‏ Matthew 5

* Christ's sermon on the mount. (1,2) Who are blessed. (3-12)

Exhortations and warnings. (13-16) Christ came to confirm the

law. (17-20) The sixth commandment. (21-26) The seventh

commandment. (27-32) The third commandment. (33-37) The law of

retaliation. (38-42) The law of love explained. (43-48)

1,2 None will find happiness in this world or the next, who do

not seek it from Christ by the rule of his word. He taught them

what was the evil they should abhor, and what the good they

should seek and abound in. 3-12 Our Saviour here gives eight characters of blessed people,

which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian. 1.

The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their

condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly

in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and

thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the

kingdom of glory is for them. 2. Those that mourn are happy.

That godly sorrow which worketh true repentance, watchfulness, a

humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the

mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy

Spirit, to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be

intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy, to

which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be

comforted by their God. 3. The meek are happy. The meek are

those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are

silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep

possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep

possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in

this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even

in this world. 4. Those who hunger and thirst after

righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all

spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the

righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God.

Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest. Though all

desires for grace are not grace, yet such a desire as this, is a

desire of God's own raising, and he will not forsake the work of

his own hands. 5. The merciful are happy. We must not only bear

our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help

those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of

others, and help them; pity those who are in sin, and seek to

snatch them as brands out of the burning. 6. The pure in heart

are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness

are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified

by faith, and kept for God. Create in me such a clean heart, O

God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would

heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure to look

upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity. 7. The

peace-makers are happy. They love, and desire, and delight in

peace; and study to be quiet. They keep the peace that it be not

broken, and recover it when it is broken. If the peace-makers

are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers! 8. Those who are

persecuted for righteousness' sake are happy. This saying is

peculiar to Christianity; and it is more largely insisted upon

than any of the rest. Yet there is nothing in our sufferings

that can merit of God; but God will provide that those who lose

for him, though life itself, shall not lose by him in the end.

Blessed Jesus! how different are thy maxims from those of men of

this world! They call the proud happy, and admire the gay, the

rich, the powerful, and the victorious. May we find mercy from

the Lord; may we be owned as his children, and inherit his

kingdom. With these enjoyments and hopes, we may cheerfully

welcome low or painful circumstances. 13-16 Ye are the salt of the earth. Mankind, lying in ignorance

and wickedness, were as a vast heap, ready to putrify; but

Christ sent forth his disciples, by their lives and doctrines to

season it with knowledge and grace. If they are not such as they

should be, they are as salt that has lost its savour. If a man

can take up the profession of Christ, and yet remain graceless,

no other doctrine, no other means, can make him profitable. Our

light must shine, by doing such good works as men may see. What

is between God and our souls, must be kept to ourselves; but

that which is of itself open to the sight of men, we must study

to make suitable to our profession, and praiseworthy. We must

aim at the glory of God. 17-20 Let none suppose that Christ allows his people to trifle

with any commands of God's holy law. No sinner partakes of

Christ's justifying righteousness, till he repents of his evil

deeds. The mercy revealed in the gospel leads the believer to

still deeper self-abhorrence. The law is the Christian's rule of

duty, and he delights therein. If a man, pretending to be

Christ's disciple, encourages himself in any allowed

disobedience to the holy law of God, or teaches others to do the

same, whatever his station or reputation among men may be, he

can be no true disciple. Christ's righteousness, imputed to us

by faith alone, is needed by every one that enters the kingdom

of grace or of glory; but the new creation of the heart to

holiness, produces a thorough change in a man's temper and

conduct. 21-26 The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except

actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they

explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full

meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be

judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash

anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to

understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are

all made of one blood. "Raca," is a scornful word, and comes

from pride: "Thou fool," is a spiteful word, and comes from

hatred. Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills

secretly and slowly. Christ told them that how light soever they

made of these sins, they would certainly be called into judgment

for them. We ought carefully to preserve Christian love and

peace with all our brethren; and if at any time there is a

quarrel, we should confess our fault, humble ourselves to our

brother, making or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word

or deed: and we should do this quickly; because, till this is

done, we are unfit for communion with God in holy ordinances.

And when we are preparing for any religious exercises, it is

good for us to make that an occasion of serious reflection and

self-examination. What is here said is very applicable to our

being reconciled to God through Christ. While we are alive, we

are in the way to his judgement-seat; after death, it will be

too late. When we consider the importance of the case, and the

uncertainty of life, how needful it is to seek peace with God,

without delay! 27-32 Victory over the desires of the heart, must be attended

with painful exertions. But it must be done. Every thing is

bestowed to save us from our sins, not in them. All our senses

and powers must be kept from those things which lead to

transgression. Those who lead others into temptation to sin, by

dress or in other ways, or leave them in it, or expose them to

it, make themselves guilty of their sin, and will be accountable

for it. If painful operations are submitted to, that our lives

may be saved, what ought our minds to shrink from, when the

salvation of our souls is concerned? There is tender mercy under

all the Divine requirements, and the grace and consolations of

the Spirit will enable us to attend to them. 33-37 There is no reason to consider that solemn oaths in a

court of justice, or on other proper occasions, are wrong,

provided they are taken with due reverence. But all oaths taken

without necessity, or in common conversation, must be sinful, as

well as all those expressions which are appeals to God, though

persons think thereby to evade the guilt of swearing. The worse

men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are,

the less there is need for them. Our Lord does not enjoin the

precise terms wherein we are to affirm or deny, but such a

constant regard to truth as would render oaths unnecessary. 38-42 The plain instruction is, Suffer any injury that can be

borne, for the sake of peace, committing your concerns to the

Lord's keeping. And the sum of all is, that Christians must

avoid disputing and striving. If any say, Flesh and blood cannot

pass by such an affront, let them remember, that flesh and blood

shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and those who act upon

right principles will have most peace and comfort. 43-48 The Jewish teachers by "neighbour" understood only those

who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they

were pleased to look upon as their friends. The Lord Jesus

teaches that we must do all the real kindness we can to all,

especially to their souls. We must pray for them. While many

will render good for good, we must render good for evil; and

this will speak a nobler principle than most men act by. Others

salute their brethren, and embrace those of their own party, and

way, and opinion, but we must not so confine our respect. It is

the duty of Christians to desire, and aim at, and press towards

perfection in grace and holiness. And therein we must study to

conform ourselves to the example of our heavenly Father, #1Pe

1:15,16|. Surely more is to be expected from the followers of

Christ than from others; surely more will be found in them than

in others. Let us beg of God to enable us to prove ourselves his

children.