Christ's sermon

ST. MATTHEW, VI.

on the mount.

CHAPTER VI.

1. Christ continueth his sermon in the mount, speaking of alms, 5. prayer, 14. forgiving our brethren, 16. fasting, 19. where our treasure is to be laid up, 24. of serving God, and mammon: 25. exhorteth not to be careful for worldly things: 33. but to seek God's kingdom.

1 TAKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy

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TAKE heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father which is in heaven.

When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have 3 received their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know 4 what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee.

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And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have 6 received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense 7 thee. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much 8 speaking. Be not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be 10 thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will 11 be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give 12 us this day 2 our daily bread. And forgive

us our debts, as we also have forgiven our 13 debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.* • Many

1 Some ancient authorities read God your Father. 2 Gr. our bread for the coming day. 3 Or, evil. authorities, some ancient, but with variations, add For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

1. Take heed, etc. From verse 1 to verse 18 inclusive we have one subject, that of vainglorious worship, divided into three parts, touching, respectively, alms-giving, prayer, and fasting. The first verse is a preface to the whole, declaring that all such vainglorious worship is without a heavenly reward. In this preface righteousness is the word used for the outward act of righteousness, and not the inward principle. In the cases given, the outward act is really destitute of the inward principle, and the righteousness is only a righteousness in the seeming.

2. Sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do. A proverbial expression for ostentation. There was no actual trumpet-blowing.

4. Shall recompense thee. It is not wrong to expect recompense, if the recompense be holy and heavenly. The hypocrites looked only for an earthly reward, the "glory of men;" and they received that reward.

6. When thou prayest. Prayer should be private, heartfelt, and made with a forgiving spirit; for the basis of our approach to God is his forgiveness. Recompense thee. Here, and in verses 4 and 18, the old version inserts "openly," which is not supported by the best and oldest manuscripts.

9. After this manner. This is not a command to use this identical prayer. It is rather an indication of the subjects and style of prayer. The Lord's Prayer consists of seven parts, the invocation and six petitions, for God's name, kingdom, and will, and for our supply, forgiveness, and deliverance. The doxology, as given in the old version, is found in about the same manuscripts that give the "openly" referred to under verse 6. It is probably an early addition for use in church-service.

11. Daily bread. This word "daily" has caused much controversy. It is rendered "daily," "coming," "to-morrow's," "necessary," and "supersubstantial." In any case, it refers to the supply of human need.

13. Bring us not into temptation. God never tempts any man (Jas. 1: 13, 14); but he may sometimes bring him by his providence into positions of trial for his soul's strengthening, which the man by his perversion may make a position of temptation. This prayer is against such a catastrophe. It is asking God, when the trial begins to be a temptation, to stop it, and rescue the soul from Satan. The evil one. The reading of the old version,

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 ¶ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

on the mount.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do 21 not break though nor steal: for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be 22 also. The lamp of the body is the eye: if

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therefore thine eye be single, thy whole 23 body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the 24 darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and 26 the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value 27 than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto his 2 stat28 ure? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither 29 do they spin: yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not ar

1 Gr. dig through. 2 Or, age.

"evil," is equally good as a translation; but the word "temptation" in the preceding clause suggests "the evil one as the correct rendering here. So in chap. 5:37.

14. If ye forgive men. God's forgiveness does not depend on our forgiveness, but our want of forgiveness cancels God's forgiveness. It shows that we are not in accord with God, and have not received his Spirit.

17. Anoint thy head, etc.; i.e., perform thy usual toilet.

19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth. Such commands are not to be taken literally. See chap. 5: 39-42, and John 6:27. The meaning is, "Let your principal treasures be laid up in heaven." Joseph laid up treasures of corn in Egypt for a good purpose. David laid up treasures of gold and silver for Solomon to build the tempie. A rich man may lay up treasures on earth, to endow a benevolent institution. The warning is against a heart-devotion to earthly things. Moth and rust. Rather, "moth and eating," a hendiadys for "the eating moth." Hence the singular verb.

22. The lamp of the body is the eye. The eye is, objectively, to one who looks upon a man, that which makes the whole man appear bright and animated. So the disciples whom Christ had taught were as an eye to the uation, to make it all look bright. But if they, his disciples, should fail to receive his instructions, the nation's brightness would be gone. The eye does not give light to the interior of the body, like a window, as many have suggested on interpreting this passage. Single; i.e., clear. Full of light. Rather, "bright," as in Matt. 17:5. It means, brilliant to a beholder. "Full of light" belongs to the old and incorrect interpretation.

23. Full of darkness. Rather, "dark," as in Luke 11:36. See last note.

24. Hate and love show an ardent character; hold to and despise (slight) show an ordinary character. Mammon, or "Mamon," is a Chaldee word for "riches."

25. Is not the life more than the food? The argument is, that God has made every thing with supplies to meet wants, and as he has made our bodies, and given us life, he will furnish the lesser gifts of food and raiment,

Christ's sermon

ST. MATTHEW, VII.

on the mount.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the | 30 rayed like one of these. But if God doth field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed ?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

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so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal 32 shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have 33 need of all these things. But seek ye

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first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

which are necessary for physical life. The argument is Illustrated by God's care of the birds and flowers, and by our own inability.

30. Grass, or "plant." All dry stalks are used for fuel in the East.

33. His righteousness. That which is right in his sight.

CHAPTER VII.

1. Christ ending his sermon in the mount, reproveth rash judgment, 6. forbiddeth to cast holy things to dogs, 7. exhorteth to prayer, 13. to enter in at the strait gate, 15. to beware of false prophets, 21. Not to be hearers, but doers of the word: 24. like houses builded on a rock, 26. and not on the sand.

1 JUDGE not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

6¶ Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto

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JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not 4 the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and 5 lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

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Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet, and turn and rend you.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be 8 opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be 9 opened. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask him for a loaf, 10 will give him a stone; or if he shall ask 11 for a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good

1. Judge not. See remarks on chap. 5: 39, and chap. 6:19. The Oriental hyperbole is to be regarded. The meaning is, "judge not rashly or maliciously."

3. The beam that is in thine own eye. Such a strong expression would scarcely be used in Occidental literature. A beam in one's eye is such an impossibility, that we would have used "splinter." But compare P's. 73:9, "their tongue walketh through the earth," and Zech. 4: 10, "the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the earth," as similar Orientalisms.

6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs. The connection of this verse with the preceding is some. what obscure. Perhaps it is this: "While you must be charitable in judging others, yet you may use common reason to discover who are unworthy to receive your close fellowship, on whom, as on dogs and swine, your pearls would be wasted, and only invitations to persecution."

7. Ask, etc. From verse 11 we see that the asking is of God. Of course the asking, seeking, and knocking are affirmed only of sincere hearts. There is a climax in the three movements.