and Pharisees taught of old, and the miserable teachers, who are not
taught of God, will not fail to do in all ages. Our Lord guards against
this, and shews the true extent of it, in the following words: _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_, ver. 21, &c.
_But I say unto you, that whosoever shall be 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._
8. Our Lord here ranks under the head of murder, even that anger which
goes no farther than the heart; which does not shew itself by any
outward unkindness; no, not so much as a passionate word.
_Whosoever is angry with his brother_, with any man living, seeing
we are all brethren, whosoever feels any unkindness in his heart, any
temper contrary to love: whosoever is angry _without a cause_, without
a sufficient cause, or farther than that cause requires, _shall be
in danger of the judgment_, ἔνοχος ἔστι· _shall_ in that moment _be
obnoxious to_ the righteous judgment of God.
But would not one be inclined to prefer the reading of those copies,
which omit the word, εἰκῆ, _without a cause_? Is it not entirely
superfluous? For if _anger at persons_ be a temper contrary to love,
how can there be a cause, a sufficient cause for it? Any that will
justify it in the sight of God?
_Anger at sin_, we allow. In this sense we may _be angry and_ yet we
_sin not_. In this sense our Lord himself, is once recorded to have
been angry. He _looked round about upon them with anger, being grieved
for the hardness of their hearts_. He was grieved at the sinners, and
angry at the sin. And this is undoubtedly right before God.
9. _And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca_: whosoever shall give
way to anger, so as to utter any contemptuous word. It is observed by
commentators, that _Raca_ is a _Syriack_ word, which properly signifies,
_empty, vain, foolish_: So that it is as inoffensive an expression
as can well be used, toward one at whom we are displeased. And yet
whosoever should use this, as our Lord assures us, _shall be in danger
of the council_: Rather, shall be obnoxious thereto: he shall be liable
to a severer sentence from the Judge of all the earth.
_But whosoever shall say, Thou fool_――Whosoever shall so give place to
the devil, as to break out into reviling, into designedly reproachful
and contumelious language, _shall be obnoxious to hell-fire_, shall
in that instant be liable to the highest condemnation. It should be
observed, That our Lord describes all these, as obnoxious to capital
punishment. The first, to strangling, usually inflicted on those who
were condemned in one of the inferior courts: the second to stoning,
which was frequently inflicted on those who were condemned by the great
council at _Jerusalem_; the third to burning alive, inflicted only on
the highest offenders, in the _valley of the sons of_ Hinnom. Γῆ Ἑννών·
from which that word is evidently taken, which we translate hell.
10. And whereas men naturally imagine, that God will excuse their
defect in some duties, for their exactness in others, our Lord next
takes care to cut off that vain, though common imagination. He shews,
That it is impossible for any sinner to _commute_ with God: who will
not accept one duty for another, nor take a part of obedience for
the whole. He warns us, That the performing our duty to God, will not
excuse us from our duty to our neighbour: that works of piety, as they
are called, will be so far from commending us to God, if we are wanting
in charity, that on the contrary, that want of charity will make all
those works an abomination to the Lord.
_Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembrest
that thy brother hath ought against thee_, on account of thy unkind
behaviour toward him, of thy calling him, _Raca_, or _Thou fool_; think
not that thy gift will atone for thy anger; or that it will find any
acceptance with God, so long as thy conscience is defiled with the
guilt of unrepented sin. _Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go
thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother_, (at least, do all that in
thee lies toward being reconciled) _and then come and offer thy gift_,
ver. 23, 24.
11. And let there be no delay in what so nearly concerneth thy soul.
_Agree with thine adversary quickly_――Now: upon the spot――_while thou
art in the way with him_――If it be possible, before he go out of thy
sight――_Lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge_――Lest
he appeal to God, the judge of all, _and the Judge deliver thee to the
officer_, to _Satan_, the executioner of the wrath of God, _and thou
be cast into prison_, into hell, there to be reserved to the judgment
of the great day. _Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come
out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing._ But this it
is impossible for thee ever to do; seeing thou hast nothing to pay.
