PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels — St. Matthew
Ryle, J. C. (John Charles), 1816–1900 · 139,856 words · 405 reading sections
114 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
may be. Well says Quesnel, " Whatever measures good men take, they will never escape the censures of the world. The best way is not to be concerned at them.'' After all, what saith the Scripture .^ " The carnal mind is enmity against God."' " The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." (Rom. viii. 7…
512 wordsSECTION 122MATTHEW XI. 25—30.
25 At that time Jesus answered I 26 Even so, Father : for so it seem- and said, I thank thee, O Father, ed srood in thy sight. Lord of heaven and earth, because 27 All thin^rs are delivered unto thou hast hid these things from the \ me of my Father : and no man know- wise and prudent, and hast revealed eth the Son, but…
78 wordsSECTION 123116 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
the Son, and lie to whomsoever the Son will reveal liim. 28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is eaaj, and my burden is Ufcht. There are…
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him/^ He bears the keys : to Him we must go for ad- mission into heaven. He is the door : through Him we must enter. He is the Shejoherd : we must hear His voice, and follow Him, if we would not perish in the wilderness. He is the Physician : we must aj)ply to Him, if we would he healed of the plague of sin. He is the …
319 wordsSECTION 125MATTHEW, CHAP. XI. 119
they may be, and whatsoever their .past lives — all such are invited to come to Christ. Mark what a gracious offer Jesus makes. " I will give you rest. — Ye shall find rest to your souls." How cheering and comfortable are these words ! Unrest is one great characteristic of the world. Hurry, vexation, failure, disap23o…
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Mark, lastly, the encouraging account that Jesus gives of His service. He says, " My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." No doubt there is a cross to be carried, if we follow Christ. No doubt there are trials to be en- dured, and battles to be fought. But the comforts of the Gospel far outweigh the cross. Compared t…
296 wordsSECTION 127MATTHEW XII. 1—13.
1 At tliat time Jesus went on the sabbatli day through the com ; and liis disciples were an hungered, and began to phick the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy dis- ciples do that wliich is uot lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto tliem, Have ye…
490 wordsSECTION 128122 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
do not find a word to teach us that His disciples were not to keep a Sabbath at all. It is of much importance to observe this. The mis- takes that have arisen from a superficial consideration of our Lord's sayings on the Sabbath question, are neither few nor small. Thousands have rushed to the hasty con- clusion, that…
622 wordsSECTION 129EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
There is great reason for warning people on this point. The mistakes of the Pharisee about the Sabbath were in one direction. The mistakes of the Christian are in another. The Pharisee pretended to add to the holiness of the day. The Christian is too often disposed to take away from that holiness, and to keep the day i…
144 wordsSECTION 130MATTHEW XII. 14—21.
14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence : and great multitudes followed him, and e healed them all ; 16 And he charged them that they should not make liim known : 17 That it might be fulfilled which was sp…
197 wordsSECTION 131MATTHEW, CHAP. XII. 125
What evil had oui* Lord done, that He should be so treated ? None, none at all. No charge could be brought against His life : He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, — His days were spent in doing good. No charge could be brought against His teaching : He had proved it to be agreeable to Scripture …
288 wordsSECTION 132126 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
They should remember, that there was never but one perfect man on earth, and that He was not loved, but hated. It is not the infirmities of a believer that the world dislike, but his goodness. It is not the remains of the old nature that call forth the world's enmity, but the exhibition of the new. Let us remember thes…
290 wordsSECTION 133MATTHEW, CHAP. XII. 127
who are ready to despair of tlieir own salvation, because their strength seems so small. They are fall of fears and despondency, because their knowledge, and faith, and hope, and love, appear so dwarfish and diminutive. Let them drink comfort out of this text. Let them know that weak faith gives a man as real and true …
305 wordsSECTION 134EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
be a standing maxim in our religion, that a sparli is better than utter darkness, and little faith better than no faith at all. " Who hath despised the day of small things ?" (Zechar. iv. 10.) It is not despised by Christ. It ought not to be despised by Christians.…
49 wordsSECTION 135MATTHEW XII. 22—37.
