22 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. w 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. p Mark ix. 50. Luke xiv. 34, 35.-q Prov. iv. 18. Phil. ii. 15.-r Mark iv. 21. Luke viii. 16, & xi. 33. The word in the original signifieth a measure containing about a pint less than a peck.-s 1 Pet. ii. 12. t John xv. 8. 1 Cor. xiv. 25.-u Rom. iii. 31, & x. 4. Gal. iii. 24.-w Luke xvi. 17.- Jam. ii. 10.--y Rom. ix. 31, & x. 3. example, and influence, under the divine blessing, they keep the world from universal corruption and ruin. -May this honour be our own! Well may we be content to be despised or persecuted, if we are enabled to be the instruments of so much good! It If the salt have lost its savour. is a sad and disgraceful condition to bear the name of Christians without having the life of Christianity within us, and without adorning the Gospel by our lives and conduct. I admire the following apposite allusion and remark of a commentator on this passage.-Maundrell, speaking of a certain rock in the Valley of Salt, says, 66 I broke a piece of it, of which that part that was exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks and particles of salt, yet had perfectly lost its savour: the inner part, which was connected to the rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof." "A preacher, or a private Christian, who has lost the life of Christ, and the witness of his Spirit, may be likened to this salt. He may have the sparks and glittering particles of true wisdom, but without its unction or comfort. Only that which is connected with the rock, the soul that is in union with Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit, can preserve its savour, and be instrumental of good to others." Good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot.-Solemn and awful truth; especially when we consider it as proceeding from the lips of our merciful Redeemer.It has been well said that "a wicked man is the worst of creatures; a wicked Christian is the worst of men; and a wicked minister is the worst of Christians." Ye are the light of the world.―The Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world, in the highest and full sense of the expression. He is the sun, the glory of the church, from whom all other light is borrowed. But all believers, who are enlightened by this principal luminary, may reflect some portion of his splendour; and being themselves" light in the Lord," may "shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." Eph. v. 8; Phil. ii. 15. Let your light so shine before men. Or, thus let your light shine before men.—As a candle gives light to all that are in a room where it is burning, so should your religion be known, by its effects, by all those among whom you dwell, and should contribute to the dissemination of the truth. A spirit of ostentation and vain glory is alien from the nature of true religion deeply seated in the heart; but, at the same time, it is one characteristic of genuine piety that it manifests itself, and becomes evident, by its fruits. Our love to God and devotion to his service are to be made known not by a loud and forward profession, but by our good works. Even these are not to be performed for the purpose of display, of display, but in obedience to the will of God. And our object-the noble and animating object at which we are continually to aim-is, not our own praise, but the glory of our heavenly Father. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,"-that is the Christian's rule of life. May we have grace to conform ourselves to this rule, in thought, word, and work! Let the excellence of the Gospel and the power of divine grace appear in our good temper and holy course of life; and we may trust that, by the divine blessing, our example will be made useful to those around us, and the great Giver of all good may be glorified by means of the gifts of his mercy bestowed upon ourselves. How delightful is this thought to the mind of every disciple of the Lord Jesus, who is duly influenced by love towards Him who first. loved us! I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.-Our Lord Jesus Christ, by his ministry and work, so far from casting any discredit upon the law of Moses or the sayings of the prophets, did really complete, fill up, and carry out the design of the whole volume of existing revelation. Himself and his Gospel were in substance what the Law was in shadow or outline. As to the moral law, he perfectly fulfilled it in his most holy life;—he endured in his own person the penalty of transgressions which others had committed;-he expounded its meaning and spirituality, and vindicated its obligation, in opposition to the false glosses of human traditions and mistakes ;-and he continues to complete it, by his Spirit, in his people, giving them grace and power to obey it from the heart, by loving God above all things and their neighbour as themselves. It is to this latter portion of his office, -the true exposition of the law, and a provision for its fulfilment by his disciples, not only in the letter but in spirit, that our Lord more especially refers in the positive assertions now before us. Let us be thankful that we are permitted to see what many righteous men desired in vain to witness, "Christ, the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Let us rejoice that in him types and prophecies have been fulfilled; that he has blotted out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us; and that he has enforced and beautified the eternal and royal law of love, and has given his people power to obey it. One jot or one tittle; the smallest vowel or the mere corner or ornament of a consonant,-a proverbial expression denoting the smallest part, shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.