20. For I fay unto you,that except your righteoufnefs fhall exceed the righteoufness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21. Ye have beard that it was faid by them + of old time, Thou fhalt not kill: and whofoever fhall kill, fhall be in danger of the judgment. † To them. Liable to, Broxos sai Tupits. most excellent Christian, as having employed his Time and Talents to the best Advantage. 20. For, let me tell you, I have fo great a Regard to the Moral Law, that I will not only take care not to abolish it; but will require a much higher Degree of Obedience to it, than the World is aware of. Particularly it is not an outward Compliance with the Letter of it, which is all that is required by your best Doctors, the Scribes and Pharifees, that shall entitle any one to be a good Christian. I expect of you a great Progrefs in inward Purity and Holiness, beyond what is required by these Doctors of their Difciples, if ever ye intend to be genuine Members of the Christian Church here, or to be admitted to Heaven hereafter. 21. To give you fome Inftances of this Truth; that I require higher Degrees of Holinefs and Virtue in my Difciples, than the Scribes and Pharifees require in theirs: Ye have heard from those Doctors, that Mofes gave you a Precept in the Sixth Commandment, only against the unjust taking away of Men's Lives, in thefe Words, 22. But I say unto you, That whofoever is angry with his brother without a caufe, fhall be in danger of the Judgment: and whofoever shall Jay to his brother, Raca, fhall be in danger of the Council : but whofoever shall Say, Thou fool, fhall be in danger of Hell-fire. +This Word [einn, without a Caufe] is not in the best Copies. Words, Thou shalt not kill. And for a Sanction of this Precept, they have told you, that whofoever tranfgreffes it fhall be liable to a Trial before a Criminal Court, called the Judgment or Affizes, erected in every City; the Punishment of which is Death by the Sword; fo that ye have been taught to look upon this Law against Murder, only as a political Law, the Tranfgreffion of which, when legally prov'd, incurs a temporary Death. 22. But I must give you a much better Information both of the Sins against this Commandment, and of the Punishments of them before an higher Tribunal in the other World. Know then that this Commandment reaches not only the taking away of your Neighbour's Life, but all Degrees of Hatred of him; whether this Hatred be only inward Malice in the Heart, or break out outwardly in Words and Actions, tho' fhort of taking away his Life. If it is but inward. Malice in the Heart, that is a Capital Crime in the Sight of God, and it shall be punished in the other World with a Punish Punishment proportionable to the Capital Punishment by the Sword here; but if this Hatred breaks out either in contemptuous flighting Expreffions against your Neighbour, or in more grievous Provocations. of Slander, Contumely, and Reproach, all these fhall in the Future State meet with still higher Degrees of Punishment; as you know Stoning and Burning alive in the Valley of Hinnom, are more fevere Deaths than Beheading with the Sword. 23, and 24. Think not that the Offering of Sacrifice shall atone for this inward Malice, or thefe outward Provocations. And therefore, if ye expect that your Sacrifices fhould be acceptable, let a Reconciliation with your offended Neighbour make way for them; that the Duties of Charity and Devotion may not be feparated, but may go hand in hand together. 1 25. Agree with thine adverfary quickly whiles thou art in the way with bim: left at any time the ad verfary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be caft into priSon. 26. Verily I Say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou haft paid the uttermoft farthing. 25, and 26. And if ye have wronged any body, fee that ye make no Delay to make Reparation, and to reconcile your Differences, while ye are as yet in speaking and converfing Terms with your Adversary. For, as ye know, in this World neglecting to pay Debts, and to make up Quarrels in time, is attended with very bad Confequences; your Adverfary's Mind growing exafperated, he fues you at Law, and puts you to abundance of Trouble and Charge: And if ye are caft at Law, the Judge commits you to the Custody of the Sheriff, or his Officers; and if ye can't pay the Debt, the Sheriff claps you up in Prifon; and so the principal Debt, enflamed with Cofts and Damages, and the Fees of the Court and Goal, makes your Cafe infinitely more deplorable than it was at first : fo fhall it be, and much worfe, in the World, to come, with relation to God, the eternal Judge, and his Prison of Hell, and his Officers the Devils. If ye do not make Reparation of Injuries, and reconcile your Differences in Time, the injured Perfon will commit you to God's 27:¶re have heard that it was faid by them of old time,Thou halt not commit Adultery. + To them. 28. But I fay unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, bath committed adultery with her already in his beart. 29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and caft it from thee: for it is pro God's righteous Judgment; and God will condemn you; and deliver you over to the Devils, to caft you into Hell Prifon. And by that Time your Cafe will be like that of a miferable ruined Debtor, clapt up for fuch an immenfe Sum, that there is no Hope it can ever be fatisfied, or that he can ever be ranfomed out of that difmal Place. 27. Another Inftance wherein the Morals of a good Chriftian are to excel what is taught by the Scribes and Pharifees, is in their Doctrine concerning the Seventh Commandment; as to which they have taught you, that Mofes of old forbad only the grofs Sins of Uncleannefs. 28. But this is a very low and imperfect Interpretation of that Commandment. Remember I tell you that luftful Thoughts, Imaginations, and Defires, are likewife, in the Sight of God, great Tranfgreffions of that Pre |