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14 Ford 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;

d Mark xi. 15.

then, is this petition, and how great is the encouragement arising from the assurance implied in it, that our heavenly Father will not suffer us to be tempted "above what we are able to bear!" The very prayer implies a promise, since we are authorized by Christ himself to use it.

For thine is the kingdom, &c.-This sublime conclusion is not in St. Luke, which makes it probable that the Lord's prayer as recorded by him, was delivered on another occasion, and in a shorter and somewhat varied form. Here it is a part of a set and solemn discourse, and is therefore given at full length. By some critics the doxology is rejected from the text; but it appears in most of the Greek Mss., the Syriac, and other ancient versions, and was certainly read in the copies used by the Greek Fathers; and on such evidence must be retained. It is obviously taken, not as Lightfoot suggests, from the Jews, who at the end of their "Blessed be the name prayers repeated, of the glory of his kingdom for ever and ever;" but manifestly from the inspired words of Solomon: Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all," &c. 1 Chron. xxix. 11.

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Verse 16. Be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance.-The word σкulрwоs signifies one of a gloomy and dejected

countenance. Lucian, in one of his dialogues, censures those who affected to be philosophers, and without any qualification assumed their garb, and imitated their gravity, calling them apes and stageplayers, UжOKρIтes, hypocrites, and ridicules their grave facеs, σкveрwжо, the word here translated, of a sad countenance.

Disfigure their faces.—Apavięw signifies to cause to disappear, and figuratively, to deform or disfigure, as hiding or defacing whatever is beautiful or graceful. These hypocrites "disfigured their faces" by letting their hair and beard remain untrimmed, by not practising the usual ablutions and anointings, and perhaps also by sprinkling ashes upon their heads. Hence, on the contrary, our Lord exhorts his disciples, when they fast, to anoint their head and wash their face, that they might not appear to men to fast, that there should be among them no unnecessary exhibition, no vain show of religion. Anointing the body with fragrant oil after washing was a common practice with the ancients, and especially on great and joyous occasions. Examples appear in Homer and other ancient writers. The Jewsh canons forbid washing and anointing on fast-days. The anointing of the head is mentioned, either because on ordinary occasions they anointed the head only, or because when they anointed the whole body, the rule was to anoint the head first, as being THE KING Over all its members." Which mode of speaking probably gave rise to St. Paul's compari

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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:

e Luke xii. 33; 1 Tim. vi. 19.

son of believers to the members of the body, and Christ to its HEAD, as being THE LORD of his church.

Verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, &c.-The treasures laid up by the easterns were not only gold, silver, and precious stones, but corn, wine, and oil; and garments also, frequent changes of which they thought a point of dignity. Many of these garments were costly, from their curious texture, workmanship, and the embroidery with which they were adorned. In Homer, such vestments make a conspicuous figure in the treasury of Ulysses.

Where motn and rust doth corrupt, &c.— The moth eats into the garments; the rust, Boris, is a name which comprehends the different kinds of insects which devour grain and fruits. The word is from Bpworkw, to eat, and signifies whatever consumes by corrosion, or devouring, whether the mildew which destroys corn, or the rust which corrodes metals, or locusts, ants, weevils, and other insects by which various substances are devoured. Finally, thieves break through and steal the gold and silver, as being easily carried away. Thus the perishableness and uncertainty of all earthly property is metaphorically but strikingly set forth; and, as Bishop Hopkins well observes, "the moth and rust may denote the insensible wasting of the good things of this life, as the moth does not make a sudden rent; and the thieves may intimate some sudden blast of providence upon worldly possessions." The accumulation of property is

not here absolutely forbidden. In most cases the business of life cannot be carried on without it, in some degree; and large commercial and manufacturing concerns can only be conducted by a large capital, and if successfully managed must rapidly increase wealth. But the precept forbids, 1. The hoarding up of useless wealth which is not made beneficial to society. 2. All anxiety to acquire wealth, so that we may be cheerfully content with the portion which providence assigns us. 3. All greediness of gain, whether to keep or to spend, whether to gratify the mean passion of avarice, or to be used for vain ostentation or personal indulgence.

