but rude : " I go, Sir," — sounds not only dutiful, but even very 
respectful. 



( /.) St. Miittli. .wii. 20. (if) St. TiUko xvii. B. (r) Ar.lid. Halo luu; 

(») Sou St. I^ukc XV. 11. M St. Maith. xx. 1. (ii) Sec bulow, vcrst 

(j) Jerome. 



1 np. LousJalc. 
cr^u 31. 



XXI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 193 

31 Whether of them twain did the will of Ms father ? They say 
unto Him, The first. 

It is reasonable to suppose that the present parable is fairly capable of a national 
and prophetic application. The Gentiles had refused at first to work in the Lord's 
Vineyard : but already they had repented, and were prepared to go. God's chosen 
people made abundant professions,(;/) but did no loork. This however is certainly 
not the immediate purpose and tendency of our Saviour's words. 

These " two Sons" stand for two different classes among the Jews. " The Pub- 
licans and harlots"(2) represent " the first" Son : the Pharisees were specimens of 
" the second." The Publicans and harlots by their wicked, dissolute lives, in reply 
to God's invitation that they would serve Him, had plainly said that they "would 
not." The Pharisees, by their fair professions, and lip-service,(«) had as plainly 
declared their readiness to work. They were men, however, who " said, and did 
not."(6) Wherefore, as it follows, — 

32 Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you. That the publicans 
and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John 
came unto you in the way of Righteousness, 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. 

Thus then, our Lord Himself in part explains His own parable : at least, He 
here informs us whom He intended by the " Two Sons." But, (as usual,) His ap- 
plication of His own words is strange and unexpected. The Baptist's summons, 
the Pharisees obeyed not : but the Publicans and harlots did obey it. Thus the 
Divine Speaker reverses the characters He has been hitherto portraying : and in- 
stead of reproaching his assailants with their wickedness in saying " We go. Sir," 
and yet failing to go, — He bids them mark the contrast which their characters and 
conduct had respectively presented. The Publicans and harlots, when the Baptist 
invited them to walk in the way of Ptighteousness, had said " We go. Sir," — and 
they had actualhj gone. But the Pharisees, who, (like " the first" son in the Para- 
ble,) had said " We will not,'^ failed to imitate that son in his repentance likewise. 
Nay, though they "had seen" the obedience of the others, they "repented not 
afterward !" 

33 Hear another parable : There was a certain Householder, which 
planted a Vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine- 
press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen^ and went 
into a far country : 

The owner of a Vineyard was careful to encircle his property with " a hedge," 
(which probably denotes a stone wall ;) the object being not so much to prevent 
" those that pass by the way" from " plucking," as to protect the fruit from the in- 
cursions of foxes, (c) and of wild boars.((i) The " wine-press" was placed above 
the " wine-fat,"(e)— which consisted of a pit dug in the earth and lined with ma- 
sonry, or hewn out of the solid rock. The " Tower" was for protection. He who 
dwelt there was expected to keep watch over the Vineyard. 

Concerning the mystical interpretation of the present parable, the Reader is re- 
ferred to the notes on St. Mark xii. 1 to 8. God of course is the Husbandman, and 
His Church is the Vineyard, "and the men of Judah His pleasant plant." 

34, 35 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his ser- 
vants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And 
the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, 
and stoned another. 

(y) Consider Exodus xxiv. 3 and 7. («) See below, verse 32. 

(a) See Isaiah xxix. 13. (6) St. Matthew xxiii. 3. 

(c) Song of Solomon ii. 15. (rf) Psalm Ixxx. 13. 

(e) St. Mark xii. 1. 

13 



194 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

They boat (me, — as Jeremiah ;[/) and stoued another, — as Zechariah the son of 
Jehoiada.(y) 

36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first ; and they did 
unto them likewise. 

Very apposite is the lann:;iiage of the Old Testament itself to the transactions here 
related in the way of paraldo. " I sent unto 30U" (says the Great llousehdlder), 
"all My Servants the I'rujihets, risinjr early and scndiu;^ them, sayin;^, Oh do not 
this abominable thinpjthat 1 hate.'X^O " Nevertheless," (exclaims a righteous mem- 
ber of the same nation,) "they -were disobe<lient and rebelled against Thee, and 
cast Thy Law behind their backs, and slew Thy Prophets which testified against 
them to turn them to Thee: and they wrought great provocations."(i) 

37 But last of all he sent unto them his Son, saying. They "will 
reverence ray Son. 

This is said, not with rofcrenoc to God's Foreknowledge, but to Man's Free-will. 
God declares hereby what omjld to be. Men ovijkt to have reverenced His Son. 

38, 39, 40, 41, 42 But when the husbandmen saw the Son, they said 
among themselves. This is the llcir ; come, let us kill him, and let us 
seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast Imii out of 
the Vineyard, and slew liim. "When the Lord therefore of the Vineyard 
cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen ? They say unto him, 
He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out ///*• Vine- 
yard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their 
seasons. 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 Loul's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 

He asks them whether they had never read the Prophecy concerning Messiah 
in Psalm cxviii. — where He is spoken of as a Stone, which was rejected indeed by 
the Builders, (even as the Heir of the Vineyard was rejected by the Husbandmen,) 
but which became "the Head of the corner." B\- His further reference to Isaiah, 
(in verse 44,) He teaches them that utter destruction will prove the consequence of 
their wicked conduct. See more in the note on St. Mark xii. 11. 

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. 

" In their Seasons," — as those miserable men, uttering a terrible prophecy against 
themselves, had truly spoken.(A) Namely, at Advent, Watchfulness and Prayer ; 
at E|iipliany, Faith: Humiliation and l{epentancc during Lent: Newness of Life 
at Eaiter : and all " the Fruit of the Si'iRir"(/) at Whitsuntide. 

44 And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken : but on 
whomsoever It shall fall, It will grind him to powder. 

That is, — Ih shall experience sore injury to whomsoever the Doctrine of Christ 
crucified proves "a stone of stumlding and a rock of ofience." To reject Him, is 
to be broken. But the man on whom Christ, after years of lon^-suffering patience, 
shall execute judgment, will be utterly destroyed thereby; will become "like the 
chaff of the summer tlirc^hiiig-flitorK. "(//() 

Our Lord's allusion in tlic first worils of verso 44, to what is written in Isaiah 
viii. 15, is unmistakable.(/() Tiie latter part of the sentence recalls an ancient 

(/) Jcr. XX. 1 to 0, kc. (7) 2 Chron. xxiv. 20. 21. (/i) Jcr. xliv. 4. 

(I) Nth. ix. 20,— quoted by Trench. Seo iilxn Dnii. i.\. C, 10, Ac. 

(/.-| Sec fthovo, ver. 41. (/) Ool. v. 22, 2:i. (m) Dan. ii. 35. 

(II) A r(:imirkal)lo portion of j)ro]ilifcy, truly; for, from I.«>. viii. 12 to IS, tlicro nrc no less 
than live iilnccs (juotcd or referred to in di^'tin(■t jilace(< of the New Te^'t«Incnf, viz. 1 St. Peter 
iii. 14, 10: Kuin. iz. 33 and 1 St. Peter ii. 8: llcb. ii. 13, (two quotations): and the present 
place. 



XXII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 195 

Greek proverb : — " The mill-stones of Heaven grind the corn slowly ; but they grind 
it to very powder." 

45, 46 And when the Chief Priests and Pharisees had heard His 
parables, they perceived that He spake of them. But when they sought 
to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude, because they took Him 
for a Prophet. 

Accordingly, " they left Him and went their way :"(o) but in what a temper and 
disposition of mind, the subsequent History best shows. They thirsted for His 
blood ; and gladly accepted the offer of Judas to betray Him into their hands " in 
the absence of the multitude. ''\'p) 



THE PRAYER. 

From all sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion ; from all false 
doctrine, heresy, and schism ; from hardness of heart, and contempt of 
Thy Word and Commandment, Good Lord, deliver us. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



1 The Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son. 9 The vocation of the Gentiles. 
12 The punishment of him that wanted the loedding garment. 15 Tribute ought 
to be paid to Cmsar. 23 Christ confuteth the Sadducees for the Resurrection. 
34 Answereth the Lawyer, which is the first and great commandment. 41 And 
poseth the Pharisees about the Messias. 

The Parable of "the Marriage of the King's Son," with which the present chap- 
ter commences, and which is peculiar to St. Matthew's Gospel, bears considerable 
resemblance to the parable of " the Great Supper," which is related by St. Luke.(«) 
The parables are however wholly distinct. The key-note to what follows is sup- 
plied by verse 43 of the former chapter. 

1, 2, 3 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, 
and said, The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King, which 
made a marriage for His Son ; and sent forth His servants to call them 
that were bidden to the wedding : and they would not come. 

It is quite evident that God is the " King" here spoken of. The " Marriage 
which He made for His Son," can be none other than that espousal of the Church 
to CnRisT(6) which is discoursed of from the beginning of Genesis(c) to the end of 
Kevelation â– ,[d) and of which Marriage itself is but a type or symbol. (e) The Pro- 

(o) St. Mark xii. 12. {p) gt, Luke xxii. 6. 

(o) St. Lvike xiv. 16 to 24. (6) See the note on St. John ii. 1. 

{A Gen. ii. 24, compared with 1 Cor. vi. 16, and Eph. v. 31. (c^) Rev. xxii. VJ. 

(e) As the Church twice asserts in her Marriage Service. 



19G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

phets, generally, will be the pcrvants " sent forth to call them that were biJJou" 
(that is, the Jewish uation,) "to the wedding." Take notice, that they are Hcnt 
*' to call them that were called:" the very form of the expression implying that the 
invitation had been nuide, all along, to the Jews : that they, from the beginning, 
had been ''called to be saints. '(y) 

4 Again, He sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are 
bidden. Behold, I have prepared My Dinner: ^ly oxen and Mij fat- 
lings are killed, and all things are ready : come unto the Marriage. 

The terras in which the invitation is conveyed remind ns that a splendid Festival 
is spoken of; and one which lasted many days. Tliis must be borne in mind, or 
the paraljle will be scarcely intelligible. Such festivals anciently attended great 
marriages; and the figure has this special fitness, that convivial notions were nii.xed 
up in the minds of the Jews with the coming of Messiah's Kingd(jm.(.'/) Our Lord 
Himself will be found to have employed a kindred image when discoursing on the 
same subject. (/<) 

AVhcn tiie Apostles were sent forth, and commanded to "preach, saying, The 
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,"((') — what did they say in effect but, " I have pre- 
pared My Dinner; all things arc ready: come unto the Marriage?" They, in met, 
(and those sent by them,) arc the "other servants" here spoken of; for Curist liad 
come into tlic World, — tlic great Victim hadjjecn slain, (A) — and all was now ready ! 
Whence, the difference between tlie terms of the message in verses 3 and 4. We 
may, however, if we please, consider St. John Baptist, the Twelve, and the Seventy 
as the Servants first sent ; and all who have preached the Gospel since the sacrifice 
of the Death of Christ, as intended by the " otlior servants." 

Either way, there is truth in the remark of a pious living Writer, that this Para- 
ble " extends beyond the otlior parables delivered on the same occasion, into deeper 
manifestations of God's wonderful Mercy, For, in the last parable, (that of " the 
Vineyard,") He sent His Servants again and again to be slain, and then His Sox. 
But iicre, when His Sox is killed also, He sends forth to say that His Dinner is 
prepared : that His choicest victims and ftitlings are killed. Instead of destroying 
them for their wickedness, He calls them to a Feast, (to feed on His Sox whom 
they had killed I) but they refuse to come. Xor is this all ; but they evil entreat 
and kill His servants also."(/) See more, below, in the note on verse 8. It 
follows, — 

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, 
another to his merchandise : 

They do not make polite excuses, as in the Parable of " the Great Supper," — a 
parable distinct from this indeed, j'et bearing so strong a resemblance to it.(w) 
That may be because the other parable was delivered at an earlier period of our 
Lord's Ministry, when the outward show at least of civil bearing was maintained 
towards tlie Gospel message. Take notice that while St. Luke's jiarablo is the 
Gospel for the Second Sunday after Trinity, the present parable is accordingly re- 
served till eighteen Sundays later. 

6 and the remnant took His servants, and entreated them spitefully, 
and slew them. 

If the terms in which the invitation was conveyed, (in verse 4.) as well as the 
manner in whicli it was received, (as related in verse 5,) recall the Parable of "the 
Great Supper" in St. Luke's Gosf»el,(/<) scarcely less forcibly is the parable of 
"the Vineyard let out t<i Ilii-bniHlniru" lirought to our rcmenibrani-c by the verse 
which precedes and that which follows. (o) It may indeed seem an extraordinary 
way of showing unwillingness to come to a festival, thus to maltreat the servants 
who bring the invitation : yet does tlie very monstrousncsa of the course pursued 



(/)noiii. i. 7. t<i)^i. 

(h\ Sec St. Matth. viii. 11 : St. Luke xxii. 30. (i) St. 

(a-) SfO the nolo on St. Luke xv. 2.'!. And oonsiiler Ii<umli x: 
" the iiiountuin of the Lohd's House." See Ifuiiih ii. 2, 3. 



(/) noin. i. 7. (v) St. Luke xiv. 15. 

Matth. X. 7. 
XXV. C, — the "niountaiu" being 
2,3. 
/) Williniiifl. (m) See St. Luko xiv. 18, 19, 20. 

n) See SU Luko xiv. 17, 18, 19. (o) Sco St, Matth. xxi. 35 and 11. 



! 



XXII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 197 

but set forth the more truly " the monstrous fact, that men did so maltreat and 
slay the messengers of God's grace, the ambassadors of Christ, -who came to them 
with glad tidings of good things."(2>) 

7 But when the King heard thereof, He was wroth : and He sent 
forth His armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their 
City. 

The meaning is obvious. " By ' His armies' we understand the Romans under 
Vespasian and Titus, who, having slaughtered the inhabitants of Judsea, laid in 
ashes the faithless Giij.'Xq) By which interpretation, we do not, of course, exclude 
those "legions of angels"(r) which "the Lord of Hosts" has ever at command, 
and which effectually do His bidding. This then is a remarkable example of Pro- 
phecy contained in Parable. 

8 Then saith He to His servants, the "Wedding is ready, hut they 
which were bidden were not worthy. 

Notice the continued prophetic character of the present Parable ; and the fur- 
ther development it contains of the Divine Mercy, which was noticed above in the 
last note on verse 4. 

The declaration of Paul and Barnabas, addressing the Jews of AntiochinPisidia, 
is here brought to mind: — "It was necessary that the Word of God should first 
have been spoken to you ; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves un- 
worthy of everlasting Life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles : for so hath the Lord com- 
manded us."(a) 

9, 10 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall 
find, bid to the Marriage. So those servants went out into the high- 
ways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and 
good : and the Wedding was furnished with guests. 

" Be it known . . . that the Salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they 
loill hear it."(f) 

Take notice that the guests which were " gathered," are said to have been " as 
many as they found ; both bad and good." This brings to mind some remarks 
which were offered in the note on St. Matthew xiii. 26, concerning the mixed aspect 
which the Church now presents. It prepares the mind also for the incident which 
follows ; and which forms, in fact, the second part of the Parable. (?<) "We have 
heard till now of the Rejection of the Feast. It remains that we hear the fate of 
the Unworthy Guest. 

11, 12 And when the King came in to see the guests. He saw there 
a man which had not on a wedding garment : and He saith unto him, 
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment ? 

" He calls him ' Friend,' because He had invited him to the wedding ; but He 
charges Him with want of manners in polluting by his filthy dress the elegance of 
the wedding entertainment."(x) 

The King of Kings comes in to examine His guests, (that is, " those who sit at 
His Table,") at all times ; but it may be thought that He comes in a special man- 
ner on certain great occasions, — as on Festival Days, during Sacred Seasons, and 
at the Services of the Sanctuary generally. Our Church accordingly, in one of her 
Exhortations to the Holy Communion, requires her Children " so to search and ex- 
amine their own consciences that they may come holy and clean to such a heavenly 
feast in the marriage ffarment reqidred by GOD in Holy Scripture." And indeed 
the reference to the Holy Eucharist is so obvious, that we almost assume it, in 
reading the parable. — Take notice that only one person, out of the entire assem- 

(p) Trench. {^q) Jerome. See St. Matth. xxiv. 2 : St. Luke xxi. 6, and the notes there. 

(r) St. Matthew sxvi. 53. (s) Acts xiii. 46, 47. (0 Acts xxviii. 28. 

(m) See the heading of the chapter. The parable of "the Prodigal Son" consists, in like 
manner, of two parts. See the note on St. Luke xv. 25. 
{x) Jerome. Consider Zephaniah i. T, 8. 



198 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

blage, is supposed unworthy, — perhaps in order to bring the matter treated of, at 
once home to the breast of every man. '• Lonu is it I?" Judas asked the question 
afterwards. May it not have been the special intention of his merciful Loiin that 
the Traitor shuuld have asked the question nuxc? 

We need not dispute cuucerning the meaning of the " wedding garment :" at- 
tempting to decide whether it be Charity, (//) or llumility,(i) or any other Christian 
grace in particiihxr. It is an expression the propriety of which all must feel. 
CuRisT says by Kevelation to tlie Angel of the Church of Laudicea, " I counsel 
\k\.QQ to hmj of ^e . . . tchilc raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the 
shame of thy nakedness do not appear."(a) And the Elder, in reply to his own 
inquiry, "what are tliese which are arrayed in white robes?" makes answer, — 
" These are they which . . . have washed their robes, and made them white in the 
blood of the LAMB." [h) To '' jnit on ClIliIST,'\c) "to be found in Him, not 
having our own llighteousness, which is of the Law, but that wliich is through the 
Faith of Christ, the llighteousness which is of God by Faith ;''(tO — such expres- 
sions seem purposely set on record in order to make the general teaching of the 
text unmistakable. 

But, besides its reference to this "World, there is an evident allusion in this part 
of tlic parable to the Final Judgment ; and it may be thought that what follows 
particularly favours such an interpretation. Kotice first, the effect wliich Christ's 
question has on the offender : ^ 

And he was speechless. 

The Sinner, arraigned before the Bar of God, finds himself without excuse. lie 
is struck dumb, — and by his very silence, condemns himself. The Angels(e) are 
straightway called upon to execute the sentence of the llighteous Judge : 

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 weep- 
ing and gnashing of teeth. 

With "liand," " font," and " eye," men chiefly offend :(/) wherefore the sinner 
is not only bound " hand and foot," but consigned to " darkness" also. The 
Reader will find the rest of the verse discussed already in the notes on St. Matthew 
viii. 11, 12. 

1-4 For many are called, but few are chosen. 

This saying has come before us alreadv; namely, at the close of the parable of 
" the Labourers in the Vineyard :" but the remark whicli it elicited on that occa- 
sion is not altogether applicable to it here.(r/) We may observe however that, in 
both places, it seems to apply only in a broad and general way to what goes before. 

15, IG, 17 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they 
might entangle Ilim in His talk. And they sent out unto Ilim their dis- 
ciples Avith the Ilcrodians, saying, Master, we know that Thou art true, 
and teachest the Way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any 
man : for Thou rcgardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, 
What thinkcst Thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 

The Pharisees and the Ilcrodians, then, conspire for this accursed purpose. It 
is worth observing that these socts held opjiosite tenets in rosjicct of the particular 
question which tliey liere Ijring before our Lord. Tlie Pharisees held the very 
calling of a Publican in abhorrence ; calling by the name of i>iiinci.s{h) as many 
as farmed the revenue. Very hateful, tlierefore, in their eyes was the payment of 

iiA Col. Hi. 12. {:) 1 St. Peter v. 5. (<() Rov. iii. 18. 

/') Ki^v. vii. 13, M. Confidcr, further, ill. 4, .">: iv. 4 : vi. 11 : vii. 0, Jkc. 
<■) (!iil. iii. 27. See Koni. xiii. U, Eph. iv. 2«, Col. iii. 111. 
(/) I'hil. iii. 9. (<•) Con.Hiilcr St. Miiltiiow .xiii. 41, 49, 

/) Consider St. Mark ix. 43, 45, -10: nnd Heo llio note on tlio place. "If nu/ ttrp hnth turned 
out of the way," (hiij'.s ri};hteou.« Jidi.J "mid inino heurt walked nfter «ii'/if ryr», nnd if any 
blot halh cleiivod to mine liniuh." .Tofi xxxi. 7. (</) Seo tho nolo Oil St. Mnttb. xx. 1(5. 

(/i) St. Luke .\ix. 7. And eco St. Mark ii. 15. 



5XII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 199 

tribute to Caesar. Not so the Ilcrodians ; concerning whom, we know little in- 
deed; except that they were adherents of Herod, ((") and, as such, must have been 
mainly concerned to uphold the Roman dominion in Juda3a, to which the family of 
Herod, alien by descent, was indebted for the maintenance of its power and 
authority. That these two opposite sects should have united on this occasion, as 
both St. Matthew and St. Mark(/i:) relate, need produce no surprise. The Gospel 
supplies other examples of the same thing.C?) " Our Lord's triumphant entry into 
Jerusalem a few days before, as the Son of David, and His daily wonders, had ex- 
asperated and alarmed them both; and led them eagerly to seek that destruction, 
which they soon after succeeded in accomplishing. And it was expedient for their 
hateful oly'ect, that persons who took opposite sides on this particular question 
should appear to be concerned in propounding it : for the intention was, either way, 
to turn the answer to our Lord's prejudice."(â„¢) See the note on St. Luke xx. 22. 

18, 19, 20, 21 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said. Why 
tempt ye Me, ye hypocrites ? show Me the tribute money. And they 
brought unto Him a penny. And He saith unto them, Whose is this 
image and superscription ? They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith 
He unto them. Render therefore unto Csesar the things which are Cae- 
sar's ; and unto God the things that are God's. 

22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, 
and went their way. 

Several remarks will be found on this entire incident in the Commentary on St. 
Luke's Gospel.(ft) Our Lord's next assailants are the unbelieving Sadducees ; who 
are found to experience far gentler treatment than their rivals at His hands. 

23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 The same day came to Him the Sadducees, 
which say that there is no Resurrection, and asked Him, saying. Mas- 
ter, Moses said. If a man die, having no children, his brother shall 
marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 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 : likewise the second 
also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died 
also. Therefore in the Resurrection whose wife shall she be of the 
seven ? for they all had her. 

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the 
Scriptures, nor the power of God. 

For to quote the Scriptures is not to hnow them. 

30, 31, 32 For in the Resurrection they neither marry, nor are given 
in marriage ; but are as the Angels of God in Heaven. But as touch- 
ing the Resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was 
spoken unto you by God, saying, 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. 

This highly instructive incident will be found discussed at considerable length in 
the notes on St. Mark's Gospel :(o) the Reader is therefore requested to refer to 
that portion of the Commentary. It may be useful to point out that this is tTie only 
place in the Gospel where the Sadducees are related to have addressed a question 
to our Lord : though they are elsewhere found to have demanded of Him " a sign 

U) See the note on St. Mark iii. 6. (h) St. Mark xii. 13. {I) See note on St. Matth. xvi. 1. 
hn) Dr. W. H. Mill. \,i) St. Luke xx. 20 to 25. 

(o) See the notes on St. Mark xii. 18 to 27. 



200 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

from IIeaven.(j:>) After the Resurrection, however, the Sadducees are f jund to 
have been the principal enemies of the Kelipon of C'urist.(7) 

"With reference to the Discourse which precedes, a pious Writer says — "And 
now, havinj; kindled in us the desire of Eternal and Angelic Life, our Lord i)ro- 
ceeds to point out the way to attain it. — l>y Love. Thus the contentions of men 
serve to bring forth the truths of the Kingdom ; and from out these discordant ele- 
ments does our Lord mould the harmonious perfections of His New Temple ' not 
made with hands.' "(r) 

34, 35, 3G, 37, 38, 39 But ^hen the Pharisees had heard that He 
had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then 
one of them, which wassi Lawyer, asked Ilim a qucstioji, tempting Him, 
and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? 
Jesus said unto him. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, and Avith all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first 
and great commandment. And the second in like unto it, Thou shalt 
love thy Neighbour as thyself. 

"Seems it not rather a contrary commandment ? Whereas in the former, the 
whole stream of Love is directed in one undivided current towards God, this sec- 
ond commandment seems to cut out a ncAv channel for it, and to turn a great part 
of it to men; 'thy neighbour as thyself.' No, they are not contrary, if we take 
them right : yea, they do not only agree, but are inseparable. They do not divide 
our luvo, but set it in its right course : first, wholly to God, as the sovereign good ; 
and then, back from Ilim, according to His own Will, it is derived downwards to 
our neighbour. For then only do we love both ourselves and others aright, when 
we make our love to Him the reason and rule of both. So then, our love is not to 
bo divided between Him and our Neighbour, or any creature : but is first to be be- 
stowed on Him ; and then He diffuses, by way of reflection, so much upon others 
as He thinks fit. Being all in His hands, it is at His disposal ; and that which He 
disposes elsewhere, (as here, ' Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,') it is not 
taken ofi" from Him, but abiding still in Him, as in its natural place, flows forth 
from Him as beams flow forth from the sun and enlighten the air ; and yet are not 
cut off from it. 

" So then, the second is like unto the first, because it springs from it, and de- 

Sends upon it. It commands the same affection : luvc, in the former, placed on 
OD, — and in this, extended from Him to our Nciglibour. And it is like unto it in 
this, too : that, as the former is the sum of the first Table, and so the first and 
great Commandment ; so, this is the sura of the second Table, and therefore next 
unto it in greatness and importance."(*) 

40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. 

" From these two Commandments are derived all the particulars of duty to God 
and Man, taught in the Law of Moses, and by the Prophets who have enforced 
that Law."(/) 

The Header will find several remarks on this question of the Lawyer or Scribe, 
who Ijelongoil to the sect of the Pharisees, in the Commentary on St. Mark's Gos- 
pel ; to which he is referred.(«) 

41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 4G "While the Pharisees were gathered together, 
Jesus asked them, saying, "What think ye of Christ ? whose Son is 
He? They say unto Him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, 
How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord; saying, The Lord said 
unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Tiiine enemies 
Thy footstool? If David then call Him Lord, liuw is He his Son? 
And no man was able to answer Him a word : neither durst any 7nan 
from that day forth ask Him any more questions. 

],) St. Mnfih. xvi. 1. (7} Sco Acts iv. 1 : v. 17, 2J, Ac (;•) Williams. 



(]>) St. Mnfih. xvi. 1. (7) Sco Acts iv. 1 : v. 17, 2J, Ac. 

(») Ai'lj. litiKhton. 0) Arihd. Halo and Bp. Lonsdale 

(11) Soo the notes on St. Mark .\ii. 28 to 31. 



XXIII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 201 

" From whence it is evident," (remarks Bishop Pearson,) " that the Jews of old, 
even the Pharisees, the most accurate and skilful amongst them, did interpret this 
Psalm(x) of the Messias: for if they had conceived the Prophecy belonged either 
to Abraham, or David, or any other, they doubtless would have answered our Sa- 
viour that this belonged not to the Son of David." 

The concluding portion of the present chapter, which occurs in all the three 
Gospels, will be found fully commented on in the notes on St. Luke's Gospel ; 
whither the Reader is referred.(^) 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



1 Christ admonishetJi the people to folloiv the good doctrine, not the evil examples, of 
the Scribes and Pharisees. 5 His Disciples must beware of their ambition. 13 
He denouHceth eight woes against their hypocrisy and blindness. 34 And prophe- 
sietli of the destruction of Jerusalem. 

To read the Discourse contained in the ensuing chapter with profit, the circum- 
stances under which it was delivered should be borne in mind. In the chapters 
which immediately precede, we have seen our Lord refuting His assailants, — Chief 
Priests and Elders, Pharisees and Herodians, Sadducees and Scribes. At last. He 
silenced them with a hard question. " No man was able to answer Him a word ; 
neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions."(«) But 
" the common people heard Him gladly."(6) 

At such a juncture, — speaking in the audience of the Pharisees, His own Dis- 
ciples, and the multitude, — we feel that nothing of ordinary interest coidd have 
proceeded from the lips of the Divine Speaker. It was the closing scene of His 
public Ministry. He was ready to be sacrificed in three days. He had borne 
with the contradiction of sinners long enough ; and was no longer obliged, as here- 
tofore, to consult for His own personal safety. He was about to be withdrawn from 
the eyes of that multitude also, which had hitherto hung delighted on His words ;(c) 
and which may well have desired to be informed by Him how they were henceforth 
to think of their Teachers, and of Him. Verily, He did not keep them long in 
suspense, or send them away, finally, in doubt ! Hear Him ; and consider how 
"the Scribes and Pharisees" must have quailed beneath the withering denuncia- 
tions which follow, and which their own monstrous wickedness had drawn down 
upon their heads ! Is it possible, however, to read the present chapter, and not to 
feel that its warnings (like so many in the Gospel,) are addressed to the Church of 
Christ for ever ; and especially to the Teachers of Religion, — the successors of 
those who " sat in Moses' seat?" 

1, 2, 3 Then spake Jesus to the multitude and to His Disciples, say- 
ing, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore 
•whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do ; 

To "sit in Moses' seat," is to expound with authority the Law of Moses. By 
these words, our Saviour eternally exhorts and rebukes as many as make the un- 
worthiness of their Teacher a pretext for their own neglect: "in the greatness of 
His wisdom and foresight requiring His Church to look to the seat of authority, 
whatever may be the character of those who occupy it."(<:0 

(.r) Ps. ex. 1. (y) See the note on St. Luke xx. 40 to 44. («) St. Mattli. xxii. 46. 

(6) St. Mark xii. 3T. (c) See the note on St. Luke xix. 48. {d) Williams. 



202 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

But -when it is considered on whoso lips those -words are found, as â– well as to 
whom they wore addressed, they will he perceived to contain besides, a striking 
intimation of the entire agreement which subsists Ijctween the Law and the Gospel. 
On another occasion, our Saviour declared that He had "not come to destroy" the 
Law, "but to fulfir'(r) it; and accordingly lie is here found to enjoin upon His 
Disciples obedience to whatsoever the Scriljes and IMiarisees Itade them observe. 
This must have been because coming from one and the same Divine Author, the 
spiritual intent of the Law and the Gospel was the same, though the letter was so 
different. Consider llomans ii. 28, 21). 

but do not yc after their works : for tliey say, and do not. 

" What can be more pitiable," (asks an old Writer,) ( /") " than a Teacher, to 
imitate whom is ruin, — to refuse to follow whom, is salvation ?" . . . Our Saa'iour 
proceeds to ex])lain what He means when He says of the Scribes and Pharisees 
that " they say, and do not." 

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay 
them on men's shoulders; but they tliemsdves will not move them with 
one of their fingers. 

That is, " they exact without any allowance the utmost rigour of Life from those 
that are ])ut under them, while they allow themselves unbounded license : the very 
reverse of which should be the practice of the good lluler, — namely, to be to him- 
self a severe judge, to others a merciful one. ''(.'/) To "bind burdens," is to gather 
traditions from every side ; whereby to burden the conscience, and to make the 
"yoke" of the Law(/() unbearable. See the note on St. Luke xi. 40, where these 
words are found repeated: and consider the contrast between what those men 
taught, and the " easy yoke" and " light burden" of our Saviour Ciirist.((') 

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men : 

This is the sinful temper against which our Lord especially warns us in that part 
of his Sermon on the Mount, where he gives directions concerning Almsgiving, 
Fasting, and Prayer. Not that the desire of human praise is sinful in itself:(A) 
but it is a grievous Sin, when human applause is made the end and object of ac- 
tions which arc professedly done to the honour of God. Consider St. Matthew vi. 
1, 2, 5, 10, 17, 18, and the notes thereon. 

they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their 
garments, 

" Phylactery" is a Greek word, — denoting "a preservative:" showing that those 
two parchment labels which the Jews wore, one on their wrist, the other on their 
forehead, in obedience to the strict letter of God's command, (/) and inscribed with 
a sentence of the Law, — were regarded in the light of amulets, charms, or spells. 
The Pharisees, — wholly overlooking the spiritual intention of the precept referred 
to, and which obviously was, that Gou's Law should be the rule of every action, 
the subject of meditation, day and night, (;/<) — made their phylacteries unusuallv 
broad and visible, in order to win for themselves a higher reputation for piety with 
the people. 

That command of the Law will further be remembered, by which it was ordained 
that the childron of Israel should " make them fringes in the borders of their gar- 
ments, . . . ami put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:" the inten- 
tion being that tlicy nugiit "look upon it, and remember all tho ooiumandments of 
the LoRDj and do them."(//) Such a "fringe" and "ribband of blue' we have 
already had occasion to notice as worn on the outer garment of the Saviovr.(o) 
It was not the wearing of this, therefore, which our Loun condemneil; but the en- 



St. Matthew V. 17, 18. If) Orijjui. (</) Cliry.'o.stoiii. (A) .\ct.s xv. 10. 

St. Mfttth. .\i. ;!0. Xk) r-ir cimsiflcr St. Luke xiv. 9, 10, 29, and the uotcs there. 

[/) Sec Ucut. vL 8: xi. 18. Also, Kxoil. xiii. S), 10. 
i) .lo.uliua i. S, Ac. — Consider this in connection with tho Ei/c and the Ilnnd to be so care- 
fully jjii'Tded, — tho one us the chief avenue, tiie other as the chief in^lruiucut of sin : St. Mat- 
thew V. 2l> and :!0. (ii) Numbers .w. 38, 3'J. Dcut. .\.xii. 12. 
(o) See the nolo on St. Matt. ix. 20. 



XXIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 203 

largement of it, by -whieh the Pharisees assumed the outward badge of extraordi- 
nary piety and of uncommon obedience to tlie Divine Commandment. Nor, — when 
it is discovered that both St. Mark and St. Luke concur in this place in preserving 
those additional words of reproach, "w/jo love to walk about in robes,"(p) — is it pos- 
sible to avoid suspecting that besides their gross hypocrisy, these miserable men 
practised a contemptible foppery in respect of their vestments, also. It is certain 
that our Lord is here speaking of the appetite for human praise and admiration; 
for He adds : 

6, 7 and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the 
synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to he called of men, 
Rabbi, Rabbi. 

To repeat the title tivice, was a mark of especial respect.(g) The disposition 
which delights in this description of praise, our Saviour elsewhere denounces as 
inimical to the spirit of Faith. " IIow can ye believe," (he asks,) " which receive 
honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only ?"('') 

The ambition of the Pharisees to occupy " the uttermost rooms at Feasts," (that 
is, the places of highest honour at an Entertainment,) must have been notorious 
and prevalent; for when our Blessed Lord on a certain occasion "went into the 
house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath Day," we find that 
" He put forth a parable to those which were bidden, wJien He marJced Jioiv they 
chose out the chief 2}laces."(s) The "chief seats in the Synagogues" are alluded to 
by St. James in his Epistle. (0 

8 But be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Master, even Christ ; 
and all ye are brethren. 

Our Lord here delivers a caution against the same sin which St. Paul condemns 
in those who said "I am of Paul: and I, of Apollos"(M) . . . The word rendered 
"Master," properly means "Teacher:" and the course forbidden is that which St. 
Paul alludes to in his second Epistle to Timothy; (x) and which St. James forbids 
in the biginning of his 3rd Chapter, — "My Brethren, be not many Masters;" that 
is, "Teachers." The Jews were divided not only into two great sects, but also 
into opposite schools, and contending parties, — their leading Rabbis erected them- 
selves into "Leaders," and putting forth their own private opinions with authority, 
as doctrines to be received by their followers, and Disciples. It is this to which our 
Lord here'refers, and which He condemns. 

Not but what St. Paul often calls himself a " Teacher,"(?/) and on many occa- 
sions makes allusion to the title or office: but when he uses the term in a very 
difi"erent sense from that referred to by our Lord. He calls himself and others, 
" Teachers," only because they taught the Religion of CHRIST, — not as the 
founders of new sects, or the advocates of sectarian opinions. Thus because all are 
pupils in the one school of Christ, all, perforce, are "Brethren." 

9 And call no man your Father upon the earth : for one is your 
Father, which is in Heaven. 

" Father" is a title of the same class as " Teacher ;" and in that particular sense 
in which the Jews applied it to their principal Doctors, and Founders of Schools, 
our Saviour forbids its use among Christians. But that there is a sense in which 
it may be fitly used by ourselves, — St. Paul has shown. (g) As a loftier appellation 
than Teacher, the Eternal Son assigns it to the Eternal Father. 

Take notice in how many other places our Saviour, by implication, repeats the 
assurance which is contained in the last few words. See St. Matthew v. 16, 45, 48 : 
vi. 1, 9: vii. ll._ St. Mark xi. 25, 26, &c. 

If any sectaries do reject the use of distinctive titles in addressing their fellow- 
men, on the plea that Christ Himself hath forbidden the practice, let them be con- 
sistent, and call no man on Earth their Father, either. Rather, let them learn from 

{p) St. Mark xii. 38. St. Luke xx. 46. 

(?) See St. Matthew vii. 21, 22; xxv. 11; St. Mark xiv. 45. 

fr) St. John v. 44. U) St. Luke xiv. 1 and 7. (0 St. James ii. 2, 3. 

in] 1 Cor i. 12. {x) 2 Tim. iv. 3. 

(y) 1 Tim. ii. r. 2 Tim. i. 11, &c. (z) 1 Cor. iv. 15. 



204 A PLAIX COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

the last-niimed inju'icti'jn to interpret the others according to their spirit, and not 
according to their letter ; and so, to interpret them rightly. 

10 Neither be ye called masters ; for one is your Master, cvai Christ. 

Rather, — "Leaders," (or "(juides:") "for one is your Leader," (or "Guide.'') 
See above, on verse 8 ; and below, on verse 16. 

11, 12 But he tliat is greatest among you shall be your servant. 
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased : and he that shall 
humble liimsclf shall be exalted. 

The injunction in verse 11, is found also in St. Matthew xx. 20, 27, — wliere see 
the nntos. Verse 12 contains a famous saying, whicli has already been discussed 
in the Commentary on the latter part of St. Luke xviii. 14: and take notice tlu\t it 
is either to that i>lace, or to the present, which St. Peter alludes in his First Epis- 
tle. («) "Wliat indeed are all those sayings, but comments on that one, 'Learn of 
Me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart ?'(/>) What arc they Ijut modes of access to 
Christ? And why is it the universal Law, 'that he that humbleth himself shall 
be exalted,' but because He, 'being in tlic form of God, . . . took upon Him the 
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, and humljled llimself unto 
Death: wherefore God hath exaltdl llim, and given Ilim a Name wliich is above 
every name?' . . . Even so will lie, according to this Law, exalt every one 
in Christ, who after the same example humbles himself" So far generally : but 
take notice tliat the special Avariiing contained in verse 11, is addressed to persons 
in the Ministry. Our Divine Master here requires tliosc who are set highest in the 
Church, to consider themselves as burdened with the heaviest stewardsliip. Thus 
titles of honour become transformed into notes of ministerial responsibility. 

