MATTHEW VI. 9-15.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy -will be done in earth, as it is in lieaven.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 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.
14 For 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.
These verses are few in number, and soon read, but they are of immense importance. They contain that wonderful pattern of prayer with which the Lord Jesus has supplied His people, commonly called "the Lord's Prayer."
Perhaps no part of Scripture is so well known as this. Its words are familiar, wherever Christianity is found. Thousands, and lens of thousands, who never saw a Bible, or heard the pure Gospel, aie acquainted with " Our Father," and ^^ Paternoster." Happy would it be for the world, if this prayer was as well known in the spirit, as it is in the letter!
Perhaps no part of Scripture is so full, and so simple at the same time, as this. It is the first prayer which we learn to offer up, when we are little children. Here is its simplicity. — It contains the germ of everything which the most advanced saint can desire. Here is its fulness. — The more we ponder every word it contains, the more we shall feel, " this prayer is of God."
The Lord's prayer consists of ten parts or sentences. There is one declaration of the Being to whom we pray. — There are three prayers respecting His name, His kingdom, and His will. — There are four prayers respecting our daily wants, our sins, our weakness, and our dangers. — There is one profession of our feeling towards others. — There is one concluding ascription of praise. — In aU these parts we are taught to say " we," and " our." We are to remember others, as well as ourselves. — On each of these parts a volume might be written. We must content ourselves at present with taking up sentence by sentence, and marking out the direction in which each sedtence points.
The first sentence declares to loJiom toe are to pray: " Our Father which art in heaven." We are not to ciy to saints and angels, but to the everlasting Father, the Father of spirits, the Lord of heaven and earth. We call Him Father, in th-^ lowTst sense, as our Creator; as St. Paul told the Athenians, " in him we live, and move, and have our being — we are also his offspring." (Acts xvii. 28.) We call Him Father in the highest sense, as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, reconciling us to Himself, through the death of His Son. (Col. i. 20-22.) We profess that which the Old Testament saints only saw dimly, if at all, — we profess to be His children by faith in Christ, and to have " the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Rom. viii. 15.) This, we must never forget, is the sonship that we must desire, if we would be saved. Without faith in Christ's blood, and union with Him, it is vain to talk of trusting in the Fatherhood of God.
The second sentence is a petitionrespecting God'sname: " Hallowed be thy name." By the " name" of God we mean all those attributes under which He is revealed to us, — His power, wisdom, holiness, justice, mercy, and truth. By asking that they may be " hallowed," we mean that they may be made known and glorified. The glory of God is the first thing that God's children should desire. It is the object of one of our Lord's own prayers: " Father, glorify thy name." (John xii. 28.) It is the purpose for which the world was created. It is the end for which the saints are called and converted. It is the chief thing we should seek, that " God in all things may be glorified." (1 Peter iv. 11.)
The third sentence is a petition concerning God's kingdom: " thy kingdom come." By His kingdom we mean first, the kingdom of grace which God sets up and maintains in the hearts of all living members of Christ, by His Spirit and word. But we mean chiefly, the kingdom of glory which shall one day be set up, when Jesus shall come the second time, and "all men shall know Him from the least to the greatest." This is the time when sin, and sorrow, and Satan shall be cast out of the world. It is the time when the Jews shall be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, (Rom. xi. 25,) and a time that is above all things to be desired. It therefore fills a foremost place in the Lord's prayer. We ask that which is expressed in the words of the Burial service, " that it may please thee to hasten thy kingdom."
The fourth sentence is a petition concerning God's will: "thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." We here pray that God's laws may be obeyed by men as perfectly, readily, and unceasingly, as they are by angels in heaven. We ask that those who now obey not His laws, may be taught to obey them, and that those who do obey them, may obey them better. Our truest happiness is perfect submission to God's will, and it is the highest charity to pray that all mankind may know it, obey it, and submit to it.
