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" is better for thee to enter into
"life with one eye, rather than

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having two eyes to be cast into 10. "hell-fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little "ones; for I say unto you, That "in heaven their angels (n) do "always behold the face of my "Father which is in heaven."

"it out, and cast it from thee: it ||ing the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of
God through the ignorance that
is in them, because of the blind-
ness of their heart; who being
past feeling (o), have given them-
selves over unto lasciviousness, to
work all uncleanness with greedi-
ness (p). But ye have not so
learned Christ; if (q) so be that
ye
have heard him, and have been
taught by him, as the truth is in
Jesus: that ye put off (r), con-
cerning the former conversation,
the old man(s), which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts;
and be renewed (t) in the Spirit
of your mind; and that ye put
on the new man, which after
God (u) is created in righteous-
ness and true holiness. Where
fore putting away lying, speak
every man truth with his neigh-

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O GOD, forasmuch as without
thee we are not able to please
thee; Mercifully grant, that thy
Holy Spirit may in all things di-
rect and rule our hearts, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. Ephes. iv. 17. THIS I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, 18. in the vanity of their mind, hav

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v. 19.

V. 20.

V. 21.

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(n) Their angels, &c." i. e. perhaps, they have always advocates to plead their cause with God; or, they have angels attending to them, and watching their concerns, who have constant access unto God, to complain of those who injure them, discourage them, &c. They have advocates, and guardians, of high importance and esteem in God's sight; high in rank, as those on earth who are always in their prince's presence. In speaking of the peculiar protection, &c. the Israelites received from God, it is said, Is. Ixiii. 9. ante 98. " in all their "affliction he was afflicted, and the angel "of his presence saved them," &c.

(o) Past feeling," i. e. having lost all sense of the difference between good and evil.

(p)" With greediness," i. e. greedily. (9) "If," &c. i. e. if indeed ye have rightly heard, and have been rightly taught, for the true doctrine is, that ye put off, &c. as in verse 22.

(r)" Put off," &c. This corresponds

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(s) The old man," i.e. the sinful habits to which you were accustomed before your conversion.

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(t) "Renewed," i.e. “made anew," regenerated," the same as "born "again," in John iii. 3. (ante 161.)

(u)" After God," i. e. like God, resembling him in purity: as in Col. iii. 10. "After the image of him that created "him." And Gen. i. 26. God is re presented to have said, "Let us make man in our image, after our like "ness," i. e. in perfect innocence and purity.

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(x) Angry and sin not," i.e. never let your anger hurry you into sin; repress it, before it reaches that height.

(y) "The sun," &c. This was a principle even with the Pythagoreans to

27. down upon your wrath: neither 28. give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him 29. that needeth. Let no corrupt communication (z) proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the 30. hearers. And grieve not (a) the

Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed (b) unto the day of 31. redemption (c). Let all bitter

v. 29.

v.30.

ness (d), and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking,

reconcile all their differences before sunset and how much would it add to the happiness of mankind, if Christians would but practise what is here prescribed?

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(z) "Corrupt communication." See ante 85. note on Ephes. v. 4. "Grieve not, ' (a) &c. It was speaking emphatically to say, that the practice of the sins he here proscribes would "grieve the Holy Spirit of "God." In Heb. vi. 6. apostacy is considered as " crucifying the Son of "God afresh, and putting him to an "open shame." These are strong expressions, but they imply the high importance of abstaining from sin, and adhering strictly to the precepts of the gospel.

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.30. (b) Sealed." It was the practice to mark a man's slaves or servants with his seal being sealed therefore by God's Spirit, means being marked as his servants; and whoever were so marked, were to be protected in the times of God's vengeance. In Rev. vii. 3. post 219. the angels were commanded, "Hurt "not the earth, neither the sea, nor the "trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." See also Ephes. i. 13.-2 Cor. i. 22.

v.30.

V.31.

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(c) "The day of redemption," i. e. the time so often alluded to as "the day "of the Lord," &c. ante 25.

(d) "All bitterness," &c. The character of the Christian virtues cannot be too often pressed upon our considera

be put away from you, with all malice and be ye kind one to 32. another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God (e) for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

The Gospel. Matt. ix. 1. JESUS entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city (ƒ). And, behold, 2. they brought (g) to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith (b), said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, be of good cheer; thy "sins(i) be forgiven thee." And, 3. behold, certain of the scribes said

tion: they lay a restraint on words, and even thoughts, as well as upon acts; and they recommend a system, not of what the world calls spirit, but of what is admirably calculated to advance the comfort of individuals, and the happiness of mankind, of forbearance and forgiveness. Let a man contrast his own feelings after he has forgiven an injury, with what they' would have been had he revenged it, and he will not repent that he has acted like a Christian. See ante 197. note on Gal. v.

22.

(e) "As God," &c. Is not this an v.32. irresistible argument against bitterness, malice, &c.? How can a man join in the petition, forgive us our trespasses, as

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we forgive them that trespass against us," if he is at the same time pursuing against any man the dictates of malevolence?

(f) "His own city," i.e. Capernaum, v.1. Mark ii. 1. a city of Galilee, where he then dwelt. See ante 175. note on Luke v. 1.