"Our Lord now turns to address the Pharisees themselves m words of awful 
judgment, which seems to anticipate the dreadful voice of Ilis final sentence:" "de- 
nouncing eight(r) Woes" in succession "against their hj'pocrisy and blindness," — 
(as it is remarked in the heading of the Chapter;) corresponding with the Eight 
Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. And thus, "His Ministry, which com- 
menced with Beatitudes, ends with Woes; like too many passages of Human Life, 
which go forth in promise and terminate in self-reproach. "(J) Take notice that St. 
Matthew alone of the Evangelists records either the Blessings or the Curses: the 
former of which were delivered to "the lost sheep of the House of Israel,"(e) "the 

i)Oor in spirit," on a Mountain in Galilee; — the latter, on "the ]Mountain of the 
jORD,"(J) and in the Temple, to the proud Professors of the Jewish lldigion. and 
its "most straitest 8ect."(^) How are we thus reminded of the many singular and 
unexpected ways in which the Law finds its counterpart in tlic Gospel '.(//) 

The H<dy One had been hitherto addi'cssiug "the multitude and His Disciples." 
He proceeds: 

13 But Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! 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. 

Our Saviour here speaks of them as having the means of opening and shutting; 
whether it be "the Key of Knowlcdge"(/) of Aviiicli Ho cluotiy speaks, or "the 
Keys of the Kingdom of Heaveu."(A) Ilis words may tlicrcfore be \n»dcrstood in 
many ways. To the Scribes appertained tlic interpretation of the Law; Imt by 
their vain glo.sscs and merely human Traditions, these "blind guides" had partially 
taught, or had wrongly ex]>lained, and so, had in effect actually closed the Divine 
Oracles ;(/) for their wickedness in wliidi respect, JIc who t/arc the Law proceeds 
now to reproach them in tiie severest manner.(;«) This does not seem a very 
obvious interpretation of the i)]aco: but he who compares what our Lord here says, 
with what is recorded of Him in St. Luke xi. 52, will probably thiuk that it must 

(ft) 1 St. Pot. V. 6. {!>) Pt. Mntlli. xi. 2i>. 

(r) Hlu vcr.-^cs l.*}, II, IT), Ifi, 2.*?, '2:,, 27, l".i. (-/) Willinms. 

(») St. Miitth. X. C, A.C. (/) If. ii. .'5. (•/) Acts x.wi. 5. 

(A) f'..iisi.lfr Dfut. .x.wii. 11 to 20. (/) St. Luke .\i. 62. 

(/.) St. MiitlliiMv xvi. VJ. (/) Soo ou St. Mark vii. 5. 

(m) Sco below, vcr 10 to 22. Sco alao St.Mallb. xv. ?> to 9, Ac. 



XXIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 205 

be the very thing -which our Lord intended. Then, further, the Government of the 
Church rested with the Scribes and Pharisees: but, as we have already seen, they 
availed themselves of their authority to "bind heavy burdens, and lay them on 
men's shoulders. "('0 To them was committed the power of excluding or restoring 
to visible Church-membership : but, (as in the case of the parents of the man born 
blind,) they shamefully abused their power, (o) "lam the Door," (declares our 
Blessed Lord;) "by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved -."(i^) Init if these 
wicked men, while they ascribed His miracles to Beelzebub,(f;) denied His Teach- 
ing, (r) and rejected Him themselves, — " agreed, that if any man did confess that 
He was Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue :"(s) the terror of which 
sentence deterred many members of the Sanhedrin from openly professing their be- 
lief in the Saviour, (i!) Nor did their wickedness in this respect cease with our 
Lord's death. (tj) — "No man can stand or fall alone," (says an excellent writer;) 
"much less a minister of Religion. As no man can go to Heaven, but by His good 
example he will lead others there ; so he, who by his evil life enters not in, shuts 
out others also."(a;) 

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. 

Our Lord charges these hypocrites with "making long prayer as a pretext" for 
their avarice, (or, as St. Paul expresses it, a "cloke of covetousness:")(y) and point 
out that the peculiar circumstances which rendered their villany so monstrous in 
His sight, was, that they plundered the Widoiv, whom He had recommended for ever 
to the protection of His Church. Take notice that of the whole of this prolonged 
invective, filling an entire chapter in St. Matthew's Gospel, verses 6 and 14 are the 
only portions of which St. Mark and St. Luke were guided to preserve the 
record also. 

"Pretenders to Holiness," (says an ancient writer,) "practice most upon women, 
who are less apt than men to see through their hypocrisy ; and are easily inclined 
to love them on the ground of Religion."(s) But consider how God reveals Him- 
self throughout Scripture as the God oithe Widoio:{a) singling her out as the very 
type of weakness, on more than one occasion. (6) 

15 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye com- 
pass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make 
him twofold more the child of Hell than yourselves. 

The same sins which were condemned in the former verse, are the subject of 
this. It was no zeal for God's honour, no love of souls, which induced the Phari- 
sees to take unwearied pains, or, (as our Lord proverbially expresses it,) to 
"traverse sea and land to make one convert" to the Jewish Faith ; but covetous- 
ness, — the sin of Judas : avarice, — disguised, as before, under the mask of 
Religion, (c) 

How fearful must have been the system on which so terrible a sentence could be 
passed by Him who is "the Way, the Truth, aud the Life" itself! 

16, 17 Woe unto you, ?/e blind guides, which say. Whosoever shall 
swear by the Temple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the 
gold of the temple, he is a debtor ! Ye fools and blind : for whether 
is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? 

(n) See above ver. 4. 

(o) St. John ix. 34,— where see the margin. Compare St. John vii. 13, xvi. 2, and xix. 38. 

p) St. John X. 9. (?) St. Matth. is. 34: xiii. 24, &c. 

r) St. John ix. 16, &c. &c. («) St. John ix. 22. (0 St. John xii. 42. 

m) For consider 1 Thess. ii. 16, and the places in the margin. {x) Williams. 

hj) 1 Thess. ii. 5. {z) Pseudo-Chrysostom. Consider 2 Tim. iii. 6. 

(a) As in Deut. x. 18: xiv. 29: xxvii. 19. Ps. clxviii. 5: cxlvi. 9. Is. i. 17. Jer. vii. 6: 
xxii. 3. Ezek. xxii. 7. Zech. vii. 10. Mai. iii. 5, &c. &o. 

{b) 1 Kings xvii. 9 and see the note on St. Luke xviii. 3. (c) See St. Luke xvi. 14. 



206 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

The Pharisees, in their vain-pjlorious pride, assumed to themselves the title of 
"Guides of the blind," — as will be found pointed out in the note on St. John iii. 
10. Our Lurd therefore reneatolly reproaches them with ilnir oini blindness. 
"They l)e blind leaders of the blind," lie says:((/) and again, below, in ver. 24, 
"Ye blind guides!" 

"Blind" indeed, and worse than blind: "for" (says a learned Latin Father.) 
"when, in any dispute, (ir (quarrel, or ambiguous cause, one swore by the Temple, 
and was afterwards convicted of fiilsehood, he was not held guilty. That is wliat 
is meant by 'Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing:' — that is, ho owes 
nothing. But if ho had sworn by the gold of the Temple, he was immediately com- 
pelled to pay down that l>y which he had sworn."(^-) By whidi words, take notice 
that not tiie gold which overspread the building,(^/') is meant; but the gold in the 
Treasury, which was called Corban.{g) For the Jews held that if any one swore 
thus, — "By the Temple," (or "By the Altar,") "my goods shall not be yours," — 
it was lawful for him, if he pleased, afterwards to alter his mind: but if he swore 
thus, — ''Corban, my gold is for the Temple;" or, "Corban, my cattle are for the 
Altar," — this was a vow which he might by no means neglect to perform. Thus, 
it will be perceived that the same wickedness, in part, is here alluded to which was 
formally denounced bv the Lord of Heaven and Earth in St. Matthew xv. 5, G, and 
more clearly in St. Jiark vii. 11 to 13, — where the Header is requested to see 
the notes. 

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the Altar, it is nothing; but 
"whosoever swearcth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 

Or rather, "he is a debtor," — as in verse IG. 

19 Ye fools and blind ; for whether is greater, the gift, or the Altar 
that sanctificth the gift? 

The Temple therefore docs sanctify the gold; the Altar does sanctify the gift: as 
it is written in the Law, — "Whatsoever touched the Altar shall be holy."(/0 Let 
this be remembered in connection with the furniture of Churches. Consider Num- 
bers xvi. 37 to 39.(j') 

"Fools and blind," indeed! and as such, our Lord condescends to reason the 
point with them in verses 17, 10, and the three following. But it was iciJful blind- 
ness. They had put out the candle of the Lord within them. (A). And observe, 
that the motive of their wickedness was apparent; for "the gold" and "the gift" 
enriched themselves. 

20, 21, 22 Whoso therefore shall swear by the Altar, swearcth by 
it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the Temple, 
swearcth by it, and by llim that dwcllcth therein. And he that shall 
swear by Heaven, swearcth by the throne of God, and by Uim that 
sittcth thereon. 

For, as the less is contnined in the greater, so, in the oath which is sworn by the 
Temple and tlic Altar, is contained the oath by the gold and the gift. Moreover, 
since no inanimate thing can be supposed to be the witness of an oath, he who 
swears by the Altar, by the Temple, or by Heaven itself, must bo understood to 
swear by Him to whom all these lielong. And thus, on quite another ground, our 
Saviour convicts the lMiaris»;cs of blindness. 

Wherefore, it is said in another jilace, " Swear not at all : neither by Heaven, for 
it is God's throne ; nor by the Earth, fur it is His footstool."(/) 

2:^ Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay 
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier 



(d] St. Mnt 
(/) C-mccri 



itth. XV. II. (f-) Jcromo. 

•riiiiif; tlu; gold ofihcfirnl Tcinplo, Bco 1 Kings vi. 21, 22. 
i'fj) St. Miillh. .\xvii. e>, in tlic (iriginal. (/i) Exod. xxix. .37. 

u) Si'(! iil.-o Lcviiicu." xxvii, 2S. .Joshua vi. 10, in connection with vii. 1.^ t-f) 26. 
[k) Cuii»idur St. Luke xi. 34 tu 3G. (/} BU Muttb. v. 34 to 37, uud tho Dot«8 Ihoroon. 



XXIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 207 

matters of the Law, Judgment, Mercy, and Faith : these ought ye to 
have done, and not to leave the other undone. 

That is, " To do Justli/, and to love viercy, and to walk humbly with thy GOD,'Xm) 
is what the Lord chiefly requires of thee ; (to which words of the Prophet Micah, 
our Lord surely refers in this place) : and yet thou art not at liberty to omit ex- 
actness in the most trifling matter of tithes, either : whether to he paid by thyself,(«) 
or to be received of others, (o) 

But take note, that the tithing of " mint, anise, and cummin" took place in pur- 
suance of no precept of the Law of God. It was an addition made by the Scribes : 
and yet we find that it here obtains the sanction of Christ himself; for He tells 
the men of His day, — " Ye ought not to leave it undone." So that this is one of 
the many instances to be found in the Gospels where our Lord teaches men to con- 
form to Ecclesiastical rules, — even though no express warrant for them is to be 
found in the Bible. He here illustrates the saying with which he began his dis- 
course : — " The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. All therefore, what- 
soever they bid you observe, that observe and do."(j)) 

24 Te blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 

Rather, " Which strain om^ :" a proverbial saying, which seems to refer to the 
practice of those who in the preparation of their drink are careful first to strain it ; 
and which has an obvious application to as many as, being highly scrupulous in 
regard to trifles, are yet found to allow themselves freely in monstrous crimes. 
The Camel is selected in this and another sacred proverb(2) as the very emblem, to 
an Eastern eye, of what is huge, cumbrous, and unwieldy. 

The " Woe" which follows is only another example of the Hypocrisy denounced 
in ver. 23. The Pharisees were over-scrupulous in "the washing of pots and 
cups:" but the precept " Wash yoi<, make you clean," they quite neglected: — as 
it follows, — 

25 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye make 
clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are 
full of extortion and excess. 

" The cup" is for drink, and " the platter" for meat : reference is therefore here 
made to daily food ; and it is declared that the Pharisees furnished forth their 
tables by extortion and unrighteousness. Woe to them for their sin ! and woe for 
the hypocrisy which could suppose that by " the washing of cups and pots,"(r) — 
the cleansing of "the outside of cup and platter," — they could win for themselves 
acceptance with God ! 

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that wJiicJi is within the cup 
and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 

How this was to be done our Saviour explained on the other occasion when he 
delivered a very similar discourse : namely, " Bestow in alms the things which are 
within." See St. Luke xi. 41, and the note there. At the same time, there is 
doubtless conveyed an injunction to cultivate inward j5e?'50?iaZ purity and holiness ; 
as in St. Luke xi. 39, 40, — which see : for tJiere, instead of " tJtey are full of extor- 
tion and excess," (namely the cup and platter,) (s) it is said, — " your inward part 
is full of ravening and wickedness." 

And this contrast of the inward impurity of the Pharisees with their fair exterior 
is what our Lord proceeds to denounce a further "Woe" upon. 

27, 28 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are 
like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, 
but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even 



"y 



(m) Micah vi. 8. (n) See St. Luke xviii. 12, and the note there, 

(o) As the same word is translated in St. Luke xi. 42. (^j) See above, verses 2, 3. 

(9') See St. Matth. xix. 24, and the note there. (r) St. Mark vii. 4 and 8. 

(s) See above, ver. 25. The same word is rendered "extortion" in one Gosjiel, and "raven- 
ins;" in the other. 



208 A PLAIN COMiMEXTARY [CHAP. 

SO ye also outTvarelly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full 
of hypocrisy and inicjuity. 

And "the Lord eeeth not as man sceth: for man looketh on the outward ap- 
pearance ; but the Lord looketh vn the heart ."(0 

Tlie point of this rebuke evidently consists in the contrast between the outside 
and the inside of a sepulchral chamber. Outwardly, whitened with chalk and 
adorned with colours, the sepulchres of the Jews " a]i]>earcd beautiful :" but within, 
they were full of defilement. And such, as our Lord declares, were the Scribes 
and Pharisees! . . . He had said something very like this on another occasion, (») 
but it was luA the same thin;^. The comparison in the text was, (as niij^ht be ex- 
pected,) in common use among the Jews. See Acts xxiii. 3, and consider I'salm 
V. D. . . . Observe the transition to what follows. Our Lord's speech is still among 
the graves. 

20, 30, 31 "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! be- 
cause ye build the tombs of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres 
of the righteous, 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 Pro- 
phets. Wherefore ye be Avitnesses unto yourselves, that ye arc the 
children of them which killed the Prophets. 

The Reader should compare these verses with St. Luke xi. 47 and 48 and read 
the notes thereon. 

By professing that they would not have shared the guilt of their Fathers in slay- 
ing the I'rophets, the " Scribes and Phai'isecs" admitted that they were Me citildnn 
of those tcho sleiv the Prophets; and it is implied that they had inherited the mur- 
derous disposition of their sires also. The meaning is, in fact, partly illustrated 
by the expression "generation of vipers," in ver. 33; that is, "offspring of 
vipers:" by which it is implied tiiat these men dex'ived from their Fathers, — in- 
herited by their very birth, — a satanic nature. As our Lord elsewhere saj's, — 
"Ye are of your Tather the Devil, and the lusts of your Father ye will do. Ho 
was a murderer from the beginning."(-t;) 

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your Fathers. 

As indeed, in three days, they did: yea, they filled it to overflowing. But, till 
their "initpiity" (like that of the Amorites of old) "was full," God witldield his 
judgments. (//) In the meanwhile, it was because Christ was well aware of the 
murderous course they were lient ujion ]iursuing, not only towards himself, but 
towards Disciples likewise, that he thus bitterly denounced the hj-pocrisj- with 
which they affected grief while thej' garnished the sepulchres of the Prophets 
whom their Fathers had already slain. Consider by all means 1 Thessalonians 
ii. 14 to 10. 

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the 
damnation of Hell? 

"Serpents," — for they resembled "that old Serpent, which is the Devil, and 
Satan :"(2) and "generation of vipers," (as both He and his Forerunner had 
already ca!le<l them,) (a) for a reason assigned in the note on ver. 31. As they 
partook of the deeds of tlie Evil One, how could they cscajie his end? 

With which terrible words, our Lord gatlicrs up all tlio awful denunciations 
which go before. And if, in the opinion of any, these should ajipear not altogether 
in accordance witli tiio sayings of Christ elsewhere recorded, — let the occasion bo 
first considered :(6) and next, let it lie observed, that " thniuglmut these dreaclful 
declarations, it is the cause of the Widow, and of His martyred Apostles, and of 
his Fatiikr's Honour, which kindles in our Lord the Divine charity which burned 
forth in these judgments. "(') But above all let us rcmeuibcr that we know nothing 

(() 1 Sam. xvi. 7. (n) Pco St. Luke xi. tJ. nnd tho note. (..) St. John viii. It. 

}i/) Ciiii.Midur (fcn. XV. IG uuil 1 Tlicss. ii. 1 1'.. Si'oal.-ci St. Mark ii. 0, 7, S; mid tho notes tlicrc. 
h) Uev. \\. 2: .\ii. 9. ('i) St. iMutth. iii. 7: St. Luke iii. 7: Si. Matth. .\ii. 'M. 

(b) See the nolo iirclixcil to tho pr>;s«ut chuptor. (c) Williams. 



XXIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 209 

concerning IHm, nor can know, save what He hath himself seen fit to reveal. 
Long-suffering He is ; but only in order to bring men to Repentance, (c?) Kind and 
gentle, also; but only with the merciful and upright. "With the froward, Thou 
wilt show thyself froward."(e) When the season of probation is ended, our Lord 
reveals himself no longer as a merciful Saviour, but as a terrible Judge :(/) and 
we only deceive ourselves if we rely on one of the Divine Attributes to the exclu- 
sion of the others. 

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you Prophets, and Wise men, 
and Scribes : 

When our Lord employed the sayings which follow, on a different occasion, 
(which St. Luke alone records,) He prefaced them with the words, " Therefore also 
said the Wisdom of GOD."{g) Christ is therefore " the Wisdom of God ;" and it 
is He who " sent" Prophets, (that is, men divinely inspired to declare the mind of 
God and His will,) — Wise men, (that is, persons full of Divine Wisdom,) — and 
Scribes, (that is, persons authorized to interpret and teach the Law of Christ's 
Kingdom,) (A) — in order to make the wickedness of the nation undeniable, and 
without excuse. Instead of " Prophets and Wise men and Scribes," it is (in St. 
Luke) " Prophets and Apostles." 

and some of them ye shall kill and crucify : and &ome of them shall 
ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city : 

Thus St. Stephen was stoned :(;') St. James was slain with the sword :(^•) St. 
Peter was crucified :(Z) the Apostles were imprisoned with scourging :(??i) St. Paul 
and Barnabas were persecuted from city to city.(ji) — Take notice of the propriety 
with which from ver. 34 to the end of this chapter, has been selected as the Gospel 
for St. Stephen's Day. 

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. 

That our Saviour should have reckoned " righteous Abel" as the first of His 
Martyrs, is what we should expect ; but who is this Z acharias, whom He mentions 
as if he were the last? Zechariah, (one of the Twelve minor Prophets, B. C. 520,) 
was indeed "the son of Berechiah ;"(o) but it is nowhere recorded concerning him 
that he sufi"ered martyrdom. On the other hand, there is an account in the Book 
of Chronicles of the martyrdom of a Zechariah, which corresponds entirely with 
what our Saviour here declares ; but then the Zechariah there spoken of is de- 
scribed as " the son of Jehoiada the priest."(j)) Moreover, he was slain in the time 
of King Joash,(g) and does not seem in any sense to have been the last of that 
" noble army" to which he belonged. On the whole, however, it seems reasonable 
to suppose that this was the person to whom our Saviour here makes allusion. The 
recorded name of his father is no real obstacle, as we have elsewhere repeatedly 
shown :(>•) while his remarkable dying words, (" The Lord look upon it, and re- 
quire it !) (s) even suggest the high probability that one who so fell " in the Court 
of the House of the Lord," should have been in some special way avenged by 
Him " who helpeth them to right that suffer wrong."(!') " The voice of his blood" 
may well have " cried unto God from the ground,"(i«) as in the case of Ahel .... 
" That Thou mayest take the matter into Thine hand," (saith the Psalmist,) " the 
poor committeth himself unto Thee.(a;) 



{d ) Rom. ii. 4, and 2 St. Peter iii. 9, 15. (e) Ps. xviii. 26. 

(/) See the note on St. Luke xix. 44: also on St. Matth. xxi. 44. 

{(j) St. Luke xi. 49, where see the note. {h) As in St. Matth. xiii. 52. 

(t) Acts vii. 59. {k) Acts xii. 1 to 3. (I) Consider St. John xxi. IS, 19 : 2 St. Pet. i. 14. 

(m) Acts V. 18, 40. {n) Acts xiii. 50 : xiv. 5, 6, 19, 20. 

(o) Zech. i. 1. (p) 2 Chron. xxiy. 20. (q) About B. C. 840. 

(;â– ) See the notes on St. Luke iii. 23, (on the words "son of Heli;") and on ver. 27, (on the 
words "son of Salathiel;") above all, on ver. 36, on the words "son of Cainan." Consider 
also how frequently the Jews bore two names. Of this, the Gospel contains many instances: 
as St. Matth. x. 2, 3 : Acts iv. 36 : xii. 12, 25 : xiii. 9, &c. 

(s) 2 Chron. xxiv. 22. (0 Psalm cxlvi. 6. 

(m) Gen. iv. 10. Consider the allusion to that cry in Heb. xii. 24. (x) Ps. x. 14. 

14 



210 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

A rcniarkalile circumstance remains to be mentioned in connection with these 
words of our Lord. The Jewish Historian, Josephus, relates that an eminent and 
must excellent citizen, named " Zai-harias, the sun of Barucfi," was actually slaiu 
in the Temple, immediately befure the destruction of the city ; his only ofl'ence be- 
ing that he denounced the wickedness of his countrymen. This event, at the time 
of our LoRit's spcakin;;, was yet future, and therefure cannot be thought tu be the 
particular event tu which lie alludes. The suggestion, however, may he permitted, 
that since this man's murder must have been very present to the mind of Ilim who 
spoke the words of the text, (fur " precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of 
Ilis Saints ;"(.'/) find Ho " calleth those things which be not, as though they 
were :") (-) — He will have so divinely shaped his words that they obtained a double 
fulfillment. And thus, besides other blessed consequences, the first Believers, 
calling to mind His saying, will have found in the event, when it took place, a 
striking cniitirmation of their Faith in the Divine Speaker; whose words will have 

f roved, like those of His ancient prophets, capable of repeated accomplishment, 
n this way, Abel and Zacharias will have been Uterulhj the first and the last of 
the IMartyrs whose blood was avenged by the destruction of Jerusalem. 

36 Verily I say unto you, All these tilings shall come upon this 
generation. 

The allusion in the text is obviously to the Destruction of Jerusalem : and as 
previously on approaching the city He had wept over it,(a) so now does He also 
take leave of it, or rather of his enemies, with a similar exclamation of pity. 

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and 
stonest themAvhich are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered 
thy children together, even as a hen gathercth her chickens under her 
wings, and ye would not ! 

Rather, "How often Jiave I wisJied .'" .... "The same Spirit speaks which 
taught David to address Him with this allusion, ' hide mo under the shadow of 
Thy wings ;' and gave him the solemn promise — ' He shall cover thee with His 
feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.' "{h) 

38, 39 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto 
you. Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say. Blessed is He 
that Cometh in the Name of the Loud. 

And with those words, He " went out, and departed from the Temple ;"(0 leav- 
ing the House "desolate" indeed, for He, its Glory, had departed! 

The self-same lamentation over Jerusalem had already llowod from the same 
blessed lips on altogether a difierent occasion. ((7) Its concluding words seem to imply, 
" Ye shall not see Me, until ye shall be willing to recognize in Me your Messiau 1" 
whereby the Divine Speaker refers to the Day, j'ct future, when He will gather to- 

{;etlier the outcasts of Israel :((â– ) and those words of the cxviii. Psalm wliiidi were 
ately heard on the lips of a few faithful persons, when the Saviour entered his 
Capital, (/â– ) shall be poured forth in welcome by the inhabitants of the New Jeru- 
salem, and Ijccomo the spontaneous utterance of every tongue. (.</) 

"Bo it so tliat these things are marvellous in our eyes, ami that wo discover no 
traces of their approach. Is anything too hard for (ion? "What if the iuitiuity of 
His people shouul be removed in a day,(//) and a nation be born at oncc?(0 What 
if 'at the second time,' lie sliould make himself known to His brethren ?(/.) Then 
peradventurc will bo acconijilishcd what cannot without violence be understood 
either of the destruction of Jerusalem, or of the Day of Judgment; then shall tiicy 
look on Him whom they picrced,(/) and say Blessed is He that comcth in the Name 
of the Lord."(7h) 

(i/) Vs. cxvi. 15. (z) Rom. iv. 17. 

f<') Williams; quoting Ps. xvii. S: .\ci. 4: and sco Ivii. 1, ami l.\i. 4. (/<) Ibid. 

lr\ St. Miitth. .\.\iv. 1. (,/) Sec St. Luko xiii. 34, 35. 

(' ) C.n.sider Is. xli.x. 20 to 22 : Ix. I : l.wi. 13. ( /' ) See St. MMlh. xxi. 9, 15. Ac. 
7) Sio I'liilip. ii. 10. (A) Zooh. iii. il. 



[i) l.-iiiah Ixvi. 8. (/.) .\cls vii. 13. 

[ij .St. John X. 



xix. '37, (juoting Zoch. xii. 10. Coiiipurc Ruv. i. 7. (m) Churtou. 



XXIV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 211 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



1 Christ foretelleth the destruction of the Temple. 3 What and how great calami- 
ties shall he before it. 29 The signs of His coming to Judgment. 36 And because 
that day and hour is unhioion, 42 loe ought to watch like good servants, expecting 
every moment our Master's comitig. 

The attentive Reader of the Gospel will be careful to approach the present chap- 
ter with the solemn tenor of the preceding one full in his recollection. After our 
Lord's stern leave-taking of the Scribes and Pharisees, — (those hypocrites who had 
either led astray or devoured " the people of His pasture and the sheep of His 
hand,") — it follows : 

1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the Temple : and His 
Disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the Temple. 

The blessed Company, in departing, are found to have lingered about the Porch. 
Their Master's recent intimation of approaching judgments which were to overtake 
the City, and the unusual solemnity of His discourses throughout this eventful day, 
may well have suggested remarks on the massive proportions, and gorgeous splen- 
dour of the edifice they were leaving, and which seemed as if it had been built for 
Eternity ; but which must perforce share the destruction of Jerusalem itself. They 
" spak^" (says St. Luke,) " of the Temple, — how it was adorned with goodly stones 
and gifts ;"(«) and " one of His Disciples," (St. Peter perhaps,) " saith unto Him, 
Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are liere."(6) Thereupon, 
repeating a solemn declaration which He had already uttered, (c) and as if in allu- 
sion to that saying of the prophet Haggai, "before a stone was laid upon a 
stone,"((:?) — it is added : 

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. 

And so it actually came to pass, when Jerusalem was at last taken by the Ro- 
mans, after a five months' siege ; the Temple was destroyed by fire, and the confla- 
gration raged with such fury, that it seemed as if not only the Temple but the very 
hill itself on which it stood, was about to be consumed. Consider our Lord's pro- 
phetic allusion to this event, in St. Matthew xxii. 7. Not one stone of the Temple 
was left upon another ; for the plough passed over its site : according to the pro- 
phecy of Jeremiah, quoting by name the words of a yet older prophet, — "Micah 
the Morastbite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah King of Judah, and spake to 
all the people of J udah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Zion shall be ploughed 
like afield, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the House as 
the high places of a forest."(e) See more in the note on St. Mark xiii. 2. 

We trace the Saviour's footsteps from the city gate in the direction of the Mount 
of Olives ; where he took his seat, and thence surveyed the beautiful spectacle 
which the city presented. The Temple, in particular, was conspicuous from that 
spot ;(/) covered with plates of gold, and of a most dazzling whiteness, — which 
must now have reflected the glories of the setting Sun. " The time and circum- 

(a) St. Luke xxi. 5. (6) St. Mark xiii. 1; where see the note. 

(c^ See St. Luke xix. 44. (d) Hag. ii. 15. 

(e) Jer. xxvi. 18, quoting Micah iii. 12. (/) St. Mark xiii. 3. 



212 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

stances were such as rendered it the must solemn evening that the •world has ever 
witnessed before or since, when we consider what the words were which had been 
last spoken, — the scene, — and the persons who were now assembled. "(//) Fuur of 
the Disciples, — St. Peter, St. James, St. John, and St. Andrew, (A) — at last ap- 

})roached Ilim with a twofold question ; in reply to which, the Holy One delivered 
lis tremendous predictions respecting both the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
consummation of all things. 

3 And as lie sat upon the mount of Olives, the Disciples came unto 
Ilim privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be ? and ^vhat 
shall he the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the World ? 

As already intimated, this was a twofold question : ami twofold, in like manner, 
was the an.>wer. Unless this Ijc attended to, all that follows will seem hopelessly 
confused, — having reference, now, to the Fall of the City; now, to the End of the 
World. Tlie Discii)les ask, (firstly,) "When shall these ihiiKjs be?" "and what 
sign will there be when these thinys shall come to pass ?"(;■) — (which phrase, it 
should be observed, denotes that overthrow of "these great buildings,"(A) to which 
our Saviour had been making recent allusion:) and (secondly,) " What shall be 
the sign of Thy coming, and oi the End of the World?" 

On all tliis it has been well remarked, — " Tiiese eager inquirers, not understand- 
ing things to come, knew not even how to ask information about them, with that 
distinctness of thought and meaning which we learn from looking back upon the 
history. Through ignorance, the}' coupled together two questions really quite dis- 
tinct. In truth, it must have seemed very strange to them, Jews as tliey wore, and 
expecting the Kingdom of Heaven as the glory of God's people Israel, to hear of 
the magnificent and costly buildings of the Temple being thrown down. They 
must have felt as Joshua did, when he said to the Lord, 'And what wilt Thou do 
unto Thy great Name ?'(0 For if Jerusalem was to be destroyed, they knew not 
how to think where the Kingdom of (jod was to be, or how the prophecies of its 
glories were to be fulfilled. Nothing less than the End of the World, it seemed to 
them, could be the occasion of such an overthrow. So thoy asked at once about 
the destruction of the earthly Jerusalem, and the final coming of our Lord at the 
endofthe Wurld."(//0 

And yet, " in this their ignorance or confusion of thought," (remarks a pious 
wi'iter,) "they were still wiser than the most learned: for they seem to have gath- 
ered from some of our Lord's sayings that there was some intimate connection bc^ 
tweon the two events ; though how to separate the type from tiie antitype, the les- 
ser from the more full accomplishment, they knew not. Thus did they, in their 
ignorance, as babes, surpass tlie wisdom of the wise."(/i) 

Our Lord commences his rojily t(j the incjuiry of the Disciples, in the nest verse; 
and Ilis reply occupies the whole of the present and the following chapter. 

4, 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no 
man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, I am 
Christ ; and shall deceive many. 

"And tlic time draweth near," (it is added in St. Luke's Gospel:) "go ye not 
therefore after th(.'m."(o) This then is the first "sign" to which our Lord directed 
the attention of His Church ; and we shall find that he recurs to it, in verse 23. 
In the Acts, one remarkaljle instance of the foretold imposture is recorded in the 
history of Simon Magus ;(y<) and profane historians relate others. "It may be 
observed, "(says a tiiuuglitful writer,) ('/)" tiiat as Josepiuis recunls the aluiiidant 
fulfillment of all these things in tlie jirimary sense, the llevclatiim of St. John 
shadows forth the same as again to be fulfilled in the latter days."(/-) Our Lord 

firocec'ls to give His Disciples a second token in tlic two next verses, which are 
()und in all the three (iospols,(s) — containing in each instance the same caution to 
the Disciples not to bo terrified. 

(;/) Williams. (A) Sco St. Mark xiii. 3. (i) .'«t. Luko xxi. 7. 

{k) Si. Mark xiii. 2. (/) .loxlmii vii. 9. 

(ill) From a MS. .StTinon by the Rev. (.'. Miirriott. (n) Williams. 

liA St. biikc x.\i. S. (j.) .\.t.« viii. !> t.. 11. (./) William!', 

(r) See Ruv. xiii. 13, 14, Ac. (») Sit. Mark xiii. 7, 8. St. Luke \xi. '.", 10, 11. 



XXIV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 213 

6, 7 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars : see that ye be 
not troubled : for all these tilings must come to pass, but the end is not 
yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against king- 
dom : and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in 
divers places. 

"And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from Heaven," — it is added 
in St. Luke's Gospel; where see the note.(<) 

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

Eather, " of birth-2xuigs."[u) The expression is remarkable, and in the highest 
degree suggestive, — recalling those many other places of Scripture vs'here Creation 
is spoken of in kindred terms : now, as groaning and travailing,(x) — now, as des- 
tined to undergo a process of " Regeneration. "(//) It seems here to be implied that 
the beginning of that glorious change, — the birth-day of the new Creation, (2) — was 
already close at hand. 

9, 10 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. And 
then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall 
hate one another. 

This will be found given much more fully by St. Mark, — to whose Gospel the 
Eeader is referred. (a) 

11, 12 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 

Rather, " of the many ;" that is, " of most." Our Lord, therefore, here says, that 
while many will renounce the Faith, (for ihat is the " offence" spoken of in verse 
10 ;) and many will pervert it, (for that is the work of the "false prophets" noticed 
in verse 11 :) the love of the larger number will experience decay. And St. Paul 
marks the fulfillment of his Lord's words in several places. (6) 

These "false prophets" (together with the "false Christs," in verse 5,) will be 
found named again in verse 24. It is instructive to compare the place with 1 St. 
John iv. 1, and 2 St. Peter ii. 1. 

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

This is the perpetual counsel and promise of the Gospel. To patience there must 
be added perseverance, — Endurance, to the end. See the note on St. Matthew s. 
22, (where the same saying is found to recur ;) and consider how large a share of 
notice, so much larger than might have been supposed by one who had never at- 
tended to the circumstance, this grace of Patience, Endurance, or Abiding, (for the 
word in every case is the same,) obtains in the Gospel. "The Lord direct your 
hearts into the Love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ,"(c) is almost 
a summary of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians.((0 

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. 

"The end," namely, of Jerusalem, — already referred to in ver. 6. When He de- 
clared that "the Gospel must first be published among all nations,"(e) our Lord's 
words are not to be narrowed to suit our notions of what may be effected by ordi- 
nary human exertions. "Of the labours and success of the Apostolic body, what 
may we not infer, when St. Paul alone fully preached the Gospel almost throughout 
the Roman Empire, from Arabia to Damascus, from -Jerusalem to lUyricum, in 



i 



t) On St. Luke xsi. 11. {„) Consider St. John xvi. 21. (x) Rom. viii. 22. 

y) See St. Matthew xis. 28, and the note there. 
z) See the note on St. Matthew iii. 17, &o. 

a) See St. Mark xiii. 9 to 13, and the notes there. 

b) See 2 Tim. i. 15: iv. 10, 16. Hebrews x. 25. [c) 2 Thess. iii. 5. 
d) See also the references in the foot note on St. Matth. iv. 7. (e) St. Mark xiii. 10. 



214 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Italy and in Spain ?(/) Scarcely a city of eminence in Asia Minor, in Macedonia, 
or in Greece, but was blessed with his presenee, and enlightened by the doctrine of 
this pjreat Teacher of the Gentiles. In Rome itself, he bore witness to the Truth; 
and in the palace of the Emperor, he was not witliout his con\eTt8."(f/) From his 
Epistle to the Colossians, we learn that already had the Gospel been "preached to 
the whole Creation which is under Heaven :" that it had presented itself to the 
Colossians, as to "all the World."(/0 "Have they not heard?" (he asks;) "Yes 
verily, their sound" — (meaning the voices of the Apostles, and thus interpreting a 
Prophecy,) — "their sound went into all the Earth, and their words unto the ends 
of the ^\ orld.'X') -A-""-! t-'^'d such a world-wide commission did their Divine Master 
give them, before Ilis A8cension.(A) 

Having hitherto foretold the remote signs of the fall of Jerusalem, our Lord 
proceeds to describe the immediate tokens of its downfall. See the note on St. Luke 
xsi. 2L 

15 When yc therefore shall sec the abomination of desolation, spoken 
of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth let 
liim understand :) 

The place referred to, — Daniel ix. 27,(/) is obscure and difficult; but our Lord 
here helps us to fix the meaning of His prophet: for His words, as St. Luke relates 
thom, were, — " AVhen ye shall see Jerusalem compassed icifk armies, then know 
that the desolation thereof is nigh.''(w) The allusion therefore, is to the standards 
of the Roman army, (which were held in " abomination" by the Jews both on 
account of the representations of the Emperor which they bore, and because the 
poldiers were known to offer sacrifice to them :) and it is foretold that the day was 
coming when those liateful ensigns of desolation should be seen standing on holy 
ground, "where they ought not;"('0 that is, compassing "the Holy City,"(o) round 
about. 

Thus then our Blessed Lord, having foretold in the preceding verses, first, what 
should be the remote signs of the destruction which was coming upon Jerusalem ;(7)) 
— and next, the afflictions which must first befall His Church ;(ry) — begins, in tliis 
place, to describe what should be the signal that the judgments of Heaven were 
close at hand ; and to indicate to the believers what measures they should take in 
the hour of danger, to secure their own personal safety. 

It will be perceived that tlie few Avords which our Lord adds parenthetically, 
("let him that readeth understand,") are intended to recall the first words of Daniel 
ix. 25. 

16 Then let them which be in Judxa flee into the mountains : 

"And let them which are in the midst of it," (that is, of .Jerusalem,) "depart 
out." So it is added in St. Luke's Gospel, — where see the notes. (/•)• It is there 
shown that a marvellous escape for the people of God was duly contrived liy Divine 
Providence, even after the city was "compassed with armies" for the first time: 
as well as what an unmistakable token of coming danger was afterwards finished, 
•when Titus finally encircled the city with a wall. 

17, 18, 10 let him which is on the housetop not come down to take 
anytliing out of his house : neither let him which is in the field return 
back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and 
to them that give suck in those days ! 

These three verses will be found discussed in the notes on St. Mark xiii. 15, IG, 17. 

20 But pray yc that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the 
Sabbath day : 

And doubtless the Christian did make both these petitions theirs; doubtless also 

if) Sec Oal. i. 17. Rom. xv, 10, 21, 23. (./) Churlon,— (luoting Phil. i. 13,; iv. 22. 

(Ii\ Col. i. 0. 2.'!. {i) Uoiii. X. IS. (luc.tinjt Pc. xix. 4. 

{/.•) Sec Si. .Mark xvi. 15, (/) Cuiuimru Dim. \i. 'M : xii. 11. 

(iiA St. Luko xxi. 20. (ii) St. Mark xiii. 14. (-) St. iMiitth. iv. 5: xxvii. 53. 

Ijj) Versus 1 to 8. (<yj Verses to II. (/ ) Ou SL Luko xxi. 21 auJ 22. 