Therefore if thou art once in that prison, the smoke of thy torment
must _ascend up for ever and ever_.
12. *Mean time _the meek shall inherit the earth_. Such is the
foolishness of worldly wisdom! The wise of the world had warned them
again and again, “That if they did not resent such treatment, if they
would tamely suffer themselves to be thus abused, there would be no
living for them upon earth; that they would never be able to procure
the common necessaries of life, nor to keep even what they had; that
they could expect no peace, no quiet possession, no enjoyment of any
thing.” Most true――suppose there were no God in the world; or suppose
he did not concern himself with the children of men. But _when_ God
_ariseth to judgment, and to help all the meek upon earth_: how doth
he laugh all this Heathen wisdom to scorn, and turn the _fierceness of
man to his praise_! He takes a peculiar care, to provide them with all
things needful for life and godliness. He secures to them the provision
he hath made, in spite of the force, fraud, or malice of men. And what
he secures, he _gives_ them _richly to enjoy_. It is sweet to them, be
it little or much. As _in patience_ they _possess their souls_, so they
truly possess whatever God hath given them. They are always content,
always pleased with what they have. It pleases them, because it pleases
God. So that while their heart, their desire, their joy is in heaven,
they may truly be said to _inherit the earth_.
13. But there seems to be a yet farther meaning in these words, even
that they shall have a more eminent part _in the new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness_, in that inheritance, a general description
of which (and the particulars we shall know hereafter) St. _John_ hath
given in the 20th chapter of the _♦Revelation. And I saw an angel come
down from heaven――and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent――and
bound him a thousand years――And I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of_ Jesus, _and for the word of_ God, _and
of them which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands, and they
lived and reigned with_ Christ _a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again, until the thousand years were expired. This is
the first resurrection: blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. But they
shall be priests of_ God _and of_ Christ, _and shall reign with him a
thousand years_.
II. 1. Our Lord has hitherto been more immediately employed, in
removing the hindrance of true religion: such is pride, the first,
grand hindrance of all religion, which is taken away by _poverty of
spirit_; levity, and thoughtlessness, which prevent any religion from
taking root in the soul, till they are removed by holy _mourning_: such
are anger, impatience, discontent, which are all healed by Christian
_meekness_. And when once these hindrances are removed, these evil
diseases of the soul, which were continually raising false cravings
therein, and filling it with sickly appetites, the native appetite of a
heaven-born spirit returns; it hungers and thirsts after righteousness:
and _blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness; for
they shall be filled_.
2. Righteousness (as was observed before) is the image of God, the mind
which was in _Christ Jesus_. It is every holy and heavenly temper in
one; springing from, as well as terminating in the love of God, as our
Father and Redeemer, and the love of all men, for his sake.
3. _Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after_ this: in order
fully to understand which expression, we should observe, first, That
hunger and thirst are the strongest of all our bodily appetites. In
like manner this hunger in the soul, this thirst after the image of
God, is the strongest of all our spiritual ♦appetites, when it is once
awakened in the heart: yea, it swallows up all the rest in that one
great desire, to be renewed after the likeness of him that created us.
We should, secondly, observe, That from the time we begin to hunger and
thirst, those appetites do not cease, but are more and more craving and
importunate, ’till we either eat and drink or die. And even so, from
the time that we begin to hunger and thirst after the whole mind which
was in _Christ_, these spiritual appetites do not cease, but cry after
their food with more and more importunity. Nor can they possibly cease,
before they are satisfied, while there is any spiritual life remaining.
We may, thirdly, observe, That hunger and thirst are satisfied with
nothing but meat and drink. If you would give to him that is hungry
all the world beside, all the elegance of apparel, all the trappings of
state, all the treasure upon earth, yea thousands of gold and silver:
if you would pay him ever so much honour, he regards it not; all these
things are then of no account with him. He would still say, These
are not the things I want: give me food, or else I die. The very
same is the case with every soul that truly hungers and thirsts after
righteousness. He can find no comfort in any thing but this; he can be
satisfied with nothing else. Whatever you offer besides, it is lightly
esteemed; whether it be riches, or honour, or pleasure, he still says,
this is not the thing which I want. Give me love or else I die!
