8. Our Lord here ranks under the head of murder, even that anger which goes no farther than the heart; which does not shew itself by any outward unkindness; no, not so much as a passionate word.
_Whosoever is angry with his brother_, with any man living, seeing we are all brethren, whosoever feels any unkindness in his heart, any temper contrary to love: whosoever is angry _without a cause_, without a sufficient cause, or farther than that cause requires, _shall be in danger of the judgment_, ἔνοχος ἔστι· _shall_ in that moment _be obnoxious to_ the righteous judgment of God.
But would not one be inclined to prefer the reading of those copies, which omit the word, εἰκῆ, _without a cause_? Is it not entirely superfluous? For if _anger at persons_ be a temper contrary to love, how can there be a cause, a sufficient cause for it? Any that will justify it in the sight of God?
_Anger at sin_, we allow. In this sense we may _be angry and_ yet we _sin not_. In this sense our Lord himself, is once recorded to have been angry. He _looked round about upon them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts_. He was grieved at the sinners, and angry at the sin. And this is undoubtedly right before God.
9. _And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca_: whosoever shall give way to anger, so as to utter any contemptuous word. It is observed by commentators, that _Raca_ is a _Syriack_ word, which properly signifies, _empty, vain, foolish_: So that it is as inoffensive an expression as can well be used, toward one at whom we are displeased. And yet whosoever should use this, as our Lord assures us, _shall be in danger of the council_: Rather, shall be obnoxious thereto: he shall be liable to a severer sentence from the Judge of all the earth.
_But whosoever shall say, Thou fool_――Whosoever shall so give place to the devil, as to break out into reviling, into designedly reproachful and contumelious language, _shall be obnoxious to hell-fire_, shall in that instant be liable to the highest condemnation. It should be observed, That our Lord describes all these, as obnoxious to capital punishment. The first, to strangling, usually inflicted on those who were condemned in one of the inferior courts: the second to stoning, which was frequently inflicted on those who were condemned by the great council at _Jerusalem_; the third to burning alive, inflicted only on the highest offenders, in the _valley of the sons of_ Hinnom. Γῆ Ἑννών· from which that word is evidently taken, which we translate hell.
10. And whereas men naturally imagine, that God will excuse their defect in some duties, for their exactness in others, our Lord next takes care to cut off that vain, though common imagination. He shews, That it is impossible for any sinner to _commute_ with God: who will not accept one duty for another, nor take a part of obedience for the whole. He warns us, That the performing our duty to God, will not excuse us from our duty to our neighbour: that works of piety, as they are called, will be so far from commending us to God, if we are wanting in charity, that on the contrary, that want of charity will make all those works an abomination to the Lord.
_Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee_, on account of thy unkind behaviour toward him, of thy calling him, _Raca_, or _Thou fool_; think not that thy gift will atone for thy anger; or that it will find any acceptance with God, so long as thy conscience is defiled with the guilt of unrepented sin. _Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother_, (at least, do all that in thee lies toward being reconciled) _and then come and offer thy gift_, ver. 23, 24.
11. And let there be no delay in what so nearly concerneth thy soul. _Agree with thine adversary quickly_――Now: upon the spot――_while thou art in the way with him_――If it be possible, before he go out of thy sight――_Lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge_――Lest he appeal to God, the judge of all, _and the Judge deliver thee to the officer_, to _Satan_, the executioner of the wrath of God, _and thou be cast into prison_, into hell, there to be reserved to the judgment of the great day. _Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing._ But this it is impossible for thee ever to do; seeing thou hast nothing to pay. Therefore if thou art once in that prison, the smoke of thy torment must _ascend up for ever and ever_.