XXIV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 215 

in respect of iDotli they were heard. As to the season of their flight, we Jcnoiu what 
happened: for the events aUuded to in the note on St. Luke xxi. 24, which put it 
into the power of any one who pleased to leave the city, took place in the beginning 
of October, a. d. 66, — when the weather was yet mild, and favourable for travelling. 
Or, if any remained behind till the beginning of the final siege, which took place 
four years later, the result will have been still more striking: for that event belongs 
to the months of April or May. 

The Law which forbad more than "a Sabbath-day's journey" on the Sabbath- 
day, (5) was accounted binding by the Christian converts from Judaism ; at the time 
of the siege of Jerusalem; for the sanctions of the ceremonial Law, though they 
could not be any longer considered binding on the conscience, might not be all at 
once disregarded, — simply because Light and Immortality had been brought to light 
in the Gospel.(i;) Thus we find St. Paul testifying his desire to keep the Jewish 
feasts at Jerusalem :(?f) and conforming to the usages of the Law in many 
respects. (x) But it is clear that flight from the City to the distance of a single mile, 
(and "a Sabbath-day's journey" was no more,) would have been no boon while an 
enemy occupied the country, and there was a hostile party within the walls, ready 
to overtake and destroy the fugitives. Hence, then, the motive of the first Chris- 
tians for praying that their day of flight might not be found to correspond with 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. 

The argument is, — I bid you flee for your lives, escaping to the mountains ; and 
exhort you to pray that, when that hour arrives, neither feebleness of body, nor the 
severity of the season, nor the impediment of the Sabbath, may prevent you from 
availing yourselves of the timely warning: "for then shall be great tribvilation." 

Josephus, after going over a sickening enumeration of the several horrors of the 
siege, (which will be found noticed more in detail in the note on St. Mark xiii. 19,) 
says that finding it impossible to go distinctly over every instance of these men's 
iniquity, he will remark briefly that neither did any other city ever suffer such 
miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness than 
this, from the beginning of the world. " The blended horrors of war and sedition, 
of famine and pestilence, were grievous and astonishing, beyond example and 
beyond conception; and if we except the days when the Deluge overwhelmed a 
whole world of sinners, never did there perish so many of the human race in so 
short a period of time."(y) 

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. 

See a long note on this, in the Commentary on St. Mark's Gospel.(2;) " Many 
have shown how very accurately all things were fulfilled at the taking of Jerusalem: 
and the fulfillment was no doubt highly striking and remarkable; for of course the 
circumstances were as exact as if our Lord's words had been historical and not pro- 
phetical." But, as the same writer with much truth adds, — "It is easier to see 
such literal fulfillments than to follow out what higher meanings our Lord's 
language may contain; nor indeed is the pursuit of the former in itself so impor- 
tant; but being more sensible and palpable, the literal fulfillment of prophecy is 
better calculated for those weak believers who require such evidence."(rt) In the 
highest degree interesting it must however be allowed to be, and ever worthy of our 
attention; though the testimony of History to the Truth of Christ's words can of 
course add nothing to the Faith of him who entertains right notions of God. "Yea, 
let God be true, but every man a liar."(5) 

Our Lord then again takes up the subject of the false Christs, with which He had 
begun His Discourse.(c) False claimants to be the anointed Redeemer of Israel 
were to arise; and the vain, but most seductive pretensions of these Impostors, was 



(a) Ex. xvi. 29. Compare Acts i. 12. {t) Consider Rom. xiv. 5, Gal. v. 3, &c. 

(c) See above, verses 4 and 5, — and the note. 



() Acts, xviii. 21 : xs. 16. (x) Acts. sxi. 20 to 26. {>j) Churton. 

 St. Mark xiii. 20. (a) "Williams. ('--) Rom. iii. 4. 



216 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

the special sign with -which He buth began anil ended His reply to the inquiry, 
" "What sign will there be when these things shall come to pass ?"(<^) 

By this however it is not meant that the fuur next verses belong to the fi inner 
half of the present prophecy, — that is, are to be referred to the destruction of Joru- 
Balem rather than to the end of the "World. We think, on the contrary, that the 
transition is made at this very place, and that it is made by the word ^'i/ien" — with 
wliich vorse 22 commences. (<â– ) But "then" is a word of ambiguous signification: 
sometimes implying " at tliat s«we time:" sometimes, "next in order of time," — 
which last we suspect, is in the main its meaning here: yet not exclusively, as is 
shown in the notes on verses 25 and 20. — It will be perceived therefore, that, 
besides a prediction of the remoter ( /") and the nearer (//) signs of the Destruction 
of the City; our Loiin may be thought to have supplied His Church with a predic- 
tion of the remoter, (/<) as well as the nearer (t) signs of his second Advent. Tliat 
t?ie some signs should be appealed to, in either case, need create no surprise. MVe 
know ironi other parts of Scripture that the signs will actually lie the same. (A) 

23, 24 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or 
there ; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false 
Prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders ; insomuch that, if it 
ivere possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

"Rather "so as to," (that is "in order to")(/) "deceive, if possible, even the 
elect ;" that is, the Christians. 

25 Behold, I have told you before. 

"The description of the seducers who should be the ruin of multitudes, was not 
so minute and full as the Holy Jesus, in compassion to those who believed on Ilim, 
and to those who did not, saw to be expedient. This point therefore, lie graciously 
resumes; and in the verses already quoted, and some which follow, delineates the 
impostors with such particularity, that thej' who had read the prediction, (and it 
was j)ublished earl}', that all might read it,) must have been blind not to see 
its accomplishment, if it ever was accomplished; and mad, to be deluded, if they 
did behold it. His admonition was:" 

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you. Behold, lie is in the 
desert; go not forth: behold. He is in the secret chambers: believe 
it not. 

"And the Jewish Historian Josephus, as if it had been his design to illustrate 
this passage, informs us that false prophets and impostors prevailed on multitudes 
to follow them into the desert, promising there to display prodigies and signs ; but 
that those who listened to them suffered the just punishment of their folly, and were 
either slain or dispersed b}' the lloman governor." One such case of imposture on 
the part of an Egyptian, is found alluded to in the Acts.(7H) Other pretenders 
arose in Jerusalem itself. "Even at the last, when the Temple was in fliunes, mul- 
titudes of all ages flocked thither from the city, upon the proclamation of a false 
Prophet; and of six thousand assembled there, on this occasion, not one escaped 
the tire or the sword." (?i) 

It is presumed, however, that by thus recurring to the subject of the " false 
Christs and false prophets" who should ap]iear about tlie time alluded to, our 
Saviour referred to the impostors who should arise immediately ojfcr the destruc- 
tion of the city,(ft) even more than to those whose boastful pretensions attended 
that event. Nay, the words of such a wondrous Sneaker, may reasonably be sus- 
pected of yet greater depth and f'liUnoss ; may be tliought to iiicludo in their far- 
sighted scope and intention tlic remote, no less than the innnciliato future, — so that 
the reference will be general, and extend to the whole of those " signs and l^'ing 

W) St. Luko xxi. 7. (<•) And so St. Mark xiii. 21. (/) Vcr. 4 to U. 

UA Ver. 1;> to 22. (I,) Vcr. 2.-5 to 28. (,) Vir. 29 to 33. 

(k) Hcc on .St. Mark xiii. .32. (/) Compiiro St. Mark xiii. 22. 

(m) Scu ,\ot.s xxi. 38, and tfio marginal note. 

C"^ Churton. (u) Sins 1 St. John ii. 18. 



XXIV.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 217 

wonders" of which St. Paul speaks as reserved for the days of " the Man of Sin" 
â– which are to precede the final Advent of Christ. (_p) 

Many indeed have thought that from ver. 23, onwards, has reference onl]i to the 
end of the World ; }3ut, as it seems, without sufiicient reason. A view strictly in 
accordance with the nature of prophetic language in general would rather be, that 
while the warning was capable of a direct application to the days of the siege, and 
the period which came immediately after, our Lord's language was divinely con- 
trived to be also descriptive of events yet more remote. (5) Thus he is found to 
have fashioned his predictions of the Destruction of Jerusalem, (r) and of the De- 
struction of the AVorld,(s) unmistakably on the same type, — in language which is 
intended to recall the History of the Destruction of Sodom. In Avhich divine 
method there is no amhiguitu, but there is wondrous depth and fullness, as well as 
a large amount of implied (and, it may well be thought, of unsuspected) doctrine. 
Doubtless, had our Saviour pleased. He could have specified the hour and the day, 
the month and the year, when the events He spoke of should occur : but would the 
Church then have been as watchful, as we know she was, — always " looking for, 
and hasting unto the coming of the Day of God ?"(0 She is purposely kept in 
ignorance of " the day" and " the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh,"(M) in 
order that she may " watch." 

On the whole, therefore, we assume that, in ver. 23, our Lord makes a transition, 
and proceeds to the second part of his reply. He explains that his final Coming, 
(concerning the signs as well as the time of which the Disciples had asked Him,) 
would neither be so remote as to require a journey into " the desert," nor so ob- 
scure as to be confined to "the secret chambers;" but would be known from one 
end of the World unto the other: — 

27, 28 For as the lightning cometh out of tlie east, and shineth 
even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man 
be : for wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered 
together. 

This proverbial saying, like so many others employed by our Lord, is not with- 
out difBculty. It seems here to imply, that as the place where a carcass has fallen 
is discoverable at once by the concourse of birds of prey which troop instantly to 
the spot, — (for as Job says of the eagle, "her eyes behold a-far off; her young 
ones also suck up blood ; and where the slain are, there is she:")(x) — even so, at the 
end of the World, there will be no doubt or question as to the place whei^e Christ 
is to be found. (y) The Lamb which was slain will be discoverable at once by the 
thousand thousands who will be congregated around Him. Where He is, there 
will the Saints(2) be gathered together. 

" The extraordinary instinct in birds of prey," (as one has remarked,) " by which 
they gather together from all quarters, even from beyond seas, to where a carcass 
falls, has often been observed as if it were something supernatural. It appears to 
be Nature's emblem of the manner in which, beyond all that can be accounted for 
by human reason, the good of all ages and countries flock together round the Body 
of Christ crucified."(a) 

At the same time we are disposed to believe that the Divine Speaker shaped his 
prediction in this striking language not without reference to the victorious eagles 
of the Roman army which should flock about the many slain of Jerusalem, in the 
day of her downfall : for the destruction of that city is obviously to be regarded at 
once as a type and an earnest of that final Coming of Christ to take vengeance on 
his enemies, of which he is here speaking. The capture of Jerusalem by the Ro- 
mans is foretold by Moses in language truly apposite to the present occasion : 

{})) 2 Thess. ii. 1 to 10. Consider however 1 Tim. iv. 1 to 3: 2 Tim. iii. 1 to 5: iv. 1 to 4. 
2 St. Peter ii. 1. 1 St. John ii. 18: iv. 1, 3. Jude ver. 17, 18, &c. 

(q) Consider such places of prophecy as Mai. iii! 1, 2, 3: Zeeh. xii. 10: St. Luke xiii. 35. 

(r) Consider verses 16 to 18, above : and see the note on St. Mark xiii. 16. 

(si Consider St. Luke xvii. 28 to 32. 

(0 2 St. Peter iii. 12. See also 1 Cor. i. 7. Tit. ii. 13, &o. 

(«) St. Matth. XXV. 13. See xxiv. 42, 44. St. Mark xiii. 33, 35. St. Liike xii. 39, 40 : xxi. 
36. 1 Thess. v. 2. 2 St. Peter iii. 10, &c. (x) Job xxxix. 29, 30. See also Habakkuk i. 8. 

ii/) Consider St. Luke xvii. 37. \z) See Isaiah xl. 31. (a) Williams. 



218 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

" The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the Earth, 
— as the eui/Ie flutJt.'\l>) 

"NVitli refereucc to the days of the Destruction of Jerusalem, and the great tribu- 
latiun(<) which should then prevail, our Luui> proceeds : — 

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 heavens shall be shaken : 

" Immediately," — in tlie sight of God : with whom " one day is .... as a 
thousand years, and u thousand years as one day ."(J) But in truth, the word 
here rendered " immediately," means rather " straightway" or *' in due course." 
Almost eighteen hundred years since the beginning of " those days" have elapsed 
already ; and the end is not yet. 

And this is almost all we shall offer on the language or the imagery of the text ; 
the freiiuent recurrence of which, in the Old Testament, is certainly very remark- 
able. («') Its precise meaning, since the events alluded to belong to the department 
of unfulfilled prophecy, the result must be left to determine. True inaeed it is 
that Sun, Moon, and Stars are often spoken of figuratively, — are sometimes put 
symbolically for Christ, and his Church, and his Saints: true also it is, that, as at 
our Saviour's Birth it was foretold that " every valley should be filled, and every 
mountain and hill should be brought low,"(y ) — words which do not admit of being 
understood literally, — so may the present place be rightly explained by those many 
ancient Fathers who interpret it altogether in a figurative manner. For ourselves, 
we prefer to take our Lord's words in the most literal sense they will possibly 
bear ; suggesting only that beneath that literal sense and literal fulfillment, there 
may lie a mystical intention also.(f/) If the Sun " put on mourning" at the Cruci- 
fixion, why may he not "be darkened" at the second Advent? But it is safer to 
meditate on the mysterious predictions of the text, than to pretend to explain them. 

30 and then shall appear the Sign of the Son of Man in Heaven : 
and then shall all the tribes of the Earth mourn, 

Thus far is peculiar to the present Gospel. " The sign of the Son of Man" is 

fenerall}' explained to be the Cross : but does it mean more than " the Son of 
Ian?" The mourning of " the tribes of the Earth" is from Zechariah xii. 12. 

and they shall sec the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Ileaven 
"with power and great glory. 

The Reader sliould compare this description of Christ's final Advent to judg- 
ment, with Daniel vii. 13, and Revelation i. 7.(7/) " Those clouds," (says Bishop 
Pearson,) " were anciently expounded ])y the Jews of the glorious attendance of 
the Angels waiting upon the Son of Man."(i) 

31 And lie shall send His Angels with a great sound of a trumpet, 
and they shall gather together llis elect from the four winds, from one 
end of Ileaven to the other. 

lie shall " send forth his Angels ;" for these are the ministers of his, that do His 
pleasure."(/.) Moreover there will be " a great sound of a trumpet ;" " for the 
LoHii himself sliall de-rcnd fn.m Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Arch- 
angel, and with the trump of Gon."(0 " The four winds" are spoken of, as there 
arc said to be "four corners of the Earth."(»() 

(b) Dcuf. xxviii. 40. This muct not bo tbouglit conclusive however: for ecc Jcr. xlviii. 40: 
xli.\. 22. Lam. iv. 19. E/.ck. xvii. .!, 12. llof. viii. 1, in none of which jihicesi the lluiuaus 
arc gpokon of. (f) Sec above vcr. 21. (f/) 2 h^t. Peter iii. 8. 

(c) Pec Isaiah xiii. 10, Ezck. xxxii. 7. .Joel ii. 31, 32: iii. 15, 10. Anio.» viii. 0. 
(/) St. Luke iii. 5, from laaiah si. 1. 

'j) Compare Rev. vi. 12, and especially 11, 13, with Is. xxxiv. 4. See Rev. viii. 10, 11, 12: 
1 : xii. 4. Sec also !». xiii. 13. lleb. xii. 20, 27. Again Pan. xii. 3. 1 



jx. 1 : xii. 4. Sec also !». xiii. 13. lleb. xii. 20, 27. Again Pan. xii. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42 
Phil. ii. 1j. (A) Al.-o St. Matth. xvi. 27: xxvi. 64. 

(I'j Compare lleb. xii. 1. (/.) IV. ciii. 21. Consider St. Matth. xiii. 39, 41, 49. 

(/) 1 The.-s. iv. 16. So 1 Cor. xv. .02. 

(„,) .See Is. .\liii. 5, 6: also St. Multh. viii. 11. Ezck. xxxvii. 9. Zcch. ii. C. Rev. vn. 1 



XXIV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 219 

32, 33 Now learn a parable of the fig tree ; when his branch is yet 
tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh : so like- 
wise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even 
at the doors. 

Not, " it is near," but " He," that is, the Judge spoken of in ver. 30, " is near." 
St. James alludes to this place when he says, " Behold, the Judge standeth before 
the door."(?i) The Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark xiii. 29, for some 
remarks on the preceding verses. 

" Thus far, then, Christ speaks of the end of the "World and its signs, as he had 
spoken of the Destruction of Jerusalem and its signs. He next proceeds to reveal 
as much as seems good to Him concerning the time when the two events should 
respectively take place. Observe that He still speaks of " these things," as the 
words are used in the question put to Him, — namely, as concerning the Destruction 
of Jerusalem, which He had foretold ; and by doing so, had caused the question to 
be put to Him."(o) His words were, — 

34, 35 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all 
these things be fulfilled. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but My 
words shall not pass away. 

This very solemn assurance which is found repeated in all the three Gospels,(p) 
clearly had reference to the existing race of the nation which our Lord addressed. 
See on St. Mark xiii. 31. 

Thus far then of "these things" Our Lord proceeds to speak of the other Day 
about which He had been asked, — " the Day of His Coming, and of the end of the 
World." He says,— 

36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the Angels of 
Heaven, but My Father only. 

Concerning this verse, see on St. Mark xiii. 32. 

37, 38, 39 But as the days of Noe toere, so shall also the Coming of 
the Son of Man be. 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, and knew not until the flood 
came, and took them all away ; so shall also the coming of the Son of 
Man be. 

A similar reference to "the days of Noe," as typical of the final overthrow of 
the World, will be found to have been already made by our Lord on another occa- 
sion.(g) Then, he proceeded to recall the History of Sodom also -.(r) but not now, 
because the fate of that guilty city has been already brought before us.(s) 

Take notice that it would appear from what precedes, as if, although fearful 
signs, " are to precede the last Judgment, yet that Day itself will come in a time 
of thoughtless security ; which seems to be intimated by the eating and drinking, 
marrying and giving in marriage ; and still more so by the buying and selling, 
planting and building, " as in the days of Lot."{t) 

40, 41 Then shall two be in the field : the one shall be taken, and 
the other left. Two tvomen shall he grinding at the mill ; the one shall 
be taken, and the other left. 

Some remarks on this place will be found in the note on St, Luke xvii. 36. 

42, 43, 44 Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord 



n) St. James v. 9. See also Philip, iv. 5. 
o) From a MS. Sermon by the Rev. C. Marriott. 

1)) St. Mark xiii. 30, 31. St. Luke xxi. 32, 33. {q) St. Luke xvii. 26, 27. 

r) St. Luke xvii. 28 to 32. (s) See above, ver. 16 to IS, where see the notes. 

(«) Williams. 



220 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

dotli come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had 
known in what watch tlie thief wouhl come, he would liave watched, 
and would not have suftered his house to be broken up. Therefore be 
ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man 
Cometh. 

This â– waniiiii!; is of pcrpotual reouiTencc,(?/) and of general oliligation: Init -what 
follows, to the oiul of the oliaiitor, is addressed more particularly to those who arc 
"made rulers over the Loitu's Household. "(x) The place is to be compared with a 
portion of St. Luke's twelfth chapter; of which, ver. 38 will be found a fitting 
introduction to ver. 42, above ; while verses 39 and 4U of St. Luke correspond with 
verses 43 and 44 of the present ciiaptcr. A question asked by St. Peter follows in 
St. Luke's (.iospel, — '•Lord, speakest Thou this Parable unto us, or even to allV'O/) 
— out of which naturally arise the sayings which are found in the ensuing seven 
verses of the present chapter, and which also occur in St. Luke.(2) This must be 
allowed to be a very surprising circumstance ; well deserving of our most reverent 
attention. 

45, 40, 47 Who then is a faithful and wise Servant, whom his Lord 
hath made ruler over his Household, to give them meat in due season? 
Blessed /.s that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so 
doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all 
His goods. 

Every word here is suggestive. Take notice that he who is set over the House- 
hold, is but a Servant, after all: and of him it is required that he be nut only 
faithful, but wise also. To zeal there must be added discretion. A "ruler" he is ; 
yet what is his office? Even, like a good Pastor, to feed the sheep and the little 
lambs of Christ's fold, (a) giving to each the "milk" or the "strong meat,"(i) " in 
due season:" "seasonaldy dispensing the Word of Life to a Household which is to 
be nourished with the food of Eternity. "(c) What words shall describe the blessed- 
ness of the " servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall iiud so doing?" " Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant," (it will be said ;) " thou hast been faithful 
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the 
joy of thy LoRii !"(</) — words which recall, if they do not help to explain, wliat is 
read above, in ver. 47. 

48, 40, 50, 51 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My 
Lord delayeth Ilis coming: and shall begin to smite A /.s' fellow-servants, 
and to eat and drink with the drunken: the Lord of that servant shall 
come in a day when he looketh not for Jlini, and in an hour that he is 
not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint M7n his portion 
with the hypocrites : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Concerning the last words, sec the end of the note on St. Matthew viii. 1'2. With 
those which precede, compare 2 St. Peter iii. 3 to 10. — Take notice that Teachers 
of the Gospel are here addressed; who, if they neglect their duty, will iiave the 
same punislunont as those who pretended to believe, but wore in fact "unbe- 
licvcr«."{t) Then follows the parable of "the wise and fooiisli Airgius," — which is 
again succeeded by the parable of "the Talents." Both are fitly introduced by the 
word of exhortation which is found above in ver. 42; or by tiiat which St. Mark 
preserves in this place, — "And what 1 say unto you, I say unto all, — Watch!"(^/") 

u) Sco aliovo, the latter part of the noloo on vor. 2C, together with the reference. 

..) Sec below, ver. 45: also 1 Cor. iv. 1. 2 : Tit. i. 7 : 1 St. Peter iv. 10. 

y) SI. Luke xii. 41. (i) Si. L.iUo xii. 42 to 40. (-) St. .lohn xxi. 15, 10, 17. 

l) He!.. V. 12, 14. {>.â– ) llihirv. {</) St. Matth. xxv. 21. 

c) St. Luko xii. 46. ' (/) St Murk xiii. 37. 



XXV.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 221 



CHAPTER XXV 



1 Tlie parable of the Ten Virgins. 14 And of the Talents. 31 Also tlie descrip- 
tion of the last Judgment, 

The parable of "the Ten Virgins" with which the present chapter begins, and 
which is peculiar to the present Gospel, sets forth and enforces the duty of Watch- 
fulness; taking up the solemn train of Exhortation with which the preceding chap- 
ter concludes. Christ is here the Bridegroom, while the Church, (as throughout 
the Song of Solomon,) is His Bride. This image has come before us repeatedly, 
already: in truth it gives a colour to the language both of the Old and the New 
Testament.(a) The time spoken of is the End, — whether of Life, or of the World, 
It need not perplex us that the Church, here, is represented both by the Bride and 
the Virgins; for, as all must perceive, and as we have so often remarked, neither 
Type nor Parable may be so pressed as if it were the very thing it signified. It is 
also to be observed that, as if to preclude any confusion of thought, the Bride is not 
once mentioned throughout the present Parable. We should ever in expounding a 
Parable, hold fast, throughout, the Lesson which it was chiefly intended to convey; 
and concerning which we are seldom left in doubt. (6) 

Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten Virgins, 
"which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom. 

This is scarcely intelligible without reference to the method of performing the 
Marriage Rite among the Jews. The Bride was conducted at evening by the 
Bridegroom from her Father's House to his own, — where a Feast awaited their 
arrival: and this act of bringing the Bride home, was the completion of the 
Marriage. She was attended by a company of Virgins, according to the allusion in 
the 45th Psalm ;(c) and it is plain from the course of the present narrative, that it 
was the ofB.ce of at least some of these to wait for the approach of the Bridal pro- 
cession, — even though its arrival might be delayed till midnight. But it was at 
least dark; so that the Virgins were perforce furnished with lamps. 

Ten Virgins do not so much represent the whole body of Christian men who 
expect Christ's Coming, as two great sections of Believers. ((?) — The Jews saw a 
singular propriety in the number ten, which was the number of "a company." 
Virgins are named, — because as many as wait for the Lord -Jesus Christ, and pro- 
fess to "love His appearing," (e) are professors of a pure Faith. 

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

The two characters which were contrasted at the end of our Lord's Sermon on 
the Mount, are thus brought before us.(/) Take notice that three out of four suffer 
loss in the Parable of "the Sower:" while here, half are rejected: in the parable 
of "the Talents," it is one in three: in the parable of "the Pounds," it is one in 
ten:{g) while, in the parable of "the Marriage of the King's Son," it is one out of 
an infinite number.(]i) The intention of this seems to have been to repress the 
inquiry, "Lord, are there few that be sa,ved?"(0 

(«) See the notes on St. Matt.xxii. 3: St. John iii. 1, &c. 

(6) Consider St. Matthew xx. 16, and the note prefixed to that chapter: St. Luke xviii. 1, and 
9. See also below, ver 13. (e) Ps. xlv. 14, 15. 

(d) See below, the last note on ver. 4. (e) 2 Tim. iv. 8. 

(/) See St. Matth. vii. 24, 26. (») St. Luke xix. 13, 20. 

(X) St. Matth. xxii. 11. (t) St. Luke xiii. 23. 



222 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

3, 4 They tliat were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil 'with 
them : but the 'wise took oil iu their vessels with their lamps. 

In this, then, consisted their wisdom or their folly. It has been much disputed 
what is implied by the supply of oil spoken of here, and in verse 9. But surely we 
may be content with the explanation which most obviously presents itself. To 
"have our loins pjirdod alxjut, and our Jiijltta burniinj, and to be ourselves like unto 
men that wait for their Lord when lie will return from the Wedding," — is the 
injunction delivered by Christ Himself to His Church. (/.) Elsewhere, the Saints 
are termed the Li^ht of tlic World :(/) they are compared to a lighted lamp or 
candle ;(//() and they are commanded tu "let their light shine before men."(y() It 
is clear that men's "sufficiency," in all these respects, "is of Goi)."(o) The gifts 
and graces of the SriRiT, (of which Oil hath ever been an essential symbol, )(/j) are 
evidently the Light we have to display. Nor will it suffice to exhibit this sjjectacle 
for a few days or hours. The lamp must be replenished, (as man lias need of daily 
renewal,) or its flames will grow feeble, and at last expire. 

Negligence, therefore, in obtaining supplies of grace, — a slothful service, — is 
clearly that against which the present Paraljle is specially intended as a warning. 
We shall read the same lesson in the Parable "of the Talents," which follows; and 
in the Parable of "the Pounds," Avhich St. Luke records. A solemn warning, 
surely, to as many as imagine that nothing but open Sin will exclude from accept- 
ance with God. The foult of the five foolish Virgins was, not that they had no 
oil, but that they had not enough; so that, at the end of a few hours, they were left 
in darkness. As already remarked, therefore, it is not so much the whole body of 
the Church which is represented by these two companies of Virgins, as the earnest 
and careful, on the one hand, — the slothful and careless, on the other. And 
observe, the foolish Virgins were not distinguishable frum the wise, at first. Like 
the Tares among the whcat,(<y) and the House described at the end of our Lurd's 
Sermon on the Mount,(?-) the outward show of all was equally promising, when they 
went forth to meet the Bridegroom. But he delayed his coming ; and — 

5 While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

The meaning of the original is that from a state of drowsiness, they fell into sound 
slumber. They expected the Bridegroom, — who hath now tarried for more than 
eighteen hundred years. Meanwhile, first one, then another falls asleep :(,v) and 
even those few who shall be alive at Christ's coming, since they will be taken by 
surprise, may be spoken of as roused from slumber by the Bridegroom's approach. 
Sleep moreover is the condition of too many at all times ; whence the Apostolic 
Exhortation, — "Now is it high time to wake out of sleep, for now is our Salvation 
nearer llian when we believed. "(0 

G And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom 
Cometh; go ye out to meet Ilim. 

"A crij," — for the Lord "will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice 
of the Archangel, and with the trump of God."(?/) And this takes place "at in id- 
night," (when a loud cry sounds loudest!) — because "the Day of the Loud so cometh 
as a thief */t the nit/hf,"{x) — and because Christ will appear "in an hovwichm Min 
look not fur Jlijit.' {;/) But there is no reason why wo should doubt that Christ will 
come at midnight, literally. 

7 Then all those Virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

But five of them "trimmed their lamps" to no purpose. It was useless to raise 
and cleanse the wick, unless they had wherewith to feed the expiring flames 

(k) St. Luko xii. .35, 36. (/) St. JIaltli. v. 11. Compare Phil. ii. 15. 

fill) St. Miitth. V. 15, and St. Mark iv. 2l, (where see the note?.) 

\n) St. Mattli. V. 10. Consitlcr .lobxviii. U: xxi. 17. {") 2 Cor. iii. 5. 

}]>) Consider Kx>.d. xxx. 26 to :!1. Zoih. iv. 11 to 11. IIcK i. 9. 1 St. John ii. 20, 27, Ac. 

(</) See the lirct note on St. Miitth. xii. 21. (r) Sue the lir.>^t nolo on St. Luke vi. 19. 

f») C'on.-iilcr St. Matth. ix. 21, St. John xi. II. 1 Cor. xv. IS, Ac. Jtc. (<) lloiu. xii. 11. 

(i.) 1 The.".", iv. 16. (.- ) 1 Thcs?. v. 2. 

(y) See St. Mutl. xxiv. 44, 60, and St. Luko xii. 46. 



XXV.] 



ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 223 



also . . . The hasty preparation of the soul in the great and terrible day, to meet 
its GoD,(z) is here obscurely hinted. Thrice happy he, who in that dreadful hour 
shall prove, like the Spouse in the 45th Psalm, "all glorious within!" {a) 

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our 
lamps are gone out. 

Or rather, "are going out," — as in the margin. Little hand-lamps are spoken of, 
calculated to burn for a very short time. At the beginning, all were bright ; but 
the Bridegroom had delayed his return from the Wedding, and the slender supply 
of oil vras by this time exhausted . . . The miserable wish of the wicked, in the 
last day, (miserable, because so unavailing !) to supply their own lack of Light from 
the brightness of the just, — who will then be about to " shine forth as the Sun in 
the Kingdom of their Fatlier,"(&) — is here foretold. 

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 your- 
selves. 

They answer abruptly and briefly, for the time is short : not unkindly, but hum- 
bly. Their answer implies, first, that there is no superfluous stock of merit among 
the Saints, which may be applied to remedy the shortcomings of the less holy sort, 
" lest," (in the words of the Parable,) "there be not enough for us and you." Nay, 
" there is none that doeth good, no, not one ;"(c) but " when ye shall have done all 
those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants."((Z) 
Next, it is implied that he who needs, must buy;{e) and further, that he who would 
bug, must not look to his fellow-men, — to beings, weak and poor, and dependent as 
himself, — but must " go to those who sell:" to Him, in short, who alone hath an 
ample store, and who inviteth all to come and buy of Him ; without money indeed 
and without price, (/) yet not without earnest prayer and hearty endeavour. How 
fruitlessly those who, in their lifetime, have neglected opportunities, will seek to 
repair the omission " in the hour of Death and in the Day of Judgment," — the 
conclusion of the Parable sets forth in calm but fearful language. 

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. 

Concerning the shut door, the Reader is referred to the last note on St. Luke xi. 
7. The phrase " they that were ready," supplies, as it were, the key-note of the 
Parable ; and connects it closely with the warnings of the former chapter, — par- 
ticularly with that in verse 44. But how shall language adequately suggest what 
is implied concerning the happiness of those who having waited long for their 
Lord, at last "went in with Him to the Marriage?" "Mysterious and blissful 
words !" (exclaims a pious Writer ;) " Here is the union of Earth with Heaven ; 
the consummation of all spiritual joys, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. Here is ' the Marriage 
supper of the Lamb,'(^) the Marriage feast which has been so often spoken of, — 
where is the good wine which the Heavenly Bridegroom hath kept to the last !" (Ji) 
. . . Thither are "the Wise" admitted: "the foolish," excluded from the festive 
scene, find themselves in " outer darkness ;"(*) and this "near miss of happiness," 
(as Leighton remarks,) " is the greatest misery." 

11, 12 Afterward came also the other Virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, 
open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know 
you not. 

Even thus, " Many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 
When once the Master of the House .... hath shut to the door, and ye begin to 

(2) See Amos iv. 12. (a) Ps. xlv. 13. Consider St. Luke xi. 36, &C. 

(&) St. Matth. xiii. 43. (c) Ps. xiv. 3, quoted in Rom. iii. 12. 

Id) St. Luke xvii. 10. Consider 1 St. Peter iv. 18. 

f e) Consider St. Matth. xiii. 44 and 46. (/) Is. Iv. 1. (</) Rev. xix. 9. 

{h) Williams. (i) See the notes on St. Matth. viii. 11 and 12. 



224 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

stand without, and to knock at the door, sayinj;, Loud, Lord, open unto us : aud 
He shall answer and say unto you, I know yuu not whence ye are."(A) 

Our Saviouk Christ is said nut tu "know" those whom He doth not ajiprovc, 
and acknowledge to be his. Consider St. Matthew vii. 23, where see the note. — 
The knowledge thus hinted at is not onl^- deep and intimate, l)ut mutual also.(/) 
The Door is now set wide open, and all are invi.ed, almost compelled to come in ;(/><) 
but the day of Probation comes to an end, and tlie Door is then shut, — never more 
to be opened. (/() " No one's iienitence, no one's prayer, no one's groaning, shall 
any more be admitted. That tloor is shut wliich received Aaron after his Idolatry, 
— which admitted David after his Adultery and Homicide ; which not only did not 
repel Peter after his threefold denial, but even delivered the keys to him.'X") 

What tlien is the sum of tlie matter? " The Day of the Lord so cometh as a 
thief in the night .... Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch 
and be sober.'"(j/) Aud so it follows, 

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein 
the Son of Man cometh. 

"Neither fJie do;/ nor ihc Jioiir:" as it is also said elsewhere. ((^) And with these 
words, our Blessed Lord concludes his Parable. 

"The A'irgins were represented above, as tcaititir/ for their Lord; while in the 
Parable wliich follows, we Ijehold the Servants workiiuj for Ilim : — tJtcre, the inward 
spiritual rest of the Christian Avas described, — liere, his external activity. "('") 

The Parable of "the Talents," to which our attention is next directed, resembles 
in many respects the Parable of "the Pounds;" but the two are wholly distinct. 
While St. Matthew alone gives the present Parable, the other is found to be pecu- 
liar to St. Luke's Gospel. (.s) 

14, 15 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. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to an- 
other one ; to every man according to his several ability ; and straight- 
way took his journey. 

Even so Christ, when He returned to the Father, "gave some, Apostles; and 
some, Prophets; and some. Evangelists; and some. Pastors and Teachers,"' &.c.:(J) 
for " there are diversities of gifts, but the same Si'Iiut."(») And take notice, that 
as we are elsewhere reminded that "all these worketh that one and the selfsame 
Spirit, dividing unto every man severally as He u'ill,"{x) so are we here assured 
that to every man lie givcth " acconliiH/ to hits several <(ltili/i/." Every one, there- 
fore, is entrusted with as many advantages, as many of (Jod's gifts, as lie is able to 
bear ; and from this Parable we have learned to call one class of those gifts by the 
very name of " Tulenls." 

The contrast between the present Parable and that of "the Pounds," begins im- 
mediately to strike us ; for, in the other, the sum entrusted to each servant was one 
and the same.(y) 

IG, 17 Then he that had received tlie five talents went and traded 
with the same, and made thon other five talents. And likewise he that 
had received two, he also gained other two. 

Surely, the calling of the Merchant and the Banker hath been ennobled by the 
use to which the Loun of Heaven and Earth applies it! 

The contrast already noticed continues to strike us. Instead of the same sum 
multii)lieil in ilijfcrcnt jirojiortions, we are here ])resented with di/fi n nf sums which 
multiply in the same proportion. One of the servants in St. Luke's Parable, who 

(i) St. Luko xiii. 24, 25. 

{/) Consitlcr St. John .\. U. 2 Tim. ii. 19. Sec also I'hil. iii. 10. 

(hi) So(! St. St. Luko xiv. 21 to 2.!. (») Coimiilor St. Luko xix. 11, 12: nl.«o xvi. 20. 

f o) Froiii nil ancient Homily, quoto(l by Troncli. ( ;.) I Tlics.". v. 2, 6. 

(y) Si. Miittli. xxiv. jO, nuil St. Luko .\ii. 111. Ir) Trench. 

(») Si. Luku xix. 12 to 27. (') Kpli- iv. II. (n) 1 Cor. xii. 1. 

\x) 1 Cor. xii. 11. (>/) St. Luko xi.\. IG. 



XXV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 225 

had a pound entrusted to liim, comes before his Lord, saying, "Lord, thy pound 
hath gained ten pounds ;" and another, who had been entrusted with the same 
sum, announces a gain of " five." But here, the gain is in exact proportion to the 
sum entrusted : the five talents have grown into " other five;" and the two, into 
two more. Thus, while St. Luke's Parable reminds us that in spiritual matters, as 
in temporal, splendid success may be the result of streniious exertion and bold 
" ventures of Faith," St. Matthew's sets forth the equally important truth, that to 
whomsoever God hath entrusted much, of them he will require the more. (2) Three 
classes of men are exhibited by the Parable of " the Pounds :"(a) only two by the 
Parable of " the Talents." 

18 But he that had received one, went and digged in the earth, and 
hid his Lord's money. 

How striking is the warning here conveyed ; and which seems specially addressed 
to those censorious ones, who, lamenting their own limited opportunities, neglect 
them also ! It is discovered that the servants who were entrusted with the ten tal- 
ents and the five, fully availed themselves of their advantages. Not so " he that 
had received one." He alone it was who did nothing : but " went and digged in 
the earth, and hid his Lord's money!" . . . "His Lord's money," not his own; for 
it was their Lord's goods which were distributed among them."(&) 

And yet it may well be thought strange that the parable should run thus : for 
certainly every man's experience must rather suggest the belief that large opportu- 
nities are often misused or neglected; while an inferior stewardship is more com- 
monly turned to excellent account. But does not the force of the warning perhaps 
consist in this, — namely, that every man, whatever may be his opportunities of 
serving God, is prone to look upon those opportunities as small, compared with 
those of others? to assume that he has been entrusted with only "o?ze Talent?" 
The man of business j^ersuades himself that want of leisure is what makes him un- 
fruitful: he who is unfettered by business, on the contrary, attributes all his faults 
to his idleness. The man of fortune, because he finds that he moves among tempta- 
tions, discourses of virtuous ^yoverty ; and is convinced that Virtue may be easily 
practised in a cottage. Surrounded by just as many temptations, (though of a 
wholly difi"erent kind,) the poor man reckons up all the miracles of goodness he 
would certainly perform, if he had but the means ! ... It ever hath i3een, it ever 
will be so. 

19, 20 After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and 
reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came 
and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, Thou deliveredst unto me 
five talents : behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 

The language is not the same which invites our attention in St. Luke six. 16. 

21 His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful ser- 
vant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler 
over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. 

