The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 548

agninsL Gud'e Holy One, and emote him with all itH fury. H was the dark cloud of this mass of sin that hid from him the vision of God. Jesus was bearing the load of sin, and it was breaking bis heart 2. The goorlness of (Jhrist. Bad men do not feel tho world's sin very acutely. (1) The holiness of Jesus wa~ horrified at its black and bi<lcous enormity, (2) The love of Christ was grieved at its shocking cruelty toward~ himself, and at its own fatal and suicidal inllucnce in the world. He saw it as the cause of misery and ruin and death. III, THE ENDURANCE OF TIIE SORROWS, How did Jesus meet them? 1. With natural shrinking, He was no fanatical lover of martyrdom. lie proved his humanity by feeling acutely and desiring to escape. Therefore he can sympathize with sufferers. 2. With prayer, The Gethsemane of agony is Christ's most sacred oratory. He teaches us to bring our griefs to God. His example shows that prayer is the soul's consolation in trouble, 3. With trustful submission. He desired God's will to be done, whatever that might be. He prayed for deliverance, but he never complained, much lees did he rebel. Here he is the example for us whose greatest sorrows never approach the tragic terror of his. IV. 'fHE FRUIT OF THE BORROWS, 1. (Jhrist's victory, He triumphed by submis- sion. In obedience to God, he attained to the desire of his heart, Through his Passion and crucifixion he won the "Name which is above every name," His sorrows led to his glory, By the via dolorosa he reached his throne. 2. The world's salvation. No eel.fish motive of personal gain inspired our Lord'8 endurance. His very reward was to see the world saved, His suffering was a.II for others; if the world may rejoice in hope, this is owing to the fact that Jesus suffered in the darkness of a dreadful death.-W. F. A. Ver. 52.-The oorse of the sword, It was natural that the impetuous disciple should try to defend his beloved Master. But his action was a piece of madness, and, if per- sisted in, it must have led to a needless slaughter of the followers of Christ. It was. not on this account only, however, that our Lord promptly checked it, although doubt- less his keen perception o.nd wise judgment detected the strategic weakness of the situation, A much deeper thought flashes out from his words, and sheds a light on the character of his kingdom and the method of his work. I. THE 0AUSE OF CIIRIST CANNOT BE ADVANCED BY THE SWORD. Mohammedanism is its very opposite in this respect. Charles the Great made a fatal blunder when he. drove the Saxons into the water of baptism by a charge of his fierce warriors. 1. (Jhrist aims at inward conviction. A religion of external observances may be imposed by force; but you cannot compel a man to believe as you wish. The persuasion uf forca may induce a particular course of action to be followed; it will never spread the idea it champions. 2. Christ desires to win love, He has not conquered a soul if he has only brought it to silent submission. He seeks much more. He would have the hearts of his people, But the use of force is directly opposed to any such results. You cannot make a mau love you by half killing him with sword-thrusts. This method might. advance a superstition of fear; it could never aid a gospel of love, II. THE RIGHTS OF CHRIST CANNOT DE DEFENDED BY TUE SW0UD. A.t first sigM it might seem to be reasonable to defend Christian truths and institutions by force, even although they could not be planted in this way. Constantine thought so, wheo. he brought the whole n,achinery of the state to sup[JOrt the Nicene party in its opposi- Lion to the Arians. But the subsequent change of his own policy, and the long triumph and tyranny of Arianism, proved that he was mistaken. Here is the fatal error of the :persecutor in all ages. Nothing is so iujurious to a religious cause as the forcible euppression of its enemies. 'l'he religion that persecutes exchanges the love and devotion with which it may once have been regarded for horror and aversion. The dreadful Marian persecutions did more to destroy the power of the pope iu England than all the assaults of the Protestants. The same fate would follow the same policy if it were pursued in defence of the purest form of the goer ,1 of Christ, III. THE WORLD AT LABOE BUFFERS IMMENSELY FROM THE SWORD. Occasionally there is a righteous war, o.s that which resulted in the suppression of slavery in America. But in the vast majority of cases, a war is an almost unmitigated evil to all who art engaged in it, It causes immeasurable sufferings, and it encourages the worst passion~  654 THE GOSPEL ACCOUDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [en. xxvr. 1-76.