The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 409

to stmin out the gnat and yet to swallow the camel. They would be vrrry careful in avoiding minute formal improprieties, while they committed great sins without compunction. I. THE EVIL HABIT. rhis is seen in many forms to-day, 1. In rrwral wnduct. People are found to be very scrupulous about points of politeness, and very negligent of real kindness. They will not offend an acquaintance with a harsh phrase, and yet they will ruin him if they can outwit him in a business transaction. There are persona of strict Puritanism, who forbid even innocent forms of amusement for their children, Rlld yet who are self-indulgent, ill-tempered, uncharitable, and covetous. Such people swallow many a huge camel, while sedulously straining the gnats out of their chil- dren's cup of pleasure. 2. In religious observances. The greatest care is taken for the correct observance of ritual, while the spirit of devotion is neglected; a rigid standard of orthodoxy is insisted on, but living faith is neglected; a punctual per- fGrmance of Church ordinances is accompanied by a total disregard for the will of God Bild the obligations of obedience. II. THE eoUR0E OF THIS HABIT. 1. Hypocrisy. This was the source in the case of the scribes and Pharisees, as our Lord himself indicated. It is easier to attend to minutiai of conduct than to be right in the great fundamental p1inciples; to rectify these a resolution, a regeneration of character, is required; but to set the superficial details in a certain state of decency and order involvr,s no such serious change. Moreover, the little l!uperficia.l points are obvious to all people, and, like Chinese puzzles, challenge admiration on account of their very minuteness. 2. Small-minded- nes,, In some cases there may be no conscious hypocrisy. But a littleness of think- ing and acting has dwarfed the whole area of observation. The small son! is able to see the goat, but it cannot even perceive the existence of the camel. It is so busy with the fussy trivialities on which it prides itself, that it has no power left to attend to weightier matters. III. THE CURE OF THE HABIT, 1. By the revelation of its ~istence. When the foolish thing is done in all simplicity and good faith, it only needs to be seen to be rejected, When it is the fruit of sheer hypocrisy, the exposure of it will, of course, make it clear that the performance will no longer win the plaudits of the crowd ; and then, as there will be no motive to continue in it, the actor will lay his part aside. But this does not imply a real cure. For that we must go further. 2. By the gift of a larger life. We are all of us more or less cramped by our own pettiness, and just in proportion as we are self-centred and self-contained shall we give attention to small things. We want to be lifted out of ourselves, we need the awakening of our higher spiritual powers. It is the object of Christ to effect this grand change. When he takes possession of the soul he sets all things in their true light. Then we can strive for great objects, fight great sins, win great victories, and forget the gnats in the magnitude of the camels.-W. F. A. Ver. 29.-Building the tombs of the prophets. In the rather vulgar architectural restoration which went on during the days of the Herods, it might often be seen that old, venerated, but ruinous tombs were being rebuilt and decorated afresh. The process was significant of behaviour which is often repeated in other places and in other ages. 1. GOOD MEN, ILL TREATED DURING THEIR LIFETIME, ARE HONOURED AFTER THEIR DEATH. The world venerates its own martyrs. In course of time, it comes to lavish extravagant honours on the men whom it treated as the very scum of the earth during their lifetime. Most conspicuous has this been in the case of Jesus Christ himself- despised, rejected, insulted, crucified while on earth, yet now at least respected, even by those who have not learnt to love him. No doubt this admits of explanation. There are characters which men do not quickly understand or appreciate. A life is not complete until it is finished, and the whole meaning of it cannot be read until we can see it as a whole. A great uinn is in advance of his age, and only the later age, which has been in aome measur I educated up to him by the very influence of his life and teaching, is in a position to comprehend him. But while all this is natural, it is not the less unfortunate. What is the use of honours heaped on the grave of the silent dead? The laurels we pile on their tombs cannot bring joy to those who a.re no longer with us. There ir a grim irony in the common cu~tom of waiting for their deatb.  41! THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, MATTHEW. [arr. xxm.1--39.