22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb : and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David '{ 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said. This felhw doth not cast out devils, but by Bee…
440 wordsSECTION 136CHAP. XII. 129
the sin is not. It is difficult to sliow clearly what it is. We must not be surprised. The Bible would not be the book of God, if it had not deep places here and there, which man has no line to fathom. Let us rather thank God that there are lessons of w^isdom to be gathered, even out of these verses, which the unlearne…
298 wordsSECTION 137130 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
We must never be surprised to hear of dreadful charges being made against the best of men, without cause. " If they called the Master of the house Beelze- bub, how much more shall they call them of his house- hold ?" — It is an old device. When the Christian's arguments cannot be answered, and the Christian's works can…
301 wordsSECTION 138MATTHEW, CHAP. XII. 131
Him. Are we doing good in the world ? If not, we are doing harm. The principle here laid down is one which it concerns us all to remember. Let ug settle it in our minds, that we shall never have peace, and do good to others, unless we are thorough-going and decided in our Christianity. The way of Gamaliel and Erasmus …
292 wordsSECTION 139132 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
children of godly parents, the unconverted servants of godly families, and the unconverted members of evangelical congregations are the hardest people on earth to impress. They seem past feeling. The same fire which melts the wax, hardens the clay — It is a doctrine, moreover, which re- ceives awful confirmation from t…
285 wordsSECTION 140MATTHEW, CHAP. XII. 133
without tbougbt or reflection, and seem to fancy that if they do what is right, it matters but little what they say. But is it so ? Are our words so utterly trifling and unimportant ? We dare not say so, with such a passage ,^ . of Scripture as this before our eyes. Our words are the • '^ 0 evidence of the state of ou…
318 wordsSECTION 141EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
when we look forward to our days yet to come. Let us resolve, by God's grace, to be more careful over our tongues, and more particular about our use of them. Let us pray daily that our " Speech may be always with grace/' (Coloss. iv. 6.) Let us say every morning with holy David, " I will take heed to my ways, that I of…
120 wordsSECTION 142MATTHEW XII. 38—50.
38 Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous genera- tion seeketh after a sign ; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas : 40 For as Jonas was three days and …
366 wordsSECTION 143MATTHEW, CHAP. XII. 135
which [strikingly illustrate the truth of Old Testament History. Our Lord speaks of the queen of the South, as a real, true person, who had lived and died. He refers to the story of Jonah, and his miraculous preservation in the whale's helly, as undeniable matters of fact. Let us remember this, if we hear men professin…
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exactly in the state of these Scribes and Pharisees. They flatter themselves that they only require a little more proof to become decided Christians. They fancy that if their reason and intellect could only be met with some additional arguments, they would at once give up all for Christ's sake, take up the cross, and f…
591 wordsSECTION 145138 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
stoj)ped short and settled on their lees. They have all been too ready to be satisfied with mere external amend- r ments. And now there are painful symptoms in many >uC quarters that the evil sj)irit has returned to his house, ^f-^and is preparing an outbreak of infidelity, and false doctrine, such as the churches have…
592 wordsSECTION 146EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
poor and needy in this world. But there is a glorious " whosoever" in the last verse of this chapter which ought to cheer them. "Whosoever" believes is a near relation of Christ. The elder Brother will provide for him in time and eternity^ and never let him be cast away. There is not one ''little sister" in the family …
84 wordsSECTION 147MATTHEW XIII. 1—23.
1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gath- ered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat ; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow ; 4 And when he…
427 wordsSECTION 148MATTHEW, CHAP. XIII.
