The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 395

Jewish religion, and In some cu.ses the tnres which they tanght, and the ritual of enforcement of oiroumcision on vu.nquished which they were the expwents. The Lord enemies (see 'Ant.,' xviii. 3, 5; xx. 2. 4; repeats the epithet" blind" (vere. 17, 19, 24). 'Bell. Jud ..' ii. 17. 10; 'Vita,' § 23). Whosoever shall sweu.r by the umple, it is Tooitus (' Hist.,' v. 5) givea u. moat un- nothing. Our Lord seems to refer more fu.vournble account of the numerous con- especially to oaths connected with vows of verts which Hebrews mu.de throughout the which he bad u.lready spoken (eh. xv. 5,' 6). Romu.n provinoes ; u.nd Bt. Auguetine (' De The u.rbitrary distinction between ou.tbs wu.s Oivit.,' vi. 11) quotes Benecu. su.ying, "Oum indeed u.n instance of moral blindness. An interim usque eo sceleru.tiaeimm gentis oath by the temple was not binding; it coneuetudo convu.luit, ut per omnee jam might be broken or evaded with impunity. terms receptu. sit, victi victoribns leges By the gold of the temple-i.e. by the sacred dederunt" (Edersheim). For eimilar testi- treasure and ornaments therein-he is a mony, we mu.y refer to Horace, ' Sat.,' i. 4. debtor (o,P,iAet); he is bonnd by his oath. 142, 143; and Juvenu.l, 'Su.t.,' vi. 541, etc. The casuistry employed by the Jews in this But it we.a not proeelytizing in itself that matter wo.e well known, and be.rt become the Lord censured. A.a poeseeeing reve- proverbial u.mong the heathen. F.M. quotes lation u.nd the only true religion ill the Martial, xi. 94- world, the Jews might well have deemed it their bueiness to enlighten the groes "Ecce negrui, juraeque mihi per templa Ton- darknese of heathenism, and to endeavour antis, to shed u.brou.d the pure light which wu.s ' Non credo: jura, verpe, per Anchialum.'" oon.fided to their care to tend u.nd cherieh. Thu.t they were not expresely commu.nded "Anchialum" is equivalent to am chai awh, to do this, u.nd that little blessing attended "as God liveth," the Jew (flerpus, "circum- their efforts in this direction, was dependent cised") being bound by no oath bat one that upon the transitory u.nd imperfect chu.racter contained some letters of the Divine name of the old covenant, u.nd the many evile or some attribute of God. which would be consequent upon aseociation Ver.17.-Ye fools. Jesusaddsto"blind" with alien peoplee. In ma.king converte, the the epithet "fools," which implies not only Pharisees sought rather to eecure outward the irrationality and absurdity of thei? conformity than inward piety, change of practice, but also its moral delinquency, external religion than change of heart. the fool in sapiential hmguage being the There was no love of eouls, no bummg zeal sinner, The temple that 9Bll0ti1ieth the for the honour of God, ill their proselytism. gold. Our Lord ehowa the absurdity of this They were prompted only by selfish and sophistical distinction. It was becu. use the base motives-vain-glory, party spirit, co- temple was the place of God's presence vetousness ; and if they converted men to that what wu.s therein we.a consecrated. their own opinione, with their falee tenets, The gold was nothing without the templ'l; gross extemaliem, and practical immorality, the temple, the originally holy, is superior they had fu.r better have left them in their to the gold, the derivatively holy, and an irresponsible ignorance. When he is made ; oath that oalls the temple to witness is surely 111hen he ia become a proselyte. Twofold obligatory. more the ohild of hell; a son of Gehenna ; i e. Ver. 18.-By the altar. The great alta.r worthy of hell fire. Bo we have 2 Sam. of burnt offerings, according to the Mosaic xii.5, "aeon of death;" Johnxvii.12, "the ritual, was consecrated and dedicated with son of perdition" (comp. 2 These. ii. 3). most remarkable solemnities, as the centre The converts beco.me doubly the children of of sacrificial worship (see Exod. xxix.. 36, hell beoanse, seeing the miquities of their etc. ; :u:x. 28, 29; Numb. vii. 10, etc.). The te&Ohers, they learned an evil lesson from gift that is upoa it. The victim, which, e.s them," engrafted the vices of the Jews on beillg offered by themselves, was counted the vices of the heathen,'' distrusted all more worthy than the altar of God which goodness, disoarded their old religion and sanctified the gift. Thie is, indeed, an in- disbelieved the new, making utter ehip- stance of sight blinded by self-righteousness. wreck of their moral life. " Ita natura He is guilty; o</)<IAEI: he is a debtor, as ver. oomparati sumW!," says an old commentntor, 16. Others see here the principle that the "ut vitia potius quam virtutee imitemur, validity of oaths was differentiated by the et in rebus malis a dieoipnlis magistri faoile nee.mess to the Person of God of the things euperentur.'' by which they were taken. This, too, Ver. 16.-Fourth 91/0e-against evasive opened up large opportunities of evasion. distinctions in oaths. Ye blind guides. Ver. 19.-0ur Lord repeats the unan- They were by profession leu.ders and gnirles, swerable argnment of ver. 17. That BBD.cti- and yet by their literalism nnd externl\liem fleth the gift. Exod. xxix. 87. "It shell they lost the true signific11nce of the Scrip- be an altar most holy; whatsoever touoheth +oO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. Len, xxm. 1-39.