Verse 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, &c.—Secure imperishable treasures there, "an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away." It is only by a true faith in Christ that we become "heirs" of this heavenly inheritance; but every act of pious charity lays up treasure in it, and will render it the more rich and felicitous. (See 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18; Luke xviii. 22.) The antithesis contained in these verses will not pass unnoticed by the attentive reader. Treasures on earth, and treasures in heaven; the latter, therefore, are all spiritual, suited to the enjoyment and capacity of a perfectly purified and glorified nature; they are also inalienable and imperishable, in contrast with the corruptible and uncertain enjoyments of time, and so it is a joyful consideration that in proportion to the VALUE of the treasures of heaven is their SECURITY; we can never outlive them, never forfeit

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!

f Luke xi. 34.

them, they shall never be taken away body shall be full of darkness; all notices from us.

Verse 21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.-If we esteem earthly things to be our treasure, then will our AFFECTIONS be set upon them, and become alienated from God, the result of which must be the utter loss of the heavenly inheritance; "for to be carnally minded is death." But if, on the contrary, we have our treasure in heaven, if we gain a true title to it, and esteem the attaining of it the great end of life; if we are intent upon exalting our felicity there, by "works of faith and labours of love," by a vigorous zeal and a liberal charity, our hearts will be kept there, and our AFFECTIONS set on things above." Thus shall we acquire that heavenlymindedness, without which all pretensions to piety are vain and fatally delu

sive.

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Verses 22, 23. The light of the body is the eye, &c.—" The light," o Avxvos, the lamp of the body is the eye, its steps and motions being directed by it, as in the night we use a lamp for the same purposes. If therefore thine eye be single, that is, SOUND, in a healthy state, if vision be perfect; (for, as Campbell well remarks, that "there can be no reference to the primitive meaning of anλovs, simple or single, is evident from its being contrasted with τovпpos, evil, or distempered, and not to dinλovs;") thy whole body shall be full of light; the images of things without being transmitted by a sound eye to the sensorium, all things appear enlightened, and we are able correctly to perceive and judge of them, and to conduct ourselves accordingly. But if thine eye be evil, Tovmpos, diseased, so that the function of vision cannot be performed, thy whole

of external things designed to be transmitted by the eye being shut out, and all the beautiful scenes of nature excluded. If therefore the light that is in thee become darkness; if the power of seeing be lost to any one, how great is that darkness, how pitiable and wretched is that man's condition!

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But how are these words connected with our Lord's argument against worldlymindedness? By the single eye, the liberal person, say some, is intended; by the evil eye, the covetous, urging, as Lightfoot, Whitby, and others, the Jewish phrases, "giving with a good eye," that is, freely; and having an evil eye," that is, being churlish and covetous. But no good sense can be made of the whole passage in this view. How is it that if the eye be sound or good, in the sense of being liberal, the whole man is full of light? or if it be evil, greedy and covetous, that he should be full of darkness? The attempts to explain this, by the commentators who take the terms in this sense, are too forced and awkward to be admitted; whereas, if we interpret the eye, as an easy and indeed common metaphor to indicate the understanding or practical judgment, a natural and most important sense unfolds itself, which by none has been better expressed than by Baxter "If therefore thy judgment be sound, and thou knowest the difference between laying up a treasure in heaven and on earth, it will rightly guide the actions of thy heart and life; but if thy judgment be blinded in this great affair, it will misguide thy affections, thy choice, and the whole tenor of thy life. If that judgment then be blind, which in this affair of everlasting moment ought to

g

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 mam

mon.

h

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 ?

g Luke xvi. 13.

h Luke xii. 12; Psalm lv. 22; 1 Peter v. 7.

guide thee aright, what a miserable wretch wilt thou be, and how fatal will that error prove !"

Verse 24. No man can serve two masters, &c. Decision, strong and constant, is here enforced by Christ upon his disciples, by an illustration, the energy of which all must feel. It is taken from the state of absolute servitude; but the masters or lords who claim our subjection are of entirely opposite characters, and require an entirely opposite service, and that at the same time, and through the whole course of our life. To obey two lords under such circumstances is manifestly impossible. Ye cannot serve God and mammon; yet you must serve one or the other, so that there is no middle path; therefore, take your choice. Mammon is not here used, as some have supposed, for a Syrian idol, like the Plutus of the Greeks, the god of riches; but simply means riches, which our Lord personifies. The word for riches in the Syriac, according to Jerome, was mammon; and so had been introduced into the language of Palestine, which was a mixed dialect. Thus our Lord again uses it for riches, Luke xvi. 9-13. The meaning is obvious. He who serves riches, that is to say, gives himself up to the sordid love of them, and surrenders himself to be mastered by this passion, cannot serve God. For to serve God acceptably is to serve him absolutely, to confide in him alone, to love him supremely, and to submit to all those laws of generous liberality in the use of money which necessarily imply that we make riches our SERVANTS, not Our MASTERS; and are to be ready to

sacrifice wealth and all the distinctions and pleasures which it can purchase, when called to it for Christ's sake, and the preservation of a good conscience. Even heathen writers had often just views on this subject. Thus Plato in his Republic says, that in proportion to the degree in which riches are honoured and admired, virtue will be slighted and disregarded; and compares them to the light and heavy weight in a balance always going in an opposite direction.

