Alas! how very different, how directly opposite, is the real state of matters with the great body of mankind. They carefully avoid unwholesome food, and keep at a distance from every infected habitation; but they recklessly mingle with the wicked, and engage in ensnaring amusements. They are alarmed by the first symptoms of bodily disease, and use every method for obstructing its progress, and effecting its cure; but they treat the strongest symptoms of spiritual disease as matters of little importance, and obstinately refuse to employ the means which the Great Physician has appointed, as requisite in order to a cure. They thankfully receive cautions in reference to the health of their body, if they think it really in danger; but they often indignantly spurn at every hint given them in reference to the salvation of the soul, and seem to count him an enemy who speaks to them of the snares amid which they are walking, and points out to them the manner in which they may escape being entangled to their everlasting destruction.'

This is not an unjust representation of the character and conduct of many who would be offended, were we to call in question their faith in Christianity. Yet, no inconsistency can be more glaring than this. By-and-bye it will be seen to be so. The miserable victim of his own obstinacy, in the regions of hopeless misery, feels now-alas! that he could not be brought sooner to believe it, that it would have been better for him to have parted with what he felt to be dear as a right eye, and useful as a right arm, than to be cast, as he has been, into hell-fire.

§ 4. The righteousness of Christians and that of the Scribes and Pharisees compared, in reference to divorce.

In the thirty-first and thirty-second verses, our Lord gives a farther illustration of the superiority of the righteousness of the kingdom of God, to the righteousness of the Scribes

1 Brewster.

and Pharisees. "It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement : But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."1

Every one who has read the first verse of the twenty-fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, to which our Lord seems here to refer, knows that divorce was permitted by the law of Moses. This permission was granted, however, only to prevent greater evils. It was found to be necessary for the hardness of the hearts of the Jews. Had they not been allowed to separate from their wives when they had taken a dislike to them, they might, by the violence of their tempers, have been led to treat them with cruelty. It deserves notice, that they were not commanded to divorce their wives in the circumstances specified, they were only permitted to do so; and to prevent them doing it hurriedly, and without consideration, they were required to give the wife a bill of divorcement. written out in due form, and the separation, when thus effected, was final. By thus requiring divorce to be a solemn, and making it an irrevocable transaction, provision was made, as far as was practicable, for preventing its being done under the influence of passion, or for a trivial cause.❜

The expounders of this law, however, disregarded altogether its object. They even considered permission as a precept, and taught that 'men might put away their wives for every cause.' If the Scribes taught in this way, the practice of the Pharisees corresponded with their teaching. Every opportunity was seized for putting away their wives and marrying others. The great intentions of marriage

1 Matth. v. 31, 32.

2 "The Mosaic law, intended for a rude people, placed restraints upon unlimited wilfulness. Political legislation must adapt itself to the material on which it has to act. The permission-for it was no more--was owing to exλngozagdive. TO A. Matth. xix. 8."-NEANDER. "The law of the kingdom" is not a state-law.

were in a good degree frustrated. Full encouragement was given and taken to furious passions, and irregular desires. Many cruelties were committed, and great misery produced.1

2

This was the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees with respect to marriage. But the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven was of a higher order, and "speaketh in this wise:" "But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery." According to this law, adultery is the only sufficient reason of divorce. He who for any other cause puts away his wife, is to be held an adulterer if he marry another woman; and she, by marrying him, commits adultery; while, at the same time, he becomes the guilty occasion of adultery, if the woman, who is still his wife, marry another man; for in this case she commits adultery, as he also does who marries her.

Our Lord, in another place (Matth. xix. 4, 5), shows very plainly that the indissolubility of marriage, as well as the propriety of that relation being confined to one man and one woman, were intimated in the circumstances in which it was instituted. "God created them at first, a male and a female," one man and one woman, "thus putting it beyond their power to be united to more than one, or to separate from each other to join another connection. He thus taught them, that any other arrangement would neither be conducive to their happiness, nor agreeable to his will, and intimated that they should continue through life wholly devoted to each other." 4

Few things have done more to promote the happiness and the moral improvement of man, than our Lord's re-establishing the principle, that the conjugal relation is indissoluble Let all who stand in this relation to

save for one cause.

1 Brewster.

2 Matth. v. 32.

Campbell.

4 Brewster.

each other, seriously consider the nature of their relation, and the importance of their duties. Let them reflect, that since they form as it were one body, they ought also to have one mind and heart. Let them reflect, that as they are so intimately connected, they ought to cherish each other with the same attention and affection, as they do their own bodies. Let them strive to have the same inclinations, as they have the same interests, and guard against all disputes and disagreements. Let them beware of all irritating language or disrespectful treatment, and always show each other every becoming token of civility and kindness. Let them bear with each others infirmities; study each others tempers; endeavour to correct each others faults. Let them always conduct themselves with gentleness, and perform their respective duties faithfully, though they may not receive the return they have a right to expect. Let them suppress every dislike which might produce in their mind even a wish to be separated, or which might render them more remiss in the duties which they owe to each other. Let them forbear, and forgive, and conciliate, and comfort, and cheer one another. Let them consider themselves as bound to promote to the utmost of their power, not only the present prosperity, but the future felicity of each other. Let them often together draw near to the throne of their common Father, and pray for one another, mutually exhorting, instructing, and comforting one another. Let them, in fine, live together as heirs of the grace of life, as those who know that death, the only lawful cause of separation, will ere long cut the otherwise indissoluble bond; and let them seek to be bound together by a tie, which even death itself cannot dissolve,-even the faith of the same truth, the love of the same Saviour, the hope of the same salvation. Thus will they spend a happy lifetime together on earth: Thus will they spend a happy eternity together in heaven.1

1 Brewster.

§ 5. The righteousness of Christians and that of the Scribes

and Pharisees compared, in reference to oaths.

Our Lord now brings forward a fourth illustration of the superiority of the righteousness of the kingdom to that of the Scribes and Pharisees, not less striking than any of those which we have considered. "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." 1

Let us first inquire into what the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees teaches on the subject of oaths; and then into what the righteousness of the kingdom teaches on the same subject, and in the course of this inquiry, it will become very evident that the righteousness of the kingdom greatly exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.

The sum of the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, was a prohibition of perjury. They taught that oaths, solemnly uttered in the name of Jehovah, were binding, and that he who violated them was guilty of a great sin. So far all was right. The righteousness of the kingdom teaches the same thing. He who can deliberately declare a falsehood, under the sanction of an oath, or refuse to perform, what he has not only promised, but sworn to, is obviously guilty of a shocking complication of impiety, falsehood, and injustice. It is impossible too strictly to prohibit, or too strongly to condemn, this crime.

But the Scribes, in their doctrine with respect to oaths,

Matt. v. 33-37.