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SECTION XVII.

In a former section, the following observation of Bengel, on S. Matt. vii. 24. was quoted: "Salutaria Deus ad se refert; mala a se removet." This benevolent decorum, as I there observed, may be accounted a kind of Euphemism; and may be exemplified from other parts of the New Testament: a few examples follow.

ΤΟΤΕ EGEL ὁ βασιλευς τοις εκ δεξιων άυτου· δευτε οι ευλογημένοι του πατρος μου,

κληρονομησατε την ήτοιμασμενην ύμιν βασιλειαν απο καταβολης κοσμου.

τοτε ερει και τοις εξ ευωνυμων

πορεύεσθε απ' εμου δι κατηραμένοι,

εις το πυρ το αιωνιον, το ήτοιμασμενον τω διαβολω, και τοις αγγελοις αυτού.

Then shall the King say to those on his right hand;
Come ye blessed of my Father,

Inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world.

Then shall he say to those also on the left hand;
Depart from me ye cursed,

Into that everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his

angels.

S. Matt. xxv. 34. 41.

In verse 34, where the righteous are addressed, THE KING is expressly mentioned as addressing them; and so again in v. 40. 'O BAZIAETZ, THE KING:

TOTE EGEL,

throughout the sentence, on the contrary, pronounced on the wicked, this appellation seems to be carefullly avoided; in verse 41, we have simply then shall he say; and, in verse 45, TOTE awoxginσetai, then shall he make answer. In the case of the good, we have dev ATTOT, HIS right hand: in the case of the wicked, indefinitely, Evwvu.wv, the left hand. In the case of the righteous, evλoγημένοι ΤΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΜΟΥ, ye blessed OF MY FATHER : in the case of the wicked, merely ye cursed; the ever-blessed name, introduced, as it were, to heighten the happiness of the good, is not allowed to mingle with the malediction of the bad. In the case of the righteous, it is said xλngovounoate, inherit; no equivalent term is used toward the wicked: the force of this word has been well expressed by S. Chrysostom, on the place: ouX EITE λabeтe, aλλa ουκ ειπε λαβετε, αλλα κληρονομήσατε, ὡς οικεία, ὡς πατρωα, ὡς ύμετερα, ὡς ὑμῖν ανωθεν οφειλομενα : "He said not receive, but inherit; "as domestic property, as paternal, as your own, "as due to you from above." from above." And lastly, in the case of the righteous, we have την ήτοιμασμένην ΥΜΙΝ βασιλείαν ΑΠΟ ΚΑΤΑΒΟΛΗΣ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ: the kingdom prepared FOR YOU, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD: in the case of the wicked, το πυρ το αιώνιον, το ήτοιμασ μενον ΤΩ ΔΙΑΒΟΛΩ, ΚΑΙ ΤΟΙΣ ΑΓΓΕΛΟΙΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ, that everlasting fire, prepared FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS: a kingdom specially prepared for the righteous, and that from the foundation of the world: a fire prepared, not for wicked men, but for the devil and his angels, and without mention being made of a preparation from the beginning of the world; per

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haps in order to indicate the more forcibly, that the. future sufferings of the wicked are wrought for themselves, by themselves; and not inflicted in. consequence of any supra-lapsarian decree. I must here quote the words of a learned writer, which presented themselves to me, after I had committed the last clause to paper. Ignis æternus præpa"ratus est, non hominum generi, sed diabolis. "Nam ad vindicandos homines ab interritu missus "est Filius Dei, assumens non angelos, sed semen "Abrahæ. Quotquot igitur ex genere humano "pereunt, sibi, non Deo, causam rejectionis et "damnationis adscribant." Strigelius*, Hypomnemat. p. 99. The language of S. Chrysostom is yet more fully to the present purpose. wogude, απ' εμου οι κατηραμενοι.] ουκ ετι ύπο του πατρος· ου γαρ αυτός, αυτούς κατηρασατο, αλλα τα οικεία έργα. ότε έλεγε, δευτε Οι ευλογημενοι, κληρονομησατε την βασιλειαν, επηγαγε, την ήτοι μασμενην ύμιν προ καταβολης κοσμου· περι δε του πυρος ουκετι, αλλα το ήτοιμασμενον τω διαβολω, και τοις αγγέλοις αυτου. εγω. μεν γαρ την βασιλειαν ὑμῖν ἡτοιμασα, το δε πυρ ουκ ετι ύμιν, αλλα τω διαβολω, και τοις αγγέλοις αυτού. επειδαν δε ύμεις ἑαυτους ενεβάλετε, ἑαυτοῖς λογίζεσθε. Hom. lxxix. in S. Matt. tom. vii. p. 760. edit. Montfauc. "De"part from me ye cursed.] It is not in this case said, of my Father: for not HE, but their