4. *And it is as impossible to satisfy such a soul, a soul that is
a-thirst for God, the living God, with what the world accounts religion,
as with what they account happiness. The religion of the world implies
three things; first, The doing no harm, the abstaining from outward sin;
at least from such as is scandalous, as robbery, theft, common swearing,
drunkenness; secondly, The doing good, the relieving the poor, the
being charitable, as it is called: thirdly, The using the means of
grace; at least, the going to church and to the Lord’s supper. He in
whom these three marks are found, is termed by the world a religious
man. But will this satisfy him who hungers after God? No. It is not
food for his soul. He wants a religion of a nobler kind, a religion
higher and deeper than this. He can no more feed on this poor, shallow,
formal thing, than he can _fill his belly with the east-wind_. True, he
is careful to abstain from the very appearance of evil: he is zealous
of good works. He attends all the ordinances of God. But all this is
not what it longs for. This is only the outside of that religion, which
he insatiably hungers after. The knowledge of God in _Christ Jesus, the
life which is hid with_ Christ _in_ God, the being _joined unto the_
Lord in _one Spirit_, the having _fellowship with the Father and the
Son_; the _walking in the light as_ God _is in the light_, the being
_purified even as he is pure_: this is the religion, the righteousness
he thirsts after. Nor can he rest, ’till he thus rests in God.
5. _Blessed are they who_ thus _hunger and thirst after righteousness.
For they shall be filled._ They shall be filled with the thing which
they long for; even with righteousness and true holiness. God shall
satisfy them with the blessings of his goodness, with the felicity of
his chosen. He shall feed them with the bread of heaven, with the manna
of his love. He shall give them to drink of his pleasures as out of the
river, which he that drinketh of, shall never thirst: only for more and
more of the water of life. This thirst shall endure for ever.
The painful thirst, the fond desire
Thy joyous presence shall remove:
But my full soul shall still require
A whole eternity of love.
6. *Whosoever then thou art, to whom God hath given to _hunger and
thirst after righteousness_, cry unto him that thou mayest never lose
that inestimable gift, that this divine appetite may never cease. If
many rebuke thee, and bid thee hold thy peace, regard them not, yea,
cry so much the more, _Jesus, Master, have mercy on me_! Let me not
live, but to be holy as thou art holy! No more _spend thy money for
that which is not bread_, nor thy _labour for that which satisfieth
not_. Canst thou hope to dig happiness out of the earth? To find it
in the things of the world. O trample under foot all its pleasures,
despise its honours, count its riches as dung and dross: yea, and
all the things which are beneath the sun, _for the excellency of the
knowledge of_ Christ Jesus; for the entire renewal of thy soul in that
image of God, wherein it was originally created. Beware of quenching
that blessed hunger and thirst, by what the world calls religion: a
religion of form, of outside shew, which leaves the heart as earthly
and sensual as ever. Let nothing satisfy thee but the power of
godliness, but a religion that is spirit and life; thy dwelling in God
and God in thee, the being an inhabitant of eternity; the entring in
by the blood of sprinkling _within the veil_, and _sitting in heavenly
places with_ Christ Jesus.
III. 1. And the more they are filled with the life of God, the more
tenderly will they be concerned for those, who are still without God
in the world, still dead in trespasses and sins. Nor shall this concern
for others lose its reward. _Blessed are the merciful; for they shall
obtain mercy._
The word used by our Lord, more immediately implies, the compassionate,
the tender-hearted: those, who far from despising, earnestly grieve for
those that do not hunger after God. This eminent part of brotherly love,
is here (by a common figure) put for the whole: So that _the merciful_,
in the full sense of the term, are they who _love their neighbours as
themselves_.
2. Because of the vast importance of this love, without which, _tho’
we spake with the tongues of men and angels, tho’ we had the gift of
prophecy and understood all mysteries and all knowledge, tho’ we had
all faith so as to remove mountains_; yea, _tho’_ we _gave all_ our
_goods to feed the poor, and_ our very _bodies to be burned, it_ would
_profit us nothing_: the wisdom of God has given us by the apostle
_Paul_, a full and particular account of it: by considering which we
shall most clearly discern, who are the _merciful_ that shall _obtain
mercy_.
