PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2
Arthur Lukyn Williams [1853-1943] · 606,924 words · 664 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 481
HOMILETICS. Ve!'ll. 1-13.-17ie parabl.e of the ten uirgins. I. Tmi:v GO FORTH. 1. The kingdom of heaven. Here, as olsewhere, that kingdom is the;visible Church. But the present parable seems to relate to a pa.rt only of the kingdom, a portion of the Church. 'fhere may possibly be no spiritual significance in the wor…
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eelf-denials, nnd the constant faithful 1188 of the appointed means of grace for " the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ," The Spirit ia the holy oil, the oil with which the Lord himself was anointed('' God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost," Acts x. 88), the "unction from the Holy One," which is given …
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th~ virgins trimmed their lamps, they all sought to prepare themselves to meet the Bridegroom. But there was a difference. The foolish virgins felt now the went of those vessels "'.hioh th~ey had heedlessly left-the want of that oil which they had neg- lected to provide. "\\ hen _they awoke to a sense of the Bridegr…
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Hie enough for ue if we feel the exceeding awfulness of thoee words, ,,.The door wlll! shut," and take into our hearts the solemn warning of the Lord, "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." It must be very dreadful to be found unprepared, even if the lamp is not quite…
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gifts entrasted to him. 3.. ~ US6 '1/'lade of them. Straightway (according to who.t seems to be the best arrangement of the text) he who had received five te.lents went and traded with them. He lost no time; he felt the greatness of his trust, and set to work at onoe to do his best for his lord. He was successful; he m…
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more thBn ought to be expecl,ed of them. They shrink from nndertaking religious work, lest by failure in that work they incur the wrath of God and bring themselves into danger. So they do nothing for God. They own that they had hidden the talent, the grace once given to them, but at nny rate they had not wasted it i…
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not apparent success, which determines the reward. 4. The condemnation of the slothful servant is awful exceedingly. Then work while there is time. Vere. 31--46.-The l~tjadgment. I. THE JUDGE. 1. His glory. The Lord wo.s sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking sadly back upon the holy city and the temple which be had …
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-the kingdom of glory, that glory which paeseth all that ey,~ bath seen, or ear hath heard, or that bath entered into the heart of man. That kingdom had been pre.pared for them from the foundation of the world; even before the world was (Eph. i. 4), God knew, in the fulneee of his Divine omniscienoo, each elected spiri…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Veni. 1-13.-The ten virgin& I. CimIST INVITES ms CHlJROH TO SHARE ms JOY. Here is a festal occasion, and the joy and splendour of it will not be complete unless tlie virgin-friends of the bride go forth to meet the bridegroom with their lamps illu- minating the gay scene. More than once…
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VI. OHRIBTIANS NEED TO CULTIVATE A WATOHFUL SPIRIT. The ten virgins must be all Christia.us, for they all belong to the intimate circle of friends, and they all have lamps alight at first. The fault of the foolish ones is negligence, carelessness, caused, one would sa.y, by comparative indifference. It is well to be al…
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men of two talents have abounded, and have proved their fidelity by their fruitful industry. It is well for us to be on the look out for these worthy servants of God, that we may recognize and honour them. They &re the salt of the earth; they show us that God has not left himself without witness. It is especially pl…
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appears to be unjust. Thus the _capitalist is enabled to enlarge his buainesa, while t,,e poor tradesman who needs 11n rncrea.se much more is not able to go forward at all. Great houses tend to monopolize commerce which once divided itself among many shops, and the larger the business is the more people flock to it and…
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Ver. 46.-The etemal future. This is a fearful subject, and one from which we naturally shrink. Yet if Christ spoke of it he must desire us to study his words; if what he said was true, we can only neglect it at our peril. The difficulty is to take his words just for what he meant them to teach us, without over-weightin…
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neo.rer tho.n some expect; or it mo.y be more distant. The virgins who neglected to carry oil were those who expected the bridegroom would soon appear. It is your bo.seleee supposition that the Lord will not come quickly that betrays you into care- lessness. If any one feels that this comes to no more than an appeal to…
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Then it is not an easy, le.zy turning to one's neighbour for help the.t will do any good. Those who are 1·,3ady pass in to the me.rriage, and" the door is shut." A new thing it is for thnt door to be shut. So long has it stood open, thrown wide back, that we forget there is a door that can shut that entrance. But the t…