The fifth sentence is a petition respecting our own daily wants: " give us this day our daily bread." We are here taught to acknowledge our entire dependence on God, for the supply of our daily necessities. As Israel required daily manna, so we require daily " bread." We confess that we are poor, weak, wanting creatures, and beseech Him who is our Maker to take care of us. We ask for " bread," as the simplest of our wants, and in that word we include all that our bodies require.
The sixth sentence is a petition respecting our sins: " Forgive us our debts." We confess that we are sinners, and need daily grants of pardon and forgiveness. This is a part of the Lord's prayer which deserves especially to be remembered. It condemns all self* righteousness and self-justifying. We are instructed here to keep up a continual habit of confession at the throne of grace, and a continual habit of seeking mercy and remission. Let this never be forgotten. We need daily to " wash our feet." (John xiii. 10.)
The seventh sentence is a profession respecting our oivn feelings toivards others: we ask our Father to " forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." This is the only profession in the whole prayer, and the only part on which our Lord comments and dwells, when He has concluded the prayer. The plain object of it is, to remind us that we must not expect our prayers for forgiveness to be heard, if we pray with malice and spite in our hearts towards others. To pray in such a frame of mind is mere formality and hypocrisy. It is even worse than hypocrisy. It is as much as saying, " Do not forgive me at all." Our prayer is nothing without •charity. We must not expect to be forgiven, if wo cannot forgive.
The eighth sentence is a petition respecting our weakness: " lead us not into temptation." It teaches us that we are liable, at all times, to be led astray, and fall. It instructs us to confess our infirmity, and beseech God to hold us up, and not allow us to run into sin. We ask Him, who orders all things in heaven and earth, to restrain us from going into that which would injure our souls, and never to suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. (1 Cor. x. 13.)
The ninth sentence is a petition respecting oui^ dangers: ^' deliver us from evil." We are here taught to ask God to deliver us from the evil that is in the world, the evil that is within our own hearts, and not least from that evil one, the devil. We confess that, so long as we are in the body, we are constantly seeing, hearing, and feeling the presence of evil. It is about us, and within us, and around us on every side. And we entreat Him, who alone can preserve us, to be continually delivering us from its power. (John xvii. 15.)
The last sentence is an ascription of loraise: " thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory." We declare in these words our belief, that the kingdoms of this world are the rightful property of our Father, — that to Him alone belongs all " power,'' — and that He alone deserves to receive all " glory." And we conclude by offering to Him the profession of our hearts, that we give Him all honor and praise, and rejoice that He is King of kings, and Lord of lords.
And now let us all examine ourselves, and see whether we really desire to have the things which we are taught to ask for in the Lord's Prayer. Thousands, it may be feared, repeat these words daily as a form, but never consider what they are saying. They care nothing for the " glory," the " kingdom," or the " wHl" of God. They have no sense of dependence, sinfulness, weakness, or danger. They have no love or charity towards their enemies. And yet they repeat the Lord's Prayer! These things ought not to be so. May we resolve that, by God's help, our hearts shall go together with our lips 1 Happy is he who can really call God his Father through Jesus Christ his Saviour, and can therefore say a heartfelt '' Amen" to all that the Lord's Prayer contains.
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 f^xstest, anoint thine head, and wash thy iace;
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 tliee openly.
19 Lay not up for yourselves treo.- 'eures upon earth, where moth and
rust dotli 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:
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 tiiine 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!
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. Yo cannot serve God and mammon.
There are three subjects brought before us in this i)art of our Lord's sermon on the mount. These three are fasting, worldliness, and singleness of purpose in religion. Fasting, or occasional abstinence from food, in order to bring the body into subjection to the spirit, is a practice frequently mentioned in the Bible, and generally in connection with prayer, David fasted, when his child was eick. Daniel fasted, when he sought special light from God. Paul and Barnabas fasted, when they appointed elders. Esther fasted, before going in to Ahasuerus. — It is a subject about which we find no direct command in the New Testament. It seems to be left to every one's discretion, whether he will fast or not. — There is great wisdom in this. Many a poor man never has enough to eat, and it would be an insult to tell him to fast. Many a sickly person can hardly be kept well with the closest attention to diet, and could not fast without bringing on illness. — It is a matter in which every one must be persuaded in his own mind, and not be hasty to condemn others, who do not agree with him. — One thing only must never be forgotten. Those who fast should do it quietly, secretly, and without ostentation. Let them not " appear to men" to fast. Let them not fast to man, but to God.
