The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 427

every kind will be exposed. "Therefore," the Lord says, "be real; be true to your God and to yourselves; speak out, and fear not." The Lord had prepared them for their_ work in private, in a little corner of,Pales~ine. They were~ make his ~eacbing public. He was to ten.eh them secretly, m their hearts, by the gu1dnnce of his Spirit leading them into all truth; they were to proclaim openly and fearlessly the gospel message for the conversion of the world. (2) Fear not them which kill the body. An agony of persecution was at hand; the Lord prepares bis servants for it. "Fear them not," he ea.ye; "they cannot hurt the soul; their power cannot reach beyond the grave." But there is e. holy fear, e. fear which is the beginning of wisdom, a fear which casts out all other fears-the fear of God. The power of the persecutors is but for a moment. His is the kingdom e.nd the power and the glory for ever and ever. They can kill the body only; fear them not, He can destroy both soul and body in hell; fear him. This is not the fear which bath torment. It is not a slavish fear; it is that deep, loving reverence which gives true dignity to the Christian life; which leads the believer to try always to realize the awful presence of God, to fear to displease him, to walk before him in lowly, reverential obedience. This fear is not CO\Vardice ; it is the highest courage. It strengthened the martyrs of the Lord in their cruel trials, in torture and in death, It strengthens true Christians now. 3. The duty of trustfulness. God's mercy is over all his works. He cares for all his creatures, even the smallest, the most insignificant. Much more does he care for those precious souls for which the Redeemer gave himself to die. The smallest circumstances of onr lives are nat beneath his notice. The very hairs of our head are all numbered. .All the little trials, difficulties, vexations, of our daily lives are known to him. Therefore let us trust in that almighty Protector who notes the fall of every little sparrow. "Fear not," saith the Lord. Fear not persecutions; fear not sickness, pain, death; none of these things can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. II. THE END OF THE CONFLICT, 1. Tlie recognition of the conquerors. It cost much to confess Christ before men in the days of fiery trial; even now it is not o.lways easy. It is to own him as our Master and our Lord ; not as the many who say to him, 11 Lord., Lord," but as the few who confess him in their lives. The whole life-both the outward life of word and deed, and the inward life of thought and motive---must be ordered by the obedience of Christ. Both are a.like open to the searching eye of God; both must evince the confession of the heart that Christ alone is Lord. The whole life must draw round him as its Centre; it must own him by ready, cheerful submission to him a11 its only King. The reward is great; such men he will confess before his Father. In the glory of the great day, before the assembled universe, the almighty Judge, the most holy Saviour, will own them as his true sheep, his chosen, his redeemed. It is a lofty hope; may it be ours 1 2. The re;'ection of the disobedient. Those who deny him, he will deny; not those who, like Pctor, having once denied, have repented in true contrition, but those who deny him in their lives, though they may profess that they know him; those who show no obedience, no love, no self-denial-those he will deny, Their profession may be loud, their display of religion may be great, but he will deny them before his Father. He knowcth their hearts; they are not bis. 3. The conflict will be bitter. The Lord is the Prince of Peace; the angel-anthem that cele- brated his incarnation dwelt on the gift of peace. But "glory to God" came first. "• Glory to God in the highest,'" says Stier, "necessarily precedes 'peace upon earth.' The second cannot be attained but through the first, and the conflict which secures it." Peace on earth was the object of the Lord's coming; but the sword was to come first. "The wi8dom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable." The purity of Christ's holy teaching, its absolute originality, its utter difference from the established modes of faith and worship, would excite a violent opposition. The zeal of Christians would arouse the zeal of persecutors; there would be sharp divisions even in tho family circle. Sometimes it is so now; it is a bitter trial. 4. (J!irist must be first in 01tr love, what• ever the cost. He set nothing above our salvation; we must set nothing above his love. Human love is very precious, but not so precious as the love of Christ; all other lovos must be subordinated to that one highest love. In truth, they love their earthly friends the best, who, loving Christ above all, love mother, or wife, or child in Obrist and for Christ according to his will. But the whole heart must be given tu Chri~t,  424 'l'HE GOSPEt ACCORDlNG TO ST. MA.TTH~W. [cm. x. 1-42.