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doing which you will please him whose pleasure in you will fill your nature with glad- ness; it is given to you to increase your Lord's goods. See, then, that you bo not burying your ta.lent, Money is made for circulation; so is grace. Yet some men might as well have no grace for all the good H does ; it is carefull…
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apparently be mennt by them to convey the impression which every simple-minded, unbiBSsed reader receives from them, that the duration of the punishment of the lost equalled the duration of the blessedness of the saved. The word translated "everlnsting" in the one clause and" eternal" in the other is the same in bot…
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I. THAT BELIGION ADMITS OF NO NEUTRALITY, 1. In other thi'Tlgs men may be 4ndifferent. (1) Thus in questions of science: one dogmatist may assert that gravitation is the effect of attraction as a property in matter. Another may hold attraction in matter to be a mechanical absurdity. It is of little consequence should a…
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light of a good prof088ion. The foolish look with consternation upon their oil-less veBBels. IV. THAT ETERNITY EXPOSES THE REFUGES OF FOLLY. 1. Trti,,ting ro works of supererogation. (1) These_ were invented about the end of the twelfth centary. It is founded upon what the papists call "counsels of perfection," or rul…
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an income of more than five times that of the poorest. Thie might be feasible with an adcqnate levelling up. (4) No man bas any right to complain that be bas more or lees than another. He that bl!.8 much should not despise him that has little. He that hne little should not envy him that has more. The man who improves h…
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I. THE ARRANGRMEN'I' OIi' THE oouRT, And conspicuous here is: 1. The appearanca of the Jwige.. (1) "The Son of man." Under this title the Lord comes to us as the Divine Word or Trot~ made flesh, and so accommodated to our apprehension. In this quality God reveals himself as our Redeemer and Saviour; and in this qual…
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unregenemted. It is when the Lord is glorified in us that we become truly those whom he acknowled~,es as his brethren (cf. eh. xxviii. 10; John xiii. 1, margin Revised Version; xx. 17). Yet is there a becoming reverence which prevents the disciple from speaking thus familiarly of the Lord. Even James does not presume t…
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Ver. 4.-The provision for <Jhristian emergencies. " The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps." Some think that torches of tow, steeped in oil, and fastened to the end of sticks, may be meant. Wetstein quotes the following from Rabbi Solomo: " It wa.s the custom in the land of Ishmael to bring the bride fr…
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living. The warning is a general one. A.11 things are in limitation, Nothing but oomes to an ending. That ending is always uncertain. So we must be ready for everything, and take full advantage of it while we have it. Van Lennep explains the shutting of the door in a way that suggests our present point: " While they we…
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Ver. 15.-The moral value of our responsibilitie,. Several distinct lines of thought open out from this parable. 1. The diversity of the talents with which men are entrusted. 2. The common responsibility of all before God, be their talents few or many. 3. The certainty found in the very nature of a trust, that a reck…
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his duty. It we.e duty he could do; duty he ought to do. But when the day of reckoning came, he tried to bide hie shame by complaining of his master, and calling him hard names. How that excused him nobody can see. l. lN MAN 18 AN INVETERATE DIBPOBITION TO RESIST TllE OONVICTION OF BIN. It is the hardest thing we ever…
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" I will not trust you," is far worse woe than to apportion him the "outer darkness, the weeping, and the gnashing of teath,"-R. T. Ver. 31.-The Son of man eurcisingjudgment. The advent of Messiah was, in the Jewish mind, associated with general judgment. The people looked forward with dread to the Messianic era. Ther…
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EXPOSITION. A.D. 30, the sixteenth year of the Emperor CHAPTER XXVL Tiberius. In this year, astronomers tell us, Ch. :nvi.-:nviii 20,-THUS JESUS ENTERS the 14th of Nisan (equivalent to April T) t!PON ms KINGDOM, fell on a Friday; and as for typical reasons Before attempting to expound this most at least we should e…
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at some 200,000) could not ,l1ave been himself now distinctly states the day of sacri □ ced in the time appointed, and that & his ooalh e.nd the person who we.a to betray large proportion 01 the A11imRls were killed him. aud eaten both before 11,nd after the etrict.ly Ver. 2.-Ye know. He speaks of e. fe.ct well kno…
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And the ■oribea. These words are omitted impress the spectacle of retribution upon on vory good e.uthorit,y by mnny modern the greatest nnmher; but in the case of editJrs. 'fhey 11re not found in the Vulgate, Jesus, after what bad occurred during tl,e though they occur in the p11rnllel passages last few day~, and wh…