Worldliness is one of the greatest dangers that beset man's soul. It is no wonder that we find our Lord speaking strongly about it. It is an insidious, specious, plausible enemy. It seems so innocent to pay close attention to our business! It seems so harmless to seek our happiness in this world, so long as we keep clear of open sins! Yet here is a rock on which many make shipwreck to all eternity. They " lay up treasure on earth," and forget to " lay up treasure in heaven." May we all remember this! Where are our hearts? What do we love best? Are our chiefest affections on things in earth, or things in heaven? Life or death depends on the answer we can give to these questions. If our treasure is earthly, our hearts will be earthly also. " Where your treasure is, there will your heart be."
Singleness of purpose is one great secret of spiritual prosperity. If our eyes do not see distinctly, we cannot walk without stumbling and falling. If we attempt to work for two different masters, we are sure to give satisfaction to neither. It is just the same with respect to our souls. We cannot serve Christ and the world at the same time. It is vain to attempt it. The thing cannot be done. The ark and Dagon will never stand together. God must be king over our hearts. His law. His will, His precepts must receive our first attention. Then, and not till then, everything in our inward man will fall into its right place. Unless our hearts are so ordered.
everything will be in confusion. " Thy whole body shall be full of darkness."
Let us learn from our Lord's instruction about fasting, the great importance of cheerfulness in our religion. Those words, " anoint thy head, and wash thy face/' are full of deep meaning. They should teach us to aim at letting men see, that we find Christianity makes us happy. Never let us forget that there is no religion in looking melancholy and gloomy. Are we dissatisfied with Christ's wages, and Christ's service? Surely not I Then let us not look as if we were. r Let us learn from our Lord's caution about worldliness ' what immense need we all have to loatch and pray against an earthly spirit. What are the vast majority of professing Christians round us doing? They are " laying up treasure on earth." There can be no mistake about it. Their tastes, their ways, their habits tell a fearful tale. They are not " laying up treasure in heaven." Oh! let us all beware that we do not sink into hell by paying excessive attention to lawful things. Open transgression of God's law slays its thousands, but worldliness its tens of thousands.
Let us learn from our Lord's words about the " single eye," the true secret of the failures, which so many Christians seem to make in their religion. There are failures in all quarters. There are thousands in our churches uncomfortable, ill at ease, and dissatisfied with themselves, and they hardly know why. The reason is revealed here. They are trying to keep in with both sides. They are endeavoring to please God and please man, to serve Christ and serve the world at the same time. Let us not commit this mistake. Let us be decided, thoroughgoing, uncompromising followers of Christ. Let our motto be that of Paul, " One thing I do." (Phil. iii. 13.) Then we shall be happy Christians. We shall feel the Bun shining on our faces. Heart, head, and conscience will all be full of light. Decision is the secret of happiness in religion. Be decided for Christ, and " thy whole body shall be full of light.''
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 liic more than meat, and the body than raiment?
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 i
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
80 Wherefore, if God so clothe the
grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thouglit, saying. What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or. Wherewithal shall vve be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenlip- Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be ad Jed unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the ntorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Snfiicient unto the day is the evil thereof.
These verses are a s triking example of the combined wisdom and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ's teaching. He knows the heart of a man. He knows that we are all ready to turn off warnings against worldliness, by the argument that we cannot help being anxious about the things of this life. " Have we not our families to provide for? Must not our bodily wants be supplied? How ca,n we possibly get through life, if we think first of our souls?" The Lord Jesus foresaw such thoughts, and furnished an answer.
