The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 480

condemned for this ? Some had never even claims, and bears no proportion to the merits heard of Obrist, never been taught faith in of the recipient. Nor may we reason from him: was this their fault? Thie is the line our conception of the nature and attributes which their self-justification took; there of God; how these attributes work har- wo.e nothing of love, nothing of humility. moniously together, though seemingly op- Ver, 45.-Inaamuoh a.a, eto. The Ju<lge posed, we cannot presume to determine. at once disallows all snob pleas. He exacts The consequences of sin even in this world nothing which any good man, Christian or are often irretrievable, a.a a.re some human not, might not have done, As before, iden- punishments. We have no reason to sup- tifying himself with the human race, he pose that punishment is inflicted only for shows that, in neglecting to perform acts of the oorrection of the criminal (see on ver. mercifulness and charity to the afflicted, 41), nor is it possible to conceive bow this they disregarded him, despised him, dis- result could be effected by condemning him honoured him, One of the lee.et of these. to the society of devils. Fmther, we have to He adds not" brethren," as above (ver. 40), regard the heinousness of sin in God's sight, because the evil acknowledge no Bllch remembering the infinite price po.id for its brotherhood ; they Ii ve for self alone, they expiation. And lastly, the doctrine does not own not their real relation to the whole depend upon this passage only, but is sup- family of man. ported by many other statements in both the Ver. 46.-Shall go away, Bengel notes Old and New Testaments; e.g. lea. lxvi. 24; that the King will flret address the righteous Dan. xii 2; Mark ix. 44, 46, 48; Rev. xxi. 8. in the audience of the unrighteous, but these Buch are some of the chief arguments in last will be dismissed to their place of pun- favour of the everlasting nature of future ishment before the others aotue.lly receive punishment. On the other hand, we have to their reward. Thus the evil will see nothing remark that our Lord is here not concemed of the life etemal, while the good will be- with teaching this doctrine cf etemity; he hold the vengeance inflicted on the others assumes the authorized view of the matter, (oh. xili. 49). Into everla1ting punishment and draws hie awful lesson from that view. ( •is 1<ol\ri<T,11 ri1"11,011) ••• life etemal ( ever- It is certainly true that the meaning of laati111, (o,~11 ril"v,ov). The same term is r&l"v,os is not fixed e.nd nniform; it is con- used m both places, and ought to have been ditioned by the term to which it appertains. so translated. The word 1tdll.<&a-,s in strict No one would say that "everlasting " was classical usage denotes punishment inflicted applied to God and to a mountain in the for the correction and improvement of the so.me sense; and though it seems incon- offender, .-,µ.,,,plri being employed to signify gruous to find a difference of meaning in the punishment in satisfaction of outraged jus- same sentence, yet there may be reasons for tice, or to revenge an injury. But it is open distinguishing tile signification of the quali- to doubt whether the former term is to be fying adjective in the terms " etemal life" taken in its strioteet sense in the New Tes- and "etemal punishment." God, indeed, tament. A ceaseless oontroversy rests on cannot draw back from hie promise, but be the meaning of <&i"11ws, some contending may be more merciful than the tenor of hie that it signifies " everlasting," and nothing threats seems lo imply. It is possible that else; others that its sense is modified by "monian" may denote merely indefinite the idea to which it is attached; and others duration without the connotation of never- again that it ougb t to be rendered by ending. Such like a.re the pleas brought "monie.n," to which is given an indeter- forward to lessen the plain enunciation of minate signification govemed by our con- the awfnl truth. For myself I do not see ception of the duration expreued by lllOn. any escape from the import of the state- This is not the place to discuss this perplex- ment, nor any hope of amelioration in the ing question, nor shall I o.ttempt to dogma- case of the lost, when relegated to the scene tize upon the problem. Suffice it to make of their penal existence (see on eh. xviii. 8, these few observations. On the one hand, 9). But I set no bounds to the Divine taking the literal sense of our Lord's words, mercy and wisdom; and God may see a and the meaning which hie hearers would mode of reconciling his strict justice with attach to them, we must believe that the his desire of man's eo.lvo.tion, which our finite risen life and the second death are equally understanding cannot grasp. All we can everlasting (see ,Judith xvi. 17; Ecolue. vii. uy here is that infinite misery and infinite 17; 4 Me.co, xii. 12). And if it is thought happiness are set before us, and that God tho.t etemity of punishment is incompatible has thus shown the two ends without reserve with love and benevolence, and inequitable or possible modification, in order that we as the penalty of offences coromitted in may be aroused to shun the ono and to win time, it must be remembered that eternity the other. " From thy wrnth, and from ever of rewo.rd is infinitely boyond a.11 human lasting de.mna.tion, good Lord, deliver us."  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [ou. xxv. 1-4.0.