40 And if any one will go to law with you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. 41 And if any one will compel you to go a mile with him, go with him two. 42 Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you, turn not away. 43 You have heard that it hath been said, you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy; 44 But

ver. 40. Luke vi. 29. 1 Cor. vi. 7. v. 42. Deut. xv. 8. Luke vi. 30. Rom. xii. 20. Ecclus. iv. 5. xxix. 1, 2.

v. 40. Your coat.] Gr. Tunick. We have no very proper terms in our language to convey an idea of the Jewish garments; and the words used here, in the original admit of different senses. It may however be observed, that the coat here mentioned, is the under garment, the shirt; and the cloak, the upper garment, which was commonly more costly; this may serve to give some notion of Jesus Christ's meaning, which is to this effect: If any one will extort a thing of a small value from you, suffer him patiently to go away with it, and even yield him rather more, than continue in contention with him.

Let him have your cloak also.] All these, and the like maxims in the gospel, must necessarily admit of some limitation our Saviour's design in them, not being to render his disciples defenceless and exposed to all the affronts and indignities which wicked persons will think fit to inflict upon them, nor oblige them to suffer themselves to be stripped of all their goods. But, that justice ought to give way to, and be regulated by charity; that we are not always strictly to insist upon our own rights; and, that it is much better patiently to bear some inconsiderable loss, than fall into violent contentions, or come to law suits, 1 Cor. vi. 7.

V. 41. Compel you to go a mile.] The Gr. word (ayyapveiv) which we have rendered to compel, is taken from a Persian custom, which was also in use in Judæa, and the Roman empire. Namely, that the posts and public messengers were wont to press the carriages and horses they met on the road, if they had occasion for them, and even forced the drivers or riders to go along with them. See the same word used Matt. xxvii. 32.

A mile.] Gr. One mile.

v. 42. Turn not away.] Or, do not send back. This precept of charity is to be regulated by the circumstances of the giver, and the wants of the person that asks.

v. 43. Your neighbour.] See what sense was put by the Jewish doctors on this word, in the note on ver. 22,

And hate your enemy.] These words are not to be found in the law, and even the contrary is plainly and expressly enjoined therein, Exod.

I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who injure and persecute you; 45 that you may be children of your father which is in heaven, for he causes his sun to rise on the wicked and on the good, and sends rain upon the just and unjust. 46 Indeed if you love those only, who love you, what reward shall you have? Do not the publicans themselves do as much? 47 And if you salute only your brethren what extraordinary thing is it? Do not even the publicans do the

ver. 44. Luke vi. 27. xxiii. 34. Acts vii. 6. Rom. xii. 14, 20, 21. 1 Cor. iv. 12. 1 Pet. iii. 9. v. 45. Luke vi. 35. Ecclus. iv. 10, 11. Eph. v. 1. v. 46. Luke vi. 36.

xxiii. 4, 5. Lev. xix. 17, 18. Prov. xxv. 21. But the Jewish doctors pretended they could draw such an inference from Exod. xxxiv. 11, 12. from Deut. vii. 1, 24. and xxxiii. 6. And accordingly the Jews have been charged by some heathen authors, and particularly by Tacitus, as being haters and enemies of mankind.

v. 44. Bless.] To bless, here signifies to be kindly affected to, as, on the contrary, to curse, is to wish ill, Rom. xii. 14. Who curse you.] Slander you. This is the meaning of the Gr. word (επηрeαlóvτwv.) See 1 Pet. iii. 6. Or else abuse, and revile you. v. 45. The children.] i. e. may imitate him, and become heirs of his heavenly kingdom, See v. 9. and 48 of this chapter.

v. 46. The publicans.] These were the Roman tax-gatherers; some of which were Jews; these were more extremely odious to their countrymen, than those that were heathens. The other Jews would have no manner of communication with them, Luke iii. 13. Mark ii. 16. Luke vii. 34. They looked upon the profession as scandalous, and all publicans were to them very hateful upon account of their extortions. See Matt. ix. 10. xviii. 17.

v. 47. Salute] The Gr. word (άoñáσŋole) denotes all outward signs of friendship, such as kissing, embracing, wishing well, &c. It is the word that is used by the apostles in their salutations, Rom. xvi. &c. The meaning of it here, seems to be the same as that of the word to bless, v. 44. See Matt. x. 12. and compare Luke x. 5. which will explain St. Matthew's meaning.

Your brethren.] Some copies read, your friends, which seems to have been added by way of explanation. The Jews embraced their own countrymen, and welcomed them as brethren. But the Gentiles they thought unworthy of that honour. Jesus Christ teaches here his disciples, to make their charity extend to all men. See Rom. xii. 17, 18.

same? 48 Be you therefore perfect, as your Father is in heaven, is perfect.

CHAPTER VI.

The continuation of the sermon on the mount. Privacy in alms and prayers, 1—6. Vain repetitions condemned, 7, 8. The Lord's prayer, 9—13. To forgive in order to be forgiven, 14, 15. Privacy in fasting, 16-18. Treasure in heaven, 19-21. Eye simple, 22, 23. To serve God, and not mammon, 24. To trust in providence, 25-32. To seek the kingdom of God; not to be solicitous about the future, 33, 34.

