4. And hence we are naturally led to observe, whom it is that he is here teaching? Not the apostles alone; if so, he had no need to have gone _up into_ the _mountain_. A room in the house of _Matthew_, or any of his disciples, would have contained the twelve. Nor does it in any wise appear, that the _disciples_ who _came unto him_ were the twelve only. Οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, without any force put upon the expression, may be understood, of all who desired to _learn of him_. But to put this out of all question, to make it undeniably plain that where it is said, _He opened his mouth and taught them_, the word _them_ includes all the multitudes, who went up with him into the mountain, we need only observe the concluding verses of the seventh chapter. _And it came to pass, when_ Jesus _had ended these sayings, the multitudes_, οἱ ὄχλοι, _were astonished at his doctrine_ (or teaching.) _For he taught_ them (the multitudes) _as one having authority, and not as the Scribes_.
Nor was it only those multitudes who were with him on the mount, to whom he now taught the way of salvation: but all the children of men, the whole race of mankind, the children that were yet unborn: all the generations to come even to the end of the world, who should ever hear the words of this life.
5. And this all men allow, with regard to some parts of the ensuing discourse. No man, for instance, denies, that what is said of _poverty of spirit_, relates to all mankind. But many have supposed, that other parts concerned only the apostles, or the first Christians, or ministers of _Christ_; and were never designed for the generality of men, who consequently, have nothing at all to do with them.
But may we not justly enquire, who told them this? That some parts of this discourse, concerned only the apostles? Or the Christians of the apostolic age? Or the ministers of _Christ_? Bare assertions are not a sufficient proof, to establish a point of so great importance. Has then our Lord himself taught us; that some parts of his discourse, do not concern all mankind? Without doubt, had it been so, he would have told us; he could not have omitted so necessary an information. But has he told us so? Where? In the discourse itself? No: here is not the least intimation of it. Has he said so elsewhere? In any other of his discourses? Not one word so much as glancing this way, can we find in any thing he ever spoke, either to the multitudes or to his disciples. Has any of the apostles, or other inspired writers, left such an instruction upon record? No such thing. No assertion of this kind is to be found in all the oracles of God. Who then are the men who are so much wiser than God? Wise, so far above that is written?
6. Perhaps they will say, “That the reason of the thing requires such a restriction to be made.” If it does, it must be on one of these two accounts; because without such a restriction, the discourse would either be apparently absurd, or would contradict some other scripture. But this is not the case. It will plainly appear, when we come to examine the several particulars, that there is no absurdity at all in applying all which our Lord hath here delivered, to all mankind. Neither will it infer any contradiction to any thing else he has delivered, nor to any other scripture whatever. Nay, it will farther appear, that either all the parts of this discourse are to be applied to men in general, or no part; seeing they are all connected together, all joined as the stones in an arch, of which you cannot take one away, without destroying the whole fabrick.
7. *We may, lastly, observe, how our Lord teaches here. And surely, as at all times, so particularly at this he speaks _as never man spake_. Not as the holy men of old; altho’ they also spoke _as they were moved by the Holy Ghost_. Not as _Peter_ or _James_, or _John_ or _Paul_. They were indeed wise master-builders in his church. But still in this, in the degrees of heavenly wisdom, the servant is not as his Lord. No, nor even as himself, at any other time, or on any other occasion. It does not appear, that it was ever his design, at any other time or place, to lay down at once the whole plan of his religion, to give us a full prospect of Christianity, to describe at large the nature of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Particular branches of this he has indeed described, on a thousand different occasions. But never besides here, did he give, of set purpose, a general view of the whole. Nay, we have nothing else of this kind in all the Bible: unless one should except that short sketch of holiness, delivered by God in those ten words or commandments, to _Moses_, on mount _Sinai_. But even here how wide a difference is there between one and the other? _Even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth_, 2 Cor. iii. 10.