He forbids us to keep up an anxious spirit about the things of this world. Four times over He says, ^' take no thought." About life, — about food, — about clothing, — about the morrow, ^' take no thought." Be not overcarefal. Be not over-anxious. Prudent provision for the future is right. Wearing, corroding, self- tormenting anxiety is wrong.
He reminds us of tJie providential care that God continually takes of everything that He has created. Has He given us " life?'' Then He will suerly not let us want anything necessary for its maintenance. Has He given us a " body?" Then He will surely not let us die for want of clothing. He that calls us into being, will doubtless find meat to feed us.
?, He poin ts ou t the uselessness of over-anxiety. Our life is entirely in God's hand. All the care in the world will not make us continue a minute beyond the time which God has appointed. We shall not die till our work is done.
He sends us to the birds of the air for instruction. They make no provision for the future. " They sow not, neither do they reap." — They lay up no stores against time yet to come. They do not " gather into barns." They literally live from day to day on what they can pick up, by using the instinct God has put in them. They ought to teach us that no man doing his duty in the station to which God has called him, shall ever be allowed to come to poverty.
He bids us to observe the flowers of the field. Year after year they are decked with the gayest colors, without the
Blightest labor or exertion on their part. " They toil not, neither do they spin." God, by His almighty power, clothes them with beauty every season. The same God is the Father of all believers. Why should they doubt that He is able to provide them with raiment, as well as the lilies " of the field.?" He who takes thought for perishable flowers, will surely not neglect the bodies in which dwell immortal souls.
He suggests to us, that over-carefulness about the things of this world is most umoorthy of a Christian, One great feature of heathenism is living for the present. Let the heathen, if he will, be anxious. He knows nothing of a Father in heaven. But let the Christian, who has clearer light and knowledge, give proof of it by his faith and contentment. When bereaved of those whom we love, we are not to "sorrow as those who have no hope." When tried by anxieties about this life, we are not to be over-careful, as if we had no God, and no Christ.
He offers us a gracious promise, iis a remedy against an anxiqus spirit. He assures us that if we " seek first" and foremost to have a place in the kingdom of grace and glory, everything that we really want in this world shall be given to us. It shall be " added," over and abovo our heavenly inheritance. " All things shall work together for good to them that love God." '^ No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Rom. viii. 28. Psalm Ixxxiv. 11.)
Last of all. He seals up all His instruction on this subject, by laying down one of the wisest maxims. " The morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof/' We are not to carry cares before they come. We are to attend to to-day's business, and leave to-morrow's anxieties till to-morrow dawns. We may die before to-morrow. We know not what may happen on the morrow. This ouly we may be assured of, that if to-morrow brings a cross, He who sends it, can and will send grace to bear it.
In all this jjassage there is a treasury of golden lessons. Let us seek to use them in our daily life. Let us not only read them, but turn them to practical account. Let us watch and pray against an anxious and over-careful spirit. It deeply concerns our happiness. Half our miseries are caused by fancying things that we think are coming upon us. Half the things that we expect to come upon us, never come at all. Where is our faith? Where is our confidence in our Saviour's words? We may well take shame to ourselves, when we read these verses, and then look into our hearts. But this we may be sure of, that David's words are true, " I have been young, and now am old, yet never saw I the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread." (Psalm xxxvii. 25.)
MATTHEW VII. 1-11.
2 For -with what judgment ye judge, yo shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? "'"■ ^' '
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brotiier's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and "turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto;,'ou:
8 For every one that asketli receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to hina that kuocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 if ye then, beinf;^ 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?
The first portion of these verses is one of those passages of Scripture, which we must be careful not to strain beyond its proper meaning. It is frequently abused and misapplied, by the enemies of true religion. It is possible to press the words of the Bible so far that they yield not medicine, but poison.
Our Lord does not mean that it is wrong, under any circumstances, to pass an unfavorable judgment on the conduct and opinions of others. We ought to have decided opinions. We are to " prove all things." We are to " try the spirits." — Nor yet does He mean that it is wrong to reprove the sins and faults of others, until we are perfect and faultless ourselves. Such an interpretation would contradict other parts of Scripture. It would make it impossible to condemn error and false doctrine. It would debar any one from attempting the office of a minister or a judge. The earth would be '• given into the hands of the wicked." (John ix. 24.) Heresy would flourish. Wrong-doing would abound.
