Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in Tiia talk.

their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God 16 And they sent out unto him I in truth, neither cai-est thou for any

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to gwe tribute unto Cffisar, or not?

13 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, 2/e hypocrites 3

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Eender therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things which are God's.

22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

We see in this passage the first of a series of subtle attacks, which were made on our Lord during the last days of His earthly ministry. His deadly foes, the Pharisees, saw the influence which He was obtaining, both by His miracles and by His preaching. They were determined by some means to silence Him, or put Him to death. They therefore endeavored to " entangle him in his talk." They sent forth "their disciples with the Herodians," to try Him with a hard question. They wished to entice Him into saying something which might serve as a handle for an accusation against Him. Their scheme, we are told in these verses, entirely failed. They took nothing by their movement, and retreated in confusion.

The first thing which demands our attention in these verses, is the flattering language with ivhich our Lord ivas accosted hy His enemies. '' Master," they said, " we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men.'' How well these Pharisees and Herodians talked! What smooth and honeyed words were these! They thought, no doubt, that by good words and fair speeches they would throw our Lord ofi* His guard. It might truly be said of them, " the words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.*' (Psalm Iv. 21.)

It becomes all professing Christians to be much on their guard against flattery. We mistake greatly if we suppose that persecution and hard usage are the only weapons in Satan's armory. That crafty foe has other engines for doing us mischief, which he knows well how to work. He knows how to poison souls by the world's seductive kindness, when he cannot frighten them by the fiery dart and the sword. Let us not be ignorant of his devices. By peace he destroys many.

We are only too apt to forget this truth. We overlook the many examples which God has given us in Scripture for our learning. What brought about the ruin of Samson? Not the armies of the Philistines, but the pretended love of a Philistine woman. What led to Solomon's backsliding? Not the strength of outward enemies, but the blandishment of his numerous wives. — What was the cause of king Hezekiah's greatest mistake? Not the sword of Sennacherib, or the threats of Kab-shakeh, but the flattery of the Babylonian ambassadors. Let us remember these things, and be on our guard. Peace often ruins nations more than war. Sweet things occasion far more sicknesses than bitter. The sun makes the traveller cast off his [)rotective garments far sooner than the north wind. Let us beware of the flatterer. Satan is never so dangerous as when he appears as an angel of light. The world is never so dangerous to the Christian as when it smiles. When Judas betrayed his Lord, it was with a kiss. The believer that is proof against the world's frown does well. But he that is proof against its flattery does better

The second thing that demands our attention in these verses, is the marvellous wisdom of the reply lohich our Lord made to His enemies. The Pharisees and Herodiana asked whether it was lawful to give tribute to Csesar or not. They doubtless thought, that they had put a question which our Lord could not answer without giving them an advantage. — Had He simply replied that it was lawful to pay tribute, they would have denounced Him to the people as one who dishonored the privileges of Israel, and considered the children of Abraham no longer free, but subjects to a foreign power.— Had He, on the other hand, replied that it was 7iot laiuful to pay tribute, they would have denounced Him to the Komans as a mover of sedition, and a rebel against Caesar, who refused to pay his taxes. — But our Lord's conduct completely baffled theni. He demanded to see the tribute-money. He asks them whose head is on that coin. They reply, Caesar's. They acknowledge that Caesar has some authority over them, by using money bearing his image and superscription, since he that coins the current money is ruler of the land where that money is current. And at once they receive an irresistibly conclusive answer to their question, — " Render to Ceesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's."

The principle laid down in these well-known words is one of deep importance. There is one obedience owing by every Christian to the civil government under which he lives, in all matters which are temporal, and not purely spiritual. He may not approve of every requirement of that civil government. But he must submit to the laws of the comuKm wealth, so long as those laws are unre- pealed. He must " render unto Caasar the things that are Cassar's." — There is another obedience which the Christian owes to the God of the Bible in all matters which are purely spiritual. No temporal loss, no civil disability, no displeasure of the powers that be, must ever tempt him to do things which the Scripture plainly forbids. His position may be very trying. He may have to suffer much for his conscience sake. But he must never fly in the face of unmistakeable requirements of Scripture. If Cassar coins a new Gospel, he is not to be obeyed. We must ^- render to God the things that are God's."

