The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 495

note), All manner of; ei,ery (Revised Ver- coming, hie th0'!1ghta travelling far bPyond sion); 1riiua. Bin and blasphemy. Genus the present conrse of this world to that which and species (Meyer). Blasphemy passes in is to be hereafter. this verse from its wider meani.ug of open slo.uder and detraction in the ftrst clause to Vore. 33-37. - You wonder that I make its now commoner but restricted mee.ning so mnch of words; words are not trivia.lilies, of speech ago.inst God in the second clause. but a.re ree.lly the legitimate e.nd normal Bhe.ll be forgiven unto men : but the blas- fruit of the heart, and therefore by them phemy age.inst the Holy Ghost; the Spirit each me.n will be judged. (Revised Version), thna me.king it more possible for the English ree.der to see the (1) 'fe.ke your choice; half-heartedness is connexion of thought with the phre.se in not enough (cf. ver. 30); the fruit tells the ver. 28. Shall not be forgiven unto men. ne.ture of the tree (ver. 33). The words, unto men, must be omitted, with (2) Our Lord addresses the Phe.riseea the Revised Version. They weaken o directly, showing them their true character. 1to.tement which in itself me.y e.pply to They only spee.k according to their spiritual other beings than those that are on earth. Ver. 32.-Onr Lord e.ppliea the general condition (ver. 34). principle of ver. 31 to "blasphemy" e.ge.i.ust (3) Me.n ce.n only bring out whe.t fa himself. Thie might be, comparatively alrendy in hie heart (ver. 35). speaking, innocuous if it was merely defa- (-l) A solemn close, in which he applies mation or detraction of him e.s man; but if, the principle generally ; for every idle word on the other he.nd, it referred to his work i.u such e. we.y as to mee.n e. ree.l detraction of an e.ccount she.I] be given, since words a.re God's e.ctions considered e.s Divine, it indi- e.lwe.ys the source of the verdict upon each ce.ted e. state of feeling which did not admit man's case (vers. 36, 37). of forgiveness (TJide irupra). If it be asked Vera. 33-35.-Pe.re.llel pe.sse.ge : Luke whether the individual Phe.risees referred vi. 43-45 (cf. eh. vii. 16-18, notes). to in vers. 24--28 he.d committed this sin, the answer depends upon whether they Ver. 83.-Either make(~ 1ro,~u...,..). Not he.d recognized the he.nd of God as such, "suppose" (Jae, pone), still less "decle.re," and ·had, notwithstanding, wilfully rejected but " mnke." 'fhe Lord is speaking in e. it. If they had-as our Lord's tone seems pe.re.ble. You would not, surely, me.ke a to imply-then they he.d in faot committed treo in o.ny other we.y ; it would be age.inst it. Yet they me.y nfterwards he.ve repented, ne.ture; I.ow then imagine it can be so in and so he.ve come under a dilTerent category. your own persons? Ch. vii. 18 e.nd Luke vi. And whosoever speaketh a word against the 43 ste.te as a fact that I.he reverse co.se doea Bon of man (oh. viii. 20, note); e.g. his birth, not take pince in nature. The tree good, the circumstances of his life on ce.rth, or hi11 and hie fruit good (i.e. one if the other); or decisions respecting the sabbath or menta, elae make the tree oorrupt ( eh. vii. 17, note), or hie disregard of the conventjonalitiea of and his fruit oorrupt : for the tree is known hie time in hie tree.tment of "sinners" e.nd by his fruit. "By his own fruit" (Luke). publicans. All auoh things must huve been Ver. 3-1,-The first ale.use is in Matthew included i.u those which St. Pe.ul once only;-- 0 generation (ye offspring, Revised blnsphemed (1 Tim. i. 13). It she.11 be Vorsion) of vipers (eh. iii. 7, note). Observe forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh (such that the figure of the tree he.d e.lso been used o word) against the Holy Ghost (the Holy by the Baptist (oh. iii. 10). How can ye. Spirit, Revised V crsion), it shall not be It is a.go.inst no.ture. Being evil; i.e. inhe- forgiven him (ou1< a.4>,8/iCT..-iu). Tho margin rently worthless (eh. vi. 18, note); et'. 1roV71pol of Westcott e.nd Hort, with the Ve.ticn n mnnn- 1/.,,-u, eh. vii. 11. Bpee.k good things 1 For script, represents it still more strongly (ou µ.t, out of the abundance; i.e. even to over- a.4>,0fi). Neither in this world (age, Revised flowing ( 1r,p(uu,vµ.a: cf. Me.rk viii. f!, of Version me.rgin), neither in the world to what remo.ined after o.11 were filled). Of oome. " The age to come" (N:lil cS1P,1) in- the bee.rt the mouth spee.keth, In Eph. cluded all that followed the coming of iv. 29 there is apparently a reminiscence of Messie.h. Sometimes it we.s rcstrictod to, this se.ying in connexion with our ver. 83 or proctically identified with, the reign of (of. nlso Jas. iii. 10-12). Messiah upon earth, but usue.lly it in- Ver. 85,-A good me.n out of the good cluded much more-eternity as well ne time treasure of the heart ; out of his good treasure (see especie.lly Weber, 'System,' pp. 3M, 355; (Revised Version), of the heart being udded and cf. Sohiirer, II. ii. 177). It is in its in the Received Text from Luke vi. 45. widest sense the.t our Lord here uses it- Treasure (eh. ii. 11, note). "Vere thesaurus contrasti.ug the present order of things with eet in quovis homine, et copia le.tens" that which will bo the fine.I result of hie (Dengel); of. also eh. xiii. 52. Bringet!a  4!12 TIIE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. III. 1-60.