The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 24

is wide and lRTge; the net has not yet swept through it. The gospel bas not yet been preached over all the earth. There are many dark places where the fishers of men have not yet drawn the net. All waters must be tried. The glad tidin"B of the kin.,dom of heaven must be carried everywhere throughout the world. 'l'hen shall the end ;ome. The net gathered of every kind. In the Church are good and bad. Men like Judas, or Demas, or Hymenreus, or Diotrephes, as well as men like St. Peter, or St. John, or St. Paul. Men, too, of all nations, of all oonditions of life, manifold in character and cir- cumstances. 2. Drawn to the shore. 'l'hey sit down, they gather the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. It is a figure of the judgment. Again we hear of the angels, the ministers of God's most awful justice; again we hear of the furnace of fire, of the ,vailing and gnashing of teeth-words which contain a meaning most fearful, most tremendous. IV. THE TREA.SURES OF THE HOUSEHOLDER. 1. Th6 Lord's question. He was teaching bis disciples now in pril-ate. He asks them, "Have ye understood all these things?" They who are to teach must learn themselves. The true teaching comes only from Christ. The deepest spiritual truths can be learned only by direct intercourse with the Lord. It is well if we can answer, "Yea, Lord." He accepts our imperfect knowledge; imperfect it must be. If only it is real, as far as it goes, it will be the begin- ning of deeper, holier wisdom. 2. The comparison. The careful householder brings out of his store thin.g:s new and old ; so doth the instructed scribe. The teacher must be a disciple; he must have been instructed in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; he must himself be in the kingdom; he must have the kingdom in his own heart. Then he will possess a rich store of true wisdom ; and out of that store he will bring things new and old ; the old truths, unchanging, ever the same, but in the new light of living, personal experience ; old an.i yet always new; the truths that drew the first disciples to the Lord; the truths that flash with a new light into the heart of each awakened Christian now when first he turns from darkness unto light, from Satan unto God. V. THE SEVEN PARA.BLES, 1. "Jesus l.c,d fi,nished these parables." The words o{ the evangelist seem to regard the seveu parables as a whole, a cycle of parabolic teaching. The number seven is the number of perfection. The parables fill up and supplement one another. No one human illustration e&n give an adequate view of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The seven taken together give &,complete picture. In the first we see the various characters of men, receptive or unreceptive of the truth. In the second, the agency of the tempter. In the third, the gradual spreading of the kingdom through the world. In the fourth, its inner working in the individual heart. In the fifth it is found by one who sought not for it, in the sixth after diligent inquiry and e.n.xions search; in both we see its exceeding preciousness, a preciousness which makes the Christian willing to sacrifice all for the kingdom's sake. In the seventh we see the consummation of all things, the final separation, the condemnation of the wicked, the glory of the righteous. 2. The historical ezplanation. We may see a brief Oh urch history in these seven parables. We begin with the first sowing of the Word by the great Sower; then comes the growth of heresy and sin within the Church; then the gradual progress of the Church, spreading itself on every side, silently leavening the framework of society; then we read the history of this or that great saint of God, one lighting suddenly on the hid treasure, another seeking and finding ; and at last the judgment. Let us learn of the great Teacher how to read the history of the world, looking back to the first sowing, looking onwards to the coming judgment, diligently seeking for the hid treasure, the pearl of great price. LESSONS. L The treasure is hidden; oh that we may find it I The pearl is of great price; let us count the cost and buy it. 2. The Lord is at hand ; prepare to meet him. 3. The true disciple ever learns, for Christ his Teacher is ever with him. Vers. 54-58.-The Lord'spreaching at Nazareth. I. HlS VISIT. 1. It was his own wuntry. He had lived there nearly thirty years, from infancy to manhood. It was but a small pl.a.c-.e; every one knew him ; some had been his schoolfellows, some friends of the family, some had bought their ploughs 11nd yokes at the carpenter's shop. He bad been absent a long time. During that absence the unknown village carpenter had become the most conspicuous figure in the Holy Land. The Nazarenes had wor:dered ClH, nn. 1-68.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 'fO ST MATTHEW. 25