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that it hath been said: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy." But I say unto you, love your enemies, 44 bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and

the Mosaic law on this head. Deut. xv. 7-11. Reject not the suit of the poor, or those who solicit your aid, though, as the connexion indicates, they have treated you in such a way as seemingly to release you from the obligations of benevolence. Luke vi. 30-35. Rom. xii. 20. Give and lend to enemies.

43. After using some minute illustrations of the true principles of morals and religion, and contrasting them with current doctrines, he proceeds from this verse to enjoin love towards enemies. — It hath been said. Said by whom? By ancient teachers and rabbins. There is no commandment in the Old Testament that we should hate our enemies. But the Jewish teachers corrupted the law, and deduced illegitimate inferences, at variance with its spirit; particularly from Lev. xix. 18. One of them said, that "he who lived in idolatry was the common enemy of all, and as such might be slain by any one." And Tacitus, a Roman historian, says, "the Jews hated all others as enemies." language of Paul is that they were 66 contrary to all men.' Other citations might be made to the same effect. "A Jew sees a Gentile fall into the sea let him by no means lift him out for it is written: Thou shalt not rise up against the blood of thy neighbor; but this is not thy neighbor." The Mosaic law inculcated, however, mercy to enemies. Ex. xxii. 21. Deut. xxiii. 7.

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love a bad man's deeds, nor refrain from speaking of them with indignation, especially if they injure us, yet we can love him, if we will only consider that he is our brother man, notwithstanding his wickedness, and can yet be restored to virtue and love, perhaps in some measure by the instrumentality of our own love to him. If we should sincerely love our enemies, how many of them would soon be enrolled among our friends! That this love should be like that of cordial attachment to near relatives and dear friends is not required: but we are to cherish a benevolent regard, a love for them, if not for their conduct; a disposition to do them good at all times, and not evil; to rejoice in their happiness, and not to be envious of it; to lament their calamities, and not to exult over their fall. If we cannot have the love of approbation, we can have the love of benevolence. But this precept runs counter to our general feelings, it requires strenuous self-denial to obey it. It has been remarked, that "this one precept is a sufficient proof of the holiness of the Gospel, and the truth of the Christian religion. Every false religion flatters man, and accommodates itself to his pride and passions. None but God could have imposed a yoke so contrary to self-love." Bless them that curse you. He shows how love to enemies is to be manifested. It is not to be a barren sentiment, but to produce the fruits of forbearance, good-will, and forgiveness. What is meant by blessing is defined by its being contrasted with cursing. As the one is to speak and imprecate evil upon a person, the other

pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; 45 that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, 46 and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye

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is to speak and wish good for him, to give him good words. · -Do good to them that hate you. Here the emphasis is on the word do. An Apostle has said, we must "not love in tongue, but in deed and truth." The sentiment of goodwill, if shut up in the heart, and not manifested and exercised in benevolent action, will soon droop and wither, like an unused limb of the body. The affections of the soul, like the muscles of the arm or leg, are strengthened by action. -Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. These words originally referred to arraigning and prosecuting at law, but afterwards became more unlimited in their significations, embracing acts of insult and injury of any kind. The precept to pray for our enemies shows how truly and profoundly our Master understood human wants and woes, and how completely he could remedy them. If it were universally the custom to pray for our enemies, and to treat them in accordance with our prayers, hatred and unkindness would be thawed and softened, as snow by the sunbeams. The savage feuds, the fostered grudges, the evil eye, the poisoned tongue, by which society is embroiled and rent, would be known only in tradition. Murders, Duels, and Wars, would belong only to the dark and bloody Past.