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time a me.tter of prudence or delioe.cy not nowadays one he11rs compl:\ints of money tu dre.w e.ttention to them by DR.me, Dut being expended in the ril'lh decoration of there is no disorepe.ncy. One nllrrative churches, etc., when there are ste.rving eupplements the other, &nd it is best to be multitudes whom it wo…
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strict nccordnnce with the old Lnw: "The quent comment of Chrysostom, who, how- ,poor shall never ccnee out of the land; ever, unreasonably identifies Mary with the therefore I command thoo, saying, Thou sinner who previously anointed Jesus. ehaltopen thine han<l wi<le unto thy brother, "Who then proclaimed it, and …
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ing out hie purpose, rrnd mnking of it some introduced into tho Meembly. No wonder pecuniary !!"Rin. We e.re not to suppose " they were glad" (1\la.rk xiv. 11); hero WM that Ibis miserable man sank all at once to a solution of the contempb1.ted difficulty; this clcptb of iniqnity. Nemo repente fit they need have no …
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Vora. 17~10.-ProparatilYTI/M thsPaBchal householder who hr1d nccommodathn. Dr. Bupper. (Mork xiv. 12-16; Luke x.xii. Edershrim supposes that he wo.s father nf 7-18.) Mark, who was the "young man" arrested by the company that took J esns (l\lo.rk xiv. Ver. 17.-The 11.rst do.y of the Feast of 51). The secrecy observed …
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it ie nlways rmployed in roferenoe to hn.ving tasted it, passed it round to the the Jewish solemnity. St. Penl, in his gnests; the master washed his hands, the account of the institution of the Holy Com- others performing their ablutions at a later munion (1 Cor. xi.) makes no mention of part of the service ; the di…
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Ohri,t. Jude.s we.s one of those who hu.d sinnera we mity sgitin quote At. Chrysf)st0m done eo, The foot of ee.ting together made, (' Hom. lxxxi. in Matt.'),"' What, then,'""~ 111 the Eaatarna' view, the trau.cbory more may say,' th0u,;h Judas had not betraye,t monstrous, "Mina own fe.miliar friend, in him, would no…
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confuse e. ree.der with R multitude of inter- ne.ile and his side with the sp<lllr.. Gave it pretations which in the c-nd have virtue.Uy (/B/8ou, troe giving) to the disciples. H& to be surrend(lrod. The points to be specially gave to c-ach of them tL portion of the co.kc remc-mbered before tryiag to expound the in the…
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Way: be cliroote nttontion to one part or his said solemnly," Tliie is the body of the Pas- nBture, hie bocly, nnd thot as Jood to be che.I Jamb." Christ transformed this fonnuh cBlon. He ehowe the mode by which we may to a now uee, but in neither case did it intm- be purticipolore of this liie lower nature, dnce a …
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t.Pnded. The Ynl)'.'.nte has, fl-ON testa.menU. nna,looholic grRpe-juice. Wine, to be wine, The old oovenant bAwPen God e,nd his most undergo fermenllltion, and if it is not people hnd been ratified 11t Sinai by the to putrefy or to become vinegar, it must de- bfood of many nctims (Exod. xxiv. 5~; velop aloohol. Whe…
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hlL!l boen gratlunlly introduced, yet Obriet in Galilee was by appointment, and of most so etl'iolly obeervod the Law that he would eolemn import, Christ then reuniting the doubtlees hnve obeyed its injunclion in this apostolic body, and renewing the apostolio particular if he had been keeping the legal commission (…
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press"). Jerus retired thither for privacy here of the mental 11,gony which he iR en- e.nd for prRyer in e.nlicipntion of what was during; he hid~s not from the faithful three coming. SL John explains, "Where WM a that whioll weighs upon his henrt, so ex- gardeu, int.o the which he entered, and his oessive R straiu …
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lutoly olone. St. Lulce nnmee the clistance, suffered (Hob. ii.10; v. 8). By thia passr1g-e "Ho wae withdrn.wn from thorn Bbout a the Monophysite and Monothelite heresies etone'e on.et." Dy some clericBI error the a.re o!carly refuted, the two natures and two genuine reacling, Trpo,/\8wv, "having gone wills of Christ b…
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take it in the sense of suocnmbing to, fe.lling tl1at we are hea.rd and that an answer wil1 under, being ,-,.nquished by temptation, be given; even as Christ obtained not tho like iµ..-[,rr.,v in 1 Tim. Yi. 9, "immorgi et withdrawa.l of the cup, but strength to eucenmbere." The.t Peter aud the rest submit, endure, a…
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Ver. 47.-Judae, one of the twelve. Bo God towards sinners, how he maketh hi1 culled by all the synoptiete, o.e if to enhance sun to rise on tho evil and on the good. hie guilt-one of Christ's own familiar Ver. 50.-Friend; 1-ra.'ip•: companion (see friends, who hod e11ten bree.d with him. eh. xx. 13; xxii. 12). The word…
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buy one." Two of them had then exhibited was of wide application, and contained a tlie weapons with wliioh they bad artucd universal truth; it wa.a, in fa.et, a fe-onaot- themscl l'Cs, as if ready to repel violence. ment of the primieve.l law touohing the A.nd now one of these, thinking that the sacredness of human …