He had been "good" as well as "faithftd,"~shomng his Faith by his WorJcs:(c) 
and great was his reward, — "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord !'^ for, "in His 
presence, there is fullness of joy.((^) " It is but little we can receive here," (says 
Leighton, beautifully ;) " some drops of Joy that enter into us: but there, toe shall 
enter into Joy, — as vessels put into a Sea of Happiness." 

22, 23 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, 
Thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other 
talents beside them. 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. 

(z) See St. Luke xii. 48. (a) See the note on St. Luke xix. 19. 

(6) Williams. (c) St. James ii. 14 to 26. 



{d) Psalm xvi. 11, Compare xxi. 6. 



15 



226 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

" In the joyful comino; forward of the faithful Servants, we see an example of 
'boldness in the Day of Judgment. '(() They had something to 8how."(y^) 

24, 25 Then he â– which liatl 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 : and I was 
afraid, and went and hid Thy talent in the earth : lo, tJicrc Thou hast 
that is Thine. 

" If only lie may roll off a charge from himself, he cares not for affixing one on 
his Lord.'' The churl regards his Loku as churlisli also ; " for every one's thoughts 
of GuiJ arc uccurding to liis own character. The just man apjirchends Ilis Justice; 
the merciful man, His Morcy ; the jjurc in lieart, His Holiness. But the wicked 
man judges of God according to his own wickedness. "(//) 

He lias hard thoughts of him, as if he were such an one as himself ;(/<) and 
" dues not believe in his gracious acceptance of the work with all its faults, which 
was done with a sincere desire to please IIim."(/') 

26, 27 His Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and 
slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and 
gather whore I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put 
mj money to the exchangers, and then at My coming I should have 
received Mine own with usury. 

That is, — Thou knowest (saycst thou) that I am unfair in my dealings, and un- 
reasonable in my expectations: shouldest thou not then have been the more scru- 
pulous and painstaking? If thmi wert incapable of undertaking any of those 
bolder ventures of Faith, Avhich, for every hundred embarked, yield a hundred 
more, — wherefore didst thou not at least avail thyself of one of those ordinary 
methods of investment which yield some increase, however small? Tell me not of 
risk and insecurity, Tiic jirinciiial sum, with its increase, I would liave come and 
claimed, in person. The risk would have been all my own. . . . Take notice that 
" Usury" is the old word for " Interest." 

" Those timid natures which are not suited to independent labour in the King- 
dom of God are here counselled at least to attach tlieniselvcs to other stronger 
characters, under whose leading they may lay out their gifts to the service of the 
Church."(/.) 

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which 
hath ten talents. 

For " the privileges and gifts of God are not lost, but transferred from him that 
has abused tiiem to one more w>rtliy: from Esau to Jacob, from Saul to David, 
from .Judas Iscariot to St. 3Iattliias, from Israel to the Gentiles. "(/) "Holdfast 
that which thou hast," (saith the Simrit,) " that no man take i/it/ croicn."(i)i) 

The striking resemblance of tiie five preceding verses to as many in the parable 
of " the Pounds" in St. Luke's Gospel, will be found pointed out in a note ou St. 
Luke xix. 24. 

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 ho hath. 

This saying will be found fully discussed in the Commentary ou St. Mark iv. 25. 
See also im Matthew xiii. 12. 

no And cast ye the unprofital)lo servant into outer darkness: there 
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

(<•) 1 St. .Tohn iv. 17. (/") ron.siilor 1 Tboss. ii. 19. Compare 2 Cor. i. 14, and Phil. v. 1. 

(</) WiHiiun.-. (A) r.snliii 1. 21. (i) Trench. 

(k) Olshiiuscn. (0 Williams. (m) Rev. iii. II. 



XXV.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 227 

What this expression denotes, may be discovered by a comparison of St. Matthew 
viii. 12, and xxii. 13, (h) with xiii. 42 and 50. 

This then is the doom of " the imjjrojitable ser\sint;" whose sins were those of 
omission, not of commission. What severity of Judgment must therefore await 
the man who lustfully squanders the talent committed to his keeping ; if " outer 
darkness'^ is the punishment of him who slothfully buries it in the Earth !(o) 

What (once more) is the sum of the matter ? " Having then gifts, differing 
according to the grace that is given to us, whether Prophecy, let us prophesy 
according to the proportion of Faith ; or Ministry, let us wait on our ministering ; 
or he that teacheth, on teaching," &c. In fine, " not slothful in business ; fervent 
in spirit ; serving the Lord."( jj) 

Then follows a very remarkable passage, which ends the chapter ; and may be 
considered, in some sort, as the solemn Commentary of the Spirit on the two 
parabl"es which precede. 

31 When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory, and all the holy 
Angels with Him, 

Alluding to the language of Zechariah xiv. 5. As He appeared on Sinai,(g) so 
will He appear at the end of the world. (?-) This is what is meant by that " coming 
m the clouds," of which the Prophet Daniel, our Lord himself, and the beloved 
Disciple speak.(.s) " Those clouds," (says Bp. Pearson,) " were anciently expounded 
by the Jews of the glorious attendance of the Angels waiting upon the Son of 
Man.'XO When He cometh, — 

32, 33 then shall He sit upon the throne of His Glory : and before 
Him shall be gathered all nations : and He shall separate them one 
from another, as a shepherd divideth 7us sheep from the goats : and 
He shall set the sheep on His Eight Hand, but the goats on the Left. 

The remark has been already made.OO that under such images, the Heavenly 
Husbandman delights to discourse of his dealings with his people. There seems 
to be a reference here to the language of Ezekiel xxxiv. 17. Concerning "the 
Eight" as the place of Honour, see the note on St. Luke i. 11. 

34, 35, 36 Then shall the King say unto them on His Right Hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Eather, inherit the Kingdom prepared for 
you from the foundation of the World : for I was an hungered, and ye 
gave Me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink : I was a stranger, 
and ye took Me in : naked, and ye clothed Me : I was sick, and ye 
visited Me : I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. 

Of all the Christian graces, the grace of Mercy is singled out in this striking 
manner, as if to be the type of all the rest : and the six Acts of Mercy thus speci- 
fied four times in succession, are, — Feeding the Hungry, Giving Drink to the 
Thirsty, Receiving the Stranger, Clothing the Naked, Visiting the Sick, and Going 
after the Prisoners. 

This enumeration of the actions on which the Decision of the Great and Terrible 
Day is described as depending, will be regarded as a very striking circumstance, — 
when it is considered that they are such acts as a heretic and unbeliever might 
practise. One reason why so much stress is laid upon them may be, that, (unlike 
martyrdom and acts of herioc virtue,) they are within the reach of all. "And 
although a man may give all his goods to feed the poor, and yet not have Charity;" 
yet he can scarcely practise these works consistently, without Charity, or the Love 
of Christ : they are of themselves the best preparation of the heart to receive that 
love : and although persons may practise all these, and yet admit false doctrine 
from unavoidable ignorance, yet, if they practise them conscientiously, and as 

(n) See the remarks on St. Matthew viii. 11 and 12. (o) Augustine. 

(p) Rom. xii. 6, 7, 11. (q) Deut. xxxiii. 2. 

(r) See St. Matth. xvi. 27. 1 Thess. iii. 13, and 2 Thess. i. 7. Also St. Jude 14. 

(s) Dan. vii. 13, alluded to in St. Matth. xxiv. 30 and xxvi. 6i; Rev. i. 7. 

(«) Consider the expression in Heb. xii. 1. (m) See the note on St. Mark iii. 17. 



228 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Christ has commanded them to he done, they indicate such a love for the Truth 
that they will receive it when it is brought before them. 

37, 38, 39 Then shall the Righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, 
â– when saw we Thee an hungercil, and fed The ? or thirsty, and gave 
Thee drink? when saw we Thee a stranger, and took Tliee'm'i or 
naked, and clothed Thee ? or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and 
came unto Thee ? 

The surprise they are made to testify, expresses in a lively manner the feeling 
of woinlor with which the Kighteous will hoar thoir l)iviiiic Master's recognition of 
their virtuous endeavors, " in that Day." See mure below, in the note on ver. 44. 

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. 

So entirely does our Great Head identify himself with the very least of these His 
members '.(x) 

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 : 

Note the contrast between what is said of "Everlasting Fire," in this verse, and 
what is stated in verse 34 concerning " the Kingdom." That Kingdom was pre- 
pared "before the foundation of the "World:" not so, the pains of Hell. The 
misery of any of His creatures formed no part of God's design in Creation. But 
Man's Happiness, on the contrary, icas designed from the beginning: " inherit," it 
is said, (that is, take as your right,) {y) " tlic Km^hnn prepared fur you from the 
foundation of the World." "Everlasting Fire," though it is the portion of the 
disobedient, was " prepared" only ''for the Devil and his angels." 

42, 43 for I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat : I was 
thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink : I Avas a stranger, and ye took Me 
not in : naked, and ye clothed Me not : sick, and in prison, and yc 
visited Me not. 

Take notice, (for it is very striking,) what was the character of the heavy sin of 
those on the left : — not acts of cruelty, or deeds of lust : not disobedience, or dis- 
honesty : not evil speaking, or covetousness : no great crime, in a word, or open 
vice. It ccmsisted altogether in omissions and m gleets. Lazarus had hungpred, 
and they had given him nu meat. Their "lamps" had |2;one out. They had buried 
their " Talent" in the earth, — had hid their "Pound" in a napkin, i'hey had led 
Bclfish lives. They were unprofitable Servants. 

" It is to be observed how, in this description our Lord dwells expressly and 
minutely on each particular by itself: He was hungry, — thirsty, — a stranger, — 
naked, — sick, — and in prison. Perhaps this implies that great particularity of the 
.Judgment, which is elsewhere signified liy the intimation that 'even a cup of cold 
water given for His sake, shall not lose its reward \[z) and that 'Goo shall bring 
every work into .Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it lie good or wiiether 
it 1)6 evil:'(rt) and that for every idle word, men shall give account in the Day of 
Judgment." (/-^) 

44 Then shall they also answer Ilim, saying, Lorp, when saw we 

(r) Consider Act* ix. 4. The sojno pracious n-osHrnnco if< met within St. Matthew x. 40: 
xviii. .'), St. Luke x. 16, St. John xiii. 20: nn.l in .'^t. Mnltlicw x. 42. nn<l St. Miirk ix. 41. it is 
|)rr)iiii.>'u<l that the clightcHt act.f of Mi-rcy iHTlunutMl in time, xhall in im wise \ofc tlicir r»wnrtl 
thrc>u),'hout the a^cH of Eternity. " For (i<ii> id not nnri):hlcou« to forget your work and 
lalioiir of love, wliit-h yc liave njiowoil towards Jlis Nnnic. in that yo have ministered to tho 
Kainl.H, and do mini.ilcr." Heh. vi. 9. 

(u) See St. Mutth. v. 5, and the nolo there. Cumiian- Koni. viii. 10, 17. 

\t) St. Watth. X. 42. (<i) Eccles. xii. 14. (6) Williams,— quoting St. Mallb. xii. 36. 



XXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 229 

Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in 
prison, and did not minister unto Thee ? 

" The Righteous, in their aiiswer,(c') dwelt on each particular; in respect of each, 
finding themselves wanting. Whereas the unrighteous, in their reply, pass over 
all these neglected duties in a more summary, self-confident way."(d) 

Self-confidence, indeed, constitutes a remarkable feature in the character of all 
those Avhom God rejects. Samson, after his broken vow, says, " I will go out as 
at other times before. . . . And he wist not that the Lord was departed from 
him."(e) "Blessed be thou of the Lord," says Saul to Samuel, after his act of 
disobedience: " I have performed the commandment o{ the LOEI)."(f) Gehazi, 
after his villany, " went in, and stood before his mastev.'Xg) " Have we not pro- 
phesied in Thy Name ?" is the inquiry of them " that work iniquity," in the Ser- 
mon on the Mount.(/i) The unprofitable servant in the parable of " the Pounds" 
comes forward without fear.(i) The Pharisee hesitates not to set himself above the 
Publican. (^•) The guest unprovided with a wedding gai-ment, takes his place at 
the Supper without concern. (?) "On the contrary, they who are accepted of 
Christ, are full of misgiving, and scarce believe their own acceptance, in the great- 
ness of their surprise and sense of unworthiness."(m) 

45 Then shall He answer them, saying. Verily I say unto you. In- 
asmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to 
Me. And these shall go away into Everlasting punishment : but the 
righteous into Life Eternal. 

Concerning the Eternity of future Rewards and Punishments, see the notes on 
St, Mark is. 48. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



i 



1 The rulers conspire against Christ. 6 The ivoman anoiritetli His head. 14 Judas 
selletJi Him. 17 Christ eatetJi the Passover. 26 Instituteth His Hohj Supper. 
36 Prayeth in the Garden. 47 And being betrayed with a kiss. 57 Is carried to 
Caiaphas. 69 And denied of Peter. 

It will be remembered that the 24th chapter was occupied by our Lord's 
prophecy concerning the Destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the World: the 
25tli, by His Parables of "the wise and foolish Virgins," and of "the Talents;" 
together with a picture of the Son of Man sitting "upon the Throne of His Glory." 
Our Saviour who has hitherto been exhibited as our Great Prophet and Teacher, is 
now about to reveal Himself as our Great High Priest. 

1, 2 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings. 
He said unto His Disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast 
of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified. 

"Ye Tcnow,"—ioY He had forewarned them. (a) But by the form of His present 
address, He directs their attention to that fulfillment of the Law which was to take 
place in His person. St. Paul expresses this in three words, — " Christ our Pass- 
over" {b) .... It is not needful in this place to enter into any account of the Pas- 

(e) See above, verses 37, 38, 39. (d) Williams. (e) Judges xvi. 20. 

{/ ) 1 Sam. XV. 13. [g) 2 Kings v. 25. (h) St. Math. vii. 22. 

(i) St. Luke xix. 20. (k) St. Luke xviii. 11. (l) St. Matth. sxii. 11, 12. 

(m) Williams. (a) See St. Matthew xx. 17 to 19. (6) 1 Cor. v. 7. 



230 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

chal ceremony :((•) but it is right to observe how plain a type was the Paschal victim 
of "the Lamb of Gun, which taketh away the sin of the World. "C^O ^^^ "^'"l.V ^liJ 
the manner of roasting the Lamb represent the affixing of a man to the cross ; but 
the very command concerning the Passover foretold the manner of Christ's Death: 
for the direction not to "break a bone thereof,"(c) having reference to Ilim, clearly 
implied that the Saviour of the AVorld should suffer that death to which the 
breaking of the bones belonged; and that, according to the constant custom iu 
Judoea, was Crucifixion. (y) 

The words of our Loau in ver. 2, arc therefore none other than a great Pro- 
phecy; — whore delivered, we know not; but most probably at Bethany, whither lie 
certainly proceeded after the sayings with which the preceding chapter concluded. 
Take notice how the predictions which our Saviour delivered concerning His own 
approacliing Death and Passion increase in clearness as the event approaches,(fl') 
until lie actually fixes the very day on which He is to suffer, and the person who is 
to betray IIim.(/() 

3, 4, 5 Then assembled together the chief Priests, and the Scribes, 
and the Elders of the people, unto the palace of the High Priest, who 
was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by sub- 
tilty and kill Him. But they said, Not on the feast dai/, lest there be 
an uproar among the people. 

Rather, "Not in the Feast;" that is, during the seven days it lasted. — Thus did 
"the rulers take council together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed. "(«) 
But their purpose was in part frustrated by the sudden proposal of Judas to deliver 
his Master into their hands; whereby, not only during the Feast, but on the great 
day of the Feast, in fulfillment of many an ancient type and prophecy, our Saviour 
suffered. The Council's dread of an outbreak of the populace reminds us of tho 
statement that "the common people heard Him gladly,"(/i-) and hung with delight 
and attention on His words ;(/) clearly showing that the Holy One had "much 
people" in Jerusalem,(?«) though they durst not confess Him. 

Then follows a beautiful incident, (the Supper at Bethany,) which belongs how- 
ever to an earlier day, — and is accordingly referred to its actual historical ]i!aco by 
St. John in his Gospel. (/() Both St. Matthew and St. Mark, however, agree in re- 
lating the transaction here : and it is bdbause they are about to describe the part 
which tlic Traitor took in the conspiracy of the chief Priests, Scribes, and Elders; 
and wish us to connect the treachery of Judas, (tho account of Avhich follows ia 
verse 11,) with the covetous spirit he manifested when the ointment was ]iouredon 
our Saviour's llead.(y) The reader is referred to the third paragraph of the note 
on St. Luke iii. 20. 

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 

That is, of Simon who Jiad been a leper: for with a leprous person none might 
cat. How this man was related to Lazarus and his sisters, — or indeed, if he was 
related at all, — is not known. 

7 There came unto Ilim a woman having an alabaster box of very 
precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as lie sat at meat. 

Ignatius, first Bishop of Antioch, remarks that "tho Lord received the myrrh 
upon His head in order to breathe into His Church incorruption." 

8, 9 But when His Disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, 
To what purpose in this waste 'i for this ointment might have been sold 
for much, and given to the poor. 

The chief speaker is found to have been Judas Iscariot.fj)) The "Woman" was 



l: 

(•J, "-o •; - 

liLTO HOC tho notcH. f/i) Sco liolow tlio note on vtT. 

h) St. Mark xii. 37. M St. Luko xi.x. 4S. 

(n) St. John xii. 1 to 8. \o) Sco St. John .\ii. 4, 6. 



(r) Soo Exod. xii. 1 to 27 and 4.1 to I'J: Dout. xvi. 1 to 8. 

\>l) St. John i. 29. (r) ExdiI. xii. iC. (/") From Tip. Pearson. 

(>j) Exainino tho following toxt-f: St. Miitth. xvi. 21: xvii. 22, 23: St. Mark x. 33,34,— 
where Hce tho notcH. Ui) Sco liolow tho note on ver. 21. {!) P.". ii. 2. 

(m) Acts xviii. 10. 

{])) St. John xii. 4. 



XXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 231 

Mary, the sister of Lazarus, (avIio was one of the guests,) and of Martha, who waited 
upon her Lord as He sat at meat.(5) 

10, 11, 12, 13 When Jesus understood it^ He said unto them, Why 
trouble ye the woman ? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. 
For ye have the poor always with you ; but Me ye have not always. 
For in that she hath poured this ointment on My Body, she did it for 
My burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be 
preached in the whole world, tliere shall also this, that this woman hath 
done, be told for a memorial of her. 

These memorable words are found only in the two first Gospels, and their singu- 
lar fulfillment has been noticed in every age of the Church. The Reader will find 
a few remarks on the foregoing incident in the Commentary on St. Mark's 
Gospel :(?•) but he is chiefly referred to the notes on St. John. 

"Then" (says St. Luke) "entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of 
the number of the Twelve." (s) It follows : 

14, 15 Then one of the Twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the 
chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will de- 
liver Him unto you ? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces 
of silver. 

"I said unto them. If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So 
they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver ."(<) So had it been said five hun- 
dred years before! Judas leaves the chief Priests to name the price for which he 
shall betray the Holy One into their hands; and they set upon Him the price of a 
slave. (?() Thus the Traitor discovers that he has to do with persons covetous and 
vile as himself. 

Consider how, not only in Prophecy but in Type also, this tremendous crime had 
been shadowed forth long before. Thus, when Joseph was sold by his brethren 
into Egypt, "Come," (another Judas had said,) "let us sell him." "And they 
lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces 
of silver."(a;) The difi"erence of the sum may have arisen out of the diff'erence of 
the age of the victim in either case. Joseph was 17 years old when his brethren 
conspired against him. Now the Law in a certain place runs thus : "from_/i?;e even 
unto twenty years old, thy estimation shall be of the male twenty sheJcels."(y) 

16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. 

That is, — " in the absence of the multitude.^' (z) And here we lose sight of the 
Traitor, and his accursed enterprise, until he asks the question "Is it I?" at the 
Paschal Supper. («) What precedes took place on Wednesday in the week of our 
Lord's Passion. The whole interval, until Thursday evening, seems to have been 
spent by_ our Lord and His Eleven Disciples, at Bethany, in deep retirement: nor 
is anything related concerning either Him or them throughout that period, except 
what is contained in the next three verses. 

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? 

For our Lord kept the Jewish feasts with religious punctuality. Rightly to 
understand this inquiry of the Disciples, it must be remembered that the prepara- 
tion for eating the Passover was a work of labour, requiring no small exactness. 
Great care was taken to rid the apartment of every particle of leaven, in pretended 
or supposed obedience to the Divine Command in Exod. xii. 15, 19, (the spiritual 
intention of which St. Paul explains in a well known passage ;)(i) moreover couches 

(q) St. John xii. 2. (r) St. Mark xiv. 3 to 9. (s) St. Luke xxii. 3. 

(0 Zecli. xi. 12. See St. Matth. xxvii. 9, 10. («) Exod. xxi. 32. 

{x) Gen. xxxvii. 26 to 28. {lA Levit. xxvii, 5. [z) St. Luke xxii. 6. 

(a) See below, ver. 25. (6)1 Cor. v. 7. 



232 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

for the puests had to be prepared, the sundry articles required for the renast to be 
procured and oukcd, and tlie chamber itself to be got in readiness. On the present 
occasion it is discovered fmni St. Mark's (lospeltliat "a large upper room furnished 
and prepared, (c) was divinely provideil ; and the two Disciples, fur it was St. Peter 
and St. John((/) who were charged with this blessed office, had merely to get the 
Paschal Supper in readiness there. 

18, 19 And lie said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto 
him, The Master saith, My time i.s at hand : I will keep the Passover 
at tliy house with My Disciples. And the Disciples did as Jesus had 
appointed them ; and they made ready the Passover. 

"The name of this blessed individual who had the honour to receive Christ into 
his house, on this the greatest of all occasions, (like that other favoured one whose 
colt the King of Heaven deigned to ride,) is not mentioned on Earth; but we may 
well sujipose that it is known and honoured in Heaven. Christ knows those that 
are His, and where they are to be found, and how."(0 By reference to the two 
later Gospels, it will be seen that the Disciples were furnished with an exact account 
of what would befall them on entering the city.(/) 

20 Now when the even was come, He sat down with the Twelve. 

And to know what immediately followed, you must read St. Luke xxii. 1") to 18, 
and then St. John xiii. 2 to 20. Those words of Love and that act of Humiliation 
ended, the Paschal Supper went on in the manner which the blessed Evangelist St. 
Matthew proceeds to describe. 

21 And as tliey did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of 
you shall betray Me. 

He had often before predicted to His Apostles that he should be betrayed. (//) 
Now, for the first time, he declares that one of themselves shall prove the Traitor. 
"Then the Disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake."(/0 

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them 
to say unto Him, Lord, is it I ? 

How surprising is all this ! It appears then that the Eleven, though they had 
companied witii Judas for years, like brethren, knew nothing of his hidden black- 
ness, to the very last. Did ho then add consummate hypocrisy to all his other 
vices? Or are we not perhaps rather to behold in the scene before us an evidence 
of the simplicity and goodness of the Apostles; so full of that charity which "think- 
eth no evil,''(0 — ^"^ unwilling to judge their neighbour,(/i) — that they can more 
readily susjicct and judge themselves? Nay, when our Lord whispers to Judas, 
and tlic Traitor rises to leave the table, his hand the while upon "the bag;" so far 
from suspecting the devilish errand on which he is bent, they think that surely ho 
luis gone to buy something wliich tlioy would have need of against the feast ; or 
that he is gone to give something to the poor !(/) .... In the meantime, the 
Eleven Apostles arc questioning to which of themselves their Divine Master may 
have alluded. 

23, 24 And He answered and said. He that dippeth Iii'm hand with 
Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. The Son of Man gocth as 
it is written of llirn : 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. 

"Fearful indeed, and tremendous words ! enough to have arrested the Traitor, 



i; 



(c) St. Mark xiv. 15. {<l) St Murk xiv. 13: St. Luke xxii. 8. 

(f) Williiiiii.M. The Render innj' refer to the note on St. Murk xi. 3. 
(/) Sec St. Murk xiv. 13 to 15: an.l St. Luke xxii. 10 to 12. 
(tj) Soo St. Multh.xvii. 22: xx. IS: xxvi. 2. Soo above, on vcr. 2, the last words of the 
note. 

(A) St. .Tohn .\iii. 22. (i) 1 Cor. xiii. 5. 

(k) Si. Multh. vii. 1, wLoro see the nolo. (I) Sco Si. Johu xiii. 29. 



XXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 233 

and to have shaken him to the depth of his inmost soul."(?n) But few things strike 
us more forcibly in the course of this wondrous narrative than the hardening eifect 
of sin persevered in. We probably miss the intended warning if we ascribe this 
terrible result specially to the sin of covetousness ; though that appears indeed to 
have been the sin of Judas. Every form of sin has a deadening effect upon the 
heart. Judas repents not ; though he is warned that the pit of Hell even now gapes 
for him. Nay, we read : 

25 Then Judas, whicli betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is 
it I ? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 

What can have moved the miserable man to ask the question ? Was it perhaps 
the dread of detection, if he alone remained silent? 

"And now, as it is ever the custom of God, when He takes anything from His 
elect, to restore it unto them in another form, and in infinite abundance ; and as of 
that Paschal Supper, and the Cup of the Old Covenant, He was to drink no more ; 
He proceeds to establish the New Covenant, which was no less than His own Body 
and Blood."(?i) See more in the note on St. Mark xiv. 21. 

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and 
brake it, and gave it to the Disciples, 

He ^'took Bread," — as all the Evangelists solemnly record. (o) He "brake it," 
to set forth the breaking of His own Human Body; whence, according to St. Paul's 
account of this great transaction, besides " This is My Body which is given for 
you,"(p) He said " This is My Body which is broken for you.'X^) By breaking the 
Bread Himself, he showed that it was by his own free will that he laid down his 
life.(r) 

and said, Take, eat ; this Is My Body. 

Mysterious words ! the interpretation of which hath moved no small controversy 
in the Church of Christ. Let vis rest content with that view of their meaning 
which the judgment of all antiquity hath approved, and which the purest branches 
of the Church Catholic have faithfully retained. Our own Hooker has declared 
this view of the words " This is My Body," in the following terms : — " This hallow- 
ed food, through concurrence of Divine Power, is in verity and truth unto faithful 
receivers, instrumentally a cause of that mystical participation, whereby as I make 
myself wholly theirs, so I give them in hand an actual possession of all such saving 
grace as My sanctified Body can yield, and as their souls do presently need, — this 
is to them and in them, My Body." ..." The Bread which we break," (asks the 
great Apostle,) " is it not the Communication of the Body of Christ V'is) 

27 And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, 
saying. Drink ye all of it ; 

" And" (St. Mark records,) " they all drank of it."(i!) " Strange, that any indi- 
vidual or any Church(M) should cut itself off from a privilege so exceeding great, 
casting aside thereby the arm of the Great Comforter ! For as he had said, ' Ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in 
you ;'(x) so also to his Church He hath said, ' Drink ye all of it/ — ' and they all 
drank of it.' "(?/) 

28 for this is My Blood of the New Testament, 

Bather "of the New Covenant:'''' and it is called "the New Covenant," (as the 
Prophet Jeremiah had named it long before,)(2) in allusion to that elder one con- 
cerning which Moses, after he had "sprinkled both the book and all the people," 

(w) Williams. (n) Williams, 

(o) See tlie end of the note on St. Lulie ix. 16. (p) St. Luke xxii. 19. 

{q) 1 Cor. xi. 24. {r) St. John x. 18. («) 1 Cor. x. 16. 

(0 St. Mark xiv. 23. («) As the Komish, 

\x) St. John vi. 53. {-y) Williams. 
{z) Jer. xxxi. 31 to 34: along with which should be read the Apostle's reasoning in Hebr. 
viii. 8 to 13: x. 16 to 22. 



234 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

said, "This is the blood of the Testament" (or 'Covenant,') "which God hath en- 
joined unto yoii."(«) The i)Jd Covenant had been made with "the blood of jjnats 
and calves ;' but the New Covenant was to lie ratified by " tlie blood of Christ. "(^0 
And take notice that of the blood, anciently, none might drink on pain of death: 
but "Drink yo all o{ this," it is said. 

"which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 

For "without sheddin;^ of blood, is no Remission.'^'") But "it is not possible 
that the bloud of bulls and of j^oats should take away sins."('0 ^J' ^^''^^ sayinj; of 
our lilesscd Loku it is therefore implied that what the Law was powerless to eflect, 
would be achieved by His own most precious blood-shedding. 

" The Cup of Blessing which we bless, is it not the Communication of the Blood 
of Christ?' (') The Body and Blood of Christ are thus "verily and indeed taken 
and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper." . . . . " Let it therefore be 
sufficient for me, presenting myself at the Lord's Table, to know trJiat I there re- 
ceive from him, without searching or inquiring of the manner hotr Christ perform- 
eth his promise: let disputes and questions, enemies to piety, abatements of true 
devotion, and hitherto in this cause but over-patiently heard, — let them take their 
rest ; let curious and sharp-witted men beat their heads about what questions them- 
selves will ; the very letter of the words of Christ giveth plain security that these 
mysteries do as nails fasten us to his very Cross, that by them we draw out, as 
touching efficacy, force, and virtue, even the blood of his gored side ; in the wounds 
of our Redeemer we there dip our tongues : we are dyed red both witiiin and with- 
out ; our hunger is satisfied and our thirst for ever quenched ; they are things won- 
derful which he feeleth, great which he seeth, and unheard of which he uttereth, 
whose soul is possessed of this Paschal L.\mii, and made joyful in the strength of 
this new wine : this bread hath in it more than the substance which our eves be- 
hold ; this cup hallowed with solemn benediction availeth to the endless 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 it 
sauctitieth, it enlightencth with belief, it truly conformeth us unto the image of 
Jesus Christ. What these elements are in themselves it skilleth not ; it is enough 
that to me which take them they are the Body and Blood of Christ: Ilis promise 
in witness hereof sufficeth, his Avord he knoweth which way to accomplish. Why 
should any cogitation possess the mind of a faithful Communicant but this, my 
Cod Thou art true, my soul thou art happy."(y") 

29 But I say unto you, I Avill not drink henceforth of this fruit of 
the vine, until that day Avlicn I drink it new with you in My Father's 
Kingdom. 

Our Blessed Lord refers most likely to that mysterious Festival, — twice (as it 
seems) alluded to,(//) nowhere (probably) described, — of which He partook with 
His Disciples after His Resurrection. "The Kingdom of God,"(/') or as St. Mat- 
thew says, "of the Father," iiad then come, — not indeed in all its fullness, but in 
all its essential outlines. There was then a new Creation: "old things had passed 
away, behold, all things were become ncw."{i) And "the whole World, which by 
the transgression of the first Adam was made subject to vanity, partook in the 
deliverance wrought by the second Adam. In this new state therefore, in this state 
of liberty, wiiatever related to the Kingdom now given to the Son of Man, or to its 
blessed and sovereign Lord, might, agreeably to the Scriptural use of the word, be 
denominated ' Nrrr.' So, at least, Wine might be called, if our gracious Redeemer 
vouchsafeil to partake of it, not for the refresliinent of mortal nature, but for another 
and a higher purpose; to show tlie reality of His precious Body, and the certainty 
of His triumph over Death and the (jrave." — The words are Churtou's. 

30 And when they liad sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount 
of Olives. 

(n) Exo<l. xxiv. fl, quoted in Ilcb. ix. 10, 20. 

('.) IIul.. ix. 12, I J. C<.n»i.lcr Zuili, ix. 11. (r) ITch. ix. 22. 

(f/) Jlel.. X. 4. (<) 1 O.r. X. M. (/) Hooker, 

(i/) Acta i. i and .\. II. (A) St. Mark xiv, 25. (V) 2 Cor. v. 17. 



XXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 235 

Rather, — "and -when they had hjmned," or "sunr/;" but ^vhether one hymn, or 
many, is not expressly stated. Since, however, the Paschal Supper was commonly 
closed by the singing of certain known Psalms, — namely, from the cxv. to the 
cxviii. inclusive, (the cxiii. and cxiv. having been sung in the course of the repast,) 
— it is reasonable to suppose that the same Psalms were sung at the present Fes- 
tivity, and that allusion is made to the established usage of the nation Take 

notice that after partaking of the Lord's Supper, we, in like manner, say or sing 
" Glory be to God on High,^' &c. — The blessed Company, (eleven Apostles and their 
Lord,) were now moving in the direction of the Mount of Olives, being lighted on 
their way by the full Paschal moon. 

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. 

In a chapter of the prophet Zechariah which abounds in mysterious allusions to 
the Passion of our Blessed Saviour, it is written, " Awake, sword, against my 
Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts : smite 
the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." (k) To this the Good Shepherd here 
refers : adding, 

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 

Whereby He still speaks of Himself as a Shepherd, "going before" His sheep. (Z) 
See St. John x. 4: and take notice that the Angel afterwards referred to these very 
words of Christ, when addressing the women at the Sepulchre. («0 Concerning 
this prophecy of one of our Lord's appearances, see the note on St. Matthew 
xxviii. 16. 

33, 34 Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be 
offended because of Thee, i/et will I never be offended. Jesus said 
unto him. Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, 
thou shalt deny Me thrice. 

St. Peter had said that he would never be "offended" because of Christ : his Lord 
foretells that he will, on the contrary, deny even that he hieto Him ; and this, not once, 
but three times. — "Never will I be offended," St. Peter had said. But our Saviour 
declares that the fall of his servant would take place on that very night, before the 
second cock-crow.Oi) — His words imply a presumptuous confidence in himself be- 
yond all the rest. His Lord tells him that while all will be scattered, he will be 
the one even to deny. 

35 Peter said unto Him, Though I should die with Thee, yet will I 
not deny Thee. Likewise also said all the Disciples. 

Rather " Though it were required that I should die with Thee.'' . . . The Blessed 
Company were now well advanced on their way, — for the 15th, 16th, and 17th 
chapters of St. John's Gospel belong to this interval. They had left the city-gate, 
and had crossed or were crossing the brook Cedron, — the same which David, our 
Lord's great type and ancestor after the flesh, had crossed in sorrow one thousand 
years before ! (o) 

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, 

"Where was a Garden, into the which He entered, and His Disciples. And 
Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place : for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither 
with His Disciples." (p) Christ repaired therefore to the accustomed spot. 

37 and saith unto the Disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray 
yonder. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 
and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 



h) Zech. xiii. 7. See also verses 1 and 6. (0 Consider St. Mark x. 32. 

m) See St. Matth. xxviii. 7. (n) Compare St. Mark xiv. 30. 

o) 2 Sam. xv. 23. {p) St. Jolm xviii. 1, 2. 



236 A PLAIN C03IMENTAIIY [CHAP. 

With St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, ("the choice ones of the chosen,'' as 
one of the Fathers speaks,) ((/) the Saviour withdrew to a remoter part of the Gar- 
den. These, who had once been the select witnesses of his Almighty Power,(r) 
and once, of his greatest Glory, (v) are now chosen to be the witnesses of his lowest 
Humiliation. Concerning "the anguish of his soul," here noticed, more will be 
found in the notes on St. Mark xiv. 34, and St. Luke xxii. 44. 

38 Then saith lie unto tliem, ]Mv soul is exceedingly sorrovi-ful, even 
unto death : tarrj je here, and Avatch with Me. 

In the pains of the Body, (says Bishop Andrewes,) some sorrow like unto Ilis 
might peradventure be found : "in the sorrow of the Soul, I am sure none. And, 
indeed, the pain of the body is but the body of pain: the very soul of sorrow and 
pain is the soul's pain and sorrow." 

Our Redeemer here addresses the three Disciples in words which must have re- 
called to their memories two remarkable places in the Book of Psalms. (/) Lest 
they should not fully apprehend the excess of his sorrow, he adds "even unto 
Death :" as if (says Bp. Pearson) the pangs of Death already encompassed llim, 
and as the Psalmist speaks, the pains of Hell had got hold upon Him. But how 
mysterious was His request that they would "watch with him!" Very man, he 
leans upon the men he loved ; and looks to them in his hour of agony, for support 
and kindness. 

39 And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, 
saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me : 
nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. 

Tiiis was done, as St. Paul records, "with a strong cry, and tears."(») "And 
there appeared an Angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening him. And being 
in an agony He prayed more earnestly : and his sAveat was as it were great drops 
of blood falling down to the ground." (x) This awful and most mysterious portion 
of his sufferings ended, the Holy One " rose up from prayer," — 

40, 41 And He cometh unto the Disciples, and findeth them asleep, 
and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with Me one hour ? 
watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed is 
willing, but the flesh is weak. 

42 He Avcnt away again the second time, and prayed, saying, My 
Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, 
Thy will be done. 

A moment since we heard Him exhorting His Apostles to pray, — " Lead us not 
into Temptation ;" as St. Polycarp remarks in his Epistle to the Philippians. — 
Another petition of the Loun's Prayer is already found on His own l>iviue lips, 
It is not of course implied that His own "will" was at variance with that of His 
Father: but the Son of Man had a human will; and the practice of high Virtue 
in Jiim was liy no means unattended with difHculty, even by reason of the opposi- 
tion of the strongest, and at the same time the most innocent instincts of llumaui- 

ty.(z/) 

43 And He came and found them asleep again : for their eyes were 
heavy. 

Thrice lie came to them; seeking consolation for himself, safety for ihcm. But 
they slept ; and St. Luke says that it was " for sormw.'Xz) The same three Dis- 
ciples slept also on the Mount of Transtijjuration; and liow is it possible to read 
such things, and not to connect them with our Lord's prophetic intimations of what 
will be hereafter ?('^;) 

44, 45 And He left them, and went away again, and prayed the 

i7) Ckmcnt of Aloxan.lria. (r) St. Mark v. ."?« to 43. (») ."^t. Mntth. xvii. 1 to '.». 

t) The phiPCH reftrrcd to nro Ps. .\lii. .'», ami cxvi. 3. («) Hob. v. 7. 

x) St. Luke .xxii. 43, 4-1: where fcc the notcf. (y) The hint is from Dr. W. H. Mill. 
z) St. Luko xxii. 45. (a) See St. Matth. x\v. i), C, iLc. 



XXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 237 

third time, saying the same words. 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 sin- 
ners. 

The meaning seems to be that "Henceforth," or "Hereafter," the Apostles might 
sleep and take rest, if they would : but that the hour for which He had so long 
been preparing them had now arrived. Wherefore our Lord adds, 

46, 47 Rise, let us be going : behold, he is at hand that doth betray 
Me. And while He yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the Twelve, came, and 
with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief 
Priests and Elders of the people. 

All the three Evangelists, both when they describe the intended and also the ac- 
tual betrayal of our Saviour by Judas, mention him as "orte oftlie Tioelve :" (h) an 
expressive way of denoting the exceeding greatness of his crime, — on which they 
yet make no comment whatsoever. Take notice that along with the multitude, 
came the "chief priests, and captains of the Temple, and elders" in person.(c) 

48 Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, Whomso- 
ever I shall kiss, that same is He : hold Him fast. 