The subject unquestionably is one of great difficulty and delicacy. It is certain that the church must not swallow up the state. It is no less certain that the state must not swallow up the church. On no point, perhaps, have conscientious men been so much tried. On no point have good men disagreed so much, as in solving the problem, " where the things of Caesar end, and the things of God begin." The civil power, on the one side, has often encroached terribly on the rights of conscience — as the English puritans found to their cost in the unhappy time of the Stuarts. The spiritual power, on the other side, has often pushed its claims to an extravagant extent, so as to take Caesar's sceptre out of his hands — as it did when the church of Rome trampled on our own English king John. In order to have a right judgment in all questions of this kind, every true Christian should constantly pray for wisdom from above. The man whose eye is single, and who daily seeks for grace, and practical common sense, will never be allowed greatly to err.

23 And tlie same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there IS no resurrection, and asked him,

24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had maiTied a wife, deceased, and, having no if sue, left his wife unto his brother:

26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

27 And last of all the woman died also.

28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.

29 Jesus answered and said unto them. Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

31 But as touching the resun-ection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

32 1 am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the Goo. of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

83 And when the multitude heard ih'is^ they were astonished at his doctrine.

This passage describes a conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sadducees. These unhappy men, who said that there was "no resurrection," attempted, like the Pharisees and Herodians, to perplex our Lord with hard questions. Like them, they hoped " to entangle Him in His talk," and to injure His reputation among the people. Like them, they were completely baffled.

Let us observe, in the first place, that ahsurd sceptical objections to Bible truths are ancient things. The Sadducees wished to show the absurdity of the doctrine of the resurrection and the life to come. They therefore came to our Lord with a story which was probably invented for the occasion. They told him that a certain woman had married seven brothers in succession, who had all died and left no children. They then asked " whose wife" this woman would be in the next world, when all rose again. The object of the question was plain and transparent. They meant, in reality, to bring the whole doctrine of a resurrection into contempt. They meant to insinuate, that there must needs be confusion, and strife, and unseemly disorder, if, after death, men and women were to live again.

It must never surprise us, if we meet with like objections against the doctrines of Scripture, and especially against those doctrines which concern another world. There never probably will be wanting " unreasonable men," who will " intrude" into things unseen, and make imaginary difficulties their excuse for unbelief. Sup— posed cases are one of the favorite strongholds in which an unbelieving mind loves to intrench itself. Such a mind will often set up a shadow of its own imagining, and fight with it, as if it was a truth. Such a mind will often refuse to look at the overwhelming mass of plain evidence by which Christianity is supported, and will fasten down on some one single difficulty, which it fancies is unanswerable. The talk and arguments of people of this character should never shake our faith for a moment. For one thing, we should remember that there must needs be deep and dark things in a religion which comes from God, and that a child may put questions which the greatest philosopher cannot answer. — For another thing, we should remember, that there are countless truths in the Bible, which are clear, and unmistakeable. Let us first attend them, believe them, and obey them. So doing, we need not doubt that many a thing now unintelligible to us will yet be made plain. So doing, we may be sure that " what we know not now we shall know hereafter."

Let us observe, in the second place, what a remarkahle text our Lord brings forivardj in proof of the reality of a life to come. He places before the Sadducees the words which God spake to Moses in the bush: ''I am the Grod of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exod. iii. 6.) He adds the comment, " God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." At the time when Moses heard these words, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead and buried many years. Two centuries had passed away since Jacob, the last of the three, was carried to his tomb. And yet God spoke of them as being still His people, and of Himself as being still their God. He said not, '' I was their God," but " I am/' *<t

Perhaps we are often tempted to doubt the truth of a resurrection, and a life to come. But, unhappily, it is easy to hold truths theoretically, and yet not realize them practically. There are few of us who would not find it good to meditate on the mighty verity which our Lord here unfolds, and to give it a prominent place in our thoughts. Let us settle it in our minds, that the dead are in one sense still alive. From our eyes they have passed away, and their place knows them no more. But in the eyes of God they live, and will one day come forth from their graves to receive an everlasting sentence. There is no such thing as annihilation. The idea is a miserable delusion. The sun, moon, and stars, — the solid mountains, and deep sea, will one day come to nothing. But the weakest babe of the poorest man shall live for evermore, in another world. May we never forget this! Happy is he w^ho can say from his heart the words of the Nicene Creed, " I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world*to come."

