but, in this life and the next, he shall be tranquil and happy. That inundations and storms are figures to express great calamities, is well known.'

Ver. 26, 27. The sense of these words is easily understood, by comparing them with ver. 25. See similar forms of speech quoted by Wetstein from the Rabbinical writings. Christ here intends to teach this: external works, and even miracles, without inward piety, and a virtuous disposition, are indeed like a splendid edifice; but if a man performing these works, be very desirous of popularity, gain and pleasure, all his apparent virtue vanishes, whenever a violent storm of temptation assails him. But, he, whose mind is steadfast in the doctrine of the gospel, and in the love of virtue, expecting from God alone the recompense of his good deeds, though he encounter all the injuries of the wicked, the cruel persecutions of unbelievers, and even death itself, shall stand unshaken and unharmed, until that day, when his perseverance, victorious over evil, shall receive its crown.' Scholia in

loc.

5. KENRICK. The mind that is thus disposed, is prepared for obeying the truth; he who has done this, builds upon a rock, he will maintain his speculative faith unshaken by the allurements of pleasure, by the. fear of bodily pain, of poverty, banishment, ignominy and death, as well as by the new doctrines of a false teacher. On the contrary, those who approve of the christian doctrine with the understanding, but have not taken care to lay a good foundation in the affections, by the means above mentioned, being tempted by the snares of sin, by the fear of impending evil, or the charm of novelty, are easily induced to wish that whatever opposes the gratification of their lust may not be true; and, seeking any how to escape from it, they first begin to doubt, then waver in their profession, and last of all fall entirely away from it.' Expos. in loc.

SECTION XV.

'And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'-MATT. viii. 11, 12.

THIS passage is very similar to Matt. vii. 21-23, and especially Luke xiii, 23-30. To the notes on those passages, the reader is referred for some valuable remarks. In addition, I insert the following:

1. LARDNER. This judicious writer undoubtedly understood this passage to be descriptive of a very important event, which occurred in this world, and not in the next; to wit, the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles. He writes thus:

St. Matthew's knowledge of the calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews, may be concluded from many things recorded by him. In the history of our Lord's healing the centurion's servant at Capernaum, he inserts our Lord's commendation of his faith, and that declaration, Many shall come from the east, &c. Matt. viii. 10-12.' Hist. Apos. & Evang. Chap. v.

2. WHITBY. To lie down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, doth not signify to enjoy everlasting happiness in heaven with them, but only to become the sons of Abraham through faith, Gal. iii. 7, and so to be blessed with faithful Abraham, ver. 9, to have the blessing of Abraham coming on them, that they may receive the promise of the spirit, ver. 14, through faith in Christ to be the seed of Abraham and heirs, according to the promise, ver. 29, viz. the promise made to Abraham, Gen. xii. 3, renewed to Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 4, and confirmed to Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 14, and to be, according to Isaac, the children of promise, Gal. iv. 28. This, says Christ, shall be the blessing of the believing Gentiles; they shall be sons of Abraham, and heirs of the promises made to the patriarchs, and mentioned by all the holy prophets of the Old Testament; whereas,

1

the unbelieving Jews, wanting the faith of Abraham, shall be deprived of the blessings promised to his seed; for they who seek to enter, and shall not be able, because the Master has shut to his door, Luke xiii. 24, 25, are those Jews who sought for righteousness by the works of the law and not by faith, and therefore found it not, Rom. ix. 31, 32, vi. 7, who entered not into the rest prepared for them, by reason of their unbelief, Heb. iii. 18, 19, iv. 2, 5, 8, from whom the kingdom of God was taken away, Matt. xxi. 43; they are they who shall say to Christ, we have eaten and drunk before thee, and thou hast taught in our streets,' Luke xiii. 26, which could be said only by the Jews." Com. in loc.

3. TOMSON'S BEZA. The following is given as the substance of the passage, commencing at ver. 5:

'Christ, by setting before them the example of the uncircumcised centurion, and yet of an excellent faith, provoketh the Jews to emulation, and together forewarneth them of their casting off, and the calling of the Gentiles.' Note in loc.

SECTION XVI.

'Verily, I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city.'-MATT. x. 15.

1. HAMMOND. 'I assure you, the punishment or destruction that will light upon that city will be such, that the destruction of Sodom shall appear to have been more tolerable than that. See note on Matt. iii. 2.' Par. in loc.

In the note to which he refers, he says in express terms, that Jesus did not speak of the day of judgment to come, but of that day when Sodom was overthrown by the shower of fire and brimstone, which the Lord rained on the city, out of heaven. See his note.

2. PEARCE. That is, in the day of the destruction of the Jewish state, called the coming of the Son of Man, ver. 23. The sense of this verse seems to be this: That, which formerly befel Sodom and Gomorrah, was more tolerable, than what shall befal this city. That the day of judgment here mentioned is to be thus understood, appears from what is said concerning Capernaum in ch. xi. 23, compared with ver. 22-24, of the same chapter.' Com. in loc.

3. WAKEFIeld. In a day of vengeance, punishment, or trial. This is undoubtedly the genuine sense of the phrase, which has not the least reference to the day of general judgment. All that our Saviour intends to say is, that, when the temporal calamities of that place come upon it, they will be more severe than even those of Sodom and Gomorrah. See this phrase employed in precisely the same meaning by the LXX, in Prov. vi. 34, where, instead of kriseos, Aquila and Theodotion have ekdikeseos; Is. xxxiv. 8, and my Commentary on this place. Our Saviour, I apprehend, had Jerusalem principally in view in this declaration.' Note in loc.

4. CLARKE. In the day of judgment, or punishment: Perhaps not meaning the day of general judgment, nor the day of the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans; but a day in which God should send punishment on that particular city, or on that person, for their crimes; so the day of judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, was the time in which the Lord destroyed them by fire and brimstone, from the Lord out of heaven.' Com. in loc.

A passage, very similar to this, occurs in Matt. xi. 22-24, to the notes on which the reader is referred for additional observations. Some people have so long associated the phrase, day of judgment, with the idea of a period in the future life, when the whole human family shall be congregated before the tribunal of God, to receive a sentence, which shall be followed by endless happiness on the one hand, or endless misery on the other, that they seem to imagine any other interpretation of this phrase must necessarily be wrong. As the words in question operate like a charm on the minds

of so many, rendering them in a degree insensible to the force of argument, I have quoted authorities the more freely; so that if possible they may be restored to their right mind by the testimony of those writers in whom they confide.

For an illustration of the phrase, day of judgment,' and others of a kindred character, see 'Balfour's Essays,' pp. 221-305.

SECTION XVII.

'And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.'-MATT. X. 22.

Ir will not be pretended that this passage directly teaches punishment after death, or even in the present life. But then it is said the words imply that some shall not be saved. Suppose they do ;-the question then arises, saved from what? If from endless misery, then endless misery may be here taught by implication; but if from temporal calamities, a failure to obtain that salvation only implies the endurance of those temporal evils, and the doctrine of endless misery derives no support from the passage. In this view of the case, I offer the following quotations, in which it is admitted by orthodox Commentators, that Jesus had reference, not to salvation or destruction in the future life, but to a period then near at hand, when some should be cut off from the land of the living, by a signal destruction, and others as signally saved alive.

1. HAMMOND. • And the Jews, wheresoever you come, shall persecute you for preaching of Christ; but there is a fatal day approaching for these Jews, and they that in despite of all these persecutions, ver. 18-22, shall stick fast to your christian profession, they shall, beside their