(g) "Brought." According to Mark v.2. ii. 4. and Luke v. 19. the press, in the house where our Saviour was, was so great, that they could not bring the man in, and they unroofed the house, and let him down.

(b) "Their faith," i. e. their confidence in his powers.

(i) "Thy sins," i. e. those which were the cause of this infirmity. Sickness and disease being, in some instances at least, a visitation from God, and pu

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sick the people that dwell therein "shall be forgiven their iniquity."

(k) "Blasphemeth," i. e. by assuming to himself what belongs peculiarly to God, the power of forgiving sins. In the parallel passages, Mark ii. 7. and Luke v. 21. the scribes are stated to have added, as the reason why they treated it as blasphemy, "Who can forgive sins "but God." When our Saviour told the high pricat, Matt. xxvi. 64. that they should thereafter "see the Son of man

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cal, implying his power to take away sin, and overcome Satan's kingdom.

(m) "Redeeming," i.e. making the best use of, employing to the best advantage, improving it, instead of wasting it.

(n) "Because," &c. Times of peril are calculated to bring the mind to seri ous reflection; and where men are induced thereby to turn to God without delaying it too long, they may thereby avert national as well as individual calamities. According to Isaiah xxvi. 9. "When God's judgments are in the "earth, the inhabitants of the world will "learn righteousness." When God thought of destroying Sodom, he promised that if ten righteous should be found there, he would not destroy it for the sake of those ten. See Gen. xviii. 23 to 33. In Jer. xviii. 7. God is repre sented as saying, "At what instant I "shall speak concerning a nation, and "concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, " and to pull down, and to destroy it; "If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will 66 repent of the evil that I thought to "do unto them." The warnings, how ever, God vouchsafes must not be too long neglected, lest, according to Prov.i.26,27; "When fear cometh as desolation, and "destruction as a whirlwind, he should

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The Gospel. Matt. xxii. 1. (p) 2. JESUS said, "The kingdom of "heaven (g) is like unto (r) a "certain king, which made a 3. " marriage (s) for his son, and sent forth his servants to call “ them that were bidden (t) to “ the wedding : and they would not come. Again, he sent "forth other servants, saying, "Tell them which are bidden, "Behold, I have prepared my "dinner; my oxen and my fat

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lings are killed, and all things are ready : come unto the 5. marriage. But they made light "of it, and went their ways,

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"laugh at our calamity, and mock when "6 our fear cometh, because we set at nought all his counsel, and would none " of his reproof." When the safety of a nation may depend upon the goodness, &c. of individuals, religion is the truest patriotism.

(o)" Wherein is excess," i.e. which leads to other excesses.

(p) The meaning of this parable is this: the advantages of Christ's coming shall first be offered to the Jews, who will reject them, and then to the Gentiles, who will receive them : but even of the Gentiles, they who do not act up to the duties of Christianity, but treat them with insult and contempt, shall be severely punished.

(q)" Kingdom of heaven." The state of Christianity.

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gether all, as many as they "found, both bad and good: “ and the wedding. was furnished ،، with guests. And when the 11.

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king came in to see the guests, " he saw there a man which had "not on a wedding garment: ❝and he saith unto him, "Friend, 12. "how camest thou in hither, "not having a wedding-garment (x)? And he was speech"less (y). Then said the king 13.

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(t) "That were bidden," i.e. the v.3. Jews. They are called, Matt. viii. 12. "the children of the kingdom." See ante 84. note on Matt. xv. 24.

(u)"Destroyed," &c. probably re- v.7. ferring to the signal vengeance to be taken at the destruction of Jerusalem. See ante 25. note on Rom. xiii. 11. ante 29. note on Luke xxi. 25.

(x) "A wedding garment," which v.11. he might have had, and which not to have was a contempt and insult to the king.

(y) "Speechless," because he had no v. 12.

excuse.

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9. 12.

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(z) "Flesh and blood," i. e. ordinary human powers, but against powers that have the supernatural assistance of the devil; or, not against human powers only, but against enemies of a higher stamp.

(a) "The rulers of the darkness of "this world," i. e. the chief, the highest, the most powerful of the devil's ministers, those who most effectually promote the sinfulness and disobedience of man. In John xii. 31.xiv. 30.-and xvi. 11. our Saviour speaks of "the prince of this world," in allusion, probably, to our great enemy the devil; and 1 Tim. iv. 1. St. Paul says of those who it was foretold should depart from the faith, that they would give heed to seducing spirits and Col. i. 13. St. Paul speaks of God's having delivered them from the power of darkness,

and having translated them into the

against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness (a) of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (b). Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, where

with

ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked(c). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword (d) of the Spirit, which is the word of God: pray

ing always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the

"kingdom of his dear Son," meaning, perhaps, by "the power of darkness,"

the devil and his ministers.

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(8) For" spiritual wickedness in high r "places," read "The spirits of wickedness that are above the earth." In Ephes. ii. 2. the great promoter of inquity is called, "the prince of the 66 power of the air, the spirit that "worketh in the children of disobe"dience."

(c) For "the wicked," read "the * "wicked one."

(d)" The sword," &c. The word of God is here called "the sword of the

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Spirit," the great weapon upon which Christians are to rest. It is observable, that when our Saviour was tempted of the devil, it was with passages from Scripture that he answered his attacks. See ante 82. note on Matt. iv. 7.

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