SERMON ON THE MOUNT,








A
CONSIDERATION
OF THE
SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
BY
MAJOR D.' H. HILL,
PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN DAVIDSON COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA.
PHILADELPHIA:
WILLIAM S. & ALFRED MARTIEN,
No. 608 CHESTNUT STREET.
1858.




Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1858, by
WILLIAM S. & ALFRED MARTIEN,
In the Office of the Clerk of the District Court for the Eastern
District of Pennsylvania.




DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY
OF
MORRISON AND WILLIE HILL:
WITH THE PRAYERFUL HOPE
THAT THIS LITTLE BOOK MAY DO SOME OF THAT GOOD
WHICH THEIR FOND PARENTS HAD HOPED
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE
HAD THEY BEEN SPARED TO LABOUR
IN THE VINEYARD OF
THE LORD.








SERMON ON TIlE MOUNT.
MORE than eighteen centuries ago, an immense multitude assembled on a mountain in Galilee to hear
Him, who " spake as never man spake," deliver that
discourse which was to be the exponent of the new
faith, and the unerring guide of his chosen people
in all future time.
The illustrious speaker looked right down into the
hearts of his audience, and read their most secret
emotions, their passions, their prejudices, yea, their
very enmity and infernal designs against himself.
He saw before him the sleek Scribe, the lawless Gadarene, the canting Pharisee, and an unholy throng
of every kindred, nation, tongue and people. The
incarnate Deity turned away from gazing at the dark
and malignant workings of the sinful hearts of the
promiscuous assemblage, and addressed himself to the
few devoted followers at his feet. "And when he
was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened
his mouth and taught them."  These few words
furnish the key to unlock the casket, which contains
jewels of such inestimable value, as to have drawn
2




6            CONSIDERATION OF THE
from the illustrious Webster the acknowledgment that
the richness and beauty of the gems sparkling
through the Sermon on the RMount, proved them to
belong to the treasury of heaven. Using the key
thus furnished us by the evangelist, we trust to be
able to show that this dislolrse of our blessed Redeemer is addressed- to his professed disciples, and is
the most masterly specimen in any language, of close,
compact reasoning-the whole sermon being made up
of connected parts, as mathematically arranged as
any proposition  of Euclid or McLaurin, or, any
demonstration by Garnier or La Grange.
A cursory examination of the sublime address
found in the 5th,, 6th, and 7th chapters of St. Matthew, is sufficient to show that it is addressed to
Christians, and that it teaches them, 1st, what they
are to be; this instruction being contained in seven
verses, beginning with the third, and ending at the
tenth of the 5th chapter; 2d, what they are to expect, shown from the tenth to the thirteenth verse;
3d, what they are to do, shown from the thirteenth
to the seventeenth verse; 4th, what they are not to
be —not formalists, like the Scribes and Pharisees;
the last division occupying the rest of the discourse.
I. Seven verses, beginning with the third and ending with the ninth verse of the 5th chapter of St.
Matthew, contain a full description of the character
of the true child of God, and show the mode of his
conversion.
First of all, he must be "poor," not in worldly




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              7
goods, but "in spirit"-humble, meek, lowly. He
must feel that he is a poor, blind, miserable sinner,
and yet that he has to deal with a holy God, who cannot look upon sin with the least allowance-a God
who charges his sinless angels with folly, and in
whose sight the very heavens are unclean. How else
can the sinner feel his need of a Saviour?  How else
can he cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner?"
How else can he wish to be clothed with Jesus
Christ's perfect righteousness, and loathe the wretched fig-leaf covering of his own good works? How
else can he long for "the washing of regeneration
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost?"
Self-abasement and self-abhorrence must lie at the
very foundation of the Christian character. The first
step towards conversion must be a deep conviction of
sin and misery. They that are whole need not a
physician. They who fancy themselves in health,
will not come to the healing waters, though an angel
be sent from heaven to agitate them, and impart purifying and life-giving qualities. But the Naaman, who
feels his own pollution, will bathe himself seven times
at the suggestion of a simple child. Wisely then did
Jesus make humility the corner-stone of his religion.
In this respect, how widely different his teaching
from that of the philosophers who preceded him!
In their systems, pride, vanity and arrogance, with
their necessary attendants, "emulation, wrath, strife,"
are not only not condemned as vices, but are posi



8            CONSIDERATION OF THE
tively commended as virtues. An able writer* has
shown how infinitely superior is the moral code of the
lowly Nazarene, to the pernicious ethics of the sages
of antiquity.  The former teaches "to love our
neighbour as ourselves," and that "charity is the
bond of perfectness."  The latter exalts self, and
makes self-gratification and self-aggrandizement the
great end of existence. The one system produces
love, peace, joy; the other hatred, war, misery. But
we go further than the accomplished apologist of the
Christian religion alluded to; we contend that humility is essential to success in every department of
human effort. Let the farmer be too wise in his own
conceit, to consult his neighbours, or read agricultural journals, and it is certain that his farm will be
more prolific of briers, weeds and nettles, than of
cereals, short-horns and south-downs. Let the physician be too much puffed up with his own imagined
skill, to consult the medical authorities, and it is plain
that he will prove the most invaluable patron of the
sexton and coffin-maker. Let the preacher trust to
the illumination of his own supposed genius, rather
than~to the enlightening grace of the Spirit, and it is
certain that Satan will have no more efficient auxiliary. Let the soldier be too proud to study the principles of military science, and he will be but too
likely to imitate the example of one of the mushroom
generals of the Mexican war, and place his ditch on
* Soame Jenyns.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              9
the wrong side of the fortification.*  Let the lawyer
have too much confidence in his innate powers, to
trouble himself with the ponderous volumes and musty
maxims of the law, and the chances are that he will
do as another has done —quote the Declaration of In-.
dependence as the very highest legal authority.
We have heard a mathematician say, that after a
somewhat extended experience as a teacher, he would
far rather attempt to make a mathematician out of
the rawest country bumpkin, who could not tell the
day of the month by the almanac, than to teach the
vainglorious malapert, who had studied all the Pikes,
Goughs, and Bonnycastles in christendom.  Well
did Solomon say, "Seest thou a man wipe in his own
conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him."
If then an humble and a teachable spirit is necessary
to success in mere human enterprises, how much more
essential is this lowly disposition, when heaven is to
be won, a soul to be saved, and a God to be glorified?
Many, like the deluded Laodiceans, think that they
"are rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing," and know not that "they are wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." On
the contrary, really holy men are always humble, and
their humility is in exact proportion to the justness
of their conceptions of the holiness and purity of
God. Moses was the meekest of men, because of all
mankind he had the nearest access to the great and
* Many of our readers will remember the celebrated entrenchment at Camargo.
2*




CONSIDERATION OF THE
terrible Jehovah. When Isaiah "saw the Lord high
and lifted up," he cried, "Woe is me, for I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
live in the midst of a people of unclean lips."  Job
justified himself when he  "heard of God by the hearing of the ear;" but when his "eyes saw him," he
"abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes."
Daniel was so holy that the Angel of the Covenant
addressed. him as a "man greatly beloved," and yet
how  did  Daniel pray?-" O  Lord, righteousness~
belongeth unto thee: but unto us confusion of faces."
The eagle, that gazes upon the great luminary of
day, knows best how dark and sombre all else in
nature is. The Christian, who looks upon the Sun
of Righteousness, feels the darkness and degradation
of his own benighted soul. The lark, scorning her
humble seat upon the ground, seeks to soar aloft
among the dazzling fields of light; but stunned and
confounded by the brilliancy, she sinks back with
humility and contentment upon her lowly nest.
The 4th verse,  Blessed are they that mourn, &c."
is beautifully connected with the 3d. The poverty
of spirit that results from an apprehension of guilt
and misery, naturally leads to mourning for sin.
The awakened sinner now loathes and grieves over
that which he loved and gloried in before.
We do not mean to exclude in this interpretation
mere worldly grief. For we are taught that "by the
sadness of the countenance the heart is made better,"
and that "it is better to go to the house of mourning,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             11
than to the house of feasting."  And undoubtedly,
temporal calamity, affliction, and bereavements, are
instruments to wean us from the world, and bring
back the affections to God. But in all correct exposition of Scripture truth, the leading idea is to be
taken first; and beyond all question, the prominent
thought in the 4th verse is grief and hatred of sin.
The promise to the mourner is that he "shall be
comforted."  God himself will'wipe all tears from
his eyes."  We observe a wonderful adaptation of
the blessings of the Creator to the necessities and
wishes of the creature.  The necessity of "the poor
in spirit," is met with the riches and glories of "the
kingdom of heaven." The wish of the mourning soul
for pardon and peace, is met with the comfort,'which
the world cannot give, neither can it take away.
Such is the law of God. We find it declared every
where in the Bible, and manifested every hour in the
dealings of his providence.
The 5th verse, "Blessed are the meek, &c." is
dependent upon the preceding.  The man who feels
and mourns over his own depravity, cannot be otherwise than "meek.*  Ite cannot be turbulent, arrogant, and supercilious.  I-e cannot be relentless,
implacable, and unforgiving of the faults of others.
The promise to this man is suited to his character:
"He shall inherit the land." He shall dwell securely
under his own vine and fig-tree.  God has made
* Of a quiet, gentle spirit.-Adam Clarke.




12           CONSIDERATION OF THE
"even his enemies to be at peace with him."  But
violence engenders violence, and he who "loves
cursing, shall be clothed with it as with a garment."
On the contrary, he who is too meek to contend even
for his rights, has those rights secured to him by no
less a being than the omnipotent God. We meet
here again the unalterable law of Jehovah. Men
work out their own happiness or their own misery.
The 6th verse, "Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness, &c.," corresponds to
the three preceding verses.  The convinced, mourning sinner, made meek and gentle by a sense of his
own unworthiness, will hunger for righteousness-will
thirst after holiness, "as the hart panteth after the
water brooks." The promise is fitted to his desire.
He "shall be filled."  God deals with strict justice to
all. He gives, as a general thing, to men that which
they supremely desire and earnestly labour for. He
who ardently pursues the world, will most usually
become wealthy.  "The hand of the diligent maketh
rich." God will "give him his desire," but it may
be that he will "send leanness into his soul."  The
studious-generally become learned.  The ambitious
seldom fail to become distinguished, or at least notorious, which answers their purpose just as well.
Above all, he who comes to Jesus with an honest and
true heart, feeling weary and laden with sin, will in
no wise be cast out. We have sometimes thought
that it is this plan of God-this giving to men just
what they covet, which gives such fearful import to




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             13
the words: "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to
God. So then, every one shall give account of himself to God." In the great day of judgment, every
knee must bow, and every tongue must confess the
justice of that God, who has given to every man just
that which he has coveted and sought to attain. If
he have made this world his portion, he cannot complain though that world be in flames.  He gained
what he strove for. Let him be content. If he have
neglected the salvation of his soul, he cannot call God
unjust, though that soul be lost. He saved only what
he valued; let him not impugn the justice of his
Judge.
The 7th verse, "Blessed are the merciful, &c.,"
forms a harmonious sequel to the 6th. He who has
been justified by a righteousness not his own; he who
has found mercy, pardon, peace through the blood of
the atonement, must feel welling up in his own bosom,
pity, Jove, and compassion, even for the bitterest of
his foes.
In the 7th verse we have the first-fruits of the new
life-the first assimilation of the sinner to the divine
character. In the four preceding verses we have exhibited conviction of sin, (3d verse;) mourning for
sin, (4th verse;) the meek teachable spirit under a
sense of sin, (5th verse;) and lastly, the hungering
and thirsting after righteousness, (6th verse.)  The
whole process of conversion is here described in exact
conformity with the experience of every child of God.




14            CONSIDERATION OF THE
The 6th verse closes with the conversion; the 7th
begins with the first display of new emotions and
principles in the renewed man... He has now become
a child of God, and as the son resembles the Father,
so he now partakes of the divine nature, and is prepared to exercise mercy-the darling attribute of his
heavenly Parent-that attribute, without which, the
smoke of torment must rest for ever over everything
bright and beautiful in the boundless universe of God.
The exercise of mercy is the first act of the regenerated soul.  The whole Scriptures-give us-no surer
test of genuine conversion than is here afforded. We
see that the spirit of the new-born child of God is one
of mercy and compassion towards his perishing fellow-creatures. That repentance needs to be repented
of, which does not lead immediately to the deepest,
truest pity for those who are "without hope and without God in the world," and which does not prompt to
earnest, persevering efforts for their conversion.
The reward of the merciful man is peculiarly suited
to his character. -The mercy that he shows to others
is shown to him.
The 8th verse, "Blessed are the pure in heart,
&c.," is in natural sequence to the 7th.  The first
and easiest step in the divine life has been taken.
The renewed man has now the more difficult task of
restraining his depraved appetites and desires, and of
overcoming his corruptions.  His body is —now the
temple of the Holy Ghost, and must not be defiled.
Every evil thought must be suppressed, every unholy




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             15
inclination subdued.  No outward cleansing by a
mummery of religious forms, but the attainment of
holiness of heart must be the great end of his existence. He who began the good work, fulfils it to the
end. The Holy Spirit is sent to sanctify him, and
the pure man has the promise of a blessed entrance
into the presence of a God of purity.  "lHe shall see
God."  I-e is now fitted for the society of the holy
beings around the great white throne, and he has the
assurance that he will make one of that bright throng.
The highest attainment in the divine life has not yet
been reached, and the highest reward is yet withheld.
Mercy and purity are his, peace is yet to be attained
-the peace that breathes "good will toward men,"
and prompts to healing their dissensions and reconciling their differences. When this highest grace is
gained, the highest reward is given. He who had
been merely admitted to "see God," is now declared
his "child," a joint-heir with Jesus Christ to the "inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not
away."  There is a noble climax in the Christian
graces, and an equally noble rise in the scale of
rewards. Mercy, purity, and the peaceful spirit, are
rewarded with mercy, admittance to the presence of
God, and finally, with being acknowledged as his
child before the assembled universe.  Man's ways are
not as God's ways, and God's thoughts are not as our
thoughts. The highest honours even in Christendom
are given to warriors "with  garments rolled in
blood." Five military chieftains have been raised to




16           CONSIDERATION OF THE
supreme power in these United States. No civilian
has been raised to the office of President in our sister
Republic of Mexico. But, as we have seen, the highest rewards of heaven are reserved for peace-makers.
God chose Moses, the meekest and most unwarlike of
men, to lead the hosts of Israel. Jesus Christ is the
Prince of Peace. Angels heralded his birth with
the song of "peace on earth, and good-will toward
men." The great characteristic of his second reign
is that "men shall then learn war no more," and that
they "shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks." Peace is everywhere
spoken of in the Scriptures as the crowning blessing
of God to his people. The most cordial farewell of
the Israelite to his departing guest was "go in
peace."  The great Apostle to the Gentiles, who had
experienced the rude buffetings of a wrangling world,
could breathe no warmer prayer for his friends than
that the God of peace might be with them always.
Even the turbulent Peter exhorted to "do good, seek
peace, and ensue it."  There is no sympathy in the
Bible for the growling, grumbling, complaining, and
contentious, who are ever ready to stir up strife and
difficulties between their neighbours.
To sum up the whole discussion in the first division of our subject, we have from the 3d to the 7th
verse, the unconverted state-the conviction of sin;
the sorrow for sin; the meek, gentle spirit, resulting
from a sense of sin; and the longing for a new nature.
From the 7th to the 10th verse, we have the converted




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             17
state,: producing the graces of mercy, purity, and a
peaceful spirit.
We notice also the correspondence between the
promise and the state of mind of the subject of
promise. The poor in spirit is rewarded with the
riches of heaven; the mourner is comforted with the
gospel of peace; the meek has secured to him those
earthly possessions he is too gentle to contend for;
the soul that longs for a new nature is clothed with
Jesus' perfect righteousness; the merciful obtains
mercy from the Judge of all the earth; the pure in
heart is permitted to see a God of purity; the peacemaker is acknowledged to be a child of the God of
peace.
II. What they are to expect.
" Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you,
falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad;
for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you."
They are to expect persecution, reviling, all manner
of evil speaking. Under all these trials, they are to
be concerned about two things only. First: That
their lives should be- so blameless as to render the
accusations of their enemies groundless and false.
Second: That a higher spirit than that of mere submission is to be cultivated-" Rejoice and be exceeding glad."  Acquiescence in the will of God is a




18           CONSIDERATION OF THE
high attainment; but rejoicing, under the afflictive
dispensations of his hand, is a grace.  Philosophy
has reached to the one, the other is the work of the
Spirit. The gospel demands more than cold stoicism.
None can mistake its teachings.  "Giving thanks
always, for all things, unto God and the Father, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." " In every
thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you."
Persecuted, afflicted, and cast down child of God!
talk not of submission. Uncomplaining Job did not
dishonour his Maker, and ",charge God foolishly."
But the Lord utters his voice from amidst the thick
darkness which envelopes his throne, " Whoso offereth
praise glorifieth me."  Suffering parent! hanging
over the couch of a dying child, watching the colour
fade from his cheek, the light grow dim in his eye;
feeling the pulse grow more and more thread-like,
until your tremulous finger can no longer distinguish
it. Sufferer! do you then pray to be able to say,
"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away,
blessed be the name of the Lord"? Rather pour out
your heart in thankfulness to God that Jesus has
conquered death, hell, and the grave. Rather praise
him that your child has been taken from the evil to
come. Duty would have awaited him here, praise
will be his occupation there. The child has been
called to the higher employment. Thank God for it.
Two things deserve our special attention in the
three verses, beginning with the 10th and ending




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             19
with the 12th. First: The disciples of Christ are to
expect persecution under false charges and accusations. The devil and his followers have never yet had
the audacity and impudence to persecute virtue as
such. They first blacken the character of the victim,
and then harass, annoy, and persecute him to death.
Jesus was crucified under the charge of blasphemy.
Stephen was stoned to death under the same accusation. Paul and Silas *were scourged and cast into
prison at Philippi, for troubling the city and teaching
strange customs. Socrates, the wisest and purest of
the philosophers of antiquity, was poisoned for introducing new gods, and corrupting the youth. Daniel
was cast into the den of lions, not for worshipping
the true God, but for disobeying the king's decree.
The Hebrew youth were thrown into the fiery furnace
for the same reason. God has stamped so much of
his own image upon our fallen race, that history
records no instance of men being so depraved, as to
persecute the righteous for their virtues, but always
for alleged vices. The apostle truly declared, that
" all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." But the godly have always been persecuted
as cheats, impostors, and hypocrites.
Second: We notice that Jesus did not deceive his
disciples. He did not disguise from them that they
were to expect stripes, imprisonment, cruel mockings,
reviling, and death.  The strongest possible argument can be drawn from this candour of the Son of
God, as to the divine character of his mission. When




20           CONSIDERATION OF THE
men wish to allure others into an enterprise, they do
not speak of its difficulties, dangers, hardships, and
trials. Recruiting sergeants, with their drums and
fifes, try to allure by "the pride, pomp, and circumstance of war;" they never allude to the hot, weary
marches, the dreary night-watches, the mangled
limbs, and crushed  carcasses of the battle-field.
False religions have been ever profuse in promises
of temporal well-being and eternal glory, won without
holiness of heart and life. Mahomet promised riches,
honours, sensual indulgence, and a passport to
heaven, to all who followed the crescent, irrespective
of their sins and pollutions. The Mormon Prophet
promised wealth, ease, luxury, and licentious indulgence, to all who would acknowledge him as their
spiritual guide and temporal leader. Jesus Christ
promised nothing to his disciples but trials and
afflictions. Poverty, contempt, a life of shame, and
a death of ignominy, were to be their lot and portion.
How then are we to account for the amazing success
of his mission? Upon what principle can we explain
the rapid spread of the gospel? In thirty years
after the death of Christ, the persecution began under
Nero. The historian Tacitus speaks of "the great
multitude" of Christians then at Rome. In forty
years more, Pliny, the Roman governor of Pontus
and Bithynia, wrote his celebrated letter to Trajan,
the emperor. In it he complains that "the contagion
of this superstition had seized not only the cities, but
the less towns also, and the open country, so that




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              21
the temples were almost forsaken, and a long intermission of the sacred solemnities had taken place."
About one hundred years after the death of our Lord,
Clemens Alexandrinus wrote that " Christianity is
spread throughout the world, in every nation, and
village, and city." What reason can we give for the
wonderful triumph of the gospel in so short a time?
It is no sufficient explanation to say that men will
submit to any bodily torture and mental anguish to
save the soul. True, the Hindoo will pierce his skin
with hooks, and tear his flesh with pincers, yea, he
will even allow his body to be crushed and mangled
beneath the bloody wheels of the car of his idol.
True, the loving mother has often given "the fruit of
her body for the sin of her soul." The seven times
heated image of Moloch has consumed ten thousands
of tender babes. The turbid Ganges has often been
choked with the voluntary offerings of pagan mothers.
But there has always been some notoriety, some 4clat,
some gratification of vanity, attending the sacrifice.
The disciples of Jesus were. taught, on the contrary,
to expect slander instead of applause, contempt instead
of glory.  A-gain, the heathen, who immolates himself
or his offspring, not only gains thereby the admiration of his countrymen, but expects to win heaven
without holiness of heart. Men will endure torture,
ignominy, and death, to propitiate offended Deity;
they will do anything, suffer anything, to gain eternal
life, except love God and keep his commandments.
But Jesus requires his disciples not only to die for
3*




22           CONSIDERATION OF THE
the truth, but also to live for the truth. Every child
of God must not only hold himself ready to wear, if
necessary, the martyr's crown, but he must also lead
a consistent, holy, and useful life. This brings us
naturally to the third division of our subject.
III. What they are to do, (from 13th verse to the
17th:) "Ye are the salt of the earth: but, if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot
be hid," &c.
The connection between these four verses, beginning with the 13th and ending at the 17th, is obvious
at a glance. Christianity is a scheme of active, as
well as passive duties. Living for the truth is enjoined, as well as suffering and dying for it. The
monk, who immures himself in a cloister; the nun,
who shuts herself up in a cell, departs widely from
the teaching and example of Him who went about
doing good. The devotees of false religion may and
do suffer to support a pestilent superstition; but they
are not "careful to maintain good works." The pride
and vanity of the human heart, the approbation of
mankind, the hope of appeasing incensed heaven, may
stimulate to the endurance of great torture of mind
and body. But a holy life is the work of the Spirit
of God. The Prophet Isaiah, (chapters i. and lviii.)
had taught the vanity of rites and ceremonies; a holy
heart, a blameless life, an ever active benevolence,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             23
were shown to be more pleasing to the Searcher of
Hearts than incense and whole burnt-offering.  The
Son of God, in the four verses above, is careful to
guard his disciples against the too common error that
heaven may be won by physical and mental suffering.
This has been the great mistake of heathenism in all
ages of the world; it has been the grand delusion of
Popery in latter days. The higher teaching of the
prophet is sanctioned by " God manifest in the flesh."
Cast in the salt of grace into these sin-polluted fountains, (2 Kings xi. 21,) that they may be healed and
send forth streams to gladden the city of our God.
Let your good works shine as a beacon-light to illumine and make plain the pathway to the skies. These
two things Jesus requires of his disciples, viz. to
save the world from corruption and to enlighten "the
dark places of the earth, which are full of the habitations of cruelty."  The salt most probably refers to
the inner life-godliness in the heart, and the light to
the outward manifestation of it.  The influence of
both is felt in the well-being of society; the former
instructs by example, the latter, by precept.
Light is the symbol, in the Holy Scriptures, of
knowledge in divine things, and instruction in holiness.  " God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all."  When the Hebrew  saw  the glorious light,
which he called the Shecinah, he bowed his head in
adoring reverence. Jesus is "the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings."  The first words
uttered in the universe by the Almighty Being who




24              CONSIDERATION OF THE
had evoked it from  nothing, were  "Let there be
light."
";Let there be light! proclaimed the Almighty Lord,
Astonished Chaos heard the potent word;
Through all his realms the kindling ether runs,
And the mass starts into a million suns;
Earths round each sun with quick explosion burst,
And second planets issue from the first;
Bend, as they journey with projectile force,
In bright ellipses their reluctant course;,
Orbs wheel in orbs, centres round centres roll,
And form, self-balanced, one revolving whole.
-Onward they move amid their bright abode
Space without bound, THE BOSOM OF THEIR GOD."*
As the first command of the Omnipotent God was
the evoking of light from darkness, so the last command of Immanuel, God with us, was to " send out
light and truth."  "Go  ye therefore and teach all
nations," &c. The symbol of knowledge, which the
Father caused to rest upon the dark mass of elements,
"without form  and void," found its realization and
fulfilment in the glorious gospel of his Son.
One remark as to the spirit with which good works
are to be performed. They are to be done proximately,
that men may be stimulated to the same; ultimately,
that God may be glorified. Society is so bound together that there is no human being so insignificant
as not to exert an influence upon his fellows.  The
very idiot and madman excite emotions, which mould
* Darwin's Botanic Garden, page 10.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             25
character for good or for evil. "None of us liveth to
himself, and no man dieth to himself." The act of
A. may prompt B. to do a like act, and he in turn
may influence C., and so we may have a chain of
sequences reaching down to the end of time. Myriads
in heaven may praise God throughout eternity for a
prayer uttered before the flood; hosts of howling
devils in hell may ascribe their perdition to an oath
blasphemously spoken, ages before they were born.
Surely, if it be a fearful thing to die, it is a still more
fearful thing to live. Philosophy teaches us that not
a particle of matter is ever destroyed. In like manner it may be, that not a single action will ever be
annihilated in its consequences. If the material be
not capable of destruction, how much less so must be
the emanation of the immortal mind! Could the disciple of Christ feel in all its force the solemn fact that
every thought, word, and act of his would live in its
effects as long as God himself will live, he could
more readily comply with the injunction, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
Adam was the great representative of our race-the
type of mankind. Just as his sin tainted all his descendants, so does the sin of every man corrupt and
pollute, to some extent, those who succeed him down to
the latest generation. The difference in the magnitude of the results is of course immense, because
Adam stood in covenant relation with our race. Still
our great federal Head is our type, in regard to the
unending influence of every action.




26            CONSIDERATION OF THE
IV. What they are not to be.
A formalistic religion like that of the Scribes and
Pharisees is carefully to be avoided. The errors of
doctrine of these sects are exposed from the 17th verse
to the end of the 5th chapter; their errors of practice
from the beginning of the 6th chapter to the close of
the sermon.
"'Think not that I am come-to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called 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. For I say unto you, that except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven." (Verses 17-20.)
These four verses are closely interlinked with the
four preceding. In the 16th verse, the disciples are
exhorted to let their light shine.  Shall it shine in a
few splendid actions on grand occasions? or shall it
burn steadily, casting a halo around the jots and
tittles-the little matters, as well as the great events
of life? Shall it flare like the midnight torch in triumphal procession along the gaudily decorated streets
of some rejoicing city? or shall it shine as the sun,
"more and more unto the perfect day;" alike over




SERMON ON THIE MOUNT.             27
the smooth expanse of ocean and the craggy mountain's lofty top; alike over the desert and cultivated
field; alike over the busy mart of men and the solitude of the boundless forest?
The answer is from the lips of Him, who spake as
never man spake.  "Think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the -prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no
wise pass, till all be fulfilled." Think not that I
will accept your gifts of tongues, your powers of healing, your death of martyrdom even, as substitutes for
the smaller duties of every-day life. The invariable
tendency of fanaticism is to offset vice by real or supposed virtue.  The Mohammedan, with his sword
reeking in innocent blood, exults in his pilgrimage to
Mecca, in his ablutions, and his abstinence from
wine.   The  Catholic  may  be cruel, intolerant,
bigoted, and superstitious, provided he observes the
festivals of the Church, reverences her saints, and is
punctual at the confessional. The drunkard often
consoles himself with the reflection that he has
defrauded  no  one.   The  blasphemer oftentimes
soothes his wounded conscience with the thought that
he is a good neighbour and friend. The thief too,
sometimes makes his boast that he has never shed
blood. The bold, reckless infidel, frequently prides
himself upon the good provision he has made for his
family. Thus it has always been and always will be.
The world has ever been full of Scribes and Phari



28           CONSIDERATION OF TIIE
sees. Men expect to counterbalance favourite vices
by virtues easily practised, because congenial to their
natures. Jesus Christ has put the seal of condemnation upon this system of offsets and balances. "For
I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven." Ah! it matters not if the virtues be great
and the vices small. For, hear him again, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven." The
Apostle James, in the spirit of his Master, shows the
vanity and hollowness of that religion, which hopes to
buy indulgence in cherished sins by the practice
of extraneous virtues. Hear him, ye fanatics, with
benevolence on your tongues, and murder and treason
in your hearts-" For whosoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all."
Our Saviour begins at the 21st verse to expose the
doctrinal errors of the Scribes and Pharisees.  "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: but I say unto you, That
whosoever is 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." (Verses 21, 22.)




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             29
The Jewish sectaries had been careful to draw distinctions between the great and little matters of the
law. Some crimes are doubtless of a darker hue than
others; one sin is so odious in the sight of the Omnipotent Jehovah that even the blood of his own Son
cannot atone for it. Unfortunately, the Jews were
influenced by passion, prejudice, the corrupt inclinations of their own sinful hearts, in their classification
of great and small vices. (Vide Matt. xxiii.) They
instituted the scheme of major and minor duties to be
subsidiary to their system of counterpoises. In doing
this, moreover, they estimated the external act and
not the internal motive-they looked at the stream
and not at the fountain. Murder was justly held to
be punishable with death; but the anger that prompts
to murder, was no crime in their code. Adultery was
forbidden; but the roving eye and lustful thought
were unrebuked in their scheme of morals. Divorce
was regulated by law, but the sinful estrangement of
affection between husband and wife received no -censure and no comment. Thus their religion was a cold,
outward formalism, devoid of inner heat and vitality.
The religion of the gospel is the religion of the heart.
It teaches that a good tree alone yields healthful
fruit-that pure oil alone can make a brilliant light.
It speaks of the new birth. It puts into the mouth of
the convinced sinner the prayer, " Create in me a
new heart, 0 God; and renew a right spirit within
me." It despises the mummeries of forms and cere4




30           CONSIDERATION OF THE
monies, and requires that " God, who is a Spirit, shall
be worshipped in spirit and in truth."
Jesus manifests the superiority of his system of
morals over the formalistic economy of the Scribes
and Pharisees, by condemning the malevolent spirit
that exhibits itself in causeless anger; opprobrious
reflections on the understanding, ("raca," foolish fellow;) censure of the character, ('"fool," equivalent to
wicked wretch;) and vexatious litigation, (verse 25.)
He graduates the punishment of these several offences
by their degree of malignity.
But at the same time, with the characteristic benevolence of his nature, he suggests the true remedy
to subdue malignant passions: "Therefore, if thou
bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there
thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer
thy gift." (Verses 23, 24.)
Let the poor irritated worm of the dust, when he
bows as a suppliant before the offended majesty of
Heaven, compare the wrongs inflicted upon him with
his own daring outrages against the kingdom and
government of the God, who made and preserves him.
The injuries done to him will then appear but as the
small dust of the balance, while his own rebellion
against his Maker and Redeemer will rise up before
hlim as a mountain, with huge and awful proportions.
Our _Saviour next proceeds (verses 27 and 28)
to condemn the teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             31
in regard to adultery. With them, the act alone was
criminal, but with the Searcher of hearts and Trier of
reins, there may be adultery of the soul as well as
of the body. God will not overlook that sin which
was conceived in the heart, but which was never perpetrated, because time, and place, and opportunity
did not favour. The Apostle speaks of those who
have "eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease
from sin." 2 Peter ii. 14.  "The pure in heart,"
not the pure in act, have the promise that they "shall
see God."
Jesus again suggests the remedy, (verses 29 and
30,) "And if thy right eye offend 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. And if thy
right hand offend thee, cut it off, 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." The wanton look is to be
restrained-the first emotions of unholy desire are to be
suppressed. The eye (verse 29) is taken as the symbol
of that which prompts to sin. The roving eye of king
David led him to the commission of murder and adultery. The eye must be shut against the contemplation of dangerous objects, else the hand will surely be
employed in the perpetration of sin. The hand (verse
30) is taken as the symbol of executive power: "The
hand of God was heavy on them of Ashdod." 1 Sam.
v. 11. "The hand of God has touched me." Job xix. 20.




32           CONSIDERATION OF THE
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand
of God." 1 Peter v. 6. "This also I saw, that it was
from the hand of God." Eccl. ii. 24, &c. &c. The
meaning then of the two verses is obvious. Verse
29 warns against forming impure feelings; but lest
"sin conceived should bring forth death," verse 30
exhorts to refraining from  the sinful deed that the
heart may have devised. But we have also a compound idea conveyed under this figure of the members
of the human body. First, in regard to the excision
of the offending parts.  If the licentious eye be
plucked out, there will be one less member to endure
the tortures of hell; if the blaspheming tongue be
torn out, there will be no imploring cry to "dip
the tip of the finger in water," to cool the torments of "this flame."  Just in proportion then as
the flesh, with its affections and lusts, has been crucified-just in proportion as sinning members have
been exscinded will be the mitigation of the pangs of
perdition. Blessed be God, there may be such a
thing as being " dead to sin;" but this can only be by
having "our old man crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed
from sin." If, however, the poor sinner have crucified none of his lusts, if he have cut off no. offending
limb, he will be a perfect man in hell, capable of
enduring the highest possible amount of agony, torture and despair. The second phase, of the dual idea
conveyed in the figure, is that the body of every




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             33
believer is a temple of the IIoly Ghost.  "What,
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own?" 1 Cor. vi. 19. As men are careful to remove all pollution and defilement from a temple consecrated to religious worship, so everything
that dishonours and contaminates the temple of the
Holy Ghost must be cast away.  "If any man defile
the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the
temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 Cor.
iii. 17. Let this temple, if need be, be shorn of its
fair proportions, but let what remains of it be swept
and garnished, and made a fit abode for the Holy
Spirit of God. Let the diseased eye be plucked out,
and the gangrened hand be cut off, so that the body
shall be a temple "without spot," if not "without
blemish."
The 31st verse stands in intimate relations with
the four preceding verses. "It hath been said, that
whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a
writing of divorcement." Undoubtedly, unhallowed
love for another but too often prompts the estranged
husband or the alienated wife, to seek for the dissolution of those bonds which God intended to be perpetual. There is a fearful significance in the fact,
that our Saviour, in his discourse, thus couples divorce
with adultery, as effect and cause. Discontented
husbands and wives should ponder it well.  "What
God has joined together, let not" human legislation
" put asunder."  Moses indeed permitted divorce,
4*




84           CONSIDERATION OF THE
but Jesus taught that it was "because of the hardness
of their hearts," and that "from  the beginning it
was not so." Matt. xix. 8. The true doctrine on the
subject of divorce is laid down in the 32d verse:
"But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away
his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth
her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry
her that is divorced, committeth adultery." Infidelity
then to the marriage vows constitutes the only justifiable ground of divorce. Guilty men have wickedly
adopted another standard, and have permitted the
separation of husband and wife upon a thousand
frivolous pretexts.
Again does our Saviour suggest the remedy for
this sin —"But I say unto you, that whosoever shall
put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall
marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery."
Let the discontented husband contemplate the consequences of his divorce. Should his wife marry again,
he must share in the guilt of her adultery, and that
of her second husband. Any man, whose conscience
is not seared as with a hot iron, must be deterred
from seeking a divorce (saving for the cause of fornication) by contemplating his responsibility in all the
subsequent sins which will follow the act. Doubtless,
the legislatures which sanction, and the courts which
grant divorces for other causes than the one specified
above, are involved in a like condemnation. We
think, too, that it is no stretch of this doctrine of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.                85
responsibility as taught by our Saviour, that the
judges and juries, who, from  false pity or worse
motive, acquit the criminal in the face of clear evidence against him, must share in the guilt of all his
after deeds of violence, crime, and bloodshed.
The connection of the 33d verse with the two
preceding verses, is evident at a glance.  "Again,
ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths." Every one knows
that looseness of legislation upon the subject of divorce
is a prolific source of false swearing.  Suits for
divorce are notoriously attended with a fearful amount
of perjury. In no actions at law, is there perhaps so
much shameless disregard of the sanctity of the oath.
The cause of this lies in the natural alliance of one
sin with another. The applicant for divorce is tempted
to perjury for the sake of after indulgence in sin.
This constitutes the grand distinction between suits
for divorce and other suits. In most actions at law,
property, love of fame, revenge, &c., prompt to the
violation of the oath, but in this, sin is the tempter.
And so long as human nature is corrupt, sin constitutes the most powerful incentive to sin.
The transition from perjury to habitual profanity
is natural and easy.  Hence the next three verses
treat of profane swearing in ordinary conversation.
"But I say unto you, Swear not at all: neither by
heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth;
for it is his foot-stool: neither by Jerusalem; for it




36           CONSIDERATION OF THE
is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thlou
swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair
white or black." (Verses 34-36.)
That profanity is here forbidden, and not judicial
oaths before the magistrate, is evident from the fact,
that in the Jewish tribunals no oath was administered
according to these forms, "by heaven," or "by Jerusalem," or "by the earth," or "by the head."  The
word "communication," too, in the 36th verse, ought
to set the question at rest.  This word (logos) could
be more properly rendered conversation, and then it
is plain that the prohibition of the oath refers to the
ordinary intercourse of life. The example of Christ
corresponds to this view of the subject. He responded
to the oath administered by the high priest.  "And
the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure
thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou
be the Christ the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him,
Thou hast said."
In regard to the sin of profanity, our Saviour, after
controverting the fallacy of the Pharisaic doctrine,
gives us the true rule to control our social intercourse: "Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of
evil." A total abstinence from all expletives to ornament or confirm our speech, is absolutely and unconditionally forbidden.
Our Saviour again suggests the remedy. The contemplation of the awful nature of God, as Sovereign
of heaven and earth, (verses 34 and 35,) will fill us




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              37
with too much reverence to permit the vain use of
his name and attributes; the consideration of our
own insignificance (verse 36) will inspire us with too
much humility to allow of that loud, inflated species
of conversation that is tricked off with profane expletives and blasphemous phrases.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for
an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," (verse 38.)
This verse contains the substance of the celebrated
"' lex talionis," or law of like for like-the punishment
to be in all respects similar to the offence.  This law
prevailed among the Jews, and the Greeks and
Romans. So congenial is it to the ideas of natural
justice, that it has ever been found in rude states of
society, and is at this hour practised everywhere
among savage and untutored nations. Under the
name of "reprisals," it has been acknowledged and
sanctioned by writers on international law. Vattel
thus alludes to it: "This leads us to speak of a kind
of retortion sometimes practised in war, under the
name of reprisals. If a general of the enemy has,
without any just reason, caused some prisoners to be
hanged, a like number of his men, and of the same
rank, will be hung up, signifying to him that his retaliation will be continued for obliging him to observe
the laws of war. It is a sad extremity thus to put a
prisoner to death for his general's fault; and if this
prisoner before was promised his life, reprisals cannot
be made upon him with any colour of justice. Yet, as
a prince or his general has a right of sacrificing the




38            CONSIDERATION OF THE
life of his enemies to his safety, and that of his men;
if he is engaged with an inhuman enemy, who frequently commits such enormities, he appears to have
a right of refusing life to some of the prisoners he
may take, and of treating them as his were treated."
Book iii., chap. viii.
In accordance with these principles, retaliation has
been almost recognized as a part of international law.
History furnishes frequent instances of its existence.
During the siege of Londonderry, the besieged erected
a gallows on the bastion, and threatened to hang all
their prisoners in retaliation of the cruelties of the
inhuman Rosen. The threat had the effect of checking the atrocities of that savage commander.* After
the execution of Col. I-Iayne and other Southern
patriots, Gen. Greene was induced by his officers to
threaten to hang a British officer for every American
similarly treated by the enemy.  Gen. Washington
might have been induced to pardon Major Andr6, had
not the army and the country regarded the execution
of that officer as a proper retaliation for the death of
Capt. Nathan Hale.  During the war on the continent of Europe, which followed the French Revolution,
we find frequent instances of retaliation. Napoleon,
in retaliation for the order of the British government
declaring the coasts of Prussia in a state of blockade,
published his famous Berlin Decree, prohibiting British commodities of every kind from being introduced
* Macaulay's History of England, Vol. iii., page 208.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             39
on the continent.  Great Britain retaliated by her
Orders in Council, declaring all the coasts of France
and those of her allies in a state of blockade, and
proclaiming "all vessels good prize, which should be
bound for any of their harbours." Napoleon replied
to this by his Milan Decree, dated Dec. 17th, 1807,
declaring —" 1st. That every vessel, of whatever
nation, which shall have submitted to be searched by
British cruisers, or paid any impost levied by the
English government, shall be considered as having
lost the privileges of a neutral flag, and be considered
and dealt with as English vessels. 2d. Being so considered, they shall be declared good prize. 3d. The
British islands are declared in a state of blockade.
Every vessel, of whatever nation, and with whatever
cargo, coming from any British harbour, or from any
of the English colonies, or from any country occupied
by the English troops, or bound for England, or for
the English colonies, or for any country occupied by
the English troops, is declared good prize."* By
these unlawful and iniquitous decrees and orders of
France and Great Britain, neutral nations engaged
in the carrying trade became the prey of both belligerent powers.  The United States, being a great
maritime state, suffered most severely, and Congress
therefore, as a measure of retaliation, passed, on the
1st of March, 1809, the non-intercourse act, prohibiting all trade and intercourse with England and France.
* Allison's History of Europe, Vol. ii., Chap. xlvii.




