UPON OUR LORD’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. DISCOURSE X. MATT. vii. 1‒12.
_Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine; lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you.
Ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find: knock and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent?
If ye then being 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?
Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets._
1. OUR blessed Lord, having now finished his main design, having first delivered the sum of true religion, carefully guarded against those glosses of men, whereby they would make the word of God of none effect: and having, next, laid down rules touching that right intention, which we are to preserve in all our outward actions: now proceeds to point out the main hindrances of this religion, and concludes all with a suitable application.
2. In the fifth chapter our great Teacher has fully described inward religion in its various branches. He has there laid before us those dispositions of soul, which constitute real Christianity; the tempers contained in that holiness, _without which no man shall see the Lord_; the affections, which when flowing from their proper fountain, from a living faith in God thro’ Christ Jesus, are intrinsically and essentially good, and acceptable to God. In the sixth he has shewn, how all our actions likewise, even those that are indifferent in their own nature, may be made holy and good, and acceptable to God, by a pure and holy intention. Whatever is done without this, he declares is of no value with God: whereas whatever outward works are thus consecrated to God, are in his sight of great price.
3. In the former part of this chapter he points out the most common and most fatal hindrances of this holiness. In the latter, he exhorts us by various motives, to break thro’ all, and secure that prize of our high calling.
4. The first hindrance he cautions us against is judging. _Judge not, that ye be not judged._ Judge not others, that ye be not judged of the Lord, that ye bring not vengeance on your own heads. _For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again_: a plain and equitable rule, whereby God permits you to determine for yourselves, in what manner he shall deal with you in the judgment of the great day.
5. There is no station of life, nor any period of time, from the hour of our first repenting and believing the gospel, till we are made perfect in love, wherein this caution is not needful for every child of God. For occasions of judging can never be wanting. And the temptations to it are innumerable: many whereof are so artfully disguised, that we fall into the sin, before we suspect any danger. And unspeakable are the mischiefs produced hereby: always to him that judges another: thus wounding his own soul, and exposing himself to the righteous judgment of God: and frequently to those who are judged, whose hands hang down, who are weakened and hindered in their course, if not wholly turned out of the way, and caused to draw back even to perdition. Yea, how often, when this _root of bitterness springs up_, are _many defiled thereby_: by reason whereof the way of truth itself is evil spoken of, and that worthy name blasphemed whereby we are called.