Verse For Today

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Mt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.


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Observe, 1. The connection between peace and puity; purity of heart and peaceableness of life accompany one another.  There is no inward purity where there is not an endeavour after outward peace.
 
2. The duty exhorted to, namely, to love peace, and to labour after peace; to love it ourselves, and to promote it amongst others; to be not only peaceable, but peace-makers.
 
Note, 3. The title of honour that is here put upon such as are of this peaceable and peace-making temper; they shall be dignified and honoured with the privileges of God's children, namely, grace here, and glory hereafter.

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Mt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Note here, 1. That all the disciples and followers of Christ, live they ever so holily and inoffensively in the world, yet must they expect suffering and persecution.
 
2. That the keenest and sharpest edge of persecution is usually turned against the ministers of Christ, and falls heaviest  on the prophets of God.
 
3. That such sufferings and such persecutions as will afford a man solid comfort, and intitle him to real blessedness, must be endured and undergone for righteousness-sake.
 
4. That it is the will and command of Christ, that those which suffer for him, and for righteousness-sake, should not only be meek and patient, but joyous and cheerful: rejoice, and be exceeding glad.
 
5. That such a patient and cheerful suffering of persecution for Christ in this life, shall certainly be rewarded with the glory and blessedness of the life that is to come.  Great is your reward,

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Mt 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.


POOLE


 Ver. 11. Reviling and speaking evil of persons falsely, because of their profession of Christ, and because they dare not sin against God, is a species of persecution, Ge 21:9; Ga 4:29, though the lowest degree of it. It hath been the constant lot of God's servants. David said, Ps 35:11, that false witnesses did rise up, and laid to his charge things that he knew not. Thus John and Christ were served, Mt 11:18,19; Lu 7:33,34; nor is it to be wondered that those whose consciences are so seared that they cannot feel the guilt of persecuting others for righteousness' sake, should not feel the guilt of lying and false swearing. But, saith our Saviour, you are blessed when these things happen unto you, 1Pe 4:13.

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Mt 5:12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


POOLE

 
 Ver. 12. Be so far from being troubled, as to count it all joy, when you fall into these trials, Jas 1:2. Let it be music in your ears to hear that the drunkards make you their song. Rejoice in your hearts, express it in your lips and behaviour, for great is your reward, not of debt, but of grace; for our light and momentary afflictions are not worthy to be compared with an eternal and exceeding weight of glory; where there is no proportion, there can be no merit: especially, when it is given to us on the behalf of Christ to suffer, Php 1:29. Peter upon this argument saith, The spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you, 1Pe 4:14. Our Saviour adds, for so persecuted they the prophets before you. The magistrates, and the rulers of the Jews, persecuted Elijah, Micaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and the rest of the prophets, whom you succeed, not in time only, but in the same office of revealing the mind of God to the people.

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Mt 5:13 ¶ "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

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Our Saviour compares Christians in general, and his ministers in particular, unto salt, for a double reason.
 
First, Because it is the nature of salt to preserve things from corruption and putrefaction, and to render them savoury and pleasant. Thus are the ministers of the gospel to labour and endeavour, by the purity of their doctrine, to sweeten putrifying sinners, that they may become savoury to God and man; and may be kept from being fly-blown with errors and false doctrine.
 
Secondly, Because salt has a piercing power in it, which subdues the whole lump, and turns it into its own nature: such a piercing power is there in the ministry of the word, that it subdues the whole man to the obedience of itself.
 
As it Christ had said, "Ye are to be preachers and patterns to the world; ye are appointed by your pure doctrine, and good conversation, to purge the world from that corruption in which it lies: but if you lose either soundness of doctrine, or the savour of a good conversation, you will be wholly useless, as to these great ends, and must expect to be cast off by me, as unsavoury salt is cast to the dunghill."

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Mt 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

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Observe here, 1. Our Saviour's doctrine.
 
2. The inference which he draws from it by way of application.
 
The doctrine delivered is this, That Christians in general and the ministers of the gospel in particular, are the  light of the world.
 
But how?  Not originally, but derivatively; not efficiently, but instrumentally, Christ himself is the light if the world by way of original, his ministers are lights by way of derivation, and participation from him.
 
Farther, Christ teaches them the end why he communicated light unto them, namely, to enlighten, direct, and quicken others: even as the sun in the firmament, and a candle in the house, diffuses and disperses its light to all that are within reach of it; so should all Christians, and particularly Christ's ministers, by the light of life and doctrine, direct people in their way towards heaven.
 
Observe, 2. The inference which our Saviour draws from the foregoing doctrine, ye are the light of the world, therefore let your light shine before men.
 