40           CONSIDERATION OF THE
Napoleon retaliated by the Rambouillet Decree, ordering all American vessels entering French ports to
be seized and condemned. This was published on the
23d of March, 1810, and Congress replied on the 1st
of May, by excluding all armed French and British
vessels from the ports of the United States. On the
3d of April, 1812, Congress passed the embargo act,
to retaliate for the impressment of American seamen.*
By the provisions of a treaty negotiated by Mr; Rives,
France bound herself to make indemity to the United
States for spoliations upon American commerce during
the reign of Napoleon. But she failed to fulfil these
stipulations, until Gen. Jackson threatened to make
reprisals upon the French merchant marine.
The principle of retaliation is so congenial to
human nature, and so consonant with our ideas of
natural justice, that we meet with instances of it on
almost every page of history, both ancient and
modern. Almost all wars have been waged to retaliate for some real and supposed injury. Wars of conquest scarce form an exception to this rule, for even
conquerors have sought to excuse their lust of power
and dominion under the plea that they were redressing their own or their country's wrongs. Alexander
the Great justified the invasion of Persia as an act of
merited retribution for the invasion of Greece by
Xerxes; and at the instigation of the courtesan Thais,
burned Persepolis in revenge for the burning of
* Taylor's Modern History.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               41
Athens by the Persian monarch.*  Hannibal plead
the wrongs inflicted by Rome upon  Carthage to
justify his invasion of Italy.t  Hernando Cortez excused himself for the seizure and confinement of Montezuma upon the ground that "the Lord of Nauhtlan
had made war upon the garrison of Vera Cruz, and
upon his allies, the Totonacs, by the instigation of the
Aztec monarch."t  Francisco Pizarro justified his
treacherous capture of the Peruvian monarch Atahualpa, upon the ground that the Inca had thrown
down and trampled upon the breviary presented to
him by the Friar Vicente de Valverde.~ The righteous Pizarro was but avenging an insult to the
majesty of Heaven.  The historian Alison assures us
that Napoleon constantly professed his desire for
peace, and declared that all his invasions of foreign
territory were forced upon him to retaliate for the
treachery and implacability of the enemies of his
throne and his people.
Private feuds and personal difficulties arise in like,
manner from  the desire to apply the lex talionis to
differences between  individuals.  Now, when  the
wrong-doer is punished exactly in like manner as he
had punished others, the act is spontaneously approved as one of justice and right. The history of
the world and the records of divine truth are full of
instances of terrible retribution being visited upon the
* Prideaux's Connections, Vol. i., page 379.
1t History of Rome.      ~ Clavigero, Vol. i., page 50.
I Prescott's Conquest of Peru, Vol. i., page 415.
5




42            CONSIDERATION OF THE
heads of the cruel, the crafty, and the malignant.
The lex talionis belongs then to God in his providence, and may be properly delegated by him to the
civil magistrate and the executive officer; but when
acted upon by an individual in his private capacity,
it becomes revenge, and arrogates the prerogative of
God himself. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith
the Lord." Just here lay the mistake of the Jew.
He perverted the law of Moses, given as a guide to
the civil magistrate in inflicting punishment in a court
of justice, and made it his rule in wreaking his vengeance upon his enemies.  And thus he wantonly
construed -the directions to the officers of justice into
sanctioning the most atrocious private revenge.
This points out the relation between the 38th verse
and that which precedes it. Perjury is but too often
the instrument which malice selects to work out vengeance. What an array of connected sins we have
presented from the 21st to the 39th verse! Wrath,
lust, profanity, perjury, and malice. -— We find them
associated together every day-the same individual
being but too often the receptacle of them all. The
philosophy of the combination is simple. Vice engenders vice; sin begets sin.  Give the reins to evil propensities in one particular, and they will drag along
in their wild and furious career every other hateful
and malignant passion.
The lex talionis of Jesus Christ is a different thing
from the lex talionis of revengeful man. Instead of
assimilating the punishment, he assimilates the kind



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             43
ness to the offence. The left cheek is turned to the
smiter of the right; the cloak is given to him who has
taken the coat; double service is rendered to him who
compelled partial service; the beggar and borrower
are encouraged in their importunity and exactions.
Every species of wrong-doing is provided for by
the lex talionis of the Son of God. 1st. Personal
violence: "Whosoever shall smite thee on the right
cheek, turn to him the other also," (verse 39.) Injury
contrary to law and right is comprehended in this
class. 2d. Wrong inflicted by individuals, under
colour of law: "If any man will sue thee at law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also,"
(verse 40.) Here we have wrong done by individuals,
as opposed to the state, and yet under legal forms,
and with a show of justice. This distinguishes the
second class from the unlawful and outrageous violence comprised in the first class. 3d. Wrong inflicted
by the government: "And whosoever shall compel
thee to go a mile, go with him twain," (verse 41.)
The word "compel" here used, is borrowed from the
Persian language. "In Persia, the king's orders
were conveyed by public couriers, who had changes
of horses at suitable distances, and who were also
empowered to press into service any person or anything that might be needed for performing the king's
business. The word which expressed this compulsion,
was adopted in other countries to express a similar
idea." (Vide Ripley's Notes and Commentaries of
Scott, Clarke, &c.) The derivation of the word




44            CONSIDERATION OF THE
"compel," and its primitive meaning, show that the
injury contemplated in the 41st verse is at the hands
of the public authorities.  Governments were originally constituted for the protection and preservation
of society, and rulers ought to be a terror to evil
doers. But a large portion of the suffering under
which mankind has groaned since the fall of our great
progenitor, has arisen from the tyranny and oppression of the reigning powers. 4th. Wrong at the hands
of neighbours and supposititious friends: " Give to him
that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of
thee, turn not thou away," (42d verse.) The charitable and benevolent are frequently imposed upon by
unscrupulous mendicants and unprincipled neighbours.
Still it is better that an occasional mistake should be
made in the bestowment of alms, than that the pleading voice of suffering humanity should be unheeded
and uncared for. The man who refuses to listen to
the plea of the supplicant, is himself the great sufferer,
unless he is thoroughly satisfied that the object is an
unworthy one.  He stifles the noblest sentiment in
his bosom. He makes God his enemy, and denies
himself the privilege of praying,
"The mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me."
Probably, too, the reason that God has permitted
the unequal distribution of property, and the difference of social position, is that men might have the
opportunity of assimilating themselves to Him, by
their beneficence and liberality.  Giving was incul



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             45
cated as a duty under the Mosaic economy.  "Thou
shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thy hand from
thy poor brother. But thou shalt open thine hand
wide unto him, and thou shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth."  "Thou
shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be
grieved when thou givest unto him." What was a
duty then, is a privilege now. Jesus Christ has taught
that "it is more blessed to give than receive."  He,
too, has so identified himself with the poor of his
flock, that a charity to them is a gift to him.'"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me." The Christian, who truly loves his Saviour, can have no higher
incentive to charity.  Shall he not give freely to the
precious Being, who suffered, bled, and died for
him?
Verse 42 has, however, as we understand it, less to
do with the grace of giving than with the quiet, gentle
temper, which the Christian must practise when a
wrong is done to him in the shape of a forced gift
or loan. This is plain from the-fact, that the whole
subject of alms-giving is treated of in the sixth
chapter, and, therefore, must be superfluous there or
here. This 42d verse then inculcates the spirit with
which wrong is to be received, when it comes in the
form of destruction to property by the beggar and
borrower. The Christian under such circumstances
must adopt the lex talionis of his Master, and not
that of a wicked, revengeful world. He must "heap
5*




46           CONSIDERATIONT OF THE
coals of fire on the head" of his wronger, by the
grace and cheerfulness with which he gives or loans.
And thus our Saviour has left us (in the five verses
beginning at the 38th and ending with the 42d) particular rules for the reception of every kind of injury;
personal violence, and assault on character, loss of
property, compulsory service, and petty annoyance
from begging and borrowing. Assault on character
is included with personal violence, for abusive epithets
are always coupled with blows. And even the most
violent wretch will not strike, until he has sought to
justify the blow by some blackening aspersion upon
the character of the man he seeks to injure.
Verses 43'45. "Ye have heard that it hath been
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you; 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, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust."
"Our Saviour has now come to the most exalted
and final end of all his precepts, to love itself."
(Olshausen.) Here, too, we find the perverted teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees. The injunction to
love their neighbours, they had construed into granting permission to hate their enemies, and by enemy,
the Jew, like the Greek and Roman, understood the
stranger-the man who was not of his own people.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             47
It is obvious, too, from the context, that the word
neighbour was narrowed in, so as to include only
friends, while the word enemy was so enlarged as
to embrace not only the whole gentile world, but all
who were inimical to the Jew in his own nation.
Thus it ever is with corrupt human nature; the circle
of duties is contracted more and more, while the
Scriptures are perverted to justify the enlargement
of the circle of the vices. The Scribes had no shadow
of excuse for this perversion. They had no license
granted to them in the word of God either to hate
Jew or gentile. The same Scriptures that taught
them to love their neighbours, forbade them to indulge
malignant feelings towards their own people. "Thou
shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Lev. xix. 18. Kindness to all
mankind was enjoined in like strong strong language:
"And if a stranger shall sojourn with thee, in your
land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that
dwelleth with you, shall be unto you as one born
among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for
ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the
Lord your God." Lev. xix. 33, 34. Here, tender
consideration for the stranger is enjoined from a
motive that would be most likely to touch the sensibilities of the Jew, the remembrance of his own friendless and desolate condition in the land of bondage.
Again, "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt." Deut. x. 18. "Also




48           CONSIDERATION OF THE
thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the
heart of a stranger; seeing ye were strangers in the
land of Egypt." Exodus xxiii. 9. Strangers, too,
were placed upon the same platform with natives, in
regard to legal though not religious privileges.  "Ye
shall have one manner of law as well for the stranger
as for one of your own country." Lev. xxiv. 22.
"Ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger,
*and for him that was born in the land."  Numb.
ix. 14.
Dr. John Brown well observes, "Strangers, equally
with neighbours, are represented as the proper objects of such a love as we bear to ourselves; and
though there are passages in which "neighbour" signifies one with whom, by common origin or vicinity
of residence, we are peculiarly connected, in contrast
with a foreigner or stranger, yet the manner in which
it is employed in the Decalogue, is sufficient of itself
to show that the term is often used to designate mankind at large, with all of whom every individual is
connected by a variety of ties. When they were prohibited from bearing false witness against their neighbours, they were certainly prohibited from bearing
false witness against any one; and when they were
prohibited from coveting the wife as the property of
their neighbour, surely the prohibition had a universal'
reference. The command to love their neighbour,
properly understood, was a command to love all mankind; and by consequence, absolutely prohibited
malignant feelings-for if we love all our neighbours




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            49
of mankind, there will remain none to hate." (Brown's
-Exposition, Vol. i., page 190.)
So far from there being any such command in the
Old Testament as, "Thou shalt hate thine enemy,"
revenge is expressly forbidden. "If thou meet thine
enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely
bring it back to him again. If thou see the- ass of
him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and
wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help
with him." Exod. xxiii. 4, 5. "Rejoice not when
thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad
when he stumbleth." Prov. xxiv. 17.  "If thine
enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he
be thirsty, give him water to drink." Prov. xxv. 21.
A comparison too of the injunction contained in Deut.
xxii. 4, with that contained in Exod. xxiii. 5, might
have shown the Jew that the word neighbour and
even brother, included his enemy. "Thou shalt not
see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way,
and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely help
him to lift them up again." Deut. xxii. 4. "If thou
meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray," &c.
Exod. xxiii. 4, 5. Our Saviour proves his Sonship to
the glorious Being, who had taught universal benevolence and universal philanthropy by the mouths of
Moses and Solomon. "I say unto you, love your
enemies," &c. Verse 44 contains the crowning glory
of "the law of retaliation," as taught by the lowly
Nazarene.  It contains a nice adaptation of kindness to the injury meditated or inflicted; love is to be




50           CONSIDERATION OF THE
given to the enemy; blessing or fair speech, as the
word imports, is to be exchanged for cursing and
reviling; good is to be done to those who hate us:
and finally, when the wrong reaches its climax, and
becomes spiteful treatment and persecution, then we
must pray to God to suit his blessing to the magnitude of the offence, because human ability is inadequate to the apportionment.
Verse 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, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust."
We have in this verse the reason of and the authority for the " lex talionis" of Jesus Christ. Both are
found in the character and conduct of God. The law
which the Father practises, the Son has left as a rule
and guide for his disciples. "God commendeth his
love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us."  "Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins." "When I passed
by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I
said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live;
yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood,
Live.            Then washed I thee with water;
yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee,
and I anointed thee with oil."  Here we have exhibited the law of retaliation as practised by God the
Father. When man had insulted the majesty of
Heaven by his pollutions, then it was that God opened




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             51
"a fountain for sin and for uncleanness." Let every
Christian be guided by the "law of retaliation" which
God the Father has practised, which God the Son has
taught, and which God the Spirit has sealed and approved.
Verses 46, 47, 48.  "For- if ye love them which
love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the
publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Our Saviour, in these verses, contrasts the love of
God, which takes into its embrace the bitterest of
foes, and grants them the genial sun and refreshing
shower, with that natural love of kindred and friends,
which even the despised publican could feel. The
children of God are of course to imitate his example,
rather than that of publicans and sinners. The love of
one's wife, or husband, or children, or relatives, is
only an enlarged species of selfishness. Eph. v. 28.
He who is destitute of this kind of love is worse than a
brute; but he who has no more extended benevolence,
is no better than a publican. We hear much of the
cant, that "charity begins at home;" so it ought, but
it ought not to begin and end there too. The gospel
was first to be preached at Jerusalem, but the disciples were also to "go into all the world" and declare
the good tidings of a crucified Saviour " to every creature." There is something peculiarly instructive in
the language employed in describing the universal




52           CONSIDERATION OF THE
beneficence of God. The all-pervading sun, "there is
no creature hid from the heat thereof;" the rain that
falls upon the craggy mountain and the smooth expanse of ocean;-these are the symbols and the messengers of the love of that God who does not confine
his charity to his pure home in the skies. And how
encouraging, too, is it to him who aims at the good
of all his race, to contemplate the action of these
agents of God. The rain often seems poured out
uselessly upon barren heights. But it is there collected and made to descend in a thousand channels
concealed from mortal eye, to gladden the parched
up wastes below. So, too, the sun appears to waste
his generous energies upon the arid wastes of the
Great Sahara and the desolate solitudes of Africa,
but he may then be preparing those genial influences
by which God "makes our garments warm, when he
quieteth the earth by the south wind." Job xxvii. 17.
Who can say that the effort of the Christian to do
good shall ever be lost? Is it not enough for him to
know that Jesus has given the example of his Father
for his disciples to imitate? Is it not enough for him
to know that however enlarged and comprehensive his
benevolence may be, still it must operate in an infinitely narrower sphere than  that in which are
employed these agents that are types of the divine
love?
The dependence and corelation of parts from the
38th verse to the close of the chapter, are now evident. Our Saviour after laying down his "law of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             53
retaliation" in direct opposition to that of a malignant world, shows his disciples that it is precisely the
law by which God acts in his dealings with rebellious
man, and then; by way of giving additional emphasis
to this law, he contrasts the universal benevolence of
the Father with the narrow selfishness of the most
corrupt portion of mankind.
Before closing our remarks upon the 5th chapter,
it may be well to notice the attempts made by the
Scribes and Pharisees to justify vice by distorting the
Scriptures. (Verses 21-38.) The image of the Creator
has never been so entirely effaced among his fallen
creatures, that they could boldly sin without dignifying it by the name of virtue, or, at least, excusing it
as no vice. The world has never yet produced a
wretch so hardened as not to have some excuse, some
palliation, or some authority for his crimes.  The
duellist pleads his wounded honour as a justification
for imbruing his hands in the blood of his fellow-creature. -The robber and thief plead the wants of a
family, the unequal distribution of property, the
wrong organization of society, &c., to justify plunder,
theft and murder. The impure and licentious claim
that the God of nature has implanted passions, which
he meant should be gratified. (So reasoned Hobbes
and Bolingbroke.) The profane swearer has" acquired
an unfortunate habit; he means no harm by it, and he
injures no one." The murderer pleads that "the
unfortunate blow was given in a moment of passion,
he has naturally an ungovernable temper, which he
6




54          ~CONSIDERATION OF THE
cannot control." There is too much of the divine original left in our apostate race to permit men to embrace
vice in all its naked deformity. They must first throw
a covering of fig-leaves around it. Thus we find even
in heathen mythology, some attempt made to gloss
over vice. For though sin was often and still is deified, yet it has ever been disguised under the semblance of virtue, or, at least, associated with virtue.
The Bacchus of the Romans was the god of the vine
and of agriculture, as well as of drunkenness and
debauchery.  The Dionysus of the Greeks was the
same being as the Bacchus of the Romans, with the
same qualities and characteristics; the Schiva of the
Hindoos at the present day is doubtless the same personage, and many think  that the Osiris of the
ancient Egyptians was also the same.  Lust was
deified in heathen mythology as the goddess of love,
and called Aphrodite by the Greeks, Astart6 by the
Phenicians, Frida by the Scandinavians, &c., &c.
Thus all that is-pure and refined in the sentiment of
love was made in a corrupt religion to relieve sensuality of its grossness and bestiality.  So, too, the
Hellenic and Egyptian Hermes and the Roman Mercury, (for they were the same being,) was not only
the patron of thieves and liars, but was also the god
of poetry, eloquence, and commerce. Upon precisely
the same principle, the filthy novelist, who panders to
evil passions and unholy appetites, relieves the enormities of his impure tales by a specious gloss of popular virtues. And so we have such stories as the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             55
"Generous Robber," the "Magnanimous Highwayman," the "Benevolent Magdalen," the "Merry
Robin Hood," &c., &c. The heroes of the fictions of
Charles Dickens have no regard for the Sabbath,
none for the Bible, none for the preached word; they
look with contempt upon the efforts that the Church
is making for the dissemination of gospel truth, and
with equal contempt upon the Christian; but, notwithstanding, they are brave, generous, high-minded
and honourable. His heroines know not the "power
of godliness," they have no love for a crucified Saviour; but withal are modest, chaste, keepers at home,
faithful, constant, unrepining, enduring every trial,
without a murmur and without a complaint. How
plainly does all this prove that men are not yet so
depraved as to honour vice as vice, but that they
often mistake it for moral excellence, when dressed
up in gauds and finery that are supposed to be the
adornments of virtue. Thus from the midst of the
efiluvia and deadly exhalations of fens and marshes,
there arises oftentimes a sickly light, which bears
some resemblance to beams from the source of heat
and life. The pet characters of Dickens would be
regarded with  abhorrence by all well-constituted
minds, but for their possession of these graces, that
can only be imparted in perfection by that gospel of
the Son of God, which the author seeks to ignore and
disparage.
The 5th chapter exposes the fallacious teaching of
the Scribes, the- 6th and 7th chapters expose the




56            CONSIDERATION OF THE
practical errors of the Pharisees in their daily walk
and conversation. (See Brown's.Exposition.) The
fact, that Jesus begins his instruction with the refutation of doctrinal errors, is a sufficient answer to the
dogma, so often and so confidently put forth, that "it
matters not what men believe, provided that they are
sincere in their opinions."  Surely, our Saviour
thought that religious belief was an essential matter,
else he would not have devoted so large a proportion
of his discourse to confuting the absurdities taught
by the Jewish masters. How, too, can we explain his
emphatic warning to his disciples to "beware of the
leaven (doctrine) of the Pharisees," if man be not
responsible for his creed? Was not St. Paul sincere
in his opinions, when he thought that he did God service by persecuting the Church of Christ? And yet
he calls himself the least of all the Apostles because of
this very persecution. Did he then think that his
sincerity excused his wrong views?  What does Peter
mean by warning against "false teachers, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies"? Does he think
that false creeds are harmless things? Why is James
so careful "to dissuade from  being too forward to
assume the office of teachers." (Caption to James,
chapter iii.) "My brethren, be not many masters,
(teachers,) knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation." If religious belief be a mattter of
such small concern, as some pretend, where could be
the harm of any man assuming the office of teacher,
and how could he receive greater condemnation for




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               57
his false instruction, since according to the no-creed
system, all teaching, however false, must be harmless.:
The Apostle John is just as decided as Peter and
James, in declaring the necessity of right views on the
all-important subject of religion.  "If there come
any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive
him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed:
for he that biddeth him God-speed is a partaker of
his deeds." We fear that John is regarded as very
harsh, uncharitable, and intolerant, by the no-creed
liberalists of the present day.  Hear him when he
warns against accepting the dicta of false teachers:"'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God." Jude thought differently
from  these modern liberalists, when he exhorted to
" contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the
saints." And by faith, he clearly meant the doctrines taught by the Apostles and Evangelists. (Scott's
C(ommentary.) The Spirit of God rebukes the Church
of Pergamos for having among its members "them
that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing
I hate."
Let men inveigh against creeds, confessions of
faith, and formularies of belief, and glory in the
liberalism of their views.  It is a sufficient answer to
their invective, and to their boast, that the Son and
Spirit, the Apostles and Evangelists, warn against
doctrinal errors, and exhort to "hold fast the form of
sound words."  When two sets of opposite opinions
are entertained, if those who hold to the one set be
6*




58           CONSIDERATION OF THE
right, it is plain that those who hold to the other
must be wrong. If those, who maintain the non-importance of religious belief be right, the Son and
Spirit, the Apostles and Evangelists, must be wrong.
It would be very strange, if right views were essential
in medicine, law, agriculture, science, literature, and
all those things which pertain to this perishing body,
and be of no sort of consequence in regard to those
which affect the immortal soul, and the interests of
eternity.  The fact is, that the difference in religious
belief makes the difference between the heathen
temple and the Christian Church; between the barbarism of Africa, and the refinements of Christendom;
between Hyder Ali and George Washington, Nena
Sahib and General Havelock.
(CHAPTER VI.)
lHaving pointed out the doctrinal errors of the
Scribes and Pharisees, our Saviour next proceeds to
show their actual delinquencies in the three great
duties of religion-alms-giving, prayer, and fasting.
He begins with alms-giving, since the transition is
easy and natural from the beneficence of God (with
which chapter five closes) to the benevolence of man.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men,
to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, when
thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             59
the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward.
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know
what thy right hand doeth; that thine alms may
be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret,
himself shall reward thee openly." (Verses 1-4.)
We observe in these verses that it is not the
publicity of the alms-giving that is condemned, but
the vain-glorious motive that prompts to that publicity. Doubtless there may be occasions when it
may be the Christian's duty to influence others by
his worthy example, and induce them to honour the
religion which he professes, by showing that it
prompts to charity and benevolence.  Christ is glorified in his disciples, when their piety is felt and
acknowledged.  If the good deeds of professed
Christians were entirely unknown, great reproach
would attach to the cross. Scoffers would say, that
the religion of Him. who went about doing good,
hardened the heart, and deadened the sensibilities.
The alms-giving of the godless and profane would be
contrasted with the supposed parsimony of the followers of Jesus. There may be times, too, when it
would be almost, if not altogether, sinful for the
Christian to conceal his charity. If a child of God
have been unjustly persecuted, and stripped of his
possessions, would it not be the bounden duty of the
disciple of Jesus to manifest his sympathy by some
public act of benevolence that would show the world
his approval of his afflicted brother? The true rule




60           CONSIDERATION OF THE
of alms-giving, is to bestow our charity with an eye
single to the glory of God, free from  all vain and
selfish motives. No mistakes would then be made
either in the manner or the quantity of the alms.
If men did not revolve their good deeds in their
own minds, there would be no danger of their seeking
publicity for them from a desire of human approbation. This is plainly taught in the 3d verse: "But
when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know
what thy right hand doeth." Now, the hands are
parts of a man's own body, and the caution is, therefore, a personal one. It is a warning to the Christian against self-adulation.  He is not to bandy about
in his own mind the contemplation of his alms, as an
individual tosses an article back and forward from
hand to hand. There is a symbolic significance, too,
in the figure employed. The right hand with the
ancients was the type of dexterity, skill, efficiency,
and propitiousness. The left hand was the type of
all that was sinister, awkward, inefficient, and unpropitious.  The good principle in man was symbolized
by the former, and the evil principle by the latter.
The Christian then is cautioned against letting the
good principle toss over, as it were, his good deeds
to the inspection of the evil principle. If he do, he
will surely be prompted to vainglory on account of
his alms, or to secret regrets for the waste of his
substance in charity. The personality of this verse
teaches that the disciple is first of all and specially
to be guarded against himself.  ie has been "bought




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              61
with a price." All that he is, and all that he has,
belong to his Redeemer. There is'nothing left him
to feed self-complacency. When he has given all, he
must say with David, "of thine own have we given
thee." 1 Chron. xxix. 14.
The 4th verse suggests a remedy against ostentation in charity. The thought, that "the Father who
seeth in secret," is reading the heart, and scrutinizing
its motives, surely ought to restrain from the desire
for human praise and human approbation.  But if
that be not sufficient, let it be remembered that God
deals with strict justice, and gives to men that which
they covet. If his secret reward be their wish, they
shall have it. But if they will be content with the
good opinion of their fellow-worms of the dust, that
alone shall be their portion.
Secret prayer is naturally connected with unostentatious alms-giving. The true child of God is not
content with merely relieving the wants of the perishing body. He lifts up his heart in secret for the
blessing of God upon the charity bestowed.  He
agonizes with God for the suffering soul as well as
for the afflicted  body.  The intimate connection
between real charity and prayer, enables our Saviour
to pass to the second great duty of religion, without
a break in his discourse. "And when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the
corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward.




62           CONSIDERATION OF THE
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in
secret, shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray,
use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your
Father knoweth what things ye have need of before
ye ask him." (Verses 5-8.)
Our Saviour passes in these verses, by a natural
transition, from the perception by the omniscient Eye
of the smallest mite given in secret from pure motives,
to the hearing by the omniscient Ear of the softest
sigh of the burdened heart, the mere breathing of
the soul after God. Lam. iii. 56.  He passes
naturally from speaking of the hypocrisy that seeks
glory from men by ostentatious charity, to the hypocrisy that wins praise from a worm of the dust, by a
mockery of worship of the great God of heaven.
We observe that prayer is not enjoined as a new
duty, but spoken of as one already known and acknowledged. "And when ye pray, &c." Prayer is in
fact a necessity of our being. All men feel its obligation-the Pagan and the Papist, the Mahommedan
and the Mormon, alike with the Christian.  The
sage feels his darkness and ignorance as strongly as
the drivelling idiot. The warrior, in the midst of his
legions and cohorts, feels his helplessness as much as
the unarmed peasant.  Even the bold blasphemer
will "call earnestly upon God in the day of trouble."




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             63
Men may "set at nought all his counsel, and have
none of his reproof," in time of health and prosperity.
But they will cry aloud "when their fear cometh as a
desolation, and their destruction as a whirlwind."
Who ever scoffed at prayer on a vessel foundering at
sea?  Who ever was ashamed to lift up his voice to
the omnipotent One, when he knew "that his heart
and flesh were failing"?  "Men may live fools, but
fools they cannot die."  "As I live, saith the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall
confess to,lGod." It is the law of God, we cannot set
it aside. We must either "pray in an acceptable
time" of our own free will, or God will force us to
pray, when he "will laugh at our calamity, and mock
when our fear cometh."  Let us be wise, and pray to
him when all is well with us; lest he be angry, and
"cover himself with a cloud that our prayer should
not pass through," when we call upon him in the
extremity of our distress.
Two things are forbidden and one enjoined, in the
verses above quoted. Praying "to be seen of men,"
and the use of vain repetitions in prayer are positively prohibited.  Withdrawment from the worldretirement to the closet of his own heart, to the
secret recesses of his own soul, is emphatically comcommanded.
It may be well to remarksthat our Saviour does
not forbid public prayer, where the motive is not the
praise of man; neither does he forbid repetitions
that are not vain. In regard to public prayer, we




64           CONSIDERATION OF THE
have the examples of the holy men of both dispensations, the Mosaic and the Christian. Elijah prayed
in the presence of immense multitudes of people, that
the fire of God might descend and consume the sacrafice, so that the priests of Baal might be confounded,
and the true God be acknowledged. 1 Kings xviii.
36, 37. David's prayer for Solomon and his people,
was uttered "before all the congregation." 1 Chron.
xxix. 10-19. At the dedication of the temple,
Solomon "kneeled down upon his knees before all
the congregation of Israel, and sprea4d forth his
hands toward heaven, and said, &c." 2 Chron. vi.
13-42.  Ezra read and expounded the law in presence of all the people, and then worshipped God.
Neh. viiii. 5, 6. When Nehemiah had convoked a
solemn assembly, they read one fourth part of the
day out of the book of the law, and one fourth part
they confessed their sins, and worshipped the Lord
their God. Neh. ix. 3. The incense and burnt-offering of the Jews, were, in fact, only forms of public
worship. Our Saviour himself prayed in the presence
of all his disciples on the way to Gethsemane; his
prayer of agony in the garden was before Peter, and
James, and John; his cry of anguish on the cross
was uttered in the hearing of the savage host around
him. Stephen "kneeled down, and cried with a loud
voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," when
the murderous shower of stones was falling upon him.
Public prayer was offered by the Apostles at the time
of the choosing of Matthias. The assembly of be



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             65
lievers were engaged in public prayer, when "they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost." Acts iv. 31.
Paul kneeled down and prayed with the elders of
Ephesus; he prayed also in the presence of "the
whole ship's company," when the vessel was about to
be cast away. These few examples are sufficient to
show that public prayer is a divinely appointed ordinance, and therefore not prohibited in the verses
under consideration. Nor are earnest repetitions in
prayer forbidden. The two blind men by the wayside prevailed with their one and oft repeated cry,
"Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, thou son of David."
Matt. xx. 30, 31. Jesus himself used the same words
three times in his agony in the garden. Matt. xxvi. 44.
It is remarkable that the longest chapter in the
Bible (119th psalm) contains a tribute in almost every
verse to the excellency of the Scriptures, under the
various names of law, testimony, statutes, word, judgments, precepts, and commandments.  The prayer
too, "teach me thy statutes," is repeated in it no less
than seven times. In the 136th psalm, the words,
"'His mercy endureth for ever," occur twenty-six
times.  In Daniel's prayer for the restoration of
Israel, he repeated the word "hear" four times. Our
Saviour then does not condemn repetition per se,
but that repetition which claims merit because of its
much speaking. Such as that of the priests of Baal,
when they cried all day, "O Baal hear us."  Such
as that of the priests of Bhud, who spend whole days
in repeating the sacred word "Urnm."  Such as that
7




66           CONSIDERATION OF THE
of the Mohammedans, when they cry for hours the
single word "Alla."  Such as that of the Romish
worshippers, who repeat the same salutations to the
Virgin over and over again. In a Catholic book of
devotions, in our possession, almost every sentence
closes with "Ave Maria."  "It is curious to observe
the identity of character of false religion in all its
forms-heathenism, corrupted Judaism, and corrupted
Christianity. The poor deluded Romanists are in the
habit of repeating the Lord's prayer and the salutations of the Virgin in a language they do not understand; and of expecting that by the frequent repetition of these, which they number by counting a string
of beads, they are to obtain deliverance from the
greatest evils, and the possession of the most important blessings."  (See Brown's Exposition, vol. i.
page 208.) We learn from the missionary Huc, that
the Tartars have an improvement upon the Romish
rosary or string of beads. They have a revolving
disc, turned by the wind, every revolution of which
counts a prayer. All these prayers are, of course,
as near alike to one another as may be. In point of
economy of time, and similarity of character, they
are superior to the "Ave Marias" of Popery.
Ostentatious public prayer and vain repetitions in
prayer proceed from the same source-a low conception of the awful character of God.  He who has
just views in regard to the august majesty of the
Most High, can never insult him by pompous declamation in prayer, nor by a hypocritical worship of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             67
him in public, to gain the applause of his fellow-creatures.  He who has contrasted the purity of God
with his own vileness, can never be so vain and foolish as to think that a mummery of words, how oft
soever repeated, can appear meritorious in the eyes of
the Holy Being, who sees uncleanness in the very
heavens.
Our Saviour, then, suggests the true remedy for
these gross perversions of prayer-"Enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret." We understand by these
words more than the mere direction to retire from
the public gaze. The monk and the nun may count
their beads in the darkness of their cells. The Tartar
may whirl his praying circle in the solitude of his
boundless steppes of the wilderness. The profoundest
silence and deepest retirement may bring no exalted'ideas of God. Privacy may favour, but can never
produce a devotional spirit. That is the gift of the
Holy Spirit, and is independent of locality. Blind
Bartimeus was heard by the way-side, but God
turned a deaf ear to the prayer of the boastful Pharisee, though it was uttered in the temple of the Most
High. Luke xviii. 11.
By entering the closet then, we understand not
merely exclusion from the world, but withdrawal from
worldly thoughts, and musing upon the character of
God until the fire burn. Privacy is doubtless fawvourable to a devout frame of mind, but there may be as
much irreverence in the cloisters of monasteries, as




68           CONSIDERATION OF THE
in the market-places of cities. But the example of
our Saviour, who chose the night-season and the solitude of the mountain for his devotions, is sufficient to
show the necessity of an occasional withdrawal from
the noise and bustle of the world, to commune alone
with the Father of our spirits.  Secret prayer assimilates the believer to God.  "'Tis the glory of God
to conceal a thing."  "The secret things belong unto
the Lord our God." " Clouds and darkness are round
about Him."  It is the glorious privilege of the child
of God to commune in secret with this awful and mysterious Being, and thus "to be changed into his
image." "The heart," too, alone "knows its own
bitterness," and can only be unburdened in secret to
Him, who "is touched with the feeling of our infirmities." We are invited to cast all our cares upon him,
but there are many cares that can only be cast upon
him in secret prayer. We would prefer to be alone
at such times, but if that be impossible, secret prayer,
acceptable to the Father, who seeth in secret, can be
offered, like Nehemiah's, in the very audience-chamber of the king, or like Hannah's, in the courts of the
temple.  The believer, in secret communing with
God, makes the nearest approach that ever can be
attained in this vale of tears to realizing the wish of
Moses, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." Exod.
xxxiii. 18.  God revealed himself in an especial
manner to Moses in the solitude of Sinai; and he spoke
to Elijah as a man speaketh to his friend, when he
stood alone in the same desert place. 1 Kings xix. 12.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             69
But the angel Gabriel was "caused to fly swiftly,"
in answer to the prayer of Daniel, offered amidst
the splendour and tumult of Shusan, the palace.
God looks at the withdrawal of the heart and not
of the body, from the noise and bustle of the world.
The command to "pray always," implies that the
heart may be lifted up in secret devotion amidst
the most pressing duties of active life. Still, all
should have and all might have special seasons of
private prayer.  Colonel Gardiner could find such
seasons amidst the exciting scenes of civil war and
domestic dissension. Washington could find such, on
his most arduous and active campaigns. David could
find such, even when hunted down by his enemies like
a wild beast of the wilderness. Above all, the Son
of God, when engaged in his glorious mission on earth,
could find time to spend whole nights in secret prayer.
No man can say that he is more diligently or more
usefully employed than were Gardiner, Washington,
David, and our blessed Redeemer. Let no one then
dare to say that he has no time for secret prayer.
One word in regard to the length of public prayers.
The 8th verse condemns all windy, verbose supplications, all rhetorical flourishes, all pompous declamation, all attempts to tickle the ear and please the
fancy of a creature of the dust, whilst addressing the
awful Majesty of Heaven. How offensive must it be
to the Searcher of hearts to listen to a poor, guilty,
dependent sinner, breathing the language of reverence and penitence, and yet at the same time exult7*k




70           CONSIDERATION OF THE
ing in the supposed eloquence, or pathos, or learning,
of his penitential prayer. But even a truly devout
prayer in public should not be so long, as to weary
and distract the attention of the audience. " God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words
be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude
of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words." Eccles. v. 2, 3. Scott has the following judicious observations on this passage. "These
verbose supplications show indisputable traces of a
man's ignorance and folly, and that he has confused,
false, and dishonourable thoughts of God and religion: even as the incoherencies of a dream often
show the multitude of schemes, anxieties, and employments which employ men's waking hours, and the
prevalent disposition of their minds and hearts."
(Commentary, vol. ii.)  Our Saviour spent whole
nights in prayer, but it was when alone upon the
mountain's top. "The Lord save me, or I perish" of
sinking Peter, and the "God be merciful to me a
sinner," of the poor Publican, may reach the ears of
the Lord of Sabaoth, when he will turn away with
abhorrence from the bombastic jargon that sometimes
disgraces our pulpits.
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our
Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom  come.  Thy will be done in earth
as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              71
bread: and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Verses 9-13.)
This wonderful prayer has excited the admiration
of the wise and good throughout the world, from its
delivery to the present hour. Even the stupid infidel
and shallow scoffer have not failed to perceive its
beauty, sublimity and comprehensiveness.  It has
been made the study of so many holy men, and the
theme of so many able pens, that we will only presume to give a brief analysis, and notice a few points.
It is a sacred triad-for it embraces the three
elements of prayer-invocation, supplication, and
thanksgiving. It consists of three parts. 1st. What
relates to the glory of God.: 2d. What is required
for the temporal and spiritual well-being of man.
3d. Doxology, or ascription of praise to the Triune
God. These three parts are again subdivided into
three sections; the first two containing each three
petitions, and the last giving the three ascriptions of
kingdom, power, and glory to the Trinity.  In each
of the three petitions in the first two sections, there
are three objects of consideration.  Thus in the first,
we have a name, God's name, and we pray that it
may be hallowed. "Name," "God," and "hallowed"
are then the three objects under consideration.  In
the second petition, they are, " thy," " kingdom," and
"'come."  In the third, "thy," "will," and "be
done."  In the fourth, "daily bread," "give," and




72           CONSIDERATION OF THE
"us."  In the fifth, "forgive," "us," and "debts."
In the sixth, "lead not," "us," and "temptation;"
or taking the converse of the petition, they are " deliver," "us," and "evil."  The prayer, too, in its
very language presupposes the existence in the heart
of the utterer, of the three cardinal graces of the
Christian character-Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Faith. For he says "Our Father."  "He that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb.
xi. 6.
Hope. For he uses the language of expectation,
"May thy kingdom with all its blessings come. May
my daily food be given," &c.
Charity-Love to God and love to man. For he
uses a sublime ascription of praise to the Triune God,
and he asks only for pardon from God, upon condition
of his own universal good-will to his fellow-creatures.
" Forgive me my debts, as I forgive my debtors."
We regard then the whole prayer as teaching, or
rather acknowledging, the doctrine of the Trinity, by
its form, structure, and phraseology. It is a sublime
hymn of praise to the three persons and one essence
in the mysterious Godhead. It seems to us that the
petitions and the doxology are addressed to different
persons in the glorious Trinity. Thus we pray that
the great name of God the Father may be hallowed;
that the kingdom of Christ may come; and that the
will, the holy will of the Holy Spirit may be done.
We pray that the Father of our spirits may give us




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            73
food for our bodies; that the Son, who has taken the
penalty of our debts upon himself, may forgive these
debts; and that the Spirit of truth, whom Christ had
promised, may "' guide us into all truth," (John xvi.
13,) and lead us out of the paths of sin and temptation. We understand the " kingdom" in the doxology
to be different from the "kingdom" in the second petition. In the petition it evidently refers to the reign
of Christ, to the triumph of the gospel of grace. But
in the doxology, it is an ascription of absolute sovereignty to God the Father, and employed in the
same sense as in 1 Chron. xxix. 11, "Thine is the
kingdom, 0 Lord, and thou art exalted as head above
all." Again, in Daniel vii. 27, "And the kingdom
and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the
Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."
Nothing can be plainer than that God the Father is
the august personage referred to in this verse, and
that the word "kingdom" is employed to convey the
idea of his absolute and unconditional control over the
universe. We understand then the "kingdom," or
absolute sovereignty, to be ascribed in the doxology
to God the Father, while the "power" is ascribed to
the Son, and the "glory" to the Holy Spirit. In the
New Testament, "power" is the most common attribute of the Son. "That the power of Christ may
rest upon me." 2 Cor. xii. 9. "That I may know
him, and the power of his resurrection." Philip. iii. 10.