What our Lord means to condemn is a censorious and fault-finding spirit, A readiness to blame others for trifling oftences, or matters of indifference — a habit of passing rash and hasty judgments — a disposition to magnify the errors and infirmities of our neighbors, and make the worst of them — this is what our Lord forbids. It was common among the Pharisees. It has always been common from their day down to the present time. We must all watch against it. We should " believe all things," and " hope all things " about others, and be very slow to find fault. This is Christian charity. (1 Cor. xiii. 7.)
The second lesson contained in this passage, is the importance of exercising discretion as to the person with whom lue speak on the subject of religion. Everything is beautiful in its place and season. Our zeal is to be tempered by a prudent consideration of times, places, and persons. "Eeprove not a scorner," says Solomon, "lest he hate thee." (Prov. ix. 8.) It is not everybody to whom it is wise to open our minds on spiritual matters. There are many, who from violent tempers, or openly profligate habits, are utterly incapable of valuing the things of the Gospel. They will even fly into a passion, and run into greater excesses of sin, if you try to do good to their souls. To name the name of Christ to such people, is truly to "cast pearls before swine." It does them not good but harm. It rouses all their corruption, and makes them angry. In short, they are like the Jews at Corinth, (Acts xviii. 6,) or like Nabal, of whom it is written, that he was " such a son of Belial, that a man could not speak unto him." (1 Sam. xxv. 17.)
This is a lesson which it is peculiarly difficult to use in the proper way. The right application of it needs great wisdom. We are most of us far more likely to err on the side of over-caution than of over-zeal. We are generally far more disposed to remember the " time to be silent," than " the time to speak." It is a lesson, however, which ought to stir up a spirit of self-inquiry in all our hearts. Do we ourselves never check our friends from giving us good advice, by our moroseness and irritability of temper? Have we never obliged others to hold their peace and say nothing, by our pride and impatient contempt of counsel? Have we never turned against our kind advisers, and silenced them by our violence and passion? Alas! we may well fear that we have erred in this matter.
The last lesson contained in this passage is the duty of prayer, and the rich encouragements there are to pray.
There is a beautiful connection between this lesson and that which goes before it. Would we know when to be " silent/' and when to " speak," — when to bring forward " holy " things, and produce our " pearls?" We must pray. This is a subject to which the Lord Jesus evidently attaches great importance. The language that He uses is a plain proof of this. He employs three different words to express the idea of prayer. " Ask." " Seek." " Knock." He holds out the broadest, fullest promise to those who praj^ "Every one that asketh receiveth." He illustrates God's readiness to hear our prayers, by an argument drawn from the notorious practice of parents on earth. " Evil" and selfish as they are by nature, they do not neglect the wants of their children according to the flesh. Much more will a God of love and mercy attend to the cries of those who are His cliildren by grace.
Let us take special notice of these words of our Lord about prayer. Few of His sayings, perhaps, are so weU known and so often repeated as this. The poorest and most unlearned can tell you, that "if we do not seek we shall not find." But what is the good of knowing it, if we do not use it? Knowledge, not improved and well employed, will only increase our condemnation at the last day.
Do we know anything of this asking, seeking, and knocking? Why should we not? There is nothing so simple and plain as praying, if a man really has a will to pray. There is nothing, unhappily, which men are so slow to do. They will use many of the forms of religion, attend many ordinances, do many things that are right, before they will do this. And yet without this no soul can be saved.
Do we ever really pray? If not, we shall at last be without excuse before God, except we repent. We shall not be condemned for not doing what we could not have done, or not knowing what we could not have known. But we shall lind that one main reason why we are lost is this, that we never asked that we might be saved.
