against such, and then shall the end come.

All

my disciples shall love their brethren, and from their heart forgive every one his brother their trespasses; otherwise my heavenly Father shall never forgive them. Righteousness will I lay to the line of the precept, and judgment to the plummet of the sentence; the hail shall sweep away the refuges of lies, and the floods of wrath shall overflow the hiding-places. "For till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be [punctually] fulfilled." But I will send the Holy Spirit into the hearts of my dear disciples, which shall slay such envy, make them forget anger, and forgive and love their brethren, as I have loved them. The law worketh wrath; but the love of the Spirit worketh no ill to a neighbour, much less to a brother in faith. The kingdom of heaven within them shall deliver them from such evils. They shall be angry at sin, and at sinners; at evil doctrines, and evil practices. Thus "they shall be angry, and sin not." But anger against a brother shall not rest in them; for they are not fools, but the children of wisdom.

Moses and Elias shall both resign their offices to me; and my people shall have one prophet, one lawgiver, one mediator, and one shepherd. They shall all be taught of their God, Isa. liv. 13, and a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light to them, Isa. li. 4. I will be their daysman, mediator, intercessor, and advocate; and they shall be the humble sheep of

my fold, under one shepherd. They shall pass from the ministration of death to the promise of everlasting life. I will deliver them from the yoke, do and live; and from the dreadful burden of "Cursed is he that continueth not." And they shall take my yoke upon them, and learn of me, who am meek and lowly; and find my yoke to be easy, and my burden light. "The law and the prophets were until John;" "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." "Since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it," Luke xvi. 16. And none shall enter into that kingdom that do not receive it as a little child. The subjects of my kingdom shall be kept by my power; none shall pluck them out of my hand, nor shall the gates of hell prevail against them. I will deliver them from that anger that rests in the bosom of fools, and from that envy that slays the silly one. The murderer shall not reign and rule in their hearts. I will give them power to tread on serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt them, Luke x. 19.

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments." The Saviour having said this, he goes on to shew what his meaning is.

1. "That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment," Ver. 22. He shall be in danger of the judgment of Zion, who should judge him unwor thy of communion; or rather, in danger of being

arraigned at the bar of the law, and left in bondage to it, and to the buffetings of Satan.

2. "Whosoever shall say unto his brother, Raca, [or, vain, empty fellow,] shall be in danger of the council." By the Jewish laws, and by the counsel of God, it is deemed an offence or scandal, and wo be to him through whom the scandal cometh! Or, "Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." It doth not mean an idiot, but calling him a wicked reprobate, judging his inmost soul, and fixing his final doom. And he that thus judges, shall doubtless be judged; for it is the judgment of a child of the devil. For, first, he is angry with his brother without a cause, which is murder. Secondly, his malice breaks out into words: he calls him empty and vain fellow; and then proceeds to try his reins, and at last to fix him in hell. "If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!"

It is easy to see that the Lord, in this discourse, strikes hard at the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees. This appears plain, by the gift, or free-will offering being left at the altar till the offerer had reconciled himself to his brother; which altar and offerings the saints are delivered from. And terribly must this discourse have cut those who were

so desperately angry and envious at Christ and his followers, who, according to the flesh, were their brethren. And they were angry without a cause; and had not only called them Raca, and fools, but they judged them. They called the Lord a fellow, and a deceiver; yea, Beelzebub. And cursed all his followers: "This people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed." Yea, they cast them out, excommunicated them, reprobated them, and passed the curse of the law on them.

Secondly, The Lord here handles the law lawfully; and shews the spiritual meaning of it, its unfathomable reach to the inmost soul, and its unlimited demands; so as to make every sensible sinner for ever despair of help from it, or any salvation by it. He doth not dress it up as an evangelized covenant, nor call it the believer's only rule of life; but tells the sinner, that a mouthful of malice spit at a fellow-creature, does by this law expose a man to the danger of hell fire.

If

Thirdly, The Saviour strikes hard, in this discourse, at the hypocrite also, who gets into the church before his first husband be dead. This appears from the breakers of these commandments being called least in the kingdom of heaven. they were not in the church, they could not be said to be in the kingdom of heaven at all. These tares getting among the wheat, are the children of the wicked one getting among the children of the kingdom; and being in bondage to the law, which worketh wrath, and destitute of saving

grace, they are the most desperate at the grace, gifts, happiness, usefulness, and pure doctrine, of God's faithful ones. And that these men are destitute of the Spirit, is plain from their causeless anger, hatred, and unrighteous judgment. And that they are under the law, and not under grace, appears plain also, by their being in danger of hell fire which a justified soul, in a state of grace, is not; for Christ says, he shall never come into condemnation; yea, he shall never die; he hath everlasting life. There is no hellfire nor condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus: nor is it sin in a man of God to call a hypocrite, a wicked man, or an opposer of the gospel, a fool: "Thou fool," says Paul, "that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die." The Lord goes on:..

"Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Here the Lord enforces the spirituality of the law that it reaches the soul and spirit of a man; yea, the inmost thoughts and desires of the heart, as well as words and actions; and that all above yea, yea, and nay, nay, cometh of evil; and for every idle word, the sinner that dies in his sin, and under this law, must give an account at the day of judgment. The Lord here shews the need of salt in the corrupt spring of the human heart; for the law is so far from destroying lust, that it works the more vigorously by it: "But sin taking