74           CONSIDERATION OF THE
"Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ..... to whom be honour and power everlasting,
Amen." 1 Tim. vi. 14-16.  "And I heard a loud
voice in heaven, saying, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ." Rev. xii. 10. This verse ascribes the
kingdom to God the Father, and the power to Christ,
just as we find it in the doxology. The angels around
the throne, whom John saw in his vision, cried with a
loud voice, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,"
&c. Christ himself said, "All power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth." Matt. xxviii. 18.
To show that glory is an ascription of praise to the
Holy Spirit, it is sufficient to prove that the glory of
God is manifested specially by the work of sanctification, which is the office of the Spirit. "H Ierein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." John xv. 8.
Our Saviour here declares that God is glorified by the
fruits of the Spirit. "And whom he justified, them
he also glorified." Rom. viii. 30. Glorification and
sanctification are here used as synonymous terms.
"' When he shall come to be glorified in his saints and
admired in all them that believe." 2 Thess. i. 10.
The crown of glory of our Saviour in the great day of
judgment, is to be his sanctified believers.  " So have
I caused the whole house of Israel and the whole
house of Judah to cleave unto me; that they might be
unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a
praise, and for a glory." Jer. xiii. 11. Here God de



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             75
clares that his sanctified people are his glory and his
praise.  "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and
praise of God." Philip. i. 11.  "By righteousness,
we understand the whole work of the Spirit of
God in the soul of the believer." (Olarke.) The
fruits of this righteousness the believer received a title
to by the death of his Redeemer, but they were matured in his soul by the genial influences of the Spirit.
"For the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon
you." 1 Pet. iv. 14. The Holy Ghost is in this verse
called the Spirit of Glory, and he is said to rest upon
the believer, as he rested upon Christ at his baptism.
As the glory of the Triune God results specially
from the work of sanctification, it is right that the
ascription of glory should specially be given to the
Spirit that sanctifies.
A more critical examination of the Lord's Prayer
will confirm the view, that it recognizes the doctrine of
the Trinity.  The first petition, "Hallowed be thy
name," is certainly addressed to God the Father.
"Name," as a title, is applied in the Old Testament
Scriptures specially to the Father.  "That thou
mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD,
THY GOD." Deut. xxviii. 58.  "For in the Lord
JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.... the desire of
our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of
thee." Isaiah xxvi. 4-8.  " And they shall say unto
me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM." Exod.




76           CONSIDERATION OF THE
iii. 13, 14. See also Ps. xxix. 2, xxiv. 8, lxi. 5, &c.
We may here remark, that the' application of the
word " name" to Christ, in the sense of "any thing by
which he makes himself known," is to our mind a
most conclusive proof of his divinity. " In his name
shall the gentiles trust;" " believing, you might have
life through his name;" "and for my name's sake has
labouied;" "thou holdest fast my name;" "in thy
name have we cast out devils;" "let every one that
nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity," &c.
In the invocation, "Our Father, who art in heaven,"
the word "heaven" in the original Greek is plural, (tou
tois,) the heavens, or universe. Whereas in the third
petition, (thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,)
the word "heaven" is singular, (touto,) and means the
place "where his honour dwells"-the local habitation
of angels and glorified spirits. These distinctions in
number have been observed in the Vulgate and in the
French copies of the New Testament. But from specimens before us, of the Lord's Prayer in most of the
modern languages in Europe, we infer that the different words employed in the original Greek have not
been generally noticed. The distinction gives a peculiar beauty and emphasis to the third petition. We
pray that the will of God may be done, even on this
vile earth, as it is around the Great White Thronewhere angelic beings and glorified believers behold
him face to face.
The word "hallowed" is a compound in the original, and signifies literally "not of the earth."* The
* Adam Clarke.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              77
earth is, in its very nature, polluted.  Its touch
defiles and contaminates whatever is clean and pure.
It was made to be trodden under foot of him, who
was formed in the image of God. And yet he, as a
creature of the dust, is, from his very bodily organization, corrupt and debased.  "He that is of the earth
is earthy."  "Who can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean?" "How can he be clean that is born of
woman?"  Even the "wisdom" of the poor fallen
wretch, "is earthly, sensual, devilish."  How then
can this worm of the earth justify himself before
God? Can he do it by external rites and ceremonies?
Do we not pray that God's name may be hallowed by
being removed from earthly taint and tarnish?  All
lip-service, all hypocritical genufiexions, all mummeries of worship, where the heart is not engaged, are
mere bodily exercises, and are therefore, like the
body, full of all rottenness and uncleanness.  We
pray that God's name may be removed from all this
impurity.  This prayer then contains the most complete refutation of the absurd doctrine, that men can
work out their own salvation. Man is of the earth
and his deeds are earthy. The stream cannot rise
higher than the fountain. All outward acts of piety,
alms-giving, prayer and fasting, are of the perishing
body, and must perish with it. The Holy Spirit can
alone fit the immortal part for the society of God and
holy beings.  "God is a Spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth." Hollow forms of
worship are but the "sacrifice of the fool," and are
8




78            CONSIDERATION OF THE
"abomination in his sight." The doctrine of human
inability-of the utter impossibility of corrupt mortality winning the favour of a holy God, is further
apparent from the consideration of the fifth petition,
"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
The word rendered forgive (aphiemen) means literally
remit.  "Remit our obligations (opheilemata) as we
remit the obligations due to us." We are under an
infinite obligation to God. We owe him service, love,
obedience and gratitude.  We have failed to meet
this obligation, and are therefore justly in the condition of the condemned debtor.  Christ has assumed
this debt for us, and this fifth petition is then appropriately addressed to our Surety. We ask for free
remission. We pray for pardon; not upon the plea
that we will incur no more debt-no creditor would
accept such a plea-but we claim that the debt has
been fully and perfectly paid.  Poor, penniless, and
dependent, we can nevertheless say to our glorious
Surety, "Lord, remember us when thou comest into
thy kingdom." Good works, as a ground of pardon,
are as much excluded in the-fifth petition as in the
first. We pray that we may be forgiven, as (os) we
forgive, not because we forgive. The fulness and freeness of our forgiveness of others is to be the measure,
not the cause, of God's forgiveness of us. Just in
proportion to our forbearance, toleration, and kindness towards our enemies or wrongers, will God
extend his pardon and loving-kindness to us. The
idea is simply this, the sinner is condemned by the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             79
justice of God, because of his failure to pay his debt
of duty and love.  Christ has interposed in merey to
remit that debt; but if the sinner be relentless and
exacting towards those who have wronged him, then
God will require him to pay "the uttermost farthing."
See Matthew xviii.  When we pray in the sixth petition, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from  evil," we of course do not charge God with
being the author of sin. "Let no man say when he
is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.
But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of
his own lust, and enticed." James i. 13, 14. We mean
to ask merely that God may keep us out of the paths
of sin and temptation; that he may so dispose of our
affairs, and so surround us by the restraints of his
grace, that we may not incur his displeasure and
wrath. We pray, like Agur, to be delivered from
the elation of prosperity and the repining of adversity. We pray that all the dispensations of God's
providence, and all the dealings of his hand may be
sanctified to us. We pray, in short, to be guided by
"' the Spirit of truth," for he alone can "lead us into
all truth."   The petition is in its very nature
addressed to the third person in the glorious Trinity,
humbly beseeching his gracious influence to control
the heart and life of the believer.
What a rebuke is this prayer to the empty boast
of the perfectionist.  God has declared the very
heavens unclean in his sight, and yet a poor, pol



80            CONSIDERATION OF THE
luted thing, that sprung from the dust yesterday,
and will return to it to morrow, can say that he is
pure and sinless. Yea, with matchless effrontery, he
can even claim not to have sinned for a score of
years. He, who "knew what was in man," taught
his disciples a prayer, the farthest possible removed
from this self-righteous Pharisaic spirit. It breathes
the language of penitence, self-distrust, and- dependence. "I have sinned, forgive me my sins, and guide
me for the future, that I may sin no more against
thy holy name." This humble frame of mind is
surely becoming a weak, fallible creature, so continually beset with temptation, and with no power in himself to resist it. There is not an event in our lives
that Satan cannot make the occasion of sin. Even
afflictions, which are intended to "work out a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," may be
rendered by the adversary of souls the sources of guilt
and condemnation. The plagues in Egypt but hardened the heart of Pharaoh.  The afflictions of Job
filled the soul of his wife with rebellion against God.
The withering of his gourd made Jonah repine and
wish for death. Unsanctified afflictions always harden
the heart. How absurd then, the Popish doctrine,
that the fires of purgatory can purify the guilty soul
and fit it for heaven. Has Satan been thus purified?
Have his angels been purified by the fires of the burning lake?  Did the Israelites humble themselves,
when they felt the pangs of thirst in the wilderness?
Did not Moses call the place Meribah as well as




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              81
Massah? the place of chiding as well as of temptation?  The Israelites were but types of our apostate,
rebellious race.  To all of us, the waters of Massah
would also be the waters of Meribah, but for the sanctifying influences of his Spirit. But blessed be his
holy name, light may be made to come out of darkness, and the believer be enabled to say, "it is good
for me that I have been afflicted." As God set his
glorious arch in the heavens, right over the wild
waste of waters of the deluge, and painted it with
sun-beams on the very clouds that had wrought the
desolation; so he often places his bow of promise over
our ruined hopes and wrecked affections, gilds it with
rays from the Sun of Righteousness, and makes it
more gorgeous and beautiful by the black storm-cloud
of trouble in the back-ground.
There is one point that deserves our special consideration in the petition,'"Lead us not into temptation."  Those who use it should be careful to avoid
all occasions of temptation. It is but a mockery of
God to pray against temptation, and then wilfully to
throw ourselves in the way of it. David may have
gone upon the housetop to pray, when his roving eye
prompted him to lust and murder. We are commanded to watch, as well as pray. We are too apt
to neglect the former, and then call the calamities
that result from our own folly and perverseness, trialof our faith, or providences of God. Thus too, many
who live in open violation of all the laws of health,
regard their sickness as "a chastening of the Lord."
8*




82            CONSIDERATION OF THE
The sickness is no doubt of the Lord, but has it not
been sent because his physical laws have been broken?
The assassin may as well claim immunity for the
blow of his dagger, as the self-made invalid for the
neglect of his health. Have we any more right to
be careless of our own lives than of the lives of
others?
In our translation, "Deliver us from  evil," the
article the (tou) has been omitted.  Literally, the
petition is, "Deliver us from the evil." The same
words which are here translated "evil," are translated "the wicked one," in Matthew xiii. 19 and 38.
1 John ii. 13, iii. 12. We think that they ought to
have been  translated so here.  There  are  three
sources of sin-the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The sixth petition pleads for deliverance from all
these.  Probably, "temptation" refers to the evil
influence of the world, and the depraved inclinations
of our own natures. We pray that we may be so
guided in our intercourse with the world, and so
sanctified in our desires, that we may not be "led into
temptation," and then add, "deliver us" from the
power, the malice and evil suggestions of the great
adversary of our souls.
This view is- somewhat strengthened by the fact
that the word rendered " deliver," means more rigidly
"break* off" —as we break off a chain.  May we not
have a reference to those "chains of darkness," with
which Satan binds his followers, and with which he
* Adam Clarke.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             83
himself will be eventually bound? 2 Peter ii. 4,
Jude 6, Rev. xx. 3. If so, have we not expressed the
compound idea of entire subjection to Satan and the
progressive nature of sin? The sinner is represented
in the Scriptures as the bond-servant of the great
enemy of mankind. "Know ye not, that to whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?" Rom. vi. 16. "Whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin." John
viii. 34.  "While they promise themselves liberty,
they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of
whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in
bondage." 2 Peter ii. 19. Was not the bondage
in Egypt but a type of the more cruel subjection to
sin and Satan?
Sin is progressive. As the chain which the adversary of souls throws around his victims is composed
of links, so sin follows sin in a regular concatenated
series. The Roman tyrant, whose atrocities have
been the wonder of the world for so many generations, began his career of cruelty with the torture of
flies. "What, is thy servant a dog that he should do
this great thing," replied the indignant Syrian leader,
when told by the prophet Elisha the enormities that
he should commit. And yet he advanced step by step
in his career of crime, until he had committed all the
horrible cruelties that were predicted.  So, too, with
David, the wanton look was followed by lust, adultery, deception, and murder.




84           CONSIDERATION OF THE
We cannot conclude our notice of the Lord's
Prayer without making the obvious remark, that the
great object of desire in it is the glory of the triune
God. "The Lord has made all things for himself,
even the sinner for the day of evil." We are bound
then to "glorify him with our bodies and our spirits,
which are his." The prayer taught by our Saviour
embodies this central idea. It begins with invocation and ends with praise. God is first and God is
last in it.  The one special petition is "Hallowed be
thy name"-and that it may be hallowed, we pray
for the coming of Ohrist's kingdom, and the fulfilment
of his holy will on earth as it is in heaven. Even our
personal petitions have reference to the same thing.
We ask that we may be fed "with food convenient
for us, lest we be poor and steal, and take the name
of our God in vain." Prov. xxx. 8, 9. We ask for
the pardon of our sins, so that no longer oppressed
with the sense of guilt, "a new song may be put in
our mouths, even praise unto our God." Ps. xl. 3.
We ask that the Holy Spirit may lead us out of the
paths of temptation, and deliver us from the bondage
of Satan, in order "that we may show forth the
praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into
his marvellous light." 1 Peter ii. 9. The supply of
our temporal wants, the pardon of our sins, and the
sanctification of our natures, are all sought as means
to one great end-that "the King, eternal, invisible,
the only wise God, may have honour and glory for
ever, Amen." 1 Tim. i. 17.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             85
It is a remarkable and a most significant fact, that our
Saviour only commented on that portion of the Lord's
Prayer which relates to the forgiveness of injuries.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly
Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men
their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses." (Verses 14, 15.) The reason of this special comment is plain.. Jesus knew the heart of man.'"All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of
him with whom we have to do." Heb. iv. 3.  He
knew that the hardest duty, even for the Christian,
is the duty of forgiveness. Luke tells us that, when
on a certain occasion our Saviour had reiterated the
command to forgive, the Apostles cried out, "Lord increase our faith."  They felt their inability to accord
obedience, without a larger supply of grace. Revenge
was a virtue among the cultivated Greeks and Romans. The wisest and best of their philosophers
inculcated it as a duty. The refined Athenians built
temples and erected altars to At6, the goddess of
hatred and vengeance. The American Indian thinks
that the Great Spirit will be offended with him, if he
permit personal and family wrongs to go unavenged.
Nearly all the wars that have desolated our earth and
drenched it with blood, have been prompted by the
fell spirit of vengeance. Was it not the infernal
thirst of Satan for revenge, that brought death and
sin into the world? —that changed the bloom and fragrance of Paradise into thorns and thistles, rottenness and putridity?-that changed the hymn of praise




86           CONSIDERATION OF THE
and song of gratitude into horrid blasphemy and the
wail of despair? The spirit of revenge is the spirit
of the pit of darkness. It should find no resting-place
in the bosom of a child of God and an heir of the
skies. Even according to heathen mythology, Ate
was thrust out from heaven. If a heathen Jupiter,
with all his abominations, could not tolerate so foul a
spirit, how can we expect our Heavenly Father to
look upon it with the least allowance? He has forbidden revenge in the most solemn manner. The
Jew was not even allowed to hate his oppressor, the
Egyptian. While the Israelite was yet smarting
under a sense of his wrongs in Egypt, God proclaimed
by the mouth of Moses, "thou shalt not abhor an
Egyptian." Deut. xxiii. 7. There are many other
positive prohibitions against revenge in the books of
Moses. See particularly, Exod. xxiii. 4, 5, and Levit.
xix. 18. The Apostle Paul, following up the teaching
of Moses and our Saviour, has forbidden us from
requiting our own wrongs, upon the highest possible
ground. "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give
place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is
mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Rom. xii. 19.
He who takes the redress of his injuries in his own
hands, is thus shown to arrogate to himself a right
belonging exclusively to God.  " Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do right?"  May we not leave the
rectification of all our wrongs in his hands?
There are several things in the 14th and 15th
verses above quoted, which deserve our particular




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               87
attention.  The substitution of trespasses for debts,
(paraptomata for opheilamata,) is peculiarly significant. The word rendered" trespasses," comes from a
verb that means "to fall off."  Trespasses are then
"failings off," failings, little slips in duty. If ye forgive men their little failings, your Heavenly Father
will forgive you, not your little failings, but you, the,great debtor.  If you will forgive your fellow-servant
the hundred pence due you, your Master will pardon
you for the ten thousand talents due to him. Matt.
xviii. But if ye forgive not men their little failings,
neither will your Father forgive you your little failings.  He will hold you to account, even to the uttermost farthing.  The non-repetition of trespasses in
the 14th verse, and its repetition in the 15th, are peculiarly instructive. The omission shows that the par,
don, extended to the kind and forgiving, embraces both
their great sins and little failings, (both op heilemata
andparaptomata;) while the repetition shows that the
relentless and unforgiving are held to a strict account
for small as well as great offences. Again, the omission of the adjective "heavenly," in the 15th verse,
is full of meaning.  God is the Father of the wicked
and unforgiving, as well as of the holy and gentle, but
he is not their' "heavenly" Father.  Heaven is his
holy habitation.  The revengeful can never meet him
there. They cannot speak of him, as absent children
speak of a beloved parent away at the old homestead,
where they one day expect to join him.
The importance of a full, hearty, and perfect for



88            CONSIDERATION OF THE
giveness of our enemies, cannot be over-estimated.
Christ has made it the test of discipleship. The
Father has declined being called heavenly Parent by
the revengeful and unforgiving. They have nothing
heavenly about them. Heaven is peopled by the forgiven and the forgiving. We are in a fearful condition, if we are deluding ourselves as to the reality of
our free forgiveness. If the monster revenge have
been lurking in our bosoms, and we all unconscious of
his presence, is there no spear of Ithuriel to dissolve
the enchantment and show him in all his hideous proportions? May we not apply this test to the sincerity
of our professions of forgiveness?  Would we rather
hear good than evil spoken of our enemy? Do we rejoice in his lawful prosperity?  Do we take sincere
delight in praying for him? If we are gratified by the
good fame of our enemy, when fully deserved; by his
success in life, honestly gained; and if, in addition,
we can feel it to be a privilege to pray for him, we
may safely conclude that we have no malice against
him in our hearts. But we are not bound to rejoice
in the ill-deserved reputation of our enemy, nor in his
dishonest gains. Still, if his unlawful success give us
pain, not because it is unlawful, but because it is
success, we may be sure that he is not forgiven.
FASTING.
"Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites,
of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces
that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             89
unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when
thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face; that
thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in
secret, shall reward thee openly." (Verses 16-18.)
Our Saviour, in these verses, prescribes the rules
which are to regulate his disciples in that important
religious duty, fasting. We notice that the language
of our Saviour implies the observance of fasting on
the part of his disciples-" When ye fast." It would
indeed be strange, if Christians neglected a duty,
whose binding obligation has been felt by the Jews,
by the Mohammedans, and even by the heathen, from
the remotest time to the present day. Brown of Haddington, well observes, " The light of nature and word
of God direct us, that whenever we have fallen into
grievous sins; when we feel or fear the infliction of
God's judgments; or when we have distinguished
need of some special mercy and assistance, we ought,
by fasting and prayer, solemnly to bewail our sins,
supplicate forgiveness thereof, implore the averting or
removal of judgments, and request the bestowal of
necessary favour and help."  So clearly has the light
of nature (as above stated) made fasting a duty, that
there probably never existed a nation which did not
observe stated fasts. The Jews had an annual fast on
the 10th day of the month Tisri. The Egyptians,
Phoenicians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans, had
also their stated fasts. The Roman Emperors were
accustomed to observe these days with great solem9




90            CONSIDERATION OF THE
nity. We read of the fasting of Numa Pompilius,
Julius Csesar, Augustus, Vespasian, and others. Mahomet enjoined this duty in an especial manner upon
all his followers. lie was accustomed to say that
"fasting was the gate of heaven, and that the odour
of the mouth of him who fasteth is more grateful to
God than that of musk." Pythagoras and all his sect
rigidly performed the duty of fasting.  The North
American Indians were accustomed'to set apart days
for fasting before engaging in war. Fasting is an
important religious exercise among the Hindoos, the
Tartars, the Chinese, &c., who live at the present
day. Two ideas seem to have pervaded the human
mind universally.  The first is, that "without shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin." For
bloody sacrifices have existed everywhere, in all ages
of the world. The second is, that offended Deity may
be appeased by fasting, humiliation, and prayer.
These two ideas are more universal even than the tradition of the deluge.
The Holy Scriptures record many instances of
fasting, and of God's gracious acceptance of some of
them. Moses fasted thrice for the space of forty
days. Elijah and our Saviour, each once for the
same period. David fasted during the sickness of his
child. Part of the threatened calamity was averted
from Ahab, because of his humiliation and fasting.
Daniel was fasting when the angel Gabriel was
caused to fly swiftly with a gracious answer to his
prayer.  The fast and repentance of the Ninevites




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             91
saved them from destruction.  The mourning, fasting,
and prayer of Esther, Mordecai, and their people,
thwarted the wicked schemes of Haman, and preserved
the Jewish nation from  destruction.  Jehoshaphat
and his subjects observed a solemn fast when they
heard of the invasion of the Moabites and Edomites;
and the Lord gave his people a miraculous victory
over their enemies. 2 Chron. xx.
The universal recognition of fasting as a religious
duty, the example of our Saviour, and the holy men
of old, the gracious acceptance of God-all these
teach us that fasting is a very important part of
devotion. The neglect of this great duty in Protestant countries, may be owing somewhat to the contempt felt for the mock fasts of the Romish Church.
It becomes us, however, to reflect that our aversion
for Popish festivals, and Popish rites and ceremonies,
can never excuse us for the non-observance of a high
and sacred duty. The fact that our Saviour did not
prescribe the time, the length, and the occasion of
fasts, does not prove that he did not regard abstinence
from food, at special seasons, as a religious exercise.
It only proves that his religion is not one of ritualism
and formalism. Had he given particular rules in
regard to these things, a solemn devotional service
would have been converted into an empty form-like
the Lent of the Romish Church. Men are prone to
make their religion consist in forms and ceremonies.God requires spiritual worship.  Christ enjoined
on his disciples the inner worship of the heart, and




92           CONSIDERATION OF THE
not the outer of unmeaning rites.  This accounts for
his not giving any directions about the proper posture
in prayer, nor in regard to the mode of baptism, &c.
Bigotry and formalism attach great importance to
externals, our Saviour attached none. The inference
then is rash, that because he did not leave minute
instructions to regulate fasting, therefore it is not a
duty. The same reasoning would apply, with as much
force, to baptism, alms-giving, and prayer.  Ti he
example of our Saviour, and his language, when
speaking of fasting, are sufficient to show how he
regarded it.  He has wisely left the performance of
the duty to be modified by the age, the health, and
the condition of the penitent.
It may be well to notice critically, a few of the
words employed in the preceding verses. The word
rendered "fast" is a compound, and means literally
"not to eat."  This signification  is sufficient to
explode the theory of some, that fasting is abstinence
from sin and not from food. Isaiah has taught us
that during the season of fast, we should endeavour
to remember the wrongs that we have committed, and
make ample redress to the injured; but he does not
tell us that we are not to abstain from  food.  He
merely corrects a too common error with formalists,
that the outward act is acceptable to God.
The word rendered "hypocrites," means more
literally, dissemblers, stage-actors. The godless are
prone to charge Christians with hypocrisy, and infidels
have had the effrontery to denounce the religion of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             93
our blessed Redeemer on this very ground.  Now
there would be something fair and manly in this
denunciation of scepticism, if our Saviour had encouraged hypocrisy, or had even failed to censure it.
But where can there be found more solemn rebukes of
this grievous sin, than in the public instructions of
our Lord? Were there ever more fearful woes uttered
than those he pronounced against the hypocritical
Scribes and Pharisees? See Matt. xxiii. And does
he not teach in this very Sermon on the Mount, that
God "seeth in secret"-that he cannot be deceived,
and will not be mocked? Our Saviour will not claim
a hypocrite as his disciple; what right then has
the scoffer to place him in the ranks of the Redeemer?
The word rendered "sad," might have been more
appropriately translated "sour," or "morose."  The
hypocrite may well be "morose." God abhors him,
the world despises him, and conscience troubles him.
In the whole universe there is no more pitiable, and
no less pitied creature than he.
The rebuke of moroseness, contained in the above
verses, should be well pondered by every Christian.
Surely he, of all men on earth, ought to be cheerful.
How can he who has God for his friend, and heaven
for his home, indulge in sullenness and gloom? Come
what may, he knows that "it shall be well with the
righteous."  He may, lose children, friends, health,
reputation, property, still he knows that "all things
shall work together for his good."  Let him  then
9*




94           CONSIDERATION OF THE
show forth his cheerfulness and "contentment," as
well as his "godliness," that others may get "great
gain" from his example. The moroseness and austerity
of some professed Christians, have done much injury
to the cause of the Redeemer, and brought great
reproach upon his religion. The sour countenance of
Pharisaic disciples have often made the young regard
Christianity as the embodiment of all that is dismal
and lugubrious; and thus a stone of stumbling has
been thrown in the way of the youthful and lighthearted. Historians tell us that the ribaldry, buffoonery, and gross licentiousness, during the reign of
Charles II. of England, were brought about in good
part, by the national disgust at the cant, nasal tones,
long prayers, and sour visages, of the Puritans.
Those who could not appreciate the bright and noble
qualities of the Puritans, could ridicule their dress
and manner. Had the purest and best men, that the
world has ever produced, been more cheerful, more
joyous, more courteous, and more conciliating, England might have been spared the ignominy of the
disgraceful reigns of Charles II. and James II. The
fact is, that the Puritans at the outset never could
have gained a party sufficiently strong to overthrow
the throne of Charles I., but for the popularity of
their great leader, John Hampden. All know how
much of this popularity was due to that "natural
cheerfulness, vivacity, and flowing courtesy to all
men," of which Clarendon speaks. The broad and
genial humour of John Bunyan, makes him more read




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             95
than any other author. The same quality in Spurgeon
makes him the most popular of living preachers. Our
Saviour, though "a man of sorrow, and acquainted
with grief," yet mixed freely with the people in kind
and cheerful conversation. He honoured a marriage
by his presence. He ate with publicans and sinners.
He talked with a poor ignorant woman by the well
of Samaria.  He wept with the bereaved sisters at
the grave of their brother Lazarus. All this shows
a disposition the farthest removed from the sullen and
selfish gloom of morbid religion.
COVETOUSNESS.
",Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves
break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor
steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also." (Verses 19-21.)
The last verse explains the meaning of the word
"treasure," as employed here, and also points out the
connection between these three verses and those which
immediately precede them.  Treasure is any thing
upon which the heart is set; whether-that be wealth,
rank, reputation, worldly grandeur, friends, luxury,
or what not. The Pharisees made the good opinion
of men their treasure, and were ostentatious in almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, to gain that good opinion.
Our Saviour, after condemning them for seeking this




96           CONSIDERATION OF THE
species of treasure, proceeds to warn his disciples
against every other form of worldliness.  Special reference may be had to the inordinate thirst for wealth
-the low sordid vice of covetousness. This is the
great sin of the Church-the great sin of the agethe sin that dishonours God and brings reproach upon
the Christian name —the sin that "tramples under
foot the blood of the covenant, and esteems it an unholy
thing." Twenty-five hundred years ago, the Prophet
Amos lifted up his warning voice against the low, debasing vice, that hardens all within, and stifles every
generous emotion and kindly sympathy.  The covetous "sells the righteous for silver, and the poor for
a pair of shoes, and pants after the dust of the earth
on the head of the poor." Amos ii. 6, 7. The covetous takes away all that the poor working man has,
and then begrudges him the little dust that the sweat
of labour has accumulated on his brow! The Saviour
took up the warning, and taught, "Lay not up for
yourselves treasure upon earth."  But spite of his
teaching, the broad road to death is thronged with
the followers of Mammon; hell is overflowing with his
worshippers. The great Apostle to the Gentiles, who
had studied so much, travelled so much, and gained
such an intimate acquaintance with human nature, has
left his testimony that "covetousness is idolatry," and
that "they who will be rich, fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which
drown men in destruction and perdition. For, the
love of money is the root of all evil: which, while




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             97
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Col. iii. 5; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. All history, and all
experience confirm the testimony, that the covetous do
fall into many foolish and hurtful lusts, and do pierce
themselves through with many sorrows. But is the
world any wiser and better from the instruction-of
the "Philosophy that teaches by example"? Were
mankind ever so absorbed, body and soul, in the pursuit of wealth, as in the middle of this the nineteenth
century? How many of the votaries of Mammon
would almost as soon think of giving their hearts'
blood, as any portion of their wealth, to advance the
kingdom of their Redeemer. Alas, the mighty dollar
looms up before them with a lustre and brilliance sufficient to obscure the beams of the Sun of Righteousness.
The disciple, who had the distinction of being the
first Bishop of Jerusalem, who was the near relative,
if not the brother, of our Lord, and who was the only
one of the disciples honoured by a private interview
with the risen Saviour, (1 Cor. xv. 7,) denounces
covetousness in the strongest terms. "Your gold and
silver is cankered; and the rust of them  shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it
were fire.  Ye have heaped treasure together for
the last days." James v. 3. There is no mistaking
this language.  Riches, which are allowed to rust,
because not employed in the service of Christ, shall
be converted into penal fires in the great day of




98           CONSIDERATION OF THE
Judgment, and shall burn and torture their wretched
possessors for ever and for ever.
When the great Jewish law-giver came into the
presence of the worshippers of the golden calf, he
threw down and broke into pieces the tables of the
law written by the finger of God himself. Here we
have taught in a symbol, the melancholy fact, of perpetual recurrence, though we as perpetually shut our
eyes against it, that God's holy law is ever thrown
down and trampled under foot, when gold is set up as
an object of idolatry.  Our court-houses, our jails,
our penitentiaries, our gibbets, proclaim the same
truth. The wail comes up from the lurid flames of
perdition, "we despised and trampled upon the commandments of the Most High, from the cursed thirst
for gold, and we are here."  Moreover, the story of
the broken tables of the law, teaches us the brutish
nature of the worship of Mammon.  "We are sick,"
says the eloquent Macaulay, "like the children of
Israel, of' the objects of our old and legitimate worship. We pine for a newidolatry. All that is costly
and all that is ornamental in our intellectual treasures
must be delivered up and cast into the furnace," that
there may come out a calf for rational and immortal
creatures to fall down and worship. God is a Spirit,
and his service is spiritual and elevating; the worship
of Mammon, like that of the golden calf, is brutalizing and degrading. But while covetousness is a
base and brutish sin in the man of the world, it is a
crime of the blackest dye in the professed Christian.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               99
God cannot be deceived, he will not be mocked. With
what abhorrence must he listen to the prayer of the
nominal Christian, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done," when, at the same time that he prays, he
grasps his purse-strings with the tenacity of death,
and gives nothing, or the merest trifle, to advance
the interests of that kingdom, and promote compliance with that holy will. There is an awful mockery
in the prayer that might make Satan and his infernal
hosts shudder with horror. Talk to this mocker about
the claims of the Church of Christ upon his substance,
and he is as deaf, and cold, and inanimate as the
granite blocks of New Hampshire. But the slightest
whisper of gain, will vibrate upon his auditory nerve
with a thrill that is felt in his inmost soul.
Our Saviour has given us the best of all reasons
for indifference to worldly treasures-their insecurity.
" The fashion of this world passeth away." Passing
away, is written upon all beneath the skies. "Riches
certainly make themselves wings; they fly away, as
an eagle toward heaven." Fame is the breath of the
fickle multitude, who cry hosannah one day, and
crucify him the next. Relations and friends will die.
The worm will feast and batten on those we love as
our own souls.
"The knell, the shroud, the mattock, and the grave,
The deep damp vault, the darkness, and the worm."
O, with what appalling emphasis they proclaim
the folly of- setting our affections upon anything




100         CONSIDERATION OF THE
earthly.  The Lord alone "changes not." Mal. iii. 6.
Father in Heaven, help us to love thee supremely, so
that we may have an enduring treasure left, when the
vines that cluster in beauty and fragrance around our
heads, wither like Jonah's gourd from the gnawing of
the worm at the root.
Critical exegesis.  The word rendered "moth"
comes from a verb, which signifies to putrefy. The
word rendered "rust" is from a verb that means to
eat. "Thieves break through" might have been more
literally rendered, "thieves dig through." The houses
in the East are generally made of sun-dried brick,
and the walls can readily be dug through. The houses
in Mexico are chiefly of the adobes, and in the attack
on Monterey the American troops advanced into the
heart of the city by digging occasionally through the
walls of courts and houses. They thus kept themselves sheltered from the view and fire of the enemy.
We are taught impressively by the allusions to the
moth, the rust, and the thieves, the uncertainty of
earthly possessions, whether they consist in dress,
money, or dwellings. The animal and the mineral
kingdom are at war against our treasures. Even our
fellow-creatures seek to rob and despoil us of them.
Why then should we set our hearts upon a thing so
uncertain as worldly wealth? Let us learn to lay up
our store in "' heaven." This word is in the singular
number in the original, and means the local habitation of glorified spirits. There only, is there security.
Even a heathen philosopher could perceive the folly




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            10,1
of boasting about uncertain riches. HIerodotus tells
us that when Crcesus, king of Lydia, boastfully exhibited his vast treasures to Solon, the Athenian philosopher, and inquired of him if he would not pronounce the
owner thereof the happiest of men; Solon plainly told
him that he could call no man happy before his death,
because it could not be foreseen what would happen
unto him. This same Croesus was in fact besieged in
Sardis, by Cyrus the Mede, and on the capture of the
city, was condemned to be burned to death. When
the soldiers were piling the faggots around the unhappy Crcesus, he cried aloud three times, "Solon,
Solon, Solon." This so excited the curiosity of Cyrus
that he inquired the reason of the exclamation, and
upon being told of what Solon had said, he began to
reflect upon the precariousness of his own power and
the insecurity of his own treasures, and was so softened by the reflection, that he pardoned Croesus, and
ever after treated him with kindness. If the testimnony of Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Justin,
can be relied upon, Cyrus may well have felt the uncertainty of his own position, for they say that he
perished in battle with the Scythians.
CONSCIENCE.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore
thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall'
be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in
10




102           CONSIDERATION OF THE
thee be darkness, how great is that darkness 1" (Verses
22, 23.)
These verses explain the nature and office of conscience.  Two things are necessary to clearness of
vision-sufficiency of light and soundness of eye.
Two things are indispensable, in order that the dicta
of conscience may be infallible-an enlightened. understanding and a sanctified heart.  The former is
represented in the beautiful figure of our Saviour, by
light-the usual symbol of knowledge. The latter is
symbolized by the eye; for the eye guides and directs
the natural man, as the heart does the moral man.
1" Out of the heart are the issues of life."  "Out of
the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh."
Our moral movements are thus shown to be controlled
by the heart, just as our natural movements are by
the eye. If the eye be perfectly healthy and abundantly supplied. with light, its perception will be unerring within the limit of vision.  So if the understanding be perfectly enlightened, and the heart be
perfectly sanctified, conscience will always approve the
right and disapprove the wrong. But conscience is a
very unsafe guide, unless these two conditions be perfectly fulfilled. Its monitions were unerring before
the fall. They have never been so since. And just
in proportion to the ignorance and corruption of man
does the voice of conscience " give an uncertain
sound."  Just here lies the mistake of fanaticism.
The fanatic places his conscience above the Bible, yea,
above God himself. He makes conscience a rule of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            103
right-a guide in moral conduct. It is no such thing.
It is simply a faculty of mind, which approves our
conduct when consistent with our ideas of right, and
disapproves our conduct when inconsistent with those
ideas. This is conscience in its perfect state; but it
may be "seared as with a hot iron," (1 Tim. iv. 2,)
and neither approve nor disapprove.  "The word of
God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we
may glorify and enjoy him." Persecuting Saul, when
c" he verily thought within himself that he ought to do
many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth," had just as approving a conscience as the martyr Paul at the tribunal of Nero. The Ammonite
mother, when she placed her child in the arms of the
thrice-heated image of Moloch, had just as much the
approbation of her conscience, as had the pious Hannah when she devoted her unborn child to the service
of the living God. The approving conscience sustains the Hindoo widow when she mounts the funeral
pile of her husband, to be burnt to ashes. The fact is
that men cannot embark in any enterprise with the
clamour of conscience against them.  They must
either stifle it or win it to their side.  " Conscience
makes cowards of us all," said the greatest of uninspired men. This accounts for the extraordinary ingenuity of all mankind in framing excuses and making
palliations for their conduct. Adam laid his sin at the
door of Eve, and she excused herself and criminated
the serpent. Thus it has ever been with all their




104          CONSIDERATION OF THE
descendants.  "All the ways of a man are right in
his own eyes," said the wise king of Israel.  We
are inclined to think that few have the hardihood
knowingly and wilfully to commit an act that they
believe at the time to be heinously sinful. From what
the Bible teaches us of the temptations of Satan, we
learn that the art of the great Adversary consists in
making sin appear venial or altogether innocent.
Thus he tempted our Saviour to cast himself from the
pinnacle of the temple, that he might cause a prophecy concerning the Messiah to be fulfilled.  The
most cruel and remorseless of persecutors have ever
been those whose consciences approved of their persecution.
Catherine de Medicis could go in solemn procession to return thanks to the Most High, for the
massacre of St. Bartholomew. Laud was the most
unfeeling of persecutors, because the most conscientious of bigots.  Cotton' Mather was zealous in the
cause of religion when busiest in torturing old women
for witchcraft. Again, we have another phase of
perverted conscience in the impure and licentious.
"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them
that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but
even their mind and conscience is defiled." Tit. i. 15.
Adultery, fornication, and polygamy, have had their
advocates and defenders. Infidels of learning and
intelligence have contended that there was nothing
wrong in these things.  Again, we have another
phase of perverted conscience in the hypocrite, whose




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             105
whole life is a lie, yet who so sears his conscience that
its monitions give him no trouble.  "Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their consciences seared with a hot
iron." 1 Tim. iv. 2. Again, we have another phase
of perverted conscience in the turbulent, the litigious,
and the brawling, who justifies his evil passions, and
exclaims with Jonah, "I do well to be angry, even
unto death." And so the murderer, the duellist, the
rake, the robber; each has his plea of justification of
his crimes. No one understood the tricks of conscience better than the Apostle Paul, who had himself
been the dupe of it. We find him accordingly speaking of a "defiled conscience," Titus i. 15; of a
"seared conscience;" of an "evil conscience," Ileb.
x. 22: again, of a "conscience purged from dead
works," Heb. ix. 14; of a "pure conscience," 1 Tim.
iii. 9; of a "good conscience," Heb. xiii. 18; of a
"cconscience void of offence toward God and toward
men." Acts xxiv. 16.  If Paley had studied the
teachings of God's word in regard to conscience, he
never could have said, "It seems to me either that
there exists no such instincts as compose what is
called the moral sense, or that they are not now to be
distinguished from prejudices and habits."  He had
observed that these instincts depended upon "the
exigencies, the climate, situation, or local circumstances of the country," and, therefore, he justly
concluded, that all this "looked very little like the
steady hand and indelible characters of nature."
The blunder of Paley and all of his school is easily
10*I




106          CONSIDERATION OF THE
exposed.  They mistook entirely the nature and
office of conscience. Believing it to be the function
of conscience to give infallible directions in regard to
moral deportment, and perceiving that men in every
age of the world had committed the most atrocious
crimes, conscientiously and in good faith, they concluded that there was no such thing as the moral
sense. Their reasoning is sound, but their premise is
wrong. Conscience is not a moral guide. The word
of-God is our only rule of right. It alone is " a lamp
to our feet, and a light to our path."  Conscience is
a safe pilot over the turbid sea of life to him alone
whose mind is perfectly wise, and whose heart is
perfectly pure. Just as the eye points out the right
path, when it has plenty of light, and there is no
visual defect. All sin proceeds either from ignorance
or innate depravity, or from both combined. The
heathen and the uncultivated may wish to serve God
aright, but they have not the requisite knowledge.
Light is wanting. The refined and educated sinner
hates God, because his heart is wicked. The eye
itself is unsound.  "0 send out thy light and thy
truth," was the prayer of David, and should be the
prayer of every child of God. The last command of
the risen Saviour, before leaving this scene of his
suffering, was to spread abroad this light and this
truth. One-half of what is spent in luxury and folly
by those who profess to obey the Lord Jesus, would
place a copy of the Holy Scriptures in the hands of
every living creature. But even should this great




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            107
and glorious work be accomplished, there would yet
remain much to be done. Light is not all that is
needed. Knowledge, even religious knowledge, cannot
save the soul. The doctors of the Sorbonne, the
learned cardinals of the consistories of Rome, may
know the truth and hate it too. To cultivate the
intellect and leave the heart unaffected, is but to
increase the capacity for evil. The learning of Germany has run into pantheistic infidelity. The splendid
achievements of France in literature and the arts and
sciences, are only surpassed by her heaven-defying
wickedness. The traveller Livingstone tells us, that
the most corrupt portions of Africa are those which
have been in contact with European intelligence and
civilization.
We ought not then merely to send out the light of
God's word to "the dark places of the earth, which
are full of the habitations of cruelty," but we ought
also earnestly to pray that his Holy Spirit may carry
home the truth to the heart and conscience of the
whole heathen world.
We cannot dismiss the subject of conscience without referring to its fearful stings in the world of endless woe. We have seen that ignorance and the
depravity of the heart modify the effects of conscience in this life. The corruption of our natures'has
a twofold influence. It makes us listen to the suggestions of evil passions, and also to the temptations of
Satan. But these three modifying influences do not
exist in hell. Knowledge is perfect there. The