therefore, that you may become assimilated in disposition and conduct to the benevolent and impartial Deity. Goodness in men likens them to the Being of all goodness. — For he maketh his sun to rise, &c. The article before evil and good, just and unjust, is not in the original, and the passage would read better without it. He maketh his sun to rise on evil and good, and sendeth rain on just and unjust. He does good to foe and friend, exercising a most generous benevolence towards all mankind. "We are bound to love our enemies; this is a law of Christianity, original and peculiar. No system but this has required it ; and no act of Christian piety is more difficult. None shows more the power of the grace of God; none is more ornamental to the character; none more like God; and none furnishes better evidence of piety. He that can meet a man kindly who is seeking his hurt, who can speak well of one that is perpetually slandering and cursing him; that can pray for a man that abuses, injures, and wounds him, is in the way to life. This is Religion, beautiful as its native skies; pure like its Source; kind like its Author; fresh like the dews of the morning; clear and diffusive like the beams of the rising sun; and holy like the feelings and words that come from the bosom of the Son of God. He that can do this need not doubt that he is a Christian. He has caught the very spirit of the Saviour, and he must inherit eternal life." Barnes.

45. That ye may be the children of your Father, &c. It is a Scripture idiom to call those who resemble any being his children. Thus, bad men are called the sons of Belial and Satan; and good men the sons and children of God. John viii.. you, 44; 1 John iii. 10. The force is

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46. For if ye love them which love i. e. if you love only those who love you; if you do not extend

love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? and if ye salute your brethren only, 47 what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

your affections beyond the circle of your friends; if you have no disinterested love. What reward have ye? Luke vi. 34, "what thank have ye?" What virtue, merit, or praise is it in you, and what reward or approbation can you hope for, either from your conscience, or God? Your love is only selfish and contracted. The worst men do as much as you. -Do not even the publicans the same? Or, tax-gatherers the same? There were taxes and customs levied by the Roman government upon the nations under their subjection. Two classes of persons were engaged in collecting these revenues. One of these consisted of Roman knights principally, who paid the government a certain sum for the privilege of collecting the money in a prescribed district. The other class were less honorable, and consisted of those who were employed under the general contractors, as agents, to receive the dues at the gates of cities, in seaports, on highways, and bridges. These are the publicans usually spoken of in the New Testament. They were mostly Gentiles, but sometimes Jews. Engaged in raising the taxes of a foreign power, addicted to rapacity, Luke iii. 12, 13, in their office, and exerting their power to oppress the inhabitants, the collectors, or tax-gatherers, were objects of universal odium and detestation. No epithet was too bad to apply to them. Publican was a synonyme for sinner. Luke vi. 32. Their bad qualities of course were likely to be nourished and strengthened by the harsh and bit ter treatment which they received from the rest of the community. Theocritus, an ancient writer, be

ing asked which of the wild beasts were most cruel, answered: "Bears and lions, in the mountains; and tax-gatherers and calumniators, in cities." Still, like every other class of worthless men, excellent characters were found among them. Jesus numbered among his illustrious Twelve, Matthew the publican. And Zaccheus was one, though perhaps belonging to the superior class. In saying, therefore, that, in loving those who loved them, they did no more than publicans, Jesus virtually said, they did no more than the most abandoned and hateful persons in society.

47. Salute. The species is put for the genus, or, to speak less technically, one act is mentioned as a representative of all the offices of good-will. The salutations of the east vary according to the rank of the person addressed. Inferiors kiss the hand, feet, knees, or garments of their superiors, or prostrate themselves upon the ground. Equals lay their right hand upon their bosom and incline their bodies a little to equals. Various expressions were used also in saluting : as, Peace be to thee; Be thou blessed of Jehovah; May Jehovah be with you. Similar forms are still observed in the east, according to modern travellers. Brethren. Many manuscripts read friends. The Jews were accustomed to treat other nations scornfully, and to restrict their friendly offices to a narrow circle of their own friends or sect. Jesus inculcates universal charity and courtesy.. more than others? What act of singular virtue or distinction is it, to salute, or treat politely, only those 'who make the same return? Worse

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

heaven is perfect.

CHAPTER VI.

The Sermon on the Mount,-continued.

TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which 2 is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not

men do as much as that. The publicans. Or, as Griesbach reads, the Gentiles, or heathen, salute those that salute them. But the followers of Christ were to aspire after wider sympathies, more diffusive charity and civility.

