could not be a happier or more expressive figure. This is that first gleam of comfort which is given us in the opening words of the Bible, at the creation of the world. All was chaos and confusion. "Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light." What God said in the beginning, at the creation of the material world, that He again says here with regard to His new creation in Christ Jesus. Christians He calls elsewhere "the Sons of Light," even as God is "the Father of Lights." Our good works are to shine as the light. Surely we can have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. But, as we have seen, our light must shine in the best and most beneficent manner; so as to attract, not scare away; so as to illuminate, not burn. It must not scorch, but shine. For a thing in itself good may be made injurious by the manner of its application. The same fire which warms and cheers when rightly used, may even consume us if we take no care. That light which was intended for life, may through our own fault become our death. The candle which, set in its proper place, illuminates and cheers the house, may, if used carelessly, even burn it down. The good thing must be done in the good way.

CII.

THE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW.

St Matthew v. 17-20.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness

of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

It is possible that already the Scribes and Pharisees had begun to insinuate those charges against our Lord which afterwards they brought forward openly. And indeed this suspicion might have been lurking in the minds of some who understood not the preparatory nature of the Law, who knew not that "the Law made nothing perfect," who had no notion that the mission of Moses and the Prophets was simply to pave the way for Christ and His Church. Our Lord, therefore, before He touches upon any particular enactments, sets the whole relation between Law and Gospel, between the Old Testament and the New,' upon its proper footing. He silences their suspicions while He corrects their mistakes. He tells them at this outset the purpose of His coming, He predicts its gradual effect: "not to destroy, but to fulfil." The Gospel is the complement of the Law. The one passes into the other, as twilight is swallowed up of sunlight. Christ came to complete His own work; as the painter fills up the bare outline of his picture, as the higher education of the man completes the early training of the child, as the ripe fruit fulfils the crude bud or blossom, as the perfect day fulfils the steady promise of its dawn. The Gospel was concealed or contained in the Law2 as the oak in the acorn. Our Lord enforces His saying with a solemn affirmation; and, using a proverbial mode of expression, He declares that not even the minutest point of the Law shall fail of its fulfilment, not the least letter even or its part. The "jot is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The "tittle" is the slight stroke attached to certain of the letters. All indicates the care of Christ, and the exact office of the Ancient Law. And now, while vindicating the Law and

"For what else is the Law but the Gospel foreshewed? What other the Gospel than the law fulfilled? . . . Things there prefigured are here performed." Hooker, Eccl. Pol. v. xx. 6. He refers to

making it honourable, He censures those corrupt Teachers among the Jews of old who explained it away; who, while professing a scrupulous respect for its letter, continually transgressed its spirit. Nothing is little in the Law of God, and whoever takes upon himself to slight it, whatever may be his reputation for wisdom in this world, shall find in the Kingdom and Church of Christ a lower level than he claims.. "He that exalteth himself shall be abased." In the Messiah's Kingdom, the wisest are they who do His will, who teach that nothing that He has commanded is trivial, that whatever is a matter of concern to Him ought to be a matter of concern to us. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." The "Scribes" were a body of men among the Jews who wrote out copies of the Law, and professed to explain it. The "Pharisees" were a party among them "which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." Yet our Lord tells us that we must be better than those whose boast was that they understood and observed the Law best of all. Our righteousness must exceed theirs, for it must be of a different character to theirs.1 It must be "of the heart; in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." From their imaginary righteousness humility was altogether wanting, and humility is what is required on the very threshold of Christ's Kingdom." Without it we shall not even be inclined to enter in.

CIII.

WHAT IT IS TO KILL.

St. Matthew v. 21, 22.

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of

Aug. Quæst. 33 in Num. See also Dean Goulburn's Sermon, "The Word of God a Seed,” pp. 27-29.

Sce Bp. Taylor's description of

this in his Sermon entitled "The righteousness evangelical described." 2 St. Matt. xviii. 3, 4.

the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judg ment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Our Lord in His Sermon on the Mount proceeds to give six instances of the fulfilment of the Law of Moses, pointing out the true spirit of the command to those who never looked beyond the letter. Each of these instances is ushered in with a similar formula. Here is the first of these, said to them of old time. He cites the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, and teaches them that it is not the act of murder alone that is forbidden, but the anger which often leads to it. He goes to the root of the matter, and forbids even the thought of sin; not the action only of the hand, but the imagination of the heart. He who actually took the life of another would have to answer for it before the court of judgment appointed in every city of the Jews." But these courts could only take note of overt acts. A man of murderous mind might be baulked of his opportunity, and so escape their judgment altogether. Our Lord, who came to magnify the Law and make it honourable, here tells them that such shall not escape the court of judgment in the Kingdom of the Messiah. In that net of finer meshes laid for such offenders, those guilty of causeless anger shall find themselves caught and taken. But besides the court of first instance in their several cities, the Jews had also a supreme court of justice called the Council at Jerusalem, which took note of the gravest cases and the greatest offenders. Our Lord seems here by this analogy to intimate that still severer punishment in store for those who proceed from harsh thoughts to harder words; who suffer the bitterness of their heart to break out into reproachful and injurious railings against their fellow-creatures. You call him "Raca," vain,3

That this is in the dative, not in the ablative case (as in the E. V.) is admitted by the best authorities.

2 Deut. xvi. 18. These courts scem to have consisted of seven judges.

Josephus, Antt. iv. 8, 14. B. J. ii. 20, 5.

3 St. James ii. 20. "The use by St. James of this very term, and our Lord's own use of that which He

worthless. Know that this is thy brother, a son of Abraham as thyself; a son of Adam even as thou; a son of God, "who hath made of one blood all nations of men that dwell on all the face of the earth." To the South East of Jerusalem, at the foot of Mount Moriah, was a valley, where the idolatrous Jews of old burned children in sacrifice to Moloch, and which came afterwards to be held in such abomination that the carcases of cattle and corpses of criminals used to be cast out there, and burnt to prevent putrefaction. Hence it came to be called the Gehenna or Hell of fire,' representing the last degree of punishment for the highest degree of hate.

CIV.

RECONCILIATION.

St. Matthew v. 23–26.

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

From the danger of indulged hatred our Lord proceeds to

here forbids (Matt. xxiii. 17), are proofs, if any were needed, that these terms are instanced but as signs of inward states of enmity and scorn: else might a new Pharisaism develop itself out of this very teaching of Christ's; which, as avoiding certain expressly forbidden utterances of outrage and ill-will, should count itself free to use any other."-Abp. Trench,

Expos. of the Sermon on the Mount, p. 189.

The valley was Hinnom. 66 Tophet thence,

And black Gehenna called, the type of hell."-Par. Lost, i. 404. Josh. xviii. 16, where the LXX, have Gehenna. 2 Ki. xxiii. 10; Is. xxx. 33; Jer. vii. 31, 32.