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Threatenings against those

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CCI. 3.

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CHAP. V.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break

who break Christ's commandments.

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20 For I say unto you, That except An. Olymp. one of these least commandments, and your righteousness shall exceed the An. Olymp. shall teach men so, he shall be called || righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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a James 2. 10.

b Rom. 9. 31. & 10. 3. Or, to them.

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thing that hath breath PRAISE, ♫ tehalel, the Lord, change nhé into cheth, he would ruin the world." [Because the command would then run, Let every thing that hath breath PROPHANE the Lord.]

"Should any one, in the words of Jerem. v. 10. They lied AGAINST the Lord, mm beihovah, change beth into caph, he would ruin the world." [For then the words would run, They lied LIKE the Lord.]

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Should any one, in the words of Hosea v. 7. They have dealt treacherously, beihovah, AGAINST the Lord, change beth into caph, he would ruin the world." [For then the words would run, They have dealt treacherously LIKE the Lord.]

"Should any one, in the words of 1 Sam. ii. 2. There is none holy as the Lord, change cap into beth, he would ruin the world." [For then the words would mean, There is no holiness IN the Lord.]

These examples fully prove, that the μa gaia of our Lord, refers to the apices, points, or corners, that distinguish beth from caph; cheth from hé; and resh from daleth. For the Reader will at once perceive, how easily a caph may be turned into a beth; ahé into an cheth; and aresh into adaleth: and he will also see of what infinite consequence it is to write and print such letters correctly.

Till all be fulfilled.] Or, accomplished. Though all earth and hell should join together to hinder the accomplishment of the great designs of the Most High; yet it shall be all in vain-even the sense of a single letter shall not be lost. The words of God which point out his designs, are as unchangeable as his nature itself. Every sinner, who perseveres in his iniquity, shall surely be punished with separation from God and the glory of his power; and every soul that turns to God, through Christ, shall as surely be saved, as that Jesus himself hath died.

Verse 19. Whosoever-shall break one of these least commandments] The Pharisees were remarkable for making a distinction between weightier and lighter matters in the Law, and between what has been called, in a corrupt part of the Christian Church, moral and venial sins. See on chap. xxii. 36.

Whosoever shall break. What an awful consideration is this! He who, by his mode of acting, speaking, or explain

ing, the words of God, sets the holy precept aside, or explains away its force and meaning, shall be called least-shall have no place in the kingdom of Christ here, nor in the kingdom of glory above. That this is the meaning of these words, is evident enough from the following verse.

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Verse 20. Except your righteousness shall exceed] Unless your righteousness abound more-unless it take in, not only the letter, but the spirit and design of the moral and ritual precept; the one directing you how to walk so as to please God; the other pointing out Christ, the great Atonement, through and by which a sinner is enabled to do so— more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, who only attended to the letter of the Law, and had indeed made even that of no effect by their traditions-ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. This fully explains the meaning of the preceding verse. The old English word is pihepirnys, rightwiseness, i. e. complete, thorough, excellent WISDOM. For a full explanation of this verse, see Luke xviii. 10, &c. Verse 21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time] Tos agxaiois, to or by the ancients. By the ancients, we may understand those who lived before the Law, and those who lived under it; for murder was, in the most solemn manner, forbidden before, as well as under the Law, Gen. ix. 5, 6.

But it is very likely that our Lord refers here merely to traditions and glosses relative to the ancient Mosaic ordinance; and such as, by their operation, rendered the primitive command of little or no effect. Murder from the beginning has been punished with death; and it is, probably, the only crime that should be punished with death. There is much reason to doubt, whether the punishment of death, inflicted for any other crime, is not in itself murder, whatever the authority may be that has instituted it. GOD, and the greatest legislators that have ever been in the universe, are of the same opinion. See Montesquieu, Blackstone, and the Marquis Beccaria, and the arguments and testimonies lately produced by Sir Samuel Romilly, in his motion for the amendment of the criminal laws of this kingdom. It is very remarkable, that the criminal code published by Joseph II. late Emperor of Germany, though it consists of seventy-one capital crimes, has not death attached to any of them. Even murder with an intention to rob, is punished only with "imprisonment for thirty years, to lie on the

Injurious words, and

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An. Olymp. kill;

CCI. 3.

ST. MATTHEW.

