Reflections on the love we should bear to our enemies. Father which is in heaven is perfect. 217 SECT. xxxix. Mat. perfect, even as your as far as frail mortality will admit, perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect x; whose name you will most effectually honour, and whose favour you will most happily secure by a care V. 48. to imitate him to the utmost in all the moral perfections of his nature. (Compare Eph. iv. 31, 32. v. 1.) IMPROVEMENT. ALAS! how may we blush to call God our Father, while we ver. resemble him so little! And what reason is there, on a survey of 48 these directions of our Lord, to acknowledge our deficiencies and our faults! Let us review the many advantages we enjoy, as 46 Christians, and the engagements we are under in the particular circumstances in which Divine Providence has placed us; and blush to think that we do so little more than others, perhaps in many instances falling short even of the virtues of heathens. Let us particularly be instructed by these lessons of our Divine 43, 45 Master to recompense good for evil: lessons which come with peculiar grace from his mouth, as he was himself the kindest friend to his most inveterate enemies, and bore and forgave more than any but himself could possibly do. Let us, who are his disciples, abhor contention and revenge. Let 38, 42 us not prosecute every little injury to the utmost, nor govern ourselves by those false maxims of prudence and honour, which pride and self-love have introduced on the ruins of real Christianity. Let us not, even in the most legal methods, seck the punishment of those who have wronged us, except in circumstances in which we are in our conscience persuaded it will, on the whole, be greater very imperfect: we are to labour after a more complete resemblance to God, in loving enemies. Our Lord therefore afterwards expressed it in a parallel discourse, by saying, Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful, Luke vi. 36. but it is probable he used a greater latitude of expression here, to remind us of our obligations to imitate the Divine Being in all his moral perfections. * Perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.] Many authorities are produced by Eisner, in his note on this text, to prove not only that the heathens gave the epithet of rul, or perfect, to many of their gods, especially the chief; but that some of their writers describe clemency and goodness to enemies, as a virtue by which mortals make the nearest approach to Divine perfection. These words conclude Christ's excellent vindication of the law from the corrupt glosses of the Jewish teachers. I know a Practise 218 XXXIX. Christ cautions his disciples against vain glory. SECT. greater charity to animadvert on the offence than to pass it by; and even then let us act in a calm and dispassionate manner, pitying and loving the persons of the injurious, even while, for the sake of society, we prosecute their crimes. Ver. 46 If this be our duty towards our enemies, how inexcusable are we if we are cold and insensible to our friends! And how much worse than publicans themselves, if we do not love them that love us, and do good to those from whom we have received it. Happy is that Christian to whom the God of nature hath given a heart so turned to sentiments of benevolence that, in all these instances, love is a law unto itself! Yet let us remember, that the whole of our duty is not comprehended in these social regards. The great Author of our being, who hath endowed us with rational faculties, justly requires that we assert their empire over the meaner powers of appetite and passion. We see that he forbids not only gross enormities, as adultery (which, though so unaccountably spared by the laws of 27,28 many Christian countries, the heathens themselves have condemned as a capital crime, and which some of the most barbarous nations have esteemed infamous,) but the unchastity of the eye and of the heart. Let us then earnestly pray that God would create in us a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us (Psal. li. 10.) and let 29 us maintain a most resolute guard over our senses and our thoughts, remembering that there is no other alternative, but that the dearest of our lusts must be mortified and subdued, or our whole persons be cast into hell. 30 SECT. xl. Elevate our affections, O Lord, to nobler objects than those which are suited merely to animal nature! Teach us to keep under the body, and bring it into subjection (1 Cor. ix. 27.) that we may not finally be cast away from thy presence, and fall into that dreadful state where every drop of sinful pleasure will be recompensed with full vials of misery and despair! SECT. XL. Our Lord having thus vindicated the Mosaic law, proceeds, in his divine discourse on the mount, to caution his disciples against vain-glory in alms-deeds, prayer and fasting. Mat. VI. 1-18. MAT. VI. 1. MAT. VI. 1. before OUR JR Lord proceeding in his discourse to TAKE heed that ye do not your alms caution them against vain-glory, said unto Mat. them, Take heed in general, that you practise VI. I. not your righteousness, or perform not any religious a Practise not your righteousness.] As read soovy, righteousness, instead of some copies, and very ancient versions shampooovny, alms-deeds, and several of the fathers Christ cautions his disciples against vain-glory. 219 before men, to be seen religious action, in an ostentatious manner before SECT. of them: otherwise ye men, making it your chief end to be viewed and lx. Father which is in admired by them: or otherwise if this caution have no reward of your heaven. 