sanhedrim, and the whole verse may therefore mean, 'He that hates his brother without a cause is guilty of a violation of the sixth commandment, and shall be punished with a severity similar to that inflicted by the court of judgment. He that shall suffer his passions to transport him to still greater extravagances, and shall make him an object of derision and contempt, shall be exposed to still severer punishment, corresponding to that which the sanhedrim, or council, inflicts. But he who shall load his brother with odious appellations and abusive language, shall incur the severest degree of punishment, represented by being burnt alive in the horrid and awful valley of Hin

nom.

The amount then of this difficult and important verse is this. The Jews considered but one crime a violation of the sixth commandment, viz., actual murder, or wilful, unlawful, taking life. Jesus says that the commandment is much broader. It relates not only to the external act, but to the feelings and words. He specifies three forms of such violation. 1st. Unjust anger. 2d. Anger accompanied with an expression of contempt. 3d. Anger, with an expression not only of contempt, but wickedness. Among the Jews there were three degrees of condemnation: that by the " 'judgment," the "council," and the fire of Hinnom." Jesus says likewise there shall be grades of condemnation for the different ways of violating the sixth commandment. Not only murder shall be punished by God; but anger, and contempt, shall be regarded by him as a violation of the law, and punished according to the offence. As these offences were not actually cognizable before the Jewish tribunals, he must mean that they will be punished hereafter. And all these expressions relate to degrees of punishment proportionate to crime in the future world— the world of justice and of wo.

23, 24. Therefore, if thou bring the gift to the altar. &c. The Pharisees were intent only on the external act in

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way: first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

So

worship. They looked not at all to the internal acts of the mind. If a man conformed to the external rites of religion, however much envy, and malice, and secret hatred, he might have, they thought he was doing well. Our Saviour taught a different doctrine. It was of more consequence to have the heart right, than to perform the outward act. If therefore, says he, a man has gone so far as to bring his gift to the very altar, and should remember that any one had any thing against him, it was his duty there to leave his offering, and go and be reconciled. While a difference of this nature existed, his offering could not be acceptable. He was not to wait till the offended brother should come to him; he was to go and seek him out, and be reconciled. now, the worship of God will not be acceptible, however well performed externally, until we are at peace with those that we have injured. obey is better than sacrifice." He that comes to worship his Maker filled with malice, and hatred, and envy, and at war with his brethren, is a hypocritical worshipper, and must meet with God's displeasure. God is not deceived; and he will not be mocked. Thy gift. Thy sacrifice. What thou art about to devote to God as an offering. To the altar. The altar was situated in front of the temple, (see the representation in following page,) and was the place on which sacrifices were made. See Note on Matt. xxi. 12. To bring a gift to the altar, was expressive of worshipping God, for this was the way in which he was formerly worshipped.

"To

Thy brother. Any man, especially any fellow worshipper. Any one of the same religious society. T Hath aught. Is offended, or thinks he has been injured by you in any manner. ¶ First be reconciled. This means to settle the difficulty; to make proper acknowledgment, or satisfaction, for the injury. If you have wronged him, make restitution. If you owe him a debt which ought to be paid, pay it. If you have injured his character, con

fess it, and seek pardon. If he is under an erroneous impression; if your conduct has been such as to lead him to suspect that you have injured him, make an explanation. Do all in your power, and all you ought to do, to have the matter settled. From this we learn: 1st. That in order to worship God acceptably, we must do justice to our fellow-men. 2d. Our worship will not be acceptable, unless we do all we can to live peaceably with others. 3d. It is our duty to seek reconciliation with others when we have injured them. 4th. This should be done before we attempt to worship God. 5th. This is often the reason why God does not accept our offerings, and we go empty away from our devotions. We do not do what we ought to others; we cherish improper feelings, or refuse to make proper acknowledgments, and God will not accept such attempts to worship him. 25, 26. Agree with thine adversary quickly. This is still an illustration of the sixth commandment. To be in hostility, to go to law, to be litigious, is a violation always, on one side or the other, of the law requiring us to love our neighbor; and our Saviour regards it as a violation of the sixth commandment. While you are in the way with him, says he, that is, while you are going to the court, before the

trial has taken place, it is your duty, if possible, to come to an agreement. It is wrong to carry the contention to a court of law. See 1 Cor. vi. 6, 7. The consequence of not being reconciled, he expresses in the language of courts. The adversary shall deliver to the judge, and he to the executioner, and he shall throw you into prison. He did not mean to say, that this would be literally the way with God; but that His dealings with those that harbored these feelings, and would not be reconciled with their brethren, were re presented by the punishment inflicted by human tribunals. That is, he would hold all such as violators of the sixth commandment, and would punish them accordingly.

There is no propriety in the use sometimes made of this verse, in re garding God as the " adversary" of the sinner, and urging him to be reconciled to God while in the way to judgment. Nor does the phrase "thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing," refer to the eternity of future punishment. It is language taken from courts of justice, to illustrate the truth that God will punish men according to justice, for not being reconciled. It will be eternal indeed, but this passage does not prove it. Thine adversary. A

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery :

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman

a Job 31.1. Pr.6.25.

man that is opposed to us in law. It here means a creditor; a man who has a just claim on us. In the way with him. While you are going before the court. Before the trial comes on. The officer. The executioner; or as we should say, the sheriff. T The uttermost farthing. The last farthing. All that is due. The farthing was a small coin used in Judea, equal to two mites. It was equal to about seven mills of our money.

