same back- Jesus
Mt.
in the singular pronoun), He declares to each of them that, if he strives to lead the double life, he will inevitably be guilty of refusing God's claim, and so will sink into darkness and condemnation ; but if, with single-eyed devotion, he heeds God's message and. claim, he shall be filled with light and blessedness.
3. Very similar to this is the thought in Mt jp6-3o^ though the word dTrXoOs is not employed. The upbraided cities, with much formal religion, were yet devoted to manmion and had no real heart for God. Hence their darkened judgment, as shown by their inability to understand John or Jesus, and hence their inevitable doom. Over against these worldly ' wise and understanding ' people Jesus sets the ' babes ' — those who, less wise in their generation than the children of the world (cf. Lk 16^), cry out in their need and helplessness not for the world's prizes, but for the One they must have, even the Father. Their cry the Father answers ; to all such the Son gives rest. Tiie same idea is expressed pointedly in Lk 10^" (* rather re- joice that your names are written in heaven ') and Lk lO'*^, where the one thing needful is to listen to Him. This passage (Mt ll^-so) shows how easily the transition is made from ' singleness of aim' to 'childlike guilelessness.' In the eyes of the world this may seem foolishness, but in Jesus' thought it is wisdom (IP^). It is a mark of those in His Kingdom (Mt 18="^-, Mk W\ Lk ISi^-i^). Apart from these, there are only two or three passages that properly belong here. One is Mt 10'". The Eng. ' harmless,' based on a false deri- vation of aKipai.os, is unfortunate. It should be ' guileless ' or ' simple ' as in the Lat. and many Eng. versions. Prudence alone may lead to trick- ery ; simplicity alone, to silliness. The A2)ostles are to be both prudent and guileless. Nathanael is already an illustration of it — it constitutes the true spiritual Israelite (Jn l''^).
Such is the gospel conception of the simple life — a life of trustful obedience to the will of God. It will manifest itself in various ways : — in unequivocal speech (Mt 5^') ; in healthy independ- ence of the opinion of men (Mt 6^- ^ "^-y Jn 5^') ; in judgments based on principle and reality rather than on appearance or custom — as about the Sab- bath (Mk 223-36) and; the two anointings (Lk T^^-so^ Mk 143-9); in righteousness (Mt G^\ calm (Mt 1219 1129)^ courage (Mt 14^), etc. It is indeed the very root of all virtue, the very heart of the Chris- tian life. It underlies all Christ's teachings. To exhaust it in all its implications would be to exhaust the Gospels.
Jesus Himself is in this, as in all other matters, the incarnation, the living illusti'ation, of His own teachings. His first recorded utterance strikes that note (Lk 2^** AV) ; it reappears on the thresli- old of His public career (Mt 3''), repeatedly in the course of His ministry in conversations with dis- ciples or controversies with opponents (Jn 4^^ G^** gsy. 42-47 94^^ r^^^ even in His prayer to the Father toward its close (17'*). And, as we study His con- duct and character as He moves in the midst of friends and foes, Ave can see how unfailingly that life of single-hearted devotion to (iod is marked by insight and wisdom ; courage and calm ; sted- fastness and consistency ; beauty and strength ; loyalty, patience, and heroism ; righteousness, truth, and love ; gr.ace, majesty, and blessedness. It cuts a straight path through all the shams and sophistries of men, and rises victorious over all Aveakness and AvoiTy, all AvayAvardness and Avicked- ness.
LiTERATURK. — Of the Comm. those of Broadus and J. A. Alex- ander on Matthew {five the best exposition. Bengel on Mt 6-'- shows his usual insig:ht, though he has tripped on 1016. See also Hastintis' DB, artt. ' Simple,' ' Simplicitv.' We may add, for the benefit of any who are interested in modern discussion
of ' the Simple Life ' : Wagner, The Simple Life ; W. J. Dawson, The Quest of the Simple Life ; M'Leod, The Culture of Sim- plicity ; and Letters on the Simple Life, republished from the Daily G-raphic. Some of these are as instructive by their con- trasts to, as in their agreements with, the NT conception. See also R. F. Horton, The Commandments of Jesus (1898), 63 ; Phillips Brooks, New Starts in Life (1896), 158 ; S. A. Brooke, The Gospel of Joy (1898), 161 ; G. H. Morrison, Sunrise (1901),
124. J. H. Farmer.
SIN. — Sin is personal liostility to tlie will of God. Christian teaching with regard to it is relative to the facts of the gospel, being necessarily implied by the death of Christ considered as a work of redemption. It is the Christian interpretation of facts of experience, which are independent of any explanation of life, whether ottered by theology, philosophy, or scientific theory. Its value is irre- sjiective of the view which historical criticism may suggest of the literature of the OT. Neither is it att'ected by theories of the organic development of the world or human life derived from modern biological thought. Philosophic systems, monistic or otherwise, cannot be allowed to govern or modify a doctrine Avhich in the first instance can be tested only by relation to beliefs grounded not upon metaphysic, but experience. The Christian will rather hold that a philosophic theory inadequate to the facts of the gospel has been too hastily identified with reality.