48. Perfect. It is not perfection in general that is here urged, but, as the connexion shows, perfection of charity; completeness, roundness, expansiveness of benevolence. In this virtue, we are not to take imperfect, narrow man as our model, but God, whose benevolent regards extend to the family of man, rich and poor, sinner and saint, bond and free; whose tender mercies are over all his works and creatures. We, like him, though not equally with him, for that would be impossible, are to be impartial in our feelings and conduct towards our race, kind to all, loving all, praying for all, treating all as brethren. What a sublime appeal to the sensibility of man, that he should imitate the glorious Parent of all; that, leaving the contracted spirit of clanship, or nationality, or sectarianism, he should aspire after that grand charity, which like the Providence and Grace of God, encircles in its generous embrace the whole brotherhood of man! So Jesus taught, and so he nobly lived. Precept and practice harmonized perfectly in him.

CHAP. VI.

1. Our Lord had been speaking of the wrong construction put upon

many of the Mosaic precepts by the Scribes and Pharisees; and he sets up a much higher and purer standard of virtue than theirs. He now proceeds to show that in their religious acts, as well as opinions, there was a corrupt motive; and that his disciples should act from far better principles. — Alms. The original text, according to the judgment of the best editors, reads righteousness instead of alms. The sense then would be,-Do not your deeds of righteousness, your religious duties, from motives of vanity. This verse is a general text to the remarks which follow in verse 2, upon alms; verse 5, upon prayer; and verse 16, upon fasting. He goes on to specify what religious duties should not be performed for the sake of publicity. To be seen of them. The strength of the prohibition lies in these words. Jesus does not condemn public acts of virtue and benevolence. It would be inconsistent with his own injunction, Matt. v. 16. But he forbids such acts being done for the sake of being seen of men, from a love of ostentation. Such motives vitiate the apparently good deed. A man that ever acts virtuously, so far as we can see, may be influenced by such selfish or ambitious views, as to lose the solid reward of virtue, the favor of God. Thus the Scribes and Pharisees lost the approbation of Jesus and their Creator. Matt. xxiii. 5.

2. Doest thine alms. The first specification relates to alms-giving.

sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when 3 thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father, 4 which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.

He contrasts the practices of the times with the pure principles of his religion, and unveils the worthlessness of an action, however good seemingly, which is prompted by a desire of the applause of men. Do not sound a trumpet before thee. We have similar phrases at the present day to blazon; to trumpet; to make a flourish of trumpets. It is not clear that any custom is actually described here, but a figurative expression is used, to teach that we should not make a show of our charities to acquire human praise. Reference is made in general, perhaps, to eastern customs. 2 Kings ix. 13. Stage-players and gladiators were brought into the theatres with sound of trumpets. The Persian dervises, a kind of religious beggars, according to Chardin, carry horns with them, which they blow when any thing is given them, in honor of the donors. A Burman convert, reading the Sermon on the Mount, exclaimed, "How unlike our religion is this! When Burmans make offerings at the pagodas, they make a great noise with drums and musical instruments, that others may see how good they are." - The hypocrites, i. e. Scribes and Pharisees. Matt. xxiii. 13, 14, 15, 29. The word in Greek means actors. It was the custom among the ancients for actors or stage-players to wear masks. Hence the force of the word in morals and religion. It describes those who act under a mask; who profess to be good, but within are bad; who personate, like stage-actors, an assumed character.

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3. Let not thy left hand know, &c. A proverbial expression. The sense is, Make no exertion to publish your benevolence; on the contrary, let it hardly be known to yourself. The alms-box stood in Jewish synagogues on the right hand of the passage into the house; hence the peculiar force and beauty of saying, that the left hand should not know of the alms which the right hand bestowed.

4. That thine alms may be in secret, i. e. may be secretly given. These directions refer more to the spirit than to the manner of bestowing charities. Gifts to the destitute are necessarily sometimes public. The rule of our Master is violated only when the motive of beneficence is, to be seen and praised by mankind. It is the disposition of heart that makes the giver's alms acceptable or not, in the presence of the Great Spirit.-Seeth in secret. Sees the hidden virtues, the private charities, the unobtrusive benevolence of his children on earth. Reward

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