winds at the sides [of our spiritual edifice].1 — ^ ftfoyji, the rain} The presence of the article denotes that the rain will not be deficient. — -n-poatffssov, fell upon) i.e. to try its power of endur ance. In ver. 27, we have Tfooixo-vJ/av, beat upon, as though at random and without object.
26. 'O dxoiiwv, he that hearetli) He who neither hears nor does, clearly does not build at all. — S-TT! rr\ v a^ov, on the sand) which frequently looks like the rock, but is not of the same con sistence.
27. Ka/ jjv v\ irruffig air5j$ ptyfck^ and great was the fall of it) It was great indeed, for it was entire. We see, from the present example, that it is not necessary for all sermons to end in a consolatory strain.
28. ZUHT&ICIV, concluded) The Lord did nothing abruptly : see ch. xi. 1, xix. 1, xxvi. 1. — l|£TX?!<r<rovro, were astonished) The attractions of true teaching are genuine ; those of profane, futile. You may wonder, perhaps, why our Lord did not in this dis course speak more clearly concerning His own Person. But (1) He explained His teaching so excellently, that from thence His auditors might judge of the excellence of the Prophet who thus taught ; (2) His person had been already2 sufficiently declared; (3) in the discourse itself, He sufficiently intimates who He is, namely, "He that cometh"3 i.e., the Son of God, the Judge of all ; see ch. v. 11, 17, 22, vii. 21-27.
29. 'fig l|oi.'tf/ai> £%wv, as one having authority) They could not withdraw themselves away.4 It is the mark of truth to constrain minds, and that of their own free will. See examples of our Lord's authority (i^oueta) in the Gnomon on ch. v. 3, 18-20, vii. 22, 23, and also viii. 19, and John vii. 19. — "/pap/tare?;,6 scribes}
1 All kinds of judgments are here intimated: but especially the last judgment. It is indeed scarcely that the righteous man is saved, yet however he is saved [1 Pet. iv. 18].— V. g.
2 e.g. Mattiii. 17.— (I. B.)
3 See ch. xi. 3.— (I. B.)
4 Thfy felt the majesty of the Teacher, and the paiver of His word. —
v. g.
6 The margin of Edit. A.D. 1753 regards the fuller reading, oi ypotpfieiTiis O.VTUV x.a.1 oi <&apurxloi, as almost equal in probability to this shorter one. — E. B.
Lachm. adds the words with C corrected by the first and second later