Let us observe, in the last place, the account loMch our Lord givesofthe state of men and loomen after fheresurrec-

Hon. He silences the fancied objections of the Sadducees, by showing that they entirely mistook the true character of the resurrection state-. They took it for granted that it must needs be a gross, carnal existence, like that of mankind upon earth. Our Lord tells them that in the next world we may have a real material body, and yet a body of very different constitution, and different necessities, from that which we have now. He speaks only of the saved, be it remembered. He omits all mention of the lost. He says, " In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

We know but little of the life to come in heaven. Perhaps our clearest ideas of it are drawn from considering what it will not be, rather than what it will be. It is a state in which we shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more. Sickness, pain, and disease, will not be known. Wasting, old age, and death will have no place. Marriages, births, and a constant succession of inhabitants, will be no more needed. They who are once admitted into heaven shall dwell there for evermore. — And, to pass from negatives to positives, one thing we are told plainly — we shall be ^^as the angels of God." Like them, we shall serve God perfectly, unhesitatingly, and unweariedly. Like them, we shall ever be in God's presence. Like them, we shall ever delight to do His will. Like them, we shall give all glory to the Lamb. These are deep things. But they are all true.

Are we ready for this life? Should we enjoy it, if admitted to take part in it? Is the company of God, and the service of God pleasant to us now? Is the occupation of angels one in wliich we should delight? These are solemn questions. Our hearts must be heavenly on earth, while we live, if we hope to go to heaven when we rise again in another world. (Coloss. iii. 1 — 4.)

34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.

35 Then one of them, wJiich was a Lawyer, asked him a tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thv heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 Saying, what think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

43 He saith unto them. How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 1£ David then call him Lord, how is he his son?

46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

In the beginning of this passage we find our Lord replying to the question of a certain lawyer, who asked him which was " the great commandment of the law?" That question was asked in no friendly spirit. But we have reason to be thanldul that it was asked at all. It drew from our Lord an answer full of precious instruction. Thus we see how good may come out of evil.

Let us mark what an admirable summary these verses contain of our duty toivards God and our neighbor. Jesus says, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." He says again, " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." And He adds, " On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

How simple are these two rules, and yet how comprehensive! How soon the words are repeated, and yet hov^ much they contain! How humbling and condemning they are! How much they prove our daily need of mercy and the precious blood of atonement! Happy would it be for the world, if these rules were more known and more practised!

Love is the grand secret of true obedience to God. When we feel towards Him as children feel towards a dear father, we shall delight to do His will. We shall not find His commandments grievous, and work for Him like slaves under fear of the lash. We shall take pleasure in trying to keep His laws, and mourn when we transgress them. None work so well as they who work for love. The fear of punishment, or the desire of reward, are principles of far less power. They do the will of God best, who do it from the heart. Would we train children right.? Let us teach them to love God.

Love is the grand secret of right behavior towards our fellow men. He who loves his neighbor will scorn to do him any wilful injury, either in person, property, or character. — But he will not rest there. He will desire in every way to do him good. He will strive to promote his comfort and happiness in every way. He will endeavor to lighten his sorrows, and increase his i joys. When a man loves us, we feel confidence in him. We know that he will never intentionally do us harm, and that in every time of need he will be our friend. Would we teach children to behave aright towards others? Let us teach them to love everybody as themselves, and do to others as they would have others do to them.

But how shall we obtain this love towards God? It is no natural feeling. We are born in sin, and, as sinners, are afraid of God. How then can we love Him? We can never really love Him till we are at peace with Him through Christ. When w^e feel our sins forgiven, and ourselves reconciled to our holy Maker, then, and not till then, we shall love Him and have the spirit of adoption. Faith in Christ is the true spring of love to God. They love most who feel most forgiven. " We love him because he first loved us." (1 John iv. 19.)

And how shall we obtain this love towards our neighbor? This is also no natural feeling. We are born selfish, hateful, and hating one another. (Titus iii. 3.) We shall never love our fellow man aright till our hearts are changed by the Holy Ghost. We must be born again. We must put off the old man, and put on the new, and receive the mind that was in Christ Jesus. Then, and not till then, our cold hearts will know true God-like love towards all. " The fruit of the Spirit is love." (Galat. v. 22.)

Let these things sink down into our hearts. There is much vague talk in these latter days about love and charity. Men profess to admire them and desire to see them increased, and yet hate the principles which alone can produce them. Let us stand fast in the old paths. We cannot have fruits and flowers without roots. We cannot have love to God and man without faith in Christ, and without regeneration. The way to spread true love

-ill the world, is to teach the atonement of Christ, and tithe work of the Holy Ghost.

