The compound verb has the same meaning as the simple He approves of their coming, but with an important condition. — puyw, to flee) sc. by baptism. — avb rye /AeXXoiKftjg bpyris, from the wrath to come) which they will incur, rejecting the kingdom of Heaven by their impenitence. That same wrath is afterwards spoken of, in 1 Thess. i. 10, as rr,g if^ojfeinic, which is coming. At the same time, the error of the Sadducees in denying the resur rection is refuted. That wrath was to come upon them at the destruction of Jerusalem and the last Judgment.
8. Tloi/iffan, produce — xapvbv a^iov, worthy fruit) Origen re marks, that in St Matthew worthy fruit is required in the sin gular number from the Pharisees and Sadducees; whereas, in St Luke, worthy fruits are required in the plural number from the people. I do not myself see what difference it makes in the matter. The singular Kaptrbg, fruit, is often used collectively ; and in the preaching of St John it may be opposed to barrenness : in the plural number, it implies fecundity. Men are here repre sented as trees ; and the fruit is, therefore, their repentance. — rrjj /juravoiae, of repentance) Construe these words with xaprov.1 Thus, in Acts xxvi. 20, we read «£/« r/jg pernvoias 'ipyct. — /ardvoia, re pentance, is an entire change of character/ and a renunciation of all that is evil, by which renunciation we wish that evil void or undone.
9. Mfj oofyn, think not) The verb 8oxu} to appear or imagine (in the same manner as patrxw, to allege or suppose, the particle uc, as; and the Latin expressions, prse me fero,to profess; ostendo, to declare ; puto, to suppose ; videor, to seem ; apparet, it appears ; species, appearance), sometimes denotes a thing which is true, and at the same apparent ; sometimes an empty appearance, which any one presents to himself or others. And thus the meaning in this passage is, " You may indeed say this, in some degree, with truth, but you must not plume yourselves upon it." 3
1 Bengel would apparently render the passage thus : worthy fruit of re pentance ; and so in the passage immediately cited from the Acts, worthy works of repentance. E. V. has, in the one passage, fruits meet for repent ance; in the other, works meet for repentance. — (I. B.)
2 This scarcely expresses the original " transmutatio mentis." Ainsworth gives us the first signification of MENS — " That part of the rational soul which is the seat of natural parts and acquired virtues." — (I. B.)
3 There is nothing that men will not rake together, especially self-