"And led Him away safely," — it is added in St. Mark's Gospel; where see the 
note.((:Z) Was this not he of whom it had been said, — " The words of his mouth 
were smoother than butter, having war in his heart ?"(e) It is indeed greatly to 
be observed, (says one,) how much there is in the Psalms respecting Judas, 
throughout. 

49 And forthwith he came to Jesus and said. Hail, Master ; and 
kissed Him. 

It seems to be implied that he gave his Divine Master a kiss of earnest affec- 
tion. (/") "The signal agreed upon" (remarks the excellent Writer last quoted) 
"is much to be noticed on the present occasion, as indicating the very affectionate 
and friendly footing on which our Lord was wont to receive this wicked man ; and 
is of the same character as that of His eating at Supper out of the same dish with 
him, and washing his feet on this very night. Such tokens of love and gentleness, 
habitually afforded to so evil a man, can only be equalled by that forbearance and 
goodness which the same Divine Master ever shows in his natural Providence ; 
whereby He makes His Sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and continues to 
benefit the unthankful." (^) 

50 And Jesus said unto him. Friend, wherefore art thou come? 
Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. 

"Friend!"- It was thus that the Householder remonstrated with the servant 
who murmured at his liberality ; and thus that the King bespoke the guest that 
had not on a wedding garment, (/i) No where else in the Gospel do we meet with 
this mode of address. — The next words are not words of inquiry, but of remon- 
strance. Well did our Divine Lord know " wherefore Judas had come !"(t) 

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. 

St. Peter had doubtless aimed at the man's head, and narrowly failed of effecting 
his purpose. " Jesus answered and said. Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his 
ear, and healed hkn."(^) St. Luke (the Physician) alone it is, who records this 

(6) St. Matthew xxvi. 14: St. Mark xiv. 10 and 43 : St. Luke xxii. 3 and 47. See also St. 
John vi. 71. (c) St. Luke xxii. 52. (rf) On St. Mark xiv. 44. 

(c) Psalm Iv. 21. (/) The word recurs in St. Luke vii. 45 : xv. 20. Acts xx. 37. 

[g) Williams. (}i\ St. Matth. xx. 13 : xxii. 12. 

(t) Compare St. Luke xxii. 48. {k) St. Luke xxii. 51. 



238 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

miraculous act of healing: wliile St. John adds, "the servant's name was Mal- 
chus."(0 • 

52, 53 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his 
place : for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and lie shall 
presently give Me more than twelve legions of Angels ? 

" Twelve," because that was the number of His weak unarmed Apostles. How 
does this allusiuu to the powers of the unseen World kindle the fancy : at once re- 
minding us uf the surpassing honour to which one of the Angelic order had already 
been appointed ;(/«) and suggesting the ardour with which the rest of the amazed 
and adoring Bi>dy must have longed to rush forth to avenge the cause of their Cre- 
ator and tlicir doi) ! 

By our Saviour's allusion to the chief division of the Roman army, it seems to 
be hinted that 'the bright ranks of the Heavenly Host have discipline and order, 
courage and strength, subordination of offices, union under a comniuu Leader, and 
whatever else appertains to a large and well-disciplined Army. See the note on 
St. Luke viii. 3U ; and Consider IJaniel vii. 20, and 2 Kings vi. 17. 

54, 55 But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it 
must be? 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. 

Day by day, throughout the previous week, as we have seen, our Lord had taught 
openly in tlie Temple. Why then had they come upon Him thus by Niglit? 
Again, His only attendants were a few unarmed followers. Why then had they 
come out Avith swords and staves, as if against some desperate robber? — The 
Evangelist remarks. 

56, 57, 58 But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the Prophets 
might be fulfilled. Then all the Disciples forsook Ilim, and fled. And 
they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the High 
Priest, where the Scribes and the Elders were assembled. But Peter 
followed Ilim afar off unto the High Priest's palace, and went in, and 
sat with the servants, to see the end. 

All this is given far more particularly in St. John's Gospel, — to which the Reader 
is rcferred.(;i) 

59, 60 Now the chief Priests, and Elders, and all the council, sought 
false witness against Jesus, to put him to death ; but found none : yea, 
though many false witnesses came, i/et found they none. 

That is, " none" by whose evidence they might persuade Pilate "io jfttt i!i»i io 
death." 

61 At last camo two false witnesses, and said, T\asfeUoiv said, I am 
able to destroy the Temple of God, and to build it in three days. 

How striking it is, at the close of our Blessed Lord's Ministry, to be thus re- 
minded of a saying wliich camo before us at tlic commencement of it, and which 
we had bo;^un, as it wi-re, to lose siglit of! The occasion when the words were 
fij)oken, to which these wicked men allude, will be seen in the second chapter of St. 
John's Gospel ; — where, in answer to the demand for "a sign," our Lord foretells 
his Death and Resurrection, saying, " Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will 
raise it up.''(") 

Not far removed from the Truth, it will Ije seen, was the statement of the wit- 
nesses, (they were of necessity tico;)(j)) whom nevertheless St. Matthew and St. Mark 

U) St. J.-hn xviii. 10. (hi) St. Luko xxii. 13. 

(n) See St. John .wiii. 15 to 13. (o) St. John ii. I'J. 

(2>) Sco Dout. xvii. 0: xix. 15. 



SXVI.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 239 

concur in calling "false witnesses." Wherein then consisted their falsity? It 
consisted in their ascribing to our Saviour the intention{q) of destroying and then 
rebuilding the Temple, — " this Temple that is made with hands," as St. Mark ex- 
presses it. What he had said, was, ''destroy ye, and I will raise up:" by charg- 
ing Him with the vaunt of power over the material shrine, and with the intention 
of making a display of that power, they had entirely altered the character of his 
words. — But even so, their witness did not agree, as St. Mark declares ;(?-) where- 
upon Caiaphas lost patience : 

62, 63 And the High Priest arose, and said unto Him, Answerest 
Thou nothing ? what is it which these witness against Thee ? But 
Jesus held his peace. And the High Priest 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. 

The witness who kept silence after such an adjuration, the Law pronounced 
guilty.(.s) Accordingly our Saviour, who until now " as a sheep before her shearers 
is dumb, so opened not He his mouth," (^) — hereupon makes answer; showing 
thereby His reverence for the Law, and for the sacred office of the wicked man who 
addressed Him. See the note on St. Matthew xxvii. 12. 

64 Jesus saith unto Him, Thou hast said : nevertheless 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. 

Rather, " Moreover," or " What is more, I say unto you," &c. ..." Christ is 
said to sit down at the Right Hand of the Father, in regard of that absolute power 
and dominion which He hath obtained in Heaven. "(m) 

Concerning this wondrous prophecy, the Reader is referred to what has been 
already offered in the notes on St. Matthew xxiv. 30. — The conduct of the High 
Priest on hearing these words, (which the Evangelist proceeds to describe,) shows 
clearly enough that he entirely understood our Saviour's allusion to a famous 
passage in the Book of Daniel ;(x) as well as his implied claim to be that Son of 
Man described by the Prophet, and whom the Jews interpreted as the Messiah. 

65, 66 Then the High Priest rent his clothes, 

This was done to aggravate our Lord's offence, and to add weight to his own 
words of condemnation. (^) Hypocritically indeed, was it done; "but it is awful 
to think that God fulfills in earnest what men do against Him in mockery. Thus 
the High Priest rent his clothes for a light purpose, but God rent them for him in 
very deed and truth : they arrayed Christ in royal robes, and a crown, and a 
sceptre, and proclaimed Him King of the Jews in derision ; but God made Him all 
these in a Divine reality, and in a manner infinitely substantial. As Caiaphas 
prophesied, though he knew it not ; and the false witnesses, though they knew it 
not, in lying spake truth ; so now the High Priest in rending his garments, acted 
a real and deep tragedy for himself, for he thus declared that the order of Levi, the 
Jewish Priesthood, was rent, and already no more."(3) 

saying. He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we 
of witnesses ? behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy. What think 
ye ? They answered and said. He is guilty of death. 

" amazing and stupendous extent of man's guilt and blind folly," (remarks the 
same writer,) " that he should come to this I But from greatest evil comes, by 
God's mercy, greatest good to His distressed creatures ; they condemned Him to be 
guilty of death, but the condemnation of Him who was guiltless hath released us, 
who were worthy of death, from condemnation," 

{q) See St. Mark xiv. 58. (»•) St. Mark xiv. 59. 

h) Levit. V. 1. [t) Is. liii. 7: quoted in Acts viii. 32. 

(«) Bishop Pearson, See Ps. ex. 1, and Acts vii. 55, 56. (x) Dan. vii. 13. 

ly) Chrysostom. {z) Williams. Consider 1 Sam, xv. 21, 28, and 1 Kings xi. 30, 31. 



240 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

GT Then did they spit in Ilis face, and buffeted Ilim ; and others 
smote Him with the palms of their hands, 

So literally were the words of the Prophet fulfilled, — " I pave My back to the 
smiters, and My checks to them tliat plucked off tlic hair: I hid not My face from 
ehanie and .sj)it(inij.'\(i) To thi;< monstrous indi;;nity, (the spittinj;. ) which was 
afterwards repeated, (/*) it will be observed that both St. Mattlicw and St. Mark 
assi^^n the foremost rank ;(') as indeed it is found to occupy a distinct place in our 
Saviour's own predictions of His approachin;^ humiliation. ((/) To request the 
Reader's reference to Isaiah liii. i] to G, in illustration of sucli a text as the pre- 
sent, seems obvious. — These miscreants therefore smote Him, — 

68 saying, Prophesy unto us, Thou Christ, Wlio is he tliat smote 
Thee? 

The meaning of this act of wickedness is made plainer, by St. Mark's statement 
that "they covered his face;"(c) but it is St. Luke who explains the matter fully, 
8a3Mnp;, " And wJten the;/ had bliiuJ folded Him, they struck him on the face,'"(./ ) 
and gave him the blasphemous challenge recorded in the text. For " to prophesy" 
is not only to foretell luturo events; but to declare miraculously whatever cannot 
naturally be discovered. Thus Moses " prophesied"' when he described the Crea- 
tion, and the Fall of Man, no less than when He foretold the Captivity, and the 
Siege of Jerusalem. (y) 

The three denials of St. Peter follow; which will be found more fully commented 
on in the notes on St. Mark's Gospel. (/<) 

CO, 70, 71, 72, 73 Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a dam- 
sel came unto him, saying. Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But 
he denied before tliem all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And 
when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said 
unto them that were there. This felloiu was also with Jesus of Naza- 
reth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 
And after a while came unto liim they that stood by, and said to Peter, 
Surely thou also art one of them ; for thy speech bcwrayeth thee. 

Or, as it is is expressed in St. Mark's Gospel, *' for thou art a Galilcvan, and thy 
speech agreeth thereto."(i) See the note on the place. 

74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the 
man. 

Take notice how he who at first (in ver. 70) had simply denied his Loud, — and 
(in ver. 72) liad denied Him "with an oath," — now at last licgins "to curse and to 
swear, saying, I know not the man." So rapid is the growth of Sin! 

And immediately the cock crew. 

" And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter." 

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. 

" "We have so often di-cply wounded ourselves with medicines," (says Hooker,) 
" that God liath been fain to make wounds medicinal ; to cure by vice where virtue 
hath stricken ; to sufl'er the just man to fall, tliat, lieing raised, he may be taught 
wliat ]>ow<'r it was which n]>h<-ld liiin standing. 1 am not afraid toafiirm it boldly, 
witli Augustine, tiiat men, pulled up tlu-ciugh a ]iroud opinion of their own sanctity 
and holiness, receive a benefit at tlie hands of God, and arc assisted witli His 

(«) iMaiali i. f.. (h) St. Mntlli. xxvii. .".0. (r) Seo St. Mark xiv. OG. 

hi) Sec St. .Mark x. M, and St. Luko xviii. :i2 (r ) St. Mnik xiv. 66. 

(/) St. Luke .xxii. 04. (y) Dcut. xxviii. .^2 to 38 and -19 to OS. 

(A) St. Murk xiv. CO to 72. (•) St. Mark xiv. 70. 



XXVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 241 

Grace when with His Grace they are not assisted, but permitted, and that grievously, 
to transgress ; whereby, as through over-great liking of themselves they fell, so the 
dislike of that which did work their fall may establish them afterwards the surer. 
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 
procured my endless joy ; my strength has been my ruin, and my fall my stay." 



CHAPTER XXYII. 



1 Christ is delivered bound to Pilate. 3 Judas Jiangetli Mmself. 19 Pilate, ad- 
monished of his roife, 24 loasheth his hands : 26 and looseth Barahhas. 29 
Christ is croioned loith thorns, 34 crucijied, 40 reviled, 50 dieth, and is buried. 
66 His sejndchre is sealed, and ivatcJied. 

The former Chapter ended with an account of St. Peter's three denials of his 
Lord,— and of his repentance. The Holy One was in the meantime undergoing 
the mock solemnity of a trial at the hands of the wicked men who had already de- 
termined upon His Death. He had been hurried from the Garden of Gethsemane 
to the House of Annas, — thence to the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest, (a) 
The whole night long had been one continued scene of insult and cruelty. It was 
now the morning of Friday. 

1 When the morning was come, all the Chief Priests and Elders of 
the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death : 

St. Luke alone describes the manner of their proceeding. See his Gospel,(&) for 
an account of what took place when the Holy One was brought before the high 
Court of Sanhedrin. 

2 and when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered 
Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

For they judged it expedient, on every account, to transfer to Pilate the execu- 
tion of their own sentence. How the Roman Governor conducted himself towards 
the Holy Jesus, we shall be told in the 11th and following verses ; in the meantime, 
it would appear as if Judas, terrified at the success of his own villainy, had been 
watching the progress of events with remorse and horror. The Council of "Chief 
Priests and Elders" had probably been held in the Temple. Accordingly, it is 
added : 

3, 4 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, saying, I have sinned in that I 
have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said. What is that to us ? 
see thou to that. 

" In the Temple he makes his Confession, and offers restitution ; but they in the 
Temple, who ought to receive the penitent, are the partners of his guilt. It is the 

(a) St. John xviii. 13, 24. (b) St. Luke xxii. 66 to 71. 

16 



242 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

voice of tlio children of Cain wliich ans-weis ' What is that to us?' ' Ani I my 
brother's keeper?' "(t) Very striking and fearful is the picture contained in the 
words M'hicii follow : 

5 And he cast down tlie pieces of silver in tbe Temple, and departed, 
and went and hanged himself. 

Tlius does Judas himself hear evidence to the innocence of Ilini, whose death he 
hail been sucarefullv cuntrivinj^. He is visited also with j)ang8 of fruitless Repent- 
ance; confesses his i-rimo; ami after a niisoraljlc fashion seeks to make rotitution: 
for when he dashed down the money on the floor of the Temple, — (which act of his 
had not failed to arrest the keen glance of ancient Prophecy,) ('/) — he doubtless in- 
tended that it should be applied to some sacred use. liut his was not that godly 
sorrow spuken of by tlie Apostle, — (sorrow like .Simon Peter's.) — which " win'keth 
Repentance to Salvation: .... but the sorrow ol' the AVorld," whifh "tcorkelh 
Deuth.'\i) Judas "went and hanged himself," (as Ahithojdiel, David's "compan- 
ion" and "own familiar friend, "(,/ ) had done before him :)(y) whereupon, as St. 
Luke informs us, he fell forward upon his face, burst asunder, "and all his bowels 
gushed out."(/0 

It seems impossible to reach the close of the history of this most miserable of 
men, without reflecting with awful interest on what had probably been his course 
of life. And it niay Ijc regarded as certain that the character of Judas, (from the 
blarkness of Avhich we have learnt to recoil witii horror,) occupies far too small a 
sliarc of men's attention. A few remarks on this subject have been already ofl'crcd 
elsewhere ;((") and this is not the proper place to pursue such a train of thought. 
We may not iiere discuss the nature of hi.s })ccu]iar sin, — its rapid growth, — and 
its hardening tendcnc-ics. It sliall but be remarked that //( will do well and wisely 
who shall set himself to gather up the many hints which, from first to last, fell from 
our Lord's lips on the subject of Covetousness ; and to which the crime of Judas, 
at the close of the Gosj)el, supplies the obvious clue. Nor should the many warn- 
ings which the traitor continued to receive to the very last, escape our notice either; 
for they not only show the long suffering patience and love of Chkist, but they fur- 
nish a comfortable assurance that no one should be deemed irreclaimable so long 
as he liveth. 

Some will be found to inquire, Might not even Judas have repented? Doubtless 
the door of Mercy is never closed arainst the true penitent: and the blood of 
CiiFtisT i.s powerful to cleanse from all sin. " But then," (as it has been truly re- 
marked,) "it appears erjually clear frctm the whole analogy of Scripture, that true 
Repentance becomes more and more difficult, according to the degrees of grace re- 
jected ; and after a certain point, impossible. Tims it may be observed that St. 
Paul never intimates that Repentance is in any case unavailable ; or that the door 
of pardon is closed against those who are 'renewed unto repentance.' lint he does 
gay, in the Epistle ti^ the llelirows, that it is imiiossible ' to renew unto repentance' 
those who have grievously fallen away, after great privileges. So that if the words 
'tiiough your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red 
like crimson, they shall be as wool, '(A) describe the unbounded extent of God's 
mercies in the <lospel covenant ; yet notwithstanding this, tlie state of probation 
under the Gospel is described in a certain sense by those other words, — "Can the 
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, 
that arc accustomed to do evil :'(/) and, 'he which is filthy, let him be filthy still. '(«/) 
Numerous, in short are those expressions which descriiie the Mercy promised to 
Repentance, yet not less numerous are those which speak of Repentance becoming 
more and more diflicwit, ;inil at length, impossihic, after the rejection of Grace 
giv(;n."(«) 

The end of this very wicked man, as recordeil in verse 5, must evidently be re- 
ferred to a somcwiiat later moment, lie may have even delated ailding the guilt 
of suicide to his other tremendous crimes, until he had witnessed the final issue of 
his machinations against his Divine Msister. Rut the incident Mhich the Evangel- 
ist [)roceeds ne.xt to record, certainly belongs to a much later period: 

(c) Wmium.M, quolinR Ocn. iv. 9. {d) Sco t.elow, on vur. 10. (.) 2 Cor. vii. 10. 

(/) I'n. Iv. I J. Soo also P.^. .xli. 9. (;/) 2 Sum. xvii. 2:{. (A) Acts i. 18. 

(i) Hco llic iK.tcH oil St. Maltli. .xxvi. 22 iiiiil 21. (k) U. i. 18. 

\l) Jcr. xiii. 23. (m) llcv. xxii. 11. (»i) Williainf. 



XXVII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 243 

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. 

Take notice of their miserable inconsistency and superstition. IIow often are 
religious scruples thus found to dwell with men who have sold themselves to work 
all manner of iniquity ! The Treasury had probably furnished the very pieces of 
silver which it is now deemed so sinful to replace there. 

7, 8 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, 
to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of 
blood, unto this day. 

Thus does God overrule man's wickedness to his shame. Had these evil persons 
simply replaced the silver pieces, their crime would hardly have transpired: but 
by taking counsel, and buying a field with the money, their crime obtains many 
witnesses, besides a public monument. 

The narrative is full of wonder and interest at every step. These wicked men 
thought that the Gentile strangers who happened to die at Jerusalem would be fitly 
provided for, if the price of a criminal's blood were bestowed in the purchase of a 
field wherein to bury them. But that criminal was Christ, — the S.wiour of the 
Gentiles: so that, (as in the case of Abraham of old,) a hurial-jjlace, (and that, 
bought with Christ's blood,) became the first possession of the Gentile Church ; 
and it was theirs, at a time when God gave them none inheritance in the Land, no, 
not so much as to set their foot on ; though He had promised that He would give 
them the whole Earth for a possession. (o) 

The transaction here recorded, is noticed in a very remarkable manner in the 
Acts. Judas is there represented as purchasing the field with the reward of ini- 
quity : the dead man is spoken of as the agent ; and the money he had returned, is 
declared with terrible significancy to have remained still his. (7:*) 

A pious writer remarks, — " The price of Christ's blood was not to enrich the 
Temple of the Jews, but to supply a resting place for the Gentiles ; to receive their 
bodies till the general Resurrection. St. Jerome, who had been at the place, men- 
tions that they showed this field in his time : that it lay to the south of Mount 
Sion ; and that they buried there the poorest and meanest of the people."(5) The 
spot is said to be clearly distinguishable to the present day. 

9, 10 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the pro- 
phet, 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 ; 
and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. 

The words are found to stand thus in the Old Testament: "And I said unto 
them, If ye think good, give me my price ; and if not, forbear. So they weighed 
for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the 
potter : a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces 
of silver, and cast them to the potter in the House of the LoRD."(r) With such 
wonderful distinctness and precision was the sin of Judas described, five hundred 
years and upwards before it was actually committed ! The difficulty occasioned by 
this statement of the Evangelist is well known: for it is Zechariah, not "Jeremy 
the prophet," who delivers the prophecy under consideration. It is hard to see, 
however, where the supposed difficulty exists ; if it be but believed that the same 
Spirit who inspired God's ancient Prophets guided His Evangelists likewise. St. 
Matthew does but inform us that this prophecy of Zechariah had been delivered by 
Jeremiah, about one hundred years before : and the information, however it may 
kindle gratitude, need excite no surprise. First, because many words must have 
been spoken by holy men of old as the Spirit gave them utterance, which were 
never committed to Avritlng:(5) next, because the later prophets often repeat the 
prophecies of those who went before them ;(<) and lastly, because Zechariah is 

(o) Consider Gen. xxiii. Acts vii. 5. 

(p) Acts i. 18, 19, — which (take notice,) are St. Luke's words; not St. Peter's. 

{q) Williams. (r) Zcch. xi. 12, 13. («) For instance St. Jude, verses 14, 15. 

(() Thus Is. xi. 9, is repeated in Hab. ii. 14: Mic. iii. 12, in Jer. xxvi. 18, &c. <fec. 



244 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

found to Imve spoken many things wljich recall the language of Jeremiah's prophe 
cies.(»0 It is nut, ofcour.se, denied that soniething vi' divine mystery attaches to 
the prophecy in question, which has never been explained: but there is no riHim 
for captious cavil concerning the words of the Evangelist. 

Our atteiitiiin is invited, liuwever, to something of a widely different charucier. 
The Jewisli Ilulers having conducted our Saviolu before Pilate, (as recorded in 
verse 2.) bring against Him an accusation which they know will arouse the atten- 
tion and excite the Jealousy of the Roman Governor. " Tliey began to accuse Ilim, 
saying. We found tliis fellow |)erverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute 
to CiBsar, saying that lie Himself is CnuisT a King."(-*) I'ilate accordingly asks 
a question, which all the four Evangelists agree in relating in the self-same words. 

11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked 
Ilim, saying, Art Thou the King of the Jews? and Jesus said unto 
him, Thou sayest. 

This is that " good Confession" of which St. Paul reminded Timothy long after, 
as witnessed by Christ Jesus before Pontius Pilate.(//) The echo of the appella- 
tion thus claimed for Himself by our Savioir will Ije found never to die avA-ay 
throughout the judicial proceedings which follow, until Pilate deliberately affixes 
it, as a title, to the Cross. 

12 And wlicn lie was accused of the Chief Priests and Elders, He 
answered nothing. 

To the false accusations brought against our Blessed Lord, "lie answered 
nothing :"(2) but when Pilate, in verse 11, asked Him whether He were a King, 
He answered at once: just as in the former Chapter, lie is found to have answered 
the question of the High Priest, whether He were the Christ, the Son of (jioi)?(a) 

13, 14 Then said Pihite unto Ilim, Ilearest Thou not how many things 
they witness against Thee? And He answered him to never a word; 
insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. 

"It is evident," (says Origcn,) "that Pilate was kindlj' disposed towards Christ, 
but yet he had no settled judgment, and was wavering." " He marvelled, that be- 
ing a Teacher of the Law, ]ioworful and elofpioiit, our Blessed Lord did not by His 
answers refute the charges brought against Him, but rather, calmly sustained 
them."(^) "We may also suppose that there was something in His manner and 
words, so different fr<im what is usual in a criminal, that the Judge felt something 
of awe and wonder before him."(r) . . . To know what followed, the Reader must 
refer to chap, xxiii. of St. Luke's Gospel, and read from ver. 4 to ver. 10. 

15, 16 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the 
people a prisoner, whom they would. And they had then a notable 
prisoner, called Barabbas. 

Concerning wliom, St. Mark supplies in this place some particulars. (</) The 
custom alluded to in ver. 1") was probably of recent date, and of Roman origin: but 
it had evidently become absolute.(f) St. Mark adds that the populace with loud 
cries demanded of Pilate that "ho would do as he had ever done unto them." 

17, 18 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto 
tlu'Mi, Whom will ye that I release unto you? ]iarabl)as, or Jesus 
wliich is called CilUlST ? For he knew that fur envy they had delivered 
Ilim. 

(u) ThimZuch. i. 4, recalls Jcr. xviii. 11. and xx.\v. If). Zcrli. iii. 8. recalls Jcr. xxiii. 5. 
(x) St. Luke xxiii. 2. (.v) 1 Tim. vi. I.'J. 

z) Sec uIho St. Mallli. xxvi. 03, and the imlc there. (") St. M.ittli. xxvi. 63, 01. 

4) Theophjliict. (r) Williains. (rf) St. Mark xv. 7. 

•) Soo St. Luke xxiii. 17. Al.-o St. Mark xv. 0, 8. 



XXVII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 245 

Even so the Patriarchs, "moved with envy," delivered Joseph, (an eminent type 
of Christ,) into the hands of his enemies. (/) 

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 
suifered many things this day in a dream because of Him, 

This remarkable incident is related only by St. Matthew. Judas, Herod Antipas, 
and Pilate, exhibit three remarkable types of Sin in the New Testament; and it is 
very striking to observe how many recorded learnings they obtained in the course 
of their downward career. Pilate receives a warning even from his own wife! 

20, 21, 22, 23, 24 But the Chief Priests and Ehiers persuaded the 
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The 
governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye 
that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, 
What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? Thej/ all 
say unto him. Let Him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, 
what evil hath he done ? But they cried out the more, saying. Let 
Him be crucified. 

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a 
tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the mul- 
titude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person : see 
ye to it. 

Pilate is the vei*y type of the weak, wavering, temporizing statesman: quick to 
see the right course, — yet afraid to pursue it: striving, if possible, to reconcile sup- 
posed interest with certain duty; and in the end, making a miserable sacrifice of 
both. The ceremony which he is here described as performing, was well under- 
stood by the Jewish nation ;((;') but it was probably common to other nations 
besides, as expressive of innocence. 

Pilate testifies extraordinary anxiety to remove from himself the guilt of being 
accessory to our Saviour's murder: yet has the Church in her Creed, from the very 
earliest time, linked the Crucifixion of Christ with his name only: "crucified — 
under Pontius Pilate." 

25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood he on us, and 
on our children. 

Thus fulfilling the sentence of the Psalmist, — "Let the mischief of their own lips 
fall upon the head of them that compass Me about."(/i) .... The notes on our 
Lord's prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem may convey some notion of the tre- 
mendous curse which these terrible words entailed upon its sinful inhabitants. (i) 
Josephus relates that so many were crucified at the time of the siege, that "room 
was wanted for the crosses, and crosses for the bodies." The Jews became from 
that day forward a despised and scattered, a persecuted and degraded race, — a 
reproach among all the nations of the Earth. 

26 Then released he Barabbas unto them : and when he had scourged 
Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. 

This monstrous outrage meets with a special notice in the prophetic outline which 
our Lord Himself so often drew of His approaching Humiliation. (A-) It is also 
solemnly described by the Evangelical Prophet; "He was wounded for our trans- 
gressions: He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was 
upon Him ; and with His stripes we are healed. "(^ A pious writer conceives that 
this is that bloody baptism which the Saviour declared was in store for Himself.(»i) 
The exceeding cruelty of the terrible infliction alluded to, is surely obvious to any 

(/) See Acts vii. 9, referring to Gen. xxxvii. 28. {g) Deut. xxi. 6 to 8. 

Ih) Ps. cxl. 9. (/) See St. Matth. xxiv. (k) St. Matth. xx. 19. 

(0 Is. liii. 5: quoted in 1 St. Peter ii. 24. [^(m) St. Luke xii. 50. 



24G A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CUAP, 

who will attcml to the sacred narrative. The rohin;^ and unrohing which fulluwed, 
must liiivo niateriall)- af^^jravalod the suffi-rinj;; uhiie the jierfectiun of His .sinless 
Ilumaiiitv may \v(-ll ho thuuj^ht to have sharpened every pain, and rendered the 
torture in fact intolerable. 

27 Then the soldiers of the frovernor took Ji:srs into the common 
liall, and gathered unto Ilim the whole bund of auldiers. 

In the ori;^inal, what is here called "the Common-Hall," "the Judf;nieut- 
null,"(") fi"J "t''C Governor's House/'C") is simply "the Praitorium." 

28, 29 And they stripped Ilim, and put on Ilim a scarlet robe: and 
when they had platted a crown of" thorns, they put it upon His head. 

"The perpetrators of this action designed by it nothing beyond the gratification 
of their wanton cruelty. But when wc call to mind that the Second Adam was at 
this very time submitting Himself to the curse of Gou, — and couple with this the 
recorded fact that the thorn and the thistle were the fruits of that curse, as it took 
effect upon the ground, — we cannot resist the inference that the cruel device was 
overruled by God to the expression of a truth which He would have us discern and 
ponder. Being the immediate produce of the curse, the thorn was an appropriate 
decoration for the Man of the curse. But more than this. The endurance of the 
Thorn was the endurance of Sin's penalty as it visited not the transgressor but the 
place of his residence. Now, the endurance of a penalty by Christ in His 
vicarious character, involves and must ultimately issue in the cancelling of the 
penalty. And accordingly the circumstance of our Lord's having worn and suffered 
from a Crown of Thorns would seem to intimate that a revocation of the sentence 
which was passed upon the soil(7j) is in God's design, — a revocation which may 
possibly involve the fulfillment in a literal sense of the prcdictitm, that "instead of 
the (horn, shall come up the fir tree; and instend of the brier shall come up the myrtle 
tree. '"((/) These miscreants then, put such a crown upon His Head; 

and a reed in Ilis right hand: and they bowed the knee before Ilim, 
and mocked Ilim, saying. Hail, King of the Jews ! 

By such conduct, "in addition to what He had already undergone, inflicting ex- 
cruciating agony as well as mockery, on His most sacred jierson : and thus was He, 
not in colour and ap])oarance only, but in reality, 'with a vesture dipped in 
blood ;'(/â– ) coming 'with dyed garments from Bozrah; and stained in all His 
raiment. '"(>•) 

30 And they spit upon Ilim, and took the rccd, and smote Ilim on 
the Head. 

Concerning the disuustinj; outrage thus committed for the second time on the 
sacred person of our Lord, see the note on St. Matthew xxvi. G7. 

"Tlius was he crowned, and this was His Coronation Day. The Hall of Judg- 
ment was His Kingly Court, and these kneelers wore His Courtiers, There was no 
rart of His ni>)st adoralilo i)orson but was marked with suffering and indignity. 
lis head was blooding with the Crown of thorns, and beaten witii the rood: His 
Divine Countenance, from the brightness of which Angels hide their eyes in adora- 
tion, l)ofure which tho Hoavoiis are not clean, was ilofilod with spitting and liruised 
witli blows: His Ijack was mangled with the scourging of rudo sohlicrs : His knees 
were already weak thnmgh fasting. And worse than the iron which hold Him in 
chains, or which presently pierced His iiands, were those words which, 'like the 
piercings of a sword,' enter the soul. For bodily inflictions we can in ordinary 
cases estimate, but not so the wounds of a righteous soul on beholding and hearing 
the deeds of the wicked. "(0 

31 And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from 

(«) St. John xviii. 28, .3.3: xix. 9. (") Sec the iimr(;in. (/<) Oen. iii. IS. 

(f/) (J»ull>iirn, i|U()tin;; Ih. Iv. 1.3. Coii-xiilcr, in connection with the rcninrk in llic text, Cicn. 
iii. lU nn.l Si. Luke .xxii. Jl. (r) Ucv. xix. 13. 

(i) Williams, quoting In. Ixiii. 1 iinil .3. (0 Willinuis. 



XXVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 247 

Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify 
Him. 

"And lie," (the true Isaac,) "bearino; His cross, went forth. "(") This prelimi- 
nary act of cruelty was the common punishment of malefactors: but so exhausted 
was our Saviour with what he had already undergone, that on reaching the gate of 
the cit}^, He could no longer endure the burden. It follows, therefore, 

32 And as they came out they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by 
name : him they compelled to bear His Cross. 

And thus attended, He took His painful way to Calvary, followed by "a great 
company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented IIim."(x-) 
Nor was this part of His Passion without a mystical intention: for as "the bodies 
of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the High Priest for sin, 
and burned without the camp," "Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with 
His own blood, suffered without the gate." Such is the Commentary of the Spirit 
on this incident; and it is added, with reference to the very scene here depicted, 
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him, without the camp, bearing His reproach."(^) 

But wh) was the "man of Cyrene" of whom we here read? " What good deed of 
faith had he done to Christ, or to Christ's little one's, that he, of all the sons of 
Adam, should have been deemed worthy to be admitted to this, the first and 
greatest of all earthly honours? Who he was, excepting by name, we know not ; 
nor what he had done ; for God withdraws from the sight of men, and hides in His 
own presence, those whom He most delights to honour."(2) See the note on St. 
Mark xv. 21. 

33 And when they were come unto a place called Grolgotha, that is to 
say, a place of a skull, 

A place "nigh to the City;"(ffl) which may be thought to have derived its name 
from the hideous tokens of mortality with which it abounded, as an ordinary scene 
of suffering. There, 

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. 

At once the most painful, and the most ignominious of Roman punishments: and 
it was done, in order that He might "redeem us from the curse of the Law, being 
made a curse for us i"(l>) for it is written, "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a 
tree."(c) Not that suspension was one of the capital punishments prescribed by 
the Law of Moses; but such as they punished with death, were ofttimes after death 
exposed to the ignominy of the gibbet ; and those who, being dead, were so hanged 
on a tree, were accursed by the Law. " Now though Christ was not to die by the 
sentence of the Jews, . . . yet the Providence of God did so dispose it, that He 
might suffer that death which did contain in it the ignominy to which the legal 
curse belonged, which is, the hanging on a tree."{d) 

While we make such remarks concerning the history of Christ's Death, as well 
as concerning the many striking circumstances of His Passion, let us not fail to re- 
member the spiritual agencies which were besides at work, — urging the enemies of 
the PiEDEEMER to woi'ds and deeds of unparalleled wickedness ;(e) sharpening every 
torture; and assailing Him by every avenue of Pain. For Satap, who, after the 
Temptation, departed from the Holy One "until a season, "(/) beheld that his hour 
had now at last arrived, — as our Saviour Himself declared. (^) He it was who 
brought about the Crucifixion of Christ ; vainly expecting that he should triumph 
over his formidable Enemy if he could succeed in bringing Him into subjection to 
the Law of Death. The union of the Divine and Human Natures in the one person 

(u) St. John xix. 17. (x) St. Luke xxiii. 27, where see the note. 

(y) Heb. xiii. 11 to 13. (z) Williams. («) St. John xix. 20. 

(b) Gal. iii. 13. (c) Deut. xxi. 23. (d) Bp. Pearson, 

(e) See below, on ver. 38. (/) St, Luke iv. 13, where see the note. 

{g) St. Luke xxii. 53. 



248 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

of Christ was a mystery far beyond tlio wisdom of the Old Serpent ; so that, 
(to quote a favourite expression of the Fathers,) the Cross proved the trap in which 
he was effectually taken. He perceived not till it was too late, — till, in fact, the 
Seed of the "Wdnian was about to bruii-e his head; and the Second Adam, by sub- 
mitting; to Death, overcame Death, — that the Cross was to be the instrument of 
Curi.st's Triumph, and the «cenc of His final victory: never else, (as St. Paul in a 
certain place remarks,) would he and his accursed aj;ents "have crucified the Loud 
of Glory ?"(//) And these remarks, which it is no dij^ression to offer in this place, 
furnish an explaiuilion of that famous sayinj; of Ignatius, first Bishop of Antioch: 
"The Prince of this World was baffled by the Virginity of Mary,— by her Child- 
bearing,— and likewise by the LORD'S Death: three crying Mysteries which were 
wrought in tlie secresy and silence of Goo!" The early Fathers were familiar with 
this thought, of which we find many traces in their writings. See below, the note 
on ver. 4U. 

His enemies crucified Him therefore, 

and parted His garments, casting lots : that it might be fulfilled wliich 
was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, 
and upon My vesture did they cast lots. 

Very surprising is the exactness of this fulfillment of ancient Prophecy. David 
is found to have written thus in Psalm xxii. 18; but the Psalmist caimot have fore- 
seen the issue of his own words : he cannot have known that while the garments 
of the S.wiouR would be hereafter divided into four parts by the four soldiers who 
were appointed to guard His Cross, His seamless coat, (as St. John records,) would 
be spared ; and lots cast upon it, in order to decide to whom it should belong '.(O 

Like every other very momentous transaction in the history of the adorable Re- 
deemer, the fate of the garments which covered His most sacred Person, is related 
by all the four Evangelists. (A-) 

36, 37 And sitting down they watched Him there: and set up over 
His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KI^^G OF 
THE JEWS. 

It was customary with the Romans to set a title over the heads of those who were 
condemned to death. But take notice that the Providence of God, (which overrules 
all words and actions of men,) caused the S.wiovr's accusation, which was meant 
in bitter ridicule, to convey nothing but the truth. See more in the note on St. 
Luke xxiii. 38: see also on St. Matthew xxvi. 05. 

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right 
hand, and another on the left. 



'5 



Whereby was fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah, " and He was numbered with the 
transgressors ;" as St. Mark notes. (/) Concerning the men here called " thieves," 
Bee the note on St. Luke xxiii. '-Vl. 

It has been well remarked that all " the evil designed by the enemy, was turned 
into the glory of God by Curist. In order to ridicule and degrade tlie Holy One, 
he suggests to the Jews to place Him between two tliieves : it redounded to the 
highest glory of tlu; Kingdom of Mercy. (///) He instigated them to crucify the 
Hedeemer: no other death would have so much reached to the fullness. — to the 
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, («)—t>f our miser;r. 'A'I'l' Hevil urged 
Pilate to the scorn and ridicule (d" that title on the Cross: it is a name written in 
Heaven, and bears witness to Chuist's Eternal Kingdom. He urged the people 
and their rulers to mock Him: Imt all they saitl fultilled the prophecy. He insti- 
gated them to add to His torments, but it only made His Atonement jierfeot. And 
it has passed into a Law for Christ's subjects an<l followers, that tlie evil designed 
against them, is by Him made their chielg-.od, if they adhere to Him."(o) 

Ih) 1 Cor. ii. 8. (0 See St. John xix. 2:t. 24. 

h) St. Murk XV. 24: St. Luke sxiil. .34: St. John xix. 23, 24. 

(/) St. Murk XV. 28, quoting; I.", liii. 12. ('") f=t. Luke xxiii. 43. 

