ignornnce or deceU on the pn.rt or Christ: ecripte here give fnro,cJ,,.., .. ~., ,ro/fwv <1ov, i.e. either the.t he did not know the.t the Till I put thine enemie8 wndMneath thy feet. authorship we.a· wrongly e.ttributed to De.vid; Some few have both {n,""o/J,ov e.nd fnro,cd,,,,.,, ond the.t the ,pee.Im really referred to Vulg11te, Donec ponam inimico8 tuo8 8cabel- Me.ocabee.n times, or the.t, • knowing these lwm pedum tU&rwm. The complete subjection facts, he dclibere.tely ignored them and of all adversaries is denoted (comp. 1 Cor. endorsed a popular error in order to give xv. 25-27; Heb. i. J3) ; and they a.re colour to his argnment. The statement subjected not merely for punishment e.nd of such a charge e.gainst our Lord ie a destruction, but, it may be, for salvation aud sufficient refutation. Universal tradition, glory. The relative particle "till" must extending to this very time, which gave to not be pressed, as if Christ's session we.s the psalm a Messianic ,interpretation, is to cease when his victory was completed. surely more worthy of credit than a theory We have beforo had occasion to observe ale.borated in the present ·century, which that the phrase, lwr oi, OT :.,, &v, asserts ill no respect rege.rds the natnral significe.- nothing of the future beyond the event tion of the language, and can be me.de to specified. As St. Jerome says of snch support the novel idea only by. forced and negative phrases, "Ita negant prmteritum un.re~l accommode.tions, By speaking of ut non ponant fnturum" (comp. eh. i. 25; David as having uttered the quoted words, v. 26; xviii. 3!). Of Christ's kingdom Christ does not formally state that thie king there is no end. wrote the psalm; he merely gives the Ver. 45.-1! David . . . Bon t The e.rgn- accepted view which classed it as Davidio. ment is this: David speaks with highest The authorship did not matter in hie appli- reverence of Messiah, calling him his Lord : cation; his argument· was equally sound, how ie this attitude consistent with the fact whoever was the writer. that Messiah is David's Son? How can ,, Ver. 44.-The Lord said unto my Lord Messiah be both Son and Lord of David? (Ps. ex. 1), The quotation is from the We, who have learned the truth concerning Septuagint. But neither this nor our the two natures of Christ, can readily answer English Ver,ion is ·an adeque.te rendering the question. He is both "the Root and the of the original, where the word translated Offspring of David" (Rev. x.xii. 16). The "Lord" is not the same in both pa1ts of the Athanasian Creed offers the required solu- clause. More accurately, the solemn begin- tion of the seeming paradox : " God, of the ning of the psalm is thus given : " U tteranoe substance of the Father, begotten before (or, 'oracle'] of Jehovah to my Lord the worlds; and Man of the substance of (A.dona,')." The •psalmist acknowledges his mother, born in the world ; perfect the recipient of the utterance as hie sove- God, and perfect Me.n . . . who although reign Lord; thie could be no·earthly poten- he be Goel e.nd Man, yet he ie not two, tate, for on earth he he.d no such superior; but one Christ." Here was an explana- Jewish tradition always applied- the term tion (if the Pharisees took his words to unto the Messiah, or the Word, The pre- heart) of much that had e:!:cited their indig- diction repeats the promise made by Nathan nation, and caused cavil and carping. He to David (2 Se.m. vii. 12), which bad no claimed to be the Messiah; and Messiah, e.s fulfilment in his natural progeny, and could Scripture pre,ented him, had a twofold be regarded as looking forward only to the nature. When, therefore, he asserted equality Mcssiu.h. Sit thou on my right hand. with the Father when he, "being man, Thus Messiah is exalted to the highest made himself GoJ." (John x. 33), he was dignity in heaven. Sitting at God's right vindice.ting that Divine nature which he as band does not necessarily imply complete Messiah possessed. J esns did not further Divine me.jesty (as Hengstenberg·reme.rks), elucidate this mystery. He had given food for the sons of Zebedee had asked for such for reflection: he had unfolded the hidden a position in ,Messiah's earthly kingdom meaning of Scripture; he had shown the (ob. xx. 21); but it denotes supreme honour, shallowness of the populnr exegesis; the a.ssocia.tiou in government, authority second knowledge was here; there was wanting only to that of Monarch. This is so.id of only the ,will to raise the flower of faith Christ in his hume.n no.tore. He is "equal in the heart of these obdure.te hearers. to the Father, as touching his Godhead; Ver.46.-No man was able to answer him inferior to the Fatber, as touching his a word, They could not confute Christ's manhood." In his Divine no.ture he could aro-uments: they would not receive and receive nothing; in his human nature all po;cler them ; so they held their peace. "power was given unto him in lieaven Had they had a real desire to be instructed, and earth " ( eh. xxviii. 18). Till I make they would he.ve profited by the prosont (<ws &,, IJ(fi) thine enemies thy foot- occusion ; coming to tho light with honest stool j lnro1roB,011 1"011' 1r0Bw11 <TOIi. This is and good hearts, they would have been the Septuagint reading. l\Io.ny munu- enlightened. But this was far from their 3CS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [cH. un. 1-40.
ttish, so they wont away empty. Neither tempt him iu this way. Henceforward they durst any man. They per~ci,•ed that they would use other tactics. Trcaohery o.nd could gain no advantage over Obrist by suoh violence must now play their part. These methods of attack. Pharisees, Herodians, weapons would be more successful in oom- Sadducees, had ignominionsly suooumbed; pRSsing the deatruotion of the innocent to make o. fresh R.Se&ult was to oourt a fresh Victim. defeat. Seeing this, they dared no longer