Where, note 1. That our good works must shine, but not blaze; all vain glory and ostentation must be avoided in the good works we do.
 
2. Although we must abound in good works that men may see them, yet not to be seen of men.
 
3. That the glorifying of God, and doing good to mankind, must be the great end we propound in all the good works which we perform.

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Mt 5:15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

POOLE

Ver. 15. You ought also to consider the end why I have communicated of my light unto you; it is in part the same with that of men: when they light up a candle in a room, which is to show light to all those that are in the room, they do not use to light it up to hide it under a vessel, or a bushel; so I have not communicated my truths or my grace unto you merely for your own use, but for others use. It is said of John, (by our Saviour), he was a burning and shining light: so is every true minister of the gospel, yea, and every true Christian; not only a burning light, burning with love to God, and zeal for God, and love to and zeal for the souls of others; but also a shining light, communicating his light to others, both by instruction and a holy conversation. Others' pretended candles were never of God's lighting.

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Mt 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

POOLE

Ver. 16. Our Saviour now plainly tells us what he intended by the comparisons before mentioned. Let the light of that doctrine which you receive from me, and the light of your holy conversation, (the latter by the following words seemeth to be here principally intended), so shine before men, be so evident and apparent unto men, that they may see your good works; all sorts of good works, whatsoever I have commanded or shall command you; and as I command you, and in obedience to such commands, otherwise they are no good works; and glorify your Father which is in heaven. You are not in your good actions to aim at yourselves, to be seen of men, as Mt 6:1, nor merely at doing good to others; good works are to be maintained for necessary uses, Tit 3:14, but having a primary, and principal respect to the glorifying of your Father; for, Joh 15:8, Herein is my Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit: not that we can add any thing to God's essential glory, but we may predicate and manifest his glory; which how we can do by good works, if they proceed from mere power and liberty of our own wills, not from his special efficacious grace, is hard to understand. Our Father is said to be in heaven, because, though his essential presence filleth all places, yet he is pleased there, more than any where, to manifest his glory and majesty.

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Mt 5:17 ¶ "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

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Our Saviour here informs his followers, That he had no design to abrogate any part of the moral law, or to loose mankind from the least measure of their duty either towards God or man, but that he came to fulfil it:
 
1.  By yielding a personal obedience to it.
 
2. By giving a fuller and stricter interpretation of it, than the Pharisess were wont to give; for they taught, that the law did only reach to the outward man, and restrain outward actions.
 
As if Christ had said, "Though I preach a more special doctrine than is contained even in the letter of the moral law, yet think not that I am come to destroy and dissolve the obligation of that law, for I came to fulfil the types and predictions of the prophets, and to give you the full sense and spiritual import of the moral law."

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Mt 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

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Another reason is here given by our Saviour why he had no intention to abrogate or abolish the law; and that is drawn from the duration and perpetuity, the unchangeableness and immutability of the law: sooner shall heaven and earth be abolished, than the authority and obligation of the moral law be dissolved.
 
Learn, 1. That the law of God is an eternal and unchangeable rule of life and manners, and is to stand in force as long as the world stands, and the frame of heaven and earth endures.
 
Learn, 2. That Christianity is not contrary to the laws by which mankind had formerly been obliged.  Christ commands nothing which they had commanded, but has perfected the law, and set it higher than any of the most studied doctors did think themselves formerly obliged by it.
 
To suppose that Christ has added to the moral precepts of the first table, is to suppose that he has added to perfection; for that required the Jew to love God with all his heart, soul, and strength: which is the same that Christ required of us Christians here.
 
Nor has Christ added to the duties of the second table, since that requires us to love our neighbours as ourselves, which St. Paul tells us, Ro 13:9 is the fulfilling of the law.

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Mt 6:1 ¶ "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

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Observe here, 1. The duty directed to, almsgiving after a right manner;  Do not your alms before man:  some copies read it, Do not your rigteousness before men:  because almsgiving is a considerable part of that righteousness and justice which we owe unto our neighbour:  he that is uncharitable is unjust:  acts of charity are acts of justice and equity.  It also intimates to us, that the matter of our alms should be goods righteously gotten:  to give alms of what is gotten unjustly, is robbery, and not righteousness.
 
Observe, 2. Our Savoiur's cautionary direction in giving alms, Take heed that you do them not be seen of men.  It is one thing to do our alms that men may see them, and another thing to do them that we may be seen of men.  We ought to do alms before men, that God may be glorified:  but not to be seen of men, that ourselves may be applauded.
 
Observe, 3. The particular sin which our Saviour warns his disciples against in giving their alms, namely, ostentation and vain-glory, which the Pharisees wre notoriously guilty of:  Sounding a trumpet, to call people about them when they gave their alms.
 
