only the first blow, and the house fell" trast to the scribes and ruling classes, (Weise,' Matthius-ev.'). And great was flu, Were a.stouiahed (cf. Acts xiii. 12). At his fall of it. Our Lord's solemn verdict of the doctrine; at hl• teaching (Revised Version). utter ruin awaiting him who does not put Ver. 29.-For he taught them. Such we.a his assent into action. The cle.use conveys his constant ha.bit (~v . . . B,6d.t11<0,v). Aa an impression even stronger than ver. 23. one having authority, and not as the There the positive worker of le.wlessness is soribes. Who, indeed, never cl11,imed personal banished from Christ's presence; hero, on authority. Jewish teachers lean on the fact the mere non-worker of Divine messages of their ha. ving received that whi ~h they received is pronounced ruin and (for such, 11,t expound. They professedly Bink their own least, seems suggested) th11,t irremediable. personality in that of those of old time, to whom the teaching was first given (eh. v. 21). · Vera. 28, 29,-The impression produced on To this 01u Lord's personal claims sto.nd in the multitudes. With the exception of the she.rp contrast. The scTibes; Revised Ver- formula, "It came to pass, when Jesus had sion, their scribes, with the manuscripts; i.e. ended these sayings" ( of. eh. xi. 1, note), the the scribes to which they were accustomed to listen. Whether the reference is primarily words are almost identical with Mark i. 22 to scribes of the nation generally or only (Luke iv. 31, 32), but the time is, as it seems, to thoee of the neighbouring district, is later. The ore.I statement of an impres- hardly material, for these were representa- sion which was probably often produced is tives of the one class. A few 11,uthorities affirmed of slightly different times. add," and the Pharisees," which may either be derived f.com Luke v. 30 or be a.n inde- Ver. 28.-Sayings ; Revised Version, pendent gloss due to the faot that the words (var. 24, note). The people; Revised Pharisees were looked upon as the typical Version, the multitudes (ol llxAD,), In con- Jewish teacher,.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-20.- Various practical rules issuing out of the central duty of self-oonsecra- tum. I. CoNDUOT TOWABDB OTHERS. 1. Gentleness in our estimate of the lives of others. The hYJJocrites trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others; they made an ostentatious display of their own supposed good deeds, and passed stern judg- ments on their neighbours. The righteousness of Christ's disciples must exceed that of the Pharisees in both respects. Indeed, Christ's words must not be understood in that literalness which was one of the chamcteristic errors of the Pharisees. The judge must pass sentence upon criminals; it js his duty to God, to society. The minister of God must "reprove, rebuke, exhort.": when God saith unto the wicked, "Thou wicked man, thou shalt surely die," he must wam the wicked of his sin; for otherwise (God himself hath said it) " that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand." All Christians must hate sin, and show that they hate it. "Woe unto them," saith the Prophet Isaiah, "tha.t call evil good, and good evil; that put dark- ness for light, and light for darkness ; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter I" Sometimes it is our duty to judge others. When it is our duty, we are safe, if we do it with pity for the sinner and with grief for the dishonour done to God (see Ps. cxix. 136). It is a duty full of danger and temptation ; there is need of prayer and self- examination and careful scrutiny of our own thoughts and motives. When it is not our duty, it is never free from the danger of sin against the law of love. Censoriousness is one of the great blots of social intercourse. People who have nothing else to talk about, talk 11bout their neighbours; they discuss their conduct; they impute unworthy motives; they repeat slanders, they exaggerate them; they take a sinful pleasure in condemning others; they often sin against the ninth, continually against the new, commandment. And these unc~ ristian judgments imply self-righteousness, pride, hypocrisy; they usurp the prerogative of the great Judge, who alone cnn search tha thoughts of the heart; they bring the uncharitable into exceeding great danger, for the commandment of the J uclge is, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; " and surely those who judge their brethren harshly take part (awful as it seems) rather with Satan, the accuser of the brethren, who e.couses them before our God night and day, than with the Lord Jesus Obrist, the most loving Saviour, who dearly loved the souls of men, who wept over impenitent Jerusalem, and said, "Father, forgive them," as they nailed him 288 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. M.A.'l'TIIEW. [oH, vn. 1-29.