108             CONSIDERATION OF TIIE
sinner there perceives the enormity of his crimes in
the light of eternity.  He then understands perfectly
the amazing folly and wickedness of rejecting a crucified Saviour. Neither will the second influence pervert conscience. There will then be no lusts to
gratify.  And lastly, Satan will be on the side of
conscience, to add to the torture of the poor lost soul.
His taunts and jeers will echo back the merciless
rebukes  of conscience.   Penitence  will then  be
changed into remorse, and conscience into the worm
that never dies.
"With a thousand snaky heads
Eyed each with double orbs of glaring wrath;
And with as many tails, that twisted out
In horrid revolution, tipped with stings;
And all its mouths, that wide and darkly gaped,
And breathed most poisonous breath, had each a sting
Forked, and long, and venomous, and sharp;
And, in its writhings infinite, it grasped
Malignantly what seemed a heart, swollen, black,
And quivering with torture most intense;
And still the heart, with anguish throbbing high,
Made effort to escape, but could not; for
Howe'er it turned, and oft it vainly turned,
These complicated foldings held it fast.
And still the monstrous beast with sting of head
Or tail transpierced it, bleeding evermore."*
None can think this picture too highly coloured,
who have observed the torture inflicted by awakened
conscience even in this world, where all are ready
"with some sweet oblivious antidote to cleanse the
* Course of Time, Book I.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            109
foul bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon
the heart." How often do we hear of men preferring
the agonies of death to the stings of remorse, and of
their risking the terrors of eternity, rather than endure
the agony of conscious guilt. Thus Judas hanged
himself, rather than bear the reproaches of conscience.
The days, and especially the nights, of Charles IX. of
France, after the massacre of St. Bartholomew, are
described as having been full of horror and agony
unutterable. His murdered victims seemed ever to be
stalking into his presence, "shaking their gory locks
at him." His mental suffering was so great, at times,
that the blood burst through the pores of his skin.
Hear the language of one, whose worst sins were
scarce so black as the best virtues of Charles.  "I
walked," says John Bunyan, "' to a neighbouring town,
and sat down on a settle in the street, and fell into a
very deep muse about the most fearful state my sins
had brought me to; but methought I saw as if the
sun that shineth in the heavens did grudge to give
me light; and as if the very stones in the streets and
tiles upon the houses did band themselves against me.
Methought that they all combined together to banish
me out of the world. I was abhorred of them and
unfit to dwell among them, because I had sinned
against the Saviour. 0, how happy now was every
creature over I, for they stood fast and kept their
station; but I was gone and lost." If conscience can
produce such horrible effects in this world, where ignorance, pride, self-love, and the delusions of Satan, all




110          CONSIDERATION OF THE
conspire to blunt its sting, how fearful must be its
torture amid the sulphureous waves of perdition. The
dreadfulness of that torment, eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of
man. Memory is imperfect now, and can only goad
for one sin out of a thousand. But memory will be
perfect in that world of woe, and will make every sin
pass in review before the lost soul, as the great English dramatist feigns that the ghosts of his murdered
victims were marshalled before the fiendish Richard
on Bosworth Field.
There is a peculiar significance in the employment
of light, as the symbol of knowledge. Light proceeds
from the sun. So all knowledge, all truth, must come
from "God manifest in the flesh," Jesus Christ, the
Sun of Righteousness. Before our world was irradiated by his beams, how dark, confused, and chaotic
was even the wisdom of the heathen philosophers.
The learned Athenians mocked, when Paul talked,
about the resurrection of the dead.  The doctrine of
the immortality of the soul, of a future state of
rewards and punishments, of one self-existent, eternal,
invisible God, was rejected by the greatest poets,
statesmen, legislators, and sages of antiquity. Their
religion consisted in the worship of brutes, and of
beings who were but the personifications' of every
species of wickedness. The wise Egyptians and the
refined Assyrians worshipped the bull. The Jupiter
and Juno, Mars and Venus, &c., of Rome and Greece,
in the most cultivated period of their history, were




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             111
monsters of depravity. Mount Olympus, the residence of the gods, was the scene of anger, strife,
jealousy, intrigue, and licentiousness. The purest of
the heathen philosophers had no conception of a
heaven of holiness. Jesus Christ brought life and
immortality to light..His gospel alone contains a
pure system  of morality.  It alone gives just and
exalted views of the "King, immortal, invisible, the
only wise God."  And here we may remark, that the
sages of antiquity erred in regard to the nature of
light itself.  Their most eminent mathematicians
regarded it as an emanation from the eye itself, and
not from the great luminary of day.  Their theory is
exactly parallel with that of the infidel perfectionists
of our day, who contend that weak, sinful man has
power in himself, without aid from above, to gain all
wisdom, all knowledge, all holiness.  Is not this view
condemned by the very figure employed in the Scriptures to convey the idea of knowledge and virtue?
As light must come from the source of light, so must
all wisdom descend from above. The attainments of
mankind, without the aid of the Bible, bear the same
relation to true knowledge, that the light of the feeble
lamp made by human hands bears to the full blaze of
the meridian sun, set up in the heavens by God himself.
"If thine eye be single," &c. The word rendered
single, conveys the idea of that which is simple, not
complex, not distorted, not looking in two directions.
It may probably be best explained by reference to the




112          CONSIDERATION OF THE
properties of luminous matter. Light is rectilinear, its
line of direction is straight.  If the eye then look,
directly forward, a true image will be painted on the
retina, and the man will see clearly the object gazed
at. But if the eye be rolling from earth to heaven,
trying to take in the glories of both, a false, distorted
image will be pictured; and nothing will be seen distinctly. This explains the connection between these
two verses and the preceding. The Pharisees gave
alms, fasted, and prayed, to glorify God and win the
favour of man. They had the rolling eye, and everything appeared distorted and in unnatural proportions.
They had light enough, abundance of religious knowledge, but the eye itself was unsound, and "the whole
body was full of darkness." In truth, when the eye is
unsound, an excess of light but increases the indistinctness of vision.  The diseased organ cannot endure the glare.  "Not many wise are called," said
the Apostle Paul.  What are known as diffraction
bands in optics, present luminous spots for a certain
amount of light, but if that amount be increased, all
is darkness. Just so it is in spiritual matters. An
increase of knowledge, whether literary, scientific, or
religious, that is not received into a sound and healthy
heart, will but add to the darkness and folly of the
blinded sinner.  "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."  "The natural man receiveth
not the things which are of the Spirit of God."
The unbelief of the wise and learned often puzzles
weak believers. They forget the teachings of our




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               113
Saviour. They forget that soundness of eye, as well
as sufficiency of light, are necessary to clearness of
vision. They forget that the poor Pharisee missed
seeing the glories of heaven, because he attempted to
gaze, at the same time, at the loveliness of earth.
DOUBLE SERVICE.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold
to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and Mammon." (Verse 24.)
This verse contains the third reason against indulging in worldly-mindedness. The first, founded on
the insecurity of all worldly possessions, is contained
in the three verses beginning at the 19th and ending
with the 21st. The uncertain, perishable nature of
everything earthly, is there most strikingly set forth.
The folly of setting -our hearts upon such transitory
things, is thus most clearly shown:
"All, all on earth is shadow, all beyond
Is substance,'the reverse is Folly's creed.
How solid all, where change shall be no more.
The spider's most attenuated thread
Is cord, is cable, to man's tender tie
On earthly bliss: it breaks at every breeze."
In the 22d and 23d verses, we have the second
reason-covetousness perverts the conscience. It
"puts darkness for light and light for darkness."  It
quenches the light that God has given, and "kindles
a fire of its own, that men may encompass themselves
11




114          CONSIDERATION OF THE
about with sparks, and walk in the light of their fire
and of the sparks that they have kindled."  Theforum, the streets, and the palaces of Rome were
lighted up by the torches and flambeaux of the midnight procession to celebrate the impure rites of
Cybele. And just as the light was prostituted to an
unholy purpose, so is the lofty aspiration after God
and holiness perverted by covetousness into the mere
sordid desire for the perishing things of this world.
The third reason is given in this 24th verse, and
depends upon the incompatibility of the services of
God and Mammon. The word mammon was used in
the Syrian and Punic languages to signify riches and
worldly gain of whatever kind. (Clarke.) We understand by it in this place, Satan tempting with the
proffer of worldly wealth and worldly distinction. On
three distinct occasions, our Saviour called Satan
"the Prince of this world." John xii. 31; xiv. 30;
xvi. 11. St. Paul calls him "the Prince of the power
of the air." Ephes. ii. 2. And we think that the remarkable language of the Apostle, in 2 Cor. iv. 4, explains fully the meaning of Mammon. "In whom
the God of this world has blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them."  Here the same qualities are attributed
~to Satan that are ascribed to Mammon, in the 23d and
24th verses under consideration. He is the god of
this world, he blinds the mind, he perverts the conscience, and he is in active hostility with the Son of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            115
God; so that no man can serve both. Assuming then
that Mamrnmon is but another name for Satan in his
capacity of tempter, the meaning of the 24th verse is
obvious.  A  subject cannot serve two sovereigns,
whose wishes, commands, and interests are entirely
opposite. A servant cannot love two masters, whose
characters, disposition, tones of thought, and habits
of life are irreconcilably different. It is impossible
for a soldier to range himself, at the same time, under
the banner of two hostile princes, waging a deadly
war with each other. It is impossible to yield obedience to conflicting orders. No man can obey both
God and Mammon. God says, "My son, give me thy
heart." The prince of the power of the air, "shows
us all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of
them," and says to each one of us, "all these things
will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship
me." God says, " the soul that sinneth, it shall die."
Satan says, "take your fill of worldly pleasure, ye
shall not surely die." God says, "all flesh is grass,
and all the godliness thereof is as the flower of the
field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; put
not your trust in these vanishing things. Trust in
the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Mammon says; "Put your trust
in this substantial world,'for since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.'" God says, "I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit."  Satan says, " Contrition is folly,




116          CONSIDERATION OF THE
humility is meanness.  Fear not,'thou dwellest in
the clefts of the rocks, thou holdest the height of the
hill, thou makest thy nest as high as the eagle; thou
shalt never be brought down from  thence.'"  God
says, "Ye are all as an unclean thing, and all your
righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Do not place your
hopes of salvation in your good deeds. Trust only
in the name of the Lord Jesus.'For there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby
ye must be saved."' Satan reminds you of'your fasting three times a week, of your giving tithes of all you
possess, of your freedom  from extortion, injustice,
adultery, &c., and tells you "to look to the altars,
the works of your hands, and have respect to that
which your fingers have made."  God calls "covetousness, idolatry," and pronounces " the love of money the root of all evil."  Satan teaches that worldly
wealth is the chief good-the noblest object of human
desire.  God says, " It is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in man." Satan teaches, ",to
love the praise of man more than the praise of God."
God enjoins forgiveness of injuries-" Be ye kind to
one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."
Satan prompts to "bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamour, and evil speaking with all malice."
It is impossible to obey such conflicting commands.
Obedience must be rendered either to God or Mammon; but the same individual cannot obey both.
Neither can he love both. Two. masters, of like cha



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.               117
racters and of congenial dispositions, might be loved
by the same servant. But the characters of God and
Satan are as different as their respective abodes.
"God is love." All his acts prove him to be longsuffering, merciful, and full of tender compassion.
Satan is full of malice, hatred, cruelty, and murder.
"He was a murderer from the beginning." God
made man in his own image, pure, holy, and undefiled,
and surrounded him with every object of delight.
Satan defaced the image of God, banished him from
Paradise, and sent him forth into a world of "thorns
and thistles," cares and anxieties, sin and sorrow,
disease and death. But notwithstanding the rebellion
of. man, "God" still " so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Satan visits the world too, but it is on no mission of
mercy. He comes not as a Saviour, but a tempter.
"Assaying by his devilish art to reach
The organs of our fancy, and with them forge
Illusions as he list, phantasms and dreams;
At least distempered, discontented thoughts,
Vain hopes, vain aims, inordinate desires,
Blown up with high conceits, engendering pride."
God sends his "Spirit of truth, to guide into all
truth." Satan sends his emissaries with "signs and
lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." Truth is an essential attribute of God.
Titus i. 2. The throne of Satan is built on treachery
and falsehood. "When he speaketh a lie, he speak11*




118          CONSIDERATION OF THE
eth of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
The tenderness of God for his people exceeds the love
of the mother for her unweaned babe. " Can a woman
forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may
forget, yet will I not forget thee." Isa. xlix. 15.
Satan, too, forgets not, but he remembers only to destroy. "Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
1 Pet. v. 8.
It is plain then, from this view of the opposite characters of God and Satan, that love for both cannot
exist at the same time, in any human heart. If God
be loved for his holiness, goodness, and truth, Sat.an
must be hated for his wickedness, malevolence, and
falsehood. If the service of the one be pleasant, the
yoke of the other must be insufferable. The poor Pharisee, with his diseased eye, could not see this obvious
truth. He sought to please God and win the world
too. He sought to serve both God and Mammon.
"How can ye believe," said our Saviour, "which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour
that cometh from God only"?  The Pharisee coveted
both, but he "loved the praise of men more than the
praise of God." He gave to God the outer worship of
tithes, mint, and cummin, and to Mammon the inner
worship of the heart. But " God abhors the sacrifice,
where not the heart is found." The mistake of the
Pharisee of the time of our Saviour, is the mistake of
the worldly Laodicean disciple of to-day. He strives




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            1t9
to obey opposite and conflicting commands. He tries
to love God, and yet not give up the love of the world.
He wishes to save his soul and hoard his wealth too.
He wants God to be his friend, and yet he withholds
his substance from his service. He hopes that the
great and dreadful Jehovah will accept the offering of
his lips, while Mammon has the devotion of his soul.
Let him listen to the truth from the lips of God's own
Son-" Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."
NEEDLESS ANXIETY.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not
the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither
do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better
than they? Which of you by taking thought can add
one cubit to his stature? And why take ye thought
for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I
say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so
clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more
clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, what shall we
drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For
after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your




120          CONSIDERATION OF THE
Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things." (Verses 25-32.)
We think that these verses do not contain additional reasons against the pursuit of worldly honour
and worldly wealth-that which is called "treasure"
in the 24th verse. The usually received opinion
seems to us erroneous. It is not covetousness-greed
for fame and riches-that our Saviour rebukes in
the eight verses quoted above. It is needless anxiety
about the necessaries of life, (food and raiment,) that
he now condemns. He had shown, 1st. The folly of
setting the heart on worldly objects, because of the
insecurity of their possession; 2d. The sin of it,
because the conscience was thereby defiled; and
3d. The danger of it, because the devotee of the world
would cease to be a servant of God, and become the
slave of Satan.  Hie now passes to the consideration
of what seems to be a lawful concern for those things
which support existence. We are prone to think that
it cannot be wrong to be concerned about providing
the necessaries of life for ourselves and our families.
Mlany, who are indifferent about the acquisition of
wealth, are intensely solicitous about what they call a
good support for their households. This solicitude
our Saviour condemns, but not in the strong language
of reprobation which is bestowed on the service of
Mammon.  Concern about food and raiment must be
sinful, when it assumes the character "of a disquieting, tormenting care, which hurries the mind hither
and thither, and hangs it in suspense; which disturbs




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            121
our joy in God, and is a damp upon our hope in him,
which breaks the sleep, and hinders our enjoyment of
ourselves, of our friends, and of what God has given
us." Again, this concern will be sinful when it
assumes the character of "a distrustful, unbelieving
thought.  God has promised to provide for those that
are- his, all things needful for life as well as godliness,
the life that now is, food, and a covering; not dainties,
but necessaries.  He never said they shall be feasted,
but'verily, they shall be fed.' Now, an inordinate
care for time to come, and fear of wanting those
supplies, spring from a disbelief of these promises,
and of the wisdom and goodness of Divine Providence;
and that is the evil of it. As to present sustenance,
we may and must use lawful means to get it, else we
tempt God; we must be diligent in our callings, and
prudent in proportioning our expenses to what we
have, and we must pray for'daily bread;' and if all
other means fail, we may and must ask relief of those
that are able to give it. He was none of the best of
men, who said,'To beg, I am ashamed,' (Luke
xvi. 3,) as he was, who (verse 21)'desired to be fed
with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.'
But in regard to the future, we must'cast our care
upon God,' and'take no thought,' for it looks like a
distrust of God, who knows how to give what we want,
when we know not how to get it." (Matthew hIenry.)
This extract shows clearly that men may sin, even
in their care for the necessaries of life. Distracting
anxiety about anything, must interfere, not only with




122          CONSIDERATION OF THE
religious comfort, but also with religious duty. It
dishonours God, too, by the distrust of his goodness
and providence. Those, who are conscious that they
are unconcerned about riches and honour, are not apt
to think that they may offend God by over-anxiousness about the maintenance of their families. On the
contrary, they rather think that they are to be commended for their solicitude, and their diligence in
their business. They remember that the virtuous
woman commended by Solomon, was distinguished
for her industry, her thriftful management, and her
wise forethought. They remember that diligence is
always spoken of in the Scriptures with approbation,
and that it is even enjoined as a duty.  "HIe that
gathereth in summer is a wise son."' "The hand of
the diligent maketh rich." "The hand of the diligent
shall bear rule."  "The thoughts of the diligent tend
only to plenteousness."  "Seest thou a man diligent
in business, he shall stand before kings, he shall not
stand before mean men." "Be thou diligent to know
the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds."
"Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving
the Lord." They remember, too, that idleness and
slothfulness are spoken of in the severest terms of
censure. And from all this, they infer that no tax
upon the bodily and mental powers can be-too great
to provide a comfortable subsistence for themselves
and their families. This opinion is confirmed in
many, by the view generally taken of the eight preceding verses. They are commonly regarded as but




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             123
the continuation of our Saviour's rebuke of an inordinate thirst for wealth and distinction.  That this
view is wrong, seems plain from the fact that distracting care about food and raiment, and not about wealth
and fame, is that which is reproved. It is obvious,
moreover, that bodily labour, even for the necessaries
of life, may be carried to such an extreme, as to
interfere with the offices of religion; such as family
and secret prayer, visiting the sick, warning the impenitent, strengthening the weak, &c., &c. So, too,
mental care, about food and raiment, may estrange
the thoughts from God. We understand, then, our
Saviour to pass, in the verses above, from a severe
rebuke of covetousness, to a mild reproof of needless
anxiety about a livelihood. He gives three reasons
(verses 25, 26, 27,) against undue concern about food;
three more (verses 28, 29, 30,) against undue concern
about raiment; and then three more (verses 31, 32,)
why we should not be troubled about either food or
raiment.
We will notice these in their order. Food is mentioned first, because first in point of importance.
Life may be, and has been maintained without clothing, but it cannot exist without food. This is implied
in the very language employed in the 25th verse.
"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or
what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on."  Here the contrast between the life and
the body shows that food is essential, while raiment is
but an ornament and a comfort.




124          CONSIDERATION OF THE
The first argument against needless perplexity
about food, is drawn from the superior dignity of life
itself to the food that supports it.  "Is not the life
more than meat?" God has given the greater blessing, can you not trust him for the smaller?  The
greater boon was granted without your knowledge,
without your care; why then bestow so much thought
upon the smaller? The argument is of the same kind
with that of St. Paul, where he expresses entire confidence in the love and goodness of God in all the affairs
of life, because of the inestimable gift of his own Son,
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him
up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?" Rom. viii. 32.  Life is the
breath of God. "The Lord God breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul." Food is of the earth. Shall God give us a
part of his own existence, and refuse us the vile,
perishing things of earth? Would a prince give a
jewel of priceless value to a favourite, and refuse the
poor casket to keep it in. God has given us the
nobler gift, let us trust him for the meaner. When
we have bestowed all proper labour on our business,
let us leave the issue with God, and disturb ourselves
with no carking cares about the results of our efforts.
The second argument, against needless anxiety
about food and raiment, is derived from God's care of
the fowls of the air. "They sow not, neither do they
reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            125
they?" (Verse 26th.) God cares for all his creatures,
and makes provision for them all.  "I know all the
fowls of the mountains." Ps. 1. 11. Not a sparrow
can fall to the ground without his knowledge. Matt.
x. 29. He "provideth for the raven his food, when
his young ones cry unto God." Job xxxviii. 41. "He
giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens
which cry." Ps. cxlvii. 9. When God had resolved
to destroy the world because of its wickedness, he did
not forget the fowls of the air, but directed Noah to
take them  in by sevens of every kind.  God has
"'made us wiser than the fowls of heaven." Job
xxxv. 11. He has given us authority and dominion
over them. Ps. viii. 8. If we find then that ample
provision is made for the inferior creature, may not
the nobler and more highly favoured, trust implicitly
in the providence of God?  There is a peculiar
beauty in the illustration of our Saviour. The birds
of the air make no provision for the future. They
literally "take no thought for the morrow."  The ant
and the bee and many of the beasts of the field have
a wise forecast, and lay up stores for winter. The
squirrel does not forget, in the midst of his frisking
and chattering on a bright summer day, to hoard
away nuts for winter use. But the fowls of heaven,
when their present wants are supplied, "sing among
the branches," without any care, without any concern, without any thought, as to where the next supply is to come from. God is their provider, they have
no reason to trouble themselves.  He scatters food
12




126          CONSIDERATION OF THE
for them everywhere. The most careful reaper will
leave much in the field for these "gleaners of the
Lord." The most thrifty husbandman cannot store
away his harvest, without leaving a portion to them.
They come to the churl, as well as to the liberal man,
for a part of his produce, and they get it. If then the
most careless and improvident of all God's creatures
be thus well supplied, shall the disciple of Christ perplex himself, saying, "What shall I eat? or, what
shall I drink?" Let him labour faithfully, do his
duty fully, and then trust for his food to Him who has
charge of his soul. He will then be able to say with
Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day;" or, with David,
"I have been young and now am  old, yet I have
never seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging
bread."
The third argument against distressing concern
about food is drawn from our impotence and helplessness.  "Which of you by taking thought can add
one cubit to his stature." (Verse 27.)
The word rendered " stature" might have been
rendered "age."  It is so translated in several places.
The parents of the blind man, when questioned by
the Jews as to how he received his sight, replied, "he
is of age, (elikian,) ask him; he shall speak for himself." John ix. 21. "Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, (elikcian,)




.SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            12T
because she judged him faithful who had promised."
IHeb. xi. 11. The meaning then in this place is, who,
by his -care and anxiety in providing food, can add
one cubit to his -age? That is, who can lengthen his
days by all the precautions that he may take to supply himself with the necessaries of life? "Is there
not an appointed time for man upon earth?"
It has not been uncommon for the sacred writers,
and for poets in ancient and modern times, to apply
linear measure to time. Thus David: "Lord, make
me to know mine end, and the measure of my days,
what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold,
thou hast made my days as an handbreadth, and my
age (elikia in the Septuagint) is as nothing before
thee." Ps. xxxix. 4, 5.  Watts has beautifully versified one of the preceding thoughts:
"A span is all that we can boast,
An inch or two of time.
We understand then the drift of our Saviour's argument to be this: "Your great anxiety about food is
in order to prolong your life. But none of you can
add a single moment to the length of his existence.'If ye then be not able to do that which is least, why
take ye thought for the rest?' Luke xii. 26. If ye
be not able to control a single instant, why take
thought for the whole of life?"  Our inability to
lengthen the measure of our days, by even one second,
should teach us the folly of troubling ourselves about
what we shall eat and what we shall drink.
The first argument against useless anxiety about




128          CONSIDERATION OF THE
raiment, is derived from God's care of the lilies of the
field. "'Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I
say unto you, That even Solomon, in all his glory,
was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if
God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is,
and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not
much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith?" (Verses
28, 29, 30.) Our Saviour had shown the care bestowed
by God upon his living, breathing, animate creatures;
he now refers to his providence for the inanimate
things that sprang into existence by the word of his
power. There is thus a climax in his reasoning. The
providence of God is more strikingly exhibited in
his care for the senseless, unfeeling grass of the field,
than in his providing for the singing, soaring birds of
the air. His care for the latter might have been
inferred from his care for the former. If he adorn
and beautify the grass of the field, which is trodden
down and eaten by the brute creation, shall he. not
much more care for the fowls of heaven, that warble
hymns of praise to him all the day long? Then how
much greater care will he give to man, who is nobler
even than the blithesome caroling birds? We might
have felt satisfied that God would not neglect us,
inasmuch as he feeds the inferior living creatures;
but all doubt must be banished, when we behold the
attention bestowed on the soulless herbage at our
feet. Mungo Park, the great African traveller, was
once robbed and beaten, and left to perish- in the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            129
wilderness. When he was just ready to resign himself to death, God suggested to him the very train of
thought employed by our Saviour.  He says: "At
this moment, painful as my reflections were, the
extraordinary beauty of a small moss caught my eye;
and, though the whole plant was not larger than the
top of my finger, I could not contemplate the delicate
conformation of its roots, leaves, and fruit without
admiration.'Can that Being,' thought I,'who
planted, watered, and brought to perfection, in this
obscure part of the world, a thing which appears of
so small importance, look with unconcern on the
sufferings of creatures formed after his own image?
Surely not.' Reflections like these would not allow*
me to despair. I started up, and disregarding both
hunger and fatigue, travelled forward, assured that
relief was at hand, and I was not disappointed." We
remember a similar exercise of faith (called forth in
the same manner) by a traveller, lost on a prairie in
Western Texas.
The reason of our Saviour's selection of this particular plant, the lily, for his illustration, was probably
because it adorned the sides of the mountain on which
he stood. All know that it was the common practice
with our Saviour, to draw his illustrations from objects
which presented themselves, to the view of his hearers.
Thus at Jacob's well, he talked to the woman of
Samaria about the living water, which he who drank
should thirst no more. And when he saw the multitudes from the city of Sychar coming to him across
12*




130          CONSIDERATION OF THE
the fields, he said to his disciples: "Say not ye, there
are yet four months and then cometh harvest? behold,
I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the
fields; for they are white already to harvest." And
when he taught by the seaside, he said: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the
sea, and gathered of every kind. Which, when it was
full, they drew to shore, and set down, and gathered
the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." And
in his last discourse, before his crucifixion, he said,
as he passed among the clustering vines in the rich
valley of the Cedron —"I am the true vine, and my
Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit."
The beauty, simplicity, and power of our Saviour's
teaching are due in great measure, to his constant
practice of illustrating great moral truths by natural
objects familiar to all. No religious teacher ever
succeeded so well in divesting his instruction of a cold,
dead, metaphysical abstraction, and in presenting it
as a living, breathing reality, to the heart and the
understanding. Ministers of the gospel would. do
well to imitate their Master in this, as well as in other
respects. If they would study books less and nature
more, they would not so often "speak in an unknown
tongue" to the uneducated of their congregations.
We think that it was Professor Wilson, of Edinburg,
who said, that whenever he wished to make a great




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             131
truth intelligible to the commonest comprehension,
he endeavoured to recall the scenery around the
country home of his childhood, so that he could
employ a figure that would be felt and understood by
all. Dead disquisitions on theology are too often
substituted for the living, practical instruction, which
our Saviour imparted. Our clergy are too much in
their studies, and too little in the fields and in the
forests. Nature is observed too little.  "And if we
do not observe nature, we incur disgrace as well as
suffer loss-we are ungrateful to our Maker, and
unworthy of ourselves. Wherefore were the organs
and faculties of observation given us, if we do not
use them. The senses (though, as we have them
without cost, or study, or effort on our part, and
so are apt to undervalue them,) are in reality choice
gifts; and the productions of nature are so admirably fitted for the gratification -of these senses, that
it is altogether impossible for us not to perceive
that the one must have been made for the other.
Why does the rose give forth its odour, and the scent
of the lavender and the mignonette steal viewless upon
the still air around us, and the blooming bean, and
the new mown hay, outscent all the preparations of
the apothecary, if it be not to wile us to the garden
and to. the field, in order that we may breathe health,
and at the same time cull pleasure and instruction
there.  Wherefore sings the breeze in the forest,
why whispers the zephyr among the reeds, and how
comes it that the caves and hollows of the barren




132          CONSIDERATION OF THE
mountains give out their tunes, as if the earth were a
musical instrument of innumerable strings, if it be not
to tempt us forth in order to learn how ever-fair,
ever-new, and ever-informing, that great instructress
is, who speaks to all the senses at one and the same
instant."  (]MJudie on Nature, page 67.)
It is remarkable, that when God sought to recall
Job from his murmuring and rebellion, it was done
by pointing his attention to the wonders of creation.
"Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the
furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or
wings and feathers unto the ostrich? HIast thou
given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck
with thunder? Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom,
and stretch her wings toward the south? Doth the
eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest
on high? Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook?
or his tongue with a cord, which thou lettest down?
He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
The arrow cannot make him flee'; sling-stones are
turned with him into stubble. Upon earth there is
not his like, who is made without fear."
And what was the effect upon. Job of this contemplation of the handiwork of God?  "Then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that thou canst do
everything, and that no thought can be withholden
from thee..... Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
We observe here, that it was the power, grandeur,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             133
and majesty of God, as exhibited in his works, that
convinced Job of his own folly and wickedness, in
complaining of the dealings of so awful and glorious
a Being. When, too, he reflected upon the wisdom,
as well as power manifested in the structure of all
of God's creatures, and contrasted that wisdom with
his own ignorance, he felt that in complaining at
God's providence he was but "darkening counsel by
words without knowledge."
Religious teachers would do well to imitate the example of God the Father and God the Son, in illustrating moral truths by reference to the wonders of
creation. It requires but little observation of nature
"To find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything."
It may be well here, however, to notice the precise
language employed by our Saviour. Why did he
select the lily rather than any other flower of the
field? Was it merely because it grew in beauty at
his feet? This was doubtless the chief reason. Travellers tell us that the Eastern lily still abounds in
Palestine.  But there may have been an additional
reason for the selection of this particular flower. The
loveliness, fragrance, and lowliness of the Eastern
lily made it a fit emblem of the Saviour himself. "I
am," says he, " the rose of Sharon and the lily of the
valleys." And he compares his Church to the lily
among thorns. "As the lily among thorns, so is my
love among the daughters."  And God promises that




134           CONSIDERATION OF THE
his people shall grow as the lily in loveliness of character. "I will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall
grow as the lily." Hosea xiv. 5. Now if we recollect
that the Sermon on the Mount was addressed primarily to disciples, (Matt. v. 2,) we will have no difficulty
in understanding why our Saviour made choice of the
lily for his illustration of God's providence. He calls
their attention to the care of their Heavenly Father
for the lily, their emblem and representative. Will
God care for the emblem and neglect the thing signified? Will he honour the type and disregard the antitype? Will he adorn and beautify the semblance
and neglect the substance?
"Will God, think you, the just and great,
His meaner creatures bless,
And yet deny to man's estate
The boon of happiness?"
No, the loveliness of the symbol but prefigures the
immortal bloom of the reality. If the lowly emblem
be not forgotten, even when hidden among the thorns
in the valley, but is arrayed in so gorgeous a drapery
that Solomon's royal robes would be mean in the comparison, surely the child of God may trust him for
suitable raiment in this world, and for glorious adornment in the life beyond the grave.
There is a peculiar significance in the fact that
Christ likens himself to the rose and the lily, but compares his disciples to the lily alone. Song of Solomon ii. 1, 2. The lily is a bulbous plant. In the
winter it does not lift its head above the ground, like




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            135
the stately rose, but lies buried in the earth, and it
may be, covered over with ice and snow. But when
it feels the genial influence of the sun and the soft
breath of spring, it bursts forth from its inglorious
sepulture, and draws its rich colouring and variegated
hues from the fountain of light and heat. And thus it
is a fit emblem of one, whom the Father has given to the
Son. He may be buried in worldly cares and worldly
desires-he may be frozen under a cold, formal religion-but when the Sun of Righteousness has once
shined into his soul, the cold and frost will disappear;
and when the breath of God has blown upon the dry
bones of his buried carcass, the man will start up in
full, immortal vigour, and array himself in the glorious and refulgent robes of Immanuel's perfect righteousness.
The 32d verse contains three reasons against undue
concern in regard to both food and raiment. 1st. Such
concern is heathenish: " For after all these things do
the Gentiles seek." 2d. We are not to trouble ourselves about these things, because we have God, and
not Jupiter-not a heathenish deity, for our Father.
" For your Heavenly Father."  3d. Because our
situation and wants are perfectly known to this Father.
" He knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
We propose to notice briefly these three reasons.
1st. Excessive concern about food and raiment is
heathenish. The heathen had no correct ideas about
the nature of God, and of course had none about his
providential care over his creatures. The belief in a




136         CONSIDERATION OF THE
special providence was not entertained in any of their
systems of philosophy.  Two opinions prevailed with
their sages. The first, that the gods were entirely
indifferent to the affairs of men. The second, that
the gods themselves were subordinate to the decrees
of inexorable fate or fortune. The celebrated saying
of Callisthenes is well known,
" Fortune, and not wisdom, rules the life of man."
Cicero taught that "fate or fortune governs everything." (See Tuseulan gDisputations.)  The Roman
empire was divided into two great schools-the Epicurean and Academic.  The former taught that "if
there were gods, they took no notice of human
affairs;" the latter, that "it could not be ascertained
whether there were gods or not; whether the soul was
mortal or immortal; virtue preferable to vice," &c.
(Mcllvaine's Evidences.)  The Greeks generally believed that the gods themselves were governed by fate.
Of this belief Dr. Cudworth says, " There is another
wild and extravagant conceit, which some of the Pagans had, who, though they verbally acknowledged a
Deity, yet supposed Fate superior to it, and not only
to all their petty gods, but also to Jupiter himself.
To which purpose is the saying of the Greek poet,
Latinized by Cicero,'It is impossible for God himself
to avoid the destined Fate. God himself is the servant
of necessity.' According to which conceit, Jupiter,
in Homer, laments his condition, in that the Fates
have determined, that his beloved Sarpedon shall be




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            137
slain by the son of Menetius, and that he is not able to
withstand the decree. Though all these passages may
not imply, perhaps much more than what the stoical
hyothesis itself imported; for that did also, in some
sense, make God himself the servant to the necessity
of the matter, and to his own decrees, in that he could
not have made the smallest thing in the world otherwise than it is now, much less was he able to alter it;
according to that saying of Seneca,'One and the
same chain of necessity ties God and men. The same
irrevocable and unalterable course carries on divine
and human things. The very Maker and Governor of
all things, that decreed the Fates, follows them. He
did but once command, but he always obeys.'" (Cudworth's Intellectual System  of the Universe, vol. i.
page 54.)
It was of course impossible for the heathen, with
their low views of the power of God, to trust him for
their food and raiment. It was equally impossible
for them, in their uncertainty about a future state, to
be indifferent to the necessaries and'comforts of the
present life. The passing moment was everything to
them. How could they be more concerned about
their souls, whose very existence they doubted, than
about their real, tangible, sensitive bodies?  How
could they commit the care of these bodies to deities
whom they thought indifferent about them, or else
bound like themselves in the chains of inflexible
destiny?   Anxiety  about his bodily  wants was
13




138          CONSIDERATTION OF THE
natural to the heathen, but is sinful with the Christian, who has God for his Father and Provider.
The second argument, against undue concern about
food and raiment-the necessaries of life, is drawn
from this fact, of our having God for our Father.
That child would be very foolish, who would perplex
and distress himself about his food and clothing,
although he knew that his kind father had abundant
supplies at home, which he could get for the simple
asking for them.  The hungry prodigal turned his
face homeward, when he remembered that in his father's house there was "bread enough and to spare."
Luke xv. With how much more alacrity would he
have hastened to the home of his childhood, had he
known that his father was perfectly apprized of his
hunger and suffering, and yearned to relieve his distress. And so we have the third argument as a climax
to the whole. "Your Heavenly Father knoweth that
ye have need of all these things." It would be
enough to relieve the anxiety of any child, to know
that he had a kind father near at hand, ready to
supply everything asked for.  But how much less
anxiety ought that child to feel, if he knew that his
tender parent never lost sight of him, and kept himself always acquainted with his wants, that he might
anticipate them. Surely, it would be the height of
folly, in such a child, to be troubled about his meat
and his apparel. But the over-anxious Christian is
just as foolish as the discontented child. "The Lord
is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            139
works."  How much more shall they be over his
chosen ones, washed and purified in the blood of his
own Son. "He knoweth their down-sitting and their
uprising; he understandeth their thoughts afar off.
He compasseth their path, and their lying down, and is
acquainted with all their ways." They have no wants
which are not known to him. True, he may permit
them to be naked and hungry, but it will never be
from ignorance of their need; still less will it be
from indifference to their suffering. He may have
some wise purpose of discipline to accomplish thereby,
or he may intend to exhibit them as models of patient
endurance to a fretful and discontented world. Or,
he may mean to make the more glorious their transition from a world of woe to a heaven of endless bliss.
What a change for the poor beggar at the rich man's
gate, from the company of dogs to Abraham's bosom;
from squalid rags and a putrid carcass, to heavenly
robes and a glorified body. Let the child of God
then give himself no unnecessary concern, neither for
wealth, nor for the necessaries of life. A kind and
wise Father knows all his wants; and will supply or
deny them, as seemeth to him best for the good of the
child, and for the glory of his own great and holy
name.
NEEDFUL ANXIETY.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you." (Verse 33.)
This verse teaches us what we are to be anxious




140          CONSIDERATION OF THE
for —what we may be lawfully concerned  about.
Two things may properly call forth and employ our
thoughts and energies.  We can never have too
much solicitude about the kingdom of God and his
righteousness-about the spread of the gospel of
the Son of God, and our own personal holiness. We
can never perplex ourselves too much to promote the
glory of God, and to "work out our own salvation."
Here is something worthy of our highest powers and
most ardent zeal. Here is a work that, in its twofold character, can engage man alone, of all the
creatures in the great universe of God. Angels
"faint not, neither are they weary" in their ceaseless
efforts to glorify their blessed Creator.  But angels
are sinless beings-they have no heaven to win. They
have not to seek the righteousness of a Surety and
Substitute. God has made them perfectly holy and
righteous in themselves, and they have not "left their
first estate."
The transition from the eight preceding verses to
the 33d verse, is quite natural. In the former, our
Saviour teaches that there are two things, viz. food
and raiment, not to be sought for with too much
ardour. In the latter, he teaches that there are two
things, viz. the glory of God, and personal holiness,
which are to be striven for, with all eagerness and
earnestness. And if we go still further back, these
two lawful objects of the Christian's pursuit stand
out in still broader contrast with the two things
craved by the covetous, viz. wealth and fame. And




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            141
all the arguments employed by our Saviour against
covetousness, can be urged as reasons for concern
about God's glory, and the soul's salvation. First,
there can be no insecurity. No effort was ever lost,
which was made in accordance with the teaching of
God's word, to advance the Redeemer's kingdom, and
to promote the sanctification of the man's own character. Whatever else may be uncertain, there is security
here. However useless other exertions may be, these
rest for their success upon the promise of a faithful
and unchanging God. Second, there can be no perversion of conscience in the pursuit of these two grand
objects. On the contrary, just in proportion as God
is honoured and salvation sought for, will the understanding become enlightened, and the voice of conscience give true and faithful warning. Third, the
man engaged in seeking first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, cannot enter into the service of
Mammon. His noble employment will give him a
distaste for the low, sordid desires and pursuits of the
worldly. Moses, with his face all shining from his
interview with Jehovah, could not fall down with his
idolatrous brethren, before the image of the golden
calf. Daniel but lightly esteemed the proffered chain
of gold from the king of Babylon, because he looked
forward to a crown of righteousness from the King of
kings and Lord of lords.
Matthew Henry has shown that there are two
reasons given for making the glory of God and our
own personal salvation the chief objects of desire.
13*




142          CONSIDERATION OF THE
1st. These things are more worthy the attention of
rational, immortal creatures, than provision for the
wants of our poor perishing bodies. It will make but
little difference, a little while hence, whether we were
ill-fed in this life, and were clothed in rags, or were
"clothed in fine linen and fared sumptuously every
day;" whether we had hosts of friends, and were
highly esteemed, or were deserted by all and left
"alone like a sparrow upon the house-top." Elijah
was probably never so happy as when he had but the
company of the ravens by the brook Cherith. But it
matters but little whether "the few and evil days of
the years of our pilgrimage" be happy or miserable.
This is but of small moment in comparison with the
condition of the soul, which must "dwell in everlasting burnings," or enjoy full, supreme delight for ever
and for ever.  Of still less moment is it, in comparison with the glory of the eternal, self-existent God.
2d. "We have a surer and easier, a better and more
compendious way to obtain the necessaries of this life,
than by caring and fretting for them; and that is by
seeking first the kingdom of God, and making religion
our chief business." (Matthew Henry.)  He has promised that all needed blessings shall be added to those
who concern themselves more for his glory than for
their own bodily wants. "And God said to Solomon,
Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not
asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine
enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast
asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou




SERMON ON TUE MOUNT.            14.3
mayest judge my people, over whom I have made
thee king; wisdom and knowledge is granted unto
thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and
honour, such as none of the kings have had that have
been before thee, neither shall there any after thee
have the like." 2 Chron. i. 11, 12. Solomon sought
to honour God, first of all, because he desired to rule
aright God's people; and personal blessings were
therefore superadded: "Honour the Lord with thy
substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and
thy presses shall burst out with new wine."  "Trust
in the Lord, and do good: so shalt thou dwell in the
land, and verily thou shalt be fed." "The Lord will
give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold
from them that walk uprightly." "As the mountains
are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round
about his people from henceforth even for ever."
"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that
walketh in his ways."  "IFor thou shalt eat the labour
of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be
well with thee."   "The young lions do lack and
suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not
want any good thing."  "Godliness is profitable unto
all things, having promise of the life that now is, and
of that which is to come."  The richness and fulness
of these promises leave no room to doubt that God
will attend to the temporal wants of those who are
more concerned for his kingdom than for their own
comforts and conveniences.  The experience of every




144           CONSIDERATION OF TLHE
one must confirm the truth of these precious promises.
It may be, indeed, that the child of God does occasionally perish from  want.  But doubtless his eternal
happiness will be promoted by this light affliction,
which is but for a moment.  Has not a God of truth
said, "all things work together for good to them that
love- God"?
GENERAL DIRECTION.
Having taught his disciples what two things they
were to be concerned about, viz. God's glory and
personal holiness, in opposition to the two things
sought for by the covetous, viz. wealth and fame,
and to the two things which troubled the Christian of
"little faith," viz. food and raiment; our Saviour
concludes with this general direction.  "Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall
take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof."  (Verse 34.)
This verse contains a command, and a twofold
reason for compliance with it. The command is absolute.  "Take no thought for the morrow;" more
literally, do not distract your mind about the morrow.
And the double reason is; 1st. To-morrow will have
trouble enough of its own. Do not anticipate it. Do
not neglect present duty by antedating future and
inevitable calamity. 2d. To-day has evil enough of
its own-sufficient to perplex us, to try our faith, and
withdraw our thoughts from God. Let us not burden
ourselves in addition, with the trials and difficulties




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            145
that await us in the future.  "Let us not pull that
upon ourselves all at once, which providence has
wisely ordered to be borne in parcels." (Matthew
Ilenry.)
We will make a few comments upon the command,
and the twofold reason annexed to it.  We have seen
throughout the whole discourse, that our Saviour
never condemns a wrong without suggesting a
remedy for it. The most effectual remedy against
covetousness and needless anxiety about food and
raiment, is entire unconcern about to-morrow. No
man could possibly covet wealth and fame, no man
could be greatly perplexed about the necessaries of
life, who was regardless of the future. It is the
thought of to-morrow that binds the servant of Mammon in strong and inflexible fetters. It is the thought
of to-morrow that distresses the disciple of "little
faith," when he reflects upon his slender means and
inadequate resources. Our Saviour strikes at the
root of the difficulty, when he positively forbids the
distracting of our minds by thinking on the future;
not the future of weeks, and months, and years, but
the future of to-morrow. If harassing anxiety about
even one day in advance, be peremptorily prohibited,
how sinful must they be who neglect present service to
God, while projecting into distant years their plans
of ease, of wealth, and of honour. The whole scope
of the Scriptures is opposed to man's prying into the
future, and perplexing himself about his wants, either
bodily or spiritual, beyond the mere supply of to-day.




