Whereas the Scribes and Pharifees, after the tradition of the elders, ftuck to the outward letter, and taught, that nothing but the outward act was a breach of this law. What our LORD faid here was no new commandment, but what was implied in the tenth commandment-Thou shalt not covet (luft after) thy neighbour's wife. So Prov. xxiv. 9. The thought of foolishness is fin. Again. Ye bave heard that it has been faid by them of old time, Thou shalt not forfwear thyself, but shalt perform unto the LORD thine oaths. But I fay unto you, Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is -GOD's throne, nor by the earth, for it is His footstool, &c.-but let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatfoever is more than thefe cometh of evil. OUR LORD, by His-" but I say unto you"-doth not enact any new law, but explains and reftores the honour of the third commandment-Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain. This evidently forbids all vain and rafh fwearing, and the use of God's holy name (b) in vain, to no purpose, in men's communication with each other. Even fwearing by the creatures, is an interpretative breach of this commandment; for, as OUR LORD fhews, there is no creature but hath fome relation to God. Ye Ye bave heard that it hath been faid, An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; but I fay unto you, that ye refift not evil, but whofoever fhall fmite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other alfo, &c. This refers to Exod. xxi. 24, where the law of retaliation was enacted, to be administered by the judges of Ifrael in a judicial way, on the lawful conviction of offenders: but the Jews, who were taught to abuse every thing, made this a rule of proceeding in their own private acts of revenge upon one another. Such a temper and difpofition as this was very finful to indulge, much more fo to gratify; OUR LORD therefore checks this, by teaching patience and forbearance, and doing good to, rather than injuring, their enemies. But ftill here is no new law, the Old Teftament taught the fame. Exod. xxiii. 4, 5. If thou meet thine enemy's afs or his ox going aftray, thou fhalt furely bring it back to him again. If thou fee the afs of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldft forbear to help him, thou fhalt furely help with him.-Prov. xxiv. 17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when be fumbleth, left the LORD fee it and it dif pleafe Him. Prov. xxv. 21. If thine enemy bunger, give him bread to eat; if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.-Lev. xix. 17, 18. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart -thou thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyself. I am the LORD. All this is but faying what CHRIST fays in other words. This doctrine is inforced by example, as well as taught by precept, in the Old Teftament, See 1 Sam. xxiv. 17, 18, 19, with Pf. vii. 4, But what a bright example have we, of rewarding evil with good, in the character of Jofeph? Gen. xlv. &c. I Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away. This is the very language of Deut. xv, 8, 10. Ye have beard that it hath been faid, Thou Shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy: they certainly had heard fuch a doctrine from the Scribes and Pharifees, but it was falfe; the law faid, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, but in no part of it, Thou shalt bate thine enemy directly the contrary, Lev. xix. 18. Yet what numbers of people are there, that believe it did allow ba tred to enemies, and that the forgiveness of them, and doing them good, was never known till CHRIST preached it! The apoftle tells us Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Rom. xiii. 10. What law is meant, appears ver. 8, 9; not a new law of CHRIST, but the old law delivered from God by -- Mofes Mofes. As there is but one lawgiver (James iv. 12.) fo there is but one law. may More inftances of the truth above contended for might be adduced, but I will refer the reader to but one more on this part of the fubject, wherein, if CHRIST could ever have had the least intention of abrogating the old rule of life, given from GoD by Mofes, and fetting up a new one of his own, he had a fair opportunity of declaring it.-Matt. xix. 16. One came unto him, and said, Good mafter, what good thing fhall I do, that I have eternal life? He faid unto him, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He faith unto Him, Which? JESUS faid, Thou shalt do no murder-thou shalt not commit adultery -thou shalt not steal—thou shalt not bear false witness-honour thy father and thy motherand-thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. The young man faith unto Him, All these things bave I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? JESUS faid unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, fell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in bea * Nothing can be clearer upon this point, than our SAVIOUR'S fummary of all He had been faying on the fubject of relative duties, throughout the whole of His divine difcourfe. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even fo to them, for-THIS IS THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS ven; and come and follow me. The ufe which I would make of this fcripture, is to fhew that every neceffary requifite for -entering into life, as far as the fecond table of the law is concerned, is here fet down -but we find not a fyllable of any new law, or one jot or tittle fubtracted from the old. The old law is repeated word for word, and fummed up in its fpiritual sense and import in the last sentence, which occurs in the Old Testament in just the fame words. See Lev. xix. 18. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.-The proof which our LORD required of this man's fincerity, that of giving to the poor, was as much a duty under the Old Testament as under the new. See Deut. xv. 7-11, and Pf. xli. 1. The following CHRIST was fo far from being a new law, that it was the only way to heaven which God ever revealed fince the fall of man. Comp. Deut. xviii. 15, with Acts iii. 22, 23, 24, and Matt. xvii. 5. But it hath been urged, that CHRIST declared Himfelf to introduce a new law, John xiii. 34. where He faith, A new commandment give I unto you. The context runs thus: A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alfo love one another.-By this fhall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another. It furely cannot VOL. I. be |