Evil Tempers.

MATT. v. 21-26.

"YE have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt

not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment (Exod. xx. 13; Deut. v. 17): but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.3 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”4

1

"The Scribes and Pharisees taught that to break the sixth commandment was simply to take another's life, and they had no idea of any other way of breaking it. This was to understand it in the letter. Our Lord teaches that bad feelings and bad words equally break this commandment. This is to understand it in the spirit. The reason why anger and unkind words break the sixth commandment is plainly because they are signs of the same evil temper in the heart, which, when given way to, leads the murderer to his awful sin. Think how many more murders there would be but for fear of consequences. Sin must be sought out in its root. The Jew only saw it when its deadly fruit was ripe."

2

"No offering, no prayer or praise, no self-denial or deed of charity, much more no offering of soul and body at the Christian altar, the holy Table of the Lord, can be acceptable to God if it comes from a heart defiled with anger and strife and an unforgiving temper."

3

"It is not the vengeance of your enemy that you should fear, but, as an earthly enemy, if you will not make peace, may take his revenge and get you cast into prison, so will God's offended law condemn you and cast you into hell if you cherish pride and resentment against your brother when you should seek peace and forgiveness."-Canon How.

4 "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephes. iv. 26).

"O King of peace, give us Thy peace; keep us in love and charity!"—Bishop Wilson.

"

Peace is essential to holiness.

Christ must say to the internal tumult,

as of old to the winds and waves, 'Peace, be still;' and when He has made a great calm, we may then rectify our aim, and set forth on our voyage with renewed effort."-Goulburn's "Pursuit of Holiness."

Christians must be pure in Heart, Word, and Deed.

MATT. v. 27-37.

"YE have that it adultery (Exod. xx. 14; Deut. v. 18):

E have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou

but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement (Deut. xxiv. 1): but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (Lev. xix. 12 ; Num. xxx. 2): but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the Great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay :3 for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

"Our Lord now deals with the seventh commandment as He before dealt with the sixth. As an evil temper or a bitter word breaks that, so does an impure look break this. Well may we say, 'Thy commandment is exceeding broad'" (Ps. cxix. 96). See Rom. vi. 21, 23.

2 "The 'right eye' and the 'right hand' are our dearest and best possessions. The meaning is that everything, even that which is most precious, must be sacrificed at once if it lead us into sin. To 'offend' means literally to make to stumble." See Col. iii. 5.

3 "That is, the simple truth in simple words. St. James's words (ch. v. 12) should be compared with this verse. The Christian should be so entirely truthful and open, that no oath could make his words stronger. He should speak the truth from his heart."-Canon How.

"Be content with simple affirmation and simple denial.”—Bishop Moberly.

"Let us, then, not only never take God's Name in vain, but promote also in all we say that practice of universal truth which would make it plainly practicable to swear not at all."-Girdlestone.

"Oh that Thy Holy Spirit may direct and rule my heart, O God, through Jesus Christ!"-Bishop Wilson.

"O Lord, make me pure in heart, that I may see Thee, my God!"

Returning Good for Evil.

MATT. v. 38-48.

E have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and

"YE

a tooth for a tooth (Exod. xxi. 24; Lev. xxiv. 20): but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy (Lev. xix. 18): but I say unto you, Love your enemies,2 bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?3 do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father Which is in heaven is perfect."

"The law of Moses exacted a punishment of the same kind as the injury done. This the Jew thought a permission to private revenge. . . . Our Lord goes to the root of the matter, and condemns all revengeful feelings and acts, teaching the Christian to return good for evil. We must observe that this passage only concerns our private conduct, and cannot be applied to the laws of the land, and to the punishments they inflict."

2

'Love your enemies."] "Thus did our Lord 'fulfil' the law of love, widening it till it embraces all the world, and leaves no 'enemies' to hate save sin and the devil. -Canon How.