Verse 25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought, &c.-The beautiful discourse on God's providential care which is thus introduced was evidently designed to anticipate an objection to the doctrine just taught. The hearers of our Lord would naturally ask, If we are to become so dead to the pursuit of wealth, how are our wants in life to be provided for?

To which his reply, in sum, is, Not by surrendering yourselves to an excessive anxiety about the affairs of this present life, but by trusting in the care of your heavenly Father. The word μeguvale is somewhat unhappily rendered, take no thought; for simple thoughtfulness, and a moderated care, are both necessary to that prudent and industrious conduct by which, under God's blessing, our daily wants are appointed to be supplied. "Be not anxiously solicitous," better expresses the idea; hence the Vulgate, Ne soliciti sitis.

Care becomes a dangerous and sinful anxiety when it goes beyond the necessity of the case; when it is disproportionate to the temporary interests of the present life; when it leads to distrust in God; when it arises from want of sub

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 ?

mission to the lot he may be pleased to assign us; when it stretches too far into the future; when it disturbs and chafes our own minds, unfitting us for devotional exercises, and inducing the neglect of our spiritual concerns.

Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?-Is not the life more, (TλELOV is here taken in the sense of worth and dignity,) of more value, than meat; and it follows, therefore, that God, who has given life, the nobler gift, will take care to sustain it with food; and he who has so curiously formed the body, so that it is a wonderful monument of his power and skill, will not deny to it the raiment which it needs to cherish and defend it. This fine argument proceeds upon the principle that "all the works of God are perfect;" that in them every thing answers to each other, so that nothing is left unprovided for. The wisdom of God which had an end in giving life to every one, which yet is a dependent life, not to be sustained but by external supplies, will so order it that such supplies shall not be wanting; and he who gave to the body no natural clothing, and yet places it in circumstances which render clothing necessary for decency and comfort, will take care that we are supplied with raiment. When our first parents, from the sad changes which had been induced by sin in their persons and the climate of the world, needed raiment, the Lord God himself made coats of skins and clothed them; an affecting proof of his compassion. In illustration of this sentiment, that he who made the creatures cannot be inattentive to the supply of their wants, Christ refers to the fowls of the air, and the flowers of the field.

Verse 26. Behold the fowls of the air, &c.—Eμßreyale, Attentively consider the fowls of the air; not those, says one, of the barn door, of which man takes care

for his own profit, but those of the air. Yet even these, for whom none cares but God, find their food provided by a hand they cannot recognise; so that he who hath given them life, and assigned them their place in the rank of created beings, and appointed their uses, fails not to supply them with subsistence. The fowls here are only considered as the representatives of all the inferior creatures, of the different orders of which the Psalmist says, "All these wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season ;" and so accurately is this furnished, that none of their species perish for want of sustenance, but continue from age to age, a standing monument of the care of God. Are ye not much better than they? as being spiritual, rational, immortal, and redeemed creatures.

Ηλικία

Verse 27. Which of you by taking thought, &c.—As though he had said, Let the regular feeding of the inferior creatures, who are without care themselves, reprove your over-carefulness, the total inefficacy of which, independent of the gracious interposition of God, may be confirmed to you by this,-that no man by taking thought, by becoming ever so anxious, can add one cubit to his stature, so limited is the power of man. may either be taken in the sense of STATURE OF AGE. The latter, to many, seems preferable, as best agreeing with the argument. In the sense of life, the connexion, they think, is much more apparent. Our Lord warns his hearers against being solicitous concerning their LIFE, how it was to be sustained; and urges that by taking thought they could not prolong it. To add a cubit to life, it is true, is a singular phrase; but they think it only parallel to those passages in the Old Testament where the life of man is frequently compared to measures of length, as a hand-breadth,

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