3. _Charity_, or _Love_ (as it were to be wished it had been rendered
throughout, being a far plainer and less ambiguous word) the love
of our neighbour as _Christ_ hath loved us, _suffereth long_, is
patient toward all men. It suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors,
infirmities, all the frowardness and littleness of faith, in the
children of God; all malice and wickedness of the children of the world.
And it suffers all this, not only for a time, for a short season, but
to the end: still feeding our enemy when he hungers: if he thirst,
still giving him drink: thus continually _heaping coals of fire_, of
melting love, _upon his head_.
4. And in every step toward this desirable end, the _overcoming evil
with good, love is kind_: (χρηστεύεται· a word not easily translated)
it is soft, mild, benign. It stands at the utmost distance from
moroseness, from all harshness or sowerness of spirit; and inspires the
sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent
and tender affection.
5. Consequently, _love envieth not_, it is impossible it should, it
is directly opposite to that baneful temper. It cannot be, that he who
has this tender affection to all, who earnestly wishes all temporal
and spiritual blessings, all good things in this world and the world
to come, to every soul that God hath made, should be pained at his
bestowing any good gift, on any child of man. If he has himself
received the same, he does not grieve but rejoice, that another
partakes of the common benefit. If he has not, he blesses God, that
his brother at least has, and is herein happier than himself. And the
greater his love, the more does he rejoice, in the blessings of all
mankind: the farther is he removed from every kind and degree of envy
toward any creature.
6. Love οὐ περπερεύεται· Not _vaunteth not itself_, which co-incides
with the very next words, but rather (as the word likewise properly
imports) _is not rash_ or _hasty_ in judging. It will not hastily
condemn any one. It does not pass a severe sentence, on a slight or
sudden view of things. It first weighs all the evidence, particularly
that which is brought in favour of the accused. A true lover of his
neighbour, is not like the generality of men, who even in cases of the
nicest nature, “see a little, presume a great deal, and so jump to the
conclusion.” No: he proceeds with wariness and circumspection, taking
heed to every step: willingly subscribing to that rule of the ancient
Heathen, (O where will the modern Christian appear!) “I am so far from
lightly believing what one man says against another, that I will not
easily believe what a man says against himself. I will always allow him
second thoughts, and many times council too.”
7. It follows, love _is not puffed_ up. It does not incline or suffer
any man _to think more highly of himself than he ought to think_: but
rather _to think soberly_. Yea, it humbles the soul unto the dust. It
destroys all high conceits engendering pride, and makes us rejoice to
be as nothing, to be little and vile, the lowest of all, the servant
of all. They who are _kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly
love_, cannot but _in honour prefer one another_. Those who _having the
same love_ are _of one accord_, do _in lowliness of mind each esteem
other better than themselves_.
8. _It doth not behave itself unseemly._ It is not rude, or willingly
offensive to any. It _renders to all their due; fear to whom fear,
honour to whom honour_: courtesy, civility, humanity to all the world;
in their several degrees _honouring all men_. A late writer defines
good-breeding, nay, the highest degree of it, politeness, “a continual
desire to please, appearing in all the behaviour.” But if so, there
is none so well-bred as a Christian, a lover of all mankind. For he
cannot but desire to _please all men, for their good, to edification_.
And this desire cannot be hid: it will necessarily appear in all
his intercourse with men. For his _love_ is _without dissimulation_;
it will appear in all his actions and conversation: yea, and will
constrain him, tho’ without guile, to _become all things to all men,
if by any means_ he _may save some_.
