11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give | good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there

at:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 ¶ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

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on the mount.

gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many be they 14 that enter in thereby. 2 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few be they that find it.

15

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly 16 are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes 17 of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 18 fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring 19 forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and 20 cast into the fire. Therefore by their 21 fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which 22 is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out 8 devils, and by thy name do many mighty 23 works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, 24 ye that work iniquity. Every one therefore which heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, which built his house upon the 25 rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it 26 was founded upon the rock. And every

4

1 Some ancient authorities omit is the gate. 2 Many ancient authorities read How narrow is the gate, etc. demons. 4 Gr. powers.

3 Gr.

11. How much more. The fatherhood of God is argued to from the fatherhood of man; for the latter is a shadow of the former, a type of the heavenly relation (see Eph. 3:15).

12. Therefore. This particle shows that there is a connection with what precedes. It is this: "As your heavenly Father gives for the asking, and as you would desire your fellows to give in the same way (where it is proper), so do you cherish this kindly spirit, and bestow of your sympathy and help on others." In the writings of Confucius, this mutual kindness is commanded only for the Chinese; but a different principle is inculcated for the conduct of Chinese to those of other nations. Our Saviour knows no circumscription, but urges a universal love.

13. For wide, etc. The "for" is repeated in verse 14, because there are two reasons for entering by the narrow gate. One is, because the other gate is so broad you will be very likely to be swept in with the crowd. The other is, because the narrow gate is so narrow you will be very likely not to see it. For sinful man to deny the flesh is a passage through a narrow gate.

15. False prophets. This phrase would include all kinds of false religious teachers, whether pretending to inspiration or not. Sheep's clothing. The false teachers of the Church have deceived the people by their apparent candor and gentleness.

16. By their fruits. Not being able to discern them by their appearance, they are so plausible and honestlooking, we may learn what they are by the style of their lives and labors. Only good men can lead good lives.

19. Is hewn down, etc. Christ does not say that the fruit is merely destroyed, but the tree itself is cut down. The false teachers themselves will be punished.

21. Kingdom of heaven. This phrase, whose primary use we have remarked upon at chap. 3:2, has here its more circumscribed meaning of the Church triumphant.

22. By thy name cast out devils, etc. Judas, for example, had done all these things. God will use men for his work who themselves resist God's work, and are castaways.

23. I never knew you. Oriental for "I never knew you as mine, as belonging to my people by faith." Ye that work iniquity. All the acts of the hypocrite, even his good works, are evil, because they are done in hypocrisy.

25. Floods. Rather, "rivers," 24-27. These verses strikingly picture the difference between a soul resting on God's word, and one resting on the natural impulses of man. The day of trial discovers the difference.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

the leper.

29. As one having authority, and not as the scribes. These are two thoughts, not one. First, Christ taught with an irresistible authority, so that the people were profoundly impressed with the power of his words. Second, he taught, not the traditionary glosses of the scribes, but fresh illustrations of truth, so that the people were attracted to his teaching. The Sermon on the Mount may be thus epitomized to show its connections: Blessed are God's people, spiritual lights to the world, who keep God's law in the spirit as well as letter, whose religious duties are therefore performed as before God and not men; who, being heavenly-minded, abandon all worldly anxieties, and exercise all kindly feelings toward their fellow-men (while they reserve their highest spiritual communion for their godly brethren), thus choosing the unfashionable path of a sincere religion without hypocrisy.

CHAPTER VIII.

2. Christ cleanseth the leper, 5. Healeth the centurion's servant, 14. Peter's mother in law, 16. and many other diseased: 18. Sheweth how he is to be followed: 23. Stilleth the tempest on the sea, 28. driveth the devils out of two men possessed, 31. and suffereth them to go into the swine.

1 WHEN he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

1 AND when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou 3 wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And 4 straightway his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

2. A leper. Leprosy has always been prevalent in the East. That it was curable, we may ascertain from Lev. 13: 17, 37. 46, and Lev. 14: 2-32. Its terrible character, however, disfiguring and mutilating the person, made it the type of sin; and so it was treated in the ceremonial law. The separation of the leper from his race was a vivid token of the division between sin and holiness. Read the cited chapters of Leviticus for a full understanding of this. Lord; that is, "Sir." The leper did not salute Christ as God, perhaps not even as the Messiah that was to come; but only as a prophet of God, who had shown his power to heal the sick. He may have approached Jesus in humble dependence upon God, but of that we are not informed. If thou wilt. He knew the power of Jesus, but was not sure of his willingness. Make me clean. The ceremonial cleansing would naturally follow the physical cleansing or healing.

