The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 469

habitat of which was the eandy or rocky wind-blown waste. It was equally impossible for them to plead that they had gone there to eee the luxury, wealth, show of social life-the diametrical oppoeite of the deeert ; this every one knew was not there, and had not been there by any accident now. No, they could not deny that they had been out to see a prophet; and the further truth wae, the prophet, allowed and inconteetable- f<>r it was "he of whom it was written," in their well-known and prized prophetic oracles, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, to prepare thy way before thee." 'l'bey had flocked out to see John the Baptist, and "he it ~as who had testified of him." What an introduction for those multitudes to Christ l Why should they not now, "mighty works" and all else added, "believe on" and "follow " him? And Christ adds, the youngest true convert of the Church, the tyro in the school of the Church, the as yet unfledged apostle, is greater than he, more blessed, and with still nobler career before him. What a call of grace! What an inspiration to be offered to human ear I And how true, that in a certain sense the knell of prophecy had ceased, and yielded place to the ringing tidings of the Church of the kingdom ! Its doors had been open but for a short time, but what press into it had there been, and how eagerly had the longing, craviDg, starving, and determined takeu possession of its blessed shelter and hope! • III. THE METHOD wmCH CHRIST DID NOT HESITATE TO USE IN ORDER TO CHARAC- TERIZE GENERALLY THE CONDUl11' OF TliE UNBELIBVING OF THAT GENERATION. He used a 'similitude which, plainly as it must speak to any type of national mind, was probably additionally telling and significant to those for whom be then in the first instance spoke. A picture of the perversity of children suffices to portray this. The music of Christ is not listened to, nor the wail of warning of John ; neither the stem rigour of this, nor the winning attractiveness of that I Such as these, who is to seek them, who to win, who to save? Dwell on the fact that Christ consents to condescend, by all and various method, to ply the stubborn, the rebellious, the hard-hearted, the "stiff-necked." What patience is this that instructs, but also argues and pleads, and by each avenue of approach to mind, to heart, to temper, to make hia urgent and pitiful appeal I .At last, where are the children of disobedience? But Wisdom's children justify their name and parentage. IV. THE DISTINC11' DENOUNCING OF JUDGMENT, WITII THE ANNOUNCING OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, FOB THOSE WHO RESISTED AND REFUSED THE TEACIIING AND IliTENT OP "THE MIGHTY WORKS" WROUGHT BY Hill. The lips that loved mercy, and belonged to a heart that supremely loved mercy, speak thus forth that very reason, because they love mercy,and the day of judgment was not yet come. The Lord" mourns for towns where the wonders of Divine power had been most manifestly set forth, which once had the mystery of God, and which might have brought forth the fruit of virtues." The Saviour's "Woe!" is denunciation indeed, but denunciation mingled with the most pathetic of grief. Tyre and Sidon had indeed trodden under foot the law of nature, and " without caose; " but tl,,ese towns, after that they had transgressed the natural and the written Law, also make light of those " mighty wonders " which had been wrought among them. V. THE CALM OUTFLOW OP THE SoN'B PERFECT SYMPATHY OF PRUSE TOWARD THE FATHER. Dwell on : 1. The title by which the Father is addressed, as "Lord of heaven and earth "-<>nee the Maker of both, ever the Ruler and Disposer of both, but withal to be adored as the Uniter of the one to the other. It is a reminiscence of the prayer Jesus taught: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." 2. The perfect consent and harmony that the known counsel and will of God the Father receives of the Son. 3. The matter which now serves to illustrate this, viz. the revealing to the childlike, the poor in spirit, the pure, the meek, of those things, deep as hell and high as heaven, which their souls were indeed able to receive, and which became "more abundant life" in them; and the withholding them from others, viz. those whoso blindness, but self-sufficiency, could only misconceive, misrepresent, adulterate them, and increase their own condemnation. 4. The fact that Christ utters no trindicat-ion, but docs speak perfect acquiescence in the sovereign eight and sovereign will. Dwell nlso genernlly on the symptoms suggested by this pause, this personal episode, so full of feeling, occurring in the midst of the current of all that was transpiring in the crooked and pervc-rse generation. What did it moan? How llATTHEW, 2 &: 466 THE GOSPEL AOCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [ea. J:L 1-30.