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Ver, 54.-Bot how then (0~11, i.e. if I now docile disciples; be puts those to she.me in rOFrisl) shall the Boriptores be fulfilled, that their folly by proofs from Scripture, and thus it most be 1 There is no" but" in the strengthens these in their despondency by it11 original. In what wny, Christ asks, shall consol…
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appen.ns to hal"e entered the court with the feared to elicit one or hi■ crushing repllea guard that held the Prisoner; but Peter or unanswerable questions. They were glad remained without till introduced by his to fall back upon something else, whioh fellow-apostle, who WR.S known to the servant especially concerne…
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7 ; of. Ps. xxxviii. 13, 14). HB knew it we.a Almighty God. Coming in the clouds et of no use, nnd was not the moment, to heaven (eh. xxiv. 30). Chriat thus dis- e'llplnin the mystery of the words which tinctly asserts bis Divinity, and claims to he b11d need. Indeed, it was unfair to a.k apply to himself the uttera…
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Ver. 67.-The scene thnt ensuecl upon the formed tl1e vestibule or poroh; this wae- verdict being pronounced is beyond measure closeJ towards the street hy a honvy gate, hideous o.nd unexo.mpled. When the meet- hiwing in it a email wicket for the use of ing broke up, Jesus ,ms for a time left to visitors, kept by a por…
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eignment to some chamber rrr gallery that simply asserts; he then asserts with an overlooked the courtyard. The excitement oath; lastly, he adds curses to his oath. of the tri11l and its accompaniments having " One temptation unresisted seldom foils to eomowhat subsided, 11ttention wa1 again be followed by another ;…
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hour; he looks forward with sweet, holy oe.lmness to that cruel death. " The Son of man is delivered up," be said-is being delivered; even while he was speaking the treason was being planned; it would soon be consummated. The greatest festival of the Jewish year would be desecrated by the foulest crime which the world …
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She showed her thankful devotion. She brought an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it first (it seems) on hia head, aftenvards on his feet, as he eat at meat. It was a very costly gift, but it was not waste, for it was an act of worship. H signified the exceeding sacredness of the holy body of the Lor…
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Church, keeping alive the sweet memory of Mary, urging countless Christian men and women to follow her example. . Ill. 'l'HE BETRAYAL. 1. Judas. ~re was one to whom the fra<1rance of that perfume was a savour of death unto death. He bore an honoured na~e a name of religious significance. "Now will I praise the Lord…
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Vers. 17-30.-711e last Supper. I. THE PREPARATION. 1. The question of the discipleB. It was now the first day of Unleavened Bread," when the Passover must be killed" (Luke xxii. 7; Mark xii. 12); a.ppnrently, therefore, the fourteenth of Nisan, -which seems to have been sometimes regarded as the beginning of the feas…
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behind him, prompting him to his hellish crime. He would have warned him eveq now; he tells him of the dreadful consequences of the sin which was in his thoughts. "Good were it for that man if he had not been born!" How it must have reut the loving heart of the most merciful Saviour t.o say those awful words I But. …
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the now covenant-the blood with which the covenant of grace was inaugurated. The partaking of that cup in repentance, faith, and love brings home the blessings of the new covenant to each believing soul. That blood was now being shed, the Lord said ; the hour of his death was so near at hand that he regarded it as alre…
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said, his chosen dh•ciples would be offended, and on that very night. He who should become the Head-stone of the corner would be for a time even to them a stone of stumbling: and a rock of offence. It must be so, the Lord said, for so it had been written, applying to himself that prophecy of Zechariah which has so m…
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know that" the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all." We know that he" bare our sins in bis own body on the tree," and we believe that it we.a that terrible burden of sin-the sin of the whole world-that crushed him to the earth. Sin was to his pnre soul most utterly loathsome, most horrible; and, in some mysterious …
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'l'hey had heard the Lord speak again and again, clearly and certninly, of hie own approaching death; they had heard of the treachery of one of their own nuruber. They hl\d listened, it must have been in rapt awe-stricken attention, to those wondrous utterances of exhortation! comfo~t, instruction, recorded in St. J…
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was heard in thnt ho feared " (Heb. v. 7). As the angels ministered to him, the, Almighty Son of God, aftor his temptation, so now in his agony one angel comforted him, the Comforter of nll. He submitted to receive strength and comfort from his angels. 'l'hey·wm cnlm onr spirits in our death-agony if we are truly hi…
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Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.