2. Therefore when ward. Mat. be neglected, you will have no reward from your VI. 1. The caution is so important that I shall illus- 2 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy thy right hand doeth: left hand know what fathers quote it so, I chuse, with Beza, to follow that reading; because it prevents the appearance of a tantology in the following words, and makes this verse a general and very proper introduction to the remaining part of the section, in which the caution is branched out into the particular heads of alms, prayer, and fasting. (See Dr. Mill. in loc.)-Nevertheless I by no means insist on the change: but if it be admitted, I cannot acquiesce in the criticism of a learned friend, who would explain righteousness as here signifying charity, or berality; because, though I am well aware it has that signification sometimes (I think not so often as some have supposed,) yet admitting it here would destroy that beautiful variety between this and the following verse, which I have endeavoured to illustrate in the paraphrase, and which makes it so proper an introduction to this part of our Lord's sermon. In the public assemblies] It is certain that the word umywyn may be taken in this extent; and though it is most probable it may even here refer to religious assemblies, yet we may recollect on this occasion that it is a known custom in the eastern nations to distribute alms when they are going to enter on public councils.-The phrase of sounding a trumpet before them seems only a figurative expression to represent their doing poses; it in a noisy ostentatious way; as it is cer c Acting their part as on an open theatre.] d They have their reward.] Sir Norton is plainly used in the sense in which e Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand is doing.] It is said that the poor's chest stood on the right hand as they entered the synagogues, to which some suppose the words to allude. It is plainly a proverbial expression of strict care to conceal an action. f Contrive 220 xl. Mat. He directs them to be secret in prayer. be may per 4 That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father which seeth SECT. poses; and far from publishing it with vain affectation, conceal it, as far as may be, from thy nearest friends: That thine alms VI. 4. formed in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret, and knows every circumstance of your most retired actions, will himself be ready to reward thee openly. honour and reward thee another day, and, that openly, before the assembled world. in secret, himself shall be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the that they may be seen corners of the streets, of men: verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 5 And, again, when thou prayest (as, if thou art 5 And when thou f Contrive to be catched at that sacred Enter into thy closet, or any other retired another 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter in thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and ber, wardrobe, warehouse, or any other se- And cautions them against vain repetitions. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repeti tions, as the heathen need of, before ye ask 221 xl. another day reward thee openly for these duties SECT. which were so entirely referred to the views of honouring and pleasing him. Mat. But when you pray, do not use a vain multi- v1.7, plicity of words, as it is usual for the heathens to do in the invocation of their deities; for they foolishly think they shall be heard in their addresses to them for their speaking much. Be not 8 fore like unto them: ye therefore in this respect like them, since you for your Father know- are so much better instructed in the Divine naeth what things ye have ture than they, and cannot but know that your prayers are intended to affect your own hearts that they may be fit to receive blessings, and not to inform or work upon the heart of God: for your heavenly Father is ready to bestow his blessings on you, and always knows what you really want, even before you ask him; which therefore should teach you to avoid whatever may look like prescribing to him, by too minute and repeated a detail of particulars. him. 9 After this man ner therefore pray ye; Our Father which art Thus therefore pray ye, or to this effect at 9 least, and in this plain, concise and humble in heaven, hallowed manner, if not in these very words: "Our Fabe thy name; ther, who art seated on a throne of glory in the highest heaven; while we bow before thine awful presence with the humblest reverence, we would nevertheless approach thee with filial confidence, as our bountiful and compassionate. Parent; uniting our supplications to thee with hearts full of brotherly love, and asking for each other the blessings we seek for ourselves. would so remember our relation to thee as to be above all things concerned for thy glory; and therefore make it our first petition, May thy illustrious name be sanctified! May the whole race of mankind, yea, the whole world of intelligent creatures pay their dutiful veneration to thy Divine Majesty which thy matchless per10 Thy kingdom fections so justly require! And for this pur come: b Do not use a vain multiplicity of words, μη βαττολογησεις.] Beza has well explained the etymology of the word; and Dr. Hammond shews how applicable it was to the devotion of the Gentiles, (Compare 1 Kings xviii. 26. and Acts xix. 34.) It is plain that the Jews were running into the same fault, if we may judge by their oldest Liturgies. (See Le Clerc, in loc. and Selden, de Syned. lib. i. cap. xii. p. 467, & seq.) And Dr. Wotton has illustrated the text so VOL. VI, We pose, well, if it be considered as referring to them, i That dutiful veneration to thy Divine P. 42. 10 |