The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 404

ditions of our human nature it is necessary for ua that. special places should be dedi- cated to hie service, and associated in our thoughts with bis presenee and his worship. 'l'he sacredness of thing& or places is derived entirely from that association with God•s presence and service. Then to swear by them-by the altar or by \he temple or by h_eaven his dwelling-place, is to swear by him whose presen:e alone giveth co~secra- t10n even to the heavens. Every oath is in reality an appeal to God· the omission of his name does not avoid the awfulness of reference to him. Then th; Lord's disoiples may not swear, save under those solemn circumstances when an oath is required by the magistrate and sanctioned by Holy Scripture. No evasions, no pitiful distinctions, like those of the scribes, no substitution of less sacred words, can make the ordinary use of oaths lawful, or even harmless. 6. The fifth woe. Their religion consisted in small outward observances; it had no inner truth; they affected a scrupulous consciell'- tiousness in things infinitely little, while they omitted the weightier matters of the Law. Scrupulous exactness in the payment of tithes and in Levitical purifications were the distinguishing characteristics of the Pharisaic fraternity. It was well enough to pay the insignificant tithe on common garden herbs; but ostentatious carefulness about this and such-like trifles, combined with carelessness about the great inner realities of personal religion, showed the hollow hypocrisy of their lives. They would strain out the gne.t, the small ritual offence, and swallow the camel, the huge unclee.nness of soul- defiling sin. Judgment, mercy, and faith were the weightier matters of the Law. unspeakably more important than the details of outward ordinances. To do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, were, the prophets said, better than thousands of burnt offerings. The Lord Jesus Christ enforces the teaching of the Le.w and of the prophets. Obedience in small things is right; obedience in great things is necessary for sa.l vation. The exactest ritual and the strictest orthodoxy are of no value without justice and mercy a.nd faith. "Blessed a.re the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." "Being justified by fa.ith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." This is the precious fruit-the fruit of the Spirit; without this, the husk, the rind, a.re worthless. 6. The sizth woe. The Pharisees were especially scrupulous in avoiding all occasion of Levitical defilement; they heeded not the uncleanness of their hearts. It profits little to cleanse the outside of a. cup or platter, i1 the inside is filthy and pollutes the food. A fair outside may hide the evil heart from the sight of men, bnt the eye of God sees through ; to that all-seeing eye the wicked eonl lies open in awful clearness. The Pharisees were blind. Be our prayer, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." We want to see the condition of onr soul11, to know the whole truth, the whole sad wretched truth. Then we shall begin with that which most needs cleansing-the inside, the inner life of thought and feeling and motive. God desireth truth there. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." If that is clean, made white in the blood of the Lamb, the outward life will be clean also. "Blessed are the pure in heart." But the outward show of purity without the inner truth is vain, worthless, contemptible. 7. The sev,m,tA woe. 'l'hey were like the sepulchres around Jerusalem, which, according to Jewish custom, had been whitened a month ago, and still looked b1ight and clean in the sun- liaht • within they were full of all uncleanness; their very whiteness was a warning, that ~en miuht avoid dtfilement. Bo was it with the Pharisees; they made a grellt E<how of religion ; but that outward sh~w, like the. whiteness of the sep~lcbres, spoke of inward corruption. The true man 1s humble m heart; he knows his own short- comings; be makes no display of religion; be walks humbly with his God. Much talk, much show, is an evil sign; it is often an index of an unclean, unconvert~d heart. 8. The eighth woe. They built and garnished the tombs of th~ prophets and the ng~teoua. The Lord may possibly have pointed to some of the consp!cuous serul~bres which lay before him on the Mount of Olives. They condemned their fathers cnmes; but they owned that they were the children of them _whic~ killed_ the prop~et~•. And, the Lord said they were like their fathers, they had mhentcd their fathers spmt. They would hav; slain the prophets had they lived in their time, as now they were about to slay the Christ of God. They honoured the prophets in the distance; they would have hated them in the present. Stier quotes a striking passage from t~e Berlenberger Bibel: "Ask in Moses' times • Who are the good people?' They will be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but not Mos~s,-he should be stoned. Ask in Samuel'11 times, 'Who cn. n.rn. 1-39.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 4~