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harsh speeches censured.

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An. Olymp.

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A.M. 4031. them of old time, Thou shalt not be in danger of the judgment: and and whosoever shall kill shall be whosoever shall say to his brother, in danger of the judgment: Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

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22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall

a Exod. 20. 13. Deut. 5. 17.-1 John 3. 15.

floor, to have no nourishment but bread and water, to be closely chained, and to be publicly whipped once a year, with less than one hundred lashes." See Colquhoun on the Police

That is, vain fellow. 2 Sam. 6. 20. Jam. 2. 20.

was punished by cutting out the tongue, and thrusting a hot iron, of ten fingers' breadth, into the mouth of the person who used it. Code of Gentoo Laws, chap. xv. sect. 2. p. 212.

of the City of London, p. 272. Verse 22. Whosoever is angry with his brother without a Shall be in danger of hell fire.] ενοχος έται εις την γέενναν του cause] oogy. Coueros—exn, who is vainly incensed. "This trans- vgos, shall be liable to the hell of fire. Our Lord here allation is literal; and the very objectionable phrase, without|| ludes to the valley of the son of Hinnom, n: Ghi hinom. a cause, is left out, xn being more properly translated by This place was near Jerusalem, and had been formerly that above." What our Lord seems here to prohibit, is not used for those abominable sacrifices, in which the idolatrous merely that miserable facility which some have of being Jews had caused their children to pass through the fire të angry at every trifle, continually taking offence against their Molech. A particular place in this valley was called Tophet, best friends; but that anger which leads a man to commit from 5 tophet, the fire-stove, in which some suppose they outrages against another, thereby subjecting himself to that burnt their children alive to the above idol. See 2 Kings punishment which was to be inflicted on those who brake xxiii. 10. 2 Chron. xxviii. S. Jer. vii. 31, 32. From the the peace. xn, vainly, or, as in the common translation, circumstance of this valley having been the scene of those without a cause, is wanting in the famous Vatican MS. and infernal sacrifices, the Jews, in our Saviour's time, used the two others, the Ethiopic, latter Arabic, Saxon, Vulgate, two|| word for hell, the place of the damned. See the word apcopies of the old Itela, J. Martyr, Ptolomeus, Origen, Ter-plied in this sense by the Targum, on Ruth ii. 12. Psal. cxl. tullian, and by all the ancient copies quoted by St. Jerom. It was probably a marginal gloss originally, which in process of time crept into the text.

12. Gen. iii. 24. xv. 17. It is very probable, that our Lord means no more here than this: If a man charge another with apostacy from the Jewish religion, or rebellion against God, and cannot prove his charge, then he is exposed to that punishment, (burning alive) which the other must have suffered, if the charge had been substantiated. There are three kinds of offences here, which exceed each other in their degrees of guilt. 1st. Anger against a man, accom

Shall be in danger of the judgment] voxos era, shull be|| liable to the judgment. That is, to have the matter brought before a senate, composed of twenty-three magistrates, whose business it was to judge in cases of murder and other capital crimes. It punished criminals by strangling or beheading; but Dr. Lightfoot supposes the judgment of God to be intend-panied with some injurious act. 2dly. Contempt, expressed ed. See at the end of this chapter.

Raca] from the Hebrew prak, to be empty. It signifies a vain, empty, worthless fellow, shallow brains, a term of great contempt. Such expressions were punished among the Gentoos by a heavy fine. See all the cases, Code of Gentoo Laws, chap. xv. sect. 2. The council] Zuredgor, the famous council, known among the Jews by the name of Sanhedrin. It was composed of seventy-two elders, six chosen out of each tribe. This grand || Sanhedrin not only received appeals from the inferior Sanhedrins, or court of twenty-three, mentioned above; but could alone take cognizance, in the first instance, of the highest crimes, and alone inflict the punishment of stoning.