1 Be careful not to give your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise you shall receive no reward

ver. 48. Luke vi. 36. Lev. xi. 44. xx. 26. 1 Pet. i. 16, 17. v. 1. Rom. xii. 8.

v. 48. Be perfect, &c.] That is, practise charity in as perfect a manner as doth your heavenly Father, without any regard to friends or enemies. Compare Luke vi. 36. Eph. v. 1, 2. This perfection here is opposed to the imperfection of the righteousness of the Pharisees,

v. 20.

v. 1. Be careful.] The several precepts contained in this chapter are found in the xi. xii. and xvith chapters of St. Luke. It must therefore be supposed that Jesus Christ gave the same precepts, more than once, and that the Evangelists did not always take care to set down our Saviour's very words, nor to place his discourses in the same order they were delivered. See the note on chap. viii. 2.

You shall receive, &c.] Gr. You have not, in the present tense. The present is here put for the future, which is very common in the sacred writings.

K K

2 When therefore

from your Father who is in heaven. you give an alms, let not the trumpet be sounded before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and streets, that they may have the applause of men. I tell you for

certain, they have their reward. 3 But when you bestow an alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does, 4 to the end your alms may be secret. And your Father who beholds what you do in secret, will reward you openly.

5 So likewise when you pray, be not like the

ver. 2. Luke vi. 24. John v. 44. xii. 43.

V. 2.

v. 4. Luke xiv. 14.

Let not the trumpet be sounded.] The Jews were wont to assemble the people by sounding the trumpet, see Joel i. 15. But it must not be supposed that the Pharisees actually did it when they gave alms. Our Saviour's design was only to denote the unaccountable vanity of the Pharisees, in affecting to do acts of charity in the most open and public places. Compare Matt. xxiii. 5.

In the synagogues. ] Or in public assemblies in general, and so ver. 5. They have their reward.] Or, they hinder their reward, they deprive themselves of it. It all comes to the same; but though the Greek word (άréxovo) admits of this last signification, it hath also in the Septuagint, that which we have given it here. Compare the Hebrew and Greek. Numb. xx. 12, 19. See also Luke vi. 24. Phil. iv. 8. Philem. 15.

V. 3. Let not your left hand know, &c.] This is a kind of proverbial expression, which may be explained to this effect; Let no one, no not even your most intimate acquaintance, know what you do. Be ignorant of it yourselves, if possible, or forget it immediately. Jesus Christ doth not condemn here alms-giving or praying in public, but the performing those duties with no other view but to be seen and applauded by men. We ought to do them only for God's glory, and not for our own. See Matt. v. 16.

V. 4. Openly.] In the sight of men and angels, at the day of judgment. Luke xiv. 14. See 1 Cor. iv. 5. Matt. xxv. 31, &c. v. 5. Standing.] The affectation that is here blamed in the Jews, was not their standing up when they prayed, for that was their usual posture at the time of prayer, as appears from Mark xi. 25. Luke xviii. 11. 13. And even in their style, to stand up praying, meant no more than to pray, for they never kneeled but in times of extraordinary humiliation, Dan. vi. 10. Their affectation therefore consisted in praying in the streets, and in making use of private prayers in the synagogues, instead of the public set of forms.

hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and corners of the streets, to be seen of men; I assure you, they have their reward. 6 But you

when you pray, enter into your closet, and having shut the door, pray to your Father who is with you in your retirement. And your Father who beholds what you do in secret, will openly reward you.

7 Use not vain repetitions in your prayers as the heathens do, who imagine they shall be heard for their multiplicity of words. 8 Do not imitate them, because your Father knows what you stand in need of, before you ask him.

9 After this manner therefore ought you to pray,

ver. 7. Ecclesiastes v. 2. and Ecclus. vii. 14. v. 18. See ver. 32. of this chap. v. 9. Luke xi. 2. Ps. viii. 1. xi. 4. cxi. 9. Isa. lxvi. 1.

Into your closet. ] The Greek word (raμiero) denotes the most private and retired part of the house. See Isa. xxvi. 20. according to the Seventy.

v. 7. Use not vain repetitions.] Or, do not use long and vain speeches, for the Greek word (Barroλoynonτé) signifies either the absurdity and vanity of repetitions, or of an excessive length. But we must carefully distinguish the repetitions and long prayers that are condemned here, from perseverance in prayer, recommended Luke vi. 12. xii. 12. 1 Tim. v. 5, &c.

Rom.

As the heathens do.] Who were wont to fill their prayers with abundance of synonymous names which they bestowed on their gods, making therein to consist the praises and prerogatives of those deities. The Jews were also guilty of the same faults, (viz. repetitions and immoderate length) reckoning that they were very prevailing, as appears from their writings and forms of prayer.

v. 8. Your father knows, &c.] This argument would make against all prayer in general, if prayer was considered only as a means of making our wants known to God; whereas it is no more than an act of obedience to our heavenly Father, who hath commanded us to pray to him, Matt. vii. 7. and made it the condition of his favours; an expression of our trust in him, and dependance on his goodness, whereby we acknowledge that all the benefits we receive, come from him, and that to him we must apply for the obtaining of them.

v. 9. After this manner.] Jesus Christ gives here his disciples a form of prayer, as was usually done by the Jewish masters. Baptist had taught his disciples to pray, Luke xi, 1.

John the It is to be