SECTION XIV.

Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. 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. 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: 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.' MATT. vii. 24—27.

THE parallel place is Luke vi. 47-49. This passage has been applied, by many, to the concerns of another life. They seem to have thought, that, wherever a metaphor was used, it must necessarily belong to the future world. But this is a mistaken opinion. The words of Jesus admit an easy application, without going into another world. The disciples were about to be exposed to sharp persecutions. He informed them that nothing could so effectually sustain them under the afflictions they should suffer, as a firm faith in his gospel, and a corresponding practice. Such is the fact, also, in relation to all men, so far as their situation is similar. Several writers seem to have had this view of the subject.

JONES. After noticing a persecution which existed. in the apostolic age, and the manner of its discontinuance by an edict of the Emperor, Jones remarks:

The edict, which secured peace to the innocent, operated in full force against the guilty; the impostors, notorious and abandoned, were the persons who chiefly felt its severity. Suffering is the only test of probity and sincerity, and suffering in the cause of righteousness the impostors had neither principle nor power to support. This our Lord well knew, and foreseeing the storms which were soon to rise, with the effect they would pro

duce on false teachers, he adds with reference to them, 66 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house and it fell."" Illustrations, &c. sect. xiv.

TOMSON'S BEZA. The following is given as comprehending the doctrine taught in this passage: Affliction doth at the length discern true godliness from false and feigned.' Note in Luke vi. 47–49.

DIODATI. The similitude of the two houses shows the difference there is between true godliness and hypocrisy for they are both alike in outward appearance; but when trial comes, true godliness continues firm against all oppositions, whereas hypocrisy vanisheth into nothing.' Annot. in Luke vi. 48, 49.

ROSENMULLER, ver. 25. 'Whoever shall govern his actions by the precepts of my doctrine, consults his own highest advantage. He shall stand firm amid the storms. of calamity, nor shall he ever be truly miserable; but, in this life and the next, he shall be tranquil and happy. That inundations and storms are figures to express great calamities, is well known.'

Ver. 26, 27. The sense of these words is easily understood, by comparing them with ver. 25. See similar forms of speech quoted by Wetstein from the Rabbinical writings. Christ here intends to teach this: external works, and even miracles, without inward piety, and a virtuous disposition, are indeed like a splendid edifice; but if a man performing these works, be very desirous of popularity, gain and pleasure, all his apparent virtue vanishes, whenever a violent storm of temptation assails him. But, he, whose mind is steadfast in the doctrine of the gospel, and in the love of virtue, expecting from God alone the recompense of his good deeds, though he encounter all the injuries of the wicked, the cruel persecutions of unbelievers, and even death itself, shall stand unshaken and unharmed, until that day, when his perseverance, victorious over evil, shall receive its crown.' Scholia in loc.

KENRICK. 6

The mind that is thus disposed, is

prepared for obeying the truth; he who has done this, builds upon a rock, he will maintain his speculative faith unshaken by the allurements of pleasure, by the fear of bodily pain, of poverty, banishment, ignominy and death, as well as by the new doctrines of a false teacher. On the contrary, those who approve of the christian doctrine with the understanding, but have not taken care to lay a good foundation in the affections, by the means above mentioned, being tempted by the snares of sin, by the fear of impending evil, or the charm of novelty, are easily induced to wish that whatever opposes the gratification of their lust may not be true; and, seeking any how to escape from it, they first begin to doubt, then waver in their profession, and last of all fall entirely away from it.' Expos. in loc.

SECTION XV.

'And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' MATT. vii. 11, 12.

THIS passage is very similar to Matt. vii. 21-23, and especially Luke xiii. 23-30. To the notes on those passages, the reader is referred for some valuable remarks. In addition, I insert the following:

LARDNER. This judicious writer undoubtedly understood this passage to be descriptive of a very important event, which occurred in this world, and not in the next; to wit, the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles. He writes thus: :

'St. Matthew's knowledge of the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews, may be concluded from many things recorded by him. In the history of

our Lord's healing the centurion's servant at Capernaum, he inserts our Lord's commendation of his faith, and that declaration, Many shall come from the east, &c. Matt. viii. 10-12.' Hist. Apos. & Evang. chap. v.

WHITBY. To lie down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, doth not signify to enjoy everlasting happiness in heaven with them, but only to become the sons of Abraham through faith, Gal. iii. 7, and so to be blessed with faithful Abraham, ver. 9, to have the blessing of Abraham coming on them, that they may receive the promise of the spirit, ver. 14, through faith in Christ to be the seed of Abraham and heirs, according to the promise, ver. 29, viz. the promise made to Abraham, Gen. xii. 3, renewed to Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 4, and confirmed to Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 14, and to be, according to Isaac, the children of promise, Gal. iv. 28. This, says Christ, shall be the blessing of the believing Gentiles; they shall be sons of Abraham, and heirs of the promises made to the patriarchs, and mentioned by all the holy prophets of the Old Testament; whereas, the unbelieving Jews, wanting the faith of Abraham, shall be deprived of the blessings promised to his seed; for they who seek to enter, and shall not be able, because the Master has shut to his door, Luke xiii. 24, 25, are those Jews who sought for righteousness by the works of the law and not by faith, and therefore found it not, Rom. ix. 31, 32, vi. 7, who entered not into the rest prepared for them, by reason of their unbelief, Heb. iii. 18, 19, iv. 2, 5, 8, from whom the kingdom of God was taken away, Matt. xxi. 43; they are they who shall say to Christ, 66 we have eaten and drunk before thee, and thou hast taught in our streets," Luke xiii. 26, which could be said only by the Jews.' Com. in loc.

TOMSON'S BEZA. The following is given as the substance of the passage, commencing at ver. 5:

'Christ, by setting before them the example of the uncircumcised centurion, and yet of an excellent faith, provoketh the Jews to emulation, and together forewarneth them of their casting off, and the calling of the Gentiles.' Note in loc.

SECTION XVI.

'Verily, I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city.' MATT. x. 15.

HAMMOND. I assure you, the punishment or destruction that will light upon that city will be such, that the destruction of Sodom shall appear to have been more tolerable than that. See note on Matt. iii. 2.' Par in loc.

In the note to which he refers, he says, in express terms, that Jesus did not speak of the day of judgment to come, but of that day when Sodom was overthrown by the shower of fire and brimstone, which the Lord rained on the city, out of heaven. See his note, inserted in section i.

PEARCE. 'That is, in the day of the destruction of the Jewish state, called the coming of the Son of Man, ver. 23. The sense of this verse seems to be this: That, which formerly befell Sodom and Gomorrah, was more tolerable, than what shall befall this city. That the day of judgment here mentioned is to be thus understood, appears from what is said concerning Capernaum in ch. xi. 23, compared with vs. 22-24, of the same chapter.' Com. in loc.

WAKEFIELD. 6 In a day of vengeance, punishment, or trial. This is undoubtedly the genuine sense of the phrase, which has not the least reference to the day of general judgment. All that our Saviour intends to say is, that, when the temporal calamities of that place come upon it, they will be more severe than even those of Sodom and Gomorrah. See this phrase employed in precisely the same meaning by the LXX, in Prov. vi. 34, where, instead of kriseos, Aquila and Theodotion have ekdikeseos; Isa. xxxiv. 8, and my Commentary on this place. Our Saviour, I apprehend, had Jerusalem principally in view in this declaration.' Note in loc.