146          CONSIDERATION OF THE
"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God;
but those which are revealed belong unto us and to
our children." Deut xxix. 29. Does not he, who
harasses himself about the future, trench upon the
province of the God of heaven?
"To-morrow, Lord, is thine,
Lodged in thy sovereign hand,
And if its sun arise and shine,
It shines by thy command."
Under the Mosaic economy, the daily sacrifice
taught daily dependence upon God. And so our
Saviour directs us to say, "give us this day our
daily bread."  No supply is to be asked for beyond
our immediate, pressing necessities. We must trust
beyond the present moment to the Lord: "his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning."
Lam. iii. 22, 23. Isaiah prayed that the Lord might
be "their arm every morning." Isa. xxxiii. 2. And
God will give daily the support of his almighty arm
to him who is willing to lean upon it. The Israelites
were left without a guide in the pathless wilderness.
But the pillar of cloud appeared every morning to
conduct them on their journey. Night now shrouds
the world in gloom and darkness, but we believe that
to-morrow's sun will bring light and gladness. And
thus the pillar of cloud and the mighty sun in the
heavens are types of that goodness and mercy which
are renewed every'day. We trust God for light and
guidance to-morrow, may we not also trust his guardian
care in all the affairs of life? Undue solicitude about




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             147
the future is foolish as well as sinful. Some, "through
fear of death are all their lifetime subject to bondage." But why this fear? How do they know that
they may not be cut down in a moment, or be insensible when the dread visitor shall make his approach?
Thus it was in two instances in our own knowledge, of
those who greatly feared death.  How does the fearful know that when the dying hour shall come, dying
grace will not be given? There are thousands of
well-authenticated cases to prove that God will not
desert his chosen ones, when "heart and flesh do fail
them." Jesus, with the sins of the world upon him,
felt, for a time, the hidings of his Father's face; but
before he expired, he could utter the triumphant cry,
"It is finished,"-"my great and glorious work is
done." Poor, timid Cranmer, was all his lifetime subject to bondage from fear of death; but he was more
than conqueror in the last trying moment.
" Jesus can make a dying bed,
Feel soft as downy pillows are."
Let us serve him when in health and strength; we need
not fear that he will desert us in the hour of greatest
need.  We will then have something better to sustain
us than the cold philosophy of the heathen warrior,
who argued against the fear of death, that
"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once."
Again, another looks with dread and horror upon
the morrow, because of the dreariness and desolation
that it will bring with it. The child of his bosom has




148          CONSIDERATION OF THE
been removed, the light of his house has been put out.
Shall not to-morrow be as to-day, full of anguish and
bitterness? Will it not come with its painful memories, its crushing heart-weight, its ever-abiding consciousness of the empty chair by the fire-side? Ah,
to-morrow may well be dreaded! the stone of Sisyphus, that has been rolled up so wearily to-day, will
be to roll up again to-morrow. But how do you know,
bereaved parent, that your tenure of life is perpetual?
How do you know that you may not be called in an
instant to join your lost one? Why look forward
gloomily to the morrow with its mourning and sorrow,
when even now, the beloved arms may be stretched
out to embrace you?
The conclusion then of the whole matter is, to do
present duty well and faithfully, and leave the future
to our wise and merciful Father. It will be in safe
hands; we need not trouble ourselves about it.
Critical Exegesis. A more minute examination of a
few words, in the last ten verses of the sixth chapter,
deserves our attention. The word rendered "life," in
the 25th verse, means also soul.  Olshausen remarks,
that this part of the discourse originates in a play upon
this double meaning. The sensual man places the
life-principle in sensual indulgence. But with the
believer, the life is in the soul, and he " seeks first"
its spiritual nourishment and support. In employing
then this word, our Saviour tacitly rebukes the great
concern for the perishing part, while indifferent to the
immortal, undying part.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            149
The word rendered, " take no thought" in this verse
and also in the 31st and 34th verses, is a compound
of three words; not, split or divide, and the mind.
It then literally means do not split, divide, or distract
the mind. The translation, "take no thought," is too
strong, and does not convey the right idea. The same
word is employed, in its participle form without the
negation, in the 27th verse. And again as a verb,
but without the negation, in the 28th verse. Many
have taken the impression that our Saviour forbids all
thought about worldly matters.  He simply forbids
that distracting care, which interferes with the right
performance of religious duty, and amounts to a distrust of the providence of God.  "Fowls of the air"
might be rendered fowls of the heaven, and the immediate employment of the words, " your Heavenly
Father," hints at the relationship of God to all his
creatures.  He is your Father, and also their Father;
the locality assigned to him being the same as that
assigned to them. The word, rendered "seek" in the
32d verse, (for after all these things do the Gentiles
seek,) is a different one from that in the 33d verse,
"seek ye first," &c.  It is stronger in the 32d, and
signifies seeking anxiously, intensely, with ardour.
Doubtless, we are taught thereby how much more
eagerly the carnal-minded seek the world than do the
righteous the kingdom of heaven. "The children of
this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." Luke xvi. 8.
14




150           CONSIDERATION OF THE
QUALIFICATION FOR REPROVING.
To understand the connection between the 7th
chapter and the preceding, it is necessary to remember that our Saviour is now in that division of his
discourse which treats of "what the disciples are not
to be." They are here required not to be formalists
like the Scribes and Pharisees; "for I say unto you,
that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven." In this
section of his sermon, our Saviour first shows the
doctrinal errors of these religious sects, and then
their errors of practice.  The exposure of their
doctrinal errors closes with the 5th chapter, and
then with the 1st verse of the 6th chapter, begins the
exhibition of their sins of practice.  These are shown
to be three-fold.  They did not perform  the duty
they owed to God, nor to themselves, nor to society.
1st. They failed in their duty to God; (shown from
1st verse to 19th.) They sought to promote their
own fame, and not the glory of God, by their almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. 2d. They were false to
their duty to themselves; (shown from 19th verse to
the close of chapter vi.) Instead of attending to
their highest interests, those which pertained to their
undying souls, they were concerned only about their
perishing bodies. They were devoted to the service
of Mammon, and were constantly inquiring, "What
shall we eat? and wherewithal shall we be clothed?"




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            151
And now, in the 7th chapter, we have exhibited their
dereliction of duty towards their fellow-creatures.
Instead of exercising towards them that "charity,
which suffereth long and is kind," they were bitter,
harsh, and censorious in their judgments and opinions.
In a word, " they trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others." Luke xviii. 9. And
thus our Saviour gives a faithful picture of Pharisaism; shows it to be wrong in doctrine, and wrong
in practice; wrong in its instruction of others, wrong
in its own performance.
With these preliminary observations to establish
the connection between the 7th chapter and the two
chapters which precede it, we will proceed to examine
the following verses.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that
is in thine own eye? or how wilt thou say to thy
brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own
eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the
mote out of thy brother's eye." (Verses 1 —5.)
Our Saviour gives us here a rule, and the penalty
for its non-observance. The rule is "judge not," and
the penalty for not observing it, is incurring a like
judgment to that we exercise. We will refer to a




152           CONSIDERATION OF THE
separate section the consideration of the rule, and
the punishment for neglecting it; and notice first the
qualification required in reprovers. Two species of
judging are contemplated.  The first (treated of in
the 3d verse) contents itself with being sharp-sighted
enough to see the mote in a brother's eye, while blind
to the beam in its own.  The second (treated of in
4th verse) may not be more malignant than the first,
but it is more presumptuous, more officious, more
intermeddling. It is not satisfied with finding the
mote, it is keen to pull it out.  It is a fanatical
reformer.  It wishes to set the world to rights.  The
beam  in its eye has made it far-sighted.  It sees
hideous sins a great way off, but it cannot perceive
the corruption at home. The silent phase of judging
of the 3d verse, is ever first in order of time.  It is
the gathering of the thunder clouds before the ravage
and desolation of the storm. It is the marshalling the
hosts and planting the artillery, before the shock and
carnage of the battle. The meddling phase prompts
to intolerance, persecution and murder. It established
the Inquisition. It covered "the Alpine mountains
cold" with the bones of the saints of God.  It
drenched the valleys of Piedmont with their heart's
blood. It butchered ninety thousand Huguenots in a
single night. It kindled.the fires of Smithfield. It
drove to the wilds of America the chosen ones of the
Most High.  It invented thumb-screws, iron boots,
and ten thousand instruments of torture, to maim, and
mangle, and murder the heirs of God and joint-heirs




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            153
of Jesus Christ, "of whom  the world was not
worthy."  It is still active, rampant, ruthless, remorseless, ravening for blood. It is found wherever
fanatics do congregate, prompting them to say to
their friends and neighbours, "stand aside, we are
holier than you."  It is now putting forth all its
hellish powers to array one section of our glorious
union against another; to fill the hearts of the
common inheritors of the freedom won by common
ancestors, with hatred, malice, and wrath towards
each other.
Such are the two forms of judging mentioned in
the 3d and 4th verses. We may designate them as
the  silent-malignant, and the meddling-malignant.
They stand to each other in the relation of parent
and child, fountain and stream, cause and effect.
The silent-malignant fills the heart of the censorious
with ill-will and enmity towards his neighbour, and
naturally ends in the meddling-malignant, which
seeks to reform him. But if the man be unwilling to
be reformed, if he refuse to have the mote pulled out
of his eye, if he deny that there is any mote there,
then the meddling-malignant is ready with dungeons
and cells, racks and stocks, gibbets and stakes, either
to bring the refractory to terms, or to punish him for
his contumacy. And thus has arisen every species of
persecution that has filled our world with lamentation
and woe, misery and bloodshed. All have had their
root in a fault-finding, censorious spirit, which judged
rashly and harshly the religious sentiments and cha14*




154          CONSIDERATION OF THE
racters of others. All private feuds, quarrels and
frays, which have destroyed the happiness of individuals, and the peace of society, have originated, with
scarcely an exception, in precisely the same way.
Our Saviour most emphatically condemns both
forms of harsh judging; the silent-malignant and the
meddling-malignant. But he bestows an epithet of
contempt, " thou hypocrite," (verse 5,) upon the officious fault-finder, which he does not inflict upon the
man of silent malevolence. He, who was most free
to rebuke others, most deserved rebuke himself. In
administering this rebuke, Christ gives us a rule by
which we may judge of our qualifications to turn censors upon the conduct of others. The'rule is thus
expressed by himself; "first cast out the beam out
of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Nothing can be plainer than this direction.  The man
who sets up to reprove others must himself be sinless.
And the figure employed by our Saviour contains the
strongest possible reason why the rule should be just
as-it is. The man who has a beam, or a mote even, in
his own eye, cannot see clear enough to pull out the
mote from his brother's eye. So the man who has
any sin in his heart, will have his judgment so warped,
and his opinions so biassed, that he is incapable of
forming a just estimate of his neighbour's character.
What is most lovely in that character may seem to
him most odious and censurable. The Jews could see
"no form nor comeliness" in the Son of God. Sin



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            155
ners can see none now.  Sin darkens the understanding and perverts the judgment. It utterly disqualifies
us from measuring aright the motives and principles
of others.
The saints of the Most High have of all men been
the most hated and persecuted. They have "had
trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover
of bonds and imprisonments: they were stoned, they
were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wandered about in sheep-skins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented." Heb. xi.
36, 37.  The worst of men have been the most
caressed and flattered by the world.  "Woe unto
you," said the Son of God, "when all men speak
well of you." All this proves, that man in his sindarkened condition, is unfit to pass judgment upon
his neighbour's conduct; and he is therefore wisely
forbidden to exercise reproof.  The smallest degree
of personal guilt impairs the faculty of judging aright,
so that only a perfectly holy being is qualified to perceive and rebuke the faults of others. "Let him that
is without sin among you first cast a stone at her,"
was the reply of our blessed Redeemer to a crowd of
meddling-malignants, thirsting for the blood of a
woman, no more guilty than themselves. In exact
accordance with this rule of our Saviour, does St.
Paul define the qualifications of the censor: "Thou
therefore which iteachest another, teachest thou not
thyself? thou that preachest, a man should not steal,
dost thou steal? thou that sayest a man should not




156          CONSIDERATION OF THE
commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou
that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? thou
that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking
the law dishonourest thou God?" Rom. ii. 21-23.
Here we are plainly told that no one has a right to
rebuke others for sins which he himself commits.
But on another occasion, St. Paul goes still further,
and not only excludes from the office of censor, all
who are now indulging in sin, but all who have ever
sinned.  "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers.... To speak evil of no man,
to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness
to all men.:For we ourselves were also sometimes
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and
hating one another." Titus iii. 1-3.  Here we are
absolutely forbidden to speak evil of any man, and
the reason given for it is that we ourselves have been
transgressors.  The recollection  of past offences
should make us humble, should subdue that pride and
self-complaisance which prompts to intolerance of the
faults of others. If we were all more ready to search
out the corruptions of our own hearts, than to pry
into the failings of our acquaintances, the cry " God
be merciful to me a sinner," would oftener be heard,
than "see how wicked my neighbour is." The rule
of our Saviour and that of St. Paul, taken in connection, grant the privilege of censuring others, to those
alone who are sinless, and have ever been so. If it
were exercised only by those, there would be no more




SERMON ON TIIE MOUNT.           157
gossiping, no more tattling, no more scandal-mongering, no more wrangling, no more quarreling, no more
persecution. Fanaticism would lose its power to hurt
and destroy. Feuds and frays, wars and rumours of
wars would come to an end. Peace and good-will
toward God and man would cover the whole earth,
as the waters cover the sea.  Arsenals would be
turned into work-shops, and the implements of
destruction into the tools of the artisan and husbandman.
The question then may be asked, have we no right
to form opinions of others, so that we may be able to
select our associates and friends?  Surely we have;
and we-are directed how to form our opinion of them.
"By their fruits shall ye know them."  We have a
right to form our estimate of men by the fruits of
their lives-by their external conduct.  We may
judge of their actions, but we may not judge of the
motives to those actions.  "The secret things belong
unto the Lord our God." It is presumptuous, then,
to go beyond the outward manifestation, and seek to
pry into the secret spring of action. The deeds of
men give a fair test of their character, and we need
no other.  " Can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit?" Hence, without going beyond the test given
us, we may question a seemingly good deed from a
man of known bad character. We judge of a tree by
its yield during a succession of years, not by a single
bearing. And here we would enter the caution, that
though we are permitted, for our guidance in social




158          CONSIDERATION OF THE
intercourse, to judge men by their outward conduct,
yet should that judgment be unfavourable, we have
no right to blazon it abroad; only when called upon
by the civil authorities, or when urged by a sense of
duty to warn friends against a dangerous character,
may we with propriety make our opinion known.
Dr. Brown says, "I apprehend that the command,'Speak evil of no man,' requires us steadily to avoid
giving an opinion to a man's disadvantage to any one
but to himself, except when duty demands it."
(Brown's Exposition, page 251.)  And though circumstances may warrant the divulging of an adverse
opinion of our neighbour, they will not, of course,
excuse us, should that opinion have been hastily and
uncharitably formed.
Magistrates and rulers are allowed more latitude
in regard to reproving. They are the vicegerents of
God upon earth.  "The powers that be, are ordained
of God."  "By me princes rule, and nobles, even
all the judges of the earth." Those in authority,
then, are not forbidden to judge and speak evil,
simply because God has delegated this prerogative to
them. They may lawfully censure and condemn, and
their voice of admonition and rebuke should be as the
voice of God. "Rulers" should be " a terror to evildoers."  They are, of course, then, permitted to
reprove and punish. " But woe unto them that decree
unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness,
which they have prescribed." Isa. x. 1. " Cursed
be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            159
fatherless and widow. And all the people shall say
Amen." Deut. xxvii. 19.  "Thou shalt not wrest
judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither
take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise,
and pervert the words of the righteous." Deut. xvi.
19. The ruler who makes an unjust decree, and the
magistrate who wrests judgment, not only wrong their
fellow-creatures, but also tarnish the glory of God;
just as unworthy ambassadors dishonour the governments which they represent. And just here lies the
only true ground of rebellion against constituted
authority. Wicked rulers have forfeited their character as the representatives of God. They are no
longer his delegates; and the question of submission
or resistance to their mandates, becomes simply a
question of expediency, and not of conscience. And
thus we justify the English rebellion of 1649 and that
of 1688; the revolt of the Netherlands in 1572; our
own Revolution in 1776; the unsuccessful insurrection
in Mexico, under Hidalgo, in 1810; the overthrow of
the Spaniards by Iturbide in 1821; the dethronement
of Iturbide himself in 1824; the expulsion of the
Spaniards from South America, 1821-6, &c., &c.
Ministers of the gospel, in their official character,
are probably exempt altogether from the penalty
annexed to judging others.  Their vocation is of
reproof, as well as of warning and exhortation. They
are the mouth-pieces of the Most High, and their
messages, delivered in his fear, should be as the
oracles of the living God. But even this privileged




160          CONSIDERATION OF THE
class of men are directed to mingle charity and
forbearance with their censure.  "IReprove, rebuke,
exhort with all long-sufering and doctrine."  "In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves."
Even Moses was not allowed to use harsh language
to the rebellious Israelites.  Because " he spake unadvisedly with his lips," he was not permitted to
enter into the promised rest.
Parents, masters, teachers, and all who are acting
as delegates of God, may, in that capacity, judge and
execute sentence, provided that they do so with all
due deliberation, with all Christian charity and with
all due consideration. But all who are hasty to form
harsh opinions of others in their own hearts, and are
rash to express their opinions when not called upon
by the civil authorities or by a sense of duty, violate
the precept of our Saviour, and are liable to the
punishment annexed to that violation.  There is no
precept of our Master more frequently and more
flagrantly violated than this in respect to judging.
The chief cause of it is doubtless to be found in the
depravity of human nature; but it may also proceed,
in part, from a misinterpretation of the privilege
granted to us, of judging men by the fruits of their
lives. Some honestly believe that the privilege virtually abrogates the precept, and think that when
forming the most uncharitable opinions of men's motives, they are only judging them by their fruits.
This is plainly a perversion. The tree is to be judged
by the fruit, not by the hidden juices and concealed




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            161
processes of vegetation. So the man is to be judged
by his outward conduct, and not by the secret workings of his heart. We understand the command,
"judge not," to refer especially to judgment of motives-just the sort of judgment which the men of
the world pass, vwhen they pronounce all religion
hypocrisy-just the sort of judgment bigots pass,.
when they regard all- denominations corrupt except
their own —just the sort of judgment proud Pharisees
pass, when they look with scorn upon poor Publicans
worshipping afar off. The visible conduct may be
judged, and if we feel aggrieved by it, we have ample
directions given us how to act. Matt. xviii. 15-17.
These, it is needless to say, do not warrant us in publishing abroad our neighbour's transgressions.
RETRIBUTION.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured toyou again." (Ver. 2.) Our Saviour gave
two reasons against harsh judgment of the principles
and character of others. 1st. That we thereby incur
the displeasure of God, and that he will deal with us
as we have dealt with our neighbours. 2d. That we
are incapable of judging aright with our sin-darkened
understandings.
It suited our purpose better to consider the second
reason first; we will now examine the first reason.
The main idea here is, that the treatment we give,
15




162          CONSIDERATION OF THE
or meditate to give others, God will give to us. Our
happiness for time and for eternity is in our own
hands. Each of us holds a measuring rod, more
powerful than the magic wand of Mercury, more wonderful than the staff of Moses, that confounded the
wise men of Egypt. It is a rod with which we are
meting out every moment our weal or our woe for all
eternity.  The wand of Mercury had no power over
the superior gods; but this (with reverence be it
spoken) seems to influence even the great God of
heaven; for just as we treat him, will he treat us.
IHe loves them that love him. Prov. viii. 17. With
the merciful he will show himself merciful, and with
the upright man he will show himself upright. With
the pure he will show himself pure; and with the froward he will show himself unsavoury. 2 Chron. xxii.
25, 26. If in time of health and prosperity we set at
naught his counsel and will have none of his reproof,
he will also laugh at our calamity, and mock when
our fear cometh. Prov. i. 25, 26. How strange it
seems, that the great Author of an infinite system of
worlds should measure his conduct by that of a poor
creature, who is but a speck on the surface of one of
these worlds. And yet such is the teaching of God's
Holy Word. It is his law that men shall be the authors
of their own happiness or their own misery, both in
this life and that which is to come. Let the circumstances by which two men are surrounded be precisely
the same, and yet the one will be happy and the other
wretched.  The poet has truly said,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.                 163.. "From out the self-same fount
One nectar drank, another draughts of gall.
Hence, from the self-same quarter of the sky,
One saw ten thousand angels look and smile;
Another saw as many demons frown;
One discord heard, where harmony inclined
Another's ear. The sweet was in the taste,
The beauty in the eye, and in the ear
The melody; and in the man-(for God
Necessity of sinning laid on none)To form the taste, to purify the eye
And tune the ear, that all he tasted, saw
Or heard, might be harmonious, sweet and fair."
The experience of every man must confirm the
truth of the above statement. And the philosophy of
it is to be found in this, that men get the very measure which they give or meditate to give to others.
Thus, the kind and gentle are generally treated with
great kindness and gentleness. Even the contentious
are constrained-to be courteous to them. "For a soft
answer turneth away wrath." The irascible and irritable, on the contrary, excite the anger and indignation of their associates. Thus, too, the haughty and
supercilious, who lightly esteem others, are but lightly
esteemed themselves. But the meek and lowly are
held in high repute. Thus, too, the liberal man meets
with unbounded generosity, while the churlish miser
is reckoned with to the last farthing. Thus, too, the
vainglorious babbler who chatters away to show his
superiority to others, is esteemed a fool. But "even
a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise;
and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of




164          CONSIDERATION OF THE
understanding." Thus, too, the mischief-maker, who
is constantly devising evil for others, is ever in trouble
himself. "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and
he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him."
Prov. xxvi. 27. "The heathen are sunk down into
the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is
their own foot taken." Ps. ix. 15. Who is so frequently maligned and misrepresented as the slanderer? "A false witness shall not go unpunished, and
he that speaketh lies shall not escape." Prov. xix. 5.
" They whet their tongue like a sword, and bend
their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words;
that they may shoot in secret at the perfect; suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. But God
shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall
they be wounded. So shall they make their own
tongue to fall upon themselves." Ps. lxiv. Here we
are taught that the slanderer is punished in the same
manner and with the same weapons that he punished
others with. Thus, too, with men of blood-they are
almost invariably made to fill bloody graves. How
true it is, that "bloody and deceitful men shall not
live out half their days." Ps. lv. 23. Though they
may escape the penalty of the law, they cannot fly
from the vengeance of God. So common a thing has
been the untimely death of the murderer, that it has
not failed to attract the notice even of the heathen.
When Paul, after his shipwreck, stood warming himself
by the fire on the island of Melita, a " viper came out
of the heat and fastened on his hand. And when the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.           165
barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand,
they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a
murderer, whom though he hath escaped the sea, yet
vengeance suffereth not to live." Acts xxviii. 3, 4.
This was, doubtless, not a mere superstition with the
barbarians, but the result of experience. They had,
no doubt, observed the frequency with which men of
blood have been suddenly cut off in their wickedness.
The observation of the whole world confirms the same
thing. In fact it has passed into a proverb that
"murder will out."  Since the day that Abel fell by
the hand of his brother, blood, by whomsoever shed,
crieth unto the Lord from the ground. And the
wretched homicide is cursed from the earth, that has
opened her mouth to receive the victim's blood. Gen.
iv. 10, 11.
We have many instances both in sacred and profane history of retributive justice. We only notice a
few of them.
The Israelites after the death of Joshua, fought
against, conquered and captured Adoni-Bezek, the
lord of Bezek. They cut off his thumbs and great
toes. This was not an uncommon punishment in
those days, nor in fact for many ages after. It was
done to incapacitate the captive for the use of the
javelin and the sword, and to unfit him for marches
and campaigns. This, however, is the only instance
in the sacred record, of so barbarous a punishment;
and mark the reason: "And Adoni-Bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and great
15*




166          CONSIDERATION OF THE
toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; as
I have done, so God hath requited me." Jacob lied to
his father and defrauded his brother of his heritage.
Laban defrauded him of the wife for whom he had
laboured seven years. His own sons lied to him, as
he had lied to his father. And as it was the partiality
of his mother for him that led him to deceive Isaac,
and wrong Isaac's favourite; so it was his own partiality for Joseph that induced his sons to wrong their
father's favourite and deceive himself. Saul fell by
his own hand, the hand that so often sought to slay
David. Ahab, at the instigation of his wicked wife,
Jezebel, caused Naboth to be put to death, so that he
might get his vineyard. But Elijah met him, as he
was going down to take possession of his blood-bought
treasure. " Hast thou killed and also taken possession. Thus saith the Lord,' In the place where dogs
licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood,
even thine.' And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."  These predictions were fulfilled to the very
letter. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions through
the malice of his enemies. But God "sent his angel
and shut the lions' mouths." And the king, Darius,
commanded that the accusers of Daniel should be
thrown into the same den.  "And the lions had the
mastery of them and brake all their bones in pieces
or ever they had touched the bottom of the den."
The Hebrew youths, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, escaped the heat of the fiery furnace unscathed,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             167
but those that threw them in perished by the flame.
Haman, to signalize his vengeance against Mordecai,
prepared for him Tgallows fifty cubits high. He was
himself suspended from that lofty height, a monument
to the whole city of Shusan of the retributive justice
of God. The Jews sold our Saviour for thirty pieces
of silver, the price of a slave, and then crucified the
Lord of glory. We are told that they themselves
were sold into slavery until no purchasers could be
found, and were crucified until "wood was wanting
with which to make crosses."
Profane as well as sacred history is full of instances
of fearful retribution, attending actual or contemplated crimes. Thus we read that Pope Alexander VI.
prepared a jar of poisoned sweet-meats, with which
to destroy the wealthy Cardinal Corneto.  He ate of
them himself and died in agony.  Louis, the Debonnaire, son and successor of Charlemagne, put his
nephew Bernard to death, and forced his three natural
brothers to assume the clerical tonsure.  This was
done at the instigation of his queen.  She died, and
he married again. His second wife was unfaithful
and gave birth-to a spurious son. His own three sons
treated him as unnaturally as he had treated his three
brothers, and finally the spurious child succeeded to
the empire of France. So that all of Louis's crimes
to secure France to his descendants were completely
frustrated, and he gained nothing but a similar unnatural treatment, to that which he had shown. Anne
Boleyn, maid of honour to queen Catherine, encouraged




168          CONSIDERATION OF THE
the addresses of Henry VIII., and thereby stimulated him to divorce his lawful wife. When Catherine
died of grief and mortification, Ante could not conceal her exultation, and said that she was then a
queen indeed. But at that very moment, repayment
in kind was awaiting the rejoicing queen. The lustful
monarch had looked with unhallowed love upon Jane
Seymour, one of her own maids of honour, and Anne
was brought to the block to make way for her rival.
But justice was not merely meted out to the wretched
Anne.  Cardinal Wolsey, who conspired  against
Catherine and encouraged Henry to divorce her, was
himself soon after disgraced and divorced from all
his wealth and dignity. Cranmer, who was active in
the same wicked deed, but from different motives from
Wolsey, was burned years after by the daughter of
the disgraced queen. Mary thirsted for the blood of
the man who had wronged her mother, and her hatred
of Cranmer more  than her love of Catholicism
brought him to the stake. Napoleon divorced the
noble Josephine, so that the crown of France might
be transmitted to his own descendants. A grandson
of the divorced queen is now on the throne, and the
race of Napoleon Buonaparte is extinct. The imperious and vindictive Sarah cast out Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness, saying "the son of this
bond-woman shall not be heir with my son, even with
Isaac." But all that country is now possessed by the
descendants of the bond-woman, while the children of
Isaac are scattered over the face of the whole earth.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            169
And what is the history of the different dynasties
that have tyrannized over mankind, but the record of
murder and usurpation, and then in turn, dethronement and death? They sprung up in blood, and they
went out in blood. What a black catalogue of crimes
do the histories of the Assyrian and Persian empires
present.  Treason and assassination, and then fearful
retribution by the dagger or poisoned bowl, upon the
traitors themselves; these constitute almost one-half
their annals. It is but little better in modern history.
We have the same circle; beginning in conspiracy and
murder, and coming back to the starting point of conspiracy and murder. We meet this bloody round of
treachery and vengeance again and again in England, during the dark era of the "war of the roses."
Edward IV. and his brutal brothers murdered Henry
VI., the Prince of Wales, and thousands of the adherents of the house of Lancaster. And then the royal
trio turned their fury against one another. Clarence
was murdered by his brothers. Edward perished in
the prime of his life; his death being hastened by the
cares and anxieties attending the usurped crown, by
remorse for his brother's death, and by his indulgence
in those pleasures which his assumed rank gave him.
His two sons were murdered by command of their
uncle Richard, and Richard himself was slain in
battle. And nearly all who aided the fierce brothers
in their cruelties, came to untimely ends.
It is remarkable how few great conquerors have
died natural deaths. Alexander the Great perished




170           CONSIDERATION OF THE
in his thirty-third year; it matters but little whether
by poison (as some suppose) or by excess in drinking.
In either case, his conquests led to his death; for his
career of victory brought about him a crowd of sycophants, who paid him the most idolatrous homage and
encouraged him in his excesses. Hannibal destroyed
himself by poison, to escape from falling into the
hands of his enemies. Csesar fell beneath the daggers
of his former friends, in the Senate house of Rome.
Napoleon died in his fifty-second year; his death
being hastened by his confinement, by mortification
at the loss of his power, and by the vexatious treatment to which he was subjected.  Charles XII. was
killed by a cannon ball.  Gustavus Adolphus fell in
battle on the plains of Lutzen; even that virtuous
monarch forming no exception to the law, "He that
killeth with the sword must be killed by the sword."
The greatest of warriors, Marshal Turenne, was killed
by a cannon ball at Saltzbach. The brutal Suwarroff
died of a broken heart because of the neglect of his
royal master, Paul. A similar fate was that of Gonsalvo de Cordova, " the Great Captain," as the
Spaniards still delight to call him.  He died in
retirement, an exile from court and under the displeasure of his sovereign. The declining years of
Cortes were embittered by the malice and envy of
his enemies. Alvarado, his lieutenant, who won such
an enviable notoriety for his cruelty and rapacity,
filled at length a bloody grave.  The remorseless
Francisco Pizarro fell by the hands of wretches as




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             171
pitiless as himself. Diego Almagro, who had signalized himself by his cruelty to the Peruvian monarch,
Atahualpa, was strangled to death whilst a prisoner.
And so hundreds of other instances might be given,
to show that God does avenge the shedding of the
blood of those made in his own image.
Parallel to the fate of warriors and conquerors is
that of tyrants and wicked rulers. How few of these
have been permitted to live out half their days! The
licentious monster, Domitian, fell by the hand of the
assassin. The fiddling fool and bloody knave, Nero,
poisoned himself. The ferocious Caligula was killed
by conspirators, after a reign of four years.  The
brutal Commodus was first poisoned and then strangled. The savage fratricide, Caracalla, was stabbed
with a dagger. The effeminate, superstitious, vindictive Elagabalus, was assassinated by the Pretorian
guards. The remorseless giant, Maximin, was slain
in his tent.  The cruel debauchee, Gallienus, was
killed by a dart from the hand of a conspirator.
Carinus, who, Gibbon says, united the extravagances
of Elagabalus with the cruelties of Domitian, fell by
the hand of an injured husband. Gallus, distinguished
for his treachery and blood-thirstiness, was betrayed
and murdered, &c., &c. And if we come down to the
darkest and most disgraceful of all the periods in
history, the era of the French Revolution, what a
commentary is afforded on the text, "' As thou hast
done, it shall be done to thee; thy reward shall return
upon thine own head." Obadiah 15. How few of




172          CONSIDERATION OF THE
the traffickers in blood were permitted to close their
lives in peace! How fearful was the retribution upon
the ruthless triumvirate, Danton, Marat and Robespierre. Danton was sentenced to the guillotine by
the very revolutionary tribunal which he himself had
established.  Marat was stabbed to the heart by
Charlotte Corday. She pretended that she had important information respecting his intended victims
in Caen, and thus got access to his person.  "She
found him in the bath, where he eagerly inquired
after the proscribed deputies at Caen. Being told
their names,'they shall soon meet the punishment
they deserve,' said Marat.'Yours is at hand,' said
she, and stabbed him to the heart." (Alison.) And
thus he fell with murder in his heart, and the words
of death on his lips. The vengeance of Heaven on
-Robespierre, the greatest monster of the three, was
still more signal. His lower jaw was shattered by a
pistol ball; he was then dragged by the heels over
the pavements into his own quarters, and laid on the
very table on which he had signed so many deathwarrants.  There he lay for nine hours, enduring
agony unutterable from his wound, half frantic with:terror of death, and cowering under the jeers and
taunts of the mob.  He was next taken to the very
cell in which he had a few days before confined some
of his victims. At 4 o'clock next morning he was
taken to the scaffold, erected on the very spot where
his royal victims, Louis XVI. and Maria Antoinette,
had been executed.  " The blood from his jaw burst




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            173
through the bandage and overflowed his dress; his
face was deadly pale. He shut his eyes, but could
not close his ears against the imprecations of the
multitude.  A  woman, breaking from  the crowd,
exclaimed,'Murderer of all my kindred, your agony
fills me with joy; descend to hell, covered with the
curses of every mother in France.' Twenty of his
comrades were executed before him; when he ascended
the scaffold, the executioner tore the bandage from
his face; the lower jaw fell upon his breast, and he
uttered a yell which filled every heart with horror.
For some minutes the frightful figure was held up to
the view of the multitude; he was then placed under
the axe, and the last sounds which reached his ears
were their exulting shouts, which were prolonged for
some minutes after his death.'Yes, Robespierre,
there is a God!' said a man, approaching the lifeless
body of one so lately the object of dread.  His fall
was felt by all present as an immediate manifestation
of the Divinity." (Alison.) The butcher, Couthon,
was guillotined. So was his colleague, the sanguinary
atheist, St. Just.
After the deaths of Marat and Danton, Couthon
and St. Just with Robespierre constituted the second
revolutionary triumvirate. They suffered with him on
the same spot where the royal family had suffered,
and where the allied sovereigns, on their mission of
vengeance and retribution, "took their station, when
their victorious armies entered Paris, on the 31st of
March, 1814." Farquier-Tinville, the public accuser,
16




174           CONSIDERATION OF THE
probably thle blackest hearted villain of them all, was
brought to the block (soon after the fall of Robespierre,) amid the execrations of an immense multitude.  Hebert, one of the most pitiless of all "the
terrorists," the projector of the "feasts of reason," in
contempt of religion and a future state, manifested
the utmost terror, when his own head was brought
under the revolving axe. Some of the terrors of that
after life, which he had affected to disbelieve, were
made by retributive justice to be his portion even in
this. The "first apostle of liberty," as he called
himself, Camille Desmarlins, was followed to execution by thousands of the kindred of those he had murdered.  The wretch met his death amid the curses of
the infuriated mob, and he in turn cursing them with
the most vindictive hate until the fatal axe fell. A
similar fate befell Sechelles, Henriot, Coffinhal, Simon,
and all the leaders of the infernal Jacobin club, with
perhaps two exceptions. Collot D'Herbois died in confinement and exile. Barere lived to be an old man and
died universally hated, after having endured during
his long life a thousand deaths from fear, disgrace,
and the stings of conscience. The Girondists, who
had been first to sow the storm of revolution, were
the first to reap the whirlwind of destruction. Their
great leaders, Vergniaud, Brissot, &c., went to the
place of execution singing the revolutionary song,
which they themselves, (if we mistake not,) had composed, to excite the passions of the people. Truly'did they eat of the fruits of their own ways and




SERMON ON TIRE MOUNT.           175
were filled with their own devices." And were not
the horrors of the " Reign of Terror" and the dreadful sufferings entailed upon France by a war of
twenty-two years with nearly all Europe, the results
of the retributive justice of God? France, as a
nation, had defied the power of God, and even denied
his existence. As they would not have Him to reign
over them, he left them to themselves, to the dominion of their own evil passions and depraved appetites.
Tlhey were just let alone, as they wished to be. And
the pathway of blood, from Moscow to the mountains
of Spain, was traced by their own hands. Even the
corrupt Sieyes could perceive that the punishment of
Heaven was to leave his enemies to work their own
will. These wretches had declared that it was their
mission " to dethrone the King of Heaven, as well as
the monarchs of earth." The Goddess of Reason was
to be worshipped, instead of the "only wise God."
Accordingly, a veiled prostitute was brought into the
national assembly. One of the leaders of the municipality arose, and unveiling the figure, said, "Mortals
cease to tremble before the thunders of a God whom
your fears have created.  Henceforth acknowledge
no divinity but reason." And all France answered
Amen.  "The village bells were silent; Sunday was
obliterated. Infancy entered the world without a
blessing, and age left it without hope. In lieu of the
services of the church, the fates of the new worship
were performed by the most abandoned females; it
appeared as if the Christian truth had been succeeded




176          CONSIDERATION OF THE
by the orgies of the Babylonian priests, or the grossness of the Hindoo theocracy.  On every tenth
day, a revolutionary leader ascended the pulpit and
preached atheism to the bewildered audience; Marat
was deified, and even the instrument of death sanctified by the name of the'Holy Guillotine.' On all
the public cemeteries, the inscription was placed,'DEATH IS AN ETERNAL SLEEP.' The comedian Monort,
in the church of St. Roch, carried impiety to its
utmost length.'God, if you exist,' said he,'avenge
your injured name. I bid you defiance, you remain
silent; you dare not launch your thunders. Who after
this will believe in your existence?'" (Alison.) God
demonstrated his existence far more effectually by
leaving this wretched people to work out their own
ruin, than by striking the silly blasphemer dead on
the spot. After one million twenty-two thousand and
three hundred and fifty-one (1,022,351) victims had
fallen during the Reign of Terror, a peasant standing
over the dead body of the chief murderer, felt the
demonstration of the Divine Being to be complete,
and exclaimed, "Yes, Robespierre, there is a God."
But not only was the demonstration to be written out
in blood, the corollary also was to be traced in the
tears of agony of the God-forsaken people. The revolutionary tribunal was overthrown, but to establish a
military despotism. When Robespierre fell, Napoleon
rose. France had yet to wade through blood for
twenty years. Four million and one hundred and
three thousand (4,103,000) of her sons were drafted




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              177
for war, and their bones were scattered over every
country in Europe, and even found a last resting
place in Africa and Asia.  And finally, a foreign
army entered the capital of the nation, and imposed
upon the people a sovereign whom  they detested.
Surely, the experiment of living without God has
been tried on a sufficiently large scale, to prove that
no greater curse can befall a nation than for Providence to desert those who desert him.  Of all forms
of retribution, this is the most terrible.  The prayer
of states as well as of individuals, should be, "Leave
us not, neither forsake us, O God of our salvation."
We cannot close this subject without noticing the
marked displeasure of God toward the inventors of
instruments of torture and destruction, and also towards the devisers of horrible punishments.  A cardinal invented a cage, of peculiar structure, for the
punishment of heretics. He himself was confined for
many years in it.  Some historians relate a similar
story of Tamerlane confining Bajazet, in the cage
intended for the Tartar chief. The whole account is,
however, discredited by others. A figure, known, as
"the maiden,?' was devised for the punishment of
Protestants.  It was an image of the Virgin Mary,
with extended arms.  The victim was forced forward
to the figure, when the arms clasped him in a deadly
embrace, while hundreds of concealed lancets pierced
his body. The author of this infernal device was the
first to suffer by it.  The guillotine takes its name
from the man who contrived and perished by it. It
16*