Thou fool] Morch, probably from 12 marah, to rebel, a|| rebel against God, apostate from all good. This term implied, among the Jews, the highest enormity, and most aggravated guilt, Among the Gentoos, such an expression

by the opprobrious epithet raka, or shallow brains. 3dly. Hatred and mortal enmity, expressed by the term morch, or apostate, where such apostacy could not be proved. Now, proportioned to these three offences were three different degrees of punishment, each exceeding the other in its severity, as the offences exceeded each other in their different degrees of guilt. 1st. The judgment, the council of twentythree, which could inflict the punishment of strangling. 2dly. The Sanhedrin, or great council, which could inflict the punishment of stoning. And 3dly. the being burnt alive in the valley of the son of Hinnom. This appears to be the meaning of our Lord.

Now, if the above offences were to be so severely punished, which did not immediately affect the life of another, how much sorer must the punishment of murder be? ver. 21. And as there could not be a greater punishment inflicted than death, in the above terrific forms, and this was to be inflicted

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not accept of any act of religious worship from us, while any enmity subsists in our hearts toward any soul of man; or while any subsists in our neighbour's heart towards us, which we have not used the proper means to remove. A religion, the very essence of which is love, cannot suffer at its altars, a heart that is revengeful and uncharitable, or which does not use its utmost endeavours to revive love in the heart of another. The original word, dugor, which we translate gift, is used by the Rabbins in Hebrew letters doron, which signifies not only a gift, but a sacrifice offered to God. See several proofs in Schoetgen.

for minor crimes; then the punishment of murder must not only have death here, but a hell of fire in the eternal world, attached to it. It seems that these different degrees of guilt, and the punishment attached to each, had not been properly distinguished among the Jews. Our Lord here calls their attention back to them, and gives them to understand, that in the coming world there are different degrees of punishment prepared for different degrees of vice; and that not only the outward act of iniquity should be judged and punished by the Lord, but that injurious words, and evil passions should all meet their just recompence and reward. Murder is the most punishable of all crimes, according to the written Law, in Then come and offer thy gift.] Then, when either thy brorespect both of our neighbour and civil society. But He who ther is reconciled to thee, or thou hast done all in thy power sees the heart, and judges it by the eternal law, punishes as to effect this reconciliation. My own obstinacy and unmuch, a word, or a desire, if the hatred whence they proceed charitableness must render me utterly unfit to receive any good be complete and perfected. Dr. Lightfoot has some curious from God's hands, or to worship him in an acceptable in.nobservations on this passage in the preface to his Harmony of ner; but the wickedness of another, can be no hindrance to the Evangelists. See his works, Vol. II. and the conclusionme, when I have endeavoured earnestly to get it removed, of this chapter.

though without effect.

Verse 23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift] Evil must be Verse 25. Agree with thine adversary quickly] Adversary, nipped in the bud. An unkind thought of another may be aridinos, properly a plaintiff in law-a perfect law term. the foundation of that which leads to actual murder. A Our Lord enforces the exhortation given in the preceding Christian, properly speaking, cannot be an enemy to any verses from the consideration of what was deemed prudent in man;, nor is he to consider any man his enemy, without the ordinary law-suits. In such cases, men should make up fullest evidence for surmises to the prejudice of another, can matters with the utmost speed, as running through the whole never rest in the bosom of him who has the love of God in his course of a law-suit, must not only be vexatious, but be attended heart, for to him all men are brethren. He sees all men as with great expense; and in the end, though the loser may children of God, and members of Christ, or at least capable be ruined, yet the gainer has nothing. A good use of this of becoming such. If a tender forgiving spirit was required, || very prudential advice of our Lord is this: Thou art a sinner, even in a Jew, when he approached God's altar with a bullock or a lamb, how much more necessary is this in a man who professes to be a follower of the Lamb of God; especially when he receives the symbols of that Sacrifice which was offered for the life of the world, in what is commonly called the sacrament of the Lord's supper?

Verse 24. Leave there thy gift before the altar] This is as much as to say, "Do not attempt to bring any offering to God whilst thou art in a spirit of enm'ty against any person, or hast any difference with thy neighbour, which thou hast not used thy diligence to get adjusted." It is our duty and interest, both to bring our gift, and offer it too; but God will

God hath a controversy with thee. There is but a step between thee and death. Now is the accepted time. Thou art invited to return to God by Christ Jesus. Come immediately at his call, and he will save thy soul. Delay not! Eternity is at hand; and if thou die in thy sins, where God is thou shalt

never come.