-As to the mere ritual or ceremonial parts of the Mosaic law, they point to the Gospel, and in its establishment they are finally fulfilled. The moral law, which was from the beginning, must remain in force for ever; not as a covenant, yet as a declaration of the divine will, and a rule of human duty;-"as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God, and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other." And hence we may understand that heavy woe, pronounced in the nineteenth verse, against all who wilfully and habitually violate the least of God's commandments! Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.-It must exceed their righteousness in its aim and end, its principles and motives, being honestly directed to the glory of God; in its extent, bearing respect to all commandments and injunctions of the moral law; and in its spirituality, being not a mere outward demonstration, but an internal quality or disposition of the heart, a determination of the will, a bias of the affections, tending towards God.-Such righteousness, and such alone, is the genuine fruit and proof of faith in Christ. Ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.-What words can more forcibly express to us the great and unalterable truth that holiness of heart and life-a holiness which is the work of God himself within the soul-is invariably and indispensably necessary to salvation! Not that our good works contribute to save us; but that the will and power to per form them is an integral part of our union with Christ by faith, and an indispensable preparation for our admission into the regions of perfect purity and bliss. HYMN. Great Teacher of thy Church, we own Deep on our hearts thy law engrave, And fill our hearts with heav'nly zeal; That, while we trust thy power to save, We may that sacred law fulfil. Adorned with ev'ry heav'nly grace, Reflected beam from each of thine. 21 ¶Ye have heard that it was said || by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, || ' Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, 'whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever "looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 'And if thy right eye || offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 31 It hath been said, 'Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of di vorcement: marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Or, to them. ≈ Ex. xx. 13. Deut. v. 17.-a 1 John iii. 15. That is, vain fellow. 2 Sam. vi. 20. b James ii. 20.e ch, viii. 4, & xxiii. 19.-d See Job xlii. 8; ch. xviii. 19. 1 Tim. ii. 8. 1 Pet. iii. 7.-e Prov. xxv. 8. Luke xii. 58, 59. f See Ps. xxxii. 6 Is. lv. 6.-g Ex. xx. 14. Deut. v. 18.-h Job xxxi. 1. Prov. vi. 25. See Gen. xxxiv. 2. 2 Sam. xi. 2.-i ch. xviii. 8, 9. Mark ix. 43, 47. || Or, do cause thee to offend. k See ch. xix. 12. Rom. viii. 13. 1 Cor. ix. 27. Col. iii. 5.- Deut. xxiv. 1. Jer. iii. 1. See ch. xix. 3, &c. Mark x. 2, &c -m ch. xix. 9. Luke xvi. 18. Rom. vii. 3. 1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. READER. Ye have heard.-Our Saviour now proceeds to comment upon certain false glosses upon the law, and some perverse maxims and sayings prevalent in his time, tending to weaken or obscure the real meaning of various moral precepts contained in the Old Testament. How prone is the mind of man to mar and corrupt even the true sayings of God! And how plainly does it appear that our blessed Lord did not seek to destroy the law, but only to remove those corruptions by which it had been darkened and dishonoured! Oral tradition is a bad expositor of the written record of God's will and ways; the words of the Lord Jesus, "they are spirit and they are life." Thou shalt not kill.-The Jews seem to have supposed and taught that this prohibition extends only to the taking away of life; but our Lord shows that the spirit of the law is violated, in the sight of God, by the indulgence of vain, unjust, or rash anger, and by the use of opprobrious and insulting language, occasioned either by natural infirmities or the like (Raca), or containing the imputation of moral worthlessness (Thou fool). The Jews had an inferior court of justice, called here the judgment, which was a body of twenty-three magistrates; and a superior court, here named the council, which was the great Sanhedrim, capable of inflicting a higher degree of punishment than the other. Our Lord here alludes to these courts, with a view to teach us that various degrees of enmity and malice will subject men to corresponding condemnation at the hands of God. "The gehenna of fire" is an image under which our Saviour often spoke of the future punishment of the wicked.-But no language can describe, no thought conceive, the extent of their misery and woe! If thou bring thy gift to the altar.To worship God with a heart full of ill-will and enmity against our brethren, is an awful affront to the Majesty of heaven, the author and lover of peace. Such a sacrifice is indeed "an abomination unto the Lord." We must do our part, all that lies in our power, to live in a state of harmony with our brethren; using our best endeavours to accommodate differences, to allay animosities, and to live in amity and peace. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Rom. xii. 18. It is a proof that the heart is not right with God, not purified by faith and fit for heaven, when it harbours dispositions of hatred, rancour, or contempt, or cherishes an implacable, unforgiving spirit. This uncharitable temper is ruinous and deadly to the soul. "No gifts, however |