(Psalm ex. 1.) " If David then calls him Lord, how is he his son?" At once His enemies were put to silence. "No man was able to answer him a word."

the pre-existence and divinity of the Messiah. This the Pharisees would not concede. Their only idea of

Messiah was, that He was to be a man like one of themselves. Their ignorance of the Scriptures, of

' which they pretended to know more than others, and their low, carnal view of the true nature of Christ, were

(i. Let us not leave these verses without making a practical use of our Lord's solemn question, " What think ye of Christ?" What do we think of His person, and

His death for us on the cross? What do we think of His resurrection, ascension, and intercession at the right hand of God? Have we tasted that He is gracious? Have we laid hold on Him by faith? Have we found by experience that He is precious to our souls? Can we truly say He is my Eedeemer, and my Saviour, my Shepherd, and my Friend?

These are serious inquiries. May we never rest till we can give a satisfactory answer to them. It will not projfit us to read about Christ, if we are not joined to Him by living faith. Once more then let us test oui religion by this question; " What think we of Christ?"

1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 baying, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat;

S All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay tlie7n on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the lyjrders of their garments,

6 And love the uppermost rooms at

feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Eabbi, Rabbi.

8 But be not ye called Eabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, eiren Christ.

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

We are now beginning a chapter which in one respect is the most remarkable in the four Gospels. It contains the last words which the Lord Jesus ever spoke within the walls of the temple. Those last words consist of a withering exposure of the Scribes and Pharisees, and a sharp rebuke of their doctrines and practices. Knowing full well that His time on earth was drawing to a close, our Lord no longer keeps back his opinion of the leading teachers of the Jews. Knowing that He would soon leave His followers alone, like sheep among wolves, He warns them plainly against the false shepherds, by whom they were surrounded.

The whole chapter is a signal example of boldness and faithfulness in denouncing error. It is a striking proof that it is possible for the most loving heart to use the language of stern reproof Above all it is an awful evidence of the guilt of unfaithful teachers. So long as the world stands, this chapter ought to be a warning and a beacon to all ministers of religion. No sins are so sinful as theirs in the sight of Christ.

In the twelve verses which begin the chapter, we see firstly, the duty of distinguishing between the office of a false teacher and his example. " The Scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat." Eightly or wrongly, they occupied the position of the chief public teachers of religion among the Jews. How^ever unworthily they filled the place of authority, their office entitled them to respect. But while their office was respected, their bad lives were not to be copied. And although their teaching was to be adhered to, so long as it was Scriptural, it was not to be observed when it contradicted the Word of God. To use the words of Brentius, " They were to be heard when ^they taught what Moses taught," but no longer. That such was our Lord's meaning is evident from the whole tenor of the chapter we are reading. False doctrine is there denounced as well as false practice.,

The duty here placed before us is one of great importance. There is a constant tendency in the human mind to run into extremes. If we do not regard the 13* office of the minister with idolatrous veneration, we are apt to treat it with indecent contempt. Against both these extremes we have need to be on our guard. However much we may disapprove of a minister's practice, or dissent from his teaching, we must never forget to respect his office. — We must show that we can honor the commission, whatever we may think of the officer that holds it. The example of St. Paul on a certain occasion is worthy of notice, "I wist not, bretheren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." (Acts xxiii. 5.)

