The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 161

toward our enemies, t..) exclude all desire for their ill fortune• and going much further than that, to nourish in our souls a positively kind feeling t~ward' them, a readiness to ~crve them;_ nay, more, to form_ the habit of prayi~g _for them, and of looking out for an opportumty to show them kmdncss. Surely this 1s the supreme thing in human morality. No teacher b:i.s s11mmoned us to climb higher than this· no learner he.a rc~chcd a loftier ~ummit. And Christ asks us to do this- ' II. FeoM THE HIGHEST CONCEIVABLE MOTIVE. We miaht endeavour after this true n,,bility becau~e: 1. God positively requires it of us (M;rk xi. 26; Matt. xviii. 36) ~- It jg the noblest victory over ourself. "He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that takC'th a city." 3. lt is the greatest victory over others. "In so doing thou sbalt licnp coals of fire on bis hcRd." But there is an incentive hiaher than· these-the 1,igl,est of all; it is that which our Lord gives us in the text; bc~use: 4. By so doing we re$embl,e God himself. "Ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he ia kind i:nto the unthankful a11d to the evil." Here is the loftiest aspiration cherished for the lvftiest reason. Think kindly of those who are j11dging harshly of you; feel friendly toward those who are feeling bitterly Rbout you; speak generously of those who are talking disparagingly of you; do deeds of kindness to those who are acting unhand- somely toward you; bend the knee in prayer on behalf of those who are persecuting you ;--lo this because then you will be breathing the very atmosphere of magnanimity which God breathes in heaven, because you will then be animated by the very spirit hy which be is prompted in all he L~ doing there, because you will then be ruling your humble life by the very principles on which he is ruling his broad and boundless empire. "Love ye your enemies . . . and your reward shall be great;" indeed, you shall be " the children of the Highest;" the mind that is in him shall be in you, you shall then be perfected (Matt. v. 48), crowning every other virtue and grace of your character, even as God crowns all bis other attributes, with the glorioas, regal, trans- cendent excellency of an unquenchable, victorious love.--C. Ver. 31.-The golden ruk. We call this precept of Christ " the golden rule ; n pro- habl y we intend ti,ereby to pay it the highest honour we can offer it. But it is the "precious metal," rather than the admirable precept, to which the compliment is paid by the association of the two. For if this rule of our Lord were only illustrated in the daily life of men, they would be enriched as no imaginable quantity of gold could enrich them. Then would such a revolution be effected as no statesman bas ever dreamed of working; then would all social evils for ever disappear; then would human life wear another aspect from that which now saddens and shames us ; for the golden rule, enacted in the lives of men, would soon inaugurate the "golden year." We look at- L ITS SUllPASSING EXCELLENCY. 1. I, i, within all men', aprehension. It is no learned, erudite definition, requiring much culture to comprehen . The most simple- minded can understand it. 2. It oommenda itself to all men's conscience, It is not one of those commandments which require much thought and much practice to appreciate. It is obviously just and fair. It hardly admits of dispute. Every one can see, every one must feel-if" the light that is in him be not darkness "-that it is the right thing for him to do. 3. It ezcludes all evasions. No man can shield himself under any misrepresentation of the rule. He must know whether or not he is trying to act toward his neighbour as he would that his neighbour should act toward him. 4. It covers the entire range of human life, so far as our relations to one another a.re con- cerned. It covers: (1) Action, and also inaction; including in its sweep not only those things we do, but those we leave undone-the attention, the kindness, the consiaera- tion, the return we should render but may be withholding. (2) The judgment we form of others; the right they have to our patient, impartial, intelligent, charitable iudgwent; the claim they may fairly make that we should attribute the worthy rather than the unworthy, the pure rather than the impure, the generous rather than the mean motive. (3) Our speech; the utterance of the kind and true word of our neigh- bour, and also to him. (4) Conduct-all our dealings and doings, of all kinds whatso- ever, in all the varied relations in which we stand to our fellow-men. This one rule of Chrii;t is a powerful test and solvent of all other prescriptions. If they can be carried out and ¥et leave us short, in our practice, of doing to others as they would like us to en. v,. l-1!l.) TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. LUK~. 159