Those who make the adversary, God; the judge, Christ; the officer, Death; and the prison, Hell, abuse the passage, and highly dishonour God.

Verse 26. The uttermost farthing.] Kodavrny. The Rabbins have this Greek word cor:upted into op kordiontes, and pop, kontrik, and say, that two men prutoth make.

Impure thoughts, &c. condemned.

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means come out thence, till thou hast || mitted adultery with her already in A. M. 4031. An. Olymp. paid the uttermost farthing.

CCI. 3.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath com

Exod. 20. 14. Deut. 5. 18.b Job 31. 1. Prov. 6. 25. Sce Gen. 34. 2. 2 Sam. 11. 2.

his heart.

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29 And if thy right eye d offend

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thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

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a kontarik, which is exactly the same with those words in Mark xii. 42. λεπτα δυο, ο εστι κοδράντης, two mites, which are one furthing. Hence it appears, that the ATO lepton was the same as the prutah. The weight of the prutah was half a barley corn, and it was the smallest coin among the Jews, as the kodrantes or farthing, was the smallest coin among the Romans. If the matter issue in law, strict justice will be done, and your creditor be allowed the fulness of his just claim; but if, while you are on the way, going to the magistrate, you come to a friendly agreement with him, he will relax in his claims, take a part for the whole, and the composition be in the end, both to his and your profit.

This text has been considered a proper foundation on which to build not only the doctrine of a purgatory, but also that of universal restoration. But the most unwarrantable violence must be used before it can be pressed into the service of either of the above antiscriptural doctrines. At the most, the text can only be considered as a metaphorical representation of the procedure of the great Judge; and let it ever be remembered, that by the general consent of all (except the basely interested) no metaphor is ever to be produced in proof of any doctrine. In the things that concern our eternal salva- || tion, we need the most pointed and express evidence on which to establish the faith of our souls.

Verse 27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old] By the ancients, Tois agxalis is omitted by nearly a hundred MSS. and some of them of the very greatest antiquity and authority; also by the Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Gothic,|| and Slavonian versions; by four copies of the old Itala; and by Origen, Cyril, Theophylact, Euthymius and Hilary. On this authority Wetstein and Griesbach have left it out of the

text.

Verse 28. Whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her] Επιθυμεσαι αυτή», earnestly to covet her. The verb επιθυμεω, is undoubtedly used here by our Lord, in the sense of coveting through the influence of impure desire. The word is used in precisely the same sense, on the same subject, by Herodotus, book the first, near the end. I will give the passage, but I dare not translate it. To the learned Reader it will justify my translation, and the unlearned must take my word. Της ΕΠΙΘΥΜΗΣΕΙ γυναικος Μασσαγέτης ανης, μισγεται αδέως. Ra

phelius, on this verse, says, dμ hoc loco, est turpi cupiditate mulieris potiunda flagrare. In all these cases, our blessed Lord points out the spirituality of the Law; which was a matter to which the Jews paid very little attention. Indeed it is the property of a Pharisee to abstain only from the outward crime. Men are very often less inquisitive to know how far the will of God extends, that they may please him in performing it, than they are to know how far they may satisfy their lusts without destroying their bodies and souls utterly, by an open violation of his law.

Hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.] It is the earnest wish or desire of the soul, which in a variety of cases, constitutes the good or evil of an act. If a man earnestly wish to commit an evil, but cannot, because God puts time, place, and opportunity out of his power; he is fully chargeable with the iniquity of the act, by that God who searches and judges the heart. So, if a man earnestly wish to do some kindness, which it is out of his power to perform, the act is considered as his; because God, in this case, as in that above, takes the will for the deed. If voluntary and deliberate looks and desires make adulterers and adulteresses, how many persons are there whose whole life is one continued crime? whose eyes being full of adultery, they cannot cease from sin. 2 Pet. ii. 14. Many would abhor to commit one external act before the eyes of men, in a temple of stone; and yet they are not afraid to commit a multitude of such acts in the temple of their hearts, and in the sight of God!