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* For the merits, and the sufferings, of Victorinus Strigelius, see his article, in Melchior Adam. Near the close of his learned, laborious, and exemplary life, he addressed the following words to an intimate friend: "Scio meum vitæ curriculum et "breve, et exiguum esse. Quare, in hac brevitate peregrina"tionis, ea dicam, scribam, et faciam, quæ migrationem in vitam

"own works cursed them. .... When he said, "Come ye blessed, inherit the kingdom, he added, "which was prepared for you before the foundation

of the world not so, respecting the fire; but, "which was prepared for the devil and his angels. "As if he had said, I, indeed, prepared the king"dom FOR YOU: but the fire, not for you, but for the devil and his angels: and, since you have "cast yourselves into it, impute the consequences "to yourselves."

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A few MSS. and some Fathers, in v. 41. read, instead of το ήτοιμασμενον, ὁ ἑτοιμασεν ὁ πατης μου· 2 reading approved by Mill, and placed by Griesbach in his inner margin: it is, however, quite out of character with the context; and clearly owes its origin to the supposed necessity for an equipoise to the clause του πατρος μου, in the address to the righteous.

I shall make but one other observation: those on our Lord's right hand, are repeatedly termed ói dixaioi, the rigHTEOUS: on the contrary, those on the left hand, are introduced without any counterdesignation: they are not called adıxo1, unrighteous; they are treated as nameless persons: " then shall THEY make answer; then shall THESE depart." On the whole, it cannot be questioned, that, throughout this context, our Lord studiously separates the name, the nature, and the original preappointments, of himself, and of the Father, from the miserable doom of those who work out their own perdition. The words of an apocryphal writer afford a fine comment:

ὁ Θεὸς θάνατον ουκ εποίησεν

ουδε τέρπεται επ' απωλεία ζωντων :

εκτισε τον ανθρωπον επ' αφθαρσία·

και εικονα της ιδιας αϊδιοτητος εποίησεν αυτόν : φθόνω δε διαβολου θανατος εισήλθεν εις τον κόσμον πειράζουσι δε αυτον, δι της εκείνου μερίδος οντες.

God made not death;

Nor is he delighted at the destruction of the living:
He created man for incorruption;

And an image of his own immortality He made him:
But, by envy of the Devil, death came into the world ;
And they provoke it, who are of his party.

Wisdom, i. 14. ii. 23, 24.

ει δε θελων ὁ Θεος ενδείξασθαι την οργήν, και γνώρισαι το δυνατον άυτου,

ήνεγκεν εν πολλή μακροθυμία,

σκευη οργης κατηρτισμενα εις απωλείαν ;

και

ἵνα γνώρισε τον πλουτον της δόξης αυτου, επι σκευη ελεους, & προητοίμασεν εις δόξαν ;

But what if God, willing to manifest his wrath,
And to make known his power,

Hath endured, with much long-suffering,

The vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?

And, that he may make known the riches of his glory,
On the vessels of mercy, whom he hath before prepared

for glory?

Rom. ix. 22, 23.

This passage is, in many respects, parallel with the last example; and, as such, it has been adduced by some commentators. The vessels of mercy are prepared, BY GOD, for glory: the vessels of wrath are fitted, (it is not said by God,) for destruction. S. Chrysostom, in loc., says, κατηρτισμένον εις απωλειαν· τουτέςι τον απηρτισμενον, οίκοθεν μεντοι, και παρ' ἑαυτου :