"Instead of taking vengeance on an enemy, do him all the good you can. Give him meat in his hunger, and drink in his thirst. Let these be the only coals of fire which you heap upon his head. Compare his wrongs with your benefits. Never allow yourself to be so far defeated by another man's evil as to seek to repay it with evil. When he does you wrong, look upon it that he has challenged you, as it were, to battle; and see that you win the battle by doing him more good than he does you evil.”—Bishop Moberly.

3 "Must we not expect Him to repeat this question for each of us individually when we stand before His judgment-seat at the great Day of Account? Oh may He stir within us now that spirit of holy emulation, that hunger and thirst after righteousness, which He has promised not to disappoint, that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming!"--Goulburn's "Thoughts on Personal Religion."

66

Almsgiving and Prayer.

MATT. vi. 1-8.

AKE heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen is in heaven.' 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. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father Which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. 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. 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. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him."3

"The blessedness of almsgiving, so constantly taught in God's Word, is nowhere displayed so remarkably as in the description of the great judgment of all nations in chap. xxv. (see especially verses 40 and 45)."-Canon How.

"What is required in the present day is the broad enunciation of the truth that all property is God's, and that some portion of it shall be rendered back to Him by those who are His stewards, in acknowledgment of the fact that their holding is from Him. This truth must be unceasingly proclaimed, until it is intelligently accepted and honestly practised by all, rich and poor alike. The spiritual advantages of systematic giving to works of piety and charity are no less valuable to the donor than to the Church herself. The offering to God is a part of public worship, and should be no more omitted than any other part of public worship."—Parish Magazine.

2 "This may be fulfilled both literally and as a figure: literally, by withdrawing to some secret place for private prayer; as a figure, by entering at any time into the secret chamber of the heart, and there holding communion with God."

3 "If so, why then should we pray? Not to inform God of our needs, but because He wills to give to those that ask. It is the same with confession of sin. It may be said, Why confess our sins to God, Who knows them far better than we do? Not to teach God our sinfulness, but to teach ourselves."- Canon How.

Blessed are they who realize that the prayer of a contrite heart is ever acceptable to the Most High, and who unite with a life of prayer, offerings of praise and thanksgiving."-Dean Duncombe.

A

Prayer and Fasting.

MATT. vi. 9-18.

FTER this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.' For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 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. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 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."

"2

"The Lord's Prayer, for a succession of solemn thoughts, for fixing the attention on a few great points, for suitableness to every condition, for sufficiency, for conciseness without obscurity, for the weight and real importance of its petitions, is without an equal or a rival."-Archdeacon Paley.

2... "Fasting is here spoken of exactly in the same terms as almsgiving and prayer, as an acknowledged religious duty. Surely in these self-indulgent days we neglect this means of grace very sadly. This is not the fault of our Church, which clearly enjoins fasting, and appoints the days for it. It is well to understand both what fasting is, and what is its use. Fasting is the denial to ourselves of lawful and ordinary indulgence. In the letter, fasting is abstinence in eating and drinking; and this may be in quality or in quantity, or in both. In the spirit, fasting may be extended to all usual and lawful indulgences, such as going into company, light reading, and pleasure-seeking of all sorts; or again, to the undertaking of tasks which require some sacrifice of time or convenience, such as adding to the length of our ordinary prayers and reading of God's Word, devoting certain time to the visiting of the sick, or other labours of love. . . . All subduing and keeping under of the flesh is helping to gain the victory for the spirit. Moreover, the subduing of the flesh is a great help towards the resistance of temptation; those who learn to curb and restrain themselves in things lawful are far more able to do so in things unlawful. No one can doubt that the soul is more free and active for prayer and meditation when restraint has been put upon the appetite than when free indulgence has been given to it. Heaviness of body is a sure hindrance to activity of spirit. The error against which our Lord warns us is that of making fasting a mere formal, outward act, as though it were good and meritorious in itself, and not simply a means of grace. They that fast in mere formality, and for the praise of men, are 'hypocrites' like the Pharisees. The true Christian will fast, but he will never make a display of it. True, he will not be ashamed of it, but he will so fast that God, and not man, may see and approve."—Canon How.