8 For every one that asketh receiv- eth ; and he that secketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone ?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ?
11 If ye then, beinj? 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?
The first portion of these verses is one of those passages of Scripture, which we must be careful not to strain beyond its proper meaning. It is frequently abused and misapplied, hy the enemies of true religion. It is possi- ble to press the words of the Bible so far that they yield not medicine, but poison.
Our Lord does not mean that it is wrong, under any circumstances, to pass an unfavorable judgment on the conduct and opinions of others. We ought to have decided opinions. We are to " prove all things." We are to " try the spirits.'' — Nor yet does He mean that it is wrong to reprove the sins and faults of others, until we are perfect and faultless ourselves. Such an interpreta- tion would contradict other parts of Scripture. It would make it impossible to condemn error and false doctrine. It would debar any one from attempting the office of a minister or a judge. The earth would be ^- given into the hands of the wicked." (John ix. 24.) Heresy would flourish. Wrong-doing w^ould abound. t..
What our Lord means to condemn is a censorious and fault -Jin ding spirit. A readiness to blame others for trifling oftences, or matters of indifl'erence — a habit of passing rash and hasty judgments — a disposition to magnify the errors and infirmities of our neighbors, and make the worst of them— this is what our Lord forbids. It was common among the Pharisees. It has