9. And in becoming all things to all men, _love seeketh not her own_.
In striving to please all men, the lover of mankind has no eye at all
to his own temporal advantage. He covets no man’s silver, or gold, or
apparel: he desires nothing, but the salvation of their souls. Yea, in
some sense he maybe be said, _not to seek his own_ spiritual, any more
than temporal advantage. For while he is on the full stretch to save
their souls from death, he, as it were forgets himself. He does not
think of himself, so long as that zeal for the glory of God swallows
him up. Nay, at some times, he may almost seem, through an excess of
love, to give up himself, both his soul and his body: while he cries
out with _Moses, [56]Oh! this people have sinned a great sin. Yet
now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin. And if not, blot me out of the
book which thou hast written_! Or with St. _Paul, [57]I could wish
that myself were accursed from_ Christ, _for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh_!
10. No marvel that such _love is not provoked_: οὐ παροξύνεται· Let it
be observed, the word _easily_, strangely inserted in the translation,
is not in the original. St. _Paul_’s words are absolute. _Love is not
provoked_: it is not provoked to unkindness, toward any one. Occasions
indeed will frequently occur; outward provocations of various kinds:
but love does not yield to provocation. It triumphs over all. In all
trials it looketh unto _Jesus_, and is more than conqueror in his love.
’Tis not improbable, that our translators inserted that word, as it
were to _excuse_ the apostle; who, as they supposed, might otherwise
appear to be wanting, in the very love which he so beautifully
describes. They seem to have supposed this from a phrase in the _Acts
of the apostles_: which is likewise very inaccurately translated. When
_Paul_ and _Barnabas_ disagreed concerning _John_, the translation
runs thus, [58]_And the contention was so sharp between them, that they
departed asunder_. This naturally induces the reader to suppose, that
they were equally sharp therein: that St. _Paul_, who was undoubtedly
right, with regard to the point in question (it being quite improper to
take _John_ with them again, who had deserted them before) was as much
provoked as _Barnabas_, who gave such a proof of his anger, as to leave
_the work_ for which he had been _set apart by the Holy Ghost_. But the
original imports no such thing; nor does it affirm, that St. _Paul_ was
provoked at all. It simply says καὶ ἐγένετο παροξυσμός· _And there was
a sharpness, a paroxism_ of anger: in consequence of which _Barnabas_
left St. _Paul_, took _John_ and went his own way. _Paul_ then _chose_
Silas _and departed, being recommended by the brethren to the grace of_
God; (which is not said concerning _Barnabas_) _and he went through_
Syria _and_ Cilicia, as he had proposed, _confirming the churches_. But
to return.
11. Love prevents a thousand provocations which would otherwise arise,
because _it thinketh no evil_. Indeed the merciful man cannot avoid
knowing many things that are evil, he cannot but see them with his own
eyes, and hear them with his own ears. For love does not put out his
eyes, so that it is impossible for him, not to see that such things are
done. Neither does it take away his understanding, any more than his
senses, so that he cannot but know that they are evil. For instance:
when he sees a man strike his neighbour, or hears him blaspheme God,
he cannot either question the thing done or the words spoken, or doubt
of their being evil. Yet οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν· The word λογίζεται
(_thinketh_) does not refer, either to our seeing and hearing, or
to the first and involuntary acts of our understanding: but to our
willingly _thinking_ what we need not: our _inferring_ evil, where
it does not appear: to our _reasoning_ concerning things which we do
not see; our _supposing_ what we have neither seen nor heard. This
is what true love absolutely destroys. It tears up, root and branch,
all _imagining_ what we have not known. It casts out all jealousies,
all evil surmisings, all readiness to believe evil. It is frank, open,
unsuspicious; and as it cannot design, so neither does it fear evil.
12. *_It rejoiceth not in iniquity_: common as this is, even among
those who bear the name of _Christ_; who scruple not to rejoice over
their enemy, when he falleth either into affliction or error or sin.
Indeed how hardly can they avoid this, who are zealously attached to
any party? How difficult is it for them not to be pleased with any
fault which they discover in those of the opposite party? With any real
or supposed blemish, either in their principles or practice? What warm
defender of any cause is clear of these? Yea, who is so calm as to be
altogether free? Who does not rejoice when his adversary makes a false
step, which he thinks will advantage his own cause? Only a man of love.
He alone weeps over either the sin or folly of his enemy, takes no
pleasure in hearing or in repeating it, but rather desires that it may
be forgotten for ever.