27, 28. Ye have heard thou shalt not commit adultery. Our Saviour in these verses explains the seventh commandment. It is probable that the Pharisees had explained this commandment as they had the sixth, as extending only to the external act; and that they regarded evil thoughts and a wanton imagination as of little consequence, or as not forbidden by the law. Our Saviour assures them that the commandment did not regard the external act merely, but the secrets of the heart, and the movements of the eye. That they who indulged a wanton desire; that they who looked on a woman to increase their lust, have already, in the sight of God, violated the commandment, and committed adultery in the heart. Such was the guilt of David, whose deep and awful crime fully shows the danger of indulging in evil desires, and in the rovings of a wanton eye. See 2 Sam. xi. Ps. li. See also 2 Pet. ii. 14. So exceeding strict and broad is the law of God! And so heinous in his sight are thoughts and feelings, which may be for ever concealed from the world!

29. Thy right eye. The Hebrews, like others, were accustomed to represent the affections of the mind by the members or parts of the body. Rom. vii. 23; vi. 13. Thus the bowels, denoted compassion; the heart, affection or feeling; the reins, understanding, secret purpose. An evil eye denotes sometimes envy (Matt. xx. 15.); some.

29 And if thy right eye' offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should

1 or, do cause thee to offend.

times an evil passion, or sin in general. Mark vii. 21, 22.-"Out of the heart proceedeth an evil eye." In this place, as in 2 Peter ii. 14, it is used to denote strong adulterous passion, unlawful desire, and inclination. The right eye and hand are mentioned, because they are of most use to us, and denote that, however strong the passion may be, or difficult to part with, yet that we should do it. Shall offend thee. The noun from which the verb "offend," in the original, is derived, commonly means a stumbling-block, or a stone placed in the way, over which one might fall. It also means a net, or a certain part of a ne against which, if a bird strikes, it springs the net, and is taken. It comes to signify, therefore, any thing by which we fall, or are ensnared; and applied to morals, means any thing by which we fall into sin, or by which we are ensnared. The English word offend means now, commonly, to displease; to make angry; to affront. This is by no means the sense of the word in scripture. It means to cause to fall, or to allure, into sin. The eye does this, when it wantonly looks on a woman to lust after her.

Pluck it out, &c. It cannot be supposed that Christ intended this to be taken literally. His design was to teach that the dearest objects, if they caused us to sin, were to be abandoned; that by all sacrifices and self-denials, we must overcome the evil propensities of our natures, and resist our wanton imaginations. Some of the Fathers, however, took this commandment literally. Our Saviour several times repeated this sentiment. See Matt. xviii. 9. Mark ix. 43-47. See also Col. iii. 5. ¶ It is profitable for thee. It is better for thee. You will be a gainer by it. ¶ One of thy members perish. It is better to deny yourself the gratification of an evil pas. sion here, however much it may cost you, than to go down to hell for ever.

Thy whole body be cast into hell. Thy

perish, and not that thy whole body should be east into hell."

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement;"

a Ro.8.13. 1 Cor.9.27. b De.24.1. Je.3.1. Mar.10.2-9.

body with all its unsubdued and vicious propensities. This will constitute no small part of the misery of hell. The sinner will be sent there as he is, with every evil desire; every unsubdued propensity; every wicked and troublesome passion; and yet with no possibility of gratification. It constitutes our highest notions of misery, when we think of a man filled with anger, pride, malice, avarice, envy, and lust, and no opportunity of gratifying them for ever. This is all that is necessary to make an eternal hell.

31, 32. It hath been said, &c. That is, by Moses. Deut. xxiv. 1, 2. The husband was directed, if he put his wife away, to give her a bill of divorce, that is, a certificate of the fact, that she had been his wife, and that he had dissolved the marriage. There was considerable difference of opinion among the Jews for what causes the husband was permitted to do this. One of their famous schools maintained that it might be done for any cause, however trivial. The other, that adultery only could justify it. The truth was, however, that the husband exercised this right at pleasure; that he was judge in the case, and dismissed his wife when, and for what cause, he chose. And this seems to be agreeable to the law in Deuteronomy. Our Saviour, in Mark x. 1-12, says that this was permitted on account of the hardness of their hearts; but in the beginning it was not so. God made a single pair, and ordained marriage for life. But Moses found the people so much hardened, so long accustomed to the practice, and so rebellious, that, as a inatter of civil appointment, he thought it best not to attempt any change. Our Saviour brought marriage back to its

original institution, and declared that whosoever put away his wife henceforward should be guilty of adultery. But one offence, he declared, coulă justify divorce. This is now the law of God. This was the original institution. This is the only law that is productive of peace and good morals, and the due respect of a wife, and the good of children. Nor has any man, or se of men, a right to interfere, and declare that divorces may be granted for any other cause. Whosoever, therefore, are divorced for any cause except the single one of adultery, if they marry again, are, according to the scriptures, living in adultery. No earthly laws can trample down the laws of God, or make that right which he has solemnly pronounced wrong.

33. Thou shalt not forswear thyself. Christ here proceeds to correct anothe false interpretation of the law. The law respecting oaths is found in Lev. xix. 12, and Deut. xxiii. 23. By those laws, men were forbid to perjure themselves, or to forswear, that is, swear falsely. Perform unto the Lord. Perform literally, really, and religiously, what is promised in an oath. Thine oaths. An oath is a solemn affirmation, or declaration, made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed, and imprecating his vengeance, and renouncing his favor, if what is affirmed is false. A false oath is called perjury; or, as in this place, forswearing.

It appears, however, from this passage, as well as from the ancient writ ings of the Jewish Rabbins, that while they professedly adhered to the law, they had introduced a number of oatns in common conversation, and oaths which they by no means considered as binding.