Verse 29 And if thy right eye offend thee] The right eye and the right hand are used here to point out those sins which appear most pleasing and profitable to us; from which we must be separated, if we desire ever to see the kingdom of God.

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Offend thee] Exardan σs. Te fait broncher, cause thee to Σκανδαλίζει stumble, French Bible. Exavdanga is explained by Suidas, "that piece of wood in a trap, or pit for wild beasts, which being trodden upon by them, causes them to fall into the trap or pit." The word in Suidas appears to be compounded of oxavdanov a stumbling block, or something that causes a man to trip, and λalça private or hidden. Thus then the right eye may be considered the darling idol; the right hand,

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the profitable employment, pursued on sinful principles; these become snares and traps to the soul, by which it falls into the pit of perdition.

Verses 29, 30. Pluck it out-cut it off] We must shut our senses against dangerous objects, to avoid the occasions of sin, and deprive ourselves of all that is most dear and profitable to us, in order to save our souls, when we find that these dear and profitable things, however innocent in themselves, cause us to sin against God.

It is profitable for thee that one of thy members] Men often part with some members of the body, at the discretion of a surgeon, that they may preserve the trunk, and die a little later; and yet they will not deprive themselves of a look, a touch, a small pleasure, which endanger the eternal death of the soul. It is not enough to shut the eye, or stop the hand; the one must be plucked out, and the other cut off. Neither is this enough, we must cast them both from us. Not one moment's truce with an evil passion, or a sinful appetite. If you indulge them, they will gain strength, and you shall be ruined. The Rabbins have a saying similar to this: "It is better for thee to be scorched with a little fire in this world, than to be burned with a devouring fire in the world to come."

Verse 31. Whosoever shall put away his wife] The Jewish doctors gave great licence in the matter of divorce. Among them, a man might divorce his wife if she displeased him even in the dressing of his victuals!

Rabbi Akiba said, "If any man saw a woman handsomer than his own wife, he might put his wife away; because it is said in the Law, If she find not favour in his eyes." Deut. Xxiv. 1.

Josephus, the celebrated Jewish historian, in his life, tells us, with the utmost coolness and indifference, "About this time I put away my wife, who had borne me three children, not being pleased with her manners.”

These two cases are sufficient to shew, to what a scandalous and criminal excess this matter was carried among the Jews. However, it was allowed by the school of Shammai, that no Luan was to put away his wife unless for adultery. The school of Hillel gave much greater licence.

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"On the day of the week A. in the month B. in the year C. from the beginning of the world, according to the common computation in the province of D. I, N. the son of N. by whatever name I am called, of the city E. with entire consent of mind, and without any compulsion, have divorced, dismissed, and expelled thee-thee, I say, M. the daughter of M. by whatever name thou art called, of the city E. who wast heretofore my wife: but now I have dismissed thee-thee, I say, M. the daughter of M, by whatever name thou art called, of the city E. so as to be free, and at thine own disposal, to marry whomsoever thou pleasest, without hindrance from any one, from this day for ever. Thou art therefore free for any man. Let this be thy bill of divorce from me, a writing of separation and expulsion, ac、 cording to the law of Moses and Israel.

REUBEN, son of Jacob, Witness. ELIEZAR, son of Gilead, Witness." God permitted this evil to prevent a greater; and, perhaps, to typify his repudiating the Jews, who were his first

spouse.

Verse 32. Saving for the cause of fornication] Aoyov ogrelas, on account of whoredom. As fornication signifies no more than the unlawful connection of unmarried persons, it cannot be used here with propriety, when speaking of those who are married. I have therefore translated hoyou wogvues, on account of whoredom. It does not appear that there is any other case in which Jesus Christ admits of divorce. A real Christian ought rather to beg of God the grace to bear patiently and quietly the imperfections of his wife, than to think of the means of being parted from her. "But divorce was allowed by Moses;" yes, for the hardness of their hearts it was permitted: but what was permitted to an uncircumcised heart among the Jews, should not serve for a rule to a heart in which the love of God has been shed abroad by the Holy Spirit. Those who form a matrimonial connection in the fear and love of God, and under his direction, will never need a divorce. But those who marry as passion or money lead the way, may

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