We see secondly, in these verses, that inconsistency, ostentation, and love of pre-eminence, among professors of religion, are specially displeasing to Christ As to inconsistency it is remarkable that the very first thing our Lord says of the Pharisees is, that " they say, and do not." They required from others what they did not practice themselves. — As to ostentation, our Lord declares that they did all their works " to be seen of men." They had their phylacteries, or strips of parchment, with texts written on them, which many Jews wore on their clothes, made of an excessive size. They had the " borders," or fringes of their garments, which Moses bade Israelites to wear as a remembrance of God, made of an extravagant width. (Num. xv. 38.) And all this was done to attract notice, and to make people think how holy they were. As to dove of pre-eminence, our Lord tells us that the Pharisees loved to have ''the chief seats" given them in public places, and to have flattering titles addressed to them. All these things our Lord holds up to reprobation. Against all He would have us watch and pray. They are soul-ruining sins. "How can ye believe which receive honor one of another." (John v. 44.) Happy would it have been for the Church of Christ, if this passage had been more deeply pondered, and the spirit of it more implicitly obeyed. The Pharisees are not the only people who have imposed austerities on others, and affected a sanctity of apparel, and loved the praise of man. The annals of Church history show that only too many Christians have walked closely in their steps. May we remember this and be wise! It is perfectly possible for a baptised Englishman to be in spirit a thorough Pharisee., We see in the third place, from these verses, that Christians must never give to any man the titles and honors lohich are due to God alone and to His Christ. We are to " call no man Father on earth." ^ The rule here laid down must be interpreted with proper Scriptural qualification. We are not forbidden to esteem ministers very highly in love for their work's sake. (1 Thess. V. 13.) Even St. Paul, one of the humblest saints, called Titus "his own son in the faith," and says to the Corinthians, " I have begotten you through the gospel." (1 Cor. iv. 15.) But still we must be very careful that we do not insensibly give to ministers a place and an honor which do not belong to them. We must never allow them to come between ourselves and Christ. The very best are not infallible. They are not priests who can atone for us. They are not mediators who can undertake to manage our soul's affairs with God. They are men of like passions with ourselves, needing ii^e same cleansing blood, and the same renewing Spirit, set apart to a high and holy calling, hut still after all only men. Let us never forget these things. Such cautions are always useful. Human nature would always rather lean on a visible minister, than an invisible Christ. We see in the last place, that there is no grace which should distinguish the Christian st much as humility. He that would be great in the eyes of Christ, must aim at a totally different mark from that of the Pharisees. His aim must be, not so much to rule as to serve the Church. Well says Baxter, " church greatness consisteth in being greatly serviceable." The desire of the Pharisee was to receive honor, and to be called " master." The desire of the Christian must be to do good, and to give himself, and all that he has to the service of others. Truly this is a high standard, but a lower one must never content us. The example of our blessed Lord, the direct command of the apostolic Epistles, both alike require us to be " clothed with humility." (1 Peter v, 5.) Let us seek that blessed grace day by day. None is so beautiful, however much despised by the world. None is such an evidence of saving faith, and true conversion to God. None is so often commended by our Lord. Of all His sayings, hardly any is so often repeated as that which concludes the passage we have now read, " He that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

18 But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ^e shut up the kingdom of heaven agamst men:

for ye neither go in yourselves^ neitlier suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

. 14 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' liouses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye sliall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hvpocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which sav, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Te fools and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therem.

22 And he that shall swear by heoven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23 _Woe unto you. Scribes and.Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay

tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier mat-

ters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and

27 Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 ^ Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30 And say. If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

We have in these verses the charges of our Lord against the Jewish teachers ranged under eight heads. Standing in the midst of the temple, with a listening crowd around Him, He publicly denounces the main errors of the Scribes and Pharisees in unsparing terms. Eight times He uses the solemn expression, " woe unto you." Seven times He calls them " hypocrites." Twice He speaks of them as blind guides — twice as " fools and blind" — once as " serpents and a generation of vipers." Let us mark that language well. It teaches a solemn lesson. It shows how utterly abominable the spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees is in God's sight, in whatever form it maybe found.

Let us glance shortly at the eight charges which our Lord brings forward, and then seek to draw from the whole passage some general instruction.

The first " woe" in the list is directed against the systematic opposition of the Scribes and Pharisees to the progress of the Grospel. They " shut up the kingdom of heaven.^' They would neither go in themselves, nor suffer others to go in. They rejected the warning voice of John the Baptist. They refused to acknowledge Jesus, when He appeared among them, as the Messiah. They tried to keep back Jewish inquirers. They would not believe the Gospel themselves, and they did all in their power to prevent others believing it. This was a great sin.

The second ^' woe" in the list is directed against the covetousness and self-aggrandizing spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees. They " devoured widows' houses, and for a pretence made long prayer." They imposed on the credulity of weak and unprotected women, by an affectation of great devoutness, until they were regarded as their spiritual directors. They scrupled not to abuse the influence thus unrighteously obtained, to their own temporal advantage, and in a word to make money by their religion. This again was a great sin.

The third " woe" in the list is directed against the <ieal of the Scribes and Pharisees for making partisans. They " compassed sea and land to make one proselyte." They labored incessantly to make men join their party and adopt their opinions. They did this from no desire to benefit men's souls in the least, or to bring them to God. They only did it to swell the ranks of their sect, and to increase the number of their adherents, and their own importance. Their religious zeal arose from sectarianism, and not from the love of Grod. This also was a great sin.