141 catchetli away tliat which was sown in his heart. This is he which re- ceived seed by the way side. 20 But he 'that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it ; 21 Yet liath he not root in himself, bnt dureth for a while; for when tribulation or pers…
385 wordsSECTION 149142 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
Like the sower, the preacher must be diligent. He must spare no pains. He must use every possible means to make his work 2:»i'0sper. He must patiently '^ sow be- side all waters/' and " sow in hope." He must be " in- stant in season and out of season." He must not be deterred by difficulties and discouragements. " He t…
614 wordsSECTION 150144 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
to the point of giving up all for Christ's sake. They never make up their minds to " seek first the kingdom <3f Qod/'— and so die in thek sins. These are points that we ought to weigh well. We should never forget that there are more ways than one of hearing the word without profit. It is not enough that we come to hea…
493 wordsSECTION 151MATTHEW XIII. 24-^3.
24 Another parable put lie forth unto them, saying, The kinj^rdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field : 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap- peared the tares also.…
125 wordsSECTION 152EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn. 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,…
519 wordsSECTION 153MATTHEW, CHAP. XIII. 147
It is a vast " field" in which " wheat and tares" grow side by side. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted, " the childreji of the king- dom, and the children of the wicked one," all mingled together in every congregation of baptized people. The purest preaching of the Gospel will…
297 wordsSECTION 154148 EXPOSITOKY THOUGHTS.
Are we inclined to look for the conversion of the whole world by the labors of missionaries and ministers ? Let us place this parable before us, and beware of such an idea. We shall never see all the inhabitants of earth the wheat of Grod, in the present order of things. The tares and wheat will " grow together till th…
602 wordsSECTION 155EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
fill will the whole body of believers appear, when finally- separated from the wicked ! How fine will the wheat look in the garner of God, when the tares are at length taken away ! How brightly will grace shine, when no longer dimmed by incessant contact with the worldly and unconverted ! The righteous are little known…
143 wordsSECTION 156MATTHEW XIII. 44—50.
44 Again, tlie kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and sfilktli^allthat he hath, and buy- etli that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodiy pearls ; 4*3 Who, when lie had found one pea…
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gives up. He sees in Christ an endless "treasure." He sees in Christ a precious "pearl." To win Christ he will make any sacrifice. This is true faith. This is the stamp of a genuine work of the Holy Ghost. Behold in these two parables the real clue to the con- duct of many unconverted people ! They are what they are i…
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bad was sure to come at last, but not before the end of tlie world. Such was the account which the great Master gave to His disciples of the churches which they were to found. It is of the utmost importance to have the lessons of this parable deeply graven on our minds. There is hardly any point in Christianity on whi…
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we among the "good fisli ?" This is the grand question. It is one which must be answered at last. The net will soon be " drawn to shore."' The true character of every man's religion will at length be exposed. There will be an eternal separation between the good fish and the bad. There will be a " furnace of fire'' for …
76 wordsSECTION 160MATTHEW XIII. 51—58.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye [this man this wisdom, and these understood all these things ? They ' mighty works ? Bay unto him^ Yea, Lord. | 55 Is not this the cai-penter's son ? 52 Then said he unto them, There- is not his mother called Mary i and fore every Scribe ivJiich is instructed his brethren, James, and…
573 wordsSECTION 161156 EXPOSITOEY THOUGHTS.
verses, is the strange treatment which our Lord received in His own country. He came to the town of Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and " taught in their synagogue." His teaching, no doubt, was the same as it always was. " Never man spake like this man." But it had no efiect on the people of Nazareth. They wer…
566 wordsSECTION 162MATTHEW XIV. 1—12.
1 At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist ; lie is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty works do shew foith themselves in him. 3 For Herod had hiid hold on John, and bound him, and put 'him in prison for Ilerodias' sake, his brother Phil…
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our ways ?" They may depend upon it, they are sowing misery for themselves, and will reap a bitter crop sooner or later. Their wickedness will overtake them one day. They will find, like Herod, that it is an evil thing and bitter to sin against God. (Jerem. ii. 19.) Let ministers and teachers remember that there is a …
559 wordsSECTION 164MATTHEW XIV. 13—21.