4. See thou tell no man. From the additional statement in Mark 1: 45, we may gather that this command (which was disobeyed through a mistaken exhibition of gratitude) was given to prevent a popular tumult in the cities. Such tumults did occur during our Saviour's course; as, for example, when they sought to make him a king (John 5: 15). The gift that Moses commanded. Jesus honors the law, and orders conformity to it. The old dispensation was still in force. The gift (sacrificial) which a poor man was to offer was one lamb, two doves, and one tenth-deal of flour, with a log of oil (see Lev. 14: 2-32).

5. Capernaum. This town was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Some place 't at Khan Minyeh, at the north end of the plain of Gennesaret, six miles from the entrance of the Jordan: others consider Tell Hûm, three miles nearer the Jordan, as the true site. A centurion. In the Roman army a centurion was the commander of a century, or half-maniple. The legion consisted of 4,200 soldiers, divided into 1,200 hastati, 1,200 principes, 600 triarii, and 1,200 relites. The hastati, principes, and triarii were divided each into ten maniples. Hence a maniple of either of the former two was composed of 120 men, while a maniple of the triarii was composed of only 60 men. As each maniple had two centuries, the centurion was a commander of 60 or 30 men. The name would imply that he commanded a hundred men; but the name had reference to an earlier division: or it is probable that the exact army division was not always maintained (compare Acts 23:23). Came unto him. What we do by another we do ourselves. From Luke 7: 3, we see that the centurion did not come in person, but sent Jewish friends to Christ.

The centurion's

ST. MATTHEW, VIII.

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

servant.

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1

servant healed.

1 servant lieth in the house sick of the 7 palsy, grievously tormented. And he saith 8 unto him, I will come and heal him. And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not 2 worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but only say 3 the word, 9 and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of 13 teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour.

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15

And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and min16 istered unto him. And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases.

17

1 Or, boy. 2 Gr. sufficient. Gr. with a word. Some ancient authorities insert set: as in Luke 7: 8. 5 Gr. bondMany ancient authorities read With no man in Israel have I found so great faith 7 Gr. recline. Or, demoniacs. Or, through.

6. My servant. Literally, "my boy," according to a custom in some countries even to-day, by which a manservant, however old, is called a boy.

9. Under authority. "In a system of rank, with those above me whom I obey, and those below me who obey me." He likens our Lord's command over diseases to his command over soldiers. He knew what it was to obey, and what it was to command. My servant. Literally, "my slave" (or bond-servant). It may refer to the very "boy" who lay ill. But the word in Greek is different.

10. Marvelled. Not "seemed to marvel." Our Lord had a true human experience. Not in Israel. The Roman's faith in our Lord's power was superior to that of any of his Israelitish followers. This event gave our Lord occasion to predict the Gentile increase of the Church of God.

11. Kingdom of heaven. See on chap. 7:21. Sit down. Literally, "recline." 12. Sons of the kingdom. Members of God's visible church. In chap. 13: 38, the same phrase is used for the members of God's true and invisible church. Outer darkness. The figure is that of the banquet. The godly are banqueting with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while the ungodly are in the darkness outside of the palace. There shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew uses this phrase six times, and Luke once, as spoken by our Lord. Grief and rage at their exclusion are thus vividly denoted. The allusion is to Ps. 112:10. The gnashing of teeth as a sign of rage is mentioned several times in the Psalms, and once in Job.

13. As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. This is the practical principle of the Christian life. 14. Peter's wife's mother. Peter did not set an example of celibacy. Those who call themselves the successors of Peter have invented a system which casts reproach on Peter.

16. Possessed with devils. Rather, demoniacs," or "demonized powers." They were those in whom evil spirits had taken up their abode. They were different from lunatics. Lunatics act consistently from wrong impressions. These saw every thing aright, but wilfully acted with perverseness. They were in a moral slavery. Their wills were depraved. Whether this form of disorder is still found, or whether it was permitted only for the time when the Messiah appeared, is a question not yet solved. In all cases where this affliction is mentioned, the word "devil" should not be used, but "demon." There is but one devil, Satan; and millions of demons are subject to him. Whether these are another order of fallen angels, or whether they are deceased wicked men, we cannot tell. 17. Himself took our infirmities. This quotation (from Isa. 53:4) follows the Hebrew, and not the Greek, of the Seventy. It refers to Christ's sympathy, not his vicarious work. That is referred to in verse 5 of the same chapter of Isaiah. In this fourth verse, the prophet speaks of bodily sicknesses and pains.

18. The other side of the Sea of Galilee; that is, the eastern shore, the country of the Gergesenes or Gadarenes (compare verse 28). 18