The fourth " woe'' in the list is directed against the doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees about oaths. They drew subtle distinctions between one kind of oath and another. They taught the Jesuitical tenet, that some oaths were binding on men, while others were not. They attached greater importance to oaths sworn " by the gold" offered to the temple, than to oaths sworn " by the temple" itself By so doing they brought the third commandment into contempt— and by making men overrate the value of alms and oblations, advanced their own interests. This again was a great sin.*

The fifth " woe" in the list is directed against the practice of the Scribes and Pharisees, to exalt trifles in religion above serious things, to put the last things first, and the first last. They made great ado about tithing " mint," and other garden herbs, as if they could not be too strict in their obedience to God's law. And yet at the same time they neglected great plain duties, such as justice, charity, and honesty. This again was a great sin.

* This practice of tampering with oaths, was well known among the heathen, as a feature in the Jewish character. It is a striking fact, that Martial, the Roman poet, specially refers to it:

The sixth and seventh " woes" in the Kst possess too much in common to be divided. They are directed against a general characteristic of the religion of the Scribes. They set outward purity and decency above inward sanctification and purity of heart. They made it a religious duty to cleanse the " outside" of their cups and platters, but neglected their own inward man. They were like whitened sepulchres, clean and beautiful externally, but within full of all corruption. '• Even so they outwardly appeared righteous, but within were full of hypocrisy and iniquity." This also was a great sin.

The last "woe" in the list is directed against the affected veneration of the Scribes and Pharisees for the memory of dead saints. They built the " tombs of the prophets," and garnished " the sepulchres of the righteous." And yet their own lives proved that they were of one mind with those who " killed the prophets." Their own conduct was a daily evidence that they liked dead saints better than living ones. The very men that pretended to honor dead prophets, could see no beauty in a living Christ. This also was a great sin.*

* A passage from the Berlenberger Bible on this subject is sufficiently striking to deserve insertion.

" Ask in Moses's times, who were the good people, they will be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but not Moses — he should be stoned. Ask in Samuel's times, who were the good people, they will be Moses and Joshua, but not Samuel. Ask in the times of Christ, who were such, they will be all the former prophets with Samuel, but not Christ and His apostles."

The Latin proverbs " mortui non mordent," and " sit divus, dummodo non vivus," are both illustrative of the same truth.

of Jewish teachers. Let us turn from the contemplation of it with sorrow and humihation. It is a fearful exhibition of the morbid anatomy of human nature. It is a picture which unhappily has been reproduced over and over again in the history of the Church of Christ. There is not a point in the character of the Scribes and Pharisees in which it might not be easily shown, that persons calling themselves Christians have often walked in their steps.'''

Let us learn from the whole passage how deplorable was the condition of the Jewish nation when our Lord was upon earth. When such were the teachers, what must have been the miserable darkness of the taught! Truly the iniquity of Israel had come to the full. It was high time indeed for the Sun of Righteousness to arise and the Gospel to be preached.

Let us learn from the whole passage how abominable is hypocrisy in the sight of God. These Scribes and Pharisees are not charged with being thieves or murderers, but with being hypocrites to the very core. Whatever we are in our religion, let us resolve never to wear a cloak. Let us by all means be honest and real.

Let us learn from the whole passage how awfully dangerous is the position of an unfaithful minister. It is bad enough to be blind ourselves. It is a thousand times

* I cannot avoid the opportunity of here expressing my firm conviction, that our Lord's sayings in this chapter are meant to bear a prophetical signification, and to apply to corruptions which He foresaw would spring up in His professing Church. Beyond doubt there is a most unhappy similarity between the doctrines and practices of the Scribes and Pharisees, and many of the leading corruptions of the Church of Rome.

worse to be a blind guide. Of all men none is so culpably wicked as an unconverted minister, and none will be judged so severely. It is a solemn saying about; such an one, " He resembles an unskilful pilot: he does not perish alone."

Finally, let us beware of supposing from this passage, that the safest course in religion is to make no profession at all. This is to run into a dangerous extreme. It does not follow that there is no such thing as true profession, because some men are hypocrites. It does not follow that all money is bad, because there is much counterfeit coin. Let not hypocrisy prevent our confessing Christ, or move from us our steadfastness, if we have confessed Him. Let us press on, looking unto Jesus, and resting on Him, praying daily to be kept from error, and saying with David, "let my heart be sound in thy statutes." (Psalm cxix. 80.)