\n) Alluding to Ki)hc». iii. 18. (") WiHinms. 



XXVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 249 

It had been said prophetically, " I became a reproach unto them ; when they 
looked upon Me, they shaked their heads. "(i^) Accordingly it is added : 

39, 40 And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, 
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. 

They revive the accusation which they had already fruitlessly brought against 
Him,((j) — based upon the Divine saying, recorded in St. John ii. 19 ; and in chal- 
lenging our Lord to perform a miracle in proof of His Mission, they show the pop- 
ular expectation the Messiah, when He came, would work Miracles. Consider St. 
John vii. 31. The form which their language assumes, recalls the language ad- 
dressed to Christ by the Tempter.(r) The best of the Fathers, indeed, have not 
scrupled to assign .the speech to liiin on this occasion ; instigating his agents to 
obtain, by whatever means, our Lord's descent from that Cross whereon He was 
already clearly a Conqueror. 

41, 42 Likewise also the Chief Priests mocking Him, with the Scribes 
and Elders, said. 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. 

They choose their sign ; but they have been already warned that they shall be 
favoured with none, save that of the prophet Jonas. (5) This insult is the echo of 
what we met with above, in verse 40 : concerning which, see the note on St. Mat- 
thew xiv. 29. "He might indeed have come down," remarks Bp. Pearson, "and 
in saving himself have never saved us." — They proceed : 

43 He trusted in God : let Him deliver Him now, if He will have 
Him : for He said, I am the Son of God. 

Had not this also been the subject of express prophecy? "All they that see Me 
laugh Me to scorn : they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying. He trusted 
on the Lord that He would deliver Him ; let Him deliver Him, if He delight in 
Him."(^) "Carnal man," remarks Bp. Wilson, "cannot comprehend that God 
loves those whom He permits to suffer: but Faith teaches us that the Cross is the 
gift of His love and the foundation of our hope, the mark of His children, and the 
title of an inheritance in Heaven." 

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same 
in His teeth. 

They were both blasphemers, at first ; but one of the two proved a Confessor in 
the end, and received a gracious assurance of his acceptance from the lips of 
Christ himself.(if) The Evangelist proceeds to notice the supernatural darkness 
which from noon till about three o'clock covered the land ; and which may well be 
supposed to have wrought a change in the thoughts of many concerning the Cru- 
cified. 

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land 
unto the ninth hour. 

This was no eclipse of the Sun ; for it took place at the Passover season, when the 
Moon was at the full. The darkness was altogether supernatural; "an awful 
token of the withdrawing of the light of God's countenance from the land in which 
the Son of God was hanging upon the Cross." (x) 

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 

{p) Ps. cix. 25. _ (9) See St. Matth. xxvi. 61. (>•) St. Matth. iv. 3, 6. 

Is) St. Matth. xii. 39. [t) Psalm xxii. 7, 8 : the last words, from the margin. 

\u) See St. Luke xxiii. 39 to 43, and the notes there. 
{x) Archd. Hale and Bp. Londsdale. 



250 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ? that is to say, My GoD, My God, -why 
lia!>t Tliou forsaken Me ? 

Thus did our Blessed Saviocr accept the application of the 22d Psalm, already 
made by the Chief" Priests ami Scribes:(//) i|iiiitiiij:; tliotir.st pruphetic words of that 
Psalm, and acknowli'djiiiig tlioiu to be fulfilled in His own Person. "The Son of 
David," says Bp. Pearson, "shows in whose person the father spake it." 

lie was bereft of Divino Consolation, too, on this day, (says holy Bishop An- 
drewes,) "and timl was His most sorrowful complaint of all: not that His friends 
upon Earth, but that His Father from Heaven had forsaken him: that neither 
Heaven nnr Earth yielded Him any rej^ard; but that between the passioned powers 
of His soul and whatsoever mi;^lit in any way refVosh Him, there was" a barrier 
get, " and //'' loft in the state of a weather-beaten tree, all desolate and forlorn ; — 
evident, too evident, b}' that His most dreadful cry, which at once moved all the 
Powers in Heaven and Earth, 'My Gou, ]My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?' — 
AVeij^h well that cry; consider it well, and tell me if ever there were cry like that 
of His . . . The Powers of Darkness let loose to afHict Him, — the iniluencc of Com- 
fort restrained from relieving Him, — never was there sorrow like unto His sorrow! 
It cannot be expressed as it should, and as other things may. In silence we may 
admire it, but all our words will not reach it." 

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This 
3Ian calleth for Elias. 

The words resemble each other, and might easily have been mistaken, especially 
by those who spake not in the peculiar dialect of the Hebrew, which our Blessed 
Saviolu is tliought to have used. 

"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the 
Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. "(2) 

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spnngo, and filled 
it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Ilim to drink. 



Was it not written of old, — "They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My 
thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink ?"(«) For *' the tender mercies of the wicked 
arc cruel."(6) 

49 The rest said. Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save 
Him. 



our 



For a very general belief prevailed among the ancients, both before the time of 
uur Loud and since, that Elijah Avas to return in person: a subject which has been 
already adverted to in the' note on St. Matthew xvii. 11 and 12. These wicked 
brethren of a greater than Joseph, sec "the anguish of His soul,"(() and add insult 
to Him who is" already in the very depth of Distress: "which barbarous and brut- 
ish iiiliuMKUiity of theirs," says Bp. Andrcwes, "must needs pierce deeper into His 
Boul, than even did the iron into His side." 

50 Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up 
the ghost. 

Ho said "It is finished;"(J) and, "F.\tuer into Thy hands I commend My 
Spirit :"(') which were the two last of the seven recorded sayings of Cuiust upon 
the Cross. 

As there had been signs in Heaven going before this tremendous event, so were 
there now signs on the Earth, yea, and under the Earth, following it. 

51 And, behold, the Veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the 

top to the bi)it()in : 

AVhor.'by, it is evidently imidied, that not onl^y had our Saviour entered into the 
Holy of llolies, "into Heaven itself, to appear in the presence of God for us ;" but 

(V) Sec ulx.vc, vcr. 12, I.J. (=) St. John xix. 28. (a\ P^. Ixix. 21. 

(b) Prov. V. 10. (c) (leu. xlii. 21. [d] Si. John .x.x. ..0. 

(«•) .St. Luko x.\iii. 40. 



XXVII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 251 

also that the veil was removed by which we were excluded, and that henceforth we 
might fuUow Him thither. For we have " boldness," says the Apostle, " to enter 
into the holiest by a new and livino; way, which He hath consecrated for us, through 
the Veil, that is to say His flesh."(f) 

" Nor does it merely signify our admission into Heaven after Death ; but also our 
having access now into the Holy of Holies, through the Blo(jd of Christ with which 
we are spi*inkled ; for it is in this sense that St. Paul applies it in this passage. "(^) 
It seems to be further imphed, that in Christ, the distinction between Jew and 
Gentile was to be done away ; that the mysteries of the Law should henceforth be 
uncovered ; and that the Divine Protection which had so long defended the Holy 
Place from outrage and pollution, was henceforward to be withdrawn. 

52 and the Earth did quake, and the rocks rent : and the graves 
were opened, 

" All the Creatures in Heaven and Earth seemed to hear this His mournful com- 
plaint, and in their kind to show their regard of it : the Sun in Heaven shrinking 
in his light, — the Earth trembling under it, — the very stones cleaving in sunder, as 
if they had sense and sympathy : sinful Man only not moved with it ! And yet it 
was not for the creatures, this was done to Him ; to them it pertaineth not: but for 
us it was done, and to us ifc doth pertain. And shall we yet not regard it? Shall 
the creatures regard it, and not we ? If we do not, it may appertain to us, but we 
do not pertain to it. None pertain to it but they that take benefit by it ; and none 
take benefit by it, (no more than by the brazen Serpent,) but they that fix their 
eyes on it."(A) The graves were opened, 

and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose, 

Marvels attend the Saviour from the Cradle to the Grave. At the loud cry with 
which He breathed out His human Soul, the Saints of God stir in their shrouds : as 
if by anticipation of that dreadful hour " when they are in the graves shall hear the 
Voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live."(0 "We may suppose,'' 
(says a pious writer,) " that His dying Voice did penetrate into the furthest regions 
of the dead ; that, together Avith that Earthquake, all they that were in their graves 
were moved, and some great change was wrought in their condition : and perhaps 
by Christ Himself, the great atoning Victim, at that moment appearing among the 
dead and going down to Hell."(^) But it is obvious that the Evangelist is antici- 
pating what was of later occurrence when he says that " many bodies of the Saints 
which slept arose." Those words must in fact be taken with the words which 
follow : 

53 and came out of the graves after His Resurrection, and went into 
the Holy City, and appeared unto many. 

For it is not to be supposed that any of the Saints arose before the King of 
Saints was risen. "Christ the first-fruits ; afterwards they that are Christ's."(0 
But surely it was fitting that He who at this time " descended into Hell," and 
"preached to the Spirits in safe keeping,"(;K) should conduct with Him, when He 
rose from Death, a kind of first-fruits of those ancient Saints of Ilis who had fallen 
asleep in His perfect Faith and Fear. Was not the event here recorded a blessed 
earnest of that " Resurrection of the Body," which was to be hereafter, and in 
which the whole Church professes to " believe ?" 

Take notice that guilty Jerusalem is still called "the Holy City." Even so we 
speak of " the Holy Catholic Church/' though it be true that Iniquity abounds 
therein. 

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, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

(/) Heb. X. 20. (g) Williams. 

(h) Bp. Amlrewes, alluding to Numb. xxi. 8, 9. Sec also the note on St. Mark xv. 38. 

{i) St. John V. 28. (k) Williams. 

(0 1 Cor. XV. 23. (to) 1 St. Pet. iii. 19. 



252 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 

A very cxtniorrlinnry onnfonsion, surely, on tlie lips of those -wlio iittorotl it ; and 
who canndt have known the full ineaniii;: of ^vhut the}' said. But they had heard 
our Savioi'k claim this wondrous a|ipellation, and they had seen Him punished for 
it. They had also witnessed euouj;h to oonvinte them that no title was too lofty 
for such an one as they had heen appointed to guard. 

55, 56 And many -women were there Leliolding afar off, -svliicli fol- 
lowed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Ilim : among whicli wa.s 
!Mary Magdalene, and jNIary the ^lother of James and Joses, and the 
Mother of Zebedcc's children. 

That is, hesides Mary of Maj^dala, there Avas Marj-, (the sister of the Blessed 
Vir;:;in,) and Salome, the Mother of .St. James and St. John. 

It was now ilrawing near tlu; tinu' of Sunset, at which time the Sabhath-day would 
begin. But the Jewish law farbad that the body of one hung on a tree should hang 
there all night. («) Accordingly, it is added : 

57, 58 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arima- 
I tlitxia, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to 
Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the 
Body to be delivered. 

un.apeakable privilege! He asked for nothing less than the Body of Christ : 
and nothing less than the Body of Christ is given him. 

59, GO And when Joseph had taken the Body, he wrapped it in a 
clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which lie had hewn 
out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the Sepul- 
chre, and departed. 

Thus did our Saviour make "Ilis grave with the wicked, and with the rich in 
His death :"('0 the meaning of which prophecy seems to be, that "Ilis grave was 
appointed with the wicked," — that is, with the two thieves. Joseph of Arimathira 
did not perform this act of piety alone. Nicodemus, another member of the High 
Court of Sanhedrin, (the same who had at first came to Jescs by night,) waxing 
bolder and stnmgcr in the Faith, had been his helper :(;/) and thus, He who was 
transfigured, and crucified, with two, — whose resting place was guarded by two, — 
and at whose Ascension, two were sent with a message to the Twelvc,(7) — the same 
is now conveyed to His grave in the garden by two, likewise. It was " a sepulchre 
that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid:"(r) and the circum- 
Btance recalls a remark which was offered in the notes on St. Matthew ii. 2, and St. 
Luke xviii. .'J'J. 

61 And there Avas Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting 
over against the Sepulchre. 

Tluit is, Mary the Mother of Joscs,(.«) mentioned above in ver. 50. These two 
8ccm to have lingered at the sepulchre, as if absorbed in grief. Well may the first 
named wonnin have been selected to be the earliest witness of the llesurrectiun \{i) 

62, 63 Now tlie next day, that followed the day of the preparation, 
the Chief Priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying. Sir, 
we remember that that Deceiver said, while lie was yet alive, After 
three days I will rise again. 

" Even in death and after death to be called a " Deceiver," as if no other descrip- 
tion could cx|iress Tliee! Tiiy humiliations, and wounds, and shame, are not yet 
over or e.xliaustcd, but flow on still even beyond the grave, to the healing of our 
eick souls, and the strengthening of our weak faith ; teaching us that not even in 

((.) Dent. x\\. 22, 2.3. (o) I.", liii. !>. 

(p) St. .Inliii ,\i,\. .'J!l to -12. (</) Sec the note on St. Liikc ix. :?0. 

(<; St. Luke .x.Kiii. M. {») St. Murk xv. 17. (r) St. Murk xvi. ». 



XXVII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 253 

death are we to seek for a good name for ourselves, but that when reviled we shall 
have Thy shame to cover us."(u) 

But when had " the faithful and true Witness"(.x-) said this thing ? Never in their 
hearing, certainly, on any recorded occasion. Had they then o))tained the state- 
ment from Judas, or from some other of the Twelve? But they say "we remem- 
ber." Did they then so well understand the dark sayings of our Lord concerning 
"this Temple,"(//) and "the sign of the Prophet Jonas'X^) as to venture thus bold- 
ly to interpret it ? — -They proceed : 

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, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall 
be worse than the first. 

That is, The popular delusion concerning Christ will thereby become more fatal 
and hopeless than it was before. (a) There is surely something of bitter irony in 
Pilate's reply: 

65, QQ Pilate said unto them. Ye have a Avatch : go your way, make 
it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the Sepulchre sure, 
sealing the stone, and setting a watch. 

They did indeed " set a watch" or " guard ;" but it is reasonable to suspect that 
the Evangelist does not here say so. Instead of " setting a watch," it should per- 
haps rather be, — " tvith the guard." That is, the band of Roman soldiers which at 
such seasons was placed at the disposal of the chief Priests, attended them with the 
Pharisees when they went to seal the stone of the sepulchre : so that He who in 
His lifetime was condemned both by Jews and Gentiles, has witnesses of either 
nation also in His Death. As once before, " a stone was brought, and laid upon 
the mouth of the den ; and the King sealed it with his own signet, and with the 
signet of his lords, that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel, "(6) 
— so also is it done now. But lo, a greater than Daniel is here : even He of whom 
it is written, " Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder ; the young lion and the 
dragon shalt Thou trample under feet."(t) 

And now, in exchange for the loving hearts which we lately heard of at the sepul- 
chre of our Blessed Redeemer, Roman soldiers are keeping guard there: "for if 
'Love is strong as Death, Jealousy,' also adds the holy canticle, 'is cruel as the 
Grave.' "(af) Those afflicted ones had gone sorrowing to their homes: but they were 
destined to experience the blessed truth that though "weeping may endure for a 
night," yet "joy cometh in the morning."(e) 



THE PRAYER. 

Grant, Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of Thy 
Blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continual mortifying 
our corrupt affections we may be buried with Him ; and that through 
the grave, and gate of death, we may pass to our joyful resurrection ; 
for His merits, who died, and was buried, and rose again for us, Thy 
Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

{ii) Williams. / (x) Rev. iii. 14. 

ly) St. John ii. 19. («) St. Matt. xii. 39, 40. 

(o) A proverbial saying, which recurs in St. Matth. xii. 45 and 2 St. Peter ii. 20. 

(6) Dan. vi. 17- (c) Ps. xci. 13. Consider Gen. iii. 15. 

{d) Williams, quoting Song of Sol. viii. 6. (e) Ps. xxx. 5. 



254 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CHAPTER XXVIII, 



1 Christ's liesurrection is declared hij an Angel to the women. 9 He Himxelf ap- 
jK'aretli niifo them. 11 tlie lliyh Priests give the soldiers muneg to say that He 
was stolen out of His sepulchre. 10 Christ uppeareth to His JJiscqAes, I'J and 
sendetk them to baptize and teach all nations. 

The former Chapter ended with an account of the interment of Christ, the seal- 
ing of the Sepulchre, and the " setting a vratch." These are the only recorded 
events of the last Jewish Sabbath, — on which day Christ rested in the grave from 
the work of Kcdemiition, as " in the beginning" IIo had rested on that day from 
the work of Creation. " Tlic obligation of the Sabbath," says Bishop Pearson, 
" died and was buried witii Him ; but, in a manner, revived again at Ilis Resur- 
rection. And well might that day, which carried with it a remembrance of de- 
liverance fmni Egyptian servitude, ('?) resign all the sanctity or solemnity due unto 
it, when that morning once appeared upon which a far greater lvedcm|ition was 
confirmed." A stronger reason, therefore, henceforth transferred the obligation of 
the Sabbath to another day : " and as there was a change in the year at the coming 
out of Egypt, liy the command of God.(/^) so, at this time of a more eminent de- 
liverance, a change was wrought in the weekly account."(c) 

1 In the end of the S.ibbath, as it began to daAvn towards the first 
day of the "week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the 
sepulchre. 

" The other Mary" was " Mary the mother of James(r7) and Joses,"(() our Lord's 
cousins: that is, she was the wife of Clopas, and sister to the Blessed "\'irgin.( /') 
Joanna, (,'/) and Salome, (tiic mother of St. James and St. John,) belonged also* to 
the .same company of women who visited the sepulchre " very early in the morning, 

the first day of the week at the rising of the sun," — as St. Mark says :(//) 

or rather, as St. Mark explains; for the statements of the later Evangelist are often, 
a.s here, explanatory. Thus the same blessed Writer, will Ijc found to explain that 
the object of these holy women in coming thus early to the grave was to anoint the 
dead Body of their Lord, — to Itestow upon it that customary anointment previous 
to burial, which, liy reason of their haste, Joseph and Nicodemus had not boon able 
topriivido; but which nevertheless the S<m of Man iiad not lacked: fi>r, as llis 
own lips had declared, (but probably not in their hearing,) the sister of Lazarus 
had already thus anointed liis Body.(/) 

Take notice that '.he great event with which the present chapter commences took 
place on " t/ir Jirsf <hiij of tiio week." Christ, "wiio is tlie true Light, "(A) comes 
forth on tiie same day in which He had anciently said — "Let there be Light!" . . . 
The New Creation^/) l)egins on the same day as the Old. 

It was now, in fact, the beginning of "the third day," and therefore, '^ after 
three days," according to the well-known sacred mothnd of speech, which it is not 
necessary here t<t illustrate; liy exan»]iles. This period is ])ropli('tically shadowed 
out in many an ancient history ; but in none so clearly as in that of Jonah, — to 
whoso fate, as distinctly typical of His own descent into Ilcll and Resurrection 

(n) Dciit. V. l.'i. (/') Kxml xii. 2. (.) lli.-iliop Pearson. 

(/) St. Mark xvi. 1. (<) St. Murk xv. -17. compnrcil with vcr.'-e 10. 

/) Sec the nolo on St. Murk iii. .'11. {<j) St. Luke xxiv. 10. (A) St. Murk. xvi. 2. 

i) Sec St. Miitth. xxvi. 12: St. Mnrk xiv. 8: St. John xii. 7. (k) ^l. John i. I). <tc. 

(0 Boo the nuto on St. Miitlbew iii. 17: xxiv. 8: xxvi. 20. SU Jubn ii. 1, <tc. 



XXVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 255 

from the dead, our Lord himself appealed on a famous occasion. (m) The great 
type in respect of the Day on which our Saviour rose, was the waved sheaf in the 
feast of the first-fruits. (;;) The Priest was required to wave that sheaf, (the first- 
fruits of the Harvest,) before the Lord, " on the morrow after the Sabbath :" and 
all the sheaves of the field became holy by the acceptation of that ; " for if the 
first-fruits be holy, the lump is also holy."(o) " By which, thus much was foretold 
and represented, — that as the sheaf was lifted up and waved, so the promised Mes- 
siAS was upon this Day to be lifted up and raised from the dead ; or rather to 
shake, and lift up, and present Himself to God, and so to be accepted for us all : 
that so, our dust might be sanctified, our corruption hallowed, our mortality con- 
secrated to eternity."(lO 

But the Evangelist is describing the visit of the women to the Sepulchre on the 
morning when the great antitype of the wave-sheaf was revealed : 

2, 3, 4 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. His countenance was like light- 
nino-, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers 
did shake, and became as dead men. 

This is, of course, the account of what took place shortly before the women 
arrived, — the description of what had terrified the soldiers who, as the concluding 
verses of the former chapter explain, were set to guard our Lord's sepulchre. And 
well may such a spectacle have inspired them with terror. The men were already 
possessed with a sense of misgiving as to the awful nature of Him who slept within ; 
for they had probably been witnesses of His Crucifixion. But the descent from 
Heaven of such a glorious being as the Evangelist describes, must have surpassed 
all expectation. The bright aspect, and the robe of dazzling white, we meet with 
on other occasions,(^) as belonging to visitants from the unseen World. With the 
feat of " power and might" performed by this angelic being,(7) compare what is 
related, and in very similar language too, of -Jacob, — in Genesis xxix. 10. 

Take notice that the descent of the Angel is not to be regarded as the signal, or 
the instrument, of our Lord's awaking : much less is the rolling back the stone 
from the mouth of the sepulchre to be looked upon as an act intended to assist our 
Lord's coming forth, on liis waking from death. He was already risen before the 
angel came. He had raised himself ;(«) with calm majesty, had divested himself of 
the linen clothes in which Joseph and Nicodemus had wound His lifeless body ;(() 
and had come forth. But it was in order to make the Resurrection known alike to 
friends and foes, that an Angel was sent on this glorious errand. Christ raised 
himself fvova death, according to His own express prediction :(«) for " the union of 
the two Natures (the Divine and Human) still remained ; nor was the Soul or the 
Body of Christ separated from the Divinity ; but still subsisted as they did before, 
by the subsistence of the Second Person of the Trinity. "(x) 

The women then, on reaching the sepulchre, found the place unguarded ; and the 
stone rolled away from the door. They therefore drew near with wonder, in order 
to discover what had become of the body of the Lord. 

5 And the Angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye : 
for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 

"Fear not ye;" it is said with marked emphasis. Let the soldiers "shake, and 
become as dead men" through fear; but " fear not j/e." It is worth observing how 
eager the Holy Angels ever show themselves to comfort the timid hearts of faithful 
mortals. See the places referred to below. (y) 

6 He is not here : for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place 
where the Lord lay. 

(m) St. Matth. xxii. 40. (») Concerning which, see Leviticus xxiii. 10 to 12. 

(o) Romans xi. 16. (^j) Bishop Pearson. 

iq) Compare Dan. x. 6: and see the note on St. Luke ix. 29. (r) 2 St. Peter ii. II. 

(s) St. John ii. 19, 21. [t) Compare St. John xx. 6, 7, and xix. 40. 

hi) St. John ii. 19, 21. {.r} Bishop Pearson. 

ly) Judges vi. 23. Dan. x. 12, 19. St. Luke i. 13, 30: ii. 10. Acts xxvii. 24. Compare 
Rev. i. 17. 



256 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

"As He said," — on so many occasions -.{z) but the chief occasion which the Angel 
referred to is fuund in St. Matthew xvii. 23 ; where see the note. This appears 
from St. Lulic's Gospel, wliere it is added, — " Konieniber how lie spake unto vou 
â– when he was yet in Galilee, sayinj?. The Sun of .Man must be delivered into the 
hands (if sinful men, and be cruciticd, and the third day rise aj^ain."(«) 

The Anjj;el was nut ^ilting on the stune when he spoke these words, as many 
persons imagine. He was within the sepulchre. There were in fact " iwo men in 
shining garments,"(6) who had stationed themselves, (like the Cherubim on the 
Mercy-seat,) " the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of 
Jesus had lain."('') ^^- ^latthew may be thought to record the address of the 
principal Speaker ; the same, doubtless, of whom vvc heard in verses 2 to 4. St. 
Mark says that he was " a young man, sitting on the right side, clothed in a long 
white garment. "((/) He continues to address the astonished women in the words 
which follow : 

7 And go quickly, and tell Ilis Disciples that lie is risen from the 
dead; and, behold, lie gocth before you into Galilee; there shall yc 
see Him : lo, I have told you. 

Concerning the appearance in Galilee, foretold by CnRisT,(e) — announced here 
by an Angel, — and presently promised by Himself (y) — see below the note on 
verse 10. 

8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre -with fear and great 
joy ; and did run to bring His Disciples word. 

" Since Death began from the female sex, to her first is given the seeing and an- 
nouncing the glory of the lvesurrection."(//) " Woman, who came before like an 
evil Angel to iMaii, now returns to him even as an Angel of good. "(A) 

St. Mark says that, " when Jesus was risen early, the first day of the week. He 
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils. "(0 
This then was His first appearance after His Resurrection. His second recorded 
appearance follows. But the exact order in which the subsequent appearances of 
the risen Saviour took place, (for ten, in all, are recorded :) and how the course of 
events on this, the most evenful Morning in the World's History, may most satis- 
factorily be adjusted — wo shall not here attempt to ascertain. Such in(|uiries, 
however delightful and important, (as how can the attention be possibly given to a 
worthier subject?) cannot be conducted without a minute discussion of difficulties, 
and a lengthy examination of existing opinions, which would be altogether out of 
place in a Commentary like the present. 

"I love them that love Me," saith the Loud by his prophet; "and those that 
seek Me early shall find Me."(/i) It proved so now; fur it is added, 

9 And as they went to tell His Disciples, behold, Jesus met them, 
saying, All hail. And they came and held llim by the feet and "\vor- 
shipped Him. 

"Thus their obedience to the Lord of the Sabbath, which had kept them till now 
at their homos, Imnight about that, instead of embalming a dead liody, they should 
embrace a living one:"(/) as the Sriurr had said prophetically long before, — "I 
fuund Him wliom my soul loveth: I held Him, and would not let Him go."(/w) It 
will be ol>scrved that our Lord pormitte(l, in the case of the company of Women, 
the act of love and homage whicli He had already forbidden in the case of Mary 
Magdalene, saying " 'I'ouch Me not:" the meaning of which mysterious words will 
be found assigned in the note on St. John xx. 17. 

10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell My Brethren 
that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me. 

(:) Ah St. Miilth. xii. 10: xvi. 21 : xx. 10. (n) St. Lnko xxiv. C, 7. 

{!,) St. I,ukc xxiv. 4. (r) St. .John xx. 12. (./) St. Mark .\vi. 5. 

(r) Si. Miiltli. x.\vi. 32. (/) Seu l.ilow, vcrBO 10. (./) Hilnry. 

(A) WiHiiiiiiH. (i) St. Mnrk vi. 9. (k) I'rov. viii. 17. 

(/) WiUiiuiiii. (m) Song of Sul. iii. 1. 



XXVIII.] ON ST. Matthew's gospel. 257 

See above, on ver. 7; and below, on vei-. 16. By His "Brethren," in this place, 
our Lord cannot mean exclusively His Kinsmen after the flesh; for we find that the 
Women carried the message to the Disciples, generally.(?i) It is probable that He 
speaks of the little band of Believers, under this endearing name, — being Himself 
"the first born among many Brethren.'\o) 

11 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. 

It seems then that what induced the guard to take this step was the visit of the 
women. The soldiers had ascertained that He was departed, whose sepulchre they 
had been set to watch: they had already seen His female followers make their 
appearance at "the place where the Lord lay;" indeed, the women were even now 
running towards Jerusalem with the news that Christ had risen from the dead. It 
was manifest that no time was to be lost: accordingly, "while \the womeii] ivere 
going, behold, some of the guard" hastened into the city; and thus were the first 
to bring thither the unwelcome tidings of what had so recently occurred: unless 
indeed, (which seems very likely,) those bodies of the Saints, (whose rising was 
related in the preceding chapter,) had already "gone into the Holy City, and 
appeared unto many,"(^>) It happened therefore that the very mischance which the 
high Priests had rendered impossible by setting a guard, they were obliged to bribe 
the soldiers to declare had actually taken place!(g) And why? Because they had 
to do with Him who "taketh the wise in their own craftiness ;"()•) and by whose 
Spirit it had been said prophetically, — "they have digged a pit before Me, into the 
midst whereof they are fallen themselves."(5) 

12, 13, 14 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had 
taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying. Say ye, 
His Disciples came by night, and stole Him aivay while we slept. 
And if this come to the Governor's ears, we will persuade him, and 
secure you. 

So much then for the supposed value of evidences, as they are called, for the truth 
of the Gospel. Could more unexceptionable witnesses of the Resurrection than 
these, have been imagined? Yet we see how their testimony was treated. Their 
words wrought no conviction: nay, they caused men to harden their hearts the 
more. Those wicked Rulers who heard not Moses and the Prophets, would not be 
persuaded (according to our Lord's true prophecy,) "though One rose from the 
dead."(<) — Of the soldiers meantime it is recorded, — 

15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this 
saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 

The Evangelist now proceeds with the narrative which was suspended at ver. 8 : 
but he passes over a considerable interval of time. How much, ca-nnot indeed be 
certainly ascertained ; but it was more than seven days, and less than forty. 

16 Then the eleven Disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain 
where Jesus had appointed them. 

It is quite remarkable what a prominent place the appearance of our Lord to His 
Disciples, in Galilee, occupies in St. Matthew's Gospel. It is recorded as the great 
event, — almost the only event, — after the Resurrection. Nothing else is said con- 
cerning the mysterious forty Days which followed the first Easter. The very As- 
cension of our Lord into Heaven does not obtain the slightest notice. On the other 
hand, the Angel in the Sepulchre said, "Behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; 
there shall ye see Him :"(m) — our Saviour repeated the same assurance shortly 



n) See St. Luke xxiv. 9, 10. (o) Rom. viii. 29. 

2^) St. Matth. xxvii. 53: where see the note. 

q) Compare St. Matth, xxvii. 64, with ver. 13 of the present chapter. 
r) Job V. 13. (s) Ps. Ivii. 6. («) St. Luke xvi. 31. 

(m) See above, ver. 7. 

17 



258 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

after, — "Go tell My Brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see 
Me:"(jr) — and the sacred narrative hastens on to relate that "then the eleven Dis- 
ciples went away into GalHne, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them." 
In fact this meeting, which was of our Lurd's express appointment, must be 
regarded as an event uf unusual dignity and importance; having Ijcen the subject 
of distinct prophecy, (.'/) — as indeed it waa the only appearance which our Saviour 
is recorded to have foretold. 

"Here therefore He is now, with His glorified Body, where he had been so often 
in His Humiliation. It wuuld seem to indicate that human sympathies and natural 
attachments were still CKisting in the condescensions of our risen Lord. It is as if 
He took to Himself and hallowed such natural sympathies of humanity. As, in St. 
John's Gospel, He is found at the accustomed Lake with a few chosen Disciples,(2) 
so is Ho now amung the Mountains, where He had so often been with them before; 
and with the people, as before, gathered around Him and them.''(«) For it cannot 
be doubted that this was that appearance to •' above five hundred brethren at once," 
of which the Apostle Paul speaks in a well-known place. (/^) 

Which Mountain this was, is not known; neither can it be declared tchen our 
Blessed Lord appointed it to the Disciples at the place where He would meet them. 
A promise that, after His Resurrection, He would go before His little dock into 
Galilee, we have indeed lately met with:(r) and when He made that promise, He 
may have also fixed the actual scene of their future meeting: or the Angel who 
addressed the women in the sepulchre, may have spoken more words than are 
recorded in ver. 7 above, and have designated the exact locality where it was the 
will of their risen Lord to manifest Himself to their longing eves. The entire 
transaction however, as already observed, evidently belongs to a period much sub- 
sequent to the Day of the Resurrection. 

17 And when they saw Ilim, they worshipped Him : hut some 
doubted. 

Not some of the "eleven Disciples," of course. Of them, it is expressly recorded 
that "when they saw \l\m, tlieij worshipped Him." The last words of the verse 
should in fact rather be translated "but others doubted;" others, namely, of those 
five hundred brethren, and upwards, who were doubtless present on this occasion. ((^) 

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given 
unto Me in Heaven and in Earth. 

"The first of the sayings of the great forty days, is that which asserts the Royalty 
of our Blessed Lord Himself. It is the first in place, for it occurs as the first in the 
first of the Evangelists; and it is the first also in its own proper order and meaning: 
for, from the Royalty of Christ, the existence of the Church, with all her powers, 
privileges, and hopes, is directly derived. As a King, He founded His Kingdom: 
as a King, He commissioned His Ministers: as a King. He laid out the limits and 
constitution of His Kingdom, according to His own will. . . . Let it, then, be ob- 
served, that this Royalty is first fully given in the Resurrection: ' And Jesus came 
and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Mo in Heaven and in 
Earth.' "(.) 

Thus was the prophecy of Daniel fulfilled, that there should "be given Him Do- 
minion, and (ilory, and a Kingdom, that all jieople, nations, and languages, should 
serve Him."( /') All that Satan had once oflered Him on the condition of sinful 
compliance, ('/) was now His own bt/ rii/ht, — a part only of His great "inheri- 
tance;"(/') smd whicli he surveys, as at the Temptation He did, from "a Moun- 
tain;" — and yet, not (as it would appear) from the mountain in Galilee. 

"All power is r/ircn unto Me," — saith our Saviour Christ. "Now. a dominion 
thus imparted, given, derived, or bestowed, cannot bo that which liclongeth unto 
God, as (Jod, founded in the Divine Nature; because whatsoever is such, is absolute 
and independent. Wherefore His Lordship thus imparted or acquired appcrtainetli 

(t\ Soc above, vcr. 10. (y) St. Mntth. xxvi. .'52. (z) St. .Tdhn x.\i. 1, Ac. 

(a\ Williams. (b) 1 Cor. ,xv. 0. (r) St. Matth. xxvi. 32. 

fd) Sec 1 Cor. XV. 6: rofcrrod to above, in tbo note on vcr. 10. 
r) Moberly. ( /") Dan. vii. It. (</) Sec St, Matth. iv. S. 9. 

(A) Consider Pa. ii. 8: St. John iii. 35: Horn. viii. 17: Hob. i. 2. 



XXVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 259 

to the Human Nature, and belongeth to our Saviour as the Son of Man. . . . This 
dominion thus given unto Christ in His Human Nature 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 Kesurrection. For though it be true that 
"Jesus knew,' before His death, ' that the Father had given all things into His 
Hands ;' yet it is observable that in the same place it is written, that He likewise 
knew 'that He was come from God, and went to God-/ and part of that power He 
received when He came from God, — with part He was invested when he went to 
God: the first, to enable Him, — the second, not only so, but also to reward Him. 
'For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord 
both of the dead and living.'(i) After His Resurrection, He said to His Disciples, 
'All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth.' 'He drank of the brook in 
the way, therefore He hath lifted up His Head.' (A) Because, 'He humbled Him- 
self, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross, therefore God 
also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every 
Name."'(Z) 

By virtue of this entire authority, therefore, which he was at liberty to delegate 
how, and when, and to whomever He would, the Holy One proceeds to give to His 
Eleven Apostles their great Charge and Commission ; — 

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 : 

"Rather, — "and make disciples of all nations, by baptizing them." In which 
words, the largeness of the Apostles' Commission is first to be observed, — not con- 
fined, as formerly to "the lost sheep of the House of Israel ;"(»i) but wide as the 
World. 

Next, the necessity of Holy Baptism in order to becoming Christ's Disciple, and 
therefore to Salvation, is to be noticed, as clearly implied in the very terms of our 
Lord's Commission to His Apostles, That the Baptism of Infants no less than that 
of Adults was intended by the Divine Speaker, is abundantly plain from the testi- 
mony of Scripture and of Antiquity: but a convincing argument is supplied by the 
established usage of the Jews themselves with respect to children. It is a striking 
fact that the Baptism of Infants no less than of full-grown proselytes, was constantly 
practised. Our Lord made no express mention of Infants therefore, when He 
charged the Apostles to make Disciples by Baptism ; because express mention was 
superfluous in the case of the persons whom He was addressing. 

" From this sacred form of Baptism," says Bishop Pearson, " did the Church de- 
rive the rule of Faith ; requiring the profession of belief in the Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, — before any could be baptized in their Name." 

It might indeed be thought by unlearned persons, from the frequent mention (in 
the Acts) of baptizing " in the name of the LORD JESUS,"(n) that the form of 
words prescribed by our Saviour was not invariably observed by His Apostles. 
But besides that the testimony of all Antiquity establishes the direct contrary of 
this, it is observable from the very tenor of Scripture itself that it must be a mis- 
take to entertain such an opinion. When the disciples of Ephesus, in reply to 
St. Paul's inquiry — " Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" made 
answer, " We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost," the 
Apostle is found straightway to have rejoined — " Unto what then were ye bap- 
tized ?" " intimating," as the learned writer last quoted, remarks, " that if they 
were baptized according to the rule of Christ, they could not be ignorant that there 
is an Holy Ghost ;" since they must perforce have been baptized into His Name. 
They made answer, — " Unto John's Baptism." Whereupon, it is straightway 
added — " they were baptized i7i tJie name of the LORD JESUS."(o) 

" The power of governing the Church which our Lord left with his Apostles and 
their successors, to the end of the world, (but so that He, according to his promise, 
is always present with them at the execution of it,) — follows : for here, our Lord 
gives commission not only to baptize, but likewise to teach those who are His Dis- 
ciples, to observe whatsoever He had commanded. Whereby the persons whom He 
addressed, and their successors after them, are empowered both to declare what are 

(i) Rom. xiv. 9. (k) Ps. ex. 7. 

[l) Phil. ii. 8, 9. See also Ephes. i. 20, 21. The qviotation is from Bp. Pearson. 

(m) St. Matth. x. 6, 6. (n) See Acts ii. 38 : viii. 16 : x. 48 : xix. 5, (o) Acts xix. 1 to 5. 



2G0 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

those commands of Cdrist which men ought to observe, — and also to use all means 
to prevail on men to observe them."(i^) 

20 teaching thcra to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
manded you : 

All nations therefore arc to be made Disciples of CnniST. " And this is to be 
done in twu ways; first, by l(a])tizin<i tbcni in the Name of the Father, the Sox, 
and the IIolv CiiiosT, anj so briiiginj; them into the Church ; secondh^, liy teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever Ciiiust hath commanded: that so they may 
be His Disciples indeed ; and not only outwardly profess the Faith which lie hath 
taught, but likewise sincerely obey all the commands which lie hath enjoined. "(7) 

It may be jirosumiMl therefore that our Loun, — specially during those great forty 
days, during which He is said to have " spoken of the things pertaining to the 
Kingdom of GoD,"(r) — gave commandment to His Apostles concerning the future 
constitution, government, and instruction of His Church ; and to these conunands 
He may be thought here particularly to allude. Such a rite as Confirmation, He 
may be thought to have now ordained, — which we find presently enjoying Apos- 
tolic sanction. (a) Such an institution as the Holy Order of Deacons, He may be 
thought to have now appointe<l, which is observed immediately afterwards to arise.(/) 
Those Doctrines and Divine Truths He may be thought to have now set forth, which 
the Apostolical Epistles lay down, and enforce, and explain. 

