Matthew 18:1
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? — Which of us shall be thy prime minister? They still dreamed of a temporal kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? — Which of us shall be thy prime minister? They still dreamed of a temporal kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus calling to him a little child — This is supposed to have been the great Ignatius, whom Trajan, the wise, the good Emperor Trajan, condemned to be cast to the wild beasts at Rome! Mark 9:36; Luke 9:47.... [ Continue Reading ]
Except ye be converted — The first step toward entering into the kingdom of grace, is to become as little children: lowly in heart, knowing yourselves utterly ignorant and helpless, and hanging wholly on your Father who is in heaven, for a supply of all your wants. We may farther assert, (though it... [ Continue Reading ]
And all who are in this sense little children are unspeakably dear to me. Therefore help them all you can, as if it were myself in person, and see that ye offend them not; that is, that ye turn them not out of the right way, neither hinder them in it. Matthew 10:40; Luke 10:16; John 13:20. Mark 9:42... [ Continue Reading ]
Wo to the world because of offences — That is, unspeakable misery will be in the world through them; for it must needs be that offences come — Such is the nature of things, and such the weakness, folly, and wickedness of mankind, that it cannot be but they will come; but wo to that man — That is, mi... [ Continue Reading ]
If thy hand, foot, eye, cause thee to offend — If the most dear enjoyment, the most beloved and useful person, turn thee out of, or hinder thee in the way Is not this a hard saying? Yes; if thou take counsel with flesh and blood. Matthew 5:29; Mark 9:43.... [ Continue Reading ]
See that ye despise not one of these little ones — As if they were beneath your notice. Be careful to receive and not to offend, the very weakest believer in Christ: for as inconsiderable as some of these may appear to thee, the very angels of God have a peculiar charge over them: even those of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Another, and yet a stronger reason for your not despising them is, that I myself came into the world to save them. Luke 19:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
Luke 15:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
So it is not the will of your Father — Neither doth my Father despise the least of them. Observe the gradation. The angels, the Son, the Father.... [ Continue Reading ]
But how can we avoid giving offence to some? or being offended at others! Especially suppose they are quite in the wrong? Suppose they commit a known sin? Our Lord here teaches us how: he lays down a sure method of avoiding all offences. Whosoever closely observes this threefold rule, will seldom of... [ Continue Reading ]
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth — By excommunication, pronounced in the spirit and power of Christ. Whatsoever ye shall loose — By absolution from that sentence. In the primitive Church, absolution meant no more than a discharge from Church censure. Again I say — And not only your intercession for... [ Continue Reading ]
Where two or three are gathered together in my name — That is, to worship me. I am in the midst of them — By my Spirit, to quicken their prayers, guide their counsels, and answer their petitions.... [ Continue Reading ]
Till seventy times seven — That is, as often as there is occasion. A certain number is put for an uncertain.... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore — In this respect.... [ Continue Reading ]
One was brought who owed him ten thousand talents — According to the usual computation, if these were talents of gold, this would amount to seventy — two millions sterling. If they were talents of silver, it must have been four millions, four hundred thousand pounds. Hereby our Lord intimates the va... [ Continue Reading ]
As he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold — Such was the power which creditors anciently had over their insolvent debtors in several countries.... [ Continue Reading ]
Went with him before a magistrate, and cast him into prison, protesting he should lie there, till he should pay the whole debt.... [ Continue Reading ]
His lord delivered him to the tormentors — Imprisonment is a much severer punishment in the eastern countries than in ours. State criminals, especially when condemned to it, are not only confined to a very mean and scanty allowance, but are frequently loaded with clogs or heavy yokes, so that they c... [ Continue Reading ]