178          CONSIDERATION OF THE
has been said that the fatal blow that terminated the
life of the Texan warrior, Col. Bowie, was from his
own terrible knife. Charles II., king of Navarre, was
a noted poisoner. His clothes caught fire, when saturated with brandy, and the murderous wretch had
his flesh burned off to the very bones. Aaron, a courtier, recommended to the usurper Andronicus, to put
out the eyes and cut off the tongues of his enemies.
The cruel adviser was treated in precisely this manner, by Isaac Angelus; who dethroned and put to
death Andronicus, A. D. 1203. St. Croix, a noted
poisoner of the 16th century, perished by the fumes
of the poisons he was making in his laboratory.
We will finish the discussion of this subject with
two memorable instances of retribution. The dispersion of the Jews and the desolation of their land were
foretold by Moses; and the reason assigned for the
heavy judgment upon them was the neglect of the
Sabbath. " Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths,
as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies'
land; even then shall the land rest and enjoy her
Sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate shall it rest;
because it did not rest in your Sabbaths when ye
dwelt upon it." Lev. xxvi. 34, 35. Because the
Jewish people refused to observe the Sabbath, and to
let their lands lie idle on God's holy day, they have
been made " an astonishment, a proverb and a byword;" and the soil, that they would not suffer to
rest of their own free will, has had a long rest granted
it by the sovereign will of Jehovah.  Here is retri



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            179
bution of the most fearful kind, God vindicating the
violation of his own righteous law. And this sort of
retributive justice has not been confined to the Jewish
nation. It has fallen upon Sabbath-breakers in every
age of the world. Lord Castlereagh has not been the
only violator of the sanctity of God's appointed rest,
who first became a maniac and then a suicide. Sir
Robert Peel, who had long observed the desecration
of the Sabbath by political statesmen, &c., has given
this decided testimony: "I never knew a man who
habitually worked on the Sabbath, who did not fail
in either mind or body."
The last instance that we will give, is one deeply
engraven on the American heart.  The universal
verdict of the world has long since pronounced our
Washington the greatest of warriors, the greatest of
statesmen, and the purest of men.  Macaulay closes
his eulogy upon Hampden with these words: " It was
when the vices and ignorance which the old tyranny
had generated threatened the new freedom with destruction, that England missed that sobriety, that
self-command, that perfect soundness of judgment,
that perfect rectitude of intention, to which the history of revolutions furnishes no parallel, or furnishes
a parallel in  Washington  alone."  Even Byron
lamented that earth had no more seed to produce a
second Washington. The character of the illustrious
Virginian, is reverenced in despotic Russia, as well as
in free England; it is honoured equally by the haughty
Spaniard as by the mercurial Frenchman. No one




180          CONSIDERATION OF THE
now dare question the policy or the motives of the
hero, sage and Christian; but in the dark days of'76,
when he and his army were enduring every privation
at Valley Forge, an attempt was made to ruin his
character and deprive him of his command. General
Conway was the chief conspirator, and General Gates,
who was to be the successor of Washington, was
deeply implicated in the plot. Anonymous communications were sent to Congress, and also to Henry,
then Governor of Virginia, accusing Washington of
too great prudence in battle, and of incapacity to
command an army. Now notice the result. Conway
was compelled to resign his Inspector-General's office;
he was driven into a duel with General Cadwalader,
and was finally forced to hide himself to escape the
indignation of the army. Gates himself showed the
utmost incapacity four years after, at Camden, and
such an excess of prudence, that he reached Charlotte,
eighty miles distant, before any of the fugitives from
his army, except a few of his personal guard. And
as he had tried to supersede Washington, he himself
was superseded in command of the southern army by
Green, who had been true to Washington.
We have now called in sacred and profane history,
and the experience of mankind to confirm the declaration of our Saviour, "For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again." We have
seen the bloody cut off in the midst of his days. We
have seen the traitor betrayed. We have seen the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            181
slanderer of the reputation of others lose his own,
and die in disgrace and infamy. We have seen the
destroyer and desolater of countries himself ruined
and left desolate. We have seen the tyrant oppressed,
and the overthrower of dynasties himself overthrown.
And we have seen the Sabbath-breaker compelled to
keep a perpetual Sabbath.  These instances have
been collected almost at random; thousands of others
might have been found in the pages of history. Gibbon,
with all his scepticism, was too profound a historian,
and too wise a philosopher, not to have discovered
abundant traces of retributive justice in God's government of the universe.  "I shall not," says he, "be
readily accused of fanaticism, yet I must admit that
there are often strong appearances of retribution in
human affairs." Those who were even more heathenish
than Gibbon himself could perceive this retribution.
The myth about Tantalus perpetually tortured with
hunger and thirst, for the crime of giving improper food
to the gods, was but the embodiment of the universal
idea, that justice in kind and; degree was proportioned
to the offence. And when justice was thus meted out,
it met the approbation of the whole heathen world,
just as it meets the approbation of all Christendom now. There is this radical difference, however,
between the approval of the true Christian and that
of the followers of false creeds; the Christian only
approves when God or his appointed delegates measure
out the punishment.  The heathen have ever claimed
the right to retaliate wrong themselves.  In the one




182          CONSIDERATION OF THE
case it is retributive justice, in the other it is vengeance.
HYPOCRISY AND CENSORIOUSNESS.'"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam  out of
thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Ver. 8.)
Here the pretender to sanctity, and the fault-finder,
are placed in the same category; they constitute one
and the same person.  The reason of the identity is
plain. The meek and lowly Jesus is the corner-stone
of the temple of holiness.  Humility is the root of
the tree of righteousness; and the deeper the root
strikes down into the soil of abasement, the lovelier
will the fruits of the Spirit hang from the boughs.
And among the golden clusters will be love, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness. Gal. v. 22.
Pride is a plant of different growth.  Its baneful
root is in the summit of inflation, and its noxious
fruits are hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife.
Gal. v. 20.  The disciple of the gentle Redeemer
cannot, then, delight in censure. The proud child
of Satan cannot, then, delight in praise.  He who
is adorned with the graces of the Spirit, is too meek
to be a reprover. He who is endued with the temper
and disposition of the Prince of Darkness, is an
"accuser," like his master.  He to whom the Spirit
of Truth has shown the corruption of his own heart,
is too much self-abased to be intolerant of the sins
of others.  lIe whom the father of lies has inflated




SERMON ON TIHE MOUNT.            183
with self-conceit and self-righteousness, is prone to
judge harshly, and to persecute bitterly. And thus
a censorious spirit is a good test of hypocrisy and the
unregenerate state. Old Thomas Fuller has justly
said: "Now by these shrewd signs a dissembler is
often discovered.  First: Heavy censuring of others
for light faults. Second: Boasting of his own goodness, &c." And the author of " Self-Knowledge" has
in like manner pointed out the connection between
hypocrisy and censoriousness. Mason, commenting on
the 3d, 4th and 5th verses of this chapter, says, " Four
things are intimated: First —That some are much
nmore quicksighted to discern the faults of others
than their own.  Second-That they are often the
most forward to correct and cure the foibles of others,
who are least qualified for that office. Third-That
they who are inclined to deal in censure should always
begin at home.  Fourth-Great censoriousness is
great hypocrisy.
"This common failing of human nature the heathen
were very sensible of, and imaged it in the following
manner. Every man, say they, carries two bags
with him; the one hanging before him and the other
behind him; into that before, he puts the faults of
others; into that behind, his own. By which means
he never sees his own failings, whilst he has those of
others always before his eyes."  (John Mason.)
It was a saying of Socrates, (as reported by Cicero,)
that the easiest way for the hypocrite to be popular,
was to practise the virtues which he pretended to




184          CONSIDERATION OF THE
have. le thinks differently, however, and hopes to
build his reputation upon the ruin of that of others.
He seeks to dim the lustre of the character of his
neighbour, that his own may shine out by contrast.  If
there were no eagles, carrion crows might be esteemed
noble birds.  If there were no virtuous men, the obscene feeders on the characters of others might be
esteemed pure and holy. The fault-finding hypocrite
does not strive "to lift a mortal to the skies," but
"to pull an angel down."  He does not aim to excel
others in goodness and truth, but to bring them down
to his own level, or to sink them beneath him.
To sum up the whole matter, then, censoriousness
results from three things; 1st. Pride; the truly humble sees too plainly the beam in his own eye, to be
troubled about the mote in his brother's.  2d. Uncharitableness; "Charity thinketh no evil." The censorious is destitute of that grace, without which all
other attainments are "but as sounding brass and a
tinkling cymbal." 3d. Envy; the censorious is uneasy, mortified and discontented, on account of the
real or supposed excellencies of his neighbour, and
endeavours to degrade him. Censoriousness proceeds
from one of these sources, or from'all three combined.
It is a foul blot upon the Church, but is by-no means
confined to it. Those who delight in hunting out the
failings of the professed disciples of Jesus Christ, and
then triumphantly plume themselves on not being
hypocrites, are, of all men in the world, fault-finding
hypocrites. What but a spirit of envy and detraction




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              185
makes them  find pleasure in the corruption of the
Church? What but a desire to bring others down to
their own degraded level? And yet they look with
great complacency upon the sins of Christians, and
in the pride of their hearts are ready to thank God
that they are not hypocrites; apparently unconscious
that the vilest form of hypocrisy is that which seeks
to exalt itself by the overthrow of another. No
animals are so detested and detestable as those which
fatten themselves on corruption.
IMPROPER SUBJECTS OF REPROOF.
" Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample
them under their feet and turn again and rend you."
(Ver. 6.)
This verse furnishes an instance of what is called
the introverted parallelism; that is, where the first
and fourth lines of the verse correspond, and the
second corresponds with the third. We might write
it thus:
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
Neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
Lest they trample them under their feet,
And turn again (i. e. the dogs) and rend you.
(Barnes' Notes- on the Gospels.)
The connection between this verse and the five preceding verses, is apparent. We had there the qualifications of reprovers, here of the reproved. Scott
17




186         CONSIDERATION OF TIHE
justly says, " As every man is not qualified or authorized to be a reprover, so every offender is not the
proper subject of reproof. To persevere in giving
instruction or counsel to some men, would be as improper as to throw the holy things, which were the
food of the priests, unto unclean dogs; or to cast
pearls before swine." Two classes of persons are
represented in the sixth verse to be improper subjects of reproof. We may in plain language designate
the first as the dog class; and the second as the
hog class.  The dog stands as the type of the
snarling, snapping sneerer and scorner. The hog is
the fit emblem of the filthy and foolish, the lewd and
the licentious. The growling cynic, Voltaire, furnishes a fine specimen of the canine class, while the
low, drunken debauchee, Tom Paine, stands out preieminently as the representative of the swine class,
wallowing in the mire, and glorying in their shame.
Both dogs and swine were unclean in the Mosaic
economy, and were regarded with abhorrence by the
Jews.  The word dog was the strongest possible
epithet of contempt. "' Is thy servant a dog, that he
should do this great thing?" said the indignant Hazael,
when foretold the enormities that he would commit.
And David, to show Saul that he was disgracing
himself by his unjust persecution of an innocent man,
used the following language: "After whom is the
king of Israel come out? After whom dost thou
pursue? after a dead dog?" In regard to swine, the
Jews held them in such detestation, that it is said




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            187
they would not even name them. The servants of
Antiochus Epiphanes attempted to force swine's flesh
into the mouth of Eleazar; but he suffered death
rather than swallow the abomination. It is evident,
then, from the employment of such strong epithets to
designate the scoffer and the impure, that they are
an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. The disciples
are directed not to waste the precious truths of the
gospel upon them.  "It is not meet to take the
children's bread and cast it to the dogs." Instead
of feeding upon it thankfully, they will turn again
and rend the giver. The wisest of men said, "Reprove
not a scorner, lest he hate thee."  "A scorner loveth
not one that reproveth him."  "He that reproveth a
scorner, getteth to himself shame; and he that rebuketh
a wicked man, getteth himself a blot." And we have
also given us the reason of the desperate condition of
the scoffer and blasphemer. It is found in this, that
God metes out to him the same measure with which
he measures.  "'Surely he scorneth the scorner; but
he giveth grace unto the lowly." As the scorner has
put away the fear of the Lord, the only true source
of wisdom, he cannot be made wise or amended by
reproof. Therefore it is idle to admonish him.  " A
scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not." Deserted
by God, groping along in his sin-darkened condition,
he is still too proud to listen to the voice of warning
and reproof.  "A scorner heareth not rebuke."  It
is folly to censure a deaf man. The ribald jester at
divine truth, the bold blasphemer, is not a proper
subject of reproof.




188          CONSIDERATION OF THE
Neither are the lewd proper subjects of reproof.
The object of Christian rebuke is to affect the
conscience by convincing the understanding. But
Solomon says of the impure that they "lack understanding," Prov. vi. 32. They are fools, and "fools
make a mock at sin." It is unseemly to admonish
them; "for excellent speech becometh not a fool."
He glories in his shame: "it is abomination for a
fool to depart from evil." The hog is his faithful
representative, and as it will not give up the mire and
the mud-puddle, so he will not give up his filth and
beastliness.  "Having eyes full of adultery and that
cannot cease from sin."  It is doubtless the duty of
the gospel ministry to rebuke every species of sin.
He that rides upon the white horse with his crown
and bow, may barb his arrow with the truth so proclaimed, and send it home to the heart of the scoffer
and the adulterer. But we think that private individuals are plainly forbidden to reprove the reviler
and the dissolute.  "Reproofs of instruction are illbestowed upon such, and expose the reprover to all
the contempt and mischief that might be expected
from dogs and swine. One can expect no other than
that they will trample the reproofs under their feet,
in scorn of them and rage against them; for they are
impatient of control and contradiction; and they will
turn again and rend the reprovers: rend their good
name with their revilings, return them wounding
words for their healing ones; rend them with persecution, as Herod did John the Baptist for his faithful



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            189
ness." (Matthew Henry.)  And here we would remark, that when we look upon the limitations thrown
around the exercise of reproving, there should be but
little of it; 1st. In regard to those who reprove, since
none but the delegates of God can claim the privilege, and that only in their official capacity:  2d. In
regard to the reproved, how large a portion of mankind belong to the two classes, which are exempt
from rebuke because of the vileness of their characters. It seems that with -these restrictions, reproving
must be confined chiefly to Christians themselves.
The erring brother may be "restored" not slandered,
not reviled, and it must be done only by the "sspiritual," and "in the spirit of meekness."  If a brother
wrong us, we may tell him of his fault privately, not
reprove him for it, still less reprove him publicly. If
he will not hear us, we may take with us one or two
more to establish the truth of our statement. And if
he still remain obdurate, we may then refer the matter to the church, the delegate of God. Matt. xviii.
ENCOURAGEMENTS TO PRAYER.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened." (Verses 7, 8.)
Asking implies want.  We are " wretched and
miserable, and poor and blind and naked." We need
"gold tried in the fire," even enduring riches that




190           CONSIDERATION OF THE
will last when the world is in flames; we need
"the white raiment" of Jesus' perfect righteousness,
that "the shame of our nakedness do not appear;"
we need the anointing of the Spirit, that we "may
see" things in their true value, in the light of eternity. We want pardon, we want joy in the Holy
Ghost, we want sanctification of the Spirit.
Seeking implies loss. We have lost the favour of
God, we have lost our title to heaven, we have lost
the approbation of a good conscience.
Knocking implies an earnest desire to find shelter
within the sanctuary of mercy, from the fury of
the storm without. The cloud that drives to this
refuge, however black it may seem, is still the messenger of a God of mercy.
But there is far more implied in these three imperatives, than all this. The primary signification, as
we understand it, is, ask imploringly for the way of
life, diligently seek it, and knock earnestly at the
door, even Christ Jesus, that leads into it. And the
promise annexed is, that the inquirer shall receive the
necessary information; the diligent seeker shall find
it; and the earnest knocker shall be admitted into it.
The first act of the awakened sinner is one of inquiry.
"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" was the
anxious inquiry of the three thousand, who were
pricked to the heart on the day of Pentecost. "Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do," asked poor Saul in
his amazement and distress, as he lay stretched on
the ground, with the bright light shining about him.




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.           191
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" inquired the
trembling jailer of Paul and Silas. Bunyan, in his
inimitable allegory, has most happily explained the
meaning of asking, seeking, and knocking.  He saw
in his dream, the man clothed in rags, with the great
burden on his back, "looking this way and that way
as if he would run, yet he stood still, because he
could not tell which way to go." And he heard this
distressed man crying "what shall I do?" Then
Evangelist came to him and asked him, "why standest thou still?"  He answered, "because I know not
whither to go."  Upon this, Evangelist "gave him a
parchment roll; and there was written within,'flee
from the wrath to come.' The man therefore read it,
and looking upon it very carefully, said,'whither
must I flee?' Then said Evangelist, pointing with
his finger over a very wide field,' do you see yonder
wicket-gate?' He said,'No.' Then said the other,' do you see yonder shining light?' He said,'I think
I do.' Then said Evangelist,'Keep that light in
your eye, and go up directly thereto, so shalt thou
see the gate; at which, when thou knockest, it shall
be told thee what to do.' So I saw in my dream,
that the man began to run.....  So in process of
time, Christian got up to the gate. Now over the
gate was written,' Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.' " Here we have the inquiry, the seeking,
and the knocking. The wicket-gate represents the
Redeemer. He says of himself, "I am the door: by
me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall




192          CONSIDERATION OF THE
go in and out, and find pasture," John x. 9. And
Paul, speaking of him, says: "For through him we
both have access by one Spirit unto the Father,"
Ephes. ii. 18. "He that entereth not by the door
into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other way,
the same is a thief and a robber." There is no access
to God, but by Jesus Christ. To all, who have not
passed through this door of hope, the dreadful Jehovah is and must be, a consuming fire. What loveliness can his pure and holy eyes see in a sin-polluted
wretch? "How should man be just with God? If
he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one
of a thousand."  If "our righteousnesses are but
filthy rags" in his sight, how must our sins and
abominations appear!
But all who enter into the sheep-fold by the door,
are safe from the fierce indignation of an offended
God.  They belong to the "Good Shepherd, who
giveth his life for the sheep," and the "Father himself loveth them," because of his love for the Good
Shepherd.
Our Saviour then employs these three imperatives,
because they express the highest office of prayer:
the taking up of the sinner in his rags and filth with
the great burden on his back, pointing him to the
open door, helping him to seek it by the light of
God's truth, and enabling him to knock at it, and go
in and sup with the Lord of the mansion. However,
as the address is to disciples, there is a subordinate
sense, in which, ask, seek, and knock is used, and one




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             193
in harmony with the preceding verses. With the sixth
verse ends all that is said. directly, of the practical
errors of the Scribes and Pharisees. Our Saviour
had exposed the errors, which these sects taught with
their lips and exemplified in their lives. He had
shown their religion to be hollow, formal, hypocritical, devoid of life-giving power and energy. He had
declared that the religion of his followers must far
exceed theirs; it must be sincere, earnest, embracing
the inner worship of the heart, forbidding every
angry emotion, every impure thought, every improper
word, every worldly desire, every ostentatious act,
every harsh opinion, every malevolent wish. We can
imagine that the hearts of the disciples sank more
and more within them, as their Master unfolded his
moral system, in all its severe beauty, unbending integrity, and matchless purity; until they were ready
to exclaim, "Lord, we are of unclean lips, and dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips, and thou
requirest of us the holiness of angels around the
throne." When thus shut up to feel their utter helplessness, their entire inability to comply with the
requisitions of this perfect code, they are then shown
that their "sufficiency must be of God;" that his
strength is made perfect in their weakness, and their
weakness made perfect in his strength. They are
taught to ask, to' seek, and to knock for the grace
that shall be sufficient for them. And the word of a
God of truth is pledged, that the effort shall not be in
vain.  "For every one that asketh, receiveth; and




194          CONSIDERATION OF THE
he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh,
it shall be opened." The repetition of the promise
in the 8th verse gives, as it were, a double guaranty
on the part of God, that believing prayer shall not
be offered in vain. So that if we do not come up to
the high standard of duty prescribed, we are left
wholly without excuse. We fail in duty, simply because we fail in prayer. God has promised all needed
grace, if we perform all needed prayer. The absence
of sufficient grace proves then the absence of sufficient prayer. It is no answer, to say that no mere
man has ever been free of malevolence, carnal emotions, worldly-mindedness, uncharitable thoughts, &c.
That is true, but are we excusable because we are
sinful? Is our want of freedom from corruption the
result of God's unfaithfulness to his promise of hearing prayer, or of our unfaithfulness in prayer? Let
God be true and every man a liar. The fault is in
ourselves, and that we may be the better able to see
exactly where it lies, we will examine the next three
verses, which not only contain encouragement to
prayer, but also most beautifully explain the spirit
and nature of prayer.
" Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish,
will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that ask him?" (Verses 9-11.)
Prayer is here likened to the asking for food, by




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             195
children of a tender parent. This expresses exactly
its nature and spirit. In its nature, it is simply an
asking, not an eloquent address, and may be expressed as effectually by a look, as by the most elaborate appeal. Its spirit must be that of a child asking
for food. Want must prompt the petition, humility
must clothe it, and a child-like confidence must be
felt that it will be heard. These are the -three elements that make the asking of the child effectual;
these are the three elements that make-prayer to God
effectual. The pleading of want, humility, and faith
was never made in vain. An evil parent cannot resist them in his child. A holy God will not resist
them in his creature. He may not answer the prayer
in the way that the creature expected, but he will
answer it in a better way. The parent may not give
his hungry child exactly the kind of food that he
asks for, but he will not give him a useless stone,
still less will he give him a noxious serpent. In his
superior wisdom, the parent may see that the food
craved is not healthy, is not suitable for his son. He
will not leave his child to the pangs of hunger, but
he will "feed him with food convenient for him."
He will give him that which is more nourishing and
more appropriate. And thus it is with God. He
may not answer the humble, child-like prayer, in the
manner prayed for, but he has not turned a deaf ear
to it. In our sin-blinded condition we cannot pray,
we cannot even "order our conversation aright by
reason of darkness."  What we greatly desire, as a




196          CONSIDERATION OF THE
blessing, might prove a fearful curse. And whtat we
most dread, may prove a great blessing. "For who
knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the
days of his vain life, which he spendeth as a shadow?"
Let us then perform the duty of prayer, and leave
the mode of its answer, entirely, to the only wise
God. He did not answer Paul, when he besought him
thrice to take away the thorn in the flesh. The thorn
was needful to keep Paul from self-elation, at the
abundance of his revelations. He was not answered
in his own way, but he was answered in God's way,
which was infinitely better. And so Paul felt and
exclaimed, when he perceived God's better way,
"Therefore will I glory in my infirmities." The
Lord did not answer the prayer of Moses, when he
asked to be blotted out of God's book, if the Israelites were blotted out. He was not answered according to his folly, for it would have been inconsistent
with the justice of God to grant his request.  "And
the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned
against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which
I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall
go before thee: nevertheless, in the day when I visit,
I will visit their sin upon them." Exod. xxxii. 33, 34.
The answer that Moses received was infinitely better
than what he sought. It was consistent with the justice of God, full of mercy to himself and of encouragement to persevere in the path of duty. The
promise to Moses is similar to that to Paul.  The




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            197
Angel of the Covenant was to sustain the one, and
the grace of the Lord, the other. David was not
answered in his own way, when he asked for the life
of his child. But the refusal heightened his conviction of sin, showed him the enormity of the act that
he had committed, and it is probable, prompted that
penitential psalm, which has brought thousands and
tens of thousands to the feet of Jesus.  The prayer
was answered in God's better way, and so David
doubtless felt when he said: "It is good for me that
I have been afflicted."
Many a parent, like David, has poured out his soul
in agony unutterable for the life of his child, and yet
death came. It may be that the child, if spared,
would have dishonoured God and ruined his own soul.
It may be that the parent himself needed the punishment; needed to be pruned, that he might bear more
fruit. It may be that love for the child concealed and
covered up the love for God. It was necessary, then,
to remove the creature that the Creator might be all
in all. The lamps in the hands of Gideon's warriors
did not shine out until the pitchers were broken, and
the trumpets were sounding for battle. The light of
Christian character is often obscured, until the frail
earthen vase that conceals it is shivered to pieces, and
God sounds the signal for conflict with sorrow and
anguish.
Let us, then, learn to let God answer our prayers
in his own way, assured that that way is best for his
own glory and our happiness. And so all our prayers
18




198           CONSIDERATION OF THE
that relate to mere temporal well-being should be
conditional. "Father, if it be thy will, let this cup
of suffering pass; nevertheless, not my will, but thine
be done."  "Father, if it be thy will, grant me this
blessing; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."
HIezekiah prayed unconditionally for life. This prayer
was granted, and he lived to dishonour God, and bring
ruin on his family and nation. The king of Babylon
sent messengers to congratulate him on his recovery
from sickness, and in the pride of his heart he showed
them all his treasures. And then Isaiah came unto
him, with a message from the Lord.  "Behold, the
days come, that all that is in thine house, and that
which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day,
shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,
saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from
thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away;
and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king
of Babylon." Isa. xxxix. 6, 7. Here the connection
is obvious, between the answer to his prayer and his
sin, with its subsequent punishment.  The lesson
thus taught, should be remembered by all, and supposed blessings be prayed for, if consistent with God's
glory and our highest interests. Things which are
not revealed to us as the proper objects of prayer,
should never be prayed for, without annexing the
condition, that His will, and not ours, be done.
Life, health, reputation, property, children, friends,
all temporal things, should be committed unto Him
as unto a faithful Creator.  Prayer, in reference to




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             199
these objects, should always be conditional. But as
St. Luke explains "the good things," spoken of in
the 11th verse, to be the gift of the Spirit, (Luke xi.
13,) we may ask unconditionally for His holy influences. God is ever more ready to grant his Spirit
than we are to ask honestly and sincerely for his
blessed presence. The prayer for the Spirit cannot be
offered too often, too importunately, and too earnestly;
nor yet too absolutely and unconditionally. It is the
work of that holy Being to draw us to Christ, and
enable us to close in with the offer of salvation. It is
his work to change the heart, to renew the will, to
sanctify our affections, and fit us for a residence with
God and holy beings. All acceptable prayer must
be dictated by him.. The very first breathing of the
soul should be for his sanctifying influences, that the
petition may be aright. The earth lay without form,
a dark chaotic void, until the Spirit of God moved
upon the waters. All right desires lie hidden in the
soul-crude, shapeless, dead —until the Spirit brood
over them  and give them  figure, life and activity.
The Spirit alone can make the man, dead in trespasses
and sins, alive in Christ Jesus.  The slain, in the
valley of dry bones, could not live, until the breath
came from the four winds to breathe upon them.
Ezek. xxxvii. 9. Though Christ has been offered up
as a sacrifice for sin, no man ever yet was willing to
receive him as a Saviour, until drawn unto him by
the third person of the Holy Trinity. Nor would
the pleadings of any, man ever find favour with a




200          CONSIDERATION OF THE
Holy God, but for the intercession of the Spirit,
"with groanings that cannot be uttered."
How cheering and comforting it is to know that
God is more ready to send this renewing, sanctifying,
interceding Spirit, than parents are to give good things
to their children. Here is the great encouragement
to prayer-the promise of the Spirit.  We are dark,
ignorant, short-sighted, and know not how to frame
our petitions aright. He has all wisdom, and will
enlighten our understandings.  Our hearts are cold
and dead, but he will give them warmth and life.
God, because of our sins, " has covered himself with a
thick cloud, that our prayer should not pass through."
But when his Spirit has enabled us to believe on his
Son, he will say: "I have blotted out, as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions, -and as a cloud, thy sins;
return unto me, for I have redeemed thee."  Our
"prayer will then be unto thee, 0 Lord, in an acceptable time;" " and God, even our own God, shall
bless us."
Our confidence, then, in the answer to prayer for
right things, and offered in the right manner, may be
drawn from this promise of the Spirit. The greater
gift includes the smaller. If God will send the Sanctifier and Comforter to renew and purify, to cheer
and console, how much more will he give all needed
blessings of an inferior nature to those who ask in the
name of Christ. " Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and
bring forth fruit, and that -your fruit should remain;




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             201
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it." Our blessed Redeemer had
first promised the Comforter, and then the inferior
blessing of granting whatsoever was asked in his
name.  The reason for the promise is given in the
very words which convey it, " That ye may go and
bring forth fruit."  This is the great end of the promise. The Spirit is given in order that God may be
glorified by the good works of his sanctified children.
Here, then, we have full, complete encouragement to
prayer, resting first on the promise of the Spirit; and
that again resting upon God's desire for his own glory.
Nothing more can be added to this-nothing more is
needed.
We will next consider some species of so called
prayer, which are not acceptable, and which are
therefore not answered.
UNANSWERED PRAYER.
Of this sort of prayer we make the following
classification.
1st. Uncandid Prayer. "If I regard iniquity in
my heart, the Lord will not hear me," said the inspired Psalmist. God will not be mocked. It is in vain
to ask him for a clean heart and a renewed will, if we
ask with the secret purpose of continuing in known
sin. We are but attempting to deceive the Searcher
of hearts and Trier of the reins. He "understands
our thoughts afar off," and "there is not a word in
our tongues, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it alto18*




202          CONSIDERATION OF THE
gether." Hollow professions do not often deceive
men; but they excite the wrath of Him, who "knoweth us altogether."  He will not answer the prayer
for personal holiness, where there is the unavowed
intention in the heart to cling to some darling sin.
To pray for the advance of Christ's kingdom, and
then to bring reproach upon his name by an unholy
life, is to play the part of Judas. It is betraying our
Master with a kiss of professed friendship and love.
But to pray, for the advance of his kingdom with
secret hatred in our hearts to his rule aind dominion,
is to play the part of the bloody wretches, who in
Pilate's hall arrayed him in the semblance of royal
robes, put a crown of thorns on his head and a reedsceptre in his hand; all in mockery and scorn.
Father in Heaven, "cleanse thou us from  secret
faults," that we may not thus insult thee and mock
thy Son. And as thou wouldest not accept from
thine own people a sacrifice with any blemish upon
it, we pray that thy Spirit may enable us to offer a
pure offering, a heart untainted by any cherished
sin.
"A cherished corruption in the mind is the more
likely to interpose between God and the soul, because
it does not assume the shape and bulk of crime. A
practical offence, the sudden effect of temptation, is
more likely to be followed by keen repentance, deep
self-abasement, and fervent application for pardon;
whereas to the close bosom-sin, knowing that' no
human charge can be brought against it, the soul




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            203
secretly returns with a fondness facilitated by long
indulgence." (Hannah More.) The whole drift of
the 58th chapter of Isaiah is, that he who would
offer acceptable prayer, must give up indulgence of
known sin. "Ye shall not offer unto the Lord," said
Moses, " that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken
or cut." He will not have the oblation of a heart
all scarred and disfigured by sin.
But God not only will not listen to the prayer that
the body may be made the temple of the Holy Ghost,
when the unacknowledged resolution of the soul is to
pollute and defile that temple by sin; he not only
does not listen to such prayer, he regards it with
abhorrence.  "The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the Lord." Isaiah, in speaking of
the assembly for prayer of those who still cling to
their corruptions, says, " it is iniquity, even the solemn
meeting." Hosea goes still farther, and teaches that
vain offerings will but cause God to remember the
iniquities of the offerers.  "They sacrifice flesh for
the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the
Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their
iniquity and visit their sins."  When an enemy
approaches us with specious flattery, we are prone to
recall his former acts of hostility. And thus it is
with God; the uncandid prayer-the prayer with the
lips for holiness, while the heart resolves to cling to
some cherished lust-but serves to remind Him of the
disobedience and rebellion of the supplicant.
2d. Prayer for improper things.
"Ye ask and receive not," says James, " because




204          CONSIDERATION OF THE
ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
Prayer for calamity upon enemies; prayer for worldly
power and riches, to be used against the glory of God
and advancement of Christ's kingdom; prayer for
objects to gratify pride, ambition, revenge, and all
unholy feelings, will not be heard. It is asking amiss,
to consume upon worldly lusts.
Prayer for improper things may be offered both by
the children of God and by the'ungodly. When presented by the former, God may reject it, consistently
with his promise to be a prayer-hearing God.  No
wise parent would grant to- the- importunity of his
child that which would do him harm. When presented
by the wicked, the prayer is the preposterous demand
of an insolent and unworthy beggar.
The Scriptures give us some examples of prayers
that were not granted, because the things asked for
were improper. Moses greatly desired to be permitted
to enter the promised land, and besought this favour
of the Lord. But God intended the punishment of
Moses to be a warning to his people for all time, and
therefore replied to his prayer: "' Let it suffice thee;
speak no more unto me of this matter.  Get thee up
into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward,
and behold it with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go
over this Jordan." Deut. iii. 26, 27. Jonah prayed
unto God for death. But it was the prayer of petulance, impatience and mortified pride, and the Lord
did not hear him. No child of God has a right to




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            205
pray for death, because of the trials and difficulties
that surround him. The Creator may use his creature
as a buoy on a tempest-tost sea, to warn others of
rocks and quicksands; and the creature has no right
to complain of the beating of the storm  and the
swelling of the waves. Elijah, in his despondency,
as he sat under the juniper-tree in the wilderness,
said, " It is enough, now, 0 Lord, take away my life,
for I am not better than my fathers." But God did
not hear his prayer. The servant still had a great
work to do. He had yet to anoint Hazael king of
Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel, and Elisha to be
a prophet in his room. 1 Kings xix. 15, 16. He had
yet to carry the message of God's vengeance to Ahab
and Jezebel, for the murder of Naboth the Jezreelite;
lie had yet to rebuke king Ahaziah, for inquiring of
Baal-zebub instead of the Lord; he had yet to vindicate the majesty of Heaven, by the calling down fire
from heaven upon the two captains of Ahaziah, with
their companies of fifty; and finally, instead of leaving his body in the wilderness, a prey to beasts and
birds, he had yet to ascend in a chariot of fire to the
God whom he had served.
The disciples, James and John, were not heard,
when they asked their Master to be placed, the one
on the right hand and the other on the left, in his
glory. It was an ambitious petition-a request for
worldly distinction; and our Saviour taught them that
they who would be great among them, must be their
servant. And when these same disciples prayed for




206          CONSIDERATION OF THE
permission to bring down fire from heaven upon a
village of the Samaritans, they met with a stern rebuke
instead of an answer to their request. " But he turned
and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner
of spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come
to destroy men's lives, but to save them."
3d. Spasmodic prayer.
The irregular, fitful devotion that manifests itself
only in seasons of alarm, distress or calamity, has no
claim upon an answer from God: "But ye have set
at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock
when your fear cometh." Prov. i. 25, 26.  "Therefore it is come to pass, that, as he cried, and they
would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear,
saith the Lord of hosts." Zech. vii. 13. "Thus saith
the Lord unto this people, Thus have they loved to
wander, they have not refrained their feet; therefore
the Lord doth not accept them. When they fast, I will
not hear their cry." Jer. xiv. 10-12. " They are
turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers,
which refused to hear my words..... therefore, thus
saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them,
which they shall not be able to escape; and though
they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."
Jer. xi. 10-12.
God is surely under no sort of obligation to attend
to the cry of those who only approach him when in
trouble. He may hear them out of the abundance of
his mercy and compassion, but not because of the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            207
obligation of his promise to hear prayer.  The most
tender parent may refuse a boon to a child, who only
shows affection when he wants to use his father as a
convenience.
This spasmodic prayer is in direct conflict with the
teachings of God's holy word.  He will have his
children to cultivate a spirit of habitual prayer.
"  Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may
be accounted worthy to escape all those things that
shall come to pass." Luke xxi. 36.  "Continuing
instant in prayer." Rom. xii. 12.  "Be careful for
nothing; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known unto God." Phil. iv. 6.  "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thess. v. 17.  "Night and day, praying
exceedingly." 1 Thess. iii. 10.  "And he spake a
parable unto them to this end, that men ought always
to pray, and not to faint." Luke xviii. 1. David could
say, "Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of
thy righteous judgments." Seven was a perfect number with the Hebrews, and is often taken to signify
an infinite quantity. The Psalmist most probably
meant that he was ever in a praying frame of mind.
This is just the spirit to be cultivated by every sincere
Christian.  Under the Mosaic dispensation, the fire
which descended from heaven at the dedication of the
tabernacle, was sacredly preserved and never suffered
to go out. In like manner, the flame of devotion
should never be allowed to flicker and grow dim in the
heart of the true disciple of the Lord Jesus.