Do we indeed pray.? Then let us pray on, and not faint. It is not lost labor. It is not useless. It will bear fruit after many days. That word never yet failed, " Every one that asketh receiveth.''
12 Therefore all things whatsoever V ye -would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 Eater 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 thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way. which leadeth unto life, and few tliere 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.
In this part of the sermon on the mount our Lord begins to draw His discourse to a conclusion. The lessons He here enforces on our notice, are broad, general, and full of the deepest wisdom. Let us mark them in succession. He lays down a general principle for our guidance in all doubtful questions between man and man. We are " to do to others as we would have others do to us." We are not to deal with others as others deal with us. This is mere selfishness and heathenism. We are to deal with others as we would like others to deal with us. This is real Christianity.
i This is a golden rule indeed! It does not merely forbid all petty malice and revenge, all cheating and overreaching. It does much more. It settles a hundred difficult points, which in a world like this are continually arising between man and man. It prevents the necessity of laying down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases. It sweeps the whole debateable ground with one mighty principle. It shows us a balance and measure, by which every one may see at once what is his duty. — Is there a thing we would not like our neighbor to do to us? Then let us always remember, that this is the thing we ought not to do to him. Is there a thing we would like him to do to us? Then this is the very thing we ought to do to him. — How many intricate questions would be decided at once, if this rule were honestly u^ed!
In the second place, our Lord gives us a general caution against the ivay of the many in religion. It is not enough to think as others think, and do as others do. It must not satisfy us to follow the fashion, and swim with the stream of those among whom we live. He tells us that the way that leads to everlasting life is " narrow," and " few" travel in it. He tells us that the way that leads to everlasting destruction is " broad," and full of travellers. " Many there he that go in thereat."
These are fearful truths! They ought to raise great searchings of heart in the minds of all who hear them. — " Which way am I going? By what road am I travelling?" — In one or other of the two ways here described, every one of us may be found. May God give us an honest, self-inquiring spirit, and show us what we are!
We may well tremble and be afraid, if our religion is that of the multitude. If we can say no more than this, that " we go where others go, and worship where others worship, and hope we shall do as well as others at last," we are literally pronouncing our own condemnation. What is this but being in the " broad way?" What is this but being in the road whose end is " destruction?" Our religion at present is not saving religion.
We have no reason to be discouraged and cast down, if the religion we profess is not popular, and few agree with us. We must remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in this passage: " The gate is strait." Repentance, and faith in Christ, and holiness of life, have never been fashionable. The true flock of Christ has always been small. It must not move us to find that we are reckoned singular, and peculiar, and bigotted, and narrow-minded. This is ^' the narrow way." Surely it is better to enter into life eternal with a few, than to go to " destruction" with a great company.
In the last place, the Lord Jesus gives us a general warning against false teachers in the church. We are to " beware of false prophets." The connection between this passage and the preceding one is striking. Would we keep clear of this " broad way?" We must beware of false prophets. They will arise. They began in the days of the apostles. Even then the seeds of error were sown. They have appeared continually ever since. We must be prepared for them, and be on our guard.
This is a warning which is much needed. There are thousands who seem ready to believe anything in religion, if they hear it from an ordained minister. They forget that clergymen may err as much as laymen. They are not infallible. Their teaching must be weighed in the balance of Holy Scripture. They are to be followed and believed, so long as their doctrine agrees with the Bible, but not a minute longer. — We are to try them " by their fruits." Sound doctrine and holy living are the marks of true prophets. — Let us remember this. Our minister's mistakes will not excuse our own. " If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch."
What is the best safe-guard against false teaching? Beyond all doubt the regular study of the word of God, with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (Psal. cxix. 105.) The man who reads it aright wiU never be allowed greatly to err. It is neglect of the
Bible which makes so many a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. They would ftiin have us believe that " they are not learned, and do not pretend to have decided opinions/' The plain truth is that they are lazy and idle about reading the Bible, and do not like the trouble of thinking for themselves. Nothing supplies false prophets with followers so much as spiritual sloth under a cloak of humility.