But of what avail was this great Commission, unless power and authority were 
at the same time given, which should enable those who were sent to fulfill their 
errand? "Who am I, that I should go unt(j Pharaoh, and tliat I should bring forth 
the children of Israel out of Egypt ?"(«) was the remonstrance of Moses of old: 
" and therefore, as (Jod answered Moses, saying, ' Certainly I will be with thee ;'(-r) 
so does our Saviour here encourage IHs Apostles, adding,"^/) 

and lo, I am with you alway, evc7i unto the end of the "World. Amen. 

He says, " Lo I" — for every word which follows is weighty and important. " I," 
the Eternal Sox, — who have all power in Heaven and Earth committed to Me, — 
"/am with you." Not " I will be with you f but " I am with you:" reminding 
them thereby of His Divine Essence and Power, to which all things are present. 
And therefore, as He elsewhere said, "Before Abraham was, I am, "(2) so here He 
says, " I am with you at all times, to the end of the World, as really as at this pre- 
sent :"(a) — which last words were added, "lest, when tlie inspired Apostles died, 
their imperfect and uninspired successors should, in the midst of the strife of 
worldly tongues, and the abundance of sin, be tempted to doubt whether the mys- 
terious delegation, with all its sacred powers, were continued to them. ''(/;) 

Thus speaks our Kinnianuel, that is, " Gon with us ;" (for He hath " dwelt among 
us ;"{<•) xxnii when 1\q <l{i\);.\.T{G<\. from the Earth, He said to His l)isciples that He 
would be with them for ever:) — thus does He promise to abide eternally with His 
Church. On a former occasion, to St. Peter, He sealed His speech concerning that 
Church with a powerful promise, — namely, that " the gates of Hell sliall not pre- 
vail against it."((/) On this occasion, He adds a promise to the like effect, — " And 
lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the World." " The former of these 
promises assures us 01 the continuance of the Church because it is built upcm a 
lvock:f/) the latter givcth not only an assurance of the continuance of the Church, 
but also the cause of that continuance, which is the presence of Christ. (/') 

" In short, our Saviour here promises his Apostles that he will always be with 
them to tlie end of the World, by His IIoi.v Spirit accomjianying and assisting 
thciii in the discharge of their Apostolical Office : .... which amounts to nothing 
less than this; even that (^hkist, liaving constituted such an (ifficc in his Church, 
for the govcnnnent and edification of it to the end of the World, here promiseth 
that He liiniself, by his Holy SriitiT, will be always present at the execution of 

(/)) Bcvcridgc. {<i) Hcvcridpc. (r) \p\.» i. .T. 

») Acts viii. 6 to 17 : xix. 1 to 6. I'otiHidcr al!<<i Ilcb. vi. 1, 2. (I) Act." vi. 1 to 0. 

11) E.xocl. iii. 11. (j-) Exod. iii. 12: iv. 12, 15, Ac. (i/) HcvcriJgc. 



(j) St. .John viii. b^. («) From liitilio|i Uuvuridgc. Ui) Mfdicrlv. 

(c) Sec St. John i. 1-1. ('/) St. Miiith. xvi. 18. 

(e) Sec the nolo on St. Muttbcw vii. 25. (/) Lishoi) I'carBon. 



XXVIII.] ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 261 

tlaat office, so as to make it effectual to the great ends and purposes for -which it 
was designed." ((/) 

Such is, doubtless, the primary purport and intention of our Saviour's promise. 
It was addressed to those whom He set over his Family and his Household ; and is 
the Charter of all their successors for ever. This promise gives them Confidence as 
well as Authority. In the Name of Christ, they act; and their acts are valid 
because they are done in, and through, and by Him. ... At the same time, these 
words are in another and inferior, but still in a real sense, the common property of 
every member of that Society, and will remain so, " even unto the end of the 
World." The Blessed Speaker says more than that he is with us " always :" in the 
text, He declares that he is with us " every day," — or rather, " all [our] days :" 
by which words the gracious assurance seems to be conveyed that the Holy One 
and True will be the support and strength, alike of shepherd and of sheep, in all 
those many unforeseen trials to which " the days of the years of man's life" are 
exposed : those cares of which St. Paul speaks, and of which he felt the weighty 
burden, because, as he confesses, they came upon him daily :{h) — those petty trials 
and private griefs again, which are the common heritage of all ; and which, though 
little in themselves, yet become great, because according to our Lord's true predic- 
tion, they are of daily occurrence. (i) 

And this promise, as it is the ground of all a Christian's confidence in Life, so is 
it the very rod and staff of his soul, in the hour of Death likewise. " Though I 
walk through the valley of the shadow of Death," says the Psalmist, " I will fear 
no evil — for Thou art ivith meP\k) 

" Christ promised his presence to the Apostles ' until the end of the "World ;' 
w7io ever made so unhappy a construction as to infer from thence, that for ever 
after, He would he absent from them ?"(/) Assuredly, not only during these the days 
of their warfare, but hereafter also, when they shall wear crowns in Heaven, it will 
be the bliss of the Saints to be " all their days" in the presence of their Lord : to 
exchange the assurance that He is with tJiem, for the blessed consciousness that 
tJiey are with Him: to behold His face, and to " see the King in His Beauty."(m) 
" Thou wilt show me the path of Life : in Thy presence is the fullness of joy ; and 
at Thy right Hand there is pleasure for evermore." (?i) 

(g) Beveridge. (h) 2 Cor. xi. 28. (i) St. Luke ix. 23. 

{!•) Psalm xxiii. 4. [I) Bp. Pearson, — referring to St. Matth. i. 25, where see the note. 

(m) Isaiah sxxiii. 17. (n) Psalm xvi. 11. 



THE PRAYER. 

Grant, we beseech Tliee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe 
Thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into 
the heavens ; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and 
with Him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the 
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. 



A PLAIN COMMENTARY 



ON 



THE FOUR HOLY GOSPELS. 



ST. MARK 



CHAPTEH I. 



1 The office of John the Baptist. 9 Jesus is baptized. 12 Tempted. 14 Ee preach- 
eth. 16 Calleth Peter, Andrew, .Tames, and John. 23 Healeth one that had a devil. 
29 Peter'' s mother-in-law. 32 Many diseased persons. 41 And cleanseth the leper. 

A VERY ancient tradition relates that St. Mark derived the materials of his Gos- 
pel, (under the Holy Spirit,) from the communications of St. Peter the Apostle; 
with whom he is thought to have resided at Rome. What is remarkable, scarcely 
ever is St. Peter spoken of, but something is said or omitted which in no way can 
be so well accounted for, as by supposing that the sacred Narrative was, in some 
way, influenced by his dictation. But a circumstance of yet greater interest, is, 
the minute and vivid, painter-like manner in which this Evangelist handles every 
incident in the Life of his Lord and ours. In fact, the Gospel of St. Mark, though 
the shortest of all, is more minute, graphic, and particular, than any of the others. 

If any, therefore, do inquire the reason of the sentence prefixed to the present 
Gospel, — " It shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey,"(«) — let them know, that the 
delight of seeking for instances of the peculiarity just noticed, in the present Gos- 
pel, suggested the choice of a motto which should imply that the sacred narrative 
would be found to possess a wondrous sweetness of its own, — sweetness beyond 
that of " honey, or the honey-comb." 

1, 2 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God; 
as it is written in the Prophets, Behoh.l, I send My Messenger before 
Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 

Observe that the end of the Old Testament, is "the beginning" of the New. These 
words are found in Malachi iii. 1. 

" For now the Gospel began to dawn," says Bp. Taylor, " and John was like the 
morning-star, or the blushings which spring from the windows of the East : fore- 
telling the approach of the Sun of Ptighteousness." The Ministry of St. John 
Baptist is "the Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Consider St. Luke svi. 
16 ; and see the note on St. Luke i. 22. 

3 The Voice of one crying in the Wilderness, Prepare ye the way 
of the Lord, make His paths straight. 

The words are found in Isaiah xl. 3. The Evangelist adds the words of the older, 
to those of the later Prophet ; showing thereby that there is the most perfect har- 
mony and consent between them. 

(a) Rev. X. 9. 



2G4 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

See the note on St. Matthew iii. 3, uuJ on St. John i. 23. The note on St. Luke 
iii. C, may be also read. 

4 John did baptize in tlie Wilderness, and preach the Baptism of 
Repentance for the Remission of sins. 

The reader is referred to the notes on St. Matthew iii. 1, 2. 

5 And there went out unto him all the laud of Judnca, and they of 
Jerusalem, 

"By tlie great reputation of his sanctity," says the pious writer already quoted, 
"he prevailed upun tlio all'ections and jud<;uieut of tlie people, who, with much 
ease believed his doctrine when they had reason to approve his life: for the good 
exuniplo of the Preacher is always the most prevailing homil}'; his life is his best 
sermon." 

See a long note on this subject, on St. Matthew iii. G. 

and were all baptized of him in the River of Jordan, confessing their 
sins. 

The Jews, whenever they made Gentile proselytes, — whether male or female, 
adults or children, — iuvarial)ly l.iaj)ti/cd them; to which Avell-known practice of the 
nation, our Bles.«;ed Lord referred in His farewell charge to His Disciplcs.(/>) The 
Forerunner, by the general Baptism of the Nation, here described, taught them 
that they had so entirely forsaken their dut}', so far fallen short of tlic holiness 
which God required of them, that the}' were in His sight no better than strangers, 
and heathens. Tliey were, therefore, "to be treated as themselves received gentile 
proselytes, by a Baptism and a new state of life ; before they could be lit for the 
reception of the Messias, or be admitted to His Kingdom." 

6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a 
skin about his loins ; and he did eat locusts and Avild honey ; 

A statement which seems almost copied from St. Matthew iii. 4, where see a long 
note. It is certain that St. Mark wrote his Gospel with that of St. Matthew lying 
open before him. 

7, 8 and preached, saying, There cometh One mightier than I after 
me, the latciict of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop do^vn and un- 
loose. I indeed have baptized you with Water : but He shall baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost. 

The reader is again referred to the notes on St. Matthew's Gospel, — iii. 11. — The 
notes on St. Luke iii. IG, and St. John i. 27, may be also read. 

9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth 
of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 

"Our LoKi) was baptized," says an ancient Bishon, "not that llo might be 
cleansed by the waters, but to cleanse them: that, bcnig purified by the Hosh of 
Christ, who knew no sin, they might possess the power of Baptism." 

In the wnrils ufii great living AVriter, — "The sinless Loud underwent ceremonial 
rites, to which notliiiig but '.he defilement of human sin gave beinjz; or sigiiificancy, 
— because, as He himself declared, it became Him even thus to fulhll all Righteous- 
ness, to discharge the <lcl»t of uur sinful race, and thus commence His cxcnqilar of 
perfect obedience as Man." 

See the note im St. Matthew iii. 1.'. : and read, if you please, the notes on versos 
14 and If) likewise. The statement tiiat Our lioui) came "from Xazardh" to be 
ba[>ti/.cd, is peculiar to the present Gosjud. 

10, 11 And straightway coming up out of the water He saw the 
Heavens opened, and the Spirit like a Dove descending upon Ilini; 

(6) St. Matthew xxviii. 10. 



!•] 



ON ST. mark's gospel. 265 



and there came a Voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art My beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

A voice from Heaven is heard at the Baptism of Curist, when He was about to 
begin His Ministry : at the Transfiguration :(c) and immediately before the last 
Passover, when our Lord's Ministry had come to its close. (cZ) 

Concerning the Baptism of Christ, the reader will do well to consult the notes 
on St. Matthew iii. 16 and 17 ; as well as those on St. Luke iii. 22. See also on 
St. John i. 34. 

12 And immediately 

Temptation follows, in the case of our Lord, " immediately." " Let none there- 
fore of His followers, think to go free. If you mean to follow Christ, reckon to 
meet temptations even at first, and so in all the way. Unwise, to put to sea and 
expect no storms; nothing but fair weather!" — So far. Archbishop Leighton: 
whose words recall that saying in Ecclesiasticus, — " My Son, if thou come to serve 
the LoRX), prepare thy soul for Temptation." (e) 

the Spirit driveth Him into the Wilderness. 

This, then, is the first event recorded after the Baptism. That the Enemy of 
souls should desire to possess himself of the house " swept and garnished," — is only 
what we are led, from other parts of Scripture, to expect.C/") See the notes on St, 
Matthew iv. 1, and St. Luke iv. 1. 

It has been excellently observed by one of our greatest Divines, — " The Sacra- 
ments and other institutions of Religion do not secure against the approach of 
Temptation; they are rather advances in the Enemy's Kingdom, which provoke 
His reprisal and attack ; and the trials against which the faithful, thus prepared, 
have to strive are no proof that they are without the Holv Spirit, but the contra- 
ry." The Saviour Himself is declared to have been actually " led" to the scene of 
His mysterious conflict, " by the Spirit." Now " as many as are led by the Spirit 
of God," says St. Paul, "they are the sons of God."(5') 

"Driveth Him," here, implies no violence. The word does but describe the gentle 
guidance of a Shepherd, — as in St. John s. 4, where the same word is employed : 
a different word and a different expression altogether, from that which is found in 
St. Luke viii. 29. 

13 And He was there in the Wilderness forty days, tempted of 
Satan ; 

Our Blessed Lord was tempted for forty days : but the great encounter, wherein 
He vanquished His Adversary, belongs (as St. Luke especially notices,) to the last 
of those days. 

Goliath, in like manner, drew near to the Camp of Israel, "morning and even- 
ing, and presented himself forty days :"(h) but the conflict with David was on the 
last day. Our Lord's great ancestor, who was also His most remarkable type, then 
took from His enemy "his armour wherein he trusted, and spoiled his goods. "(») 

Take notice that the Captain of our Salvation overcame the Enemy with three 
several texts of Scripture. Those places, therefore, are as "smooth stones" which 
He gathered out of this "brook in the way." — David "chose h\m Jive." It was 
because the lords of the Philistines were so many.(/c) David's Son chooses Him 
three: because so many are the great divisions of human Sin ;(Z) — so many were 
the assaults which He had to encounter. 

and was with the wild beasts ; and the Angels ministered unto Him. 

This language might serve to describe the fate of the "man greatly beloved," in 
the den of lipns. See the Book of the Prophet Daniel,— vi. 16 and 22. 

St. Mark is the only Evangelist who notices that the scene of our Saviour's —  
like the scene of Adam's— Temptation, caused Him to be "with the wild beasts." 

(c) St. Matth. xvii. 5. (c?) St. John xii. 28. (e) Eccles. ii. 1. 

(/) St. Matth. xii. 43. St. Luke xi. 24. (</) Rom. viii. 14. 

(h) 1 Sam. xvii. 16. [{) Compare St. Luke xi. 22, with 1 Sam. xvii. 54. 

{k) 1 Samuel vi. 4, &c. (l) 1 St. John ii. 16. 



260 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

The concluding heavenly notice corresponds, doubtless, with St. Matthew's ac- 
count of what occurred wlien the Temptation was ended. "Then the Devil leav- 
eth Him ; and, behold, An;^ols camo and ministered unto IIim."("0 

Thus brietiy then does St. Marii dismiss our Lord's Temptation in the Wilder- 
ness ; in its nature, perhaps, the most mysterious, — in its consequences, the most 
mumentous, — transaction recorded in the Gospel of Cukist. The reader is referred 
to the notes on St. Mattiiew, ch. iv. 1 to 11, and on St. Luke, ch. iv. 1 to 13, (where 
the Temptation is recorded mire fully,) for sc^me remarks on the subject. 

in this pUice it shall be only further pointed out that the mo.st entire reality of 
Temptation does not imply, of necessity, the least degree of Sinfulness in him who 
is the subject of it. Adam was tempted while in a state of Grace: and the beloved 
Disciple says of the Second Adam, whose Temptation is here recorded, — "In Ilim 
is no Sin."{n) The very instincts of that human nature which our Lord entirely 
assumed, make P/casure, an object of desire; and J'uin, an object of dread: and 
whenever the prospect of the former, to be earned as the price of disobedience to 
God's Will, — or of the latter, to be incurred as the penalty of submission to it, — is 
presented to the rational soul, — just so often does Man incur Tenijitation, in the 
strictest sense of the word. Only then is he sinful, when he accepts the Pleasure or 
refuses the Pain. 

And of the nature above described was the Temptation of our Blessed SAVioim. 
St. James lias indeed said that "a man is tempted when he is chaini aicaij of his 
own lust, and cnticed:"(y) but this description applies to man's J'alhn nature ; and is 
clearly not applicable to our Lord, — any more than to our first Parents while they 
were yet in Paradise. Adam was created upright: and our Lord came "m the 
likeness" only, "of sinful flesh. "(p) The first, after his Fall, lusted to evil, 
doubtless: but the second retained His innocency, and nerer fell. In i/i?H, there- 
fore. Sin had not any place, nor could have. 

Yet must the display of such perfect virtue, on the part of the Son of Man, have been 
attended with difficulty, as we may most humlily and reverently assume. Of this fact, 
the later scenes of Ilis mortal history are useful to convince us; as when the Son 
submitted His own Human Will, not without pangs of keenest agony, to the Will 
of the Fatiirr.('/) And wo may not fail to remember that the perfection of Human 
Nature in Him must have heightened in Ilis case every trial, — rendered more acute 
every suffering to which, for us men and for our Salvation, He condescended to 
submit. 

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galileo, 

The Header is referred to a long note on St. Matthew iv. 12. 

What a mighty consolation is contained in this brief statement! IIow solemn a 
warning against despondency, to the end of Time I — "John was put in prison:" 
men's liopes became clouded : on all those who had Hocked to his Baptism, and 
listcneil to his ]>reacliing, on the banks of Jordan, the sun seemed to have set for 
ever: the very Disciples who had waited u])iin him, (as we rcael in St. John's first 
chapter, verses 37 to 42,) had returned to their nets. But, "when John was put 
in prison, — JESUS came info Galilee!" — God hath wonderful consolations in store 
for those who love Him. He can do for us beyond all that we can ask or think. 
When one instrument is removed, He can provide another. When luimau hopes 
are withdrawn. Divine comforts appear. Heaven begins where Karth ends. 

The Header may, if he pleases, read the notes on St. Matthew iv. 17. 

15 prcachin;^ the Gospel of the Kin^i^dom of GoD, and saying, The 
time is fuHilled, and the Kingdom of GuD is at hand: repent ye, and 
believe the Gospel. 

16 Now as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, 

This Lake, — which, in the Old Testament, is spoken of as "the Sea of Chinno- 
reth,"(r) — in the New, is sometimes calleil "the Lake of 'l'iberias;"(.v) sometimes, 
"the Lake of Gennesarct ;"(/) .sometimes, "the Sea of Galilee." At its North- 

m) 1 SI. .J..hn iv. 11. (m) 1 Si. .T.ihn iii. 5. (") St. Jninc" i. TtS. 

li) Uoiiian.s viii..'.. ('/)St. Malt. xxvi. 39, 42, 44, — comimrcJ with St. Lukoxxii. 11 to 44. 

r) Nuinlicr!! xxxiv. 11. Joshua xiii. 27. 
(.) St. John xxi. 1. (0 St. Luke v. 1. 



I.] ON ST. mark's gospel. 267 

Western extremity, stood the town of Capernaum ; (m) so that this Lake proved the 
scene of many of the miracles, many of the parables, and many of the Discourses 
of our Lord. Travellers describe it as a sheet of water of singular interest and 
beauty ; in length about sixteen miles, and in breadth, about eight. It is surrounded 
by mountains; and, like other mountain-lakes, is subject to storms -which, (in the 
words of a recent Traveller,) make it hoil with violence. In repose, its waters 
assume a grey, leaden hue. 

17, 18 He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the 
sea : for thej were Fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after 
Me, and I will make you to become Fishers of men. And straightway 
they forsook their nets, and followed Him. 

Leighton remarks upon it, — "This was as Elijah's touch to Elisha: 'What have 
I done to thee?'(x) Did our hearts once hear His voice, net would not entangle us, 
nor cables bind us. No friends, nor parents, nor business would hold us. We 
should break from all, yea, should break from all to follow Him." 

19, 20 And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James 
the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship 
mending their nets. And straightway He called them: and they left 
their Father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after 
Him. 

For several remarks on every part of this incident, the Reader is referred to the 
notes on St. Matthew iv. 18 to 22. What has been there so fully commented on, 
may be passed by, in silence, here: for the words of the two Evangelists in 
describing the Transaction, are alviost, (though by no means quite,) the same. For 
instance, the mention of the "hired servants," in ver. 20, is peculiar to the present 
Gospel; and it suggests two remarks: 1st. that we are not to think too meanly of 
the temporal condition of these first followers of the Lamb: 2nd. that Zebedee was 
not left alone, when his sons, at the call of Christ, left his side. 

St. Luke has related the call of the four Disciples in a very different manner. 
Compare St. Luke v. 1 to 11, — and see the notes there. 

21, 22 And they went into Capernaum ; and straightway on the 
Sabbath day He entered into the Synagogue, and taught. xVnd they 
were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had 
authority, and not as the Scribes. 

The self-same words recur in St. Matthew vii. 28, — where see the note. They 
are descriptive, in that place, of the effect which our Saviour's teaching produced on 
those who listened to the Sermon on the Mount. Take notice, that they are imme- 
diately followed by a cluster of miracles (in the 8th and 9th chapters of St. Mat- 
thew's Gospel,) as if to show that His mighty Words were immediately confirmed 
by His mighty Works, — " signs following," more wondrous even than the Discourse 
to which they bore witnesss. And so it is in this place: for observe what follows. 

23 And there was in their Synagogue a man with an unclean Spirit ; 

Not even the sanctity of the congregation deters the unclean Spirit. He ventures 
even there ! 

24 And he cried out. Saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do 
with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us ? 

What wonder that the unclean Spirit should thus cry out, — with words of hate, 
and almost of defiance? AVere not these cures so many victorious inroads which the 
Stronger than the strong(y) was daily making into the Kingdom of Darkness, — bold 
invasions of "the strong man's palace," — foretastes of a strife which was never to 

(m) St. Matth. iv. 13, and note there. {x) 1 Kings xix. 20. {y) St. Luke xi. 21, 22. 



2G8 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

ceftse until lie ayIio is "Mighty to save" should have "put all enemies under Ilis 

feet?"(z) 

"Let us alone: what have we to do with Tliee?" — says the unelean Sjiirit; as if 
conscious that the couinu>n dan<^er ot' all liis race was approaching. And again, — 
'Art Thou come to destroy ma/" — which words further suggest not only "a certain 
fearful looking for of judgment," (as the Apostle speaks,)(«) but an expectation 
and a belief like that which we profess in the Tc Jkum: — "We believe that Thou 
shalt cuine to be our Judge." 

On the appellation — "Jesl's of Nazareth," sec the last note on St. Luke iv. 34. 
For further remarks on this Miracle, the Header is referred to all the notes on the 
last-named place. 

I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God. 

"(uiK is a Spirit. "('') Accordingly, the "World of Spirits, — or rather, the iico 
Worlds, Heaven and Hell, — have already freely acknowledged their Lord and King; 
the one, in songs of rapture, (c) — the other, with cries of despair. Man is more slow 
to recognize "the King in Ilis Beauty"((/) under that thick disguise. "He was in 
the AVorld; and tiie World was made by Him:" and yet, "the World knew 
Him not !"((â– ) 

See the notes on the last half of St. Luke iv. 34. 

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out 
of him. 

See the iirst note on St. Luke iv. 35 : — and observe that it is not here, "ilie 
LOlilJ rebuke thee!" as when "Michael the Archangel, contending with the Devil, 
disputed about the body of Moses ;'\J) but a direct rebuke, administered in His 
own Name. 

26 And when the unclean Spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud 
voice, he came out of him. 

Behold the last act of defeated malice! The unclean spirit may not speak. 
Christ hath already chained up his tongue h-imx uttering tcords. But a yell 
of ilespair ho may yet pour forth, — and tlial he straightway does, " icitli a loud voice." 

Neither may he any longer occupy his human dwelling-place. Christ hath set his 
miserable bondsman free. But to convulse and rend the frame which he may no 
longer dcKle witli his presence, — thai is still in his power. Accordingly, he tears 
him: ami, (as St. Luke records,) t/trows him in the midst, before he submits to the 
sentence from which there is no reprieve. 

Sec the last note on St. Luke iv. 35. 

27, 28 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned 
among themselves, saying, What thing is this ? what new doctrine is this? 
for with authority commandctli He even the unclean spirits, and they 
do obey llim. And immediately Ilis fame spread abroad throughout all 
the region round about Galilee. 

29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they 
entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 

It is called "Peter's house" Ity St. Matthew,— viii. 14; where see the note. 
Some remarks on this miracle will also bo found in the notes on St. Luke iv. 30. 

30 But Simon's Wife's Mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they 
tell Him of her. 

Christ needed not to bo told of this suffering inmate of Simon's House; neither 
does He need to bo told of our necessities. He knows tliem all before we ask, as 
well as our ignorance in asking: l)ut He rfijuires us, all the same, to make our 

(0 1 Cor. XV. 25. (n) Hebrews X. 27. ^i) St. J<ilm iv. 21. 

('•) St. Luke ii. 13, 11. (./) iHiiiiili xxxiii. 17. (') St. John i. 10. 

(/) St. Judo vcr. 9. 



!•] 



ON ST. mark's gospel. 269 



needs the subject of Prayer, — "to ask" in order that it may "be given" unto us. 
And the same lesson is taught us by the present incident; for it was not until 
" they besought Him for her," as St. Luke declares, (iv. 38,) that He wrought the 
wondrous cure which the Evangelist j^roceeds to describe. 

31 And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up ; 

" In Him was Life l"{g) and to be so " lifted up" by Him, was to be filled, anew, 
with Health and Vigour. The dying flame was re-kindled ; for the lamp had been 
replenished at the very Fountain of Life. 

St. Luke here supplies a striking circumstance which the other Evangelists omit. 
See St. Luke iv. 39 and the note there. 

and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 

Take notice, therefore, that here was a double miracle. Not only had the fever 
been driven away by His Almighty word, but the wasted and enfeebled frame had 
been braced with new vigour ; for we read that she " ministered unto them," — that 
is, probably, waited upon the blessed company while they partook of their mid-day 
meal. Restoration to health by any ordinary means would not have enabled Simon's 
Mother-in-law to do this. We all know that it fares far otherwise with a patient on 
the first recovery from fever. 

Other instances of a double miracle are supplied by, — the first miraculous draught 
of fishes, when the net brake,(/;) and yet the fish were retained: — the man born 
blind, who was not only blessed with the gift of sight,(ii') but also with the use of 
his eyes : — the stilling of the storm, when not only the wind ceased to rage, but the 
waters of the lake were reduced to a state of "great calm. "(A) — Thus, also, when 
the Widow of Nain's Son was raised from death, he "began to speak:"{l) — while 
the daughter of Jairus, not only "arose and walked," but required "that something 
should be given her to eat."{m') 

And surely a great lesson is taught us by all this ! Not only are we reminded 
hereby that His ways are not like man's ways ; but anxious thoughts are repressed, 
while we perceive that all His works are perfect : — that He can not only expel ca- 
lamity, but remove its consequences also ; and provide a double remedy as often as 
a double remedy is required. 

32 And at even when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all 
that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 

The two preceding miracles were performed on the Sabbath-day : see verses 21 
and 29. " At even, when the sun did set," the Jewish Sabbath came to a close, 
and the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath began. («) The people availed 
themselves of this moment, therefore, to bring their sick, (an act which would have 
been deemed a profanation of the Sabbath,) into the presence of the Great Physi- 
cian : — a lively emblem of the great purpose to which that day was to be hereafter 
consecrated, — namely, to the special supply of spiritual needs, and the cure of 
spiritual ailments. 

33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 

" The door," — that is, the door of St. Peter's house: the door so well known to 
him who supplied St. Mark with materials for his Gospel ! See the note at the 
beginning of the present chapter. Compare St. Mark ii. 2, and St. Matthew, ix. 10. 

34 And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast 
out many devils ; and suflered not the devils to speak, because they 
knew Him. 

See the notes on St. Luke iv. 34. 

35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went 
out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 

((/) St. John i. 4. (/() St. Luke v. 6. (0 St. John ix.7. 

(A-) St. Matth. viii. 26. [l) St. Luke vii. 15. (;u) St. Mark v. 42, 43. 

()i) See Leviticus xxiii. 32, and compare Nehemiah xiii. 19. 



270 A PLAIN COMMENTAnY [CHAP. 

36, 37, 38 And Simon and they that were with Ilim followed after 
nim. And when they had found Ilini, they said unto Him, All men 
seek for Thee. And He said unto them, Let us go into the next 
towns, that I may preach there also : for therefore came I forth. 

Observe how much more particularly all this is related by St. Mark than by St. 
Luke, — iv. 42, 43. Kcmomber the first note on the present chapter. 

39 And He preached in their Synagogues throughout all Galilee, 
and cast out devils. 

See the note on St. Luke iv. 44. He preached, — " for therefore came He forth." 
The " Sower went forth to sow His Seed !" 

40 And there came a Leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling 
down to Him, and sa3'ing unto Him, If Thou wilt. Thou canst make 
me clean. 

St. Mark alone it is, who describes this attitude of the Leper. From St. Luke's 
Gospel, (v. 12,) we learn that he also " fell on his face." His speech is a very 
touching one. It implies a prayer ; yet, in reality, nothing is asked. It is rather 
a profes:<ion of perfect Faitli, and a humljlc " T/ii/ AVill be done." Let us learn 
from his words, says an ancient, to commit all our bodily infirmities to the will of 
God, — "who knows what is best for us, and disposes all things as He will." 

41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and 
touched him, 

The Son of Man was " moved with compassion ;" — concerning which statement, 
see the first note on St. John i. 14; and the first note on St. Matthew viii. 10. — 
Take notice, that He "put forth His hand, and touched the leper," — although this 
was an act strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law:(o) thereby showing that He, (in 
that He had made the Law,) was superior to the Law, as an Eastern Bisliop ob- 
serves ; and convincing men that "unto the pure, all things arc pure."(/y) But it 
should be observed that our Lord, though He went beyond the letter of the ancient 
command, yet did not transgress its spirit: for it was onl}' because the touch of a 
Leper conveyed drfilcment, that contact was forbidden ; but on the pure person of 
the second Adam no defilement could pass. He could convey purity, but could not 
receive pollution. In the words of an Eastern Bishop. — " His Hand became not 
unclean by the Leper; but the Leper became clean by His Holy Hand."' 

Deliglitrnl it is to notice the points of resemblance and of diversity between the 
accounts of the same miracle in difierent Gospels. "The cleansing of the Leper" 
is found besides in St. Matthew's Gospel, — viii. 2 to 4; and St. Luke's, — v. 12 to 15. 
The reader is referred, once for all, to the notes on both those places. 

and saith unto him, I will ; be thou clean. " 

The very words, doubtless, which the miserable man most of all longed to hear. 

42 And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed 
from him, and he was cleansed. 

"As soon (IS he had sjiolcen ;" — so instantaneous was the cure ! " Tiio leprosy 
departed from him:" — as if a messenger of Satan were .'^pokcn of! 

43, 44 And He straitly charged him, and fortliwith sent him away; 
and saith unto him. See thou say nothing to any man ; but go thy way, 
show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things 
which Moses commanded, for a t^^stiraony unto them. 

This command, which our Lukd often repeated, (7) to " say nothing to any man," 

(o) Loviticuii V. ."5. (p) Titus i. 15. 

\q) An, in St. Mark rii. 36, and St. Luko v. 14. 



I.] 



ON ST. mark's gospel. 271 



is somewhat mysterious and difficult : for on another occasion, our Saviour com- 
manded one whom He had healed, to return home and tell his friends " how great 
things the Lord had done for him."('') The first note on St. Matt. viii. 4 may be 
consulted, as containing a partial explanation of the difficulty. See also below, — 
the last note on the present chapter. And the Reader is further referred to the 
note on St. Mark v. 31. 

45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze 
abroad the matter. 

He was so full of his blessedness, that he could not keep it a secret. Other per- 
sons, whom our Saviour had in like manner cured, and commanded to keep silence, 
seem to have found it, in like manner, impossible to restrain themselves. See St. 
Matth. ix. 30, 31 ; and St. Mark vii. 36. 

insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but 
was without in desert places : and they came to Him from every 
quarter. 

Here then we see one reason why our Lord may have enjoined silence on the 
Leper; for it appears that, in consequence of his disobedience, the Son of Man 
could no longer appear openly in the city ! Doubtless, He wished that men should 
come to Him rather as an act of individual Faith, than troop to Him in crowds, — 
as to a Physician with the reputation of more than human skill ; whose very touch 
was health, — and who had never been known to lay hands on any one in vain. It 
requires little reflection to perceive that a certain degree of privacy in the working 
of His miracles was sometimes necessary, — or it would have been literally impossi- 
ble to move from place to place : and some caution was needed, at least at present, 
— or the malice of the Jews might have been aroused, before the Saviour's "time 
was come." The note on St. Matt. xii. 21, may further be consulted on this sub- 
ject. 

But it may be remarked, in conclusion, that the Christian who seeks to follow his 
Saviour's example in all things, and who would fain see here, also, a lesson for 
help and guidance, will find that he is taught HumiUiy while he pursues a course 
like that of our Lord, here described. He will learn that good deeds should be 
done in private, and that benefits conferred should shun publicity : that it is well, 
on doing a favour, to say — " See thou say nothing to any man." 

In the words of an excellent living writer, — "Our Lord's injunction does indeed 
for the time appear to have been spoken in vain ; yet His Word shall not return to 
Him void, but perform its purpose :(s) and if in nothing else, yet in this, that even 
to this Day it remains a witness to us, teaching us to avoid all Vain-glory in acts 
of Charity, — although indeed it may be true that Glory and Honour will ever pur- 
sue those who flee from them ; and flee from those who anxiously pursue them." 

(r) St. Mark v. 19. («) Isaiah iv. 11. 



THE PRAYER. 

By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation ; By Thy holy Nativity 
and Circumcision ; By Thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation ; 

Good Lord, deliver us ! 



272 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 



CUAPTER II, 



1 Christ JiealetJi one sick of the palsy. 14 CalJeth Matthew from the receipt of cus- 
tom, lo Eatith tvith jnifjlicans atid sinners. 18 Excumtli His discij)les for not 
fastinj, 2o and for pluckinj the ears of corn on the Sabbath day. 

1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days ; and it 
"was noised that lie Avas in the house. 

2 And straightway many Avere gathered together, insomuch that 
there was no room to receive thenij no, not so much as about the door : 

The Reader is referred to the note on St. Mark i. 33. Also to the note at the 
beginning of St. Mark i. 

and lie preached the Word unto them. 

3 And they come unto Ilim, bringing one sick of the palsy, which 
was borne of four. 

Disease doth, in a most lively manner, set forth tlie nature of Sin ; — and the dis- 
orders of the Body often aptly represent the disorders of the Soul. Leprosy has 
been already brought before us.((/) Palsy, — wiiich while it leaves the Will free, 
denies to the Body, or to some member of it, the power of complying with the dic- 
tates' of the Will, — forcibly reminds us of that infirmity of spiritual purpose, so 
well known to every child of Adam ; and which wrung from the great Apostle his 
mcmorahle complaint: — "What I would, that I do not ; but what I hate, that I do. 
. . . iS'ow then, it is no more I, . . . but Sin that dwclleth in me. . . . For to will 
is present with me ; but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the 
good that I would, I do not: but the evil that I would not, that I do. ... I find 
then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in 
the Law of Cioi), after the inward man : but I see another Law in my momljcrs, 
warring against the Law of my Mind, and bringing me into captivity to the Law 
of Sill which is in my members. wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver 
me from the body of this death?" — or rather, "from this body of Death. "(^) 

He reads the Gospels to little jiurpose, who passes lightly )>y an aualogy of this 
kind, when it is pointed out to him. Doubt not but what the cure of })als!i was 
here singled out for record, from the many thousand cures wrought by our Lord, 
with a wise and mysterious purpose; and that it is at our peril that we turn the 
page, and close the hook, without concern or inijuiry as to what may be the mes-^ 
sage of the Stirit therein, to ourselves. 

It has been elsewhere remarked, that the Commentator plants a most timid and 
uncertain foot, (timid bemuse uncertain,) when he ventures on the allegorical in- 
terpretation of Scripture, without the express guidance of the Spirit ; nor will he 
here be so rash as to otl'er any remark which may seem to overstep the bounds of 
the severest soberness. "This charitalde work of theirs," however, who brought 
the helpless paralytic to Christ, — aiwl whose faith may almost seem to have lieen 
accejitcd by Ilim (in the presence of many witnesses) as a pledge or earnest of the 
other's sincerity, — cannot but remind us of the net of those jiersons who bring 
Infants to Christ in Holy Baptism. " Son, thy sins be forgiven thee," were the 
words addressed to the poor sufi'erer: and hctw do those words remind us of what 

(fi) See St. Mark i. 40 to 1 1 : ami the notes on Si. Muttli. viii. 2, nn J on the last part of !^t. 
Luke V. 13. (6) Roiuana vii. 16 to 21. 



II.] 



ON ST. mark's gospel. 273 



takes place in that " one Baptism for the Remission of Sins," whereby "we are made 
members of Christ, and children of God ! Endued with new powers, — born to a 
new Life, — we henceforth " die from sin, and rise again unto Righteousness: con- 
tinually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all 
virtue and godliness of living." 

See the note on St. Luke v. 20 : also St. John v. 7. 

4 And when tliej could not come nigh unto Him for the press, they 
uncovered the roof where He was : and when they had broken it up, 
they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 

See the notes on St. Luke v. 19. 

" They went upon the housetop,^' as St. Luke relates,{c) and let the poor sufferer 
" down through the tiling, with his couch, into the midst before Jesus." A remark- 
able proceeding, truly ; reminding us, that where there is a living earnest desire, 
no obstacles can keep men from Christ's presence. Faith, verily, ever finds the 
way, — or makes it. These men will " uncover the roof where lie is," rather than 
be debarred of the thing they long for. Love still effects its purpose. And this 
eager temper He approves. Neither violence, nor rudeness, in such a cause, is 
noted by Him as such. But, as it follows, 

5 When Jesus saw their faith, 

With which, it is not unreasonable to suppose that there was combined the faith 
of the afflicted man himself; or he would not have suffered himself to be so let down. 
See the note on the latter part of St. Matthew ix. 2. At the same time it is only 
right to point out that not a syllable is said, in any of the three Gospels, to warrant 
such a conclusion ;(fZ) and it is safest always to keep close to Scripture, — neither 
adding nor taking away.(e) When, therefore, we read concerning our merciful 
Saviour, that, on seeing " their faith," — 

He said unto the sick of the palsy. Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 

we are disposed to see in this statement a gracious intimation of a known doctrine, 
— namely, that men's prayers, by virtue of the Great Intercession, avail not only 
for themselves, but for others also. Nor is this case by any means a singular one. 
The Nobleman's son at Capernaum, (/) — the Centurion's servant,((7) — Jairus' 
daughter,(7i) — the daughter of the AVoman of Canaan,(j) — and Demoniacs, on more 
than one occasion, (^') — were restored at the intercession of others ; — Fathers, 
Mothers, Masters, Friends. And God be praised, that it was, and is so ! What 
solace greater than that which is hereby provided for all ? ... . Who can tell how 
often we may have been preserved, in answer to the prayer of another, when we 
had forgotten to pray for ourselves ? 