208           CONSIDERATION OF THE
4th. Prayer without faith.
"All things whatsoever," said our Saviour, "ye
shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
Again: "W hat things soever ye desire when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
Mark xi. 24. Again: "'If ye had faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine-tree,
be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted
in the sea, and it should obey you." Luke xvii. 6.
Such are the promises to the prayer of faith; and the
fulness of the answer is ever measured by the proportion of faith in the offerer of the prayer.  "Go thy
way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee."
Matt. viii. 13. "I Daughter, be of good comfort; thy
faith has made thee whole." Matt. ix. 22.  "Be not
afraid, only believe," was the language -to the poor
bereaved ruler of the synagogue. When the father
brought the child afflicted with the dumb spirit,
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth." Mark ix. 23.
The persevering, believing woman of Canaan, was commended thus: "0  woman, great is thy faith; be it
unto thee even as thou wilt." Matt. xv. 28. The
two blind men were to be wholly or partially restored
to sight, or not restoredat all, according as they fully
or partially believed, or utterly disbelieved. "Then
touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith
be it unto you." Matt. ix. 29.  "If any of you lack
wisdom," says James, "let him ask of God, and it
shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            209
wavering; for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the
sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not
that man think that he shall receive any thing of the
Lord." James i. 6, 7. John explains the ground of
faith in prayer, and at the same time the proper
objects of faith: "And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his
will, he heareth us; and if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him." 1 John v. 14, 15. The promise of God constitutes, then, the ground of faith;
and the things promised are those upon which faith
can most surely be exercised. David made God's
promise to establish his house, a motive to plead with
God to do as he had said. 2 Sam. vii. 16-25. God
had said, "I will send rain upon the earth;" yet
Elijah must pray, and with great earnestness and perseverance, too, for what God had promised. 1 Kings
xviii. 42-44. When Daniel knew that the seventy
years of captivity were expiring, then he set his
face to seek by prayers the promised deliverance.
Dan. ix. 2, 3. When our Lord had promised the gift
of the Holy Spirit, the disciples continued in prayer
and supplication till the fulfilment of the promise.
Acts i. 14. (Mine Explored.)  If Christians of the
present day would but exercise the same faith in the
promise, that " The kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ;"
and if they would but offer earnest, persevering prayer
for its fulfilment, the Spirit of God would be poured
19




210          CONSIDERATION OF THE
out yet more abundantly upon our land and the whole
earth.  God's arm is not shortened, but limitations
are continually put upon the exercise of his gracious
power by the weakness of faith of his own people.
They can pray with some sort of confidence for the
conversion of a few; but their belief is not strong
enough to embrace great multitudes. Even Moses,
who had witnessed so many mighty wonders at the
hands of God, could not believe that the Omnipotent
could feed six hundred thousand footmen with flesh
for a whole month.  "Shall the flocks and herds be
slain for them, to suffice them? or shall the fish of the
sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand
Wvaxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word
shall come to pass unto thee or not." If the faith of
God's people were but strong enough and enlarged
enough, more than six hundred thousand would be
fed with "bread from heaven;" more than six hundred thousand would be fed with that "flesh" which
"is meat, indeed."  May the Redeemer grant his
followers more faith, so that they may not be obstacles in the way of the chariots of salvation.
CRITICAL EXAMINATION.
A more minute inspection of the first eleven verses
of the seventh chapter, may be profitable.  The
word rendered " judge" in the first verse, is often used
in the sense of condemn. (Olshausen.) This is obvi



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            211
ously the meaning here, since in the parallel passage,
Luke vi. 37, we have "judge not and ve shall not be
judged, condemn not and ye shall not be condemned."
The apposition of the words "judge" and "condemn,"
shows that unfavourablejudgment is meant. And here
we would remark, that the verse in Luke affords no
comfort to moralists, who think that their professed
charity and universal toleration of all creeds and sects
constitute a sure hope of salvation. Do these pseudophilanthropists judge favourably of Christ and the
claims of his gospel? Are they willing to " have this
man rule over them?"  If they reject his easy reign
and judge him harshly, can they complain of being
rejected by him and condemned in the great day of
Judgment?
The word rendered " mote" in the 3d, 4th and 5th
verses, may also be rendered splinter, paring  or
peeling.  The splinter from  the beam is in contrast
with the whole beam.
In the 8th verse, we have a remarkable transition
from the present tense to the second future passive.
"Every one asking, receiveth, and seeking, findeth,
and knocking, shall have it opened unto him." There
is no promise here of an instantaneous opening of
the door of mercy. This delay in accepting the
sinner may be to try his faith, as in the case of the
Syrophenician woman; or to test his sincerity, as in
the case of the Scribe, who said, "Master, I will
follow thee, whithersoever thou goest." But whatever
the reason may be, the fact is certain that many are




212          CONSIDERATION OF THE
kept waiting long at the very threshold, and alas!
many like the rich young man, whom Jesus loved,
turn away sorrowing, when "not far from the kingdom of God."
In the 11th verse, the word rendered "heaven" is
in the plural. The God of the universe, and not the
believer's Father, is, as we understand it, the Being
here alluded to.  If so, the "ye" refers to the
natural and not to the renewed condition of the
disciples. The universal depravity of man is not
taught as something new, but recognized as an
acknowledged truth. "All we, like sheep, have gone
astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."' I have gone astray, like a lost sheep," said the man
after God's own heart.  "There is none righteous,
no, not one.  There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God."  But the
"being evil" may justly apply to regenerate men.
Every child of God, who knows his own heart, must
feel with good Bishop Beveridge, that his "very tears
of repentance need to be washed in the blood of
Christ." The Bible gives us an account of but one
sinless man-the man of Calvary. And it is remarkable, that it tells us of holy men committing those
very sins and follies which they seemed least likely to
commit. Moses, who was "very meek above all the
men which were upon the face of the earth," became
very angry and "spake unadvisedly with his lips."
We have all heard of the "patience of Job," and also




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            213
of his petulance and fretfulness.  The pure-hearted
David committed adultery. Solomon "passed all
the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom," yet
even he became foolish and "and loved many strange
women."  The gentle, loving and lovable John, on a
certain occasion, showed the most vindictive hate
against a village of the Samaritans, and wished to
call down fire from heaven to consume it. The bold,
sturdy Peter trembled before a servant-maid, and lied
in his fright, to escape from an imaginary danger.
Paul was humble enough to call himself the chief of
sinners, and "least of all the apostles, not meet to
be called an apostle," "less than the least of all
saints;" and yet Paul had given to him, "a thorn in
the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him," lest
he should be filled with pride and self-conceit.
THE GOLDEN RULE.
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for
this is the law and the prophets." (Verse 12.)
The critics are greatly divided in opinion, as to the
manner in which this verse is connected with what
goes before. The adverb "therefore" points backward and plainly implies dependence. In this all expositors agree. But they differ in their modes of
establishing the connection, and we confess that we
are not satisfied with any of these methods.  We
suggest with unfeigned diffidence, a different explana19*




214          CONSIDERATION OF THE
tion from any given by the orthodox commentators.
The first five verses contain a rule in regard to
reproving; the sixth verse shows the impropriety of
indiscriminate rebukes; the next five verses are
parenthetical, and might be omitted without breaking
the chain of thought. They are simply explanatory
of the manner in which grace may be obtained for
the exercise of the high spiritual religion enjoined by
the Son of God. The 12th verse is, then, we think,
linked with the first five, " Judge not, that ye be not
judged, &c. For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it
shall be measured to you again. Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them." The golden rule then shows
the way of escape from the terrible retribution of
God upon those who wrong their fellow-creatures.
And it is in beautiful harmony with the five parenthetical verses.  They give directions and encouragements for the attainment of the grace necessary for
the practice of the rule. The whole twelve verses
are thus linked and interlinked indissolubly with each
other.  There is moreover a close connection between
the 12th verse and the 11th. We have an argument
for prayer in the 11th verse, drawn from the parental
relation. As parents put themselves in the places of
their children, in order to enter into their sufferings
and necessities; so "God was manifest in the flesh,"
in order to understand our trials, temptations and infirmities. "For we have not an High Priest which




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             215
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need." Heb. iv. 15, 16.  Here Paul
derives his argument for prayer, (in the same manner
that his Master had done,) from  the fact that God
had put himself in our room, so that he might be
" touched with the feeling of our infirmities."  This
is a favourite argument with Paul, the man of prayer.
He doubtless often strengthened his own faith with
it and is therefore fond of repeating it.  "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like
unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For
in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is
able to succour them that are tempted." HIeb. ii. 17,
18. Here Paul attributes the mercy and compassion
of the Saviour towards us, to the fact that he bore
our nature and endured suffering and temptation in
it. The 12th verse under consideration enjoins us to
do just as Christ has done; to put ourselves in the
places of others; to enter fully into their trials and
difficulties, their wants and sufferings, and thus be
able to adapt our conduct to their condition.
We will briefly recapitulate our views in regard to
the connection between the first twelve verses. We
understand the golden rule of our Saviour to stand
in opposition to the rule of the world, as shown in




216          CONSIDERATION OF THE
the first five verses. And it finds its sanction in the
conduct of God himself, as exhibited in the 11th
verse.
A few words, in explanation of the golden rule,
may -not be out of place. It is, of course, not to be
construed literally; if the previous views be correct.
The judge is not bound to acquit the guilty criminal,
because if he himself were at the bar instead of on
the bench, he would wish to be acquitted. This
would be subversive of justice and destructive of the
highest interests of society. Our Saviour has himself placed the proper limitation on the exercise of
the golden rule, in declaring it to be the substance
of " the law and the prophets." He virtually declares
any conduct inconsistent with " the law  and the
prophets," to be also inconsistent with the rule.
Thus the rich are not bound to give all their wealth
to the poor, though, if their situations were exchanged,
they might desire this wealth. This would destroy
the right of property, which is recognized by "the
law and the prophets."  And so hundreds of similar
cases might be given, showing the limitations on the
exercise of the rule of "doing as you would be done
by."  We understand  then, this precept of our
Saviour to amount simply to this: We are, in our
dealings with others, to imagine ourselves in their
situation, and the conduct that would be agreeable to
us in this altered condition, and at the same time
consistent with reason, justice, "the law and the
prophets," we must honestly and conscientiously prac



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.           217
tise towards them.  The golden rule is a part of the
law of God, engraven so deeply on the human heart,
that sin and Satan have not been able entirely to
efface it. For it has been found in some form among
almost all the nations of the earth. Alexander Severus, a Roman Emperor, who had received it from the
Christians, was so much pleased with the golden rule
as to write it on the walls of his chamber. Surely,
it ought to be as cordially approved, even by nominal
Christians, as by a heathen. And it is plain that if
men faithfully obeyed this noble precept, there would
be no fraud, no false measures, no slander, no backbiting, no tyranny, no oppression, no wrangling, no
law-suits, no wars and no bloodshed.  But the
golden rule will not be universally complied with,
until " the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
THE STRAIT GATE.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
(Verses 13, 14.)
Neander regards these two verses as cautionary,
and intended to guard the disciples from the delusion
of hoping to get to heaven in any other way than
through the strait gate and narrow road of self-denial




218           CONSIDERATION OF THE
and self-sacrifice. He says, " Christ had pointed out
the moral requisites for entrance into his kingdom,
and the moral qualities which must mark its members.
He now warns them (vs. 13, 14) against the delusion
of expecting its blessings in any easier way than that
he had pointed out, and also against the delusion of
hoping to avoid struggle and self-denial."  (Life of
Christ.) Dr. Brown regards the verses as containing
a detached exhortation, and not connected directly
with the preceding paragraph.  He says, "To enter
in at the strait gate, is to embrace those views of truth,
and duty, and happiness, which our Lord unfolds, and
of which we have an admirable specimen in this discourse; and to walk in the narrow way, is habitually
to regulate our temper and conduct by those views."
(Brown's -Exposition.)  Adam  Clarke sees a direct
connection between the 13th and 14th verses and the
12th verse. His language is, "Enter in (to the kingdom of heaven) through this strait gate, i. e., of doing
to every one as you would that he should do unto
you; for this alone seems to be the strait gate our
Lord alludes to."
A similar view is entertained by Olshausen. He
says, "From what has been said, follows in a natural
and unforced connection, the difficulty of walking in
the path of self-denying love, which is represented
under the figure of a narrow way, leading through
a strait. gate into the fortress of everlasting life."
(Olshausen on the Gospels.) Scott and Henry seem
to see no dependence of the verses under consideration




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            219
upon any thing that goes before them. And we think
it is commoh, both in written and oral comments upon
them, to regard them as unconnected with any other
part of the discourse. But amidst the various interpretations that have been given, there has been substantial agreement.  The great truths of the text are
too plain to be misunderstood. All expositors agree
that the strait gate (or contracted gate, as the word
means,) opens into the narrow way-the Christian's
pathway to the skies; and that in all ages of the
world there have been but few to tread this confined
road.
"Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there;
But wisdom shows a narrower path,
With here and there a traveller."
The point of difference, between commentators, is
in regard to the dependence of the 13th and 14th'
verses upon the context. The view of Brown of Haddington, seems to us the true one.  "Christ and
the work of regeneration, and faith by union with
him, are a strait gate, by which we must strive to
enter in; by this alone we enter into a new covenant
state of grace and glory; nor can we enter it with one
reigning lust." Luke xiii. 23; Isa. liv. 12.  Christ
is also "the way, the truth and the life;" and it is
only by being conformed to him, united to him, and
identified with him, that any man can walk in the
narrow way that leadeth unto life. This road is




220          CONSIDERATION OF THE
strait, not in itself, but because of sin.- The snares
of the adversary of souls, the corruptions of our
nature, and the allurements of the world, hedge it
about, press down upon it, and thus make it narrow
and contracted. To sinless beings it would be an
exceeding broad and pleasant road. And this explains
the apparent discrepancies in the teachings of the
Bible, in regard to the holy walk. " My yoke is easy
and my burden is light," says the Son of God. But
the same holy Being again says: "Strait is the gate
and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life."  On
the other hand, we hear, "Happy is the man that
findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding; her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her
paths are peace."  But once more-" He that loveth
father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me;
and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is
not worthy of me; and he that taketh not his cross
andfolloweth after me, is not worthy of me."  And
we are told that on one occasion the requirements of
the gospel dispensation were so strict, that the Apostles
cried out, "Lord, increase our faith;" and that on
another, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard
saying; who can hear it?" The whole difficulty, we
see, lies in the want of faith, and in the indwelling
power of sin. These make the yoke galling and the
burden heavy; these make the "ways of pleasantness
and the paths of peace," ways of straitness and sorrow,
and paths of conflicteand strife.  "Ye are not straitened in me, but straitened in your own bowels," said




SERMON ON THE MOUNT..221
Paul to the Corinthians.  That is, the want of sympathy between us is not from lack of affection in me
towards you, but it is owing to your indifference to
me. And thus, we are not straitened in Christ, but
in our sinful and depraved natures.  "Behold, the
Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear; but your
iniquities have separated between you and your God,
and your sins have hid his face from you, that he
will not hear." Isa. lix. 1, 2. And just as ouriniquities
seem to shorten the arm of God, so that it cannot
save, do they seem to choke up the pathway to the
skies, and make it narrow and difficult to be travelled.
And these too require it to be straight as well as narrow.
So great is the proneness of our fallen nature, even in
its renewed state, to wander out off this straight road,
that the slightest deviation to the right or to the left
will lead far off from the celestial city. Christian and
Hopeful, in the Pilgrim's Progress, fell into the power
of Giant Despair, and were shut up in Doubting
Castle, when they thought to stray but a little way
from the straight and narrow path.  " Now the way
from the river was rough, and their feet were tender
by reason of their travels; so the souls of the pilgrims
were much discouraged because of the way.  Wherefore, still as they went on, they wished for a better
way. Now, alittle before them there was, on the left
hand of the road, a meadow, and a stile to go over
into it; and that meadow is called By-path Meadow.'Then,' said Christian,' if this meadow lieth along by
20




222          CONSIDERATION OF THE
our wayside, let us go over into it.' But this way
that seemed to lie almost parallel with the straight road,
led them farther and farther off, amidst pitfalls and
perilous floods, until they found themselves in a very
dark dungeon, nasty and stinking to the spirits of
these men." (John Bunyan.) Hence the Scriptures
warn us against making the slightest deflection from
the straight way that leads to life.  "Let thine eyes
look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before
thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy
ways be established.  Turn not to the right hand nor
to the left; remove thy foot from evil." Prov. iv.
25-27. And thus we see that keeping in the pathway
is necessary to keeping from evil; and this necessity
is founded upon the depravity of our natures; our
sins make the path of life both narrow and straight. It
may be that sinless creatures, from other worlds, may
be permitted, in their journey to their Father's mansion, to wander in pleasant meadows, in fragrant
groves, by purling brooks, and by sweet fountains.
But poor fallen man is not allowed to pluck any flowers
and fruits, except those that grow by the wayside.
Blessed be God, there are enough of these to delight
the eye, to cheer the heart and strengthen the frame
of the lone pilgrim in his dusty travel.
Having adopted Brown's explanation of the terms
employed in the 13th and 14th verses, we will next
attempt to show their connection with the previous
subject. The 12th verse briefly sums up the whole
of the Christian's duty to his fellow-creatures.  It




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            223
consists in doing to them as he would that they should
do to him.  This duty has been perfectly performed
by but one solitary being of our whole apostate race.
The "Man of Sorrows" alone has complied with it.
And just in proportion to our conformity to him, will
be our obedience to the golden rule.  If our union
with him were perfect, so would be our compliance
with the direction to "do as we would be done by."
The failure to come up to this lofty standard of duty
arises entirely from our not being " dead unto sin, and
alive unto God through Christ Jesus our Lord." The
12th verse requires us to love our neighbours as ourselves; the 13th verse teaches us that this can only be
done by having "the love of God shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost." Love to God is the only
true source of love to man; and so the Apostle felt when
he said, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also
to love one another."  Paul's affection for the Corinthians was so lively, and his zeal for their spiritual
well-being so vehement, that his enemies charged him
with being "beside himself." But he explained his
ardent interest in them by saying, "The love of Christ
constraineth us." An eloquent writer has enlarged
the same thought: "Here, then, is love-that deep
sense of God's love to us, which shows us the necessity,
the reasonableness of being kind to others; the feeling
of a heart which, labouring under a sense of its obligations to God and finding itself too poor to extend
its goodness to him, looks around and gives utterance
to its exuberant gratitude in acts of kindness to man."




224          CONSIDERATION OF THE
(J. A. James.) So intimate is the relation between
the love of God and the love of man, that the Apostle
expresses them both by the single word, "charity."
The existence of the one species of love is a sure proof
of the existence of the other. Hence, when the young
man came running and kneeled down at the feet of
Jesus, saying, "Good Master, what shall I do that I
may inherit eternal life?" our Saviour questioned
him only in regard to his obedience to the second
table of the law; for if he truly loved his neighbour
as himself, he might be assured that he loved God
with all his heart.  But though the young man
thought that he had kept all the commandments of
the second table "from  his youth up," he "went
away grieved," when he found how "exceeding
broad" they were. Hie lacked the love of God, the
only true foundation of love for man.  The Apostle
John, like our Saviour, makes obedience to the second
table a test of obedience to the first. "' We know that
we have passed from death to life, because we love
the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, abideth
in death."  "If a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar; for he who loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God,
whom  he hath not seen? And this commandment
have we from him, That he who loveth God, love his
brother also."  This correlation of the love of God
and the love of man, establishes the connection between the 13th verse and the preceding.
A few practical thoughts are suggested by the two




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            225
gates and the two ways. Every one of our race has
passed through one of these gates and is at this very
instant in the road to heaven or in the road to hell.
There is no third gate, there is no third path. The
Son of God has proclaimed, " he that is not with me
is against me." There can be no neutrality in the
war raging between the powers of light and the
powers of darkness. Every human being is arrayed
either on the side of truth and holiness, or on the
side of falsehood and wickedness. Every human being is fighting for his Maker, Redeemer, Preserver
and Benefactor, or for the enemy of God, the
enemy of his race and the enemy of his own soul.
Every one who is united to Christ, is in the way to
life, for Christ is "the way, the truth and the life."
Every one who is not so united, is, at this present
moment, in the broad road that leadeth to death.
"He that believeth on Him (the Son) is not condemned; but he that believeth not, is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God." Surely this consideration is solemn enough to make the most careless sinner stop in his downward course to the
chambers of eternal death.  " 0 that men were wise,
that they understood this," that they would but consider that they are either in the road to God, to
heaven and eternal life, or in the broad way to
Satan, to hell and eternal death.
This way is broad. There is room enough in it
for the hypocrite's path with all its crooks and wind20*




226           CONSIDERATION OF THE
ings. There is room enough in it for the sanctimonious self-deceiver and the bold blasphemer; for the
decent moralist and the filthy rake; for the miser
and the spendthrift; for the shrivelled prostitute and
the modest maiden, who loves the world more than
her Saviour; for the hardened old reprobate with his
hands steeped in blood, and the lovely youth "not far
from the kingdom of God," but still not in the way
of life. All these, of various characters and dispositions, can travel together this exceeding wide road,
without jostling one another. The rigid formalist,
who stickles for creeds and modes of worship, but
denies the power of godliness, may pursue his route
to endless despair, without fearing encounter from
the poor "fool," who "says in his heart, There is no
God." The heretic, and the orthodox in profession,
but not in life, have space enough for their different
roads to everlasting torment.  The brutal pagan, and
the refined Christian, with enlightened understanding
and unrenewed heart, has each his appropriate walk,
leading with equal certainty to "where the worm
dieth not and the fire is not quenched."
There is a multitude in the broad way to destruction; " many there be which go in thereat."  " Hell
has enlarged herself and opened her mouth without
measure; and their glory, and their multitude and
their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into.
it." The multitude in the way of, death draw vast
crowds with them. There is a demoralizing influence
in all large collections of men. This is exerted in a




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            227
fourfold manner.  First: They "encourage" one
another, "in an evil matter." They mutually tempt
and stimulate one another to sin.  They commit
daring, heaven-defying sins in the presence of their
wicked associates, which they would be afraid to
commit when alone. Herod feared John the Baptist,
"knowing that he was a just man," but when surrounded by his " lords, high-captains and chief
estates of Galilee," he did not hesitate to order
the execution of the great forerunner of Christ.
Second: The desire of the approbation of guilty
companions is a strong incentive with the wicked
to the commission of sin. Men often profess to be
more hardened, more shameless and more depraved
than they really are, for the sake of the notoriety
that it gives them with their confederates in vice.
"The workers of iniquity boast themselves."  There
is far more hypocrisy outside of the church than in
it. There are more who pretend to be viler than
they are, than who profess to be holier than they are.
The former class of hypocrites is the more despicable
of the two.  The sanctimonious deceiver has, at least,
some regard for decency; the other glories in his
shame.  Third: Sympathy with the masses is a
powerful element of evil. "As in water, face answereth to face; so the heart of man to man."
We are all prone to imitate the conduct of others and
to be affected by feelings similar to theirs. And
since the majority in every community are not on
the Lord's side, the influence exerted through sym



228          CONSIDERATION OF TIIE
pathy must, on the whole, be against the Redeemer's kingdom. Hence the wise man, in view of
this, says, "enter not into the path of the wicked,
and go not in the way of evil men."  And He, who
knows the heart of man altogether, has given this
positive command, "thou shalt not follow a multitude
to do evil." To the contaminating power of sympathy with evil-doers, is to be ascribed the awful
depravity of large cities. Hence too, the low standard
of morals among soldiers and sailors.  Hence also,
the greater amount of wickedness in State Universities and in Colleges overflowing with numbers, than
in those less known and less celebrated.  This accounts too, as we think, for the numerous rebellions
and backslidings of the children of Israel in their
journey to the promised land.  "The mixed multitude fell a lusting." This explains what otherwise
seems inexplicable. We wonder that a people could
forget God, who had seen so many tokens of his
power, and who had the pillar of cloud hovering
over them by day and the pillar of fire lighting up
their camp by night. But when we reflect that more
than 600,000 warriors, with their families, marched
under the banners of Moses and Aaron, we can
readily conceive that the discontented, the murmuring and the rebellious, might touch a chord whose
pulsations would be felt throughout that vast host.
The fourth evil influence exerted by the multitude,
which we will notice, is that inspired by confidence in
numbers. Let poor worms of the dust, who sprung




SERMON ON TEE MOUNT.            229
up yesterday and will be crushed down to-morrow, be
collected together in great crowds, and they will lift
up their puny heads and feel too strong for the Omnipotent Jehovah.  The angel of the Lord smote in
one night, one hundred and eighty-five thousand of
the host of Sennacherib, because by his messengers
he had reproached the Lord, saying, " with the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the heights of
the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut
down the tall cedars thereof, and the tall fir-trees
thereof, &c." The horrible blasphemies, during the
French Revolution, were uttered chiefly in Paris and
the large cities of France.  Infidelity has never
flourished in rural districts; it needs to have its
courage stimulated by clubs, associations and gatherings of men. Hence the good and great of our race,
those who have left a healthful impress upon society,
have generally been born in the country, away from
the noxious influence of the multitude.
Well may the road to death be broad, since the
vast crowds now in it of every sect, kindred, tongue
and people, are constantly swelling their numbers, and
crying out for more room. According to this view,
the road is wide to accommodate the multitudes which
throng it, and not to make it pleasant and agreeable.
The common interpretation is, that the broad way
signifies the ease with which sinners travel to destruction. This exposition conflicts with the word of God.
Eternal truth has proclaimed, "the way of transgressors is hard." It may be wide, (and so is the




230           CONSIDERATION OF THE
path across the wastes of Sahara,) but it will be hard
and painful.  "Fools, because of their transgression,
are afflicted."  "The wicked are like the troubled sea
when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and
dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked." It is surely a mistake to suppose that the
sinner has a happy journey to hell. He has to war
against the Spirit of God, against the monitions of
conscience, against the warnings of the Bible, against
the remonstrances of friends, and against the pleadings of the Gospel ministry. Sinful indulgences, too,
will bring loss of health, loss of property, loss of reputation, and loss of friends; so that the broad way to
death will be anything but delightful. Above all, the
fierce anger of God will be upon him, and "he will be
cursed in the city and cursed in the field. The Lord
shall send upon him cursing, vexation and rebuke, in
all that he sets his hand unto for to do, until he be
destroyed, and until he perish quickly; because of the
wickedness of his goings." The poor sinner has
lamentation and woe by the way, weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth at his journey's end. IHe
is then appropriately called a "fool," by "the only
wise God;" since he deliberately selects a route of
travail and trouble, which leads to unending and
immeasurable woe.
We think that the 14th verse contains the precious
doctrine of the final perseverance of God's people.
It exhorts to enter the narrow way, because there are
few that find it. The language implies that the diffi



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            231
culty in getting to heaven consists in finding the
right road.  Many seek, and find not, because they
seek amiss; or they seek when it is too late, as is
shown in the parallel passage in Luke. Now since
the whole force and life-blood of the exhortation consists in the fact, that multitudes miss the way, and not
in that they stray out of it, when once in, the most
natural construction that can be put upon the words
of our Saviour is, that there is perfect security to the
man who is united to him. They are then born of
the Spirit, and " that which is born of the Spirit, is
spirit." The believer has become a partaker in the
nature of Christ, and God will not permit the world,
the flesh, and the devil, to destroy a part of his own
Son. The regenerate are gifts from the Father to
the Son; and He, who has received these gifts, has
said, "My Father, which gave them me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand." Mere earthly monarchs will not
permit their gifts to be despised; shall the Sovereign
of the universe be less jealous of his? The puny
kings of the world will not suffer their children to be
robbed; shall the King of kings and Lord of lords be
indifferent to the interests of his well-beloved Son?
Some of the most desolating wars in the annals of
history, have been waged to secure to the heirapparent, his rightful possessions.  The common
sentiment of mankind pronounces these wars just and
righteous.  Ought not that sentiment also to pronounce it just, in the omnipotent God, not to allow




232          CONSIDERATION OF THE
Christ, "whom he hath appointed heir of all things,"
to be deprived of the precious, immortal souls which
have been given him?
FALSE GUIDES.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves." (Verse 15.)
The primary signification of the word "prophet,"
is "one, who foretells future events."  It, however,
no doubt, means in this place, a religious teacher, as
it does in several other places in the New Testament.
Thus John says, "many false prophets are gone out
into the world." And Paul speaks of those who'"are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone." And in
writing to the Ephesians, he alludes to the " mystery
of Christ" being "' now revealed unto his holy apostles
and prophets by the Spirit." When this was written,
the spirit of prophecy, in the sense of foretelling, had
almost ceased.  One of the functions of the prophets
was to teach; and when the gift of foretelling was
taken away, the office of teaching alone remained.
Peter alludes to this-" But there were false prophets
among the people," (of old time,) "even as there shall
be false teachers among you." Here the teacher of
the new dispensation is compared with the prophet of
the old. It is probable that our Saviour used the
word prophet in the 15th verse, in its most comprehensive sense, to embrace both the false teacher in




SERMON ON TIE MOUNT.            233
regard to future events, and the false teacher of religious truth. The "sheep's clothing," in this verse,
refers to the outward profession of the teacher in
holy things, which gives promise of lamb-like meekness, innocence and purity.
The dependence of the 15th verse upon the preceding, must be apparent to the most careless reader.
The true reason why many do not find the narrow
way, is that false guides lead them away from it into
other paths. Men love to be led; and they will take
any leader rather than seek the road to heaven themselves. We will not search for ourselves, and such is
the perversity of our natures, that we will take any
guide, in preference to the Spirit of truth, and the
Book of all truth. This perverse nature we have
inherited from our great progenitors, who put themselves under the guidance of Satan, and followed him
rather than God. Partly from a like perversity, and
partly from indolence and consequent unwillingness to
search for ourselves "the Scriptures, which are able
to make" us " wise unto salvation, through faith which
is in Christ Jesus," we take as our guides the dicta
of men, the traditions of the elders, &c. And these
two powerful causes, viz. the perversity of depraved
nature and natural indolence, operate to make one
half of Christendom content to submit their judgments
and their consciences to the control of a poor old man
at Rome. The blind obedience inculcated by Catholicism to creeds, confessions of faith, formularies of
the church, decisions of councils, and bulls of the
21




234         CONSIDERATION OF THE'
Pope, is in direct conflict with the teachings of the
Son of God, and his chosen apostles.  He did not
even require belief in himself, except on evidence of
the divine character of his mission. Therefore, he
constantly referred to his miracles as proofs that he
was from God. Therefore, he constantly enjoined
the study of the Scriptures, that men might believe
him to be the Messiah.  "Search the Scriptures, for
in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are
they which testify of me."  We are told that "the
common people heard him gladly," when he had confounded the Scribes and Pharisees by a quotation fr6m
the Psalms of ]David. At Nazareth, he demonstrated
his Messiahship, by reading the prophecy of Esaias
concerning himself. And when he ended by saying,
"this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears; all
bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words
which proceeded out of his mouth." " The chief priests
and the Scribes sought to lay hands on him," when he
predicted his rejection by the Jewish nation, in fulfilment of the prophecy, that "the stone which the
builders rejected," was to "become the head of the
corner." He often spoke of his death to the disciples, as being necessary that the Scriptures might
be fulfilled.  And after his resurrection, when he
appeared to the two disciples, on the way to'Emmaus,
"beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself." Now, since our Saviour thus
constantly submitted his claims as a divine Teacher,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             235
and the truth of -his doctrine, to the infallible word of
God, the Protestant world have surely high authority
for maintaining the right of private judgment in
matters of religious belief. If Christ did not condemn,
but on the contrary, approved the application of the
test of the Scriptures to his life and preaching, we are
disposed to think that there can be no great sin in
applying the same test to the utterances of his Holiness, the Pope.  Our Saviour, so far from  requiring
implicit trust in the teachings of religious teachers, has
warned us to "beware," lest there be "false prophets," and that we be able to discern the true from
the false. He has given us this
TEST OF RELIGIOUS TEACHERS.
"Ye shall know them  by their fruits.  Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit." (Verses 16-18.)
We understand by "fruit," primarily the doctrine
of the teacher.  The fruit of the tree is that which
it yields for the use of -man. When we speak of the
fruit of the labour of any one, we mean the result of
his efforts in the department to which he belongs.
Thus the fruit of the physician is the diseases he has
cured, or the deaths he has caused.  The fruit of the
lawyer consists in the wrongs he has redressed, or the
litigation he has fomented. The fruit of the mechanic




236          CONSIDERATION OF THE
consists in the good or bad work done in his trade.
And so the fruit of the teacher is the sound or
unsound instruction that he has imparted.  The tree,
we understand, then, to be the teacher, and the fruit
to be his doctrine. The man is to be judged by his
doctrine, and not the doctrine by the man. The
former is the scheme of our Saviour and his Apostles,
the latter of Papacy. With the Catholic, the bulls of
Pio Nlno must be infallible, because he is Pope. The
fruit must be good, since they believe the tree to be
good. Hence the faith of the Papist destroys all
investigation, destroys all intellectual effort, and must
tend to degrade him to the level of the unthinking
brute. The natural result of this false scheme has
been to sink Catholic countries in the scale of
humanity. Paralyze the mind in regard to the examination of the most momentous questions that can
interest man, and you must unfit the faculties for any
rational investigation whatever. Hence the low grade
of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Mexico and South
America, among the thinking nations of the earth.
On the other hand, the free spirit of inquiry in religious matters has made Scotland the mother of the
profoundest thinkers of the earth.  The open Bible,
the right to read it, the right to interpret it,
the right to measure all human teaching by it,
the right to compare truth with truth, the right to
harmonize the whole, by enlightened private judgment, and not by the arbitrary decrees of Popes and
councils-these glorious privileges have placed Scot



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             237
land in the fore-front of the intellectual world. These
high and holy privileges have been guarantied to
her too, not by princes and nobles of the earth, but
by the Scriptures of truth.  "My beloved," says
John, "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits,
whether they be of God." Language cannot be constructed plainer, to show that the trial of religious
instructors is to be made by believers themselves, and
for themselves. But a greater than John had taught
that men must take heed for themselves, and judge
false teachers by themselves. "For false Christs and
false prophets shall arise," said our Saviour, "and
shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were
possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold,
I have foretold you all things." Mark xiii. 22, 23.
The personality of the address cannot be mistaken;
believers are not to trust to the guardianship of
others, but are to be on their own guard, and whilst
thus watching, are to escape the snares of seducers,
by observing the precautions their Master has given
them. Here, then, we will leave the matter. The
example of our Saviour, in submitting his own claims
to the Scripture ordeal, and his warning to his disciples, to beware of false prophets, and to take heed of
seducers, these are sufficient to prove that we have a
right to think for ourselves, and to examine all religious teaching in the light of God's word. The caution, too, against "blind guides" and "false prophets," is in itself a caution against their wrong
guidance and wrong instruction; just as a warning
21*




238           CONSIDERATION OF THE
against an unskilful surgeon would be a warning
against his malpractice.  So Peter denounces " false
teachers," because they "privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them."
So Paul tells Timothy, that "the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils." The danger then lies in
the doctrine; it is this that constitutes the evil,
it is this that is to be avoided, it is this that
is to show the corruptness of the tree. A feeble
objection may be raised to this view, on the ground
that bad men may preach the truth. If so, their
teaching ought to be laid up in the heart, and practised in the life of the hearer.  On the other hand,
may not a proclaimer of the most atrocious heresies
be outwardly circumspect and blameless in all his
walk and conversation? It has often been said, that
the Socinianism of one of our largest and most
enlightened cities, was due to the respect felt for the
pure character, as well as great talents, of a popular
preacher of that doctrine. And it is plain, that the
more blameless the life of the heresiarch, the more
dangerous will be the heresy. We think, then, that
"the fruit" must primarily refer to the instruction
and not to the conduct and behaviour of the " false
prophet." If Satan can transform himself into an
angel of light, much more may a less sinful mortal
bear the outward semblance of rectitude and propriety. Still, in a subordinate sense, the fruit may,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             239
and most probably does, refer to the works of the
teacher. If he be a man of known bad character, it
is strong prima facie evidence that his doctrine is
wrong, and we should be specially on our guard in
receiving it. We should weigh it well, and examine it
well, by the only true criterion of orthodoxy, God's
infallible word.
The figure, employed by our Saviour, of the good
and the bad tree, is very suggestive; but like other
figures, it may be made to convey a meaning which
cannot be deduced legitimately from it. Some have
thought that the doctrine of human perfectibility was
taught in the sentence, "a good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit." Adam Clarke says, "to teach as
some have done, that a state of salvation can consist
with the greatest crimes, (such as murder and adultery in David,) or that the righteous necessarily sin
in all their best works, is really to make the good tree
bring forth bad fruit, and to give the lie to the
Author of eternal truth."  (Clarke on the 18th verse.)
Now, it is well known, as before stated, that men do
not judge of a tree by a single bearing, but by its
yield during a course of years.  Still less, do they
judge the tree by a few specimens, whether good or
bad, in a single bearing. Some kinds of trees, (as
the peach,) produce, when far gone in decay, a handful of their most delicious fruit. Surely these halfdead and half-barren trees would not be pronounced
good.  If then a tree is not called good, because it
yields a little choice fruit in a single year, neither




240           CONSIDERATION OF THE
should it be called bad, though it should fail altogether,
one summer, to yield its delicious products. In fact,
it ought not to be called bad, though it should even
bear some bad fruit every season.  The noblest trees
in the orchard cast a large amount of untimely fruit.
No one ever yet saw a fruit-tree that did not have
along with its rich treasures a goodly proportion of
crude, dwarfish, worm-eaten fruit. And so, no one
ever knew a Christian, who did not bring forth some
fruit "not meet for the Master's use."  Let the perfectionists point to a single sinless man, who has lived,
moved, and had being in this sinful world. They will
then exhibit such an one, as God, "whose eyes are
in every place," has never been able to behold.
Psalm  xiv.  From  the manner, too, in which He
speaks of Noah, Daniel, and Job, in the 14th chapter
of Ezekiel, it is fair to infer that he regarded them as
the holiest of all his creatures. And yet, the intemperance of the first, and the penitent confessions from
the lips of the last two, forbid us to suppose that even
these mighty men of the Lord were free from the
pollution of sin. Dr. Clarke might have learned a
different lesson from the very symbol which has misled him. A killing frost frequently nips the blossoms, the buds and the fruit of the finest trees in the
orchard; so the blighting influence of "the Prince of
the power of the air," but too often renders unproductive, for a time, the noblest vines in the vineyard
of the Lord. Moreover, an instructive truth is taught
us by the mode in which the good tree is blighted for




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            241
a season. The withering frost comes arrayed in
white, the emblem of innocence, and it robes the
plant it means to injure, in a lovely and attractive
garb. And so the sin, that destroys the Christian's
fruit, comes generally in some seducing guise. Thus
James and John, when indulging the most malignant
feelings towards a village of the Samaritans, thought
that they were but jealous for the honour of their
Master. Thus, honest and conscientious persecutors,
in every age of the world, have covered up their rancour and virulence, under cover of zeal for the Lord.
Thus, Saul thought that he was doing God service,
when giving the reins to his venomous hate. Thus,
too, it is with the well-meaning fanatics of the present
day, who disguise their bitter enmity to their brethren, under the mask of false philanthropy. How
often has the pretext of innocent amusements
seduced to the theatre, to the gaming-table, and to
the haunts of vice! How often has the young disciple put forth fair leaves and buds of promise, but
alas, has had his fruit blasted by some white-robed
temptation!  How  often  has some alluring vice
assumed the semblance of virtue, to delude the old
and well-established Christian!
THE VINE AND THE FIG-TREE.
These objects were familiar to all his hearers, and,
we presume, that this was the chief reason why our
Saviour employed them, to illustrate his warning
against false prophets. And thus it is in all his won



242           CONSIDERATION OF THE
derful teaching; all his figures, types and emblems are
drawn from every-day life, and are, therefore, within
the comprehension of the humblest of mankind. The
vine and the fig-tree abounded in Palestine, and were
familiar to all his audience.  They were accustomed,
moreover, to see them associated together in the
writings of Moses and the prophets. We find them
thus associated in the description of the promised
land-"a land of wheat and barley, and vines and
fig-trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil-olive and
honey." Deut. viii. 8. Dwelling securely under the
vine and fig-tree was typical of peace, prosperity and
plentifulness.  Thus, it is said, that during  the
reign of Solomon, "Judah and Israel dwelt safely,
every man under his vine and under his fig-tree."
1 Kings iv. 24. And the crowning blessing of the
restoration shall be, that "they shall sit every man
under his vine and under hisfig-tree; and none shall
make them afraid." Micah iv. 4. And in the curse
denounced by Jeremiah for their disobedience, it was
predicted that their enemies should "eat up their
vines and their fig-trees." It was the pathetic lament
of Joel, "that a nation, strong and without number,
hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig-tree."
We find the vine and the fig-tree mentioned together
in the sublime hymn-prayer of Habakkuk, and in
many other places in the Old Testament Scriptures.
So that our Saviour alludes to them, not merely
because his disciples were familiar with the objects
themselves, but because they were also familiar with




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            243
the typical character which they bore in the writings
of Moses and the prophets. This- familiarity with
symbolic language, would make the audience readily
comprehend any new use made of these plants, in
conveying moral instruction. But we can readily
conceive other reasons for using the vine and the figtree, rather than any others of the growth of the forest, to prefigure all the instruction which Christ
wished to convey. First, since there is a thorn that
has a berry not unlike the grape, and since there is a
thistle that has a pod not unlike the fig, the point of
the warning against false teachers, is not to trust in
outward appearance.  Heresy may resemble orthodoxy; bad doctrine is often very like to good; corrupt,
worm-eaten fruit can scarcely be distinguished on
the outside, from the sound and healthful. Moses
speaking of the wicked says, "their vine is the vine
of Sodom." It is thought that in his day, the fruit
which grew on the coasts of the Dead Sea, though
outwardly beautiful, were all rotten within, and
"turned to ashes on the lips."  The poet Moore has
embalmed this idea, in some exquisite lines. The
fact, that our Saviour speaks of products that so
closely resemble the bearing of the vine and the figtree, is sufficient to show that dangerous forms of
error may present a seeming family likeness to the
truths of God. The sons of the prophets mistook
poisonous wild gourds for nutritious garden vegetables. Thus the most pernicious instruction may
bear the similitude of inspired teaching. Mahomet




244           CONSIDERATION OF THE
threw a patch-work covering of Judaism and Christianity, over his hideous system of religion, and thus
concealed its monstrous features.  Since, then, the
true and the false, the sound and the unsound, the
beautiful and the shocking, in religious teaching, may
be made to look so much alike, how important it is,
to "try the spirits, whether they be of God."
Second. We are taught by the figure, dependence
upon God.  The vine, to which the believer is so
often likened in the Scriptures, is a dependent plant.
It can never rise above the ground, and must for ever
creep along there, unless it lay hold with its tendrils
upon something of sturdier growth. If it wrap
itself around the majestic oak, with broad-spreading
branches, it too will send out its creepers far and
wide, and it will fall only when the giant of the forest
shall fall. But if it seize upon some frail and slender
support, it will share in the insignificance of its prop,
and partake of its speedy ruin.  If it climb upon the
tall pine, its clusters will ripen high in the air, under
the genial influence of the sun.  But if it attach itself
to some dwarfing of the grove, it will be overshadowed
and its fruit will be sour and rotten, from want of
light and heat. Thus it is with man; if he cling to
the earth, he will be a groveller and creeper all the
days of his wretched existence. But if he take Jesus
as his prop and support, he will ever be rising higher
and higher towards heaven and God, and his fruit will
be unto eternal life.
Third. The figure teaches the avoidance of ostenta



SERMON ON THE MOUNT.              245
tion and display. The vine and the fig-tree have no
gaudy flowers to attract the eye and please the fancy.
The vine, when in bloom, fills the surrounding atmosphere with its fragrance. But this perfume literally
steals upon the air; the modest giver can only be
found after diligent search, embowered from observation in some leafy covert.  And thus it should be
with the child of God; the odour of his holy life
should be breathed by all in his atmosphere, while he
himself is in retirement from prying gaze and noisy
applause.
Fourth. The figure teaches that the disciple of
Christ should be fruitful. The fig-tree is his type,
and it is among the most fruitful trees of the earth.
The celebrated botanist and traveller, Tournefort,
says, that he saw fig-trees in the islands of the
Archipelago, which yielded two hundred and eighty
pounds of fruit apiece annually. The fig-tree is then
eminently fruitful and useful, though it has so little
in its appearance of the splendid and the gorgeous.
And thus should it be with the Christian; all his
powers should be devoted to usefulness, and not to
selfish and vainglorious display.
Fifth. The figure teaches the nature of grace-free,
sovereign, electing grace. The vine and the fig-trees
in the vineyard and orchard, are the planting of the
husbandman, who selects the scions according to his
pleasure.  He selects, plants, waters, and nurtures
just such plants as he thinks will suit his purpose the
best.  And thus it is with the Great Husbandman,
22




246           CONSIDERATION OF THE
He chooses, in his sovereign  pleasure, some for
honour and some for dishonour, some for one service
and some for another, and some are passed by or
rejected altogether. And as the shoots chosen by
the husbandman have no cause for boasting and selflaudation, neither have the elect of God any cause to
glory in their selection. Tile reason of it is to be
found in his gracious will, and not in their deserving
of this special mark of his consideration. The
honour calls for humility, gratitude, and the thankful
acknowledgment, "even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight." The Jews were chosen from
among all the nations of the earth, not because of
their merits, but because of the grace of God. And
so he has selected from among the Gentiles, of his
own free will, wild-olive branches, to partake of
"the root and fatness of the olive-tree." Rom. xi. 17.
And those plants alone which he has put in the
soil, or grafted into good trees, will bear fruit unto
eternal life.  " Every plant," says our Saviour,
"which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall
be rooted up."
Although it has but little connection with the present subject, it may not be amiss to state, that the
figure of grafting, employed by St. Paul, explains
perfectly what seem to some anomalies in the
character of the renewed man.  The world often
expects the individual, who professes "to be born
again," to be "a new creature," not merely in the
principles and motives that actuate him, but also in




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             247
temperament and disposition. But the language of
Paul teaches a different lesson.  The juices flow into
the grafted scion through the old channel; but the
juice.s themselves are different, and they convert the
wild and  noxious fruit into  the useful and  the
healthful.  And thus it is with the renewed child of
God.  He retains his old temperament, his old disposition, his old mental organization, and his old physical nature; but a living God-sent vitality permeates them all, and changes hurtful lusts into holy
desires, persecuting zeal into ardent philanthropy,
energy for evil into activity for good, love for error
into devotion to truth, delight in sensual indulgence
into joy in spiritual worship, audacity in upholding
the wrong into courage in defending the right; sanguine trust in the world to hopeful confidence in God,
persevering effort to accomplish wicked ends into
consistent diligence to be useful. Thus John retained
his loving disposition, Peter his impetuous temperament, Paul his fiery zeal, Nicodemus his prudence,
and Zaccheus his low stature.  The great change
leaves unaltered the usual channels of thought, of
feeling, and of action.  The learned does not become
unlearned, neither does the simple become wise in
the wisdom of this world; the hopeful does not become
despondent, nor is the melancholy temperament necessarily changed into the sanguine and the cheerful.
Grace modifies the tone of -thought, and the natural
temperament, just so far as is necessary for the glory
of God and no farther.  The harp that gives out




248          CONSIDERATION OF THE
its music to his praise is composed of many strings.
At one time it is struck by lamenting Jeremiah, and
wails out the melancholy strain, "I am the man that
hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.  He hath
led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into
light. Surely against me is he turned.; he turneth his
hand against me all the day." Again, it is struck by
Miriam  and her rejoicing attendants, and utters in
tones of triumph: "Sing ye unto the Lord, for he
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider
hath he thrown into the sea." And- so the penitential
psalm and the hymn of praise has each its appropriate string, and its appropriate tune. Who can tell
whether the melody of contrition or the melody of
gratitude be most grateful to the great Author of
our lives? Who can tell whether the deep diapason
of trust in him, or the lowly music of self-loathing
and self-distrust, strikes most harmoniously on "the
ears of the Lord of Sabaoth"? Who can tell whether
the swelling notes of the confident and the impetuous,
or the plaintive tones of the diffident and the cautious,
be most agreeable to him?  Who can tell whether he
is most pleased with the war-cry of Mr. Great-Heart,
or with the -timid yet loving appeal of Mr. FeebleMind?  Doubtless, he has given a diversity of gifts
and tongues, a diversity of tastes and temperaments,
a diversity of thoughts and feelings, in order that the
grand universal symphony, in which the whole body
of believers unite, may be more varied, more rich,
more full, and more sweet.




