_CHRIST, ENDING HIS SERMON ON THE MOUNT, REPROVETH RASH JUDGMENT,
FORBIDDETH TO CAST HOLY THINGS TO DOGS, EXHORTETH TO PRAYER, TO ENTER
IN AT THE STRAIT GATE, TO BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS, NOT TO BE HEARERS
ONLY BUT DOERS OF THE WORD; LIKE HOUSES BUILT ON A ROCK, AND NOT ON
THE SAND._
_Anno Domini... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGE NOT, &C.— Our Saviour, having condemned worldly-mindedness in
the general, proceeds to forbid allrash and unfavourable judgments,
whether of the characters of others in general, or of their actions in
particular. See Luke 6:37. Though he does not level his discourse
against the Pharisees in th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHY BEHOLDEST THOU— Τι βλεπεις. "Why dost thou
_observe_, or _take notice of?"_ For the original word βλεπεις
here signifies not only to be acquainted with other people's faults,
but to _pry into them,_ with a design to censure and reprove them.
_Eye_ here, as in ch. Matthew 5:29 and Matthew 6:2... [ Continue Reading ]
LET ME PULL OUT THE MOTE, &C.— _Hold still, and I will take the mote
out of thine eye._ This seems to be the exact meaning of the words
Αφες εκβαλω in the original, which, translated thus
literally, elegantly intimates, how ready men are to _shrink_ from
reproof. The simile here used implies, that i... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HYPOCRITE— As by the eye we judge of things relating to the
body, so by the understanding we judge of things pertaining to the
soul. You may therefore lay this down as fixed and certain, that the
more grace and holiness you yourself possess, the better will you be
able to judge of your brother'... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVE NOT THAT WHICH IS HOLY, &C.— _Lest these trample,—and those
turn again and tear you._ There is a similar maxim to this in the
Talmudical writings: _"Do not cast pearls before swine;"_ to which is
added, by way of explanation, "Do not offer wisdom to one who knows
not the price of it." This was... [ Continue Reading ]
ASK, &C.— There is often a latent connection in the discourses of
our Lord, which obviates difficulties and answers doubts that may
arise from what has been said; as here, when he had taught how they
who take upon them to instruct others ought to be qualified, and had
cautioned them who were so qual... [ Continue Reading ]
OR WHAT MAN, &C.— _Is there any man among_ you? Blackwall. _And
indeed what one man is there among you?_ Doddridge; who observes upon
this verse, "Young preachers I hope will remark, how much life and
force it adds to these discourses of our Lord, that they are directed
so closely through the whole... [ Continue Reading ]
IF YE THEN, BEING EVIL— The words Τις εξ υμων, _which of
you,_ in the 9th verse, are well explained by this: "If," says our
Lord, "you, imperfect and evil as you are, and some of you perhaps
tenacious, froward, and unkind, readily give good gifts to your
children when they cry for them; how much rat... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE, ALL THINGS, &C.— The Ουν _, Therefore,_ is by no means
a mere expletive in this passage, for there is a force in the
connection beyond what has been generally observed. Because our
Saviour was referring his hearers, observes Macknight, to what passed
within themselves, he took occasionto... [ Continue Reading ]
ENTER YE IN AT THE STRAIT GATE— That is, _strive to enter._ See Luke
13:24. By the figurative expressions used in these verses, our blessed
Saviour gives us to understand how easy it is to enter into
destruction, and how hard it is for proud man to come to him for
salvation through the infinite meri... [ Continue Reading ]
BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS— The connection here is remarkable, says
Dr. Heylin. One characteristic of _false prophets,_ that is, _false
preachers,_ is, that they widen the narrow way. It is their
_prophesying,_ their teaching the broad way, rather than their walking
in it themselves, which is here chi... [ Continue Reading ]
YE SHALL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS— That is, by the evil tendency of
their doctrines, as well as by the immorality of their lives. Compare
1 John 4:1. 1 Corinthians 13:3. What follows seems to be a kind of
proverb, and there occur in heathen authors many similar sayings.
Several commentators are of... [ Continue Reading ]
NOT EVERYONE THAT SAITH, &C.— That is, "Among those who acknowledge
me for the Messiah, none but such as _do_ the will of God shall be
admitted into his kingdom:" not a bare profession of religion, but a
conscientious performance of the duties of it, as the fruits of living
faith in him, will stand... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THAT DAY— That is, the day of judgment so called by way of
eminence. Instead of _devils,_ Dr. Heylin reads _daemons;_ for as an
evil spirit is called by two different names in the original; namely
διαβολος, where it is spoken of as the tempter or accuser of
mankind, and διαμων, where bodily posse... [ Continue Reading ]
I NEVER KNEW YOU— _To know_ frequently signifies, in Scripture, to
_acknowledge_ or _approve._ The meaning is, "Though I called you to be
my servants, and you professed yourselves such, I never knew you to be
such, nor approved of you. I knew indeed that ye were the slaves of
other masters,—mammon,... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE &C.— The meaning of these verses is, that whoever expects
to enter into the kingdom of glory, when his religion amounts to only
a mere outward profession of the Gospel, will see all his ill-grounded
hopes vanish, and come to nothing, when he appears before the judgment
seat of that God who... [ Continue Reading ]
ASTONISHED AT HIS DOCTRINE— Or, _his manner of teaching._ See Mark
1:27 _for he taught them_ (Matthew 7:29.) _as one having authority._
This authority plainly appeared in these words, _but I say unto you,_
&c. and in Matthew 7:22 _have we not prophesied in thy name,_ &c. from
which it is evident tha... [ Continue Reading ]