" This," says Leighton, speaking of our Lord's address, " though not appearing 
to be the errand, was yet the most important part of the cure, the root of blessing 
and blessedness ; removing the root of all care and misery. Whether the sick man 
did most of all, or did at all, desire or expect this at the hands of Jesus Christ, we 
cannot tell ; but if he thought not of it, (and we cannot suppose that he did,) oh, 
what a surprise of love ! It is good coming to Jesus on any terms, on any errand. 
Some come, driven by outward afflictions ; and yet return delivered from Sin and 
Eternal Death!" 

" Thy sins be forgiven thee," is what our Lord said to the woman " which was a 
sinner," in the Pharisee's house, — St. Luke vii. 48 ; on which occasion. He added 
the words, — " Thy faith hath saved thee." But it does not appear that the sinful 
woman was afiiicted with any disease : so that the import of both sayings seems to 
be one and the same. And this leads us to suspect that our Saviour's words ad- 
dressed to the Leper, in St. Luke xvii. 19, — "Go thy way: thy faith hath made 
thee whole;" — to the blind Beggar, in St. Luke xviii. 42, — "Receive thy sight: 
thy faith hath saved thee ;" — and to the Woman with the issue of blood, in St. 
Mark v. 34, — " Thy faith hath made thee whole ; go in peace, and be whole of thy 

(c) St. Luke V. 19. (d) Consider St. Matth. ix. 2 : St. Mark ii. 5 : and St. Luke v. 20. 

(e) Rev. xxii. 19. (/) St. Jolin iv. 49, 50. (^) St. Matthew viii. 13. 

{h^ St. Luke viii. 50, \i) St. Matth. xv. 28. 
{h) St. Matth. ix. 32, 33 : xvii. 14 to 18, &c. 

18 



274 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

plague:" — all implied the cure of spiritual, rather than of hodihj infirmity; and 
prorlainied tlie close connection which subsists hotwoon Sufferin<; and Sin. Com- 
pare that siiyinjj; of our Lt)Ri>'s to the man " which had an infirmity thirty and eif^ht 
years," — " Behold thou art made whole : sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto 
thee." (7) 

Sometimes — as in the case of the hlind Beggar — the remission of Sin, and the 
act of bodily healing, take jilaco in the same instant: here, they are kept distinct; 
and the circumstance is full of interest, instruction and wonder. It seems to be 
implied that the loosening of the joints from which this man suffered, arose from 
his l)eing "tied and bound with the chain of his sins:" — and that, in order to the 
firm bracing of those limbs, the chain which bound them, must first be loosened 
and undone. 

Our Saviour thus reminded men that the Forriivencs^of Sins was the very pur- 
pose of Ilis coming: and that these cures of bodily diseases, though clear proOfs of 
Ilis divine Power and Goodness, were but symbols of that other mainly intended, 
and highest mercy, lie drew men towards himself, by all methods ; — chiefly 
through their bodily ailments, and temporal needs : yet, what anxiety does He ever 
display to convince them that their maladies lie deeper — that their wants are of a 
more urgent nature, than they suppose 1 . . . Consider such places as the follow- 
ing:— St. John iv. 10, 13, 14, 15 : vi. 26, 27, 34, 35, 50, 51, 53, 54, &c. 

See also the notes on the latter part of St. Mark v. 30 ; and on 32. 

6 But there were certain of the Scribes sitting there, and reasoning 
in their hearts, 

They were awe-struck by Ilis Majesty ; and could not utter the thoughts of their 
heart. Yet had our Lord only spoken a few ordinary words : and if they were 
blasphemous words, there was no reason why they should not have lieen declared 
to be so ! . . . That the Divinity of the Secoxd Person in the Blessed Trinity must, 
in the days of his humiliation, have many a time flashed through the poor fleshly 
mantle in which He had enshrined himself, cannot be doubted. Delightful is it to 
be permitted, thus indirectly, even from what is not said in Scripture, to notice 
some of the occasions when this took place. See the last note on St. Matthew vii. 

7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies ? who can forgive sins 
but God only ? 

An old writer remarks, — " Great is the madness of an unbelieving people ; who, 
though they have confessed that it is of God alone to forgive sins, believe not that 
it is God when he forgives sins." 

Observe, however, that the Holy One had not said, " / forgive thee," — but, " Thy 
sins be J'uri/iven." He had said no more, therefore, than a Prophet may safely say. 
Or, if the Divine Majesty of Ilis manner even suggested that He was doing more 
than declare a sentence, (as indeed He teas,) — should not this have raised a suspi- 
cion that surely they Vjeheld the IMessiah, — whose Advent they knew to be near at 
hand, and wlio was to bring Remission of Sins with IIim?(wj But these wicked 
men act the usual part of the wicked. They put the worst possible construction on 
our Lord's saying. Sinful and envious themselves, their eyes are blinded to the 
" the true Light:" and can discern nothing ])ut blasphemy in Him who is tlieir Crea- 
tor and their (Jod. Now, the punisluueut of Blasphemy, by the Law of Moses, was 
Death.in) 

8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in His Spirit that they so 
reasoned within themselves, 

For it was bi/ His Divine Sjiirif that He was "a Discemer of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart. "(o) Comjiare, liy all means, what is said in St. Mark v. 30. 

lie said unto them, AVhy reason ye these things in your hearts ? 

As if He had said, — ye Pharisees, since yc say Who can forgive sins, but God 
only ? I answer you. Who can tell the secrets of the heart, Imt God alone ? I will 

{I) St. John V. 11. (m) Jgainh xliii. 2.5. (ri) Leviticus xxiv. 16. 

(o) llcbrcws iv. 12. 



II.] ON ST. mark's gospel. 275 

convince you that I "search the heart: I try the reins," by revealing to these by- 
standers what it is that now occupies your minds. (j;i) Know, thereby, that I am 
the Lord. You disbelieved my former saying, that I could forgive sins : behold, I 
add a miracle, — for I lay open to you your secret thoughts ! 

Consider how the proof that He possessed such knowledge, had already wrought 
conviction iu the guileless Xathanael, — St. John i. 49 ; and in the whole Apostolic 
Body : for compare St. John xvi. 19 and 30. 

A second miracle follows ; one, which appealed sensibly to their gross minds, — 
and which no unbelief could gainsay, no subtlety evade. It may very well be, that 
the form which the unbelief of His enemies secretly took, was, that of a sneer at 
the Divine Speaker, — for having set up such a claim as it was impossible either to 
test, or to disprove. To this, our Lord proceeds to address himself: 

9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Tliy sins be 
forgiven thee : or to say, 

As our Lord said to the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda,(2) — 

Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk ? 

Of course, one form of words was just as easily spoken as the other. Our Lord, 
therefore, meant not that. — To cure the Soul again, obviously rests with God only; 
whereas, the cure of the Body, is often effected (under God) by human means. 
Neither was that therefore what our Lord meant by the saying in the text. — But 
His words imply that since the announcement, — " Thy sins be forgiven thee," led 
to no visible result; and was therefore easily made; whereas, the command to 
Arise and walk, must, if obeyed at all, be followed by a most amazing spectacle, — 
He was about to convince the Scribes by performing an act which they looked upon 
as one of the privileges reserved to Almighty God, that, at least, they had no ex- 
cuse for calling in question His power in another respect. He does not prove that 
He could do the harder thing, by doing the easier: for that would be absurd. But 
He makes a mighty appeal to their Faith, — or rather to their Reason. The argu- 
ment was overwhelming, as addressed to them. 

10 But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on Earth 
to forgive sins, 

On the title " Son of Man," see the note on St. Matthew viil. 20. — Observe, that 
here our Lord expressly claims the power of forgiving Sin. Above, (verse 5,) He 
had only said, " Thy sins he forgiven thee." 

"He says in a marked manner, 'hath|;o?6*er on Earth to forgive sins,'" observes 
an ancient ; " in order to show that He hath joined the poAver of the Divine to the 
Human Nature by an inseparable union: for although He 'was made Man,' yet 
He remained ' The Word of God.' . . . His Human Nature did not in the least take 
away from those things which essentially belonged to His Divinity." 

11 ( He saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee. Arise, and 
take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 

" Wheresoever He pardons Sin," says pious Leighton, " He also makes the soul 
able and nimble to 'run in the way of His Commandments ;'(r) to carry its bed, 
that before carried it : to command and wield at pleasure those low things whereon 
before it rested." 

Mark how sudden and how complete is the cure : — 

12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth be- 
fore them all : insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, 
saying. We never saw it on this fashion. 

All of them were "amazed." St. Luke says they " -wereJiUed withfear."{s) We 
read not that any of them believed! 

Amazing, indeed, must the cure have been: and the manner of it, which all the 
three Evangelists relate in precisely the same lively way, must have been singu- 

{p) Jeremiah xvii. 10. (q) St. John v. 8. (/•) Psalm cxix. 32. (s) St. Luke v. 26. 



276 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

larly striking. Our Lord appears to have suddenly broken off His calm reasoning 
with His euomies ; and turnin;; round to the p:ilsie<l man, as lie lay on his bed, 
prostrate and helpless before Jlini, — uonunaiided hiui to perform three aets, each 
one more improbable than the other: and the man did them all three in succes- 
sion; — the last, beinp; to walk out of' the limine, in the presence of the whole assem- 
bly ; leavinj^ the envious Jews, silent and confounded, i'aee to face with our Loku ! 
Was not this the self-same Voice which, in the bei^inning, had ^;aid " Let there 
be Ligiit ! and there was Light:" which "made the stars also," — and then sent 
them on their heavenly way rejoicing? 

13 And He went forth again by the sea-side ; and all the multitude 
resorted unto Ilira, and He taught them. 

IIow many unobtrusive statements of this kind do we meet with in the Gospels! 
How many hours of precious, heavenly teaching, thus dismissed in a few words! . . . 
Is it perhaps implied that St. Matthew, — whose call is related in the next verse, — 
was one of those who listened to the Discourse of our Saviour, on this occasion ? 

14 And as He passed bj, he saw Levi the son of Alphreus, sitting at 
the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow Me. And he arose 
and followed llim. 

This was St. Matthew, — " the Publican," as he styles himself,(/) in consequence 
of his worldly calling. Our Loku, on His way to "the sea-side," saw this man sit- 
ting at the toll-house of Capernaum, beside the lake; and called him to His side. 
It was probal)ly his office to levy a tax or tribute of some kind, on persons crossing 
from the Eastern to the North-Western side of the Sea of Galilee. 

But was this all that then occurred? It may well be suspected that something 
is here passed over, which it concerns us not to know. Enough for us, to be con- 
vinced that at tiie Saviour's summons, a heart like that of St. Matthew was pre- 
pared to yield prompt obedience. " If the loadstone can attract iron," says an an- 
cient, " how much more can the Lord of the Creation draw to himself whom he 
will." Consider, however, St. Matthew iv. 18 to 22, or St. Mark i. IG to 20,— as 
compared with St. Luke v. 1 to IL Compare, again, St. Matthew ix. 2, with St. 
Mark ii. 1 to 5, or with St. Luke v. 17 to 20 ; and consider how much is omitted by 
the first Evangelist. 

The " great Feast," which the Evangelist proceeds to describe, — and at which 
St. Matthew entertained his Lord, — iiappenod in reality long afterwards: but the 
Hohv Si'iRiT has seen lit to exhibit St. Matthew's Feast and St. Matthew's Call in 
close connection, — not only in the present Gospel, but in those of St. Matthew,(H) 
and St. Luke(x) likewise. Concerning which leature of the iJivine Method, tliis is 
not the right place to speak particularly. 

The reader is referred, however, to the note on St. Luke iii. 20. 

15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, 
many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and Ilis Dis- 
ciples : for there were many, and they followed Ilim. 

The publicans were there, because St. Matthew himself was a Publican : — St. 
Matthew X. 3, and St. Luke v. 27. 

The expression " Publicans and Sinners" occurs so frequently in the Gospels, 
that it reciuires explanation. The "Publicans" were those of the nation who col- 
lected the taxes and tribute which had been imposed upon them by their Roman 
conquerors. Sufficiently liatcful in itself, their calling had been rendered doubly 
infamous by the extortion and dishonesty which the J'ublicans notoriously prac- 
tised : whence St. John Baptist, in reply to their inquiry, charged them to "exact 
no more than that which was apixtinted them."(//) Zaccha'us confessed himself 
guilty in this respect, on a great occasion, — St. Luke xix. 2 and 8. 

To be a ]iubliraii, and to be r/ siniur, was thoreforc regarded as one and the same 
thing. Compare St. ^Matthew v. 40, with the parallel places in St. liuke vi. 32: 
and St. Luke xix. 2 with verso 7. The name became a by-word, and a reproach, 

(<) St. Miitthcw X. ."J. (ii) St. Mntthcw ix. 9, 10, 

(x) St. Luko v. 28, 29. {y) St. Luko iii. 12, 13. 



il] on ST. mark's gospel. 277 

as denoting one of the outcasts of society : see St. Matthe-w xxiii. 17. Our Lord 
(doubtless in compliance with the usage of His countrymen,) couples them with 
"the harlots," in St. Matthew xxi. 31, 32. 

But Almighty Goodness saw objects of compassion, and recognized objects of 
Love, amid the crowd : — calling one of their number, St. Matthew, to be an Apostle ; 
making the humble petition of another, the pattern of justifying prayer :(2) sing- 
ling out many for condescension, for kindness, and for honour. They were all "the 
lost sheep" of the House of Israel: and to all such He had been sent. (a) Hence 
His untiring zeal to seek and to save them. Consider especially the following 
texts : — St. Luke vii. 36, &c., xi. 37, t%c., xv. 1, 2, &c. • . . See the two last notes 
on the latter part of St. Matthew viii. 10. 

16 And when the Scribes and Pharisees saw Him eat with Publicans 
and Sinners, they said unto His Disciples, How is it that He eateth 
and drinketh with Publicans and Sinners ? 

" It was a beautiful emblem of the future," remarks an ancient, " that he who 
was to be an Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles, should, on his conversion, draw 
after him a great multitude of sinners to Salvation, — already performing by his 
example what he was shortly to perform by his word." 

17 When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole 
have no need of the Physician, but they that are sick : 

Our Lord gives them a triumphant answer. Ye say that these are sinners. It is 
for that very reason that 1 am found in their company. Were it strange to find a 
Physician in a Hospital, — or among the sick? 

Bede says, strikingly, — "He calls Himself 'the Physician,' who, by a strange 
mode of healing, was wounded for our iniquities ; and healed us by His stripes !" 

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

Either those who are righteous in their own esteem, or those who are really reli- 
gious, — who already have sincerely repented. 

It is idle to profess ourselves perplexed by the mention of "just persons, "(5) 
"the righteous,"(c) and other similar phrases in Holy Scripture. True enough it 
is that " there is none righteous, no, not one;"(cZ) but this is said absolutely, liela- 
tivelj/, some men are good, and some evil. 

Viewed in the Light of an example, our Blessed Lord's footsteps on this and 
another occasion(e) had need to be very warily trod in, ere any venture into 
familiar relations with the outcasts of Society. His voice was powerful "to call 
Sinners to Repentance;" but loe had need consider well what rational hope there 
may be of reclaiming others, — what protection exists against our being dragged into 
the mire ourselves. Leighton says, — "We must be somewhat hopeful to accom- 
plish, before we attempt such a thing; otherwise, it will prove fool-hardiness to 
adventure much of this kind." 

18 And the Disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast : 

The Jewish Church observed two weekly fasts, — on Monday and on Thursday; 
see St. Luke xviii. 12: and the Pharisees were the "most straitest sect" of the 
Jewish Religion. (/) St. John we know, "came neither eating nor drinking :"((/) 
that is, he was a man of most severe and abstemious life ; and (as we learn from this 
place,) enjoined a similar practice on his Disciples. His Ministry was to that of 
our Lord, what a Vigil is to a Holiday. 

And they come and say unto Him, Why do the Disciples of John and 
of the Pharisees fast, but Thy Disciples fast not ? 

"Thy Disciples •."—i\vQj do not say "Thou fastest not." This should be 
noticed, — even while we remember St. Matthew xi. 19. 



2^ St. Luke xviii. 10 to 14. (a) St. Matthew xv. 24. (6) St. Luke xv. 7. 

cl 1 St. Peter iv. 18, and here. (d) Romans iii. 10, quoted from Psalm xiv. 1. 

c) St. John iv. 6 to 19. (/) Acts xxvi. 5. {g) St. Matthew xi. 18. 



K 



278 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

19 And Jesus said unto tlicra, Can the children of the bridechambcr 
fast, while the Bridegroom is with them ? 

"Children uf the bridechauiher," si;:;nifics the friends or companions of the Bride- 
groom: and the term, here, ekarl}' denotes the Disciples of our Loku, — for they 
were Ilis ^\fiiend.s.'\h) 

Take notice that these words were addressed to "the disciples ofJvJin:"{i) to the 
very men, it may be, who had heard the Baptist speak of our Saviour Christ as "fhe 
Briih(jroom" who had "the Bride:" while he was himself but ^' the friend of the 
Bridegroom. 'X^) Hdw impressive must the reply have Ijeen by which the Divine 
Speaker thus claimed the singular relation ascribed to Ilim by Ilis Forerunner! 

How mnnij are His names: a Physician, before; (ver. 17;) a Bridegroom, here! 
. . . He is rirri/thiiif/, in fact, in turn; and becomes all things to all men. To the 
unwedded. He is the King of Virgins: to the wedded, the pattern of a most luving 

Husband. See Ephesians v. 25 to 27 Concerning the title "Bridegroom," 

see St. John iii. 29. 

As long as they have the Bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 

"As though He had said, — The present is a time of joy and gladness; sorrow 
must not then be mixed up with it." "For the showing forth of our Saviour in 
this "World was nothing else but a great marriage Festival; at which our Nature 
was spiritually united to His, as His Bride, — that she, who was formally barren, 
might become fruitful." So far, two Ancient Archbishops. 

20 But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away 
from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 

As plain a warrant, — if a Scripture warrant is thought necessary, — for the 
practice of Christian fasting, in these days when "the Bridegroom" is taken from 
us, as a Christian man can require. It is a prophecy, — rerjuiring fulfillment; and 
finding it, in our obedience to the Church's plain mandate, as contained in our 
Book of Common Prayer.(0 That it was practised by the early Christians, we know 
from Holy Scripture itself (w) 

"We learn further from these words of our Saviour, that the Church is now as a 
Widow in His sight. 

21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment ; 
else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the 
rent is made worse. 

That is, — My Disciples are not yet strong. They have not yet been renewed by 
the Spirit. They have need therefore of all tenderness and consideration. They 
could no more endure as yet the reception of a portion of severe new Doctrine, than 
an old garment can endure tiie insertion of a piece of cloth which has not passed 
througli tlic hands of the fuller. — He would not disturb their joy, therefore, by 
teaching them a piece of austerity which they would not comprehend; nor risk 
disturbing their ancient prejudices by new and strange precepts. 

"The rent is made worse:" — which happened, (as one of the Ancients remarks,) 
with respect to tiio Churches of Galatia, when they sought to mix the precepts of 
Law with those of the Gospel. 

22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine 
doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be 
marred : but new wine must be put into new bottles. 

On the first Christian Day of Pentecost, when the Apostles "were all filled with 

the IhtLY UiiosT," there were found some who nuxikcd, and said "These men are 

full of new wine."{n) Then it was, that that was done for the Apostles, which our 

(h) St. John XV. 15. (i) Compare St. Miitllipw \x. 14. (A) St. J-.hn iii. 29. 

(/) Hoo tho Tiiblo of the VigilK, FiihIs, uiul Bajn of Fiutliug or Abstinence, to bo observed in 
the Vonr, — at llic end of the Calendar, 
(m) Soo Acts xiii. 2, 3: .\iv. 2?.. I Cor. vii. 5. Seo also St. Matthew vi. 17. 

(ii) Acts ii. 13. 



11.] ON ST. mark's gospel. 279 

Blessed Lord, as a wise "Ilouseliolder," here explains that He cannot do for them 
as yet. lie quotes a homely precept, full of practical wisdom ; namely, that old 
vessels made of skin, (anciently called "bottles,") will burst, if exposed to the fer- 
mentation of newly-made wine. Hence, Ilis unwillingness to burthen His followers 
with any command which they were not sure of receiving with perfect safety. . . . 
How many precious hints for guidance, — how much of help, — may we gather from 
every portion of our Blessed Lord's Discourses! 

The Reader is referred to St. Luke v. 39, and the note there. A different inci- 
dent next comes before us: like the last, as presenting us with the same "contra- 
diction of sinners ;"(c') but under a new form. 

23 And it came to pass that He went through the corn fields on the 
Sabbath day ; and His Disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears 
of corn. 

St. Matthew, — xii. 1, — says that the "Disciples were an hungred,^' when they 
did this. How affecting, — or rather, how instructive a picture is thereby drawn, for 
the Church's comfort to the end of time! For, was it not the Lord of Heaven and 
Earth, — the Almighty God — ^who suffered His followers thus to want; and beheld 
them satisfying the cravings of hunger, after this humble fashion? He could have 
furnished forth a banquet for them, at His will ; but he willed it not! . . . Surely, 
then, Poverty must be better than Riches ; Want, a better thing than Abundance. 

The act described marks the season of the year, — namely, about the time of the 
Passover; or of Pentecost, which was "seven weeks from such time as thou 
beginnest to put the sickle to the corn."(j)) Reckoning by Passovers, the first year of 
our Lord's Ministry had therefore now come to an end, when the present incident 
occurred. See the note on St. Luke vi. 1. 

24 And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the 
Sabbath day that which is not lawful ? 

The Pharisees do not accuse the Disciples of theft, but of profaning the Sabbath; 
for the Law, by a merciful provision, expressly allowed their present act: — "When 
thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thori mayest jjIucJc the ears 
of corn witJi thy hand."[q) It is not easy, however, to see wherein their violation 
of the fourth Commandment consisted. Was it in the manual labour of "rubbing 
the ears of corn in their hands," — as St. Luke describes ?(r) Probably not. Nor 
does any suggestion seem preferable to that of wise Richard Hooker; who was of 
opinion that the Jewish practice being, to abstain from food on the Sabbath Day, 
until noon, our Lord's Disciples would have been disregarding the customary fast 
of the Sabbath by relieving their hunger in the manner here described. 

25, 26 And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, 
when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with 
him ? How 

On the Sabbath day, — See Leviticus xxiv. 8, and 1 Chron. ix. 32 : so that the 
eases, so far, were strictly parallel. But, in the case of David, the violation of the 
letter of the command was far more extraordinary: for, 

he went into the House of God. 

(By which name, observe, by the way, that our Lord calls the Tabernacle. In 
like manner, it is called tJie Temple in 1 Samuel i. 9 and iii. 3: but the Temple was 
not built till many years after.) 

in the days of Abiathar the High priest. 

It is a remarkable thing that our Saviour should say of this transaction, that it 
occurred "in the days of Abiathar, the high-priest," — rather than of Abimelech, 
his Father. It is easy to invent an explanation of this ; as, by pointing out that 
the event happened in the time of Abiathar, — though not in the time that he was 

(o) Hebrews xii, 3. {p) Deut. xvi. 9. {q) Deut. xxiii. 25. 

(»•) St. Luke vi. 1. 



280 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

actually liiyTi-priest. But, strange to say, the allusions of the Holy Sriuit, -whe- 
ther to the events, or to the precepts of the Old Testament, are almoBt always sur- 
prising, difficult, and even wonderful. 



and did cat the shew-bread 



Concerning the sliew-brcad itself, see Leviticus xxiv. 5 to 9. A stranger might 
not eat of those twelves cakes of fine flour, "because they are holy ;"(v) whence it 
follows, — 

which is not lawful to cat but for the Priests, and gave also to them 
"which were with him ? 

Our Saviour refers to the well-known historj-, contained in 1 Samuel xxi. 1 to 9 ; 
which describes how David, and certain of his young men, flying from Saul, "came 
to Nob, to Abimelech the priest," — and "the priest gave hun hallowed bread, for 
there was no bread there but the shew-bread, that was taken from before the 
LoRD.'XO 

27 ^Vnd He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and 
not man for the Sabbath : 

These words are given only by the present Evangelist ; who, as well as St. Luke, 
(vi. 5,) omits some memorable sayings which our Lord delivered on this occasion, 

— and which are given by St. Matthew, chap. xii. 5 to 7 The Doctrine 

laid down in the present verse, seems to be like tlmt conveyed by the precept, "I 
will have mercy and not sacrifice ;"(") which our Lord now also (juoted: — namely, 
that Ceremonial Observances must give place, as often as the higher claims of 
Mercy require. Such an occasion was this, — when, faint and hungry, our Lord's 
Disciples rubbed out the ears of corn, and ate the grains, for very need. True, in- 
deed, they were neglecting a traditional precept, by so doing : but it argued forgct- 
fulness of the very institution of the Sabbath, to tax them with guilt on that account. 
Can we suppose that a creature, made in the imago of Gon, should pine with hun- 
ger out of superstitious veneration for the Sabbath Day, — which had been originally 
ordained for his sake only: in order that it might be to him a relief, a solace, and 

But these accusers forgot their Bible also. If David, merely because he had 
need, might — not only eat bread on the Sabbath, — but even eat the very show-bread 
itself: dispensing it to his followers : and in the Temple too: how could it be pre- 
tended that those snttcring men might not cat a handful of dry grains in the open 
field on the Sabljath Day '/ 

28 Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. 

The Son of man, — since He made the Sabbath, — is LOIW of it, also. ^Moreover, 
since He came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them, lie must have power to 
dispense with the strict observance of this Day, in the letter, as often as it con- 
cerned the good of His creatures that He should do so. Here then was One, great- 
er than David, — greater than the Temple, (x) — greater than even the Sabbath itself. 
And dared they bring to Htm an accusiition, so blind, hollow, and heartless, — 
against the companions of all His Avauderings, — the partners of all His privations 
and distress ? 

(h) Exothis xxix. 33. (t) 1 S 

(«) St. Muttbew xii. 7. (x) St. 



Samuel xxi. 6. 
Matthew xii. 6. 



THE PRAYER. 

LORD, who hast tauf^ht us that all our doings without Charity 
are nothing worth; send Thy Holy Ghost, an<l pour into our hearts 
that most excellent gift of Charity, the very bond of Peace and of all 
virtues without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before Thee : 
Grant this for Thine Only Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 



III.] 



ON ST. mark's gospel. 281 



CHAPTER III. 



1 Christ hcaleth the loitlierecl hand, 10 and many oilier infirmities. 11 Bchulceth 
the unclean Spirits. 13 Chooseth His twelve Apostles. 22 Convincefh the blas- 
phemy of casting out devils by Beelzebub. 31 And shoiceth who are His brother, 
sister, and mother. 

1 And He entered again into the Synagogue ; and there was a man 
there which had a withered hand. 

By "again," in this place, St. Mark means " on another Sabbath," — see St. Luke 
vi. 6. The Evangelist is showing how "Christ reproved the Pharisees' blindness 
about the observation of the Sabbath, by Scripture, Reason, and Miracle. "(«) The 
two former proofs are contained in the last few verses (ver. 23 to 28,) of the pre- 
ceding Chapter. The proof from "Miracle," follows. 

2 And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sab- 
bath-day ; that they might accuse Him. 

What blindness of heart was here ! what a benighted conscience ! Rather, what 
hopeless villainy ! In the very house of God, — on a miserable pretence of exces- 
sive jealousy for His honour, — here are Scribes and Pharisees devising nothing less 
than the Destruction of their mighty Countryman. They knew His merciful dispo- 
sition. They have learnt, by experience, that He never beholds misery without 
seeking to relieve it. They therefore lay wait for Him ; and watch, to see what 
He will do with respect to a poor sufferer, who sits before Him with a withered 
hand. Will He venture to overstep the letter of their own vile tradition ; and so 
far incur the charge of worldng on the Sabbath day, as to perform an act of healing 
upon it? .... At last, they call His attention to the man's case, by the question, 
— " Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-days V'QJ) 

Take notice, that the purpose with which they watched Him, — as well as that 
with which they put their inquiry, — was, that they may find a ground of accusa- 
tion against Him ; and so, bring Him within the penalty of the Law, which required 
the Death of every offender ."(c) 

It is with reference to this, their secret purpose, that the Evangelist St. Luke 
adds, — " But he knew their thought."(cZ) And further, it will be observed that it 
was with reference to this, their murderous design, that our Saviour spoke the 
words recorded in ver. 4. 

3 And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand 
forth. 

Or, as it is in St. Luke, " Rise up, and stand forth in the midst :" upon which 
the same Evangelist is careful to add, — " And he arose and stood forth." By this 
means, it will be perceived that our Saviour called marked attention to the Mira- 
cle which He was about to perform. 

4 And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath- 
days, or to do evil ? to save life, or to kill ? 

(a) See the heading of St. Luke vi. : and compai-e the heading of St. Matthew xii. 

{b) St. Matt. xii. 10. (c) Exodus xxxi. 15. [d) St. Luke vi. 8. 



282 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CHAP. 

As if IIo hatl said, — Ton ask, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-days ?"(0 — 
"I [also] will ask you one thing ?"(/') " Is it lawful to do r/ood on the SuMiath- 
da3's,"((/) — as, for example, to this atliieted being, whose sad state moves M// com- 
passion : — "or," is it rather right " to c/o evil ;''' — to such an one as Myself, for 
example, against whom j/ch entertain murderous thoughts? "To save life," — with 
which object 7 am come into the "World :(//) "or to dcftroi/ it.'Xi) — which is just 
now all //oi/r purpose? .... "Wliat a withering (juestion ! We seem to feel that 
it admitted of no reply : accordingly, the Evangelist adds, — 

But they held their peace. 

St. Mark alone it is who notices this striking circumstance. 

St. Matthew will bo found to have preserved another memorable saying which 
our LoKU proceeded to deliver on this occasion: see chap. xii. 11, 12, of his (juspel, 
— and the notes there. 

5 And when He had looked round about on them â– with anger, being 
grieved for the hardness of their hearts, 

This statement, also, is peculiar to the present Gospel. See the first notes on 
St. Mark i. 

The human feelings of " grief" and " anger" are here ascribed to the Son of Man. 
The very next words attest His glorious Gonhead. Consider the many places in 
the Gospels, where we are presented with the same wondrous proofs tliat He was 
"very Gou and very Man:" as, when He "wept" before the raising of L:izarus :(A) 
and " slept," before He stilled the storm. (/) See the notes on St. Matthew viii. 10: 
St. Mark vii. 34; St. Luke iv. 30, vii. 13, and viii. 23. 

He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched 
it out. 

It was his riffJit hand, as St. Luke relates ;(m) that hand which had been stretch- 
ed out "in the beginning" to pluck the fruit of the forbidden tree! 

" Until the coming of the Saviour, there was a withered hand in the Synagogue 
of the Jews ; for the works of the Lord were not done in it. But when He came 
upon Earth, the right hand was restored, in the Apostles who believed ; and given 
back to its former occupation." How do the ancients delight in such re- 
marks ! as if not only exclaiming at all times with the Psalmist, " Thy thouglits 

are very deep ;"(/() but seeking to fathom them also "Well is this withered 

hand said to have been in the Synagogue," says another: "for where the gift of 
knowledge is greater, the danger of an abuse of knowledge is greater also." 

and his hand Ayas restored whole as the other. 

Take notice, that this was one of the cases when our Lord may be said to have 
wrought a miracle of liealing, wiUioxd a word. Unlike the occasion when Ho "t/iude 
clay," and "anointed the e^'cs of the Idind man;'(«) — unlike those cases, even, 
when He wont to tlie house of the suft'erer, and laid His hands upon him; — tlie 

S resent miracle followed upon the exercise of a mere act of Almighty Will. Our 
AViouR did but direct the man to assume a i)osture which should bring his with- 
eretl liml) uixler tlie distinct oljservation t>f all present; and tiuis make the miracle 
whidi followed, a plain and paliiaMe thing. . . . lUiw must their anger have lieen 
therel»y aroused and inthimed ! Tlic man was liealed: yet our Loud had done 
nothing : less, certainly, than each one of themselves was forced to do at every 
hour, throughout the Sabl)atii. 

St. Luke here adds a most remarkable statement, — namely, that " they were 
filled with madness: and communed one with another what they might do to 

jESUS."(jf>) 

(*) Rt. Matthew xii. 10. (/) ft. Luko vi. 9. 

(v) Our L(iiii) IIiiii.-cllnn?wcrfl the question in St. Matt. xii. 12. 

(/i) St. Luke ix. 60. St. John xii. 17. (i) St. Luko vi. 9. 

\k) St. .Jclm xi. 35. (/) St. Murk iv. .'!S. {m\ St. Luko vi. fi. 

(n) Psolin xcii. 6. (o) St. John ix. and II. (p) St. Luko vi. IL 



III.] ON ST. mark's gospel. 283 

6 And the Pharisees -went forth, and straightway took counsel mth 
the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

And this should convince us that it is not greater Light, hut a cliange ofTieart 
which is required, so often as the appeals of Religion are made to mankind in vain. 
" If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though 
one rose from the dead."(5) See below, on verse 22. 

" The Herodians" are mentioned only twice in the Gospels: here, and in St. Mark 
xii. 13 : (which is the same occasion as St. Matthew xxii. 16.) From their namp, 
(which implies that they were courtiers or adherents of King Herod,) it may be 
supposed that they were rather a political party, than a religious sect. Nothing, 
however, is known about them. 

7 But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the Sea : 

Setting thereby an example of the precept which He afterwards delivered to His 
Disciples: — namely, "When they persecute in this city, flee ye into another."('') 
This our Lord often exemplified by His practice, — as, when He fled to Capernaum 
from Nazareth :(s) and to Bethabara, and Ephraim, from Jerusalem.(0 

8 and a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judsea, 
and from Jerusalem, and from Idumsea, and froyn beyond Jordan ; and 
they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard 
what great things He did, came unto Him. 

This description comprehends the whole district to which we commonly give the 
name of the Holy Land, — Samaria only excepted. Judaea and Jerusalem occupy 
the centre : Galilee, and the district of Tyre and Sidon, comprehend the country 
West and North of the Jordan : " beyond Jordan," — (that is " Peraea,")— and 
Idumsea, describe all that lies on the East and South. 

This is the only place in the New Testament where Idumsea is mentioned.(w) It 
is the name of the country south of Palestine, which was occupied by the descen- 
dants of Esau, otherwise called " Edom,"(-''') — ^^om whence comes Idumcea. See 
the note on St. Matthew ii. 3. 

9, 10 And He spake to His Disciples, that a small ship should wait 
on Him because of the multitude, lest they should throng Him. For 
He had healed many ; insomuch that they pressed upon Him for to 
touch Him, as many as had plagues. 

One of the ancients remarks, — " He entered a boat, who could have crossed the 
Sea on foot ; for He would not be always working miracles, lest men should lose 
sight of the reality of His Incarnation." 

11 And unclean Spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him, 
and cried, saying. Thou art the Son of God. 

The Sox of God" implies the Messiah, — the long promised Deliverer of the Na- 
tion ; foretold in Prophecy, — foreshadowed in History. The Jews had learnt, — pro- 
bably from Psalm ii. 7, 12 : (compare Acts xiii. 33. Heb. i. 5 : v. 5,) — by that 
name to speak of Christ ; as we learn from St. Matthew xiv. 33 : xvi. 16 : xxvi. 
63 : xxvii. 54. Luke xxii. 70. St. John i. 49 : ix. 35 : xi. 27, &c. The very fallen 
Angels knew Messiah by that Name, — as we learn from this place, and from St. 
Matthew viii. 29. St. Luke iv. 41, &c. The Reader is referred to the notes on St. 
Luke iv. 34. 

12 And He straitly charged them that they should not make Him 
known. 

{q) St. Luke xvi. 31. (r) St. Matt. s. 23. 

(s) St. Luke iv. 30, 31. \t) St. John x. 40 : xi. 54. 

((() The name is found in the following place of the Old Testament: Isaiah xxxiv. 5, 6: 
Ezekiel xsxv. 15: xxxvi. 5. 
(x) Genesis xxxvi. 1, 8. 



284 A PLAIN COMMENTARY [CIIAP. 

See the notes on St. Mark i. 44 and 4.") : also the first note on St. Matthew viii. 4. 
Compare also St. Matthew ix. 30, and the note on ?>l. 

13 And He goeth up into a Mountain, and calleth unto Sim whom 
He would : and they came unto Ilim. 

This was the occasion when our Lord delivered the Sermon on the Mount. See 
below, the note on vcr. 10 : and compare St. Luke vi. 13. 

14 And He ordained Twelve, 

lie ordained Twelve Apustles, answcrin<» to the twelve sons of Jacob, to be the 
heads of the spiritual Israel, the " Lsrael of God," — as it is said in Galatians vi. IG. 
Whence that remarkable saying in St. Matthew xix. 28 : with which compare Rev. 
vii. 4 to 8 : xxi. 12 and 14. Consider also Kev. iv. 4. 

This was done after continuing "all night in prayer to God I" See St. Luke vi. 
12, and the note there. St. Mark goes on to declare the purpose with which the 
Twelve were ordained. 

15 that they should be with Him, and that He might send them 
forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out 
devils. 

The names of the Apostles follow, — verse IG to 19. There are three other places 
where the Twelve are enumerated : namely, St. Matthew x. 2 to 4, — St Luke vi. 
14 to 10,— Acts i. 13. 

16 And Simon lie surnamed Peter ; 

"Peter" in Greek, "Cephas" in Syriac, signifies Jiock. "For" (to rjuotc the 
words of our countryman Bede,) "as Chuist was the True Light, and yet allowed 
that the Apostles should ])C called the Light of the World. (y) — so also to Simon, 
who believed on Christ the Kock,(4) lie gave the name of Hock." 

Simon, — the son of Jonas,(a) and brother of Andrew, — is always mentioned first 
of the Twelve ;(/y) and the voice of the Church has assigned to him a prioritij of 
rank, Avhilc it has denied him any aulhorifi/, over the rest of the Apostles. Indeed, 
that he had none, can be proved from Scripture itself."(») lie was not surnamed 
"Peter," (or rather "Cephas,") on the present occasion; but at his first interview 
with Christ, ((7) and again, after his glorious confession of our Lord's Divinity. (c) 
He is twice called Si/mcon: once by St. James, — our Lord's cousin ;{y) once by 
himself, at the beginning of his Second Epistle, — 2 St. Peter i. 1. Like Andrew, 
he was born at Bethsaida,(,7) but lived at Capernaum, (//) where he exercised the 
calling of a fisherman. See the notes on St. Matthew iv. IS, and viii. 14. lie 
alone of the Twelve is ceriaiitl i/ knovcn to have been a married man:{(') though 
many of the re