SERIMON ON THE MOUNT.           249
TEST OF PROFESSED DISCIPLES.
"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by
their fruits ye shall know them." (Verses 19, 20.)
The word "every" in these verses, evidently refers
to the whole body of communicants. We understand
our Saviour to give in them a test, by which professed disciples may be judged, and that is their
fruitfulness.   The preceding verses -try  religious
teachers by their good or bad fruit; these, all who
have taken the oath of allegiance to Christ, by their
productiveness or barrenness.  The former embrace
the clergy, the latter the laity.  We confine the
application of the 19th verse to professed believers,
because in the parable of the fig-tree, as recorded by
Luke, (13th chapter,) it is the unfruitful tree planted
in the vineyard, and not that growing wild in the
forest, which is to be cut down, because of its barrenness. And we think that religious teachers are not
embraced in the threat contained in the 19th verse,
because they cannot be unfruitful.  Their doctrine
must be "according to godliness," else it will be "the
doctrine of devils."  It must have "a savour of life
unto life," else it will have "a savour of death unto
death."  The minister of the gospel can occupy no
neutral ground. But the private member of the
church may be a mere negation. He may be neither
cold nor hot.  He may be neither on the Lord's side,
nor on the side of Satan and the world. IHe may
22*




250          CONSIDERATION OF THE
stimulate no one, by his holy walk and conversation,
to zeal for the service of God; neither may he urge
them, by word or act, to strive for the wages of iniquity. Instead of bearing bad fruit, he may lie (so
the 19th verse teaches) as a cut down tree, a dead loy,
in the way of life, over which, it is true, multitudes
may tumble into perdition. But he is then a passive,
and not an active, instrument of mischief.  He may
however do more harm by his immobility, than the
heresiarch by his activity. The dead log, across the
railroad track, may be more destructive than the
upas-tree, with its poisonous breath. Men are prone
to look upon the decaying trunk in the way as an
innocent thing; but it is an impediment and an
obstruction to all, and it may be a stumbling-block to
many. And thus it is with the inert, sluggish disciple. He may fancy that he wrongs no one, when he
is obstructing the narrow way that leadeth to life.
We understand then the test of the private member
of the church to be different from  that of the
preacher.  The latter is to be tried by the scriptural
or unscriptural character of his preaching; the former
by his fruitfulness or barrenness, by his activity or
by his slothfulness.
FINAL DESTINY OF THE BARREN.
"Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit,
is hewn down and cast into the fire." The present
tense and not the future is employed. The axe is
already eating into the heart and life of the barren




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             251
tree. The act of cutting down is now going on. The
bark is even now cut, the life-giving sap is flowing
out; the cells that contain it, the channels that convey
it, are breaking up. And yet there is nothing to
give sign that the fatal work is in progress, the axe
does not ring out on the air, there is no moving in
the top of the tree, the leaves are withering so slowly
that the beholder cannot distinguish the incipient
decay. Who can tell how far the girdling may go on
and the tree still live?  Who can tell when the next
blow will bring crashing to the earth all those goodly
but fruitless branches, with their rich but useless
foliage?   Who can tell whether the axe shall be
arrested before the tree fall, but not until it shall be
fatally injured? Who can tell how long it may be left
a leafless, sapless trunk, by the way-side, robbed of
that verdure which gave promise of fruit and yielded
none?  Who can tell how long it may stand as a
monument of God's wrath-desolate, doomed, and
forsaken?
The fruitless disciple should ponder it well, that he
is compared to a tree, against which the blows of the
woodman are falling thick and fast. A  little time
more, its fate will be sealed and its death certain.
And though it fall not, it is left drying up to be fitter
for burning.
PRUNING AND CUTTING DOWN.
The excision of the barren tree is a different thing
from the pruning of the fruitful. "Every branch




252          CONSIDERATION OF TIlE
that beareth  fruit," says our Saviour, "he (the
Father) purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit." The pruning is to cut off those shoots, which
serve as channels to carry off the juices from the main
stem. When these outlets are closed up, the sap
flows back into the proper ducts, and produces fruit
for the husbandman's use. The affections, that ought
to flow out towards God, are frequently turned from
their channels into some shoot by the gide, (it may be
some cherished son or daughter;) but when this shoot
is removed, they return to their old courses, and
move on with their wonted current and vigour. The
pruning of the good tree is salutary, it makes it
healthful and fruitful. But every blow struck at the
barren tree is a blow struck at its life.  The wounds
are not given for healing, but for destruction.  The
cutting is not to send the juices back to their old
channels, but to waste them on the ground. It is not
to impart fresh vitality, vigour, and beauty, but to
produce disease, death, and rottenness. This explains
the difference between the trials of the righteous and
of the wicked. In the former, they are pruning; in
the latter, girdling.  In the one, the trimming of the
vine-dresser to make the vine more productive; in
the other, the cutting down or deadening by the
farmer of the useless trees that take strength and
nutriment from his crop. In the one, they are the
winnowing of the chaff from the wheat to make the
wheat better; in the other, the gathering of the chaff
for the fire. In the one, they are the tillage of the




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            253
soil; in the other, the rooting up of the tares before
the time. Here then, we have a test of Christian
character. Those who are made more fruitful, more
heavenly-minded, more weaned from the world, by
their trials, disappointments, and bereavements, have
reason to hope that they have been chastised by a
faithful and affectionate Parent. But those who are
hardened and made more rebellious by their troubles
and afflictions, have reason to fear that they have had
a foretaste of punishment from an inexorable Judge.
Jacob was sanctified by his multiplied afflictions, and
there was a moral grandeur in the closing years of
his life, which we in vain look for in his youth and
early manhood; but Pharaoh hardened his neck
when often reproved, and he was "suddenly destroyed, and that without remedy."  David could say,
"it was good for me that I have been afflicted;"
but Saul was but rendered furious and desperate, by
the severe judgments of a righteous God. Father in
heaven, when thou layest thy hot and heavy hand on
us guilty wretches, O teach us to say with the innocent Sufferer, "not my will, but thine be done."
When thou cuttest the cords that bind us to this
perishing earth, 0 that thou wouldst bind the sundered ends to thine own eternal throne.
THE SIN OF UNFRUITFULNESS.
The language of the 19th verse is very impressive.
It is not the corrupt tree, but the tree which bringeth
not forth good fruit, that is to be hewn down and cast




254           CONSIDERATION OF THE
into the fire.  And so in the figure employed, our
SaviCur does not speak of noxious plants, such as the
upas tree, but of the barren-the thorn, and the
thistle.  And this is characteristic of all our Lord's
teaching.  He condemns neglect of duty more frequently than positive sin; unfruitfulness more than
yielding bad fruit.  The burden of his parables is
the sin of barrenness.  The seed by the way-side,
the seed among thorns, and the seed on stony ground,
all represent the word received into unfruitful hearts.
The householder, who let out his vineyard to husbandmen who would not render him the fruits in
their season, was but a type of the Lord in his dealings with the Jewish nation, which did not render to
him the peaceable fruits of righteousness.  The poor
wretch, at the marriage feast, had neglected to put
on the wedding garment. The five foolish virgins
had neglected to put oil in their lamps. The slothful
servant, who hid his one talent in the earth, was cast
into outer darkness for neglecting to put his Lord's
money to the exchangers.  The unprofitable servant,
who laid his one pound up in a napkin, was deprived
of it, because he neglected to put his Lord's money
into the bank.  In the parable of the supper, the
offence was neglecting to come to the feast.  In the
parable of the fig-tree, it was to be cut down because
the Lord had come for three years seeking fruit, and
finding none.  And so, too, in the vision of judgment,
as given in the 25th chapter of Matthew; the offences,
charged against those on the left hand, are all of




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             255
them neglects of duty.  "Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no
meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I
was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and
ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited
me not."  It is remarkable, too, that the only curse
pronounced by our Saviour, whilst on earth, was that
against the barren fig-tree.  And thus it was ever the
sin of omission which he especially rebuked. "Ye
will not come unto me that ye might have life."  "0
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and
stonest them which are sent unto thee; how often
would I have gathered thy children together, as a
hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and
ye would not."  "For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved."
The reason of this special condemnation of unfruitfulness is plain.  Slothful, inconsistent Christians do
far more harm to the cause of religion than blaspheming infidels. The false disciple is a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offence, and retributive justice
makes his punishment worse than having a mill-stone
about his neck, and being cast into the depth of the
sea. Matt. xviii. 6. The blasphemer is like the
breaker at sea; it gives warning of danger by the
roar and dashing of the waves.  The inert, impassive, immovable disciple is the sunken rock that
wrecks, in a moment of hope and confidence, the




256          CONSIDERATION OF THE
stately vessel, with her precious freight of immortal
souls.
It may be well to remark, that the 20th verse,
("wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,") is
not the mere repetition of the 16th verse.  It contains rather the summary of the tests of the religious
teacher, and the private member of the church.
Each is to be judged by his fruits; the former by his
good or bad fruit; the latter by the presence or
absence of fruit.  The comparison of the faithless
disciple to a tree without fruit, is similar to that
before given-salt which has lost its savour.  In
both illustrations there is semblance without reality,
shadow without substance, promise of good without
fulfilment.
LIP-SERVICE.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
(21st verse.)
The leading thought contained in this verse is
the same as in the preceding verses.  The man who
professes to honour God with his lips, and shows
forth no good deeds in his life, is like the tree
that has abundance of leaves and blossoms, and yields
no fruit in its season. And as the husbandman is
not content with the delusive foliage, neither is God
content with the deceptive profession. Both planted
for the fruit. Neither will be satisfied without it.
God looks at the heart, not at the lips. Good works




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            257
and not good words receive his commendation. The
faithful servant, not the faithful talker, is rewarded
with the "well done."  The honest performance, and
not the flattering promise, meets his approbation.
Alas, how prone men are to be satisfied with drawing nigh unto God with their mouths, when their hearts
are far from him! How prone to lull their consciences
to sleep with a name to live, when dead in trespasses
and sins! The Jews, when wholly given up to idolatry, could boastfully exclaim, "The temple of the
Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these." And when
their hearts were fully set in them to do evil, it is
said of them, that "Bethel was their confidence," and
that they were "haughty because of the holy mountain." And thus it is with thousands and tens of
thousands at the present day. They boast in the
church, and glory in their Christian profession, while
practically denying, by their walk and conversation,
the power of godliness and the beauty of holiness.
And just in proportion to the hollowness of their
hearts is the noisiness of their tongues.  It is the
hollow bell, and not the solid metal, which gives out
most sound.  Thorns crackle more under the pot than
substantial hickory. Dry thistles and straw throw
out more blaze than oak and ash. The shallow brook
babbles incessantly, the deep river flows on in perpetual silence. Peter was the only one of the disciples who was loud in professions of unwavering allegiance to his Master; and Peter was the only one of
the disciples who denied his Lord. Judas was the
23




258          CONSIDERATION OF TIHE
only one of the apostles who talked generously of
giving to the poor; and Judas was the only thief in
the apostolic band. We read of but one kiss being
given to our blessed Redeemer; and that kiss was
from the lips of a traitor. We read in the Scriptures
of but one man who boasted of his zeal for the Lord,
and that man was the profligate idolator Jehu.
In his last discourse on earth, our Saviour was
careful to draw a broad line of distinction between
doing and saying, practice and  profession, heartservice and lip-service.  "'He that abideth in me and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much  fruit."
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit."  "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love."  "Continue ye in my love."
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command
you."  "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen
you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring
forth fruit."  Here the highest possible reason is
given for the performance of good deeds. They are
not to merit salvation, but to glorify God.  He is
honoured by the good fruit of his vineyard, just as
the husbandman is honoured by an abundant yield
from his cultivated grounds.
JESUS DECLARES HIS MESSIAHSHIP.
The 21st verse is remarkable as containing the
first declaration, in this sermon, of the Messiahship
-of the illustrious speaker. Previously he had spoken
as one having  superior authority to  the Jewish




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            259
teachers, and he had calmly set aside their false doctrine, and interposed his own majestic, "but I say
unto you." Now, however, he speaks as one to
whom the veil, that shrouds the world of spirits, had
been lifted; as one who knew the final destiny of
every human being. We may imagine with what
indignation the proud Scribes and Pharisees listened
to the despised Nazarene, the carpenter's son, as he
exposed the falsity of their instruction, and the corruptness of their practice.  But now astonishment
must have swallowed up every other emotion, when
this man, who had no pretension to learning, (John
vii. 15,) professed to be able to read God's book of
life, and to know who would be saved and who would
be lost.  And how  must that astonishment have
increased, when he went on (22d verse) to unfold the
scenes of the great day of judgment, and to describe
men as appealing to him to be saved, because of the
mighty works done in his name. And finally, their
amazement must have passed all bounds, when the
lowly Galilean spake with calm dignity of himself as
the Judge of the quick and dead, (23d verse.) Who
can form  any adequate conception of this whole
scene?  There stands a supposed illiterate peasant,
a native of a despised community; a few ignorant
fishermen are his friends and followers, and now sit
reverentially at his feet; while right before him are
the proud, the powerful, the learned, and the respected
Jewish rulers and teachers.  He begins by addressing
a few words of comfort and consolation, of warning




260          CONSIDERATION OF THE
and direction, to his humble disciples, and then
launches boldly forth in condemnation of the whole
religious system of the most honoured and revered
sects of his nation; promulgates doctrines entirely
opposed to the passions, prejudices, and principles of
the whole race of mankind; and ends with giving
sanction and emphasis to all that he had uttered, by
announcing himself to be the "Judge of all the earth."
HIis words must have been attended with a divine
energy, they must have come home to the hearts and
consciences of his hearers with demonstration of the
Spirit and power; else, they would have seemed the
ravings of a madman. How else can we account for
the toleration' of the haughty and vindictive Scribes
and Pharisees, when he exposed the ostentatious,
vainglorious, self-seeking character of their religion?
How else can we account for the bigoted, fanatical
priests refraining to arrest him, as a blasphemer,
when he arrogated to himself the attributes of the
great God of the universe?
SELF-DECEPTION.
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done
many wonderful works?  And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity." (Verses 22, 23.)
There are six things in these verses that deserve
our special consideration. First. The persons here




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            261
described had made higher attainments than those
mentioned in the 21st verse. These had gone much
further than merely saying, "Lord, Lord," in an
outward profession of religion. They had also been
honoured with the gifts of prophecy, of casting out
devils, and of working miracles; and yet after all
were lost. Thus, "Saul was among the prophets;"
Caiaphas, the cruel, malignant wretch, was endued
with the spirit of prophecy; Judas, "the son of perdition," cast out devils; the Egyptian sorcerers
wrought miracles.  God may choose to bestow spiritual gifts upon unholy men, just as he often gives
them genius and mental power. But the most wonderful endowments and the highest attainments count
as nothing in his sight, if there be wanting "holiness,
without which no man shall see the Lord." " Though
I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing." And so Paul feared that
notwithstanding his exalted gifts and amazing success
as a preacher, he himself might be lost. "But I
keep under my body and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached
to others, I myself should be a cast-away." 1 Cor.
ix. 27. How different is this humble spirit of the
great Apostle from that of those who profess to have
arrived at perfect assurance and a sinless state!
Second. The two verses under consideration with
the one immediately preceding, constitute an unan23*




262           CONSIDERATION OF THE
swerable argument to prove the divinity of the Saviour.  In the 21st verse, he describes himself as
perfectly acquainted with the secrets of the invisible
world.  In the 22d, he declares that he will be
appealed to, as the umpire, in the great day of final
accounts; and in the 23d, he teaches that it is his
mandate that will banish the wicked to hell. These
are attributes of God, and of God only.  Hence the
man of Calvary is "God manifest in the flesh."
Third. We infer that the great body of professed
disciples, who are lost, are self-deceivers, and not
bold, audacious hypocrites.  There is something so
horrible in the thought of men assuming the garb of
holiness, for wicked and selfish ends, that we are not
disposed to believe that there are many unworthy
communicants who are conscious of their own unworthiness.  They must first deceive themselves, before
they can deceive the world. No actor can play a
feigned part well, without first entering into its spirit.
The embodiments of the fancy must become tangible
realities to him, else he can throw no illusion over
the minds of the spectators.  He must first delude
himself, else he cannot delude his audience.  Just
so it is with the hypocrite, the actor, (as the word
means;) he cannot impose upon others, until he has
first imposed upon himself. And how fearful it is to
reflect that men may live deceived in regard to their
spiritual condition, that they may die deceived, and
that they may stand deceived before the very bar of
God! IHow dreadful to think that men may die in




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.                263
the hope of a blessed immortality, when an eternity
of torment awaits them; that they may even rise
from the dead expecting to hear, "Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world," when they shall
only hear, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!"
How important then is the duty of self-examination! How careful we should be to look well to the
foundation of our hope!
"When I turn my eyes within,
All is dark, and vain, and wild;
Filled with unbelief and sin,
Can I deem myself a child?
Lord, decide the doubtful case,
Thou, who art thy people's Sun:
Shine upon thy work of grace,
If it be indeed begun.
Let me love thee more and more,
If I love at all, I pray;
If I have not loved before,
Help me to begin to-day."
Fourth. The 22d verse explains the reason of the
self-deception. -The persons described in it were
satisfied with mere gifts and attainments, and did not
trust to the righteousness of Christ. They trusted in
themselves that they were righteous. Observe, that
they do not say, "Lord, Lord, thou knowest how we
loathed sin and hated ourselves on account of it; thou
knowest how we felt our utter inability to satisfy the
claims of justice; thou knowest how we despaired of




264           CONSIDERATION OF THE
doing any good thing in our own strength; thou
knowest how, when we were thus convinced of our
sin and misery, our minds were enlightened in the
knowledge of thee, and our wills were renewed, so
that we were enabled to embrace thee as our Saviour
and our God."   They have none of this humble
spirit, none of this dependence upon a righteousness
not their own.  On the contrary, they are proud,
boastful, self-sufficient, confident of their acceptance
because of their mighty works.  Therefore strong
delusion was sent upon them, that they should
believe a lie, in regard to the condition of their
immortal souls.  Their whole language shows that
they knew nothing of humility, nothing of repentance, nothing of faith, and nothing of holiness.
Fifth. The 21st verse most probably refers to selfdeceivers among the laity, and the 22d to selfdeceivers in the ranks of the clergy.  If so, the
language employed intimates that there is, proportionally, a greater number of the latter than of the
former.  In the 21st verse, it is "not every one,"
(ou pas;) in the 22d verse, it is, "many," (polloi.)
Nor need we be surprised at this greater proportion
of self-deceivers in the gospel ministry, when we
reflect that it is entered in some countries merely as
"a living," and is designated by that name; that it
gives a position of respectability and literary ease;
that it may induce the habit of applying texts of
Scripture to the wants of the congregation, and not
to the minister's own ihdividual case; that it may




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            265
beget spiritual pride-trust in the sacred profession,
&c. &c. However this may be, if we were called
upon to name the holiest man we ever knew, we would
not designate an eloquent preacher, a learned theologian, a distinguished doctor of divinity, but an illiterate African slave. We read of our Saviour rejoicing
but once upon earth, and then it was because his
"Father had hid these things from the wise and prudent, and had revealed them unto babes."  Of like
import is the language of David, "'O Lord, our Lord,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast
set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength."
Psalm viii. 1, 2. The glory of God is set above the
heavens-is specially manfested by the little ones in
Christ, the babes and sucklings, the lambs of the
flock. The "please give me a new heart"* of the
child on his dying couch, may honour him more than
the eloquent prayer of Solomon before the assembly
of Israel. The hymn of praise from the lowly hut
may be more acceptable to him than the swelling
tones of the organ in some grand old cathedral. The
sweetest strains in the heavenly choir may be from
the lips whose innocent prattle delighted so much on
earth.  Let us rejoice then in the pleasure they give
our glorious Benefactor, and not selfishly mourn their
loss.
Sixth. The glorious doctrine of the final persever* These were almost the last words of a much-loved boy.




266          CONSIDERATION OF THE
ance of God's people is plainly recognized: "And
then I will profess unto them, I never knew you."
Those who are rejected, have never been known,
approved, and recognized by God as- his children.
The world may have so recognized them, but he had
made no such mistake.  The language plainly "intimates that if he had ever known them as the Lord
knows them that are hzis; had ever owned them, and
loved them as his, he would have known them, and
owned them, and'loved them to the end;' but he never
did know them; for he always knew them to be hypocrites, and rotten at heart, as he did Judas; therefore
he says, Depart from me." (Matthew Henry.)  The
father can never cease to remember his earthly son;
God can never cease to remember his spiritual child.
The parent may have his affections alienated from his
offspring; but God loves with an "everlasting love."
He "changes not." The security of the believer
rests, then, not in his own ability to persevere in
holiness, but in the immutable, eternal love of God.
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them,
that I will not turn away from them, to do them
good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that
they shall not depart from me." Jer. xxxii. 40. Here
we are plainly taught that the believer will never turn
away from Gods because God will never turn away
from  him. "Who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation." 1 Peter i. 5. The
power of the Almighty God, not his own strength, is
to keep the believer. The everlasting arms are




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             267
beneath him; he cannot fall, until these arms become
weary and fail in strength.
THE WISE MAN.
"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock. And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for
it was founded upon a rock." (Verses 24, 25.)
The figurative style, which was dropped in the three
preceding verses, is now resumed.  The true disciple
was likened to the good tree, that gave promise of
fruit by its foliage, and gave fulfilment by an abundant crop of figs and grapes. He is now likened to
a wise builder, who gives promise by gathering his
materials, and then fulfils by building-building well
and wisely on a sure foundation.
There are several things to be specially noticed in
these verses.
First. A house is a place for comfort, repose, and
shelter; it stands therefore as a type of religion, to
which men look for consolation and security.  The
rock is doubtless the rock of ages, even Christ Jesus.
We learn from his own lips, that he is "the stone
which the builders refused."  "Other foundation,"
says Paul, "can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. iii. 11. Again, the apostle
writes: "And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the




268           CONSIDERATION OF THE
chief corner-stone." Eph. ii. 20. But God himself
speaks of his Son as the sure foundation: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion
for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious
corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth
shall not make haste." Isa. xxviii. 16. The apostle
Peter calls the Saviour "a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious."
Since, then, the rock referred to is the rock Christ,
the verses we are now considering contain an additional argument for the security of the believer.  He
that hath builded on Him, shall not be confounded.
Eternal truth is pledged, that his house shall not fall,
that his religion shall not fail.  He is "a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed." The building that
he has erected shall stand; the tempests will roar
around it, and beat upon it, in vain; the torrents will
fume, and fret, and dash against it, in vain; the
floods will seek to undermine it, and sap its foundation, in vain.
Second. The believer will be sorely tried; his religion will be severely tested. A storm will come, "discovering the foundation unto the neck." Hab. iii. 13;
"Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what
sort it is." 1 Cor. iii. 13.  The rain that descends
from heaven, is most probably typical of the trials
that come directly from the hand of God; such as
famine, pestilence, personal sickness, loss of friends,




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            269
&c. The floods, which descended first from heaven,
but have been defiled and polluted with soil and mud,
most probably refer to trials permitted by God, but
which are received through earthly channels; such as
persecutions, slander, personal violence at the hands
of the wicked, &c. &c. The tempest that beats upon
the house, is surely the furious assault of "the prince
of the power of the air." The believer then may
expect to be tried by God, by the world, and by
Satan. He has nowhere a promise of a life of ease,
of freedom from trial, tribulation, and distress. His
Master was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief." "The servant is not better than his lord."
If these things were done in the green tree, what may
be expected in the dry? When John, in his vision,
saw "a great multitude clothed with white robes, and
palms in their hands," he was told, "these are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb." 0 no! the believer has nowhere been told
that his house shall not be exposed to the ravage of
the flood, and the desolation of the storm.  But
blessed be God, he has been promised that "the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  Our great
concern should not be, whether trials and afflictions
await us; not whether the tempest will come; but
whether we have a good building on a sure foundation, that will defy the fury of the elements, and the
sweeping of the torrents.
24




270            CONSIDERATION OF THE
"While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my heart-strings break in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee."
"Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."
"Let not the water-flood overflow me, neither let the
deep swallow me up."
"When rising floods my soul o'erflow,
When sinks my heart in waves of woe;
Jesus, thy timely aid impart,
And raise my head and cheer my heart."
Third. Not only must the foundation be of rock,
but the bond between it and the house must be good,
in order that the house may be secure.  In like
manner, the union must be close between Christ and
the believer, so that the believer may be able to
stand in the hour of trial and temptation. The two
illustrations of our Saviour have then another point
of resemblance. It is the union of the branch with
the vine that makes it fruitful.  It is the firm, indissoluble connection of the house with its foundation
that makes it strong. It matters not how solid the
rock may be, the building will have no stability
unless it is closely bonded with that rock. It must
be "fitly framed together," and fitly united to its
base; there must be proportion and symmetry in all
the Christian graces, and a close "sealing" to Christ,
"with that Holy Spirit of promise."




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            271
THE FOOLISH MAN.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
and the rain descended and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell:
and great was the fall of it." (Verses 26, 27.)
These verses point backward to the 22d and 23d,
and explain the nature and cause of the self-deception
of the persons there described. They have a building
in which they trust, but it is upon a slippery and unstable foundation. It is upon the shifting sand, not
upon the immovable rock. Or, dropping the figure,
they have a hope in which they trust, but this hope
does not rest upon the rock Christ, and their good
deeds and external morality are appropriately represented by the sand, the particles of which may be
composed of the best materials; but there is no bond,
no cement binding them all together, and giving
them  coherency, compactness, and solidity.  So it
is with good works which do not proceed from love
for Christ.  There is no life-giving principle pervading them all, and shaping them into one compact, indivisible whole. It is said of these self-deceivers, that they did mighty works in the name, but
not in the love of Christ. And as the sand is liable
to be drifted by every breeze, and swept away by
every flood, so they are liable to be "tossed to and
fro, and carried away with every wind of doctrine;"
~rr.~rtv\  ~urgIrr   ~I ~1+~V V~~l




272           CONSIDERATION OF THE
and to be drifted off from their Christian profession
by every tide of passion, prejudice, and sinful inclination.
The verses we are considering connect also both
with the 17th and 18th verses.  The hearer and
not the doer: of the word, has done a part, but the
least part of his duty. He has listened to the truth.
So the barren tree had done a part, but the least part
of its duty. It had put forth leaves and blossoms.
And as these excited the hope of abundance of fruit,
so the listening to God's word gives promise of being
affected and profited thereby.  The tree and the man
-both fail to fulfil the expectations that they had
created.  The " end" of both "is to be burned."
Reader, may you and I "' not be forgetful hearers,
but doers also of the work," that we may be " blessed
in our deeds." May we build our hope upon the sure
rock Christ, and not upon the shifting sand of our
own righteousness; that we may be fixed and stable
in all our principles and actions, and not "wavering
like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed."
" Unto Him that is able to keep" us "from falling,
and to present" us "faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God
our Saviour be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."
EFFECT UPON THE AUDIENCE.
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            273
For he taught them as one having authority, and not
as the Scribes." (Verses 28, 29.)
The audience were amazed, astonished, it may be
awed and terrified by the dignity, boldness, and divine
energy with which he spake. But we are not told that
their consciences were reached, and their hearts affected by the wonderful truths which they had heard.
Their understandings were enlightened in the knowledge of divine things, but we know not that the
truth was received in the love of it. Probably, some
of his hearers afterwards formed part of that fierce
mob, which cried, "Crucify him, crucify him.'"
But notwithstanding all this, the great doctrines proclaimed on that day, from that mountain in Galilee,
have been studied, and loved, and cherished, for more
than eighteen hundred years. They have been read
on sea and on land, in the wilderness, and in the city,
in the hovel, and in the palace. They have rebuked
the proud, and given grace to the humble; they have
exposed the hypocrites, and cheered the hearts of the
sincere; they have brought down the lofty looks of
the ostentatious, the vain, and the self-seeking, and
have established the hope of the lowly in heart; they
have swept away the sandy foundation of trust in
self-righteousness, and have taught men to build upon
the rock Christ. Yea, they have affected the sentiments, the views, the opinions, and the feelings, of
the whole race of mankind. Heathen emperors have
read and admired them; heathen moralists have
copied them and incorporated them in their systems
24*




274          CONSIDERATION OF THE
of religion. Poets and orators have drawn their inspiration from them; statesmen have quoted from
them in their papers.  Even infidels have extolled
them; Rousseau has been their most eloquent panegyrist. Voltaire could find nothing in them to sneer
at. Paine thought them unfit for his ribaldry. The
whole earth has felt and acknowledged their influence.
There is probably not a corner of it that has not received, at least some straggling rays from that bright
light, which the Son of God kindled on that obscure
mountain in Galilee.
Here, then, is encouragement for the gospel ministry. The poor preacher often feels with the discouraged prophet, that his preaching has been "as
a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice,
and can play well upon an instrument; for they hear
the words but they do them not." Let him remember, however, that neither did his Master's sermon,
so far as we know, produce any immediate effect.
But in the end, the results have been more glorious
than from the teaching of all the philosophers and
all the moralists the world has ever produced.  Let
him remember that God has said, "for as the rain
cometh down, and the snow, from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed
to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my
word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall
not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it."




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            275
TEACHING OF THE SCRIBES.
The evil of the teaching of the scribes did not consist so much in its direct falsity, as in its perversion of
the truth; not so much in promulgating new and
erroneous principles, as in making a wrong application of the old and the right. The most wicked and
dangerous doctrines assumed, in their system, the
form of necessary inferences from the laws laid down
by God himself. Thus, God had said, "Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself;" and they drew from
this command, the sinful inference that they might
lawfully and properly hate their enemies. God enjoined alms-giving, fasting, and prayer, as duties;
hence, they concluded, that these were meritorious
services, deserving the approbation of man and the
favour of heaven. Moses permitted divorce, in certain cases, but required that a writing of divorcement
should be given to the cast-off wife. This was done
for her benefit, security, and protection. But they
inferred that the giving of this writing was all that
was necessary to legalize divorce, and to justify the
husband in his desertion of his wife. So that through
their perverted construction of the Mosaic law, that
which was intended for the protection of the poor
woman, became the source of the greatest prejudice
to her.  God had said, "ye shall not swear by my
name falsely."  They laid all the stress upon the
word "name," and hence, concluded that they might
innocently use any form of oath which did not in



276          CONSIDERATION OF THE
volve the dreadful name of Jehovah. The rule for
the magistrate, in the redress of injuries, wantonly
and maliciously inflicted, was, "an eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth." But they deduced from
this rule for the executive officer, the right of private
individuals to retaliate blow for blow, and wrong for
wrong. And so, in regard to every other law and
principle of justice, they perverted their plain and
obvious meaning, put a false gloss or false construction upon them, or drew a false conclusion from them.
hIeretics, in every age of the world, have pursued
identically the same course as that of the Scribes in
the days of our Saviour.  Heresy has ever crept
stealthily in, not boldly proclaiming its infamous
doctrines, but twisting and perverting the truth,
making wrong applications of, and drawing false
inferences from the law of God, either written in the
heart and conscience, or else in his own Book Divine.
It is this insidious approach of error, and its insidious
perversions, that make it so potent and so pernicious.
Nature itself teaches us that perverted good is the
worst form  of evil.  The noble stream, confined
within its natural channel, blesses and fertilizes the
valley through which it flows; but when it has broken
over its boundaries, it becomes the desolating
flood-the messenger of God's wrath and vengeance.
The fire on the hearth is among the cherished memories in all after life, of the dear old homestead.
But that same element, when changed from its natural use of comfort and utility, is one of the most




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            277
fearful agents of ruin and destruction. Who has not
enjoyed the fresh, invigorating breath of the morning, and the cool, refreshing breeze of evening? But
who does not shrink back with terror upon witnessing
the ravages of the storm and the tornado?  Who
does not fear the air he breathes, when every gale
comes loaded with miasma, or tainted with pestilence?
How soothing and how nourishing is the breast of the
healthful mother to her helpless babe, and how injurious and pernicious is it when she is sickly and
diseased? And if we turn from the physical to the
moral world, we find the same evil consequences flowing from perverted good. What is pride but inordinate self-esteem; fear, but exaggerated prudence;
anger, but excess of the principle of self-protection;
depraved inclinations, but, perverted natural appetites?  And just as the best of medicines become
the worst of poisons, when given in excess or wrongly
applied, so the passions and emotions implanted in
our bosoms for wise and good purposes, become
sources of sin and evil, when allowed to become inordinate, or to be misdirected. The bitterest hate is that
which results from estranged affection. No enemy is
so malignant as the alienated friend.  Hence the
hatred of the sinner for holiness and God. The faculties which were given him, in order that he might
glorify his Creator, have been perverted and prostituted to selfish indulgences and unholy pursuits.
HIence he hates the Being who gave him the powers
which he has abused and misapplied. And just in




278          CONSIDERATION OF THE:
proportion to the vigour of his natural endowments,
and the extent of his attainments, will be the depth
of his rancour and enmity towards God. The greatest nuisance to society, and the greatest foe to all
that is noble, good, and true, is the man of high and
cultivated intellect, who has perverted his powers
from the service of God, and consecrated them to the
world, the flesh, and the devil. The enlargement of
the mind by reading, observation, and reflection, when
it fails to deepen reverence for God, and abhorrence
for sin, is sure to enlarge the capacity for all manner
of wickedness and crime.
The formalism of the Scribes and Pharisees resulted
from their perversion of the teaching of Moses and
the prophets. With these illustrious teachers, certain
duties were expected to flow necessarily from love to
God and love to man, and to be the spontaneous actings out of the dictates of the renewed heart. The
outward act was right, because the inner principle was
right.  The fruit was good, because the tree was
good. Hence the great thing with "the inspired men
of old" was to have all sound within, that all might be
sound without. The Scribes and Pharisees perverted
all this. They looked at the act, and cared nothing
for the motive that prompted to the act.  Good
deeds, instead of being regarded as evidences of holiness of heart, were regarded as holiness itself. And
thus, if the walls were whited, they cared not for the
rottenness and dead men's bones within the sepulchre. Naturally then, they cared more for rites and




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.            279
ceremonies than for the breathings of the soul after
God. Naturally then, they thought more of formal
observances than of the hungering and thirsting of
the soul after righteousness.  And so the religion
taught by the Scribes and illustrated by the Pharisees, was a stupid  formalism.  It was doubtless
adorned by many seemingly good deeds, but these
all were prompted by vain, selfish, and unholy
motives. It may have had much external loveliness,
but this was only the hectic glow of health on the
cheek, while disease and corruption were preying on
the vitals within.
TEACHING OF OUR SAVIOUR.
We will only venture to notice a few of the marked
peculiarities of our Saviour's instruction. First: The
most remarkable characteristic of this teaching was,
no doubt, that which most impressed the auditory,
viz. the power and authority with which it was
uttered. He set aside and pronounced false the traditions of the elders, and the doctrines which had
been received so long as infallibly true; and the only
reason that he deigned to give for so doing, was his
own declaration that they were wrong. He put his
own "but I say unto you" above all the commandments of the most revered teachers and authoritative
doctors of the law. This calm assumption of power
and authority, instead of exciting the indignation of
his hearers, seems only to have astonished them.
Doubtless, there was a majesty in his manner, and a




280          CONSIDERATION OF THE
divine energy in the tones of his voice, which awed
them into silence, and hushed their murmuring at the
boldness of his words. The lips that spake were those
of God manifest in the flesh, and their utterances must
have thrilled upon the ears of the assembled multitude.
Second: The personality of his remarks must have
produced a powerful effect upon men accustomed to
the cold, tame, and lifeless teaching of the Scribes.
He did not speak to the crowd, but to each individual
in the crowd; and every one present must have felt
himself personally addressed.  There -is no one word
directed  to  the whole assembly; "you," "ye,"
"your,"  "their," "thee," and "thine," are the
words employed.  There is no dealing in generalities,
all is particular, pointed, and pungent. There is no
vague hinting at false teachers; the Scribes and
Pharisees are designated by name. There is no
indefinite reference to the errors taught; they are
plainly mentioned, denounced, and refuted. There
is no ambiguous allusion to sins of practice; their
nature and character are unmistakably defined.  The
whole discourse is earnest, faithful, and solemn, and
well calculated to alarm the conscience, and to drive
the sinner from his refuge of lies to the only Ark of
hope and safety.
Third: The spiritual nature of the sermon. It
recognizes the great truth that holiness in the soul
makes holiness in the life.  Hence the right heart,
the right motive, the right principle, the right opinion;




SERMON ON THE MOUNT.             281
these are the things enjoined and insisted upon, to
produce right conduct and right deeds. It lays the
axe at the root of the evil. It shows that the sinful
thought causes the sinful act.  It teaches that there
may be adultery of the soul as well as of the body.
It reminds us that God sees in secret, and scrutinizes the secret purpose, as well as the outward
manifestation. It makes his glory the ultimate object
of all religious worship. It requires love to him to be
the foundation of all virtue. His righteousness is
to be the first thing sought. His honour is to be the
paramount consideration in every religious duty, in
every secular pursuit and engagement.  Finallv, it
builds a temple to his praise upon the rock Christ —
the corner-stone, elect, precious, tried.
Fourth: The simplicity of the style and language.
This wonderful sermon, with all its sublimity, depth,
power, and comprehensiveness, is so simple that a
child can understand it. There is no pomp of diction,
no straining after effect, no rhetorical flourish, no
extravagant figure, no wild allusion, no fanciful comparison.  It is clothed in the plainest words; it
draws its illustrations from objects familiar to all,
and understood by all. The most unlettered peasant
can grasp its meaning, the wisest philosopher can
never exhaust it. The most careless reader can see
its beauty, the most attentive student will fail to
discover all its loveliness.  Its richness, sweetness, fulness, adaptation to the wants and condition of man,
may be partially understood now; eternity alone can
25




282          SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
reveal them in all their perfection. Is it strange then,
that those who heard the first time this discourse, so
simple and yet so sublime, were powerfully impressed
by it? Is it strange that they were astonished and
awed by it? If we, coldly reading it at the distance
of so many centuries, can find no language wherewith to express our admiration, what must have been
the emotions of those who heard the living, animated
speaker, and that speaker the Son of God, the
Saviour of the world? We call form no conception
of their sensations, but we can, in the sincerity of our
heart, echo back the words spoken on another, and
most probably on this occasion also, "NLever man
spake like this man."
THE END.