May we all bear in mind our Lord's warning! The world, the devil, and the flesh, are not the only dangers in the way of the Christian. There remains another yet, and that is the " false prophet," the wolf in sheep's clothing. Happy is he who prays over his Bible and knows the difference between truth and error in religion 1 There is a difference, and we are meant to know it, and use our knowledge.
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.
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 j 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 Lord Jesus winds up the sermon on the mount by a passage of heart-piercing appUcation. He turns from false prophets to false professors, from unsound teachers to unsound hearers. Here is a word for all. May we have grace to apply it to our own hearts!
The first lesson here is the uselessness of a mere outward profession of Christianity. Not every one that saith " Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Not all that profess and call themselves Christians shall be saved.
Let us take notice of this. It requires far more than most people seem to think necessary, to save a soul. We may be baptized in the name of Christ, and boast confi.dently of our ecclesiastical privileges. We may possess head-knowledge, and be quite satisfied with our own state. We may even be preachers, and teachers of others, and do " many wonderful works" in connection with our church. But all this time are we practically doing the will of our Father in heaven? Do we truly repent, truly believe on Christ, and live holy and humble lives? If not, in spite of all our privileges and profession, we shall miss heaven at last, and be for ever cast away. We shall hear those awful words, " I never knew you: depart from me."
The day of judgment will reveal strange things. The hopes of many, who were thought great Christians while they lived, will be utterly confounded. The rottenness of their religion mil be exposed and put to shame before the whole world. It will then be proved, that to be saved means something more than " making a profession." We must make a " practice" of our Christianity as well as a " profession." Let us often think of that great day. Let us often "judge ourselves, that we be uot judged," and condemned by the Lord. Whatever else we are, let us aim at being real, true, and sincere.
The second lesson here is a strildng picture oftioo classes of Christian hearers. Those who hear and do nothing — and those who hear and do as well as hear — are both placed before us, and their histories traced to their respective ends.
The man who hears Christian teaching, and practices v/hat he hears, is like " a wise man who builds his house upon a rock." He does not content himself with listening to exhortations to repent, believe in Christ, and live a holy life. He actually repents. He actually believes. He actually ceases to do evil, learns to do well, abhors that which is sinful, and cleaves to that which is good. He is a doer as well as a hearer. (James i. 22.)
And what is the result? In the time of trial his religion does not fail him. The floods of sickness, sorrow, poverty, disappointments, bereavements beat upon him in vain. His soul stands unmoved. His faith does not give way. His comforts do not utterly forsake him. His religion may have cost him trouble in time past. His foundation may have been obtained with much labor and many tears. To discover his own interest in Christ may have required many a day of earnest seeking, and many an hour of wrestling in prayer. But his labor has not been thrown away. He now reaps a rich reward. The religion that can stand trial is the true religion.
The man who hears Christian teaching, and never gets beyond hearing, is like " a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand." He satisfies himself with listening and approving, but he goes no further. He flatters himself, perhaps, that all is right with his soul, because he has feelings, and convictions, and desires, of a spiritual kind. In these he rests. He never really breaks ofl" from sin, and casts aside the spirit of the world. He never really lays hold on Christ. He never really takes up the cross. He is a hearer of truth, but nothing more.
And what is the end of this man's religion? It breaks down entirely under the first flood of tribulation. It fails him completely, like a summer-dried fountain, when his need is the sorest. It leaves its possessor high and dry, like a wreck on a sand bank, a scandal to the church, a by-word to the infi.del, and a misery to himself. Most true is it that what costs little is worth little! A religion which costs us nothing, and consist in nothing but hearing sermons, will always prove at last to be a useless thing.
So ends the sermon on the mount. Such a sermon never was preached before. Such a sermon perhaps has never been preached since. Let us see that it has a lasting influence on our own souls. It is addressed to us as well as to those who first heard it. We are they who shall have to give account of its heart-searching lessons. It is no light matter what we think of them. The word that Jesus has spoken, " the same shall judge us in the last day." (John xii. 48.)