The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 152

man iB must always stand before the claims of the body, of which he has only a temporary occupancy. II. THE FOOD FOR MAN AS A. BPmITUAL BEING. Complication arises in oonsidering this matter, because the food for the spirit has to come mainly through the bodily faculties and receptivities. But there is a clear distinction between the food which simply supplies bodily hunger, the indulgence that satisfies bodily appetite, and the food which nourishes emotion and affection, and cultures the conscience and the will. Take the sensual man and the spiritual man, and show how differently they stand related to daily food for body and mind. The food of a spiritual being is spiritual. It goes into the term " obedience," which includes submissions, humilities, affections, communiogs, service, praise, devotion, etc. Let a man first feed his soul, and the fed soul will put into safe and wise regulation all feedings of the bodily a.ppetite.-R. T. Vers. 5, 6.-Temptation through human ambitiona. The second temptation was to the sin of presumption, to which sin the ambitious man, who sets an end before him, and means to gain it somehow, is especially exposed. From the, tempter's .point of view Jesus was ambitious to be the Messiah, so he tempted him to a.dopt the most showy and most speedy way of fulfilling his ambitions. "Make a show; the people love a show, and yon will gain the end of'your ambition a.t once; everybody will shout tha.t you are Messiah." There is such a. thing as a holy a.mbition, a proper love of a.dmira- tion, an honourable desire for fame. But all its expressions and actions must be a.bso- lut€ly true and fair. No sincere man will deceive in order to succeed-will ''do evil that good may come." L MEN'S AMBITIONS. Every man o~ht to have his ambition. He ought to mean something in life; he should set an aim before him. No man ever accomplishes any- thing unless he has ambition. Because the word ha.s been misused. is no reason why we should refuse to recognize its possible good use. Ambition may be an inspiring, ennobling force. Using the term in relation to Christ, we may recognize his ambition to save and bless the people of his day, and.in the end all humanity. He would be the Messiah they needed. lL :MEN's AMBITIONS PROVING TEMPTATIONS. This they do: 1. When they are simply self-seeking. Low-charactered ambitiions are sure to lea.d men astray. Wealth, pleasure, fame, a.re sure to affect men's spirit and conduct; they always deteriorate men when they are made the life-aim. 2. Wben they set men on unworthy schemes. Thls was the kind of suggestion made by the tempter to our Lord. "Float down from the corner of tbe temple; men will think you hav,e come down out of heaven, and accept your Messiahship at once." Ambitions provide perilous temptations when they suggest "schemes" and "dodges " and "deceptions." III. MEN's TEMPTATIONS THROUGH A.14BITIONS llA.STEBED BY RELIGIOUS PBINOreLE, This is the force of Christ's answer. A good man will only gain his ambitions on honest lines. A right-minded man feels that any attempt to deceive man is really that wicked thing, an attempt to get an advantage of God.-R. T. Ver. 6.-The limits of ang&-duvrge. Observe the sentence omitted in the quotation. The psalmist wrote, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." It may be that, from our points of view, the omission is not important, because we can see that it is involved even if it be not explicitly stated. The Divine care always assumes that its objects are in the sphere of duty. But it is significant that the tempter should omit what he evidently felt would spoil his persuasion. L ANGEL-OHABGE. There will always be two ways of dealing with the references to angels which are found in the Word of God. 1. The one way will be taken by the pra.ctical-minded, who can be content with the surface of things, and to whom facts are just facts. These will always people the unseen world with. persona.I beings, who are conceived as constantly engaged in Divine ministries, and who have sometimes actually come into the field of human vision. '' .Are they not ministering spirits," etc.? 2. The other way will be taken by the mystical-minded, who cannot imprison their minds in forms, who are always seeking essences, spiritual realities, the things which gain vary- ing embodiments for the apprehension of the human senses. To these, angels will seem to be personifications of the many Divine forces and influences that affect men's OIL iv. 1-25.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 143