Thence learn, That the doing any good work, especially any work of charity and mercy, vain-gloriously, and not with an eye to God's glory, will certainly miss of the reward of well-doing in another world.
 
Observe, 4. The advice given by our Saviour for the prevention of this sin and danger; and that is, to do our alms as secretly as we can; Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:  that is, conceal it from thy nearest relations, and, if possible, from thyself.
 
Note thence, That the secrecy of our charity is one good evidence of its sincerity.  Hence the Egyptians made the emblem of charity to be a blind boy reaching out honey to a bee that had lost her wings.

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Mt 6:5 ¶ "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.


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Here our Saviour warns his disciples against the same Pharisaical hypocrisy in praying, which he had before reproved in almsgiving.  It was lawful to pray in the synagogues, and to pray standing, and that before men; but to do this upon design to be applauded by men, is condemned by Christ.  Our business in prayer lies with God; we are not to concern ourselves how men like our performances; it is sufficient if God doth approve and will accept them.  To cure the foregoing vanity, Christ directs to secret prayer, in our closets, where God is the witness, and will be the rewarder of our sincerity.
 
Note, That secret prayer is a commanded and encouraged duty, and when in sincerity performed, shall be attended with a public and glorious reward;   Pray to thy Father which is in secret

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Mt 6:7 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

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A vain-glorious ostentation in prayer was condemned by our Saviour in the former verse; here a vain-glorious multiplicity of words, by idle tautologies and impetinent repetitions, is condemned also; after the manner of the heathens, who expected to have their prayers granted by God, for the multiplicity of words used by themselves.
 
Hence note, That a Christian's business in prayer being not to inform God  (for he knoweth what things we need before we ask him) nor yet to move and persuade God (for he is our Father) it certainly argues an undue apprehension of God, when we lengthen out our prayers with vain repetitions and a multitude of words.
 
Yet note, 1. That it is not all repetition of the same words in prayer which Christ here condemns, for he himself prayed thrice, using the same words, that the cup might pass from him.
 
Nor, 2. Are we to apprehend that prayers continued to a considerable length are forbidden by Christ; for Solomon's prayer was such, 1Ki 8:1-66. InNe 9:1-23, it is said, the people confessed, and worshipped for three hours; Christ continued in prayer all night; and the church, Ac 7:1-60, made prayers without ceasing for St. Peter's enlargement.
 
And we read of St. Paul's praying night and day, 1Th 3:10, and of his commanding the churches to be instant in prayer, and to continue in prayer.  But Christ here condemns prayers lengthened out upon an apprehension that we shall be heard by our much speaking, or can move God by arguments, whilst we continue in our sins. (Dr. Whitby)

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Mt 6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

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There being no duty to which our corrupt natures are more backward than this of forgiving injuries, our Saviour repeats that duty over and over, and frequently inculcates it in the holy Gospels; assuring us, that forgiving others is the indispensable condition upon which we are to expect forgiveness from God.
 
Learn thence, That every time we go to God in prayer, and beg forgiveness of him, as we forgive others; if we do not forgive them heartily and sincerely, fully and freely, readily and willingly, we fly in the face of God, and our prayers are a sort of imprecations against ourselves.
 
Note farther, That although God promises us forgiveness if we forgive others; yet it is with this limitation, of no other condition of salvation be wanting, for this virtue alone cannot obtain favour with God, unless other duties are performed.

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Mt 6:16 ¶ "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

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The next duty which our Saviour instructs his disciples in, is that of religious fasting; which is, a devoting of the whole man, soul and body, to a solemn and extaordinary attendance upon God, in a particular time set apart for that purpose; in order to the deprecating of his displeasure, and for the supplicating of his favour, accompanied with an abstinance from bodily food and sensual delights, and from all secular affairs and worldly business.  Now our Saviour's direction, as to this duty of fasting, is double:
 
1. He cautions us to beware of an abuse in fasting:  Be not as the hypocrites are, of a sad countenance; that is, do not affect a sullen sadness, ghastliness, and unpleasantness of countenance, like the hypocritical Pharisees, who vitiate and discolour their faces, who mar and abolish their native complexion.  Hypocrisy can paint the face black and sable, as well as pride with red and white.
 
2. He counsels us to take the right way in fasting; to anoint the head and wash the face: that is, to look as at other times, using our ordinary garb and attire, and not to affect anything that may make us look like mourners, when really we are not so.
 
Where we may note, That though hypocrites by their dejected countenances and mortified habits do seek to gain an extraordinary reputation for piety and devotion, yet the sincere Christian is to be abundantly satisfied with God's approbation of his services, and with the silent applause of his own conscience.