13 When Jeaus heard of it, he de- parted thence by ship into a desert place apart : and when the people had teard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. 14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a fjreat multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. 15 And when it was evening, …
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disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. 16 But Jesus said unto them. They need not depart ; give ye them to eat. 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 1…
364 wordsSECTION 166MATTHEW, CHAP. XIV. 163
dren that they were full when they were hungry. He would be exposed as a cheat and impostor on the spot. Yet this is the mighty work which our Lord actually performed, and by performing it gave a conclusive proof that He was God. He called that into being which did not before exist. He provided visible, tangible, mate…
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and abundant in goodness and truth/' (Exod. xxxiv.6.) He does not deal with men according to their sins, or reward them according to their iniquities. He loads even His enemies with benefits. ]^one will be so excuse- less as those who are found impenitent at last. The Lord's goodness leads them to repentance. (Rom. ii.…
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and miserable, and>poor, and blind, and naked. (Kev. iii. \17.) There is but a step between us and everlasting death. What do these loaves and fishes represent, apparently so inadequate to meet the necessities of the case, but by miracle made sufficient to feed ten thousand people ? They are an emblem of tJie doctrine…
288 wordsSECTION 169MATTHEW XIV. 22—36.
Peter -was come down out of the sLip, he walked ou the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when lie saw the wind bois- terous, he W'as afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth Ms hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, ■wherefore didst…
1,382 wordsSECTION 170170 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
much, and forgive much, when He sees true grace in a man's heart. As a mother deals gently with her infont, and does not cast it away because of its little wayward- ness and frowardness, so does the Lord Jesus deal gently with His people. He loved and pitied them before con- version, and after conversion He loves and p…
232 wordsSECTION 171MATTHEW XV. 1—9.
1 Then came to Jesus Scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, Baying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders ? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradi- tion? 4 For God command…
151 wordsSECTION 172CHAP. XV. 171
me with their lips ; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching /or doctrines the command- ments of men. "We have in these verses a conversation between our Lord Jesus Christy and certain Scribes and Pharisees. The subject of it may seem^ at first sight, of little inter- est in modern …
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about their favorite doctrines ? If he can, they are satisfied, though there is no evidence that he is con- verted. If he cannotj they are always finding fault, and cannot speak peaceably of him, though he may be serving Christ better than themselves. Let us beware of this sj)irit. It is the very essence of hypocrisy. …
579 wordsSECTION 174174 EXPOSITORY THOUGHTS.
is still fearfully prevalent. May we watch against it, and be on our guard ! May we remember that no tra- dition or man-made institution in religion can ever excuse the neglect of relative duties, or justify disobedience to any plain commandment of Grod's word. We learn, in the last place, from these verses, that the …
311 wordsSECTION 175MATTHEW, CHAP. XV.
175 the world. The question of our Lord must yet be an- swered satisfactorily, before we can be saved. He says to every one, '' lovest thou me T' (John xxii. 17.)…
31 wordsSECTION 176MATTHEW XV. 10—20.
10 Audhe called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand ; 11 Not that which ^oeth into the mouth deflleth a man ; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying ? 1…
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charging tliem with transgressing the commandment of God. " Knowest thoii/' they said, " that the Pharisees were offended." To this question we are indebted for our Lord's ex23lanatory declaration — a declaration which perha23s has never received the notice it deserves. The plain meaning of our Lord's words is, that f…
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thefts^ false witnesses, blasphemies : these are the things which defile a man." — He that would serve God aright needs somethingfar more important than bodily washings. He must seek to have " a clean heart." What an awful picture we have here of human nature, and drawn too by one who knew what was in man ! What a fea…
318 wordsSECTION 179MATTHEW, CHAP. XV.
179 world and the devil combinedj cannot do us so mucliliarm as our own hearts will, if we do not watch and pray. Happy is he who remembers daily the words of Solomon, '' He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.'' (Prov. xxviii. 26.)…
46 wordsSECTION 180MATTHEW XV. 21—28.
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sklon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Caanan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, tliou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came an…
310 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1857). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.